In our family, the kitchen is the heart of our home. It is where everyone gathers, treats are baked, meals are shared, games are played and stories are told. This week as I watched our young-adult children baking cookies, catching up on each of their respective lives with one another, helping out (without even being asked!) and just enjoying being together, I had to pause and savor the moment. This is a gift and one that my husband and I are so thankful for. In spite of all of the craziness of the season, busy work schedules and the stress of jobs, it all comes down to being thankful for the little things that really aren’t so little at all. It’s about sharing with family and friends, re-connecting and catching up with those who are so important to us and making new memories to add to the rich tapestry of our lives.

Thank you for being part of the Silk Road Creations family! We wish you the time to savor the moments, listen, share, laugh, play, make memories and be thankful!

Happy Holidays and the best to each of you in the New Year!

Marcia

The laundry is piled high and the house is in a state of disarray. Cards and games are on the dining room table, the refrigerator is filled with leftover wedges of pie, a bit of stuffing and mashed potatoes, and an empty candy dish sits on the table. The beds are stripped and the sheets and towels sit in piles to be laundered. This is the aftermath of the Thanksgiving holiday and I am so thankful for all of it. Not for the end of the weekend but for the “messes” that so visibly portray a time filled with family, games, stories, laughter and good food. We were so blessed to have both sets of parents with us, along with the kids and their significant others (We were minus a daughter who was with her husband-to-be and his family out west! We missed them but know they had a wonderful time!) and our home was filled to the brim with the good things that times like these bring. It was a time to re-connect, make memories, and rest the mind as well as the soul.

The piles of fabric and projects have been waiting patiently for my return and I will enjoy digging into all of it. I don’t always take the time to “rest the mind” and it felt good to close the door and not think of anything but what to eat and which game to play next! So, it’s back to the studio and I’m ready! I have some wonderful fabrics I am working with to create a new cover for the Maison Bag pattern from Dear Stella Designs. Their “Heirloom” collection was exactly what I was looking for! Also from Dear Stella Designs is a collection called “Mimosa”. It is one of those peachy-pinky-orange collections that I discovered at Market and I can’t wait to start creating with it. A group of Jasmine Batiks from Maywood Studio Fabrics in rich turquoise, purple, and green is also waiting patiently for my attention!

I hope that each of you had the time to rest your creative mind and enjoy the special people in your life this Thanksgiving! I wish you a little bit of laundry, a few “messes”, time to pause and give thanks for those you hold dear, and the opportunity to get back to stitching, playing with fabric and creating beautiful things!

"Heirloom" by Dear Stella Designs

"Mimosa" by Dear Stella Designs

Jasmine Batiks from Maywood Studio Fabrics

Happy Stitching!

Marcia

I always return from Market with new ideas inspired by the colorful collections of fabrics and wonderful new products displayed so beautifully and this year was no exception!

While orange was never one of my most favorite colors, that may quickly become a thing of the past. Everywhere I turned it seemed, there was another citrus-inspired collection that was fresh and vibrant. Collections with mouth-watering names like Orange Crush and Mango Salsa from Timeless Treasures, Tangerine Tango from Maywood Studio Fabrics and Mimosa from Dear Stella give a hint of what’s to come to a quilt shop near you!

The products were equally as exciting and it took a tremendous amount of self control to go to sleep each night in the hotel room rather than play with my new-found treasures. Wool felt balls from Handbegh Felts, snaps in a staggering array of colors and styles from The Snap Source, templates for embellishing fabrics from Embellishment Village and my favorite fusible from Shades Soft Fuse (It’s in Kanga & Roo and the pouches were a huge hit!), to name a few. The mind never stops at Market and the creative juices flow at an all-time high!

While the fabrics and products are tremendous fun, the “people” part of Market is simply the best. Seeing old friends and having the opportunity to meet new ones is the icing on the cake. Quilters are just the nicest people and there are thousands of them under one roof at Market!

My bags are unpacked, the shipments have shipped and now it’s time for some designing fun! Stay tuned…you just never know what will come out of the studio next!!

Happy Stitching – Marcia

New patterns are now in the store and are available to ship! Woo Hoo! Pop over and take a peek!

Ziggie Handbag and Tote – quilt-as-you-go bags in two sizes you’ll love with lots of pockets, a flange or two,  and a bonus key ring!

Rupert – another quilt-as-you-go design but this one’s for your bed! We think you’ll agree that he’s one of the cutest bears around! He comes with a full sized pattern too!

Kanga & Roo – cute little pouches that pack flat and are constructed with fused layers of fabric! We love the fused fabric technique; it makes construction a snap!

Turning The Corner – the 2012 Silk Road To Hope design! Ninety percent of the profits from the sale of this beautiful quilt pattern are donated to Susan G. Komen For The Cure to support breast cancer research. Join us in the search for a cure!

Happy, happy stitching!!

Marcia

The children have returned to school, the air is crisp and cool and the trees are just beginning their beautiful display of fall colors. Along with the changing season comes less time pulling weeds and more time creating in the studio! That must be why I love this time of year!

With Fall Quilt Market quickly approaching, threads have been flying in the studio! We have some exciting new designs coming out soon and I thought you might like a peek at what we’ll be introducing in Houston!

Meet Rupert! He’s our bed topper, nap mat or snuggly bear buddy, whichever you prefer! He’s a quilt-as-you-go design (that means he’s fast and fun to make!) and we think he’s about the cutest bear around with his fuzzy nose and paw pads! We’ve made him in Minky, a houndstooth check flannel (both from Maywood Studio Fabrics) and regular quilting cotton (Moda) and he’s adorable in all three. Who wouldn’t want a bear to snuggle with this winter??

Rupert

“Ziggie” is our newest handbag and tote pattern and is also a quilt-as-you-go design (we like this technique, can you tell??). Ziggie comes in two sizes and if you’ve love the Maison Bag size, you’ll love the Ziggie handbag size. If you have more to carry, try the tote! There are lots of pockets, a flange or two, optional zip close and even some rick-rack if you’re so inclined!

Ziggie

“Turning The Corner” is our 2012 Silk Road To Hope design and as you may know, 90% of the profits from the sale of any of our Silk Road To Hope patterns are donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The design may look familiar…we loved the “In My Garden” table topper collection we introduced in the spring so much (and we heard you did too!), we brought it out in a quilt version!

Turning The Corner

I mentioned in my last posting about using fused layers of fabric for a project. Kanga and Roo are the result of my fusing experiments! By fusing the outer fabric and lining together, construction is a snap and the weight of the pouch is just right when it’s complete! We discovered a new product at Spring Market called Shades Soft Fuse and it is wonderful for this project. It fuses with the touch of an iron and the paper peels off perfectly every time! Ask for it at your favorite quilt shop! Two pouch sizes are included in the pattern, they pack flat and both have simple zippers and an outside pocket. I nearly wore mine out this summer field testing them up north walking and biking!

Kanga & Roo

If you’d like to try an easy project using fused layers of fabric, you can make a simple card sleeve! (They’re perfect for holding a credit card or two in your Kanga or Roo pouch!) Click here for instructions!

Fused Fabric Card Sleeves

The new patterns should be arriving early next week and we can hardly wait until they get here!

Happy Stitching!

Marcia

va • ca • tion

[ vay kay shuhn ]

1.       a period of suspension of work, study or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation or travel

Spending time at the lake during our vacation was exactly that…relaxing, peaceful and an opportunity to enjoy a break from the norm. My husband and I had an opportunity to spend time together on our daily bike rides along the shore while enjoying the ever-changing colors of the lake. The blues ranged from silver to deep turquoise and changed multiple times during the day. The flowers in full bloom were a “riot of glorious color”, as my first quilting teacher used to say, and the sunsets were magnificent with streaks of oranges, yellows and pinks across the sky. The cottage was filled with noisy chatter and laughter when the kids and grandparents were with us and we enjoyed many enthusiastic card games and time relaxing on the porch with a good book.

It was also a time to think about new projects and fabrics, and of course, my sewing machine and laptop came along for the trip. (The creative mind rarely turns off completely!!) I’m fusing layers of fabric together for a new project I’m experimenting with. I’ll let you know what I’m using for the fusing (no rhyming intended!) and how I’m using the fused layers of fabric! Stay tuned and in the meantime…

Happy stitching!

Marcia

Oranges, yellows & pinks across the evening sky

I loved the colors of all the the boats stacked up!

More beautiful colors!

A number of years ago when we were living overseas, we had an opportunity to visit the Daintree Rainforest in Australia. We were amazed by many things there but especially by the enormous size of the plants and leaves we saw! Today, while crawling around in my flower beds and spreading many, many yards of mulch, I was reminded of those enormous leaves. Due to the never-ending spring rains this season, my hostas have gone absolutely berserk and are so big, they would fit in quite nicely with those we saw in the rainforest! The giant, oval leaves are a lush shade of green with a narrow band of lime around each outside edge.

Time spent in the garden always makes me think of quilting. I love the exquisite colors and textures of the plants and flowers. One of my favorite things to incorporate into a quilted piece is a flange. It’s like the thin band of lime on the hosta leaves…narrow and subtle but it packs such a punch of interest into each leaf. Flanges are like that. You can tuck one in a seam or add one at the edge of a quilt before binding and it adds great texture and a punch of color. The best part is that flanges don’t take much fabric, they’re easy, and you can add them in a variety of ways and places, even if your pattern doesn’t call for one!

To add a simple, ¼” flange to the edge of a quilt, you will need a 1” strip of fabric the length of each side of your quilt, folded and pressed in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Align the raw edges of the flange with the raw edge of your quilt and machine-baste in place using slightly less than a ¼” seam allowance. There is no need to fold and turn the flange around each corner; just cut off the excess flange fabric when you reach the end of each side! Add binding and enjoy the flange that will be peeking out from between the binding and your quilt!

Zip & Dots table runner

You can also insert a flange into a seam using the same technique. In the photo below, we added a flange in a pieced border to perk up the white fabric. The green flange acts like an extra mat or a fillet in a picture frame and really accents what’s going on in the center of the piece. You can easily add a flange like this in the border of a quilt!

In My Garden

What about framing a block with a flange? Or adding a flange to the top edge of a bag or purse?? So many possibilities, so little time!

Happy Stitching!

Marcia

We are back from market and are excited about the fabrics, new products and friends we had the opportunity to see! It never ceases to be a thrill when the doors open and beautiful booths are unveiled! Salt Lake City is a lovely city with a wonderful array of restaurants, great places to explore, gorgeous flowers, and is surrounded by snow-covered mountains. It wasn’t hard to eat our way through the downtown area with all of the great restaurants to choose from and we already miss our evening visits to the gelato restaurant not far from our hotel!! Chocolate and sweet cream gelato was the BEST!

Barri from Bareroots and Heather, Elissa and Lorne from Hopscotch Quilts were our creative neighbors at market and each offer beautiful patterns and books. Be sure to check their websites for a closer look!

Loved the snow-covered mountains!

Let the Market begin!

How about these colors for a quilt??

The booth, Mindy (booth builder, chief organizer and lover of good gelato!) and me

B.J. Bunny was the sweetheart of the show for us...and for Elissa from Hopscotch Quilts too!

Heather, Elissa, Me, Mindy

"In My Garden" and the "Riff-Raff Runner Set" samples at the Petersen-Arne booth

Lots of "chatter" with Eleanor Burns at the Accuquilt booth!

Color trends from Michael Miller

Congratulations to Cari from Quilt-n-Sew in St. George, Utah who won our Ella Handbag drawing! You will be receiving it soon Cari! Thank you for stopping by our booth!

Happy stitching!

Marcia

Wishing you time to savor the moments shared with family and friends this holiday season!

Marcia

Quilt Market exhausts, excites, and inspires and this one was no exception! Our booth shipment arrived on schedule and was waiting patiently for us when we finally made it to the convention center. Thankfully it didn’t experience the flight delays we ran into trying to get to Houston! It went together beautifully and the response to our new designs as well as the booth was extremely positive from everyone. The Daisy-Do Potted Pincushions were the darlings of the show for us and people stopped in their tracks to see them lined up so cute on the table!

Our Booth

The table runners were a huge hit!

The new "Silk Road To Hope" quilt on the right..."Double Check It!" Ninety percent of the profits from the sale of this pattern in 2011 will be donated to Susan G. Komen For The Cure to support the fight against breast cancer.

Spidey had to come along for the trip--Halloween is her favorite time of year!

Linda Hudson of Lost Pines Quilt Shop in Bastrop, TX won the jumbo Daisy-Do pincushion! We hope your customers like the Daisy-Do pattern as much as they like the Go Bag!!

A special “Thank You!” to all who stopped by the booth…it was so nice to meet new friends, connect faces to voices and emails and re-connect with old friends!

The orders have been filled and our patterns are on their way to a quilt shop near you! Ask for them at your favorite shop or order them online on our website! In the meantime, we’re testing out some new treasures we discovered at Market and we’ll be telling you about those in an upcoming post!   Marcia