New Discovery: Blue Rose Pottery

My husband, Erv, has been working in Mexico and living in El Paso, Texas, for the past 3 weeks. It's tough to be away from your spouse for that long, especially if he's your best friend and biggest fan. We enjoy spending time together, so there is a big void for both of us.

Bluebell Teapot Image compliments of Blue Rose Pottery

On Friday evening, I drove up to Charlotte to pick Erv up from the airport. On my way, I saw a couple of new billboards advertising a pottery store off Exit 85 of I-77 in South Carolina. The name of the store is Blue Rose Pottery. I thought it would be a fun shop to stop by when he flew out, a few days later, so that's what we did.

Indigo Place Setting Image compliments of Blue Rose Pottery 

Check out the beautiful patterns they sell on their website. While we were at the store, we also discovered a few Christmas patterns, too. I never knew there were so many unique Polish pottery shapes and designs available!

More Market Updates from Minneapolis

Last week was crazy-busy. I finally have a moment to share a few more of my observations from Spring Market . . .

What to look for in upcoming months, online and at your favorite quilt shop:

From Robert Kaufman . . .

Coming to stores in July: Monaluna's Metro Cafe. Add some solids, and this line would make into a beautiful Candy Bar Road!

Like butterflies and darling coordinating prints? Check out Remix by Ann Kelle. This grouping is very colorful and fun! Great for quilt backings, or try all prints with one of our easy patterns, such as Patchwork Rendezvous.

I saw lots of touches of gray in many of the new lines coming out, this Summer. Check out Nancy Mim's Free to Grow; a new organic cottons line. Try it with our Bachelorette Party pattern for a dynamic throw.

Updates from Spring 2010 Market, too!

Image compliments of Cloud9 Fabrics

One of my new favorites: Cloud9 Fabrics. Fresh and crisp, modern, yet nostalgic, happy and fun! Such beautifully selected colors for their designs. Makes you want to cover your bedroom in it! Check out their blog to see a photo of their booth during Spring Market 2010.

Moda/United Notions booth is ALWAYS a treat to visit!

It's A Hoot, by MoMo for Moda, Spring Market 2010 - Compliments of Moda/United Notions

Always pretty and a fabric wonderland.

 Compliments of Moda/United Notions, Spring Market 2010

Always making a statement with beautiful fabrics.

 Compliments of Moda/United Notions, Spring Market 2010

From contemporary to vintage, playful to traditional, their fabrics are a staple to quilt shops around the world.

More Market updates coming soon . . .

Updates from Spring 2010 Market

I had the pleasure of meeting darling fabric designer, Laura Gunn, who is an artist, by trade. We met her on our ride down to the Minneapolis Convention Center from our hotel.

Flyer compliments of Laura Gunn for Michael Miller, Spring Market, 2010

She has a new line of fabric through Michael Miller, called:  Poppy Collection. I love it because it's fresh and unique. The color tones are very pretty, too! I'm going to play around with the swatches to see what I can come up with. I think it will make into a fantastic quilt pattern.

Stay tuned for more updates, later . . .

Shasta Daisy . . . Our newest quilt pattern!

This is SuzGuz Designs' newest pattern, Shasta Daisy, using RJR's Shasta line by Lori Mason. Check out the entire line. I love the other color ways. The color way shown was chosen by the RJR Marketing staff.

Each daisy is machine appliqued and has two different sized petals. The petals are kept raw-edged with two layers of fabric, then snipped along the outside seam allowance to give a rag-quilt effect. Same technique is done with the daisy centers.

Linda Barrett, of Threads and Traditions, beautifully custom quilted each strip with a different motif. It is lovely! Shop owners, it will be shown in the United Notions booth during Spring International Quilt Market in Minneapolis, for a closer look. You can also find our Fleur Vivant...in yellow, in UN's booth, too.

Quilters can purchase the quilt pattern on our website beginning today.

Thanks so much for checking it out!

A Sentiment to my PC . . . Goodbye, dear friend . . .

I've been using my PC for almost 7 years, now. She had a great life, storing photos of my family, the dolls I used to create, random crafts I'd make, and the beginnings of my quilt designing career.

Like a comfortable pair of slippers that have seen their last day, I must replace her with a new model. The new kid on the block will have lots more storage to hold my Electric Quilt designs, fabric swatches to play with, and a brand new keyboard that doesn't show the shiny spots on the keys, from years of clicking away.

New kid: Arriving soon! (rah!)

A Lovely Young Lady

My quilter, Linda Barrett, of Threads and Traditions, is originally from England. However, Linda's father is from Estonia. Other than what Linda has shared with me, I knew nothing about this charming little country; the smallest of the Baltic countries that sits on the Baltic Sea.

You know how you start researching one thing, then it leads you to another? Well, through Lonely Planet, I stumbled upon a young lady's blog who wrote about a trip she took to Tallin, Estonia (town square pictured, above). I was drawn in by her experiences of travel, not only to Tallin, but to other spots across Europe. Go to her blog to learn interesting facts and tidbits about unique travel opportunities. She also just started a travel planning/consulting business that I hope to one day take advantage of. I bookmarked her site for the future. Near future, I hope!