Pieces

The Mighty Tote

There is plenty of time to make a few simple gifts for your friends and family.  I'll be taking one of these "Mighty Totes" to a holiday gift exchange.  They hold a ton of whatever you want them to hold - groceries, knitting projects, books.  The pattern is free, they are really easy to make and the home dec weight fabric is still 25% off. 

The pattern gives instructions for a fabric covered cardboard bottom that you can insert but I just tend to lose those so didn't bother. 

Have you seen Tatiana lately?  She is ready for the holidays with a reversible apron that is a little bit Christmasy on one side and New Years's Eve on the other.  And with her garland boa, she is looking a little flirty, don't you think?  This is the "Flirty Skirty" apron pattern with JUMBO ric-rac.

We have made the Sidelights quilt pattern several times at the shop now, it's one of our favorites.  Our previous versions have been very sophisticated.  But this time, we decided to make it playful. 

Yes, those are cars and trucks and rockets and critters.  The main fabric is a fun one from Alexander Henry and Celeste did a great job quilting "beep beep", "honk", etc. into the background.

It's funny how we can see a pattern that we like but have a hard time imagining how fabrics that are very different than the pattern picture will look.  Sometimes you just have to consider the pattern as a suggestion and have your way with it.  For example, we've made the Arcadia pattern in the shop a few times and always as the pattern suggests with a number of different fabrics as the focus fabrics.  But Tracy liked a particular fabric so much she used it as the only focus fabric and border too and it is just stunning.

Two customer projects that must be shared....

little Nora's birthday backpack...

...and Sheryl's Flag quilt

I think the story is that she meant for this to be for their boat but now that it is done has decided it needs to live with them in the house. 

Coming soon - the winter class schedule and the debut of the PBP employee stocking exchange.    I've seen some of themand oh my - some of my employees outdid themselves this year!

Just the facts...

No fanfare, no hoopla, just the facts...

After Thanksgiving Specials

Nope, not opening at midnight or 3 AM or even 5 AM (sorry Sue, I know you wanted to come at 5) but when we open as usual at 10

Christmas fabrics will be 30% off until gone

Friday, Saturday, Sunday (11/25-27) only

Home Decorator Weight, Linen/Cotton blends, Knits and Corduroy - 25% off.

Why not take a break and check out the new fabrics that have arrived in the last couple of weeks...

Puttin on the Ritz, from Moda

Brazillia fom Alexander Henry

Bold & Beautiful from Benartex

Benedictus by Albert & Victoria Museum from Westminster Fabrics

Pear Tree from Andover

Happiness from Free Spirit

Karavan from Free Spirit

Neutral Elegance from Clothworks

Woodland from Anthology

Flannels from Timeless

Help!  We are bursting at the seams in the shop.  See what happens when I go on vacation...  Oh, I had a great time.  It is just a bunch of fun to hang out with the boys.  There were sights to see,

and time to just hang out together.  It turns out that even though they are now big city dwellers we can relive favorite moments from their rural upbringing with "urban bonfires"...

I did not know marshmallows came this big.  Good times!

 

Mulling things over...

I was talking with a friend the other day about where and when we mull things over and get our best ideas.  She does all of her "deep thinking" when she walks the dog.  For me...

... this is where I sort things out.  I do some of my best thinking here and many a project has been planned on one of these bikes during the spin class that I am in the habit of attending in the very early hours of the AM.  It is here that recently made the decision to change the Piece by Piece rewards program.  It is not something I want to do, but as a way of helping to keep the increases in fabric costs as minimal as possible I've decided that the bonus gift cards will be worth $10 effective January 1, 2012.  I hate to do, but it needs to happen.   Starting with the new year, for every $250 you spend on regularly priced items you will receive a $10 gift card to use as you wish.  Accumulations will carry over into the new year and any bonus reached before the end of this year still gets the $20 card.  Sorry folks.

On a much more cheery note, I have to reveal that I am newly smitten with....  hexagons and paper piecing.  As I mentioned before, the samples at Quilt Market got my attention.  During the last football game (my husband thinks I am watching the game with him just because I am in the same room), I made my first "hexie". 

It isn't much and I am such a beginner, but it was fun.  I've ordered more papers and references for the store and we'll have a class on the schedule this winter - so c'mon - let's hex this winter.

We have a new book at the store that you may want to spend some time with...

 All of the blocks in this book are scaled to be 12.5 inch blocks so if a person wanted to, they could make a sampler of their favorites.  Some blocks use traditional piecing, others feature applique and others are embellished with embroidery.  And the beautiful thing is that there are 99 different block patterns to chose from - a big bang for your buck.  The list of contributors is impressive and the instructions look clear.  Some examples are...

It may take me a while to get back here to blogville.  Thursday I am headed to the other side of the nation to visit my sons.  We're going to DC to stay with #2 son and his partner and then #1 son and his partner are coming down from New York for a long weekend with us.  This is a big big deal as we are hardly ever all in the same place at the same time.  I am sooooooo excited. 

And when I get back, I promise - I'll finish the class schedule for the winter.