Linda and I have been hard at work since last Thursday. Quilt Market is practically here and we're not ready yet. Oh my!

And, in even more exciting news, we've gotten the sample yardage from our 2nd collection of fabric! We can't really say (or show) more but you are going to love this fabric too!

There are new patterns, a new book, and lots of new fabric coming from Piece O' Cake in 2011. We can hardly wait (and as I type this Carly Simon is singing about anticipation in the background… really, she is!)

Linda is here and we made a movie to show you the applique with perle cotton that we've both been having fun with. I made my AAQI World Series Quilt with this kind of applique and it has lots of attitude.

The perle cotton is here on our site. Our favorite crewel needle is at the bottom of that page as well.

We are really having fun with this and we hope to post some more movies soon. Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Be sure to go to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative booth at Quilt Festival in Houston. After you  enter the show, hang an immediate right and it is just before you hit the wall. Look for the big booth at the front corner, row S (like Simms).

There will be lots of mini-quilts for sale AND the World Series Challenge quilts will be hanging! Remember that these are the quilts I've written about before. Hollis Chatelain, Caryl Bryer Fallert, John Flynn, Judy Mathieson, Sue Nickels, Mary Sorensen, Ricky Tims, and I each made a quilt. If you are there, you can drop $1 in the jug to vote for your favorite – I hope it's mine :-). Later you'll have a chance to own these quilts!

Here's a video that will tell you more about what you'll find in the AAQI booth:

Quilt market is practically here and I'm not ready!!! Can you me taking deep, calming breaths? I did finish the quilting on this one and I took a photo of the quilt clamps in use that I thought I'd share:

This quilt is not that big and there were times when I had to have some of it hanging off the table. The quilt clamp helped to support that weight like this, and they worked even better when most of the quilt was on the table. I will continue to use the clamps because they really do help.

NOTE: The clamps can swing around a bit if you aren't careful when you release them. I've had to clear the cute stuff off of my windowsill so that I didn't break anything.

At 4:00 EST Linda and I will be the guests on Pat Sloan's Creative Talk Network. You can listen to the 1 hour interview live or download the podcast to listen later. Click here to go to Pat's site where you will see the interview link. We have lots to talk about out!

I forgot to say… we are giving away a My Whimsical Quilt Garden pattern. Leave a comment on Pat's blog and she will draw a winner.

I am happy to tell you that there is now a Piece O' Cake deck of playing cards. We think they are just pretty darned cute!

The little 'blue bird of happiness' is on the back of every card. There are a variety of images from our quilts on the face cards and Linda and I are now officially jokers! You can find them here on our website.

Now I'm going to move my chair back to my sewing machine where I am quilting like crazy…