Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 31

Happy Mother' day.  I am sitting here enjoying the quiet.  Two of my children (Josh & Ginny), their girlfriend/boyfriend (Taryn & Wade) and 3 grandpuppies were here for the weekend.  We had lots of hugs, food, and  fun. Quinn (our sweet little, loveable puppy) gave everyone hugs, excluding the other dogs and promptly went to bed.  He did get excited when Ginny and Wade left...He kind of bonded with Wade and thought for a moment, when the leash came out, that he was going to his Ginny's house. When that didn't happen, he was clearly disappointed for a minute...then decided he would just go to bed.
 
Now we are back to quiet.  I need to get some kits made for our next shows.  Our next one is in Chantilly, Virginia-May 31 and June 1 & 2.  Then we catch our breath before heading north to Duluth Minnesota- June 13, 14 & 15, and from there it is on to Chicago-June 19-23. I would love to visit with you at one or more of our booths at any of these shows.

If you didn't get the kit you wanted in Paducah and didn't order at the show....We have them now, but since I only make them for shows...they are on a first come basis.(call 512 556 3019 or email us at lakadaisies@hotmail.com
 
The weather is quite warm here in Texas, the wildflowers are wonderful, and I am hoping for a rainy summer...In all of our travels, it seems to be raining, but we still are dry in Texas....so...I am hoping to bring some back with us when we come home. 
We just sent off our GrandMother's Legacy coverlet to France for an upcoming issue of Quilt Mania's "Simply Vintage", along with another design.  We hope to have them back with us before the show in Chantilly at the end of the Month....The coverlet was a big success in Paducah...Speaking of Paducah....It was a really nice show, Thanks all-
especially Bonnie and Laurie.  We ran into several old friends and made so many new ones. We really enjoyed everything, apart from the rain and the Porta Potties-That were actually outside in the rain (not sure where I expected them to be)....We stayed in a really nice hotel and the dogwood trees were in bloom....so nice....and the wonderful old houses and buildings  along the Ohio River are some of my favorites...John said “Let’s go over into Illinois”. The tall, narrow bridge over the Ohio River.......noper....gonna have to say...I do not recommend that to the faint of heart.....I still get goose bumps thinking of it...

John is working on finalizing our schedule for the rest of the year.  I know that we are going to have a booth at the Quilt Show, right down the road in Temple, Texas in July. He has also mentioned such places as Grand Rapids, Long Beach, Des Moines, and Madison, Wisconsin.  I think that he has also been talking to some people in Atlanta and Florida.  I will let you know as soon as I know.

I have got to run-I think I hear him coming
as always---enjoy life
dolores Storm

Down On The Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 30

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 30

I did not realize that it has been so long since my last blog. I have been busy. We recently got home from the Quilt expo in Puallup, Washington and then the AQS show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Both were great shows and it was quite a long trip. I would like to say a quick "thank you" to all of the wonderful people who made me feel at home in all of my travels.

We had a new edition of Quilt Mania’s "Simply Vintage" magazine waiting for us when we got home..The Spring addition... #6. We have one of our designs featured in it from our Hand me Down series. The Appliqued Sampler #608, it is on the back cover as well. We have just sent off a new design to them and we just arranged to send them another coverlet when we get back from Paducah. I have been busy getting ready for the big AQS show in Paducah, Kentucky.

When I think of Paducah, I have to smile. We were at a small guild show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida many moons ago....just starting out on the quilt show circuit....so very naive....when Bonnie, the president of the AQS came to our booth. She must have liked it because she asked if we would be interested in doing the AQS show in Paducah, if a booth became available......Well, I was so ignorant about things then...I had no idea who or what the AQS was or where Paducah was...John said he thought it was in Texas....somewhere.......

We of course said yes, not wanting to appear the clueless newbie..so in a little while we were off to Paducah and right away we found out we were out of our comfort zone....definately not in Kansas anymore. We had a wonderful show....Thank you Bonnie.

We were immediately bullied by other venders about not paying our dues.....I had no idea what dues they were talking about....again...ignorant.....John said we would pay them later. That was in 2002, and we are heading back to Paducah in a few days. I am hoping that John has paid the dues ? If not, I guess that he will have to pay them later. We hope to see you there. The dates are April 24-27. We will be in the Bubble? I am hoping also for good weather...the last time we were there we had a huge rain storm with tornados all around.We had to drive an hour and a half just to sleep at a fish camp....and wait a minute.....John says we will still be driving two hours to and from but....this time I am not staying at a fish camp...they were booked...not kidding.... I am trying to stay positive....I will not be a baby about this....I am a seasoned quilt show vendor now, I am a professional and I know to bring along several bottles of wine...just in case...oh, and chocolate..... no seasoned quilt show vendor goes anywhere without the essentials...

Got to run---just remember always---enjoy life--------ds

I promise not to take so long next time

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 29

Hello Everyone

The International Quilt Festival in Houston was fantastick. I would like to thank everyone that came by our booth. I don’t think I have ever felt "so much love" in my life. All I can say is a big ThankYou to all of you. I got to catch up with several of my "designer friends" and Quilt Mania came by and said they want to feature some more of my designs. But, mainly the most exciting thing was the customers, or maybe I should say, YOU. We visited with so many of you. All of your input just felt so good. Thanks again.

I can’t believe it is the day after Christmas. Thanksgiving and Christmas went by in a blur. I have been so busy working on new designs I almost missed them. We did celebrate them with our children and grandkids and it was such fun-I even managed to not sew or hook on Christmas day.

We received a UPS shipment on Christmas Eve from Quilt Mania -they returned several of my designs, AND they sent the new Nov./Dec. issue of Simply Vintage magazine.  Five of my designs are featured in it. As always, the magazine is great (of course, it is printed in French, but the pictures are worth a thousand words, at least to me). A BIG THANK YOU to them.  Here is a picture of the cover.

I think that you can purchase the magazine from their website. Here is a link http://www.quiltmania.com/simply-vintage-magazine-gb.html

Right now, I am focusing on the 10th Annual Jefferson Quilt -Quilts on the Bayou,in Jefferson, Texas. The show dates are Jan. 25, 26 and 27. My hat goes off to some good women in the Jefferson area. They decided that they wanted to do a quilt show so they did. They are not a guild but they are doing a bang up job. They really know how to take care of the vendors-they feed us so well. Two of them came by the at Houston. John was busy , so they told me to tell him something about turnip greens...smells good already. I am working on a few new designs and will preview them there. Here is a link to their website  www.jeffersonquiltshow.com/

After that we head south to McAllen Texas for the 31st. Annual Quilt Show-Joined by Heart-Strings. The show dates for that one are February 15 & 16.  The Rio Grande Valley Quilt Guild does a great job. We had a lot of fun there last year. Maybe I can get a little sand between my toes. Here is a link to their website  http://www.rgvqg.com/ .

John thought that the news from Washington was so good that we just have to head to the great Northwest. Puyallup-I have a hard time with that one- Washington--February 28 and March 1, 2 & 3. Then we have a week to get to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the AQS Show-March 13, 14, 15, & 16....more about those shows later. John is working on fleshing out the rest of our schedule. I guess that he will tell me when I need to know.

I would love to meet and visit with you at any or all of these shows. ALL OF YOU mean so much to me.



Got to go...As always...enjoy life......ds

PS Oh, I nearly forgot....he said something about a presentation at a guild meeting in Wimberly, Texas in February and Padacuh Kentucky in April

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #28

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 28

Hello Everyone

I would like to thank everyone that came by our booth at the Quilt-A-Fair in Longmont Colorado and our booth at the AQS Show in Des Moines, Iowa. Again, it seemed that nearly everyone loved our new designs. I overheard John telling several women to hold the applause down a notch. He said something about getting a "big head". I promise not to get one. We met so many nice people. I don’t think I could continue on without all of your support.

Our son, Josh went with us to Longmont. He was a lot of help setting up and taking down, but we didn’t really need his help in the booth, so we told him to go take us some photos. We, Josh and I, saw groundhogs everywhere but John couldn’t see them. Josh tried for a hour and could not coax one of the little stinkers to pose....Hmmm. He did take some other pictures. I can’t find them right now so I will have to post them later. Sorry about that Colorado-WE REALLY DO LOVE YOU.

We took some good ones in the Des Moines area. They have this park in the downtown where they have these big works of art. Here are a couple of pics.

And they have these trees that are turning red-Sugar Maples we were told-magnificent. Anyway, here is a pic of one of them.

After the show we went to the town of Walnut, Iowa where we went antiquing. On the way there we stopped and took a pic of this windmill

pretty neat.



We have a lot of new stores that carry our patterns. I am going to try to list them on an upcoming blog.

Right now, I am focusing of the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. The show dates are Nov. 1, 2, 3 and 4 with a preview night on October 31. Please come if you can. Our booth number is 563. I can’t wait to see my old friends and look forward to making a lot of new ones.

Got to go...As always...enjoy life......ds

PS Our recently engaged daughter Ginny hopes to join us at the show and show off some of her "folded books"

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 27

Hello Everyone:

Sewing with Nancy was a blast...I stayed really busy. I would like to send a great big "Thank You" to all who came by and visited at the booth.

I wanted to go through Kansas and Iowa, so we did. Our good friend,  Denise Sinnwell, owner of Quilter's Window in
New Hampton, Iowa called just as we were crossing the border into Wisconsin from Iowa. She told me that I was crossing the Mighty Mississippi. Something about crossing the Mississippi, just makes me feel good. Anyway, she ordered a bunch of patterns-do pay her a visit. I am going to have to talk John into going by-I have heard so many nice things about her store.

Then, we went through Mount Horeb. I guess that it is a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin. Anyway, some people call it "The Troll Capitol of the World". Pretty neat, they have some trolls lining the streets. We went through several years ago and I wanted to take and share a picture with you.

I wanted to take a picture of the booth but I forgot to charge my batteries. Maybe next time....John kept looking over his shoulder. I think that he thought that we were going to be on TV. We weren't that lucky, but it was a great show and we are planning on Sewing With Nancy again. We met so many nice people and Marla Arndt who owns The Cutting Edge in
Antigo, Wisconsin now carries our patterns. Please pay her a visit. I guess that I need to give a mention to all of the fine stores that carry our merchandise. I will try to do that next time.

Nothing exciting on the return trip. We went through Illinois and St. Louis. We like to check out the downtown sometimes and in Beloit, Illinois we saw something that we had never seen before-an M&M vending machine that was located in an old door. It was sticking out into an alleyway/parking lot in the downtown area. My batteries were recharged, so here it is....

I guess that we like the unusual more than anything else, but you never know when you might just get that craving for some chocolate, so if you are ever in downtown Beloit.

Minutes before the show closed, we got a call from my sister.  My brother, Ronnie was in the hospital.  He had been there a lot lately. His health had been declining for years.  He  was in intensive care in Killeen, Texas. We were able to see him just before he passed. He had a very troubled life and I know that he is in a better place.  Whoever wrote the song," If It Wasn't For Bad Luck", must have spent some time with him. Actually, he has a son and daughter who were both taken from him at an early age and his daughter finally found and visited with him just a few weeks ago. I guess that he finally had some good luck. It doesn't get much better than that.  Through all of his troubles, he had a big heart.  He will be truly missed by his family and friends..

 John says that the best way to cope is to continue working and,so  that is what we have been doing. I have a standing joke with my kids " There is always something to do at Lakadaisies".  With that in mind, we are heading out to Longmont, Colorada to do a show this weekend.  Hope to see you there. 

As always, enjoy life.....ds

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm blog #26

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 26

I would like to thank everyone that came by our booth at Long Beach. It seemed that nearly everyone loved our new designs and that is so flattering. We met so many people-I am horrible with names, so I am not going to mention any because I know I would leave someone out.

I am going to "mention" the stores that now carry our patterns. Ruth, the "Wool Lady" came by and loved our stuff. We went by her store in Temecula on our way home and made some trades. She has so much wool-I was in heaven. Georgia has a Quilting Obsession in Beaumont and she bought some kits. She is taking a little "time off", but should be carrying our patterns real soon. Our old friends, Bob & Debbie, from Carriage Country Quilts in Des Moines, Washington, were there and went home with a few of my Originals. They also took home some patterns for Redwork and Wool Applique. Please, be sure and shop with all of these fine merchants-and tell em that Lakadaisies sent you.

Well, enough of that. We are gearing up for Sewing With Nancy. Actually, it is Quilt Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. I don’t know how John did it, but we are headed north. Please come and visit with us at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison September 6, 7, and 8. I am so excited.

Got to go...As always...enjoy life......ds

PS Took a little trip to San Antonio and found this great Wool Shop. Tricia Travis, of Country Gatherings in Braken Village, showed John a little rug hooking...maybe I can talk him into taking classes. She has a lot of wool and a lot of room. I think I can have a lot of fun with her later.

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #25

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #25

Hello Everybody

It is so good to be back home.  We just got back from the International Quilt Festival/Long Beach in Long Beach, California.  It is so nice out there.  A little crowded but nice. It felt so good to get some sand between the toes.  We ran into some old friends and made so many new ones.  It seem that everywhere we go we meet so many new friends. It really is great. I will tell you more about that in a few days.

Right now, I want to let you know our schedule for the next little bit.  We are going to show off our new designs (be vendors) at the Quilt-A-Fair which will be held at Longmont, Colorado on September 21 and 22.  We had such a wonderful time there last year.  Next, we go to Des Moines, Iowa for the AQS Show on October 3, 4, 5, and 6. (first time for us)  After that, we will be in Houston for the International Quilt Festival/Houston on November 1, 2, 3 and 4. (oh yeah-party time)

Next year, we will help our friends in Jefferson Texas celebrate their 10th annual Quilt Show ’Quilts on the Bayou’ January 25, 26,and 27. Then we travel back up North for the AQS show in Lancaster Pennsylvania on March 13, 14, 15, and 16.  That is all I know for now.  I will let you know more when John tells me. 

Well for now ...I got to go ......enjoy life......ds

PS We are planning on doing a lot more traveling this year and I really do enjoy speaking at guilds and teaching workshops/classes.  I just might be in or at least close to your part of the world...Stay tuned to my blog or call/email for more information.