First, let me give you the forecast for Market (and I mean, literally…let me give you the forecast):

If you click on the above image, you’ll see the extended ten-day forecast for the Houston area, which shows that even thought it is going to be a little chilly over the weekend with highs only in the low-to-mid 70s (brrrrrrr), the temperature picks up the middle of next week so we are once again in the low 80s. Don’t forget that once the air is turned on in the convention center, it can get quite chilly, so pack that cardigan!

We also have some happenings at Quilt Market that I want to make sure you are aware of:

COME to our Fabric 2.0 Meet & Greet!

Fabric 2.0 Meet & Greet is brought to you by Quilt Market, and we are ever so grateful to our generous and shining sponsors for helping make this reception possible: Craftsy (our GOLD sponsor) and Quilting Arts (our Silver sponsor)!

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One from the scrapbooks: Here I am with Elinor Peace Bailey and Luana Rubin from the very first Fabric 2.0 Meet & Greet in 2008. Fun times!

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For those who have not attended Fabric 2.0′s Meet & Greet that the bubbly Caroline Devoy devised, hosted, and coordinated for the past four years, this is a very lively, casual, and fun kick-off to Quilt Market where those attending Market can meet up, enjoy a drink, and make new friends! No need to RSVP at this point, it is a cash bar with food, so please stop by with a smile, your camera, and your business or MOO cards!

Where: 3rd Floor Pre-Function Area at the Hilton

When: Friday, October 26, 6:00-8:00 PM

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VIEW our new Sneak Peek Area!

If you are a retailer or in the media, you wont want to miss our brand new Sneak Peek area in front of Halls B & C where you will see samples of the latest and greatest in quilting and sewing! Click this link to get a sneak peek of our Sneak Peek.

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.BE on TV! Twitter TV that is…

Thanks to my friend Susan Brubaker Knapp for taking this shot from last year’s Market and posting it on her blog!

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Once again, we will be featuring our Twitter Wall where tweets from the Market show floor will appear in real time. So make sure your twitter app is loaded on your smartphone, and see your tweets on your Market findings and experience live on TV! The Twitter Wall will be centrally located on Main Street in the Exhibitor Area right at the Information Booth. Make sure when you tweet you use #quiltmarket so it will appear on the wall. And if you are not able to come to Quilt Market, be sure to follow us on Twitter to see what is happening!

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.MEET up in our new Networking Lounge

Brand new to Quilt Market is our Networking Lounge where you can sit comfortably for meetings and charge your smartphones simultaneously at our charging station! Our Networking Lounge will be located in the back of Hall D in Aisle A, which is located in the Special Exhibits area just on the other side of the Exhibitor Area.

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All of us at Quilts Inc. are looking forward to a very busy and successful show! Are you attending or exhibiting at Quilt Market? Let us know in the comments area, and see you in just a few days!

I am so very honored and excited to find out that my “What’s For Breakfast” Quilt was chosen to be in the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the Houston Quilt Market this fall!!!  Wow–really?? Someone pinch me!!

 The 33 quilts that were chosen will also be traveling to various other quilt shows and markets.  It’s pretty exciting news for me and my quiet little improv quilt.

A little off topic, but I couldn’t help also sharing the genisis of my blog title inspiration.  My three little “blooming poppies” and I spent a bit of time at our local Botanic Gardens- a favorite little day trip destination for us.

  It is in it’s full spring glory right now with poppies, and catcus blooms and the like.  Our state flower however, the prolific California Poppy is definitely most prominent….. and blog title inspiring apparently!

Have a beautiful day!!

~~~karen

reflections

Here are some of my highlights from 2011:

1. I really got more involved with some of my artistic groups and guilds. Doing more projects and field trips and just participating regularly. It is so nice to be surrounded by other creative people.
2. Saw a number of live Theatre productions last year. Some were absolutely fabulous, some were hysterically funny, some were intense, some were downright odd. But all were entertaining.
3. Took a wonderful workshop with Patty Hawkins (with my friends Ruth and Kathy) and really learned a lot from her. I even (eventually) completed the piece I started while I was there.
4. Took another workshop with Anne Johnston (with my friends Liz and Chris) and made lots of great hand-dyed fabrics. So much to learn about dyeing fabric!
5. Participated in the Butterflies and Friends fundraiser event. A little intimidating but so worth it! I’m already thinking of ideas for next year.
6. Got my new website Blue Twig Studio up and running and started another new blog for the website. WOW! What a lot of work to do such a thing, but I love it!
7. I taught some classes this year and had a lot of fun doing that. I hope to do more teaching.
8. Went to Chicago for CHA Market. My friend Liz went with me and we had a great time, even if it was SO HOT AND HUMID!
9. Participated in the Textile Evolution Retreat again this year. I even managed to convince both of my sisters to join me and we had a blast!
10. Went to Houston Quilt Market with Liz and Ruth. Even managed to squeeze in an afternoon visiting Galveston.
11. Created an entire ‘Blue Twig Studio store’ in my basement, complete with shelves and tables and shopping and room for demos and classes. And I have had a couple of Open Houses already! Woo hoo!

Those are just the highlights of the year. What a great year it was, and I just know that 2012 will be even better.

When I look at how much I have done this past year (and this is not a complete list) it boggles my mind! WOW. How about you? What did you do this year? I’ll bet it is way more than the little list you made on New Years Day last year.

Share some highlights with us.

Dana loves cooking and food and mixes her love of creativity and fabric with her love of food. Her shop sounds like so much fun. Just like her. Food and fun and friends and fabric! How can you go wrong?

I decided to do a giveaway on my blog of her cookbook. I know that one of you will absolutely love this cookbook and will most likely get much more use out of it than I will. (You know I just don’t cook that much!)

All you have to do to win, is post a comment here on the blog stating what your favorite comfort food is. Easy as pie (pun intended).

Oh, and while you’re at it, check out Dana’s blog. You will want to be one of her best friends and hang out with her!

I am doing a different Book Giveaway on my other blog – Blue Twig Studio, so be sure to stop by and comment to win that one as well.

First up to give away, is the book Nature’s Table Toppers by Debbie Field for Granola Girl Designs.

Nature's Table Toppers

This book has 128 pages, with 18 original and new table topper projects. Debbie offers a variety of themes and designs for all seasons. There are dozens of applique motifs you can use again and again. Easy to follow instructions. Lots of color photos. Great ideas for your home or for gifts.

And did I mention it is autographed by Debbie Field herself? I stood in line to get the book autographed just for you.

How do you win? Just leave a comment here on the blog stating why you should win this book. Pretty easy. I will pick a winner on Saturday. Good luck! Be sure to send your friends over too.

But the space is turning out nicely, although I need some curtains and some decorating still. I am excited about how organized it is right now, everything neat and tidy and in its place. I wonder how long it will stay that way?

before the makeover

new studio space

I am having an Open House Thurs Nov 10th from 6-8pm to show it all off. We will celebrate 6 months in business. Lots of products for everyone to look at, lots of shopping (I hope), product demos, refreshments, door prizes, and fun and friends. If you are in the area, stop on by and check it out. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

The first day Liz and I arrived in Houston to meet Ruth (after taking two days to drive which was so much better than doing it all in one day like last year) we had plenty of time to do something. So we decided to take the afternoon and head down to Galveston and see the Gulf coast. The weather was hot and humid (of course) but walking along the beach in the ocean water was wonderful. Coming from Colorado where we have very little water and certainly no ocean water, it was soothing and calming and amazing. The sand was so incredibly soft that it was more silt than sand, like walking in sifted flour. We gathered some sea shells and took some photos and eventually decided we should go walk around town and check out more of the sights. It was pretty quiet around town, with very few people out and about, but perhaps it was the off-season. We stopped in a few shops, including some antique stores which had fun stuff. We enjoyed seeing some of the beautiful Victorian architecture on the island. Here are a few photos of the Island.

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Then off to Market to see what there was to see. Liz and Ruth both had classes and book signings to deal with and I went along to help out as well as I could. But I was really there to search out vendors and look at new products and ideas, so off to walk the floor. I love walking around the Market to see the beautiful booths and displays. There are some amazing displays. The vendors really do a great job setting up their spaces. So much eye candy out there. I only took a few photos. Mostly I kept forgetting to get my camera out. But also I kept feeling like a tourist at the Market! Here are a few pictures.

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The Market was great and I have some fun new products on the way. Can’t wait for them to start arriving. Be sure to check out Blue Twig Studio website for new products as they come in. Also stay tuned for info on an Open House on Nov 10th, where you can stop by and see some of the new goodies.

Liz and I drove Wednesday and Thursday to get here. Ruth was already here when we arrived, so it was easy to get settled into our rooms. We took Thursday afternoon and drove down to Galveston to check it out and walked along the beach and dipped into the ocean and it was wonderful.

Then busy all day Friday and today with Market stuff. And tomorrow will be super busy again, before I head home on Monday. So lots of fun and I’ll be bringing home some new goodies for the store.

I’ll post more later as I am exhausted. Too little sleep, too much walking and lugging stuff around, and not near enough time for everything.

I met Kristian A. Howell, my new favorite designer.  I had purchased some of her prints last Spring, but she was around this time.  So cute, so fun to meet! And I almost left out talented.  Her prints for Anthology are so gorgeous.  I can’t wait to get them in the shop.

I saw Kate Spain, Liesl Gibson, Patricia Bravo to name  a few of my old faves.  Their new collections are ravishing, but so far from delivery, I’m sad.  And sad that I have no photos yet. I’ll post more as I get it.

Over the weekend, I held my Color Lab class – very well attended.

I love turning people on to the theory behind how color works.  Whether quilting or painting, it is an invaluable tool.

They intently followed my directions for using an art masterpiece or a fabric to inspire a quilt or color way.

Proportion is a big piece of the design philosophy. I’ve culled materials from the finest color gurus…bibliographic credits given.

Carine loves color; it’s obvious.

Colored pencils everywhere.  They blend so beautifully.

Tidy.

Shared.

Color Lab 2 is in the works.  These ladies proceded to put the theories into practice, by pulling bolts of fabric for the hypothetical quilt. Wish I had a shot of the shop after that.

More on color:  Libby finally finished her daughter’s quilt.

Jay brought in a show and tell.

My coat commission is almost ready for delivery.  The front is just as interesting.

And Sara finished her literature project, using fabrics from the shop to make an all-iron-on quilt.  A+, Sara.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Did you notice I said “flying”? Yep, queen of the white knuckled flyers is back in the plane for the trip to Houston. I decided I was less likely to get killed flying and getting a shuttle to the hotel than trying to drive in the Houston traffic

I am working away on my inventory for the craft shows that will be coming up after I return from Houston. If you are in the near vicinity of San Antonio on Nov.6 (Coker United Methodist Church Craft Show) or Dec.2 &3 (San Antonio Christian Academy), come to the shows. I would love to meet any of you in person.

I am currently quilting a cute wool applique quilt. The jury is still out on how I will quilt the background fill for the applique…that is always something I really have to “study” to be sure that I am doing what will really enhance the applique.

Don’t forget that I will be posting from the Market and check back periodically…I hope to upload pictures.

Thanks Amy for this opportunity…

I finished this quilt two years ago this month!  I was hurrying to “get ‘er dun!” for my Guild Quilt Show.  : )

It was started in a class with John Flynn.  This was one of the very first quilt classes I had ever taken!  It was a half day class on a Sunday morning at the end of the Lancaster Quilt Show.

It just so…sew happened that I fell in LOVE with the fabrics and color palette.  I REALLY liked how they all “played” together!  Fabrics I pulled from my stash…a few Moda’s, some Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, a shot cotton or two and a hand dyed for good measure.  ; )

When a friend said to me, “That doesn’t go together.  They don’t match.”  I didn’t listen.  I didn’t care.  It was beautiful and magical to ME!

Once that half day class was over the quilt beckoned me.  So, in the evenings I sewed together Dresden plates and appliqued them onto their background blocks.

I had 20 blocks made!  During a Bee get-away-weekend I took those blocks and added a sashing!  I was SO excited with my progress and this project!!!

When I returned home with the newly sashed quilt, my husband said, “It’s not big enough for our bed.”  Hmmm?!  So, I decided I’d add borders…words and our hands plus a few more Dresden plates!!!

Well, that sealed it.  The words and hands made the whole quilt “ours!”  I just LOVE it!!!  : )

It’s on our bed.  We sleep under it every day.  : )  It makes my soul sing with happiness.  What better way to fall asleep?!

Thanks for indulging me.  I hope you have magical quilts in your home too…?!?!?!  ; )

Piecefully, Pam

P.S.  Here is a photo of just one of the Plates and our hands.  You can see the colors and fabrics much better…

Geez, there are SEW many interesting, FUN, wonderful internet sewing adventures coming right into your home!!!  Isn’t the www. amazing?!?!?!  Have you seen the new Bunny HIll block today?!  Boo cute!

Speaking of the internet and it’s amazing wonder…it is almost magical to have folks drop by my (still new) blog and leave a comment.  : )  I just LOVE that!!!  I am working on figuring out how to respond to those who leave a comment.  Via email, by leaving my own comment following yours, in another post?! Hmmm…still a work in progress here!  Bear with me and feel free to give me suggestions.

I think that’s it for now.  I’m going to go look at getting some supplies prepped for Houston!  Have a nice evening and thanks for stopping by.

Piecefully, Pam

Well, we missed Quilt Market because of my trip, but we still placed a HUGE order for Westminster,  Free Spirit, Art Gallery Fabrics, M & S Australia and all the associated designers.  It was actually a more relaxed, three-hour meeting with our favorite sales rep  and she came to us.  I am excited to start receiving the goods!  They will ship anywhere from NOW to January and we have big plans to reorganize the shop to feature our favorite designers.

I have selected several new groups that will take all the guesswork out of making a successful quilt.  Many of the fabrics are perfect for garments.  PS.  Shara just moved to the Tel Aviv Fabric District and I will be shopping knits, while I’m away.  I want to make some comfy dresses for the winter.

As a side note,  Oliver + S‘s Husband, Todd visited our store today.  He honed in on our vintage buttons and I’m excited to be seeing some of them show up on Liesl’s  samples.  I’m happy to report that there are only the two new patterns missing from our stock — and I will have them shortly.

I just finished another (last-minute) quilting project for the Art Gallery Fabrics Houston booth.  We will ship it today.  I can now say I have quilts being shown in Houston.  It’s kind-of a joke because I didn’t bother to enter in the “real” show.  Who has time?  But it’s nice to be experiencing the excitement, vicariously, through my stitching.  I will however, miss seeing Patricia and Walter.

Now for photographs…  I can’t promise, but if the Mediterranean breeze is just right, I may post some on Flickr while I’m gone.

Here are a few Fall Quilt Market photos, not so good but it gives you an idea. I took these first two from a second floor porthole type window. This isn’t even close to the whole thing. I was in row 100 (first row) and it went up to, I think, 2300. My crate isn’t back yet with my papers so I’m not positive about that number.

The next few are of first the view from my row facing the actual quilt show and then the opposite direction facing the quilt market.

And finally my booth, a little different from the last one. See the two corner units? They are actually my crate, taken apart and transformed. I figured if I was going to pay sooo much for it to be shipped I may as well use it in my booth. Only went with one person this time, Eddy, she ran out of the booth when I took the picture. Turkey. Famous people are all over the place at market, ya feel like you have to keep your eyes peeled and read everyones badge as they go by (some I don’t recognize). I’m in a conversation when Marie Osmond walks by and I’m thinking did I just see who I think I saw?? Learned alot again (others are so generous with their experience), saw some people I’d met before and made a few new friends. And I’d have to say that Houston is the friendliest place I’ve ever been. A few people seemed bored but not one person I came across whether a cabby, food clerk, hotel person or whatever seemed put out to do their job. That was really nice, they were happy to help, makes for a pleasant time.

This last photo is a sneak peek at my next bag, actually a tote, pattern. It has a miniature quilt, of course, buttons, interior pockets and the easiest zipper I’ve ever done. And I don’t like zippers.

There’s one more thing that’d l’d like to tell you about but, well, it seems too good to be true so I’ll wait until it starts to actually happen. Next year I’ll stay for festival (have a booth) and experience that craziness at least once. It’ll be long and exhausting but I think I ought to try it.

Take care all and have a very happy Monday!

Well, this is ta ta for now….