I’ve been slowly putting my home together, but my family room is coming along too slowly for my tastes and I want to speed things up. I love my big white comfy couch and my flat screen TV (which is just crying for two art quilts to flank it). But the room is void of color and texture, and that needs to change ASAP!

So it just so happens that I love this console table I found online at Ballard Designs. It’s been sitting in my shopping cart for weeks, but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

I can just imagine placing it right behind my white sofa, and storing a lot of patchwork quilts in it, folded one on top of the other, stacked so you see a lot of color, pattern, and texture right when you look into the room. Problem is, I don’t have any patchwork quilts, except for the one my great grandmother made, and that’s my bed quilt. Louie is especially partial to it…

So now on my to-do list, I want to make about 6-8 lap quilts that I can store in my console table (which I will finally order tonight). I’m not going to make quilts that have terribly intricate designs, I am going for FAST, EASY, and MINDLESS.  My friend Melly Testa posted a blog entry about making a jelly roll quilt that looks quite handsome in her living room. I think I’ll see if I can get some jelly rolls at Sample Spree at this upcoming Spring Quilt Market, and then make a few when I get home.

But I am curious…have you made some quick, easy, and mindless quilts lately, and do you have pictures of them on your blog that I could see? And do you have any suggestions for patterns?

I just returned from Kansas City, MO–national headquarters for Hallmark, AMC Theatres, and of course… home to the planet’s most mouthwatering BBQ! I went as part of a team to help finalize plans for Spring International Quilt Market, and let me tell you…this is one cool town to be hosting Spring Market! 

For all of us industry peeps attending Spring Quilt Market in just a little more than six weeks, everything you need or would want to do outside of the show (like sleep, make a grocery run, listen to live music, grab a coffee or a bite to eat, see a movie, buy some clothes, go antiquing, or go bowling) is within a two- to three-block radius of the Convention Center. It’s also a beautiful city, and for those who have attended past Spring Markets, it reminds me of a mix between Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis.

Let the pictures do the talking…

This waterfall installation is part of The Plaza, which is right in front of the Convention Center. (You can see the top of the convention hall in the back.) The Plaza is very relaxing and a great place to grab some fresh air for five minutes between business meetings in the hall.

The Plaza also boasts of a tennis court and a large grassy area–perfect for yoga stretches or early morning Quilt Market bootcamp. Hey! That’s not a bad idea! Who wants to join me!?

There is also one of the nicest gourmet urban grocery stores I have come across just two blocks from the Convention Center. So if you want to stock your hotel fridge with beverages or late-night munchies, Cosentino’s is the place!

Just down the street from the Convention Center is the new Power and Light District, home to a variety of great restaurants, a Lucky Strikes bowling alley, an outdoor stage with a number of bars and lively places, and boutiques. This is where you will probably want to unwind with your quilting colleagues.

Above is another eatery in the Power and Light District. I showed this picture to my dog Louie who saw it and is very sad that we do not give out Quilt Buyer credentials to dogs. Ah well…

There is more Market information on the Quilts.com site but I wanted to share with you some visuals of the town to start drumming up excitement for this show. And be sure to leave a comment in the comments area letting us know if you are coming to the show (and if you are a quilt business, please leave the URL).

Results from Monday’s Giveaway!

Lastly, congratulations go to Laura Gamaleri! You won Lyric Kinard’s book from my Maudlin-Free Monday Giveaway! Please e-mail me at pokeyb@quilts.com with your mailing address. 

Have a GREAT weekend everybody!