Concord Arts Market!

Well, for the past month, I've been gearing up for the opening day of the Concord Arts Market in downtown Concord, NH! Opening day is May 30th, so if you are in the area, come on down and check us out. If it is anything like last year, there will be some amazing handmade crafts, and definitely something for everyone. There is usually some live music, and this year it's rain or shine. The farmer's market is right next door, so get some delicious locally grown food, see some wonderful artisans, and grab one of my favorite sandwiches in the world (the tomato, mozzarella, basil) from Madeleine's on Main Street. Oh, and their raspberry palmier are my favorite in the whole wide world, and I can really say that!



I'm starting to get that nervous feeling already, as I know I don't have nearly enough finished. I especially want to focus on my collection, but when there are so many great new things to try out, it's hard to go back and make more sizes of the same. Anyone else have this problem? Even now I'm planning on a few new knit styles for summer. Ugh, so many great designs, so little time.

I'm in Minneapolis right now, but next week it's off to Washington, D.C. where one of my favorite fabric stores awaits. I first found G Street Fabrics when I was a student. I haven't been able to get back there for at least 10 years, and I am chomping at the bit to go. We arrive in D.C. around 11:30am, so I'll be there by 1pm at the latest. Wahoo! The thing is, there are plenty of quilting cottons to be had in the bold and colorful prints I love. But there just aren't that many fabric stores that cater to clothes-making any more.

When I was a little girl, my Mother and I had terrible battles over clothes shopping. I was extremely picky about fit, color, and conformity. See, I just wanted to blend in to the crowd because I was so shy. So, if we couldn't find anything ready-to-wear, it was off to the fabric store to get all different colors of gabardine for slacks, and cotton prints for tops. No skirts for me. Thank goodness I didn't pass the picky gene on to my own daughter! Back then, there were fabric stores everywhere. Now you are pretty much relegated to JoAnn's, which for me isn't ideal. So, thank goodness there are still some fabric stores that have fabric for actual clothes and not just quiltmaking. I'm particularly on the lookout for eyelet, anything with texture, and jersey knit. I'll keep you posted...