Houston Market Here We Come!

Please stop by and say "hello"!

Countdown to Houston!

Well, I am in a state of hyper activity and preparing for Houston Market. The black of night is spent making "to do" lists in my head. But it dawned on me, as I looked over my messy studio, how lucky I am to have a career fondling fabric and meeting such wonderful and talented people along the way. 

One of these people is Nancy Ota, who I met during my visit to the Beach Cities Quilter's Guild in California. She is the creator of Screen Play patterns for those good looking and very practical tote bags. I was so impressed that I asked if she could make some bags to display in the booth. And here they are!

She used her Tote It and Zip It patterns with some of the new Prairie Gothic fabrics and they turned out beautifully!

Love the pink! This one has a red/pink/white checkered lining, which gives it a very cheerful attitude. The fabric would make wonderful napkins or pillowcases, too.
This is the Dusky colorway of the Sweet Potato Vine design. Deep and elegant!
Here Nancy made an applique to extend the design behind the pocket and the workmanship is perfect, too. Stop by the booth 1520 and you can see these handsome bags in person.

Thank you Nancy, for all your energy and enthusiasm!

Forest Forms

There have been dramatic changes in the landscape this week. The soybeans have suddenly turned the countryside golden and the green corn is beginning to brown. Plus it has been one of the wettest weekends ever recorded here. Autumn atmosphere has arrived. In the depths of the forest behind the house the dripping canopy of trees look dark and mysterious. The soaking black trunks and stumps are sprouting some of the most amazing forms. Greg spends lots of time pouring over the mushroom guides, as he is anxious to harvest some for our dinner. But so far, it is  hard to determine the good from the bad! But design wise they all look fine.

These Baneberries look like an "eyeball" plant. Love it! So I guess you can see where my inspiration comes from. There is so much LIFE, even here in the "ordinary" Midwest! And that is exactly what the Prairie Gothic fabric designs are all about.

 The insect world is a big part of the action, too, so they also have a starring role this season. This is a design I have been thinking about for years. It is one of the three designs (in all three colorways) being printed in home dec fabric. I'd like to recover the porch furniture with "bugs".

In keeping with this mysterious theme, here is the Lace pattern, also in the Midnight color way.

This is another design playing off Queen Ann's Lace, but from a different perspective this time.

I think this would make awesome napkins or a table cloth. Hopefully,  you are dreaming up some projects of your own, too!

Summer's End

Where has it gone? It has been a very busy season for me. Travel and teaching has consumed most of my time. But the last two weeks have been at home and it has been wonderful. Watering the vegetable garden in the late afternoon has been a sublime chore. Standing among the towering vines that are radiating warmth and a "green" fragrance and the stillness of the day with only the bees humming is a sensory treat.

But this weekend autumn was in the air! This is the time when my body rejoices and begins to wake up. Today it is raining and I may have to turn on the studio heat. That's the wonderful thing about living in the country... everyday is entertaining!

Also during the last two weeks, I have begun working with the new fabrics. This line is called Prairie Gothic and inspired by the quietly sensational wildflowers and ever present insects in my Midwestern summer landscape. This season I was determined to included a more subdued pallet for one of the colorways. I agonized over the right combinations, but I am really pleased with the outcome.

Also, I have signed up to have my first booth at Houston Market and I am in a bit of a panic! Hmmm... an understatement. I wake up at 3:30 every night thinking of all the things I want show there! I am calling it Jane's "Idea Booth" and I hope you will stop.

This design is called Teasel and Lace and shown in the Dusky colorway. It is available in quilt weight cotton, but also in upholstery goods.  It combines a traditionally inspired repeat with some contemporary wit and decadence. I think it would be fabulous in a rehabbed bungalow or Victorian. Can't you imagine it on a fainting couch?

Here is the Dusky Coneflower design. I have already used it in pillowcases and they look great!

More sneak previews next week! I will also keep you posted on the Idea Booth and would love any ideas and suggestions. 

Baltic Travelogue

Oh my! I have seen such wonders in the past two weeks as a passenger aboard the MS Rotterdam during the Baltic Quilt Celebration! I shared this adventure with Elly Sienkiewicz,

Joan Wolfrom, Alex Anderson, Christine Porter, Velda Newman and about 200 other quilt enthusiasts. Our escapade brought us to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Helsinki, Arhus (Denmark),

Oslo, Berlin, Tallin (Estinia), St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen. 

Being a Scandinavian design fanatic, this was a heaven sent journey! So, of course, the highlights of my experience are design related. I was able to visit some wonderful shops and see some beautiful places. For example, in Helsinki I got to visit Eliel Saarinen's home and several important design stores including Marimekko, Iittila and Artec. 

In Stockholm I could have died of bliss, as I got to explore the shops of two favorite designers. First we found Gundrum Sojun's boutique and got to see her beautiful clothing and interior accessories IN PERSON! A few blocks away we hyperventilated at Svenskt Tenn, the headquarters for a pioneer designer of the contemporary Scandinavian design movement, Josef Frank. For me, this was a religious pilgrimage! I could have fallen to my knees and cried, but I tried to control myself, for Velda's sake. The museums and palaces weren't bad either!

Crocked buildings in Amsterdam.

Norwegian Stave Church

Extraordinary Vigeland sculpture park in Oslo.

Windmill in Denmark

Fabulous sign in Tallin, Estonia.

Berlin fuchsias

Catherine's Palace, St. Petersburg

Hvittrask, home of architect Eliel Saarinen outside Helsinki.

Charming summer house in the Swedish Archipelago.

So this is a brief travelogue and now it's time to fondle some fabric!! My new "Prairie Gothic" fabrics arrived just before I left town! It was a bit frustrating to know the fabric was here and I was there. But this trip has fed my soul and renewed my enthusiasm and I can't wait to get started!

Bon Voyage!

It is a constant frustration to have so many ideas for using the fabric and so little time. I pray for elves... like the story of The Shoemaker and his Wife.  So, I am always delighted when you send pictures of your "Sassaman" projects. YOU are my little midnight stitchers who surprise me in the morning with your wonderful work!

And some of your ideas are amazingly fortuitous! This week a little red package arrived from Delaine Little of the Mt. Tam Quilter's Guild in California. To my surprise, there were three perfect baggage tags wrapped in pale pink tissue. Did she know I was heading out the door on a quilter's cruise of the Baltics? 

Sometimes life works well. Thank you, Delaine! Your work was immediately put into service and will accompany me on this big adventure. And thank you to everyone who has sent photos and inspiration!!! I plan to post it all in an E-album soon. In the mean while, I will attempt to post some travel shots next week, conditions permitting. Bon Voyage!

Help! A Bear with No Name

I have just returned from a glorious week teaching at the Quilter's Affair in scenic Sisters, Oregon. The culmination of the celebration was the famous Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. The whole town and many volunteers begin at 7 am to hang about 1200 quilts all over the quaint town and in no time it becomes an outdoor theater of quilts and quilt fans.

When I got home there was a little surprise waiting on my front porch... with a face only a mother could love! The poor thing was holding a note which read, "Dear Jane, I please need a name! But first some background information about me: I am made of scraps (from material to thread to stuffing), I was born on the summer solstice, I make everyone I meet smile, I'd secretly love to be on your blog! Thank you for all your help!! Forever yours, Nameless Bear.

But this bear is poor in name only! Look at that fat tummy, those lovely ears and that tie!

Of course, we took him right in and now he sits in the Hickory Throne, the seat of honor. We have discovered that he is especially fond of jelly beans and happy to show off his colors.

Here is another cute little critter; this one made by my talented friend, Laura Foster Nicholson.

It is grand to see the fabric put to such squeezable use.

A "bear behind"... please help us name our new housemate... something French perhaps?