Riley Blake will be here in 2010

2010 is not so far off to announce that we have a collection of Riley Blake fabrics being added to our offerings at The Quilter’s Alley.  It will be available in the online shop, as well as at home base in Ridgefield, Connecticut.  We visited the New England Fabric Reps in Boxboro, Mass. where we made this purchase among others.  Kokka has been selling extremely well in our shop, so there is more coming.  We also purchased some cute novelty fabrics- donuts, cupcakes and ice cream are on the menu.  They will be available in our six 1/2-yard packs of coordinates for quick and easy quilt designing.

Just a peek and then…

and a taste.

 

Battery Recharged

The week back has me in perpetual motion.  Tuesday Sewing Group (which did very well without my help while I was gone) a private Paper Piecing Lesson, Free Motion quilting class, and sewing, quilting, sewing.  Several quilting commissions have come in this week, as I guess folks are preparing for holiday gift giving. We love this bustle of business and the creative work it involves.  Mary brought back lots of interesting new materials from Quilt Market in Houston.  My favorite gadget for our long arm work is a series of rings that interchangeably give quilting control at specific distances from the hopping foot.  She also continued to quilt in my absence.

I missed being there, but tel aviv took precedence this time.
I met so many amazing people while I was away.  I want to share this.  Picture walking out of your house, going to either corner, turning left or right and landing in the middle of the most amazing craft fair every Tuesday and Friday. Stop for a cafe at a sidewalk cafe.  Buy fabric at any number of delightfully crowded shops. Meet accomplished artists from around the world, sitting on folding chairs at their tables, selling the most amazing artwork (and some, not so amazing, but nevertheless, full of the flavor of the city.)

Kashi Textiles – where we found African-inspired fabrics.

to be a kitchen curtain



the best frozen coffee drink, ever!

I bought the photo he's holding.

Sandu Mandrea is the photographer.  His photos  (and his son’s) are amazing.

 

Inspired by the Sea

I’ve been home for two days now, but still go to bed early and wake up earlier than I did before I went on Israeli time.  I have bunches to catch up on at
The Quilters Alley and lots to report from the other side of the world, as well.  It’s good to be getting up early.

I went all over the city of Tel Aviv, mostly on foot, and saw many interesting things.  The colors are especially intriguing to me and so for this round of colorful vintage objects, I’ve chosen turquoise, with a smattering  of green, because orange is still the most popular color in recycled objects.

First, my inspiration:

and it was beach weather, for sure!

I look forward to sharing more of my beautiful trip in upcoming posts!  Enjoy!

 

When I return

Now that I am a day away from my trip to Israel and a fortnight’s visit with my beautiful daughter,  I am prepared, packed and poised to board the plane.
I have imagined being there for several months now and almost am.  So my thoughts jump ahead to preparing for  my return in several ways.  I know how short a week is, how fast it passes.  I know that before I’m ready, I’ll be heading back.  (I have considered staying more than once, but the Quilter’s Alley and my Stu, need me, not to mention the pups.) I have to adjust to the fact that I can’t be near Shara, for now.  I also know that, as seductive as foreign culture is to me, it is not my reality – yet.  So what’s up at the shop?

Well, we missed Quilt Market because of my trip, but we still placed a HUGE order for Westminster,  Free Spirit, Art Gallery Fabrics, M & S Australia and all the associated designers.  It was actually a more relaxed, three-hour meeting with our favorite sales rep  and she came to us.  I am excited to start receiving the goods!  They will ship anywhere from NOW to January and we have big plans to reorganize the shop to feature our favorite designers.

I have selected several new groups that will take all the guesswork out of making a successful quilt.  Many of the fabrics are perfect for garments.  PS.  Shara just moved to the Tel Aviv Fabric District and I will be shopping knits, while I’m away.  I want to make some comfy dresses for the winter.

As a side note,  Oliver + S’s Husband, Todd visited our store today.  He honed in on our vintage buttons and I’m excited to be seeing some of them show up on Liesl’s  samples.  I’m happy to report that there are only the two new patterns missing from our stock — and I will have them shortly.

I just finished another (last-minute) quilting project for the Art Gallery Fabrics Houston booth.  We will ship it today.  I can now say I have quilts being shown in Houston.  It’s kind-of a joke because I didn’t bother to enter in the “real” show.  Who has time?  But it’s nice to be experiencing the excitement, vicariously, through my stitching.  I will however, miss seeing Patricia and Walter.

Now for photographs…  I can’t promise, but if the Mediterranean breeze is just right, I may post some on Flickr while I’m gone.

 

Witches

Our first class of the season, yielded some creative sighs and giggles from  the participants.  We fused and free-motioned an array of colorful vamps into Halloween wall hangings.  I love when the students bring great ideas to the class.

Making Witch Hair

Zig Zag Zig Zag

I

 

Holiday Season

I received the most pleasant gift today, via email.  All the free and downloadable, beautiful illustration work by Marliyn Scott-Waters.  It has inspired me to prepare the shop for the holidays with some of her incredible work. Her children characters, one of whom is named Pip, will enliven our paper doll theme in the Kid’s Corner of the shop.  Pip, short for Pippin, is the name of our lovely old (15) Jack Russell Terrier.  Pip paper doll will be dressed up as a pumpkin-skeleton. The rest of the characters  in an assortment of adorable illustrated costumes.  I printed them on matte photo paper so they would be more lasting.  The colors also show up better on photo paper.

Our circus them, ala Brimfield’s vintage fabric find will be enhanced by a mini circus book.  I love that Marilyn’s circus has dogs in it.

And yes, I’m also working on quilts and will be up until the time I board the plane for Israel.

Commissioned by Art Gallery Fabrics

Alexa's Quilt

My newest pattern is finished! Weave Gauche

I know how much work applique is...

 

Farewell to summer

Too much rain, but I think the garden loved it.  Here are a few photos as it fades into autumn….

Busy Bee: last licks

will we get to Elephant's Trunk before it closes?

 

The Shop Hop begins

It’s rather exciting that two years have actually passed to give way to our second Connecticut statewide shop hop. We’ve been preparing for several weeks, but now the deluge of fabric-hungry quilters is upon us – in a good way.  We have been selling shop hop passports for several months. Our shop hop quilt is  made.  We have cut our 2 1/2″ strips, everybody gets to choose 2.  The raffle prizes are prettied. The refreshments are served.  The stamp-pad is inked.

These are some of the highlights of the week.

an unusual hat

The littlest hopper and her sisters and mom

great idea!

littlest feet

It has been a great week, meeting lots of new and old friends. I hope everyone is back home, sewing calmly  or planning projects with all their new fabric.

 

I’m on overload

food, fun and creative stimuli.  We had the most amazing weekend at our cousins’ , Carrine & Jeremy, wedding in Canandagua, NY.  It was a mini get away to a most beautiful spot by the water with most of my favorite people (Shara being in Israel).  Even our dog-walking stops yielded the most amazing photos. (Well, maybe the detour we took because of Labor Day traffic) Here are some of the highlights.

We caravan-ed with Ally and Adam after meeting them for breakfast somewhere near Troy, NY.

The weather was perfect.

Through our back window

The sun woke up the sunflowers and cosmos.

We lunched, al fresco, with the wedding party. Bride, second from right, Groom second from left.

Casa Larga grapes

Sunday morning we toured a winery and tasted the wines they make.

They squeezed in a early,  unscheduled tour that really kept us on time for the 4pm featured event.  Thank you, Mary!

Wed on the Lake

What a picture!

The party was so much fun: cocktails outdoors and dancing indoors.

My only shot of Ally's red dress. She is gorgeous!

My new camera picks up the atmosphere.

The unknown sculture garden on our return to reality.  This is no accident.

 

In other words

Finding the  ”um of Mod.”  and I wasn’t even looking.

The Bride’s Red Shoes, thanks to unknown Colorado photographer. Photography by Julie P