Mark Lipinski is Distracting Me

I should be doing this:

But all I want to do is play with this:

This is Mark Lipinski's new fabric line called Oakdale (on the left) and his basics line called Elements (right). Mark designs for Northcott, which shipped the fabrics to me last week.

I've had a quilt pattern idea for over a year now, but hadn't been able to find the right fabrics to express it. I wanted something Country-ISH, but not Country-Cute (to which I am allergic). I also needed the correct scale of print, and complex colours that were fun and funky without being too crayon bright. When I saw Oakdale, I knew it would be perfect! And Mark's Elements line also fills the colour variety I needed for my new pattern.

Chickens!

Mark is an award-winning television talk show producer and programming executive who has taken the quilt world by storm with his magazine Mark Lipinski's Quilters Home, his no-holds barred blog, and his dynamic fabric collections. I've heard him speak, and he's a hoot!

So Mark, my strawberry garden calls out for me. And on a gorgeous sunny morning in June I am inside the studio, playing with you.

Great Canadian Shop Hop

Tricia Sherman's Great Canadian Shop Hop website has a new episode! Tricia has filmed at Carola's Quilt Shop in Gibson, British Columbia on the Sunshine Coast. Carola Russell, known to many of us from past Quilt Canada conferences has opened up a lovely little quilt shop in one of the most picturesque towns in Canada. To find the episode, click on Video Player then select Show #6.

The quilt designers Lill' Bit and Susan Fletcher demonstrate their favorite techniques, and my friend Nancy Climie is shown giving a workshop. I wish I was there right now!

I was fortunate to be invited to participate in Show #4 at Country Concessions in Cookstown, Ontario a year ago. The owner, Darlene Cooper, has been a huge supporter of Canadian pattern designers for many years. Country Concessions is a gorgeous store and I credit Darlene for helping me to start my career as a pattern designer. When I decided to translate my botanical drawings into quilt patterns, I went to Country Concessions to find the clear bright fabrics I needed for flower quilts. At that time most shops carried very grayed, muddied colours. I knew Darlene would have something different. I spent a bundle and came home with everything I needed to begin my new ideas. Country Concessions carries all my patterns, and I still make the 3 1/2 hour drive to shop there!