I can’t believe that it was only 1 week ago that I was standing in the Minneapolis Convention Center on the first day of the Spring 2010 International Quilt Market. The weekend flew by so fast, but now that I am home and rested again, it feels like it was a month ago, not a week ago!

I had a great Quilt Market (who doesn’t?) and have some great news to share with you.  Where to start???

Blank Quilting

Let’s start out with my new fabric line that I have been babbling about all over the Internet (and in person too, if you happened to get too close to me). As you probably know, it’s called And Sew It Goes… and is being produced by Blank Quilting. Here’s a picture of my Plantation Quilt (pattern literally just appeared on the QuiltWoman.com website with two more designs for this fabric) and my And Sew It Goes apron (pattern soon to be on the QuiltWoman.com website).

The people at Blank also took some of this same fabric line and made a sewing machine cover to show off in their display.  What a great idea!

Needlework Factory

Now this is exciting news!  I met with Sue Radzanowski of The Needlework Factory.  They are a company that specializes in digitized machine embroidery designs.  They are going to digitize the motifs from my two fabric lines (here I go again, talking up my fabric), The Ibiza Collection and And Sew It Goes..!  and create 2 complete Machine Embroidery Collections.  Wow!  My ever patient husband spent a whole evening this week getting the images together to send to Sue.  I’ll let you know when the designs are available!

The two Marks

I had the exciting opportunity to hang out with a couple of Marks;  Mark Lipinski and Mark Hordyszynski.  Mark H. and I were at the Blank Quilting Booth and spotted Mark L. across the way.  Mark H. had a Jeebers t-shirt to give Mark L.  Here’s Mark L. attempting to put the t-shirt on (I think).

You might be asking “What’s a Jeebers?”  Mark H. created a line a fabric for Blank Quilting called Jeepers Creepers. Sue digitized it into an Embroidery Collection and the rest of the story (named “The adventures of the Jeebers”) I’m going to save for another blog posting coming up shortly.

Anyway, with the 2 Marks in the vicinity, I just decided I wanted to be part of a Mark Sandwich.  Just call me Happy!

And Some Fun

Dolores Joshua, a Blank Sales rep who had been great to deal with, did a Schoolhouse session in conjunction with QuiltWoman.com.  What I want to point out in this picture are the SHOES!  We went shopping at the Mall of America and Dolores found more sneakers to add to her collection.  Let me just say the shoes match Dolores’ personality perfectly.  Yup, we had a great time.

I think Dolores’ shoes deserved their own Schoolhouse session!

A lot more happened at Quilt Market, but that’s all I can talk about right now.  (That’s a tease…stay tuned for some nifty stuff coming up.)

Finally, I have to acknowledge my husband, Grant.  He is unfailingly supportive of my quilting ventures and travels with me when I attend all these events.  But what is a husband to do while I’m schmoozing with the celebrities of the quilting world?  Take a look.  This is Grant watching the CBS television series The Unit on our DVD player.  I don’t think he missed me a bit during the day.  I’d come in the room bursting with news and say “Can we talk?” to which he would reply “Just a minute, it’s almost over.”  Oh well, at least he was entertained!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!  I’m going to split mine between my sewing studio and my garden!

Last week, my web goddess asked me via e-mail “What are you going to blog about this week?” I replied “Nothing this week, I am too swamped, I have a show tonight, Morgan Manning Quilt Show all week and trying to take pics of all this stuff, plus packing for market…” To which she replied “I think that is your blog post right there.” Well duh!!!!

The past few weeks have been very busy. My trunk show for a local guild was a success. On Saturday I was at the Morgan Manning House in Brockport, New York with some of my kits for sale. Here’s my Mom and me hanging out (photo credit goes to Lori Skogg of The Skoog Farm Journal Blog).

Yesterday I met up with my web goddess at QuiltWoman.com and we did a video shoot for a video trunk show of my AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter patterns. Phew.

Today I need to pack for the International Quilt Market in Minneapolis. This is the BIG show for the wholesale quilt industry. If you are attending, I’ll be hanging out in the QuiltWoman booth (2717) and at Blank Quilting (Sorry…don’t know their booth number yet).

I will have some free time in Minneapolis before Quilt Market starts on Thursday. Any suggestions with what to do with my time on Wednesday? The Mall of America is on my short list. Are there any quilt shops in the Minneapolis area that I just HAVE to visit???? Let me know via the comment section below. Thanks!

That’s all from me today. However, I will leave you with this from yesterday’s video shoot….

OK, so it’s been two weeks since Market, but better late than never. I have been so busy catching up with the initial requests from Market that I am just now able to take a breath.

So, what happened at Market you ask……Well, I showed my second collection of patterns for AccuQuilt GO! Die Cutting Machine. All 10 patterns were a hit, but the first one to sell out was Quilter’s Flag. That was very exciting.  I showed three additional patterns as well.

Both of my new books were featured on the front table; Cascade of Quilts and Cascade of Quilting Essentials. I am very proud of these books, not only did I write the book, but I also did all the photography. I had a ball doing the covers.

AND… I saw my first fabric line from Blank Quilting on paper. It was there for a preview. It will be out in January and I can’t wait. I designed three new patterns for this line and just itching to put my fabric into them. My testers had a ball with the patterns.

So now I have my new TO DO list. Three new companies have asked me to design for them. I will start working on my next collection for AccuQuilt GO! The ideas are flowing for this collection as the dies are simply adorable. And I just submitted two new fabric lines to Blank Quilting.

Just in case you are wondering, I did cook for my husband twice in the past two weeks. That’s not bad, right?

Here’s the biggest news….when I was in the AccuQuilt GO! booth and talking to the girls, Alex Anderson showed up. So I said to her, would you mind if I took a picture with you, as you hold up my quilts in your videos. She said SURE, do you have a new quilt with you…..of course I just happened to. So we are holding together my newest: Celebration of Love.

The following blog is a reprint (if you will) of a blog posted by the staff at QuiltWoman.com.   They gave me permission to share it here.  Look for yours truly!

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One of the most chaotic, but fun events at the International Quilt Market is Sample Spree. It takes place at the end of a long day of classes at Schoolhouse and the day before the Quilt Market Exhibit opens. Sample Spree is not for the faint of heart.

Sample Spree is an opportunity for all to buy products below wholesale prices. It’s a way for manufacturers and publishers to get their goods into the hands of the store owners at a very reasonable price. Of course, the hope is by putting their products into your hands, you will buy more.

A Sample Spree veteran knows that getting there early is key. It’s held in a big ball room at the George R. Brown Convention Center. We arrived an hour early and there is where our position in line was.

This is how long the line was behind us before the doors open.

There actually are 2 lines, both meandering down the convention center hallway in both directions.

It’s a festive atmosphere. You immediately bond with your fellow Sample Spree attendees. You admire each others totes, and projects get pulled to show your new BFFs what you have made.

No wonder Carole and Barb look so happy!

Then suddenly, the noise level rises and the doors open!!! Inside the vendors are just as excited. Their flashes are popping as they take pictures of the excited shoppers.

We are getting closer. it only takes a couple of minutes to get in…but that Moda table is calling us.

And chaos ensues. I was so busy scoping out the deals, this is the only picture I got once inside the room. I have no clue whose table it was; I just know there was an excited crowd around it.

When I was done with my shopping, I found this scene outside the ballroom. There is a smattering of people waiting to get in. These are the poor individuals that neglected to purchase a Sample Spree ticket early on. They are on “stand-by”. But the majority of the individuals are the patient spouses guarding their loved ones treasures while they shop some more.

Here’s a sample of what treasures I got! Some great fat quarter bundles from Warm Fabrics, full 1 year lengths from Art Gallery Fabrics (our own Jen Eskridge is helping them produce their patterns), and finally some Snap Sack Kits…each bag contains a full kit…fabric and pattern.

My haul was small compared to some shopper’s…..very small.

Sample Spree is an experience one is not likely to forget. It’s fun, a chance to commune with your fellow quilting enthusiasts, and a great chance to replenish your stash. If you ever come to Quilt Market, it’s a MUST DO!

Today is the first day that I am officially writing in my blog. There are just so many exciting things going on with the quilting world right now with me and I can’t wait to tell you about them all.

I’m off to Fall Quilt Market next week. Grant and I will fly down to Houston and the six days will be over in a blink of an eye. I will be showing my two new books; Cascade of Quilts and Cascade of Quilting Essentials.

Cascade of Quilts

Cascade of Quilting Essentials

I will be showing the second pattern collection I’ve designed for The AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter, 10 new patterns.

In addition, Blank Quilting will be previewing my first collection of fabric that I designed.

Sooo, I am rather excited about this trip. I will keep you posted on all the exciting news.

But for right now, I have to say goodbye to summer. The fall smell is in the air and it is time to put away the bird feeders.   And I use that term lightly. After all my intention was to feed the birds, but I made some new friends along the way. I would like you to meet them. Of course, I had my birdie friends along with a ton of humming birds.

But to my surprise, I had other visitors:
Meet Deirdra,

Little Gus

and Hoppity.

Tuxedo, one of my many squirrels was too shy for the camera.

Later!

Barb