Houston….. here we come!

Houston here we come!  Yes, we are coming back for this 2016!! Last year was my first experience with teaching; I cannot express how amazing the event was, my class and students were simply incredible!  My time in Houston was so motivating that it has me coming back for more;  and I cannot wait to see what this year has to offer.  On Monday Oct 31st I will be teaching one “Hands On” class using my 3 step method for quilting.  It is my most popular class based on my new book, Divide and Design, Get it done!

There are still some spots available!!  Sign up today.   Class #103

Divide and Design:
The Cure for Quilter’s Agoraphobia
Do you feel overwhelmed when gazing upon a quilt feeling anxious that something creative and beautiful is beyond your scope? Have you observed pieces designed by quilters and thought “where do they come up with such originality?”  You are not alone, and the cure for such reluctance is just a class away.  With Lisa’s 3 step process you will approach the idea of quilting in a completely new way. Over the course of this class you will divide large areas of your quilt into manageable small spaces, gaining the confidence and skill needed to produce a design that will make your quilt top sing and have you smiling with pride!  You will soon discover that anyone can transform the everyday quilt into a masterpiece, and moreover turn those special quilts into treasured heirlooms.  So don’t let Quilter’s Agoraphobia keep you from doing what you love; let Lisa’s class provide the freedom needed to bring out the quilter in you!

 

I am also excited to announce that we will take our first step into the world of vending!  The whole process has been fun and terrifying all at the same time. But we are eager to launch our business among vendors nationwide and begin this new journey here in Houston.  Don’t miss out on our booth, #1323 and get a first hand look at what our business can offer you.  Moreover, Judy and I would love the opportunity to meet with those attending the show; exchanging ideas, and stories with others in the quilting industry is what we live for!

And on an ESTATIC note while in Houston, that Tuesday evening,  I will have the honor of accpeting an award  for my quilt, A Silver Lining.  This is a huge thrill from me as this quilt was created on the BERNINA longarm.  While designing this second quilt, using the BERNINA Qmatic, this amazing machine enabled me to use my computerized components to produce an award winning piece of art.  I cannot thank BERNINA for making such a incredible product!!

So… who are we going to see at the show???

Lisa

The Hot Yoga “hazing” is complete!

I am happy to report that Drea survived her first hot yoga session… what follows is written by her!

Hot Yoga=Survivor=Karma
Hot Yoga, that is a very kind description of a recent class I had the unfortunate opportunity to experience. This is what I should have read prior to stepping foot into Hot Yoga.

Are you considering applying to be a contestant on “Survivor”, and aren’t sure how to prepare your body and mind adequately for all that you might endure? Then a 90 minute class of Hot Yoga is exactly what Jeff Probst would encourage you to do. Prepare yourself for a class of students inhabiting an environment containing temperatures of 105 degrees and 40% humidity. Your instructor will slowly guide you through 26 poses, repeat 26. Slowly your body and mind will take you to unkind places such as “I gave up my glass of wine the night before, and heavenly cup of coffee this morning to be taken to hell and back??!!”, and your body will utter comments like “You want this junk in the trunk/muffin top figure to hold a pose for how long AND breathe at the same time, its one or the other!”. The use of ceiling fans will push you to very core. Yes, the feeling of HOT, HUMID air will blow across your body therefore pushing the thought of sitting in the restroom for the remaining 45 minutes to the forefront of you mind. Slowly you will observe others students pause, and then recover continuing on through this battle. We cannot forget to remind you that there is at least one individual who cannot “outlive, outlast” will it be you?

Yes, it was my idea for Lisa to haze whoever she hired by attending her favorite Hot Yoga class. Yes, I made us both laugh as we envisioned that poor individual trying to not to drown in their own sweat. The saying “Karma is a bitch” is very similar to the title of the class “Hot Yoga” both are putting it mildly to say the least.

 

What Drea doesn’t say… she was currently seen perusing sites looking for yoga gear….

Happy Monday!

Lisa

My new “Jenny”

“Flipping Out,” one of the many series BRAVO airs each week. “Flipping Out” my guilty pleasure, yes I am a dedicated Jeffrey and Jenny junkie. And just like Jeffrey, I need and desire a Jenny for my business. That certain person who initially is my right thumb, but will ultimately become my right hand. Yes, we all want one of those right? That individual who is in sync with your ideas, understands your professional goals, and is right along side of you if not one step ahead..lol
And although I have a partner in crime who many of you already know, Judy. She is my “right arm” the person who keeps me afloat during our adventures on the road. Unfortunately due to distance she cannot be my right hand. So while Im not traveling I need that “right thumb” here in the studio. What I didn’t realize is that she has been right under my nose for quite some time. Her name is Drea, pronounced like the rapper “Dr. Dre” (it’s the only way many people can figure out how to say her name correctly). We were the “good, sacrificing” mothers that brought their boys to Santa’s workshop, Brandon was in first grade, the year 2003. Sitting across from each other we looked up and both shared the expression of “How long does it take for my child to pick out a christmas gift, on a budget of $10 dollars”. Within moments we began chatting. Walking away that evening I knew I had met someone who would be a life long friend. Our paths have gone in different directions due to children’s ages, work , etc., but whenever we have the opportunity to connect it pick up right where we left off. Now fast forward 13 years…yep here we are. Drea currently works full time at Pottstown Hospital but has joined my crazy world of quilting for 12 hours a week. No, she cannot be trusted with a needle, and thread but She has many other great qualities needed here in the studio. She is a word whiz…not me I hate writing. She is very organized ….again not me and after our first business meeting she proved to be able to handle my mind full of thoughts and ideas; and that’s a lot to take on! Our goal is to make Drea a permanent, yes, this Jeffriana is hoping to have this Jenny full time! So bottom line my favorite Bravo show “Flipping Out” may be taking on its own little series here in Pottstown PA.

Prior to me and Drea discussing the possibility of her assisting we held many conversations on how my search was going. During one little chat she thought it would be very humorous of me to haze that special person by having them attend a “Hot Yoga Class” with me. She is not a huge fan of Yoga and adding the word “HOT” just makes her hyperventilate. We shared a huge laugh agreeing that it would be extremely comical. Drea isn’t laughing, chuckling or giggling now. Stay tuned to hear how her hazing goes, its this Saturday morning. I guess she forgot that karma can be a bitch!

Lisa

AQS Chattanooga

My journey to AQS Chattanooga has come to an end; now that I am home I can reflect and share with everyone what an incredible time Judy and I had!  We definitely embraced quality and quantity car time together as we drove 10 1/2 hours from Philadelphia to Chattanooga…. to many I am sure this sounds dreadful, but Judy and I always make each trip an adventure to remember.  And although the world outside was trying poop on our parade the two of inside the vehicle laughed it away!

 

Had we known prior that Dolly Parton would be greeting us as we entered good ole Tennessee we would have honored her with a little  music.  I’m thinking “9 to 5” would have been just perfect!

After a great morning of judging the amazing talent in Tennessee, we decided to venture to the Tennessee Aquarium.  So many incredible things to see; I didn’t realize that seahorses could be so small, or perhaps I just haven’t seen enough of them.  And oh my! The creatures that look as though they are from prehistoric times, Jurassic Park comes to mind or Harry Potter?  Regardless our time spent at the museum was interesting to say the least.

Classes began on Wednesday, each session was  filled with students that arrived eager and ready to learn.  I too was excited, I never tire of having the opportunity to share my knowledge and methods .  As in any class each group of students is different, and yes that means the serious learner , the comical learner, and even those who like to cause trouble…Marsha…Debby, need I say more?  Heading to the South is one of my favorite areas to teach.  I am never disappointed by the warmth and kindness I experience from those around me, it’s like coming home.

 

Below are some pictures taken from the classes I taught….. there was a total of six sessions…. 2 Templates classes, 2 Feathers classes, my session demonstrating the Divide and Design technique and a Fills class.

 

I actually had some student that had never laid fingers on a machine!  This thrilled me, as I was ecstatic to bring the world of quilting into their lives.  With each class I witnessed everyone progress. Moreover, it was so rewarding to observe their confidence and self satisfaction with their results .  My trip to Chattanooga was awesome, and I can only thank everyone who participated in my classes for such a great week.

And I can’t forget to mention that while in Tennessee I had a chance to visit Spool and Maddie Kertay!  The character of her store will draw you in, it has such a warm and inviting feel, and once you see her selection of fabric you will wish you had visited sooner!  But spending time with Maddie was the highlight; she is one badass!

Thank you AQS for a fabulous week!  I am so fortunate to do this for a living; not a day goes by that I don’t  wonder how I got so lucky to be sharing my passion and love of quilting.

What will your passion and love of quilting create???

Lisa

PS.  Make sure you check out my new book!  Divide and Design!  I just got some of the quilts back ….. here are my two favorites.

Lucky Blooms

Lucky Blooms

Lucky Blooms

Lavish

Lavish

Lavish

My New Book!!!

I am so excited!  My new book, Lisa H Calle’s Divide and Design, is coming out!  They are due to arrive here in my studio the week of Sept 19th!!

I am now accepting preorders for a signed copy….. all orders will go out the week of the 26th!  (hopefully sooner) If you order your book with any Quilter’s Groove Rulers, they will all go out at the same time so if you need your rulers, please order them separately.

This book will teach you my divide and design technique as well as give you 5 simple piecing/applique projects to practice on.  When using this technique I use a  variety of rulers to divide out my quilt.  I use the ProEcho’s … the small ones (Proechoes 3-7) and medium ones (Proechoes 8-12) are the most used! You can use whatever templates/rulers you have on hand.

This technique is not just  for longarmers!  If you quilt your own tops, this book is for you!

Here are a couple of peeks at some of the quilts…

 

This book goes over the material in my iQuilt class as well.  iQuilt is having a sale 40% off one  class!

Divide, Design and Fill for Beautiful Quilting or Mastering the Mini, Wholecloth that is!

Promotional Disclosure: *Use coupon code SEPT40 at checkout to receive your discount. Discount applied to the lowest priced class in the cart. Members receive an additional 20% off at checkout. Sale valid 09/08/16 through 09/13/16 at 11:59 p.m. (CT). Limited time only. Subject to change without notice. Only one coupon code may be used per order. Not valid on prior orders. This offer may not be combined with other offers.

 

I am off to AQS Chattanooga on Monday!  I hope to see a lot of you there!

What will you create?

Lisa

BERNINA Longarm…. Basting stitch

Hi all,

I had a request the other day to see how I do the basting with my BERNINA longarm.  So bear with me….  I need to purchase a tripod adapter for my iPhone so videoing will be easier.

When I am working on a quilt of my own, I will make a minimum of 3 passes through the quilt.  My first pass will be all of my dividing lines and stitch in the ditch work.  If you are saying to yourself… dividing lines?  Here is a link to my DVD  Divide and Design.   Or if you like online classes… here is my iQuilt class.   There are times where the SID and dividing lines don’t quite secure the quilt enough and I will baste it.  Before I got my BERNINA I used flower head pins to baste but now I use BSR 3.

Here is how I do it..

I absolutely love how easy it is to baste as I move along… I also use this stitch to baste around the edges of my quilt.

Hope you get a chance to try the BERNINA for yourself.

Have you been thinking about taking an IQuilt class…. now is a great time..

USE CODE: IQ40

Promotional Disclosure: *Use coupon code iq40 at checkout to receive your discount. Discount applied to the lowest priced class in the cart. Members receive an additional 20% off at checkout. Sale valid 08/18/16 through 08/22/16 at 11:59 p.m. (CT). Limited time only. Subject to change without notice. Only one coupon code may be used per order. Not valid on prior orders. This offer may not be combined with other offers

Divide and Design

Mastering the Mini 

What will you create?

Lisa

My Quilting Project….

So I have taken some time to get back to my quilting.  It feels like its been ages.   I’d have to look but I think I finished piecing this 2 years ago.  I ‘m sure Facebook will remind me at some point . LOL  I remember piecing this center…. it just about killed me trying to make the corners work…

So it is loaded on my machine and this is where I’m at…

doing some grid based quilting…. ala Gina Perkes…. also using my ProPebble ruler 1-2  to make the arcs…

Here is a great picture of the texture it adds.

Getting ready to add some dividing lines in the pink area.  I then used the wonderful basting stitch on my BERNINA longarm to baste until I’m ready for the design work.

Some ditch work using Aurifil’s Monofilament thread…. love it.

And my favorite ditching ruler… the ProMini!

Now I did some remarking on the scroll work before  I loaded it… I used my Fine Line Blue washout pen.  Now, many of you have heard that I struggle with following a line so I used this as my practice…. LOL  I concentrated on looking where I wanted to go and now where my needle was.  It worked fairly well… I was pleased.  Please don’t point out my wobbles… I know they are there and I am NOT taking them out.  LOL

Last Christmas, I was working on a tuffet.  I wanted it to be red and white like a candy cane… ok, it looks more like a peppermint.  I learned a lot.  Sharyn Cole’s iquilt class helped tremendously.  I recommend ordering her kit and then order the class.

Here is my peppermint…

What will you create?

Lisa

This and That….

I hope you all liked the New York Beauty block!  Louise Duff sent me her version and I absolutely love it.  Thank you for sharing!!

 

In December, I decided to make a tuffet… I was going to make mine look like a candy cane and chose red and white batiks….. i got the piecing done and then just stopped… I wasn’t sure I liked my fabric etc etc….. another unfinished project.  Well, I was really happy to see Sharyn Cole  from the Tuffet Source has an iQuilt class.  I am just about finished taking it and I am going to finish my darn tuffet and can’t wait.   Here is a sample from her home page….. do you think I can convince her to gift that one to me….. I love it.

There has been a lot of talk about the  changes going on in our industry.  (and there have been a lot)  Quilt shops closing, quilting magazines ceasing printing, AQS to stop publishing books…. its a lot to take in and can be a little scary for those of us that make our living in this industry.

We need to pull together and unite…. modern, traditional, leather, longarmers, domestic quilters, hand quilters etc…. we are all the same…. we are people who create… our mode of creating does not matter.  Let’s support each other, lift each other up and help each other out!   If WE as the creators, support each others small businesses…. we will succeed and all be stronger in the long run.

Change can be scary but it is necessary to grow…. and we all want our industry to grow and be strong… think of it as a plant… sometimes you have to cut off parts of the plant to have it grow big and strong… this is how I view what is going on in the industry. With the advance of social media, online classes etc… we have to evolve or get left behind.

My friend, Linda Thielfoldt, wrote a good blog post about this subject.   Make sure you read it and the comments.  I want to now find someone to mentor…. so if you know of a young one in my area…. let me know.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this so make sure you leave a comment.

What will you create??

Lisa

 

 

New York Beauty… con’t

Here is where we left off on Tuesday… its worth repeating… if you don’t like your dividing lines (the scrolls on this design that are dividing up the areas) you won’t like your end product!!

You all know that I love feathers so that is what I decided to go with…. however, this design would look good if you skipped over the design work and just did fills…

I added some  feather and some little pebbles along the scrolls.

I then decided ribbon candy would look good in the 1/4 circle.  What do you think?  it will make the unquilted areas there pop.   I added some more feathers on the top scrolls as well.  I love straight lines next to feathers so that is the fill I did around the outside but since I didn’t want to be precise when I got to the feathers…. I stippled next to the feathers.  ( I do the straight lines first then go back and stipple over them.)  I put also used some pebbles and a curvy fill.

I like to use a couple of different fills as it lends some more interest to the quilt.

What do you think?  Do you have a New York Beauty you would like to share?  We would all love to see it. Send it to Lisahcalle@me.com

I positioned the mirror in different corners.  I love all of them… which is your favorite?

Jean Greco sent me the next two pictures.  Thank you!  I think we all learn best from each other when we share..

 

What will you create?

Lisa

New York Beauty!!

Hi all,

This post is a little late.  But better late then never.  :)

New York Beauty…. I think I am going to be making one of these now.

I thought for this one, I would go a little more in depth of my thought process so bear with me…

 

I wanted to start by dividing this block but I didn’t want to just go with curves or straight lines.  I love how scrolls can look especially when they intertwine and go behind things… The first thing I started with was the middle diamond.  I was unsure of how this beauty was set with the other blocks so thought this was a safe way to  go regardless of how they were set.

I then drew one wavy line on each side going “under the piecing”.  I know, it’s another start and stop or traveling in the ditch to make it work but I think its worth it.  I then echoed back.  I’m normally not worried about making both sides match perfectly.  (life is too short for that) I then added the two scrolls coming from the middle of the diamond.

When I divide up a quilt, I need to LOVE the it.  So much so that if that were the only thing I was going to quilt, I’d be happy with it.

The center or bottom right area, I divided up with come curves.  Looks like a fan.  I would also stitch in the ditch everything.

Stay tuned for what happens next……

What will you create?

Lisa

PS:  I would love to see your New York Beauty’s ….. send them to Lisahcalle@me.com