A Cat Inspiration

 I rarely have or take the time to sew for myself. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy doing so. :)  So I was wasting time in an airport a few weeks ago and came upon a wonderful impressionistic painting of cats, and a seed was planted.

The cats were really cool looking, but without front or back legs. Basically just a looooong body, a head and a greatly exaggerated tail. They were fabulous. So I've had this on my mind ever since.How could I capture the look of those wonderful cats in something I could wear? 

First I made a plain jane, khaki colored vest, with no buttons.

Next- I fused 'Wonder Under' to the wrong side of 4 fabrics... black, white, black/white tiger stripe, & a brownish leopard print.

Then- I cut out long ovals for the cat bodies, circles for the heads, triangles for the eyes, and then long, curvy tails.


And here's what I came up with, and it was really easy & surprisingly fun to make.

I played around with the placement of each cat and especially the curve of the tail. I wanted the finished to look to be balanced... but NOT symmetrical. (Does that make sense?) Once satisfied with the placement, I carefully fused it all in place, and then appliqued the edges with a satin stitch.

And here's the fun part- I made the faces of a few of the cats to look as closely as possible like Jeter, Joba and my sweet Ted (long departed but not forgotten). Check out this cat to the right and the real Joba. Pretty close, don't cha think? (Except for the white at the end of the tail which i added just for interest.)

I'm pleased with the result. It was easy as pie and it's a lot of fun to wear. Try it yourself?

Enjoying the View

I moved into my new studio just after Christmas last year and I can't tell you how much I've loved finally having windows. Our back yard is beautiful and I've been able to enjoy winter snow falls, the greening of spring, and the brilliance of summer, but nothing has been as spectacular as the past few weeks.

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, so I've been excited about being able to enjoy my first fall in the studio, and as it turns out, it was NOT a disapointment!
Enjoy it with me!

Here's how it looked on October 10th, when the first tinges of color began to appear.

and one week later on Oct 17th

On Oct 24th

On Oct 31st

On Nov 7th

on November 14th

and finally, on Nov 24th
So they're all basically gone now. I waited all year to enjoy that beautiful fiery view and you know what?... 

It was worth it!!
I loved every minute of it!
I'm so glad I live in an area of the country where I can enjoy these amazing seasonal changes, and now, I have the perfect vantage point!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and yours!

Market Runway

Of course no Quilt Market exhibition is complete without the clothing exhibition, a collection of award-winning looks, each more 'over-the-top' than the next. I'm not sure I would actually wear many of them, but I do enjoy looking at them and appreciating the tremendous work involved.

These were my four favorite pieces and for sure, these pictures do not begin to do them justice!
This bolero style jacket was incredibly detailed. It would be a very cool MOB dress, don't you think?

And I know this picture of this christening gown is really lousy, but the piece itself was so spectacular I just had to include it anyway. The entire exterior of this gown was adorned with decorative stitching. It was awesome!

This gown was expertly pieced to give the illusion of flames. The piecework was excellent and the color grading was above reproach. I just wish the gown had more of a shape.

And this last piece is really my favorite. The colors were truly fantastic but the collar is what really makes this a standout piece.

So there you have it.
And what's your verdict?
Which one is your favorite...
and would you actually wear it?

Exhibition Beauty

One of the best things about each Market is walking amongst the fabulously incredible exhibition quilts. This particular exhibition was the biggest I've seen yet. Just look at the size of this area!!!

It really is impossible for pictures to do justice to this kind of beauty, but just to give you an inkling of what this exhibition is like, here's some of MY favorites...

Without a doubt, this dog quilt was my hands-down favorite. I mean, really....... can you believe this?

The cat's eye's in this wall hanging were quite amazing.

The detail in the feathers of these birds was amazing. They almost looked real.

The detail in this quilt was accomplished pretty much all in applique. I can't even begin to think how tedious it must have been doing all of that hand-stitching.

The intricate detail in each one of these 'scenes' was awesome. I'm a lighthouse fiend, so I loved this entry!

I LOVED the contemporary wall hangings, and couldn't decide which one would look better on my bedroom wall...

this one?

or this one?

 

And the center of the sunflower on this wall hanging was done all in beads & seeds. There must've been 50 different kinds and they were all individually sewn in place. INCREDIBLE!

And although traditional quilts are usually not my style, who couldn't fall in love with these beauties?

These were all FULL-SIZE quilts or better, and I simply cannot imagine how long it would take to make one of these tops.

Have I wet your appetite for more? I hope so, because as pretty as they look here, they are infinitely more breath-taking in person. Why not make plans to come see for yourself next time?


Next year's Quilt Festivals will be held in Long Beach, CA
Cincinnati, OH
and of course, Houston, TX.

Question of the Week #32

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

I LOVE cartoons! I've always loved cartoons.
I almost can't think of a cartoon character that I don't like!
When I was a kid, Saturday mornings were my favorite time of the week...Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckell, Porky Pig, Wile E Coyote (super genius), Yogi & BooBoo... I loved 'em all.

And naturally, once I had a child of my own, I had the perfect cartoon companion. If there's anyone on this earth that loves cartoons as much as I do, it's Erica. I guarantee, that I could call her up right now and say a particular line from one of our favorite cartoons, and she would know the correct reply.Without fail!

But now the networks don't show cartoons on the weekend. Why don't they do that? We've got a whole generation of kids who will never the simple pleasure of eating a bowl of dry cereal in front of TV on a Saturday morning while their parents sleep in. I think 'That's despicable'! Which of course can only mean that my all-time favorite cartoon character is Daffy Duck!

Why? I love Daffy's hysterics...his crazy way of talking, and his eternal optimism.  And now that I have a grandson of my own... I can't wait till we can introduce him to some of my favorite cartoons, while enjoying a big bowl of cereal of course!

So how about you? Who is YOUR favorite cartoon character?

Market Trick or Treat

This year's Quilt Market was held over the Halloween weekend and I really had no idea that because of that, many of the customers AND the vendors would 'dress up' for the occasion. In my last post, I shared a picture of the witches (I mean neighbors) next door to us, but there were MANY more.

There were plenty of folks with colored wigs.
I saw blue hair...

as well as green hair...

and pink hair....

and even purple hair.

And hats galore... like this elaborate feathered hat

or this green paper hat...

the afore-mentioned witches hats...

or even these Sunday-go-to-meeting hats.

We saw jailbirds.....

Robin Hood....

spider-lovers...









and even Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus! And to think, these are just the ones I saw coming by our booth! It was great fun indeed.

So now that we know that next year's Fall Quilt Market will be held over Halloween weekend once again, we need to decide whether we want to dress up ourselves, or not.

What do YOU think? And what would possibly be appropriate for US?

Just Being Neighborly

One of the best things about Quilt Market, is that every season, we have a whole new set of neighbors to get to know. We've honestly met some of the nicest folks at Quilt Market, and this year was no exception.

Our next door neighbors were Diane and Brandy Springer of Diane Springer Designs. Since it was Halloween weekend, these gals gamely stayed in costume the whole weekend (more on this later). Diane is probably best known for her Quilt in a Cup product.

The Seams Like a Dream girls, Kate Colleran and Elizabeth Balderrama, were right across the aisle from us, along with Kate's daughter. (Isn't she cute as a button?) These gals hale from Hamden, CT, which is pretty close to my hometown of Bethel. They have some fabulous quilt and wall hanging patterns which you can see by clicking here.

Tami Pfeil and Handbehg Felts was located diagonal from us. What are handbehg felts you might ask? They're felted woolen balls that can be used as embellishments and all sorts of other adornments. You almost have to see them to believe them! Check out the Project Gallery to see some fine examples of what can be done with these magical balls!

And as it turns out, we actually knew Tom and Audrey Brendle of Pin Peddlers from when they lived in Winston-Salem over 25 years ago. (I thought they looked familiar!) It's a small world, isn't it! Tom and Audrey sell cute charms and pins of all kinds, and let me tell you, their booth was hopping for the WHOLE market.

And finally, here's Ramon and Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero, the masterminds behind Kaleidoscope Kreator Software. This ingenious software can be used in quilting, scrapbooking, card making, paper crafting and even in fashion. Just check out these cool ideas! 

So there you have it.  I hope you enjoy checking out these shops. We had a lot of fun getting to know them all and we'll be glad to see them again in Salt Lake City in May!

Question of the Week #31

What is your favorite TV show of all time?? (ie: You've seen ALL the episodes, can watch it over and over and over and can quote lines from it.)

I love to watch TV. Well, let me correct that. Actually, I rarely sit down and simply watch a TV show. I just like to have the TV on while I'm doing other things, like packing patterns, or sewing, or emailing, or doing internet research. Sometimes I put the radio on... but most time I just put on 'old' TV.

The cast of  'Everybody Loves Raymond'

Nowadays, I watch mostly reality shows, like
     'Project Runway'...
     'The Amazing Race'  or
     'Survivor'...

Or serials,  like '24' or 'The Young & Restless'... (which I've been watching since college)

But when I think about 'Episode-style' TV, my current favorite is 'Everybody Loves Raymond'.  It's wierd but when 'ELR' was airing several years ago, the similarities between the dysfunctional Berone family and my in-laws was a little too close to be funny, particularly Marie, the overbearing Mom. But you know, circumstances have changed, and the passage of time has healed some of the old wounds, and provided some perspective.  Now, I can enjoy the hilarity of this family's life, without feeling the personal implications. It literally makes my laugh out loud, even the 5th time around.
Is it in the same category with 'I Love Lucy', or the 'Mary Tyler Moore'? (two of my other favorites) Probably not, but I sure am enjoying it right now. 

How about YOU? What TV show do you find yourself watching all the time right now?

Conventionality 101

So here it is... a shot of our table display for this year's Fall Quilt Market. If you contrast this, with the picture at the top of my blog, (which was the table display in Minneapolis for the Spring Quilt Market), you'll see a big change. I think it's for the better. I like to think we're getting a little better at displaying our wares each and every time we go to Market. Now we're already making plans on how to improve the display for next Spring in Salt Lake City.

But back to Houston- We were assigned a spot on aisle 200 this time. I was VERY apprehensive about this. Up till now our location has always been more toward the middle of the market floor and I was decidedly nervous about being so far out toward the fringe. As it turned out though, we had no reason to fear. This Market was our most successful thus far, so I guess our location didn't hurt us at all!

Here's the way we looked from a few booths away (down aisle 200). I think the side banners in the aisle and the green color of our curtains really pop!.

And here's some fun facts about the George Brown Convention Center. This may not sound like a big deal, but did you know that it's about the size of 14 football fields... including the end zones? The picture on the right will give you just a little feel for the sheer enormity of this floor space. I was standing on our aisle (200), looking toward the opposite end of the building when I took this picture. Can you see the Food Court that's located at the far end of the Floor? No? Neither could I... even with binoculars.

And finally, here's an overhead shot of the our end of the Market floor (roughly the first 5 rows). (Our booth was out of range of this picture.)
It really is impossible to describe how amazing the whole Market experience is, but here's the deal...Even though Quilt Market is a 'wholesale-only' show, and not open to the public, you can enjoy virtually the same experience by making plans to attend next year's Quilt Festival, a public retail show which is always held the week after Market. Many of the Quilt Market vendors display at both events, plus a whole lot of new ones. Click here for more info!

Welcome to Houston!

Well- now that the dust has cleared and we're somewhat caught up, we can begin to share some of the pictures and other items that we found at this year Fall Quilt Market. For us, this was our most successful market to date.

The weather was spectacular, especially for Houston. It was dry (meaning sunny and surprisingly NOT humid) and almost chilly.

This cow astronaut greeted us as we got off our plane on Thursday afternoon. Like everything else in Texas, he was huge, but I'm not sure what his significance is. 

Here's the view outside the convention center.

Most of you know that Houston really is not my favorite city. Oh it's beautiful and modern enough, but let's face it, downtown Houston is vibrant only during the daytime. At night (especially on the weekend), there's a lack of reasonably priced restaurants and entertainment. I was especially disappointed to find out that my favorite restaurant, Josephine's, had closed. Pittsburgh and Minneapolis are certainly more fun, but in the end, the main reason we attend is for business, and the George Brown Convention Center is hard to beat in that regard.

So here's how our booth looked as we walked in the door on Friday morning to set everything up. All of our supplies arrived safe and sound. Setting up is a long slow process. The first thing we do is press all of our curtains and hang them. It's the slowest and most tedious thing we have to do. But this year it was a much more pleasant task, since the outside temp was SO much cooler than last year!

A lot of folks use carpet for the flooring in their booth, but we utilize foam squares which is a lot easier on the knees, which is important to me. It goes together like a jigsaw puzzle and the hubster loves to put it together.

That done, we hooked up our brand new lights (which were fabulous & WAY cheaper than renting them).

and started hanging our various decorations from our poles. We've gotten better over the last couple of Markets, at doing things in the correct order, to facilitate everything.

That done, it was time to start dressing the tables, and if you've been following our progress, you know that we had already determined how we wanted to arrange our tables back at home several weeks ago, so even though this process takes some time, it goes pretty smooth because we know exactly where we want everything to go, to the very last detail!

Here's how our tables looked when we were finished dressing them, but just for fun, why not take a look at how this look compares to the way we had everything arranged on our 'pretend tables' back in the studio? Just click here to check it out!

Here's a side view of the new foam backed posters we had made to hang from our front desk. I think they looked great and they were quite effective at advertising the fact that we were the creators of the PortaPockets and the Encore Purse Inserts, but, they were the only two items that did not travel well from North Carolina to Texas. They look OK here, but the foam backing was bent pretty bad, and we'll have to come up with an alternative for Spring Market, as they will never make another trip in one piece.

Which brings us to the opening bell on Saturday morning. We were happy with our finished look as we greeted our customers, but as always, we have plans to make our display even better next time. So what do YOU think of our Fall 2010 look? Got any suggestions for improvement?

So.....Stay tuned for more images from the Fall Quilt Market in upcoming posts. We'll introduce you to our neighbors, and other favorite booths, and show you what Quilt Market-style 'Trick or Treating' is like. And of course there's those gorgeous exhibition quilts to check out.