Sweet Home Quilt Co.

Have you ever wondered what quilt shops do to prepare for shop hop? Here at Sweet Home, we’ve been busy little bees since early January and now that shop hop is a week away, we’re checking our lists and still trying to get as much done as possible. I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes look at some of what we’ve been doing…

We started early cutting and packaging the Shop Hop Fabric Strip Sets…what you see is only about half of the 600+ kits we’ve done! We’re offering something a little different to shop hoppers this year — if you missed it, check out the Shop Hop Blog for details on this new program.

Emptying bolts and bolts of fabric…

Cutting kits…some on the die cut machine, which generates tons of scraps…

Labeling and packaging all of those kits!

Finding a place to put all those kits until they’re needed!

Daily visits from Mr. Brown bringing new stock to be checked in and added to the mix.

Making new samples…which still have to be hung on the walls for display!

All of those new samples means there’s been a whole lot of binding going on!

Ripping wool to re-stock our display … there’s something really satisfying about ripping wool!

Several trunk shows have arrived and are waiting their turn for display!

And finally, a sneak peek at our Shop Hop quilt, which is finally off to the quilter for quilting! (This picture was taken during the last stages of construction as the borders were going on.)

Remember those strip sets I mentioned that every shop will have for shop hoppers? All the shops exchanged sets and this is the free project we came up with. As is tradition for us, we always use black and white in some way in our Shop Hop project and this year is no exception…the black and white polka dot really showcases the vibrant strip colors. We hope you love it as much as we do!

~Melisa

Each year during the Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop, we always give away some great prizes, and this year is no exception. Everyone who turns in a completed passport is eligible to win one of these great prizes:

Grand Prize: $100 gift certificate to each shop ($1000 value)
Second Prize: Sew Ergonomic Chair ($400 value)
Third Prize: Tutto Bag, ($200 value)

We realize that not everyone can make it to all ten of the shops, which is why each shop also offers a $100 value drawing for everyone who visits. I always try to choose a special prize to give away, something that you might not buy for yourself. This year I’ve selected a really nice quilt kit:

Cottage Garden Quilt Kit, 89 x 98

The kit features the Cottage Garden fabric collection by Kaye England for Wilmington Fabrics, and includes the instructions and fabrics for the quilt top (binding and backing are not included.) The kit is packaged in a reusable sewing basket.

All you have to do to be eligible to win the kit is visit Sweet Home Quilt Co. during shop hop next week, March 14th-17th, and get your passport stamped.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone…but there’s still tons of work to do! We’ll be ready! We’ll be ready! We’ll be ready! (Maybe if I say it enough it will actually happen?)

~Melisa

Our shop hop fabric sample has arrived! In keeping with the shop hop theme “Quilting…It’s Our Passion,” the participating shop owners selected a sewing themed fabric by Timeless Treasures, and it is a lively, fun print! Fabric yardage is available for pre-order now. The fabric is $11.50 per yard, and must be pre-paid when you order. Pre-ordered fabric will be available for pick-up during or after the shop hop (March 14-17), and if we have any remaining we’ll make it available for general sale at that time. You may also place your pre-order online; please indicate in the Comments Section of your order if you plan to pick up the order at the shop, or if you’d like it shipped. We will ship pre-orders the week of March 18th, and applicable sales tax and postage will be added.

Call the shop to place your order before it sells out! Or better yet, stop by to see the fabric sample up close and in person, and take a look at the cute coordinating fabrics we’ve brought in to go with! We’re working on some cute samples, including a Classmate tote from Atkinson Designs, and some cute aprons. This fabric would make adorable curtains for your sewing room, too! Limited quantities of the Shop Hop fabric are available so don’t wait if you want it!

~Melisa

Don’t know why, but the shadow-y photo on the right is one of my favorites from all that I took! This was Day One, about 8AM, and the beautiful sunshine and mild temperatures promised a great day ahead!

As soon as it warms up just a bit more, I’ll be planting flowers with the old bicycle…right now it is covered in grapevines!

I know, I know…it’s a “gender-neutral” mannequin…but it was the illusion I was after! This was a Popsicle Sticks (Atkinson Designs) quilt made with Tonga Treats, and we had no more wall space to hang it! I added a zipper flower “belt” and a little bling around the neck to complete the look! So I wouldn’t make the cut on Project Runway…I haven’t quit my day job…yet!

Cathy did a great job with our Quilt Book Library…that’s Melville Dewey you see up there…as in Dewey Decimal System! He had all sorts of quotable things to say to our hoppers!

A couple of our free-standing demo boards – I loved watching customers’ faces for the “Aha” moment!

…we had a “fierce” teacher in the classroom…Gwen was stern but helpful to all our shop hop friends, making sure they followed the “Rules of our School!” Her biggest thing was #9…Don’t Spit! You can see our big chalkboard on the front porch, welcoming hoppers with our demo/lecture schedule.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little shop hop picture tour of Sweet Home! I’ve still got pictures of all the shops’ quilts and they are wonderful…stay tuned, more to come!

Melisa

We’ve closed the books on the 2011 Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop, and from all indications it was a huge success. Our numbers indicate more than 1100 people participated, and everyone agreed a fun time was had by all! The shop owners met this morning to select the prize winners, and I know everyone is anxious to hear who won our great prizes:

Shari Parris of Grovetown, GA was our Grand Prize Winner. Shari won a $100 gift certificate to each of the 11 shops – an $1,100 value.

Bettye Stilley of Jacksonville, FL was the winner of our Second Prize – a Baby Lock “Grace” sewing machine with attachments and Sew Steady Table – a $500 value.

Nancy Shipp of Covington, GA won the Third Prize – a basket of fabric and quilting notions valued at $250.

Each shop also had a Fourth Prize drawing, and the winner of Sweet Home’s drawing was Maria Figueroa of Lawrenceville, GA. Maria won a quilt kit valued at $100.

Congratulations to all of the winners! It is always so much fun when we call each of them and hear their excitement (and in some cases disbelief!) when told they’ve won! It is the highlight of our wrap-up meeting, for sure!

We always put up new displays and samples and spiff up the shop to reflect our theme each year, and this year was no exception. I think we had more new samples than ever before! So I’ll leave you with pictures of our 2011 Shop Hop adventure, and invite you to join us in 2012 for more fun!

          Dr. Seuss was a big hit with shoppers, young and old alike!

Our Special Edition “Georgia” fabric was used as the border on this “Name Game” quilt spelling out GEORGIA, from Fat Quarter Fonts by Atkinson Designs.

Our school lunch trays were fun…we had an apple and a strawberry, corn on the cobb, potatoes and a pepper/cheese sandwich…with milk!

I’ll post more shop hop pictures in a bit as this post is getting a bit picture-heavy…stay tuned!

Melisa

We just received our strike-offs today of the Special Edition “Georgia” fabric made for us by Timeless Treasures that will be offered during the 2011 Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop…take a look and tell me what you think…

I think it is so well done, and it really is very striking and includes many Georgia landmarks and special features.

We are accepting orders for the fabric now for delivery during Shop Hop (March 24-27, 2011). Cost is $10.50 per yard. Call the shop to order, and I will also have it up on the website in the next few days (after retreat this weekend!). All orders must be prepaid. We have a limited supply of this fabric available through the participating shops, so be sure to order what you need now!

I’m off to finish packing for the Jingle Bell Workshop Retreat…looking forward to a great weekend!

Melisa

We had a nice visit yesterday from Pat Deacon of Mableton who won our Shop Hop prize. Pat lives quite a distance away, and this was her first opportunity for a road trip to come pick up her prize.

She was thrilled with her “apple box” filled with patterns and books from Atkinson Designs along with a couple of kits for a table runner and table topper, which we’d featured with our apple themed fabric from shop hop.

Fun, fun, fun! Pat promised to share pictures of her projects and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

Melisa

The Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop shopowners met at Intown Quilters yesterday to select prize winners and finish up the last minute business from this year’s shop hop.

Sarah drafted a customer from the shop to draw the winning passports – this is Sally who was visiting from Nashville.  And the winners are:

Grand Prize ($100 gift certificate to each shop-$1,100 value): Diane Warren, Alpharetta, GA

Second Prize (Elna 3210 Gallery Series sewing machine, attachments & Sew Steady table-$500 Value):  Mary Ann Still, Loganville, GA

Third Prize (A basket of fat quarters and quilting notions-$250 Value): Barbara Moss, Locust Grove, GA

Each shop also had a $100 Value drawing, and the winner of our drawing was Pat Deacon, Mableton, GA

Congratulations to all the winners!!!

The wrap up meeting is also the shop owners’ opportunity to see the others’ Shop Hop quilts during our own Show and Tell. I thought you might like to see them all, too!

Tiny Stitches – Theme: As American As…Popcorn and a Movie

They actually did two shop hop quilts – the quilt on the left features movie-themed fabric, which was discontinued before Shop Hop, so they made a second quilt – on the right, named The Color Purple…get it, movie name?

Intown Quilters – Theme: As American As…Folk Art

Little Quilts – Theme: As American As…A Picnic

Georgia Sewing & Quilting – Theme: As American As…Mark Twain

Quilts and Fixins – Theme: As American As…The Wild, Wild West

Patricks – Theme: As American As…Walt Disney

Red Hen Fabrics – Theme: As American As…The Family Dog

Heritage Quilts & Fabrics – Theme: As American As…4th of July

Patchwork Cottage – Theme: As American As…Best Friends Forever

A Scarlet Thread – Theme: As American As…Disco

Sweet Home Quilt Co. – Theme: As American As…Mom and Apple Pie

I named our quilt “What’s A Little Check Among Dottie Friends?” because every fabric in the quilt is a dot except the black gingham check used as a frame around each block and as the inner border. I always use black and white in my shop hop quilts…it’s just a tradition!

This should be my last shop hop post for another year! You’ll want to go ahead and mark your calendar with next year’s dates: March 24-27, 2011! Hope to see you!

Melisa

on another successful shop hop weekend! The weather was terrific (except for rainy Sunday!) and we had over 1000 visitors in the shop during the weekend! That’s a LOT of shop hoppers! We were so busy I didn’t have much opportunity to take many pictures, but several customers have published their “Shop Hop Reports” on their blogs. Ride along with Karin and her mom on Day 1, and hop with Karmen here. I’m sure there are other reports out in blogland, too, but I haven’t had a chance to get caught up yet…if you find any, let me know, would you?

I did take some time Sunday afternoon when it slowed down a little to get some pictures of new samples and displays in the shop. If you didn’t make it to Shop Hop, you need to come in soon and see all the changes we’ve made…I think you’ll like it! (Click on the pictures to enlarge)

Can you believe he was still smiling after four days??? And Kris, Mellie and Cathy still had big smiles, too! Or maybe they were smiling because they knew it was almost over? Hmmmm….

Elaine doesn’t look quite so thrilled…she was stamping passports…but I think she just didn’t want her picture taken! That’s also our giveaway, a big apple-themed decorative box filled with books, patterns, kits and apple-themed fabrics. Look at all those entries stuffed in that jar! Wonder who the lucky winner will be?

New pincushion displays…looks good enough to eat!

Scenes from the Front Cutting Room

Reproduction Room

Kid’s Room

Hope you’ve enjoyed the tour. We’ve changed things around so much, we’re having to stop and think where we moved things! We’re ready for new spring shipments, and then we’ll have to rearrange again! It’s never ending, but oh so much fun!

Melisa

Just finished up Day 1 of the Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop, and we had a ton of fun at Sweet Home! Many familiar faces and lots of new, too. Here are a few highlights…click on the pictures to enlarge.

Here’s the infamous Apple Tree that I’ve been working on for weeks! I think it turned out pretty well, and everyone seems to love it! The hardest part? Getting the apples to hang! I finally piped glue into the tree and stuck the apple wire hangers into the glue.

On second thought, maybe that wasn’t the hardest part…on Wednesday afternoon, Mike and I put the final paint touches on the tree on the back porch at the shop. My plan was to let it dry and then move it to the front porch early this morning. Then I realized it would take a small army to move the thing! So Pam, Kris and I managed to get it onto the moving dollie…down a flight of steps…and out into the misting rain! Now, it IS paper mache, remember? Not a good mix with rain! So I’m pushing the dollie, Pam is holding the tree steady, and Kris is jogging alongside holding a giant umbrella over the tree. Up the driveway we go, along the sidewalk in front of the shop, and up the handicap ramp onto the front porch. You should have seen the looks we got from passing cars! And we were almost hysterical with laughter…if I’d had a third hand I would have definately taken pictures.

A close up of some of the fabric apples…a little misshapen, but aren’t some apples like that? I had fun making these, including picking up the stems from the parking lot in the rain at 9PM one night!! I love the way the tree turned out, but it was not one of my better ideas…the execution of the idea was a killer!

They’re smiling in this picture…it was still early in the day! That’s Pam on the left, Jo Beth in the middle (she came out of retirement just to help me out for a few days during shop hop!!!), and Mellie on the right.

Jo Beth was quite the celebrity…autographing her Quilting Bea patterns for our customers! They loved her designs, as do we, and it was fun for them to meet her!

These are some of Jo Beth’s designs…Bunnies and Baskets, Summer Trellis, and Buttons & Bows. We have kits for the Bunnies and the Summer Trellis, and patterns for all.

This is a shot of the front foyer, looking over from the checkout. We have a little kitchen vignette going in the foyer with lots of table runners and topper kits, and “foodie” things like cinnamon bun pincushions and strawberries, etc., representing our “As American as…Mom and Apple Pie” theme.

Smiles abound…looking into the Front Cutting Room from the Kid’s Room.

If you see something in the pictures that piques your interest, email me – not everything is on the website yet. We’ve got kits for just about all of the samples.

Here’s our Shop Hop Quilt. I named it “What’s a Little Check Among Dottie Friends?” because every fabric is a dot except the little black check (and the white background of the blocks.) I haven’t been able to get a really good photo of it yet…will have to wait until I have a little more time to “stage” it properly, but you get the idea…hope you like!

Our block is the center of rows 2 and 3…same block, just using different fabrics…looks totally different, doesn’t it?   There are 11 shops in the Shop Hop, and all are represented with a block in our quilt. I needed 12 blocks for the design, so I used our block twice.

We’d love to see you if you’re in the Atlanta area this weekend! And if not, I’ll keep posting updates as we go along.

Melisa