Here, There, and Everywhere!

I am here.  I am there.  I am everywhere!

Isn't it funny how the internet has changed our lives so dramatically?  Today, I am in the car, driving to Dalton, Ohio to set up shop at the Amish Country Quilt Show.  You are reading this blog post here at Stitched Stories.  

And....

Through the magic of cyberspace, I am also appearing as a guest blogger at Ladybug Blessings today!  Click here to hop on over to Kristen's and check it out!  

FYI -- There is a special coupon code just for Ladybug Blessings' readers!  Happy Stitching, everyone!

Jenn

www.TheLittleShopOfStitches.com

And The Winner Is...

I must admit my photography skills are not the best.  Regardless, I hope you are able to enjoy a few photos of the winners from the Miami Valley Quilt Guild Show from last weekend.  These are not all of the winners, just the ones I was able to get through the crowds to see.  Nothing can replace seeing these works of art in person, however.  Just remarkable.  

This first one was part of a Joann's challenge.  Beautiful to look at, but the quilt maker said the fabric was not fun to work with.  ;)

 This next winner is a gorgeous whole cloth quilt with an angel motif.

 This quilt won for best pieced quilt.

 

This was made by Maria Elkins, a national award winner.  This was a personal challenge to herself, to make the entire wall hanging with NO PINS!  Just a fabric glue stick!  Amazing!

See what I mean by the crowds of people?  :)  This won Best In Show, and for very good reason.  The winner is to the right in the blue shirt.  (Didn't catch her name.)

Here is a full photo, in all its glory.  It is raw-edge appliqued, and she used her knowledge of trigonometry (TRIGONOMETRY!) to be sure her angles and shapes came out correctly.  I am such a slacker.

The Quilt-Fest continues at The Little Shop of Stitches.  We are already set up for our next show May 10-12 in South Lebanon.  Check our Facebook page for more pictures.  Then, we jet-set to Kansas City for Quilt Market!  Be sure to watch the website for our HUGE Blow-Out Sale later this month!  Happy Stitching!

Quilt Show Day and Friday Funnies

It's Quilt Show Day!  I feel like kid waiting on Christmas morning for the fun to begin!  And, I know I will be just as tired as a worn-out six-year-old later.  But, it's worth it.  An entire day of viewing, talking, and thinking QUILT!  

I will post photos later next week.  In the meantime, please enjoy some funnies at Moda Lissa's blog today.  Today's topic...Out of the mouths of babes.  Happy Friday, everyone!

Photo-Journalism

This week, I've not spent any time with this.

I have bonded a great deal with this.

Checking in a lot of new these.

To create lovely little bundles of these.

And these.

Oh, and these!

Taking great care in preparation for this.

Will you be there?  :)

Razor Blades, Tires, and Quilt Shows

I am sure you are wondering what that post title means.  What in the world do razor blades, tires and quilt shows have in common?  Well, just read on, My Friend!

I am still coming down from my adrenaline high from our weekend at QuiltFest!  We had the car packed so tightly, we almost didn't have room for our suitcases!  I thought I would take you on a picture tour.

To start off, we encountered a bit of a bump in the road (no pun intended).  

I called it a razor blade, Mom called it a shard.  Either way, it was metal, pointy and did NOT belong in my tire!  Luckily, we found it before it was too late.  As we parked in the lot at the repair shop, we heard a very distinct "ssssshhhhhhhhhhh" sound coming from the tire!  Oh no!  I told the nice man in the shop, "My tire is deflating in your parking lot as we speak.  I am hoping you are able to fix it, otherwise, we will be spending the night in your lobby!"  Thankfully, everything worked out.  (I am not sure he wanted us there all night!) 

After the tire excitement, we were off to the quilt show!  We received many compliments on our display.  What do you think?  Here we have a few Amy Butler samples and our 3-yard mini-bolts.

Here is a close-up of our mini-bolt display.

The front side held our Quilts-in-a-Can and a variety of quilt kits.

Patterns galore!

The precuts and fat quarters were very popular.  Maybe because they are so darn cute!

We had a great three days!  We were definitely tired once we got home, and it was certainly nice to sleep in our own beds.  But, we met some really nice people -- some award-winning quilters, some just beginning -- but all really friendly.  Isn't that the way with quilters?  :)

We'll be taking The Little Shop to the Miamisburg Quilt Show at the end of April.  If you are in the midwest, we'd love to see you!  

Do you have a favorite quilt show?  Is it a show you visit every year?  What makes it special to you?

Prep Work

In less than a week, The Little Shop will be packing up the truck and traveling to Rising Sun, Indiana for QuiltFest!

This morning, I wrote out a list of things to do before we head out.  There were so many things on the list, I ran out of room on the page!  Regardless, I am too excited for words.  Here is a sneak peek at the prep work.

New fabric shipments!  I'm becoming very friendly with my UPS and FedEx man.  ;)  Doesn't this look like a giant box of crayons?

A great flea market find in the back of my car.  It is a doll-sized wooden cradle, and is absolutely adorable!  In its second life with me, it will display fabric. 

Designer fabric gets the upscale treatment in these cute little springtime baskets!

I saved the best for last!  I've been working with the awesome folks at Like Sew Websites to design a new online home for The Little Shop.  Here is a sneaky peek!

The website should be ready to go in less than a week!  Springtime is quilt show time!  Can you feel the Fabric Frenzy?  Happy Stitching, everyone!