I've Been a Busy Bee.

New work, sneak peek.

Skinny Quilts

Awhile back, Eleanor Levie asked me to contribute to her book. She had written a Skinny Quilts & Table Runners and this was to be volume II. I just received the project back from her this morning. After I opened it, I thought, how fitting the runner is for the season. The project is wonderful and all of the contributors did a fabulous job with his or her contribution. Congratulations, Eleanor!

I took a photo of a few of the designs from the book. Oooooh, aren't they lovely? Let me know what you think! xo, L

Winners, Please Step Up!

Hey, winners! There are a couple of you who haven't claimed your fabric stacks! Please let me know what your snail mail addys are and I will send them to you! Check here to see if you were a winner. Have a great weekend! xo, L

Inspired By...

1). Ellen Rogers via Flickr. 2). George Barbier.

"Do anything, but let it produce joy. Do anything, but let it yield ecstasy."- Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer.

More Quilt Market friends

Wow, I had lots of photos to go through. I hope that you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed visiting with these designers. 

I met Karla Eisenach of Sweetwater at my very first market. She's a terrific designer and she lets me hang out in her booth whenever I pop by! She and her daughters produce some fabulous designs and fabric with a scrapbook influence. Check out her blog for some great photos of her booth and of Houston.

Marianne Byrne-Goarin of The Cinnamon Patch is a wonderful designer who lives in France. I love her designs! She has a new book, Cinnamon Inspiration and she has a line of lovely felts that she uses in her designs. Her website showcases all of her whimsical designs.

My friend, Renee Plains, of Liberty Star always has a cute little booth. Her projects are darling. Did you buy the latest issue of American Patchwork and Quilting ? They have an interview in there with Renee. Way to go, girl!

Here are some fabulous designers from Henry Glass. Lynette Anderson travels all the way from Australia with her son Eddie. Her designs are so pretty, aren't they?

Michelle Engel Bencsko, of Cicada Daydream made a debut with her fab line from her own company, Cloud9 Fabrics. Dreamy and organic!

Here are the lovely ladies from Lizzie B Creations. They're funny and upbeat! I love their energy and their fun designs. You have to check out their fabric line, Whimsyland. Wow and bright, just as I like it!

Blackbird Designs . What can I say about these ladies? I love them. Talking to Alma and Barb is a treat. We met at the Designer Retreat at the Better Homes and Gardens a few years ago. Their booth is always so lovely.

Robyn Pandolph , is another wonderful designer. We also met at the retreat years ago. Her new fabrics are oh so gorgeous!

Sarah Moon, thank you! I dropped by The Fabric Shop Network booth to thank her for the awesome review of my book, Cool Girls Quilt. Thanks, Sarah.

I chatted with Jodie Davis for a little while at the Aurifil booth. She was busy taping her show, Quilt Out Loud. Can't wait to see the new episodes.

Whew! That's it for now! xo, L

In Between Spaces

Oh my, it has been a while hasn't it? Since I have been over here, gabbing about this and that. Suffice to say that a LOT as been going on. Yes, as much there has been absolutely nothing going on here! And even as I quickly send this post out, much is demanding my attention so I will make this brief -- We're moving!

This isn't a cross-country venture, and we aren't upgrading to that stately chateau with adjoining pig farm just yet. In fact, we are just moving across our little central business district, from one "village" to another. But it's a move nonetheless (a bigger place yay!!! with extra room and a real lobby and doorman!), requiring all the packing, sorting, sweating, and dust-inhalation that all moves entail. PLUS, the complete renovation of the new place. Hence the silence over here. And it heavies my heart to say it, but there will be more silence to follow as this will be my last night online in our wonderful, old, little flat. After this it's all up to our local broadband gods to get me safely online on the other side...where a mountain of unpacking await.

The big day is tomorrow, when, if all goes well, we will be sleeping in what will be our temporary home until the renovation is done (which should be done by early next year). I can't promise when I'll be back with food and photos (my oven will be packed up until we move to our new flat) but we will have to eat...so please check back if you are not too impatient. Our temporary home has a little two-burner and a small oven which I am sure I can convince to churn out something delicious!

Until then, I am a bundle of emotions -- excitement for this new phase in our lives (Home owners! Debt! Are we ready?? To finally grow up???), and a melancholy nostalgia for the life we are leaving behind (the fun and fancy-free, albeit a bit messy and disorganized, life of our first years of marriage). These old walls saw the makings of our foundation, and though a struggle at times (foundation-building is never easy if your building it to last), it was a big adventure...one that I wouldn't trade for all the truffles and foie in the world :) I will miss our little flat and all that we had here...

Time to cook has been sparse but I really needed to throw myself together a store of healthy snacking to help me through this move. This granola is just the thing...and easy to throw together between packing boxes.

But enough sighing! Onward and upwards I say! We are on to all sorts of different adventures and I hope to share some of them here at some point in the not too distant future. I don't know how long until I'll be able to sneak back in here...but I will be back! :) Hopefully with something good to eat! :)

I Got Glasses!

I feel like a new lady! After years of working on jewelry so close to my face it turns out I'm nearsighted! I had to find out the hard way... the DMV told me I couldn't see very well when I went in to renew my license. Instead of getting bummed out I was actually really excited because it meant that I could go to Hollywood Vintage and pick out a pair of fancy vintage frames. It's amazing how well I can see now!

At market I met up with Donna from Fabric Trends Magazine to thank her for showcasing my fabric line, Inspiration, in their gallery. Thanks again! I love the magazine. They do a wonderful job of showcasing the latest quilting fabrics. I know that I am lucky to be working in such a fabulous industry where everyone is so supportive.

  

Have you had a chance to see Inspiration  at your local quilt shop yet? If not, run out and get some for yourself! I love the colors and the images are so fun. Send me a photo of your finished projects!

I had a lovely visit with the folks at Aurifil. I've only been using this thread for a little while but I am hooked! The thread is a dream to sew with but I must admit that the colors are what captures my heart.  I used the thread on a quilt that I did for my next project for American Patchwork & Quilting. I had trouble matching the thread with my fabric when I tried to with another brand. The Aurifil colors matched my fabric perfectly.

Here's a photo of a couple of the Aurifil folks, Alex Veronelli and Elena Gregotti. Check out that awesome display of eye candy. Luscious. The thread is fine yet strong so you don't have to sew scant seam allowances!



For those of you interested in the European quilt market, Alex offers interesting videos on his weblog .

My favorite booth? Alexander Henry. So creative and funky. Nicole is a wonderful designer and their booth is so inspiring. The witch is working so hard. The details are so cool and spooky.

I love this look. I have a certain "goth" side to me. I went through this sort of phase when I was in university.  Reno is still trying to find photographic evidence of it to this day. Sorry, it's all been shredded or burned, baby!

I fell in love with their new Halloween line. Here's a sneak peak [used with their permission only]:

Oh, there's more to come. I have a few loose ends to tie up but I'll be back. xo, L

Hope. Courage. Family. Support. Love.

I was touched by all of your entries to my contest. Thank you for entering. I am blessed to have such great readers! As with any cause, hope, courage, family, support and love are most important. Before I get to the winners, I have a little gift for everyone because we're all in this together. We may not be personally battling this horrible disease but we know family members, friends or friends of friends who are.  I hope that you enjoy making this adorable tote for yourself and for your loved ones. I carried it all around Houston and loved it. The pattern is here. Enjoy!

Now, drumroll, please! The winners were picked randomly by my two helpers, Big A and Little A. The winners [with the time of the posting in case there is any confusion] are:

Jeanette 12:02
Amanda 7:42
Tozz 5:39
Always Sewing 8: 44
Quiltcetera 4:55

Please e-mail me your snail mail and I will send the fat quarters to you! Thanks for entering. xo, L

Halloween!

I've been working on my Halloween costume all day and am so excited about how it turned out! I found the most spectacular black Gunne Sax dress at Goodwill and it fit like a glove. I altered it today and have transformed it into a the perfect little number for a 1920's circus performer. I am working on a headpiece and already have the perfect shoes. I will admit, I've been ridiculously obsessed with all things old-time circus lately... it began with me watching Carnivale and moved onto me reading Water For Elephants and ordering Step Right This Way (The circus photography of Richard Kelty). I'll be spending Halloween evening at Slabtown watching The Silent Numbers performance... and I'll definitely post pictures when I have them!
(*Circus photograph by Richard Kelty).

Holiday Shows

Hard to believe it's that time of year again... but I'm starting to plan for upcoming Holiday Shows! I'll keep you posted with dates as I fine tune things but until then just know that I may be at this year's Crafty Wonderland (I'll find out if I was accepted in a couple of days) and I'll definitely be doing a trunk show at Flutter in early December as well as having an open house sale at my place (also early December). I'm looking forward to it all, now I just have to get busy so I can have enough jewelry to go around!

New Collections.

Brand new! Most of these have been created using the parts that I scavenged on my East Coast trip. Some of these pieces are already for sale at Flutter and some have been added to my shop. What are you waiting for?

http://www.papertreasure.net

Quilt Market [Houston 2009] - Part One

Quilt Market is over but there's a lot of work to do. "Jolly Stuff" made its debut at the Leisure Arts booth at the show. I am so stoked about this little book. LA, you guys rock. The photography and styling of the book are awesome. I know that you guys will love it too!

I thought that I'd show you some people shots. Mark was looking pretty good. It is an awesome feeling to meet up with your piers. The creativity is inspiring and yet almost overwhelming in a good way. Once at home, I have to process the show's events and then get down to work!

My favorite Henry Glass ladies. They worked hard but had time to smile for me! Thanks!

One of my special meetings was with Marianne Byrne-Goarin of The Cinnamon Patch. I'll show some of her work in the next market post. She is a Facebook friend but she is gorgeous and charming in person. Pleased to meet you Marianne. I hope to do some work with her in the future. Wait until you see her book. [The designs behind us are lovely but they're not hers. She does stitchery work.] Gorgeous!

One of my favorite parts of Fall Quilt Market is catching up with Amy Butler's dad. I look forward to chatting with him every fall. He's a sweet guy and such a great help in her booth. He is quite a gentleman who always makes time for questions and he's so supportive and proud of Amy.  Amy's booth, as usual, was gorgeous and luscious.

Nicole of Alexander Henry Fabrics is a treat to spend time with. She and her brother are so talented and terrific people. Wait until you see their new Halloween line. To die for!

Next, I headed over to the Martingale booth to meet the editors there. I'll have a little sneak peek in the next few posts. I contributed to a new book and you'll just have to wait and see.

Heidi Kaisand [APQS ], Jennifer Keltner [American Patchwork & Quilting ], Lila Scott [APQ] and I had fun catching up.

Barbara of Quilt Soup  is a sweet lady. I love her designs and she happens to design for Henry Glass too! Yes, Barbara, I do talk a mile a minute! Sorry! I caught up with the wonderful gals at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. Traci is on the left and Lynn is on the right.

I'll have some more market stuff in the next few days. xo, L