Author: Claire Haillot

WEEKEND GETAWAY IN VERMONT

If you are looking for something to do over the weekend I might suggest heading over to Vermont!

This is THE weekend to go if you are a quilter!  You have to go to the Vermont Quilt Festival in Essex Junction.  And you will have many surprises.  This year, they are celebrating their 40th anniversary and  Ruth B. McDowell is their special exhibit along with a variety of antique quilts in the Miller North building.  There will be 200 quilts featured in the competition located in the Miller South building and this year they were happy to notice a record breaking number of quilts from Quebec!  Can’t wait to see them all starting Thursday night! Continue reading “WEEKEND GETAWAY IN VERMONT”

SPRING QUILT MARKET

I have made it back home from Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City and took some time to rest after a hectic schedule which included a sprint run in O’Hare airport to make my connecting flight home.  I had such a great time and met so many wonderful people that it will be difficult to keep this blog short.

The exciting news is that I finally launched my new pattern Dancing Diamonds and you can order your copy from PlumEasy Patterns. Continue reading “SPRING QUILT MARKET”

THE STORY BEHIND GOING PLACES

Here is my inspiration for the Quilt I entitled Going Places!

2015-06-04 10.05.10

Four years ago, we discovered that all of our boys had a different way of walking.  We had noticed since their early childhood that they tip toed around a lot but never gave it a second thought.  That is until the second one started Kindergarten.  We all noticed that he couldn’t stand straight and even worse, he couldn’t put his heels on the ground. Continue reading “THE STORY BEHIND GOING PLACES”

We need some time people!

I woke up this morning with my husband lying right beside me with that look… So I snuggled up to him thinking it would be a great start to my day.

But it wasn’t what I had envisioned, he gently whispered to me :

“My siblings and I were wondering if you could make a quilted pillowcase with pictures for my mom’s birthday?” Continue reading “We need some time people!”

April fool’s day!

April fool’s Day

I can’t believe it’s already been five years since I have made my Thomas goes fishing quilt!  And it all started on April fool’s Day in 2011.

I had a monthly club meeting happening with a group of quilter’s that wanted to share in my design experience.  We would meet once a month and I would show them what I would be working on and they would test the pattern.  They also challenged my work on numerous occasions, and this quilt is a good example of the great designs they helped me make.

Continue reading “April fool’s day!”

There is a big debate in the quilting industry: pre-washing fabrics

I have always washed my fabrics before making a quilt, and most of my students follow my advice.  However there was a few that
disagreed, but my recent mishap has convinced all.

Let’s start at the beginIMG_1542ning  by explaining why I have always prewashed my fabrics.  Since we work with 100% cotton fabrics, I strongly feel that we need to get it to shrink before we start our quilts.  And cotton will shrink with the heat in the dryer.

Continue reading “There is a big debate in the quilting industry: pre-washing fabrics”

My word for 2016: FOCUS

Three years ago, Victoria Findlay Wolfe invited her readers to choose a word that would be ‘their guiding light’ for the year and to make a banner for it.  My dear friend Cinzia has been making a banner every January since then.

I always admired Cinzia for taking the time to find the word and make the banner.  I have to admit that with my schedule, this was on my wish list only.  And while having breakfast in January with Cinzia, I asked for the third time if she had chosen her word for the year and she said yes and was working on it.

I thought to myself:  If I could just find some ME time again and focus on a word, I could do it too.  That’s when it struck me:  FOCUS!  That should be my word for 2016. Continue reading “My word for 2016: FOCUS”

Stepping out of my comfort zone

Here we go

I have been thinking about it for months but have never quite worked up enough courage to really get started. It was only this morning that I had my ‘’ha ha moment’’ as Oprah would call it.

This morning was my routine dental appointment, the semi annual teeth cleaning that I dread and always end up postponing until it becomes almost one year and that clean feeling in my mouth is just not possible anymore no matter how much brushing, flossing and baking soda I do!

If you hate dentists, you know what I mean. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very good dentist now… It just that he comes over 30 years after one bad encounter… And that one bad encounter makes all the other great ones null and void.

So during that half hour teeth cleaning and check-up, I tried to focus on something nice and rejoiceful. Usually I think of one of my quilting projects or article I am working on. But in this specific moment of my life…. Nothing… Just that big item on my to do list:

Start a blog! Continue reading “Stepping out of my comfort zone”