Quilt Market Spring 2012

Well, as it turns out Quilt Market was almost a month ago, but I still wanted to share some things with you. Hopefully you haven't seen EVERYTHING already!! The good news is, most of these items will be available at The Shop, YAY!!!

Bella by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics

Coming to QT in August 2012

Pumpkinville Pattern Available HERE!

Dress Up Days from Riley Blake coming July 2012

Edyta Sitar's NEW book= BEYOND GORGEOUS!! Available HERE.

Fig Tree's TAPESTRY Line coming to QT in Oct/Nov 2012

GE Designs, AWESOME New Book Available HERE.

Patterns from Green Bee Designs coming VERY SOON to QT!!

Lilly Belle by Bari J. for Art Gallery Fabrics. IN STOCK at QT and Available HERE.

PRINCESS from Adorn It Fabrics coming August 2012

 

These are just some of the lovely things that stood out to me:)

What do you think??

on being a customer...

Warning! A Post with NO Pictures, yikes!!

So I guess I shop a lot.

You know...groceries, target, kids clothes, the stuff you need.

I don't shop as often for the things I *want* (my hubby would disagree)

The trip down to KC was my first OFFICIAL Quilt Shop Hop

Kinda crazy actually since I have been quilting for 10+ years AND I work at a quilt shop, HA!

Don't get me wrong, I buy a lot of fabric, just not all at one time;)

I Learned some very valuable lessons while being a customer...

1. I expect GREAT service. I am quickly turned off by poor service and pretty much instantly decide not to buy anything. Hopefully this makes me a better quilt shop employee. It's a fun place to work and people come in to be inspired and find things they love. I enjoy helping them see their vision come to life.

2. Shopping for your hobby is FUN. Many of the things I bought on our trip I have NO plans for. Meaning, I just LIKED IT. It "spoke to me" and someday I will make something with it and it'll be great:) That might be next month or in three years, but that is OK. It was fun to go on a treasure hunt, find exciting things and BUY them. Sometimes it takes awhile for a project to come to life and that too is OK.

3. Fat Quarters are awesome. They are like chocolate...little bits of wonderful. Not a huge commitment ($3) but totally satisfying. If you really LOVE something, BUY it. You might never see it again or when you go back to get it, it could be gone and that's a huge bummer...GO FOR IT!!

4. There is something to be said for a clean and tidy bathroom.

5. Sometimes a couple of pieces of new fabric can refresh and/or complete an OLD idea. Do you have a pile at home you've been meaning to sew on? Get a few small things to motivate yourself to get started. Fresh Fabric = A Fresh Start.

Next Post: Quilt Market Highlights, finally!

 

Shop Hop, I mean, Road Trip to Quilt Market (Part One)

Day ONE Route: Minneapolis, MN to West Des Moines, IA

Saw our fair share of these beauties!

 

First Stop was Country Threads in Garner, IA

I am going to do my best to "review" each shop from memory. I Didn't take any notes, but definitely had an array of experiences!!

Country Threads is in the middle of nowhere, but that's what makes it special, SEE...

This is their retreat center.

They had a GORGEOUS selection of Reproduction Fabrics, Wool, Punchneedle and Basics. BEAUTIFUL samples and kits. A lot to look at with tons of charm. Felt very homey.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE ~ Webster City, IA

Small, quaint, gifts & decor, batiks, traditional florals, lots of dots

QUILTING CONNECTION ~ Ames, IA

LOTS of Fabric, Oh My! It was a treasure hunt for sure, which I like. Found many random goodies that ended up turning into mini collections along the trip. This where I hit the Jackpot!!  They have a lot of something for everybody. 

THE QUILT BLOCK ~ Des Moines, IA

Located in a neat area of town. We got there fairly late so weren't able to check out the area at all. Smaller shop, sells machines, nice classroom and purse samples. Spotted some FMF and good color walls.

CREEKSIDE QUILTING ~ Clive, IA

Lovely shop, very neat and well kept. Good fabric variety, found a great book too!

Spent the night in West Des Moines, IA

We hadn't actually gotten a hotel here. Turns out the State Track and Field meet was going on, so we were lucky to find a place to stay:) Found a really nice shopping area and had an amazing dinner at Bonefish and went to bed.

Day TWO Route: West Des Moines, IA to Kansas City, MO

QUILTS & OTHER NOTIONS ~ Creston, IA

WOW! Fabric to the roof. Not Joking. This was a definite treasure hunt. They have everything, literally. Found lovely basics, halloween and so, so much more! 

THE QUILT COOP ~ Clarinda, IA

Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this shop. It's off the beaten path, but totally worth it! Clean, neat, organized. Lots of 30's and a fair amount of Civil War. Great selection of kids, Christmas and holidays. Adorable bundles and friendly staff!

QUILTER'S QUARTERS ~ Leavenworth, KS

In a really cool area, plan to spend an afternoon. This shop carried mostly batiks, traditional florals and reproduction fabrics. Had some great basics and seasonal items too!  

Well, I am a little embaressed to admit...

Here's a closer look...

A NEW Line found at Quilt Market...

Purchased at Quilt Market...

A NEW LINE Shown at Quilt Market...

More tomorrow:)

Kristina

 

Did I ever tell you about the time...

 

Did I ever tell you about the time that Mary and I drove to Kansas City for Quilt Market and then our Grandson/Nephew was born, so we high tailed it to Chicago and back to Minneapolis in TWO days??

It was NUTS. Good nuts.

BUT....we got to hold this sweet Little Man, Baby Edward Michael...worth EVERY second!!!

This cutie pie made me an AUNTIE and I am thrilled!!! Congrats Tom + Cookie:)

SO, it was basically a THREE PART Trip.

Part One: Shop Hopping it from Minneapolis to KC

Part Two: Quilt Market!!

Part Three: Operation Baby Edward

Whew!!!

More on PART ONE tomorrow:)

Last Day of May, WHAT???

Excited to share about all three parts very soon!!

Kristina

BEFORE: the antique secretary

 

one of the moves I have made recently...

It's been in our garage for almost FOUR years waiting to be painted. Yes, painted. I was planning to stain it a dark espresso color, but going with paint instead. Thought I should warn you. My neighbors keep stopping over as I am working on it and letting me know how devastated they are that I am PAINTING such a lovely piece-HA!

Posting a BEFORE picture here in hopes that an AFTER picture will show up sooner:)

Hope your day is Sunny!!

time to make a move.

Boy, do I LOVE May. This one is gonna be a doosy.

Wrapping up the school year with concerts and programs and gymnastics shows and dance recitals and that's just for ONE kid--yikes!! Planning to enjoy every minute of it along with the promise of a wonderful summer on the horizon. Wrap things up and plan for new beginnings.

Only FOUR months until we have a Kindergartener and a two year old...what? Looking to slow things down for the summer and enjoy our time together. We have this saying in our house, "It's time to make a move!" And I am taking May to Make a MOVE for myself.

Here's the PLAN...

1. MOVE my body. Our family joined our local YMCA in December and have made a great effort in going 4-5 days a week, but I am ready to step it up a notch. I feel SO much better when I work out. It clears my brain, makes me more patient and it just feels good to be active. My plan for May is to MOVE MY BODY 5-6 days per week. No Exceptions. I am very close to my goal and need to take an extra step to make it happen.

2. No Pop. I have this little habit of "needing" a diet cola at 3pm everyday and it really is just BAD and unneccesary. Switching to water with lemon and hoping for good results.

3. Get a consultation for LASIK. I have been meaning to do it since Alaina was born (she's 5!), haven't been able to wear contacts since then. I am just plain sick of my glasses. They mostly bother me when I am working out, fall off, get sweaty, etc, etc....time to make a move and see what's possible.

4. Take things ONE DAY at a time. Make a plan for the next day the night before. I have a much better chance of completing what I'd like to if I have a plan in place when I wake up.

5. SLEEP. Lord knows it's easier to be your best self when you are well rested. Our kids are pretty good about sleeping through the night, so I should be taking advantage of that and getting the rest I need too. No more late night TV, time on Pinterest, Dilly Dallying around...GET. TO. SLEEP. and wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the day.

I can do FIVE things. That seems manageable to me.

What moves are you ready to make this month?

This time last year...

 

These were the munchkins: A + B

Right NOW we are:

Teaching Bridget how to do headstands

Climbing EVERYTHING and terrifying Mommy by falling off of stuff

Attempting new hair styles

Getting ready for #1's first dance recital

Designing a new pattern for these lovely fabrics coming soon to QT:)

and these great BOY fabrics, awesome color palette---yea!!

Trying to get rid of bottles in our house

Having dance parties many, many, MANY times per day

Being sneaky and sassy and stubborn

Getting even stronger and trying cool stuff on the beam

Pretending we are five and copying EVERYTHING Big Sister does

awesome.

time.

The concept of TIME has been on my mind a lot lately.

I am the first one to say, "There is NEVER enough hours in the day!"

BUT, upon further thought, I believe I can make my hours more effective.

I have a very difficult time NOT multi-tasking..it's hard for me to only do one thing at a time.

SO, I am gonna give it a shot and start attempting to better compartmentalize my day...

ME time, FAMILY time, WORK time, MOVE MY BODY time...ONE on ONE time with the girls, computer time, etc...

I CANNOT do it all, but I am sure going to give it a shot!!

I think there is something to be said for taking that extra step...for thinking ahead, for doing things in a certain way so that days go smoother.

I have been overwhelmed lately, like A LOT overwhelmed and I need to get back to the basics...

Eat, Sleep, Work Out, Take care of the wee ones, the husband, myself.

Refresh my home, be creative for me.

THE BASICS.

What are your favorite time management tools?

Kristina

Swap Season.

Welp, it appears I am in a bit of a yellow, aqua, gray, black and white phase!!

Both of my recent swap projects are made with those colors:)

This one is for DQS12: Doll Quilt Swap

It finished 21" square

a little Basic Grey Yellow Grunge for the Sashing

a scrappy Backing made with the extra blocks

a little obsessed with the binding...aqua and yellow polka dot!!

Quilted in Sunshiney YELLOW:)

 

Next, is a little Mug Rug for the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap

(took these photos b4 it was totally finished:)

Hand drew a Tea Cup and appliqued it on.

My first attempt at a "messy" stitch outlining the cup!

Included some of my favorite word fabric with the word MINNESOTA

fussy cut since that is where this is coming from!

My partner likes tea, so I used this print for the back:)

Stamped the word "tea" on the cup just for fun and included some goodies!!

So, now I wait! Wait for them to recieve their packages and wait for mine to arrive!!

Any fun swaps you have participated in?

It's a BOY!!!

Can you believe it??

I am gonna be an AUNTIE!!! Matt's Brother + Wife are expecting:)

We should be meeting this little guy sometime around Memorial Day. The family shower was a couple of weeks ago and this is what I made for his mama Courtney...

It's a first year album, just needs pictures and journaling!

Just a little something I threw together;)

Lots more to share with you soon....

Kristina