Mini Post

It's very hot here tonight. It's probably lovely outside but my sewing room is steamy! So, I'm keeping it short and sweet tonight. Here are a few Robert Kaufman sneak peaks from Quilt Market.

TUFTED TWEETS!
My Quilt Market friends and I scored a giant stack of 3" square freebies from the Robert Kaufman booth on the last day of Market (well, free with purchase anyway). When I got home I ripped the thing open to see what was in it.  Lots and lots of metallic Asian-inspired prints which are totally not my style. But lurking deep within were just a few teeny tiny bits of Tufted Tweets! Here's a little teaser, although you'll notice I'm missing 2 out of 3 of the red prints and the dining room chair print all together.

Here's a shot of one of two awesome Tufted Tweets quilts hanging in the RK booth. Can't wait to get my hands on this yumminess.

Robert Kaufman also has a line of organic cotton coming out called Free to Grow. I believe they use low impact dyes, too. I have enough of these little squares in my stack to actually make something. Maybe a baby quilt? I haven't decided yet.

This is before:

This is after:

See you tomorrow.

Ta Da!

Slight change in plans today. I promised I would post more photos from Quilt Market, however, something big happened today and I need to share.

I finished my very first quilt! And it only took me 14 months...

The pattern is called the Mod Sampler and I believe it was the very first Oh! Fransson quilt-along. I used Amy Butler Belle and Lotus prints for the blocks (mainly from my stash) and part of the backing. The sashing is Robert Kaufman's Essex Linen (cotton linen blend) in white. The bottom half of the back is straight up rust colored linen that I purchased at Treadle Yard Goods (just a little shout out to my favorite local fabric store!).

Here's my sweet girl checking out the finished quilt. Don't get that corn chip too close, though, please.

My next quilt is already in the works. I'm doing a modified version of this square in a square pattern from the Moda Bake Shop using a Hello Betty Retro layer cake. My blocks are done. Now I just need to decide on sashing and start sewing.

By the way, I see that Elizabeth Hartman (Miss Oh! Fransson herself) has a quilting book called The Practical Guide to Patchwork: New Basics for the Modern Quiltmaker coming out later this year. I assure you I will be first in line when it's released!

Fabric Idol

Warning: I'm a bit wordy tonight. Tomorrow I'll keep it simple with some of my favorite Quilt Market photos and short captions. Saturday I plan to tackle all the new sewing books coming out or that are currently out that were featured at QM. Sunday will be all about the Kokka booth with loads of photos. On Monday I'll focus on clothing pattern designers and then that's it! We'll all be sick of Quilt Market gossip by then, right??

So last Thursday (a mere week ago!) was Schoolhouse day at Quilt Market. All sorts of classes and presentations were offered throughout the day on a million different subjects related to all things quilting and fabric. Attendees each received a booklet upon arrival with the what, when, and where information. I sat down on the floor in a private little spot for about 20 minutes and poured over the schedule and circled absolutely every session featuring a fabric designer. Over the course of the next few hours I was sitting in the same room with many of my favorite fabric idols. Frankly, I was so excited and overwhelmed that I hardly got any decent photos. I have about 5 of Anna Maria Horner from the side or the back. Needless to say, I will not be posting any of those.

My heart jumped when I saw Amy Butler's name in the catalog. I got in line early, and good thing because her presentation was packed to the rafters. All of us in that room were a bit giddy about the canvas tote bags sitting on our chairs filled with lovely brochures about all the wonderful things Amy currently has in production. Organic bedding! Wall art! Yarn! Thread! Wallpaper! A new bag patterns book called Amy Butler's Style Stitches (out in October)! New sewing patterns! Stationary! Rugs! And of course her new and very colorful line of fabric called Soul Blossoms (inspired by a recent trip to India). Do check out Amy's web site for all of the details and whatever you do, don't miss the rugs. I'm drooling. I think my dining room may soon be covered in wallpaper, too.

Amy's presentation was great - a sneak peek at all these various product lines. It was sort of like being at Textile Disney World. There was music, photos, even video which you can see here. Plus beautiful examples of her work. I was so absorbed in the moment that I didn't take any photos of the Schoolhouse, but I did get some shots of her booth. Here goes:

Isn't it delicious? Don't you want to move in?

Isn't her assistant so cute? She's wearing the new reversible Sandalwood Jacket (I can't find a link for the pattern so maybe it's not out yet0.

This is a new pattern called Honey Bun Poufs.

Raincoats made with her laminate fabrics. Sorry about the glare.

Here's me doing my groupie thing with Amy Butler.  I'm 5'7" to give you some perspective. And no, I'll never wear that ridiculous outfit again.

Here's her new line of organic cotton/wool yarns through Rowan. A 20 project brochure/book will also be available. These shots and the pillows are a few of the patterns included.  Don't you love those pillows?

These are bags from her new book, Amy Butler's "Style Stitches - 12 easy ways to 26 wonderful bags!" I wish I had gotten a better photo, but my batteries were dying and I was a bit of a basket case. I was in complete groupie mode, exclaiming how her Sunbloom fabrics changed my life. Hello, a bit on the dramatic side! Her assistants looked like they were about ready to call security to have me escorted out. Amy was incredibly gracious, though.

Aren't we lucky to have Amy Butler? Seriously, imagine what fabric would look like without her influence!

Click here for a link to Amy Butler's free patterns in pdf. format. Sheesh, maybe I should be put on the payroll ;)

See you tomorrow!

Groupie Continued

Hmm. Blogger is acting up tonight. I'm going to pick up where I left off.

Erin McMorris (of Park Slope fame) has a new line coming out called Weekends that includes a few laminated prints. During her Schoolhouse presentation Erin show us pillows and other projects where she pieced in bits of the laminate with the regular quilting cotton to give shine and dimension. Cool idea! And I can tell you now that the bicycle print is going to be a big hit.

Let's see, who's next? How about Lizzy House? I can't WAIT to get my hands on her new line called Castle Peeps.

Lizzy was funny and dynamic during her presentation, which was completely packed by the way. Andover was giving out tote bags as we were leaving, but the Castle Peeps bag was gone by the time I got to the door. SOB.

Care to see an amazing Castle Peeps quilt?

I never got a very good shot of Anna Maria Horner, although I enjoyed chatting with her about balancing work and family. She attributes her prolific output to working really fast and perhaps the fact that her oldest child is a girl, i.e. she helps out. You mothers of boys will know what I'm talking about.

Anna Maria has a new fabric line coming out this fall. Once again it will include voile (hurray!) and she'll have some velveteen prints, too. Very exciting.

Here's AMH signing copies of her new book, Handmade Beginnings.

And oh, look at her booth. Again, photos don't do it justice. The colors! The textures! Words fail me.

Here's her lovely assistant modeling the Study Hall Skirt.

Phew! I still have a few more designers to tell you about, but now it's time for bed. Tomorrow I'll fill you in on Amy Butler, Sandy Klop, Patty Young (sheesh, she has good photos on her blog), and Sandi Henderson. Good night!

Groupie

Today's post will be short and sweet. Are you curious about what your favorite fabric designers look like? Here are a few. Despite the fact that Sandi Henderson seemed to be near me every time I said her name, alas, I didn't get a picture of her (but many of her AWESOME booth). So, no pictures of Sandi, but here are some others for my fellow fabric junkies.

Pillow & Maxfield

And while we're on Pillow & Maxfield, take a look-see at this amazing quilt hanging in the Michael Miller compound (too big to call it a booth!).

Here's Valori Wells in her booth and with her mom. She has a new line coming out called Nest. Exciting news for those of us who like to make garments - Nest includes a handful voiles and corduroys.

Tina Givens had the best display ever!! Photos do not do it justice. She and I had a nice little chat about one of her patterns that I made last year. She asked me how it went and I said, "isn't it missing a piece?" She concurred and we shared a laugh.

Here's another shot of her booth:

Loot!

Let's start with a photo, shall we?

On Thursday night of Quilt Market I was one of the first in line - thanks to my new friends - for the utterly crazy Sample Spree where quilting ladies left their dignity at the door and turned into lethal elbows to get their hands on their favorite fabrics. Actually, it was fun. A thrill of the hunt kind of thing. Absolutely everybody went running to the Moda tables, but I went straight to the Kokka (technically Seven Islands, Inc) table where I scored 3 different half meter sets - including the COVETED new line by Heather Ross called Far Far Away 2. Granted, I actually had to *pay* for this stuff - this wasn't some movie star swag-a-thon. The madness continued at Riley Blake, Lecien and Robert Kaufman.  What am I going to do with all of this fabric? Oh, I'll think of something! Let me know if you have some suggestions.

By the way, I never did buy anything from Moda, but I bet I was the only one in the room who didn't.

Here's a close up of my Kokka goodies:

Okay, that's enough gushing about loot for one day. I promise the next post will be full of candid photos of textile rock stars. But first, I leave you with one of my absolute favorite goodies from the Seven Islands, Inc. booth. Enjoy!

Inaugural Post and Inaugural Quilt Market

I have a small gripe. I decided to start a new blog today called Mini Mushroom to match my Etsy shop called minimushroom.etsy.com (which by the way is always empty - my bad).  But somebody had already claimed minimushroom.blogspot.com and of course the blog is empty other than having a completely different title (MrsJ???). After much deliberation about what to do next, I decided to add an 's' to minimushroom. There's a lesson here. Always grab every domain you can as soon as you come up with a name/idea. This isn't the first time I've been burned.

So, I'm Annik (see About Me) and I love fabric way too much. I've been making bags under the moniker "Lemonade Bags" for approaching 5 years, but I learned to sew when I was about 10 or 11 years old. My mom used to make clothes and a million other thing. Her mom was a very talented seamstress and quilter. And boy did she ever love her yard goods!  I wish she were alive today so we could share in this passion, but alas, the best I can do is carry on the tradition.

This past weekend I attended the Spring 2010 International Quilt Market and Festival right here in my home town of Minneapolis. Who comes to Quilt Market? Manufacturers, fabric designers, pattern designers, including clothing and quilts (or course), fabric store owners, bloggers, and the occasional interloper like myself.

So, where to begin?? Maybe with a mention of wonderful women I had the pleasure of meeting at QM. Stefanie of Little Lady Patchwork was my Quilt Market Fairy Godmother. Please check out her blog because her original quilt patterns are GORGEOUS! Stefanie introduced me to Vickie of Sugar Spun Quilts (her blog is full of great Quilt Market photos). She designs for Moda Bake Shop and various quilting magazines. Here's Stefanie with Vickie sitting in a display in the Robert Kaufman booth featuring their new line of organic cotton fabric called Free to Grow.

And here's the very sweet Cara of Quilt Nook Gal Designs. This was her first booth at Quilt Market! Look at her beautiful work. She has patterns for sale here in her online shop.

Finally, a shout out and big thanks to the ladies of the Sample Spree line - Jennifer of Sugar Stitches, Kaye of Miss Print, and Doe, aka Silly lil' Doe. Don't miss their links. Doe's photos of Quilt Market are amazing. I can't believe how lucky I was to meet such a sweet and talented group of women!

Okay, this is officially the longest blot post ever and I haven't eve skimmed the surface.  Tomorrow I'm going to post of photos of some of the fabric designers in attendance. Here's a teaser of what's to come. This is a photo of me with Joel Dewberry. My first thought upon seeing this photo was, I wore THAT?? Oh, well. Too late now...