Entry doors to the vendor floor….Anticipation!!
The last couple of weeks have been ‘crazy busy.’ I’ve somehow managed my way through any number of computer and printer problems and finished the Yule Tree ‘Advent’ Calendar pattern! The pattern is finished and I have 65 packaged and ready to go! Even packaging presented ‘issues’! I cannot express my relief that this one is done! Like a mother sending her little ones out to the world, I hope that it will be well received by those that decide to take on the challenge. While waiting for the printing and the covers, the weather cooperated and we managed to get our garden in. Can’t believe how early we are able to plant – I don’t remember a year when we got things in the ground this early! But I am so looking forward to those fresh radishes and lettuce. The straw bales have been conditioned and planted as well: and this year we are trying ‘grow bags’ as well – for potatoes, strawberries and some squash. As far as I’m concerned, gardening is really just a big science experiment, subject to some hard work and the hands of Mother Nature! After harvesting our extremely abundant first cut of rhubarb, I can only hope we’ll be blessed likewise for the rest of the growing season.
Having finished the pattern and having planted the garden, I couldn’t have been anticipating attending the International Spring Quilt Market more! Held this year in Minneapolis, I couldn’t not go since it was in my backyard! I had attended the Houston Fall Market in 2012, so it had been awhile. I am hoping to put together a slide show for the blog, but will have to consult with my ‘technology’ mentor (aka #1 son!)to get that deed done. I do have an album up on facebook and I will share a few pics here. With well over 2500 vendors, market can be both mentally and physically overwhelming. At least I was somewhat prepared this time. I seldom drive downtown Minneapolis, so I enlisted my dh as chauffeur and partner (he IS the other half of Mittelstadt Artworks!) knowing he understands my energy/physical limitations. Besides I did think he would enjoy the visual treat that the market has to offer (he did!). I had decided that I could only handle attending the Sample Spree on Thursday evening and 1 day on the floor, knowing full well that another day would have been wonderful, but not feasible. Thursday evening’s Sample Spree – for those who may not know – is a two hour sale where participating vendors simply set up tables with their wares to sell at wholesale prices to attendees. If you remember the Filene’s basement $99.00 wedding dress sale, you have the picture. Quite the madhouse – at least in the first hour or so. I can only imagine that the sales help absolutely collapse when they end their evening!. A full 8 tables filled with jelly rolls, fat quarter collections, thread, etc. can easily be reduced to a sparsely filled single table in a matter of and hour and a half. The line to get in begins almost 2 hours early, and once in – this is NO TIME FOR PICTURES! 🙂 So notice that the one picture I have, was taken as I left, about 15 minutes before it was over. I did get some wonderful goodies….but (as I explained to my dh) left even more goodies behind!!
A quick shot back in the Sample Spree room – about 15 minutes before closing.
More goodies! Well, it was hard to choose!!
Goodies! Those marking pencils work on wool! Will be offering them on my website!
Friday morning found us waiting for the floor doors to open at 9:30 a.m. I had a list of things I was looking for, as well as specific people and vendors I wanted to make contact with. As such, we had our plan of attack – a rather orderly pattern starting in the middle and working our way up and down the rows to one end, stopping for lunch and a rest, then working through the other half. Check out the photo of the aisle view from the midpoint! It was so fun to see all the new fabric/color collections and the creative displays; and it’s nice to be in a place where people are in such upbeat moods, both vendors and attendees! As a designer, I am not the person many vendors really need to spend their time with (no, I don’t need to order a dozen bolts of fabric!), but I am forever grateful for those that did engage me and listened to my needs as a designer. Most vendors are not selling actual products there as they are taking orders and having them shipped to the stores, etc. The sales people at Bosal went above and beyond to help me get some of their product, understanding that I needed to try it out in my work, and that while I may someday offer it on my website, right now I could never meet the sales minimum that quilt shops more easily meet. The Floriani people gave me samples and said they were happy to work with amounts that designers can handle! (I can’t wait to try the samples they gave me – believe me that if this actually works like the sample they had there – I see a whole new alternative to the few fusibles that we have to choose from now!!)
Looking down the aisles of quilt market (this is from the halfway point!) – Wear comfortable shoes!!!
My bolt of Bosal fusible interfacing – I have ideas for this!
Can’t wait to try this! In the sample they had done, you couldn’t tell there was a fusible!
End cap display – so fun – even puppies can come to quilt market!
Another end cap display. So many color collections!
Modern designs and colors really reminded me of my art background
Another creative display!
Lots of contemporary quilts – really enjoyed these houses!
Love the little detailed displays! Doesn’t this just give you all kinds of ideas for stitches and wool design??
Obviously, it is also fun if you get to go and see your own work presented at market. National Non Wovens is a major producer of felt products with a line of felt that ranges from 100% wool all the way down to acrylic; their TOY line is a 35/65% rayon wool blend and a WCF line is 20/80% blend. They also carry 50/50%, 70/30%, and 100%. If you need something for those allergic to wool they have an acrylic as well as a bamboo that is soo soft (think baby!). Contrary to their instructions, I wash all their wool in the machine, dry it in a dryer and then steam press it; this changes the entire feel of the felt and people love it. They also sponsor a listing of ‘Pattern Partners’ – designers like myself who use their products: if you go to their website http://www.nationalnonwovens.com/Applications/craft/patternpartners.htm you’ll find a listing of wool/wool felt designers and their websites. Its a great source if you are looking for patterns/kits, etc. All this said, they ‘debuted’ my finished model of the Yule Tree Advent Calendar and it’s 43 ornaments! They also had a number of my other models. Geesch…do I look as tired as I felt?? (They were at the very far end of the floor!!) I shouldn’t ever compare, but in the picture of one of the displays, my dh looks as perky as the energizer bunny!
Yours truly by my Yule Tree Advent Calendar ‘debut’ – in National NonWoven booth
yours truly by my wine runner in the National NonWoven booth
I think my dh enjoyed the visual treat that quilt market offers!
There’s always fun to be had at market and some of it takes place on the floor – well known personalities in the quilting world and – well, other worlds as well. Take a peek who was there! Just had to giggle! Found myself hoping Captain Jack Sparrow might show up around the corner!
Sue Spargo in her booth
Eleanor Burns
May the force be with you? Maybe there will be quilting in the far future!
Aside from all the things I knew I was looking for, there’s always a few new things that you come across. I was disappointed that Sue Spargo did not have any of her circle stamp/punches there, but I do believe in ‘fate.’ I ended up very excited to spend time at the Sizzix booth discussing their new Eclips 2 scan and cut machine. I have always longed for a machine to cut pieces, but generally had to conclude that what was available really didn’t fit my needs. Most of the systems rely on dies (not necessarily cheap!); you can have dies made specifically for your needs, but then I’m really not big enough to make that practical. 🙁 This new scan and cut, connects with a computer; you can choose from a library of shapes (you can also alter these shapes) or you can download your own scanned designs. With a bit of practice, you can cut out your own shapes. Mind you this is not the machine you want if you want to cut 500 of each shape, but I could consider small quantities. She cut an acrylic wool felt with it and is going to have their tech dept. make sure that it can cut felted woven wool. The only catch is that it does need a fusible on the back of any fabric so that it sticks to the flexible plastic base. Since I use fusible this all works for me. I’m thinking maybe I will be able to offer a few precut kits someday. We will find out this week. It has been getting some very good ratings in general, so I’m crossing my fingers. All in all it was a very successful market visit for me. It certainly dented my budget, but I tell my dh “it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble!”
On a different note I thought I’d post a few pictures of our gardens. Still can’t believe that we are able to plant so early here in Minnesota. I was able to get in all the ‘cold’ crops – lettuce, radishes, carrots, onions, spinach – over a week ago. I can’t wait for fresh lettuce from the garden!! My dh decided that we should go ahead and plant our tomato plants – we do these in large pots on the side of the driveway by the garage. Since we have a wooded lot, we have to plant where there is any sunshine available! We got the straw bale garden ready (the photo was taken about 1 1/2 weeks ago), conditioning them to start the composting process. It is now planted and I will post photos once the seedlings pop up – we planted beans, cucumbers/pickles, kohlrabi, cabbage, as well as trying to see if carrots, beets, onions, or lettuce will work. Then, when we ran out of planting space, we ordered 6 ‘grow bags’ and planted 2 with potatoes, 2 with strawberries, and 2 with various squash. Should be interesting. Our daughter successfully grew potatoes like this last year. All these methods save a lot of work – no bending over and almost no weeding! But I’m sure Mother Nature will have her say, so we cross our fingers and hope for the best!
Our inground garden from the driveway view
Early planting popping up!
Strawbales are almost ready…few more days of conditioning
Windflowers are blooming! They sure are reliable!
Praire Smoke – almost ready to bloom
The bleeding hearts are blooming!
On a final gardening note, I also cannot remember another year where I harvested rhubarb before Memorial Day! Apparently our rhubarb loves its new spot (we moved it 2 years ago!) Some of the plants were actually trying to go into seed! Notice the ‘before harvesting’ picture and – while St. Francis wasn’t looking – the after picture!! You can see the harvest cut up and ready to be frozen, made into sauce, etc. That golden yellow tupperware bowl is about 14″ across! Anyone for rhubarb??
The rhubarb is ready – already??? Guess it loves that spot!
After the rhubarb harvest – What happened here St. Francis??
First rhubarb crop harvest – lots of sauce and about 15 3 cup bags frozen!
Well does all this mean that I will be able to have a bit more time now to actually work on some projects?? I hope so! Perhaps I’ll even blog a bit more frequently – at least till harvest time…..or preparation of projects for the next market!!
