Market Brings New Story Quilts, Ideas, Whimsy, Charm and Color!

 

I wanted to start with my witch quilt because it is so perfect for Halloween

I am not sure who did this quilt but I love it...color, style and composition....great!

Bodi Gardner is one of my favorite story quilt designers! Wish we lived closer...she lives in Denmark!

This is Ceceile from "Just My Imagination" button company. The little sheep she is holding is going to travel the world with different designers...I am going to make one and take her with me to the places I will be traveling this year. So for sure she will be by a flower in West Virginia, by something great in Chicago area and in DesMoines in the Fall...I need to look at my calendar for other places. OR maybe this little sheep needs to be a COW! How fun would that be?

 Please buy buttons from her and also Teresa's Hillcreeak buttons. Teresa is going through a really rough patch in her life and she is such a wonderful person with a great product!

 

I LOVE anything with crosses and this inspires me for a quilt for my entry hall....

How about this for an inspiring painted quilt? Speaking of painted quilts...I am planning on drawing on muslin and doing some story quilts for a painting workshop I will give next year in California. If you are interested in my style of story quilt, make plans to book a workshop and I will bring muslin stories with me for the class to choose from. These quilts are fun and they are super to embellish and put your names in.

Here is Victoria from NY doing a book signing at Martingale's booth...she is very pretty, very tall and very thin....

This was one of my most favorite quilts...a story quilt with actual dress, gloves and hat! Oh the story this told and the ones I could have told with my Mom's and Grandma's dress's.

A whimsical story quilt...isn't this wonderful and happy???

I did a painting many years ago that had my Grandmother holding a pie on her porch....I sold it and wish I had it...this quilt reminded me of my painting...I love it!

So, when I slept in a bit or maybe I went back to the room to get something, I can't exactly remember, I was going back to the Houston Convention center and these two girls were ahead of me....now I am not sure but they don't look much like the quilters I know......

How is this for a wonderful quilt???

I thought this tree was quite wonderful because it wasn't about the tree as much as the background...

This quilt from Iowa is a Van Gogh Cow for the cow parade...isn't she wonderful? The border is just awesome as are the flowers and I LOVE her face!

Are you thinking about doing a cow? PLEASE do!

Sunflowers go well next to the cow!

How long do you think it took this person from France to make this?

Mel and I had a lot of fun at Market and I am preparing a new Hoochy book since mine are now sold out. I will be adding alot of new ideas and new quilts and hopefully many new friends will learn the charm and sheer delight in making these quilts!

Houston Here I Come and Timeless treasures Fabric create REAL Art

I wanted to show you the quilt I made for Timeless treasures fabric manufacturer. They sent me fabric from three different lines and I decided to do a story quilt about Giverney the beautiful gardens in Paris. I visited there about five years ago and it was amazing.

Joila! A French girl with blue eyes, such fun. My neighbor brought over the earring and the broach.

Here is the quilt in it's entirety...so fun and so colorful...I am putting it in my entry hall once it is Spring!

O wanted you to see the pretty pearls on the bouquet because they came from Isle d La Sorgue (I am sure I spelled that wrong) but some of you might recognize the name of a fabulous flea market destination. For a French story quilt it was the perfect touch.

All gardens need a birds nest or two.....
Solids and tone on tones and light givers and French styled fabrics add up to a fun combination! I have noticed that Timeless Treasures does alot of these print stle fabrics that make sure wonderful backgrounds! This is the fifth quilt I have done like this with their fabrics and I have two more in the works! If you are not looking at the end of the bolt, you should be. Many fabric companies are printing inferior and cheap cotton goods. If you hold a fabric to the window and can see through it don't buy it!
Timeless Treasures does a great job with cotton and it is nice to work with.
One of these days I am going to list four companies that I buy my goods from and why. You should know what you are buying and where is is being printed.  If you have taken a class from me you know this is important for all of us.

Also, GOOD prints equal GOOD quilts....don't buy stiff fabrics because the dye is still in them! Yuck.

A Lemonade quilt I did with ALL Timeless Solids....a fun memory for my daughter and her best friend in second grade

I also wanted to show you this little "short" story quilt. If you can tell the background in lettering. Each fabric in here is Timeless Treasures goods and they were such fun to work with....add a little embroidery floss and some buttons and you have something quite wonderful.
    I am off to Houston for Quilt Market and I am going to take dozens...maybe hundreds of photos...stay tuned for more ideas and good advice.
Take care dear friends and thank you for dropping by and especially if you are commenting which I LOVE.

Sights and Inspirations Today for my FRIENDS who drop by

Is there anything as amazing as an Autumn MOON? I don't think so...think of the quilt stories you can do with this! A batik would be perfect...and a witch in front of it. :0)
Or possibly a couple kissing....

My Dad owned trailker lots when I was growing up and anything with a trailer is a quilt story! I thought this little illustration was darling....

These shoes were a pattern on Pinterest. If you aren't on there you should be...such great ideas and I am inspired by many paintings and other things....

Can you imagine the time this must have taken? My Grandmother made one of these and I think my cousins got it...

Backgrounds make such a difference...many people think the sky needs to be blue with a flower like this but isn't red wonderful? I just talked to a teacher who taught somewhere in the midwest and said there wasn't a bright fabric in the class. I have trouble believing that because I always have some people who buy brights. Once you show people how to use them, we always have converts. :0)

Cab you believe those are real buttons on there??Must hurt to walk....

This little girl is ready for Halloween...isn't she darling...made me laugh ...notice the una-brow

I had to show these flying geese because this is what I teach in my workshops and with orange it is awesome...I have no idea what it says...my eyes are shot...hope it is nice, whatever it is

I ran into this photo too and had to share it as it is a Hoochy technique and oh so quick and simple....I just did a border like this....so fun

And if you do art, it is about bringing your inner artist out to play and getting better and better. And while I am at it Life is also about being a better and kinder and more giving person too....we all have lots of work to do....And I mean that in a good way...I am surrounded by good people who are great role models...quilters are awesome!

Look at this guy...isn't he the happiest? I LOVE him! Wish he lived here at my house.

Today I bought a couple of Kantha blankets of old Sari's from India....one if black and orange and I am putting it on my table with pumpkins....the other one is reds and greens like a watermelon and I am doing the same for my table or possibly putting it into a wagon I have with a Christmas three....they are fun.

I wonder if anyone here has ever washed one?

I will post photos soon.

This is a kids art project...everyone worries about what their people will look like...I think these are fabulous! So much better than a perfectly boring person

I thought this illustration fit in with the season and hey, he is running which I love too!

Today is my Granddaughter's 11th birthday....I can hardly believe it. I was at Market 11 years ago and missed being in Canada with her Mother....but I have spent plenty of time every since

This was some years ago when we made popcorn balls...beofr we found out she can't eat popcorn....Love my two oldest Grandkids so much!

Look at this scarecrow with a gourd for a face! Darling!

These fit in with the time of year!

I am not sure whose quilt this is but my Block Swap room on Yahoo just swapped houses on black ground...this is certainly a wonderful example of what someone can do! I see lots of hoochy method things in this wonderful quilt

This quilt hangs at my daughter's house...I did this for her long ago and used my own fabrics for the border

I hope this week is going well for you and that you are enjoying your many blessings...the smells the sights and tastes of this beautiful month!