Monday, November 14, 2011

Fall Quilt Market Part 1

Ummm, did I tell you I got to go to Quilt Market?!?!??!?! I'm still screaming silently inside my head, even though it was, like, three weeks ago. If you quilt/sew/craft, Quilt Market is just a total Geek-Out Extravaganza. I can't tell you how sweet it was to be in a gi-normous room full of quilty deliciousness, and to be surrounded by people that all think it's just as cool as you. Totally unreal. 

So, without further ado, I give you Part 1 of my photos from Quilt Market. I'll caption-ate them as best I can . . . 

Serendipity Studio booth
Basic Grey booth

More Basic Grey

American Jane booth

Alexander Henry booth

The newest Ghastlies line!

Don't Look Now! (Kellie Wulfsohn)

More Don't Look Now!

Kaffe Fassett's booth - - - and Kaffe!

Anna Maria Horner's booth (I need that couch)

More Anna Maria delightfulness

Calypso line by Studio E

Dear Stella is completely delish. Look at the zigzags!!!!!!!

Ahhh, my happy place. Kona solids.



Art Gallery

Michael Miller booth. With a car. Amazing.

Me with my new friend April and our buddy Ty.





Happy Stitching!

Kelly

Giveaway winner!

The random number generator has spoken, and we have a winner of the Sew to Swap Giveaway. Congratulations . . . JO! I'll contact you to get your shipping address - I'd love to hear about some of the amazing swaps I'm sure you're going to lead!

xoxoxo

Kelly

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Sew to Swap Blog Hop Day 6

Hi all! Welcome to Day 6 of the Sew to Swap Blog Hop. Hopefully you've had a chance to drop by the first 5 hop days to get some great sneak peeks of this brand new book. Keep reading below for a great giveaway prize!

I had the extreme pleasure to contribute to 2 of the quilts in this book, one of which I'll be sharing with you here today. But first, I wanted to give y'all a little overview of this book, cuz there's a ton of great stuff jam-packed inside. And you know how much I love bullet-pointed lists, so here goes:

  • As I'm sure you can tell, it's gorgeous. Just pure, delicious eye candy. From the front cover to the back cover and all the pages in between, the photography by Corrie and illustrations by Ariel are just delicious. 
  • Dudes, there are twelve patterns with illustrated instructions, each one more lovely than the next.
  • Chrissie explains how to organize ten different swaps using the patterns in the book, including everything from how many people you need to participate to specific items you'll need to send them. Super helpful.
  • Each swap is accompanied by a photographed step-by-step technique tutorial (like the one shown below).


I absolutely drooled over the Wonky Siggy Quilt. From the pink/red/aqua colors to the personalized stars to the wonky border, I couldn't love this quilt any more.







Isn't it cool how everyone's block turns out slightly different, but they all still work beautifully together in the same quilt? (I know I posed that as a question, but I already know the answer....)





One of the questions that came up while we were working on these blocks was what kind of marker to use to autograph the centers of our blocks. The results of that conversation between the swappers was put in the book as "The Great Marker Debate." 



Even though the resolution is that there is no resolution, it's good to have the discussion, right?




 Are you still reading?!?!?!
Special for those of you who are joining in the blog hop fun, you can get Sew to Swap now for just $14.99 ($10 off the retail price!).  Visit the Martha Pullen Online Store  and use promo code SEW2SWAP to get your exclusive discount.
{Offer expires Nov 30, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Special Price in US Dollars, for items that are “in stock” only. Martha Pullen Company reserves the right to correct pricing errors.}


AND THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!

In honor of my favorite quilt in the book (the Wonky Siggy Quilt), I'm offering a special Sew to Swap Giveaway. One winner will receive all of these fabulous prizes:
  1. a copy of Sew to Swap
  2. a big 'ole bag of scraps, perfect to use for organizing your own Wonky Siggy Swap
  3. a permanent fabric marker for autographing your siggy star
All you have to do to get your name in the hat is leave a comment on this post telling me about a swap you have participated in, or one you would like to get involved in. The giveaway will close at 8am EST on November 13, so get your comments in before then. I'll choose a winner with a random number generator. (Continental U.S. entrants only, please.)

The Blog Hope continues tomorrow and for several more days. Be sure to hop along!

November 14 Texas Freckles
November 15 Quilt Dad
November 16 Artsy-Craftsy Babe
November 17 Little Miss Shabby
November 19 A Quilt is Nice
November 20 A Little Sweetness
November 21 House of A La Mode
November 23 Little Bit Funky
November 27 In His Grace


I hope you all enjoy the book, and happy swapping!

xoxo

Kelly




Thursday, November 10, 2011

Ohio Stars

We have a little Ohio Star challenge going on at the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild. More about that later. But this is what I'm currently playing with and agonizing over:






I think I love it . . . but then again, I might be crazy . . .

Thoughts?


xoxo

Kelly

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pumpkin Cupcakes = Delish

Ok, I'm just the teensiest bit obsessed with pumpkin these days. 



I will assume you want to know why, so I've created this handy bullet point list to explain my love affair:
  • They taste like happy.
  • They smell like the holidays.
  • You can roast their seeds.
  • You can carve faces into their shells.
  • You can make them sweet or savory.
  • You can add them to lattes with fantastic results.
  • Babies look cute when seated next to them.
  • Again, they taste like happy.
I'll admit, I lurve pie, but it's not super portable. But cupcakes are . . . so why not combine the best of both worlds? Cupcakes with frosting and pumpkin pie? Ummm. . . yes please, I will.

I cheated a bit, though. I didn't make "from-scratch" frosting, which normally I would, but I just ran out of time.  I didn't want to use plain' ole frosting from a can (and I have a slight aversion to cream cheese), so I mixed cinnamon into a can of vanilla frosting, and it tasted great. 
















Happy baking/frosting/cooking/sewing/etc.

xoxoxoxo

Kelly

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Sew to Swap Blog Hop

Hey all,

SO I had the incredible privilege of being asked to contribute to a book that has just hit shelves: Sew to Swap by Chrissie Grace. And woah boy, am I in some good company: The contributors to this book are insanely talented, and I feel very small and squeaky to be standing next to all of them!!! 




To tell you more about the book and to kick off its release in grand style, a blog hop is starting tomorrow (November 7) which will bounce you each day between the book contributors' blogs. I don't know what everyone has planned, but I suspect there will be some exciting giveaways, as well as lots of great info about this book. I can tell you for sure that there will be at least one awesome giveaway here on my day. So, plan on Hopping, y'all! 




Here's the schedule for the Blog Hop:

November 9 Cluck Cluck Sew
November 10 My Three Sons
November 11 Twin Fibers
November 14 Texas Freckles
November 15 Quilt Dad
November 16 Artsy-Craftsy Babe
November 17 Little Miss Shabby
November 19 A Quilt is Nice
November 20 A Little Sweetness
November 21 House of A La Mode
November 23 Little Bit Funky
November 27 In His Grace



Happy hopping!

xoxo

Kelly



Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Updates!

Hello bloggy friends,

I've been remiss in my posts, but things have been a bit crazy and hectic as I'm sure many of you can understand. I've not abandoned you, though!

In the most exciting news, I was able to attend Fall Quilt Market this past weekend in Houston. Ummm . . . amazing!!!!!! There's so much to say that I'm speechless. I'll write a nice, long, juicy post soon with lots 'o pix, etc., but for now, let's suffice it to say that being in a room full of like-minded people who all love the same thing was an amazing, inspirational experience. Thank you to everyone I had the opportunity to meet  for the wonderful conversations and for sharing your excitement and passion with me.

A few things I want to let you know about:

1. There is a very cool blog tour coming up shortly in November. I'll be a stop one day on the tour, and there will be great giveaways, etc. on all days. Be sure to stop back frequently to check for updates! For now, I'm not giving away the surprise - - - just check back soon for more details!

2. I want to get more structured with my blogging, and I have SO many ideas of what that might entail, but I want to ask y'all what you would like to see more of - both from me specifically and from the sewing blog world in general. More techniques? More tutorials? Book reviews? Interviews? Fabric recaps? Quilt-a-longs? Gimme ideas puh-lease!

Thanks for stickin' with me, folks. There's a lot out there in the blogosphere, I know, but I love being part of it!

xoxoxoxooxo

Kelly