To Market to Market....

 Hello Everyone,

Such a busy, busy week here under the pines for me and Mr. Joe. We've been hustling and filling orders.  The Double Dutch kits sold out this morning.  Thank you to everyone who purchased one.  The Mondays with Marcus generated a lot of pattern sales too; and to say I was overwhelmed is an understatement!  Mr. Joe and Mazey were making 2 trips to the post office each day.  Mazey loved it since she gets a treat after each trip.

I've been preparing for my Schoolhouse presentation at Quilt Market in Houston. I'll be presenting Patchwork Math in 30 minutes.  I'll have to be talking like an auctioneer to pull this off.  If any shop owners are reading this, I will be in room 372DE at 11am on Friday the 27th.  

I'll be going over formulas and construction techniques for just a few of the components in my Patchwork Math Book.  I guarantee it will be a fun and informative session.

This week I remade all of my step-outs using my Hearthstone fabric.  This wasn't trivial and it took me two days to complete the task between my shipping duties.  I'm happy to say they are DONE!  The best thing about it is they are now completed and ready for the next time I teach Patchwork Math.

Mr. Joe and I thought it would be fun to do a road trip to Houston, and we hit the road bright and early Saturday morning.  We will be stopping in Tempe, AZ to see our granddaughter who's attending ASU.  The added bonus is meeting her boyfriend, and we get to go to one of his ice hockey games.

I'll be posting our travels along the way.  Last year at this time I was just returning from a road trip to North Dakota.  The scenery in the southwest is going to be a lot different in comparison to the northern part of the US.  

The last time we drove through the southwest was in 1972 in a 1967 finicky Mustang Fastback with a 390 engine......during a gas shortage. The car went through gas like a sieve. We set out to go across country to visit Mr. Joe's parents who lived in Alabama, with only $200 in our pocket.....no charge cards.  What were we thinking?  Two young kids without a care in the world out on an adventure.

Fifty-one years later, our circumstances are a bit different.  Our hotel room in Houston, for one night, is double the amount we had for our first trip!  The Houston Astros are in the baseball playoffs and the hotels are doing a bit of price hiking! 

I like to think we are still two young kids without a care in the world out on an adventure.

Soon,

Lynn

The Quilting Fire Hydrant

Hello Everyone,

 

My head came out of the quilty clouds when the plane landed and I returned back to earth Friday.  As someone said, Quilt Market is like drinking from a fire hydrant.  I am filled to the brim with inspiration, gratitude, and a bit of relief now that my Schoolhouse session is over and was successful.

 

This gorgeous display was in front of the RJR booth.  It was created by wrapping all of their new fabrics around different sized books. So clever and eye-catching.

 

My Butterscotch Baskets quilt was finally on display in the RJR booth after being showcased in two seminars.

 

Now the exciting news........drum roll......beginning in November you can make a Butterscotch Baskets identical to my version through Stitchin' Heaven.  Click HERE for details.  I thought it might be offered since the owner of Stitchin' Heaven wanted it for her 2-hour seminar on Blocks of the Month.  I didn't find out for sure until I opened my email Friday morning and saw it on their website.

 

After seeing so many, MANY gorgeous quilts at Market, I feel truly blessed that one of my quilts was selected by their shop.  I guess all of the hours spent at the sewing machine and in front of the computer writing the BOM pattern are starting to pay off.

 

Gail and I had only a few hours to go through the entire exhibit.....because I had to get home so I could attend my grandson's Little League playoff games on Saturday.  I have my priorities.  Family first.  I won't tell you the outcome, I'll just say that the season is now over for them.  Both little boys personally had great games, but it takes a team to advance to the next round.

 

Back to Market.  The Moda area was so attractive.  So much eye candy wherever you looked.

 



Here I am with Jo Morton.  Gail was over the moon excited to meet Jo.  Such a sweet lady.

Her new line will be coming out soon.  I LOVED it!! 

We walked around the corner and there's Alma Allen from Blackbird Designs.  Another gracious designer who spent a lot of time talking with us.  I bought their new book called The Raven. What a fun and whimsical quilt to make for Autumn.

The line of fabric is gorgeous!

 

Gail and I started our morning having breakfast with the VP of Sales, Pati, from Marcus Fabrics.  Pati is my contact at Marcus, and she is the person who sends me the most gorgeous fabrics that I use to design.  What a fun way to start the day.

 

 

Of course we went back to the Marcus booth to see some of the new quilts in their display area. This beauty is the Mill Girls pattern made with Christmas fabrics.  Another winner by Nancy Rink.

 



I couldn't get enough of seeing my quilt on display.  The Marcus displays were over the top attractive.

 

The quilt on the right is Bird Walk by my buddy Lisa Norton.  It is so beautifully displayed!

 



 

 This is my new BFF, Pam Buda.  What a doll! 

Since we had "exhibitor" written on our badges, we were able to get inside the LARGE exhibit area prior to opening and before it got crowded.  Every day we were each getting over 10,000 steps on our Fitbits!

More pictures tomorrow from the Quilt Market fire hydrant of eye candy.  Today I'm going to put away those pesky Eastern decorations that are still hanging around in my living room.  I'm going to clean my sewing room and start creating!

Soon,
Lynn
 

I Day in the Life of a Quilter

Hello Everyone,

 

What a day, what a wonderful day at Quilt Market.

 

Gail and I have been getting up early every morning and heading over to the Salt Palace for all of the festivities.  It's a massive convention center with unique construction.

First up yesterday was Butterscotch Baskets appearance during Deb Luttrell's talk about Blocks of the Month.  Deb is the owner of Stitchin' Heaven, the largest provider of BOM programs in the United States.  We attended her very informative 2-hour talk on how to run a successful BOM.  Maybe, just maybe they will offer my quilt on their website.  They made the request to RJR Fabrics to show the quilt during their session, so I'm hopeful.

Then it was my turn to speak in my Schoolhouse session.  My fear was no one would attend my session as I had some stiff competition during my time slot.  Not to worry, I had a nice group of people from all over the world attend my talk.  I must have said something right since I was approached by the largest distributor in Australia after my talk. My first shipment sails for Australia next week!

 

Then look who I run into.....Kim Diehl!!  What a sweet lady.  I told her about my Let's Make A Diehl class and she laughed.

 



 

Our exhibitor badges got us in to the exhibitor floor prior to today's opening.  Here was Karen Styles at her booth.  The pattern for the fabulous quilt behind me is now safely tucked away in my suitcase. Karen was delightful.

 





Then Gail and I went to Pam Buda's Schoolhouse session and I won a pincushion made by Pam!  Pam is a designer for Marcus Fabrics and she has a wonderful blog HERE.  I felt as though I had know Pam for years.  What a sweetheart and such a kind person.

I LOVED Pam's new block of the month.

Then dinner and off to Temple Square.  As you can see, a storm is blowing in.

We hit the music jackpot last night while we listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse.  They are preparing for Memorial Day, and sang patriotic songs paying tribute to all of the armed forces.  When they started singing God Bless the USA, I had to get out a tissue. It was an incredible evening topping off a terrific day.

 

While we were listening to the rehearsal, the storm clouds finally let loose of some rain.  We walked to a nearby station to catch our light transit train back to our hotel.  Nothing, I repeat nothing could dampen our spirits.

This morning we are having breakfast with the VP of Sales for Marcus Fabrics so I have to scoot.  Right after breakfast we will "walk the floor" for a couple of hours then we catch our plane home late this afternoon.

We've had a fabulous four days here in Salt Lake City.  It has been a very memorable, and possibly life changing experience.

Soon,
Lynn