Oscar Stew

I know this might come as a shock to you, but I love fabric. I love the colors, the texture, and knowing that I can create something that never existed before. So, when the fabric makers of the world came to Salt Lake to strut their stuff, I had to be there. I couldn’t just stand on the shore in this ocean of fashion and wait for whatever the tide would bring in; I had to drown in this sea of creativity!

Now I couldn’t show up to the International Quilt Market looking like a rookie. I just happen to have the coolest Aunt in the world that runs the best quilt shop in the industry. I picked up the supplies for this bag over a year ago, and I knew I would find plenty of treasure to haul back home, so I finally made this monster of a carry-on for my voyage through the threads… I call her Beatrice; she is so big she deserves a name!

Kelsey and I aren’t giddy with excitement. Nope. Not even a little.

Everyone is gonna think we’re full-on fabric freaks! Quick, do something that’ll disguise who we really are! This spy act is fooling everybody! See, nobody is noticing a thing! Nobody at all…

Uh-oh, something tells me we’re gonna get stuck in this quagmire of quilts all day! Let me in! Let me in!

Ok, so we got there way early. Can you blame us? We felt like a couple of 5 year-olds on a field trip!

Once we finally made it in, there was awesomeness and inspiration at every turn!

Meeting some of my favorite companies & designers was so much fun!! If only I hadn’t been so camera shy…I only snagged pics of empty booths, to save myself the embarrassment of looking like a groupie.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that my friend Joel stole the show. I wish I had been brave enough to take a picture of the whole booth….but in my defence, the show was packed! There was never a right time to take a picture!

After the show we were quite exhausted. Kelsey wanted to nap…I couldn’t wait to dig into my bag of goodies!

This is just some of the lovelies that we snagged along the way.

The day after the show I got to hang out with my mom & all my sisters. I present to you: the Johnson girls of the present and future! I would say past, but for now that would only be me…and only my purse is in this picture. Pretty good lookin’ bunch, eh?!

After spending 4 hours at IKEA you can’t go wrong with some fro-yo and a place to put your feet up for a while!

On Day 3 of my vacation from motherhood (thanks Ryan!) we spent the day hangin’ at Jenna’s place enjoying the three F’s: food, fabric, and friendship! 

Even if we weren’t feeling like friends first thing in the morning, a whip cream topped scone always does the trick!

What would a weekend at the Quilt Market be if we didn’t quilt? Remember what they say about idle hands?

Johnson girls don’t get together without cooking either. This time we tried our hand at homemade tomato soup…

The ingredient list was extensive. The stems you ask!? They pack some serious flavor!

This quilt ain’t too shabby either. Thanks Joel!

The only thing that could have made this soup even better, was a grilled cheese sandwich. Then we’d really be 5 year olds!