Christa’s Soap Box – Looking Ahead to 2014

December 2, 2013November 29, 201322 Comments

I set a precedent last year when I listed my 2013 New Year’s goals a month early at the end of the year rather than on January 1st. I kind of go my own way sometimes and realized I’m more likely to achieve my goals if I get a head start, LOL!

An unofficial goal – learning more about lighting and photography.

My 2013 quilting goals were pretty bold and ambitious and I knew I was taking a risk by stating them so publicly. However, I’m happy to say that I was able to accomplish most of them and feel like a lot of the hard work paid off.

And those that fell by the wayside? Well I learned a bunch, even from my failures. Some of the most memorable achievements of the year were getting accepted into Quiltcon, winning viewer’s choice in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival, getting my first quilt published in a magazine, and winning an award at a major quilt show.

Charming Chevrons at QuiltCon

String of Pearls at MQX

So what’s on the agenda for 2014? In three words: Simplify and Focus. I only have two goals for the next year and here they are:

1. Write a book. (Notice that I didn’t say “publish” – that will be later.)

I’ve just submitted a book proposal to a publisher and now I’m waiting to hear back on whether or not it will be accepted. I know most people are usually hush-hush about this kind of thing, but since blogging for me is as important as sewing (or maybe breathing), I’m putting it out there (without revealing any of the juicy details). Besides, what’s the worst thing that can happen? They can say no, and then I’m really no better or worse off than I was before – other than having a ton of new ideas! So I might as well try. 🙂

What we do to stay sane in between projects and deadlines.

The one effect this will have on my blog is that I will probably take a break from my Quilt Alongs while I work on other projects. However, I’ll leave the finished ones up and since I’m used to blogging nearly every day, there will be no lack of content around here!

2. Get back in shape. (Again.)

Gotta run!

I know, I know – this is everyone’s goal, right? Well, after blogging recently about mine and Jason’s trail-running, I’ve decided this is the perfect time to kick it into gear. I just feel so much better when my clothes fit. Plus, I have much more energy to sew when I don’t wake up with a “food-hangover” from the night before! I look to my previous weight-loss journey as inspiration this time around.

So how about you? What’s on your goal list for the upcoming year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 28, 2013November 27, 20137 Comments

From all of us in the Christa Quilts family, we wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christa’s Soap Box – A Drop in the Bucket

November 25, 2013November 24, 201322 Comments

Sometimes I feel like I’m not getting anywhere fast; the daily routines just seem like a drop in the bucket of what I’m trying to accomplish. However, I know that in time, those drops will add up and my bucket will be not only be full, it will overflow. (Hopefully this will occur sometime before I actually kick the bucket!!)

Me, Jason and his sister at the start of a very wet and rainy trail race!

Jason and I ran a trail race this past Saturday and it was literally raining buckets! We’ve decided that we want to run a half-marathon trail race next spring, so training begins now.

I took up running many years ago as a way to get fit after having children. I’ve run two marathons and several half-marathons over the last few years, but it was during a period of time where I wasn’t sewing very much.

Once I rekindled my desire to quilt (all the time), running fell by the wayside (and I gained a few pounds…) Now I’m learning to find balance with both hobbies I love – quilting and running.

Peaceful view from the trail. I was trying to catch the next person up ahead in front of me. (I did!)

Even though I yearn to run at the speeds and distances I used to, I know it will take time to once again build up my endurance. Each daily run is another drop in the bucket towards my goal.

I think this is very similar to my goals for quilting, both personally and professionally. Sometimes it seems like it will take forever to design and make all the quilts I desire, and even longer to get them in front of the people who I most want to see them. However, each stitch I take and each quilt I make is another drop in this bucket, too.

Jason at the finish – you got to ring a bell at the end! How cool!

Most of all I’m learning patience. I’m the sort of person that wants it all done now, but I’m slowly coming to the realization that substantial goals are worth waiting for and worth striving for: day by day, step by step, and drop by drop.

Christa Quilts Clearance (and a little bit of store history soap-boxing…)

October 29, 2013May 15, 201429 Comments

I’ve been spending the last few weeks organizing and minimalizing, both my sewing space and my online store. I’ve had a blast selling fabrics online for the last 10 years. (Where has the time gone?) But as I’ve been hinting over the last few months, it’s time to change directions.

Teaching FMQ techniques – gotta love it!

I’m not necessarily having an all-out going-out-of-business sale because I am most certainly not going out of business. I’m just shifting my focus, and modern quilting is to blame, but in a good way.:-)

So here’s the thing: I thought I would be content to run my little online shop forever, selling all styles of quilting cottons to whomever would buy. I stocked calicoes and batiks, fun novelty prints, some solids and big name designers, plus a few modern lines.

However, it was a joke around here that “Christa Doesn’t Quilt” because all I did for several years was cut fabric and package orders. Mind you, I was very content doing this. It was a small scale thing and something I could handle in my spare time. But I wasn’t quilting (after taking up the hobby nearly 20 years ago).

Jason helping to set up my new workspace so I can sew to my heart’s content!

Enter the modern movement, which has totally rocked my world! All of a sudden I was pumped up about quilting again and I wasn’t the youngest one in the (quilting) room anymore. All these fresh sewers were making these amazingly bold and simple quilts that I wanted – no, needed – to make!

They were using solids that showed off their beautiful quilting and they were coming up with original designs that appealed to me big time. Not only that, but they were blogging, setting up modern groups left and right, sharing their work, and getting published. I simply had to be a part of it!

Reading the email notifying me of my MQX honorable mention for String of Pearls. What a happy day that was!

So, I quickly and somewhat painfully sat down with Jason and we had a big chat about my “quilting future”. I finally came to the conclusion that what I really wanted to do was design and make quilts! Using our accounting backgrounds, we crunched some numbers and decided we could go one of two ways.

(1) We could either find warehouse space and get really big and not work from home anymore and hire managers and become a huge online store. (2) Or, we could clear out all of our store yardage (which is labor intensive to cut, package and ship) and find other ways to supplement our income.

Meeting with fabric sales reps at home. Yes, I love orange shirts!

We I chose the latter. I started designing, teaching, and showing my quilts again, and I’ve never been happier. In addition, I took the bold and scary move to start submitting my work for publication. And it’s started working.

All of this backstory is basically to tell you I’m having a huge clearance sale so I can clear out my entire inventory of yardage and fat quarters (plus all patterns, gifts and notions). I’m sure it will take several months to sell out and that’s fine. We aren’t going anywhere, so it’s not like it all needs to be gone this weekend (though that would be nice).

I love to sew – don’t you?

I thank you in advance for your support, and I really appreciate that I can blog on a more personal level than what I can express in my weekly store email. Blogging for me has been very therapeutic and has enabled me to articulate my quilting vision and share it with others. 🙂

Click here to view my entire clearance section – about 600+ items are on sale (over half the store), anywhere from 20% – 50% off the original prices. It includes FREE US shipping, too!

Thanks for reading and happy shopping!

Christa’s Soap Box – I am a minimalist. And organizing is good.

October 18, 2013October 17, 201329 Comments

I didn’t realize how much of a minimalist I have become until I started dejunking and reorganizing my sewing room big time! Remember this picture?

This was about half of my stash that I got rid of simply because I can’t stand excess. (Sorry they are gone now but I’m sure in a few months I will need to dejunk again!)

So I started thinking about events in my life in which I get overwhelmed by choices and clutter. For example, back in the day when you would go to the video store (instead of watching videos on demand or by mail) I would never pick out movies. Instead I always left it up to my husband – there were simply too many choices! (Thank goodness he likes a good comedy and will watch a decent chick flick with me.)

Stack of Yummy Solids

I’ve started comparing my lifestyle to my fabric and quilting choices and maybe the reason I love solids so much is because they are so simple. They are just pure color without any busy-ness.

Early on in our marriage we had some tight living arrangements. Before we had kids, Jason and I lived for a time in a small trailer on his parents’ property and then for several months in a motorhome. We really figured out then what we could do without!

A smaller, tidy stash.

So I’m always dejunking and getting rid of things. I figure if I accidentally throw something out, I can just buy it again. But to store too many things in the hope of one day using them – no thanks!

I think one of the reason negative spaces in quilts appeal to me is because it’s calming and gives your eyes a place to rest without the clutter. Sure I will fill up all that space with quilting, but that’s just an extra layer of subtle texture which gives life to the quilt.

Look at all that white space!

One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard about controlling clutter was from a home-making class at church. (I get more then just spiritual fulfillment there – bonus!)

The speaker said to take all of your personal mementos you want to keep and store them in one box only. If you are hanging onto items for family members, kindly give them back as soon as you can. And finally, put everything you don’t use/want in a box. If you haven’t touched it in a year, you can live without it. Words to live by!

Lots of organizing going on around here!

Recently, we’ve been having the kids dejunk their rooms and started installing shelving and organizing closets. It’s sort of in my best interest as I have been slowing moving all of their creative supplies out of my sewing space and into their own bedroom corners. 🙂

Gotta Love Shelves!

Does anyone else run into the problem of starting one project only for it to quickly overwhelm the entire house? I do, but I’m working through it one room at a time. Hopefully in a few weeks I’ll be able to have a “sewing room reveal” which will leave me more organized, efficient and ready to work!

40 Is…

August 17, 2013August 15, 201326 Comments

I recently read a blog post written by the lovely and talented Jennifer of Ellison Lane.

She titled her post This is 38: A Look at Middle Life and she made a list of things that came to mind.

That really inspired me, and since I’m a couple of years older than she is, I thought I’d write my own version, so here goes:

40 is….

Happy to be married with kids that are old enough to feed and clean themselves.
Being ok with the oncoming grey and a little relieved that it hasn’t taken over yet.
Lamenting with my hubby that he’s losing hair in places he doesn’t want, and I’m getting it in places it shouldn’t be!
Embracing the new direction in my quilting career and enjoying the child-like excitement I feel with every little success.
Old enough to think I am wise, but young enough to realize I still don’t know it all.
Finally being able to afford the car I want, the sewing machine I want…(the debt I don’t want, LOL!!)
Not being ashamed of mixing my personal life with my professional life and blogging about all of it.
So much better than 30 and even 20!

I’m sure I could think of many more if I tried. Here’s to more love, life and happiness in the next decade. 🙂

My Happy Family

A Few Changes in Store and Some Help Needed

July 27, 2013May 15, 201423 Comments

I’m not one to keep all my desires, goals and plans secret until they are all perfectly in place. The good thing about this is that I feel like I have a great support network to encourage me in anything I do. The downside is that sometimes things seem to take forever to accomplish!

With that said, I’ll let you in on some upcoming changes around here. For some time now, I’ve felt myself being drawn more and more into the modern quilting movement and my store is starting to reflect that. I’ve decided to completely revamp my online quilt shop which is a scary and slow process, but it feels like the right thing to do.

I want to focus more on fabrics that I actually use and become more of a niche shop rather than trying to appeal to everyone. This will allow me to streamline my business and free up much of my administrative time to do more of what I like best – making quilts!

It boils down to this: I want to clear out nearly half of my store’s current inventory so I can make way for more Kona, Kaufman, Kaffe, and Kits.

So here’s where you come in to help. Without trying to sound overly commercial here, please help me clear out my huge clearance section. I’ve spent the last week combing through my inventory and marking down nearly 700 different fabrics anywhere from 20% to 50% off!

I tried to be very generous on marking it down because I’d like to move it quickly. The sooner I clear it out, the quicker I can get in more of an eclectic mix of fresh, modern and fun fabrics!

For those of you wondering where all the precuts went, they are now on Amazon. I can now carry about 10x the amount of precuts that I used to because Amazon stores and ships them for me! You can visit ChristaQuilts on Amazon here.

As for more upcoming plans, I’ve mentioned a few times that you’ll start seeing some of my quilts in a few of your favorite quilting magazines this fall. If all goes well, I even may start writing a book.

I will have kits available for the magazine quilts once they’ve been published. Plus, I’m putting together kits for another popular blogger friend of mine whose quilt will be published in another big magazine in September/October, so please be on the lookout for that.

I’ve realized I love putting kits together almost as much as I love making the quilts because picking fabrics is half the fun. So I will expand my selection of kits, especially unique ones that you won’t find anywhere else.

One thing I will definitely continue doing is my series of Quilt Alongs. This has satisfied my need to create (on a schedule) so I already have more fun projects in the works!

It’s been very gratifying to sit down with Jason and really determine the direction we want to take with our business. Being your own boss is always a risk, but for the last few years that we’ve been doing this, it has its own rewards. 🙂

We are Here, We are Here, We are Here! (Family Beach Trip 2013)

July 19, 2013July 19, 201322 Comments

We’ve been at the beach this week having some much needed family down time!

I’ve done a little of this…

(reading Sunday Morning Quilts and a whole stack of quilting books and magazines)

while the kids have done this….

and this…..

and yes, a lot of this….

I spent several pleasurable hours yesterday binding on the boardwalk with the sun at my back and the sound of gentle waves rolling in the background. It just can’t get any better than this!

Each year we escape for a week to Hermosa Beach, California with my husband’s parents and siblings. We stay in this adorable beach house owned by friends of the family. (The little green one surrounded by all the taller condos!)

This house has been in the owners’ family since 1915 and they only rent it out to reliable friends. I am glad Jason’s parents are such friends!

The beach itself is very wide and long, with volleyball tournaments taking place all up and down the beach.

Jason and I love to run barefoot on the beach next to the water where the sand is more firmly packed. It’s just lovely when the water laps around our ankles while we run!

Next week we will get back to our regular hectic lives, but for now, we’ll enjoy a few more days of paradise while we can…

End of Year Fun

June 8, 2013June 7, 201310 Comments

Just so you guys don’t think all we do around here is play with fabric (though we do that quite a lot), here are a few pictures of some family fun we had this week!

We celebrated our end of the (homeschool) year by taking the kids to the new water park that literally opened up just down the road from us. I think the whole neighborhood bought season passes when we all realized it was coming!

Doesn’t this look like a fun way to cool off in the heat this summer?

The kids also got to have a couple of year end performances. Our oldest son had a piano recital at a local music shop where he played a fast-paced rendition of Mozart’s Turkish March.

Our middle son’s music teacher comes to our home for lessons so we put on our own recital just for him where he was able to show his stuff both on the piano…

And on the drums!

His favorite rock star is Weird Al who just happens to be coming to town for a concert this summer. Guess what our family outing will be then? The things we do for our kids! 🙂

Our daughter loves all kind of art so she was able to share her talents at an art show curated by her art teacher.

This piece above is my favorite because it reminds me of an artistic modern quilt.

So what do we have on the agenda this summer? Scout camp for the boys, a lot of sewing for the girls, and our annual relaxing beach trip. (One of my favorite pictures is of me reading about modern quilting on the beach last year!)

And maybe a new sewing machine for me if I can swing it. I test drove a new Bernina 710 the other day when I went in to have my machine serviced and I was salivating at the extra wide sewing space on their newer models!

How about you? What do you have going on?

A Fun Lunch Date and Some New Shoes

May 20, 2013May 18, 20137 Comments

Last week I met with Melissa Corry and her MIL for lunch when they came into town on their way to Quilt Market (yes I’m very jealous that I didn’t go but I can’t wait to read about it on her blog and others!)

Melissa Corry and her Mother In Law (and a cute bag!)

Isn’t she sporting such a fabulous bag??

We had a great time chatting at about 100 miles per minute. Talking is just so much faster than emailing and blogging, LOL!! I knew she was a kindred spirit when she told me she prefers flat 2-D sewing (quilts, wallhangings, etc) to 3-D sewing (totes, accessories, etc).

After a fabulous time eating yummy food and swapping quilt stories, I met up with my hubby in the afternoon to pick out my mother’s day gift, these fabulous new trail shoes!

New Shoes

I love running, but I’ve put that on the back burner for the last few months. Just last weekend Jason finished his volunteer term serving as Bishop of our ward from church (that’s like a pastor leading a congregation). Needless to say, this has taken up a bit of our free time over the last 5 years. I told him once he had more time, we’d workout together.

Jason and Christa running in Utah

We had a beautiful run when we were in Utah for HMQS and now I’ve committed once again to workout at least 4 days a week. I just have to stay balanced with both exercise and quilting. Too bad I can’t really do both at the same time, LOL!