Generations.

I kept seeing the awesome Houston cityscape everytime we drove to the convention center. Finally I remembered to snap some pics when we were driving this morning. Isn't Houston awesome?

This was taken on a side street. I think Houston has so much character.

Another great cityscape shot

So today wrapped up Market and although we're really pleased with the turnout, we're exhausted and we can't wait to get home! We've learned a lot and we had so much fun with our new friends! It's really overwhelming how far we have come.

I started working for California Quiltmakers at 16 years old. Actually I didn't even get paid- I relentlessly volunteered until I broke Pat down and she put me on the payroll! I was the afterschool help. Then when I graduated high school I was put to work full time. I pressed and pinned quilts to our machines and watched them stitch the computerized patterns. I'm the baby of the group, and they made sure that I knew it! At 19 I decided to pursue a career in the jewelry industry and left the quilt shop for three years. In March of this year I decided that after a long hiatus, quilting was still in my heart and I couldn't escape it.

So I came back! The experiences that I've had away from the quilting industry helped me get polished, and gave me a great style and design perspective. So six years later, I am now our Style Executive.

There is a reason why I am sharing this. You cannot escape who you are. I tried to be something I was not. Quilting is in my heart. My entire life has been changed my quilts and I'm pretty sure if you're reading this they have changed your life too.

That being said, I am dedicating the rest of my blog to my quilting heroes. Meeting all of you this week has breathed new life into me. I feel a creative renaissance happening in my body. So here's a shout out to my QUILT ROCK STARS:

Amy Butler, my soul sister and the reason why I am even here. Without her influence on my art, personal style, and quilting


Kaffe Fasset and Sandi Henderson holding sheetcakes in their own fabric. Our sheet cakes are SMOKIN'!

Anna Maria, Amy, Jane, and Tina (and of course me in the middle!)

Heather Bailey and Brandon Mably striking some epic poses



a little group I like to call Jessi's Angels

And I saved the best for last. This is Jacqueline from Soak. She created a knitwear wash that you can use for your vintage quilts, prewashing your fat quarters, or for laundering your lingerie and sweaters. Here we are, always the bridesmaids and never the brides!

Thank you so much everybody for making this the best experience for me. I can't wait to see you all again in Pittsburgh!

And They Call This Work!!

Now that I've got a chance to rest, let me tell you what we did today! Yesterday we were surprised at how many goodies we sold. It seems like shop owners wanted some treats of their own! So we restocked our booth and watched as people steadily took bites out of it.

I also did Part Two of my Celebrity Sightings!

Tina Givens!

Sandi Henderson!

Nancy Zieman! I cried like a baby again!! I can't help it, Nancy is so inspiring to me and I just had to tell her how special she is. I was at Pat Sloane's booth, telling her how much I love Nancy Zieman, and she was behind me the entire time!

Speaking of booths.......

Tina Givens






Sandi Henderson








these ladies were selling ribbon and decor stuff, i can't remember their names for the life of me though : (



Paula Prass

Patty Young

We covered quite a bit of ground today! You have to keep checking the website, we'll have soooo many new lines of fabric kits coming soon!!!

I'm exhausted! Time for bed. Tomorrow will be great!

QUILT MARKET IS AMAZING!!!!

Wow! I have never been so happy with so little sleep! Bright eyes and bushy tails, we have been so busy the past couple of days getting ready for the show!

Oh yeah, did I mention that our rental car is a Dodge Charger?!
I KNOW!!!


Thursday morning consisted of leaving at 3:45 am for San Francisco. I slept in the car on the way and slept a little on the plane, totalling my nite's sleep to a whopping 5 hours! Once we got in Austin we set to work putting the finishing touches on our pattern covers and last minute touches for our booth.

Friday was awesome, in the very last moment possible we scored this awesome tea cart that looked great with our designs. Antiques are our love, and we stopped at any excuse to shop! The find of the day? 5 MINT CONDITION, original New Kids on the Block dolls!!!! Every member was there and all of their accessories are intact! I couldn't believe my eyes. I am already the talk of my social circle- jealousy is rearing its ugly head!

our pinktastic tea cart!

she looks like she lost her religion : )

doesn't this look like a french painting???

he's so lovely!

I have decided that every antique shop needs mannequins. I had so much fun posing with the mannequins and taking their photos. This was an exceptional shop, really well designed and HUGE! I love the way they color-coordinated their displays- the robin's egg blue is pretty incredible. The jewelry displays were like treasure chests!

buried treasure!!!

tiffany blue.....(sigh!)

I have an affinity for vintage hats and I couldn't help myself. When I found this noir-esque little beauty, I just had to strike a fierce pose.









I thought this one was a kick too!!




So we drove three hours to Houston on Friday, set up most of our booth, panicked a little bit, slept nothing, and now we're here! Things just really keep falling into place and we've gotten such great reviews! A really special thanks needs to go out to Laurie Taylor Designs, she photographed our covers and she's just really special...if you haven't checked her out yet, click the link on our page. We love how our booth turned out, it's pink and girly and awesome!

in our own little corner
our booth neighbors Soak

So the coolest part so far about market?







MEETING THE CELEBRITIES!!! Here's me with Anna Maria Horner, Kaffe Fasset, Valori Wells, and Jay McCarroll from Project Runway! AHHHHHHH! I did meet Amy Butler too but no picture yet, I have to wait till I wear my Amy tunic! I cried like I had won an Oscar when I met Amy. I mean, when I was 18 years old and really getting into quilting she was just this huge influence on me and she really made me think that a young gal like me could do anything I want if I put my heart and mind to it.

All the designers are really nice, Anna Maria was soo easy to talk to. I actually recognized Valori as she was walking around from booth to booth. Jay was awesome! So fun to hang out with, I felt like we had been friends my whole life, you know?


just another day at work hanging out with Jay!

I can't believe how great this has turned out, not only are we selling out patterns but we are hanging out with quilt royalty!!

Tomorrow I will have my Amy pics!!

Sometimes even the experts fall down!

Today after six years of accident-free quilting, i let one of our quilting machines bite me in the finger. What a wakeup call! Bruised appendage and bruised ego, I quickly rushed to the bathroom to wash up and cry for a quick second. Don't worry ladies, the quilt is safe. : )

Today is my best friend Alex's birthday. I'm cheap with my quilts- I rarely share them! But she's one of the most influential people in my life and I really love her. So last nite I set out to make something special for her.

Alex is the kind of person that if you're at the supermarket and you're thirty cents short, she'll be behind you with the change in her hand. She mentors two young girls from her church and is the president of her college's Amnesty International club. She really wants to go to Africa someday. So I took some fabric from Ghana that was given to me by another friend, mixed in some green and red batiks I had in my stash, then set forth to raid what we had at the shop. Presto! Kaffe came to mind and before long a quilt was being made that fit Alex's philanthropic personality mixed with her awesome sense of style!

Just so you know, I am an artist, and not a craftsman. That being said, all of my blocks are different sizes! But the fact of the matter is, I'm on my way to making a rockin quilt!

Delicious!

I found this ad yesterday while searching for some All-American 50s ads. Isn't she stunning? rosy cheeks, perfectly penciled in brow, a gorgeous hairstyle....so put together. I remember when I was little my mom used to make homemade bread in the winter time and this image conjures up those smells and the aprons she used to wear.

Isn't it funny how trends go in and out of style? The revival of the polka dot is a great example. Sometimes I think I'm afraid to use certain prints because maybe I wouldn't necessarily wear them....but then again, I'm not wearing the quilt!

We are patiently waiting to hop a plane and get to Texas! We are expecting a great turnout at our booth this year. Retailers, if you are going to Market please stop by and see our SheetCakes display! We'd love to see you.

Finishing touches are needed for everything! There is always a small something that you need to add or a last minute omission. By Thursday morning though, ready or not here we come!

Autumn Greetings, Market, Quilts, Quilts, Quilts!!

The leaves are falling, the summer is over, and now starts the fall rebirth. Rusty orange and red leaves are everywhere, taunting me, begging me to rake them up and jump on into the pile!

With the colors of the trees influencing us, we are seeing some great fall pieces. I'm loving the robins egg, rust, butter rum, olive and other colors.....delicious.

This Thursday we'll be on our way to the Market show in Houston, Texas. Woo-hoo! I can't wait to hop a plane. I think I'm more excited about the flight than I am about the show.....the first time I rode an airplane I was 18 years old. I couldn't believe I had missed out on this exciting travel opportunity my whole life. Now all I can think about is how long it will take me to travel the world.

But back to Market.....oh, man! We're so excited to be able to have this opportunity this year to showcase some of the amazing patterns we've come up with. Once the show is over we will be releasing the patterns for the public to buy. The shop has been painstakingly cutting kits, designing last-minute kits, sewing bindings, packing, putting the last touches on our pattern covers.....and quilting your quilts!! Whew!

Looking back on the beginning of this year, I didn't realize how much we have really been doing. Our website is getting bigger by the day. We even launched an etsy site to sell off our samples. We've never seen more beautiful quilts come thru our doors or out of our own hands! Designers like Kaffe Fasset, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, and Anna Griffin have really influenced us and we have been consumed with designing patterns using their gorgeous fabrics. We really can't wait until you can buy them and use them yourself!

Something I've been asking myself lately is if I define myself by what I do for a living. I am a quilter. Quilting is in my heart. But does it make me who I am? Part of me says yes. Part of me knows that in my heart of hearts, if I weren't quilting I would still be me. Then I simply slap myself and think, "stop thinking! more quilting!"

Well, back to work. Your quilts are calling!