Thanks to the People in my Quilt Market Neighborhood!

We survived our first Quilt Market! We (my mother, Jean, and I) had a wonderful time and met so many nice people! I have new respect for everyone in the booths - putting up our booth was the first of many adventures that we experienced!

We had dinner with good buddies Yolanda Fundora and Barbara Campbell and new friend Hoodie. We sure had a lot of laughs! Click on their links, so you can see what they are up to! We also were lucky to meet the gals from Berkshire Quilts - we met these New Englanders on the shuttle to the hotel!

We had great neighbors at Market - these veteran quilty companies were such an inspiration for us that I'd like to "share" them with you! Across from us, we had Rag Spun (applique shapes - cute !), Ackfeld Manufacturing (the hanger people), and Waterfall Quilts (Kathie's new book "Flip Flop Block Quilts" will be out soon!). On either side of us, we had Patch Abilities (great patterns!) and Sue Spargo Folk Art Quilts (She also has a new book - "Robin Run the Hedge"- she's taking pre-orders at her site!) . These gals (and guys, too!) really got us through our first Market and all I can say is "Thanks a million!". Your advice and encouragement helped us out so much!

Minneapolis is a beautiful city - we hope to return again and take time to see more of it! Keep Quilting! -Kris

A Wise Traveller

Pardon my absence from the blogging world! We have been busily getting ready for Spring Quilt Market here! Before we leave, I'd like to share a Tuesday Traveler with you! My friend, Mary Anne Murphy made a quilt for our guild's challenge from her stash, using a print with owls on it. She decided that she needed a matching bag for her entry in the show and here's what she did!

An explanation of the challenge: Our challenge was to create a quilt from our stash without electricity (no sewing machines!). Mary Anne's quilt took third place! She used real feathers and hand stitched the pine branch on the quilt. Enjoy this bit of inspiration and keep quilting! -Kris

Thursday Night Jazz...

Doesn't that sound smooth? It is! It's the name of another cool, new pattern from Poorhouse Quilt Designs, the Daily Specials Collection. These bags can take you out for a special night on the town!

We are featuring tips for sewing and quilting with silk taffeta in this pattern. Silk can be so much fun to quilt, it's very forgiving and best of all, it shows off even the simplest of quilting stitches beautifully! Each bag is on the small side -just enough to give you a taste of using silk.

Can't you picture these bags as gifts for bridesmaids? Prom season? The tote is 8" tall, the pouch is 7" tall x 6" wide and the clutch is 4" x 7".

I bought my silk through the Della Q website - check it out! You may be able to buy it locally - I hope you'lll give my pattern and silk a try!

Keep quilting - Kris