Adding for the Seasons

What season are you sewing for?  We've got a bit of fall flavoring to mix in with our fabulous Halloween collection of fabrics as well as some new additions for the winter season.  Some florals and standards that will round out your stash have also been trickling in.    

In the Beginning Fabrics

Dashwood 

A Walk In The Woods
by Whistler Studios

Silent Night Metallics

Monarch Grove - Digital

Portsmouth
by
Minick and Simpson

We've got the latest French General collection available in layer cakes and a few bolts will be arriving soon to round out a project, and also from Moda, the Portsmouth group will mix in well with previous collections from Minick & Simpson - we have a few jelly rolls available for that line.  Are you ready to settle in for some fall sewing time?  The weather is perfect!!

September for Sewing

Take full advantage of the 5th Saturday in September - we don't see these very often, so use this bonus day to sweep up some savings and stock up on fabric!  

1876 Centennial Quilt

The excitement is building for one group of local quilters that will soon see our quilts on exhibit in Houston ....

Original EMC 1876

It's been quite a long time coming to this point as the pilot group began our quilts in October of 2015!  The collection of quilts, along with the original inspiration quilt will be on display as a special exhibit in Houston at the upcoming Quilt Festival.  There will be a group of maker's attending Quilt Festival and camping out with the exhibit to represent the quilts, so please stop by and say hello.  Anne Dawson and Karen Alexander from Lopez Island have teamed up to make this exhibit happen filling out forms and tirelessly campaigning to get these quilts on display - gathering details, refining patterns, cheerleading slowpokes and even sourcing an anonymous sponsor to help get our quilts on display.  What a great team! 

Finale photo MLG 2018

Finale photo MLG 2018

Close Up MLG 2018

My version recreates a lot of what I initially loved about the original quilt.  For starters, the poison green and solid red setting fabrics were a no brainer, ever since the first photo I saw of EMC.  Other decisions were made to either recreate or deviate from the original inspiration depending on what caught my eye as I chose fabrics for each block and setting element.  The quilting was provided by The Country Quilter who did a phenomenal job and was willing to work with my request to keep the machine quilting as close to the style of the original hand-quilting as possible.  Right down to light thread on solid red fabric....a big shout out to Nikki for getting this to the finish line for me! 

Of course two road trips to Spokane for baseball games helped when it came to the binding and burying of threads.  Darling Hazel, however, has sharp teeth, so there was the binding repair that happened simultaneously with the final stitches!  And in the end, with a community of helpers my quilt was bound and labeled and photographed with a few days to spare and was promptly shipped off to Houston. 

We also hosted Anne Dawson and a group of quilter's here at the shop and their quilts are beginning to make the rounds at some of our local quilt shows too, so watch for more of these labors of love to appear now and again as they make their way across the finish line and out into the world!   I even got to help a customer who is just starting the journey select some fabric choices last week, so the quilt lives on. 

Two Thimbles Class WIP

You can learn more about the project here on Anne's website, and if you're in Houston...take a moment to enjoy all the quilts, including the original and all the amazing variations from the pilot group!  Congratulations to all! 

Things are getting festive!

The Witch is in, and so is our selection of Halloween fabrics - not just for quilts!  Pillowcases, placemats and even some pioneer girl costumes from our reproduction fabrics are in the works around town!

Have you tried a bit of crayon added to your stitching?  The added color can be subtle or stronger like our sample shown below.  We kind of like this piece - set for framing or a pillow.  We've added a few beads too!

EEK! Pattern by Plumcute Designs

We're trying to refrain from a bowl of trick or treat candy - it's too early, right?  But you can keep your hands busy with a stitchery project or two and Halloween will be here before you know it. 

New Fabrics

We've added to our collection of Australian prints - and a new sample is on the wall...we'll get a picture of that one posted as soon as the top gets quilted!  

And these watercolor prints are from Moda, the new digital printing method for these 'Gradients' is sure put to good use here.  These could be used in large pieces or some amazing small pieces to combine with other prints and textures....Hmmm, what can you dream up for these special prints?

And lots of dots got added to our reproduction side of the shop - you know, polka dots, in all variations are certainly a timeless staple, and we find they are often the perfect addition when building a quilt.  These have added some new color to the shelves and are great staples in the stash. 

Lewis & Irene is a new company to us and we've stocked a few special prints - this bold color combination includes a touch of metallic and a trendy octopus motif that might suit some EPP fussy cutting?    

Lewis and Irene, Ltd.

Looks like sewing weather is on it's way, and we have lots of projects in the works so stop by and see what's new besides all these bolts of fabric!

Latest Additions

It's all about variety and keeping the stash stocked with new basics and fun feature fabrics.  We've got a great combination of traditional prints, interesting project fabrics and new fabrics for fall sewing.  What is on your list to make?  

Regency Blues/Chalk & Timber

Larisa & Farmhouse Living

Timeworn Toolbox Designs

New Flannels from Riley Blake

New Ponderosa Plaids

New Canvas Linen blends

Betsy's Little Quilts

We had such a great time with Betsy Chutchian earlier this year when she was visiting from Texas.

There were so many little quilts packed into her suitcases, it was hard to narrow down to our favorites!  We've re-created two of her original doll quilts - in new fabric - our best effort to reproduce the originals from what we have in stock.  It's pretty satisfying to complete a little quilt and have them available for display in no time!  It's also a great way to try a technique or test out a block or fabric combination.

We have a few fabric and instruction kits still available for this Birds in the Air quilt - stop by and check out our version in person!  Betsy's signature chubby thimble has also been recreated - we have a stamp available on our website for this one if you want to try your hand-piecing skills.

2T version 2018

Betsy's Original

We are gearing up for some fall sewing and hope the smoke and wildfires have cleared out for good.  School is back in session and we are getting our fall class schedule nailed down.  Stop in and see some of our project samples and find some fall sewing inspiration.