Last week I shared some of what I found at Quilt Market. Since the show is so large, I couldn’t possibly cover it all in one newsletter, so I went back through my notes and stacks of literature to share more.

• RJR was recognized for its outstanding booth winning the First Place Best Booth Award in the Multiple Booths category. The booth featured hundreds of beautiful Origami cranes made from the newest RJR collections. Collections included Safari from Jinny Beyer. Safari is designed to bring awareness to the seriousness of animal endangerment. Jinny says she was inspired by the brightly colored garments of the African Maasai tribe and the hues of the Serengeti skies. If you are looking for neutrals, Audrey Wright with Legacy Patterns designed a gray scale collection called Neutral Territory. I saw a few kitchen themed lines and Patrick Lose has designed In the Kitchen featuring designs with oven mitts, forks and spoons, mixers, coffee ups as well as some tone on tone and small scale prints. Also from Patrick is Millefiori, an addition to his Basically Patrick collection.

• BERNINA introduced its Q-matic, its longarm automation system. The Q-matic is designed for the BERNINA Q series machines and features a 23″ all-in-one touch PC mounted to the side of the frame for easy access to designing. The Q-matic comes with more than 200 designs included. Bernina also announced its partnership with American Quilters Society and its iquilt.com initiative of online quilting instruction.

• Moda celebrated 40 years in business at Quilt Market this year. Luke Haynes created his debut line, Dapper, with Moda. It includes 30 woven that have the quirky feel of a well-loved vintage shirt. Also new with Moda is designer Wenche Wolff Hatling of Northern Quilts. Wenche is a Norweigan quilt designer and introduced Jol, a collection of yule-themed graphics in gray and red. I’m a word person, and Sweetwater Designs know for its text prints didn’t disappoint with its Volume II collection.

• On the pattern front, I saw lots of new patterns. Some that stuck with me were the collage patterns from Laura Heine of Fiberworks especially Pinterton, a pink flamingo, and Flaura Vintage Trailer, which is the vintage pink trailer that Laura uses to travel to shoos. I also saw that Joan Hawley had her two new patterns in a number of booths helping to showcase both the pattern and the fabric lines. Patterns included Sweetpea Pods, a small angled bag; and Fabio, a lanyard-style key fob.

• Clover Needlecraft introduced a number of new products that quilters and sewists will enjoy. Added to the Press Perfect by Joan Hawley line is the Hot Ruler, a ruler that can be used with a hot iron. Clover also introduced a wedge iron that easily gets under layers of fabric with its narrow tip. And if you’re interested in adding crochet to your store, I loved the Jumbo Armour Crochet Hooks with the bright handles. Clover also has free project instructions for using fabric scraps with the hooks to make baskets and rugs.

• New from Floriani (RNK Distributing) with Alex Anderson is Quilters Select stabilizers, fusibles and battings. The product line includes cotton and wool batts as well as a machine batt with a water-soluble fusible coating.

• New from Michael Miller is Nature Walk by Tamara Kate. I heard Tamara talk at Schoolhouse where she shared that the inspiration for the designs came from family walks on the weekend. Part of the collection is a panel of the alphabet, each letter featuring something nature inspired. Into the Deep by Patti Sloniger features 27 SKUs shown in two colorways, Laguna and Tropical. Michael Miller also introduced some new flannel and gauze lines.

This was just a partial look at what I saw at Quilt Market. I can’t wait to see some of these fabrics in new quilts and garments. Please share what else you saw that was new.

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Morna McEver is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals where creative arts entrepreneurs craft business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://www.creativeartsprofessional.com.

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If my math is correct, this is my 44th visit to International Quilt Market. I’ve been going since the fall of 1994, mostly with a booth and walking the floor for the last year. I always return invigorated by the sights and activities of Market and Festival. I love reconnecting with the friends in the industry I’ve made over the years. It’s like a family reunion! Here’s just a bit of what I saw that was new this year.

• New from Andover is the Little House on the Prairie collection. Walnut Grove features prints from the era of Laura Ingalls’ childhood, Prairie Flowers is a rainbow of calicos inspired by the TV show, and Scenics and Icons features iconic imagery inspired by the novels. Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson) and Charlotte Stewart (Eva Beadle) made an appearance during the show to promote the line as well as the release of the DVDs of the restored and remastered original series and a recently released documentary. “The attic and the cellar were full of good things once more and Laura and Mary had started to make patchwork quilts.”

• One of the hot patterns on the floor was Pop-Ups from Fat Quarter Gypsy. This 6″-tall collapsible container is created with a fat quarter, and the pattern includes the spring you’ll need to complete the project. A second pattern is available in 8″, 10.5″ and 15″ sizes. The designer, Joanne Hillestad, came up with the design at the Creative Arts Business Summit in 2015. She also teamed up with several designers to show you how to feature their designs in your Pop-Up.

• Springs Creative introduced the Small Wonders fabric collection from Mary Fons. The Small Wonders debut line was curated from Springs vault of vintage art and fabric swatches, The Baxter Mill Archives of antique designs dating back to the 1800s. The line features six country collections each with distinct small prints.

• In general as I walked the floor I looked for color trend and what came back to me again and again was the use of less pure white across the fabric lines and a move to more of a broader neutral palette in the white range. The motifs that stuck with me were elephants and bicycles.

• Mary Ellen’s Products introduced two new scents to its Best Press line of clear starch and sizing alternatives: Winter Magic, an evergreen scent, and Frankincense and Myrrh. The product comes in a spray bottle, so it’s environmentally friendly and you can see how much product is left. Best Press doesn’t flake, clog or leave a white residue on dark fabrics.

• Prym-Dritz introduced its espadrilles program so you can start making your own shoes! They offer everything from the soles and fabrics for lining and tops to the notions needed to sew your shoes. You can get an idea from the short video tutorial “How to Make Espadrilles by Dritz,” on You Tube. Seeing the options that you can make is fun.

I’ll share more from Market next week.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just use it in its entirety and be sure to include the blurb below:

Morna McEver is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals where creative arts entrepreneurs craft business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://www.creativeartsprofessional.com.

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLE LIKE THIS?

See the ICAP blog at http://www.creativeartsprofessionals.com/weblog/

Necktie Quilts
Christine Copenhaver
C&T Publishing; $24.95

Those of us who have been quilting for some time remember when necktie quilts were popular. With the arrival of Necktie Quilts Revisited by Christine Copenhaver, we may see more. Christine set out to write the book for three reasons: to share her technique of stabilizing the necktie material with fusible interfacing; to provide practical information on sewing with neckties; and to offer fresh ideas for quilts made from neckties. Her discussion on the nuances and how to use necktie patterns was fun to read, particularly the significance of the colors. The book includes instruction for 17 projects and a gallery of additional quilts. I know I have a stash of ties in the back of a closet, so a necktie quilt may be in my future.

Look for this book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Stitches in Rhyme: Mother Goose Embroidered Quilts (and More!) for the Modern Nursery
Donna di Natale and Amy Ubben
Kansas City Star Quilts; $26.95

The discovery of a series of Mother Goose nursery rhyme blocks from the early 1940s inspired Donna di Natale to track down the descendants of the designer, artist LaVerne Bartos. From there, she and a friend Amy Ubben took the 21 blocks and created a sampler quilt plus an extra block. In addition to the quilt, you’ll find directions for 11 more projects, ranging from a curtain and pillow covers to a changing pad and stuffed Humpty Dumpty toys. The book includes general embroidery instructions as well as step-by-step instructions for each item. With so many of my friends having grandbabbies, I have got my eye on one or two as gifts.

Pictorial Art Quilt Guidebook
Leni Weiner
C&T Publishing; $29.95

I have a fondness for collage, and this highly usable, user-friendly guidebook teaches you how to take a photo and translate it into a fabric collage. Leni Weiner’s premise is that the photo frees her from figuring out the proportions, perspective, light and shadows. Using a photo, Leni creates a full-size pattern, traces sections onto freezer paper and uses the pieces to cut fabric. (One tip Leni shares is to use the free program GIMP to work with your photos.) Leni divides the book into three sections. First, you will learn about color (without needing your color wheel), value, print and scale. She has a wonderful value scale of gradations in gray, from white to black, so you can identify what value your fabric is. With the fundamentals in place, Leni takes you step-by-step through making an art quilt from a photo. When you are ready to venture on your own, you can use her practical ways to approach common elements, such as trees, rocks, and animal and people features. An additional project is also included. I cannot wait to delve more deeply into the process.

If you have tried Leni’s techniques, I would love to hear about below. If you would like to learn more, you can look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon  if you would like to learn more about the book.

Sweet and Simple Sewing Jessi Jung, Carrie Jung, and Lauren Jung
Martingale; $24.99

Jessi Jung and daughters Carrie and Lauren teamed up to present this collection of fresh sewing and quilting patterns. The collection includes 13 projects, perfect for gift giving or keeping. It was nice to see designs I hadn’t seen before, and I appreciated the hand-sewn and hand-bound journal. 

Look for the book at your local quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link toAmazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

All-in-One Quilters Reference Tool 
Harriet Hargrave, Sharyn Craig, Alex Anderson, Liz Aneloski
C&T Publishing; $17.95

This handy guide to all measurements quilting has been updated with 40% more information. It’s filled with easy-to-follow charts, tables and illustrations to help you figure out yardage requirements or cutting instructions. Also includes cutting and piecing instructions. New is the addition of requirements for 20 popular traditional blocks. The book is also available as an ebook. This would make a great purchase to have on your ipad or phone for easy access at the quilt shop.

Simple Circles and Quick Curves
Nancy Mahoney
Martingale; $24.99

Do you want to make a quilt filed with curved pieces only you feel intimated at the thought of the piecing. Nancy Mahoney offers you a different solution. Using her starch appliqué method with heat-resistant plastic templates and a small blanket stitch on your sewing machine, you can get the effect you desire. After teaching you the technique, Nancy lets you put your skills to the test in eight quilts.

Creating Celebration Quilts
Cyndi Souder
Schiffer Publishing; $19.99

I think we’ve all made celebration quilts, whether that’s to celebrate a new baby or to celebrate someone’s life after it ends. Cyndi Souder has taken the concept of a celebration quilt and provided you with a blueprint to create your own individual quilt. I love the idea of the worksheet she starts with. So often we know we are making a quilt to celebrate something, only we don’t spend the time to really evaluate its purpose, the mechanics and the design. She gives you 10 broad questions plus other questions based on the answer you choose. By writing them down on the worksheet, you are getting clear on your project and setting yourself up for success. To get started, she walks you through the process of making five of her celebration quilts. Reading how she made her decisions was fascinating and will be valuable as you approach your celebration quilt. Actually, it is valuable for any quilts that you make. All quilters need knowledge and techniques in their toolbox as they work. Cyndi devotes one section of the book to this, including topics such as taming difficult fabrics and using photographs. I particularly liked her discussion on what she terms QuiltWriting, a technique of stitching words on the quilt with free-form machine quilting. The book also includes a gallery of 34 quilts.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to www.Amazon.com if you would like to learn more about the book.

Simply Sensational Square-agonals® Quilts
Sandi Blackwell
Landauer; $24.95

If you missed Sandi Blackwell’s earlier book, here’s your chance to learn her easy technique for creating quilts with a diagonal setting without adding setting and corner triangles. She uses a mathematical concept known as “dissection.” When creating your blocks you just cut, rotate and reassemble. In the introduction, Sandi explains the math to you, only it’s not necessary to know as she points out. She provides directions for constructing 12 quilts, which are not on the diagonal, and then she shows you how to make two cuts, rearrange the pieces and then sew them back together to create the diagonal set. The instructions are clear, and if you or your students get thrown by creating setting triangles, give this technique a try.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.