2010 January

Another pink post

January 28, 2010 By Anne 47 Comments

I am the queen of shopping, just ask my husband. He’s given me the title, but he’s a bit biased. I should hesitate to accept, but I can’t help it. I love the title! It should come with a tiara that I can wear when I greet the UPS man.

So there I was last weekend, the “Queen of Shopping” cleaning out the garage. Now that we’ve cancelled the studio addition I’m left with a few things I’ve purchased with the addition in mind. Most of my purchases are really smart buys. Things on sale with a price so low I just couldn’t pass them up. It’s great fun to open up the boxes!

I asked my husband for some help. I innocently said, “Can you help me with that heavy box over in the corner”? Stupid move on my part. I forgot the number one rule; never let your husband open a purchase. Never. Open it in private, no matter how heavy, then hand him the empty box. Truth be told I couldn’t remember what was in the box.

So now the “queen of shopping” is left with the “purchase of the year”. The one thing I’ll never live down. The one thing I have no room for, a bright pink refrigerator. Not the “perfect’ Bunny Hill pink, but bright pink. Up to the studio my husband carried it, with me acting like it was the smartest thing I ever bought. “Put it right over there by my sewing machine” I said.

Hummm, so now what? It’s here, in the studio, until I can sneak it out when the Goodwill truck drives by. I’m almost tripping over it! At least I can use the top for storage, but what do you keep on the top of a pink refrigerator?

Wait! I think I may have found the perfect thing!

Chelsea likes it, and she likes her treats chilled! “It’s a good thing” as Martha would say. Bitsy isn’t impressed. She thinks the pink is too bright.

During the next week you’ll be seeing things change on my blog so please be patient with me. We’re still working on it, moving things around, trying to find a good fit. My blog isn’t moving again, just changing a bit more. We’ll be done soon, I promise.

Back soon,

Hugs,

Anne

Filed Under: Collections, Decorating, My Studio

American Patchwork, Vicki & Me

January 23, 2010 By Anne 22 Comments

The journeys we take in life, always seem to bring unexpected pleasures. Those little things we never anticipate. Sweet surprises that can’t be predicted or even thought of when we start the journey. Amazing, is the word I use for these little pleasures.

When I started designing, I never anticipated the friendships I would find along the way. I was focused on my business, trying to get it up and running, worried that I might not be successful, have enough money to continue, afraid people wouldn’t like what I did, and well, you get the idea. Oh my, it was a lot to focus on! Now as I look back on my journey, I realize that one of the unexpected pleasures that I NEVER anticipated was the friendships I would form with other designers. These friendships have helped me through difficult times. Times when I needed advice or wanted to ask questions. Unexpected pleasures like no other!

Vicki Bellino, of Bloom Creek, is one of those designer friends. She’s been there for me time after time. We’ve laughed, cried, shopped, visited and had countless phone calls together. Imagine my surprise, when last October, this picture arrived in the mail. A gift from my friend Vicki! A Bunny Hill bunny surrounded by Bloom Creek blooms, pieced and appliqued in the perfect pinks. It made me cry, of course. Just to think of the hours she spent making this precious gift that symbolizes our friendship, I still can’t believe she did it. This picture now hangs in my studio.

Vicki and I decided we wanted to share this with all of you. So we took the Bunny Hill bunny and her Bloom Creek blooms, and a new quilt was born. We submitted this new version to “American Patchwork and Quilting” and they said yes! Coming in the April issue of “American Patchwork and Quilting” you’ll find our quilt!

“The Bunny Patch”

Applique by Anne Sutton

Pieced & Quilted by Vicki Bellino

Featured Fabric, “Aviary” by Three Sisters, from Moda Fabrics

If you subscribe to this magazine like I do, you’ll be receiving this issue in your mail box any day now. If you don’t subscribe (you should), you’ll find it on news stands February 2nd. ”American Patchwork and Quilting” is one of the few magazines that ships to subscribers before it hits the stands! I’ve included directions for the spray starch method of applique in this issue, along with other applique tips. Vicki gives you tips on how she’s quilted this quilt (it’s just amazing). If you’d like a kit you can find it here on my web site or here on Vicki’s web site. We have limited kits available so don’t wait. Our kit includes everything but the magazine and backing for $45.00! (No, it doesn’t include the sewing machine, the pins, the batting, the scissors, the thread or someone to make it for you tee hee!) Opps, I forgot, buttons and ribbon not included.

Look for more posts soon on my new Bunny Tales blog! Be sure and re- subscribe on this blog. Most of you aren’t having problems subscribing, but a few are. I’m working on it, so please try again in a few days. Maybe a miracle will happen.

And speaking of miracles, the true kind, be sure and bid on the wonderful auction quilts on The Fat Quarter Shops, Jolly Jabber blog. You’ll find a Bunny Hill quilt there, along with so many other wonderful items. Don’t miss this auction!

Be back soon! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Hugs,

Anne

Filed Under: Applique, Magazine Quilts, Quilt Design Tagged With: American Patchwork and Quilting, Quilt Design, Quilting

I’m still unpacking, but come on in!

January 20, 2010 By Anne 66 Comments

Welcome to the new Bunny Tales! I’m so glad to see you! Please have a look around, stay awhile and visit with me. I feel like I’ve been gone for months! If you’ve ever moved to a new house, you know it takes awhile to feel like home. That’s how I’m feeling with my new blog. Not only did I move my blog, I also changed the look. That’s a lot for one week.

If you’ve subscribed to Bunny Tales on my old blog, you’ll need to re- subscribe again here. Just click on the subscribe links in the upper right corner to receive my posts. You can have them emailed to you, or add them to your reader.

Here’s a little something you might not know: the pink in my logo looks different on many computers. Some of you couldn’t even see the original, perfect, pastel pink I started with. We’ve darkened it a bit,so now everyone should be seeing pink. If it’s Pepto Bismol pink, I’m sorry. It’s your monitor, not my color sense. Really! Here’s a color test for you…this logo should be the perfect pink. Tell me what you see? Tee Hee!

Now that I’m here, I can add a PDF document to my blog! A PDF! The type of document that you can print and save! The type of document where I can give you instructions for a free pattern or tutorial! I added my first one today! It’s the Rick Rack Tutorial for A Tisket, A Tasket! Just click on the “tutorial”s link on the top bar, scroll down, click on the link for the rick rack tutorial, and you can print your own copy! And if you loose your copy, you know where to find it. It’ll be right here.

I’m still adding things and making changes, so you never know what to expect. If you have me linked on your blog side bar, please change my URL to www.bunnyhillblog.com .

And give me some feedback on the comment sign-in and this blog. Do you hate to give your email address? Is that a really big thing for you? Hate it? Love it? I want to know.

I’ll be back tomorrow or the next day with a new post on the quilt coming out in American Patchwork and Quilting, April 2010 issue. That issue might be arriving in your mail box any day!

Hugs,

Anne

Filed Under: Applique Tagged With: A Tisket A Tasket, Applique, Quilting, Ric Rac

Linen

January 10, 2010 By Anne 31 Comments

I’ve got this “thing” with linen lately. Well, not lately, I guess I’ve always had it. But now that French General linen is available from Moda I’m a bit more obsessed than I was before. I love linen and I’ve spent the weekend with it!
I made myself a linen heart sachet to hang in the studio. Something simple. Something linen.

It’s hanging on a wall next to my computer, from an old window.

And then I made a new prototype bunny from my pattern “Five For Brunch”. She’s linen of course and I gave her lop ears.

I added a little apron, a flower garland necklace, and of course a bunny wouldn’t be a bunny without…

…a polka dot bunny tail! I’ve added directions for the apron, necklace and lop ears to the pattern.

I’ll be teaching this bunny on March 5th at Thimble Creek in Concord, CA. You can make her in just one class. Join me if you can!
And to all of you who read my blog, please stay with me as I work out the changes that are coming. I’m getting a new “look” and possibly moving my blog to Word Press. Change is very scary, but I think it will be worth it. My web site already has a new look and a few more changes are coming to it too. Many surprises are coming in 2010!
And I haven’t forgotten about the rick rack tutorial for “A Tisket, A Tasket”. Next post I promise.
Have a great Monday everyone! I’ll be back soon!
Hugs,
Anne