Hello! From here you can access your My Star Collection subscription (button on the left) and visit our bookstore (button on the left or top menu). Also, enjoy your favorite cartoon Mrs. Bobbins, read some fun blog posts, and get to know our authors. Enjoy!
Mrs. Bobbins returns, a Q&A — and a GIVEAWAY!
By Anna Bernard
One of our most popular series at Pickledish is the Mrs. Bobbins cartoons created by Julia Icenogle. Julia studied at the University of Kansas and is getting ready to begin her career as an occupational therapist.
Anna Bernard
We love Julia’s work and are not ready to let her go, so we are rerunning her early cartoons every Monday here on our blog site.
Read on to learn more about the mind behind Mrs. Bobbins.
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How did you begin the Mrs. Bobbins cartoons?
(Kansas City Star Books Publisher) Doug Weaver and (former Kansas City Star Quilts Publisher) Diane McLendon called me in, showed me some quilt magazines, and told me they wanted an edgy, quirky cartoon about quilting. Later that evening, I sketched out some Mrs. Bobbins character prototypes on a bar napkin (it was my cousin’s 21st birthday).
How do you create jokes about quilting, and what is your inspiration?
For inspiration, I usually turn to my aunt. She’s an avid quilter. Her personality is very much reflected in Mrs. Bobbin’s character. The jokes that I do are mostly from observation — and usually not very far from the truth.
Do you quilt?
Julia Icenogle
Nope. I tried to do it once, but my dog thought the fabric was for her to play with, and it made the whole process a lot more challenging than it needed to be.
How did you get started with illustration work?
Drawing has always been embedded in my life, to some extent: In high school, I drew cartoons for the school newspaper; in college, I did freelance work with a campus magazine, designed posters for various events and organizations, and participated in art shows; after graduating, I did freelance work in illustration, graphic design and Web design.
What other illustration work do you do now?
I just doodle for fun now. Occasionally, I’ll do some freelance graphic design work, but I’m definitely making it a point to transition art into a hobby rather than a career.
What is your favorite thing about doing illustration work?
Seeing people’s reaction to it. I especially like finding out that my work has been seen by someone on the other side of the world, and that they liked it.
Why do you make illustrations? Do you have other creative interests?
For the most part, I draw to make people laugh. I also like making music. I play the flute well, the piano poorly, and the ukulele enthusiastically.
What are your plans for the future?
I will be starting a new career in home health occupational therapy, which is a job that requires a lot of creative thinking! The ability to draw actually comes in handy in a lot of different jobs, I have found, so my drawing days are by no means through. Ideally, I would like to give more attention to my illustration blog, “The Bagel-Juice Lion,” which has been neglected for a while.
Anna Bernard is our summer intern at Kansas City Star Quilts.
***
We also have Mrs. Bobbins T-shirts to give to 10 lucky respondents. Please comment on this post for a chance to win one. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing on June 24. Please specify the size in your response.
We have:
5 mediums
1 large
4 extra-larges
Good luck, Bobbins fans! And don’t forget, for more quilty laughter from Mrs. Bobbins, get The Big Book of Bobbins by clicking here! Just $7.95!
Filed under Books
The Best Laid Plans
There has been a new addition to our family. Sophia Claire arrived June 6, around 3 a.m., give or take a few minutes. She was
three weeks early. And no, her quilt is not done. It’s not even started.
It’s not like I wasn’t prepared. I bought fabric, and I chose the pattern, Bright Hopes. It seems like the perfect pattern for a baby quilt. And don’t forget, I still had three weeks before she was supposed to arrive.
But now I am second-guessing myself.
I went to the Hickory Stick (quilt shop) in Hannibal, Mo., after teaching a workshop at the local guild. As I walked into the shop, I saw polka dots, a huge array of polka dots. There were small dots, medium dots, big dots, huge dots and pin dots. Pink dots, purple dots, yellow dots, gray dots, red dots, blue dots, oh, I’ve gotten carried away, haven’t I? There were enough colors of dots to make a rainbow jealous.
I picked up a fat-quarter of just about every color of dot I could find, and I threw in some stripes as well. I had no idea what I would do with all this dotted fabric when I walked out of the shop. Of course, I had no idea that our new little baby was going to put in her appearance that night either.
Never before have I had even the tiniest bit of desire to make a Sunbonnet Sue quilt. I have avoided that pattern like the plague. I think it bothers me that I can’t see her face. I always think that people who hide behind a big hat must be more than just a little shifty. And while we never see Sue’s face, we do see her awkward little hand or her misshapen little feet. Sometimes, she has no neck. Other times, we see her looking much like a crane standing on one foot.
Occasionally, one will see a quilt where Sue is just too precious for words, but not often. More times than not, she’s just a tad off. I would give anything to see her sitting on a rock, reading a book, instead of standing around with one hand out, reaching for who knows what. Whatever it is she wants, she always seems to come up empty.
And I keep thinking about how tiresome it must be to stand around for years with that arm held straight out. One would think she would get to tuck it into her pocket once in a while. Maybe she could even turn around and give her left arm a break and use the right one.
Oh, dear, I’ve really digressed!
Back to the polka dots. I admit it, I can see it, I can see Sue dressed in a different polka dot dress for every day of the month. And thinking about Sue wearing those dots brought to mind a favorite character from a Rootie Kazootie book. Rootie had a friend 
named Little Polka Dottie, who wore polka dot dresses, polka dot socks, polka dot shorts and polka dot tops. One day, she hung her laundry out on the line, and when she came back out to see whether her clothes were dry, she found that someone had come by and stolen all the polka dots off of her clothing.
Rootie Kazootie, Little Polka Dottie and Gayla Poochie Pup became detectives and searched for Little Polka Dotties’ dots. It didn’t take them long to discover that Poison Zanzaboo had run off with the dots. Poochie caught Zanzaboo by the ankle, making him spill his bag of dots. While Rootie and Polka Dottie picked up all the dots, Officer Deedle Doodle held Zanzaboo down so he couldn’t escape.
So here I am with a new granddaughter, a Little Golden Book titled Rootie Kazootie, Detective, and a slew of polka dotted fabric. I can see it! I can picture it in my head! There I am, holding Sophia in my lap, rocking her, reading to her and she is wrapped up in her quilt.
But I think I’m going to kick faceless Sue with her big hat to the curb and come up with my own little appliqué girl. I’m going to name her Dottie. She’s going to be smart, too. Sometimes, she’s going to have a book in one hand. And sometimes, she’s going to be carrying an iPad. Oh, there won’t be many things our Dottie won’t be able to do.
She’s even going to be able to fight like a girl!
Filed under Edie McGinnis
Q&A and BOOK GIVEAWAY: ‘Butterfly Fields’
By Deborah Bauer
The celebration of our latest releases continues with Butterfly Fields: A Scrap Quilter’s Journey, by Carolyn Nixon and Betsey Langford. We are giving a free copy of the book to one lucky PickleDish reader. Every
one who comments on this post will be entered in the giveaway.
Besides beautiful quilts and other projects, this book is filled with stunning close-ups of butterflies and tips on attracting them to your garden.
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Carolyn is an instructional coach for the Willard R-II School District in Willard, Mo. We talked with her about her own quilting journey, which began when she was little.
How did you get started quilting?
I grew up watching my mother use cardboard templates to cut out quilt pieces. My earliest memory is of Mama sitting in a rocking chair, hand-stitching on a quilt block.
Did you sew before you started learning to quilt?
Carolyn Nixon
Yes, I started making my own clothes when I was 8 years old. Sounds preposterous, but it is true. My first dress had a smocked yoke and was made of brown dotted Swiss fabric. The summer I learned to sew, I also learned to smock, knit, crochet, tat and use fabric paint. It was an amazing adventure in creativity.
What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?
My brain is always churning. I suppose I can be inspired by just about anything that leaves a strong visual image in my head. Sometimes, it is just an amazing fabric or group of fabrics that capture my imagination. I love nature and relics from the past. I was born and raised in the country. Traditional patterns with stars and baskets tug at my heart and remind me of my childhood and my Ozark heritage.
Do you have a special place where you quilt? Do you have a schedule?
I am a random quilter. There are bits and pieces of it everywhere — quilt books and magazines by my bed, hand projects and finishing by my chair in the living room, stacks of things in what is supposed to be my sewing room, and my sewing machine and the current project or projects on my sunporch.
Carolyn at a quilting retreat at Blackberry Creek
I have a whenever-I-can-squeeze-in-time-for-it sewing schedule. In addition, my best sewing friends and I are committed to four long sewing weekends each year. We have great fun at Blackberry Creek Retreat near Rogersville, Missouri. We sew like mad women and enjoy the wonderful hospitality and food provided by the innkeepers, Mark and Dixie Dawson.
In between these dates, our group manages to get together often on Saturdays or Sundays to work on projects and share a lunch. And then, of course, we have those drop-everything-and-go shop hops dates.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of quilting?
I love, love, love choosing the fabric. It takes me forever to make up my mind, but I just love that part. My least favorite part of quilting is cutting. I really have to coach myself into taking out the mat and rotary cutter. For this reason, I have been known to engage in cutting marathons.
When I get myself worked up for cutting, just stay out of the way. I might have five to 10 projects cut out before I quit.
What other creative outlets do you have?
Carolyn’s granddaughter Brittany (left) and daughter Whitney
I love words and am a published poet. There is something intriguing about the struggle to say something worth saying with the least amount of words. I also love to knit, crochet, embroider and cross stitch.
Any words of wisdom for someone just starting to quilt?
Quilting Wisdom = three P’s:
Precision cutting (First, cut the pieces accurately.)
Precision stitching (Second, use an accurate quarter-inch seam with fabric edges butted evenly throughout the distance of the seam.)
Precision pressing (Third, finger press gently, and then press, don’t iron.)
What’s the best advice you received?
Honestly, I don’t think I ever asked anyone for advice. I just plunged in. I do remember my mother telling me repeatedly not to put straight pins in my mouth. Guess she thought I would swallow one. Hasn’t happened yet.
Oh! Just thought of one: Close your rotary cutter every time you lay it down. That is indeed a great piece of advice.
Is there anything you haven’t done that you would like to try?
Maybe, before I croak, I’d like to do a cathedral window quilt and experiment with Bargello patterns. If I live long enough, I can learn every technique out there for appliqué.
What’s your next project?
There is never just one project waiting. Right now, I am thinking ahead to another book full of small projects featuring feedsacks and reproductions prints (’30s and Civil War).
***
Betsey Langford is education director for Gammill Quilting Systems and lives in Bolivar, Mo. We talked with her about listening to the quilts, the magic of designing and going in new directions.
How did you get started quilting? Did you sew before you started learning to quilt?
I began quilting as part of a deal with my boyfriend’s grandmother. She needed someone to run one of those fancy cutters, and I wanted to learn the world of quilting. We made a perfect match!
Betsey Langford in her favorite chair
I rotary cut for her, and she sat for hours with me piecing and quilting — all by hand. The hours slipped away as we grew to be great friends over a pile of scraps.
Garment construction caught my eye at an early age, and I was known for making alterations to my clothes. Unfortunately, a 5-year-old doesn’t always sew as good as she thinks she does! But with years of practice, I made up for it and learned to draft patterns to make my own creations. Costuming and period pieces are favorites.
What inspires you?Where do you get your ideas?
Quilters inspire me. It started with the quilts created by Grandma Mary’s guild and grew to all the quilters I had the pleasure of meeting through their quilts. Grandma Mary would say she never met an ugly quilt — that they all talked to her. She taught me to listen to the quilts, so that’s what I do.
Betsey’s daughters, Emily and Sara
Once I started teaching quilting, I found that it challenged me to create new things for quilters to say through their stitches. I love how each quilter stitches her own story into her creation.
Do you have a special place where you quilt? Do you have a schedule?
Currently, I quilt in snippets. I covet hours to string together for quilting, but they rarely come. I spend more time now focused on quilters’ needs and inspiring them day to day through my work.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of quilting?
Easy. My favorite is the beginning, when the quilt flows from pen to paper. It’s magic. Once that happens, it’s as good as made in my mind. I can see it finished in dozens of colorings. It dances in my imagination.
Binding wins as the least favorite, unless my daughters each take a side and we giggle our way through it!
What other creative outlets do you have?
Yarning stories onto stacks of pristine blank paper always does the trick. But my biggest outlet is my work. I’m blessed to be able to share my creativity every day.
Any words of wisdom for someone just starting to quilt? What’s the best advice you received?
Oh, try everything! Use colors that terrify you. Perfection isn’t what makes the quilt interesting, you are.
The best advice I ever received was: “Don’t pick out stitches just because you can.” I’m still learning from that one.
Is there anything you haven’t done that you would like to try?
My imagination is full of ideas — quilting has so many great directions to explore. I can’t wait to try them all. Currently, large motif canvas quilting has my eye. Lots of ideas intrigue me with the direction of current industry trends. Every day the possibilities excite me!
What’s your next project?
Gah, binding!
***
Don’t forget to comment on this post for your chance to win a copy of Butterfly Fields. Here are some projects from the book:
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- Butterfly Star
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- Butterfly Fields
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- Detail from Journey Table Runner
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- Butterfly Cabin
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- Garden Throw
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- Mama’s Black Pearls
Filed under Books
A Violent Spring
Associated Press photo
It’s been quite a spring here in the Midwest. In Kansas City, I’ve become used to turning on the air conditioner as early as April or May. This year, I’ve not known whether to turn on the air or the heat. The unsettled weather patterns spawned a horrendous outbreak of tornadoes.
We are familiar with this type of storm here in “flyover” country, but we are never easy with them. Few of us are casual when we hear the sirens screech and warnings trumpeted by the newscasters. When the weatherman sounds urgent and says, “Take cover now! Head to your basement!” most tend to seek shelter.
Just a few short weeks ago, a massive tornado ripped through Moore, Okla., leaving at least 24 dead. Winds up to 200 mph leveled neighborhoods and scored a direct hit on the Plaza Towers Elementary School. Beautiful houses were reduced to trash and matchsticks. Bits and pieces of peoples’ lives were scattered for miles and miles.
Twenty-two tornadoes were reported across Kansas and Nebraska on May 18. The following day, a Sunday, tornadoes touched down in a rampage from Oklahoma to Iowa. And the next weekend was no better. Again, Oklahoma was under the gun as storms made their way across the plains, destroying everything in their path.
Some of the most nervous people I heard from live in Joplin, Mo. That city is still rebuilding after being hit by an EF-5 tornado two years ago. And while the residents were worried, they offered some of the best ideas to those who wanted to help the stricken communities: Send gift cards rather than your extra toaster, send money so those who have lost everything can make some choices, head somewhere else if you want to go sightseeing.
When the havoc the storms had wreaked was shown on the news, quilters got busy, just as they always have. A Facebook page 
was launched within hours for quilters who wanted to donate a quilt or quilts to the victims.
Quilters – they come out of the woodwork. Those women who wouldn’t dream of selling one of their quilts will give one away in a heartbeat. They will offer to share their fabric, their time and their services to their sisters who no longer have the necessary items to feed their habits.
They will recruit quilters and plead for quilts. From across the country, sometimes across the world, the quilts will come. A quilter will arrange with a church, a guild or a nearby location to be a receiving and distribution center for donations. I suspect the person who makes arrangements for donated quilts could likely organize a quilt show in no time flat.
Within days, quilts will start arriving. The communities that have suffered so much must be careful, because they could be inundated.
It is important that those who want so badly to help remember that patience is assuredly a virtue. There will be people who have no place to store items for the future no matter how badly they may be needed. It takes a long time to rebuild a community, so later may be a better time to donate a sewing machine or a large amount of fabric.
Quilters – their giving spirit never fails to amaze me.
Filed under Edie McGinnis
Q&A and BOOK GIVEAWAY: ‘Fresh from the Prairies’
By Deborah Bauer
It’s time once again to get to know the authors behind some of our recent releases and put their books into the hands of a few lucky readers.
To celebrate the publication of Fresh from the Prairies: 12 Quilts That Capture the Spirit of the West, 
by Devon Lavigne and Sharon Smith, we are giving a free copy to one lucky PickleDish reader. Everyone who comments on this post will be entered in the giveaway.
The prairies of Alberta, Canada, and quilts of the past inspire Devon and Sharon’s design choices. They use antique and reproduction fabrics, then add unexpected elements to their creations.In addition to the dozen projects featured in their book, there also is a section with detailed pointers on basic quilting techniques.
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Devon Lavigne is a quilt designer, speaker and fabric fanatic. She was born and raised on the Canadian prairies and lives in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, with her husband, four teenagers and two cocker spaniels.
We talked with Devon about her early summers spent sewing, taking inspiration from fabric — already made into a skirt or still in a bundle — and about breaking the rules.
Devon and Sharon signing books at Quilt Market in Portland
How did you get started quilting? Did you sew before you started learning to quilt?
My auntie Glenda taught me to quilt 20 years ago, when my first daughter was born. She’s a very talented, meticulous quilter and teacher. That wasn’t my first time at the sewing machine, though. My mother taught my sister and me to sew at an early age. She
was a teacher, and thought even the summers could be learning opportunities! She learned to sew as a teenager on the farm. Being a secret fashionista, she wanted all the latest styles, but the family budget and my grandfather’s practicality didn’t allow for that, so she learned to sew them herself.
What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?
I’m inspired by, and many of our quilts have their start, in a concept. For example, Sharon and I designed a gorgeous quilt we called Willow from a skirt she has. (I’ve tried to convince her it looks better on me — she didn’t fall for it.) It’s a beautiful combination of teals, moss greens, and soft neutrals and browns. Fabric, of course, also inspires me. I had a lovely bundle of Jo Morton ambers and paired it with some soft pastels. The quilt that emerged is called Whiskey, because of the lovely amber hues.
Do you have a special place where you quilt? Do you have a schedule?
Sharon and Devon with their display in the Kansas City Star Quilts booth in Portland
I have no schedule — just whenever time allows (or the next deadline is calling!). I do have an awesome sewing room where I do all my sewing. I had to kick my husband out — it was his office, but the light was wasted on him! In the summer, I sew up at the lake. Some of the projects from our book were pieced right out on my deck at the lake. I call it my slice of heaven.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of quilting?
I love everything about quilting. I do have to say the borders are the
thing that always takes me the longest, though. By the time we’ve decided on a quilt’s border — if it’s going to have borders — I’m dreaming about the next project.
What other creative outlets do you have?
I’m not sure how creative I am with it, but I love to cook — especially with a glass of my favorite merlot! I love to try a new recipe, and the challenge of sneaking “gross” things like chanterelle mushrooms past my teenagers.
Sharon and Devon at the signing
Any words of wisdom for someone just starting to quilt? What’s the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice I learnedwas how to quilt accurately. Take a class. If your finished projects turn out well, you’ll be encouraged to continue. Also, don’t buy into quilting “rules.” As an example, if someone tells you not to pair creamy neutrals with white, you should do just that!
Is there anything you haven’t done that you would like to try?
I definitely need to learn how to appliqué. I have done some, but haven’t put enough time in to perfect it. It’s on my bucket list — I just wish it didn’t take so long!
What’s your next project?
I have Jo’s new Toasted line sitting on my sewing table. I’m going to pair it with some bold reproduction prints I found on my last shopping trip.
***
Sharon Smith is a quilt designer, speaker and mom to Emma-Jean. She was born in Toronto, and now 
calls Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, home. Sharon is passionate about sharing her love for quilting.
We talked with her about finding inspiration in men’s ties, avoiding quilting by number and the importance of imagination.
How did you get started quilting? Did you sew before you started learning to quilt?
I began quilting about 15 years ago, when I inherited my grandmother’s sewing machine. I didn’t sew at all prior to that, and to this day, refuse to stitch on anything but a quilt. (I don’t even hem my own pants!)
Devon and Sharon
What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?
My surroundings inspire me — everything from a tiled bathroom floor to a man’s tie. I also enjoy perusing antique quilt and textile museums to see what new twists we can put on old favorites.
Do you have a special place where you quilt? Do you have a schedule?
I have a room in my home dedicated to quilting, and it’s filled with my favorite things. I usually sit and stitch whenever the urge strikes, but these days I mostly stitch to meet deadlines. Darn it, forced to quilt!
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of quilting?
My favorite part of quilting is choosing the prints I will use and playing with different combinations. I never stitch with one whole line of fabric. I take the most interesting prints from one line and mix them with prints from other lines. This makes the results so much more fascinating! Binding has got to be my least favorite quilting activity.
What other creative outlets do you have?
Music. I play the piano, guitar and carry a tune quite well in the shower.
Any words of wisdom for someone just starting to quilt? What’s the best advice you have ever received?
Sharon Smith and Matt Sparrows of Sparrows Studioz.
Don’t “quilt by number.” Choose your own fabrics and make original quilts. The best solid advice is to be accurate — in cutting, pressing and scant 1/4″. Everything else is imagination!
Is there anything you haven’t done that you would like to try?
I’m not so good at hand appliqué, although I love the look. If there’s anything I wouldn’t mind doing more of, it would be that.
What’s your next project?
Ahhhh, our top secret mystery quilt for fall 2013. It’s a customized mystery quilt, based on your results of a mandatory personality test. It will be on our Web site and Facebook, and is going to be a blast!
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Don’t forget to comment on this post for your chance to win a copy of Fresh from the Prairies. Here are some projects from the book:
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- Prairie Labyrinth
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- Wagons West
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- One Horse Town
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- Haystack
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- Cowboy Up
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- Savannah
Filed under Books
