Sample Spree and Lots of Fun Goodies

I know I said that you couldn't really purchase individual yards of fabric, trim, ect. at International Quilt Market, but there is one event that is held before market opens where you can and it's called Sample Spree.  Again, this event isn't open to the public, but it's about the only chance that one has to purchase lines of fabric that have yet to be released and may not be released for up to five more months.  It happens around 8:00PM the night before market and goes until 10:00PM.  Not every fabric manufacturer participates, but a lot of them do.  There is a lot of fabric as well as trims, patterns, notions, ect. that can all be purchased at wholesale cost (without the huge minimums that generally come with ordering wholesale). 

Sample spree is nuts!!  Seriously.  Imagine all the chaos that goes along with the running of the bulls, but instead you have hundreds of ladies obsessed with fabric all running to grab the new lines.  And once it's gone, it's gone, so I'm sure you can imagine the madness.  Mom and I signed up for Sample Spree last spring which was our first time, but we skipped it this past fall, so we thought it would be fun to do it again.  Luckily for us, there are no fabric lines we just MUST have, so we are much more relaxed about the whole event.  Some people would not find sample spree fun at all.  Certainly if you don't like crowds, you would not like this event.  But we like the excitement and hub-bub of it all, yes, we are the type that actually like shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

People start lining up for Sample Spree up to four-five hours before they even open the doors.  Mom and I arrived about 45 minutes before it started and this (picture above) was what the line looked like and we ended up pretty much in the middle.  It seems kind of nutty to wait in line that early since once the doors opened we were all in there in about 5 minutes, but to each his own.

So here are some of the things we brought home from sample spree and some freebies from different people at market..........

I firmly believe that you can never have too much rickrack, especially in pretty colors such as these!

I picked up pretty much the whole collection of 'Rhapsodia' by Art Gallery Fabrics (which has already been released).  These are all 1 yard cuts and I am in love with this line.  Feminine and girly, yet still modern.  And if you've never felt Art Gallery Fabrics, you are definitely missing out.  They are dreamy and wash better than any of my other quilting cotton.  Perfect for garments!

And while we were at the Art Gallery Fabrics table, I picked up one more bundle of fabric that I might love even more than 'Rhapsodia'......this one is called 'LillyBelle' by Bari J. for Art Gallery Fabrics.  This line will be released in June which is just around the corner.  This is only half of the collection as the other half was already sold out by the time we made our way to this stop at sample spree.

I have been waiting for this line from Riley Blake Designs to come out for about 6 months now.  It's called 'Seaside' and it is just perfect.  Yes, Riley Blake Designs sends me fabric for all my design team projects but I wanted to have all of these fat quarters of each print so I picked up this fat quarter bundle at sample spree.  I'm seeing a quilt here with this set.  Although, I may have to get some yardage as well because a few of these prints are begging to be made into children's clothing.

I don't have very much seasonal fabric in my stash, so I picked up this fun Christmas collection from Anna Griffin.  I like that it incorporates some pink and blue into the traditional red and green color scheme.

Here is a little freebie from the folks at Windham Fabrics.  This is Lotta Jansdotter's new line 'Bella'.

 

Some free, super-cute 2.5 inch pre-cut squares.

I picked up a Kona Cotton Color Card that they were giving out for free.  It's a great thing to have because it gives you an actual swatch of each solid fabric that is much easier to coordinate than just looking on your computer.  This card is also great when you are trying to pair a solid with a patterned fabric.

This was a cute bundle of embroidery patterns that I picked up.  I have been embroidering a lot lately and I am really enjoying it.  I may have a little embroidery up my sleeve coming out soon, so these sweet little designs really caught my eye.

Here are some pictures I took in our hotel room with some of mom's fabric too.......

And that's a wrap.  We had so much fun picking up these goodies at quilt market.  It's so nice that Mom and I both love sewing and fabric and can bond over fun experiences like quilt market. 

I think we both have A LOT of sewing ahead of us with all this gorgeous fabric!

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The Cottage Garden ~ May 2012

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope you all have had a wonderful time this weekend celebrating all the men and women who have done so much for us and our country in the line of duty.  And to any of you reading this who have served our county, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do or have done.  You are truly selfless human beings and are courageous beyond belief.

We have been lucky enough to have my dad visiting with us in from Italy this weekend.  I think I've mentioned that he lives over in Tuscany, but in case I haven't, he lives about half way in between Florence and Rome.  It's been about a year and a half since we've seen him and this was his very first time meeting Mr. Caspian Finn.

My dad has the ultimate green thumb.  I'd say he's probably the best gardener I know, so he has been helping us get the cottage garden back into tip-top shape.  We have been so busy traveling as well as with work and the kids, that we really hadn't gotten a chance to get out in the yard much.

You might say my dad has a mild obsession with gardening.  I can remember many, many weekends as a child spent in our local garden centers.  He always took such loving care of our plants and yard and I was very proud to have my friends come over to our house and spend time outside.  I don't consider myself to have a green thumb quite like him, but I love being able to have him here sharing a little bit of the knowledge he has gathered over the years.

Memorial Day seems to mark the beginning of new growth here in Chicago and it's when we can rest assured that we probably won't get another freeze.  Here are some pictures of a few of the wonderful things that are happening around the cottage garden........

Peonies are blooming.

'Savannah', our peach tree, is showing signs of producing lots of fruit this year.

My absolute favorite flowers, the hydrangeas, are starting to bloom.  Slowly, but surely.

New little apples on our apple trees.

Hops growing up the side of the coach house.

The blackberries changing over from flowers to berries.

Grapes are starting to grow on our grape vines.

I just love this time of year.  There are so many magical things happening all over our property.  We have had a wonderful time with my dad and are so thankful he could be here to meet our new little guy.  And a BIG thank you to him for all he has done for us in the yard.  It really feels so great to have our yard nice and cleaned up and ready for summer! 

Savannah is done with her first year of preschool (which flew by way too fast) and we will be traveling to Florida in the coming weeks for a much needed long vacation.  It will be my kids very first time at a real beach.  I can't wait to see their reactions......I'm quite certain they are just going to love it!

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  

Did you spend any time out in your garden?

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