Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Show & Tell part two!!
Lorrie sent her Happy Dreams pillowcase & top sheet to show you. She says she had a great time making them & they "went together like a dream!" That's always nice to hear!! It looks like you did just a beautiful job Lorrie! Thanks for sending your pictures!
There are bluebirds flying around this quilt too!!! Shellee Jensen sent in her Bluebird quilt for us to Ooooo! & Ahhhhh! over! She always does such gorgeous work! I love the colors she used! She says now she can't wait to get to the three new projects in her "to-do" pile..... which ones are those????? Get to stitching!!
This is Winter Sampler sent in by Danielle from Massachusetts (sorry Danielle... I cropped off your fingers when I re-sized the photo!) She says that this worked up quite fast. It's SO pretty too! You did such a good job on it! She also wrote that she's going to make the pillow that was in Quiltmaker magazine. Are you going to search around at antique stores for some old crocheted pillow edging? I found some this weekend..... really pretty!
This beautiful pillow is by our friend, Susan Ache from Florida. She says that she made a cutting mistake & this is what she did with it so it wouldn't just be wasted! Great Idea!!! This is SO CUTE!! I just may steal the idea for a future pattern! LOL!! Susan sends us photos of lots of things in her house (beautiful, girly, pretty pretty house by the way!) Thanks so much!!! I wish you'd come & decorate my house for me while I just sit on the porch & drink iced tea...... or margaritas, depending on how late you'll slave away at it! Hmmmmm..... I had a nice little dream moment there!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Wow!! We have received SO MANY of your projects for show & tell!!!
This "Over the River ...." was made by Sheri Siedentop from The Quilt Cupboard - I love the message at the bottom of her email "A store-bought quilt warms the body, but a home-made quilt warms the soul." We love this version of the quilt... very warm!!! Beautiful Sheri!
This showpiece was designed, pieced & quilted by Ann Jones. She says that about 12 other guild members helped with the embroidery. "It was entered in a local, medium-sized quilt show and took first in it's category-original design." I can see why! It's stunning!!! She also writes that she's working on Winter Wonderland for her mom, & when she finishes it is planning to start on Twas the Night.... but is thinking of doing it in shades of purple (Ooooo! Night sky??) blue or multi. Send us a picture when you're done! I can't wait to see!
Think you're seeing double?? I messed up & put Sheri's quilt in twice???? Nope! This one is by Carlene Deems from Aunt Lenies Attic in Jefferson, OH. It never fails to amaze me how similar yet how different they can look just with different floss colors & the fabrics chosen! Gorgeous sepia toned stitchery Carlene!!This is also by Carlene. She used Moda's Simplicity line (says she's a dot & stripe nut!) Well, me too!!!! If it's got polka dots on it, it's for me!! This is just beautiful! Ok, now this shows she's a girl who loves to embroider..... she says she started Over the River in mid October... had it finished by mid November & didn't start Berry Picking Party till the beginning of December!!! Not only that.... she's ready for the next one! WOW!!!
Lauretta Allen made this beautiful, blue Winter Wonderland! She says she works in a quilt shop & when women come in complaining about how they'd like to do hand embroidery but don't have the time, she tells them.."If you have time to watch tv or the news, you have time to embroider!" Good for you Lauretta!!! You're absolutely right! She says that she's also done Over the River ... & is currently working on Hocuspocusville & Heirloom Romance is next because not only does she love crazy quilting, she loves any excuse to bead & embellish! A girl after my own heart!!
OK girls.... take a close look at this!!! Diane Masumoto writes that she's taking crazy quilting & ribbon embroidery classes at Piecemakers (sorry, don't know which Piecemakers!) & she's incorporated everything she's learned in this Heirloom Romance quilt. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to be able to enlarge it & see it up close. Really incredible!!! Great work Diane, you should be SO proud of yourself!!!
This is so sweet! This was the stitchery from our winter contest! Ann Jones made it into a quilted wall hanging & added an embroidered border.....from......Winter Wonderland???? Am I right? Very pretty Ann! She writes that now she's going to get back to work on a Winter Wonderland that she's making for her mom's Christmas present... only two big blocks left! WooHoo!!!! If one of them is the candy cane clothesline one, I apologize..... I LOVE to embroider, but for some reason I really hated stitching that block! Guess I shouldn't admit that.... after all I designed the darn thing!! LOL!!!! Sorry, sorry, sorry!.... Good work Ann!
This is Remember Me by Beverly Shultz. I LOVE the ticking stripes!!! She set the blocks to accomodate the eight signatures of her tea friends. She says that she did this right before she & her husband relocated & she wanted a wonderful reminder of all the tea times they'd had together over the years. How sweet she is!! She did it as a tablecloth.... in the round! Beautiful Beverly!! Oh! It's hand quilted also!! She's also done a machine embroidered valance for the breakfast room in her new home to match the quilt design & now it's very much her "tea room"! I'm sure it won't be long until you fill your table with many new tea & stitchery friends in your new home!!
I have many others to post but I'm going to have to wait till tomorrow! Phil just got home wanting dinner, I'm sure..... and the copier "dude" is here fixing "The Beast", our big color printer. If it doesn't get fixed tonight, the new patterns can't be released on Friday!!! YIKES!!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

We're almost ready for our newest pattern release! Here are the other two, "Gardener's Angel - Hope" which is the first in what will be a series with angels for all 4 seasons, and "An Embroiderer's Blessing", words we all live by! We should be ready to have these ready to go late next week if all goes well!

I need to send a big "I'm Sorry!" to everyone who had sent in photos of their projects! I'll have time to post them as soon as these patterns are done. In the midst of all the new pattern hubub we've had computer problems, printer problems & MORE computer problems! Our computer "dude" claims that we have gremlins & that we need to put live plants around the studio to keep them busy so that they leave the electronic equipment alone............ hmmmmmm............ don't quite know if I'm ready for THAT one!!!!

Just a note to everyone who has posted comments, "THANK YOU!!!" We love to hear from you! One thing though that we can't do is email you back with answers to questions, etc... because we don't receive your email address with your comment. YIKES!! You can reach us directly through the website however, or you can email at info@crabapplehillstudio.com .

Talk to you later! I have to finish adding barcodes to the pattern backs so that we can start printing!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

OH MAN!!! I can't believe it's been so long since the last post! I've been so busy with the new patterns I've lost track of time! In March I'll have 4 new designs to release, a quilt named "Friendship Blooms Over Garden Fences", a big heart shaped pillow named "Heartfelt Wishes", the "Gardener's Angel of Spring-Hope" (you've seen a little of her before), and a stitchery that I'm going to frame named "An Embroiderer's Blessing" (I'm trying to finish stitching it tonight!) I think I'll have to decide between a Haley Mills movie marathon (Summer Magic is my fav.) or a Doris Day marathon (I'm thinking Don't Eat the Daisies would be a good place to start) Just snuggle up with Honeybunny (that's our cat, not an embarrassing nickname for Phil!) stitch & hibernate with old movies until I'm done ...... I wonder if we have any Funyuns? Here's a little preview of the new stuff. Hope you'll like it!

I'll write more later & show you all the new photos that have come in from other Knot-y Girls! Bye!