Sarah Vedeler Designs

Thanks to everyone who left a comment about Susan Brubaker Knapp’s “Leaves of Green” quilt.

My girls (Heather age 9 and Jasmine age 5 in two weeks) picked a winner on Friday evening, and I’m very happy to announce that…

Beverley Moore

… from British Columbia in Canada, will be receiving a sampler pack of AURIfil thread in the next few days!

Enjoy your thread Beverley!

Next up in the AURIfil Designer of the Month series is Linda Lum DeBono. Watch out for more on that by the end of the week – including another opportunity to win some AURIfil thread by commenting on Linda’s project. And… if you make up the project for any of the months and post a photo of it on Flikr, that enters you into the pot to win yet another AURIfil thread prize! Check out the rules here.

GO! Be Dazzled by Sarah Vedeler Designs

GO! Be Dazzled was released in May 2010, my first collection to utilize the AccuQuilt GO! cutter and the following AccuQuilt GO! dies:

• GO! Round Flower (55007)
• GO! Feathers (55008)
• GO! Circle-2″, 3″, 5″ (55012)
• GO! Star-2″, 3″, 4″ (55028)
• GO! Heart-2″, 3″, 4″ (55029)
• GO! Funky Flowers (55042)
• GO! Sparkle-Diamonds (55089)

The CD can be used in two ways.

First, it can be used to create the quilt featured on the cover as a Block of the Month program with 12 months.

Each month, 2 (identical) blocks are stitched out:

• Month 1: The 9 patch diamond blocks
• Month 2: The circle diamond blocks
• Month 3: The big diamond diamond blocks
• Month 4: The square diamond blocks
• Month 5: The Star blocks
• Month 6: The Heart blocks
• Month 7: The Funky Flower blocks
• Month 8: The Round Flower blocks
• Month 9: The top and bottom borders
• Month 10: The left and right borders
• Month 11: The corner blocks
• Month 12: Constructing the quilt

For people wanting to create a smaller quilt, a simple sashed 9-patch quilt layout has also been created, using only the square blocks and the corners:

In order to minimize the amount of fabric that ends up in your trash can (the fabric should, after all, be in your quilt!), a system has been created to allow for perfect placement on blocks that are cut 1″ bigger than the finished block size. This 1″ includes the standard 1/2″ for seam allowances, and an additional 1/2″ for shrinkage and “fudge factor”. This is how it works:

• Cut the background fabric to the size specified in the instructions. For each of the square blocks, this will be 13″ x 13″.
• Mark the center of the fabric as specified in the instructions. 3 of the square blocks are stitched with the square in a horizontal layout, the 4th is stitched with the block on-point.
• Hoop a piece of medium/heavyweight tear-away stabilizer. When you have finished stitching a block, you will need to get rid of as much of the excess stabilizer as possible (from around the applique shapes), so I have found that a non-sticky stabilizer works best in the hoop.
• Put the hoop onto your machine and stitch the first color. This will always be a placement line to show you exactly where to place the background fabric.
• Remove the hoop from the machine (but do not disturb the stabilizer in the hoop).
• Working on an ironing board (to take advantage of the padded surface), place a pin through the center point marked on the background fabric, and then guide the same pin through the center point that is now marked on the stabilizer. Push the pin all the way in. The background fabric can be swivelled around the pin.
• Use a second pin and place it through one of the center lines marked on the fabric, 2″-3″ away from the center point. Guide the pin through the corresponding point on the stabilizer. You may need to swivel the fabric around the first pin a little to get it to line up. Push the pin all the way in.
• For a double check, repeat with a third pin. You should be able to push a pin through the center line – on the other side of the first pin – and have it line up with the placement line stitched onto the stabilizer.
• Pin the fabric to the stabilizer, being careful to keep the pins away from any stitching that is going to happen. 1″ in from the edges in the corners is usually a good place.
• Return the hoop to the machine and continue stitching. The next color to stitch is usually a tackdown stitch to hold the background fabric in place. Pay attention to where the stitching is going so that you can remove the pins if necessary.

The second way the GO! Be Dazzled CD can be used is as a design library for the specified AccuQuilt GO! dies. Each of the designs used in the Block of the Month quilt is also on the CD as an individual design. These designs can be used on smaller projects, for example purses, tote bags, pillows, clothing. As an example, check out this quilted calendar:

One of the things on my to-do list this year is to create a place for people to post photos of quilts (or any other project for that matter) that have been created using my designs. Hopefully more news on that will be coming soon! I’ve seen some gorgeous renditions of GO! Be Dazzled using various different color schemes.

I nearly forgot! On November 2, 2010 in Houston, TX, at the awards ceremony for the International Quilt Associations anual World of Beauty judged show, GO! Be Dazzled won first place in the Computer Aided Machine Embroidery category!!! This is the first time that I have entered a quilt into this show, and to have the quilt win was an amazing experience. Lee, from AccuQuilt, was with me at the awards ceremony, and took a bunch of photos:

Everything you need to create your own version of this award winning quilt is on the CD!

 Are you willing to give me some feedback? If so, please leave a comment below with your thoughts. Do you have a store near to you that is offering GO! Be Dazzled as a BOM? Would you like to have? Would you be interested in participating in an on-line BOM – you’d be stitching on your own at home, but would have the option to check in online each month for moral support and to get your questions answered. I’d love to hear what you think!

The Sparkle Collection by Sarah Vedeler Designs

The Sparkle collection was released in July 2010 at Bernina University in Orlando, FL. It has a wintery theme, with Christmas trees and snowflakes.

The Sparkle Thread Collection by AURIfil

As well as the design collection, there is also an AURIfil thread collection, containing 12 large spools of Cotton Mako 50wt in the following gorgeous, mouthwatering colors:

• 2600 – Dove
• 2535 – Magenta
• 1100 – Red Plum
• 5009 – Medium Orange
• 2870 – Green
• 5018 – Grass Green
• 1147 – Light Leaf Green
• 2135 – Yellow
• 1200 – Blue Violet
• 4093 – Jade
• 1148 – Light Jade
• 5005 – Medium Turquoise.

The Sparkle Silk Collections

There are 3 silk collections, each one to make a specific project. All 3 match the coordinating AURIfil thread collection.

The Sparkle Table Runner Silk Collection

The Sparkle Tree Skirt Silk Collection

The Sparkle Tree Quilt Silk Collection

AccuQuilt GO! Sparkle Dies

To make the cutting of applique shapes much faster and more accurate, there is a set of AccuQuilt GO! dies too:

The AccuQuilt GO! Sparkle Tree Die, 55095

Use this die with the following designs:

• Big Tree Leaf 1-6 (to make the Sparkle Tree Quilt)
• Big Tree Star
• Sparkle Tree 1 Large

 The AccuQuilt GO! Sparkle Jumbo Tree Die, 55094

Use this die with the following designs:

• Sparkle Tree 1 Jumbo

The AccuQuilt GO! Sparkle Slim Tree Die, 55096

Use this die with the following designs:

• Sparkle Tree 2 Large
• Sparkle Tree 2 Mega

This die also contains the pots used for:

• Sparkle Tree 1 Large
• Sparkle Tree 1 Jumbo
• Sparkle Tree 3 Large
• Sparkle Tree 3 Jumbo

The AccuQuilt GO! Sparkle Diamonds Die, 55089

Use this die with the following designs:

• Sparkle Tree 3 Jumbo
• Sparkle Tree 3 Large

The medium and large diamonds on this die are used for Month 01 and Month 03 of GO! Be Dazzled.

The AccuQuilt GO! Sparkle Snowflakes Die, 55093

Use this die for the following designs:

• Snowflake 1-4

The Sparkle Quilts

A little over two years ago, I was a newly single Mom with 2 small children, and we were about to embark on our first Christmas in our new home. Try as I might, I could not face the thought of figuring out a Christmas tree. Not that there was any floor space to put one! But we did have empty walls, so I decided to make a Christmas Tree Quilt.

The quilt meaures 44″ x 62″. Three trees are appliqued on (basic fused machine applique, finished with a blanket stitch). A row of buttons along the bottom of the quilt allowed us to hang some tiny glass balls. Beads sewn into the sashings around the trees allowed us to hang our “annual Santa ornaments”. Not a huge amount of quilting, just enough to hold the quilt together!

Having created this first Christmas Tree Quilt, my creative juices got going, and Sparkle was born!

The Sparkle Tree Quilt

The Sparkle Tree Quilt is my substitute Christmas Tree, that I can hang on the wall. The quilt measures 54″ x 72″. The tree itself (from the top of the star to the bottom of the pot) measures 30″ x 48″.

The embroidered green triangles which make up the “leaves” in the tree are flaps, which allowed me to sew a hook to the back of each one so that a tiny ornament or a bead can be hung from the “leaf”. That explains the narrow, curved piece on the die board – a facing strip to finish the bottom edge of the leaf.

Not all of the leaves are embroidered. For my tree, 30 of the 36 leaves are embroidered, the remaining 6 are left blank. I confess that this was a decision made because of the amount of time I had to finish the quilt, rather than a major design decision. However, I really like the result! I think that the quilt could look equally stunning with only 6 out of 36 of the leaves embroidered, and 30 left blank. The tree would certainly go together a lot faster! Half and half would also work (18 leaves embroidered, 18 left blank), and it could also be done with no embroidered leaves at all, adding some interest with a patterned fabric.

The yellow triangles are in fact diamonds – with a “leaf” sitting on the top half of the diamond.

If you look at the die board and start to wonder where the star is, the die board contains a star “point”. This decision was made to keep the cost of the die down. If you wanted to use some stripey fabric for the star, some very “cool” effects could be achieved using 8 star points that could not be achieved if the star was cut as one piece.

The Sparkle Table Runner

The Sparkle Table Runner features the smaller trees that can be found in the Sparkle collection. From left to right:

• Sparkle Tree 3 Jumbo
• Sparkle Tree 1 Large
• Sparkle Tree 2 Large
• Sparkle Tree 3 Large
• Sparkle Tree 2 Mega
• Sparkle Tree 3 Large
• Sparkle Tree 2 Large
• Sparkle Tree 1 Large
• Sparkle Tree 1 Jumbo

It also features one of each of the large snowflakes (Snowflake 1-4) and multiples of each of the small snowflakes (Snowflake 1-4 Small). The small snowflakes are embroidered without an applique shape.

Each of the Sparkle Trees featured on the Sparkle Table Runner could be made into a simple, single tree wall hanging.

A slight variation in layout creates this Sparkle Wall Hanging. This quilt was made to be part of AURIfil’s travelling exhibition. If you’re in Europe at any of the major shows where AURIfiil is an exhibitor/vendor, stop by and say hello and take a close up look at the quilt!

The Sparkle Tree Skirt

The Sparkle Tree Skirt was designed in rings so that you can make it as big or as small as you want to. In it’s entirety, it measures 76″ across. At it’s smallest, with just the large trees in the center, if measures 44″ across. You can make the hole in the center as big or as small as you wish, to fit your tree. You could also keep it as a full circle to use as a table topper.

The girls had many questions for me when I was making the Sparkle quilts. One that came up frequently was “Mommy, why are you making Christmas trees in June?”. Another, my favorite, was “Mommy, where are you going to wear this Christmas tree skirt?”. Heather did a great job of showing off the Christmas Tree Skirt at Bernina University, “wearing” it as both a skirt, and a cape!

So… tell me (in a comment below), what’s your favorite design in the Sparkle collection and why? How have you used these designs (or how are you planning on using them if you have ideas that you haven’t gotten to yet!)?

Would you like to win some gorgeous AURIfil thread? If the answer is yes, then read on…

For 2011, AURIfil has launched a Designer of the Month program, featuring the AURIfil Masters and Experts who love to use AURIfil thread. I am delighted to let you know that I am the AURIfil Master who will be the May Designer of the Month!

To get the program and the year started, AURIfil has chosen AURIfil expert Susan Brubaker Knapp as the January Designer of the Month. Susan is pictured here along with the AURIfil team: Alex Veronelli, Elena Gregotti and Davide Moro.

Susan does beautiful needle turn applique and a lot of thread sketching on her art quilts - both using AURIfil Cotton Mako.

Each month, the featured designer will provide a free project for you to download. Susan’s project is called “Leaves of Green”.

So back to my original question … would you like to win some gorgeous AURIfil thread? There are two ways you can do this!

The first way… leave me a comment at the end of this post and tell me what you like most about Susan’s Leaves of Green quilt. On the last Friday of the month, I’ll select a comment at random, and the author of the comment will receive an AURIfil sampler pack. (I’ll be doing this for each designer of the month, so be sure to check back each month!)

The second way … make your own version of Leaves of Green and post a photo on Flickr.

To read more about Susan, download the instructions for the Leaves of Green Quilt, and find out how to post your photo, check out the AURIfil blog at:

http://auribuzz.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/january-aurifil-designer-susan-brubaker-knapp-lets-meet-susan-and-see-her-amazing-leaves-of-green-project/

I’m excited about this Designer of the Month program. I hope that you are too! Don’t forget to leave a comment below.

What else can you do with the Stars Collection?

So many ideas and things to do… but not always as much time as I would like to get them all done! You’re probably in the same boat, so I’ve been working on some smaller projects to showcase the designs from the Stars Collection.

Stars Table Runner

The Stars Table Runner has 3 large blocks (finished size 16″x16″) and 4 small blocks (finished size 8″x8″). The overal finished size is 22.5″ x 68″.

The table runner looks like it is “on-point”, but the absence of setting triangles on the sides and corners makes piecing really easy.

In a nutshell, here are the instructions for creating this quilt:

- Cut 3 squares, each 13″ x 13″. Embroider a large star in the center. Trim to 12.5″ x 12.5″

- Cut 4 squares, each 7″ x 7″. Embroider a medium star in the center. Trim to 6.5″ x 6.5″

From each of 3 colors, cut:

- 2 strips, 2.5″ x 12.5″ and 2 strips, 2.5″ x 16.5″

Stitch each set of strips to a large embroidered square, pressing seams away from the center square.

From each of 4 colors (or all the same), cut:

- 2 strips, 1.5″ x 6.5″ and 2 strips, 1.5″ x 8.5″

Stitch each set of strips to a small embroidered square, pressing seams away from the center square.

Layout the blocks, and then stitch together in rows.

An alternate colorway, featuring 6 point stars is shown here.

Click on any image to see a larger version of it!

It’s not highly visible in the photo, but if you ever get to see the table runners in person, you will note that the pink, 6 point, version, is finished with a piped facing, while the blue/green, 5 point, version, is finished with a simple facing. Usually I can figure most things out eventually, but how to achieve perfect inside corners for the piped facing eluded me (and still does!). So rather than have two “imperfectly” finished piped facings, I opted to eliminiate the piping on the second table runner.

Stars in a Circle

This circular quilt, 28″ diameter, was created as a traveling exhibit for AURIfil, my favorite thread company! If you are in Europe at one of the major quilt shows that AURIfil is attending, stop by to say “Ciao” to Alex and Stefano, and to see the quilt of course!

This quilt features 1 large star in the center, surrounded by various medium and small stars. The pink triangles around the center star are folded points that have been stitched into the seam. The quilt is finished with a simple binding, applied to the back of the quilt and finished from the front with a decorative blanket stitch.

Couldn’t resist showing you the back of the quilt! The backing fabric is one of Ricky Tims’ Rhapsodie Coloree fabrics, the batting is Dream Puff.

But it’s not on a quilt!

Purses and tote bags are ideal places to showcase your favorite star! This is a simple, boxy purse that I made with a large star on each side.

I don’t usually decorate my clothing, but I found a plain hoodie in Target (on the clearance rack no less!) and I couldn’t resist embellishing it with a couple of stars. Fusible water soluble stabilizer in the hoop (OESD Aquamesh Plus to be precise), and also on top of the area where the star would end up, gave me a nice firm foundation for the embroidery. Usually, I would place a fusible tearaway stabilizer on the back of the background fabric. In this case, I wanted to prevent the stitches from disappearing into the (soft and fleecy) fabric of the hoodie, so putting the fusible water soluble stabilizer on the top did the trick very nicely. I did prewash the hoodie first, and of course I washed it again after the embroidery was finished to remove all of the excess stabilizer. Then I added a few hotfix crystals to add a little extra sparkle!

Coasters, or Christmas ornaments? These stars have been quilted onto a circle of Floriani Stitch N Shape, a heavy interfacing reminiscent of Timtex. They could be used as coasters dotted around on a table, or stitch 2 together back-to-back and you have some beautiful and original Christmas ornaments – or everyday ornaments for that matter! Small and medium stars perform very nicely here.

That’s just the tip of the iceburg as far as ideas go. If you have used the designs from the Stars Collection in a project, I would love to see photos and share them with the world.

Stars – Premier Collection Special Edition – by Sarah Vedeler Designs

The Stars Collection was released in November 2010 as a Premier Collection Special Edition.

The collection contains 35 designs in the following formats:

• exp, art, art60, pes, pcs, dst, hus, xxx, sew, vp3, jef

• Note that due to hoop size limitations, not all designs are available in all formats.

6 small stars fit into a 3.5″ diameter circle.

19 medium stars fit into a 5″ diameter circle.

10 large stars fit into a 9″ or 10″ diameter circle. (5 of these have been split to allow them to be stitched out in a large and/or mega sized hoop)

While not shown in full on the packaging, the Collection contains instructions to make the following quilt:

Of course, there is a silk collection with a coordinating AURIfil thread collection available to allow you to make your own version of this quilt!

It has been pointed out to me that the name of the thread collection is a little misleading! The collection contains 12 large spools of my favorite thread: AURIfil Cotton Mako, 50 weight – 100% Egyptian Cotton. The silk collection contains 16 fat quarters of silk dupioni.

For the Stars collection, I also teamed up with AccuQuilt to create the following dies to assist you in achieving totally accurate cuts in a fraction of the time it would take to print templates, trace them onto fusible web and then cut. Of course, printing + tracing + cutting is still a totally valid option if you don’t have access to an AccuQuilt GO! cutter.

5 Point Medley:

For the small and medium sized 5 point stars.

5 Point Large Star

For the large, skinny 5 point stars.

6 Point Medley

For the small and medium 6 point stars.

6 Point Large Star

For the large, skinny 6 point stars.

8 Point Star

For the small, medium and large 8 point stars. The large star is created by cutting 8 of the star points. This has a couple of advantages: the cost of the die is kept down (less blade = less expense) and the star point can be used in both directions, creating 2 different 8 point star designs.

Star Points

For the large, chubby 5 and 6 point stars. The bigger star point is for the 5 point star. The small star point is for the 6 point star. The advantage of this is twofold: First, it keeps the cost of the die down (less blade = less expense). Second, it makes it much easier to split the design so that it can be stitched out with multiple hoopings in a smaller hoop.

Part 2 will feature some other (mostly smaller) quilts that have been created using the designs in the Stars Collection.

I can’t believe that it is 2011 already – and the last time I posted anything was in June! Suffice to say, 2010 was a VERY busy year.

Some of the highlights of 2010 (from my perspective) were:

January:

The introduction of the Silk Hearts Collection, silk and AURIfil thread kits, for creating the Silk Hearts Quilt, using designs from my Hearts CD.

May:

The release of GO! Be Dazzled at International Quilt Market in Minneapolis, MN.

July:

The release of Sparkle at Bernina University in Orlando, FL.

along with my second set of silk and AURIfil thread collections:

August:

I was invited to go to Boulder, CO, to tape an episode of The Quilt Show. Watch out for this sometime between July and December 2011!

November:

The release of Stars at International Quilt Market in Houston, TX

along with my third set of silk and AURIfil thread collections:

and also a set of Licensed AccuQuilt GO! dies:

Maybe the most exciting thing that happened in 2010 was when GO! Be Dazzled (the quilt!) was awarded 1st place in the Computer Aided Machine Embroidery category of the International Quilt Association World of Beauty Annual Judged Show in Houston, TX in November. I’m not quite sure who was more excited: me or the folks at AccuQuilt. It turns out that GO! Be Dazzled (named after the AccuQuilt GO! cutter and dies which were used in the design) is the first quilt to be designed around specific AccuQuilt GO! dies to win a major award.

So what’s happening in 2011? First off, each week in January I will be writing a review of one of my design collections, starting this week with the new Stars collection. Since it’s pretty late on Wednesday already, I had better get writing!

I’ve had a lot of questions today about the hoop sizes needed to stitch out the GO! Be Dazzled Block of the Month designs. Here’s the scoop!

If you have a Bernina Jumbo Hoop for the 830 you are in excellent shape. The central diamond blocks will each stitch out in one hooping and the square blocks will each stitch out in two hoopings.

If you have a Mega Hoop (150mm x 400mm) or equivalent (Pfaff and Viking both have hoops that are 200mm x 360mm) you are also in great shape. The central diamond blocks will each stitch out in one hooping and the square blocks will each stitch out in 3 or 4 hoopings.

If you have a Large Oval Hoop (145mm x 255mm) or equivalent then you are in good shape – as long as you have a lot of patience. The central diamond blocks will each require two or three hoopings while some of the square blocks will require up to 9 hoopings.

Placement is super easy, with detailed instructions on the CD for how to mark the fabric for each block and align these marks with placement lines that should be stitched out directly onto the stabilizer in the hoop. Be sure to read the instructions before you start stitching!

Placement of applique shapes is also super easy! Once your background fabric has been put in place in the hoop, the next thing to stitch out is placement lines for each applique shape. Remove the hoop from your embroidery module while you fuse the prepared applique shapes in place. Some of the designs have layered appliques, so you will need to do 2 or 3 sets of placement lines each followed by fusing shapes in place.

Another question that came in today was about the thread colors used. Here’s the scoop on that!

Isacord thread was used for GO! Be Dazzled, in the following colors:

• 0811 Candlelight
• 2508 Hot Pink
• 2715 Pansy
• 4620 Jade
• 1010 Toast
• 2506 Cerise
• 2810 Orchid
• 4423 Marine Aqua
• 2550 Soft Pink
• 2510 Roseate
• 2830 Wild Iris
• 6011 Tamarack

If you want to do your own colors, here’s a formula I have been using with the students in my Block of the Month classes:

Choose 3 different fabrics – in the case of GO! Be Dazzled there are Regal Purple, Cerise and Daffodil from the Crystals collection by Benartex. For GO! Be Dazzled Too the fabrics used are Hunter, Sage and Cream from the Crystals collection by Benartex.

Now choose 2 or 3 threads to match each of the 3 fabrics, e.g. 2 or 3 different shades of yellow to match the Daffodil. This will give you 6-9 thread colors.

Now choose 2 or 3 threads that contrast with the fabrics. For GO! Be Dazzled, these were two shades of turquoise, and a bright lime green. If your 3 fabrics are different shades of the same color, then choose 2 or 3 threads of the complementary color. Check your color wheel if in doubt!

Hope this helps to answer some of the questions you may have. More coming on GO! Be Dazzled in the months to come. Feel free to drop me a line if you have more questions.

Back in February, I took 5 of my friends to Kiva Elementary School where Heather is in 2nd grade, and we stitched out some silk hearts as part of the Masterpiece Art Program. Today Heather presented me with a book of thank you notes that the class had written to me. This is what some of them had to say:

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
Thank you so much for teaching us how to use the sewing machine and may be once I will see you again.
Your friend,
Donya

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
You are a great sewer. You are so nice. I love the work you do.
Your friend,
Jaydah
p.s. Thank you so much!

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
Thank you for coming and helping us make the quilt. It was really fun.
Your friend,
Lucas

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
I loved doing sewing. It was awesome. The hearts were cool. Art Masterpiece was graet!!!
Sincerely,
Lexi

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
I loved sowing with you. I hope you will do it again.
From Danelle

Dear miss, vedeler
I really like how you make the quilts it is so interesting how you do it without getting hurt or anything else
Sincerely,
Gigi

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
Thank you for teaching us how to sow. It was very fun and the heart was really cool. I bet everybody liked it.
Have a great summer!!!
From, Cole

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
Thank you for what you’ve done in Art masterpiece. I loved the quilts that you made because you probably put a lot of hard work into making them.
Sincerely,
David

Dear Mrs.Vedeler
The quilts you had us make were so fun. I wish we could do it again.
(No name on this one)

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
Thank you so much for the wonderful quilt. Sewing is so cool! You are very good at sewing.
From Jake

Dear Mrs. Vedeler,
I think you were the best Masterpiece Art parent. You are so cool. I love when you come.
Your friend,
Kloe

Dear Mrs. Vedeler
Thank you for helping inart masterpiece. I saw how you do it and I was amazed. I also love the quilt we did. Thank you for coming to do that.
Thank you, from Tommy

All in all, I think it is very safe to say that these kids really enjoyed themselves!

International Quilt Market this Spring is being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in, you guessed it, Downtown Minneapolis!

I’m staying at the Best Western Normandy Inn & Suites with my two roomies, Donna Morales-Oemig (FollowThatThread.com) and Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero (KalCollections.com).

As hotels go it’s certainly not the swankiest, but it’s comfortable – and it has free Wi-Fi in the room which is a big plus in my book! I wasn’t sure when I first saw the building if the plaster missing from the outside walls was by design or because it fell off. Apparently it is by design – trying to imitate Old English Tudor styling.

This morning Donna and I took a walk to find some breakfast and got a glimpse of Downtown Minneapolis. It’s a mixture of old and new – towering glass sky scrapers next to ivy-clad brick buildings.

The reflections in the glass are quite spectacular, especially in the early morning sun.

Tomorrow will be a busy day – the first “official” day of the trade show. More photos to come!