Steppin' Out

As you may recall, I've been nose-down into writing the manuscript for my third book from The Taunton Press. This one will be quite different from the first two. It's scheduled to appear in bookstores in early 2015. I promise to keep you posted right here as soon as I get more specifics.

Seems like everything else on the project list falls behind when there's such a big project in the works, so I'm weeding my way through the pile on my desk and in the sewing room. Here's what I'm uncovering.

For starters, Mini Mug Mat Samples. To prepare for a Take and Teach session at Fall Quilt Market, I've cut up some Timeless Treasures Mini Prints for my class samples. These mini prints will go perfectly with the Mini Mug Mats, don't you think? They are cut, staged, and ready to sew!

While I'm not going to be an exhibitor at  Spring Quilt Market--the quilt industry trade show--in Pittsburgh, PA in May, the Mini Mug Mats will be making a bit of a splash there. Along with my assistant, Tracy, I'm preparing a bunch of samples for the FabShop Pre-Market Dinner. The Mini Mug Mats will make their seriously big debut, along with some companion patterns that will feature the brand New Mini Scrap Grid at Fall Quilt Market in October.

My sewing basket is full of Mini Mug Mat samples to finish up.

Calico Gals, one of the local quilt shops here in Syracuse isn't waiting. They're going big with Mini Mug Mats for their demos associated with their current shop hop, April 5-14! I stopped in yesterday to replenish supplies, and snapped a couple of pictures of their fun, interactive display. Here's the smorgasbord of Mini Mug Mat Packs, fat quarters, and companion products to tempt s/hoppers.

And there's Janet, herself, the shop owner, manning the demo table to get things rolling on a perfectly sunny day for hopping.

Speaking of hopping, buried somewhere here on my desk are the beginnings of a fabulous shop hop pattern that is just going to be too much fun for a Shop Hop coming this Fall in Western Pennsylvania. I'm working on the pattern a little each day. Watch for more details on the hop and the pattern right in this newsletter!

And for this summer, have you heard about the Row by Row Experience? It's a shop hop unlike any other. It's a nationwide shop hop--34 states (including one province) are participating! Amazing prizes! All you have to do is travel and quilt - okay there's a bit more to it than that, but that's the bottom line! I'm putting forth my best effort to create a small handful of row patterns that you'll be able to collect as you travel hither and yon this summer.

And while I'm trying to play catch-up with the projects in my in-box, Pat Sloan is getting a handle on her fabric scraps. Check out her blog and her scrap-busting routine. Anything sound familiar? Thanks for the shout-out, Pat!

Phew! Enough talking, I'd better get back to this pile on my desk. This is going to be a really fun quilty season, are you ready for it?

I am  . . . or I will be! How about you? What's in your project in-box?


Happy Stitching!
joan