Inspiration!

There is nothing like going to a quilt show and coming away inspired. That was so true at the Minnesota Quilter's Show. Maybe it was because I haven't been to one since 2004.Then again, I think it was the quilts and the vendors. They were awesome!
While I was at the show, I had time to wander the vendors early in the day and then again after lunch. I found this delightful booth after lunch. It's the booth for Millie*P's*Quilt*Shop in Anoka, MN, a new shop in the Twin Cities area! I loved the name of the shop.......because it reminded me of my music teacher, Mrs. Mildred Parr. She was a dear lady. And she would have loved the pink fabrics in the quilts you see in these photos.

Owner of Millie P's is Becky and the shop is named after her mother........Millie Pearl! If you go here, you can read how the shop got it's name.  I look forward to visiting the actual shop next time I visit my son who recently moved to the north side of the cities. He just called with an idea for a quilt project, so I may need to buy some really colorful fabrics for a unique project!!! More on that soon.

In the Minnesota Quilt Show brochure, it states that "It's okay to photograph quilts except in areas where prohibited......and if you post pictures of quilts on your personal website, you must give credit to the person who made the quilt........and state that photos were taken at the Minnesota Quilter's, Inc. 34th Annual Show". And so........I'm going to share a couple quilt photos that were taken at the Minnesota Quilter's, Inc. 34th Annual Show.

When I saw this quilt, I was just amazed! It was unique and I had to take a photo........

The quilt titled "The Map as Art: Minnesota Geology 2011" was made by Aileen Lively of Mounds View, MN. Interestingly, she's from the city that my son just moved to. Who knows, maybe I can visit Millie P's and also meet Aileen, the maker of this quilt. I would love to meet her and tell it what an awesome quilt this is! The tag below accompanied her quilt and it says........
"Quilt interpretation of the map Bedrock Geology of Minnesota, for display at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Minneapolis, MN. October 2011"

As I took photos of quilts, I would take a picture of the label so that I would know the quilts maker, designer and/or machine quilter. Just double-click on the photos to see a close-up of the info............

I found another booth that "caught my eye" and guess what? It's also on the north side of the Twin Cities!  I think I see a road trip in my future. Yes, I know I pledged not to buy any cotton quilt fabric for all of 2012 but ............ if I make this quilt my son called me about.......well, there would be someone else buying the fabric. :-)  Sooooooo, on to the booth in the photo below.........That's Angie, owner of The*Noble*Quilter which is located in Elk River, MN...........

She had so many wonderful quilts on display from designer's you may recognize.....Terry Atkinson of Atkinson Designs, Linda Hohag of Brandywine designs (the wool applique quilt in the center of the photo is her design), and more. I thought this booth was one of the nicest looking booths and it was the open space for customers and that ruffle on the top of the booth curtains that made it so. It was very inviting!

I just wish I could remember the name of Angie's staff helper.  I didn't write it down and her name tag is turned around so even zooming in on the photo didn't help! .......(a little edit here........Angie e-mailed me that her name is Jessica!)  To visit the shop on-line, just go here.

This booth in the photo below fascinated me because there were so many varieties of quilt hangers on display.  And I just realized........this is another vendor from the north side of the Twin Cities.......it's located in Ramsey, MN!   It's called Hidden*Talents. They offer quilt hangers and some darling dolls and soon will offer quilts. This is not a "storefront" business, but you can find it just by going here!

I also enjoyed the booth on the right in the photo below. It's the Modern*Quilt*Studio.  Sorry this is not a good photo of it but it was filled with some really colorful and unique quilts. I wish I had spent more time at the booth because..........

it is not a shop in Minnesota........it's located in Oak Park, Illinois. However, this is also not a retail store but is a design studio. Check out their website here.

I hope you are enjoying this visit to quilt vendors at the Minnesota Quilter's 34th Annual Show ............ because I have a couple more vendors to share and another quilt!

If there was one booth where I really wished I had not made that pledge to "not buy any cotton quilting fabric in 2012"........this booth was it............

It's SewBatik, a shop located in Mayville, North Dakota. And I believe that's owner, Diane in the photo below. She was so kind to let me take her photo and I told her how I wished I could buy some of her lovely batiks.......but a "pledge is a pledge"!  So I took her card and I'm thinking come January, I will probably order up a few batiks for a project I have in mind. ;-) 

This is an on-line shop/design studio so just go here to check it out!

This booth made me smile. It's Flower*Box*Quilts ...........

There were so many wonderful patterns and samples on display. They all made me smile. But the thing that really, really made me smile............well, that was how the husband of designer Michele Crawford spoke so lovingly of the patterns, quilts and books designed and made by his wife!!!!!  I was intrigued by a couple of books that were written by Michele and may order them later on. They are titled "Just Cut the Scrap" and the second book, "Just Cut the Scrap Again".  They are great for using your stash. I have lots of stash. That's why I pledged not to buy any cotton quilting fabric this year. ;-)  So, to check them out, just go here.  They are located in Spokane, Washington. So glad for on-line shops that let us be there when distance is more than a local road trip!
I said there would be another quilt and it's this, a starry-spectacular quilt that involved a trio of ladies from Tennessee. It was one of my show favorites and a design that I know my son would really like. I love how the stars almost look like they twinkle!!!!! It's called "Red Star at Night 3 Quilter's Delight"...........

It was submitted to the show by Loretta Painter of Norris, Tennessee. The label below reads....
"This quilt top was pieced by Loretta Painter. Three people worked on the quilting: Kate Meyers with her APQS long arm machine, Cyndi Herrmann and her Gammill long arm, and Loretta Painter with George using the push pull method of quilting."

Okay, that's about all for this post except for this one last quilt.........I've seen this saying before but never on a quilt..............

The label says....."Keep Your Fork" by Sally Neckvatel...."What's to come after our deaths? Keep your fork, the BEST is yet to come!"

I love pie so I will "Keep my fork"............just in case!  And speaking of pie...........I baked a blueberry pie yesterday and it was sooooooooooo good. I was hungry for pie and Heidi posted a photo of pie on Facebook. It looked so good, I had to make a pie. LOL! If you love pie and tractors and summer fun, visit Heidi's blog Hen*and*Chicks for a peek and you may have to bake a pie, too!  Oh, and in case you're wondering, my kitchen curtains are finished but I can't take a photo because we haven't found the right "tie-back" hooks yet. Looks like we are going to have to order some on-line.

I have more quilt photos to share............wooly stuff is coming up. Wool and threads were at the top of my shopping list and I found both. It's so hot, I suppose one wouldn't think wool right now, but I am planning a little wool project for this weekend. I just might share.......... Back soon.

Have a great Friday!

Sandi

Please note.........If there is any photo shown above of you, a shop owner, or you, the quilter, that you do not want posted.........just e-mail me and I will remove the photo. I checked with most shop owners for permission but not all so just let me know if I need to remove a photo.