Hello everyone,

yes, I do know today is Thursday…but read on, I’ll explain… 🙂

These summer days, as long as they are, don’t seem to have enough hours in them for everything! Sorry for not posting in some time, as always – promise to do better! 🙂

Anyway…how is everyone’s summer? Are you thinking holidays yet? Making gifts already? I just love, love love Mary Ellen’s instructions for those triangular coasters! (previous post) Those are promptly added to my favorite list of small gifts to make – thanks ME!

As we start to rev-up our sewing, quilting and holiday gift making, some new tools might be of help…I just saw this blog post from Moda (fabric manufacturer) and …hmmm, not sure what to think about these QUILT STICKS! What do you think?

Another inspiration came from the recent email that came from our Newsletter fairy, Colleen, about Karen Goddard’s quilt being featured on Laura’s Artfabrick blog (congrats Karen!!) – small, fused, fun quilts! Those can be amazing for gifts, for ourselves, to play and explore creatively…Note-to-self: do more of that!! 🙂 So, if you are thinking the same, check out this great tip from another “fusing diva”, Freida Anderson – it is a video and the idea of layering with paper is really cool!!

Speaking of creativity – do you take pictures? Pictures of things that make you smile, that are beautiful, that are inspiration for a future quilt? I do. A LOT. So, even if you are not crazy about them as I am and take just some photos sometimes – why not show them? And not just show them – why not show them at world-famous, ever-fabulous International Quilt Festival in Houston!! No…I did not loose my mind, honest! Yes….you CAN do it, really! To prove it to you – I did it in 2010! Yes I had one of my photos exhibited in IQF in Houston – and SO CAN YOU!!! What in the world am I talking about? Well, in 2010 organizers and directors of IQF took the fact that quilters DO take a lot of photos, usually LOVE and are inspired by them, etc., etc., to be their next addition to the fabulous Houston Festival – hence the Eye of the Quilter exibit was born! I found about it through one of my internet quilting groups (yes, I do belong to a few…) and decided to give it a try – I got selected! I have a lovely card and a pair of admission tickets to prove it – of course I couldn’t go, but I do have a photo of my exhibit piece (somewhere…) that a fellow quilter sent me, maybe I should frame that? LOL!!

But, that is not really important now – go to the link above and read all about Eye of the Quilter, browse through many of your great photos and send it in!! It takes just one email to do it! I just LOVE this year’s theme – Favorite Things – it can be anything!! Hey, it could be an amazing, ambient shot of your favorite quilt! Promise me you will consider it, pleaseeee!! 🙂

Speaking oh photos – quilt photos – you probably heard or saw the name of Gregory Case – he is a professional photographer who does most of the fabulous quilt photos for magazines (Quilt Life, Quilter’s Newletter…) and books. I just found his blog (through my lunch-time Facebook browsing) and you will love to see how just ONE of these great magazine covers comes to be. Blog name is Traveling Behind the Seams – what’s not to like! 🙂

Now let’s get back to reality and my a bit ridiculous title of this post. Yeah, I knew this was coming….I did promise to explain, didn’t I? Well, nothing really new here – I did start to finalize my post yesterday during lunch break…but then things happen in the lab, specially during summers, when young interns are here…let’s not go there, but enough to say that I was needed, my sandwich was not even finished, much less the blog post! HA, HA! Then I came home, went straight to my quilt class (and that part of the day was just fabulous, but more about that (and some photos!) in the next post), had a very honest intention to finish the post after the class but then there is Olympics….and it was volleyball! How amazing was to watch Misty and Kerry win their third gold!?

Needless to say, laptop on my lap went into a sleep mode and so did I…. LOL!!! 🙂 Of course I could have changed the title of this post, but hey, it’s a part of the story, right? So here I am, during the Thursday lunch break, having a great one chatting with all of you! Let me know what photo did you choose to submit to Houston please!! 😉 (photos first, quilt will come in some time too!) 😉 😉

Marija