Spring 2010 Quilt Market - Schoolhouse Part Three

Next up on my list of meet and greets was one I had hoped I would be able to attend - Amy Butler!  Amy shared information about her forthcoming book, "Style Stitches".  This new book will have 12 easy ways to make 26 different bags.

Amy is just what you would expect in a designer - she was sweet, funny and a little nervous.  I was so enthralled by what she was saying, this was the only photo I managed to take!  She let us take a peek into her studio and discussed her new fabric line, Soul Blossoms, coming in September.  She is also introducing a new line of coordinating threads and yarns by Rowan.

After Amy, I scurried over to the Westminster Room to hear Erin McMorris speak about her inspiration for her upcoming line for Free Spirit, "Weekends".

This soft, sweet line was inspired by a single design and Erin worked from there.  Colors in this line include a soft palette of brown, grey, green and a melon-y pink.  This line has something new to Erin, four new laminate prints.  These laminates are perfect for seat cushions, kids rooms, playroom pillows, totes, bags and rain gear.

Erin was shy and admitted that she was apprehensive about speaking in front of a crowd, but I found her witty and simply delightful!  I thought it was very funny when she mentioned that she enjoyed the laminates because she is a lazy seamstress and you don't have to pin the fabric when sewing.  That's my kind of girl!

I was able to stay right in my seat for the next presentation.  Valori Wells introduced her newest line, also for Free Spirit, "Nest". 

This beautiful line has cottons, voile and corduroy prints.  The colors were soft but the two color ways could easily work for Fall or Spring.   The dahlias and birds are classic Valori with a modern twist.  The two stuffed animals below were made from the corduroy.  Very sweet!

I did order some of this line, watch for updates here on the blog and in the shop!

Spring 2010 Quilt Market - Schoolhouse Part Two

Schoolhouse continued....

Next up was Kathy Miller from Michael Miller talking about the latest in lifestyle trends - colors and prints.  Kathy told us that the biggest upcoming trends she foresees is white, white, and more white - in all shades of white from classic white to cream.  Words she used were: clean, natural and fresh.  Colors inspired by fresh breezes from the sea.

 

Their new line, The Antiquity Collection is stunning in person.  You cannot tell from the preview photos, but this new line has gorgeous metallics.  This line has shine and glitz.  They look like glitter prints, but the bling is beautifully woven and not simply sprinkled on there, I brushed my hand over the fabric briskly and there was no glitter on my hand.  This is very important to the mom of a princess.  This fabric is princess approved!

 

The entire collection took my breath away!  Very lovely!  Kathy also mentioned that new substrates are the future of quilting.  You know Micheal Miller has the highest quality cotton wovens, soon they will also offer high quality cotton knits from Patty Young.  (more on these particular knits in another post).  Kathy also mentioned Cotton Lawn appearing in future lines.  Cotton Lawn is similar to voile - lawn is less sheer than voile.  Other trends are Drawn Florals - like Peonies (I love Peonies!) - and she sees this as a trend for the next several years.

Rob Appell also spoke.  Rob is not your typical looking quilter, he looked like a rock n roll surfer.  No surprise, he is from Morro Bay, California!  Rob and Michael Miller have teamed up and released a line of Endangered Species Quilt Patterns.  

 

These works of art are cut out and fused onto a solid background with Heat and Bond light and then free motion quilted.  I am not a quilter, but these quilts are so stunning, that I just may try one!

Spring 2010 Quilt Market - Schoolhouse Part One

This May, the International Quilt Market came to my hometown of Minneapolis.  Since I live only an hour away, I had to go! This was my first Quilt Market and first experience at a Trade Show.

The first day, I had an early check-in and I registered for something called "The Schoolhouse Series".  Schoolhouse is a series of 15 to 30 minute sessions hosted by a fabric company, designer, pattern company or really any vendor related to the quilting industry.  You select which sessions you would like to attend during each block and there is a five minute break between sessions to run to the next one.  The sessions run from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm and there were 15 blocks for me to pick.  I had another class from 9:00 am - 10:00 am, so I was off running right away for my first Schoolhouse Session.

My first session was with Pillow & Maxfield, designers for Michael Miller fabrics who introduced us to their new line shipping in June, "Pretty Bird".  This bright, modern fabric will be available in three colorways - Parrot (Pink/Green/Aqua), Blue Jay (Blue/Yellow) and Spice Robin (Brown/Red).  These prints are lovely to look at but they come alive when used in a project.  Sample projects included decoupage birdhouses, aprons and directors chairs.

Next up, Joel Dewberry talked about his new line, Modern Meadow, which was inspired by the views from his Utah home.  I personally love this line and reordered more of the Lake Blue, Timber and Berry colorways.  The scale of the prints vary and the projects shown included smaller scale items such as wallets and the larger scale print looked gorgeous on a skirt.

My next visit was to see Anna Maria Horner.  She discussed her new line of voile prints, Little Folks Voile and her new book partially inspired by her latest creation, her son Roman.  Her new book is entitled, "Handmade Beginnings" - and she stressed that the book is not just for expecting Moms, Babies and Families, but projects that anyone would enjoy.   I am a big fan of the voile collection.  It is a change from cotton quilting fabric in a good way.  It feels so soft yet is not sheer like a typical voile.  The quality is amazing and the range of uses is unlimited!  In another post, I will show how Anna Maria used this fabric in her booth.  Stunning!

Julia Roberts on Oprah

Julia Roberts was on the Oprah show on Monday, May 24th and she mentioned her new hobby - sewing!

Oprah mentioned she heard that Julia does a lot of sewing. Julia said, "...kids clothes are so expensive and Hazels dresses are basically two pieces of fabric.". When Oprah asked her why she sews, Julia said, "It's soothing for me. It's fun.". She talked about how her new hobby keeps her brain "firm" after 40 and that it's a new skill for her. In addition to the clothes for her daughter, she has made pillows for her kids and pants for her husband Danny.

Hello!

I thought Hello might be an appropriate greeting for a new blog. At least, in my head it is. After the traditional greeting is the required introduction, so let me introduce myself. I am Melissa, owner extraordinaire of the quirky and fabulous Treasure Bay Fabrics.


I have loved fabric since I was a wee little orange haired pumpkin. I can recall both my Mom and my Grandma Pearl making clothing and crafts. I thank them for giving me that gift of hand making things for the people you love. Once I got a little older, I started making clothing out of necessity. I found an old cast iron Singer sewing machine somewhere (perhaps a garage sale?) and started making my own clothes. One of my proudest accomplishments was a jacket/blazer that I made out of an ivory floral upholstery fabric. I loved that thing! I also adore all things crafty and one of my first and longest held jobs was at LeeWards (which is now Michaels). I had the opportunity there to try out every department. Cross Stitch to Custom Framing. Knitting and Crochet to flower arranging. I loved them all!

Currently, I am a stay at home Mom of my own little flame haired pumpkins - one boy, one girl. My passion for Matilda Jane Clothing and finding the fabrics that matched created what I saw as a need within my group of friends - a single location to find those rare, out of print and hard to find fabrics we quested after. Voila! Treasure Bay Fabrics on etsy was launched in April 2009. I have since added more fabrics to my product array as well as trims, patterns and books. Looking forward to the future of Treasure Bay Fabrics, I am inspired to continue to carry the out of print lovely cottons my store started with, but I also aspire to also carry a broader spectrum of bright, modern and eclectic designer prints by manufacturers such as Michael Miller, Alexander Henry, Robert Kaufman, Timeless Treasures, Andover and Japanese Imports.

Since this is such a small operation, I try to be highly attuned to my customers. I love your feedback and requests and will do just about anything to help you in your crafting adventures!

- Melissa