Luscious Batiks

Mmmm. . .we are having a great time using these batiks in our Orion Star Kits here at the Studio Store. Here's a photo of twelve of these wonderful fabrics.

More Red and Green -- Beets

Another study in red and green via the row of beets in the garden at Graywood Farm. Love the grassey green with the red violet stems and burgundy bulb. By the way, we usually plant the Detroit Dark Red variety of beets. We like them small, cooked in water, skins slipped, with a butter garlic sauce. We also like them full size in fall, cooked in water, skins slipped, with a butter garlic sauce.

Yes, we like beets. They have a wonderful earthy taste. We sprinkle big grains of sea salt on top, too, before we eat them. Mmmmm.

Stop By the Studio Store. . .

and you will get to see the fabulous samples from our new book. Don't miss seeing our newest designs up close and personal. When the book comes from the printer (probably last week of June or first week of July) the samples will be out of here. We will be sending them on to shops that have ordered the book. First display will be at Quilting Possibilities in Forked River, New Jersey.

Here are a few glimpses of displays in the store this week. Danielle Damen is our shop and photo stylist and she does a crackerjack job of creating displays that rock!

We are in the last weeks of fine tuning the book. Photographs will be dropped into pages this week and the proofreading crew will be busy. The book, "Tapestry of Texture," is a celebration of table runners and table covers with lots of fabric. Stop by and see these gems soon!

Market Wrapup

Monday morning and we're driving home from Minneapolis. Here are a few last looks at the Spring Market Booth. I'm tired but pleased to have seen so many quilt shop people! It was a good market.

One photo shows projects from our new book. Then you can see a hi-lo driver as he moved carpeting rolls in the aisles.

Onward and upward!

Saturday At Market

Here's Ed in the GW booth at Minneapolis Market. We can hear thunder and it's raining hard outside this noon.

We've been visiting with colleagues in the quilting industry. The dominant word -- "we are looking forward to a good summer." It's good to hear how positive people are as we roll out of a recessive retail cycle.

Market Prep Day

Good morning, dear readers. It was a long drive (570 miles) from Gaylord, Michigan to Roseville, Minnesota yesterday. I'm finally getting my second cup of coffee and my first awareness of the day.

Ed and I oohed and aahed at the many clumps of lilacs that we saw yesterday. We spotted a clump in the wild about five miles south of the Big Mac Bridge and kept seeing lilacs all the way into Minnesota. Our absolute favorite place for lilacs (besides our yard) is the Royal Botanic Garden in Hamilton, Ontario, pictured here. Yesterday's spots of purple, lavendar and white reminded us of the wonderful Canadian gardens which we visited last May.
Today's work will be fun. I'll be setting up a half booth (six feet by ten feet) with all of the new samples from Tapestry of Texture and some of the samples from our previous books. The half booth format is new to Graywood Designs. Business has been slow and I decided to do a half booth for Spring Market rather than skip the market.

Our photo shoot last Saturday went very well. We used the Graywood Studio Store in Pigeon for background and setting spaces. Photo stylist Danielle Damen raided the antiques collections of her family and provided stunning settings for Tapestry's table runners and table covers. Photographer Steve Jias was sprawled on the grass for garden shots. Steadicam operator and photo guru Will Eichler assured us vertical and horizontals of most shots before a set was broken down and we moved to another spot.

All of this photography and packing and travel has been a backdrop in my life. My dear mother-in-law moved to assisted living on Monday. While Ed and I cared for her transition along with his family, my staff has rallied round the tasks at hand that needed to be done to get Graywood Designs (me) to Market.

So, off to the Convention Center to Booth #3404. Stop by when you are at Market. Thangles has their booth right next to us, too.

If you are a Quilt Shop buyer and have not received our Market email, call Lori at our office -- 888-453-4554 and talk with her about our May Market offers. She can connect you to our email list so you can see Graywood's new products now.

Packing Day for Market

Whew! It's finally packing day for Market. We travel by car and all of our booth setup supplies and the samples from the new book go with us. By Thursday I'll be hanging backdrops and figuring out the best way to display the table runners and tablecovers from our new book, Tapestry of Texture.

We'll be in Booth #3404. If you'll be at Market, do stop by and visit! I will post photos of the booth at Market sometime on Friday.