Piece O' Cake Blog

The news from quilt market...

This is a corner of the C&T booth showing a big page from our coloring book.

Quilt Market is interesting. There is a lot to lust after. Lovely fabric, great notions, inspiring quilts - so much! But the thing is, most of it you will never have an opportunity to actually buy. That was true many years ago, and it's more true now.

Used to be, there were a few big fabric companies. Shops bought from most of them. An individual shop could never carry all the fabric available but I could usually come home and find most of what I had fallen in love with at market. 

Now there are so many new fabric companies (in addition to the bigger companies) that it's hard to keep them straight. They each have great fabric but I honestly don't know how most shop owners can buy from them all. Each company has its own set of forms and minimum orders and ship dates... I knew when I walked the aisles that it would be sheer luck for me to find specific fabrics in a shop.

I quit looking at the fabric in self defense. You might imagine that I can get any fabric I want. That is not the case. I buy the fabric that is in my stash. Every now and then I request and get fabric from a company but that is not the norm. I prefer to shop in person at quilt shops. I buy some fabric online but colors can look different on screen. 

I design quilts and try not to be influenced by others' designs so I didn't look at quilts much either. I looked more closely at architectural details (like that above) because I can find inspiration there.

Trust me, if you don't look at fabric or quilts, you can walk market pretty quickly. I came away with the impression that clear colors are more plentiful and that there are still more pieced quilts than appliqued ones. 

I did look for new notions that would excite appliquers. I found a lovely silk needle case and an unusual scissor fob, and new needle nannies (there's a chicken that makes me smile, and I'm not that fond of chickens). I ordered a new sticky thimble that really does protect your underneath finger! I'll send a newsletter when these things come in.

I also found an amazing new lamp, the Stella. I got to try one when I taught at Aunt Mary's and was immediately sold on it. The Stella has an LED light source and is cooler than my Ott light. The LEDs are supposed to last for years without dimming.

You can change the color of the light with a finger touch from a yellowish color, to very white, and then to a bluer white. You can also adjust the brightness of the light.

The lamp itself is sleek. The desk version comes in black or white. The floor lamp is only available in white. They are not inexpensive - $220 for the desk lamp and $389 for the floor lamp but when you think about the hours/years you spend with your lamp, that doesn't seem so bad. I will make a video when mine arrives so you can see for yourself. 

I didn't say before, but Linda was at market too and we had a really nice time together. We don't get to spend time together often enough and when we do, ideas fly. We both left market inspired and ready to start on new quilts!

I will leave you with a color photo, not of fabric or quilts but of the side of a building. The weathered greens against the taupe-y grays are pretty together. I wish that bright blue thing wasn't there, but the black pole adds a nice touch.

 

Aunt Mary's Quilt Shop...

I taught a 2-day class at Aunt Mary's, owned by Carrol McVey - not Mary - before quilt market. I had this post mostly written and then sort of forgot it. The 12 ladies in my class and I had a very good time. You'd think I would have taken pictures but, again, I didn't. I am just too focused on the job when I'm teaching which is probably a good thing. But later I always wish I had a picture! 

I stayed with an old acquaintaince/new better friend, Linda, at her house on the water. To say that her house is amazing does not do it justice. We walked in the morning and I took a few photos. This bicycle is not yet planted for spring - the owner told me to imagine it covered with flowers...

The lilacs were in bloom, reminding me of how much I love them. Wish I could grow them but they don't like my soil. I especially liked this pair of bushes, with the periwinkle blooms next to the purple.

Carrol, Tim, Linda and I went to dinner one night at the marina. While we waited for our table we walked on the pier. There was a well-worn research vessel tied up with these numbers painted on the side. I like the look of them; they are gracefully drawn. The brooms below help to paint a nice composition. In my recent post I showed a different boat with lettering. I think if I lived near boats I end up taking lots of this sort of photo.

There were a series of struts that ran down the pier. The light was wrong so most of the photos didn't turn out well but this detail is nice. Moss really does grow on the north side of things - at least it does in this part of the country. 

The next post will have more about market.

More from Portland...

I always take photos of my feet and manholes. I love the variety of these circular designs and adding feet to the image is quirky. If you see two extra feet, they belong to Amy, our publisher and my walking partner.

The pointing hand above feels so Victorian to me. And when I see 'sewer' I think 'a person who sews' rather than the pipes below ground.

I've seen the next design before and I always love it. It reminds me of an 'alert' symbol. My striped socks are good with it :-). The mix of neutral colors appeals to me a lot.

The rings of triangles and dots are nice. It could be a good block.

 

The more I look at the one above, the more I wonder about it. What sort of information? Is it really information that is under there or is it access to cables? An interface where someone can plug in? I wanted to stand on it, ask a question, and hear the answer as if from an invisible oracle. I didn't do that - there are some unusual folks on the streets of Portland and I decided not to be one of them. Well, people did look at me funny as I took photos of my feet, but still, I'm mostly normal.

Loved the interplay of lines of the trusses on this truck...

There is something about the color and texture of the green next to the gray on this building that was pleasant. 

I'll write a bit more about market tomorrow. Until then, happy stitching!

 

Observed in Portland...

You may have noticed that I didn't post last week. I've been in Portland for quilt market which is always an interesting experience. I took a lot of photos and not one of them has fabric or a quilt in it! Sigh.

Here are some of the things that caught my eye:

The lettering on this boat, and I'm exactly sure why...

I saw these cans in a shop window (H&M I think) and thought they were interesting. It wasn't until I looked at the photo that I saw that the cans spell 'can' which made me grin. On the other hand, I'm not sure that this is an effective use of window real estate for a clothing store.

I saw Joanne Figueroa in the C&T booth wearing this amazing coat. She said everyone wanted to know if she made it (no, found it at Macy's I think she said). Pretty lady in a pretty coat. I love the little circles that surround the primary design in the coat fabric. I am reminded of Cheerios floating in a cereal bowl which may not be the most romantic interpretation...

I saw enough of the Voodoo donut boxes to wish they were gluten free. I hear the donuts are both huge and tasty but I was more interested in the boxes. What great marketing! Doesn't the box make you want to try them?

I found a variety of good floors. What I like is the way simple shapes make a pattern - just the way it does in a pieced quilt. Here's the floor from the lobby of our Hilton. What makes it better than average is that the large squares are sub-divided into 4 squares. That would be a fun idea to play with.

And the bathroom at the convention center caught my eye. It was funny, I saw several quilts hanging in booths that could have been based on this pattern...

I have more to share tomorrow...

 

 

 

Running With Scissors in Belingham...

I'm on the way home from Washington and I have some photos to share. Did I take pictures of the classes or of the quilt shop? No, I'm always too busy teaching to stop for that. But before and after class I found time to pull out the camera. 

I stayed in Yvonne's quilt room/apartment in Bellingham. I had the whole place to myself as Yvonne and Dave live in the big house (the big Victorian house, not the prison :-)). They had a number of wonderful sculptures in their 5 acre yard - gotta love these guys.

You can see Mt. Baker from the front yard. Steve and I were up there a few years ago.

I can't grow peonies (this is a peony, isn't it?) so this one called to me...

Even better in a close crop...

Anara drove me to Arlington at the end of class on Thursday. We took the scenic route. I suppose it's a good thing that the sun was in the wrong place for picture taking or we would have had to stop more.

We ate dinner at a restaurant that I should remember the name of. I don't. Sigh. But I did take pictures of this wall. They have decoupaged area maps to several walls and it looked really good:

I've done this sort of thing with dyed brown paper on floors before so I can truthfully tell you that this is not hard. Crumple the paper, or don't. Dye it, or don't. Tear is for interesting edges, leave them straight, or combine both kinds of edges. 

I used watered down white glue in the past but you could also use Mod Podge. Wallpaper paste would work. I'll bet that you could also make your own 'glue' from flour and water. 

If you did this on a floor, you would want to use the white glue - it's more permanent. You also need to coat it with clear polyurethane made for floors. I can tell you that it sticks well - just go back and see how hard it was for the guys to take up before they laid our new floor.

I need a photo...

Do any of you still have one of the first blueberry iMacs? I need a high-quality photo (a pretty one) of a blueberry iMac. I've contacted Apple, but am not likely to hear back from them.

I've searched online but so far have not found a good photo. This one is nice, but the quality is too low.

Remodeling, bathroom(s)...

The master bath is coming along nicely. The cabinet is in place and is being painted. The cabinet door and drawers are being painted off-site. The Ceasarstone countertop is in place and the faucet works!

The new cabinet is countertop height. If you stand at your kitchen counter - it's that high. Somewhere in my travels I encountered a bathroom with this feature and I really liked it. I suppose if you are short this isn't a great idea but we like it a lot. 

Linda's bathrooms have a shelf that extends from the counter, over the top of the toilet. I like that and decided to do the same thing in both of our bathrooms. I don't plan to fill this shelf with anything but it's nice to have for overflow 'stuff'. It's especially nice for overnight company.

Our other bathroom has an existing cabinet that is fine, but we wanted it taller too. Orville built it up to countertop height and has trimmed it out so that it looks like it was meant to be that way.

The Ceasarstone looks like terrazzo. It’s lovely. I chose the smaller sink and had it moved more to the side to increase the counter space. It’s funny how you get used to something like the size of your sink. It’s going to take me a while to adjust when I’m rinsing after brushing.

Remodeling, the floors continued...

Orville and Juan started installing the Bella natural hickory floor last week. It took Orville quite a while to establish this first line of boards. It's important to get this right because the floors are interconnected throughout the house.

The got a lot more laid on day 2. The blue tape is there to help hold the boards in place until the glue sets. The heavy boxes hold the floor down and provide a walkway.

I have to admit that when I first saw this I was a surprised at how much pattern there is. I knew there would be but seeing it is different from imagining it. Luckily, we both love it! It's very different but feels good in the space. The pattern is stronger when you look down the boards and quieter when you look across them. I'll take more photos later.

Here is the breakfast room, before...

And here it is, primed. The soffit will come out to be replaced by cabinets. New doors and drawers are being made but I can already tell how much lighter and brighter it will be in white.

Remodeling, the bathroom...

As I type this I am at DFW waiting for a plane to take me to Washington. I'll be in Bellingham to visit the Running With Scissors quilt guild, then it's on to Aunt Mary's quilt shop outside of Seattle for a 2-day class. Now is a good time to catch you up on the remodeling.

What you see below is our new shower. I chose a beautiful, expensive tile for the accent band. It has white glass and pieces of snow white quartz. It was perfect - until it was grouted with the dirt-colored grout that I chose. In the photo below you will see the piece of the un-grouted tile taped up over the band of already-grouted tile.

We all learned a new thing: glass tiles pick up the color of the grout. To be white, this band should have white grout. I did not want white grout in the shower. The greyish color would be OK except that I wanted WHITE! 

Rick smiled and said, we'll fix it. Luis, who worked hard to make the first choice work, smiled and said it was fine, he'd fix it. My contractor, Rick Owens, and his crews are top notch!

At this point I knew I would need a porcelain tile. I went to Home Depot and found some 3x6 subway tiles that were inexpensive and that fit the space. Luis chipped out the old tile without messing up any of the other tiles and put in the new ones. And, you know what? The new ones look really nice and I think I like them at least as well as my first choice! 

Inside the shower is a built-in shelf. Luis had carefully surrounded it with the 1st tile. We left that tile in place and I like it there. It's interesting and a reminder of what went on before. If I can get a good photo of that area, I will.

You can see the shaved-off river rock on the shower floor. It has been sealed with a sealer since I took this photo that made the white rocks darker. I think I liked them better whiter and I may lightly sand off the top of the whiter stones. Or not.

 

 

 

Quilters are nice people...

You knew this already, right? I visit a lot of guilds and am amazed by the number of quilts made with love and given freely for good causes. It warms the heart. 

I was recently contacted by Jim Nickerson, the social media director of The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. He worked with a wonderful group of women in the East Bay of San Francisco (one of my favorite guilds) who made and delivered over 70 quilts to the victims of Superstorm Sandy. He asked if I would share their story and I am happy to. Click here to download EBHQ-SandyQuilts.

As I said, quilters are such nice people!