New Blog Under the New Name

In my efforts to simplify and consolidate, I have changed the blog address to the new company name...villarosadesigns.blogspot.com. So check out all of the new postings there.

The plan is: To offer Frylights...news, travels, ideas, free patterns, contests, and activities. Let's see how I do.

Digging Out

Pat is slowly digging out from under the mounds of fabric and UFO's at her home, after moving the machine quilting storefront to her home studio. She no longer has a living room, dining room or garage. Husband Wil likens her work areas to an English bookstore, with shelves and stuff crammed everywhere in a maze. Add to that, she will be moving again in a couple months. Can you say "sort and pitch"? There will be many scrap bags and fabric bundles available at her lectures and quilt shows.

Amongst it all, fabric that was never unpacked last fall, and a new shipment just received, are emerging in organized stacks. Still hard to get to, but all in order.

We're cutting the new fabrics into sample packets of Pam Cakes slices--5"x9". These slices are a great way to taste the new goodies. And they are perfect to make into little quilts when you're done--usually just a dab of fabric and dollop of imagination does it.

And we're designing kits again. Just watch what our generations group is up to.

it's been a while since we last spoke.

hi quilters!

things have been crazy this past month and a half....but now we're winding down again back to normal. pat and i have been diligently practicing with the compuquilter- i've been learning a lot! since it's a different system than i'm used to, i have a little bit of an adjustment period. but it's been really nice.

we've been furiously working on our new kits, sample packs, and of course quilts! you have a lot to look forward to. if you haven't checked the website lately, i suggest you do! we've got some delicious new stuff, including sandi henderson's new farmer's market line! you gotta stop being so lazy- get away from the sewing machine and get to lookin!!

we miss you all like crazy! please drop us a line and let us know you still love us too.

happy quilting!
jessica

so this is the new year- and i don't feel any different.

hello everyone in quiltland! i hope you had a great holiday. we've been sorting thru the remaining remnants of california quiltmakers and are currently working on opening up our new fabric boxes. that's right!!! we have tons of new fabric we received, but still need a space to put it!

things have been a little crazy lately, between moving quilting machines into my garage, and deciding which furniture stays and goes.... pat and i have been patiently and tediously working like little ants. and then, of course, in the midst of the move, there was that little thing called christmas..... but spending time with family seems to be the best remedy for a stressful season.

of course, this is where i would be posting awesome photos of our new workspace....if i had remembered to bring my camera.... doh!

just know that we're thinking of you, and we're patiently working to put our new kits, fabric, and news on our website!

take care! we'll talk again soon.
jessica

I guess it's over.

Well, it's been a long road, long hours, and a long time coming. California Quiltmakers no longer exists at 621 East Main Street.

But the good news is now that we have no storefront, we have soooo much more time to manage the website. That means that you will have way more fabric, kits, and now even gifts to choose from! YAY!!!!

Thanks to our amazing extended family of quilters. I had no idea the impact that we've had on this industry. Thank you to our awesome friends, old and new. Can I just tell you that California Quiltmakers has changed my life forever? Before CQ I couldn't even turn on a sewing machine. Pat has been teaching me how to quilt since as long as I've been working for her, six years.

Even though this chapter is over, we are feeling new beginnings all around us. Expect greatness coming soon!

If I don't hear from you sooner, I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas!! We love you!

Asian Invasion Continues!

We are overwhelmed by our gorgeous new fabric by Kona Bay. December is going to be Asian Invasion, with new kits and fabric going up on the website. That being said, here are some pics of some of our newest creations:


What Four and Big Spins

Big Spins Kit, available now!


the newest addition to the Asian family, a new PamCakes Kit available now!


Also, a good customer of ours came in the other day named Martha Howden. She made this quilt using one of our favorite patterns, Simply Delightful. Just had to show off the great work!





This is another quilt we received (sorry! I forgot to check who made it-if this is you, email me at jessicaislove@gmail.com and i'll give you credit!) using our PamCakes pattern! This was a Sheet Cake bundle that she bought at our booth at the Long Beach Quilt Show in July. Rock on mystery gal! Love the borders!



Ladies!! Show us what you have been making out of our patterns, kits and fabric! Email your pics to info@californiaquiltingcenter.com. Make sure your photo is a .jpeg file please!

One last thing before I work on more quilts. Quilts don't have to be patchwork, sometimes it's fun to be a little more artistic and think outside the seams. I (Jessica) made this quilt with the intention of telling a story with fabric. It's a love story, can you tell?








Have fun! Keep checking the site for new stuff, we will be updating frequently!
Jessica

The Fog is Lifting. (we think!)

As soon as Thanksgiving hits at Quilting Headquarters, two things occur:

*we panic, because we know Christmas is almost here!
*we can't see past our faces because it gets so foggy out here.

But despite the unpleasant weather we are warming our hearts. My personal favorite artist came in to the shop today to quilt and I was delighted. Lora Wheeler is an altered artist from Merced. She has inspired many of my creations and I'm always excited to bounce ideas off of her. So today's post is dedicated to Lora, her amazing quilts, and her altered attitude.

I'm not exactly sure when she started stitching and altering but as long as I've known her (six years) she has been making works of art. Here's one of her latest creations, a mini dressmaker's bust:

in fact, she surprised me with a bust of my own to alter!

She really impressed me with the cd case. This was done on her home sewing machine. She quilted it and added embellishments like ribbon and buttons. Check out the vintage brooch!



and the back:



It says "be in the moment". Great sentiment.

She also shared some of her latest altered books, which are in the process of being finished. Her half-done is still better than my finished product! To me, it's really important to have people that inspire you. Whenever I see Lora she just sets me on a path of creativity!

The latest altered book:






It's all in the details for me.




Look at the tiny dancer!


Inspiration can come from anywhere. When she was little, Lora had cupcake toppers like this.

Like us, she was also getting her Christmas quilting finished. Her Christmas quilts were astounding- I loved that she mixed non-Christmas-style green and red fabrics in with the traditional Ho-Ho-Ho jolly stuff.


Leopard and poinsettia?! Are you kidding me? Delicious!



She made this quilt using the pattern Simple Day at the Lake (available on our website!) but she altered it (of course!) and did twenty blocks instead of twelve. Ladies you can do this too. One block is equivalent to a fat quarter, so twenty fats instead of twelve.

And she made a label for the back out of a Christmas panel she bought but never used.




Today was a great day. I encourage you, reader, to seek inspiration, step outside the box, meet new friends, eat dessert, and most of all....

KEEP QUILTING!