ABBEY LANE QUILTS

AND THE WINNERS ARE....

2012-01-30T18:08:00.000-08:00

First we want to thank everyone who took time out to read the blog, check out the website, and give us your feedback. Here are some of the statistics from the week.

*We had entries from 30 different states and 7 countries.

*We had 668 entries. (We use the random number picker to pick the winners.)

*We gained 107 new followers. And we have some exciting blogs coming up.

*The favorite quilt was SIMPLY SPRING.

*The favorite block was the PIN WHEEL block.

*The favorite color of ric rac was TURQUOISE.

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

# 283 THE BRONSON BOY'S

# 75 BECKY REEDER

# 410 EVELENE S.

If you are a winner, please email us at info@abbeylanequilts.com and include your name, address, and the color of ric rac you would like.

Again, thanks to everyone, can't tell you how wonderful it is to hear your kind comments and make new friends. And as the book says, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Have a great week. Janice and Marcea

SIMPLE CHOICES GIVEAWAY

2012-01-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME. We have been waiting and waiting for the right time, and now, after I finally got snow, about 18 inches the past couple of days it is time to celebrate. (as a reminder, me, Marcea, lives in Utah, and that is where it snowed, not Florida where Janice lives.)

Back to the giveaway. We published a new book which debuted at Market in Houston called SIMPLE CHOICES.

We started with 5 different individual quilts blocks. Then we added 5 super fun appliques. We topped it off with two different trims, ric rac or raw edge. The idea is simple, CHOOSE YOUR BLOCK, CHOOSE YOUR APPLIQUE, CHOOSE YOUR TRIM, and before you know it you have 25 different quilts.

We added something else to our website in November, LARGE RIC RAC. Yup, over 20 colors. We love Ric Rac and use it in so many projects, we thought we would provide easy access to lucious colors on line.

We will have 3 WINNERS, each one winning a SIMPLE CHOICES book and 4 yards of you favorite color of Ric Rac. That's just the right amount to make a SIMPLE CHOICES QUILT. How to win:

1. Check out the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/, then choose the shopping page. Got to the SIMPLE CHOICES page and pick your favorite BLOCK nd QUILT. Remember, with this book, you get to choose and customize your quilt. Here is a quick sneak peak at the quilts.

2. While you are on the shopping page, click on the RIC RAC and choose a color that would look great on your quilt.

3. Add yourself as a follower on our blog. For an additional chance, mention our giveaway on your blog. If you are already a follower, just let us know.

4. Friend us on Facebook at Abbey Lane Quilts. If you are already a friend, let us know. Post this giveaway on facebook for another chance.

You will get a chance for each number you do above. If i counted right, you could get 6 chances to win.

We will pick a winner next Sunday, so get your chances in quick.

WE KNOW YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

IT'S A NEW YEAR

2012-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

January has always been a month where I like to catch up on projects I always plan on doing but never seem to have the time. So far, I have made on of three block of the week mystery quilt kits I purchased last year. Yes, I love kits. But this week, I sewed with our own patterns. We had two new bag patterns introduced at market.

The first is The "Mary Jane" Bag

And The "Lucille" Bag.

They are great bags. I wanted to take the patterns and play around with different fabrics, or in this case, LAMINATES. Don't you just love Laminates. I do, but other than a rain coat, what am I going to make with them. I decided that these two new patterns might just be perfect. I have used laminates a little, but the new ones are getting softer and softer. Right now I love Michael Miller laminates. They are so easy to work with.

So, here are my new laminate bags. First, Mary Jane, made out of Moda Laminates.

And my favorite, Lucille. I got two different laminates for this one. One for the inside and one for the outside. I loved them both so much I couldn't decide which one to use for each side, so my husband designed me a magnet closure that allowed me to make the bag reversible. I get two bags in one.

Cute Tie Accents

The houndstooth is my favorite, still need to add the ties to it though. What do you think, cute huh. As always, pictures don't do them justice.

Hopefully you are having a great start to a new year.

Oh, and before I forget, WE ARE STARTING A NEW GIVEAWAY ON SUNDAY, so check back and see what else we have been up to.

Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2011-12-23T12:25:00.000-08:00

What a great year we have had making so many new friends. We have some really exciting things coming for 2012, but today, we wanted to share a story we read. It is a little long, but so worth the read.
The story was written by Shirley Joffs who lives in Logan, Utah. A small town near me.

I was touched by it and asked if I could share it with ya'll today. She gave me permission. She also is started a new little business sewing aprons, ect. Find her on facebook at Shirl Girl Designs. I borrowed one of her profile pictures from facebook so we could put a face to the story.

Enjoy the season with all your heart.

Christmas Village, Ogden, Utah

The Magic of Christmas Lies in Your Heart

by Shirley Joffs Dec. 2011

( With apologies to those who may celebrate the winter holidays with other names, the intention of my story today is universal in spirit.)

As I pondered a Christmastime story, I found it difficult to focus on just one aspect of the holidays. M y feelings were a little like the season tends to get....stressed out, too busy, trying to 'get it all done', making all of the plans to make everything just perfect. In a moment of weakness, once, I tentatively suggested that we break with all tradition and just go to a warm climate for a week or two and do something entirely different The look on the faces of my children and grandchildren was of complete horror and disbelief.. ..so much for that idea. But now that the tree is up and the gingerbread cookies made, I realize that I really would miss the traditions too, and I begin to focus on the important aspects of the season that I really do appreciate, particularly as a quiIter since that is our common tie here... .and this is what I want to share.

I believe that it is unique to quilters to easily blend the past and the present. We are often drawn back to old quilt patterns, vintage fabrics, traditional uses of quilts, pioneer stories of how quilts were made and used and appreciated; on the other hand, we are excited by new patterns, new ideas and methods, beautiful new fabrics. We use both hand and machine quilting, but we quickly cut reproduction fabrics with our trusty rotary cutters or even cut out whole quilts in a matter of minutes with magical cutting machines. Christmas is a little like that for me I'm drawn back to days gone by, even as I shop for the I pad and put up the artificial tree; and while I hum traditional carols, I hear "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer" in the mall. We can't avoid some of the plastic world, but being a quilter, a maker of handmade treasures, an addict of the creative process of quilting, gives us a special opportunity to make holidays to remember for ourselves and future generations. So here is my wish for all quilters....

First, that as you "cut", remember to let C stand for Caring, and carefully creating and choosing gifts that uplift, encourage and cheer others. I saw a wonderful suggestion for gifts on an email message, In addition to your beautiful quilts and fabric items, give services like a manicure, a day of house cleaning, a car wash, a date night for a couple that can't afford a sitter, a sewing lesson for someone who has shown an interest in learning, or a breakfast date for a grandchild. Services keep people working and show how much we care. My husband would be disappointed if he didn't get his certificate for a massage or a pedicure. It's something he would never buy for himself.

My second wish is that as you Handsew, remember to let "H " stand for Heart and Hearing and not "Hurry". So often I listen with my motor running. I'm thinking of what I'm going to say next, or I'm thinking of something else entirely. Really Hearing is an art that is a lifelong lesson for me. Hand sewing, putting on a binding, always slows my world down and helps me listen better. Better yet, being with grandchildren teaches the patience and hearing that I think I missed with my own children let hand sewing remind us.
My third wish is that as you "re-sew"... .as we always have to do, let "R" stand for rest and relaxation. I usually have to "re-sew" when I have pushed a project, tried to sew too fast or let myself get tired. There is something so restful about just staring at the Christmas tree and its reflection in the window. One of our family traditions at Christmas is to go for a slow ride with our children and now grandchildren, and look at ail of the different lighted homes. Sometimes we try to guess who lives there and what they must be like. For me, setting aside a day for a gift exchange and lunch with friends gives me a time to look forward to relaxing, forgetting for awhile all of the "doing" and just "be".

And my fourth wish is that as you Iron, remember to let "I" stand for Icing on the cake. So often we settle when we could excel, we appreciate when we could 'relish with gusto', we hum when we could really sing. Icing on the cake is about the really 'special' things we do. I make gingerbread boys every Christmas; I've made them for 40+ years now. I found the recipe in an old Sunset magazine and, with a homemade cookie cutter I can make the little figures dance, pray, do yoga, swim.. .whatever my family is into for that year. Those special things and activities get represented on the gingerbread tree.
Two years ago we were icing the cookies and Emma, my now 8 year old was helping. The icing tube went berserk and put a huge glob of icing on the cookie and without a thought I said "Lord A Mercy". We laughed so hard and then Emma said, "Nana, we should call the cookies with lots of icing, "Lord A Mercy Cookies".... So now they pick through the batch looking for Lord A Mercy Cookies because they love the sweet icing.

Life and quilting are like that too. When we make mistakes they can become blessings.
May you have a "Lord A Mercy Life Experience Daily" Think of Icing when you iron...

My fifth wish is, that as you sew, also let S stand for "show and share". I feel sometimes that I do a lot of telling and not as much 'showing' by example. Just as we stand up in Guild meetings and show and share what we have done and therefore who we are, we do so by our lives every day. On our trips to Disney World with our grandchildren, we would often see frustrated, tired parents screaming at their crying, sad children, "I've spent a ton of money to get you here so you WILL have fun, by George, so stop crying and start having fun!!!" Our sewing and our Christmas celebrations can be like that if we aren't careful. Spending a lot of money does not a successful experience make; hence the fun of a scrap quilt where we use what we have is like a quiet night of telling Christmas stories together. Or teaching a child how to make cookies by really letting them get their hands in the dough... .1 Immmmmm. could it be that those we love want us to show and share ourselves and not our expensive gifts with them...
My sixth wish is that as you thread the bobbins and needles, let "T" stand for Trust. It is so easy to get grouchy, even judgmental of the flurry that seems so far removed from the real Spirit of Christmas, but just as those trusty sewing machines, sergers and quilting machines serve us if we oil and clean and service them, we can Trust that the Spirit that is at the heart of Christmas, whatever our faith or belief, will be there if we seek it out. It often seems that the thread breaks or the bobbin runs out at the most inopportune time, but if we focus on the thousands of times that it doesn't we can trust So, on the occasion when we think that our Faith has failed us, let's fill up the bobbin again, thread the needle once more and trust.

My seventh wish is that as you Measure your fabric, M might stand for Mastery. I've told you the story of how I didn't measure my first hand-pieced rail fence quilt. I just blithely sewed strips together in a color pattern. Not one block was the same size... .a good quilter convinced me that I should not throw them all out, and she helped me "square them up", which I had never heard of. I keep that quilt in a visible basket to remind me that we all start somewhere. I make similar mistakes every day in life, but as the saying goes, "God isn't through with me yet" so I can"t let that stop me. How many times have we failed to notice that the ruler is not straight on the cutting pad when we slice through a beautiful piece of fabric. Measure twice, cut once was my father's rule in carpentry. Probably the most important mastery we will learn in life is the art of trying again and again.

My eighth wish is that as you Applique, you will "ask" for what you need, what you want, and what you love. Whether it is by machine or by hand, applique is that special embellishment that says you are willing to take time to do it. Asking to have our own needs met is that special way of valuing ourselves, avoiding becoming a martyr and the anger and confusion that it creates. I thought early on in my marriage that Eric should 'divine' my needs, that is, know them before I even knew them and meet them..if he LOVED me. Asking is simply fair communication.
I used to be a potter. I carved out a little tiny spot next to the water heater to put my wheel, in a dark basement, near the furnace. My friend visited and said, "Oh, no, this will never do... .you are too fine a potter to treat yourself like this, ask for more.. .a space with light, elbow room..." Wow! That was one of life's best lessons for me.. .It may be something as small as a good seam ripper, an iron dedicated only to your sewing room, a new blade for your cutter, or a quilt kit that you've admired, or it could be a "date night with a partner or friends" or even a hug when you feel down. Don't ALWAY S put yourself second or you might get what my Mom called 'sour' on life.

My ninth wish is that when you sit down to sew, you make "S; stand for "Sing from you Soul" Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I realize how happy I am when I am sewing. I look forward to it, I relish it and I miss it when I can't do it..,,. .sounds like love to me. We quilters are fortunate that we have something that we love so much. If we take it as a lesson, we can remind ourselves that everything else we do can have that same kind of love if we live in the moment. Some sage person said, "Wherever you are, be there." So when we S, stand up from sitting and sewing, let's remember to take with us that same delight in life, that same attention to detail, that same willingness to make and mend mistakes, that same love of creating something beautiful in our world and with the people we love. In all we do, let us Sing from our Souls. Eleven-year-old Jackie Evancho, the singing sensation who has been featured on PBS this month was asked what she feels when she sings. Her wisdom was amazing. She said, "Something just takes over and feel soooo happy and relaxed."
And then, oh, my, you should hear her sing.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Janice and Marcea

THESE LITTLE WITCHES WENT TO MARKET

2011-11-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

Three little witches spent 14 days in Houston, Texas. We had a great time, met lots of new quilters and saw a lot of old friends. Janice and I invited a dear friend, Carol, to come and help. (We worked her so hard, she may not come back).

I have been feeling a little grey this year, as you can tell from our walls, our aprons, even our floors. Here are some of the pictures of our booth. Hope you enjoy.

As you can see, right down to the floor, we wanted to make sure you knew who's booth you were in.

I grabbed out my chalk and had some fun drawing on the walls.

Probably the most exciting new item we have is our new book, SIMPLE CHOICES. All the quilts in this picture are in the book. And sooooo much more.

Janice has better handwriting than I do, so i asked her to write the name of the book across the back wall. So according to my instructions, she wrote SIMPLE TIMES four times across the wall. About an hour later, we realized that the book was called SIMPLE CHOICES. Can we say brain freeze.

We displayed the pillows from our book TOUCH OF WHIMSEY on this cute baker's rack. They were a hit.

We had this cute little lady displaying some new and old bags. The red one with the giant numbers is brand new, we call it "The LUCILLE Bag." Pattern coming soon.

Take a peak at two new quilt patterns, REVOLUTION and HARD DAY'S NIGHT. Better pics will be posted soon.

Here is the final new quilt, HANKY PANKY with one of our favorite designer fabrics, BASIC GREY. The fabric will be out next spring. Can hardly wait.

This was our final new pattern. An adorable bag called "The MARY JANE Bag". First time I had done large gromets. So easy, so fun.

We stayed for festival, the retail side, a five day show, if you have never been there you need to come some time. We through up one new quilt, a remake from our GOOD DAY SUNSHINE pattern done for Christmas. Check the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ to see this pattern and the pillow book.

So that's a quick tour. We are busy getting the website loaded with the new book and patterns.
Have a great week, it is nice to be back, and a special shoutout to our dear friends over at ME AND MY SISTER, this one is for you.

Janice and Marcea

INSPIRATION IS THE STARTING PLACE

2011-08-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

First, let's start with a giveaway of one of our books, TOUCH OF WHIMSEY, offered by one of our friends, Kelly Jackson on her blog, I HAVE A NOTION. She has a great blog full of ideas, and the ideas she had with our pillows were so fun.

We always ask you to send us pictures of your finished projects and we get so excited when you do. Here are a couple of your finished projects using our patterns. The best part for us is when you use our pattern as a stepping stone for your own creativity.

Here is the email we received:

Hello!

At the end of the pattern you asked for pictures. Well, attached is a variation of the Clarabella bag for summer. The quilted part of the bag is the dissapearing nine patch. What do you think?

Love your patterns.

Sincerely,
Tracy Standhart
Schoharie, NY

Thanks Tracy, I loved it so much, I asked if she would make me one. Here is our version.

Next we got this email:

Hi, Ladies!

We met at International Quilt Festival in Houston. I love your patterns, and attached you will find two pictures of the "Bungalow Bag." I call this one "Lilac Spring."

Anway, the beaded handle was a good color match and I bravely added a zipper. I am tickled pink (or should I say lilac) with the way it turned out !

Thank you for your inspiration!

Anny Heiberg
Galveston, TX

Thanks Anny, and how great that she named her bag.

Joyce Dove of Granville, Illinois sent us the picture a long time ago. She said she would be making more Bungalow Bags so hopefully we will get more pictures.

Finally, a lady came up to us at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City to show us her version of the BUNGALOW BAG. She added gromets and a big flower and used one of my favorite all time fabric collections. We were so busy I forgot to get her name, but I did get pictures.

This is our version.

Last, and I think my favorite. We got this picture from QUILT SAMPLER, a shop in Tulsa.

This group of ladies belong to RUBY'S REMNANTS FAMILY GUILD and this is what they did at their retreat. The hat pattern is in our BLOOMING POSSIBILITIES book. I just can't stop smiling everytime I see them.

Inspiration is just the starting place. We hope our patterns give you a little inspiration. See them all on our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/

More sharing next time.

Janice and Marcea

WINNER, WINNER, WINNER AND A NEW BABY

2011-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

So much news, so little space. Let's start with the Winners.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to check out and comment on all the new pillows.

The pillow with the most votes was RUFFLES AND ROSES.

The WINNERS of the TOUCH OF WHIMSEY books are:

(The numbers are from the random number drawer)

#4 - Country Color Creations

#91- Quiltma

#100 - Peaceful Piecer

So, winners, if you will email us your addresses, we will put the books in the mail. info@abbeylanequilts.com

If you just have to have a book, and didn't win, head over to the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ and check it out.

The next exciting news, Janice has a new grandbaby. This is number 4, all boys, poor Janice.
Born to her oldest daughter Carolee, name pending.

And the last big news, my youngest son flew in last night from Florida. I haven't seen him in over a year. So fun to have him in the house, and the first thing he is doing, folding Abbey Lane patterns. It is definitely a family business.

Have a great weekend. Janice and Marcea

GET A TOUCH OF WHIMSEY

2011-05-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

What better way to introduce a new BOOK than with a new GIVEAWAY. We had a crazy spring, new projects for market, the new book and a huge deadline, and in the middle of it all, I stopped and make a holiday pillow. It was fun and fast and immediately made it's way to my living room couch. So it hit us, let's do a PILLOW BOOK. We got our delivery from the printer the day before market. The book was a big hit.

A TOUCH OF WHIMSEY has 12 different decorative pillows. From holidays to decorator, the pillows are quick and easy, and a great way to use up your stash or your favorite new fabrics. They have fun textures and embillishments too.

We have color pictures of all the pillows throughout the book. Here are a couple of samples.

These are two of the pillows, all 12 are pictured on our website which brings us to our little contest.

Three winners will each get a copy of the new book, A TOUCH OF WHIMSEY.

THE RULES (if you can call window shopping on the internet a rule) Get up to five chances to win a book.

1 - Head over to the our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/, go to the shopping page and click on the Touch of Whimsey book. It will take you to the page with all the pillows. Pick your favorite and leave us a comment telling us which one by name.

2 - Tell your friends about our little contest on your blog. We love going to your blogs to find out more about you.

3 - Become a follower of our blog. If you are already a follower, just let us know.

4 - Add us as a friend on FACEBOOK. Just look up Abbeylanequilts.

5 - Tell your friends on facebook about our little contest.

That should do it. We will pick the winners next week after the holiday.

Here is the back cover with a shot of all the pillows.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

Janice and Marcea

AFTER MARKET RESOLUTIONS

2011-05-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

So, do you think it is odd to make a new year's resolution in May? So here's my list.

1 - Post more often.

2 - Share more recipes.

3 - Have more giveaways.

4 - Highlight great tips and gadgets.

That is probably enough. Let's see how I do.

Now, as you probably already know, Spring Market in Salt Lake City just finished up. For us, it is like a giant family reunion. We have made wonderful friends over the past couple of years and it is so fun to catch up. The good news and the bad news is we were so busy (that's the good news), that we didn't get to see everyone and I didn't get a single picture of anyone (that's the bad news). I did get a few pictures of our booth so here goes SHOW AND TELL.

The most exciting news first. We won the booth award for BEST MERCHANDISING. All those hours painting paid off. There were so many fabulous booths, we were thrilled and very humbled.

Starting from the top, We found these great letters to hang above our booth. Wanted to make sure everyone knew where they were.

The awesome painted canvas floor. It was a big hit.

Couldn't have done it without NELLIE. This is Janice's daughter and she came to help. By the way, that is a baby bump, she is due with her first little boy in just 4 weeks. We were so excited to have her there.

The back wall, and A TOUCH OF WHIMSEY is our newest book. 12 decorative pillows. We will have it ready to sell next week and yes, we will be having some fun giveaways.

One side of the booth with the FAB FIVE book which made the MODA TOP 25 BOOK LIST. There is also a sneak peak of a new quilt with Kate Spain's new collection coming soon.

Finally, our other wall with a metal center to hang the patterns and my personal new favorite quilt featuring Basic Grey's new line, Curio.

It's good to be back in the blogging world, and I will be keeping my resolutions. Next week we will debut the new book. Unitl then, have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ????

2011-03-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

Woke up to this beautiful white site this morning.

5 inches and still falling.

It's ok, though, because I am getting ready to work on Christmas projects. Yes, Christmas in March, that way, you will have new projects for Christmas in July. We have been checking all the new Christmas fabric collections for this year and there are some beautiful choices.

Today is a show and tell post. We love it when we get pictures of projects you have made from our patterns. Like a proud momma watching her babies.

THE MAGGIE MAY from Nann Reed

Here's what she had to say, "Here are some photos of Maggie May bags. I like to pander to current fashion while maintaining a whimsical feel, so I combined pink cheetah fabric with bold stripes and polka dots. The grey bag was created from cotton batik fabric and strips cut from items I found in the thrift shop, like neckties and an extremely flamboyant housecoat. Thanks again for the lovely pattern!"

And here are her pictures

Check out the beautiful decorative stitching on the handles

Next, MATCH BOX from Gerry Gray

She sent us these pictures a few months ago, and this is what she said "Finished the binding today. Yeah~ Here are some pictures. Of course my two year old has to be on the quilt. The material is "Adoring". I used a Merry Christmans script as the background fabric, since Adoring is such a subtle Christmas print. Hope you like it.

And last for tonight, our good friend Lucy Moory sent us this little note. She was using the FAB FIVE book. Lucy writes, "had to show you and tell you.... I LOVED how easy your Fab 5 quilt goes together! I'm making more!!!!!

Thanks!

She used her own fabric line, PACIFIC TRADE WINDS, head over to her blog and check it all out, http://www.thedrizzledapple.blogspot.com/.

Here is the FAB FIVE book

This is the pattern we did for Lucy's fabric line. It is called ROCK AND ROLL.

Thanks again for all the pictures. Keep sending them. Check out all the patterns and more on our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

Have a great week, Janice and Marcea

ALL DOLLED UP

2011-03-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

So is it tooooo late in the year to make a new year's resolution? I just noticed the date of our last blog. I resolve to write more often. In our defense, though, we have a great reason. We are doing a STASH BOOK, the really cool ones that are published by C&T publishing. We finished the first draft yesterday. While that may not sound like a lot, it has 32 projects which we have had to design, sew and write the patterns for. Then we had to transfer it into a book language format. The projects all get shipped next week. It doesn't come out for a while though, so no more information for now. Just needed a good excuse for not writing.

Now I have a great excuse for WRITING. We had an email from our friend Amanda Herring, The Quilted Fish last week. She has put together a fabulous idea for spring market which is in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is called ALL DOLLED UP IN SALT LAKE CITY, and it involves quilts and prizes and a whole lot of fun. She invited Utah designers to take a basic paper doll template and using one of four Riley Blake fabric collections, create a 10" x 12" block. She had such an overwhelming response, that there are enough blocks to make two quilts. The quilts will hang in the Riley Blake booth. All the participants will also have their block in their booth, and here where the fun starts, yes, a BOOTH HOP. Get a stamp from all the participating designers, and you get a chance to win one of the quilts, or numerous other patterns and projects that each designer is donating. All the details and updates are found on a special blog, www.alldolledupinslc.blogspot.com/. There is also a list of all the designers with links to their blogs.

So, now more justifying as my son would say. I got the fabric for the block on Friday, but because of the book, couldn't even start until Saturday. Amanda needed the block on Monday. Actually, she remembered that even though we are officially a Florida company, yours truly lives in the Beehive state. We are so glad she remembered us, even last minute. Not sure how long everyone else had, but i assure you there are some amazing blocks. I risked life and limb to get the block to Amanda's Monday. There was a huge snowstorm and I was stuck on the freeway in a blizzard during rush hour. It was worth it though, because I got a sneak peak at some of the blocks.

Let me show you a couple of pics of our block. I used the Love Birds collection. It has beautiful bright colors. The doll is tall and skinny so I needed something to feel the space. Of course, what is more us than flourishes.

She had to have blonde hair, of course. Now to the face. I painted it on, yes that is paint.

I did try numerous clothing designs, but decided on this cute little dress, great leggings, and a fabulous pair of chunky green sandals. When it was done, I really liked her. It felt just like our style. I can just see myself running around in that little outfit, simple, but flashy. Now the fun starts. Checking out all the other designers blocks. Most of the ones I saw looked just like their maker and they showed off their interests and talents. It was so fun to see so much personality and variety in a paper doll. Just can't wait for the finished quilts.

So here she is all finished, kinda. I embroidered Abbey Lane Quilts in blue floss after I took the picture. I'm going to make a Great Big Block for our booth at market, and I think there are going to have to be two

blondes.

I will start posting pics of some of the other dolls. If you just can't wait, head to the blog and see what your favorite designers have created.

P.S. Not sure when, I think after market, the patterns to make all the doll blocks will be availabe free on each designers website.

THE GLUEING DILEMMA

2011-01-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Yes a little late, but better late than never. What a holiday season. As many may know, I take care of my 84 year old father who had massive heart failure the middle of December. 10 days in the hospital and we still have a long recovery. He fell last night and put a huge gash in his head, spent an hour trying to decide whether to super glue it or not. Opted not to. Anyway, my hands are full. I do however have a wonderful segway on glueing.

Janice and I are in the middle of a huge project, or 27 small projects. Not sure we can really talk about it, and don't you just hate it when people say that. Anyway, I made a sweet little quilt over the weekend and tried a new product that made it a lot easier. I was raw edge appliquing small circles on to blocks, and I tried something new called LAPEL STICK. A company from Canada sent us a sample. Great Concept. Spread it around the edge of the piece you want to applique and stick it on. It holds while you sew, no pinning, you can press it with the iron and it washes out completely. It is also very nice because it did not clog or gum up my sewing machine needle either. The best part is it holds the edges down which is great when Janice machine quilts the quilt.

Now, I had the product, but had not even paid attention until Marlene, My Heritage Fabrics, told me that lots of ladies used ELMERS WASHABLE SCHOOL GLUE STICK. She had a stick and so I stole it. I really did, I just told her I am taking this. I experimented with it on a sample piece. Almost died at first because it went on bright purple and I was so afraid I was going to ruin the fabric with purple die, but before I had finished sewing the color was gone.

Now the dilemma, which to use. The ELMERS was a little gooier, but the purple made it easy to see when I was applying it. So, have you tried either of these methods and what were your results. Inquiring minds want to know, ok, so I want to know.

Finally got the new patterns up for sale on the website, you may want to take a quick look, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

It takes only 18 fat quarters for the whole quilt.

Have fun with Charm Squares and Ric Rac.

Great for "Tweens" both girl and boy.

Also, Janice has made who knows how many FAB FIVE quilts, http://abbeylanequilts.com/FABFIVE.html but here were two that I just loved. This is the Pretty Posies, she used Sandy Gervais fabric for this one. This version used 16 fabrics.

and French General on this one, which used 8 fat quarters. They will be quilted this week.

Glad to be back, sorry it has been awhile.

Have a great week, Janice and Marcea

THE WINNERS ARE!!!

2010-12-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

First, a thanks to everyone who left us a comment. Janice and I both have our favorite quilts, but it is so fun to hear which ones ya'll like. We had comments from 29 states and 7 countries. Based on the comments, it looks like the book is as versatile as we hoped it would be. There was no clear favorite winner. They all got votes. So, now, as promised, 5 books going home with 5 winners.

We took all the entries and assigned them a number, the we used the Random Number Generator to pick for us. Here we go.

Our First Winner is, #64 - Paula from Illinois

Our Second Winner is #43 - Kandus from Ontario, Canada

Our Third Winner is #174 - Karenfae from Arkansas

Our Fourth Winner is #75 - Lisa from Montana

and our Final Winner is #20 - Billie Dee from Texas

Thanks again, and if you didn't win, you can still buy the book on our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

Please email us with your mailing address at abbeylanequilts@yahoo.com .

We have had several emails about a post we did last year for the 10 MINUTE TABLE TOPPER. So, a first for us, a repost of this great last minute christmas gift. Here is the post:

My local quilt shop is only three miles from my house. It is called My Heritage Fabrics and is owned by Marlene Lewellyn. If you are ever in Ogden, you need to stop by. When I stopped in the other day, she showed me her TEN MINUTE TABLE TOPPER. It is a quick pattern that needs only two pieces of fabric. One piece is 1/2 yard x WOF and the other is either 10" or 12" x WOF.

Marlene went a step further with the idea and made placemats to match the runner by cutting the runner in half. She has a pattern she can email you. Just send her a note and tell her you saw her runner on our website, myheritagefabrics@gmail.com. Check her blog also, http://www.myheritagefabrics.wordpress.com/.

How cute are these. I bought a couple of half yard pieces of christmas fabric and headed home to make some. I had some assorted Moda Layer Cake bundles laying around. I decided to use two of them to make my TABLE TOPPERS.

I ended up making three. I used the layer cakes to piece the front panels. I couldn't do the fold down ends though, because they covered up some of the cute fabric pieces, so I altered the ends. The third one used layer cake pieces for the front and the back. When you see these, you will know why we design patterns. Janice and I have a habit of changing every thing we sew. Anyway, here goes.

TABLE TOPPER ONE

I added Ric Rac to the sides of this one and varied the sizes of the pieces in the front panel. This one took a little longer than ten minutes. Around 25 minutes with the cutting and Ric Rac. Another fun note, these are all reversable. How cute are green and cream polka dots.

TABLE TOPPER 2

Another different end. This one had even strips in the front panel and took about 20 minutes to make.

TABLE TOPPER 3

By the time I got to this one, I was having way tooooo much fun. The green front was 5 layer cakes cut into thin strips. The back was 12 layer cakes. I made this one longer, used the pointy end and added tassles. I put Ric Rac across the strips on the back so I could use either side. I can't decide which I like better, the front or the back.

We have written more detailed instructions with lots of pictures and put in on our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/. Just click on What's New and then click on Ten Minute Table Toppers, or follow this link http://abbeylanequilts.com/TABLETOPPER.html. This one did take about an hour and a half, but it was soooo much fun.

Have a great week, and start making those TABLE TOPPERS. They make great gifts.

Janice and Marcea

CYBER BLOG WEEK GIVEAWAY

2010-11-29T12:31:00.000-08:00

That's right. A GIVEAWAY. We have been waiting for today to introduce you to our newest book, FAB FIVE, Fun, Fast & Flirty, and to give away 5 COPIES, one each to five winners. First, the book, then at the end, how to win a book.

The book starts with two different basic quilts, the first quilt uses 8 coordinating fat quarters, 4 in one color wave and 4 in another color wave. The other basic quilt uses 16 scrap pieces 10" x 18". Then, you get to choose from FIVE different appliques.

For Spring, PRETTY POSIES with 8 Fat Quarters

Then, PRETTY POSIES with 16 scrap pieces.

Next, for summer, STARS AND STRIPES with 8 fat quarters.

Next, STARS AND STRIPES with 16 scrap pieces.

For Halloween, SPOOK ALLEY with 8 Fat quarters.

And SPOOK ALLEY with 16 scraps.

And just in time for Christmas, we have HOLIDAY HOOPLA with 8 Fat Quarters.

And HOLIDAY HOOPLA with 16 Scraps.

All the quilts have raw edge appliques. The Christmas quilt has ornaments that you can decorate with ric rac, button, jewels, whatever you like.

And if all the holidays weren't enough, we had the bonus cover quilt, LOTSA DOTS.

The finished size for the quilts is 50" x 60", a perfect lap quilt. The are fast to cut and sew, and fun to keep or even give away. You will want to make them all.

So, now for the giveaway. We have several ways to get chances. The more chances you have the better your odds.

First: Leave us a comment and tell us which quilt is your favorite.

Second: Sign up as a follower.

Third: Be our friend on our facebook page where you get updates and quick info, http://www.facebook.com/ and search abbeylanequilts.

That's it. It is almost as easy as making a FAB FIVE quilt. If you want more info, head over to our website http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ where we have the book for sale for only $18.50. It includes color pictures of all the quilts and full size templates. Check out all the other new patterns from market on our Pattern Preview page.

Can't wait to hear from ya'll.

Janice and Marcea

P.S. We will anounce the winners next Monday.

THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE

2010-11-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

Started snowing on Saturday, and today is the big finally, the BLIZZARD of 2010. Lots of wind, blowing snow, going below zero on Thursday, and supposed to get 12 inches of snow tonight. So what to do, BAKE of course. My husband asked me to bake up some goodies to take to various people, but what to you make when everyone is already making pie? You make a pumpkin roll.

PUMPKIN ROLL WITH CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Cake:

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour!
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canned Pumpkin
1 cup pecans, chopped

Filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

YUMMY, we are eating one now, I only have six more to bake. As my son said, Thanksgiving is for family. From our families to yours,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Janice and Marcea

A TOUR OF OUR MODA FAVORITES

2010-11-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of Market is catching up with all our friends. While we keep up-to-date through their blogs, it is still not the same as being able to give them a big hug. We are starting to get lots of friends, so today's tour will be of the Moda Family.

Two of our favorite ladies, Mary and Barb, http://www.meandmysisterdesigns.com/. We found their booth first day, and they had this giant jar of chapstick. It was a good thing too, cause our lips were very chappy the whole time.

They were always helping and teaching.

Never found them not working, except...

Hey you gotta eat.

They also had a great new pattern. Janice did her best to grab an already made one, but to no avail.

Aren't they cute. I am sure all the info is on their website.

Continuing our travels around the Moda area we stopped by Sweetwater. They have so many cute ideas, check out their blog, http://www.sweetwater.typepad.com/

They won 2nd place for booth decorating. Way to go.

Next door was Blackbird Designs. One of our very favorites. They won First place for booth decorating. See all their market fun on their blog, http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/.

Congratulations!

Next on our list was Kate Spain. We adore her fabric, so much so that we made sure to make a new quilt design using her latest collection, CENTRAL PARK. Here is her booth and our new quilt GOT A FEELING, pattern available soon. Kate is a really sweet lady. Get to know her on her blog, http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/.

So bright and cheery, just like her fabric.

Here is our quilt, GOT A FEELING, made from Central Park. Charm Squares, flowers and large ric rac. Could it get any better?

Last, but not least, the main Moda area. They have these huge walls and they fill them with lots of beautiful quilts in all the new fabrics. Check out the two quilts on the right. They are Basic Gray's new collection.

So that ends the Moda tour, but wanted to put up two quick patterns. There are two of our newest, we debuted them at market and they were a big hit. The first is a bag pattern and the second a book. We will be having a special contest and giveaway with the book in a couple of weeks. For now, head over to the website and you can see all the details, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

Nine quilts all in one Book.

If it feels like a whirlwind, you got a quick taste of what market is like. We have lots more friends and pictures to share. Check back soon.

Janice and Marcea

WE'RE HOME, SORTA

2010-11-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

After Thirteen days in Houston I made it home. I was greeted by snow and cold. Janice sorta went home, she headed to Missouri where they have a place in the country. What an adventure. First we had market. It is always so fun to catch up with all our friends. Twice a year just doesn't seem enough time. I took pictures of many of our favorite booths, will post those in a couple of days.

Here are a couple of pictures of our booth.

Here are two new quilts. Patterns coming soon. They are out of Central Park and Sugar Pop, Moda Collections.

Check out our floor. We had so much fun with it. Giant 2 1/2 foot black and white squares with our giant, signature green flowers, and sparkly black centers.

With two big shows in Houston, we needed help, and we were so lucky that Janice's niece Katy joined us. She was amazing. I think her highlight of the show was meeting TY PENNINGTON. He has a new fabric collection for Westminster. Gorgeous Fabric, Gorgeous Guy, and GORGEOUS KATY.

Lot's more to follow including the new book, FAB FIVE, and our fabulous new bag, THE SADIE BAG.

Check back in a couple of days.

Janice and Marcea

DOWN TO THE WIRE

2010-10-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is a very hectic time of year for us. MARKET. This year we thought we would add to the fun by going to FESTIVAL also. Hope you all come find us there. Anyway, Janice and I are always joking and telling our families that no one is allowed to get married, have a baby, or pass away during May or October. The families listened for a while, but somehow they forgot this time around. My son had baby number 2, two weeks ago.

Meet Josephine, and this is her big sister, Genevieve.

Sadly, Janice's mother passed away earlier this week. Genille Elliot was a wonderful woman that I was priveleged to know. She was a huge inspiration to Janice, especially in the quilting world. The services were yesterday, and it was a wonderful day that I am sure Janice's Mother would have appreciated.

Our good news, we sent our new book to the printers. We hope to have it back at the end of the week, and yes, we will have it for market and festival.

I gave you a sneak peak of the two halloween quilts, here are their finished pics,

And here is the cover. That's all the peaks at that project. Have to wait for market. We have four more quilts we are working on, the book had 9 quilts, and just finished a GREAT NEW BAG.

Hope ya'll have a good week, and see you in Houston.

Janice and Marcea

It's October, that means MARKET TIME!

2010-10-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Cannot believe that 7 weeks have passed since our last posting. Janice and I have been busy. I have had two new grandbabies born during that time. Janice went to Pennsylvania twice, Missouri once, had a birthday. I have been to Houston and Philadelphia. We have been working overtime the last couple of weeks, only three more crazy weeks to go before market. Here is a sneak peak of our NEW BOOK. We will have it ready to go for market. Oh, and by the way, WE ARE STAYING FOR FESTIVAL. We have never done that before, so it should be a lot of fun and a lot of work.

The book will have 9 diffferent quilts. They cover all four seasons and a bonus, but since it is October, here are a couple of pics of one of the Halloween ones.

This is just a teaser. Taking all the final shots tomorrow, so I will post a couple more. Just wait till you see the Christmas quilts.

SHARING TIME

2010-08-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

It is so exciting when we get emails of pictures of your finished projects made with our patterns. The creativity is amazing. First quilt in point. The pattern, Just Let it Be. It was one of our very first patterns and we have loved it so much we have remade it three times to show you all the options. The first version uses a focal fabric and then six other fabrics that coordinate with the focal fabric. You can use fabrics from any line, mix and match them.

The Second version we made used fabrics from Joel Dewberry. This is probably one of my all time favorites. Whenever we have a new quilt, Janice and I go through a tug and pull. Sometimes it is a quilt that Janice loves and sometimes it is one I love. The problem comes in when we BOTH love the quilt. Well, this Just Let It Be, I LOVE.

For our latest version of Just Let It Be, we used Laura Gunn's "Poppy" collection. It is the most beautiful quilt ever. We hung it at spring market.

By the way, Janice wants this one, and when Janice wants something, I just get out of the way. We both adore Laura Gunn's fabrics. Check out her blog, http://lauragunn.typepad.com/ when you get a chance.

There is a funny story behind this quilt's name. We had all the squares up on a board, and we kept moving things around. A change here and there. However, after the original design, I didn't like the changes, and I finally said to Janice "JUST LET IT BE", and the quilt was named.

We recently got an email from TWO THIMBLES QUILT SHOP in Bellingham, WA. Here is their website, http://www.twothimbles.com/. They made up the Just Let It Be pattern in Halloween Fabrics. Check their blog for more pictures http://twothimbles.blogspot.com/.

They called it HAUNTED MANSION, and I can't wait to get my hands on Sanae's Haunted Mansion collection from Moda. I see another JUST LET IT BE version on the way. Thanks again for sharing.

The second email we received was from SK Burton from Country Fabrics and Quilting in Brainerd, MN.
She wrote, "I wanted to share with you my Uncle Albert Quilt that I absolutely LOVE. I saw your version at spring market and needed to make one of my own. The rouching was just too cool! I've been blogging my process for weeks, I just cant get enough of this amazing quilt. Thank you for such a great design! I have a few of your other quilt patterns in the works as well, they too will be great, I can't wait!" Here are her pics.

I absolutely love it. She added the border too. To see more, here is her blog, http://www.sewwithsass.blogspot.com/. We love to see the creativity that goes into our patterns. UNCLE ALBERT is one of my very favorite of all times.

Funny story behind this quilt's name also. I had this big print and I LOVED it. It was not Janice's favorite. I sewed the entire quilt, then decided it would look better set on point, so I unpicked the whole thing and recut and resewed. Basically this quilt was around sooooooo long, it was like that Uncle who comes to visit and never leaves. To see both these patterns and all the other fun stuff we have, head over to our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/

Again, thanks to all who share their treasures with us. And if you have made an Abbey Lane pattern, send us the pics, you may find yourself right here on this blog. Have a great week.
Janice and Marcea

IF YOU CAN DREAM IT...

2010-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

I love Disney. Spending 23 years in Orlando could have helped a little bit. My mother was a school teacher and she quoted Walt Disney all the time, "If you can dream it, you can do it." It was her motto. It is my motto. Last week I got to take my grandson to Disneyland. So much fun. Here he is with grandpa.

When it comes to creativity, remember this motto. We love getting your emails and pictures. This week we got an email from Rosalyn Drew from Elkhart, Kansas. Here is her email:

I received my Blooming Possibilities yesterday and made these flowers last night. One for my new purse, a key chain (double sided so there's no 'back side') and two fluffy ones that perched nicely on cones of thread to dry. They will go on my boring sun hat.

Lots more to do. Fun stuff!

And here are her pics:

Thanks fo much Rosalyn for sharing. I can't wait to make some key chains. What a great idea. I made a few flowers also this week. I started with a bunch of fabric circles.

Here is the cute pile of fluffy flower balls straight out of the dryer. Aren't they cute.

Here they are all fixed and jewelled up.

And finally, a close-up of my favorite of the bunch.

Some of these flowers were sent to our giveaway winners. You will be getting a box in the mail any day. We hope you enjoy. So let your imagination and creativity blossom, and remember, "IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT!.

Have a great week. Janice and Marcea

WE HAVE OUR WINNERS

2010-07-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

We want to say thank you to everyone participated in our giveaway. As always, there was a mixed bouquet when it came to the favorite flower. (Yes, i am working on as many budding flower puns as I can.) As far as projects, no clear favorites. I think that is the best thing about BLOOMING POSSIBILITIES is it has a little something for everybody.

Ok, the WINNERS!!!!!

First Prize, The Hat, and we are also throwing in a book:

#85 - MARY ON LAKE PULASKI from Minnesota

Next, we have Three Books and they go to:

#148 - JENNIFER from Ontario, Canada

#76 - DESERAE from Tooele, Utah

#39 - LIS from Lincolnshire, United Kingdom

Now, 5 Flowers, made by yours truly

#178 - CHRISSY PATRICK

#138 - FISHTAIL DESIGNS - Knoxville, Tennessee

#96 - ANI

#158 - TERESA

#6 - SAR DEE

If you are a winner, please email us at abbeylanequilts@yahoo.com and give us your mailing address.

If you didn't win this time, don't worry, there will be another chance.

Heading out of town this week, so we will catch you next week.

Janice and Marcea

IT'S A FLOWER FEST, COME JOIN

2010-07-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

It's finally finished and back from the printer, our first book, BLOOMING POSSIBILITIES.

The idea for the book started one day when Janice and I went shopping and found a cute little flower. From there, it blossomed into 3 fabulous fabric flower designs. Those 3 flowers inspired the 9 projects in the book.

First the specifics. The book has 12 patterns and projects in all. The book is 32 pages with color photographs of every project. Complete instructions and full size templates are also included. The best part is, the flowers are only the beginning. Once you start making them, the POSSIBILITIES are endless.

First the pictures, then the giveaways. These are the three different flowers. Fun and easy to make. Try mixing the flowers together to create all different looks.

Then we came up with bags to put the flowers on. There is a clutch bag and a sling bag for the Ladies. The girls get a purse and a smaller version sling bag. The sling bags are reversible too.

After purses and bags, it was easy to see these flowers could go everwhere. How about hair clips, lapel pins, t-shirts, jackets, even flip flops.

We didn't stop there. We thought, hey we can put these flowers on the wall.

And last, but not least, we topped it off with a hat. There are even two different brim sizes.

Now, what you have been waiting for. THE GIVEAWAY. Rules for give away - 5 ways to get their name entered.

1. Leave a comment on which project you will make first - or maybe which is your favorite. Not sure, sorry, you gotta pick at least one.

2. Tell us which flower, first, second or third, is your favorite. Their official names are the "LIZZY", the "SADIE", and the "ELANOR". Check our website to find out which is which. http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

3. Mention our give-away on your blog. Leave a link so we can visit and yes, Janice reads every one.

4. Become a follower on the blog. We really want to get 300 followers. If you are already a follower, be sure to let us know.

5. Face book - become a friend. If you are already a friend, then tell everybody about the book.

That's it. Now, what are we GIVING AWAY.

We will start out with a hat. The cute one made with the Amy Butler red and off white Polka Dot.
You get a book too, to make something to go with the hat.

We are giving away books, three to be exact.

And last, but not least, Marcea will be making five special "LIZZY" flowers for five lucky ladies.

So, GOOD LUCK. We will randomly pick the winners a week from Tuesday. Oh yeah, Janice went to everyone's blogs during the last giveaway. It is so fun to see what y'all are doing.

That's it. Hope you all are as excited as we are. Can't wait to hear what you think.

Janice and Marcea

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

2010-07-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

Janice and I had a very busy couple of weeks. She went on the road from Florida and ended up all the way in Utah. We had a great week. We went to most of the local quilt stores, nothing new there, bought more fabric, nothing new there, and then put together our book outline, SOMETHING NEW HERE. Well, can't even talk about it, cause books take forever, but WE HAVE STARTED, YEAH.

Next bit of news. We have our FIRST BOOK, BLOOMING POSSIBILITIES, back from the printer.

It will be ready to purchase on the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ later today. And the most exciting news for you, a big contest next week right here to launch the new book. Pictures, prizes, and soooo much more.

In the meantime, we all need to take a break and enjoy the holiday weekend. I wanted to share a recipe that has been around my family for years. My aunt made it when I was a little girl, and it is quick, easy, can be done in a crock pot, and makes the best side dish for any barbeque or get together. I think Utah is the home for great get-together dishes. I do have a confession though, I made up a fancy title for this recipe, but it isn't too sweet and it isn't too spicy. It is very delicious and even little kids will love it. You will want to double this recipe. It will go fast.

Hope you enjoy it. Let's go out with a bang and wish everybody a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, have a great weekend.

We hear BABY STEPS

2010-06-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's finally here. QUILT magazine, the July/August edition.

Why is this important? We have a new quilt design in it. Actually we have three quilts.

Last December, our friend Demetria at RJR fabrics called and asked if we would do a design for a great new line of fabric called BOABAB. She sent us the pictures and we were so excited. Great modern prints, and a border to die for. All this, three color waves, and it is the softest FLANNEL we had ever felt. The end result was BABY STEPS in three color waves. Yes, the magazine loved it so much they asked for all three color waves. Here is the picture from the magazine.

They are even offering a special WEB BONUS

www.quiltmag.com/quilt-patterns/quilt115-baby-steps-variation

And the best news of all, WE ARE SELLING THE KITS FOR ALL THREE QUILTS. We have them NOW, but the fabric won't be in stores until late August. All the details are in the magazine or on our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ . The kit is selling for $ 49.95 plus $10.50 for shipping and we picked the adorable matching polka dot fabric for the backing for each quilt. The total including backing and shipping will be $ 99.95.

Brown/Blue color wave

Pink/Brown Color Wave

Green/Orange Color Wave

Great quilt, great fabric, great deal.

We have more exciting things happening, so check back next week for the next surprise. Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

HOME AT LAST...

2010-05-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

After flying 2500 miles to Florida, then driving nearly 2,000 miles to Minnesota, then driving back to Florida and then flying back to Utah, I am finally home. What a crazy couple of weeks. We had a great time in Minneapolis, though. Now to the NEWS. Two brand new quilt patterns were debuted, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, and PENNY LANE (pictures coming soon), and the most EXCITING NEWS of all. We published our first book - BLOOMING POSSIBILITIES. (so many fun projects we have to devote a whole post for it.)

We wanted to share with you this week, pictures of our booth.

We had a bigger booth this year.

And we used every bit of the space.

Two walls were devoted to the new quilts. Penny Lane is the third one over on this wall.

Across the Universe is the far quilt on the right.

We devoted a whole wall the the projects from Blooming Possibilities.

We had cookies and flowers to celebrate the book.

The last bit of news came on Saturday. Janice and I were busy helping customers, when a lovely lady interupted us "for only one reason." WE HAD WON THE BOOTH AWARD FOR....
BEST MERCHANDISING.

All in all, Spring Market was a fabulous success. We got to catch up with old friends, and make new friends, too. We will be posting pics of some of our favorite booths in the next couple of weeks, and look for a BOOK GIVEAWAY, coming soon.

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday. Wishing you a great week.

Janice and Marcea

THE WONDERFUL MONTH OF MAY

2010-05-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

We would like to wish a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers, grandmothers, mother's to be, foster mothers, want-to-be mothers, and all of us who lovingly mother those around us.

May is also the Wonderful month of SPRING MARKET. We are officially going crazy. I head to Florida on Wednesday, and on the following Monday, we get in the car and DRIVE to Minneapolis. We use the time during the drive to finish hand sewing on quilts, stuff patterns, shoot cover shots after we finish sewing, make brochures and pretty much every other little thing we did not get done in time.

I have spent four days this week shooting pictures for new patterns and our BIG SURPRISE. It is soooo big, that we aren't even showing peaks yet. But, I am showing you a new pattern. The four days I shot this week showed the crazyiness, I mean, Wonderful month for weather. The first day it snowed, the second day it was 75 degrees, the third day, sunshine with snow falling everywhere, day four 68 degrees.

My very helpful husband went along with me for a couple of the photo shoots.

He found a really nice spot to hang the quilt.

He did find this beautiful spot.

Here is the final shot.

The quilt is call JUST LET IT BE.

I did have to throw in a picture of my favorite things, flowers. Here was my flower on this location.

Hope you Wonderful month of May is just that. We will keep you updated on our Market preparation.

Janice and Marcea

New EQ7, YIPPEE

2010-04-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the most exciting news first. Electric Quilt has a new version, EQ7. We love eq, we use it almost everyday, in fact most our designs are done on it. We have been interviewed by eq and even featured in the Amy Butler version. Sarah and all the ladies over there are so helpful. So, head over to http://www.eletricquilt.com/ and read all about it. WE CAN'T WAIT TO GET OUR HANDS ON IT.

Janice and I are up to our ears in fabric, patterns, quilts, flowers, bags, you name it, we are working on it. Market is coming way too fast. We do have one new pattern that is now ready to purchase on the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/. It is called MA BELLE, and has a fun, french flair. We used Provence from RJR for the pattern cover.

We made up this beautiful version using moda fabrics. It is just patiently waiting for binding.

Have to get back to work, so have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

ALOHAS AND GRANDPAS

2010-04-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry, just no way to break the news other than to say, I am heading to Kaui, Hawaii, in the morning. I know, it's rough, my niece called two days ago and asked if I would go and help her watch her two little babies. Her husband has been detained with work meetings. Darn. Janice is in Pennsylvania visiting her daughter and three grandsons, so this post will be short.

One quick grandpa story. Janice's husband, Kevin called me on the phone yesterday to check a recipe. He usually makes a cake called 30 MINUTE CAKE which he decided to make but did not have the recipe. He found one of my recipes, TEXAS FUDGE CAKE, so he wanted to know if it was the same. Yes, I said.

He called back a couple of minutes later, but I missed the call, so I called him back about thirty minutes later. "There is no frosting recipe," he said. "I think I remember it though." While we were talking I could here this yelling in the background. "Are you babysitting Kevin," I asked. "Yes," he said, three boys ages 5, 3 and 1. "Who was that?" I asked. "That was Noah," he said. Noah is the 1 year old, just turned 1 last week. I asked Kevin what the baby wanted. Kevin said, "He is eating a corn chip." I asked him if the baby had any teeth to chew this hard corn chip with. Kevin said, "Yes, he has two on top and two on bottom." I asked him if he thought the baby could chew up the corn chip. Kevin said, "Sure, he just put too many in his mouth at once." We finished our conversation and all of a sudden a very strange noise. "Oh no," Kevin said, "the baby is starting to gag." I told him goodbye very quickly and suggested he go help the baby.

As you can see, the three boys survived their day with grandpa. On a side note, this is the same grandpa that gave the same baby blue marshmellows out of the cereal box when he was two months old.

Thought I would throw in the recipe for this cake. I am pretty sure you have all had it, but just in case.

Have a great week, we are, and make sure that all your grandpas act like little boys.
Aloho, Janice and Marcea

SPRING IS SPRUNG

2010-04-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love spring, yesterday, 69 degrees, tomorrow, 62 degrees. This morning, woke up to 3 inches of snow on the ground.

It was 35 degrees outside when I took these pictures. I wanted ya'll to know the sacrifices I go through for your viewing pleasure.

Next on this list is a brand new pattern. You have followed the progress and now MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR is finished. Here is the final cover. The pattern is really three different patterns in one. It is on our website, so go check out the details: http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

The back shows all three quilts.

Finally, I posted this picture last year, and several people wanted the recipe. Janice has called three times for the recipe. The problem, I don't use recipes, but I have finally written down a recipe for it.

The pie has no sugar, which makes it great for the diabetics. The picture has a real pie crust, but the recipe has a nut crust. My step-daughter has a wheat allergy, so I changed it up for her. It is also very low in carbs and high in protein.

Remember, you can double click on any of the pictures of the recipe and it will give you a bigger picture to see the details, or in the case of the recipe card, you can print it off.

Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

WE HAVE THE WINNERS

2010-03-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

We did it, 200 FOLLOWERS. We did not have any number in mind, but when it hit 190, it is an exciting goal. When we made 199, we were hoping one more, one more.

We got our facebook up and running and have 220 friends already. Facebook is great for posting a quick picture and we love your comments on the work.

Before we give the winners, we want to thank everyone who left us a message, checked our website and joined us on facebook. We were truly overwhelmed with the response and the kind words. Janice went to everyone's blogs and she said your comments there were fabulous.

Also a BIG APOLOGY to all who could not view the website. Apparantly mozilla firefox does not like one of our fonts, so it won't read it. We are fixing it right now and hopefully tomorrow EVERYONE can take a look at the website.

We wish we could give everyone an ABBEY BAG, (we can't live without ours). Based on your comments, though, we are adding FIVE ABBEY BAG PATTERNS to the giveaway. That makes 11 winners all together. I know, I know, you just want to know who won. So here goes:

We chose from 603 entries coming from 34 states all over the United States, 18 countries, and 6 continents. Don't you love the internet. I tell my husband all the time we have friends all over the world. The top three patterns were in order: 1- MATCH BOX 2- ABBEY BAG 3 - GLAD ALL OVER.
The favorite ABBEY BAG was NUMBER 2, the TEAL AND GREEN one.

Every year for birthdays and christmas, when my kids wrapped the presents for each other, they would use an entire roll of scotch tape, sometimes duck tape, and sometimes 10 layers of wrapping paper. It took forever to get to the present. Oh, but I digress, hee hee. You have endured enough of my wrapping.

The LUCKY WINNERS are:

Abbey Bag # 2 goes to CHRISTINE from Crafty Girl Creations.

ROMEKA from Australia wins her three favorite patterns: PAPER BACK, UNCLE ALBERT, and GLAD ALL OVER.

JAN HATCHETT from Jackson, Georgia wins her three favorite patterns: THE ABBEY BAG, MAGGIE MAY, and MY DEAR PRUDENCE.

NANCY ROTHSHILD BIRD from Many, Louisiana wins her favorite pattern: SEPTEMBER MORN.

LYNNQUILTSALOT wins her favorite pattern: MATCH BOX.

QUILT HOLLOW from North Carolina wins her favorite pattern: THE CLARABELLA BAG.

KRISTY in Ohio wins an ABBEY BAG pattern.

SONIA from Sydney Australia wins an ABBEY BAG pattern.

QUILTMAVEN from Texas wins an ABBEY BAG pattern.

PURPLE PAINT from Colorado wins an ABBEY BAG pattern.

BEESHEBAGS from Australia wins an ABBEY BAG pattern.

Ok, winners, email us at abbeylanequilts@yahoo.com with your addresses.

Finished the quilt tops for our newest pattern "MA BELLE". Janice will quilt them this week, then cut that border with a beautiful scallop. It is 60" square and very french inspired.

This is the original quilt made with a brand new fabric collection from RJR called Provence.

Second version. Beautiful purples and greens.

Here is a close-up view. Just can't wait to see it quilted.

Here is the lifestyle shot for "MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR." We just LOVE this pattern.

Thanks again everyone. We are so lucky to be quilters. Have a great week. Janice and Marcea

GIVE AWAYS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL QUILT DAY

2010-03-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

What a great Saturday. Can't get better than playing with beautiful fabrics on NATIONAL QUILT DAY. Well, wait, yes it can, when we are GIVING AWAY GREAT STUFF, six winners in all. I know, you are just jumping out of your seat with excitement. So here goes.

THE PRIZES - First Place - ONE WINNER will get an ORIGINAL ABBEY BAG made by yours truly.

I spent yesterday whipping up five new abbey bags. Yes, there are that easy and that fun. All those fabrics to choose from. I chose Moda fabrics, one of my favorites. And as Janice says, "ONE IS NEVER ENOUGH." If you don't know what an Abbey Bag is, it is a pin cushion and a scrap bag or thread catcher. Who knew practical could be so cute.

Here are the five to choose from.

NUMBER ONE

NUMBER TWO

NUMBER THREE

NUMBER FOUR

NUMBER FIVE

Remember, choose your favorite one. It may just be going home with you.

Second Place - We will have TWO WINNERS who will get to choose their THREE FAVORITE PATTERNS from Abbey Lane Quilts. Find them all on our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/. Here is a sample.

Third Place - THREE WINNERS will each get ONE PATTERN from Abbey Lane Quilts.

THE RULES:

1. Leave a comment at the end of this post and let us know WHICH ABBEY BAG, 1 thru 5, IS YOUR FAVORITE. Be sure to leave a way for us to contact you if you win.

2. Go to our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ , check out all the pattern, then LIST YOUR THREE FAVORITE in order in your comment.

Get even MORE chances to win by:

2. Mention our giveaway on your blog. Leave the link to your blog so we can visit you too. (TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS)

3. Become a follower by adding yourself to the follower group on the sidebar. We would love to have you as a blog friend and reader! If you are already a follower, just remind us.

4. More big news. ABBEY LANE QUILTS now has a FACEBOOK PAGE. If you are on FACEBOOK, take a look at our page, WE NEED FRIENDS. Just search Abbey Lane Quilts. ADD US as one of your friends.
That's it. GOOD LUCK. We will randomly pick the winners a week from next Monday. Oh yeah, Janice went to everyone's blogs during the last giveaway. It is so fun to see what y'all are doing.

That's it. Hope you all are as excited as we are. Can't wait to see all your comments.

Janice and Marcea

FINALLY OVER......THE RESULTS

2010-03-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Look what came in my backyard.

Last week we had seven. Cute babies too lazy to make their way up the mountain.

When we last had our tour update, I had one MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR quilt done. Now there are two. The first quilt was the "organized one.

Quilt number two was the "disorganized" quilt.

I used 30 different fabrics for this one, the first one used 20 fat quarters. They are all being made from one line of fabric, Hunky Dory, from Moda. The fabric will be in stores this month. I promise you will love the whole collection. So, now that the two are done, we are now having a debate over which one we like the best. Janice likes quilt one, I waver back and forth, Nellie and Blake like number 2. What do y'all think?

QUILT ONE

QUILT TWO

Janice came to Utah last week and we have hit quite a few quilt stores. A special SHOUT OUT (who says shout out?) to Gracie Lou's in Salem. There were Abbey Lane Quilts samples everywhere. It was so fun to see them. Check out their blog, http://www.gracielousquilts.blogspot.com/ . They have fun tutorials. Tell them we sent you. Janice and I are off to more fabric stores today, so much fabric, so little time. Last note, we have planned our big giveaway to celebrate National Quilt Day on Saturday, March 20. Check back then to see how to win.
Have a great week, Janice and Marcea

THE TOUR CONTINUES

2010-03-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

We take a moment to interupt this tour to bring you a very important announcement. MARCH 20 is NATIONAL QUILT DAY! Woo Hoo. In honor of this special occasion, we are cooking up a great give away. Check Back.

Now, we continue with our MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR.
Here it is. My stack of blocks.

80 to be exact. They are trimmed and pressed and ready to put together.

There are lots of choices with each block. For the first quilt, I am putting four of the same block together. That sounds easy, but there are still choices.

Which way to go, only the tour guide knows for sure.

Now, setting up the rows. Making sure that everything works together. This is one of my favorite and yet most frustrating parts of making a quilt. I lay it all out, and then start changing, over and over until I get it just the way I like it.

That's the mystery part of this quilt, there are so many combinations, no two will look alike.
Now, for the magical. Those little half inch spacers.

Just place them on the sides of the blocks and sew them together. NO SEAM MATCHING, YEAH.

That's it, 4 big blocks down, 16 to go. Check back next week to see the end of our tour. Finished quilts. Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

IT'S A MAGICAL MYSTERY JOURNEY

2010-02-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

We have had a very busy week and a half. Four quilts, two magazines. Unfortunately we can't show you the pictures, but summer will be popping with Abbey Lane Quilts.

The good news, working with a great new fabric collection, HUNKY DORY, from Moda, of course. The fabric will be in the stores in March. We are really excited about the new pattern, it even has a name, MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. What is so cool about this pattern, is just by switching it up a little, you can make three totally different quilts from the same fabrics, and that is just exactly what we are going to do. I thought it would be fun to show you the process that we go through to create a new project.

First: fell in love with the fabric at market last fall, so of course I got a fat quarter bundle.

Second: had to wait all the way until February to have time to work with it. I thought it would be really fun to do a sampler of some sort, these are the drawings I ended up with. Ok, so it's not a sampler, but really cool.

Third: Start playing around with the original design, and this is where the magic part comes in. One pattern, three totally different looks. Two of them use just 20 fat quarters and some yardage. Yeah!!!

Fourth: This is the fun part, arranging all the pieces into color combinations we like.

For the first quilt, each block uses three fabrics. Sometimes matching them up it not as easy as you would think but it is really fun playing around. The second quilt really mixes things up.

Again, this is a magical journey. Check it out when I use just greens.

That's as far as I have gotten today, but next week, I will finish have finished my MAGICAL MYSTERY JOURNEY. I can't wait to show you the rest of the construction and two finished tops. I already know it will be my new FAVORITE.

I have several other FAVORITE quilts. Quilts that like these new ones, I absolutely LOVED the fabrics. I call them oldies but goodies. Each quilt was featured at a different quilt market. They were great then, and are just as great today.

A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

UNCLE ALBERT

OCTOPUS GARDEN

Check out these quilts on the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

It is snowing outside, which makes it a perfect day to sit inside and sew. Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

2010-02-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

I don't normally write about things other than quilts, but this news was just way too important. CHOCOLATE CHEERIOS!!!

Can't wait to get my hands on some.

I spent the last week on a cross coutry road trip, Utah to Philadelphia in a truck pulling a u-haul trailer. My son, his wife and ten month old baby girl were moving from Vegas to Philly. I sat with the baby, eating a lot of cheerios. Thus, the added excitement for CHOCOLATE CHEERIOS.

The trip was 2100 miles long. And we were lucky enough to only be behind one of the worst blizzards in 20 years by 4 hours. I learned from some cute little old men at McDonalds in Kearney, Nebraska, that the largest quilt museum in the country was in Nebraska. I still can't figure out why little old men would know this. I learned that Iowa does not salt or sand their roads, and the wind blows very hard. In a ten mile stretch east of Des Moines, we saw 145 cars and 10 tractor trailers on the sides of the road, forwards, backwards, upside down. They also have ice on the roads, 3 inches thick. I discovered Pennsylvania, not on the turnpike which was closed, but on all the tiny two lane, snow packed back roads at 15 miles an hour. We made it safely, though. Philadelphia had 30 inches of snow on the ground, and very few snow plows. But the fun didn't end there. Took three extra days to get a flight, then spent 10 hours in the Philly airport and had an overnight stay in Phoenix. I did have a great time with my granddaughter though.

We got a great email this week from BEV BROOKENS in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania.

Thought I would send you pictures of two finished quilts from your Baby It's For You pattern. Both quilts are awaiting baby girls due any time. I think the pattern is easy and fun to do, and will use it again often.
Bev Brookens

Here are the pics.

They are sooo cute. Thanks for the pics Bev.

Here is our boy version.

If you are interested in the pattern, head on over to http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ and you can get all the information.

It was fun eating cheerios with Baby Genevieve, and seeing all the midwest states, but it is very nice to be back home. Hope ya'll have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

ABBEY LANE IS IN QUILT MAGAZINE

2010-02-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

We are in QUILT magazine, the April/May issue which hit shelves this week

We actually made the quilt the week after market last October. The did the photo shoot the first week of November, and finally in February we get to see it. We were approached at market by the magazine editors. She wanted to use "FEELIN ALRIGHT"

We love this quilt and you can see the details on the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/. Ok, back to the story. We told the editor we had already sold patterns, so we decided to do a new quilt for the magazine using the same fabric. It is from Moda, by Sanae and the collection is called "OZ" and just came to the stores a couple of weeks ago. That means it is sitting there waiting for you to get some. It is beautiful fabric.

When we told the editor we would do a new quilt, she asked us to make a bedspread size. That is exactly what we did, the magazine quilt is different from the original and is a full/queen size. We did bonus pillowcases which the website for QUILT Magazine is offereing a bonus pattern on line. Here is the link for their website, http://www.quiltmag.com/sewing-projects/quilt110-retro-flower-power-pillowcase/ . The magazine wrote instructions in a pdf downloadable, here is the link for that, http://www.quiltmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/finalretropillowcase2.pdf .

Ok, enough of the self-promotion, hee hee, let's go ahead and just show you the pages.

Make sure and run, not walk to your local grocery or quilt store and pick up your copy. I bought 2. Even better, make one of the two quilts. You will love it.

I am heading out in the morning to help my son, his wife, and 10 month old baby drive from Utah to Philadelphia, PA. He was transfered. Three days in the car. Wish us luck. I am taking the camera along, can't wait to see what we see.

Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

2010-01-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

Don't let the flavor fool you. I was so excited to buy a new small lotion for my purse. As I am sure most of us do, I smelled all the flavors. I decided on buttercream cupcake. Does it get any better than that. Well, actually it does if the cupcake is chocolate with butterceam icing.

I put the lotion in my purse and then forgot about it. Later that week, we went to the movies. On the way I remebered my new lotion. In the dark of the car, i squirted out some lotion. It smelled unbelievable. I rubbed it all over my hands. It seemed a little thick and felt a little waxy on my hands. I had never tried this brand before, but by the time the movie started, it had all soaked in and my hands seemed really soft.

Several days later, while at church, I decided that I needed some more lotion. I pulled the bottle out of my purse, squirted some in my hand, and for the first time, had my glasses on and read the label on the bottle. My lotion turned out to be shampoo, shower gel and let's not forget bubble bath.

I ventured out yesterday, braving the elements of course, 29 degrees and 2 1/2 feet of powdery snow to get the perfect lifestyle shot of one of our new quilts. It is called WINTER WONDERLAND, hence the treck through the snow. I drove up Ogden Canyon, a beatiful place on it's own. Along the way, I had to stop and take a couple of pictures of the waterfall on the side of the mountain.

Pictures just don't do it justice. The water falls nearly 200 feet and leaves the most beautiful ice patterns in its' wake. It is breathtaking from the road which probably explains the wreck that happened about 100 feet after the waterfall. I was parked on the side of the road at the time.

I did get the shot I was looking for for the pattern cover. What do ya'll think.

We have more projects going on that even we can keep track of. For those who have been asking, we should have patterns written and ready to sell for both WINTER WONDERLAND and SEPTEMBER MORN the first part of February. We will keep you updated.

Have a great weekend and stay warm.

Janice and Marcea

p.s. Marcea is the dingy one who softens her hands with shampoo.

THE WINTER BLUES AND FALL LEAVES ARE HERE!

2010-01-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

All that cold weather in Florida kept Janice in the house last week. It was a good thing too, because she had lots of sewing to do. We designed and made two new quilts using Robert Kaufman fabrics. They asked us to work with two lines of Batiks, not our usual, but we both love Batiks.

The patterns will be ready in about a month, but we wanted you to have a sneak peak. The first one is with a line called Cornicopia. We have named it SEPTEMBER MORN. The colors are beatiful. We updated a fall leave by using a pieced and raw-edged design.

It just has FALL written all over it.

The second one is just perfect for right now. It is from a collection called Northwoods. We named it WINTER WONDERLAND.

Don't you just want to cuddle up and stay warm with this icy tree and snowflake quilt. I think it is the perfect "Winter Blues".

One last thing, check out our newest pattern that will be ready for sell on Monday. It is called "HONEY PIE".

It was made using Lila Tueller's new collection, EDEN, from Moda. The collection hits the stores this month. The scalloped border and the three-dimensional, rag-edged flowers make it perfect for that little girl's room.

Check the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/ next week for purchasing details.

Hope you have a great week and stay warm. Janice and Marcea

BABY IT'S COLD OUT THERE!

2010-01-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

Another Holiday season has come to an end. I don't know about you, but January is a great month to work on all those projects, both new and old. Just to fill you in, Janice and her family came to visit the day after Christmas. Except for Janice's constant whining, (love teasing her) that it was cold and snowy, we had a great time. We hit all the local quilt stores and stocked up on fabric. She went home yesterday, and the first thing I heard when she got home was that Florida was colder than Utah. At least you can ski in Utah. While Janice was here, we worked on a bunch of new projects. The first one is for her christmas present. Janice got a KINDLE for Christmas.

No quilter with a KINDLE can go without a KINDLE COVER. For those of you who don't know what a KINDLE is, I didn't, it is an electronic book, small, compact and very portable, but in desperate need of some cute protection. We started combining different fabrics and different shapes. This is what we came up with.

We decided to have three different designs for our KINDLE cover pattern. This was the first.

This was the second.

This was the third one. I started measuring, cutting and sewing today.

Here is my progress so far.

We hope to have them all done in a couple of weeks, so if you are a KINDLE owner, you have to have these great covers.

We also have a new pattern ready for sell on the website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.
WAITING FOR LOVE is just in time for Valentine's Day.

We designed it to be used as a table cloth or a wall hanging. It uses a Layer Cake pack and some yardage, or grab out your stash and pick your favorites. It is fast and easy and the giant Ric Rac adds a special touch.

Our New Year's Resolution: Sew, Sew, Sew. Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

THE WINNERS ARE!!!

2009-12-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

I have forgotten which country it is that serves dessert as the first course of the meal. I for one, would like to know. I am considering starting a new tradition next year. For now, however, it will be as it always is, dessert last, so, before we get to the winners, we would like to say thank you.

Your response to our little giveaway was overwhelming. We read every comment, visited every blog. You are all amazing. For our new followers, a big thanks, and we will try to make sure we have lots of ideas and fun for you to read about. We had ladies in over 30 countries comment, I guess it is time I figure out that Google translator. I am continuously in awe of the the power of the internet. What good we can all do with it.

Ok, ok, I have jabbered long enough. The overwhelming response gave us an idea. We decided to add a couple more prizes. Yes, we will have the two Moda Christmas Layer Cakes, but we are also throwing in two of the Table Toppers. We used the True Random Generator something to pick the winners.

THE WINNERS ARE.....

BONNIE - wins Table Topper #2

JANE'S FABRIC AND QUILTS - wins Table Topper #1

DONIA - wins The Kansas Winter Layer Cake Bundle

FIESTA - wins the Frosted Memories Layer Cake Bundle

Christmas is edging ever closer. I was forced inside this weekend, with over 20 inches of snow. I was able to get some christmas decorations up. I want to invite you all over to eat cookies and look at the decorations. Ok, I have a couple of pictures and a couple of recipes. First, the pictures.

The welcoming wreath.

Santa and his elves have been busy.

This is my favorite tree.

I am including one of my favorite cookie recipes. Just to give a little credence to the recipe, I used to own a cookie business called "Katie's Kookies." These cookies were from my grandma''s recipe collection. As a little girl, my Aunt Laura used to make me a plate of my own sugar cookies for Christmas every year. They just happen to be Janice's favortie cookie too. Until I moved, I made a plate just for Janice every Christmas.

Again, thanks to all who have joined us. Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

A DAY IN THE LIFE...

2009-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

I did a lot of photo journalism in college. In fact, scrapbooking, blogging, journaling are all forms of photo journalism, so I thought i would share with you a typical day of shooting pattern covers. To be exact shooting MATCH BOX. This is the final product.

I had been waiting to get this quilt back from Janice so I could get the cover shot. I had spotted this great red barn from one of the highways down the street and new it would be perfect for the quilt.

There were only two obstacles to my getting the picture. First, the weather. I had one afternoon, before the snow was coming, and, while I could see the barn from the road, I couldn't find an access road to get to the barn. So, I grabbed the camera, and off I went. After several unsuccessful tries, I finally found a very long, skinny dirt road that I knew would take me to the barn. What I didn't realize was everyone I was going to meet along the way.

First, I came up on these two. This one was a month old.

This one was only a day and a half old. The guys working in this barn thought I was crazy. I just kept shooting picture after picture.

They called me a "City Girl." The nerve of them. Next on the long road was this guy. I don't think the road gets a lot of traffic, because everyone I met gave me one of those looks like, "What are you doing here?"

Next on my path were these two little guys. Never quite new the purpose of a shetland pony.

I reached the barn next where I met the owner. A lovely lady with a thick German accent who was picking up walnuts off the ground. She had 20 of the biggest chickens I had ever seen. She was so excited that I was going to take pictures of her barn. She said it was the prettiest in all of Northern Utah. As I started back to the highway, I heard some running water. I found a little creek and this guy.

Biggest rat I ever saw, until my husband told me it was a muskrat. He was so cute. We don't have these in Florida waters, just gators and snakes. He was sharing the water with this beautiful guy. I thought ducks went south for the winter. He better be on his way.

Just when I thought I there was no more to see, after all, I was nearly to the highway, I spotted a bunch of Llamas. They were a little camera shy.

I want you to know that no animals or quilters were harmed in shooting these pictures.

Shooting the cover shots is always fun and challenging. MATCH BOX was no different. This is a great quilt. Simple to make using a Charm Square Pack, a Layer Cake, a Jelly Roll and some background fabric. As all quilters do, we tried to use all the fabric, so this quilt has a great back. We took all the leftover Layer Cake pieces and formed a stripe down the center.

The pattern will be available this week on our website, http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/.

Hope ya'll have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

WE GIVE THANKS IN HONOR OF....

2009-11-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

I drove my father to the dentist today and we saw a sign that said "Free Ice Cream For Veterans Today." I asked him if he wanted some and he said, "How will they know I am a veteran?" It was kind of sad. My father was in the army when he was 18 years old. He was sent to the Philipines and was assigned to the tank command. He tells us stories all the time of what happened.

The scariest one to me was he and his company had been deployed on a ship heading to Japan. When you are in the army, on a ship, and you are 18 years old, it means you will be the first one of the boat as it rolls on the beach. We have all seen those movies. Three days before they were to land in Japan, the United States dropped "The Bomb." Fortunately my father never had to get off that ship.

As I drove around town today, I noticed all the flags. It is a small gesture, but a poignant one. Janice and I wanted to honor our fathers, who both are veterans, and send a thank you to all those veterans and current military who serve us.

THANK YOU!!!

WITH THANKS COMES GIVING.....

2009-11-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

We recieved an email from a sweet lady named Cindy Manchester from Amarillo, Texas. This is Cindy with her husband of 28 years.

She sent us several pictures of quilts she had made with our patterns, and then a lovely story of quilting and giving. I am going to do my best to cut and paste the pictures and stories together. We were very touched and we hope you will read to the end. We know you will be touched and inspired also. So in Cindy's words:

Funny story about me, actually! My Granny May, my original quilting partner, and I spent good time together, quilting, sewing, I watched her piece many quilts for others, she taught me how. We both ended up with the same "disease" some would say....we give all our quilts away, spread the love to others. I would make quilts for her, so she would have some. My dear quilting partner died at the age of 97, 14yrs ago, and I gave up quilting. Was very hard, it made me miss her so much. Then about a year ago, a friend from church asked me if I knew how to sew, and that she and her mom were joining a 5.00 block of the month quilt, and asked me to join, I thought, HOW FUN!, so I joined. The funny part is....I went to the quilt shop, signed up, got my first block, and the lady asked me if I wanted to go ahead and get my supplies? Well, I calmly asked her "I have scissors, thread and needle, what else could I possibly need?" haha! Well, needless to say, the lady at the quilt shop still tells that story on me, because even after spending $125.00 on supplies with her that day...I'm still buying "supplies". haha. Quilting has definitely changed, and at first i was almost ashamed to be doing everything by machine, but you know....I'm able to get so much more done, and I actually think Granny May would be proud of me. I still miss her but these quilts bring me a nice warm feeling about her all over again.

This is your JUST LET IT BE pattern, we re-named to Madi's "day at the beach", with the sand color tans, blue and cream for the sky.

Madi's "day at the beach" was my first quilt in 14 yrs., and of course for my daughter. She spent days, and numerous trips to different quilt shops selecting this fabric, and actually, the photo does not do it justice. It is absolutely beautiful. It is quilted with stipple, and has now been washed and dried and is so warm and comforting.

Both of the LADY MADONNA'S are beautful. The one that is exactly like your pattern is a huge surprise for a lifelong friend, she has no idea it is for her, and she has only seen it on facebook, and commented on how much she loves it. I will rename it for her, "Connie's Sunrise". She lives on a lake and the sunrises are beautiful, bright, and happy.

The other Lady Madonna is for my son's long time girlfriend. I love how the jewel tone batiks turned out. My daughter picked out the flower fabric, I thought the bright center was good. I am thinking about a name for it, quite the opposite of Connie's, as this darker quilt actually looks like alot of the Texas sunsets we get the purples and darker hues, so it may end up "Shanda's Sunset" or something like that, who knows?

This is A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND. At first I was disappointed in my color selection, but I added the darker border, and now I LOVE it, I love how it pulls out the darker diamonds. This quilt is for a very close friend, here local, and she also has no idea this is hers, I will just mail it to her :-) !! Her favorite thing in the world is to snuggle up with her black weiner dog named Lucy, and I know Lucy will have free reign of this quilt, which I want her to, sooo, I have named this quilt "Lucy's Diamonds", a familiar catch, Lucy in the sky with diamonds.

I have three kids and one husband! They all have their own quilts by mom. My boys aged 20 and 24 have been exceptionally excited about getting a quilt from mom. That makes me happy. I made my oldest son a quilt called "Ryan's Flags", predominantly green with triangle flags. He was also funny about it, when I made it he lived in Hawaii, and I only wanted to know his favorite color, which was green. When he moved to New York City he stopped by here in Texas, and I gave him his quilt. He was amazed, as he thought I was going to make him something for guys, like ducks!! haha! He was quite happy there were no ducks! My youngest son chose his colors and he and I designed it, and it is being quilted right now. Very colorful Asian touch, and I call it "Cameron's Kaleidoscope" and he is very anxious to get it back, and ready to use it.

I made my husband one, very plain, blue and green blocks with sashing, and he loves it as well. I think I have found something that everyone does love to have, a homemade quilt from someone that loves them. I have found much satisfaction with quilting again, and Im so happy I'm back at it.

Thank you so much Cindy for sharing your beautiful stories. You have touched our hearts and remind us what quilting is all about, LOVE.

To see the patterns Cindy used, go to http://www.abbeylanequilts.com/

Have a great week, Janice and Marcea

YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS...

2009-11-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

It is the first day of November and a great month to remind us to be thankful. One of the best parts of Abbey Lane Quilts is all the friends we have made. Market was a great time to catch up with old friends and make some new ones as well. Let's start with the new ones. Between Market and this blog and our website, we have made friends all over the world. I think we have been seen in more than fourty countries. These two ladies were at market. They had come all the way from Russia. They didn't speak a word of english.

It is really amazing to know that we have patterns in Russia.

We were so excited at our first market to find all the pattern companies we loved. I think our very favorite would have to be Buggy Barn. We have made plenty of their quilts and we describe making several of ours as "Using the Buggy Barn Method. Janet and Pam are two of the greatest ladies you will ever meet.

We never miss one of their new books. Check them out at http://www.buggybarnquilts.com/

These two ladies have become fast friends. Check out their booth.

Liz and Beth from http://www.lizziebcre8ive.com/ are the two most creative ladies we know.

We met this next friend in Portland several years ago. She was kind enough to give us the opportunity to design with her fabric.

This is Lila Tueller, lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com , and her sister standing in front of our quilt, HONEY PIE. Lila was so excited about the quilt, in fact, her nickname is "Pie".

Another new friend, we love her designs and her fabric is Barbara of Quilt Soup.

She is standing in front of one of our favorite quilts from market. Check out all her designs at http://www.quiltsoup.com/.

These two ladies make the sun shine where ever they are. We caught Barbara and Mary inbetween photo shoots.

To join the fun, check out http://www.meandmysisterdesigns.com/.

Always a great booth from these ladies. Barb and Alma are amazing. Quilts, fabric, you name it.

Check out the halloween quilt in the corner. We both purchased this pattern. Find out about Blackbird designs at http://www.blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/.

This last booth photo is not a person, it is a fabric company. Alexander Henry fabrics to be exact. They won best booth and rightly deserved.

We hope to make friends with their fabric very soon.

To finish up our new friends, we ran across this wonderful lady. My inspiration in quilting came from both my grandma's. This little grandma is inspiring many new quilters.

She has some amazing video, please take a moment to watch.

http://lifeslittlegarden.blogspot.com/2009/09/thank-you-video-from-granny.html

Thank you to all our friends, new and old. Have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

THE LOOK OF WINTER...BRRRRRRRRR

2009-10-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

I know that we posted just three days ago, but this is what I woke up to yesterday.

Yes, that is snow falling on the beautiful autumn leaves. How about the flowers.

It snowed on and off all day. This morning, more snow and 30mph winds out of the north. Temperature with the wind chill factor is 20 degrees. WINTER HAS ARRIVED.

The warm up is our beautiful sunny quilt, FEELIN' ALRIGHT.

We made a couple of pillow cases the other day for a new project. The are out of the same fabric collection, OZ, as this quilt is, so here is a sneak peak.

Last, but not least, I thought since it was getting cold here, it might be getting cold other places. I am posting one of my favorite, and most requested recipes. It goes great with soup or chili, perfect for a cold autumn night.

Hope ya'll have a spooky and warm Halloween.

Janice and Marcea

THE SMELL OF FALL

2009-10-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, the smell of Fall is in the air, at least in Utah. Sorry Janice, but I know Fall doesn't have a smell in Florida. I have been watching over my father in Utah now for almost 9 months. So, this is the first fall since I was 20 years old. Cold air has a smell, a good smell. Rain smells great. The colors are amazing. While I missed all the mountain leaves change colors, (I was in Houston), the trees in the valley are in all different stages of changing. I put a couple of pictures at the bottom of the blog.

Now, on to the important stuff. I can't imagine how, but I left off one of the new quilt projects from Market on the last blog. WAITING FOR LOVE is our first table topper. It is 52" square and made to fit over your favorite table. We used Basic Grey's new line, BLUSH from Moda. One layer cake and some yardage, so not only is it cute, but it is fast. For all you tweeter's out there, you should have already seen it. Fat Quarter Shop tweeted it the first day of Market.

This picture was in our booth. This picture was taken upstairs in the convention center.

We also got a new picture for HONEY PIE, the new quilt using EDEN, for Moda, by Lila Tueller. Isn't it great for a little girl's bed.

Since we are now talking about little girl's quilts, (what a segway), we have been very busy this week working on a new project. Only hints for now. It involves a little girl's bed, OZ fabric from Moda, and a magazine. Ok, just a teaser, but we have to wait until February to see the final quilt also.

Now, those fall colors I promised.

Around the neighborhood.

In the yard.

Up the street.

Skiing is just around the pumpkin.

And last, one of my favorite places, I have shot scenes from different areas in this valley. This shot is looking over the Pine View resevoir up at Snow Basin, the local ski resort. And yes, that is the first snow of the season.

Hope ya'll have a great week.

Janice and Marcea

MORE PICS -- NEW PROJECTS

2009-10-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

We are almost back to normal. I flew home yesterday through Las Vegas, Phoenix and then on to Salt Lake City. Janice is almost caught up on all the orders. Now we are busy doing the laundry and the grocery shopping and the cooking and, you know, the real stuff.

We had ten new projects for Market. Three you have already seen here on the blog, and seven more, all made in the last two weeks. Enough words, here are the pictures.

The first new design is MATCH BOX. It is made from Moda's designer, Sweetwater, in their new line, MAKE LIFE. It uses a charm square pack, a layer cake pack and a jelly roll with some yardage. We will of course have regular fabric requirements listed also. It is a big quilt, almost 70" x 80". And as I told Janice, I always wanted a WHITE QUILT.

We shopped and shopped for Kaffe Fassett fabrics to put ALL TOGETHER NOW together. Thirty fat quarters will give you this beautiful quilt.

This is MY DEAR PRUDENCE. A fat quarter bundle and a little yardage go together very quickly. I loved this collection, SIMPLE ABUNDANCE from Moda. The ric rac and the raw edged flowers add to the warmth.

Every one who saw this quilt, FEELIN ALRIGHT, did what we did, JUST SMILE. Moda's new collection by Sanae, OZ, provides the happy yellow feeling.

Here they are, MAGGIE MAY'S. This purse goes together quickly and has such a beautiful shape. And if you love those great little Honey Buns from Moda, you can use it in this purse.

Last, but by no means least, THE ELLIE BAG. This was a very popular choice at market. Depending on the fabric, it can be multi-purpose for all ages. We had stores cutting and kitting before market was even over.

There are more pictures, but I will save them for the next blog. All the new patterns will be available in a couple of short weeks.

Have a great weekend,

Janice and Marcea

HOME FROM MARKET

2009-10-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, we made it. What a whirlwind. It started 2 weeks ago when I flew to Florida for the last minute sewing buzz. We made two purses, four abbey bags and 5 quilts. We had a week. Then, we loaded up our little red boy scout trailer, and hit the road for houston. We left late, of course, so we drove all night, except for the two hours we slept in a parking lot. Pulled into Houston about 10 am and headed for the convention center.

Here is the best part, though. Pictures of the booth.

We created this wall to show off all our bags and allow people to shop from both sides.

We put up the big letters just in case any one wanted to know who we are.

That is our first group of pictures. We pulled into Florida this morning at 5 am. I am flying back to Utah first thing in the morning. I will post more pictures of our booth and some of our favorite friends from Market.

Check back in a couple of days. So much to show.

Marcea and Janice