Here we go.

I made it into Kansas City yesterday for International Quilt Market. I’ve never been to the Spring version and haven’t been exactly sure what to expect, but this one seems HUGE. There are tons of booths.

Luckily we got the booth into pretty good shape by the end of the day yesterday, so I was able to check out some of the schoolhouse sessions today. I’m really glad that I did because not only were there some really good ones, but I also didn’t really know what they were…how embarrassing.

Highlights from schoolhouse included :
-a talk about a new socially and environmentally conscious batik mill in Indonesia by Robert Kaufman. In addition to building this cool factory they also gave the town of 500,000 their first public library. How awesome is that?!
-Tula Pink talked about her new fabrics, book, life, etc. I didn’t know much about her other than she designed cool fabric, and I thoroughly enjoyed her talk. She’s really funny and full of personality. And I won a book…score!
-more fabulous talks, giveaways, and eye candy from Oliver+s, Amy Butler, the Sunday Morning Quilt ladies, Robert Kaufman, Anna Maria, and lots of others. I took some serious notes.

And tomorrow’s the big opening day. I’m excited. For anyone attending, I want to invite you to stop by my booth. I’ve got my new patterns, stamps, and lots of samples. It’s number 3320 which is at the very beginning of the 800 row.

I’ll also be making an appearance in the Checker booth on Saturday at 1:45pm. I’ve got a demo, some samples, and some giveaways ready to go.

Hope to see you soon! And if not, watch for updates.

Just took a minute to check out the submissions from the latest design challenge over at the printed bolt. The challenge was to come up with a design that mapped out the geography of your life…very interesting. I gotta say that these gals are pretty clever and came up with some great fabric. Head over here and check it out.

Which one is your favorite?

Definitely getting closer to Market crunch time. I’m hanging in there, cranking away, and not thinking about much else. Here’s a snap at my current workspace. Surprisingly it doesn’t look too crazy, which may be a little deceptive. That stack of fabric on the right is a good 3-4 inches tall.

New stuff to come very soon…

It’s nice to try new things. Last weekend it was needle felting thanks to a class at the library.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little violent. Several people in the class really seemed to be getting out some aggression. The idea is to mat the fibers together with a sharp, barbed needle. Just lovely. And you have to pay careful attention not to needle felt your finger. I think I got myself once, which wasn’t too bad considering my coordination sometimes.

At first I got a little carried away with making beads. It was fun mixing colors and trying to make them as dense and round as possible. Then the flying saucer (far right) happened. Not my best work. I figured it was time to move on, and I got the idea to make a saguaro cactus to use as a pincushion. I really kind of like it. I just need to figure out what to use for a base…

How cool is this?! The fabulous folks at Robert Kaufman are making up my dear Sessoms out of their latest Fusions line, and it’s looking great! Can’t wait to see it in person in just a few weeks at Quilt Market.

Here’s a sneak peak at some of my market prep. I’m loving the peach lately.

…and just in case the sewing doesn’t work, there’s always this.

Here’s an update.

She’s all quilted, bound, and photographed. The orderly 1/4″ quilting, via my walking foot, gives it a nice texture without competing with the prints. I don’t always bind with the border fabric, but I liked the idea of keeping this one consistent. Of course, I had to break it up with a couple fabric scraps, and I am shocked that the hands came out perfectly positioned. Wish I could say I planned that.

I made this block (from my Grove pattern) at an event in Vero a few weeks ago. After some thought, I decided that I kind of liked it all by itself, rather than making it into something larger. I’ve been into little projects lately. They are great for trying out new ideas. Plus they make fun little pieces of art–and gifts too.

I liked the idea of using my art quilt stamps to create my own fabric for the border. In doing this, I realized one benefit to printing my own fabric was that I did not have to fussy-cut my directional print to work out in my project. I just cut the strips for the border first and then stamped the print in the direction that I wanted them to go. So now they match.

I’ve also been really into some straight-ish quilting.

And here was the original sans stamping, borders, and quilting. It always amazes me to see how much each part of the process affects the way it looks and feels.

Hoo-rah!

The summer issue of Stitch is here, and I’ve got a project in it. Check it out.

Fabric rings with vintage buttons–exactly my kind of bling. I’ve never been much of a shiny and/or serious jewelry type person, especially when it comes to rings. Wood versions have been my go-to, but the tides might be changing with these little guys. Plus, it’s always more fun to make things to your own liking. And who doesn’t have a small stash of enticing buttons just waiting for the right project?

These rings take no time (or supplies, really) to make. I could probably find enough fabric to make one in my waste basket. I guess that’s why I made 5 samples rather than the two they asked for…You might say they are addictive.

Fast and satisfying. Hope others like it too!

Get your copy here or here.