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A bit of panic started the morning the day my husband and I left for Portland. We were doing great on time- actually got to the airport early. Good, right? Well we didn't realize the long term parking lot was closed down to a fraction of it's former self for construction (what construction, I didn't see any trucks or equipment?) so there was very limited parking. Very. Very. Limited. Other parking lots were full due to the large number of cars that had the same problem we had- finding a parking space. After frantic driving blocks and circling around we finally found a lot (at valet prices, oh well). So even though we were early, technically, WE MISSED OUR FLIGHT TO PORTLAND! Sigh. Tensions were high in the car that morning and I'm happy to say I'm still married. The good news is we got on a flight 3 hours later with minimal extra charges but it was an interesting way to start the trip. We got to Portland safe and on the day we intended, so that is really all that matters. But I learned...take the Flyaway bus to LAX. Don't drive.  Once we got to Portland and the convention center the setup went quickly due to the fact that I had my husband along for his FIRST EVER time at Quilt Market! It takes me three times longer to hang a quilt by myself on a ladder vs standing back and saying "yeah, a little to the right baby." I'll get into the quilts and fabrics on the next post. But for now, this is me after a 4:30am wake up, missed flight, train ride into city, hardly any food and huge relief to be there and be set up! Yeah, after checking in to the hotel we had a nice dinner and glass of wine so that made up for it.  I was super excited to bring along the quilt top for my Gypsy Wife quilt that I did with the GnomeAngel sew-a-long on instagram. I wanted to show it to the amazing Jen Kingwell, whose pattern it is, and who creates the most amazing works of fabric art!  Another highlight of the trip was meeting some of the talented and incredible people from the mill in Korea. They brought me a beautiful gift of the scarf I am wearing and were so LOVELY! They make magic with my designs and I am so grateful for their skill. Of course while at market I must buy some things myself, right? I bought a new Baby Lock Sashiko sewing machine, a Daylight company floor lamp and was exposed to the luscious and lovely threads at Cosmo and Cosmo's Tsu Mu Gi. I really needed to go home before I bought more. The best part of the trip is not only connecting with shop owners and other designers but also having time with the people at Moda. I am so blessed to work with such a fantastic group of people who are great at their jobs, are committed to excellence and their customers, are forward thinkers and truly GOOD people. They are a pleasure to be around and they make market special and fun. Thank you Moda! 
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 In honor of National Quilting Day I am going to spend my day sharing about some quilting love! I exhibited at Quilt Market in Houston at the end of October with the Moda designers and it was tremendously fun! The view from registration on set up day... it is so exciting to see the booths going up.   And my little corner of the world with space to show off Poppy Mae and my quilts. I loved meeting shop owners and quilters and other designers. Can you tell I'm excited to be there? I love being around other creative people. Barb from Coach House Designs created three patterns with Poppy Mae. This is her Poppy Garden quilt!   Linda King made this splendid quilt with a block using each designer's line. I loved how they all worked together. Mr. Mark Dunn and all the Moda folks were incredibly welcoming and warm. Exhibiting can be an adrenaline rush and its a great change from solitary work in my studio. And the quilts...the exhibits were gorgeous!   It has been awhile and I must admit, I am shocked when I see we are at the end of April already! My head is still in 2015 and I guess I will fill you in on what all has been happening, but I’m warning you, this will take a couple of posts… I was thrilled, elated, joyous and so very very grateful to win the Fabric8 competition on spoonflower. I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who voted. I am especially honored because the other designers had fabulously beautiful collections and I know they are all deserving.   I flew to Houston in October to meet with people from Moda after winning Fabric8 and they could not have been nicer! First off, the whole experience of Quilt Market was new for me and talk about eye candy! I saw so many gorgeous, I mean GORGEOUS quilts and fabrics! The quilts on display were stunning and I can only marvel at the hours and hours of work that went into them.   I had a lovely meeting with the Moda’s Cheryl Freydberg and Jamie Chupik. We went over some of the other coordinates and options for my line and I left with a head full of new knowledge. I also met some other designers at Moda, like Sherri McConnell and Chelsi Stratton of A Quilting Life, Luke Haynes, Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic, and Deb Strain. I am looking forward to the next quilt market when I have a section in the designer booths as well. Lots to think about and prepare for. After taking in as much as I could in a short visit, I returned home to work on coordinates, resizing, revisions…   And this all leaves me thinking about how I see Poppy Mae (my poppy-inspired collection) coming to life in quilts and other sewn goods. And knowing I needed to do more quilting research…which leads to my attending Quiltcon!
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About ROBINDesigner of colorful florals and Thatched basics for Moda Fabrics . Modern to transitional quilt designer, cross stitch designer, sewist, crafter. I am proud to be a designer for Moda Fabrics!
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