Well I think I'm the first of the KP/F+W Publications team to arrive here for Spring Quilt Market, but then I did set off from home (Devon, UK) on Monday! In my defence I had furthest to come - a quick calculation suggests 4874 miles. Approximately.

The others will be here soon, and Jay and I are really looking forward to meeting any Quilt group members who are attending Market. Please say hello if you are passing booth 2711, and drop in to any of our authors' schoolhouse presentations, which begin tomorrow. Most of the sessions are in room B110-111 beginning at 11.05am, except Darlene Zimmerman who will be presenting at 3pm in B117.

Now I wish I could have remembered all those times and room numbers when I bumped into a couple of lovely quilters, Linda and Debbie, in Powell's huge book store this afternoon. Naturally we were in the quilt book section, where the shelves were piled high with old and new volumes - everything on every topic, and a real quilting education. It was like a taster of what I'm sure is to come in the next few days: there was just too much to see!

For those of you who won't be in Portland, Jay and I will be reporting as much as we can about the show in this blog. Please post any questions or comments so that we can check anything out for you.

Best wishes

Slightly-Jet-Lagged Jane

Spring is certainly springing where I live, and the birds are going crazy with nest building. They do a lot of low swooping out of hedgerows, generally right in front of my car as I beetle along the country lanes between where I work and where my horse lives. It's a bit heart-stopping, but I think they know exactly what they are doing because I've never hit one. Thank Goodness!

The hedges of Devon are not the only place to find Spring birds. Check out Anna Maria Horner's stunning fabric collection, or Rosa Blue’s finches, or just about anything by Original Little Bird (pricey but oh so stylish). It seems that spring is here in the world of fabric too.

For a little bird project here’s a taster of a foundation-pieced tablemat and a fabulous cockerel from Mandy Shaw’s upcoming book, Quilt Yourself Gorgeous. Not out til July, but you'll be able to order it from the UK or US MyCraftivity shops very soon.

Does anyone else have an old, quirky sewing machine? I inherited mine from my mother a few years ago. It’s a Frister and Rossmann Cub 3, which I think she must have bought in the 1960s. It’s creamy and curvy like a block of retro butter! I love it because it’s simple but a little prone to moments of oddness. This suits me perfectly.

Yesterday I travelled to the Bath Literature Festival with an old friend from my university days. She works for the Arts Council and was therefore there in an official capacity, and I was going to support one of our authors and to discuss a future book with her. It has been ages since I last visited the heart of Jane Austen country, and I had forgotten how lovely it is. Here’s Bath Abbey for example.


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Humbling to consider the extraordinary craftsmanship that produced the gothic stonework. I wonder if anyone has been inspired to recreate the shapes of the window tracery in other crafts? Perhaps someone from Bath knows of a local designer or group that has done this? I’d love to know.

I had been really looking forward to visiting the American Museum, which (as many of you will know) has a textile exhibition featuring an incredible collection of historical American quilts. But horror! I found out that the museum is closed for winter until March 15th. Curses! Those of you Americans who have been skittering to work on a sheet of ice or digging your car out of a snow drift for the past three weeks, will be puzzled by such a lengthy winter closure in balmy Bath (where the daffodils were blooming and the sun actually came out for a bit). Must be renovation, quilt dusting, and curator hibernation, I suppose.

It turned out that Kate (from the Arts Council) was hosting a gathering of crafty friends yesterday evening. So when we got back I just had to join them and Pickles the Wonder Dog to see what they were up to. Kate is stitching a Mother’s Day card, Anna is knitting the cutest baby hat in the world ever (it’s official), and Susie is making an appliqué advent calendar that is definitely for this Christmas and not an unfinished project from last year (honestly).

Here they are, crafting like crazy. Kate would probably like me to point out that the slightly chaotic backdrop is the result of her fireplace being demolished. Calm and order will be restored as soon as the plasterer shows up to finish the job. Should be about the same time that the American Museum in Bath reopens then…


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