International Quilt Market 2012 in Kansas City - Day 1

Here we go....
entering the trade show floor.

Debbie and Terry of Atkinson Designs, signing up the store for Groovy Girls Mingle and Make event

Mary, Laurel and Debbie at the MH Designs booth

Mary's new paper piecing pattern -- Presents

Debbie and Kathy, the designer of Hemma Design patterns.

Laurel, Linda Hohag and Debbie.  Linda is the designer of Brandywine Design patterns.  Linda's new patterns/books for Wooly Critters and Dolly Playhouse are wonderful!

Laurel and Diana, designer of Pleasant Valley Creations.  We love her vibrant, colorful quilt patterns and currently have Double Diamond hanging in the shop for an upcoming class.

Emily Herrick of Crazy Old Ladies.  We purchased Geared For Guys, a book of 8 new patterns geared for the guys in your life.

Mary and Marianne Fons with Debbie.  We purchased the new Quilty magazine that they are publishing.  

We found a newbie, Lisa, with her fresh handbag designs and just had to purchase some of them because we can never have too many bags!  Her company is Around the Bobbin and she's from Minnesota!

This covers part of what we did today, there will be more coming soon but right now, the feet need to be elevated and time to relax!  And look over some of what we purchased and considered for purchase today!

Winner!

Kathy C. of New Hope is the winner of the Twin Cities Shop Hop prize from Bear Patch.  It is a set of sewing organizers and totes valued at over $200!  The bottom tote is wheeled and large enough for a machine.  The middle sized bag is great for packing projects, and the little bag is for all those small necessities that need to go along, and is already packed with goodies.    Kathy is ready to roll with this great combo.  Ask us about getting your own set of really great bags that will keep your machine safe and projects organized whenever you hit the road. 

So Many Choices

We have a wonderful front window display area in the store, and we love to fill it up with samples we have made.  This time, we decided to make use of several patterns that come from Villa Rosa Designs.  Almost all of them are available in kits, and they are easy to stitch up and make a wonderful present for friends, family, or maybe even yourself!  Because they are mostly a lap quilt size, they are very affordable to put together.  We used some great fabric groups to make them up, but they could easily be made from any selection that you choose.  One big draw for these patterns is that they are only $2.25 each, so you can make a whole library of these little gems!

Wonderful Wool

 We have Mary Mittelstadt from Prior Lake visiting our store today and displaying her awesome designs for wool applique.  These designs really caught our attentions from the get-go.  They have a slightly different flair and style from the norm.  Mary has sewn and quilted before, but has developed a love of wool that is very obvious.  These are done by hand, and some incorporate tiny beads and/or metallic threads for an accent. 

 

 Mary's patterns are very well-written and thorough, teaching some of the basics of wool applique if you haven't done it before.  Her background as a teacher means she is good with directions!

We will have her patterns in stock, there are several more than those pictured here.  Please stop in and check them out and support another great local designer!

Summer Class Samples

Customize a free slideshow design

Our class information is all viewable on our website.  Full pictures, descriptions, dates, prices, etc. are included.  You can even send an online registration by using the drop-down menu under "Classes".  Phone and drop-off registrations are also gladly received.  Saturday, May 12, is our in-store registration day with doors open at 8.  I know that a lot of you like to see the samples in person before deciding what to sign up for, so come in and take a break from all the hustle and bustle while you enjoy some eye candy!  Many items have kits available, and we are always ready to help you pick out your own fabric choices if you prefer.

Things are hopping in the shop today --hint, hint-- it's the kick-off of the Twin Cities Shop Hop!  Special guest Linda Hohag is here with some gorgeous samples, and this afternoon Terry Atkinson will join us!  

Dishtowel Delight

approx. 32" x 36"

Are we nuts? 

We are excited that we have dishtowels! 

We have been waiting at least 6 months to get these  quality dishtowels in a large size back in stock,

and they have finally arrived! 

So this is your chance if you have been waiting--

they are $2.97 each and going fast, so don't delay. 



A Window Update

 We have changed our front window display, the Christmas theme had definitely worn out its welcome!  It is not always easy to assemble the window displays, or even come up with the idea for what we want it to be.  We like to have several new samples of projects and designs all prepared to display, along with the accompanying patterns.  At the moment, we don't have that ready to go with new projects, so we resorted to an idea that we have tossed around before.  We decided to show examples of our own early quilting and handwork items, and I gathered up several of my own oldies-but-goodies.  I tried to label and explain them so they sort of track my own story.  Some of the highlights:

My first large quilt turned out to be unappealing to me-that tan/blue/orange bag on the left is outcome!

 

 On the left is a very large tote bag with wooden dowel handles.  I cut up that first unfinished quilt top to make it!  That bag with the pink and brown is actually an entire dresden plate block, quilted and folded in half with a zipper across the top.  A little plaid project bag with the most difficult zipper insertion that I have ever done!  And a simple little sewing notions bag.

My obsession with bags of all shapes and sizes.

Several more examples of tote bags--a Sue Spargo bag on the left with wool applique, I participated in a small group challenge so we could all trade tapestry and wool scraps;  a Halloween bag with embroidery; a few little hexagons appliqued on osnaburg cloth; and a bag with grommets at the top.

Other handcrafts--

The blue and white items at the top of the picture are special to me because they represent the time I spent in Sweden (1971-72) and learned weaving.   The little pillow on the bottom left is a perfect example of my 1980's counted cross stitch--teddy bear, hearts, rust and green with ruffles!  The white pillow also has lovely eyelet ruffles, and was a hand quilting assignment for my first quilting class taken at the Cotton Shop in Richfield.  Top right is one of my very first mostly successful projects, a Thimbleberries tablerunner with the backing folded around to the front for binding--a technique I have never used again!

My present day quilts that are my own designs!

Which pretty much brings us to the 21st century, and my own line of patterns!  The ones pictured above are Chill Pill, Star Light and One Row To Go.  Emmaline Design is my business name for pattern designs and longarm quilting.  It is a lot of fun for me to learn the ropes of having my own business.  Since I am often asked the question "Who is Emmaline", I will tell you that it was the middle name of one of my grandmothers.  I wanted to choose a business name that did not pertain entirely to quilts, so this gives me the freedom to change focus if I choose.  See, there's a lot to think about with just picking a name!  Now try to name a few patterns, and you will get caught up in my conundrum of lists of names!
I hope you enjoy this little peek into my background, and I am hoping we can do the same with our store owners in the future!