The Shop! A Little Tour

The shop was fine while I was away, as usual.  Deb and the others are so great, they keep it in tip-top shape, unpacking stuff, moving displays, putting up samples, even getting a customer or two to bring in a project to show what can be done,

 This view of the front entry area shows 2 new fabric lines, one of them by Fig Tree Quilts, which I love, as usual.  I don't remember what the other one is called, but I love the color combo and the old-fashioned flower designs, with geraniums on them, i think. 

You can also see by the blocks pinned up on the wall that we're getting close to the end of the Saturday Surprise blocks, I think there are 2 left to go:

I think the most popular fabric grouping lately has been the Nancy Halvorson/Art to Heart one called "Garden Song", by Benartex:

You can see how depleted it has gotten in just a week or two.  But it is so lovely for the spring.  One of the projects in the accompanying book is the decorated tea-towel -- thanks Carol!!  My photo of it isn't very good, but it says BLOOM,

 

We went through the tea-towels pretty fast, so I've re-ordered a whole whack of them, and in more colors.  They're also fun to use to turn into an apron.

Oh, the other thing that's happening is the Amy Butler trunk show is up in the classroom until may 16.  There are some nice hand-bags and quilts if you'd like to come in and take a look. ( Again, if you click on the photo, it should make it larger to look at, then use your back arrow to get back to the main page. )

I love the colors in the pink and turquoise quilt!

That's the little tour for today!

Store Samples

Finally, I put a binding on a quilt this morning.  Part of what i do is to make samples to put up at the store.  Sometimes it is to show a new quilt pattern-- usually it is to be the model for a kit using a group of fabrics that are new to us.  However, it is inevitable that some of the samples I sew never make it to the shop.  This is for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes, it just turns out not to be a pretty quilt.  Or,  something comes up that delays my sewing the quilt, and before I know it, the fabric has been selling, and there isn't enough left to make up the kits.  On occasion I'll take in just the quilt top before it's been quilted, although I really avoid this, as I like to have all the samples to be finished items.  As a result of all this, I often have a couple of  several things in my sewing room that need to be finished, but that won't end up at the shop. 

One such project is this shoo-fly quilt.  I picked up a package of fat quarters of this fabric by Benartex in Houston over 2 years ago, before the fabric was released.  Started the quilt, the fabrics got ordered, arrived some months later, sold most of them, the rest went into clearance, and still my quilt was unfinished.... until today that is.  It is in the washing machine at the moment, since i always wash them as soon as they're bound.  And it will be all spring-like just in time for easter!!

Also sewed up some more tea towels.  I'm not sure why, because I have so many, but you know how it is when you just Have To. 

Hope you're having a great weekend!!! m