Stash in Suitcases

Aaarrgh i am rubbish at this! I honestly dont know how people can do this everyday - I really wish I could, I totally mean to, but then one thing after another happens and suddenly it is months later and I am sooo behind in updating this. I cant even say I have been working on any cool projects, (the list of things in my head just keeps getting longer) I have just been uploading item after item to our website. But here and now, in the presence of all of you (anybody out there?) I hereby promise to update this blog every day...every other day...ok, at least once a week. Promise. Fingers and toes uncrossed I am not lying I promise.
So, apart from the website I do have a legitimate excuse this week. This week I have been internetless because we (mum, me & the lovely corinne) headed off to houston, texas (yee hah!) to bag me a cowboy. Ahem - sorry - I mean, to learn us some stuff about quilts. and oooh boy did we learn good. I had been warned about the excitement of the quilt market out there, but even so, nothing can quite prepare you for it. And the impact it has on your bank account. We definitely spent a lot of money we didnt have (the shop is still very early days yet and we are still paying off the initial startup costs) but I think we've bought a lot of very cool stuff. And most of it we ALL agreed was lush (if you know us, especially me and mum, you'll know that agreeing on something we like is something not to be taken lightly, when it happens, you know you have to just go for it, to hell with the money!)
So we have some gorgeous fabrics, loads from Japan and Korea (after working there it seems I can sniff them out a mile off and just have to have them) Amy Butler's fabric to go with the patterns (you've all been asking for it so I kinda had to, huh?






I can only find a pic of some ribbon we ordered in the japanese range - we ordered this with fabric to match... aw, it's so kitschy and cute I am gonna be in heaven the day this fabric turns up!



And check these out - perfect for a mix of japanese and Amy Butler fabrics?
These patterns are by Melly & Me and were so fresh and vibrant we all just gravitated towards them. These aussie girls really know how to part a girl with her money! We were sat on the floor of their stand picking out patterns for a fair while, getting totally in the way of everyone else, luckily they didnt seem to mind! Unfortunately we only got there on the last day so we missed out Magoo the Monkey's pattern (have to wait for that one I'm afraid) although we did get most of the others - including mad mozzie (check him out at the back, he's the one with the crazy eyes - ok, the one with the REALLY crazy eyes!)

We also went to classes, overslept for classes, giggled like naughty schoolgirls in classes, nearly fell asleep in classes and learnt some pretty good stuff in classes. On the Saturday 10th Corinne will be in the shop (she hasnt had enough of us yet yay!) showing you all some of what we learnt and some cool new products we brought back. We didn't quite have to pay excess luggage fees (phew!) but let me tell you, on more than one of the cases the weight was exactly on the top of the tip of the scales. And that's a skill worth having. Although i wasnt such a fan of the skill of filling cases to overloading at gatwick where a lovely worker there wrongly told us the bus to the carpark was downstairs when it was on the floor we were on. 5 cases filled with fabric down a large ramp is bad enough - but up???!! Good thing I've been working out and lifting all those boxes of buttons.
So now I have a list of things to make as long as my arm inspired by all I have seen - hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll have some cool stuff to show you. But I'm sure I've said that before!