Saturday, September 25, 2010

Changing Seasons

A bit over 3 years ago, June 2007 to be exact, I began a search for a specific fabric to back a quilt top that I had made.  I wasn’t too particular about the exact print, but I did want it to come from the same collection.  After several nights of online searching I found a shop that had enough for me to order.  Since this particular collection was a couple of years old I waited until the next day to call and confirm that they had it in stock before I placed the order.  The person that answered the phone was not in the most pleasant of moods.  She wouldn’t check to see if she had the product and just wanted me to order it online and she would fill it if she had it.  Normally I wouldn’t have given this store the time of day, but I was stuck.  I was desperate for a piece of fabric and she (hopefully) had it.  All said and done, it took almost three weeks before the fabric arrived, shoved in a Walmart bag, without even being folded neatly.

Somehow receiving that piece of fabric in that condition stole a bit of the joy that I had in knowing I was almost done with this project that I had already poured so much time into.  Like any dissatisfied customer, I ranted a bit to my husband and made some comments about how it should have been done.  He sat there, looking at me, and quickly remarked something to the effect of “… then why don’t you?” 
“Then why don’t I what?” 
“Why don’t you open your own online quilt shop?” 
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No.  You work really well with computers, you love quilting, you love fabric, you have all the right ideas of how it should be done … I think you should go for it.”

A week later The Quilt Shoppe was born.  To say that the last 3-1/2 years have been the most incredible years of my life would be a huge understatement.  And, although it is fun to play with fabric and to wonder what would be lovingly created with your hands, the greatest joy has been the friendships and relationships that have been forged.  We’ve had the privilege of meeting people not only in every state of the USA, but so many abroad … Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Russia, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Austria, Mexico, Japan, France, Malaysia, Amsterdam, and the list goes on and on.  You’ve all touched our lives in a very special way.

Through these last several years we’ve experienced, personally, great joys and great sorrows.  You’ve been there with us through all of them … from our middle daughters’ gymnastics back injury, to my husbands stroke, my father-in-laws passing, Amanda’s wedding, our son’s soccer wins and losses.  The most recent sorrow, however, was one we didn’t share.  It happened during our Spring Blog Bingo.

My husband and I have cared for both of his parents for the last 16 years.  You may remember that last October his father passed away suddenly.  In January  my dear mother-in-law, who was living with us at the time, took quite ill.  After many trips to hospitals and some short rehabilitative stays in a nursing home, she went home to be with her Lord Jesus on May 29.  I thank God for each of you that played our Spring Bingo.  It was truly the one thing that kept me going during that time, that forced me to get up in the morning.  You have no idea what a blessing you were.

Since her passing our family has gone through some incredible changes.  For the first time in 16 years we have no one to look after or check in with.  It has been an honor to be able to care for his parents in this way.  Our children are so blessed for having experienced that level of “family.”  But now it’s different.  We just have us.  We don’t remember what that feels like, but we’re beginning to find our way.

Part of this new “life,” if you will, is that my husband will be retiring from his job at the beginning of the year.  After much discussion and prayer about what God would have for our future, and some new direction He’s putting in our paths, we’ve come to the decision that it is time for me to retire also, and close The Quilt Shoppe.

I cannot begin to tell you how many sleepless nights and tossing and turning, what if’s, what not’s, etc., we went through in making this decision.  The Quilt Shoppe has quite literally been my life for the last three years.  But we also know that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”  Ecc. 3:1

There are no words to express how much we are going to miss each of you.  You have all become so special.   We wish much joy and happiness for each of you.

Changing Seasons - EVERYTHING 30% OFF!

We want you to be the first to take advantage of our clearance sale.  We have reduced ALL INVENTORY to 30% off our original retail prices (which are already considerably less than most other online retailers). 

That means …

Yardage is only $5.59/yd
Charm packs are $4.89
Honey buns, $16.09
jelly rolls & layers cakes $20.99
Kits, bundles, patterns & books are discounted too!

Here are the SALE details …

  • All inventory must be sold.
  • Discount will be automatically taken at checkout.  No coupon code is required.  Sale will continue until all merchandise is sold.
  • Discounts cannot be combined.
  • Does not apply to previous orders or BOM’s.  If you are a BOM member, we will continue to ship as scheduled.
  • Orders will be processed in the order they are received.  Standard shipping policies apply.  Shipping charges are based on the original retail price, not the sale price.   PLEASE NOTE:  We will make every attempt to have your order shipped in a timely manner, but delays may be experienced.  Please do not request a rush shipment.  Thank you for your patience.
  • Sale is limited to stock on hand.  If an item is short, we will ship what is available and refund the difference.  If an item is no longer available, a full refund will be issued.
  • Etsy/Paypal orders are not available.
  • All sales are final.  No returns … no refunds.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Finished Friday … v.2

Well, it’s been “one of those Friday’s.”  I’ve tried at least 5 times to get this post done and something else comes up.  But, alas, it’s still Friday, and I’ve finally finished it!  Thank you to everyone who sent in their projects.  We have some real treats for you today.  Feel free to grab the button below for your blog if you’re part of our parade!

Enjoy the parade!

FinishedFridayFeatureTag  Katie Mortensen, San Diego CA
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/katie.mortensen#!
Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/AdventurousPrincess

Katie made this adorable ballerina tank dress for her daughter who loves to twirl and wear dresses.  The tank top was bought and the fabrics used are “Riley” by Anna Griffin, “Flirt” by Robyn Pandolph & “Curves” by Valorie Wells.

Kaye prince, toronto, ontario, canada
blog:
http://miss-print.blogspot.com
twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/kayeprince

This quilt was made for my first pattern for Moda Bake Shop (tutorial here: http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/08/pinwheels-in-house-quilt.html). I finished it in August and the pattern debuted on the site on August 24. It's called Pinwheels in the House and is 100% cotton with the top entirely pieced using Moda precuts from the Verna collection by Kate Spain. While I made the quilt specifically for this pattern, it will be given as a gift to the next baby girl who arrives in our lives.

wendy finlay, florence, mt
blog:
http://www.why-knot-kwilt.blogspot.com
FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1832235901&ref=ts

I call this quilt the Candyland Game Quilt.  I purchased Quilting Treasures' Candyland Game Board panel and yardage.  I started this quilt last week and finished it this weekend.  I made it for my 4 yr old daughter, Abbie, since her sister, Emily, recently received a small quilt  (which can be seen on my blog) on her 6th birthday. Abbie felt she needed one just like her sister's.  I also took into account the fact that Emily started kindergarten last week and since much attention was focused her, I felt Abbie needed a little something to help her feel special.  The girls and I use this quilt to play the game along with Abbie using it to keep warm.
I've included two pictures, the first shows pre-quilting .... I was looking for a second after quilting, but found my daughter asleep under it.  I thought how fitting that a picture be shown of a quilt being used and loved upon finishing, so I used this second picture instead of taking my standard flat photo.  Thanks!!

 

LORI HUGHES, BARTLETT, IL

I call this quilt Blue Cosmos and it's a One Block Wonder quilt done with Printed Treasures fabric.  Its a tropical fish print originally.  What makes this unique is I placed the quilt blocks On Point.  That changed the layout AND adding borders was a tricky process.  I used melt away stabilizeracross the gaps in the quilt edges to sew decorative thread supports.  It took me 2 years to complete.  I quilted it with clear nylon thread and I broke alot of needles untill I dialed the tenson just right...

PAT VETTERLEIN, SNOHOMISH, wa

I made the first quilt as a baby gift for my grand nephew, Zachary.  My inspiration for this quilt was a kit I saw at Hancock's fabric one day.  Not sure of the name of the fabric line.  One of my very first finished quilts!
The second quilt is "Wish Upon a Star" from a pattern in Patricia Pepe's book "Once Upon A Time in X-Block Land."  I belong to the Busy Bee Quilters Guild, and made this quilt to enter in the annual quilt show.  I won second place in the novice division!   (That's me holding my quilt.)  Very exciting for my first entry to win a ribbon!

MELISSA CORRY, SOUTH BEND, IN
blog: HTTP://HAPPYQUILTILNGMELISSA.BLOGSPOT.COM

I am super excited about this finish.  Why you ask??  Because I made this quilt for my very first Moda Bake Shop tutorial!!  I am so honored to be a "baker" at the Moda Bake Shop.  I have been a huge fan of theirs for quite some time and to be able to have my work posted there is so super thrilling for me.  I have been perma-grin for days :)

This quilt is made from a Layer Cake of Lily and Will by Bunny Hill Designs.  It makes for an adorable little baby girl quilt.  Or, you could get the same layer cake but in the blue color-way for an adorable baby boy quilt.  Oh, and the baby isn't mine, she belongs to a friend and I think she is just adorable!

So if you love this quilt and want to make one for yourself, no problem!!  Just click on over here  http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/09/snuggly-squares-baby-quilt.html  and you can use my step by step tutorial to make it.  I tried to make the tutorial super user friendly so no matter what skill level you are this is a project you can do.  And feel free to leave a comment, I love to know that people like my design and possibly plan on making it.    Oh, and you can check out all my quilting craziness at my blog  http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/.

SARAH, NASHVILLE, TN
blog: 
HTTP://CONFESSIONSOFAFABRICADDICT.BLOGSPOT.COM

Hi!  I'm Sarah from Nashville, Tennessee (Music City, USA!) and I'd like to introduce you to Thoroughly Modern Millie!  This quilt was made for our church quilt ministry.  The request came in for a quilt for a high school senior girl with a heart problem whose favorite colors are grey, black, green and yellow - whew!  After some careful shopping and a "light bulb" moment, this is what I came up with.  Grey quilting fabrics are few and far between in middle Tennessee - it doesn't seem to be a popular color here yet - so the four grey prints on the front of the quilt come from Joann's (and I was happy to find them!)  The yellow, green, white, and the black and white binding came from my stash, as did the four prints on the back.  There is both straight line and free motion quilting on this quilt - it's kind of a quilting style sampler.  Even though I was hesitant about the colors, I think this is one of my favorite quilts!  I like it so much I may have to make one for myself!    If you'd like to see some of the other quilts we've made for the quilt ministry, check out my blog at confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com.   I'd love for you to stop by!  And by the way, today's post on my blog is my 100th blogpost, so there's a GIVEAWAY!  Come check it out!!

 

JAMIE, BAKERSFIELD, CA
blog:
HTTP://JAIMEJOHNSON.COM/BLOG
fACEBOOK:
 http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/JaimeSews/44818812415
twitter:  http://twitter.com/jaimesews

This is Burda #7829, a spaghetti strap dress with a wide natural waistband and pleated skirt.
Materials used: Pop Garden Peonies Green by Heather Bailey, Red pre-made piping, Red bottom weight for straps, white muslin bodice lining.
I am participating in Self Stitched September and had started planning in June when I received a wedding invitation. I knew I had to make something special. I already had the pattern and liked the fabric in the pattern picture. I couldn't really find anything I liked until I went searching through my stash and found 3 yards of Pop Garden Peonies in the same colors as the fabric on the pattern cover!

kristy, sydney, nsw, australia
blog: 
HTTP://handmaderetro.blogspot.com

This is a cloth book I made for a friend's new daughter from a commercial pattern. All the pages have removable items and many also have interactive components.The numbers go  inside the backpack,the apples  in the basket and and the washing in the basket.

I used quilters cotton and scraps.


    

    

    

kAREN sPAHN SHAKOPEE, mn
wEBSITE:  HTTP://WWW.BADLANDSQUILTS.COM

This is a Patchwork Charm Bag made with an “Authentic” charm pack and additional yardage, pattern from the BHG 2009 Bags, Pillows & Pincushions Magazine by Joanna  Figueroa.  I made it for myself.

gina graves, alvarado, tx

This is my first piece quilt that I made for my nephew and his wife.  They are expecting a baby boy next month.  It is taken from a tutorial I found on "Crazy Mom Quilts" blog.  I had more fun sewing it and now I am ready to tackle another quilt.  I have been bitten by the quilting bug and I now have a fabric addiction.  These fabrics mostly came from JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby.  I don't have a blog, but I really love following those of all the talented ladies out there.  You all inspire and amaze me

jo kramer, waucoma, IA
BLOG:  HTTP://WWW.joscountryjunction.COM
FACEBOOK:  www.facebook.com/jos-country-junction

This is a quilt I made using the “Plan C” Schnibble pattern from Miss Rosies Quilt Company.  Fabrics are “Freebird” by Momo for Moda.  Last year I was a member of “A year of Schnibbles.”  This was a selected pattern. 
Here is a direct link to the blog posting about my Plan C quilt where you can learn more about it. http://www.joscountryjunction.com/?p=2348

hollie, venice, Ca
blog: 
www.undercovercrafter.blogspot.com

This is a quilt I recently finished.  
The Yellow and Green fabrics are from the Hello Betty line by Chloe's Closet for Moda. The sashing is Moda Bella in Bleached White. The backing is a single cut of Amelia Stripe by Timeless Treasures and the binding is Kona in Banana.

I made this quit for my friends Ruthie and Mike. They are expecting their second baby any day now but they don't know what they're having so I had to keep the colors gender neutral. I was planning to go bold with the colors, think teal and orange, but I saw a Hello Betty Jelly Roll and it called out to me. 


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Won’t you join the parade …

Finished Friday!

This Friday we’ll be hosting our second “Finished Friday” parade!  It’s always fun seeing your works in progress and now we want to see your completed projects.  It can be anything recently completed … both stitched and non-stitched.  It can be home decor, crafty, quilty, clothing, just about anything.  Have you started your fall decorating?  We’d love to see it! 

We’ve already started receiving a few entries and you won’t be disappointed!

Send your entries to info@thequiltshoppe.net, subject:  Finished Friday. 

Your email should include the following:
1.  Your name and location (city, state, country)
2.  Pictures
3.  A description of your item
4.  Materials used
5.  Did you make it for yourself or was it a gift?  Is there a story behind it?
6.  Do you have a blog?  Send us your blog address too!
7.  Are you on Facebook and/or Twitter?  Send those addresses too.

Pass the word along and invite your friends to join the parade.  Feel free to use the banner above to share on your blogs and/or facebook.

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Don’t forget we’re having our month-long Back-To-School Sale.
Save 25% off your entire order when you use the coupon code SCHOOL.

Back To School Sale - Save 25% off your entire order!