Yep. I know you've seen this new Denyse Schmidt fabric for Joann's simply EVERYWHERE on blogs. Of course I'm a huge fan of Denyse and her designs. This fabric is flying off the shelves at Joann's. I really haven't heard of many people that can resist it. I was able to get fat quarters of nearly all of it (I think). I really like the fabric since it is vintage flavor and not too matchy matchy. My least favorite of the fabrics is the throwback navys on the top of the sack. But really it is all great.
I love the greens and this yellow.
The more aqua blue is fantastic. But I have to say even though I'm not into the navy much, this blue in the background is my very favorite print of the entire line.
Look how great that blue looks with the red. I'm going to use a bit of these in my flag quilt.

So, although this fabric may be all over the Internet I thought you might not mind seeing my fat quarters for Fabric Friday.

-nanette

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My parents bought all our furniture at auctions, were given used items (otherwise known as hand-me-downs) or created most everything from scratch. New was not something I grew up with. And now repurposing is hip for ecological or economical reasons. It is funny how things come full circle.
A couple weeks ago 2 of my daughters came home from the local thrift store super excited about a find. Shelbie discovered a nearly a full set of vintage china with this fabulous pattern from the 50s. Someone's grandma may have passed away and the family (probably men) took the dishes to the thrift store. I was just glad they didn't throw them out! These dishes will be loved by another generation now.
A little while back I saw this bag on Brandie's blog. I told Brandie how much I liked it and she offered to trade me and make a bag for me. I love the tapered handles and the reinforced bottom.
I was really excited to trade. I love making trades. And Brandie makes darling things.
I decided it was the perfect tote bag for me to take to with me to Spring Quilt Market. I really love the classic red with that beautiful black and taupe queenly flower. I traded Brandie with some of my patterns. Thanks Brandie. I'm so happy to take the bag to market.Heather from RetroFabulous Blog is someone I came across a few years back when I made my feeble attempt at a Dear Jane quilt and starting following her for tips and encouragement. Heather recently shared her Sandi Henderson Bits & Pieces book with me.
Heather made these incredibly darling slippers from Sandi's book. I mentioned I wanted to make some for Allison and so Heather sent me the book as a share. Isn't that fantastic. I love sharing. The book is great and I've spotted several projects I'd love to work on.
Heather also included this perfect, perfect tea towel as a gift. It is so me. It has a teapot and teacup...
and if you look at the top it has a bee! I love it. Thanks so much Heather. It will look perfect hanging in my kitchen.

Both Heather and Brandie have mad skills and I'm so glad I've gotten to know them both. They are great girls. Repurposing with friends is wonderful hip thing to do, especially when I'm the one getting the good stuff.

-nanette

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The details are finalized for the Bloggers Meet-up Party next month in SLC during Spring Quilt Market. It is going to be fabulous. But space is limited. So please run on over to the Meet-up Block to make your reservation with us. If you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment at the Meet-Up blog. Click the link and go to ticket leap to reserve a ticket for the party. Calli and Amy have done so much work for this event. They have thought of every detail. You'll leave the party with swag, maybe a fabulous prize and new friends. Hope to see you there.

-nanette

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Can you feel spring in the air where you live? I feel it and see it in the longer days, buds on the trees and dandelions cropping up everywhere! This quilt below has really nothing to do with this post but I can't make a post without a photo.
Spring Quilt Market is getting so close. There is excitement in the air. The details for our Bloggers Meet-up are coming together. We have some fantastic sponsors and people you'll want to meet and mingle with. There will be food, SWAG and door prizes. I'm so excited to meet so many of you. A notice is going up today on the Meet-up Blog about attendance, place and time. I'm posting some of the details below, too.

We are excited to announce the details of the Bloggers Meetup during Quilt Market in Salt Lake. We will be meeting on Saturday, May 14 from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the Blue Lemon restaurant, just around the corner from the Salt Palace Convention Center. The Blue Lemon is a brand new, swanky restaurant in Salt Lake with fresh, fabulous food.

Tickets are $6 and will be available starting Wednesday, April 27 at 9:00 MST. (The final week before the event, tickets will go up to $10.) We will have a link at this site. Due to limited capacity at the restaurant, there will only be 80 tickets available. We are looking forward to sharing fun swag for everyone, entrance into our many sponsored giveaways, but most of all a chance to visit together! We can't wait!

Ticket prices will help cover cost of the event and the food/drink. As the events draw closer more info regarding details and parking will be posted. We hope to see you there. For more info please go to the Blogger's Quilt Market Meet-Up Blog.

-nanette

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It is no secret I really love vintage kitchen fabric. I have a problem using it though! I just struggle with cutting into my collection. I can think of lots of uses but I keep putting off using my favorite fabrics. Silly isn't it. I want to change that. Hopefully this year I will make at least 1 quilt using vintage kitchen fabric.
I may have shown this one before, I forget. But I really love it because it looks sorta like a table cloth and it is vintage Pennsylvania Dutch print. It is so adorable and I love the colors, red, gold and gray. I really must use this. I keep putting off making a hex sign quilt.
This is more of a 60's print I think. I like the olive and gold in this kitchen print. It makes me think of my mom, Freda. I really want to use this one, too. I love the clocks, roses and teacups/saucers.
This piece ranks up with one of my all time favorite kitchen prints. It has so many great elements in it. It has strawberries (perfect), a cookie jar, an oil decanter, candy jar, plant and salt and pepper shakers just to mention some of the items. I really really want to use this one soon. It is so cute.
Recently my Nanette friend (we share the same name), who is a cooking and sewing genius from Pots and Pins blog, sent me some treats. She sent me 2 boxes of these Nanette wafer cookies and some peeps (sorry peeps gone!). Nanette and I both felt cheated as kids because we never had anything in stores with our names on them. So when she saw these cookies she sent me 2 boxes. Isn't that nice! Don't we all love to see our name? She also sent them in this cute vintage kitchen pouch. It is really sweet with teapots, china hutch and kitchen scenes. Thanks again Nan. We are meeting up at Quilt Market next month.

If I could have a dream kitchen it would be a red white and black kitchen with stainless steel touches and new replica appliances. I'd have a metal and Formica table with those metal chairs with vinyl seats. You know what I mean.

Happy Weekend.

-nanette

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To recap I've been working on my own Personal Flag Quilt to represent the heritage from my ancestors. You can read my previous posts here, here and here.
Here is another look at Amy's Quilt. She inspired me to picture my own quilt based on her ideas and creativity. Thanks again Amy.
So last weekend I worked on my last block, the Slovakian Flag block. The Slovakian flag is a relatively modern flag given the push and pull of governments in the history of the Slovakian territory in Europe.
When my grandparents came to the United States from Slovakia it was called Austria-Hungary at the end of the 1800s. I believe the political upheaval their homeland was subjected to had a huge part in my grandparents reason for leaving their families and country. I consulted my sisters about which of the several flags, that have flown in Bela nad Cirochuou, (the city of my grandparents origin) would be the best for my quilt and they agreed with me that this modern flag would quilt the prettiest and would be the most authentic since Slovakia is now recognized as its own country.

Now I'm really looking forward to joining my flags together to make a quilt. So I'm dreaming of different ways to position my blocks and create one cohesive quilt top.

-nanette

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Quilt Market is less than a month away now. So we begin the count down. I can imagine the buzz of sewing machines making the final sample quilts to be shown to the world at Market.

I'm excited to have my little market contribution completed and ready to hand off to the fabulous Jina and Cindy at Riley Blake. Those gals know how to run a fabric company.

I was lucky enough to work with fabric by Shari of Doohickey Designs for Riley Blake. Shari is a sweetheart and super talented.
I swiped this image from Fat Quarter Shop of the 'Hoo's in the Forest fabric line. I really really like Shari's designs. I can't imagine a cuter line for a baby quilt. And that is what I made with it.

Of course I can't show you the quilt yet. But here is a sneak peek. I finished the binding over the weekend.
Wendy from Eagle Mountain Quilting machine quilted owls, deers, bunnies and critters into the quilt. It turned out really sweet. I'm excited to hand my baby quilt over to Riley Blake and then see it hung in their booth at Market.

-nanette

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Time is passing so quick. Soon we will have Spring Quilt Market in SLC. I'm getting excited and a little freaked out as well. It will be fun to meet some of you, be present at market and a few parties including the Blogger's Meet-up Party. I think we'll have a great time.
Monday I showed you Lori's gift fabric to me that she got at Material Girls. Oh I love this line of fabric, just as Lori knew I would. I liked it so much that I got some more fat quarters in other colorways. My new idea is less yardage, more fat quarters. For most of my projects that will work out.
This seems to be a 2nd release of the New Old Fabric Collection by Lecien. I didn't see this on their web site though, but I know it is brand new out, at least in Utah.
Not a great photo but pretty pretty strawberries and flowers.
Lori gave this print to me in pink on the left. Here are the other colors. The pink is definitely my favorite though. And those 2 rose fabrics on the right are like candy.
More yummy fabric from this line. It just totally speaks to me.
This daisy and gingham is pretty darling. It reminds me of Lori.
I almost think this patchwork fabric is my favorite of the lot. I love how I can make buttons out of this or use it for fussy cutting. It has so many cute prints all wrapped into one. You can't go wrong with a cheater cloth. Think how cute this would be in a whole cloth baby quilt.

Gosh I love fabric!

-nanette

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I have a nice book library of quilting books in my sewing room already so I try not to purchase more books unless I can get them at a great price and or I simply must must MUST have them. I love used quilt books. But these are brand new.
I've had these 3 books since earlier in the year and I have kept them out to page through and admire. Sometimes I've got an idea in my head for a quilt I want to make and paging through books will spark color or pattern or even help me decide the way to put together what I've been puzzling over. And then very occasionally I will make something right out of a book and actually follow directions! Amazing, huh.
Teapots always draw me and this one is so so cute.
I've always wanted to make a leaves falling from a tree quilt.
I'm itching to make a new apple quilt. I have an idea in my head and this really makes me want to stop the world and sew apples.
I am also thinking of projects for my sisters/nieces at our next reunion quilt retreat I think this quilt above is a great beginner quilt. It is interesting enough to keep all levels interested in the project.
This is from Suzuko's book. I love the courthouse step pattern. I would like to make one inspired by Suzuko's.
I always love potholders. They are truly mini quilts at their easiest and best.
I'm really liking the simplicity of log cabins right now. This one with so many different kinds of fabric hits me really where I live. This block is in my head and I love it. I think a courthouse step version would be a great quilt for the retreat in September, too.
I guess the reason I've been really going through my books lately is to help me plan my (shh) graduation quilt for my 18 year old daughter, Laurie. Laurie likes clean lines and plain fabrics. I don't want to make it too pastel but these are colors I think she likes. I'm not making a quilt from any pattern here or any that I've seen. I'm going to make a quilt inspired from the L in her name. So we'll see how it works out. I will say that the photos in the books really helped me get my mind right for Laurie's quilt and helped with my planning. Laurie knows I'm making a quilt but it is kind of a surprise what fabric and design I pick for her until the quilt reveal after graduation. I'm excited about it. I just have to try to keep things tucked out of site when she is around to keep the suspense.

-nanette

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With a family wedding over the weekend I was able to only make a few blocks over the weekend.
So I decided (this is swiped from Amy's blog and is Amy's quilt) to make my 3 USA flags in my personal flag quilt.
I used all the same star fabric but mixed in some reds and lights for the strips with different fabrics.
The blocks are 15"x20" so they come together really fast.
I'm excited to get 3 of my country flags done now with only the flag from Slovakia now still to accomplish.
I met Lori for a quick lunch on Friday. She brought me the sweetest fat quarters from the new line of New Old Fabric from Lecien that she got for me at Material Girls. Love them. They will be perfect in my flag quilt. I already used one of them. Thanks Lori.

-nanette

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Last weekend I did something really fun. New fabric, my trusty sewing machine and a diet mt. dew, plus General Conference = finished baby quilt. The quilt top is at the quilter being quilted right now.
The fabric is 'Hoos in the Forrest by Doohicky Designs - Shari, for Riley Blake Fabric. You can see the entire line here. I really had a great time using a brand new design. The reveal happens during market. And the fabric will be out next month I think. It is awesome, sweet and cute. I love the fabric.
These photos don't do the fabric justice. I did enjoy working with Riley Blake (always) and Shari's fabric. They are all impressive over there (office is less than 2 miles from my house). Sheri, Jina and Cindy are all amazing and so fun to be with.
I hope my quilt design works out and the machine quilting makes it pop. It is a fun and easy design and perfect for any baby or child.
How could you just not love thos fabric?
Market is getting really close and there will be lots of reveals in a 4 short weeks.
The little deer and skunk are delightful. I love the strawberries with it, too. The strawberry at the base of the tree and by the deer add to the whimsical nature of the fabric.

There are so many lines of fabric coming out right now that I love. It will not be possible to purchase them all but I'm excited to see them debut. For my wish list of upcoming fabric I would love to have go to Trish's post at Notes of Sincerity (we both have great taste!).

What is your favorite new line of fabric coming up this spring or summer? I'd love to know. It doesn't cost us anything to have a wish list, right?

-nanette

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