Welcome to the Sew Pro Stars Blog Hop!  Here you will find a variety of sewing projects inspired by the information and interactions from Sew Pro 2016.

What is Sew Pro?

In September, I took a bold step in building my quilting business. I traveled from Phoenix to Chicago to attend the Sew Pro convention.  It was a gathering of sewing professionals to meet, mingle, and learn some business-building strategies.  The organizers, Brenda Ratliff of Pink Castle Fabrics, and Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness, planned four tracks of lectures. Attendees could choose from pattern designers, fabric designers, authors, and bloggers.  Lecture topics ranged from publishing tips and intellectual property rights, to technology tools and the travelling teacher life.  When I returned home, I knew I wanted to continue the collaboration with the wonderful people I met.  I reached out to my fellow sewists on Facebook, and we agreed to share during this blog hop.  Please visit everyone and prepare to be dazzled by the amazing creativity and talent!

At Sew Pro, our keynote speakers were Pat Sloan and Tula Pink.  I came home with pages and pages of notes just from those two speakers.  The conference was jam-packed with great information about the opportunities for quilters and sewists in the larger fabric industry.

Inspiration

As I pondered how to express the lessons from Sew Pro within a fabric-based project, I explored Pat Sloan’s website.  She is a powerhouse in the quilting world, hosting a weekly podcast as well as designing quilt and writing books!  You may have heard of one of her little projects…the Splendid Sampler, a 100-block quilt along that has thousands of participants. From the Splendid Sampler patterns, I found the perfect block to represent Pat and the Sew Pro conference: #61 Traveler, coincidentally published on the weekend we were all in Chicago!

Tula Pink is an amazing artist.  I love her color sense and the whimsical animals she designs.  The Traveler blocks were made with fabrics from her Eden line.  Also, I am featuring two prints from her new line, “Slow and Steady.”  The hare is a tribute to my mom, a collector of porcelain rabbits, who inspired me to quilt when she opened a fabric store.  The snails remind me that building my business is not a sprint.  The Traveler blocks signify life’s journey…my trip to Sew Pro and all the places quilting has taken me.  I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Visit the other quilters and sewists on the Sew Pro Stars Blog Hop:

Monday Nov 14

Lisa Peterson – Lisa and Lorelai

Sherri Noel – Rebecca Mae Designs

(you are here) Andi Stanfield – True Blue Quilts

Tuesday Nov 15

Vanessa Behymer – Vintage Barngirl

Pam Cobb & Lynn Rinehart – The Stitch TV Show

Sherry Shish – Powered by Quilting

Joanne Kerton – Canuck Quilter

Lisa Nielsen – Lisa Lisa and the Quilt Jam

Wednesday Nov 16

Carmen Ross – See Carmen Sew

Anne Beier – Hudson Valley Quilts

Jessica Caldwell – Desert Bloom Quilting

Pamela Morgan – Sweet Little Stitches

Thursday Nov 17

Maryanna Powell – Marvelous Auntie M

Cathy Smith – A Quilting Chick

Lissa LaGreca – LovinglyLissa

Paula Mamuscia – Creations by Paula

Friday Nov 18

Becca Fenstermaker – Pretty Piney

Holly Stockley – Lighthouse Lane Designs

Teri Seal – Day Moon Quilts

Trinia Braughton – Penguin Feats

Deanna Wall – Stitches Quilting