A Very Productive Labor Day Weekend

I love four day weekends.  They used to be weekends where I would just laze around on the couch with snacks and the remote.  I haven’t done much couch-lazing in quite a while, but strangely enough, I don’t miss it that much.  I prefer productive weekends, and especially this one.

The first announcement I have to make is that my first Quilt Possible! pattern is finished!  The pattern is called “Knot So Fast 1” – as I expect to have other patterns using this concept.  I sent it to be copied at Kinkos and will be picking it up later this morning.  These are only the copies that are going to the testers, but one of them is also a sample for the printers from which I will be getting quotes.

I’ve contacted the testers who will be working on this pattern and all have agreed to test it and finish the resulting quilt top by September 24th.  Once I incorporate their feedback, I can finalize it and go to press.

I also finished the sample quilt, which I had a couple of near-disasters with toward the end.  But I managed to get it quilted on my frame (HUGE accomplishment too), made the binding and stitched it by hand.  I then set up my design wall for photography, and managed to get an awesome enough photo for the cover of the pattern.  If you guys need quilt photography tips, go visit Holly Knott over at Shoot That Quilt.

 Fall Quilt Market is coming up, and although it’s too late for me to exhibit, I’m hoping it’s not too late for me to attend as a Designer.  This will be a great experience for me to get prepped for Spring Market.  So I contacted the folks at Quilts, Inc. to see what can be done.

I also finalized my business cards and my 6′ banner, and sent those off to get printed.  These cards are pricier than I’ve ever done, but I really felt the need for glossy print and a two-sided card.  I think it will pay off, they look fabulous.

I did manage to get some quilting done too!  I made binding for 5 quilts, got binding on four of them (the sample quilt included), and really excited that three of these are UFOs:

And then for the 5th quilt, I loaded it into my frame to be basted:

This is a KING sized quilt for a client of mine.  Good thing I am only basting it because I can’t quilt something this big.  It’s about 4″ wider than my leaders, and the batting takes up the entire frame.  I haven’t quite figured out yet how I’m going to change the bobbin thread.  This is my first and last king sized quilt – at least one that I’m going to quilt.

The other thing I did this weekend – and one of the most important next to finishing the pattern – is that I got my online store operational.  There are still a few pages to write, and it hasn’t been fully tested, but it’s integrated with PayPal for payments and USPS for shipping, and I managed to get two products listed.  So stay tuned, as I imagine I’ll start offering Knot So Fast 1 for pre-sale by the end of the week.  Aren’t you thrilled?  I know I am!

Oh!  Last thing!  I had a super-creative burst and started working on pattern #2!  It’s a big block quilt (the blocks finish at 18″ square!) but it’s a really fun design.  I came up with about 20 different colorways for it, but settled on two to produce for the pattern.

I’m going to need your help getting Quilt Possible! off the ground, so stay tuned for how you can help, and win some prizes too!

Happy quilting!