Bits from Quilt Market

I have a hodge-podge of pictures taken at quilt market a week ago.  I didn't take as many pictures as usual.  (Sorry!)  I will do better next time!

Some interesting "big stitch" hand quilting.  I was thinking of my Slow Sew group when I saw this.

One of our long-time favorites, Stitchin' Sisters, with a couple new patterns.  Making good use of plastic screen and tape measures!  Watch for a class on how to use these hardware store staples in your next sewing project!

A galaxy of beautiful thread colors at Superior Threads--

Some quilting that caught my eye, which might end up in a quilt of my own.  It seemed pretty easy and forgiving, 2 key features of a good quilting design!

Ordering fabric at Moda can be a bit overwhelming.  The 2 pictures below show some samples of some of the fabric we ordered for the store.

And we really enjoyed the fabulous booth at Buttermilk Basin!  She is local, so transported a lot of display pieces and props for her booth.  It felt like walking into an old time general store!  We purchased several of her patterns, and here are some examples:

In God's Country!

Yup, I'm in Iowa!  Where if you build it, they will come!

Well, a lot of people came to Cedar Rapids yesterday and today for the Machine Quilters Showcase presented by the IMQA (International Machine Quilters Association).  I came for 2 days of classes on a variety of topics.  Some of my sessions are about specialty rulers, quilt photography, and specifics of quilting for shows.  That last class was taught by Gina Perkes, someone I have heard of and read about for quite awhile.  Last week she won a $12,000 prize at the Paducah Quilt Festival for her artistic work, so she knows what she is talking about!

One of the rulers that I have been interested in is an arc shape, and it is used to make this type of cross-hatching in an area.  I think it is fascinating to see the way that the diamonds morph into different shapes as the curves progress across the area.  This is one I want to learn.

There is also a good sized show of quilts, and I took quite a few pictures of things that caught my eye.  I hope they will provide some inspiration in the future.  These are not things that I would ever copy, but ideas that might find their way into something I do in another way.

This is a very small section of a larger quilt, about an 8" square.  The intricacy kind of boggles my mind!

The 2 pictures below presented some very good examples of applying quilting designs to open spaces.  This is found frequently in the "modern quilting movement", and although it's very, very different than traditional quilt blocks, it's another variation of the quilting arts.

Some more classes tomorrow, and checking back on the show quilts to see what prizes were awarded in the judging, then heading back north.  More fun coming up in the next few days as we attend Quilt Market in Minneapolis.  I hope to take some pictures and share them here with you as soon as I can.  So stay tuned!

New Window Dressing!

We have spruced up a lot of things at the store within the last week, hanging dozens of new samples on display.  Many of them were new class quilts, which I will compile into another post real soon.  What I am showing today are the lovely baby and child quilts that our employees have made to entice and inspire you!  If I count correctly, there are 13 samples of an assortment of patterns.  

Most of them also have kits available using the same fabric that was used in our sample.

We even have Paddington Bear on hand to watch over it all!

PS-- we really do have a great team of ladies who work together very well!  It takes a village to make a quilt shop successful!

Haste Makes Waste

Well, I did sew together the April assigned blocks for Gypsy Wife.  They are the ones with a checkmark in the photo below.  But I am going to have to backtrack a bit and fix a couple problems.  

1. That block in the bottom row with the green center looks really out of shape, so I need to go back and press it into submission.  Otherwise it is a do-over.
2. The top left block is going to the chopping block.  It was not supposed to look like the black hole.  Way too dark.  A new plan for the colors is needed.
3. The little square-in-a-square block lower right also needs a do-over.  I had some nice black on white text fabric in the center, but forgot that it would look so different with the corner pieces attached.  It came out looking odd with the white gap in the middle.

So, as you see, there is always a chance to edit!  I do like that heart block in the top row, it gives me a little Gypsy Wife love!

Food For Thought

I found an interesting online discussion that applies to the sewing and quilting that we love to do.  It pertains to the cost and pricing of items to be sold.  I, like many of you, have been asked to make something for someone when they see a great quilt or bag that you have made.  It's kind of a sticky situation, because they generally don't have any knowledge of the cost of materials and the time that it takes to make something of any quality.  I think that often, the textile arts and needlework are seen as a hobby only, not something of great artistic value.  Maybe it's thought of as something that we do in our "spare time", not understanding that for many people, it is an art and source of income.

Here's the discussion that triggered these thoughts, and I would love to know what you think!

It's April, So Gypsy Wife Continues...

First, I have to admit, I am feeling pretty good about just keeping up with the Gypsy Wife quilt monthly assignments for this sew-along.  Hopefully my luck will last!  It's always easy to start a plan like this, but can be very hard to stick with it all the way through.  At least, that's my experience!  

Here is the collection of the blocks I have made for the first two months, following the plan here:

These are not in any kind of arrangement nor order, just stuck up on my design wall randomly.  I have started to think about where these blocks belong in the final layout, but there is a long way to go before I can start putting sections together.  I have also started cutting some long 1 1/2" strips from the assorted prints, because they are used in and around and above and below all of the blocks.  Some carry through from the top to the bottom with block interruptions.  I'm not quite sure what I am doing with that, but I do realize that I will need some long strips, so to save having to piece strips together, I am cutting some now and setting aside for later.  

There has also been some stash improvements, as I see what I need more of to keep a balance.  Some were pieces that I find as I look into my own stash, some are pieces that are new.  It's good to see them in a picture like this, because I can see the value better; i.e., light, medium, dark within the color family.  Looks like most of my golds are mediums, so I will have to see about augmenting that little group with another dark and probably a light.  I haven't included my assorted light/background type of fabrics here.  

I picked out fabrics for the April blocks:

...complete with labels so I know what my first intentions were.  I may have to make some substitutions, but I didn't cut anything yet.  Most of these are Courthouse Steps blocks in varying sizes.  I will start cutting the pieces and get them arranged so I can get a better idea of how they are going to turn out.  Stay tuned!

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