Big Girl Quilting Camp

Tomorrow I'm headed to my first overnight quilting retreat. Yippee!

I had hoped to be packed by this point, but you know how it goes. My suitcase is still empty, save for the items my children kindly packed for me. Contents currently include a teddy bear, an Incredible Hulk action figure, a Hello Kitty backpack, and a Dora coloring book. So, aside from these essentials, what else do I need to bring?

Time to tackle the UFO pile

Here's my list so far...

sewing machine
my sewing projects
rulers
rotary cutter
pins
scissors
thread
extra bobbins
seam ripper
machine feet
painter's tape
extra fabric

and I'm also thinking...

ear plugs (I'm a light sleeper)
slippers
camera
an electronic device for connecting to the outside
cell phone
directions to the retreat center
food

Retreat prep day. Cutting up precious Hope Valley yardage.

What are your quilting retreat tips and essentials? I'd love to hear from you.

-Annik

P.S. Thank you, Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild, for organizing the retreat.

2013 Spring Quilt Market Recap Vol. 1

A postcard arrived in the mail last week announcing the dates of Fall Quilt Market. Yikes! I still haven't blogged about Spring Market in Portland, Oregon. It's time to blog about it before it's ancient history, right?

Here are some of the many things that caught my eye...

Hello Tokyo by The Red Thread for Robert Kaufman. Dying!!

Gorgeous red and white quilts from Minick and Simpson

Pat Sloan's new Bobbins and Bits. Now why didn't I include her in the pic?

Most swoon-worthy collection at Quilt Market? Violet Craft's Waterfront Park!

Lazy Daisy Baskets by Darlene Zimmerman for Robert Kaufman.

From Art Gallery Fabrics. Beautiful booth, beautiful solids.

The Art Gallery displays are always amazing, and this Market was no exception. Carnaby Street.

Gorgeous quilt pattern from Sassafras Lane Designs. I want to make this quilt!

Brigitte Heitland's Zen Chic patterns and prints are in a class of their own.

The latest Echino Ni-co line. I need this bag.

More beautiful fabrics from Kokka

Love these prints spotted in the Seven Islands booth.

Upcoming Joel Dewberry.

Denyse Schmidt's new line, Florence, for Free Spirit.  

Don't you just love these colors?

The reality is, I didn't shoot many photos and the ones I took are dark and grainy. Time to start saving up for a new camera!

In the next post I'll show you what I ordered for the shop, a book review or two, and give a peek at the massive amounts of fabric I picked up at Sample Spree. Oh, my.

Stay tuned. More to come.

Happy sewing!
Annik

Catching Up

[Cue sheepish wave] Hi. Remember me? I used to blog here, but eek,  it's been months since my last post. I have no excuse other than writer's block and a growing online fabric shop.

What have I been up to? Not much sewing or quilting, although I did manage to make a little ruffle skirt for my daughter for her 4th birthday.

I used fabrics from Denyse Schmidt's first line for Joann's for the ruffle skirts. The bow is the world's best dot fabric from Lecien, which you can find here in my shop. The pattern is called Rimpsukka and it's from the Winter 6/2011 issue of Ottobre Design.

Here's my girl at preschool on Valentine's Day sporting her new skirt:

The other thing I've been working on lately, between cutting fabric orders, is writing quilt patterns. I have one pattern in the testing phase, plus several more in progress. I'm anxious to show them all to you, but they just aren't quite ready yet. 

This quilt has been getting a lot of love on Pinterest lately, so I'm writing it up, too. I'll have the pdf pattern for sale in my Etsy shop soon. It's easy peasy.

Finally, I'm working on a new tutorial for the blog all about how to work with Riley Blake chevron fabrics, so stay tuned.

Snow is in the forecast this weekend and I can't wait. Here's a photo from our last snow fall on Valentine's Day. It was beyond gorgeous. My little camera just couldn't capture the magic so you'll just have to take my word for it ;)

Happy sewing!
-Annik

Sunday Stash #5 - Under the Wire

Like many of you, I've got a bit of a Denyse Schmidt fabric obsession. I picked up these teal lovelies at Joann yesterday - they're from her "Daisy Mae" collection. And although they had her new line, Aunt Edna, too, I decided to restrain myself (for now).

I'm digging how the prints look with these vintage buttons.

Yes, these were an impulse purchase, but I'm happy to report that I've already got a plan for them. Or I could just admire them for a year or two (or five).

Happy sewing!
-Annik