Yesterday we gave you a peek at eight of the Moda designers pre-Market activities. Today, we give you ten more.

Barb Groves—Me and My Sister

There is hardly a surface in the place that isn’t covered with fabric … that includes stools and chairs.

 These are yard cuts of our new Frolic group. The quilt is made and at the quilter but we have a large show following Quilt Market and two teaching engagements, so there are about four different events being worked on in this space!This is my binding chair. It’s threadbare around the edges and is usually covered with a dog quilt. I take it over for a few weeks before market and the dog moves to the ottoman. Many hours are spent in this comfy chair. As you can see I dragged a barstool in from the kitchen to act as my table. It usually has some sort of Starbucks cup attached … so I don’t know what happened today. In the background is a new quilt suitcase. We have so many quilts to transport this time that I needed to purchase an additional suitcase. The laundry basket on top just reminds me that I need to get a load in the washer and then get back into the chair! I try to keep everything “sewing” and Market-related in my sewing room. I hate when it spills into the rest of the house and it makes me crazy when it does. It doesn’t matter how messy or full it gets in here just as long as it’s in this one room and I can close the doors.

Lastly is my before market trash … Some of the prettiest trash of the year!

Laurie Simpson (just back from France)—Minick and Simpson

I just finished binding the two Chippewa Nine-Patch quilts last night.

Same pattern, same fabric collection—Ann's Arbor—but one uses the blues and yellows with a grey background. (Grey background will debut at Market. It's from the Jen Kingwell collection). The other Chippewa Nine-Patch uses the reds, whites, and blues from Ann's Arbor and has the red cross weave as a background. I've made this quilt at least six times.  It looks great with every collection.

New patterns are Four Flags and Lady of Lake Superior .

Sherri McConnell—A Quilting Life

Since we are a pre-market release this time around, it made things easier...kind of! We received fabric in February and so were able to begin making quilts and projects for the booth at that time.

I was also able to finish up pattern writing and photography much earlier than normal.

What I've realized, though, is that you just keep thinking of more ideas when you have extra time, and so I think I've been busier than ever (I still think I'm going to make one more quilt and another small project before I head to St. Louis)! My sewing room has been cleaned a few times since Market prep started only to have me think of something else and end up with it a complete disaster...Chelsi and I can hardly wait to share our booth at quilt market in St. Louis in just a couple of weeks!

Betsy Chutchian

I've planned seven quilts. Two are done and at the quilters, two are in progress, three are not started. Sewing frenzy well underway along with a couple dozen other items with deadlines. Shall I juggle or plate spin while I sew?  'Tis the season and it comes but twice a year....

Days work ready with Netflix assistance...should I watch a new show?? Or old series for background noise??

Second of the three quilts not started, but planned!!! Whole lotta trimming going on.

And ran short on a backing. Appliquéd to match design. That was a new one for me!

Brigitte Heitland—zen chic

So for market preparation I’m sewing some sample quilts. For the photo shoots we pinned some of the fabrics to a magnetic board, which was a Christmas gift from Moda.

The quote reminds you to always make time for those things that you really enjoy. Especially in pre-Market times this is a helpful reminder.

And the times I really enjoy are the hours with my grandkids when I do just silly things like playing with soap bubbles or strolling through picture books and feel the pure love and joy these little ones are radiating.

Jan Patek

Binding quilts, binding quilts, binding quilts—with a little help from my friends, Elizabeth and Rufus.

Brenda Riddle

For my prep for Quilt Market…this time I got my fabrics a little later, so it’s mostly me jumping from sewing machine to ironing board and back to sewing machine!

I do find that I really do better when I force myself to take some breaks & these last few days, my gardenia bushes have provided a lovely distraction as they are providing their first blooms!

But, even when I’m sitting outside enjoying the flowers - in the back of my mind I’m still working over possibilities for my space in Moda’s Designer Section—can’t help myself!—and how thankful I am to be able to design my fabric collection with such an incredible company/family.

Corey Yoder

Quilt Market is just around the corner and it is one of my favorite times of the year.  The excitement about new fabrics and new fabrics is so much fun! 

I have been busily working on finishing quilts for my new patterns and just stitched on the last pieces of binding on my large quilts last week. 

Of course there are still small projects to finish but checking those big quilts off the list is always a welcome finish.

Frances Newcombe and Jane Davidson—Franny and Jane

This team has the added challenge of prepping on different continents—Frances in North America and Jane in Australia.

Frances says:

I am working on an appliqué piece for quilt market. I have always loved appliqué and my favorite method for a creating appliqué quickly is using the wash away appliqué sheets.I wrap the pieces by hand and use lots of glue. Then I hand sew the design to the background. The hardest part is choosing what fabrics go where on each piece.

And from Jane: 

It’s a hive of activity here in my quilt room preparing for Market. There are rolls of fabric everywhere, Aurifil spools marching across my sewing space,  a mountain of scraps piling up on my cutting board, and the computer running hot, writing patterns.  Let us not forget one of the most important Market prep tasks - filling your suitcase with Australian chocolates and biscuits for my Market friends.”

And finally, one of Moda's designers shared a photo of herself operating a power tool...and we don't mean a sewing machine...

Vanessa Goertzen

I've had so much craziness going on. In addition to Market craziness I bought a house and have a few renovations I'm doing before moving in. I have no Market-related pics! I am building a farmhouse table, so my mom took a pic of me sanding the top the other day.

That's it for Market prep. By the week after next, prepping will be a thing of the past and we'll be sharing the new fabrics and finished projects the designers have hinted at in these posts. So, check back! It's sure to be amazing.