Quilting Adventures ~ The Friendly Store for Everyone Who Creates With Fabric!

Lots of miscellany for you today!

We got new fabric in – Urban Rhapsody is on the right and an assortment of orientals from Kona Bay on the left:

I just got a special deal on 8″ Gingher Scissors in a gift tin that I’m passing along to you – 20% off until they’re gone!  These are a terrific gift.  My mother gave me my first Gingher shears about a million years ago and they’re still going strong (okay, so, probably more like eighteen years, but *still*).

New Year’s Day – I’ve finally got all the details worked out and uploaded!  We’ve got a great day planned, and you can click here to read all about it!  Please don’t wait to sign up for these make-and-take sessions; I know they’re going to fill fast!  And check out the scoop on our PJ Pants contest.

Also in the holiday spirit – I decided to help you make things easier for the Santa in your life.  Follow this link to our Wish List, print off a copy, and leave it somewhere for him/her to find.  They can bring it to us and we’ll take good care of them! 

If you find yourself with a spare few minutes this Sunday, you might want to join in on Monica’s Silk Painting with Resist class – look what you can make!

We’ve also got some new classes on the schedule for December that can help you out with last minute gift needs – Bargello Placemats:

And you too can make this beautiful kimono robe from Amy Butler’s In Stitches book.  Monica’s sample is made with rayon, but you can use cotton or flannel, too:

Monica’s also doing an Apron Class and Cookie Swap in December.  Follow the link to read all about it!

Hope to see you this weekend for our Finish the Bolt sale on Friday and/or Fat Quarter Frenzy Saturday and Sunday.  Until then, Happy Thanksgiving!

~Joyce

I was in desperate need of a sewing fix (for those of you who don’t know this already, quilt shop owners really don’t get to sew much once they open their shops!), so on Sunday I managed to sneak a little bit in.  I sewed a top that I’ll post here after it’s quilted – it’s so cute with rick rack on it! – but here are two other projects I worked on.

This quilt is from the new book Dream Landscapes by Rose Hughes.  Phoebe and I met Rose at Market and saw her quilts in person and LOVE them!  I made the sample pattern from her book to learn her techniques and I really love them!  This landscape isn’t quite done (and it’s monochromatic so it doesn’t photograph well, plus it’s got lots of beads and stitching detail that got lost in the photo) but I’m having a really good time with it.  And I’ve already designed a second landscape from one of my favorite photos.  Anyone interested in a class based on this book? 

I’ve been wanting to make a sample from Janet Rice-Bredin’s Leaf Magic Little Quilt pattern for a while now.  She includes instructions on how to use *real* leaves in your quilts (but it takes a little time and I’m way too impatient for that).  This is another small project that would make a great gift – it’s not quite done, as I want to sew on a few beads and add a pretty wire hanger, but I think it looks pretty good:

~Joyce

Those of you who visited our Gift Giving Fair during the Tour de Quilt may have picked up a copy of our free pattern for making baked potato bags.  We still have our sample and free pattern in the shop; ask to see it next time you’re in. These are great for small gifts!

HOWEVER, since then, I’ve seen a warning that baked potato bags MAY catch fire in the microwave.  So I decided to do some research.  Here’s what I’ve been able to figure out:

1.  Use only cotton fabric, cotton batting, and cotton thread to make your baked potato bag.

2.  Use a microwave with a turntable, not one of the older models, so it doesn’t develop hotspots.

3.  Follow the instructions for how long to cook!  Probably anything will catch fire in a microwave if you leave it in there long enough.  Our instructions say 8-15 minutes.  I know that with my microwave at home (which is probably less than two years old), I would probably check them after 5 minutes (unless they’re ginormous potatoes!).  So please use good judgment.

4.  If you see a hotspot develop on your bag, I would throw it away and use extreme caution next time I tried baking potatoes in a NEW bag!

I know of people who have been using these with great success for years with no fires in their microwaves!  I hate to see everyone give up on them for what sounds like one or two accidents.  Like anything else, use your best judgement! 

~Joyce

Amy H. (who works here) sent me some show and tell pictures!  The ‘Hungary Caterpillar’ is for her son’s kindergarten teacher for Christmas.

The pencil roll pattern came out of the book Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts:

Amy also recently did an embroidered Christmas Stocking sample for us – it’s near the register – and an ADORABLE tea towel – hanging by the register.  Her embroidery is just amazing and inspiring and *happy*!

~Joyce

Cheryl S writes:

I highly recommend the Bejeweler Pro to attach crystals to fabric. The crystals really add sparkle and the Bejeweler makes it really easy to apply them. I can’t imagine trying to hold onto those crystals by hand or with tweezers to put them on with a regular iron!

Here is some photos of a small wall hanging I made for one of my relatives last Christmas. The crystals really make it sparkle!

Boats! And firetrucks!

Cool blue fabric that’s meant for sashiko.

New Olivia fabric!!!!!!!

elinor peace bailey’s new line for P & B Textiles – Dance with Fairies.  And right next to it are some cute little prints that were imported from Japan. (which I love!)

~Phoebe

It’s been piling up again!

Here’s Cheryl’s daughter Molly as a cactus for Halloween:

And a closeup of her headpiece:

We do this “secret santa” thing here at the shop, and someone left this adorable froggie for Kristal, made from the pattern by Me and My Sisters:

This is my Bosa Nova bag – this pattern is so great!  She gives instructions for three different sizes but also tells you how to adapt the pattern to make any size bag.  These are a great “green” alternative to traditional paper giftwrap:

At Quilt Market this year, we picked up a new line of patterns by Pieced Tree Quilts.  These are cute, little, quick (and inexpensive) – these samples were made by MaryT, Betty, MaryT, and Amy (in that order):

And last but not least, Monica’s Fun Foam Blocks – it’s not too late to take her class on these!

We got a TON of new stuff today – but that will have to be another post! 

~Joyce

At the beginning of November, the boxes started rolling in.  We have TONS of awesome new fabrics:

That was Can Can from Elizabeth Studio.  They look like flowers at first, but then you can see the awesome can can dancers!!!!  (I love this one, can you tell?)

Laurel Burch’s newest collection, Secret Jungle, from Clothworks.

Four out of the six colorways of Nature’s Palette from Northcott.  The other two should arrive next month.

White on whites, beige on whites, beige on beige, etc.  In other words, neutrals, from P & B Textiles.

Tons and tons of novelties!!!  Inlcluding pirate monkies, mice in a maze, flip flops, fish, and animals having a party.  OH, and really cute kittens and puppies.

Oriental Odyssey from Northcott.

Papillion from Hoffman California (this is really, really pretty in person).

Urban Couture from Moda.  This one has some really interesting colors in it.

NEW TRIMS!  Including two different widths of ric-rac and some cotton webbing for straps.

Yay!  I’m so excited by all the new stuff!  Check back soon for some awesome show and tell (including a cute Halloween costume!)

~Phoebe

This year’s panty raid was again a success – we collected 39 packages of panties to donate to the YWCA Women and Children’s Shelter.  Mary S. won the drawing for our $50 gift card – congrats, Mary!

This weekend is our annual Panty Raid!  In a nutshell – bring in new, unopened packages of panties for us to pass along to the folks at the YWCA Women & Children’s Shelter, and we’ll give you one cotton fat quarter for each package.  And you’ll get a chance to win our $50 gift basket!

AND (drum roll please) we’re introducing our new Block of the Month (sort of) this weekend – Scrap Mania.  Click here to read all about it – you won’t want to miss out!

~Joyce