My quilt patterns for the Ibiza Collection just went up on QuiltWoman.com’s website.  You can see all three of them here.  I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again.  Just pinch me!  I can’t believe I have patterns out there with fabric designed by moi!!!

The title pretty much says it all.  My fabric line, The Ibiza Collection, is now on the Blank Quilting website. The panel is below.  You can see the entire fabric line here.  Dreams do come true.

I am now starting to design patterns for my  next fabric line, “And Sew It Goes.”  The quilts are coming out so cute.  I am sticking with the sewing theme.  That’s one thing about quilting, it never gets boring.  Stay tuned!

All three of my quilts designed around my new fabric line, The Ibiza Collection for Blank Quilting are DONE!!!  I thought you all might like to have a peek at them.  By the way, my bio is up on the Blank Quilting site now too.  I’m a somebody!!!

Let me know what you think in the comment section down below.

The Ibiza Collection – Quilt 1

The Ibiza Collection – Quilt 2

The Ibiza Collection – Quilt 3

OK folks, here’s an up close look at my new fabric line for Blank Quilting.  It’s called The Ibiza Collection (pronounced eye-bee-za).  Give me a few days and I’ll have the quilts I designed for these fabric to show off too.  Some one pinch me, please!!!!  I can’t believe this is really happening!

My new fabric line for Blank Quilting is almost here.  It’s called The Ibiza Collection.  I can finally show you the picture of me holding the tear sheets back in October.  I can hardly wait for my samples to arrive!

Congratulations go to Penny Lynn Dunn of Wisconsin and Lois Ryan of New York. They were the winners of the $200 baskets give away for November. This was the first time either of them had ever won anything so as you can imagine they were excited.

Next give away will be in January. I will be giving away a fat quarter pack of my entire line “The Ibiza Collection.”

Stay tuned for details.

OK, so Grant had to go to Florida on a business trip….what’s a wife to do….well, tag along of course. We stayed in Orlando and he drove to Melborne about 1 1/2 hours away for the business part of the trip. Two things happened that will be stuck in my memory bank. The first was we saw the shuttle go into space. I actually gasped when I saw it. It was 2:28 pm on Monday. There were only a few scattered clouds in the air. We were standing in a parking lot in Orlanda when all of a sudden, you saw a white dot with a huge ball of flame under it shooting straight up. It was moving so fast. It was so amazing. It just shot straight up, not like a plane moving horizontally. It only took  seconds til it was out of sight. It happened so fast that the winds aloft had not even moved the white plume of smoke left behind until it was gone. I stood there for a while afterwards gazing up just not believing what I saw. Wish I had a phone that took pictures…I have nothing to show you. I won’t be getting my new phone till Feb.

The second thing that was so amazing on our trip was our airboat ride. I did not know what to expect from this except we go about 45 mph. We shot out into a lake. There was 9 of us on the boat. We started skimming over some green algea and then right into the weeds. It was scarey for a moment because it felt like you were riding into a wall. You couldn’t see any water, just weeds. We went back into the marsh and deep into alligator territory. We watched every minute for them. The boat went so fast and turned corners so quick that we skidded sideways for short distances before we were on the straight and narrow again. We saw so many birds, otters, and wild turkeys. Never an alligator…phew….

Did have one mishap. We got stuck in the shallow marsh. First we got caught in “weed islands” that we caught and were carrying with us, then as the open water started to get more narrow and the “weed islands” wouldn’t move we came to a full stop. Five large adults were asked to stand in the front of the boat to try to lift the back up. As the water level was lower than usual, we couldn’t skim across the top as well. The captain reved the motor and we all wiggled. We all wiggled a good 10 minutes. Finally inch by inch the craft started inching ahead ….and….we broke through. The captain had nothing to help get us unstuck. When we got back the captain told us we were stuck in a place where a 12 foot and a 14 foot alligator lives……need I say more?? Ignorance is indeed bliss.

The rest of the trip was uneventful….in comparison. We ate food at Emerils. It was like being on a cooking show. The food was outstanding. I ate duck for the first time. As we ordered the tasting meal, 8 courses, we had a little bit of different things. I passed the duck over to Grant. But gave myself kudo’s for trying it. Afterall, we had just seen all the ducks on the airboat ride…and now the little critter was on my plate. No thanks.

Happiness is being home safe and sound….

Welcome to the Grand Opening of my web site, BarbSackel.com. I am just so proud of all the work my web wizard Corinne did, that I wanted to show it off.  Every month I will have a new recipe and a new mystery block of the month. I will keep you up to date with my blog and try to have some surprises along the way.

To celebrate I am giving away two baskets, worth $200 each.  Aren’t they beautiful?  A basket contains a 40 piece fat quarter pack from Moda, a ruler, quilting gloves, fancy scissors and more.  And of course, chocolate!!!

Here are the entry rules:

• You must have a United States mailing address.
• You must provide your name and e-mail address.
• You have 4 ways to enter.

1. Look at my website, BarbSackel.com, or my publisher’s website, QuiltWoman.com (click on Designers on the left hand side, then look for Barb Sackel) and let me know what your favorite Barb Sackel pattern is.  Post the pattern as a comment here on my blog.  Include your name and e-mail address.  Your e-mail address will NOT appear.
2. Become a fan of my FaceBook Fan Page.   Anyone can view it.  But to become a fan, you have to have a FaceBook account.
3. Post about this Gift Basket Giveaway on your blog and let me know about it.  Send me an e-mail with the blog URL to barb @ barbsackel.com.
4. Receive an entry for EVERY pattern and/or book you buy from either QuiltWoman.com (on-line purchases) or at Betty’s Quilting Etc. (in-store purchases at my favorite quilt shop here in Western NY).  I should mention the patterns and books are 25% off the whole month of November.  Woo Hoo!!!!

I’ll accept entries throughout the month of November.

Thanks!  I’m looking forward to hearing from you all and sharing my quilting journey with you.

OK, so it’s been two weeks since Market, but better late than never. I have been so busy catching up with the initial requests from Market that I am just now able to take a breath.

So, what happened at Market you ask……Well, I showed my second collection of patterns for AccuQuilt GO! Die Cutting Machine. All 10 patterns were a hit, but the first one to sell out was Quilter’s Flag. That was very exciting.  I showed three additional patterns as well.

Both of my new books were featured on the front table; Cascade of Quilts and Cascade of Quilting Essentials. I am very proud of these books, not only did I write the book, but I also did all the photography. I had a ball doing the covers.

AND… I saw my first fabric line from Blank Quilting on paper. It was there for a preview. It will be out in January and I can’t wait. I designed three new patterns for this line and just itching to put my fabric into them. My testers had a ball with the patterns.

So now I have my new TO DO list. Three new companies have asked me to design for them. I will start working on my next collection for AccuQuilt GO! The ideas are flowing for this collection as the dies are simply adorable. And I just submitted two new fabric lines to Blank Quilting.

Just in case you are wondering, I did cook for my husband twice in the past two weeks. That’s not bad, right?

Here’s the biggest news….when I was in the AccuQuilt GO! booth and talking to the girls, Alex Anderson showed up. So I said to her, would you mind if I took a picture with you, as you hold up my quilts in your videos. She said SURE, do you have a new quilt with you…..of course I just happened to. So we are holding together my newest: Celebration of Love.

The following blog is a reprint (if you will) of a blog posted by the staff at QuiltWoman.com.   They gave me permission to share it here.  Look for yours truly!

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One of the most chaotic, but fun events at the International Quilt Market is Sample Spree. It takes place at the end of a long day of classes at Schoolhouse and the day before the Quilt Market Exhibit opens. Sample Spree is not for the faint of heart.

Sample Spree is an opportunity for all to buy products below wholesale prices. It’s a way for manufacturers and publishers to get their goods into the hands of the store owners at a very reasonable price. Of course, the hope is by putting their products into your hands, you will buy more.

A Sample Spree veteran knows that getting there early is key. It’s held in a big ball room at the George R. Brown Convention Center. We arrived an hour early and there is where our position in line was.

This is how long the line was behind us before the doors open.

There actually are 2 lines, both meandering down the convention center hallway in both directions.

It’s a festive atmosphere. You immediately bond with your fellow Sample Spree attendees. You admire each others totes, and projects get pulled to show your new BFFs what you have made.

No wonder Carole and Barb look so happy!

Then suddenly, the noise level rises and the doors open!!! Inside the vendors are just as excited. Their flashes are popping as they take pictures of the excited shoppers.

We are getting closer. it only takes a couple of minutes to get in…but that Moda table is calling us.

And chaos ensues. I was so busy scoping out the deals, this is the only picture I got once inside the room. I have no clue whose table it was; I just know there was an excited crowd around it.

When I was done with my shopping, I found this scene outside the ballroom. There is a smattering of people waiting to get in. These are the poor individuals that neglected to purchase a Sample Spree ticket early on. They are on “stand-by”. But the majority of the individuals are the patient spouses guarding their loved ones treasures while they shop some more.

Here’s a sample of what treasures I got! Some great fat quarter bundles from Warm Fabrics, full 1 year lengths from Art Gallery Fabrics (our own Jen Eskridge is helping them produce their patterns), and finally some Snap Sack Kits…each bag contains a full kit…fabric and pattern.

My haul was small compared to some shopper’s…..very small.

Sample Spree is an experience one is not likely to forget. It’s fun, a chance to commune with your fellow quilting enthusiasts, and a great chance to replenish your stash. If you ever come to Quilt Market, it’s a MUST DO!