Hitting the Blocks

Cabin Branch and Stone House Quilt Show
March 21 and 22, 2009

Location:
Prince William Co. Fair Grounds
10624 Dumfries Rd
Manassas, VA 20110

Hours: Saturday 10am -5pm, Sunday 10am -4pm

The show will have:
Over 200 Quilts on Exhibit
Merchant Mall
Silent Auction
Two Spectacular Raffle Quilts
Quilt Appraisals
Demonstrations
Ample Free Parking

Admission is:
Adults $5
Seniors $4
Under 12 Free

Demonstrations
Saturday, March 21
10:15 Cathedral Windows
11:00 No-Pin Binding
12:00 Favorite Quilting Gadgets
1:00 Children’s Artwork in Quilts
2:00 Wool Appliqué
3:00 Paper Piecing
3:30 Iron-on Appliqué

Sunday, March 22
10:30 Appliqué Drunkard’s Path
11:00 Inches
12:00 Dye Monoprint
1:30 Recycling Vintage
2:00 Diva Custom Cord Maker

Vendors that will be at the annual quilt show:

ME! American Punkin LLC–Original Quilt Designs

and
Sewing Studio, Inc.
Web Fabrics
Sue’s Fabric World
County Christmas
Quilter’s Confectionary
Textile Treasures
That Little Quilt Shop
Traditions at the White Swan
DWR Custom Woodworking
Wood Quilt Blocks
Colonial Quilt Connections
Nutmeg Lodge
Appraiser – Mary Kerr
Piecing the Past
Old Town Needlecrafts
Bee Happy
Creature Comforts Quilting
Go Quilter Go

Directions:

From Baltimore, MD and Points North:
Take I-95 south to I-495 north to I-66 west: Follow I-66 west to Virginia Exit 44 which is Route 234S (Bypass), approximately 12 miles:( Follow the Fairgrounds Complex Sign): Follow Route 234S to Business 234/Dumfries Rd. and move to the far left lane. Turn left: proceed approximately one mile to the Fair Grounds, entrance is on the left

From Richmond, VA and Points South and East:
Take I-95 north to Virginia Route 234 North, (Dumfries Road) Exit 152; follow Virginia Route 234 approximately 14 miles to Business Route 234/Dumfries Rd., turn right; proceed approximately one mile to the Fair Grounds, entrance is on the left.

From Frederick, MD and Points West:
Take I-270 South and then I-495 to Virginia, exit at I-66 West; follow I-66 West to Exit 44 which is Route 234S (Bypass), go approximately 12 miles:(Follow the Fairgrounds Complex Sign) and Route 234S to Business 234/Dumfries Rd. and move to the far left lane; Turn left: proceed approximately one mile to the Fair Grounds, entrance on the left.

Although I usually prefer to design my own quilts, I still browse through the numerous quilt books out there for new ideas.  Several months ago (like about 6 or 7), I was captivated by Ricky Tims’ Convergence designs. 

I thought, “Cool! This’ll be a nice, easy project.”

Famous last words.

Actually, I did get the quilt itself done fairly quickly.  It’s nice and small (29″ x 29″) I had the fabric already in my stash, begging to be used. A week, perhaps, is all it took (which is pretty good with a four-year old under foot).  Getting the back/binding on and the appliquing and quilting done…that took a while.  Granted, I was interrupted by two other quilts (only one of which is finished), a craft show, my quilt patterns up for sale, Christmas, Punkin’s birthday, repainting my living room…

Okay, okay.  Enough excuses. 

Here’s the finished project, called “Hope Rising,” after a David Crowder Band song I’ve gotten addicted to recently. It seemed an appropriate name, with the butterfly motif (and with all the stuff going on around here).

Here’s a close up of the appliqued butterflies. I wanted them to look like they were flying out of the fabric, in an Escher-esque fashion, so I did little to set them apart from the rest of the design.

Here’s a shot of the back, showing the very simple quilting pattern I used. The radiating lines accentuate the butterfly explosion on the front.

This is the first quilt I’ve kept for myself. Or rather, for my family–it’s now up in my daughter’s bedroom. She has a matching blanket made long ago from the blue-green batik, and she kept admiring the pretty butterflies.

Alice over at BC Quilter found some excellent advice for being a vendor at a craft show.

http://woodmouse.typepad.com/woodmouse_loves_crafts/2007/11/craft-vendor-bo.html

Thanks bunches, Alice! (oh, and go check out her beading adventures!  Pretty, pretty, pretty!)

Since my next show is only a month away, I really need to get cracking on preparing.  Perhaps now that my crawlspace is all de-moldified, and my living room is all repainted, and my Hoffman Challenge quilt is now past the planning and into the cutting stage, perhaps now I’ll be less distracted on the quilt pattern front. Though the good news is I’ve sold 4 more patterns in the past month–1 online, and 3 from the quilting store in town.  Considering the economy, the store said 3 is pretty good.

Well, I’m going to go finish that Harmonic Convergence quilt I had at the last craft show.  All I’ve got left to do is miter the corners and put on a sleeve to hang it with, then voila!  One less UFO.

Have a lovely Saturday!

Well, I know it’s a bit late, but here’s an update on (and some pics of) my first craft show.

According to all the other vendors, it was a very, very slow day, so I don’t feel bad about only selling 3 items. But I did learn some important things:

Stuff to bring (other than the patterns, of course)–snacky food, mattress and toys for the Punkin (she liked her little cave), quilting project of my own design, comfy chairs and plenty of table space, something to donate (I didn’t realize it, but I guess it’s common custom to ask the vendors for donated door prizes and such. Took me by surprise.)

What not to do: Bring a computer (didn’t have time or electricity to use it and it was a pain to haul around), not check tablecloths beforehand (luckily we were able to hide most of the stains), work on a non-original quilting project (I was working on a Ricky Tims Convergence quilt, and had to keep explaining to people that no, it wasn’t an original. Bad for drumming up business.). Also discovered craft fairs right before Christmas not good for selling patterns–already finished items (such as these swimming cover-ups) are much better items.

How to chat with people despite being a very shy introvert: bring a quilting project and work on it while sitting at your table = instant conversation starter. Also, display at least one of your quilts (I had Cup O’ Joe hanging on a portable garment rack, and put the for sale pattern right in front of it.).

I’m looking forward to doing this again, though the next show I’m trying to get info on is a quilt show, not a craft show. I’m hoping that it will prove a better place to sell my patterns.

Am running around like a headless chicken…a nervous headless chicken, no less.

My first craft show is this Saturday. I’m selling the swimming cover-ups I designed, and ten of my quilt designs–Cup O’ Joe to Sew, Acres of Diamonds, China Doll (A New Hope baby quilt), Knot Very Difficult, Blue Flags and Bachelor Buttons, Steps to the Altar, Starry Path to Virginia, Midnight on Cave Mountain, Mal de Mer, and possibly my Hoffman challenge (plus putting out pics of others if someone wants me to get the pattern ready). These are also the same ten I’ll be debuting at a local quilting center.

Needless to say, I’m terrified. I’m not an extrovert by any stretch of the imagination, and getting out there and selling myself…ACK!