Ahhhh The EQ 7 and EQ 7 Upgrades Have Been Shipped

I'm sorry I've been MIA lately, I have a good excuse.  I went down to Bowling Green, OH to pick up the new EQ 7 and EQ 7 Upgrade Software.  This was my first visit to EQ Headquarters and it was lots of fun.

I thought many of you might appreciate getting to see the EQ Mouse.....so without further ado....let me introduce you to the EQ Mouse:

Hello Mouse....meet the IHAN blogifers.

EQ Mouse says, "squeek a deekey doo" which translated means "Pleased to Meet You!"

Everywhere I looked "the Mouse" was there....good thing I'm not phobic about mice ay?

Perhaps he just wanted me to give him a cookie, You do know what happens when
you give a mouse a cookie don't you????

And then there was another little Mouse looking right at me.....I'm thinking where you find one mouse, there are lots more.  I won't reveal the true identity of the EQ Mouse.....lets just say.....well.....I did not want to take a DNA sample!!!  LOL

All of The Electric Quilt Company staff were extremely helpful....they helped load my van with lots of boxes.  A very friendly crew down in Bowling Green.  THANK YOU Ladies :)

This was the first installment to the post office later in the afternoon on Wednesday.  I've had several more trips with many more crates.  The good news is that they are now all packaged and the last of the packages will go out tomorrow!!!  Hurray.......if any of you find the tape a bit wonky...well.....that is what happens when you wrap packages until 2:00 am.  Things get done....perhaps not the prettiest....but they are done....ahhhhh.

 

Rosemary came over on her bike today to help wrap packages.  Thank You Rosemary!!!  Her knee is feeling much better and she is able to ride her bicycle now.

Off to bed....I'll get back to Quilt Market stories and photos....I just need a wee bit of sleep.....say....14 hours!!!

Smiles,

Kelly

Sarah Vedeler at Spring Quilt Market 2010 in Minneapolis, MN

Prior to going to Spring Quilt Market,  I had never met Sarah Vedeler.   IHAN sells her designs, coordinating silks and threads but I had never met Sarah.  The most I knew about Sarah was from what I read on Facebook. 

Imagine my surprise when I learn Sarah will be giving a presentation at Schoolhouse.  I ran, yes ran (feel free to ask around....people definitely saw me running and walking extremely fast) to get to the room where she was presenting so I could get some photos and see her new designs.

Sarah Vedeler, I'm pleased to introduce you to the IHAN Blogifers.  Blogifers, meet Dr. Sarah Vedeler, designer, software engineer and mother :)

GO! Be Dazzled is Sarah's latest machine embroidery design and pattern.  Isn't it beautiful?

GO! Be Dazzled is a  block of the month quilt featuring AccuQuilt GO! dies. The multi format CD contains 49 individual designs as well as designs formatted for a 12 month block of the month program with illustrated instructions.

The GO! Fabric Cutter Dies Sarah used include:

GO! Circle-2”, 3”, 5”
GO! Feathers
GO! Funky Flowers
GO! Heart-2”, 3”, 4”
GO! Round Flower
GO! Star 2”, 3”, 4”

I am just amazed at how beautiful the combination of machine embroidery and quilting can be. I'm an old time hand embroidery gal, I had no idea such things could be so lovely until the last year or so. I guess I have been living under a mushroom.

Later I walked into the Northcott Schoolhouse where there were no seats left and I was waiting to see what yummy fabrics they were introducing when I noticed I was standing next to Sarah Vedeler.  I could not help but smile and ask Sarah if I could take a picture of her purse.  I honestly felt like I was in Hollywood , casually asking Anthony Hopkins for a photo....Quilt Market is the Red Carpet for us quilters and I LOVE getting to meet and see all these talented folks.

This was the pretty bag Sarah was carrying.  OM Goodness....can you imagine walking around town in a GREEN quilted SILK handbag?  I wanted to grab it but Sarah looked too much like a lady and I did not want to make her chase me down the hallway. (I bet I could run faster....only because I would be fueled with envy....the dark emotion with lots of power!!!...LOL)

By now you must be thinking I had followed Sarah around the entire Quilt Market just waiting for her to appear.  Truthfully, I just happened to be walking by the Bernina and Brewer booths and Sarah was there next to a Bernina 830 (ok....if you have one of these....keep it to yourself....honestly....I don't even want to know....because I don't know what I would do) that was embroidering one of her Heart designs.

This photo is just too cool for words....so I'll be quiet.  Hear that?  Yes....the silence!!!

Here is part of the Brewer Booth at Quilt Market.  There will be more photos in other posts but this one grabbed me.  Here is Sarah's Silk Hearts Collection:  The Silk Hearts CD, the Dupioni Silk, the Aurifil Thread and the GO! Fabric Cutter dies that coordinate.  Yes my heart was pounding being so close to all those delicious things.  I really should take Valium before I go because my central nervous system goes haywire and I feel like I have a hangover when I get home.  It takes me at least a week or two to recover....no kidding.

Sarah was standing right there, so of course I asked her if I could photograph her in front of her latest design, GO! Be Dazzled Quilt .  I know I take a lot of photos but I want everyone to feel like there are with me on these adventures.  If a photo is worth a 1,000 words.....then my posts are at least 100,000 plus words :)

I wonder where Sarah stores this quilt when it is not on display.  Do you think her co-workers use it?  (Sarah has two girls)  My co-workers think I make every quilt that I  photograph and I love that they actually think I could make something like this.  One of them will walk up when I'm writing my blog and ask, "Momma, did you make that?"  My favorite co-worker questions are when they ask if the photo is a picture of me when clearly I don't look anything like the photo.  They both though the Bionce you tube video post was me dancing....you gotta love kids!!!

 

This is the Isacord GO! Be Dazzled Thread Collection that will be released soon.  It coordinates with the GO! Be Dazzled CD and pattern.

All I have to say is Sarah Vedeler is one talented lady and I can't wait to see what she does next!!

Smiles,
Kell

Sample Spree at Spring Quilt Market 2010 in Minneapolis

Edited 6/3/10

Who ever named this event at Quilt Market "Sample Spree" ....well lets just say....I would have called it

 "Pan-da-balogni-um!!!" 

First you have to pay 10.00 to go to Sample Spree and then people begin lining up at 5:00 for an event that does not start until 8pm and ends at 10pm. 

 So you must be wondering what on earth could be so wonderful and cheap/free that a person would be willing to wait 3 hours to go inside, right?

Do you really want to know?  Are you sure?  Really sure?  OK....but only if you are extra sure.

Nothing that you can't order and have shipped to your shop or business.  NOTHING!!!  I'm no expert and I'm sure there are others with much more experience than me.....but several of the vendors I spoke to at Sample Spree said they don't understand it either.  One told me he witnessed a woman push and shove her way swinging elbows to get to the MODA table at one Sample Spree.  (NO I did not wait in line.....I went in at 9:30 to show Rosemary....otherwise I would have been in bed!!)

If an attendee were so inclined they could purchase the EQ Upgrade for more than you could order it for your shop.  I guess then you could brag that you had it first....but really they would not be the first because most of the first to have the software were the testers and they were sworn to secrecy.

Oh, maybe you could purchase some GO! Fabric Cutter Dies?  NOPE....you could watch a demo and get a free (very pretty) tote bag.

You can see the pretty green bags at the top of this photo.

The best part for me is to see some very wonderful people working their fannies off.....such as Lady Eleanor and Orion Burns!!!  ( I secretly think I was one of Eleanor's children and she put me up for adoption.....cuz you know I'd be having a ball wearing those outfits....oh yeah baby!!)

You can see all the books and patterns....the same ones that can be ordered and delivered to your store.

Aurifil Thread was available for purchase too.  The individual spools were a little less than they typically are wholesale.....but to wait in line for 3 hours?  I would have if they were $1.00 per spool....otherwise....I'm good, do you know what I mean? 

I had heard that Cozy Quilt Designs were going to be at Sample Spree (they also had a booth at Market).  I had never met anyone from Cozy Quilt Designs before in my life.  However, I knew one of them knew a dear blogger friend, Darlene Simmons, who visits their shop frequently.  Well, I was not going to miss the opportunity to give this gal a great big hug and have her pass it along to Darlene.  So now you know Darlene  why your ears were a burning :)

Many shoppers from Sample Spree will gather outside the hall and show one another what they have purchased.  Many of the Gals have several tote bags and they are overflowing.  What do I see people purchase mainly?  Fabric....yes fabric......Quilt Shop Owners and Employees with bags stuffed full of fabric.  You and I both know these same Gals have tons of fabric at home as well as in their shop so why do they wait in line for hours to purchase more?  When you find out, please let me know too....LOL.

I may be over-simplifying here....but not too much.  If I were going to wait in line at Sample Spree for 3 hours you know what I would want to find inside when I got there?

• 
  
  Free Wine or Margaritas
• 
  
  Free Finger Foods 
• 
  
  Small samples of threads, fabrics, notions etc. (like the old Avon Lipsticks....remember those cute little white tubes?  My grandmother brought them to me when I was a kid and I LOVED them)

Well, maybe some chocolate too!!!  Ok, LOTS of chocolate :)

That is my take on Sample Spree.  I'm sure other folks have other versions or descriptions....but this is what these eyes see and what this brain cal-cu-ma-lates.

Smiles,

Kelly
Edit:  This post was not intended to be negative....Sample Spree is a tradition and I think it was intended for Shop Owners to be able to get single kits to make up Samples for their shops.  I just think it funny and because I was so tired last night....it did not sound as playful as I had intended....forgive my exhaustion.....I picked up a van filled with EQ 7 and EQ 7 Upgrades yesterday and I've been packing my fingers off so they could get into the mail.

Aardvark Quilts at Spring Quilt Market 2010 in Minneapolis

I was walking down an isle at Quilt Market and my eyes landed on these Quilts.  The energy of these Quilts just drew me in.  I loved the colors, patterns and overall movement.  Have you ever just had something "grab" you and you just wanted to move towards it?  (I'm not talking about ice cream or chocolate here...I'm one level up in the arts...lol)

Meet Pam Goecke Dinndorf, Aardvark Quilts Designer.  Pam I'm pleased to introduce you to the IHAN blogifers :) 

Pam's husband is a "real" photographer so he helped me take some photos while I had the opportunity to get to know Pam a little better.  I only wish he could have made my black and white strip shirt look better.  I'm certain it is his photography and not my shirt!!!  LOL

If I had sat down I'm certain I would not have gotten up until the end of the day.  I just loved the way the Quilts were displayed and the booth was laid out.  

Can you feel the energy?  I re-experience it by just looking at the photos.

I don't think I could sleep in if I slept with this quilt.  I know I would smile every time I saw it, even in the night when I'm headed back to bed.....I'd just feel that, "oh yeah baby" feeling.

Isn't this table runner just beautiful?  It could be made in your colors and it would be great on a formal table as well as a casual table depending on the fabric.  (I'm thinking some Dupioni Silk would be WONDERFUL)

I really enjoyed getting to meet Pam and seeing all of the Aardvark Quilt Patterns. As I went to purchase some patterns Pam offered to give me two patterns to give away on my blog. Woooo Hoooo!!! IHAN blogifers love Giveaways, don't you?

THANK YOU AARDVARK QUILTS !!!

Paperweight

Antique Rug

Both patterns have been autographed too!!!

If you would like to have the opportunity to own one of these two patterns, I'd like you to leave a comment on this post telling us why you want to win one of the Aardvark Quilt Patterns.  I will do a random drawing on 6/6/10 and announce the winners. 

Colorful and Energetic Smiles,

Kelly

This Says It All