Diane McLendon

Here I am, nestled in between quilts from Gone to Texas, Route 66 and Pick of the Seasons typing this blog. It is the first day of Quilt Market – we are open for business! So far, it has been smooth sailing, thanks to our crew that came along. Usually it's just Doug, Edie and I, and we're often still setting up the morning of the show. But this time, our photographer Aaron Leimkuehler, designer Brian Grubb and editor Deb Rowden came along to help. (And thanks to author Sheri Howard (of Ruby Red Dots) for stopping by to help bag patterns!)

Yesterday we had six different schoolhouse sessions where we presented our new books. All were well attended, and Edie, Deb and Brian were very entertaining for their audiences. Deb and Brian were sure to mention our new book Artful Bras: Hooters, Melons and Boobs, Oh My! A Quilt Guild’s Fight Against Breast Cancer at the end of every schoolhouse. The quilt shop owners sure got a hoot (pun intended) out of the subtitle. Authors Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith, Betsy Chutchian, Jan Patek and Barbara Jones also hosted schoolhouse sessions.

Four days a year, I get a huge rush from my job. Okay, well it happens more than four times a year, but these four days in particular are significant moments. It’s the day that I send out information about all of our new titles.

Today was the big day for our September books. Today was the day I saw the culmination of efforts that started a year or more ago. Today I announced that we have 10 new books available for sale. TEN! This is the most we have ever released at one time. And that feels good.

Juniper and Mistletoe by Karla Menaugh & Barbara BrackmanBut we didn’t just release any ol’ 10 books. We released 10 outstanding, beautiful books that feature amazing work and detailed histories. We have a new Maggie Bonanomi book and books from historians such as Betsy Chutchian, Cindy Brick and Bettina Havig. We have some beautiful appliqué books such as Ruby Red Dots, Flags of the American Revolution and Juniper and Mistletoe, and an embroidery book Route 66. We’re also continuing on with our My Stars series with the second book. And we can’t forget our block-of-the-month book, Women of Influence!

Follow us on Twitter! You'll read short little updates about what's going on in the quilting world of Kansas City Star Quilts. Visit us at www.Twitter.com/KCStarQuilts. We'll see you there!

The past couple of years have flown by – and I credit that to my job as Kansas City Star Quilts’ marketing and sales manager. My job sort of exists in a cycle: books come out four times a year, quilt market is twice a year, and then boom, another year is gone and it starts all over again.

Well, we’re in the short lull between quilt markets, and our July books are making their way to the printer, so I have taken the time to get my ducks in a row!

Mrs. Bobbins' General StoreFirst order of business: For you Mrs. Bobbins lovers, it is your lucky day! We have just opened a store site dedicated exclusively to Mrs. Bobbins! Get your favorite cartoon printed on a t-shirt, mousepad, notecards, apron – the options are innumerable! And here’s the great part: If your favorite cartoon isn’t there, but yet you want it, say, as a wall clock, let me know, and I will take care of that for you. Click here to shop the store. For custom orders, email info@pickledish.com.

With These Hands by Maggie BonamoniThe Dream Team got together yesterday – all our editors, designers, our photo gurus, and our printer people. We met to discuss a new computer program to keep us all organized – now that we are publishing upwards of 20 books a year. But even without this new program, the Dream Team managed to do it again – we have three brand new books that were just released. And wow, are they gorgeous!

First is the much anticipated With These Hands: 19th Century Inspired Primitive Projects for Your Home by Maggie Bonanomi. Inspired by antiques of days gone by, hand stitched household items fill this book. Maggie works in primitive hand appliqué, rug hooking, and cross stitch, using natural fibers: wool, velvets, linen. She has included 7 projects for the living room, 4 for the bedroom, and 14 for the sewing room.

I’ve exhibited at plenty of trade shows in my short five-year career – which means I’ve been to a lot of convention centers. So I kind of consider myself to be a convention center expert. Upon entering the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh I was immediately impressed – and continue to be impressed. Which made me decide to rate three of the convention centers I’ve been to for Quilt Market – but on criteria that I find to be important. So the parameters are: sun bathing, Mexican restaurants, bridges, and “greenness.”

George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas

Sun Bathing: Houston’s center has a nice, but small, outdoor patio where it often offers grilled hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch. The problem is, Houston is often too humid to enjoy the outdoors, and when it’s not, the small patio is too packed to even find a place to sit.

Mexican Restaurants: The city of Houston is the Mecca of Tex-Mex. Even the drive to Houston boasts excellent Mexican dining – Buffalo, Texas, is the home to Edie’s and my favorite cheese enchiladas. Each time we’re in Houston, we try a different Mexican restaurant, and I have never had a meal that wasn’t above average.

A Happy EdieHere's Edie with her Smirnoff Ice - Pittsburgh passes the test!

Right now, I am flying 33,000 feet above the ground – presumably over the state of Idaho – on my way to Pittsburgh for the 2009 International Spring Quilt Market. I can’t believe it, but this will be my sixth Market. Looking back on all of the previous markets, I have to admit that the spring ones are my favorite. Maybe not in terms of business, but definitely when it comes to fun.

The first Spring Market I attended was in Salt Lake City, Utah. I had never been to that part of the country before, and Edie and I made the two-day trek out there in the minivan. I was amazed at how beautiful that part of the country is.

My LolaI don’t know if I’ve blogged about this before, but I have a little Jack Russell terrier named Lola that I absolutely adore. When I’d go on business trips, I’d generally take Lola from Kansas City up to Omaha to stay with my folks – or “grandma” and “grandpa” as I call them when Lola is around. According to my sister and many friends, I am obsessed with my dog.

Whew! It’s been a whirlwind here the past few months, and it doesn’t look like the end is near – which is great! I haven’t posted a blog for awhile, but it’s time to update you all. A lot has been going on!

To start, we have new books GALORE. There is definitely something for everyone in our new lineup. At the end of this post, I have listed all of the new books with a short description and a link to learn more.

Also, we are now carrying self-published patterns from Denise Sheehan’s A Graceful Stitch and Liz & Beth Hawkins of Lizzie B Cre8ive. Be sure to check out these up-and-coming designers – their patterns are beautiful AND fun!

Thanks to all of you who submitted pictures of your quilts for our new book My Stars: Patterns from The Kansas City Star, Vol. I. We received several submissions – and all of them were beautiful! Unfortunately we could only go with a few, but don’t despair! There will be a My Stars Vol. II coming up soon, as well as III, IV, V, and so on and so on.

In May, we plan to release a book that includes a selection of 25 of the first patterns offered to My Star Collection subscribers. The book, called "My Stars: Patterns from The Kansas City Star, Vol. I," will include redrafted patterns that were published in The Kansas City Star newspaper sometime between 1928 and 1961. Each pattern will include templates, fabric requirements, and assembly instructions, as well as the history of the block. But we’re missing one thing – quilts made up of these blocks!

This is where you come in! If you have a quilt made up of any of the blocks listed below and would like to have it published in our book, please email us a sample picture. If chosen, we’ll ship your quilt to our studios to be photographed and then back again – we pay for shipping – and we’ll give you a free copy of the book once it is released.

Below are the patterns we'd like to see quilts made of:

Broken Sugar Bowl
Caps for Witches and Dunces
Carrie Nation
Christmas Tree
Coffee Cups
Cog Wheels
Contrary Husband
Contrary Wife
Crystal Star
Economy
Flying Colors
Four Patch Fox and Goose