I'm a winner!

Also during my blog hiatus, I won two different giveaways.  One was from Sheree's Alchemy and was this lovely half yard stack of fabric.

The other was a fat quarter bundle of Bella Solids from Shruti at 13 Woodhouse Rd!

Have I done anything with them yet? No but the possibilities are endless!

Why I don't mind traveling for work all the time

This has been a big travel month at work.  This week I was in New York, next week I'll be in Baton Rouge, and the following week in Arlington, Texas.  Certainly I have to deal with all sorts of travel delays, airport food, etc.  But there are a few perks (besides the frequent flier miles).  I get to visit my friends in other cities who I probably wouldn't see as often.  And sometimes, I get to stop by an awesome fabric shop.  I've always drooled over the fabric at PurlSoho.  They just moved to a new space, and I got to check it out.  It is gorgeous--very light and spacious.  And the fabric was so lovely!  I held back, and only came home with this:

The blue on the bottom is Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks Voile.  The teal dots and the purple print are Echino, and I am not sure what the little fat quarters are--I think the purple is a shot cotton, because it's got a cross-weave of another color.  No plan for them all, they just looked too yummy to pass up!

Quilt Show Part 1: What I Came Home With

Everyone knows that quilt shows are great for inspiration. There are so many amazing quilts and ideas swirling, you can't help but come home wanting to make something.   But fully half the size of the show area is all the booths for shopping! I spent quite a while there (believe me, it was a mob scene, and pretty overwhelming).  I ended up being not too bad.

A bunch of pre-cut yardage just because. 

A new sewing foot! It is called the "Curve Master" and it is meant to help you do curves in your quilts with NO pins. As soon as I saw the demo, I immediately knew I had to have it! I will report back once I've tested it out a bit.

A jelly roll called "Silk Road". Lots of Asian-themed fabrics.  I am not usually a jelly roll kind of girl, but if I didn't buy this I would have spent WAY more on all the yardage I wanted in these fabrics.

Two fat quarter packs. One is Tula Pink's Nest (the green one on the bottom) and the top one is Califon.  Again, not usually a fat quarter kind of girl, but they were just calling my name.

Finally, some Shweshwe fabric from South Africa.  These fabrics are really gorgeous in person.  

They only come in three colors, and they use a resist process that includes copper presses from the 1850s.  I was quite excited to learn that the factory where they are made employs lots of local people, buys cotton locally, and the employees own 45% of the factory.  I try to be socially conscious in my purchases in other realms, but I am not always so good when it comes to fabric.  I was thrilled to hear that this fabric I love is socially responsible too. Here is more information about the fabric and the process.

Look for more posts about the actual quilts I saw at the show!

Fabulous fabric

I had an internal goal of not buying any fabric in February. I was good--I didn't! That doesn't mean I didn't get any though. I ordered some fabric in the fall from FabFanatic Fabrics, and didn't get it until this week.  It's lovely!

I am also showing some other lovely fabric I got in January. I haven't touched it yet, but I am taking it out to think about what I might do with it. One of my goals this year was to work with more solids, so this fat quarter pack (which was on sale) is the perfect start.

Who knows when I'll cut into them? I've got UFOs calling my name, and the Paintbox Quilt-a-long.  But I can look at them for now.  :)

Fabric Favorites 2009

Kim at TrueUp has posted a Favorite Fabrics question. She wants to know the favorites of 2009. She has a bunch of categories, but we only need to list 10. So here's my 10:


- Favorite Quilting Weight Cotton Collection

Image copyright Freespirit 2009

Deer Valley by Joel Dewberry. I can't really explain why--I love the colorways, love the mixture of organic and architectural elements. Very different from what is out there in general.

- Favorite Home Decor Weight Fabric or Collection
I'm voting for Alexander Henry Fashion for Home Birdsong.

- Favorite Under the Radar/Sleeper Collection
Pillow and Maxfield: Whimsy. I love this! I haven't really seen any buzz on it, or been able to find it many places, but it is gorgeous. I especially love that deep blue.

image copyright Pillow & Maxfield 2009

- Favorite Handprinted Fabric
Ok, I know everyone is going to say this, but Aunty Cookie is amazing. I love this one here, with the red cog/snowflake things. Awesome.

- Favorite New Designer
I also know everyone is going to say this, but Laura Gunn. Lantern Bloom is just gorgeous. I love how she has taken paintings and turned them to a design on fabric.

- Favorite Novelty Print
I really love this print from Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel collection. Just too cute! I didn't realize I love whales so much.

image copyright Cosmo Cricket 2009

- Favorite Print from Japan
I think this one with the whale from Lecien is adorable!

image copyright Lecien 2009

- Favorite Organic Print
Near Sea Naturals: Eyes of the World. I love the jewel tones. I feel like most organic cotton I see is pretty plain and there aren't a ton of deep, rich colors like this one.

image copyright NearSea Naturals 2009

- Favorite Juvenile Print: Boys
I love David Walker's "Oh Boy!" collection. So my favorite print within it would be this one. You can see more here.

 

image copyright David Walker 2009

- Favorite New Fabric You Worked With in 2009
I had never really worked with upholstery weight fabric before, so I really enjoyed that. It means that I don't really need interfacing for the purses/handbags I make.

I can't wait to see what others put as their favorites!

I love mail!

So I got a package in the mail recently and it made me so happy! I won a giveaway from Heidi who is running the Old Red Barn Quilt Along's Round 4. I was thinking I would do it but I have been traveling too much for work and just haven't been able to keep up. But Heidi was generous enough to give away these lovely fat quarters!

They are from Amy Butler's new LOVE collection. They are delicious. Now I need to decide what to do with them. Maybe I'll just look at them. :)

I've been super busy and I haven't even been home lately. I am hoping that once I get home from all this traveling for work and family that I'll be able to stay home for awhile.

More fabric...

Last Tuesday I went to a fabric swap hosted by Mary Beth at The Lazy Milliner. It turns out I knew her already from swing dancing but hadn't made the connection. It was fun to get rid of some fabric that has been sitting around my stash for awhile. It's been there for years and I could never find the right project for it, and I didn't love it. So it went to the swap. At the swap, there was some fun fabric as well as some patterns. I picked up two bag patterns and a skirt pattern as well as some fabric.

Also in the mail I got some gorgeous hand-dyed fabric that I won from Heather Bennett. The pictures don't do it justice!

And finally, I've gotten some goodies in the mail from various internet sales. This fabric I've been eyeing for awhile, waiting for it to go on sale. It is from the "Proud" collection by Keri Beyer.

I wouldn't use it in a regular quilt, but I think it is perfect for a one-block wonder. One block wonders require a lot of yardage from one fabric, and they work best with fabrics that have a lot of colors and a large repeat. I think this one fits the bill perfectly.

Here are some other goodies I've bought recently.

Now back to work--I've been away for the past two weekends and traveling for work as well, so I'm glad to be back at the sewing machine. I really need to finish the group quilt for my fellow choir member.