Just a few more of my fave photos from market. International Quilt Festival happens just a few days after Quilt Market but we don’t always have time to stay, so thank goodness that they have exhibits set up during market. It’s great for a little bit of a rest and huge bit of inspiration.

Sometimes Mom & I share a brain. We both love tiny pieces in a quilt. The itty bits in this one just make me want to devour it!

"Kindergarten" by Tadako Nagasawa.

Japanese quilter Harumi Asada has become one of my idols. Her work is unbelievable and seeing it in person is always such a treat. This one was a birthday gift. Could you imagine being the recipient?!

close-up of "Happy Birthday" by Harumi Asada

How does she find the time…

"Harmony in Nature" by Harumi Asada

It’s the details and those tiny appliqued creatures that have me so enamored.

close-up of "Harmony in Nature" by Harumi Asada

There was an exhibit of quilts from the South Korean quilt guild, which I especially loved because of my fondness for the country since my visit there this summer. We don’t hear much about Korean quilters despite much of our quality fabrics being made there. What a relief to know quilting is going strong in Korea!

"Opening the Window" by Young Kyu Ko

And again with the shared brain thing. The favorite quilt from all of market for both Mom & me was “Stairway to Heaven” by Hong Joo Kim. Ta da!

"Stairway to Heaven" by Hong Joo Kim

Not sure what the story is with the shape of the quilt, think it might be a traditional Korean quilt design. What a great idea for a new way to do a log cabin though.

close-up of "Stairyway to Heaven" by Hong Joo Kim

See more quilts from the exhibits on our Flickr. Oh the quilts make me so happy I just wanna eat them or something. Can’t wait to get to more sewing.

The Saturday before last I had a chance to visit the quilt show at the Utah Quilt Guild Festival in Provo. This crazy quilt-covered VW bug was at the hotel entrance to build buzz for next year’s festival, themed “Catch the Quilt Bug.”

I wanted to show you a few of the quilts I was drawn to at the show.  There are yet more up on Flickr (where you can also see all the quilters’ names).  The quilts on display represented a whole variety of styles and skill levels, which was really nice to see.

Loved that this was clearly Native American but also very modern.

Lots of impressive hand quilting and hand work to be seen, like this Cathedral Window quilt.

A modern sampler by a first-time machine quilter.

Amazing applique.

This scrap quilt blew my mind, because there is no regular block size or shape. You can hardly tell how she sewed it together! And it was only her 2nd quilt. I recognized many newer fabrics, as well as vintage ones–even the same Christmas fabric that we had in pillowcases when I was a child!

Like my mom, I am drawn to tiny tiny pieces. I stuck my fingers up so you could see the scale of this quilt. Insane!

I would love to tell every quilter I know to enter a quilt in this show next year. For all those reasons you think you shouldn’t, I’ll say: you underestimate yourself, other people do want to see your quilts, and you can handle the judge’s feedback. Recognition can be really nice, and constructive criticism from a judge can be useful, but all of that doesn’t  have to be the final word on what is right or beautiful. Just be proud of what you create and share it, whether or not you care about–or think you can–win a ribbon!

Greetings from Korea! I am in the Land of the Morning Calm, which happens to be the place where the good majority of the fabric that we carry is made. Just a quick check-in to say hi and share a few photos. The colors and patterns everywhere here are inspiring.

Yesterday in Gimhae we went to Eunhasa, an ancient Buddhist temple that burned in the 1500s and was rebuilt in the 1600s. This is the underside of one of the “beef tongue” roofs.

Lanterns and ceiling of the temple:

many orange Buddhas:

And today we visited the Gukje Market in Busan. The first thing we saw there was wallpaper. The Koreans take their wallpaper very seriously. Every surface of the tiny apartment we are staying in is covered in it.

And of course, fabric. From Hello Kitty to home dec. All of it enticing. It draws me in like something stronger than a strong magnet.

Headed to Seoul tomorrow, where I’ve been promised the most massive fabric warehouse ever is waiting for me.