February blew through the studio, bringing with it two shows (AQS Phoenix AZ & San Mateo, CA), many orders, and several new projects. Between keeping up with the shop and the garden–a lack of rain here meant daily watering so our winter vegetables wouldn’t die–I fell behind on my writing. To catch up, here is a little synopsis.

This was the first AQS Quilt Week to be hosted in Phoenix, AZ, and it was fun. Thanks to next year’s Super Bowl, Quilt Week with be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which I am looking forward to as I prefer it to Arizona. Sorry Phoenix, your convention center is impressive, but I have very fond memories of New Mexico.

Organic cotton is awesome. The more you know about the cotton industry, the more you want to use organic fabrics, and these do not disappoint. In mid-February the Eiko collection from Birch Fabrics arrived and I immediately started piecing a new quilt with it! These fabrics came through the pre-wash and dry cycle with minimal fraying (YAY!) and feel even softer than they did on the bolt, which is saying something. I have 11 different fabrics from the collection available in the Kimonomomo Etsy shop, and I encourage you to check them out. Make something fun for summer!

My fiancée Thomas lent a hand on day 3 of the Quilt, Craft, & Sewing Expo in San Mateo, CA. If you were there the first two days of the show you met Leah, my new assistant. No photos of her yet, but we’ll get there.

Daisy dog, fresh from the groomer, decided my current project was nap-worthy. She’s mostly blind due to damage to her eyes from before Thomas adopted her several years ago, but she is a sweetheart who loves to give kisses and push other dogs out of the way in the dog-push-dog world of grabbing attention and affection. She’s small and doesn’t shed, so she’s welcome to a quilt-top nap now and then.

The sashiko quilt has been coming along very well. For those who are curious how I can stitch through three layers and not break my needle, I’ve been using Winline organic bamboo batting which is light and holds up amazingly well. I have a roll of it in the studio for future projects and kits and would like to carry it in my shop as a regular item, so let me know if you’re interested in trying it out. I’m also now a diehard fan of using a thimble for all my sashiko projects. I’d considered thimbles optional for years, but now that I’ve mastered the appropriate handhold for a long sashiko needle, it’s the only way I sew.

Coming up this month we have two meetings of the Bay Area Sashiko Workshop, one in the San Jose area and one in Alameda, CA, details to come. Voices in Cloth 2014, the annual show for the East Bay Heritage Quilters, will be my next show in late March, and I’m excited to see all the quilts, including two amazing raffle quilts!