There's Nothing like the Old Days

“Everything old is new again,” or so the cliché promises. There’s a lot of truth in that; or so we’ve learned from our newest fabric arrivals. When we say newest, we actually mean oldest, because we’ve become greatly inspired by the 19^th-century reproduction prints by designers such as Jo Morton.

We know, we know, it’s surprising and unexpected. Over the years we’ve become well-known for our fabulous collection of Asian prints, contemporary prints, and batiks. But lately we’ve become enchanted by the possibilities that reproduction fabrics bring to quilt design. Look:

Batiks, reproductions, metallics, and Fairy Frost. It works. And our combination is actually conservative compared to the textures that people used in the 1800s. (Take a quick peek at Lincoln's bedroom.)

We believe there is no contradiction in our choice of these new fabrics. Reproductions have a wonderful graphic quality that complements contemporary designs. These groupings show how effectively reproduction fabrics, contemporary prints, and batiks can blend for a compelling quilt.

Their smaller-scale prints provide textural interest and balance the larger-scale designs of contemporary fabrics. As always, batiks blend beautifully with reproductions.

But beyond that, we love how using reproduction fabrics pays homage to the generations of quilters before us.

Stop by, get inspired by our newest fabrics, and see how everything old can become new again.

Cynthia writes...

My father is a member of the Kiwanis Club. He never does anything halfway, and apparently neither do any of his cohorts. When he said that the club was going to run a miniature golf course at the Comfort Suites and asked whether we wanted to sponsor a hole, I couldn't turn him down--but I admit I didn't know just how cool the course was going to be. I've grown up with this man. I should have had it figured out from the beginning.

I'm not going to tell all, because it's much more fun to be surprised, and the Kiwanis Club is planning to do this next year again. But I'll give you a few glimpses of what these people built.

After the first hole in the elevator, everyone came into a suite that I decorated for the second hole. I created the obstacles, too. There's nothing like fat-quarter packs and a couple of skeins of yarn to intimidate people:


When I was done with my decorating, a few friends joined me, and we got to play the course.

Now, I actually like miniature golf. (The cheesier the better; I still need to get to a course somewhere with giant dinosaurs.) I don't win at many games, but this is one where I have a fighting chance. And today, I was the champion among our group of four. Look. You can see the fire in my eyes as I calculate my angles:

My friend Alice claims that most champions do not play golf with a purse around their shoulders. But she said that early on, before she had fully grasped the level of my skills.

Some of the holes we played were incredibly creative. I particularly liked this one from a realtor:


And someone apparently likes flamingos:


(As do I.)

The coolest hole of all was across a swimming pool:


Who can resist such a challenge? So I recommend that next year at this time, you go out and play some golf.

And if you don't want to wait, there's always the pancake breakfast in April. See you there, dad!

Seasonal Snapshots
2008 Block of the Month

We are excited--Saturday and today mark the beginning of our 2008 Block of the Month. We call it Seasonal Snapshots and Kim has drawn her inspiration from poetry and the subtle color shifts in nature's palette over the changing year.

Here is the first block, January Glow, and the snippet of poetry that inspired it.

January is here, with eyes that keenly glow,
A frost-mailed warrior
striding a shadowy steed of snow.
--Edgar Fawcett


The winter sky at dusk reveals a palette of purples and plums, silvers and grays, and teals and blues. January's block celebrates the subtle beauty of winter's chill. The colors of each block will blend and wash from one month to the next, just as nature's palette changes over the course of the year.

So come on in from the cold and sign up for a slot. We'll be happy to catch you up and take you through 11 more months of nature's glory.

We Have a 2007 Block of the Month Winner! WOOO!

We just finished 2007's Block of the Month and are gearing up for a GREAT 2008!

As we transition to our new class, we are thrilled to announce that Pat Lysak is last year's winner! Congratulations, Pat!

As the winner, Pat will receive a complete finishing kit for the quilt: Everything from the center Mariner's Compass kit, to the background for the blocks, to the batting, to the backing, to the binding--and even for the longarm quilting from Stone Valley Quilting.

We will offer the same opportunity for the 2008 Block of the Month. All you have to do to enter is bring in your finished block from the month before to the meeting time that you signed up for, and we'll enter your name in a drawing for next year!

The theme for 2008's Block of the Month is Seasonal Snapshots. Kim has selected a beautiful and soft palette for this quilt that echoes the changing landscape of the four seasons. You can stop by the shop to see the palette for this year.

The colors for each month's block will blend into the next, representing the subtle color transitions that mark the changing year. Colorwash borders at top and bottom further celebrate the changing light and landscape of our Pennsylvania year. And twelve all-new beautiful blocks will surround four Tree of Life blocks in the center.

We're really excited about this quilt and would love for you to sign up and join in the fun.

Quick Newsletter Notes

There are two typos on the newsletter.

First, the Block of the Month for this year is $38. We have two prices listed in the writeup--$45 and $38--but $38 is the correct price.

Second, the price for the Wrap Me Up class is $50. It includes the cost of the pattern, which is normally $8.00.

And another note: We have added a knitting class for the Baby Surprise Jacket. It will be Friday afternoons from 2:00-5:00, and will run on Feb. 15, 29, and March 7.

KNITTERS! DON'T PANIC!!!!
There's still plenty of time to get your last-minute gift knitting done!

To help you along, we are offering TWO OPEN KNITTING SESSIONS so you can work on your knitting away from prying eyes.

• On Friday, December 21st, you can stop by and knit from 6:00 PM til ????
  

• On Saturday, December 22nd, you can knit with us all day from 10:00 AM-5:30 PM.

We'll also have a Knitting New Year's Eve party--come on in between 10 and 5:30 to relax and knit on December 31. We're welcoming in the new year with some knitting for YOU!!!

Why is This Woman Smiling?

Kim looks pretty happy, doesn't she? That's probably because she has finished the quilt for this year's Block of the Month. After a year's worth of work, she has finished turning her concept into the real quilt, and she got to unveil it today:


Both Kim and Cynthia are especially happy with the actual Mariner's Compass in the center. It was a fun year. We admit that after a year's worth of monthly blocks, it was bittersweet that today was the final session.

For those of you who were in the Block of the Month, but did not make it to today's session, here are a couple things you need to know.

• Kits will be available for the Mariner's Compass medallion, the borders, the backing, and the binding. You can pre-order kits and they will be available in late-January/early February. We are ordering the fabric this Wednesday, so be sure to get your order in if you want to be sure to have the fabric.
  
• We will be holding a workshop for the Mariner's Compass medallion on Saturday, February 23rd from 9:00-4:00 at the Friends School. We think you'll come close to finishing it that day.
  
• The final quilt is about 101" square. If you would like help designing another setting/size for the Block of the Month, set up an appointment with Kim.

And finally, get ready for next year. Kim is busy at home designing the next block of the month. Check out our newsletter and website for more details as they become available!