In the days leading up to Quilt Market while preparing for my very first booth for Paperie, I spent little snippets of time working on non-market projects just to keep myself sane. I found these sweet paper gift boxes at JoAnn's and think they're too pretty not to share. Don't they remind you of the gorgeous favor boxes at Laduree?
I filled these up with favorite fabrics and sent some off as thank you gifts to the girls who hosted the Sweetly Stitched Sew Along. I can't wait to fill some boxes with Paperie fabrics, soon! (p.s. Paperie fabric ships to shops this month!)
And in the spirit of lovely boxes, one of my very first makes using my strike-offs were these awesome boxes using Amber Crawley's square box pattern. If you enjoy English Paper Piecing, you'll enjoy making these boxes as the technique is quite similar. (Find all of Amber's patterns here.) Love love love.
It wasn't easy, but little by little I began to cut deeper into my strike-offs to make samples for my Paperie booth. Above was a sneak peek at a doll quilt I made.
A "Little Granny" quilt made using Stacy Olson's pattern: (get it at her Etsy shop).
I made a little zakka holder (I will be writing the pattern) to make sure my booth had a whimsical piece in it.
As I was dwindling down to the last bits of my fabric, I enjoyed making little things like this tray á la A Spoonful of Sugar.
I fell madly in love with this drawstring bag made with my "happily ever after" print. (Pellon "shape flex" gave the bag such great structure.)
I bought a few props and made a few tags with the smallest of scraps just for fun. I did some paper crafting...
I didn't have time to take pics of all the things I made for Market ~ it was like a tornado at my house. But it all came together for my booth...
The adorable knit baby clothes were made by friend Melissa of Oh How Sweet.
And every person who walked by my corner went straight to this wall to touch this dress. So soft.
The awesome book stack "Paperie" quilt was made by my dear friend Jenn of Sunnyincal. It received the most compliments out of everything at my booth ~ because, yeah, Jenn rocks. Everything else was made by me, but I'd like to say a big thanks to Norma of Petit Design Co. ~ she had the frantic and delightful task of quilting my pink quilt and doing the binding for me as well, and then shipping it to me in Houston as I was running that late. Of course.
As for the experience of Quilt Market? Well. Do you have a bottle of wine and a chocolate cake and a few hours to spare? Because not only was it my first booth, but it was my very first time experiencing Quilt Market at all and I think I felt every emotion possible during the process. I love this pic of me and the girls below (you know, Maureen Cracknell, Pat Bravo, and Sharon Holland) ~ because I couldn't have done it without them. And my husband. I have so much love for these people.
It was most definitely a whirlwind with a concentration of experience that I've been trying to absorb and dissect ever since. I suppose I've never before felt like I was on stage and yet my booth sort of was... a stage, which was exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time. Of course everyone I met was so nice. And I knew that those five days would have quite an impact on me. I'd been told it's an emotional rollercoaster ride and "they" weren't kidding. I think what's most important is that I've come home from Market with a very clear idea of where I'd like to go on this creative journey... and that I know I'm surrounded by exactly the people I'd like to journey with. And that is a very good feeling. Indeed.
Then I got home and before I could blink it was Halloween.
At the age of three, I finally got Mia in a costume and that made this Halloween especially fun. (Get this "Trick or Treat" art and other adorable printables at Ink and Bobbin on Etsy.)
We had a Pirate Mia, Mad Hatter Olivia, our friend Olivia as Alice, and Nicholas the Headless Horseman...
Ever the little nut, here's Mia cracking us up with her favorite Pirate poses (???). And the truly headless horseman, ewww. Hope you had a spooky fun Halloween!
Goodbye October. Hello November! My favorite month of the year :)
xo amy