King Size Sun Cloth

Wow!! I happened to check out FabShopNews today and found an article about one of the new items we're going to have at the shop -- King Size Sun Cloth from Langa Lapu

I can't wait till they get here!!

We're Starting to Look Like a Quilt Shop! :)

Chris, Bonnie and I were at the shop for a few hours yesterday morning... sorting through boxes and fabric and deciding which samples to make...

We also decided to get a bit of a display in the window -- just so passers-by would be able to see what's coming!!




The display is set up on an antique day bed from China... about 120 years old... and if you look closely, you'll see that the front legs of the bed are a pair of shiisa!! Very cool, huh?








This quilt on display is a kimono quilt that my Mom made for me -- all hand quilted... really lovely!! Thanks, Mom!!

What do you think??

Tomorrow: Horn cabinets arrive!!


If you're in the area, stop in and see us... but be warned... we just might put you to work!! :)

A Very Busy Week Ahead!!

Tomorrow is the beginning of a very busy week!!


On Thursday, we moved the fabric and furniture from my house to the shop. The phones and internet are in... and tomorrow we (as in the Shiisa Quilts staff!!) begin working on getting the shop set up!

I gave MediaWorks approval for the logo and got the sign ordered... also ordered biz cards and stationery... and Eric is making great progress on the website!

Monday, we have a virtual training on Bernina's My Label software.

Tuesday, I have a phone conference with MicroSolve to move forward on the point of sale system.

Wednesday, the Horn of America cabinets will arrive!!

Friday (I think), the Bernina machines and software will arrive!!

And... everyday holds the promise of shipments of fabrics and notions!!

I hope to have gift cards available before Christmas, but if we don't have them, we'll make sure that you can get a gift certificate for your favorite quilter!!

A Work in Progress...

I promised pics -- and it's fun to share with you all how things are moving along!!

Right now it's dusty and grimy... but by Thursday morning it should be pristeen!

Tomorrow is the Big Day!!

OK... maybe not the REALLY big day!! But, I'll get the keys to the building tomorrow... and then Wed it will get a really really GOOD cleaning... and by Thursday afternoon, we'll actually have some furniture in there!!

Horn of America cabinets and Bernina sewing machines and sergers are coming in next week...

We won't open until mid-January, but we'll be in there working on getting the shop together... so if you're in the area, stop by and see us... and give us a HAND!! :)

If you're just really disappointed that you won't be able to shop for quilting fabric and notions for that special Christmas present, you can email me at janet@shiisaquilts.com and we can work out getting you a gift certificate!!

We'll plan a Fat Quarter folding party in early January -- so if you're interested in helping us, send me an email... participants will earn free FQ's, gift cards, and get a chance to see (and touch) all the new fabric.... isn't that what quilting is all about??

Keep checking back for updates!! I'll try to post pictures tomorrow!

A Peek at my "Office" aka the Dining Room

In the corner, I have 3 computers set up... only using 1, you understand, but I really had to get started on the POS set-up on those computers...

Lots of fabric is still at the distributors... just waiting for me to give them the word to deliver... and I think that will be late next week!!

The floor was supposed to be finished today... I'll go tomorrow to check it out... and then the molding and a little touch-up painting... I have cleaning tentatively scheduled for Wed evening!!

The shop will look way better than this... promise!! :)

My RT Tulip #1

Ricky Tims calls this his Chantelle Tulip... but I think I'll name mine the RT Tulip... and this one is #1... I somehow think there will be more as I play with this technique a bit!!

I love it... no rulers.. no templates... gentle undulating curves....

I'm in LOVE!!

LOL friends... I knew that would get your attention!!

I think I love Ricky Tims!!

I told you about the Convergence Quilt... that was fun...

But last night I decided to try Ricky's Quilting Caveman Style... unfortunately, I started that at about 10pm... so at 3am (!) I finally forced myself to go to bed!! My first little Chantelle top was finished... including the "wonky" borders...

So this morning (yes, I did get up at regular time!), I layered it and got the backing on... now all I have to do is quilt it!!!


I'll try to get some pics up this evening...


oh... and I went out to the shop yesterday -- they'd started laying the floor... should be finished with that this afternoon... then the floor molding and a bit of paint... and I think we'll have access early next week!!!

Bloom Magazine Advertisers Sale

The kids and I went to the Convention Center today for this sale sponsored by Bloom Magazine. It was pretty cool! Businesses who have advertised in Bloom Magazine during the year were invited to participate.... next year Shiisa Quilts will be among that group!

We did a little Christmas shopping and enjoyed looking at all the items that were for sale. Prices were GREAT!!

And... if you've never seen Bloom Magazine, you're really missing out! It's a top-quality publication that looks like NYC or Paris -- but it's about Bloomington!

My Bernina 730 and a Convergence Quilt

Last night, I reached the end of my rope!! I decided that today, I would ignore the boxes (that I can't do anything about right now anyways!!) and I'd clear a little space in my room so that I could give my Bernina 730 a "test drive"....

So... what to do?? Well I have some hand-dyed fabric and have been dying to try my hand at one of Ricky Tims' Convergence Quilts... so that's what I did today!! What FUN!! And... he's right... they are addicting!! I completed the first top and have ideas swimming for others... I think I need to live with this one a bit before I'll know how I want to finish it -- borders/no borders... how to quilt it... those kinds of decisions....

The 730 is wonderful!! ... now I need to get out that embroidery module... maybe tomorrow??

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday!!

Shiisa Quilts is Coming!

I met the electrician at the shop this morning to show him where I wanted the light fixtures and remembered to take the camera with me -- so we finally have some "in progress" pics of the shop!


The first door on the left is the Tech Department aka David's Domain... the mirrored window will be reversed so that customers can see into the workshop.



This is our Bernina and Horn of America sales area. The windows look into the classroom!



A little better view of the classroom...






These pictures show the rest of the sales floor...




Hopefully by the end of next week I'll have some pics that show lots of progress!! It will look so much better when that concrete floor is replaced, don't you think?

Update 18 November

First of all... Happy Birthday, Nathan!! (my youngest is 21 today!!)

The "state of the shop" is that the slatwall was delivered this week... last time I was over there, they were putting up the grid to get the lights back in... which means that flooring isn't far behind!

Then the real work begins for us! The fabric fixtures are due in early December and that will allow me to get all this fabric out of my dining room!! And the bulk of the fabric shipments will arrive in December -- so that will be exciting... touching all that fabric -- such an obsession, eh?

Then the Horn of America cabinets and chairs will arrive and the Bernina machines will arrive -- and David (and others) can begin the process of sewing them in and completing the Mastery Books for them. Rebecca has been putting together books for me so that we're ready to go with that.

I have a telephone conference appointment on Monday to get the POS system set up on the computer and then I'll start getting labels on the inventory that's already here at the house. Getting the inventory on the list is a huge job at this point, but I'm glad we're starting at the beginning! I can't imagine doing that when the shop is already open and you're trying to keep up with inventory manually!

MediaWorks in Bloomington is working on our logo and website -- and I'm really excited about the direction they're going with that!! I'm hoping that the website will be ready early in December... Once the logo is ready, I'll get with the the sign shop...

Chris and I went to Madison WI for a sales training early this week... a day with Kaysie Oldani, the national sales trainer for Bernina USA, is a terrific experience! And I think that Chris is now ready to help us sell machines!!

So... you can see that we've been pretty busy here!! And... it's getting COLD!! :(

I GOT IT!!! :)

I got my dealer number!! Shiisa Quilts is now officially a Bernina Dealer!!

Fabric Fabric Everywhere!!

Let me tell you what MY house looks like!!

OK... first a little background... you know (if you've been reading) that we had been staying with my Mom since we arrived in Bloomington... but on 1 November we moved into our condo!! YAY!! Now... somehow I had forgotten that the stuff I bought for the shop was going to take up space in said condo.... hmmm... so... I have all the stuff that actually belongs in my house... plus quite a bit of Chinese antiques that belong at the shop... plus all of Rebecca's stuff (she'll be moving to her new apartment in early December -- at which time her room becomes my office/sewing room).... plus all of David's stuff (he'll be moving to his new apartment in early January at which time his room becomes the guest room).... So... it's a little hard to move in here... and a little hard to put stuff away -- which is really NOT by best attribute anyways!

My little bro has graciously allowed me to have fabric delivered to the One World Commissary for the past few months... and Tommy brought that to my garage today... about a pallet of fabric... so I quickly had to look -- and feel, of course!! -- and much of it is now in my dining room and has been input onto the inventory spreadsheet....

I have the dining room set up as a temporary office....

Rebecca has been working -- putting together Bernina mastery books for the shop.... David has been working -- keeping the trash going to the dumpster and helping me get stuff together for the shop...

So things are moving right along!!

I've hired two staff members and have talked to others, so that's been very cool!! Chris and I will go to Madison, WI, on Tuesday for a Bernina sales training. Can't WAIT!!

I met with one of my fabric reps yesterday to order some Marcus Textiles, some Langa Lapu, M&S Textiles, and ClothWorks.... NICE STUFF!!

So... I know you're dying to know what's in my dining room....

Well let's see...

Blank Textiles: Amazon; Happy Days; Out of Africa: Wonderland
Westminster Fibers: Utopia; Dogwood Festival; Mendhi; Fundamentals
Quilting Treasures: Living Color

Martha Negly Collection
Kaffe Fassett Collection
Marie Kelzer Collection

Does that give you a clue??

Happy Halloween!!

EEK! A Severed Foot!



(Hee-Hee - Happy Halloween :)


thanks to Lois, at Bernina USA!! :)

I Love My MBT's!!! :)

As you all know, I have spent the weekend at Quilt Market in Houston. What an amazing (and yes... overwhelming at times!) experience!! I took two classes -- making a silk clutch purse using free-motion quilting (more on that in a later post!!) and a class on using Shiva Paintstiks (more on that later too!!) But the rest of the time was spent walking the floor of the huge vendor area, looking at (and buying, of course!) quilting fabric, dupioni silk, quilting threads, serger threads, embroidery threads, embellishments, quilting and sewing patterns and books, Horn cabinets... and on and on...

That's a LOT of time on your feet... on those awful concrete floors.... I left the hotel at 7:30 am, walked a couple of blocks to the convention center, and then spent all day until 7 or 8 pm on my feet most of the time... and then walked back to the hotel.... In the past, my feet and my legs and my lower back would have been screaming "just kill me now!!!".... and I would have been looking for my bottle of painkiller...

BUT... you know what?? My feet don't hurt... not at all.... my back doesn't hurt... my legs don't hurt.... and I don't wake up in the morning thinking "I can't move!!!"

I have loved my MBT's from the time I bought them, but I never REALLY put them to the test until this weekend... I brought my sandals (Kisumu) and some new oxfords (Beach)... and they were GREAT!!


And it just occurred to me..... Bernina and MBT are both made in Switzerland... how COOL is THAT??? :)

And yes... this is an unpaid testimonial!! :)
Now... if they'd just come out with a MaryJane style I'd be so very thankful!!

Quilt Market In Houston

I got to Houston early this afternoon, quickly got settled in the hotel and then headed for the Convention Center to check things out. It's HUGE!!!

I went to the Bernina Reception -- it was great to see a few familiar faces and to realize that next year more of the faces will be familiar :)

Then... I joined some friends at the Sample Spree... OMG!! What a feeding frenzy that is!! A room full of vendors selling their newest quilting offerings... beautiful silks... embellishments.... fat quarter packs and jelly rolls.... WOW!!

It was truly a quilter's dream come true!!

I'm scheduled for a couple of classes tomorrow and meetings with vendors.... Sounds like fun!!

Beautiful Fabric is Coming from Blank Quilting!!

I met yesterday with the rep from Blank Quilting...

Bought some beautiful fabrics!! But... you'll just have to wait until the shop goes online to see them.... I'm hoping to get the online shop open in December!!

OK... OK... I'll show you a couple!! LOL

These are from the Tribal Treasures II Collection





I can really picture some stunning quilts using these!! Get those creative juices flowing!! :)

Bernina is Awesome!!

David and I completed our trainings today!! The Bernina New Dealer Business Training was amazing. My brain is filled to the brim with great info about how to develop my business!!


But I think David really had a much more challenging week than I had. Technical training is tough!! Near the end of the first day of training I peeked in the room and each of the techs-in-training had an Artista 730 in front of them on the workbench... and they were disassembling them!! This is a top-of-the-line Bernina, and my son was taking it apart!! Pretty scary! A number of the men in the class have been repairing machines for years and they were really helpful to David (and to the other newbies in the class, I'm sure!)... Less than about 48 hours later, they had all adjusted and reassembled their 730s, completed the "stitch in" and they were working just great!! Next, they worked on the 440QE... and then the sergers....

Although early in the week, David looked pretty overwhelmed, by the middle of the week, he came out of the room smiling every day!! Exhausted... but smiling!! And today, he got his certificate announcing that he had successfully completed the Bernina Basic Technical Training!! YAY for David!! :)