
We relocated to Paducah KY!
I’m sure you’re confused. Let me back up a bit.
Back during the pandemic, I started looking at (and dreaming about) a building in a historic district. It was super cute, with apartments on top you could live in, and the shop area down below. It was in an area with two other quilt and sewing shops on the same street, making our location an easy add-on when shopping.
We’d grab coffee and sit out in front of it in our car, like a couple of creepy folks. And I investigated it pretty hard, including the other businesses on the block, and the building’s current leases. And then… It was gone. Just like that.
I really mourned the loss of a building I didn’t have. I hadn’t made an offer, but I had dreamed about it pretty hard. It was gone. Sold to someone else. I really felt it.
Time went by and in April 2022 my friend Amy and I went to Paducah KY for the AQS Quilt Week. We were excited to get to the show, see people we knew, and scope it out to see if we should vend there next year. While in town, we drove past a building known locally as “The Quilt In A Day Building”, well…. because it has a giant QUILT IN A DAY sign painted on the side. And it was for sale.
I yelled to Amy “Stop the car!” and we both get out and peer into the windows. I look up online how much it was going for… $100K more than my dream building in Illinois. Just as I’m getting down in the dumps about it Amy says “HEY! The one next door is for sale too!”
So we look inside… It’s really neat too! I look it up online. It’s going for $100K LESS than the dream building! WAIT. WHAT?
The rest of the day my mind keeps going back to that building. The 6 hour drive home with Amy, it’s all I can talk about. At dinner we talk about the pros and cons list…. and that cons list is mighty mighty small. When we get home, Amy and I burst in on Charlie’s quiet night with excited giddiness over the find. I tell Charlie he has to see it for himself. And with that, we book a return trip to Paducah two days later.
We visit the building with our realtor, and by the end of the tour my mind had been made up. Charlie needed more convincing, but by the end of our six hour ride home to Chicago, we had made an offer.
Needless to say, it all worked out, as here I sit writing this in our building in Paducah.
It’s been a little bumpy on the way here, with moving companies and selling our home in Chicago, and all that. We made it, we have our little slice of historic downtown Paducah, and we are working on transforming it.
Stay tuned for more of the adventure as it happens!

Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop 2019 – I’m a mess.
First of all, you should go to this list of everyone else in the hop and see their amazing studios!! If you are like me, you love to see how other people set up their spaces.
I think I told you that I’ve been travelling a lot. Like, A LOT. This was hard on my poor studio as I had to prep for two TV shows and multiple teaching gigs. At one point I was looking for something and just pulled stuff out of boxes and left it laying there. I would open the studio door and shove stuff inside. Here’s where it was before I started cleaning…

On top of this hideous mess, my poor thread rack had finally weighed the plastic tub it sits on down enough where I could not open the top drawer.

Plus, the top of my ironing board was so stained that I needed a new cover, and I had found the perfect fabric while in New Mexico with an awesome quilt guild!

So the great clean up began. I had to address the thread rack issue since it was an expensive piece of equipment. So I went to IKEA and picked up a drawer unit I had my eye on.

Next up was to tackle the rest of the room and recover the ironing board.

The Ironing board fabric is a skull fabric that matches my sewing chair from Arrow Cabinets.

The rest was just grunt work, picking up my messes and putting away all the tools, fabrics, and junk I pulled out from various places.

You can see the floor! You can see the sewing table! The ironing board is cleaned off! I just have to put away the fabric, but it’s folded and ready to be put away. Also, I just plain have TOO MUCH STUFF, so be sure to follow me on Facebook so you can be part of some giveaways!
I want to take a moment and shout out all the blog hoppers on this year’s Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop for making it the best one yet! Be sure to go visit each of these blogs and give them some love!
The 5th Annual Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hoppers!
April 29 – Linda Bratten – http://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/
April 30 – Sandra Johnson – http://www.sandrajohnsondesigns.com
May 1 – Jennifer Schifano Thomas – http://www.Curlicuecreations.com
May 2 – Becca Fenstermaker – http://www.prettypiney.com
May 3 – Sue Griffiths – http://www.duckcreekmountainquilting.com
May 4 – Kate Starcher – http://katiemaequilts.com/blog
May 5 – Jo Westfoot – http://www.thecraftynomad.co.uk/blog
May 6 – Sam Hunter – http://www.huntersdesignstudio.com
May 7 – Simone Fisher – http://simonequilts.com/blogs/news
May 8 – Elisabeth DeMoo- http://www.brownbirddesignsquilts.com
May 9 – Sarah Myers – http://www.quilted-diary.com/blog
May 10 – Amy Bradley – http://www.purplepineapplestudio.com
May 11 – Kathy Nutley – http://www.QuiltingsByKathy.com
May 12 – Carla Henton – http://createinthesticks.blogspot.com/
May 13 – Sherry Shish – http://www.poweredbyquilting.com
May 14 – Kate Colleran – http://www.seamslikeadream.com/blog
May 15 – Pamela Boatright – https://www.pamelaquilts.com/
May 16 – Cathy McKillip – http://wishuponaquilt.com/blog
May 17 – Cheryl Sleboda – http://blog.muppin.com
See Me on the Next Season of Quilting Arts TV!
So while I was off taping my DVD in March, I also taped a few more episodes of Quilting Arts TV! I’m going to be in episodes 1407 and 1411! Susan is a fabulous hostess and I know you will love what this new season has in store for you. You can get a preview of the season and also look up where it’s available in your area here: http://www.quiltingdaily.com/blogs/qatv_series_1400/home.aspx
My DVD is here!
Well, this special day has arrived… the one where my DVDs showed up and I got to hold one in my hot little hands.
I wasn’t really expecting them, so I wasn’t dressed for the occasion! ha ha Anyway, I had been sent proofs of the cover and back covers already, so I knew what it would look like mostly. But it was pretty cool to finally get them and crack one open to see what the insides looked like.
I have to say I like how pretty the cover looks and seeing my name screened onto the DVD itself was a special thrill.
If you are interested in getting one directly from me, these are now available in my shop. I can include a signed card for you to insert inside your DVD cover.
It’s been an exciting ride to have something so “real” with your name on it. It was a lot of hard work, practice, and fretting. Having a product with my name on it was a big “bucket list” goal of mine for my quilt business, and it’s finally here.
So much is going on lately, and I have big news and fun stuff planned for the next two weeks. Stay tuned, everyone!
Who has Two Thumbs and is Excited for Her DVD? (THIS GIRL!)
Oh my gosh. It’s here! I feel like I just taped it! (Well, really I sort of did!) So here I present to you: Heirloom Sewing Techniques for Today’s Quilter!
Just a few short weeks ago I was in the studio and nervous as hell, and now the DVD is ready for PREORDER?
Here’s the write up:
Quilting Arts Workshop: Heirloom Sewing Techniques for Today’s Quilter Smocking, Pintucks, Gathers & More with Cheryl Sleboda DVD – 76 minutes Take your next sewing project to new heights by adding an unexpected twist—fabric manipulation! Learn the basics and beyond of vintage sewing techniques that can transform your quilts from flat to fabulous. Award-winning quilter and heirloom sewing expert Cheryl Sleboda takes the mystery out of smocking, pintucks, pleats, and gathers, and will soon have you applying these simple and effective techniques to your own quilts and home décor projects. After an overview of the history, tools, and materials used in dimensional sewing, Cheryl deftly describes and demonstrates each technique. Her shortcuts and tips simplify the most mystifying designs into easy-to-follow steps. Imagine creating smocked inserts for a sampler quilt, or a charming vintage-inspired pillow with a contemporary flair. Soon you’ll be creating your own dimensional designs using the time-tested methods demonstrated on this video. |
I’m so excited I can barely stand it! And of course, it’s got a skull on it… it wouldn’t be mine unless it did, right? 🙂 Want to preorder one for yourself? Check it out here!!
I’m planning all sorts of cool stuff and giveaways and more for the release, so I hope you will stay tuned.