Tuesday Tutorials with Judy starting on May 14

APPLIQUE!  Does that word strike fear into your quilting hearts?  Let me show you how to do Machine Applique (no hand work) and ENJOY it!!  There are so many wonderful ways that you can add an applique to your work and not have a panic attack.  It just takes a little time to add a new layer of beauty or whimsy to your quilt.

Here are a few examples...

Personalize a child's quilt

Beautify a ho-hum border

Create an original "painting" with fabric and thread

Find a picture you like and "copy" it

Make a fun birthday gift that will last and last

Learn HOW to do these things, how to "read" the pattern, and how to simply stitch it down.  Join me on May 14 for all my tips and ideas.  Call the store to sign up.  Class fee:  $20 for a one day class, 10am until 2:30pm.  Bring your lunch, beverage, sewing machine, and supplies.  The supply list is available at the store.  I hope to see you!

Happy Stitching!
Judy

PS.  In June we're doing Paper Piecing.  Don't groan!  It will be fun.

Mooshka

We recently got in a couple of very cute quilt-related books and the associated fabrics. Mooshka is a story about a little girl and her quilt, and Where is Catkin? is a cute little book with a cat. Both are illustrated by one of our favorite fabric designers.

You can actually make the quilt from the Mooshka book.We have the entire line and have made a few kits of the quilt! The quilt finishes at 66.5" x 96.5" and is priced at $149.99. Binding is included. The fabric requirements they give you are extremely generous. I was able to make the quilt top, a matching pillowcase and doll dress, and part of the backing. I also had cut out all of the triangles without really counting, so I somehow ended up with enough triangles left over that I'm now making them into a small throw. Had I not cut them up, I probably could have pieced nearly all of the backing from the leftovers.

There is also a pre-printed panel that makes a kitty and a kitty quilt. The quilt just has to be backed, quilted, and bound. The "piecing" is already printed on.

We also got in a few great kitty fabrics by the same designer:

Mini Addison

This is the latest doll dress sample I've made! It's called "mini Addison", and it's a modkid pattern. Those patterns really are up there among my favorites. They're made for American Girl dolls, but fit other 18" dolls as well. This model is Mom's old doll.

New Items

We recently had a large selection of Kaffe fabrics come in! This is the Rowan collection, which includes designs by Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs, and Brandon Mably. The fabrics in the bottom right are from the "Fresh" collection from Windham Fabrics, as well as a couple of Robert Kaufman bolts called "Little Kukla".

Also just in: premade bias binding from Moda! We have it in every color from their "Marbles" collection.

Look at these gorgeous fabrics that came in today! They are by Hoffman, and the first grouping is called "Nature's Song".

This is "Isabella":

Jodi Barrows Lecture/Trunk Show

We had a great time with Jodi Barrows this weekend! The lecture she gave was great, and the quilts were spectacular. I feel inspired. We will be carrying her rulers and books and possibly some kits as well. This October, we are planning on having Sue Wilson come back to teach a Square in a Square class. She's a certified teacher for the system, and the class will walk you through each of the Square in a Square "options". There are 39 ways to use the rulers, so the class will teach you how to do each one, and it will provide you with a notebook that you can glue a sample of each option in. That way, you will always have a reference!

Here are a few pictures from today:

Baskets from Ghana

I don't know if you've noticed these baskets we have all around the shop. We recently got in a large shipment of all sizes, shapes, and colors. They're beautiful baskets and quite useful for all sorts of different things. They're handmade by women in Ghana as part of a fair trade group that helps to employ people, train them with useful skills and business knowledge, and help them work out of poverty.

New Fabrics!

We've gotten several new fabrics in over the last few days!

First is this fun, summery fabric:

The next is a new outdoors/cabin panel. There are also two new companion prints with it (but no pictures of those).

This is a fun grouping by Paula Nadelstern for Benartex:

 This is a fun line called "Water Lilies":

This is what the cattails fabric looks like opened up:

There's also a new line of gorgeous rose fabrics:

This is a very pretty, sparkly, winter line:

 

...and there's a cute snowman panel, based on a pattern that was popular a few years ago:

These are new shot cottons by Kaffe Fasset. Shot cottons are really neat. You need to see them in person. They feel like a lighter, slightly looser weave, but have a very neat look. The warp and the weft of the fabric are two different colors, so you get some very fun color play in the material.

...and these flowers are just neat:

Samples for Sale

Have you noticed that, in the front of our new room, we have several quilts, wallhangings, and tablerunners for sale? Some of these are former store samples and some are consignment items. All of them are very nice. Even one of my puppies is for sale right now!

There are also some men's ties on consignment.