Just Hatched Just Thinking: February 2011

I want to invite everyone to check out the new Page on this Chick Lit blog! "This Chick Says..." is up and running and can be found at the top of the left column of this blog! My Sister/Friend, Barb McD, has graciously submitted our first Guest Author post! Barb is my "Newbie" student in the Studio and a close friend from the Great Banquet, a Christian retreat group that we both belong to. It gives me great joy to have her in the studio and while she can give a tussle or two when it comes to FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS (harumph!) a better sister could not be asked for...There is never a brighter day here at Studio JHP than when 'Sunny Daze" is in attendance!

It is my deepest hope that she will continue to share her sewing journey with us as hers is one that we all would rather NOT encounter but NEED to hear. In return my wish is that those who are the prayin' types would do so on her and her family's behalf. Cancer is a wicked bitch and I am bound and determined to STITCH that B- out of her life as much as possible! The "Rainbow Room" is on high alert... all love, laughter and color has come to attention and prayer is the order of the day. Barb... if you are reading this; we got you, Sunny, good day or bad. Your stitchin' sisters will keep you going as long as you want us to do so. Come on over... the quiltin's fine! :-) Pamela

Wow... it's been almost 5 months since I last posted here. How time flies... or crawls depending on the day! Life has taken me all OVER the place since I sat here "Just Thinking". I have had lots of fun and frolic as well as a fair amount of pain mixed in with the pleasure; in other words, my life has been just like everyone one elses! Why do I write about it? For the simple pleasure of sharing the insanity! Because when the silliness happens - it's GOOD to know that I'm not the only nut in the jar! When life is a blender set on frappe... you guys always come up with ways to push the stop button. And, most of all, when it's unbearably painful - you're always there with the vodka; what more could a girl want? So, once again... she's Baaaaaaack! I hope that you'll join me on my crazy "Just Hatched" journey once again. I've got LOADS to tell you and LOTS of new things to share!

WHERE TO START???

Duh! Start with the quilts, dummy! Our two websites -Just Hatched Quilts on Etsy and Just Hatched Productions on Artfire continue to thrive and while we are not doing craft shows at this time we ARE doing custom orders like never before! The most exciting thing for me, however, is the change in my time commitments which is now allowing me to create art quilts and to teach in the studio. Wooo, HOOOOO!!

I retired in Nov. as a GED examiner at the local community college and the Hubs and I redid the "sewing studio" into a "teaching studio"... It is awesome! I can fit 4 students at a time for lessons; the perfect number for really hands on teaching! Studio JHP has been up and running since November and we are really rocking some great quilts and embroidery projects! On that note- you'll be seeing some photo albums popping up on the left side of the page that will have great pix of the Studio during classes , "works in progress", and then the TA-DA! it's finished photos! LOL

I LOVE teaching... Wanna know the best part? THE HUBS has just been placed on permanent work from status (YEAHHHH!) so his "office" is right across the hall from the Studio! We get to see each other during the day, share lunch - or better yet, if it's a slow day - HE COOKS... for ALL of us in the studio (or fetches, as the case may be! LOL). Too much fun! We even have the Keurig coffee cart set up in the hall between us so we can all have our caffiene fix without disturbing the other's work environment! Wait...what's that I'm hearing? Groans at having the Hubs around 24/7? Not here. He's already been working from home for almost 2 years - the result of having THREE knee replacements done - and we were dreading the day he would have to start commuting downtown again! I just never get tired of seeing his furry face... don't think I ever will, either!

And the quilts???? Well, my head has been STUFFED with landscapes, and fantasy, and art deco patterns and , and, and..... all kinds of ideas that I want to create with fabric and thread and yarn and painting and photographs and, and, and!!! I FINALLY have the time - built in- planned for- expected- to pull them out from between my ears and bring them to life! WHOOOO HOOOOO!!! That will be ANOTHER photo album that will be added onto the side bar! HOWEVER, if you'd like to take a peek at one that I just finished - click here for a short video! Arizona On My Mind Quilt And, please, let me know what you think about things... I would love to hear what you are thinking about our quilts; rag, embroidery, art... any and all!

AND THEN THERE WAS LIFE...

And the question was asked from a friend in Berlin, in Montreal and in San Jose... what DID happen that you weren't writing. We missed you. Like I said earlier, life, both up and down, happened. Family things took time and energy; my daughter, Briana, the one who lives in Arizona, was in a serious car accident and was partially paralyzed (her left leg totally without any feeling or movement) and she is slowly recovering from that. Restructuring Just Hatched Productions to allow for Studio JHP and teaching was a biggo time cruncher, too! My other business is in the advertising and social networking arena; I help small businesses create blogs and websites as well as design biz cards and paper advert and marketing goods and I picked up two new clients late in the fall. YEAH!!!! It was VERY exciting because one of them had their blog chosen as blog of the week by one of their field's biggest suppliers!! I was such a proud Momma!

Then we've had some real heartbreakers these past few months; we had to put down our cat, Ricky, age 17, and then his sister, Lucy, passed away in her sleep a short time afterward. Lucy (known as Mad Lucy due to her eerie habit of stalking the hallways at night, erratica
lly emitting low-pitched moans and cries), passed during the crazy blizzard that Chicago had a few weeks back. I sat up all night, snuggling her until she was too weak and sleepy to really hold, then we put her in a box with pillow and blanket and heating pad and pulling it over to my computer desk, she slept the hours away while I designed an appropriately crazy quilt and then cut and pieced it as she slipped away... She is embroidered on the corner and I only have to quilt it now. I've designed all different cat poses to quilt it with rather than one single boring stitch over the whole blanket. It will be going on my sites as the "Mad Lucy Quilt"... someone out there will appreciate the love and history of that crazy old girl!

CHICK PIX LAUNCH!

Very exciting news! The very last thing that kept me just a TAD bit busy was preparing for my very own product launch! YEP! Just Hatched Productions has launched a photo-digitizing service called "Chick Pix" which works like this; you send us via email a photo that you would like digitized into a machine embroidery file and I create a "photo-stitch" type design for you, put it onto a CD along with thread charts, jpg of sewout and so on and send it back! Size of designs are 3x3-8x10, no charge for differing sizes, design can be in color, BW or sepia AND you will get the threads in whatever manufacturer you choose! No more spending an hour converting thread colors! How cool is that!!

Mary Forte of Fabrics, Etc. 2 launched Chick Pix at her store 2 weeks ago thru all of her embroidery and sew clubs. GO MARY! Chick Pix will be available here on the blog and on our websites by the weekend if you are interested! We are so excited! If you would like to see what some of our portrait work looks like check out these two videos on YouTube; in addition to the crazy Zion National Park Embroidery Throwdown you will see other small portrait projects!

Zionhiker 1 - Embroidery Throwdown!

Zionhiker 2- Set on You ... It is Finished!

THIS CHICK SAYS

The last thing I have to tell you this afternoon ( as I need to finish up a quilt!) is that I'll be inviting my students to join me on the blog! They'll be on the left hand side-bar under the heading "This Chick Says". I heartily invite you to see what they might have to say as their life journeys are pretty cool!

Tanya speeds around the country visiting her grandchildren (and sewing all the while), checking in on her parents, and snowmobiling and boating with the Hubs at her vacation home; again, sewing at every opportunity! She couldn't wait to retire so that she could join Studio JHP to learn "EVERYTHING!" ... whew! She DOES mean everything!

Paula (also known as Pony Jo) is our horsewoman... balancing job, home, firefighter hubs and 2 boys, and oh yeah...THREE horses! An accomplished rider she is learning both embroidery design and quilting... if it involves a horse...she's there!

Ruth... my Teacher Sister Friend! Mom of two, teacher of those with special needs, this woman can sew you up one side and down the other! She is learning the embroidery side of life.

Barb (also known as Sunny Daze) is our Newbie... and I do mean NEW-bie! Basically never sewed a stitch in her life outside of that dreaded Jr. high school class jumper! Barb joined us for some "color therapy" in the "Rainbow Room" (studio's nick due to all of the fabric bolts! LOL) and tackled an appliscape pillow and was HOOKED! Barb's journey is quite special and I have invited her to have her own blog page on Just Hatched, Just Thinking. Look for posts from Sunny Daze... I guarantee your spirit will be fed.

TO SUM IT UP!

Like it or not... I'm back! LOL

Studio JHP means I am teaching and will be sharing what we are learning and laughing about as we cut, press, sew and quilt! It also means I am blessed by having some pretty fantastic women to sew with and am hoping will share this writing space!

Retired means - ART QUILTS and CHICK PIX!

Other than that? Same Hubs, Same Songbird daughter (who is just starting another major Karaoke contest so get ready for new music videos!) who is still part of the dynamic duo with Billy Bob Joe John, Jr. the THIRD. Still Grandma to those 2 crazy Hoolarinas out in Arizona - Miss Molly and Miss Jocee. Miss Molly just sent me a slew of photos of her in the tutu that was made for her for portrait shots with her baby sister. Ya Ya (that's me) had a whole bunch of fun playing around with the photos art-wise and making a video in return of Miss Molly as a STAR MODEL! Too much fun and too cute to bear. Those who want to catch up on Miss MOlly (who is almost thru 1st grade I might add) can click on the link below to get a peek at "Good Golly, Miss Molly"

Critter list?

Hoolarina (Hoolie) the Shorgie -half corgie/half German Shedder... and mighty silly looking, too.

Cullen - the proper Corgie... good thing he's cute cuz he's...well, let's just say he would ride the short bus to doggy school if there was such a thing.

Meiko- Our tiny but tough B/W Tuxedo Kitty who rules the house- the next old girl that we are going to lose but we are loving every day while we have her.

Dobby and Rajah - hellcat brothers, Wollenda circus act in feline form, only four... and they live until 16?????????????????????????????????????

...tha...tha...that's all, folks! It's good to be back! Pamela