That's Me All Over!

This weekend, the whole quilty world seems to be descending on Pittsburgh for the big wholesale show, Quilt Market. Buyers like your favorite quilt shop owners are flocking into the River City to see all the newest quilty stuff so they can stock their shelves with projects for you to enjoy.

Because of my crazy schedule this Spring--lots of travel and deadlines for Book #3 from The Taunton Press--I decided that I'm going to put all my energy into my booth at Fall Market and Festival in October. But with Pittsburgh only a hop, skip, and a jump from Syracuse, I just couldn't keep away. So, I'm driving out on Friday to walk and talk and meet and greet for the weekend.

However, part of me is already in Pittsburgh!

Last night (Wednesday) was the FabShop Pre-Market Dinner. (FabShop is the same organization that sponsors the online search for the bunny!) The dinner is the first official Quilt Market event. To welcome the shop owners attending the dinner, my able assistant, Marcia created treat bags for twenty lucky attendees.

The treat bags are filled with, among other things, the book, ScrapTherapy, Scraps Plus One!, a Mini Mug Mat Six Pack, and a finished sample of a Mini Mug Mat, featuring Mini Series fabrics from Timeless Treasures and Presencia Perle cotton embellishment. Fun!

Have you heard of the Row by Row Experience? Janet Lutz, a local quilt shop owner here in Syracuse started the concept of a summer shop hop-like experience that is happening this summer in the United States and Ontario Canada. You should check it out! The website will have maps and all kinds of fun stuff for you to plan accordingly! Anyway, Janet is presenting a Schoolhouse session (it's a lot like a live infomercial) later today (Thursday) to relay some details to the 1000+ shops who are participating.

The Sew a Season fabric line by Debra Gabel for Timeless Treasures was created just for the Row by Row Experience this summer! It's very cute and works beautifully with itty bitty scrap projects like - you guessed it--the Mini Mug Mats! I created some more Mini Mug Mats (MMM's) using the Sew a Season fabrics. Janet has them with her for the schoolhouse session.

After the Schoolhouse session, the MMM's will be available to see in the Checker Distributors booth. Also Presencia (Colonial Needle), Quiltsmart, and Innovative Craft Products will have samples in their booths, too. So, you see I'm spread all over the place, like the Scarecrow after the attack of the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz!

In my 'spare time' I have been working on several row patterns for shops to give out for free to visitors to their store during the Row by Row event this summer. I created a row pattern for a shop in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, and Michigan! If you're at market, you might even find the row I created for Janet's store in the Timeless Treasures booth. I'll tell you more about the specific row designs I created and the shops featuring them as the summer travel season gets closer.

And if you're craving a sneaky peek of something that I've been working on that isn't available yet, but will be coming soon to a shopping cart near you . . . How about this cute little pin cushion? I'm not sure yet, but I think this one is going to be named the TSC Pin Cushion pattern (can you figure out what TSC stands for?) I made it from leftovers from the Sew a Season Mini Mug Mats--You know that the Scrap Therapist can't waste a thing!

So, you see, I'm at Quilt Market, but I'm not . . . yet!


Happy Stitching!

Joan