The Downton Abbey Schoolhouse: Quilt Market Houston 2013

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Plaid Portico

Well, schoolhouse started off with a one of a kind event. There was only one room open: the ballroom. Instead of people all milling around to twenty or so different simultaneous sessions, Andover Fabrics made a big splash with a Downton Abbey special, featuring appearances and talks by the award winning Costume Designer for the series, Caroline McCall and Production Designer Donal Woods (who also does Homeland and did 24).

Hearing them talk about the design process and decisions on set was cool. There was a sizzle reel of season 4 snippets and pics of a visit to the castle and the set by Andover president David Weinstein and design director Kathy Hall. We loved hearing what it was like behind the scenes. It was…fun. And different. And well done. Show biz meets Quilt Market. Here are pics of projects using the fabrics from the Downton Abbey fabric collection from Andover. There are collections within the collection for the Dowager Countess, Lady Edith, Lady Mary and Lady Sybil.

Downton Abbey nesting oval boxes and storage boxes by Quilted Koala

Authentic 1920’s Hat and One Hour Dress Patterns by eVINTAGEpatterns using Downton Abbey fabrics by Kathy Hall

Abbey Star Quilt by Mountainpeek Creations using Downton Abbey fabrics by Kathy Hall

detail of Abbey Star Quilt by Mountainpeek Creations using Downton Abbey fabrics by Kathy Hall

Ladies of Downton Abbey quilt by Tiffany Hayes using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

detail of Ladies of Downton Abbey quilt by Tiffany Hayes using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

Counterpoint Quilt by Mountainpeek Creations using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

detail of Counterpoint Quilt by Mountainpeek Creations using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

9 Easy Pieces quilt pattern by Mountainpeek Creations using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

detail of 9 Easy Pieces quilt pattern by Mountainpeek Creations using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

Edith’s Grand Entrance Quilt pattern by Tiffany Hayes using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

Regal Mary Quilt by Tiffany Hayes using Downton Abbey Fabrics by Kathy Hall

Birds of a Feather Quilt by Lucy A. Fazely using Downton Abbey by Kathy Hall

detail of Birds of a Feather Quilt by Lucy A. Fazely using Downton Abbey by Kathy Hall

Simply Sybil Quilt using Downton Abbey by Kathy Hall

Ladies of Downton Abbey quilt pattern by Tiffany Hayes using Downton Abbey fabric by Kathy Hall

Lots of bags! Including Tahiti Tote, Manhattan Handbag, Tuscany Tote by Pink Sand Beach Designs

The Kathy Hall, designer of the Downton Abbey fabric collection

There was a HUGE crowd. I heard 1000, and then I heard 1500. The seats started filling up at 9:15, and the house was pretty full full at 9:45. We were captivated from 10-11, transported to Highclere Castle. And then there was the filing out where everyone got a tote bag. (even me and I don’t usually go for those things..) All I can say is I can’t wait for the next season to start!

Quilt Market Houston 2013

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Plaid Portico

Phew! That was a fun ride, but I am just a little exhausted. It was my fourth time at Houston Quilt Market, and some of the fun in going back is that I get to see people that I have met before, or collaborated with on fabric/project trades, AND meet new people. Well, and you just notice new things every time. Of course there ARE many new things every time, as every exhibit is different market to market.

It all started out with the Quilt Market sign-up catalog..and what is that on the cover? Hey that’s Tara‘s quilt! I know her! How did her quilt get on the cover? She submitted it to the exhibit. It was accepted and the powers that be chose it for the quilt image of the show for all their materials. Pretty exciting. It was part of the “Modern Quilt Guild Showcase 2013”. A fabric designer by day working directly for Michael Miller Fabrics, Tara‘s avocation has long been quilting. She started quilting when none of her peers were. These days she primarily uses solids and is known for her original designs and modern yet detailed compositions, and use of metallic threads.

Tara Faughnan and her Fireworks Quilt

So what were the trends this year? I remember last year seeing such a large amount of white everywhere. This year everyone was touting their color ranges. There are so many companies now with new lines of solids, blenders, tonals and batiks and there were swatch installations everywhere showing the ranges in colors in these lines.

There were also a couple big splashes made at Quilt Market. One was at schoolhouse with the Andover Fabrics Downton Abbey presentation. More on that later on this blog. The other thing was the debut of Cotton + Steel, a new division of RJR Fabrics. From a small corner booth the 5 women making this happen made a surprise intro into the market –their collections will debut at spring Quilt Market. The big intro to their company is this absolutely stunning video. You MUST see it. Nothing like it in this industry. It is… dreamy. Everyone from the designer community is excited for them and looking to see what comes next. Cotton + Steel video

The designers of Cotton + Steel: Kim Kight, Rashida Coleman-Hale and Melody Miller. Not shown: Sarah Watts and Alexia Abegg

What was fun for me this year is having friends at the show to meet up with in between our respective events and tasks. Fabric designers Kim Andersson and Caitley Symons were running the gauntlet meeting with fabric companies to discuss licensing opportunities. They both do great work, and I look forward to seeing their designs on fabric in the future.

Kim Andersson, Tara Faughnan and Caitley Symons

And then I find Becky from Patchwork Posse and Heather from The Sewing Loft. Yahoo! I met these two in Salt Lake City at The Creative Connection Event in 2011 and then again at The Sewing Summit in 2012. They both have great blogs and sew fantastic original projects, and its been fun doing some collaborations with them. And in the middle is Caroline from SEWCANSHE, another great blog and I can’t wait to collaborate with her too.

Becky from Patchwork Posse, Caroline from SEWCANSHE, and Heather from The Sewing Loft

Oh, oh, oh, and there I see Diana McClun and Laura Nownes new edition of Quilts, Quilts, Quilts, hot off the press! I met Diana in my class at fabric design school and she has become a friend and mentor. Commonly known as “The Quilting Bible”, the previous versions of the book have sold a quarter of a million copies and they continued to write several more books. Breckling Press worked with them to create a new edition using more modern fabrics and palettes, so they redid the entire book with new quilts. I got to see most of the quilts in person and they are stunning. (Those are a couple of them on the table)

Ok, so this is a little about my personal experience at Quilt Market, but I have is a TON of photos and will be posting photos of cool booths, fabric designer booths and lots of photos of the quilts from the exhibits. It will be just the facts ma’am from now on with Quilt Market Houston 2013 coverage. So stay tuned…

sore feet….

Hexagons Made Easy

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Plaid Portico

I love hexagons. My first give away piece 3 years ago was designed around hexagons and I even imagined for a while to make my first Surtex booth in 2011 all hexagons like a honeycomb, then the logistics of it all got the better of me. And lo and behold, hexagons are back in style now in a big way.

So fun to see a book all about sewing with hexagons in a myriad of ways in Hexagons Made Easy by Jen Eskridge with Martingale Press. I met Jen in 2011 at Quilt Market. She is the person behind the popular Reanna Lily Designs and Deploy That Fabric with C&T Publishing. So fun to see her books keep coming out.

The techniques section answered a lot of questions for me and I particularly like the quilting and finishing chapter, with tons of great examples of motifs to machine quilt atop your hexagons. There are 18 different blocks and then 9 whole cloth quilt patterns with detailed instructions and then a section on home decor projects. What is unusual is that it really speaks to both the traditional and the modern quilter. AND of course she used some of my Tokyo Rococo fabric collection for a couple of projects and I like that too! She also used fabric by Kate Spain, Anna Marie Horner, Tula Pink, Kaffe Fasset, Denyse Schmidt, so these ended up being some beautiful quilts. Lots of solids too.

These days I am reluctant to show too much inside a quilting book as it tends to give it all away and I know these authors work so hard putting these together. Just trust me, if you like hexies, you’ll like this book. But here are a few shots anyway of the covers and the table of contents to give you an idea.

Urban Spools

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Plaid Portico

Michelle Kitto of Urban Spools whipped up this bag in classic fashion before Quilt Market. Her workmanship is always amazing, and I would love to take some classes and hang at her Urban Spools Sewing Lounge if it was in my neck of the woods. Alas it is in Dallas–lucky for some of you! I met Michelle at the Fabric 2.0 party at Quilt Market 2011, and we met up again when she visited San Francisco, and of course this year again at Quilt Market 2012. She really took the plunge opening up the sewing Lounge, offering classes and long arm services, and its been fun hearing about its growth.

This media bag she made came from a pattern from Serendipity Studio‘s Media Frenzy Book. Cute!

Bag by Urban Spools with a Serendipity Studios pattern using Licorice Fizz fabric

Bag by Urban Spools with a Serendipity Studios pattern using Licorice Fizz fabric

Bag by Urban Spools with a Serendipity Studios pattern using Licorice Fizz fabric

Quilt Market #15, more booths!

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Plaid Portico

Well I promised I would be complete my Quilt Market Houston 2012 coverage in November, but surprise! There is still more. Probably because I took a bit of break to finish unpacking the new studio (excited!!) In a week or so, we should get the sewing table and workbench in and then it will feel really complete. The painting/drawing area is all set and its wonderful…More pics to come on that here and at a laughing gate.

In the meantime, here are more Quilt Market booth pics. There are links to websites if you click on the image. Enjoy!

Anything But Boring

Swirly Girl Designs

Violette Field Threads

Aardvark Quilts

Sue Spargo

Liberty Art Fabrics–Liberty prints now on quilting cotton and other new materials

Liberty Art Fabrics

Seven Islands Fabric

Seven Islands

Seven Islands Fabrics

Michael Miller Fabrics

Michael Miller Fabrics

Quilt Market #14, more quilts!!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Plaid Portico

Nearing the end of Quilt Market Houston 2012 coverage, and there are a few more posts to go. Here are more quilts from different categories that caught my eye because they are just amazing for a variety of reasons. I’m sure you won’t need me to tell you why, so take a gander and enjoy!

Dear Friends by Michiko Yanagihara and 8 friends, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan

details of Dear Friends by Michiko Yanagihara

Super Star by Marilyn Badger

detail of Super Star by Marilyn Badger

Syzygy by Rochelle Stibb

detail of Syzygy by Rochelle Stibb

Prometheus by Ferret

detail of Prometheus by Ferret

Once Upon a Time by Sharon Schamber

detail of Once Upon a Time by Sharon Schamber

Tangled Up by Ruth Anne Yax

No Direction Home by Barbara Oliver Hartman

Windmill on Bluebonnet Hill by Kay Marburger

Departure by Kiyomi Takayanagi

Green Message by Naoko Takeshita

detail of Green Message by Naoko Takeshita

Tree of Life by Allison Lockwood

Quilt Market #13: Carolyn Friedlander

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Plaid Portico

Carolyn Friedlander Quilt Market Houston 2012

The other designer whose booth and work I was incredibly attracted to at Quilt Market Houston 2012 was Carolyn Friedlander. Her quilt patterns, wonderful on their own, were a fantastic vehicle to showcase her fabrics from her first collection with Robert Kaufman, Architextures. Check it out!

Carolyn Friedlander

Stripes by Carolyn Friedlander

detail of Stripes by Carolyn Friedlander

Quilt Market #12: Alison Glass

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Plaid Portico

Well, amongst all the visual stimulation at Quilt Market one does stumble upon certain things that stand out. For me this year there were a couple designers out with their first fabric collections that I was very attracted to. One was Alison Glass with Andover Fabrics, Inc.

I saw projects made out of her new collection “Lucky Penny” at an Andover meeting before Quilt Market even started and I made a beeline right over there. I was entranced. It was different, with a unique palette and quality of linework. Totally appealing. Then I had the pleasure of meeting her and was delighted. By the end of Quilt Market, it still stood out for me, and so here are some shots of some projects using Lucky Penny by Alison Glass with Andover Fabrics, Inc.

: Lucky Penny by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics

: Lucky Penny by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics

: Lucky Penny by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics

: Lucky Penny by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics; Oh, and then there was …”the quilt”. Alison designed the quilt and Lisa Sipes did the machine quilting. Amazing! It made its way all over market. We all got a close look at it at the Andover sales meeting.

Lucky Penny by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics, quilted by Lisa Sipes

Quilt Market #11: More Quilts

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Plaid Portico

And continuing our Quilt Market Houston 2012 coverage, more of my selections from the quilt exhibitions:

Alexandra’s Quilt by Tara Faughnan

Diamond Quilt by Tara Faughnan

Dream Fields by Janet Steadman

Jet Trails #10 by Marcia DeCamp

Crazy for Plaid by Allison Aller

My Flower Plates by Candyce Grisham

La Torre de Babel by Celilia Koppmann

Pane Reflections by Timna Tarr

Broken by Janet Steadman

A World by Many Colors by Georgeta Grama

Quilt Market #9: Modern Quilt Relish

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Plaid Portico

One of my favorite quilt designer booths at Quilt Market Houston 2012 was Modern Quilt Relish. Fresh and modern, I love their design sense. A little bit about them…

Jill and Marny have been in business just about 3 years. Friends for 20 years, they worked together at the Quilting Connection in Ames, Iowa. When their sons, who are best friends, married sisters, they decided they would have to be nice to one another forever. They share the same design aesthetic and since they weren’t seeing many modern designs, they decided to create them. Their patterns were first introduced at the AQS/DesMoines show the fall of 2010 and since then they have exhibited at two spring and two fall markets.

They say this about their design process:

“Our designs our collaborative. One of us will explore an idea and then we’ll tweak the design to production together. Having helped many quilt shop customers, we feel we have the knowledge to write an accurate and understandable pattern. It’s always our goal to make our patterns easy, fun, gender-friendly with just a little taste of the unexpected!”

Their new book Picnic, (available mid December) shares their understanding of design principles and elements along with thirteen projects. They will be vending at the upcoming Quiltcon in Austin (February). McCall’s Quilting, America Makes Fast Quilts will publish a baby quilt at the beginning of the year and Martingale will publish Modern Baby this April, with one of our designs.