Oakshott Fabric

Have any of you smarty pants quilters run into or used Oakshott Fabrics yet in your quilts?

Susan at Sashiko and Other Stitching Blog has used it in a block made from this cool book.

I bumped into it at PIQF at the Pinwheels booth and fell head over heels in love with it. They are solids, and stripe fabrics but have an almost indescribable 'glow' about them. Amazing...true beauty.

After I got it home and washed and ironed it, I just cannot stop running my fingers over it in admiration of it's sheer glimmer and unique glisten.

Unfortunately, Pinwheels only had it available for sale in small packs where the colors were put together for you in a grouping, and you know I really need to pick my own color sets for myself.

So...being the little googler (is that a word?) that I am...I clicked over to their web site on the above link, and found hoards and masses of amazing colors, patterns, and solids.

I emailed them to see what shipping a couple of meters would cost, and within less than 1 day, Michael Oakshott (owner?) emailed back that it would only be just over $12 US.

Perhaps think I can feel another small quilt project coming on soon....maybe with some of this sage color.

More on PIQF 2008

My favorite quilt from the show this year was by Nancy S. Brown, called Pup Art.

All hand applique and hand quilted. I hear she teaches classes at New Pieces in Berkeley. Note to self - enroll sometime soon!

Glad you liked the flickr set of this year's show. Of course I only took pictures of the quilts that I had time to see (given I had my 2 kids with me) as well as the quilts that I really loved. The pictures are by no means a full set of all the quilts at the show.

I also uploaded a flickr set of old photos from last year's show that I loved:

PIQF 2007

and for those who really cannot get enough...

PIQF 2006 and while I'm at it -

PIQF 2005.

And if you can sit through all that, then you'll have felt like you spent the last 4 years at this quilt show. Nuts.

Other shops that I hit on my second day -

Bonnie Blue Quilts: From Katy (outside of Houston) Texas. They have some incredible Civil War reproduction fabrics. My mom got us a pack of their purple fabrics to share. Oh so pretty.

Cindy's Antique Quilts: From Clinton, Oklahoma, Cindy's shop is more of a museum for sale than a shop. Her quilts are MINT and amazing. She has a huge stack of 1850's red and green quilts that will make you want to empty your bank account right then and there. I'm soooo on the brink of putting one on her lay away program. It is awesome-cool that she offers one. Will my will power (do I have any?) prevail?

On a totally different topic -

Hwireroad.org: My wild and crazy bay area best friend, Julie McDonald, is making a journey on her scooter from California to Washington D.C. to meet people and discuss the upcoming presidential election. Her story is quite interesting, even though I must admit I wish she would just come home soon and drive around town in an actual car or something. Check it out if you have time or just cannot get enough of American political issues.

Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) 2008

We spent a good chunk of the afternoon enjoying opening day of PIQF.

Please see the flickr slide show that I put together for you.

I took a couple of pictures each of some of the quilts I was really in love with, so I need to warn you that there are just over 250 pictures in the show, so watch it while you quilt or something.

The quilt that my sister and I made for my mom with the taupe houses was hanging in all of its glory on the wall (above), in a very good spot actually.

It didn't win a ribbon, which didn't surprise me at all. I was surprised however at some of the awesome quilts that were there and didn't have ribbons, so I was in excellent company.

Most of the vendors that were there had nice things. Some of my favorites included:

Attic Heirlooms: They had tons of beautiful wools, and accessories. I was hugely sucked in by the amazing ladies that worked at the booth - so friendly! as well as their beautiful goods. All the way from Portland, Maine.

Bird Brain Designs: These girls had antique spools for sale at reasonable prices, as well as the usual yummy wools. Why am I so into wool? I think I'm addicted. I cannot stop. This shop was very bad for me! So pretty.

Pinwheels: Duh, taupe fabric central. I didn't visit their booth yet, since time was limited, but I'll be heading back tomorrow and checking them out in person. Cannot wait!! My buddy Holly who I ran into said it was awesome, of course.

Midnight quilt sleeve

Does it make sense to stay up until midnight putting a sleeve on the back of my quilt just so that I can actually get it into PIQF?

Good idea or not, it seemed the only time I could find to actually prep my quilt for the show. It did actually get delivered on time, 10 min before the cut off to take it there, with the help of my mom and husband (thanks guys).

Whew.

I found this shop in Campbell, California called Recycle Bookstore. They take your books from you and give you cash or store credit.

I have this idea to clean out all my old novels that I've read, take them there and walk away with some more children's books. That's all we read anyhow these days.

With Halloween only around the corner I decided to pick up a book called New Moon. It's all about vampires.

Does it freak me out to read it during 2 am nursing sessions?

Not really. Well, OK, just a little tiny bit. That's the point though, right?

And if you really want to freak people out, try the "zombify" or "blood stain" functions on your family photos at Picnik.

BOO!

Nuggets from Heaven

We were wandering through the Apple store last weekend and my husband treated me to an amazing new iPod in purple. I have already established a love affair with it.

As we were leaving the store our 3 yr old saw a chicken nugget laying squashed and abandoned on the floor. His instinctual reaction was of course to eat it.

Luckily we got to him before he got to it, but it was a close call.

The guy behind us exclaimed, "Cool, free food."

Sorry to gross you out, but I thought it was pretty funny.

Oh, and according to the above photo, I was crazy enough to start another chevron scarf, even though I really cannot knit, but I love having something portable that is easy to pick up at any time.

In other cravings...I am LOVING the Civil War Diaries blocks being made by Judy of Quilting with Ragdolls. What beautiful work.

Think that book may find itself into my collection.

Pacific International Quilt Festival 2008 - I'm in!!

PIQF is one of the larger quilt shows in the U.S. It is coming up later this month, and they are very picky about what quilts they take into the show.

They have actually already rejected me in past years (boo! Are they nuts?), although they did take 2 of my quilts last year.

Anyhow, this year they accepted the only quilt that I tried to enter, so I AM STOKED!

Come to the show and check out my taupe quilt in person.

It's been just wild lately running all around town, and trying to learn how to leave the house with a 3 year old and a newborn. If my mom were not here helping me, I'd probably be sitting on my couch drooling for the better part of the day.

I just picked up the above shoes for our 3 yr old from ebay, they are by See Kai Run. I am so in love with their shoes. Oh, and the girl versions are really to die for.

1930's Trip Around the World Quilt

Here's a picture of my living room after I got a sleeve on the 30's quilt that I just bought. I think it goes well with the rest of the house and makes a bold graphic statement. Happy little quilt.

I have birds on the brain since I saw Karissa's post at Kitty Kitty Crafts. Her mobile is AWESOME, and she even gave me a link to the pattern. I sooooo have to make one of these. Or 5 of them...

Thanks Karissa for your awesome post, and generally awesome blog.

Also on my brain is Fontifier. You scan in your own hand printed letters and they create a custom font for you. Has anybody tried this? It sounds so cute!

5 years of bliss

Today is our fifth wedding anniversary.

I must say that it hardly seems like it has been that long. But after all that we've accomplished, it's been a very busy time indeed. My sweet husband is my true love and my hero all rolled into one.

This photo was taken on our wedding day and in truth we were in love then, but are so much more in love now. In love with each other, in love with our little boys, in love with the friends and relatives that support our now 4-member family.

Hopefully we'll be lucky enough to celebrate many more such special days. Tonight we went to Evvia in Palo Alto. It was a splendid meal and I'd recommend it highly to anybody. Excellent and interesting dishes as well as awesome service. Check it out when you are in the neighborhood but leave little ones at home.

I really want to get to this pumpkin patch sometime soon with our boys. I think Uesugi Farms would make for some awesome photo opportunities.

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.

Front door curtain - Etsuko Furuya fabric

Here's a quick picture of the curtain that is finally finished and on our front door.

I used fabric from Etsuko Furuya that I think I got a Purl Soho, although it's been so long since I bought it that I could have also picked it up on ebay. My memory is certainly not what it used to be back in the day of sleeping through the night!

This afternoon I just got the 30's repro quilt hung in our living room. It looks pretty cool. I'll have to grab some pictures of it during the day tomorrow so you can check it out. A bit on the bright side but still very pretty.

What's the highlight of your Wednesday evening? Well, for me....tonight...it's the episode of Project Runway where they pick the final 3 designers that will show at fashion week. I'm not really a TV person, but I'm a huge junkie for this show and can hardly wait another couple of hours until it airs.

Alden Lane Nursery Quilting in the Garden 2008

This afternoon we had the treat of attending the Alden Lane Nursery Quilting in the Garden event in Livermore, California.

It turned out to only be about a thirty minute drive from our house, and we didn't run into any traffic, so it was a breeze to get there.

Tons of quilts were hung up over the nursery's plants. They put up clothes lines and clothes pins to hold the quilts up. Below you can look at all the amazing plants they have for sale.

This year there was even a little jazz band for entertainment, as well as snacks for lunch and cool drinks. That was a good thing, since it was over 90 degrees out there!

For the kids there was a play area that was seriously cool. They sell play structures, so they have huge ones for 'demo' purposes. Our 3 yr old loved it. They even had a maze made out of hay bales.

I put a little slide show together on Flickr for you to enjoy. Not as good as being there, but it will hopefully be close enough.

Oh, and just ran into the cutest blog ever - Mint Basil. Check it out if you have a sec. I'm jealous of her recycled Japanese newspaper basket.

My ultimate apron

I mostly made this apron because I had bought the fabric ages ago and I was bent on wrapping up a few unfinished projects.

The large piece of the apron is an 1850's repro fabric, and I threw an 30's print on there to serve as a pocket. The pocket is designed around the size of recipe card that I have in recipe note card box, and holds it exactly. I think that's pretty perfect. I also put a little pleated ruffle on there made of out some modern black and white striped fabric.

Fabrics from many different time periods coming together in one project is not always a great idea, but I think I'm sorta getting away with it here.

This weekend is the Alden Lane Nursery Quilt Show. It's just over an hour from our house, but I really want to go. They hang all the quilts out in the beautiful garden and they blow around in the fresh air. Not sure if we will really make it there, but if you have the chance, it is quite cool to check out.

Reading my way through the house

What do you do when you're nursing?

Well, I'm not talented enough for knitting or quilting, since I need some balance for the baby. Instead I've been catching up on all the magazines that I usually don't really have time to get through.

Ready Made is of course my new favorite.

In the current issue they mention this very cool make your own t-shirt shop in LA called Fresh Pressed. I'd like to stop in there sometime on a future visit. I think even kids would enjoy making their own T's.

KioskKiosk is also featured this month. They are having a Hong Kong theme, so all items are from there, and even have a sale going on right now. They pick up every day items that are cool and useful and offer them on their site. Everything from kite string to a welding mask (who doesn't need one of these?).

Oh, and above is a photo of the birthday crown on my husband's adorable head. He's so sweet to like my funky projects! I think he makes a darn cute model too.

Psycho Sew

First of all, a HUGE thanks to all of you for your sweet and kind comments about the new baby.

We are still having so much fun with our new little Daxton, and he has easily stolen all our hearts. Even our 3 yr old is in love.

All it took was a little nudge in the right direction, and I had a crazy list of low hanging fruit projects I could easily finish.

Here's my wild list of all the things I decided to finally put to bed:

1) Sew up feedsack pillow for the booth (done, see above in all it's glory). Handy to tuck under an elbow for nursing comfort.

2) Finish apron that I bought fabric for ages ago (done).

3) Sew 34 stars on husband's birthday crown (done).

4) Block chevron scarf - yes, it's actually done, folks, and I was crazy enough to start another one in blue. Can only block half of it at a time due to it being long, and my ironing board being the spot of choice.

5) Fix sad curtain hanging on window of front door with unfinished edges (done, thanks for shaming me into it, Katie).

6) Finish making table runner for dining room table out of reclaimed kimono fabric (half done).

7) Put sleeve on newly acquired 1930's trip around the world quilt (off to work on that now if I don't pass out first).

I think all of this means that I'm starting to finally feel a bit more like myself these days. Recovery from having a baby is still a slow process, but I think I've started down the path at least.

Oh, and if you are ever in San Jose, California, I must encourage you to check out Flower Flour for breakfast, lunch, or snack. They make some incredible baked goodies, lunch yummies, and a very mean latte. Bonus that I can walk there in about 5 min.

The place where it all happens

Is there one single spot in your house where all the excitement seems to happen?

In our family it is without a doubt our booth.

When we got it we were thinking it would be handy for breakfast, but it has become the hang out spot for dinner, reading, naps (if you can believe that!), and even small quilt group sessions.

I started a small doll quilt wall behind the booth, and still trying to make more quilts to go up. I just remembered a tiny 1850's basket quilt that I picked up ages ago at an antique shop, and it has the perfect colors to join the rest of the grouping.

Tonight I took some 30's feedsack fabric and started a pillow cover for a small throw pillow that will go in the corner.

What part of your house do you end up living in the most?

New baby bliss

What could be better than having a newborn baby in the house?

Hmmm, let me think here...um, yeah, nothing better.

Tomorrow is Daxton's 1 week birthday, and it's hard to believe he's been here that long. It also happens to be my husband's birthday as well.

He'll be 1768 weeks old.

My big online splurges for the week include adorable nursing tank tops for both me and my sister by Larrivo, and birth announcements ordered from Tiny Prints.

It's beginning to look a lot like baby!

Our baby is here!

Finally the wait is over.

Our little one has arrived and is just like an angel. We named him Daxton.

8 lbs 8 oz of love and affection. He's so sweet tempered and adorable that the family is crawling over each other just to get to hold him for a few moments.

Labor was short and as comfortable as one could hope for although at times it was certainly hard. It's always nice to have a supportive and comforting husband along for the tough parts.

Thanks to all of you for your happy thoughts leading up to the big event....all your well-wishes seem to have come true.

More news of our adventures with him soon. We all pretty much feel like we've won the lottery around here.

Our little boy is 3!

Yesterday our son turned 3.

It was a great day, and we all had a lot of fun. I even snuck a little nap in with him, which was a huge highlight.

I decided to make him a birthday crown after flipping through some of the projects that Amanda recommends in her book The Creative Family.

In my usual fashion, I didn't follow the letter of the law instructions. I used some twill tape instead of elastic to close it. I figured with the growth rate of my son's head, it would be safer to have it more adjustable, rather than less.

Also, I loaded up some glow in the dark thread and did a bit of thread painting so it would glow at bedtime.

He ran around all day in it, and was very proud of the fact that he helped me make it.

It was such a huge hit my husband asked me to make one for his birthday. I was not expecting that, but was very honored to make another one and he looks adorable in it too. I have yet to cut out all 34 stars to put on there for him. I think I can probably do it though before his birthday next week.

That crazy floating baby widgit started counting up the more overdue I become. Thank goodness the baby will be here soon, and pregnancy will be water under the bridge.

Becoming an Aunt

Today my darling little sister gave birth to our brand new niece.

The delivery was quick although (direct quote from my sis) "not fun". Mom and baby are as healthy and happy as can be. Personally I think this little girl is the cutest I've ever seen on a 1" by 1" cel phone screen, and I cannot wait to hold her/meet her. We will travel to visit as soon as our little one is here and able.

Note to self: Better finish that baby girl's quilt!

Our baby has yet to arrive, but the above amazing cross stitch is a gift for him from a family friend who does such awesome detailed work that it is a great honor to hang it on our nursery walls.

Also, if you haven't yet read Jennifer's post at Moving Hands about her brush with fame - Read: Meeting Yoko Saito in person!! - do check it out. I so wish I was there in person, I would just do anything to meet her.

Are you wondering as to what the floating baby widgit will do after my due date comes and goes, and the baby is late? Will there be some giant red warning sign flashing "Danger! Could arrive at any moment!" or something? I for one am curious...guess I won't have to wonder much longer.

Japanese baby quilt, boy version: finished

Days of hand quilting: 17

Yards of thread: way too many to keep track of

Viewings of movie The Holiday: 2 (one with directory commentary)

Quilting needles: 8

Used finger cots: 20

Having a baby quilt done before the owner arrives: Priceless

Quilts Japan #124 - the Yoko Saito issue

I cannot help but do a quick post about the issue of Quilts Japan that I just picked up.

It's issue #124, September 2008, and is completely packed with photos of the work of Yoko Saito (including cover shot). All of her work is done with Japanese taupe fabrics.

Patterns include bags, table cover, place mats, tea cozy in shape of cat, book covers, bed quilts, wall quilts, lamp cover, and even a cover for your house keys.

Could this be my most favorite issue ever? It's up there, for sure.

Cannot live without an issue of your own? Call Kinokuniya and subscribe!! They are willing to mail out subscriptions, which I think is very cool.

p.s. no baby yet!