BIG NEWS!... almost

I have been so busy in a spectacular creative world... I like to call it December. 
Haha, let me rewind.  I always try to take the month of December off to work on my own stuff -- new products, new books, maybe even design a new quilt idea (or several). 

Well, in December I was a creative fool!... yes, it did totally run into January, but it's all good.

I finished writing my fourth book, Fast Forward Feathers, and the preorders flew out the door.  The books arrived early (yay) and the preorders were shipped.  Whew... but, on a back burner (slightly over-simmering) was the other project I've been working on... I'm now realizing that working on two creative ideas at the same time takes a lot of energy.  Oh, did I mention that I also have that yearly cruddy cold... yes, that too!  So needless to say, my brain has been working in overdrive and not quite at 100% even though it has been required... I need to thank several people for the use of their brain cells during this time.

So, the big reveal isn't quite ready... soon, I promise, but read on - there might be a little hinting going on.  I have some prototype testing to do this weekend.  Next week I'll be in Washington State (ooh, is there snow? - a girl can hope, right?) doing some really important stuff, which I'm sure will require full brain cell capacity (is it asking too much to be totally over this cold in three days??).  More on that soon too... I really can't wait to share all about that too!

As soon as I get back I am doing a trunk show and fun workshop at Manatee Patchworkers Quilt Guild over in Bradenton.  We'll be creating this fun mandala applique project:

Hmm... if you've been following along with my posts you may have been following the clues.  This project is what started the creative idea that is going to be revealed in the coming weeks.  So, I'm sure you can guess it is mandala related... it is, and it is so awesome.  No really, it is so awesome that it is almost magical.  I am super excited about it and I hope you all will be too! 

Oh, and here's a quick peek of project birth... Candace from Barn Catz Studio has been so helpful in bringing my idea and drawings into real life usable things!!  Enjoy it -- it is your only peek until I share the products!!

Math is Painful...

Yes, math is painful... at least for me.

Some might say I'm a creative genius and hopefully so, at least as pertains to my latest product line that I'm feverishly working on (almost daily).  The reveal is coming soon... probably within the next couple of weeks if all goes well.  More on that... soon!

Anyway, back to this post.  I suck at math.  Yes, I can balance a checkbook with the best of them, but once we get into adding letters with numbers I am lost.  So, tonight I asked a question on Facebook, which in hindsight probably wasn't the smartest thing.  But, I needed to know a calculation.  Being the math-idiot that I am, I couldn't even properly ask my question... I needed questions asked of me in order for a helpful friend to get the correct information to come up with the answer.

I am NOT ashamed of being a math-idiot.  It does not make me any less of a person... in fact, even with being math-defunct I still fall into the highly-intelligent/gifted IQ range.  Pfft... who knew!  But as I commented on that very Facebook post - I know my faults and issues and I wear them proudly!

This math dilemma all goes hand-in-hand with my latest product line.  Almost a year ago I was asked to adjust one of my classes - the group wanted their own special project.  What, change a class just because.  Yes, and let me tell you, it has turned into something bigger than I could have ever imagined.  Again, more on this later - and no, I'm not trying to create hype... tonight's incident got me thinking.  I didn't always hate math, so what happened?  Well, while pondering on it over a delicious cup of evening coffee, it hit me... ninth-grade algebra class.  And it wasn't even algebra that did it... it was Mr. ________ (I'll leave his name out of this, we'll just call him psycho).  So... psycho - strong word, right?  Well... my class of 26 or so students consisted of only two girls.  And I'm not going to say that Mr. Psycho was a chauvinistic jerk or anything, but the first day of class he did mention that two of us would most likely fail his course.  I truly hope this man was removed from education and wish that I had made a bigger deal out of everything that happened that year.  That first-day statement was the *nicest* thing that happened all year.  Oh, other than the two days a month he would leave for National Guard duty - they were kinda nice.  But all the others day, no.  Like the time he lifted his metal desk up and let it slam to the floor because the kid in front of him was tapping his pencil on the desk, or when he smashed the piece of chalk into dust on the chalkboard when someone questioned the equation he was writing out.  And on... and on... and OMG thinking back actually gave me heart palpitations.  So, you may or may not know that I have some serious anxiety... yep.  I definitely think that was what started my hate for math.

Now... wasn't that a fun little piece of self-counseling - and now you all know yet another odd thing about me!  Okay, time for me to get back to writing instructions...

My newest book

I've been crazy busy writing, drawing, editing, and now finishing! 
Let me introduce you to Fast Forward Feathers, my fourth book.

Well, almost... it is headed to the printer and I plan to have copies in my hands the first week of February.  In the meantime, it is available for PRESALE here:  https://creativelongarmquilting.com/

It has over 160 fast forward feather options -- all of which require ZERO backtracking!  The book is 106 pages and will be spiral bound.  The PRESALE link is for US orders only, if you're international and would like to order, email karen@creativelongarmquilting.com for shipping rates.

Oh, and a little teaser... there's more big news coming very soon!