Spring Quiltmarket - the wrap up

On a whim, I decided to go Spring Quiltmarket.



Met lots of bloggy friends, none of which I apparently took any pictures of.  Ummm???  I must've been in a daze at this point.

The whole experience was overwhelming.  The phrase "sensory overload" totally comes to mind. 

I went there with clear expectations and an agenda.  This is where you should commence your hysterical laughter. That pretty much went out the door the second I entered. Umm yeah. That place is overwhelming, an assault of the senses? Not in a bad way, but you have to rest your eyes every now and then - take a break from the constant onslaught of color and texture and all things sewing-related. So i'll just let the pictures do the talking shall I?

Melody Millers fabrics - huge fan of her stuff.
 New Echino offerings

Heather Bailey's amazing booth complete with larger than life embroidery wall
The first day I walked into the Free Spirit section, I saw Denyse Schmidt, Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Valori Wells, Tula Pink and Erin McMorris all in the Free Spirit section all at the same time. Whoa. Talk about design stars!

Of all that was Free Spirit, Erin McMorris' new line Astrid stole my heart. I love this fabric and can't wait to sew with it.
 

The always amazing Tula Pink's Booth

 Did I mention that Belle is making a comeback?

New Denyse Schmidt
 

More Beautiful booths over by Michael Miller including the lovely Mo Bedell - she was such a sweetie!
 

And another Pacific Northwest gal, Violet Craft, who I didn't meet sadly, but her new fabric line Waterfront Park is one to watch out for! So gorgeous. Her booth was fab as well but I stupidly didn't take a picture of it.
 

And a new fabric to watch out for, Cocca by Kokka.  

Some Riley Blake offerings,

Josephine Kimberling - I have a fondness for Xmassy fabrics, and this one struck my fancy.


Doohickey Designs cuteness. Check out those phones? And that large graphic medallion print will be fab as well.



Graphic Kona Booth from Robert Kaufman fabrics.

And while that is by no means all of it, I think I'll end there for today. There are more market photos on my flickr feed if you just can't get enough.

Happy Sewing!

The really Big Ass Bag!

I'm wrapping up things around here, getting ready to go on vacation in a few days. We're flying, and taking my laptop and I needed a bag that both fit the laptop and a few other things and was secure, because I don't want my items rolling around on the plane floor. So this is what I came up with ~ A really Big Ass Bag, henceforth known as the Cycle Around Bag.



I have made messenger bags before, but this one is really huge. Doesn't help that my laptop is a wide screen, hence the larger sized bag. But this also needs to hold a book or two, passports, tickets, snacks, a sweater, DVDs for the kids, etc etc etc. So there you have it.



And a few accessory pouches for random other things.


The bicycle fabric in this bag is an Echino print. I thought the bikes were perfect for a messenger bag, plus I love biking anyway. The lining is Park Slope fabric which coordinates pretty well. The bag also has a divider pocket to keep the laptop in place. Test run coming up in a few days!

Just so you know, Hubby is staying home, he has to work, poor guy and take care of the pup.


In the meantime, happy sewing!

Commitment

This post is what we'll call a little contract. I've committed some pixels so I guess that's the same as writing it down. Julie of Jaybird Quilts is having a hexagon quilt-along. This is my first ever quilt-along and if you've been following this blog, you know that I'm still a newbie quilter. But what-the-heck, I'm sure I can hex. Right? I guess I'll find out.

If you want to watch the drama unfold, you can keep your eye here as I'll be posting about the hex progression. Want to join me? Point your browser here


I think I'm going to use this jelly roll

~ although this may and will likely be subject to change without notice. I'm still undecided at this point.
Here's another possibility

I bought the fancy 60 deg ruler though, so rest assured that I'm committed to hexing something. Let's hope it isn't the neighbors dog. No just kidding! It's not that kind of hex. All the same, it's a good thing we are in the year 2010 and that neighborhood bonfires are prohibited! Phew!

Ok on a completely different note, lookie here what lovely goodies arrived in the mail today


Really fabulous japanese fabrics. I can't wait to make something with these.

Stay tuned and happy sewing!