A blur of fabric, friends, and fun!

I'm back from the 2011 Spring International Quilt Market in Salt Lake City! It was such an amazing trip. Not only was the setting gorgeous, but I got to spend time (not enough, but I'll take what I can get) with so many good friends. And of course, the displays of fabric were overwhelmingly stunning. My only regret is that I only took a few pictures. That always happens - I get to running my mouth and forget I have a camera! Anyways, between my little camera and a few pics I grabbed from facebook friends, I have enough to scrap together a blog post.

My dear friend and tester Jeanne picked me up at the airport and immediately took me on a fantastic tour of SLC. I got to see downtown, the beautiful surrounding area, and a couple of fabric shops...all before lunch!




We had a very yummy lunch at the famous Ruth's Diner. Here we are outside. Yeah, I'm standing on a curb, and Jeanne is still a good 6" taller. No fair.




Jeanne's little daughter is an absolute angel child! She is so beautiful and sweet, and smart too! Check out the welcome note she wrote for Jennifer!




Thursday was our first big work day. We went over to the convention center and picked up our giant box of gorgeousness so we could get ready for our Schoolhouse Presentation.




For my science friends...giving a Schoolhouse is like giving a talk at a national meeting. You get up in front of a big group of your peers and talk about your latest breakthroughs. We made the Sis Boom Schoolhouse a group effort - Jen talked about her new book, Madeline presented the latest fabric lines, and I of course plugged patterns. Above is a pic of Jen out in the hall, waiting for showtime. She was as cool as a cucumber, but I have to admit I got a little nervous. It has been a long time since I have been in front of a group like that, but I settled right down once I saw the friendly faces streaming into the room.




It didn't hurt that we were handing out fat quarters...those babies would thrill any audience!




On Friday, Jennifer had her book signing. So many great friends turned out ! Pictured above is Jennifer with Jennifer from Bugs and Bees (and yes, she made that Patricia Tunic with her own two hands). Don't they look like sisters?




After the book signing, we were interviewed by Heidi from the Quilt Home crew! We talked about the new Sis Boom fabrics and our ePatterns, which are sold on their site. It was so much fun talking to her! We'll let you know when the video is live.

We managed to get in LOTS of socializing, of course. Every night we had a dinner or a meetup to attend. It was so great seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Plus, the food was great everywhere we went!




Now I'm not one to pose for pics with every sewing celebrity I meet, but I just HAD to get a shot with Char from Crap I've Made. She is my bloggy hero - funny, interesting, mildy crass - and she is exactly the same in person!

Oh...did you notice the dresses we were wearing on book signing day? That pattern is in the works and should be ready in the next few weeks...I just need to come down from my Rocky Mountain Quilt Market High and transition back into work mode!

...and by the way, I was not in full-out Snookie mode - that is someone's head, not my bangs in that last shot (don't let Char tell you otherwise)!

Naturally neutral

The old saying "She'd look good in burlap" definitely applies to the Sis Boom Rosetta Bag!



I wear a lot of brights, so I wanted a bag that was somewhat neutral for spring. Since burlap is trendy, cheap, and durable, I decided to give it a shot.




I finished all of the edges with a 3 thread overlock stitch to prevent fraying during and after the construction process. Instead of gathering with basting stitches, I just pulled on the jute fibers - so fun and easy!




I lined the bag with unbleached cotton muslin and included pockets on each side for my phone, wallet, etc.




I trimmed the top band with vintage lace and a mix of mother-of-pearl and white plastic buttons.




Doesn't this one look like a screaming toddler?

Spring Show &Tell

Ahhh - Spring! All the singing birds and pretty flowers motivated me to brighten up my dining room with some happy Sis Boom fabrics!




First off, I recovered my dining room chairs with prints from Girlfriends and Poodle. The dinette came with the house, and the chairs were covered with a light peach velveteen that was no match for Louie. The recovery process was actually pretty painless. There were three screws in the bottom of the chair, and when I removed them the seat and back popped right out. The bottom and sides of the back cover are stitched, and the top is stapled. The bottom cover is just stretched and stapled on. I'm so happy to walk into the room and see paisleys and toiles rather than pizza stains and Elmer's glue blobs.




I also made a coordinating runner for the buffet using Poodle laminate.




Talk about a low-effort project. I just cut it to size with pinking shears. You could actually use regular scissors, as laminate does not fray.




This year's seedlings are doing really well. I'm staggering plantings in hopes of a more constant harvest rather than too many veggies all at once.




The perennial beds are weeded and ready for action. There are few bulbs up and blooming, but things will really get rocking in the next few weeks when the peonies and irises pop.




For now, we are really enjoying the daffodils.
(Get the Bosco Bowtie tutorial here for free!)




Not too much green on in the veggie bed yet, but there are lots of little seedlings up.




A family of bunnies moved into the neighborhood, so we are going to have to put up a little fence. In the meantime, we are protecting the pea seedlings with seltzer water bottle cloches. They seem very happy :) .

Give the gift of sewing!!!

Do you have any special friends who are dying to learn how to sew beautiful things for their little girls, but don't know where to start? Virtue Radio Network is offering an amazing online sewing class with Jennifer Paganelli, and I think it would make a wonderful gift! In fact...Mother's Day is coming up on May 8th, and any woman with sewing dreams would LOVE to be treated to this deluxe package! In fact, if you know of any husbands looking for a unique gift to give their wives, I'm sure they would appreciate the hint!

For only $59 (so much cheaper than the day spa), they will get an all inclusive, luxury sewing experience. You can get all the details here, but basically the deal includes a downloadable instructional video (can be watched again and again), a live chat with Jennifer and Dolin O'Shea (patternmaker and couture seamstress), special discounts at Fabric.com, and an autographed copy of Jen's beautiful new book Girl's World (a 24.95 value...not counting the signature)!

The book contains 21 sewing projects, but the one they picked for the class is one of my favorites and is absolutely perfect for beginners. I had the opportunity to try this one out when the book was first coming together.


I made two sizes, and I was amazed at how quickly and easily the dresses went together. As you can see, it looks so beautifully girly on little ones and tweens alike. You can make it out of a single print, or mix and match. I highly recommend this pattern. I've been sewing for years, and I didn't quite "get" finishing neck and arm openings with bias tape until I followed Dolin's instructions. It gives such a nice finish, and is so dang easy. You can see more photos of finished sash dresses and a great video about the class on Jennifer's blog.