most amazing dolls

I clicked on a link in one of my chat lists this morning (cant remember which list) whilst sitting here in thermals ,scarf, heater at my feet etc and found this most amazing doll maker/artist. Please have a look, it is the most amazing site.... http://www.lisalichtenfels.net/pages/technique.html
the artist is Lisa Lichtenfels and she began her career as an animator with Disney Studios. Just amazing......I know I've used that word several times but this is a whole different level to our simple primitive dolls, and my basic level of doll sculpting.. and I am afraid I would not have the patience to do this but I can certainly appreciate it...

hugs
Helen

silver service dinner

well I promised photos so here they are. We had a lovely night and Molly (12) and Lara (12)did a fantastic job of preparing and serving our 5 course dinner on Friday night. Each course was near perfect and the 7 adults enjoyed a lovely evening. Tess (9) and Caitlin (14) were waitresses and learnt a lot about serving and clearing, Emily and Callum helped entertain Meggie (1), Matilda (2) and baby Luke (7mths) whilst enjoying big screen movies in the front room (lots of chips to vaccuum Sat Morning!) All dressed in their finery (I was very smart and wore a long skirt with thermals underneath) and all of the good dinnerset, crystal, and silver ware was resurrected, cleaned and presented for the evening. (not seen since 'before kids'). I even had to climb up to the very top cupboards to find some things. The girls found flowers in the winter garden to decorate and even cleaned the house and kept the kitchen clean. We were all so proud of their achievements...

the menu

the table

entree - Bruschetta with feta and asparagus

main course - beef and proscuitto on bed of potato and parsnip mash and beans in tarragon butter

dessert - chocolate baskets with honeycomb icecream and rasberry coulis

coffee and cheese platter - well whats left of it!

And unfortunately I didnt take photos of the starters and champers or the chefs!!

thankyou so much to the girls for a lovely night of good food, good wine, good friends and good spirit...

hugs

Helen

PJ Party Stripe fabric

Just a quick note to say that I have found the perfect fabric range with the multistripe (pink, green and purple) fabrics in it. It is April Cornells 'A Little Romance' from Moda. I have just spoken with Patrick Keough from PK Fabrics - new contact for Moda Fabrics Australia and although he didnt preorder the range he would be able to get it in if you requested it. Patricks contact details are now

PK Fabrics

Unit 1626 Burrows Rd.

St. Peters, NSW2044 Australia

Phone: +614-48645600

pkeogh5@bigpond.com

I will post an email out to stores also. I also have someone else chasing up the possibility of printing the original stripe I used in the book.

hugs

Helen

sort of supervising what is happening in the kitchen today......

back from Sydney

I know, I know - I've been back now for four days and this is my first post. But it is school holidays down here in old 3 term Tassie so work is half paced at present whilst they 'annoy' or delight me. Sydney was wonderful, albeit wet and cold, so much for a warm weekend away from chilly Hobart. I caught up with so many friends, aquaintences, customers and stitchers. It is always so lovely to meet and chat face to face. And of course its great to feel the buzz of new patterns, new books, new fabrics and new gadgets.... For those coming to my Friendship day a few things were organised for you and also for my Huggles Club members who I constantly feel guilty about not keeping in touch with enough. Being on my own in the booth doesnt allow me to get out much so thankyou to all who came and said hi. If I didnt catch you, maybe next time...

I did meet the new owner of Honeysuckle Cottage, Kim and her lovely mum- and yes my jaw dropped as I had not heard this news. She has started a blog you may like to read. I am sure she is better than it than me.. She also has some pics up from Quilt Market. I didnt take my camera but my BIL Paul did so when he gets home from delivering Intelliquilters in the ACT I will get them and put them up so you can all see what it is like there.

So I have spent the week doing orders, folding patterns, processing sales and listing everyone on my website and mailing list whom I met for the first time in Sydney. Gee, I really wish I could have a full time marketing/folding/invoicing person to do this so I could just design and stitch - maybe one day........

Tommorrow is a big day however as Molly my 12 year old and her friend Lara also 12 are spending the day as chefs in my kitchen preparing a 5 course dinner for 7 adults. It is formal attire so we all have to dress up in our finest, Rohan (DH) has brought his Mess kit home to wear so guess I will have to drag out the finery and work out what I can sneak thermals underneath with. They have pored through the Donna Hay mags and many other cookbooks and come up with a menu, I have done the shopping today and others are bringing the appropriate drinks to match each course. The best china and cutlery is coming out (hasnt seen the light of day for quite some time) and Tess (my middle 9yr old) Caitlin (Lara's 13 yr old sister) and Callum (a friends son 8yrs) are going to be waiters. Should be quite a night - I'll take some pics and put up after for you.

Huggle hearts have started to arrive. Thankyou so much to all who are contributing to this. They are all a little different but all made from the heart. Here are 3 which came today - and then sorry my batteries went flat so will give you more tomorrow when they have recharged.

hugs to all, H

Sydney Trade Show

heading off to the Quilt Market trade show in Sydney at Rosehill tomorrow until Sunday so have been busy preparing for that. So not much happening on the book manuscript although I have been busily stitching the extra five projects at nights in front of the heater as winter has arrived in Hobart.

We do have two snugglybug quilts back ready to be delivered to two special little girls, I have put pics here for you and they will go on the website too... As always a big thankyou to the ladies who give their time and contribute to these.... hugs always.. Helen

Meeting with Publisher

Next installment of my Colourque book..... When recently in Paducah I met with Nicole Chambers, editor of my new book with AQS. What a lovely lady she is and very down to earth. She has published her own books and patterns, has her own publishing company, teaches and vends across the US and now has taken up this challenging position, even if it means living in a little one bedroom unit for now.....

We had a 3 hour discussion on the content and layout of the book and many changes to my original manuscript were made. I now am not having the large gallery of quilts showing and explaining the extended versions of the technique - we are saving those for later. I have to design and make 3-4 smaller projects which would be suitable for stores to run smaller workshops or kits and for people who think the large baltimore quilt would just be beyond them. this is all in the name of widening the market the book could be attractive to. This actually means a lot less work for me and allows me to try to get it finished by the end July deadline in order for it to have a chance of release in Spring 08 (US time)...

So I have already stitched a mini version of the Baltimore blocks I will frame for a wallhanging and a small design for a small cushion. I have also coloured 20 times the same design to do some more intensive and logged testing of everything feasible someone may do with their colourque'd quilt or piece....

and I have started on the text and layout for the manuscript....

til then......

quilt for a cure quilts

These are the two quilts Tracey and I have done in conjunction with Lloyd Curzon textiles and Universal magazines for the Quilt for a Cure project for 2007.

This is Wisteria Rambling which I designed, pieced and Colourque'd. Tracey quilted it with a feather design which I then coloured. It will be in the September issue of Quilters Companion with full instructions. Many stores will be participating with fabric kits with some proceeds going to Breast Cancer research. The participating stores will be listed in the magazine.

This one is Wisteria Girls and will be in Homespun Sept issue. It was designed and quilted by Tracey. It was pieced, the stitcheries designed, stitched and coloured by me...

and all of it was done in about 5 weeks before we had to go away.....!!!

hugs, Helen

Merrans Huggle Hearts

On Saturday I am giving two presentations at the Quilted Crow in Liverpool St Hobart. I am just showing my photos (assuming I get my laptop back and work out my new projector) of Paducah and US Trip and other goodies I collected on the trip. Whilst chatting I have asked participants to stitch a huggle heart for a dear friend of mine and her daughter. Merran, a healthy normal active 9 year old was recently diagnosed with Leukemia and struck down immediately turning their lives upside down. She and her family will be spending the next 6 months in Melbourne at the Childrens Hospital and although I know they are getting heaps of support from various charities, cancer support groups, family and friends and we have already made her a Snugglybug rug I am organising these huggle hearts to be made to hang in her room to remind her that we are all thinking and praying for her....

They are a very simple stuffed heart with a little verse or saying of hope, love and support written on in a permanent pigma pen. They will be strung together to hang as bunting or in a long string around her room.

If you'd like to help out with this project - and I am sure she will share them with all the other children she is getting to know over there, then just email me and I'll email you the pattern.

hugs to all

and remember , hug your kids and tell them you love them everyday...... every day is another day and anything can happen... dont waste today....

Lace #2 - Paducah

for all that have asked for a photo of our recent quilt win here it is. This was designed and quilted as a complete wholecloth by Tracey (Browning, Constantine Quilts) and then Colourque'd by me. There were about 100 hours of design and quilting time and about 80 hours of colouring which was very difficult with a two year old to help. I needed about 2-3 hours solid to do a section and dvd's only last so long!!!! hence Matilda did partake in one small patch which Tracey obviously managed to get rid of, or the judges didnt see...

it won the Brother International wall quilt machineworksmanship award - ie. the best wall quilt made by machine.... Very unexpected but very exciting....

thanks so much to all who have emailed with congrats.... you know, there were 8 Australian quilts accepted in the show and I believe most of the quilters were present although I didnt catch up with them all. I have also heard that Elaine Dysons quilt (from TAssie too) won viewers Choice, well done Elaine, and I am sorry we didnt know you were there and arrange to meet up.

We were lucky to have Bronwyn vant hof staying with us - another Aussie with a magnificent double wedding ring in the show, as she had been the year before and knew all the places to go.... and navigated very well I must say.....


must go, lots for today....

H

Book manuscript

Well, I am about to try and get this blog thing happening and will take you through my first publishing experience with a major publishing house as opposed to my first two self published ventures. These two were very successful so I am still trying to convince myself I am doing the right thing here by signing my life to a publisher and losing perhaps some control now but, anyway, here goes.....

How did I start......

Well when it was suggested to me that this (a technique book on Colourque) is what I needed to do, I was offered a deal with a contact I already had in the US. We discussed and brainstormed for nearly 12mths before he decided it wasnt for him and it would be much better for me to go with a major craft publishing house. Now the process had to start all over again.....

the first step is to find publishers you like and attempt to get their contract details and submission guidelines before submitting a manuscript for proposal...

Although I had many of their guidelines it wasnt really easy to find their contract offerings. Because I had the printed pack from AQS (American Quilters Society) and had met Helen Squires, their sales and marketing manager and very experienced and published quilter the year before, I went with what I knew best and started there. Also, they allow online submissions which actually lessened the submission process somewhat. Dont get me wrong though, the submission basically needs to be the whole book already done plus information about me and how I would sell and market the book - a lot of work.....

So, I submitted online and low and behold, within 3 days I had an acceptance!!! Now, I was expecting two years and many submissions later before I had any response, guess it was just good timing!! So the first step was not so hard afterall..... here is a pic of the main project I had submitted for the book with my working title of 'The Art of Colourque' (which by the way is now not the working title but more about that later)... I will write you more soon....hugs, Helen

BTW this is 'Blessed Baltimore' designed, Colourque'd(R) and stitched by myself and beautifully machine quilted by Tracey Browning (my sister) of Constantine Quilts. It recently won first prize two person innovative professional at the Tas quilt Guild exhibition and 1st prize wall quilt at the HMQS (Home Machine Quilters Show) Salt Lake City Utah.