Quilt Market via a friend and Meet Krist Ryan!

Though I had planned to attend Quilt Market last week something came up last minute and I ended up not being able to make it.  I was sad not to get to see all the new pretty stuff and catch up with all my friends, but thankfully I have a few good friends who took lots of great pictures and had some fun memories of their time there that they were willing to share.  My friend Kristi Ryan who is a a FANTASTIC long arm quilter (file her email away for anything too big or daunting to do on your domestic machine) is sharing her quilty perspective from quilt market and I couldn't be more grateful to her.  If you have a second leave her a nice comment below- and enjoy!

I am sitting here surrounded by bags and thoughts. I am thinking about the color, ooooohhh the colors! Valori Wells “In the Bloom”; Allison Glass; Emma Jean from The Linen Cupboard; Tula Pink; all so beautiful. But can not forget Darlene Zimmerman, and the wonderful announcement from RK that McKenna Ryan would now be working with them. McKenna uses such beautiful colors to represent the wonderful north east. I can not begin to list all the new stuff.  (When walking around Market you must take frequent breaks or you go into overload.) Camelot Fabrics, Fronds, Island Batik (had some awesome colors) Fabri-Quilt, and then you start noticing the clothing. I am in awe of people who can make clothing that they actually wear. I don’t like to sew clothing. If you look at Robert Kaufman’s Instagram photos, Elisabeth Woo (pretty with dark short hair) made all the clothing she wore! Sara Lawson for Sew Sweetness also makes clothing in addition to her awesome line of bags. And then you saw the bags and boxes and wow!  Angela Walters and her new fabric for RK, ‘Drawn’. It is beautiful! I was fortunate enough to have made several of the samples in Robert Kaufman’s booth and also, a new designer, Jessie Kurtz of Harding Hill Designs. Jessie has a book out which has one block with 10 different quilts. I love it! Can't wait to make one of these with the gorgeous new ombre fabric from McKenna Ryan.

This industry that we love has so many facets. I am so blessed to be able to create something or take someone’s special work and enhance it with my quilting. There are so many styles and ideas and I am thankful for each of them, whether they call themselves traditional, modern or bad ass! All of our ideas teach us new styles, give us thought, encourage our inner creativity, we can teach each other so much. I hope that we all learn as much as we can!