Adventures in Alpaca batting!

About a year ago I decided to look into alpacas as another source of income. In my quest to learn as much as I could about these wonderful animals, I discovered alpaca batting! Being a quilter I just had to have some. I had read somethings online about alpaca batting some good, some bad, but no one I knew had ever used it before. At a friend's ranch in Loveland, CO I bought some alpaca batting but because it was expensive and special (at least to me) I didn't want to use it on any quilt. Finally, I decided that I couldn't save it forever and about a week ago I used it in a friendship block swap quilt.
It is a small lap quilt and I have twin size batting so I decided (it was midnight-ish) to double up the batting. Alpaca batting is warmer then wool, or so I was told, and they were not lying! I am hand quilting this quilt because I have yet to get my long arm, and let me tell you! Having double the alpaca batting in a lap quilt while quilting it, it is by far warmer then anything I have ever used before! I am lucky to live in the Colorado Mountains where it gets cold at night.
Now for some "technical talk"; in my research of the lovely alpaca batting, I found some reviews that stated the batting gets "fuzzies EVERYWHERE". My personal experience is that is not true. While basting this quilt, I was crawling on the batting, in black pants on my hands and knees and there was very little "fuzz" on my pants or on the floor. I also found that this batting is expensive, no lie there, it certainly is expensive, however I feel that it is worth it for the extra special people in your life. As far as washing goes, I have heard that machine washing will "ball" the batting, for that reason I am making a smaller "wall hanging" size quilt just to see if the batting will "ball" in the wash. I am using a blend of alpaca/wool batting at the moment from Pacafil. This is only the beginning of my alpaca batting "testing" :) Later I will be experimenting with 100% alpaca batting if I can find it!
I will keep everyone updated as my adventures in alpaca batting continue!

Also, check out my new blog about life as a freelance author.

Christmas in Divide Craft Fair

Yesterday was the Christmas in Divide craft fair. It was my first year at this craft fair and I have to admit I was impressed by the turn out and all the crafters. Everyone had some beautiful crafts and I met a lot of very nice people. A big thank you to everyone who came by and to the organizers from the Divide Chamber of Commerce. I am looking forward to next year.

For those of you who signed up for the drawing, a name will picked from the jar and an email will be sent out later this evening. I appreciate the interest in beginner classes in early 2011. I will keep everyone up to date on schedules and class prices through emails. If you are interested in taking a class, please feel free to contact me at Michelle06H@gmail.com "class" in the subject line and I will add you to the email list.

A physical location is in the works for next year.

More pictures of the pin wheel quilt

The entire quilt laid out.



Looks like a grease stain (?)
Both moth holes.

75 to 100 year old quilt?!

I believe the spot on the right is an actual cotton seed, but I am not sure.


A hole in the top fabric, reveals the batting.


Moth holes in the pictures above and below.


I just had to post some pictures about this quilt I got recently at a consignment shop in Divide, CO. When I first got it I had thought it was made in the 1950's, maybe. I asked the store clerk if they knew how old the quilt was, he said he'd call the lady who consigned the quilt and ask. She said the quilt was made by her grandmother between 75-100 years ago. The quilter's last name was Crum from Colorado, Frances maybe I am not sure.

Here are some pictures of the quilt. There are some moth holes, stains, etc...however for being 75-100 years old, it is in great condition. I am guessing the quilt was made around the 1930's, if anyone can tell from the pictures of the fabric the time frame, I'd love to know the age of this quilt. At some point I will be getting this quilt looked at by an expert, but I'd like to hear everyone's opinions.

To put everyone's mind at ease, I have wrapped the quilt in a sheet and rolled it gently to store it. Beyond that, I am unsure as to how to take care of this quilt. Suggestions on that topic are also welcome!

Planning Begins!

Saturday was the conclusion of a two part class offered by the Stargazer Ranch. Our day was spent with some hands on work with the Alpacas and some “class room” discussion. Spending the day working with Alpacas reinforced my excitement to owning these wonderful animals. A special thanks goes out to Cindy and John from the Stargazer Ranch for putting on such an extraordinary class and for sharing their knowledge and expertise.
Alpacas will be a big part of my life, the resort and now is the time for making detailed plans to bring these ideas into reality! I am in the beginning stages of writing a very detailed business plan, looking for grant researchers and writers, and of course interest in my ideas. Keep an eye out for articles I am writing topics will include; alpacas (of course), quilting, and hippo/animal assisted therapy for conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism, and stroke. I have also purchased a video camera! There will be pictures and videos coming soon.
Quilting Love,
Michelle, owner of Snow Top Quilts

Alpaca journey...

Yesterday marked the beginning of my Alpaca Journey. I went to Stargazer Ranch Alpacas, for their Coffee to Cocktails event. Having spent 12 years in the alpaca business, Cindy and John are a wonderful source of knowledge, and their joy and love for these adorable creatures is contagious. They have "barn-cams" set up so you can watch the Alpacas live on their website.

My family is considering starting a farm of our own. In a couple of weeks I will be going back to the Stargazer Ranch for the "Ranch-Hand Day". I am looking forward to learning more alpacas and how to care for them.

Stay tuned for more of my journey with Alpacas :)

Alpaca batting anyone?

Just a quick question to my quilting friends;
Anyone ever use Alpaca batting?
Any comments on it?
Easy to use?

Ok, so that was more than one question :) I am considering using this batting in a quilt and would like to know what other people think.

Thinking too much too late!

It is just after midnight where I live and I know I should go to sleep but I just can't turn off my mind. I have so much running through my head, quilts I want to make, quilts I need to make, working on my book, who should I hire to design my website, etc...

I have to learn to let these thoughts go at night so I can sleep. I can't be the only one who deals with this, can I?

Coffee better than Starbucks!

Hello All,

I just wanted to pop in and tell you all about a coffee that my husband and I found. It is called Skinny Coffee, from Boresha. Honestly it is better than Starbucks, I stopped brewing my Kenya blend at home because I got Skinny coffee to brew at home now.

Stop by this website and see what it is all about. Try it once, it is worth it, you won't be disappointed.

I am back

Hello All,
After family medical issues, a long hard move, and getting to know my new area, I am back. It was a stressful 3 months but I am hoping it will get easier over the next month or two. I have started to do some side work as a Virtual Assistant to help make ends meet until Eric can find another job. There are a couple of VA positions I am interested in and they look promising.

While I was away, I had some thoughts on where I'd like to take Snow Top Quilts and I'd like your opinion. My thought was to set up a quilting retreat or camp somewhere in Colorado. My first thought was at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO -the place where they filmed The Shinning- and have some guest speakers, as well as some quilting teachers for 3-4 days. My questions to you are:
Where would you like to go for a quilt retreat/camp?
How many days would you be willing to go for? 3-4 days? 7 days?
Who would you like to see teaching at the quilt retreat?
What classes would you like to take?
How many people would you be comfortable taking a class with?
I am working on finding locations all over the state of Colorado and hope to have a good idea of when, where, who, and how much by the end of the February. Send me an email with your answers to: MichelleHalverson@SnowTopQuilts.com

Just a little Quilter Love

This weekend my family and I had a garage sale to help downsize our stuff for the move. I decided to put some extra quilt patterns out there from my stash. What I ended up with was a small group of ladies sitting around keeping me company for about an hour. We all had a lot of fun sitting and chatting, first about quilting and then about life. It was a lovely time. Amazing how quilters always seem to find each other.

The big move...

My family and I are finally making the much anticipated move from Wisconsin to Colorado. We will be leaving here in 3 weeks. In that 3 weeks, I am planning on having a garage sale to lighten the load in the moving truck, we have to pack up our dvd's and clothes and some of the girl's toys but for the most part we are packed since we never really unpacked from our last move 6 months ago.

We are all very excited to make this move and finally start to live our life long dream of being in the mountains. Megan is so excited she keeps telling everyone that she is moving to mountains and every day she says good bye to the hay bails behind our house.

There are a lot of things to pack for the girl's in the car. I will make home made granola for a snack, thanks to a friend from another forum. Here is the recipe:

Simple Granola

1/2 c oil
1/2 c honey
1/4 c b sugar
1T vanilla
Heat these in a large pan for 3 or 4 mins on a boil. I use a roasting pan.

Remove from the heat and add
7c rolled oats
1c wheat germ
1/2t salt
1/2c almonds
1/2 coconut
Other things I add(it just depends what I have on hand)sunflower seeds,sesame seeds, rice crispies(if am a little short on oats). Add what ever you like. I put the raisins & cranraisins in when the granola is cooling.

I bake it in A 350' oven. Stir every 10/15mins until it is light brown. Browns fast.
When cool store in air tight containers.

MMMMMMmmmmmmmm eat by the hand full~~anytime.

Of course, we'll have trail mix and Sam's club is a good place to get those small bags of gram crackers and boxes of raisins.

I made them activity boards out of small cookie sheets and scrapbook paper and stickers. We made these a few months ago and I have yet to laminate them. Again thanks to a lifelong friend of mine I will be stopping by Michael's to get some foam magnets. We also went to Target and got two small magna doodles for them to color on while we are in the car. One of our dogs eats color crayons and markers are just a bad idea.

I am so excited!

Somethings every quilter should have...

in their sewing basket. Last night I was working on some hand sewing for a custom valance and I had to rip out some stitches. While I was ripping out these stitches, I had to adjust my light and when I did that I accidentally put my seam ripper through part of my thumb. There were no band aids or neosporin in my basket so I had to rummage through the first aid kit to find what I needed. Then it occurred to me, I should keep these things in my basket with me to avoid having to search for them. Now in my sewing basket I have band aids, neosporin, and anti-septic wipes. Just something for all to think about.

Question 4 of 5.

Still waiting for the right answers to yesterdays questions!

Here is question set 4 of 5

1. What years in the 1800's was the Baltimore Album most popular?

2. Who is the founder of the Quilt In A Day books and company?

Ready set next questions!

Two winners so far, we 3 more prizes and the Drawing for the $100 Gift Certificate!!!!

1. in what year was the first state wide quilt guild founded in Utah?

2. What year did the Kansas City Star publish the first quilt pattern?

Next questions

Here are the next two questions for the Aug. blog/facebook contest.

1. Name two of the personal uses for the Krafter's Komfycush (hint: can be found in the SnowTopQuilts Etsy store )

2. Where was the 1933 World's Fair held?

Again here are the rules

1. Be a follower and a fan of this blog and the SnowTopQuilts fan page on Facebook.
2. you must post your answers in the comments section, the first person the get the right answer to both questions wins. I will send you a message on Facebook for your address so you can receive your prize.
3. There are 5 prizes to be won, two questions will be posted for each prize.
4. At the end of the month there will be a drawing with all the participants names for a $100.00 gift certificate to use on the Snow Top Quilts web site.

In my world these next few weeks

My family and I have been trying to find a house to buy in Colorado. There are many choices, in a few places I like, but now with my husband out of work it will be almost impossible to get a mortgage. So I am going to try and make 300 quilts to sell online at my various selling venues to raise enough money to buy a house outright or at least prove to a lender that I can bring in a decent income to be able to pay the mortgage until Eric finds a full time job again. Our lease is up in 60 days and I'd like to sell enough quilts to help get us to Colorado before then.

Yesterday I went through my fabric stash and figured I have enough fabric in my stash to make 30 quilts, mostly lap size, twin size or baby quilts. The good news is I have a few started already. I am giving up quilts that I was going to make for myself. I want those quilts but I also want Colorado more, so it is a sacrifice I am more then willing to make. I will start listing them in my Etsy store, and then I will list some in my Artfire store as well.

Stay tuned for updates on my progress. :) And wish my luck.

August Contest

Welcome to the first contest on the SnowTopQuilts blog. There are some rules, but they are easy.

1. Be a follower and a fan of this blog and the SnowTopQuilts fan page on Facebook.
2. you must post your answers in the comments section, the first person the get the right answer to both questions wins. I will send you a message on Facebook for your address so you can receive your prize.
3. There are 5 prizes to be won, two questions will be posted for each prize.
4. At the end of the month there will be a drawing with all the participants names for a $100.00 gift certificate to use on the Snow Top Quilts web site.

Simple! :) Ready?

Question 1:
Who patented the sewing machine and in what year?

Question 2:
What year was the National Quilting Association formed in Washington D.C.?

Working on...

I have been spending a lot of time working on a custom quilt. It has been really fun and an interesting project. I am sad to see it coming to an end, but at the same time I am thrilled that I am completing my first custom quilt order from a total stranger.

I am also getting ready to start posting the first contest on this blog! I am so excited. I found most of the information in a book and I am now trying to cross reference to make sure everyone can find the answers online as well. I know not everyone has this book, even though I think quilter should own a copy :)

My next custom order is from an unexpected customer, my husband's best friend. I never thought he would be the kind of guy to want a custom quilt, but then again I never expected him to have a lavish garden either. I guess it was the "geeky IT guy" persona that threw me off. HAHA

Now, onto some really exciting news. My family and I are finally close to moving to Colorado. My husband lost his job here in Minnesota and now that he has no job here, we can move to Colorado. It will be easier for him to find a job in Colorado when we live there. I am in the process of looking for a place to rent and finding the best way to move our stuff from here to there. I am price checking between do it yourself moving vans and moving companies that come in and do everything for me. I am voting for the latter :)

Contest for Aug. 2009

I decided to host a contest during the month of August between my Facebook page and my blog. I am not sure what the rules are going to be yet or even what the contest will be about. I need some time to think about all that and to come up with some fun and exciting prizes. I know that a few F.Q.'s and maybe a couple of quilting novels, maybe some patterns. Still in the works. I just had to tell everyone I am so excited!