My life, thoughts, quilts and adventures as a traveling quilt teacher
Rick and I are cruising the Southern Caribbean for the next few days. We are sailing with Quilt Seminars at Sea and over 100 excited quilters will be joining us. I can’t wait to get started.
I love the ocean and I love the Caribbean. The colors of the water are like none I’ve seen.
I’m often asked, where do I get my inspiration? It is all around me! The color of the Caribbean has inspired several of my fabric collections:
Photos when we return home!
Join me on Facebook! I’ve just set up a new page: Karen Combs Studio Fan Page.
We already have almost 500 fans and are having so much fun! Right now, we have a lively discussion about our favorite sewing machines.
You can also see photos of my fabric lines, patterns, books and a peek into my sewing studio. The Fan Page will be the first place I’ll post new patterns, fabric lines, quilt news and other fun stuff.
Hope to see you there!
One of my favorite websites is equilter.com. Who doesn’t love to shop late at night, and who doesn’t love a website with thousands of fabrics? equilt.com is a one of a kind place and I love visiting. . . . usually late at night with a hot cup of tea and time to browse! Last week, I was delighted to see many of my fabrics showcased on the equilter website.
My Essence fabric collection was showcased under the category, NEW COLOR PALETTE
My Crystal Fusion fabric collection was showcased under the category: OPALESCENT BLENDERS
My Batik cascade fabric collection was showcased under the category: OMBRE HAND-DYE
And my Shade cascade fabric collection was showcased under the category: OMBRE FADE
So much fun! Can’t wait to visit again!
I’m honored to have my quilt, Cubism, in the March/April 2010 issue of McCall’s Quilting!
Cubism is a fun optical illusion created with my Batik Cascade fabric line. It makes fabric selection so simple! All the values you need are on one piece of fabric.
The photo looks amazing. You can really see the quilting, done by the long-arm quilter Terry Dramstad. She does a beautiful job. I love her work!
Can’t wait to read the rest of the issue!
I enjoy reading quotes and find inspiration in many of them. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes. I hope you enjoy them.
“Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Patrick Overton
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
Napoleon Hill
“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
James D. Miles
“Children are a living message we send to a time we will not see.”
John W. Whitehead
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
Charles Swindoll
“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem wonderful at all. “
“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.”
Michelangelo
“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”
“That government is best which governs least.”
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow.”
Thomas Paine
“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”
“I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there’s purpose and worth to each and every life.”
Ronald Reagan
I love quilt cruises. Combine quilting (our favorite passion) and cruising, what could be better??
February 3-13, 2010, we will be cruising the Southern Caribbean with ports of call at St. Maartin, St. Lucia, Barbados, Martinique and the Bahamas. Other teachers on the cruise include: Mary Sorensen, Karen Kay Buckley, Barbara Randle & Janet Jones Worley.
Now the bad news, it is sold out!
Here is the good news! My next quilt cruise will be in August 2011. . . to the Mediterranean!
We will be cruising to fabulous ports in Italy, Croatia and the Greek Isles. Other teachers on the cruise include John Flynn, Elly Sienkiewicz, Cindy Walter and Christine Porter.
Details will be posted soon at Quilt Seminars at Sea.
If you would like information immediately, please contact Kim or Amy at 866-573-6351.
I’m headed to Arizona for a few days.
I’ll be working with the good folks at Avlyn, Inc. We will be putting some finishing touches on some of my new fabric lines for this year. No sneak peeks, but here are some of my fabric designs available in your favorite quilt shop now:
FABRIC COLLECTIONS BY KAREN COMBS for Avlyn
A chic, stylish and fresh collection in black, white and apple green.
A beautiful collection featuring an elegant vine, ombre stripe, lovely dot and basket weave with bold splashes of colors.
Each fabric has a cascade of color flowing gently from light to dark across the width of the fabric.
A lovely, light batik collection.
Stone, rain, cobblestone, brick, grass and other beautiful textures in this unique batik collection.
FABRIC COLLECTIONS BY KAREN COMBS for Blank Quilting
Karen’s unique creation, a shaded fabric, designed with the quilter in mind. See this fabric and you know Karen designed it!
An elegant touch of gold in this delicate blender collection.
Then I’m on to “Quilting at the Lake” hosted by the Havasu Stitchers at Lake Havasu, Arizona.
I’ll be teaching the following classes:
Celtic Illusions
Transparency
More Patchwork Illusions
Interested in taking a class? Click here for more information There may be a few spaces left in one class.
Hope to see you there!
Java Mist
