Where's My Eye

I've been working on this baby quilt for Oona - my nephew's adorable baby girl. I wanted to include a birdie - it's the theme of the nursery - here's one of my little feathered friends, sans eyes - they're coming.

Here's the birdie hatching process - I backed the main body section and the wing with batting to give the bird a little 3 dimentionality.

I turned the edges into the batting and secured them with a water soluble glue stick for a temporary hold. No fusing, no raw edges - - - this is a baby quilt - - - I want Oona to cuddle up with a soft quilt that can be washed time after time.
Here are my birdies ready for stitching onto the gray background.
I first hand applique the birdies to the background using silk thread. As you can see I gave them some funky striped legs. I'll get to the setting of the quilt later, obviously it involved hexagons. Once they were hand appliqued I used a beautiful hand dyed silk embroidery floss from Thread Gatherer to add decorative stitching - a little extra insurance that these birdies are there for the long haul - little Oona can take this quilt to college with her. I buy my decorative threads from Fireside Stitchery in Frazer, PA - their collection of threads is amazing - and, they do mail order!!!
Hey - - - I never did give a complete review of the Lancaster Quilt Show - - - truth is I'm still milling it over. I think there is opportunity for improvement in the show - it has great potential - what did you think - any suggestions???

AQS Lancaster - - - Shopping Wrap Up

Today was the day - finally off to Lancaster, PA for the 2nd annual AQS Quilt Show. I'd like to start with the quilts, but I need a little more time to think about the collection that was selected for the show.

I'm playing it safe today - focus on the shopping - and there were a lot of vendors - perhaps, dare I say, too many vendors? Is it possible - yes, I think so!

I came home with a nice little collection from the Free Spirit / Westminster vendor - some great shot solids, dots and two fun little patterns.
From technicolor to black, white and in between - I love this fabric.
This is what I call shades of gray . . .
From Hoffman's California International Collection - purchased at Quilters' Express to Japan.
I also picked up this great fabric from the same vendor . . .
It is more gray than blue - from Yuwa Fabric of Japan.
Two more Japanese fabrics made their way home with me . . .
very similar in design and color - they will compliment each other beautifully.
This is selvage to save . . .

I found this great little pattern from Fig Tree and Co. at the shopping mall on Route 30 across from the Host (the location of the old Lancaster Quilt Show), the non-AQS sanctioned quilt shopping location. The vendor had it made up in a beautiful floral fabric. The number of vendors at this location is half of what it used to be and there were very few shoppers in the building :(

And did I forget to mention what a beautiful day it was - 74 degrees - windows wide open and the house smells like a fresh basket of laundry - bring on spring - I'm ready for it!

Day Four: Central Market in Lancaster - - - Open Friday

If you're heading to the AQS Lancaster Quilt Show Friday or Saturday - be advised - bring an ice chest and give yourself time for a visit to Central Market, the gem of downtown Lancaster and directly across the street from the Convention Center. The market is only open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

I suggest you hit the market for breakfast and lunch - the variety of selections will make you wish you were spending the week so you could sample something from every vendor in the market. The market has a little bit of everything - - -

The expected German deli supplying the Pennsylvania Dutch with the best of the wurst. I've got a piece of their goosewurst in my fridge now - mmmmm!
Prefer something more exotic - how about Middle Eastern cuisine,

Need a sweet - try to pick just one from this array of Greek pastries. The variety of ethnic vendors will amaze you!
I shop at the market every chance I get. One of my favorite new vendors is Linden Dale Farm - their goat cheese selection is exceptional; and, they sell goat meat - I love goat meat.
For organic produce, local whenever they can get it, I shop at Green Circle Organics. In addition to produce, they also carry great breads, eggs and cheeses.The market boasts a wonderful spice and herb merchant to add zest to all of your recipes.

And if you really want to add some heat to your food - find the fresh horseradish maker - your nose will help you find the way. Fresh horseradish is entirely different from the jarred stuff. That is his manual horseradish grinder - this is the real deal!

Stoltzfus Bakers stocks all of your guilty baked goods pleasures, and has a nice variety of jams and jellies. Make sure you pick up a pint of Pennsylvania Dutch chow-chow, a mixed vegetable relish. I grew up eating chow-chow and just love it.
And, LOOK UP! The energy of the market can distract you from taking in the beauty of the building, but take time to appreciate the architecture - look up!!!
Will I ever get to the quilt show - soon, but there is just so much to see in Lancaster!

Day 3: Lancaster - Hit the Galleries!

If you're heading to Lancaster Thursday or Friday for the AQS Quilt Show you've picked beautiful weather. Try to make time during your visit to take in the predicted sunny skies and warm weather by making the short walk from the convention center to Gallery Row (Prince Street) - you will not be disappointed!

As you can see by the many signs dangling from the buildings, Gallery Row has a lot to offer.


Artisans Gallery always has a very varied showing - I love their collection of artists photographed in their studios - not certain who the photographer is, but the images truly capture the spirit of the individual artists. The current exhibit features the works artist Lou Schellenberg - a great study on light and shadow.

Red Raven Art Company is my favorite gallery. I particularly love the work of two of their member artists - Matt Chambers and Art Harrington - their paintings of the farmland countryside are so inspiring.
And, don't miss City Folk - this eclectic store offers beautiful housewares and art - I could live in this shop!

There are lots of little eating places to pick up a quick lunch in the area. I typically head to the Prince Street Cafe for a jolt of espresso, double please! To fuel up on calories - I strongly suggest Carmen and David's Creamery next door for a dose of the best ice cream in the city - quilt shows are strenuous business - you don't want to run out of energy!

Looking for Inspiration in Lancaster

Another day, another district of Lancaster to explore - today the West End District. This area of town is beautiful, it's fun just wandering through the neighborhoods looking at the beautiful architecture of the historic homes.

When you need a break stop by DogStar Books and Gallery - - - this is a fantastic used book shop and gallery - - -

Take a look at the wall of books - - - that is the collection of art books. Many of the books are long out of print, and can have a price tag to match their obscurity. I spent an hour just browsing the titles - so inspiring. They are moving in about four month to a larger location four blocks away - they clearly need more space - and they want to be able to display more art.
Time for a caffeine fix - - - head across the street to the very friendly Chestnut Hill Cafe for a great cup of espresso and a delicious lunch (or breakfast or dinner).
When you're feeling refreshed head back to the streets for a walk to the Franklin and Marshall campus. I suggest a visit to the Phillips Museum located on the campus - it is currently between exhibits - you just missed a great one which featured the pottery of Willi Singleton, the tapestry of Nakajima, and the woodwork of Arimoto.

Stop by the Arts Hotel Gallery in the Lancaster Arts Hotel for a look at their exhibit.

Tomorrow - Gallery Row!

Lancaster - Planning Your Trip

The AQS Lancaster Quilt Show is this week - March 16 - 19, in the historic and eclectic city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This will be the second year for the show - can't wait to see what the show has in store for us.

Don't let your Lancaster experience begin and end with the show. There are so many great spots to visit in Lancaster. I'm going to take the rest of the week to highlight some of my favorite spots in the city. Today, I'm in the Uptown section of the city, featuring Mommalicious / My Aunt Debbie. This is a sweet spot - focusing mainly on vintage and re-purposed materials - with lots of sewing related items. How about this button based jewelry?Thimble earrings . . .
Fun sewn creations for kids . . .
The sewing nostalgia center . . .
New homes for old dollies and quilts . . .
And Olivia's collection of clothing for little girls - that would be Olivia, as in my daughter - - - the shop carries her collection of handmade clothing for little girls, sizes 2 toddler through 4 toddler. All of the clothes are made with 100% cotton and finished with French seams - they are beautiful!
When you find yourself hungry Uptown I suggest stopping by Rachel's Creperie for one of her creative crepes, yum!

For more inspiration, wander down the street to Arts & Glassworks Studio - they have an amazing collection of Motawi tile work that I find so inspiring - it is based on arts and crafts designs and can translate to applique quilting.

Bark Cloth enthusiasts - - - do not miss Zap Home located at 24 W. Walnut Street - - - the owner has a massive collection of bark cloth, vintage fabric and linens which she will show you if you ask!!!

The original Zap store was located next to Rachel's but was burned to the ground last month. The owner, Steve, was severely injured in the fire - he is credited with the renaissance of downtown Lancaster - you will see tributes to him throughout the town. He is truly an amazing guy - my husband and I had an hour long conversation with Steve just a few months back - keep him in your thoughts!

For all things Lancaster - I suggest FIG - a wonderful community resource for the city of Lancaster!

Tonight's Menu: Phoenixville Farmers' Market Select

I'll admit - not everything in this menu is local - - - soon!

That being said - it is amazing what you can find in your local farmers' market this time of year. Tonight's dinner is featuring some simply amazing finds from the Phoenixville Winter Farmers' Market - For tonight's dinner - - - I'm celebrating local purveyors and the promise of spring!

Appetizer - a lovely raw milk stinky cheese from Birchrun Hills - Red Cat. I've had this warming up to room temperature for hours - can't wait to taste it.

Dinner - yes this is salmon, and the back story is great - check out their website! Wild for Salmon - out of Bloomsburg, PA is a husband and wife team that spends salmon season in Alaska fishing the day away. They bring their catch home and sell it at local markets, including Phoenixville Farmers' Market I'm roasting the salmon tonight and then topping it with this zesty compound butter whipped up with dijon mustard, local honey, and the last wisps of thyme from my herb bed.For sides I'm roasting asparagus (not local - yet!) and some colorful fingerling potatoes.
After roasting the asparagus I'm going to toss them with this melange of orange zest, butter, orange juice and chopped hazelnuts.
And for dessert - - - Betsy baked dessert - - - Betsy of Iced by Betsy - the best cupcake baker in the area - by far!!! Tonight's choice are cinnamon-y. You can find Betsy at the Phoenixville Market - get to her stand first - she is very popular!