More Market

Here's a sneak peak at some of the fabulous, new fabrics that will be coming out the next few months, that I purchased at the Samples Spree.



I really thought Mr. T took more pictures at Sandi Henderson's booth but it appears that he only took a couple. And she had such a lovely set up. We had a nice time talking to her husband, Dustin, while Sandi was away from her booth. He did a great job explaining things about Sandi's new patterns and fabric line, Meadowsweet, that will be arriving soon.

Here's a quilt made from the Meadowsweet line.



Here is a chair that Caroline from J.Caroline covered for Sandi from her Meadowsweet fabric that I absolutely adored!



A couple samples from Sandi's new patterns that will be out soon.



Here's Paula Prass' sophisticated booth with her new Woodland Delight collection and wonderful new patterns. I especially liked the Mother/Daughter look alike patterns.



Here are some new pattern designs from Patty Young's new Flora & Fauna collection, that will be out soon.



So cute.



Mr. T and I were getting ready to ride the shuttle to the Convention Center when we met 2 delightful ladies from Australia. We got to talking and guess who they were?? Yes, Melly and Rosie from Melly and Me

With much duress, we were able to get Mr. T in a picture of us together. A nice couple that I believe were reps in Denmark for Melly and Me took this picture for us.



Rosie has a new fabric line coming out, around December, called Grandmother's Flower Garden from Lecien. It has a vintage feel to it, and I love the colors.



I loved this quilt from Rosie's Grandmother's Flower Garden.



And, of course, the whimsical patterns of Melly and Me.



I spent most of my time at Moda setting up my account (FINALLY) and getting my order in for some terrific new lines that will be out.



Quilt from American Jane french-inspired fabric. I love it!



Freebird by MoMo.



The wonderful Whimsey by Fig Tree. I've always loved Joanna Figueroa's fabrics and patterns.



New Designers Lauren & Jessi Jung's Botany for Moda.



Love the color's in Kate Spain's Verna collection.



And, lastly, a display from one of my favorite quilt magazines.

10 Things I Learned from My Weekend at Quilt Market

Mr. T and I got back from Quilt Market in Houston late Sunday night. We were exhausted, but had a fabulous time.

I do have a list of 10 things I learned from my first time at Quilt Market that I hope to remember the next time I go.

1. Have a good talk with George (our GPS). We had a few detours on our way to Houston!

2. Get lots and lots of sleep BEFORE I go. I didn't sleep much before leaving as I tried to get orders filled and shipped out, and needed to get packed and ready to go. I also think the adrenaline was running through me, and I was "pumped up" and ready to get going. I don't sleep well away from home, so I was exhausted by Day 2!

3. Don't take a brand new camera that I've never used! Remember, I'm not quite familiar with the terminology. (See previous blog!) My goal is to learn to be a better photographer and learn this camera this next year! I hope to see an improvement in pictures at the next Quilt Market.

4. Lose 20 lbs. for those pictures....oh, OK maybe 10! We'll see.

5. Take food with us to the Convention Center. We were starving and the food at the center was SO expensive!

6. Head directly to Moda during the Sample "frenzy" on Friday night. Honestly, I think they were wiped out of everything in less than 15 minutes! I did get to spend plenty at their booth though:)

7. Take a small rolling suitcase to the Convention center. Actually, I was going to, but Mr. T said I wouldn't want to deal with it on the shuttle bus. Boy, was that a mistake! Some of the distributors did provide market bags, but by time you collect freebies and purchase fabric bundles, you're really loaded down! Believe me, I reminded Mr. T that I wanted to bring the rolling suitcase as I loaded him down with my bundle:)

8. Spend 3 days and not 2! On Saturday, I spent most of the time meeting with the reps to order many of the fabulous new designer fabrics that will be coming out in the next few months. I really needed one day to just relax and take in the details at all of the designers' booths.

9. Have more money to spend on more new fabrics next year:)

10. Have a wonderful time visiting with the designers, shop owners, and the friendliest quilters ever, just as I did this year!

Here's a picture of people waiting for the door to open on Friday night at the Sample show. They brought chairs into the room from different places in the Convention Center, and some of these people had waited up to 5 hours to get in! After we saw the room starting to fill, we thought maybe we needed to get our own chairs and wait. We sat next to some really nice ladies that have brick and mortar stores in Nebraska and Tennessee. It's so fun to talk to other shop owners and find out the latest things they're doing in their shops.



This is after the doors were open and the "frenzy" began! I heard that someone got hurt last year. No incidents that I know of this year. Mr. T just stayed out of the way and took pictures. It was actually calmer than I expected.





I think I was starstruck by all the wonderful designers. Here I am with Heather Bailey.



Her booth was wonderful, featuring her new Nicey Jane fabric. Her booth won best double booth prize. That is real grass in the background!



Here's a peek of her new fabric line and her new Turtle pincushions. They are so cute! Her fabric will be in my shop somewhere around December.



Of course, I had to have a picture with Amy Butler. Amy is just as sweet, and kind in person as I expected her to be. I also wouldn't mind having that model body! She's wearing one of her new patterns. I think I must've been giggling like a school girl from the looks of this picture. Mr. T just shot the picture. He didn't wait for any posing.



It was really a toss up, for me, between her booth and Heather's for best of show. Amy's booth is displaying her new LOVE collection. I have all 26 of her quilt-weight fabric in my shop right now. It is absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with the purse in the far right of this picture. It is one of Amy's new patterns that will be out soon. You know where I'll be headed as soon as it can be ordered! Also, look at those pillows with Amy's new LOVE fabric. They are fabulous!





Here's more LOVE.



This has to be the longest blog in history, especially for me! Anyway, I will catch you up on more Quilt Market news next time.

Bound for Houston

Mr. T and I are bound for Houston tomorrow to the 2009 International Quilt Market. This is my first time to go to Market, and I'm so excited to meet some of the designers and to see what new things that are going to be coming out soon. This is the George R. Brown Convention Center where the Market is held every year.

I also got a new "toy" to take to Market yesterday.

I know I really need to improve my photography skills. And, I have to admit, this camera intimidates me a little bit, but Mr. T thinks I need something more than just a point and shoot camera. This is the Canon Rebel XS 1000D. It's supposed to be a good beginning SLR camera. I honestly think they need to provide a Camera Dictionary for people like me. I read the instructions, and they think I really know what resolution, shutter speed, and aperture mean! I really hope to have some great pictures to show you when I get back from Market. But, I think I might just buy one of those disposable cameras as a back up...just in case my aperture doesn't work:)

LOVE is in the Air...Oops I Mean Shop!

Just arrived in the shop is Amy Butler's whole new collection called LOVE. In Amy's words..."I couldn't be more excited about LOVE! My newest fabric collection for Rowan has me reeling. I've gone over-the-top with prints and color to make a luscious and yet "bite-sized" collection of 26 quilting/fashion weight fabrics and 12 Home Dec weight fabrics. A marriage by design coming from a love affair of rich, soulful, organic florals and architectural prints passionately inspired by my recent trips to Indonesia and England. Rich tropical colors with ethnic imprints, and elegance found in over the top florals like full roses and exploding peony blossoms join together in an optimistic celebration of print and color."

I have all 26 fabrics in my shop and each and every one of them are bee-utiful!

The Big Reveal

I guess I pretty much marched out of blogland with the March of the Tools! Well, I do have a good reason for staying away so long. My dream has always been to have a fabric/sewing room. And, this past year, my dream finally came true. I actually found this paper weight in Target one day, and I bought it for my almost finished room.



And, NOW, (drum roll please) for the BIG REVEAL! "MOVE THAT BUS!"



This room is over our garage. It was my favorite place to go as we were building our house. I called it my treehouse. We really didn't know if we would ever really finish it off. But, after I started my Etsy shop, I definitely needed space to keep my fabrics.

I love these windows. And this is the view. I actually feel like I'm in a treehouse with the view of all the trees. I also was able to put all of my Cat's Meow houses on display that I had collected years ago.





Mr. T (my husband) built all my fabric shelves. Obviously, I don't have enough shelves!



I saw this bench in an antique shop when we lived in Texas several years ago just a little while before Christmas. I fell in love with it, but the owner wouldn't budge on the price. Well, Mr. T went back to the shop several days later and the owner must've needed money, because he was willing to deal by then. My neighbor kept it in her house, so that Mr. T could surprise me with it as a Christmas gift. I've always loved it and had to have it for my new room.


I felt that it was only fitting to show off some of Anna Griffin's Mackenzie Christmas fabrics from my shop on my favorite bench.



We are so fortunate to live only about an hour from a Pottery Barn Outlet, and we were able to pick up the sideboard and coffee table there for a great buy. I'm hoping to find a small sofa. But haven't found anything I like yet, or can afford, or one that can fit up the narrow stairway. I'll keep looking.


Here's another Pottery Barn Outlet find. I love, love, love this chair!


I wanted to keep the walls a creamy white. With the slanted ceilings, I didn't want to feel enclosed by putting a color on the walls. Also, I wanted the fabrics in the shop to be the color. I still want to put some extra touches in the room, and I need a desk. I'm using a folding table and my sewing table right now. And since I'd really like to be doing some sewing on my sewing table, I hope I find something soon.

We also put in a bathroom upstairs. I will show that in a later reveal.

In one of the closets, I even have a little dorm fridge that our daughter had in college, to keep bottled water and soft drinks. Actually, all I need is a bed and a microwave, and, of course, Mr. T, and I'm set!



So, now you know where I am spending most of my time. And, I want to thank my dear husband for all the work he put in to make my dream a reality. I also want to thank Mr. C (our son) for helping his dad put in the flooring.

I am really going to try to keep you updated on all the latest happenings in my shop, so stay tuned.

xoLynette