Pieces

Fall is Fun!

If you see us just staring out the window at the shop, this is why...

... the view is spectacular.  Watching the trees out front change colors is good fall fun.  I love these crisp and colorful days - and so does my dog.  There is nothing like stretching out in the cool damp grass after you play really hard (as long as you keep contact with the ball).

A while back we decided to test out a new cutting mat at the counter.  The verdict is that it is a keeper and now we have some in the 18"x24" size and will be getting other sizes soon.  Sullivan makes these double-sided mats with red on one side and orange on the other.  The large numbers are easy to see as they are placed on the outside (top and bottom) so you don't cover them up while cutting.  If your cutting mat is getting old and tired, maybe a new one of these should be on your holiday wish list?

Last week, a customer brought in her project to select fabric for a back.  WOW!!!  and wow again! 

All of the applique was done by machine and she had used some stitches that I didn't even know my machine would do (we have the same machine).  I'm inspired!

Another successful zip-bag class last Saturday.  If you haven't learned Tracy's secret recipe for this charmer yet, check it out next term.  You'll be happy with the result.

Finally for today, a little drool fuel....

 

 

Hail...

No, not Hail to the Queen.  I'm talking about Hailstorms!  Really? Can it be enough already?  Oh Spring.... come to us.  I'm trying to remember last Saturday... it was a beautiful day... spent the afternoon wandering around the nursery, but it seems like oh soooo many rainy days ago.  I've lived in the Willamette Valley all my life, I should be used to this kind of thing, but I admit defeat.  I'm sick of the rain!

How about a little fun distraction?  In the Word Play class this week at the shop the students had some fun learning to sew words without a pattern.

For a brief while one of my knucklhead sons went through a phase of having his answering machine greeting be "say words". I just might have to have some fun with "sew words". I can think of all kinds of fun things to do.  If you want to give this a try, check out the book Word Play for help to get started.

You may remember the pictures of the first quilts that Cyndy and Kelly did as part of a little challenge they started with each other.  For the 2nd round they decided each would go off and sew a "circle" quilt.  Wow - could their versions be more different?

Cyndy's quilt

Kelly's quilt

If you know these two people you will probably recognize their distinctive styles in each of these quilts. This demonstrates what I love most about fabric and quilting - the endless ways to express yourself.

 

A while back I wrote about another challenge that Michael Miller Fabrics was sponsoring.

 

The idea was MM would agree to print the fabric design of the lucky winner of a contest to develop a baby boy print.  The entries have been narrowed down to 10 designers who had to add some companion prints to their original entry.  This is fun to look at.  Check it out here and vote! 

 

New Organics!

This fabric is called Cut out and Keep and comes to us from Cloud 9 fabrics.  The fabric and dyes are organic and part of their designer series which is more "price friendly" than their original lines of organics. I don't often like to sew just from a collection, it can get a little to matchy for my tastes, but I would definitely use this collection as is. I really like how they work together.

Need a blast of color.  Then take a close look at these new ones from Phillip Jacobs...

FYI - I'm looking for some part-time help at the shop.  If you or someone you know is interested, send me an email and I will get back to you with the details.  Please no calls or in person inquiries. 

Hey - the newspaper is on the table beside me with the weather page staring at me.  There is a full on sun pictured for Sunday.  Could it be true or am I hallucinating?

February Freeze

There has been a lot of talk about the big snow that is coming to our area tonight - a lot of talk!  On the one hand I hope it happens as predicted because so much energy has been put into predicting and preparing for it.  It would be a shame if it was all for nothing.  On the other hand, it is sure to be inconvenient and interrupt the flow of things.  Maybe that is not a bad thing and we need to have the flow interrupted from time to time to help us keep a perspective and to "roll with it".  To those of you in today to get supplies to spend your "snow day" sewing, I hope you get to have that lovely day you planned for.

Ha Ha - this critter is amusing, don't you think? This is the "softie" that Kelly made for the Modern Quilt Guild swap.  I think it needs a name.

We received a big shipment of fabric this last week, the shelves are full as are the racks in the clearance area.  Among this week's highlights are:

Finally... the rest of Tula Pink's Parisville fabrics.  Yes, the lady does have a ship on her head and a squirrel and lion as well.

From Michael Miller, Patty Young's Sanctuary (Yum!)

Gypsy Bandana

And some new knits. 

This month we had a class to learn to make a stand-up zip bag that Tracy developed.  It was a big success and we will have the class again.  In addition to completing these charming bags, the participants conquered their fear of installing zippers - check out how great these look!

 

  

Let it snow...

 

Done

Ta Da!  I finished the quilt I was making for my son and his partner.  I wanted to make something with an urban feel to go with the clean modern style of their living room.  I thought they might like a "blankie" for the couch and it turned out just as I had hoped.  The pattern is from Cherri House's book City Quilts which we have and the quilt will be at the shop for a while too.  They have no idea I was doing this... I wonder what they will think. 

 

Fifi and Fido

New to fabric design is Anna Griffin who has been creating exquisite designs for stationary, invitations and such for a long time.  One of her first collections is Fifi and Fido and I have to admit I am smitten.  I am attracted to many fabrics (and I do mean many) but for reasons I don't fully understand I am just taken by this collection.  It is not anything like what I would normally be drawn to but there is something about it...

 

What is it that makes me want to make something right now with this?

From this Happy Mess... 

to these cheery blocks!

This week we had a class on making modern log cabin blocks.  It was just how I like classes to be - lots of fabric bits everywhere, some chaos and interesting one-of-a-kind blocks on the wall at the end.  Yeah!

Just Teasing

It is the middle of January and I think it is kind of cruel that multiple times this week there have been sights and sounds that triggered thoughts of spring.  It is just wrong to tease like this.  What is happening here?

All of the sudden the usually bare planter outside the shop door has these eager little shoots.  Really?  It is January.  (BTW - when it is really spring I will make the planter box cheery again.  Sometime in the late fall the plants went missing in the night - go figure.)

Then I opened a box of new fabric to find this collection called Sunkissed.  Could it possibly suggest spring any more than it does?

And if that weren't enough.... the conversation buzz coming out of the classroom during open sew time was about plants and gardening.  For just a moment I allowed myself to be entertained with the idea of spring but then I had a little talk with myself and set things right.  It is January in the Willamette Valley!  Besides - I have a long list of winter projects I am just settling into...

Thanks for sharing your projects with us at the shop, it is really nice to see what people do.  Wendy made this bag to take to the big game...

And Gail should feel very proud of her latest accomplishment, don't you think?

We finished the block of the month quilt for 2011 this last week.  It is a beauty!  We'll start this up in March.  Each month for a year you get a pattern and fabric to complete part of the quilt.  There will be an optional meeting each month where we will give tips on making the block for the month.  There will also be an extra pattern each month for a bonus project that is designed to complement the quilt.  Interested?  Come by and see for yourself or call for details.  Space is limited and the program is half full at this point.  

 

New Year - New Fun

Hang on - 2011 is off to a fun start.  Some of you may already be familiar with Tamis Keefe. She was a successful mid-century textile designer who created designs from the mid-40's until 1960.  She became well known and sought after in the art scene in New York especially and her items are highly collectible today.  Her designs can be found on vintage hankies, tea towels, scarves, tablecloths and other miscellaneous textiles. Her designs are very whimsical and show a love of nature and animals - and of course are done in those fun 50's colors.   Michael Miller reproduced her designs on fabric as a tribute to her and they are now here in the shop.

 

 

For pictures of Tammis Keefe's original designs, visit this website

Also new from Michael Miller are some new colorways of some old favorites.

 

Fact or Fiction?

By now you have heard the rumors about the price of cotton increasing.  It is true.  The fact is that there is not enough cotton to meet the demand so naturally, the cost increases.  What happened?  Massive flooding in China and Pakistan, drought in India, and underplanting of cotton in the US and Russia have resulted in too little cotton produced. For a pretty thorough look at the situation check out Deborah of Whipstitch's post on the subject.  I have heard from almost all of the companies I purchase fabric from that prices will increase, maybe not on everything but it means that you may soon start to notice higher prices on the top of the bolts.  This is not something I do glibly and I will be as competitive as possible so that you can continue to "buy local". 

The Long January...

For all of you who got a new sewing machine for Christmas - woohoo!  Ask us about our new Make it Sew series designed to teach the basics of sewing.  And if learning to quilt is your thing - a new beginning quiltmaking class starts this month too.  January is a looooooooooooooong month - let's make the best of it and sew,sew and sew some more.

 

 

 

Tick-Tock...

Vrooooom - the sewing machines are at full speed while folks finish up their gifts.  Good for you for making something special for your friends and/or family!  If you still need a gift for a sewing friend or need to drop a hint of what YOU might want for the holidays - we have GIFT CERTIFICATES that can be used for anything in the shop. 

I do it every year - play this game of procrastination that ends in a frenzy of activity in the week before Christmas and every year I say I'm not doing it again next year, but I know I will.  I admire those of you who pace yourself through this season... maybe next year...

Let's take a break from the "to do" list and appreciate the new lovelies that have arrived. First up - Amy Butler's new line, Soul Blossoms, is in the shop.  It is pretty delicious...

Feast your eyes on the colors of Presencia Perle Cotton.  We will be carrying this dreamy stuff in 8 ply for all your "big stitched" quilts and other hand work.  Yum!

Moda sent "Le Petit Ecole" from their French General Line.  I'm thinking placemats and napkins...

I tried out a pattern from a new little company at market this year, La Todera - cute, cute, cute.  It was easy and the directions were clear so I'll pick up some of their other flower patterns.  Mine even came out like the one on the pattern (mostly).  These will be fun embellishments for bags, clothes, pins - whatever needs a little lift.

Below are some samples of blocks made during Kelly's recent Modern Log Cabin class.  You can see that a fun time was had by all.  This class is offered twice during the winter quarter - join us!

 

See, wasn't that a nice break?  Now, back to sewing, baking, cooking, shopping, etc. etc. etc.

Winter Classes

The winter class schedule is ready and samples from the classes will be up in the shop in the next day or so.  You can read all about the winter classes on the "classes" page at our web-site. There is quite a variety in the type of classes on the schedule.  You will see that we are a little obsessed with log cabins this quarter - there is a traditional log cabin class, a modern freestyle and a folded log cabin class.  We have two guest teacher classes.  Tonye Belinda Phillips and Ann Richardson from Sisters will be here to teach how to make fabric postcards.  Sarah Kaufman, author of Folded Log Cabins will teach a class on how to make stunning quilts like those in her book.  Winter is a great time to learn a new skill or sink your teeth into a new project.  Let's sew!

I fell in love this week with a project that a customer shared with us.  Could this be any cuter????? 

She made several sleeping bags for "puppy".  They are a big hit with her child and she is on her way to making more sleeping bags for the softies in her house.  What a great idea!!!  Is there a softie sleepy bag in your future?

New this week to the shop are fabrics from Alexander Henry's Larkspur line.  We received most of what I ordered but a few more should be here soon. We have a bright colorway...

and a soft colorway...

As always with Alexander Henry the prints are dynamic and unique - and there are some great companion dots in interesting colors as well.

Alexander Henry had some really cute kid's clothes made from these fabrics at the market.

We also received some lawn fabrics from this same line.

Lawn fabrics are 100% cotton and finer than quilting cotton, which means it has a wonderful drape.  It is very soft, and is described as "cool and silky".  If you are familiar with the quality of the Libery lawn prints then you can imagine the feel of these.  These fabrics are ideal for clothing, curtains - and quilts! Yes, I saw (and felt) a quilt made entirely from lawn prints, it was light and luscious. 

Finally - I'd like to share a couple of Kelly's newest quilts - that girl can sew!

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving.  I enjoyed having time to cook and if I do say so myself, I knocked it out of the park with my stuffing!  Now, I think I have one more turkey sandwich in me and then it is time to move beyond turkey.

 

 

It is Never Dull

Sometimes it is quiet at the shop, but it is never dull.  Even when it is quiet, there is always a book to peruse, a pattern to contemplate or bolts to tidy - and every once in a while I find hunting for pins on the floor a deeply satisfying experience.  But more often than quiet times we enjoy random acts of joy in the shop.  Like this... 

 
What a happy sight!  OK, I know it is early to be this enthusiastic about a holiday quilt but c'mon - this just makes me smile.  The color in this picture is not entirely accurate - in reality it is more purple than blue.  Lisa made this for here home but it will be on display at the shop until she gets ready to decorate her house, come take a look, pick up the pattern and make some happy holiday joy for your house. Here  are some detail pictures...

I don't know if you've discovered "Pieces by the Pound" yet, but as you can see some customers really like it.  We put scraps from the ends of bolts and projects in the bins and charge by the pound for them. I caught these two all a-giggle, digging through the bins, sorting and making little piles of scraps. 

A few weeks ago, Jean Wells Keenan was in the shop for a 2 day workshop on abstract landscape quilt design.  Seven lucky ladies got to hang out for 2 days and explore new ways to use photos as inspiration for fabric design.  It was stimulating and all left inspired to keep pushing on in this new direction.

Hopefully, Jean will be back for more. 

 

Happy Faces

I came back from my vacation to find some very happy faces.  First there was the big grin from my dog Howie (he really does smile).  Howie usually loves nothing more than to play with his pals a couple times a week at doggie daycare.  He is an enthusiastic attender.  But they report he was "sad" while we were gone.  I'm not sure what that looks like but they said he was just not his joyful self.  He sure is happy now though.  

I found some smiling faces on the shop camera. There was a picture of one of our customers having a joyful moment at the shop...

 Then there were the happy sewists from the beginning quiltmaking class...

 

Watching faces is one of my favorite things to do when there are classes going on in the shop.  Some are serious sewers while others are more playful sewers - but they all have a visible sense of satisfaction at days end.  That is clearly seen in the faces of the young ladies below who participated in a week long quilt camp for kids at the shop.

That is some fun!

There are a bunch of boxes of fabric that arrived while I was away, so I'll be busy unpacking them in the next few days.  I wonder what is in them.... 

Nice job Kelly, Cherie, Lisa, Cyndy and Tracy keeping things in order while I was off enjoying myself (loved, loved, loved the hiking in the Tetons) - looks like everyone here was enjoying themselves too. Well done, ladies!