Birch Organic, I’m in love with you!! More Quilt Market Review.

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ImageInternational Quilt Market in Portland is still swimming in my head.

Seriously.  Birch Organic is doing things right.  Not only are their designs contemporary, innocent, and sometimes woodsy, but they speak to the modern family that wants imagination and beauty in their world.  I love Cynthia and Jaysen, owners of Birch Organic.  I secretly want to be best friends with them.  It’s true that I like to imagine their house filled with sand from the beach, tropical flowers, and everyday magic. I imagine that they make their own sushi, decorate with luminaries when they host dinner parties, and would gladly welcome a neighbor to their kitchen counter for coffee any morning.

Daydreaming aside, one of the main reasons I like Birch Organic and the designs they’ve curated for their collections is because they create an imaginative space for kids to be kids.  I find that the simple drawings on their fabrics lend themselves to a story that isn’t obvious.  It inspires.  And I want to make just about everything from their world.

Here are some selections from their booth at the International Quilt Market in Portland.Image

ImageOrganic knits!? With Elk?! Done.

ImageCharlie Harper designs.  Above a simple dress and below a Lunden Designs quilt.  Girl!  We need that pattern!Image

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ImageStar Gazers quilt.  Pattern found at Crimson Tate.

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ImageAnother quilt pattern by Lunden Designs called Happy Trails.  We have it Downtown Indianapolis.

Below is a line called Fort Firefly.  I couldn’t resist this line.  It’s beautiful in its sage greens and burnt oranges.  You’re gonna love it.

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ImageOrganic CANVAS!!!!! Oh man.  Those birds.Image

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Quilt Market Review will continue until I run out of photos.  I’m thinking by the Houston Quilt Market, I’ll be done. 😉  Rumor on the street is that bolts of ModBasics from Birch are coming in a few days to live Downtown Indianapolis.  It’s always a celebration when new fabric arrives.

xoxo

Heather

“Excuse me! Are you Tula Pink?!” — Quilt Market Review Continues Including Best Quilt At Market, IMO.

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Day two of Quilt Market, I was standing in the aura of Tula Pink, Freespirit Fabrics designer, trying to take it all in when a woman interrupts my Tula Pink coma saying “Excuse me! I’m so sorry.  Are you Tula Pink?” And so it begins.  I’m later to find out that this character that confuses me with Tula is Mary Fons of Quilty Magazine.  We giggle about the incident when a series of events finds me chatting with her after I’ve inadvertently crashed a quilting magazine industry party on the eighth floor of a hotel that is a few miles away from my hotel.  This whole story is way better told in person.

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Tula Pink can’t be stopped.  I am at times speechless just trying to take in the abundance of pattern, color, design, absurdity, beauty, and cohesion that is Tula Pink.  Take a closer look at her quilt market booth.

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Fabric flowers in vases.

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A really great series of pillows.

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As quilts.  As garments.  As home decor.  It all works.

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Holy.  This butterfly quilt was designed by Tula Pink as a block of the month.  You can bet your sweet bippy that we’re gonna do this at Crimson Tate.  It’s absolutely stunning.

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Here’s an up-close look at the quilting.  So good.

But let’s chat about THE BEST QUILT found at quilt market.  It’s this one —>

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I’m angry that I don’t have a better photo of the entire quilt.  I can still hear Tula’s voice as I’m franticaly trying to get a photo of it at her School House chat “Don’t worry.  It’ll be in the booth.  You can get a good photo of it later.” But in fact, I never saw the quilt outstretched again after that moment.  I couldn’t get a full view of it.  Ugh!  But I did get a few close-ups so you can see why it’s so incredible.

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That Angela Waters.  Whoa.  And closer still.

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As my friend Lindsay of Ellesquare says “You drank the Kool-Aid.” And in fact I did.  Coming to live at Crimson Tate in the next few months is not only Tula Pink’s entire line of quilting weight cottons from her collection, Acacia, but also her hand piecing kit that makes this quilt.

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Seen again here along with needlework pillows, also coming to Crimson Tate.

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Boxes of Tula Pink Aurifil thread, both the large and small sizes along with her newest collection of ribbons for Renaissance Ribbons.Image

I have a serious Kool-Aid mustache.  I might have gone a little crazy.  I leave you with a few other random bits that are interesting and all Tula Pink.  Holy mother.

xoxo

Heather

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Congratulations, Uncle Eric!

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If you ever come to Crimson Tate on a Saturday morning, you might catch a glimpse of our Eric who is a master at understanding value and scale.  From his meticulous attention to detail in sewing to his wonderful laugh that overflows and is contagious, especially when he can’t contain it, Eric is an awesome staffer of Crimson Tate.  You might recognize him from the Staff Fat Quarter Bundle Challenge.  He’s the current champion!

Yesterday Eric rolled up to Crimson Tate straight from his day job. (Look how dapper he is!  Yep, smart, funny, and good looking.) If you missed yesterday’s read, you should know that Eric’s best friend Becky chose him and Crimson Tate to help in the gender reveal of her and her husband Mark’s newest baby.  Here’s the photo essay of Uncle Eric finding out who’s gonna live at the Myers household.

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IT’S A BOY!!!

Here’s Eric ready to pass along the chosen fabrics.

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And then Becky and Mark showed up to pick up the fabric that Eric and Crimson Tate-ers chose for the newest member of their household.

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Later we’ll show you the fabrics chosen for this special little boy.  Congratulations Becky and Mark!  And thank you so much for letting us be a part of this special moment.  WE LOVED IT!!  (And truthfully, we all might have cried.  LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!)

xoxo

Heather

Boy or Girl?!!

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I’m taking a quick break from Quilt Market recap fun-time to share with you what is happening at Crimson Tate this evening.  Let me tell you an amazing little story about Becky. 

 

Becky came through the door with her all-time best friend Eric wanting to take a quilt class.  Funny.  Smart.  Meant to be friends.  These two were a riot to have in class together. They are both incredibly fabulous and wonderful.  When Becky and her husband Mark found out they were pregnant with their second baby, they decided the best way to find out the gender would be to have Eric and their new friends at Crimson Tate pick out the fabrics for the baby’s first quilt. 

 

So tonight Eric is making his way Downtown to open the envelope, to be the first to find out who’s about to enter the world, and honor this new life with a quilt.  We are going to assist Eric in choosing the fabrics for this quilt and then swiftly package them so there can be no peeking.  The gender will be revealed to Mark and Becky at dinner.

 

What do you think it will be?!?!  We’re so excited and honored to be the firsts to know this baby and thrilled to be a part of this important occasion now and as this family grows.  Love to all!  It’s a great time to be quilting.

Minneapolis Airport Didn’t Want Me To Blog. You Did Me Dirty, Minneapolis.

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So all along I thought that as I was leaving Portland, I’d have time on my layover in Minneapolis to put together more photos from Quilt Market to share but the concourse hike I took in Minneapolis didn’t see it that way. You did me dirty, Minneapolis. In the end I was overjoyed at being able to enjoy a cup of Caribou Coffee after a 20 minute hoofing from one side of the airport to the other.  When I lived in Northern Minnesota (Duluth to be exact) just a few years ago, we’d spend the morning in Canal Park drinking Caribou.  Ohhhh it’s so good.  The waters of Lake Superior make THE WORLD’S BEST COFFEE.  Le sigh.

Back to Quilt Market.

Are you familiar with Blend?  It’s the licensing division of Anna Griffin Designs.  What it boils down to is that Anna Griffin wanted to showcase her arty friends’ talents under a different label.  Blend was born.  What I  thought was INCREDIBLY noteworthy was the holiday selections Blend has for Halloween and Christmas.

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Photo above taken from BLEND website. How did I not get a close-up of these dudes?

Here’s a closer look at just how cute the holiday fabrics are.

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Look at those cars with Christmas trees attached!  We totally play that game around my house at the holidays.  We keep statistics on how many xmas trees we see strapped to the the top of cars.  It’s exciting when the daily count reaches the teens or when the game begins well before Thanksgiving. Yesssss!!!

Violet Craft‘s newest line for Michael Miller is totally worthy.  She’s so warm.  When I had the fortune of attending QuiltCon, the Modern Quilt Guild’s conference, Violet was taking the same class I was which was Patchwork Skirt with Jay McCarroll.  We giggled the entire way through. (Jay McCarroll smells really good.  More about that some other time.)  Here’s Violet’s booth with the Portland inspired collection.Image

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The domino print is pretty sweet and reminiscent to the rivets found along the surface of the Portland bridges.  This was no accident, I’m sure. Violet?!

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Also found in the Michael Miller suite was Patty Young‘s typography inspired fabric.  Here’s the lovely Patty sitting inside the swan paddle boat trying to act like she wasn’t being caught on film.  Who me?  I’m fabulous.  Rumor was that the swan boat was totes for sale.  Violet Craft threatened to put it in her yard to grow tomatoes out of it.  How great would that be?Image

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Finally for this post, I leave you with T.J. Lane, artist and giggler.  She designs and crafts sterling silver thimbles that are AMAZING.  We have had a selection at Crimson Tate for a year now and we loaded back up this time with a few with gems, a few with bees, and a few delicate hearts.  Here’s our girl T.J. as she realized she charged my credit card SIX TIMES for one transaction.  Get it together, T.J.!!  😉 I love her dearly.  Look at these amazing pincushion rings.  I wore one the entire time I sat in her booth with her.  Sooooo good.

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Here she is after she charged my card six times.  HAHAHAHAHA.  Jokes on me! 😉

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And then when I told her to be serious, this is what she gave me:

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Yea right!

It might take me a month to get through all of these photos.  Stay with me.  I’ve got a lot to share.

xoxo

Heather

And Day Two of Quilt Market, Melody Miller Dominates!

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Oh Melody Miller, how did you get to be so amazing?!  Her sense of color.  Her unconventional design.  It’s a breath of fresh air.  This kid is UBER talented.  Melody’s newest line coordinates with the other raising star collections.  She glitters in the same way her fabric shines.  Enjoy this photo essay of Melody’s newest fabric that will be living Downtown Indianapolis at Crimson Tate.  We love Japanese fabrics.  This collection was manufactured by Kokka and is a cotton linen blend.

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Want to see what else is going to live at Crimson Tate and is from Japan?  Here’s a sliver of other designers such as Echino, Nani Iro, and Ellen Luckett Baker who will be residing on our shelves very soon.

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OH MY!  Look at those scooters and cameras!  YESSSSSS!!!!  Man.  There’s so much more.  I’m headed home this afternoon.  I’ll try to sneak in one more round of photos before I make it back to Indiana.

xoxo

Heather

Quilt Market in Portland Spring 2013 – First Impressions – SUCH DESIGNS for the Win.

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In Portland, anything goes.  Laid back.  Hipster.  Grunge.  I’m thoroughly enjoying the culture found here.  Portlandia isn’t far off.  From funky funk doughnut shop VooDoo Doughnuts to the permanent food cart village found right next to my hotel, it’s pretty swell.

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But enough of that for now (although I have more to share and say on the topic).  What I really want to share is my very first impressions of Quilt Market Spring 2013 opening day.  I packed in a lot of appointments Friday touching base with many of the lines of fabrics I don’t get to see unless I’m at quilt market.  By far, my favorite is EVERY SINGLE PIECE of fabric found in SUCH DESIGN‘s premier line called Collage.  Carrie Bloomston is love and light.  She’s generous in spirit and inspired by painter Mark Rothko and environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy, to name a few.  She’s a girl after my own heart.  I love these dudes, too, and their use of color and design.  Check out a few of the products made with her new collection for Windham Fabrics (who I also love desperately).  Note all of those vibrant turquoise and electric purples.  I’m seeing this electric color palette everywhere in more modern manufacturers.  Ohhhh man.  It’s good.

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And then I stumbled into the booth of Cloud 9 Fabrics and the home of Rashida Coleman Hale. Ohhh man. Her color choices will coordinate beautifully with COLLAGE.  Again, the color found in these guys is sophisticated electricity.  And what’s not to love of Rashida’s aesthetic?  Small patterns in rich color.  Keepers. And when paired with linen, whoa.

Rashida Coleman Hale Koi Rashida Coleman Hale Koi Rashida Coleman Hale Koi Rashida Coleman Hale Koi Rashida Coleman HaleThere is SO MUCH MORE to share. Truly, this is just a teeny tiny drop in the bucket of all of the photos and thoughts I have about what’s happening here at quilt market. I’m so happy to have found a few moments to relay my love of Windham and SUCH Designs, Rashida Coleman Hale and Cloud 9 fabrics.  I can’t wait until tomorrow!!  I can’t wait to share what I’ve seen.

xoxo Heather

Karen LePage of One Girl Circus will be sewing with us on Friday Night

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Friday, August 17, Karen LePage of One Girl Circus will be joining us during a special Friday night edition of Downtown Sewcial.  Come hang out with the author of SEWING FOR BOYS and sew with her.  We are honored to have her in attendance.  She is hanging out in Downtown Indianapolis during the Indianapolis GP Motorcycle Races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Her husband has a gig!  She’s along for the sewing ride).

 

I had the great fortune of meeting Karen in an aisle of the Kansas City Quilt Market while she was hanging out with Rashida Coleman Hale and Heather Braunlin Jones.  We became instant friends and I’m excited to host here in Downtown Indianapolis.  How cool is she to come hang with us?!  Love it!!

 

Call the store or email me if you want a reservation to sew at Friday Night’s Sewcial.  Otherwise, just drop by and say hey to Ms Karen!!  We’ll be glad to have you.  Image

 

Yuwa Japanese fabric is found Downtown & Liberty of London is crossing the big pond!!

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This past week, Yuwa Japanese fabric crossed our threshold.  It’s so beautiful in its retro color scheme.  Several quilts are being constructed using this fabric.  It’s beautiful.

 

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LIBERTY OF LONDON

Also, Liberty of London rang, our collections of their new Lifestyle fabrics are crossing the big pond as I type.  I can hardly wait.  Check out the link to peep it and read more about it.  Quilting weight cotton in amazing designs!!

http://www.liberty.co.uk/lifestyle-fabrics/article/fcp-content

 

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More soon!

 

🙂 HEATHER

Mayor Ballard Takes Advantage of Mass Ave’s Cultural Trail

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Being on the Cultural Trail in Downtown Indianapolis along Mass Ave is GREAT!  We are constantly entertaining cyclists on century rides, runners training for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon, and babies in strollers who prefer to be pushed along the brick path laid by the city of Indianapolis.  On Saturday morning during Camp Sew and Sew, Crimson Tate’s sewing club for kids, we spotted Mayor Greg Ballard as he hopped on his bike to take the Cultural Trail north to the Monon.  From the 800 block of Mass Ave, it’s a simple jaunt to 10th Street and away you go.  Thanks Mayor Ballard for entertaining us by posing with Crimson Tate’s sign after your bike ride.  He looks good, don’t you think, considering he had just returned from a long bike ride along the best Cultural District in the city, Mass Ave.  Perhaps his next adventure, a quilting class at Crimson Tate?!?  Come on in!!!Image