10 years ago...

on February 14th, 1997, we started the moonshyne collection. For those of you who may not know our story, the moonshyne collection was our pattern company. In 2004 we changed our name to blue meadow designs.

Over the past ten years we have;

written 6 quilting books
written 1 cd rom
have been published in 14 magazines
designed 3 fabric collections
visited 3 international quilt markets
"opened" www.bluemeadowdesigns.com
started a blog
visited numberous quilts shops and guilds
taught many classes and retreats
published many patterns

not to mention we had four children amongst all of this other stuff!

I probably missed some major event but that's it in a nut shell. It has been a wild ride and over the past 3 years we have expanded the most!! Thanks for all of the support we have received over the last ten years... Here's to another 10.

Happy 10th Anniversary!!

It was like christmas around here!!



It is always excitting to get mail and when my husband comes home bearing packages it's just a great day. Check out the Spring 2007 issue of Fabric trends. We designed this quilt using thimbleberries new garden graphics collection.

remember that little secret I told you about?



allpeoplequilt.com be sure to check it out on March 1st!
In the April 2007 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting Heidi is announcing the launch of their new website. This web site is a calaboration between APQ, Quilts & More and the Quilt Sampler magazines.
As Heidi points out at the bottom of this page. Yours truly...yep...that's right blue meadow designs is the FIRST designers to be highlighted on this amazing web site, not to mention CANADIAN designers!!
I will post a reminder on March 1st with the link. The quilt pictured on the left is our design for Bohemian Rhapsody and you can download the pattern for free on the allpeoplequilt.com web site!

Look what came in the mail today!

The first copies of the March/April issue of the Quiltmaker. You may also want to visit
http://www.quiltmaker.com. There is an interview with Myra and myself under "excerpts from the experts".

We had a blast!!

This was a great weekend. We could not have asked for a more wonderful group of women. They were eager to learn & sew, to try a new techniques and they welcomed us with open arms! Not to mention they fed us very well...yumm. Thanks Cabin Country Guild in Fort Frances Ontario for your hospitality and spirit!! Hope to see you again really soon.

 

This is what travelling is for blue meadow...eating on the run...gotta go! 

Fort Frances Here we come!



This weekend retreat has been over a year in the making. We were raring and ready to go and share Bohemian Rhapsody with ta class of 32 ladies.

hot off the press

Oasis is in the newest issue of The Quilter magazine.

 

New Logo!

Here it is...our new logo. You will begin to see this logo on our products and advertising. Hope you like it.

 

We had some new photo's taken the other day for a campaing that RJR is getting ready for. Thought we would share one with you. Oh...I forgot to mention how much Myra and I LOVE photos!! hahahahah

BIG NEWS!

Just when we think it is slowing down another project comes our way. And this one is excitting!! Myra and myself did an interview yesterday for a new web site that will be launched on March 1st. We will be the first Designers to be featured! It will be a very large spread about blue meadow designs, along with pictures of us, our studio/workspaces and slide shows. Sound excitting? I can not tell you who it was for, but don't you worry I will let you know very soon.

p.s has anyone seen the March 2007 issue of The Quilter magazine? Look for our project "Oasis" featuring Bohemian Rhapsody. Let us know what you think.

We made it...

home from Regina SK. We went out to Regina (a 6 hr drive) to attend a vendor's night at the quilt guild. It was great to see them again and we thank them for their kind words, compliments and hospitality! The weather was a little "ify"late Tuesday evening, but it cleared up for our trip home on Wednesday morning. No icy roads just ground drifting. Thank goodness for Tim Horton's! In true Canadian style, we stopped on our way to Regina for a quick lunch and on the way home, stopped to warm up with a english toffee cappicino for me and a hot chocolate for Myra. Thanks again Regina for a great time. Hope to see you again soon!

sneek peek

Finished it, just today. Now it is time to let Jacquie Pohl (of Gladstone MB) do her quilting magic! This is a quilt that will appear in a magazine...not telling which one, but you can look for it in late summer. Don't worry we will let you know ahead of time, wouldn't want you to miss it.

I can tell you this though, the fabric is from an RJR Fabrics collection "So You Sew Fun too!" In between our own collections, we get the oppertunity to design quilts using RJR collections. Using bright colors has allowed us to step out and do something different. This quilt design is fun and modern. Hope you think so too.

As 2006 comes to an end...

all I have to say is WOW, we made it! Myra and I have been designing quilts for 9 years and this year I think we have worked our very hardest. (do I dare say that!!) As I look back on 2006 I can not believe all that we accompolished and all the places we went and the really great people we have met.

We released a new fabric collection, designed approximatly 16 quilts to be published, (not to mention the quilts we just design) some of which will only be in print in the new year, went to spring market in Minniapolis, fall quilt market in Houston and CCHA in Toronto, visited quilt guilds, shops and one of my highlights was our Hometown Retreat! We have been focusing on marketing and branding over the past few months and with that brings many, many more ideas. You will see blue meadow designs, well....all over the place in 2007. (and you know we will keep you posted)

As 2006 draws to a close Myra and I find ourselves excitted about 2007. I know that we will push ourselves to new hights. We have many plans and as we have expierienced, surprises always arise. We are thankful and blessed not only with our business but blessed with health, family and friends. God has been good and only he knows what tomorrow brings!

Wishing you a very happy new year!!

Merry Christmas from Cori & Myra...


myra harder & cori derksen

otherwise known as "the Girls"
RJR refers to us as "Cora" (mostly when we are not around!!)

desk top calendars






I have made five of these desk top calendars this last week. I used Bohemian Rhapsody fabric, paper, a tin case, ribbon, EQ printables and a lot of zig zag stitching.
You never know where you will see this pattern!

the process...


This is a board I put together to show our process. From our inspiration, the drawing, the fabrics to the finished pattern. We have been custom designing quilts for some of RJR's fabric collections. This collection is called "So You Sew Fun too!" and we were asked to design a quilt for the collection. We found inspiration in a piece of furniture from a magazine clipping and turned it into a EQ5 drawing. In EQ5 we play with color until we find a combonation that we like or should I say four combinations that RJR liked! This quilt will be offered in four color ways. "So You Sew Fun too!" will be released summer '07, be sure to look in your local quilt shop for the collection and pattern! You may remember seeing the finished quilt on a previous post, the "Labyrinth" quilt was displayed in the RJR booth in Houston.

Snow ball fight?

It was a beautiful 5 degrees above 0 today!! Myra and I took advantage of the weather and took some pictures of ourselves today. Not because we like pictures of ourselves but because when we do magazine work and such, they always need a picture.

We work primarily for US companies and they ask about what winters are like in Canada. So we thought it would be fun to take some winter pictures and send them their way, hence the snow ball picture.

It was fun trudging through the snow around my yard! Not to mention the GREAT brainstorm session Myra and I had after the shoot! You know us...always thinking or as Myra said "my brain is spinning!!"

Daisy Baby

This baby quilt is so cute! This pattern had it's Canadian debut in Toronto this spring and it's international debut in Houston this fall and it was very well received. You can expect to see more baby/kids designs in the new year! I better get these patterns packaged and shipped, until next time.

Work day!

Well, like I mentioned...we had a conference call with RJR yesterday. We were presented with more oppertunities for designing! It is excitting but at the same time...making us even busier!! Busy is good right? The only problem is we still have meals to make, laundry to do and families to take care of...thank goodness they are supportive. Back to the drawing board.