Hello Lancaster, PA

Sometimes I think I'm the luckiest person in the world. I LOVE what I do!! We work incredibly hard setting up booths, working for long hours at shows on our feet the whole time, and then there is the take down. Some vendors think I'm completely nuts (and they are probably right) but I tell them that set up is like going to the spa - you get tons of exercise and work up quite a sweat! Then we have 3 or 4 days of real joy - working the booth and getting to meet all of the wonderful quilters. We just finished up a show last night in Lancaster, PA (got out of the convention center at 11 pm). Thanks to all for making this an incredible show for us! We love to see you.

Today we took the day off - slept until almost 9 am, then went for a leisurely breakfast, made a stop at the outlet stores (said a quick hello to Harry and Davids for some english muffins to bring home), then went to the BIG mall and had a pedicure. After at least a million hours on my feet they were begging for mercy. Now I'm sporting some bright pink toes so maybe that means spring is right around the corner. Forget the manicure - they always try and talk me into it but with the abuse I give these hands it only lasts about a day. I can't justify the expense for one day of beauty. The toes are a different matter - lasts a really long time and it is oh so pretty.

But I guess I got off the subject - that's what happens from a day off .... back to Lancaster, PA. I love this area. Now we do 2 shows around here - the AQS show that we just finished and then we are back in Sept. for the Mancuso show in Oaks. I loved the downtown area. It was the first time I'd been downtown Lancaster. What incredible buildings - I wanted to photograph a wrought iron fence and some windows I found around the corner from the convention center, but somehow I just didn't find the time. Oh well - I thought it might make a really interesting applique design.

Speaking of applique designs - I just got my 2 newest quilts back from the machine quilter right before I left. I did "Autumn's Arrival" which is a fall quilt with a layout similar to "Welcome Winter". There is the cutest little brown squirrel - plus some pumpkins and crows and other fall goodies. I think you'll like it. The other quilt is "Good Morning Sunshine". I've gone a little outside my "box" and used some brighter primary colored fabrics from American Jane. There is a center design with a sun, barn and silo, some fencing and a few really cute sheep grazing in the meadow. I'm hoping to have the patterns done in the next 3 weeks so I can debut them at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis. My last one to finish up is "Mary E's Christmas Cottage" - it's a red tree skirt. But unfortunately some of this week is going to be spent on taxes - I have an appointment on Friday and need to get a years worth of receipts itemized and sorted for then. UGH - I hate that part of business. God bless the ones who are good at it and like it. Give me fabric and my sewing machine any day - but take away the dreaded bookkeeping!

Anyway I better run. We have to drive home tomorrow and have a few last minute things to get done. I hope you are working away on a wonderful project - Mary Jane

So Glad To Be In Virginia

As I've posted previously, I really do love New Hampshire! It is beautiful and peaceful, but right this minute I'm glad I'm in Virginia. Haven't talked with the hubby tonight but I think it's been snowing quite a bit today. We drove to Virginia on Tuesday - started out with snow in our area, then changed to rain for most of the rest of the drive, and then when it finally stopped raining we had BIG traffic. So the 11 hour day turned into 13+ hours of driving. Our behinds were definitely numb by the time we arrived here at the hotel. But after the set up (don't even want to tell you all about this except to say it took 10 hours) we've had a great time here. Still 2 more days to go, but everyone has been so nice and complimentary. We've heard over and over again how much everyone loves our goodies and we're their favorite booth. So thanks to all for your kind words. It really does make it all worth it for us!

Now it's off to the room to make a quick call to home and then I've got to find the ice machine. The knees are not what they used to be and I think they are needed a little ice to make them happy. If you're near Hampton, VA stop by and tell us hello. We're here until Monday morning. Mary Jane

Back In NH (For Now)

I've been to California and back since my last post. The Road to California show was incredible and thank you to all who helped make it a success for us. I was asked by so many people while in "Sunny" Southern California, "Don't you love our weather?". Well, yes I do but I also love New Hampshire. Now that's a lot to say coming from someone born in Los Angeles and living in California until I was 20. I lived right outside of downtown Los Angeles until I was 15, then we moved to Northern California. I remember thinking I was going to freeze to death when we moved "north" - little did I know that wasn't freezing! In 1970 my husband, my newborn daughter and I moved to Massachusetts. Now that was freezing. We moved in November and in January the thermometer never went above zero. I thought I was crazy for moving there. But now that so many years have gone by and, of course, there was nature's thermostat change a few years back - I actually enjoy the cold. Now it's my husband who thinks we should turn up the thermostat. So even though California is fun to visit, I truly love New Hampshire. I love the fact that our town has only 1,200 people - that we don't even have a signal or our own zip code. Our only store is a tiny corner store where you can get some basic food items and gasoline. Some would think of this as a hardship, but I call it quiet, beautiful country.

On Tuesday I'm flying back to California to vend at the Folsom Quilt Guild's annual show. So if you are thinking of a day of quilt viewing, and you don't live too far from Folsom, stop on bye and say hi.

I finished up 2 new designs right before leaving for the Road to CA show, but unfortunately I didn't get the patterns written in time to bring them. They are currently visiting the photographer in Colorado and I expect them back by the end of the week. Then it's hurry, hurry to get the patterns written and printed so they can come to Folsom with me. We had a little contest that we held in our booth in CA to name the quilts and I'm still thinking about all of the possibilities. Right now I'm seriously thinking about Pumpkin Sorbet, Polly's Pumpkins or Papa's Pumpkin Patch for the (you guessed it) pumpkin quilt. For the red and green quilt (which has turned out to be somewhat harder to name) I've been thinking about Devonshire or Wisconsin Red Oak. So what do you think? I've got a few days left to figure it out and then it will be set in stone (or should I say ink??). I think it was harder for me picking names this time because of being sick for so long. I felt lucky to get the quilts done and then the brain went dead. Now the next one is going to be a tree skirt and I hope you'll like it. I think it's going to be titled Mary E's Christmas Cottage. Well it's time to get back to work. Enjoy your day, Mary Jane

The Year In Review

I've been reflecting on 2009 and all of the happenings - boy, what a year! Here's a little look back -

JANUARY

Just think snow, ice & cold. That was it in a nutshell!

FEBRUARY

In the beginning of February I had the pleasure of vending at the Folsom Fiber and Quilt Guild show in Folsom, CA. No snow there - but they did have some incredibly beautiful peacocks right next to the parking area.

Only in California could you find peacocks at a quilt show - and a llama was out front but I didn't have time to take a picture.

And directly across from my booth was this beautiful quilt done by one of the guild members, Judy Danes. What a masterpiece. And she's published a book so you can learn her techniques.

The end of February I was in Hampton, VA to vend at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival. It is a wonderful show showcasing quilts from around the world. I have a 30' booth there so I have the opportunity to fill it with incredible designs from so many talented people. I also debuted my newest quilt design there - Heavenly Home.

MARCH - APRIL

Vending at shows is such a blessing. Yes, it is incredibly hard work - it can take up to 8 hours just to set up a 30' booth, but the response from the you, our customers, can make it all worth while. We love to hear your "ooh's and aah's". MARCH brought me to the Hands Across The Valley Quilt Guild show in Amherst, MA. I love doing this show - it is a small guild but they are such a talented group. And the really big benefit is I get to come home at night and sleep in my own bed. APRIL was lots of fun. First I vended at the Quilters Heritage Celebration in Lancaster, PA. I absolutely love the Amish country so it feels more like a vacation than work. The day after the show we take a little time to stop by some of the Amish businesses. Of course, I like the ones where they have food. I came home with so many jars of jam, it was crazy. And a case of peanut butter to go with the jam. And of course, I had to buy quite a few molasses cookies (my favorite) and did a little sampling of them on the drive home. Later in April I was at Machine Quilters Expo. This was their last year to have the show in NH so 2010 will bring us to the new location in Providence, RI. I'm looking forward to it because I've never been to Providence before. It is supposed to be a really beautiful city.

MAY - JUNE

Talk about a busy month ..... First off I went to vend at the Pioneer Valley Quilt Guild meeting. They had a wonderful speaker and lots of goodies to eat - so it was a great night out. Then it was off to Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, PA. My friend, Jackie Paton, and I drove there and there was so much to see. Lots and lots of new things - just incredible eye candy. Then the end of May we took a little time off and went to our cottage on the lake for a little 4 day getaway. JUNE I was off and running again. The beginning of the month I went to Chantilly, VA to vend at a show. It was my first time there and the show far exceeded my expectations. Can't wait to go back again this year. June 13th found me in Los Angeles to attend my friends wedding. This is a friend I've had for 55 years so there was no way I could miss the wedding. It was a fairy tale wedding - she married her high school sweetheart. Then right back from LA I left for the Vermont Quilt Festival. This was my first time there too. The end of June brought us back to the cottage again but this time with the two grandsons. We always take them the end of June or beginning of July. It is our time together with them and they love the swimming all day long. A few years ago we bought them a big inflatable raft so they have had lots of fun jumping and swimming. To be young again!

JULY

In July I didn't have any quilt shows so I spent time working on new quilt patterns. It's funny how a design can come about. I was waiting at the lab at the hospital for my name to be called and thought about a concept - Good Morning Sunshine. So rummaging around in my purse I found a tiny little tablet and started drawing. Now here is it 6 months later and the design is complete. The quilt is almost done and I should have the pattern completed by February.

AUGUST

Two shows in August so it was a busy month. First was the New England Quilt Museum show in Lowell, MA. This is always a great show and even though we froze to death this year - it is held at the Tsongas Ice Arena so you get the picture - it was well attended and as always the quilts were beautiful. Then the next weekend was the Mancuso World Tour of Quilts in Manchester, NH.

SEPTEMBER

We were off to the Lancaster, PA area again for the Pennsylvania Quilt Extravaganza in Oaks, PA. The show had been in Harrisburg for a few years but this year was it's return back to the Philadelphia area. What a show! We were so busy it was crazy. And of course since it wasn't that far to the Lancaster area we had to take a side trip on the drive home to buy up more food. You can never have enough food, right?

OCTOBER

Back to California for the Pacific International Quilt Festival. This is a very big show held in Santa Clara, CA. It is doubly fun for me because I get to vend at a terrific show and I also get to see my sister. So we mix fun and work - come to think of it, I think that my work is fun too - so I guess I just have fun and fun. I debuted 2 new quilt designs there - Hoppy's Spring Wagon and Teddy Stevens Comes to America. These are 2 fun little quilts! I also brought along another new design - Welcome Winter - which you can see on the photo below.

NOVEMBER

Hard to believe the year is almost over - but November had some surprises! First off I was lucky enough to get a booth at The Quilters Gathering in Nashua, NH. I've wanted to vend at this show for years, but I was on their waiting list. So low and behold I received an e-mail and they had a booth for me. Now the down side of it is I usually have a 10' x 30' booth at most shows and this was a 10' x 8' booth. After my initial heart attack I decided that I could somehow make a tiny booth work. You'll see from the photo below that I was able to pack tons of beautiful things in this small space. I just decided to focus on red and green since my holiday mood was in gear at that point. It was a very busy show - I guess other people were in the holiday mood too. Then the end of November I was back to California again to help my sister do her annual Holiday Boutique. It is my biggest workout of the year - we set up most of her very large house with handcrafted merchandise from 20+ crafters. So the merchandising is a huge job. Unfortunately after I came home from this show, I got sick and I've been sick ever since. I did manage to make Thanksgiving dinner for 20 people, but haven't gotten much else done since.

DECEMBER

Oh December - my favorite month of the year. Even though I was sick through all of December - so it was doctor visits, taking medication, etc. - I still love Christmas. I also worked on 3 new quilt designs. One quilt is totally done, another is at the machine quilters right now and the 3rd is being appliqued as we speak.

JANUARY

Okay - so it's 2010 now. Here's what to look for - I'm leaving next week to vend at The Road to California show. Now this is a real feather in my cap because this is a very difficult show to get in to. I am so happy that they chose me to vend this year so I'm trying to get merchandise ready to be shipped on Monday. Still not feeling that well, but now the pressure is on. I also made 2 more sample quilts from other designers patterns so I have to get the binding on them too. Let's see - it was 6 degrees below zero here the other day and the weather in Ontario, CA was 74. Guess I'll need to bring my shorts along. Anyway, I hope your holidays were wonderful. Mary Jane

Happy Holidays To All!

It's that time of the year - when we are spending time with family and friends, and, of course, eating too much! But I just wanted to take a minute to say Happy Holidays To All!! May y0u enjoy the days and that the weather will cooperate so your travels are safe. Now I'm back to the kitchen to finish up my baking - today it is Russian Tea Cakes, Lemon Kiss Cookies and Brownie Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. (YUM) Yesterday it was Pumpkin Bread and Ginger Spice Cookies. We serve the Ginger Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Dip and it is incredible. You make the dip with canned pumpkin, cream cheese, powdered sugar and spices. It's my daughters favorite so it has to be made - it's a holiday tradition. Have a wonderful holiday - and look back to see what's new soon. I've just finished up 4 new pattern designs - there's something for everyone - and I'd like to share. Mary Jane

I'm A Time Traveler

It's funny how time just slips away - especially when you "mature"! As a kid the days seemed so long but as we get older (I really hate that word) each day is like a blur. When I was logging in to my blog this morning I realized that it's been a month since my last post. Where has the time gone? Let's see - the last post was from California. I was there to vend at the Pacific International Quilt Festival. What a wonderful show. Each year it just gets better and better. You wouldn't know from the attendance that California has such economic troubles. (Thank you to everyone for stopping by our booth. We truly love seeing you.) Once I returned home from CA it was busy, busy, busy getting ready for A Quilters' Gathering. I was really pleased to vend at this show - it was my first time there. I have been on their waiting list for years and years and this year they had room for me. I had such a good time. I wasn't sure how I was going to do it. I usually have a 10' x 30' booth at most of the shows I attend and this was an 8' x 10' space. I fretted over it trying to decide what my layout would be and how I would display my "wares". I had this brilliant idea that since it was such a small space that I should have one color theme and stick to it. I felt it wouldn't be as disjointed that way. And of course if I have to choose one color theme - it has to be red and green. So I had some really beautiful quilts to hang that were red and green (and no, they weren't all Christmas quilts) but the theme was established. Then I set about cutting and tying 100's of yards of red, green and beige fabrics. After I talked over this "theme" with my husband, he said "You can't have only red and green, can you? What happens if someone doesn't like those colors?" Now I can't believe anyone wouldn't love red and green, but it got me thinking. So I made a token 2' section on the table of pinks right behind my cash register. I had wonderful neighbors at the show and we were like a family. Each day we shared so much that it was much more than a quilt show. Also the show promoters (they are sisters) are just the cutest and nicest. I've sent in my money for next year so if you are in the NH area in November 2010 please stop by this show. I don't think you'll be sorry. Now this week I've got to get ready for another show. I leave on Saturday for CA again. Every year I help my sister with a boutique at her house. Doesn't sound too terribly hard, right? Wish I could video tape the "experience" and wear a pedometer because it is something else. I would never do this for anyone else but her. I arrive on Sat. night and then the craziness begins. My sister has a really big house and we set up a large portion of it with displays of 20+ crafters merchandise. So here's the way it goes - there is a huge enclosed deck, the dining area and family room, the living room, a bedroom, a sitting room and a long hallway. Most of the furniture gets moved out and then the fun begins. There is the setting up of racks and tables, putting on table covers and then coordinating all of the various vendors merchandise together to make a visually pleasing display. And of course, I love every minute of it. But when I come home on the Monday of Thanksgiving week I'm pooped out. I think this is the 20th year of doing the boutique and each year we say it's going to be our last one, but we are gluttons for punishment I think and just can't give it up. Then it's on to Thanksgiving - I'm having 30 people for dinner so that will just be the frosting on my cake. I love to cook and I'm really looking forward to making some really yummy food for everyone. Well I better get working now because I have about 15 quilts that need the binding sewn on so they can be displayed at the boutique. I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving .... Mary Jane

California Here I Am

I arrived in California last night. So today it is up and at it trying to finish last minute details for the Pacific International Quilt Show. Right now it is still dark out - I'm on East Coast time, not West Coast time yet - so I'm going to hand sew on some of the bindings on the sample quilts I brought along. I finished one last night so hopefully before the sun rises I'll get one or two more done. Everyone else is still sleeping so it is nice quiet work. Enjoy your day. Mary Jane