Sweet Home Quilt Co.

I hope all of you in the U.S.  had a terrific Thanksgiving holiday yesterday! All of our kids were scattered here and yon, so it was just me and Mike enjoying a rare, quiet day at home … I didn’t go out of the house all day long! BLISS!

The winner of last week’s Friday Favorite giveaway (the five patterns from ModaU) is Brenda. Yay Brenda! Be sure to visit her blog when you get a chance.  And thanks for the empathy re: my tech support issues from last week! Luckily, the issue was corrected relatively quickly – it’s just the aggravation and inconvenience that were so annoying!

One of my most favorite Christmas fabric lines from the collections we’ve had this year is one called “Winter Welcome” by Wilmington Studios. The focus print of this line is a beautiful Victorian-esque scenic print that has proven to be perfect for large-scale patterns and even borders. This was a very small line of fabric and it probably isn’t one that a lot of people have seen, so this week’s giveaway is one yard of the Winter Welcome scenic print to add to your stash of Christmas fabric.

Here’s how the Friday Favorite giveaway works:

• Leave a comment for one entry.
• Leave a comment and post about the giveaway on your blog and receive 3 entries.
• Leave a comment and add us to your blogroll or become a follower of my blog and receive 5 entries.

Remember to leave a link to your blog and/or an email address so we can contact you if you win! I’ll announce the winner in the next Friday Favorite post!  Good luck!

This will be the last weekly Friday Favorite giveaway; instead I’m going to change it to “First Friday Favorite” and do a monthly giveaway on the first Friday of the month. I think I’ve cleaned out most of the good stuff that was hidden away in the storage room! Since next week begins a new month, there will be a “First Friday Favorite” giveaway next week so be sure to come back and check it out.

Here’s hoping you have lots of leftovers for the weekend so you don’t have to cook, and if you were out shopping in the Black Friday crowds today, I hope you found everything you were looking for!!!

Stafford County by Jo Morton for Andover Fabrics arrived this week! Check out the fabrics in detail on our website. Wonderful reproduction prints!

What could be better than new flannel pj’s? How about a flannel rag quilt to go with?

Made with the Jingles Christmas flannel collection by Minick and Simpson for Moda, we have pre-cut rag quilt kits for $74.99, and pre-cut batting squares, too, for $18.99 – all you have to do is SEW!  Easily made in an afternoon since we’ve done all the cutting for you. Quilt measures approximately 47×68, a perfect snuggle size for the sofa! Quick to make for Christmas gifts, too!

Notice the little boy’s flannel pj’s in the picture? I do not sew garments, so I asked my mom to sew up a sample of the little boy’s and little girl’s pajamas from Indygo Junction’s Jack and Jill Jammies pattern.  Also made with the Jingles Christmas flannel, they are sized just right for my grandies, Hayden and Haylee, so they’ll get them for Christmas! While not as quick to make as the rag quilt kit, these pj’s would be fun gifts for any kid at Christmas! (click the photo at right to see an enlarged image of the pattern.) Pattern is $14.99 and includes boys and girls sizes 4 thru 12.

It’s not too early to be making those Christmas gifts. Visit the shop soon to see more gift ideas and Christmas fabrics for inspiration!

OK, Mr. Brown was VERY good to us today – it’s like Christmas morning when he rolls in the big MODA boxes! So many of you have been asking about some of these, I thought I’d better get the word out right away – and don’t start calling me ‘Bad Melisa’ – I’m just doing what you asked!  There were lots of goodies in those boxes! Take a look – -

Rouenneries from French General is here, finally! Well, the pre-cuts are here at least – the fabric won’t be here for about another month. We have fat quarter bundles, layer cakes and jelly rolls.

New from Minick & Simpson – Wiscasset. Hey, Pat, are you listening??? I am wishing I had ordered more of this line – it is soooo gorgeous!

We have fat quarter bundles, layer cakes, jelly rolls and charm packs of this yumminess!

Here’s another one that surprised me – Aster Manor from 3 Sisters. Soft, soothing colors in pinks, browns and creams with a POP of red.

We got the full Monte here – fat quarter bundles, jelly rolls, honey buns and charm packs are available.

The latest in Moda’s Collection for a Cause series – Alliance, supporting The Alliance for American Quilts. This collection is a reproduction of an antique quilt dated 1830-1840.

Again, the whole shebang arrived – fat quarter bundles, honey buns, jelly rolls and charm packs.

Wonder of wonders, I have already uploaded all of these to the website, too. Check under New Arrivals-Moda. Now you all know how it is with Moda, I can’t re-order and I probably should have ordered more than I did. Nonetheless, when they’re gone, they’re gone – at least at Sweet Home. WOW, that rhymes! Can you tell it’s been a loooonnnggg day?!?!?

Our UPS guy has been on a TWO-WEEK vacation, and today was his first day back. Look what he brought us (I wonder if his sub saved all this up for him to deliver???)

The new Quilt Sampler magazine actually arrived a couple of days ago, and I haven’t had time to do more than just thumb through it! Can’t wait for a couple of hours to savor all the shops included. If you want one, better hurry, they are flying out the door, as always!

New today from Michael Miller:  A few bolts of Whimsy by Pillow & Maxwell (above left). Several pieces of this line are on backorder so there will be more of it soon. I’ve already got a cute sample picked out to make! Also, six bolts of Mezzanine by Patty Young (above right). I am so enamored with her fabric collections, and the reds/lime greens from her last collection, Andalucia, actually coordinate quite well with this new line. I’m thinking a new bag sample out of this yumminess!

Fourteen bolts of Diamond Brights Tonga Batiks from Timeless Treasures arrived, too. The addition of these few bolts really brightened up our batik section! Love, love, love the red design on the right!

I saved the cutest for last – Animal Party from Robert Kaufman. This fabric will make the most adorable kids’ quilts and pillowcases ever! It has everything from turtles to lions to monkeys to funky little dogs in fun, non-traditional colors. This line is designed by Amy Schimler, who lives locally I believe.

We also received a couple of kits for this line (which I failed to take pictures of, duh!!!) with the cutest names – Monkeys on the Bed, Dog Days of Summer and Bark Park! More samples to make – oh man, I need another 24 hours in every day! I’ll have all of these new yummies added to the website by tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait to show you!

I guess that will teach our UPS guy to take a TWO WEEK vacation, huh?!?!

I am a fan of Crabapple Hill patterns, and have been collecting black and tan fabrics for a while so I could do their Over the River and Through the Woods pattern. I enjoy stitchery, and I adore black with anything so this is right up my alley! I know I’ve been collecting black and tan fabrics for well over a year, but for some reason never felt that I was at a point where I had collected enough fabrics and could actually begin this project. I was continually on the hunt to add to my stash of black and tan fabrics so that “some day” I could make this project.  While continuing the ongoing battle to organize my sewing studio, I found several piles of black and tan fabrics which I corralled all in one basket.  Holy Cow! I had enough black and tan fabrics to make three of these quilts!!!

BUT don’t think that stopped me from gathering some of the Cambridge Square fabric line from Northcott to add to the project bin. This fabric collection is perfect for this quilt – guess I’ll just have to eliminate some of the others I’ve already purchased so I can work these into the mix.  Or perhaps there is another black and tan quilt in my future. I know my friend Debbie is working on a black and tan version of Pat’s new pattern called Scrappy Nines and it is stunning.  Hmmm…the wheels are turning! Any suggestions?

P.S.   Northcott also has a free pattern download here using the Cambridge Square fabric collection.

I’m off to Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh in less than 24 hours! I’ve still got so much to do, but it will either get done or it won’t!

In the weeks preceding market, quilt shop owners are inundated with previews of new releases from designers, fabric manufacturers and publishers. It is fun to see the new releases, and helpful to preview some of what will be available at Market. I always go to market with a “plan” (although sticking to the plan rarely happens!) and so I pay close attention to new releases to see what I might find for Sweet Home Quilt Co. I thought it would be fun to give you a sneek peak at some of the new products I have on my list to see at Market.

First up, of course, is Moda! Not a lot to show you yet because they save the majority of the releases until we get to Market so they’re ‘fresh!’  As best I can tell, Moda has had nine early releases (in the last few weeks) and there will be at least 16 new fabric collections shown at Market! How’s a girl to choose?!?!?

Early releases include the latest Funky Monkey collection, Goodnight Monkey, and the new Shirtings collection from Terry Clothier Thompson, both of which will ship in July. 

Also an early release from Moda is Tula Pink’s Hushabye collection in four colorways – Blush, Sky, Grass and Chocolate – I’m only showing Blush here but you can see the other colorways at Tula’s website.  I passed on this collection when I first saw it, but I’ll be re-visiting it at Market. The colors are just yummy and it grows on me every time I see it. This is a follow-up to Tula Pink’s wildly popular first collection, Full Moon Forest (which is no longer available, of course!) including a new version of the much-sought after hidden owl paisley print. I know I won’t be able to get it all, but maybe at least some of it!

There are many new collections from our favorite Moda designers including a new Collection for a Cause named Alliance, new groups from 3 Sisters, Sandy Gervais, Fig Tree, Minick & Simpson and brand new to the Moda design team, Kaari Meng of French General fame! Can’t wait to see her new fabric collection! I usually see Moda first when I get to Market, but I’ve found that I tend to spend ALL my budget with them when I do that, so this time my plan is to scout out other collections first, and see Moda on my last day! Should be fun to mix it up some!

Patty Young’s second collection for Michael Miller is called Mezzanine. Isn’t it scrumptious?!?!? Can’t wait to see this up close and personal, too!

Also, from Michael Miller is the new collection from Paula Prass called Summer Soiree, which comes in three colorways. Of course, I’m drawn to the black, Manhattan, but the teal and pink are equally enticing!

Are you noticing a trend here? I think the winter has been too long for me – I’m craving bright and cheerful! But don’t despair, I may be leaning towards a few of the brighter offerings, but I’m still a traditionalist at heart! I hope I can be successful at getting a good mix of the two! You know me, I buy what I like and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t!!!

There will be many, many new books, patterns and notions released at Market, too. I’ve scouted a few that intrigue me so I’ll be checking these out for you.

Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka’s Treasures has two new books premiering at Market. Stop, Drop and Roll is both jelly roll and fat quarter friendly.

Her second offering is called Sizzlin Sixties and it features 60° angles – the easy way! I’m really interested to take a look at this book because I’m not a fan of working with 60° angles in the traditional sense, but I love the finished look; can’t wait to see her method. Take a look at Heather’s blog to see some of the projects included in these books.

Fast & Furious Quilt As You Go is new from GE Designs, and includes 17 projects – table runners, place mats, tote bags and more. I have so many customers who come in for help with the actual quilting of their projects, so I’m thinking these projects may be of interest when you need something done, done! There are several posts on Gudrun’s blog that show the projects in this book, so be sure to pay her a visit.

And lastly, I want to review this new block of the month from Sherri Falls of This & That called Cobblestone Lane. The info says it is a two-block-a-month design that can be completed in six months. I love the look of it, so we’ll see!

This is only the tip of the iceberg of what I’ll be checking for at Quilt Market, but I hope you’ve enjoyed this little sneek peak. I’ve got to get busy and finish up my to do list – Payroll (!), hang some new samples, packing, errands, oh man! I’ve gotta get busy.

I will try my best to post from Market, but rest assured there will be lots of pictures and stories to share when I get back next week. Be sure to pay Mike and the girls a visit while I’m gone so they don’t miss me too badly! Wish you were all going with me!

Moda’s newest collection of reproduction prints from Howard Marcus is called Legacy—Collection for a Cause. The proceeds from Legacy go to help fund the research to find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes. We have the complete fabric collection, including Charms, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls and Honey Buns.  A limited number of Pineapple Sundae kits (shown above) are available along with the Pineapple Ruler by Possibilities. The 65×78 quilt is absolutely breathtaking in the ivory, soft blues, chestnut and double pink fabrics of the Legacy collection. The kit retails for $150.00 and is packaged in a collectible lunchbox tin, and the ruler retails for $11.00.

Come in soon to pick up a kit or yardage to make a beautiful project and support a worthwhile charitable cause at the same time.

The latest fabric collection from Karen Montgomery is called Counterpoint by Timeless Treasures. Soft and contemporary in soothing tones of blue and white, the patterns are mirror images in just the two colors.

We also have a quilt kit from these fabrics that just may be my most favorite sample we’ve ever done!  The quilt itself is so fresh and clean looking, and our sample has been beautifully machine quilted by local longarm quilter Ardis Young. Reflections is 60″x80″ with a gently scalloped border. Kit is $69.99, available here.

This time of year I feel real empathy for our UPS man. All of the orders I had on hold until after the dreaded year-end inventory have started to pour in, and he’s definately feeling the strain! I thought I’d give you a look at some of the newest arrivals just to whet your appetite!

First up are new additions to our Black & White selection. Several of these are fun motifs – musical notes and keyboards and even recipe cards! – while others are more graphic and elegant. See the first one on the left? It reminds me of flocked velvet and you don’t realize it’s even cotton until you reach out and touch it! Not shown is a black and white floral that we’ve added to our wide backings selection (just one of several wide backings we’ve recently added.)

Hello Betty is a well-done 40′s retro line from Moda. I see some really cute aprons and totes from this line. We also have jelly rolls and the all new Honey Buns in this line. What’s a Honey Bun? Moda introduced these at Fall Market – little cousin to the 2 1/2-inch Jelly Rolls, Honey Buns are strip rolls just 1 1/2 inches wide. A terrific new sample is in the works with the Hello Betty Honey Buns!

A favorite find from Fall Market  is a new fabric company, StudioE. This premier collection is called Enchantment and it is much softer and more feminine than this picture shows. Beautiful paisleys, florals and stripes in soft pastel colors – can Spring be far behind???  More fun (and different!) samples are in the works using this line.

Just in today (and still in the boxes!) is a fun new line from Sandy Gervais for Moda called  Zippity Do Dah! Reds, blue and cream prints in fun geometrics, florals and funky stripes with a great panel, too. Jelly rolls, Honey Buns, Layer Cakes and charm packs, too, plus two wide backings with this group.

We’ll be working hard in the next few days to get things rearranged in the shop to make room for these new lines, as well as the many others that are due in at any time. We’re moving things around and changing out samples after a thorough cleaning after inventory was done, so the shop is in somewhat of a disarray at the moment. But the fabric is just as beautiful! So overlook the mess, and come see the new stuff!

As Gretchen would say “Bad Melisa is at it again!”