12-Week Trail-Marker Give-Away- #1

My new book is scheduled to 'hit the streets' in early June, so I've planned a bit of fun to wile away my every moment of anticipation... hope you JOIN IN!


Exploring Embellishments: More Fun with Fast-Piece Applique
12- Week Trail-Marker Give-Aways
March 7th thru May 30th

Every two weeks I will offer a new 'give-away'... a goody or supply that you'll want on hand to go exploring exciting & new paths in my upcoming book!

Enter once or as many times as you like; then as the last Trail-Marker is passed all the entries received during the 12-weeks will additionally be included in drawings for a copy of my new book.
Six people will win a signed copy!

Trail-Marker #1
March 7 thru 21
Packing your Bag o'Tools
Win a pair of my favoriate marking tools!
1-yellow & 1-white Clover Chaco Liner Slims

Enter by:
Follow this blog & comment about your favorite art or quilting tool, OR
Become a fan on my FaceBook Fan Page & comment about your favorite art or quilting tool
BONUS entry-- Tweet this give-away with @rosehughes in your message

Finally, Book 2 Has a Name

Happy, Happy Monday!

I have been chatting about book two for some time now.... manuscript being due, my trip to Seattle to work and visit with the great folks at Martingale Publishing, but now I can finally put a name to the efforts.
My second book will be called:
Exploring Embellishments: More Artful Quilts with Fast-Piece Applique.

It is really exciting. The focus of this book is about fabricating embellishments and it is something that I love to do -- and love to share -- making embellishments out of 'almost' anything really opens doors to creativity.

Exploring Embellishments is due out in the spring and in the meantime I promise more photos of in progress works and 'just fun' stuff.

~Rose

Book 2-Photo Shoot

Two days were spent working with Brent Kane the photographer at Martingale Publishing last week in Seattle. He is amazing to work with. So much experience and a studio that any photographer would find very comfortable to work in. Though the pix of him here does not show him at the camera it does show him at one of his incredibly organized tool drawers. I do love organization, and Brent has it together.

Day one we spent working with Karen from marketing who was the hand model for the book. There was definitely fun times and laughter happening in the studio that day, but it didn't stop the work from moving right along. Day two was spent on materials set up shots and a day where Brent's background shines through.

Only the quilts themselves remain to be shot. Phew!!! Fun as always, and a treat to be up in the Martingale offices where everyone is just wonderful to work with.

Think this will catch me up with Seattle....
on to the next...
stitching & stitching
~Rose

Bag of Tools

This week has been filled with pulling all of the parts together for book 2 and getting them shipped off to Martingale. Quilting friends and even some non-quilters have stopped by to help or lend moral support... It has been really busy and fun, and I'm hoping to have it all out the door today! Yesterday was photo day for 'the author' and the three young people that showed up for the photo shoot were great... Angelique, Jessica & Carlo... Now I'm really looking forward to seeing the results. Cynthia Catlin came by as well, and besides being my reminder to sit up straight she brought over her wonderful 'tool bag' created especially for the book. The picture here does not do it justice. The color, the stitching and the BEADING! Well, guys your tool bags are nothing in comparison, so eat your heart out... Thank you, Cynthia! I'm jumping back into the fray. ~Rose

Quickly Catching Up

No need to think about jumpin' today. Things are doing that all on their own. Episode #413, my debut on The Quilt Show began airing yesterday. It was great to see it, such great reminder of all the fun I had in LaVeta last year.

I am trying to stay close to the studio this week focusing on book two, but I wanted to thank all the great quilters up in Bakersfield (Cottonpatch Quilter's) for a wonderful three day adventure. It was a bit warm (104 at times) but we all had a great time at the workshop... looking foward to seeing the quilts after they are finished up.



The little blocks here were sewn up to be included in the 25th Anniversary celebration of the Empty Spools seminars in 2010.
These went off yesterday,

but not before Edgar (my receptionist) put his two cents in about the work schedule... this he did of course by laying right on top of all the fabrics for
the book two quilts.... he'll soon be shoo'd away.



More as the week progresses.
Happy to find stitch' time,
~Rose

After The Open Studio

The last lights were turned down on my summertime open studio on Sunday evening. The weekend brought lots of people into the studio to see all the quilts, books, and assorted other little things that have been stitched up. They were not disappointed and I want to thank everyone that stopped by. There was one large quilt (Midnight Flight) and many other little items that found a new homes, Edgar my reception cat was plum tuckered out. He had a great time wandering through everyone's legs and making all kinds of new friends.

The weekend through, I spent time Monday packing up my BACKROADS JOURNEY'S exhibit which is spending the summer on the road traveling to several Original Creative Festivals. The first one is scheduled for Cincinnati, OH - June 25, 26, 27, 2009.

Now it is back to stitchin for the book.
Hoppin' & Stitchin'
~Rose

Jump!

Hi All- I hope that you have had a wonderful holiday weekend. Mine was spent close to home and fun was had while attending a number of gatherings and spending time at home working on some of the first deadlines coming up quickly for my new book. All was loads of fun, and though I would have loved to have been up in Seattle wandering around the Folk Life Festival it was not to be this year.

I did want to share a little story that I heard at one of gatherings this weekend, for it's meaning has rung true, true, true for me. The story is really a question. If there are four frogs on a log in the stream and one decides to jump off how many are left? Most everyone there, said OK, it's too easy, so we must have it wrong and answered 3. Well, we were wrong, and the story teller went on to say that the frog had only decided to jump, he hadn't really jumped. Therefore, there were still 4 frogs on the log.

This made me sit up and take notice, for it hit home. While I consider myself a person of action, I'm no different than everyone else who knows what they should do, decides to go for it and then finds something, anything to stop us (ha) from jumping. If we never jump, even the first hop then we'll never know whether or not it is successful or not.

Today, I JUMP!
and, I know the thing that needs that action.

There are so many things that we want to do, decide to do and then fizzle out. I hope that you now will remember the frogs and pick one thing and JUMP!

Happily stitchin' & Now Jumpin'
~Rose

Catching Up with May

May around my house is normally pretty busy, for there are so many birthdays... then with the permission of a very fine quilter recently met, I was told that the whole month is one that should be celebrated. Mind you it can get a bit hectic when 4 out 6 of the people closest to you have the birthday right to have their own way for a month. But it does sound like fun!

This year May is also ushering in the first due date for my next book. It is very exciting. In my new book I am able to share many of the things about embellishments that I have been finding long the way while on my own quilt journey.

My first book, Dream Landscapes: Artful Quilts with Fast-Piece Applique was incredible to put together. All the folks at Martingale Publishing could not be more wonderful to have worked with, and I am really pleased to be working with them on book two as well.

Needless to say that there have been a few days totally dedicated to stitching up and writing for the book this month, but that has not stopped the search for all those wonderful found things. Circles seem to be the focus.... Dots, balls, bubblegum... seeing spots everywhere! I would love to see some of the things that have caught your eye this month!

Back to stitchin, and having a blast!
~Rose

More Seeing & Collecting

Hi All-
It has been a fun week with lots of meeting with this person and that and sharing and catching up.




It has included birthday celebrations and visits with mom, having fun with the play group... trying out the new Texture Magic product from Superior Threads (more, definitely more on this to follow), working night & day to finish up my Whether You Think You Can or You Can't, You're Right quilt for submission into an exhibition opportunity for Quilts On The Wall, fitting in time to work on chapter 3 of my NEW BOOK (more, definitely more on this also will follow), and the all the other stuff that happens. It is in the part where all that other stuff happens that I had found some wonderful and fun images to share with you know. I think you get that I have been looking for texture and pattern in all things around me right now, but I was just hanging out at the mall, waiting for my husband to finish up getting his eyeglasses that I ran into an intriguing sight. Not one or two, or three but a whole big rack of giant gumball dispensers filled with large, colorful stuff... which of course had me gleefully enjoying the mall outing. There were pink ones, and red ones, round ones and funky shaped ones as well, but I really loved the purple ones and of course the GREENS. And just as my mind was finishing up the focus on the colorful shapes creating wonderful patterns, I notices how the silver plate and knobs of the gumball machines themselves were a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Happy Mother's Day!
Happily Stitching & Collecting,
~Rose