Shortly after my fabric dyeing book came out, Jean Wells asked me to come teach at her shop The Stitchin’ Post in Sisters, Oregon. As long as we travel was required, my DH and I decided to make it a vacation/road trip as well.
Wendy with her quilts
Our first stop in Oregon was Crater Lake, then we drove up to Sunriver, home of C&T Author Wendy Hill. I had a chance to see Wendy’s studio and some of her work in progress, then Wendy and I visited the High Desert Museum while the DH’s played golf. The High Desert Museum has a living history area with volunteers acting out period roles, including the “grandma” sitting at her quilting frame waiting to teach the young’uns how to quilt “proper.”
When I participated in the fabric dyeing workshop I was at first overwhelmed by the realization that the possibilities are endless when it comes to fabric dyeing. But when I saw how easy it was to get started on my way to making something that looked cool, I just dove right in and never looked back. That said, why not dive right into the new Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Dyeing book trailer…
Teresa from Editorial, Amy our Publisher, me, and Casey from Production
Our new Cupcakes! book is out and we’re celebrating. To create the book we asked our staff, authors, and friends to contribute cupcake projects and cupcake recipes, and you’ll love what they contributed. We have fabric cupcakes, knit cupcakes, felted cupcakes. We have cupcake pillows, cupcake quilts, cupcake accessories, and more, all in this super-cute 6” x 6” book.
To celebrate, we had cupcakes and sparkling apple cider. Since we’re all trying to watch what we eat, I made a modified, lower-fat version of the carrot cake cupcake recipe that’s in the book and they tasted great. I baked them in some cool diamond shaped silicone baking cups that I found at a cake decorating store.
Congratulations to Hazel Spindler who won last week’s giveaway of Big One-Star Quilts by Magic! Many a compulsive quilter and fabric-aholic came forth with stories of their own, and I found it interesting that many of you, including this week’s winner Hazel, see quilting as their addiction, but also (or maybe even more so) as their therapy. Compared to most addictions, quilting must be one of the healthiest and I’m glad, though not too surprised, it was a common thread among our blog readers.
As a special thanks to our blog readers, for the next two weeks you can get 20% off your purchase of Big One-Star Quilts by Magic. Simply mention discount code WG10577 when you place your order with C&T via phone (800.284.1114) or at our web site (enter discount code where noted during checkout) on or before June 29, 2009.
I just spent 5 days in NYC for the Book Expo and had the best time. I traveled with Susanne, our Acquisitions Editor, and Sandy, our Sales Manager. We must have walked about 5 miles per day, seen about 25 neighborhoods, we went to Chelsea Market, the east side, the west end, Soho, Fashion Avenue, Time Square…OMG my feet were killing me! I took the subway for the first time and then a bunch more times.
Susanne, our Acquisitions Editor, and me in our BEA booth
So back to the show, we had a great show, exhibiting in our new distributors pavilion and were able to show several new titles to interested book buyers. The most popular titles were Sew with Sara and Cupcakes! The book stores were really excited about these two titles for kids and teens.
It was such a treat to see one of our authors, Anita Grossman Soloman came by the booth to say hello and to see what was new. She took a few pictures of Susanne and I in the booth. I also had a woman come by the booth on the last day and she sang a song to me. When she sang it was sweet and funny, and she had a nice voice. The song is Once in Love with Amy, by Frank Loesser, written in 1948. The funny thing is my Dad had a good friend who was a nightclub singer and played the piano, and I had a major crush on him when I was around 5 so he would sing that song to me whenever I saw him, maybe that was why I had the crush? While we were in NYC we also saw some amazing sites including Paula Nadelstern’s exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum. More on that in another post.
While working on the Cupcakes! book, we did a photo shoot with a few C&T kids. We had them pose with some of the real cupcakes, but told them they couldn’t eat them until we were done with the shoot. After tantalizing them for about 30 minutes while we were shooting, we finally told them they could each have one cupcake…
Great news! Each Friday we will feature one of our retail customer’s blogs. We’re doing something like the “follow friday” trend you see on Twitter, where people recommend their favorite tweeps (that’s short for “twitter peeps” – oh, and “peeps” is short for “people”….sigh)
Today we’d like to highlight The Quilt Shop in Danbury, Connecticut!
They feature quilts in progress, video clips, and a slide show of samples from their class schedule.
If you manage or visit a great retailer’s blog, hook us up! Email your blog links to ctinfo@ctpub.com and we will check them out for upcoming Follow Fridays.
2009 is a big year for me. I am saying goodbye to my twenties, getting married and buying my first house. Before I started working at C&T, I did not consider myself a crafty gal. Let’s just say DIY was not in my vocabulary. But, after being surrounded by so much creative talent every day for more than a year, I am excited to take advantage of all the EXTREME DIY OPPORTUNITIES in my future.
Oh Sew Easy Table Toppers
My first focus is home decor. I have the summer to make what is now a big empty space, a cute and cozy place to call home. Some of my favorite C&T books are from the Oh Sew Easy® Home Decor series. From curtains to table cloths, pillows and more, I can’t wait to pick my fabrics and create some of the projects in these books.
Oh Sew Easy Life Style
After I have had my share of DIY home decor, it will be time to move on to DIY Weddings. Place cards, center pieces, favors…oh my! It can all be quite overwhelming. Luckily, my cube neighbor, Lisa, is a super talented papercrafter. She created an series of DIY wedding accessories using our line of Blank Board Products.
As this is my first time entering the world of DIY, I would love any guidance or tips our readers may have, and I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Thanks in advance for sharing.
I do think this is one of our most fascinating titles. Barbara takes you on a fun journey discovering the true story of fabric in America. Plus I love all the old images included in the book. What do you find most interesting about the role fabric has played in American history?
“WARNING: The Diamond-Free methods in this book are addictive!” So goes the first line of Nancy Johnson-Srebro’s Introduction to Big One-Star Quilts by Magic. Johnson-Srebro’s Diamond-Free method was first introduced in Stars by Magic, but her fans and converts weren’t satisfied for long. Almost immediately, Nancy was inundated with requests for instructions on how to use the method for even larger stars, which is exactly what she delivers in Big One-Star Quilts by Magic: 14 different stars in 4 different sizes; 14 patterns for incredible bonus wallhangings using the cut-offs; 28 quilting designs; 4 Quilt Maps, for easy quilt assembly; and 4 ways to make bonus backings. And all from squares and rectangles! Wow.
I feel compelled to mention that it may not be just the Diamond-Free methods taught in this book that are addictive. I’m highly suspicious of the addictive nature of the images alone. The blocks in this book are absolutely captivating and I am already planning my evening around trying my own skills on one of these dreamy stars. Consider yourselves warned!
For a chance to win a copy of Big One-Star Quilts by Magic, post a comment here before Monday, June 15, 2009 telling us about one of your creative addictions- it can be anything from collecting buttons and beads to cranking out stockings for your family (and everyone else’s) around the holidays. We’ll randomly pick one winner to be announced on Monday. Good Luck!
*Comments will be closed at 9am PST on Monday, June 15, 2009
C&T Publishing is a group of quilters and crafters dedicated to publishing products tailored to our audience. This blog is where we break away from book schedules and marketing campaigns to focus on what drives us to be creative and how this creativity manifests itself in our every day lives.
To celebrate, we had cupcakes and sparkling apple cider. Since we’re all trying to watch what we eat, I made a modified, lower-fat version of the carrot cake cupcake recipe that’s in the book and they tasted great. I baked them in some cool diamond shaped silicone baking cups that I found at a cake decorating store.
Congratulations to 
As this is my first time entering the world of DIY, I would love any guidance or tips our readers may have, and I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Thanks in advance for sharing.
The state of Kansas chose 15 books written in the past year for the 2009 Kansas Notable Books List and a C&T Publishing title made the list.
“WARNING: The Diamond-Free methods in this book are addictive!” So goes the first line of 
