One set of Heather Ross Munki Munki pajamas waiting for me at Marshalls. Hmm, I might like to wear these once or twice before cutting them up.
Archive for Field Trips
SEWN Launch Party Giveaway
DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED.
I’m still unpacking the market goodies, but I wanted to get to posting about Sarah’s new adventure, SEWN.
See, here’s the lovely Sarah signing books at the Moda booth (hi, Sarah!):
You’ve probably already heard about SEWN, but if not (and I quote…):
SEWN is new and innovative online quilting and sewing community for all lovers of fabric crafts. We have Tips and Innovative Tools to help with your projects, an Advice Centre for all your sewing questions, online forums and chats, and information on your local shops, sewing groups, quilt groups and classes.
SEWN will feature designers and shops from Australia and New Zealand, as well as the latest from the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan.
There will be articles, interviews and tutorials from industry experts, competitions and free patterns! We’ll even be reporting via podcast from craft shows around Australia and the USA.
It sounds like it will be a WONDERFUL place for us, doesn’t it?!
I’d signed up to join the SEWN Blog Party Giveaway when Sarah first announced it, but I wanted to see if I could find some choice goodies at Market to share. And I did, so here’s my giveaway post.
I’ll be giving away two offerings, so there will be two winners.
First up is a four-fat quarter set of Heather Ross’s Far Far Away double gauze fabrics from Kokka:
Ooooh, aaahhhh. They match today’s ranunculus:
The second option is a set of four fat quarters of Erin McMorris’ Wildwood fabrics:
BUT you have to play my guessing game to be entered.
Here is a pic of my totebag that I carried home from Quilt Market:
I even had to go expando on the way home:
Here’s a photo of some of the innards spilling out:
Here’s the deal. You have to guess how much my bag weighed when I arrived home. Here’s some info on the bag to aid in your guessing. It contained a combination of items including books, some plastic templates, some fabric (duh), a camera, very little money (!), gum, wires, etc. It did not contain a laptop or any clothing items. Oh, and it didn’t contain all of my goodies, just what would fit.
To be entered, you need to guess how much the bag weighed before it was unpacked. I’ll draw from the correct answers for the Heather Ross fat quarters. I’ll draw from ALL comments to this post for the Erin McMorris fat quarters. You can enter until 11:59 EST on June 7 and I will draw the winners’ names on Monday, June 8. So, take a guess. Oh, my achin’ shoulder.
Here’s a wonderful love note that was in my tote bag too:
This is the back of a day-by-day love note from a certain nine-year-old. Awwww….
And, quickly, I wanted to show you a couple of fun things I found. I love this Kokka creepy stuffed animal fabric:
Here’s a LIME feedsack I picked up as well:
Sorry, no, they’re not part of the giveaway… I’ve taxed my brain going between photo downloads on different computers, so I’d better go before I start babbling. I’ll babble at you later.
Don’t forget to guess how hefty my bag was for a chance to win!
Good to be home
I need to get out more. Thanks, Pittsburgh! It was a fabric-good time! More soon after a brief recovery.
Running away from home
Ack! I’ve done so much dawdling that I’m running out of time. And now I’m doing laundry, trying to pack up and make sure I have all of the various chargers and re-chargers, paper and pen, clothes, tiny toiletries. Do you have particular smells you relate to traveling? I usually feel like I can’t take my regular complement of toiletries so I substitute and then always relate the substitute smell to the travel destination. For example, I am reminded of Philadelphia when I smell pink grapefruit Neutrogena face wash. Confessions of the odd. Anyway, I have a feeling I will relate Pittsburgh to Right Guard Sport scent deodorant. I’m not a big fan of powder-fresh anything so the tiny Right Guard was the option of last resort. Don’t look at me like that. Quilting is very macho.
And I’m trying not to over-pack in the hand sewing project department (from the Lessons Learned column…), but I’m wondering if I will even touch this lovely project. It’s the April Material Obsession dolly quilt–an Ode to Susan McCord. You know the quilt, the vines with the millions of pieced leaves. This is a tiny travel-sized tribute from MO. So, all of my leaves are cut out and I’ve tested my tiny travel scissors:
The flight is short, I’m sure the hotel lighting is bad and I’ll probably be too pooped to applique at the end of the day. But a good quilter is always prepared, no?
Oh, before I go, look what came in the mail today:
I don’t even have time to have the IT Department get this set up and working, but I’ll tell you about it when I get back. Allegedly I have a quilt in the gallery section. Sa-weet! If I can stand the thought of the packaging getting bent, I might take it along for a little autograph from Famous Amy.
Behave until I get back! Pittsburgh or bust.
Home away from home
We have been in Philadelphia since Sunday evening and, man-oh-man, have I seen a lot!
I have also eaten a lot and feasted with my eyes:
Naked Chocolate
Pink Rose Pastry Shop
Capogiro Gelato
Reading Terminal Market
I’ve visited many a crafty place:
Fabric Row
Sophie’s Yarns
Loop
Spool
Rosie’s Yarn Cellar
Tomorrow, I’ll get to see the Gee’s Bend quilts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I am excited.
Up until last week, this trip was unanticipated and conceptually a little unnerving. DH’s eye doctor sent him out here to see some wonderful doctors. I have made myself at home and have had nothing but great experiences in this super city. I am a walker and this city is eminently walkable with interesting things at every turn.
We do miss our girl who is being looked after by some of her favorite people on the planet. All in all and given the circumstances, this detour to Philadelphia is going quite well. And we’re here while the Phillies are in the World Series–another great reason to celebrate.
Let’s see what happens tomorow!
Another year at the fair
We made our annual visit to the Bluffton Free Street Fair, a place to visit friends and family, eat too much, ride a lot of rides, play some games, and, oh, did I mention eat too much? This year’s trip was abbreviated so we had one less day of eating too much. Did I mention they have a nice quilt shop?
Here is a travelogue.
Going in.
Coming out.
First time in this one. What’s so scary about that?
A list of the foods to be eaten. We were really good about following the list.
See?
We did not adopt any fishies this year.
Clown jail?
They decided not to detain her.
We rode the Super Shot which lifts you sloooowwwwly up and then plummets you to the ground:
The fair at night from the Ferris wheel.
Hope to see you next year, fair!
Hey, where ya been?
Look who’s home:
There she is, festooned with bunting!
Here she is mugging for the camera:
Her face usually looks like this (full power!):
Ahh, I feel better now. I’m not quite sure what happened to her while she was away. She is nice and clean, but she came home with a strange bobbin in her bobbin case. What happens at the dealer stays at the dealer…
In celebration, let’s have a giveaway, shall we?
If you follow Miss Lily’s quilting escapades (and you should), you’ll know that she likes picking 10 fat quarters and working away at a project. I took a cue from her and gathered 10 fat quarters (plus 1–I couldn’t help myself):
I’m thinking these would be a FUN start to a Christmas quilt. There’s some Pop Garden, some Bijoux, some Amy Butler, some Sandy Henderson.
If you would like a chance to welcome these 10 plus 1 fat quarters into your sewing quarters, just leave a comment by 11:59 PM EST on Monday, August 11.
If you would like an additional chance to win, EMAIL ME at alobsigeratgmaildotcom telling me where I went on a “stay-cation” trip yesterday. PLEASE DON’T LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE ANSWER TO THIS!! Here is your photo clue of Gog and Magog:
We also walked on the soil of Menlo Park, New Jersey while on our trip.
I also saw this great quilt while we were there (but I don’t think that will help you to the answer):
Cheers, everyone! Hope to hear from your soon! Welcome home, 440!
Field trip
I ventured out to the Henry Ford Museum today to see Quilting Genius 2: The Improvisational Quilts of Susana Allen Hunter. Wow, wow, wow. When we arrived, the mood lighting wasn’t working, so we had the lighting of stark work lights. Nice and bright. Then the mood lighting was turned on. Much better to see the stitches, texture and detail, but it really challenged my meager camera skillz. Hopefully, I’m properly caveat-ed now. Here are a few of the gorgeous quilts.
Isn’t the texture amazing? I appreciated that several of the quilts were hung so you could get a full view of the backs.
This is the newest quilt in the exhibit. It is from the 1970s, and is affectionately referred to as the disco quilt. Remember those slinky polyester shirts and qiana?
Wonderful stuff.
We then toured the on-site Dymaxion House. That blew my mind too.
After this quick trip to the museum, there might have been a small visit to a nearby quilt store where there might or might not have been some purchasing of some Japanese fabric…maybe. That’s all I can say.
Here’s to field trips on lovely spring days!
Bleak house
It’s amazing what a person can get done when the internets is down all day! The Dandelion Wine quilt got bordered and the Petal Play blocks are all pieced and appliqued. Perhaps sometime when the sun is up AND the internets is working, I will show you those items. I anticipate that my connectivity will also be compromised tomorrow in the name of system upgrades, so I have to strike while the iron is hot. Actually, my iron is off. You know what I mean.
Here is some advice. For what it is worth. On the glorious day after a snow day (after the bickering masses have returned to the classroom–mind you, I have one child but she has friends…), when your internet is out (disconnecting you from your public radio streaming lifeline) AND you are working off the crabbies from the day before AND it is grey outside, DO NOT listen to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I’m not sure how long it will take to shake off this brand of funk.
On that note, how about a snapshot of goodies from a recent field trip to a delightful local store, Material Girls? They have a wonderful selection of Japanese fabrics, among other things.
Hmm, while I can I’d better download another audio book for tomorrow’s listening pleasure. Something a little more upbeat is required.
Well, I didn’t know we would have to involve the fire marshal
Detail from Quilting Time by Romare Bearden
It is quite a magnificent re-do of the Detroit Institute of Arts. The re-opening was celebrated by 32 straight hours of free access to art, entertainment and activities. Kind of a nice shot in the arm for a metro area and state feeling a hard economic hit.
We arrived just ahead of day two’s massive crowds. By mid-afternoon a line snaked from one of the museum’s entrances all the way down the block. We were glad we didn’t have to stand out in the cold. We will have to go back soon to admire the new digs with some smaller number of “friends.” It is amazing.
