Snowy Stitches

I hope my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving! The weather is cooling down around the country and snow is once again falling in the northern climes. Quilters are nestled down in fabric and batting stitching up favorite designs. Some quilters, like Lisa Bongean, shown below, have the most adorable snowman quilts, along with other winter confectioneries.

 I had the pleasure of meeting up with Lisa at Quilt Market recently. Her booth, Primitive Gatherings, is always a hot spot at market. Does this not look like a winter wonderland? Follow the link to Lisa's shop and find all kinds of wonderful treasures and kits that you can order on line. I was excited to find my own newest patterns (page 8 and 9) on her link to NEW items. Yes, Lisa buys from me on the condition that I quit stalking her. It's not easy, but I try.

You may know Pat Wys from her darling Silver Thimble Quilt Co. Her designs are cheerful and colorful, often with lots of applique. Pat is lots of fun and shows everyone a good time! Visit her blog at Silver Thimble Talk.

Since we began with snowmen, this is such a darling snowman quilt designed by Pat! It's called Snowbound, and gives you a taste of what Pat does. I love it!

 Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robinson, co-owners of Red Crinoline Quilts (formerly Bonnie Blue Quilts) had a booth right close to mine. Paula's designs are fabulous! And Mary Ellen stitches them to perfection. What a team! I loved visiting with them and their booth was beautiful!

This is a pretty little corner of my booth where I framed one of Karen Mowery's Primitive Children. Doesn't it look sweet? You can see a better picture of it on her website Primitive Children. Karen is a dear friend of mine and her talent is amazing! You probably know Karen from her blog, Sew Primitive. And of course she is the now famous author of A Bountiful Life!
Hey, it has five stars at Amazon!!! But ask for it at your LQS first. We like to support shops!

A Bountiful Life and more...

 I didn't go to market this time and I sure wish I had been there! Look at this beautiful display of quilts in the Kansas City Star booth. They publish quilt books, as you probably know. Front and center in this display is my good friend Karen Mowery's quilt, A Bountiful Life. This quilt is a replica of the famous Bird of Paradise quilt that is at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. It is an awesome quilt and Karen's book is awesome as well. Request it at your LQS or order it online. You won't be disappointed! See what Karen has to say about all this excitement at her blog, Sew Primitive.

And 

Other books on display from Kansas City Star, Including Simply Charming by the darling Tara Lynn Darr. I love this book! Confederates in the Cornfield by Edie Mcginnis has the most amazing cherry quilt in it.

Edie's new book, A Bag of Scraps, is wonderful for those of us who live and breath scrap quilts. Plus, Edie always adds interesting facts and stories. Edie is an editor at Kansas City Stars, so she knows a little bit about writing books! Also, I stole these photos from her on Facebook!

 

 Above, a few more wonderful quilts from the Kansas City Star booth.

Even tho I didn't get to market this spring, I have been excited to see the photos and hear about the enthusiasm of those that were there. You can see more market photos at the links below:

 Fat Quarter Shop,  their Jolly Jabber blog

Country Quilts-Cheryl Wall

Fat Quarters Quilt Shop (Vista, CA) their Facebook page

There are probably more, but I don't have time to look right now as I have been on this blooming computer all day!

Enjoy!

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Fest

Yesterday was one of those days we quilters wait all year for:  Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival! It is held in Hampton, VA at the Convention Center. I drove up there with my friends Joan and Sue, as usual. We start out together and get separated very quickly as we each see things that interest one of us more than another. So many different things for so many different quilters. Look what I spotted right off the bat--our friend Karen's book, A Bountiful Life! She would have been delighted with the setting as it was nestled in with nice rolls of wool and other cozy things.

 Minutes later I ran into Mrs. Goodneedle! We hugged and visited for a few minutes then met later to visit some more. Love that lady! One of the benefits of blogging is making some wonderful friends, such as Karen and Debbie.

 

 Notice the booth we are in, Attic Heirlooms, and the neat stuff they have. The quilt in the background is awesome. Check out their website. Lots  of wool and primitive, etc.

I ran into another friend, Janna-the president of Bloc-Loc. I met Janna and her husband Paul in Houston at Quilt Market a couple years ago. Their booth was right by mine. They totally sold me on their product and now I can't function without their amazing rulers. Their rulers each have a groove in them that gets placed on the seam line of a half-square triangle so you can trim it accurately. The groove locks in on the seam for greater accuracy. These are perfect for a scrapper like me because I am always trimming down triangles and flying geese. Yes, they have one for flying geese and they keep coming out with new ones. Be sure and check their schedule because they go to shows all over America and if you are a block trimmer you must have these rulers. They are only distributed through Bloc-Loc! I had to get a new 1-1/2" HST size because I left mine in Arizona.

Other purchases? Well, I made out OK. I bought titanium coated sewing machine needles at the Superior Threads booth. I had to get these after watching the very interesting and informative videos on their website. When you have some time you really should watch THESE. At least the ones that look interesting to you.

I also found fabric. Can you believe it? Honestly, I tried to resist, but there were a few that I had to have. Barbara Brackman's Battle Hymn  fabric is wonderful! From Moda Fabric.

One booth that I am always happy to shop is called Traditions of the White Swan. I always come away happy from that booth! They are from Hagerstown, Maryland and have lots of kits on line. Last year I bought the whole collection of fat quarters of Little Pink Stars, and designed a baby quilt that will be in McCall's Quilting magazine--June issue, so keep an eye out! This year I found this darling collection of grey and blue Buggy Barn prints from Henry Glass. I wonder what these will become?

Finally, I broke down and purchased this beautiful basket. I have been looking at these for years each time I go to Quilt-Fest. They are made in Africa and come in all shapes and sizes. The beautiful bag is a gift from my friend Sue Cruthers who made it for my i-pad! Isn't it the cutest thing?! I LOVE it!

All in all, it was a great day! I will post another day with a few quilt photos. There were some awesome quilts this year!

 

 

A Bountiful Life

Just in case you are unaware, let me tell you that Karen Mowery's book, A Bountiful Life, is arriving in quilt shops and bookstores right about now! Karen is a very dear friend of mine and I have been following her closely over the past year or so as she has secretly been preparing this book for publication, and making the quilt as well. I am so in awe of her and her talent! 

 The book is published by Kansas City Star. It is a collection of patterns from the famous Bird of Paradise quilt that is in the American Folk Art Museum. Karen has painstakingly drawn out the pattern for each block and for the extensive applique contained on the borders as well. Karen's adaptation of this quilt closely resembles the original, the exception being that Karen created the block for the missing man. The original artist drew up the block, but then decided to leave that block out for reasons we may never know. But it is truly adorable!

 Several of Karen's friends came to her rescue in appliqueing a block for her. In fact, I appliqued that beautiful bird block in the lower right corner, but sadly, it was rejected! Yes! Can you believe it? Talk about a tough taskmaster! I have never been known for my applique skills, and even tho I thought I did a pretty good job, Karen said my vines were too fat. And I don't want to hear any fat jokes! Anyway, I now have a lovely block to make into a wall hanging or pillow. 

Ask for this book at your LQS. It is also available on line at PickleDish Store and other places. 

Plus, Karen got a glowing review from Jo Morton!

 “In the ongoing effort to preserve our ties to the past, Karen’s book, A Bountiful Life, recreates this fabulous piece of American Folk Art. Like the antique quilt top, it is not quilted but is backed, tied and used as a summer spread or wall hanging. I’m so pleased that the designs are full-size and ready to use; no trips to the copy center to enlarge them. Get ready to begin stitching!” — Jo Morton

I am very excited about this book. It is a masterpiece that I want in my library just for the pictures! And because it is written by my good friend and yours, Karen Mowery!