Quilt Market Part 2 - Including a GIVEAWAY!

One of the highlights of my trip to market was the opportunity to act as "camera girl" for some interviews that my roommate Bari J. did for Boutique Cafe. She interviewed some fabulous designers, including Pat Bravo, Lizzy House, Amy Butler, and more! The first was the amazing and very gracious Pat Bravo, here is what some of her booth looked like.




Pat designs up to four lines a year, has an amazing pattern line, and her new Grab 'n Sew kits. Talk about prolific!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the second (annual?) Cake Party hosted by Lizzy House as well. Everyone had cake to celebrate her mom's (Cherri House) new book City Quilts (among other things!). It was a great little gathering, with not one cake, but FIVE! I had carrot cake.



Above are Melissa Averinos of Yummygoods and Jana of Izzy & Ivy Designs.

This is the Melissa's friend Unicorn, taking a quick snooze while we all ate cake.



And in this photo are Lizzy, Betz White, and Patty Young...all enjoying cake and nice mid-afternoon chat.


Here are some adorable owls from the Bunny Hill Booth.


I loved these letters that say "SEW WHAT".


These are two pictures from the adorable notions area inside the Riley Blake booth. I LOVE me some rickrack!! Wow, talk about eye candy!




This is a shot from the amazing Kokka booth. I adore the Sleeping Beauty print by Heather Ross on the bag to the left.




These are some of the amazing display quilts that were part of the exhibits in the center of the show. They were part of a series of quilts (I think in a competition) about doorways. These just really spoke to me. The two in the second photo are clearly of Venice, and reminded me of my honeymoon.





Last but not least, I enjoyed an amazing tapas dinner on Saturday night with this group of ladies.



I'm on the far left, then there's Violet, Betz, Bari, Brooke, Michelle and Gina (Cloud 9), then Cherri and Lizzy House (in the center front).

In honor of the amazing time I had at my first, of what I hope to be MANY quiltmarkets, I have two giveaways. Both were part of my wonderful scores at Sample Spree. To enter, you can:

1.) Follow my blog!
2.) Follow me on Twitter (@restitcherator)
3.) You can reply here with your favorite quiltmarket memory, or
4.) You can reply here about why YOU want to go to quiltmarket.

You can have multiple entries, just email and let me know what you did. I'll randomly pick two winners from the entries a week from tomorrow, Monday, June 7.

The first is Pieces of My Heart Pattern and Charm Pack (& more) by Sandy Gervais! It comes in a sweet little Moda drawstring bag, and the pattern is for a 25" x 29" quilt called "Oopsie Daisy" and the bag has everything you need except the thread and backing fabric!



The second is Me and My Sisters Desgins pattern set (including THREE designs!), and fabric to make a pattern called "Happy" shown as #6 on the pattern booklet. It also has the fabric to make the whole top and the binding, and comes in a Moda drawstring bag. It's a nice size lap quilt at 44" x 53"!!



I can't wait to see all of your entries! Good luck, and thanks for sharing my first Quiltmarket experience with me.

My first Quiltmarket...set the bar HIGH

I literally do not know where to start. Somehow, between sheer grit and determination, and the stars aligning, I not only went to Spring Quiltmarket, but it more than exceeded my wildest dreams. I met so many Twitter friends, bloggers, fabric designers, pattern designers, quilt designers, shop owners and all kinds of wonderful people. Without exception, they were warm, friendly, open and a lot of fun to be around.




These are pictures of the winning multiple booth by Michael Miller Fabrics. It was like walking into a magical snowy land of glittery gorgeousness. This was the home of the super gracious and lovely Sandi Henderson, whose new book "Sewing Bits and Pieces" I bought and she signed for me.




It was also home to Patty Young, and her new line "Playdate".



I attended my first Sample Spree, and with people lining up a full four hours ahead of time, it made the Filene's Basement Bridal Sale look like a walk in the park. I will say *blowing on fingertips and rubbing them on my shirt* I DID manage to get all THREE colorways of Lizzy House's new line Castle Peeps, AND a fat quarter pack of Oliver & S's new line for Moda. That's right. BOTH of the things I wanted. Some of the hardened Quiltmarket pros were impressed with my skills. All that shopping has to come in handy somewhere right??

I have so much more to share....but I had the time of my life. I made connections. I got great information, and insight. Best of all, I have new friends. My roomie, the fabulous Bari J. was there to promote her new line "Country Lane", which is simply to die for. She answered my endless questions, she introduced me to EVERYONE, and she even put up with my constant tweeting and bumping into her while we walked. She was recently featured in Better Homes & Gardens Quilts and More with a designer feature AND an adorable project. Check it out!




I have loads more to come, and some super awesome pictures to share. So sit tight, and check back...I'll post a few times this week.

I will go to bed tonight with visions of fabric and thread in my head. Just how I like it.

Ode to Mothers

It's amazing how very different I feel and have felt about Mother's Day at various points in my life.

When I was little, it was a time for making cards, and picking flowers, and generally being as artsy as possible. Pulling out all the glittery, glamoury stops to tell my mom and grandmothers how much I love them.

When I got pregnant, I was THRILLED at the thought of just getting to BE a mom on Mother's Day. The idea of breakfast in bed, or being treated like a queen for a day held such appeal.

Now, with older children, I am in yet another completely different place on Mother's Day. I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I have the perspective of some time with motherhood, and a true appreciation for what it takes to be a good mom, and the joy and fulfillment that can bring. And almost as importantly, how incredibly grateful I am to have such wonderful women in my life, to show me how to go about being a good mom.



This is a picture of me and my family up on a mountain ( I think in VT) where we used to go blueberry picking every year. I labeled all the people so you can tell who's who. Credit where credit is due...I'm pretty sure it was my Uncle Phil taking the picture.

As an Ode to Motherhood, I'd like to offer the following.

My Mom - sacrificed a lot for me...in so many ways, at so many points. She gave me an incredible work ethic, but now, more importantly, I realize what that REALLY means. It means that I can be truly independent, self-sufficient, and not have to muddy the waters of my relationships by relying on other people financially. I am free to enjoy people for who they are, and what we mean to each other, without baggage. She taught me to stick up for myself. Without question. And if that means dazzling people with $10 words all strung together, then so be it. Plus...all that other good mom stuff, like good manners, giving to other people, even when you have just enough for yourself, and how to make a mean super-neat bed.

My Nonni - told me time and time again, "you can do anything if you put your mind to it". She taught me to drive. She bought me those ridiculously expensive Jordache jeans. She taught me that chocolate chip cookies and hugs can pretty much comfort any woe. She taught me a love of hand made things. I had hand made sweaters galore, many that I still have and wear now. She taught me super cool phrases like "I'm busier than a one-armed paper hanger" and "pain in a bucket!". I think I get my love of clutter and chocolate from her. Which makes her that much cooler.

My Aunt Pat - inspired me to reach for lofty goals. She became a doctor when she had school aged kids I
(I know! right??). She was my mom-away-from-mom for countless summer vacations, and holidays. She taught me an appreciation for how wonderful a family meal can be ("What, you don't like my cooking??") I'm sure that my sense of humor somehow came from her. We love the same kinds of movies (The Princess Bride). She is just generally happy, and always insanely busy. But smiling. And loving and living life to the fullest every moment. On another note...Aunt Pat is a seriously amazing seamstress and quilter. She is in great part responsible for my wacky love of fabric, and sewing. It's her hand me down machine that I got started with I got back into sewing.

My cousin Amy - we've had a lifetime of memories. She has taught me what true friendship is. She has been there for me when I felt most alone. Best of all, she can keep a secret. Any secret. It's like having a sister, without actually having one. She has parented gracefully through things I cannot even imagine LIVING through, let alone parenting through. My admiration of her is profound. She taught me that sharing someone else's dessert is actually better than getting your own. She taught me that sometimes, if you can manage to make the best of a bad situation, go right ahead and do it. Even if other people might not agree with you. She just plain rocks.

Part of this is awkward, there have been SO many other wonderful women in my life. I wish I had photos of them all, and time to tell you my life story. But these four, they are the team I would want going into a fire. And they are the team I would want celebrating my life's finest moment with.

So go hug your mom. And tell her you love her.

Vacation Week Sewing Treat - Kyoko Dress

This is the week my kids have had for April vacation. Crazy late it seems to me. Everyone else has been on vacation, come home, and is back at school. My "day" job has been really busy (see my earlier post), so I couldn't take the whole week, but I did manage to squeeze in 3 days off. I knew I had only so much time, so on Tuesday night I cut...and yesterday, I dove in.

I've been saving some Meadowsweet from Sandi Henderson that I bought, you guessed it, from Melanie at Above All Fabric. I really love the color palatte, especially the orange and the lime...and for some reason, the plaid just SPEAKS to me. I decided to try it with Patty Young's Kyoko dress. My five year old is dress crazy, and I know how beautifully Patty's patterns are and how well they fit my peanut. The result was nothing short of stunning!



We ran a few errands this morning, and without exception, everywhere we stopped, someone commented on Ally's dress. Maybe she's used to it now...but she sort of smirks and says an exaggerated "Thhhank you!" Truth be told, I love when people ask me where I bought it. And when I say "oh, I made it for her" their mouths always fall open. *LOVE THAT*

One of our stops today was at CVS, where she got some new sunglasses. She didn't really want to pose, so her focus is more on Snow White on the arms of the glasses.





The pattern went together super smoothly. I would say maybe 2 hours of actual sewing and pressing time. I take forever to trace patterns, and cut them out. I also take forever to pin. I am mad-crazy over pinner. Mostly because I keep trying to NOT pin, and I have to "un-sew" because it's crooked.

The only challenge I ran into was in making the obi. I had another print cut, and was informed by my lovely daughter that it wasn't "the one". So I cut a second. Funny, I like her choice better than mine, but in cutting the second set, I rushed. And the two were not 100% equal on both sides (from my too-quick rotary cutting), so I had to go over some of the areas twice, because one side was narrower than the other and the stitches didn't catch the fabric underneath. *NOTE TO READER* this is not a short coming in the pattern in any way. The directions are clear, and actually really easy. I just tend to get ahead of myself.



I love when I start something, and it goes together this easily, and the result is so fantastic. I also traced this pattern, instead of cutting it, so I could use it again in another size. It was the first time I had used a tracing wheel. I love it when those "easy" tools work as well as this one did. I will be much more confident using it now, and will likely get a lot more use out of my patterns.

What do you think of my print mix? I'd love to know what you think works about it, or what you'd do differently.

Green Living Market Bag - by Bari J. Pattern Review

So, I am not quite meeting my goal yet, of blogging once a week. But hey! I'm posting more often than last year, and I'm actually starting to remember to take pictures of the things I make, which is a big improvement. I'm all about progress...not perfection.

My official Quilt Market roomie (*squealing with excitement*) Bari J. asked me to test another pattern for her. And FAR be it from me to say no to some fat quarters of yummy fabric and an early sneak peak of a pattern! I tested her Green Living Market Bag pattern that was one of the four in her first grouping of designer patterns.

This is how the finished pattern looks...and as a side note, this is my favorite style. The pattern is like a booklet (with pretty glossy paper) and the pattern itself is on sturdy white paper folded inside. It's also in a zip top bag. I'm sure this costs more money, but GOD does it make for longer lasting patterns, and easier storage.



The rest of the photos were taken by Rob, my photog extraordinaire. He actually puts the majority of his stuff right on Facebook...but I figured this was a shameless enough plug.




The pattern went to together really easily, and I love the ribbon to tie it together. It actually folds down into a tiny square so that you can either put it in your purse, or you can put a bunch of bags together to go to the store and not carry what looks like a tent.

My biggest challenge with the pattern was folding the pointed ends of the flat bottom up on either side. The only challenge was that the fabric was many many layers thick. So I actually used a denim needle, and sewed really slowly. It gave the bag a very polished looking exterior, instead of just the normal flat bottom.



I'm pretty sure my mom is getting this for Mother's Day, so mom, if you read this...sorry to ruin the surprise! It's a great bag to carry books, groceries, or better yet, I actually carry mine in my purse, so that when I stop in somewhere like the pharmacy, or even somewhere at the mall (*gasp*) I don't have to take a plastic bag.

Think green, and look super fashionable. Gotta love that.

This UFO is finally "F" - Fig Tree Bon Voyage Pattern Review Garment Bag

I'm on a roll folks! And I'm going to run with it. If I've learned anything in life so far, it's how strong and powerful momentum can be. I've had this unfinished project on my sewing table....wait for it...since November. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift! I do realize in the grand scheme of sewing lives, that's not even "long", but it's been taking up valuable space and taunting me...so finish it, I did.

The garment bag is for my mother in law. Every time she comes to visit us for the weekend (yes, weekend) she brings bags, and bags and BAGS of stuff. I decided that she needed something personal to carry it all in. After much digging, the Fig Tree Bon Voyage bag looked to be exactly what I was trying to find for her.


After reading the pattern, and realizing my own limitations as a quilter, I decided to go ahead and buy pre-quilted fabric. I know, I know...I can hear the gasping and choking and see the chest clutching from here. But really folks...I'm a sewer first, and a quilter, like, 10th. My quilting skills are still very mediocre at best and I wanted to be able to focus on the construction of the bag. Besides, this print is SO my mother in law. I know she'll love it. (AND, it took me over 4 1/2 months as it was!).

Here's my finished product:


A few things to note about the pattern before I start. I didn't use a contrasting gusset fabric, as they did in the photo. Nor did I add on the optional pocket. I had a lot of trouble trying to figure out the placement of the pocket, and how it would work without your things all falling out, and I made the executive decision to just not add it. (Again, it took me over 4 1/2 months as it was!)

What I liked about the pattern the most, was the labeled pieces diagram at the beginning, which were also color coded. Had it not been for these, I would have struggled even more than I did. The steps were laid out well, and the overall directions were written very clearly.

What I didn't like about the pattern was the lack of detail around how you got the two gusset sides to come together at the top. I couldn't for the life of me envision it while I was putting it together, and there was no graphic or diagram in the pattern. I ended up trying a few different ways before I got it work out the way I think it was intended. Now that it's done, it looks great, and actually is pretty straightforward, but...alas...as is often the case, I overthought it.

Another thing I really love about the pattern is this:


All of the interior seams are bound and it gives the bag a really lovely, "finished" feel.

I also did add a little zipper pull, beacuse there wasn't any mention of one, and the only zipper I could find that was long enough was brass and isn't as smooth as I'd like. The long pull makes it much easier to slide it up and down to open the bag.


One photo on the back of the pattern shows the bag folded in half using the loop, and I really liked that feature. Especially if you have to travel on a plane or somplace that you are super limited in hanging space. You could fold the garments in half, and the bag looks fantastic, and I think, given it's structure, will hold the clothes nicely.






All in all I'm happy with the final product. Please, under no circumstances ask to see what the inside looks like, or for detail shots. This is most definately a "prototype" version.

I would say this pattern is for an intermediate sewer, at least. It's certainly not a beginner pattern. But the end result is polished and chic looking. If I had actually chosen the fabric and quilted it myself it would make a downright gorgeous bag.

My Once and Someday Former Life

I've been having a lot of trouble balancing things lately. My life is really full. I have a full time "day" job, two kids, a husband, friends, family, and then...I have my dream. My dream of turning my love of fabric and creating things, into a career. My latest big step forward is taking a class in Illustrator and Photoshop so I can feel confident in getting my design ideas into reality. But that adds to the "really full life" thing. It's a lot of work. And going back to homework every week is ROUGH. But it is oh-so-worthwhile. I love the class, and it's only until mid-May.

My bigger news, is that I have...ready??? Bought a plane ticket. I am GOING to Quilt Market. That's right. I AM GOING. I have roommate to stay with (I KNOW...how cool is THAT?) And it's not just any roommate. It's Bari, as in Bari J. Fabric and now pattern designer Bari. I KNOW. I also already have my pass to get in. Is your heart pounding like mine yet???

So I thought I would give you a glimpse into my day to day life as it is now. Because as I see it, it's only a matter of time, and it will be different. Here goes...

I drive to work every day, after waiting with the kids at the bus stop. I live outside of Hartford, CT. Small as cities go. I park my car, and this is what I see.



I try to park on the roof of the garage every day I can. Just so that when I come out of work, I can breathe real (non-re-circulated) air. And look around. It's spring time, so for now...it's pretty nice.



I work for Prudential. The Rock. Mother Pru. You know who that is. Enough said. I live in the insurance capital of the world. Pretty much everyone works for an insurance company in some capacity. Overall, as much as I beef, it's a great company to work for, and I love my co-workers. (Especially the crafty ones!) So, I go into my building, and head up to the cube farm.

I'm the Treasurer for Pru's Bank. So it's a geek fest every day. Accountants, actuaries, and finance types everywhere. Part of me loves it. The challenge, the number-ness of it. But I've done it what feels like forever. And in my heart of hearts, I know I will be fulfilled in a whole new way when I'm creating for a living. When I sit down to work (or dream) this is what I see. The edge of my cube, my sweet little owl from WBR (with it's italian translation, because I want to learn to speak Italian, but that's a whole different post!), and the wide, blue yonder.



This is my CFA charter. It took four years of misery, self study, discipline and many, many brain cells to get this. It basically says I'm about as finance-geeky as they come. I am very proud of this. BUT...it has served it's purpose. I'm ready to get a CFA in fabric design.



So...to help myself along, I write things on my white board to look at every day and inspire me. What's there right now is this...



When I shared that on Twitter, Whipstitch had this to say "Burn the boats, Baby". THAT is the kind of awesome inspiration, comraderie and community I thrive on.

So, without further ado...onto my Once and FUTURE life.