RTS Blog
In My Backyard February 10 2016
February started with the Port Saint Lucie Crazy Quilters Quilting in Paradise Show February 4-6th. What made this show extra special was that it was in my own backyard. I was not only a vendor at the show, but I am also a member of the guild. I had an amazing opportunity to show the girls what we offer at Red Thread Studio. As an online retailer, this is priceless.
The show even got some airtime in the local paper, The TC Palm. You can see some photos of the show in the TC Palm Photo Gallery.
I was also honored to be part of the Member Challenge committee with Nancy S. (left) and Perlie P. (right).
The theme this year for the Member Challenge was My Hometown. Since many of our guild members are transplants from other states or snowbirds, we had a a nice sampling of different states (and countries). My entry was #9 - Aurora, City of Lights (top right). To my surprise, I had a show attendee come to the booth to say hello. She was from Batavia, Illinois, a neighboring town!
First place Nancy P. with Sanibel #6, second place June C. with Carousel #18, third place Jane G. with Apples #13 and honorable mention Eyvonne S. with Cherries Yum #5.
We also had some special guests that visited the booth. Luckily I got the memo to wear red and white polka dots that day!
Friday saw record attendance. A big part of this was the program to celebrate National Wear Red Day and Go Red For Women as February is American Heart Month. We asked attendees to wear red on Friday, February 5th for a chance to win a gift basket (valued at $1,000). In addition, three beautiful heart quilts were auctioned to raise money for the American Heart Association. Here is one of those quilts.
Darling, don't I look marvelous? Attendees could also 'try on' this gorgeous red dress for a photo opportunity. The Red Dress quilt was on loan from designer and quilter Teri Henderson Tope.
As a vendor, I also got to award a vendor ribbon to the quilt of my choice. With the help of my daughter Grace (age 8), we selected Pebbles by Kathy R. which also got second in the Group category. We love it, don't you?
I was also honored to help piece our raffle quilt 'You Hosta Love It' and delighted that our very own Margy M, Raffle Quilt Chairperson and Coordinator Extraordinaire won the quilt!
And the most special part of this show was that on Saturday, I was able to share the experience with my daughter and my grandmother. As always, my mom Kathy was there helping me.
So here is my favorite photo: Four Generations of Quilters
Here are a few of my favorite quilts from the show. Which ones were your favorites?
Best of Show - Summers Delight by Sheila Q.
Best Hand Quilting - Almost Amish by Sharon H.
First Place Group - Out of the Box Design Group from Jupiter, FL.
From left to right:
- Iris by Nancy I.
- Bells of Ireland by Waynette P.
- Lucky Little Lady Bug by Nancy S.
- Double Delight by Shay K.
- He Loves Me by Margy M.
- Sunkissed by Theresa O.
- Floating Flowers by Elinor D.
- Butterfly Delight by Barbara U.
Second Place Group - One of several quilts in the group Journey Thru Art - Famous Female Faces, I really liked Carmen Miranda by Marian McCoin.
First Place Large/Medium Appliqué - My Whimsical Garden by Margy M.
Honorable Mention Large/Medium Appliqué - Happy by Joey M. and quilted by Karen M. (Creative Longarm Quilting)
First Place Medium Pieced - Grape Soda by Theresa O.
Second Place Medium Pieced - Colorful Selvages by Eyvonne S.
Cathedral Windows by Karen Rollins
The Grand Hotel by Valerie Y.
Jen Kingwell Workshop November 12 2015 2 Comments
And after much anticipation, the two day workshop with Jen Kingwell over Halloween weekend had arrived!
It proved to be a beautiful day on the farm for a workshop with Jen. On occasion, we would hear the roar of jets and planes overhead as they practiced for the Stuart Air Show which was also that weekend.
Jen kicked off the workshop with an overview of the class pattern The Circle Game which consists of 16 circle blocks that can be hand or machine pieced.
I am so proud of the class. All 20 students were open to hand piecing at least the first block.
First up, the 'Whirlgig' block. We put Jen's The Circle Game quilt in front of the window overlooking the garden to not only diffuse the morning light into the room but also to highlight the seams with an almost stained glass effect.
Jen showing us how to line up the individual pieces before beginning to stitch.
The day felt like one big sewing bee.
By the end of day one, we had some beautiful whirlgigs to put up on the design wall.
Jen also shared her technique and useful tips for hand appliqué.
As well as a discussion on color and fabric choice.
By day two, outer boarders were being added.
And students were spending some one on one time with Jen.
Day two was also the day we explored hand quilting with Jen.
Unfortunately, not all of the students were well behaved. Our guest student was a little sassy.
And the day was not complete without lots of Halloween candy and festivities. We played a handful of games including a pumpkin decorating contest and bocce pumpkin.
Winner of decorating contest - Luscious Lips by Bonnie L!
And Linda S. cleaned up during Bocce Pumpkin!
Of course, a Halloween party is not complete without dressing up! This was my attempt to get in on the vampire mania.
Anyway, I know I had a blast and I think the workshop participants did too. Stay tuned for an inside look at some of the tips that Jen shared with us.
Until then, it's a wrap.
2015 Fall Market Review November 10 2015
A bit of a lag in reporting to you on the 2015 Fall Market in Houston this October, but hopefully worth the wait.
Quilt Market is a bi-annual trade show for the quilting industry that is not open to the general public. On the show floor, you will find shop owners, fabric and pattern designers, fabric companies, distributors, media, publishers among other industry professionals.
With 28 aisles of vendors to explore and only 8.5 hours to do it in, I can truly say that I was on a mission! I was in search of new color trends and new ideas for quilters on the go, and I can say that I was not disappointed.
Here are the trends that I saw on my whirlwind tour:
Blue hues are heading this way
While there were plenty of bright, modern rainbow colors on display, blue was a dominating theme this Fall. Whether it be denim, indigo or hues leaning toward aqua and sea glass, you could find examples at nearly every fabric company.
My mind is swimming of the possibilities for quilting and certainly a modern take on Sashiko!
Left: Cotton and Steel booth highlighting the new collaborative line BlueBird.
Right: Art Gallery Fabric's new denim line.
Left: Boomerang quilt in Kona Designer Palette by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts.
Middle: Handcrafted Indigo and Sunprints by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics.
Right: Firelights Lane by Sassafras Lane Designs in sea glass.
Sea creatures and coastal themes join the ranks of elephants and woodland creatures
Perhaps because I am a Florida gal and because of the growing trend of toward blue, the sea life and beachy themes resonated with me this year. Maybe the harsh winter last year left us dreaming of warmer days.
Top: Into the Deep by Patty Sloniger for Michael Miller Fabrics.
Middle left: Coastline by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery Fabrics.
Middle right: Surf's Up by Dear Stella.
Bottom: Mendocino by Heather Ross for Windham Fabrics.
Handwork like embroidery and English paper piecing continue as the comeback kids
This is probably the most exciting trend for me since I personally love handwork and it caters to my Mommy-on-the-go lifestyle. I also enjoyed seeing all of the texture and new specialty threads.
Left: From Katja Merak's book The New Hexagon
Right: Adapted from Katja's book, The New Hexagon Millefiore Quilt Along
Top Left: Samples made using Sue Spargo's Eleganza collection.
Top Right: Thread eye candy at the Aurifil booth.
Bottom Left: Surface embroidery on her new fabric line Abacus by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics.
Bottom Right: More surface embroidery using Cosmo thread on First of Infinity also by Lecien.
And finally, just because this was a jaw dropper. An amazing quilt showcasing Mostly Manor by Victoria Findlay Wolfe for Marcus Fabrics.
What quilting, stitching or fabric trends are you loving?
Jen Kingwell Trunk Show November 09 2015
Two years ago, little did I know that my red threads would lead me to an amazing pattern and fabric designer from Australia, Jen Kingwell. You also would not have convinced me that I would have the opportunity to bring Jen Kingwell to South Florida to share her knowledge and experience with the local (and not so local!) quilting community. It was a dream come true!
We kicked off the weekend with a trunk show on Thursday, October 29th at Ground Floor Farm, an urban farm and community space. Jen delighted us with 17 of her own quilts and one designed by her daughter Lucy.
She shared her personal quilting journey in three phases: Pre-book (Quilt Lovely), Book and Post-book.
Here are a few quilts from her pre-book phase.
My favorites from Jen's book Quilt Lovely.
Daisy Do
Glitter
And some recent designs since writing her book.
My Small World which was first released in the Spring 2015 edition of Quilt Mania and is now a stand alone pattern. Me to Jen, "Are those one inch squares? And a hand embroidered Eiffel Tower?" "Yes," she replied. "527 one inch squares!"
At the end of the trunk show, we had some time to get up close and personal.
What's your favorite Jen Kingwell pattern?
In the meantime, stay tuned for part II of our Jen Kingwell visit when I share photos and stories from the two day workshop.
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