Sunday Morning Quilts

Scrappy Sunday - All Together Now

If you've had the opportunity to see our book, Sunday Morning Quilts, you know that the photography is gorgeous. It isn't just a bunch of quilts on a bench/chair or quilts on a wall. Sadly, we weren't able to participate in the photo shoot but we were absolutely thrilled when we were sent the photos to preview. The photos show the quilts being used, something very important to us. And they reflect the spirit of the book perfectly.

To achieve this C&T smartly used some gorgeous and real people, in addition to simply loverly settings. My favourite photo in the book is this one:


Those feets and legs are none other than Kristy, C&T's Art Director. On a photo shoot you make use of all the folks around you!

One of the girls, our cover girl, is none other than Sarah, the niece of a longarmer that one of C&T's staff, Ruthmary Schauer knows. Did you follow that? Amanda posted her story. Contrary to popular belief, she is neither one of our kids.


The photos in this book reiterate just how much putting together a quilt book is about collaboration and working as a team. It wasn't just Amanda and I sewing and writing furiously to produce beautiful things. That is the crux of the work, yes, but that doesn't make a book. The editing, the photography, the design/lay out work - they all come together with the projects and words themselves to create something beautiful and cohesive. We had an amazing team in Stash Books. They respected our vision for the book, but translated it with their experience and market knowledge. There was so much back and forthing between us and them that we never felt like the rest of the process wasn't also ours once the quilts and manuscript were submitted.

And even though the book is out in the world, and has been for months now, it still feels like we are a team. We all want the book to do well. And we are treated like part of their family. It's been a wonderful experience.
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We're wrapping up our Scrappy Sunday series today. At this point we'd like to celebrate the next phase of the book process - what happens when readers get their hands on the book! Honestly, this is the most exciting part. We've seen posts, received emails, and had conversations with people inspired by the book. Whether they tackled their scraps or made a gorgeous quilt, we love to see it and hear about it. If you are a store teaching classes based on the book, or you've got a wonderful sample display, we'd love to see it!

To this end we're hosting a linky party. Share with us, we want to see and celebrate with you. And speaking of celebrating, of course there might be some prizes for all of your partying with us!

Thank-you so much for making this entire experience ever more wonderful.

Scrappy Sunday - Alternatives




When Amanda and I started on Sunday Morning Quilts we had grand plans of showing two versions of each quilt. Well, aren't those plans grand?! It isn't in the book, but we've since decided to sew our way through the book. In addition to all the great versions other people are making, we wanted to make our own version of each other's quilts. This is the first instalment of us sewing our way through the book.


Skittles
62'' by 88''

On this one I went to the opposite spectrum from Amanda again. I emptied out my string jar, dividing the colours into warms and cools. (And I still had strings left over!). My Monster has already claimed this one because it is striped. 










Scrap Like Dat
72'' by 72''

This is an alternate colour treatment for Scrapper's Delight. Amanda did an amazing job with random, colourful scraps. I didn't want to recreate that look, so I went to one of my favourite quilts from the book. I took the fabric choices from Sunday Morning for this version. And a controlled use of pale grey in each block.








Both of these quilts were long-armed by Janet Madeyski, from Pieces and Threads quilting.

Don't forget about our  Sunday Morning Quilts Flickr group. Share your projects there too.

Scrappy Sundays - Get 'er Done!


In a perfect world a book would get written in peace and quiet, with the work treated like it was a full-time job. In a perfect world.

In the real world a book gets written in the early morning and very late hours. Sewing happens on the dining room table while the rest of the family eats next to you. You edit manuscripts at the pool during swimming lessons. In the real world.

For Scrappy Sunday this week Amanda and I are talking about how we, ourselves, got it done.

This is actually a question I get asked a lot. How do I get it done? The short answer is that I don't sleep. Much. The longer answer isn't much different.

Personally, I write better in the morning. This means I set my alarm to get up early, even in the summer. I will try to get at least an hour, hopefully two, in before anyone wakes up. With baby now that doesn't always work, but I try. In the winter, though, I couldn't turn on any lights or make tea because it would sometimes wake up the girls. That meant I hunkered down in a corner of the dining room with only the light of my monitor keeping me company. If Hubby was out of town I would stay in bed, ignoring my screaming bladder, and write until the girls came in to jump on the bed and me.




Most of my sewing was done at night, right after the girls went to bed. The second I closed the door after bedtime kisses and songs I was pulling out my machine and the latest quilt. If Hubby was home he watched TV while I did this (we have a living/dining room combo). If he wasn't then I put on some music while I sewed, sewed, and sewed.


For most of the writing of the book I still had nap times for the girls. The Monster only decided to stop napping just after I sent off all the quilts for the book. She was nearly 5. Of course, her younger sister decided the same thing for herself at the same time. I was just thankful that they went as long as they did and that they held off until the majority of the work was done. That gave me a few hours every afternoon to work. More often than not that extended after nap time with the use of PBS Kids.

Yes, that's my other secret. PBS Kids, I owe you a world of gratitude. Both your fun TV shows and great website kept my girls going when I just had to get 'er done.



I also took advantage of my kids during this time by putting them to work. They sorted scraps for me, pushed the foot pedal in games of red light/green light, and helped me bind quilts. This is where The Little Feet, Pins and Needles series came from. We also got them involved in photo shoots.

Speaking of taking advantage of things... We live in a great community. There is a hall which houses the preschool and hosts a tot-time one morning a week. I had access to space and big tables to baste. I used all these features, sometimes all at the same time, to get things done. This meant basting quilts while I watched one kid during tot time and the other was in the basement preschool!



At the end of the day we still had to eat, so I took advantage of batch cooking. One day in the kitchen - sacrificed quilting time - could yield a half dozen meals. I also fed the family popcorn for dinner sometimes. Most days it was kind of nice to stop, clean up the table, and turn my brain to other things. Having a defined break does wonders for productivity. You return to the task refreshed. This applies to work stoppages for games of Candyland too.


When my Hubby was away for about 4 of the 6 months we had to do this book I actually found it to be easier to get the work done. Don't tell him that! But I could work at my own schedule without having to interrupt his. But when crunch time came I was very thankful to have him around. He took the girls out of the house for fun days so I could frantically quilt, he handled the rush repair of my machine 3 days before the quilts were due, and he made me leave the house for dinner when I didn't think I had the time to stop to eat.




Having a partner in Amanda made everything easier too. It was fantastic to have a second set of eyes on a project, someone to vent to that completely understood what you were going through, and a partner to share the work load.

So, there you have it. I don't sleep much, I don't sit and watch much TV, there is good and bad cooking for meals, and I really don't fit exercise in. That's how I get 'er done. But I also had naps, took breaks for cuddles, books, and creative play, and even managed to stay mostly happily married. But it all takes focus and determination. And tea, really strong tea.

Winners!


Thank-you all for entering our little celebration this past Scrappy Sunday. I loved learning more about you. Funny, it never occurred to me that people would quilt more in the summer because they stayed inside with the AC! And it was great feedback to hear what quilts you liked from the book. There was no clear winner. I think that is just perfect too. It means we succeeded in providing a whole lot of inspiration.

Here are the winners. If you haven't received an email from me it means you are a "no-reply commenter" in your posts.

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Aside
No-reply commenting is a big pet peeve of mine. I may not always get the time on every single post, but I do like to respond to comments and questions whenever I can. But if you have it set so I can't hit reply to your comment then you'll never hear from me.


Here is a great walk-through to change your settings to allow people to respond to you. Take a second to check, and maybe change your settings. Quite often we don't know we have it set that way.

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Now back to the winners!

Leanne wins a copy of Sunday Morning Quilts. How generous of her, she's going to share it with a friend.

Hildy in Germany wins an electronic copy of the book.

There are 4 scrap packs to be had.
Renae
Patti Shanks
MJB
Kitkatknit

I've only got an email for one of you, so if you see your name on this list drop me a line (cherylATcherylarkisonDOTcom). I'm happy to share my scraps with you! If I don't hear from you by the end of the day on the 8th then I'll be drawing someone else's name.

Thanks for sharing. Join us this weekend for another Scrappy Sunday!

Scrappy Sunday - Let's Celebrate


Happy Canada Day! Happy 4th of the July in a few days! And most importantly, Happy Birthday to Amanda Jean in a few days!

In light of these wonderful things to celebrate we thought a celebration was in order. And what's a party without gifts?

We know that for new quilters or, really, for all quilters, acquiring scraps can be a little exciting but time consuming. We both have a quilting addiction where we are constantly in our stashes cutting and slashing. That means we have LOTS of scraps. I think I have more scraps now than I did before I started all the quilts for Sunday Morning Quilts!

Today I'd like to giveaway some scrap bags. I'll fill an envelope, or 4, with scraps a plenty. Strings, your favourite colour, some low-volume. You name it and I've probably got it! And, of course, some books get to leave the house! A Canadian reader will win a hard copy of the book, and I can send an electronic copy to an international reader. So much goodness to share!

Amanda is doing the same thing too, double your chances to win.

Leave a comment below (international guests are always welcome). Tell me, do your sewing habits change in the summer?  Or, let me know which quilt in Sunday Morning Quilts is your favourite and tell me why.

Giveaway open until Thursday, July 5, 8 am MST. 

Scrappy Sundays - Father's Day Edition



We don't live in a vacuum. We don't create in a vacuum. No, we are surrounded by school schedules, sports, travelling partners, family drama, and that pesky housework. When it came to writing Sunday Morning Quilts it was no different.

My Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2008. There were a few years of treatment and, ironically, better health as he quit smoking and got his blood pressure under control. But the winter of 2010/2011 showed us that the cancer was taking over and his decline was quick. This coincided with the first winter I was home full time and was writing the book.

Amanda and I spent a week together in March, hammering out the final text and taking photos. I tried not to think about my family, but things were obviously bad with my Dad. I waffled between guilt for being away to work on my pet project and elation at doing so. I talked to my Mom and my husband about the reality of the situation. I talked to Amanda about our Dads.

It seemed like the writing and my Dad's health were in direct contrast. One giving me so much happiness and excitement, the other giving me pause, sadness, and challenge. Over a year later I can't think of these two things exclusively.

When I came back from Amanda's we more or less moved to be with my family. My Dad was admitted to a Palliative unit. My days became a combination of hospital visits, keeping the girls busy, and finding the time to finish the manuscript. I sat in the old, old recliner in my Dad's home office with a cable snaking across the room making sure all the Us were removed from colour and favourite and our images were numbered properly.




I'm not sure my Dad ever really understood the book writing process, or even why I was doing it. He was the kind of man who expected 100% every single time you did something - both in effort and result. He never said, but I'm sure there was a lot of head shaking on his part when after going to university and grad school I quit my job to be home with my kids and write. Then again, he was an old fashioned Eastern European, maybe he thought that's where I should be? But he never said anything negative to me about it. Never shot me down. This, if you knew my father, was shocking.

When he finally let us tell people he was sick and dying he was inundated with visitors. Old friends and colleagues flocked to the hospital with sweet treats and old stories. One of us kids was usually there and we were inevitably introduced to a crusty plumber or painter who remembered us as kids or unruly teenagers. My Dad would show off his grandkids, or complain about their behaviour. And when it came to me he always mentioned that I was writing a book. He might laugh that it was about quilting, but he always brought it up.

This is as close as he would get to saying he was proud of me.

I didn't need my Dad to say these words, nor did I need him to say anything else. Actions always spoke louder than words with him. Every day when I arrived at the hospital my Dad would ask me how the book was going. Was I done yet? The day that I finished everything I was quite proud to finally answer in the positive.

We had only a few weeks left after I hit send. The book was submitted on April 1, he died April 12. He never saw the final product, never slept under one of the quilts. 

Writing a book, or any other creative process really, happens while life happens. But when we make the commitment to that process we often have to work through difficult times. It isn't all sunshiny studios, cups of tea, and quiet afternoons. It's hard to get up early, working at odd hours and in snippets to bang out the work. It might have been easier to put the project aside and devote everything to my family. But that would have mean letting down Amanda, myself, and violating my contract. I know that people would have understood, but I was committed to my commitment. That was something my Dad would and could support.

The book is out there now and doing well. When it came to the book I think my Dad would have kept it on the bar at home, next to his worn out deck of cards so he could show it to a buddy that came over for a drink. He might have flipped through it in between TV shows. Maybe he would have asked me how long it took to make a certain quilt. He may not have understood my goals or the world of quilts, but I'm pretty sure he would have been proud. 

Working on Sunday Morning Quilts was indeed work, but it was a respite from what was going on in my life. Sometimes the daily activities of life are evident in the final product, sometimes they are not. My father and my family life are not in this book, but they are still a part of it. The stories thread together in my existence, in the story of my family.


Don't forget to check out Amanda Jean's post about the men in her life.

Scrappy Sundays!



Welcome to Scrappy Sundays! This is a new series that Amanda Jean and I are going to be writing over the next several weeks. In this series we thought it would be fun to share some behind the scenes of writing the book, tell stories about some of the quilts and share alternate ideas that we've sewn up. We also plan to highlight the work that our awesome pattern testers did and more. 


Join us on Sunday morning for these posts. At the end we will have a link up party where you can share your work and give your scrappy testimonials. We think it will be a lot of fun! Of course there will be prizes, too.


We wanted to let you know that we've started a Flickr group where you can share photos of your quilts or projects that you made based on the book Sunday Morning Quilts. We want to see what you are making..and we want to see your scraps! Perhaps a pile of unsorted scraps to start with, then show off your organizational progress. We love seeing scraps in action!
 
We'd also love to hear from you. What do you want to know about us, about writing the book, about our scrap situation? If we can answer it in one of these posts we will. We're looking forward to hearing from you.







Many Thanks


In the life of a quilter one gets very used to the reactions of people when you give them a quilt. They are either blase about it and you wonder why you bothered OR they are blown away by your kindness, let alone the awesomeness of the quilt itself. But very rarely does the quilter get to be on the other side of that relationship.

I've been there once before, when my SIL gave The Monster's baby quilt. It's pretty cool (the feeling and the quilt).

At Quilt Market, however, I got that feeling twice. And even though I'm friends with quilters I hardly expected it. To be fair, the quilts weren't for me. They are Nikolai's quilts.



The first one came from Rashida. Amanda and I ran into her on the show floor. We were on our way to the Generation Q booth, to say hi to the folks there. Rashida joined us for the chat. There we were in the booth, chatting away and admiring the ever rotating display of quilts when I was handed a quilt. Made with linen, some solids, and Cloud 9's Monsterz line, it's the sweetest baby quilt. I was admiring it when Rashida told me it was for Nicky. I'll admit it, I lost it and was gushing like a total geek. So, so sweet.

(BTW, more details on the quilt in the premiere print issue of Generation Q.)

We kept trying to get a picture of Rashida with Nicky. It turns out someone was always crying...


Then, on our last night together Amanda and I retreated to the hotel room. We sat chatting as I nursed the baby and we signed bookplates. After the energy and crowds of Market it was nice to finally have some time to reflect and be together. It was, after all, only the second time we'd been together. And she presented Nikolai with an awesome quilt. She knows me so well that the design was perfect, beyond it being a slab quilt. In writing the book we always pushed each other and always responded. Maybe she didn't mean the symbolism, but she put purple in it and it is all solids. That accounts for one push from me and one from her.

And now, my beautiful crazy boy has some gorgeous love to cuddle with that come from dear friends. He's got no choice, that kid, he's the son of a quilter, surrounded by quilters, and buried in quilts.



Binding, Binding, Binding


Lest you think I'm not getting anything quilty done, here is a pile of bindings. Two of these are out of the book and one is a precious baby quilt. One hand finished - in progress. One machine binding - in progress. One machine bound and ready for it's debut.

I'll admit, I can do machine binding, but I'm not a fan of it. I find them stiff and it somehow feels wrong to me to have that seam on the front. I just prefer the look of a hand finished binding, for my quilts. You can't however, knock the speed of doing it by machine and sometimes you just need to get things done. And there is a lot of satisfaction in getting a quilt from squared up to completely bound in only a few hours. There is a lot of enjoyment in sitting and stitching in rhythm too.

I guess I'm not one to judge.

Make a Date

What are you doing Wednesday afternoon? Nothing? Great! Now you can join Mark Lipinski and I as we chat on his radio show: Creative Mojo.

Wednesday March 14, 2012
3-5 pm EST

It's been a couple of years since I dropped off some cabbage rolls for him as he came to Calgary for Quilt Canada. I wonder what he has in store for me now? As far as I know we will be talking about Sunday Morning Quilts. So tune in to hear more about the book, maybe a little bit more about me, and probably a lot of laughing. You can even call in to chat. We'd love to hear from you. This is your chance to ask me anything!

To listen live go to toginet.com when the show airs.

Call 877-864-4869 to chat with us.

We'll catch up on Wednesday. It's a date.

Updated: Here is the link for the podcast:
http://toginet.com/shows/creativemojo
Click on the March 14, 2012 show to listen.

It's here!


Well, it's official. The book is out there in the universe. Nearly 2 years after starting the whole process and almost a whole year since we submitted the final manuscript, the book is in readers' hands. Can I tell you? This is the most exciting part for me. We're getting emails, tweets, and notes from readers and people are so kind.

Thank-you for reading and supporting me as we explore quilting and creating together. Now that the book is available I'm looking forward to new opportunities to get us all going in playing with our fabric.

There were a few folks with the correct guess for the book date. But we're still waiting for baby... There was a baby this week, but my sister's, not mine. I guess I better finish that quilt!

One more thing. I'll be offering signed copies of the book for sale in my shop. As soon as those copies arrive on my doorstep I will list them. And I'll let you know when that happens. And stay tuned, I've got some fun things going on in the next couple of weeks, baby not included!

Book or Baby?


Well, I've come to 31 weeks pregnant! If it wasn't for an extended bout of single parenting I'd probably be managing the pregnancy quite well too. I'm exhausted - what with the kidlets, the dragon in my belly, keeping up with my nesting instinct, and the bits of work I manage to get in there. Oh, and the quilting.

At this point I am trying to clean up the house because it is becoming evident that the basement won't be done before baby arrives. That means this dragon will need a home. I predict a basket on the dining room table, just like the girls. So I'm cleaning up piles of crap and organizing things to find just a bit of empty space for breathing room.

I'm also gathering. Books and things for the girls to keep them busy during those long hours of nursing at the beginning. A stack of projects to plug away on in any free moments. The cell numbers of our neighbourhood friends when I need a playdate or school pick-up. Just the basics.

And I, we, are planning for the arrival of Sunday Morning Quilts too. We've heard that advance copies are on their way to us, but we've yet to see them. The book itself should be shipping to stores and pre-orders in March at some point.

That leads me to a little bet we've got going on. Which will come first - the book or the baby?

You see, both the girls were born at 37 weeks. That's only 6 weeks from now, right around St. Patrick's Day. As opposed to my due date, on Easter weekend.

I thought I would let you all in on our bet. So, leave a comment below with your best guess on book and baby arrival. Pick a date for both. For example, Baby - March 15 and Book March 20.

Obviously, the baby's arrival will be confirmed by me. As to the book's arrival, I will go with the first date I hear of someone getting their book(s). This can be an individual or a store. Be honest, now.

The winner will be the person closest on both accounts. I'll put together a little prize. Depending on how well the baby is doing it may or may not include the baby. (Kidding.) I've also got a poll going in the sidebar, just for fun.

May the best person win. Oh wait, I'm pretty sure that gets to be me. May the next best person win.

Welcome Home

Two very large, heavy boxes came home to me yesterday. The quilts I sent off for Sunday Morning Quilts came home. This includes the quilts I made for the book specifically, as well as many from my collection that also made their way into the book. After almost a year it feels so odd to see them again in person. After so many reviews of the book it feels like I've been with them all along. Within seconds of their arrival the girls had grabbed a handful and by the end of the night my Hubby was snuggling with one.

Now... where to store all these in the midst of our reno and baby prep?

2012


A new year. Blah, blah, blah about resolutions, reflections, and new beginnings. For me, the new year simply means a new calendar. One for the wall from Michelle Engel Bencsko and my favourite Moleskine. A good black pen and a sacred spot on the sideboard and I'm off the races. Well, in actuality I'm just closer to hopefully not forgetting something.

The last 10 days have been good for me. Both Hubby and I actually took a break. I was on the computer and sewing machine very little.We had loads of time to chat after we collapsed every night from the exhaustion of three little kids and Christmas (we had my nephew with us this year). We spent a lot of time talking about what we wanted to do with the time we will have in the coming months. So, yes, there was some reflection and resolutions.

I prefer to think of them as goals. Or maybe stretch targets. Or optimism slightly more realistic than fitting into my regular jeans by May.

...Balance promoting Sunday Morning Quilts with the pregnancy and birth of our third baby. All while staying sane.
...Find the sweet spot between motherhood and work on another major project.
...Finish a handwork project.
...At least two baby quilts, one for the dragon in my belly and one for my sister's peanut.
...Make bacon at home in order to keep up to the consumption of bacon and maple syrup of the girls.
...Survive our basement reno, hopefully without the ridiculously giant TV my husband wants.

And do it all with a smile, a laugh, a hug, and hopefully a little bit of style.

The Details

Thank-you so much for the love! We are beyond excited ourselves for the release of Sunday Morning Quilts so we are glad that you are too. Here are the details about the book.

It will be released in March 2012 by Stash Books. It isn't available for pre-order yet, but we'll let you know as soon as it is.

This book is all about our love for scraps and modern quilts. It's been such a thrill to work together. I've got to tell you, working with Amanda Jean is incredible. She's got so many ideas, knows how to push me to work a bit faster and better, and always keeps me from going overboard. It's been a collaboration from the beginning. You are going to love the quilts, the techniques, and the scrap management system. And if you love the cover, wait until you see the photos inside!

We'll share more in the months ahead, but for now let's get back to regular posts. Again, thank-you for all the enthusiasm and for tolerating all this secret-keeping.