More Spring Quilt Market News

Quilt Market can be an overwhelming experience. Booth numbers ran from 103 to 2653. That's a huge amount of product to look at, even when large merchandisers have more than one booth. For example Moda had 24 booth spaces, and even though the products were from one company, the amount of new fabrics was mind boggling. The photo below is a display of the new Indygo Junction clothing patterns. The samples were smashing, but we also loved the way they put the displays together! Garments were featured in many of the booths, and it could be that garment construction is making a comeback.


Another trend we noticed was fabric designed for home decor. Amy and I were spending a gloriously inspiring moment resting on the setee in the Vicki Payne booth. Vicki designs for Free Spirit Fabrics, and we'd love to carry some of her fabrics. This last sumptious display is by Serendipity Studio. The pattern covers from this pattern maker don't begin to illustrate how beautiful this clothing and the bags really are. We noticed over and over again that many of the clothes, bags and quilts we saw were far more interesting and lovely than the photos of the items on the pattern covers. Just goes to show 'ya - you really can't always judge the book by it's cover!


If you didn't get to comment on yesterday's post for a chance to win that fabulous fat quarter of fabric, you can make a comment today to win this cute little packet of 4 fat quarters of Lecien fabrics from Japan. Now we know this isn't our usual bright, wild and crazy fabric, but we love the silky hand and detailed attention to the smallest prints that make Lecien fabrics so incredible.
So, make a comment - send the link to your sewing friends and get them in on this great chance to win some truly fabulous fabric!

posted by Angela

Home from Spring Quilt Market

Quilt Market...... What an amazing experience. You see more fabric, more patterns, more notions, trims and other quilt related goodies than your poor little brain can comprehend. We think that's why its 3 days long! And tired..., we can tell you about tired. You'll notice in most of the pictures of us that our eyes look puffy and squinty. That's surely from not enough sleep. Not nearly enough sleep.

This is a picture of Amy on the first day of market. We were all just tuckered out from the drive, and 6am came a bit earlier than what we were emotionally prepared for. She'll probably want to kill me for showing you this photo, but what good is a mother if she can't make you want to pull your hair out from time to time.We decided this time to have our pictures taken with the "famous" quilt designers we met at Market. We think the quilt patterns from "Lizzie B Cre8ive" are marvelous. The designers are sister's in law - both named Elizabeth, with the nickname of Lizzie. The quilts they design are bright, happy and whimsical. We'll be adding more of their quilt patterns at the shop, so be looking out for them. In case you don't recognize her, our newest employee, Deb Blackburn, is on the far right. I'm sure you'll immediately recognize these two famous Amys. The tall really thin Amy is, of course, Amy Butler. She had lots of new patterns, loads of new fabrics. We felt a little bit like throwing ourselves prostrate at her feet and begging for the creative thinking blessing. If such a blessing doesn't exist, we're all in favor of creating it! By the way, we have no idea how the vendors all managed to look so fabulous all the time. Mostly we felt exhilerated while incredibly tired, schulmpy, hot and messy. We don't know what happened to all the make-up we put on every morning - it managed to vanish by about 2pm each day.Here we are at Sue Spargo's booth. She's designed a fantastic collection of new pillows. We'll be adding these patterns to our existing group of Sue Spargo patterns. Sue was her usual kind and sweet self. She just returned home from a 4 week visit teaching in quilt shops in New Zealand and Australia. That's Kathy, Sue's helper, on the right. Amy and Deb decided to remove themselves from photos for a bit. Something to do with squinty, puffy eyes, I think.

I'll be posting more photos from market for the next several days, so keep checking out our blog. And, to encourage comments, please comment on this post - we'll have a drawing for a little fabric goody we picked up at market from those of you who comment on this post! And be nice and share this post with your friends. (psst.... it's a fat quarter from a glorious collection!) Oh, I should let you know that on Saturday I'm going to be posting a bunch of quilt market goodies that we're going to give away to those who comment on the Saturday post!!

posted by Angela

Stenciling your way to Happiness!

We've got such exciting news at Yellow Bird Art! We're now carrying a huge selection of stencils from Diane Ericson as well as her instructional DVD of fabric stenciling techniques. Last Sunday, Deb Blackburn - a NEW EMPLOYEE! at Yellow Bird was visiting and we spent delightful hours in my studio learning how to stencil fabrics. We've known Deb since just about when we opened Yellow Bird Art. She's one of those multi-talented women - worked helping build houses for a contractor, repaired bicycles, worked in retail mall shops, managed another quilt shop for almost two years. She gardens, flies a hot air balloon with her husband Sam, felts, knits, quilts, beads, has a degree in psychology - often helpful in stressful retail situations - and in general has a positive upbeat outlook on life. We're so lucky to have her join the staff!

Stenciling is such an elegant way to embellish fabrics that are already wonderful as you see in this small Kona Bay sample. Deb thought it would be nice to add just a small metallic accent, and it did make the fabric even more lucious.

This is another sample using the Architectural Elements stencil, which has 7 different stencil designs that can be combined in so many different ways. Again, another Kona Bay fabric with just a little new zip of metallic gold!

The fabric on the top was stenciled with the Calla Lily stencil and the fabric on the bottom with the Bugs stencil. We used Jacquard Luminere fabric paints. You end up using the smallest amount of paints and the hand of the fabric remains soft and pliable.

Now, this would be a photo of Amy and me on our way to the Rochester, MN quilt guild www.qsrochester.org to provide the afternoon and evening programs. I think Amy was ignoring me. Amy gave a great lecture on using large scale prints in quilts, and my evening lecture and demonstration was on using stencils and fabric paint to embellish fabric.

We'll all be back in the car and on our way to Pittsburgh for the Spring Quilt Market tomorrow. Deb is coming along with us - she has great ideas and has been to market before, so we know that her new ideas will help us bring back the best of market for you! Be on the lookout for a postcard announcing our post-market party so you can see all the new goodies we round up.

posted by Angela

Come See Us This Weekend!

We're vending this weekend at West Union, Iowa. Barn Quilts of Fayette County is sponsoring their 1st Annual Quilt Show at the North Fayette High School. Hours are 9 - 7 on Saturday and 10 - 4 on Sunday. Debbie Bowles of Maple Island Quilts is holding a workshop on Saturday and giving a lecture Saturday evening. This is going to be a great event!

So if you love fabrics like these two samples from Sandy Henderson

OR, these two fabrics from Island Batiks, you'll want to come visit us!

We'll be bringing along some Show Specials that you won't want to miss such as our *NEW* Gotta Go Carryout. This is a themed collection of 5 one yard cuts packaged up in a large crystal clear carryout container that you'll find many uses for once the fabric is long gone. The Gotta Go Carryouts retail for the fabulous price of $25.55, and we'll be showing a limited number, so the Early Bird is going to get the best of the best!

AS A BLOG TEST, THE FIRST 10 FOLKS WHO COME TO THE QUILT FESTIVAL IN WEST UNION, and TELL US THEY READ OUR BLOG, WILL GET A FREE FAT QUARTER!

GET ON THE BUS!

It's not too late! There's still room! Maybe you missed the big news that we're participating in a shop hop. Not just any hop. The Bag Lady Express Bus Hop on May 1st and 2nd - that's next week! We have just a few seats left open on our bus, and you don't want to miss this great adventure. Really, we are not kidding. All the shops involved have been working for months to make this a shop hop you won't want to miss!

For ONLY $99.00 you'll have motorcoach transportation, one night's stay (double occupancy), all your meals and great fun. You'll visit 8 terrific quilt shops in 3 states, six of which have been Top 10 shops! Is this a Bargain to beat bargains, or what?

• Lansing, Iowa Yellow Bird Art http://www.yellowbirdart.com/



• Cresco, Iowa Pine Needle Quilt Shop http://www.pnqs.net/



• Rochester, Mn Quilting Cupboard http://www.thequiltingcupboard.com/



• Rogers, Mn Quilted Treasures http://www.quiltedtreasures.net/



• Eau Claire, Wi The Calico Shoppe http://www.calicoshoppe.com/



• Waunakee, Wi Mill House Quilts http://www.millhousequilts.com/



• Janesville, Wi Life's a Stitch http://www.lasquiltshoppe.com/



• Spring Green, Wi Country Sampler http://www.sgcountrysampler.com/

In addition, you'll receive a FREE pattern of a bag designed especially for this hop - the Gotta Fly Bag.So, call us today at 563-538-4350. Don't hesitate, and don't miss the bus!

What's With This Weather!?

Normally we think of ourselves as the "glass is half full" sort of gals. But we have to confess that this "spring??" weather has put us into a downright peevish sort of mind. We were excited a couple of day ago to see our little daffodils blooming, but today think we need to begin knitting little wooly hats for their glorious yellow heads. It's danged cold here with a wind out of the north that cuts to the bone! We need cheering up. And to top it all, Amy has been struggling with a sinus infection, and I'm dancing with a sinus infection and bronchitis. We need serious cheering up! I went back to bed this morning after breakfast and immediately had the company of the two rat terriers. Oliver was practically sitting on my head competing with Tillie, who was laying on my stomach, for attention.This is a photo of Oliver in one of his "I need more Petting than you can possibly give in This Lifetime" modes.And this is Miss Tillie, looking like the sweet, comforting, angel of a dog that she is. Actually, she was just getting ready to turn into a growling snapping little beastie, protecting her Petting Time from the encroachment of Any Other Animal in the house.

So, back to getting cheered up.... Here's a new collection of amazing fabrics from Prints Charming - two lovely Australian designers. While we still love traditional fabrics and the quilts made from them, it is a shot of energy to use these bright prints. And, they make up wonderful garments as well. I'm working on an Indygo Junction apron pattern in some of these new prints. I promise to show the final product when finished!

Another lovely little delight is these handcrafted soaps by one of our friends, Carol. Carol and her husband have "retired" and craft these amazing soaps which are wonderfully scented, a delight to use and seem to last forever. We don't know where they find the molds for the soaps, but we love them all! Carol restocks us regularily restocks us. We can put together a lovely gift basket for a favorite quilting friend, or maybe for you. To cheer you up on this blustery NE Iowa day!

Meet Marcia!

There's a new Bird fluttering around at Yellow Bird Art on Saturdays! Meet Marcia, who's been a customer at the Bird, I think, since we opened. How cute is this woman?? She is bright, enthusiastic and a bit of a "rebel" quilter. You'll find Marcia to be highly knowledgeable, friendly, and a great help to you at Yellow Bird!
Just look at this amazing new collection of oriental fabrics from Kona Bay fabrics. Kona Bay is well know for the lovely hand of their cottons and their amazing designs. The colors are luscious and perfect for spring and summer. All the prints retail for $9.50 a yard. We should have them scanned and on our web site by the end of this week, but you can always call if you see a print you just have to have now!

Fabric, oh Fabric!

We've been incredibly affected by Spring Fever at Yellow Bird! We get so bored with our store layout from time to time, and then we usually just begin moving things around with a vague idea of what we're shooting for. We most likely won't win any prizes for interior design with our "let's just see how this looks" methods, especially since that means we're moving hundreds and hundreds of bolts of fabrics around as well. So, if it doesn't look fabulous, we're committed to hauling the hundreds and hundreds of bolts around to some other location. Our new line of Kokka Fabrics from Japan have lightened our spirits with their marvelous soft pallet. Notice the Sew Baby top and pants for the best dressed little princess on the block!Bless her heart, Sue, has been busy making new displays for our hand-dyed wool fabrics and moved them to the front of the shop, where we're sure they're going to receive lots of attention. If you're a wool lover, you'll love our wool, and our prices. Fat Quarters are $12.00, Fat Eights are $6.00, and Fat Sixteenths are $3.50. Call the shop at 563-538-4350 if you are looking for a specific color you need.

Sue has also been tackling our huge collection of ribbons and giving them a new home at the store. We carry the largest selection of ribbons and trims in the area, including vintage ribbons, and many ribbons from France. Our goal is that you think of Yellow Bird Art first when you think about embellishments.

Firing of Cannons! Fireworks! A Parade!

Thank you for all of your great Name That Bag contest entries! You all are so creative- you blew us away. It was VERY hard to choose a winner, but we finally settled on Connie's suggestion- "Gotta Fly Bag". Here is what she said, "Since you are Yellow Bird and the bag looks like one that you just "gotta fly" with out the door and off to exciting places." Congratulations Connie! Your fabric bundle will be on the way shortly!

Meet the Art Birds

A year ago we ran a Beginning Art Quilts class which was a great success. The gals had so much fun they didn't want to stop! So we formed a monthly Art Quilt club that ended up being named the Art Birds. Each month the members teach each other a new technique and show off the wonderful new pieces of art cloth they've made. It is incredibly inspiring! In February they spent the day working on stamping and stenciling fabrics.

The emphasis was on simply learning new techniques, not creating a specific end product. The group finds this both challenging and liberating at the same time! As quilters in general, it seems that we too often get caught up in the mentality of having to account for all the materials and time we invest in our avocation. Meaning we think everything thing we touch needs to end up in some sort of quilted product. But, the way to grow and develop as any style of quilter involves being willing to take chances on new things - experimenting. The photo on the left demonstrates this. Joan was working on layering images on her fabric. The question frequently asked is, "Well, what are you going to use if for?" The answer should be "I'm using it to learn something new." Take a chance today. Try something new, and don't plan to use whatever it is for anything other than learning!

posted by Angela

Win This Fabric

Yup - here it is, a nifty little bundle of 8 beautiful 100% cotton oriental fabrics. Each fabric piece is about 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" - just enough to have a little fun! Read the next post to learn how to win!

Name That Bag!

I can't think of a name for our new handbag! Help us come up with a great name and win a collection of 8 Oriental Fabrics. E-mail us at amy@yellowbirdart.com with your name suggestions. Our highly intelligent staff of good-looking, incredibly talented, and fun loving quilters will choose the name. The contest will end at midnight on the last day of March. The winner will be notified by the firing of canons, fireworks and a parade. Just kidding... We'll let you know by e-mail!
posted by Angela