Ushering in the New Year.

Cheers to a Happy New Year.

Jeff and I have decided to spend the night at home, safe and warm. It has been a hectic few weeks and a nice quiet, relaxing evening is what I would like. Jeff has his bottle of Champagne and I have my hot tea.

Becky and I worked at the shop til 3:30 today. WOW was it busy. Our annual Inventory Sale is going on and has kept us really hopping for the past week. Normally, the sale would end today. We had so many requests for it to go til' January 1st, that we decided to open the shop from noon - 4:00 and extend the sale. As for the questions regarding the 50% off snowflake bolts, Yes, they will probably still be on sale for a while - I just don't know how long that will be. So get in and get your backs while you can save 50%. And don't forget - fat 1/4's for a $1.00 (one customer bought 413 - that is what I call taking advantage of a good thing)

Today is my 1 year anniversary of owning Fabric Town. Hard to believe the year flew that fast. A lot has occurred in just 12 months. We have seen many changes and hopefully with the new year we will see a lot more. I have high hopes for 2009.

I am going to go take a bath, get my tea and work on some handwork. If you're going to a party tonight, please be safe.

I wish everyone a Healthy and Happy 2009.

Patti

Christmas morning and all is quiet.

Merry Christmas everyone...Hope you all had a peaceful Christmas eve. Jeff and I spent it at our home with my Mother and Quahog.

I worked at the shop til' 3:00 then went to pick up our "Holiday Feast". (Sounds alot better if you phrase it that way.) On Monday night I made Oyster Chowder, and yesterday I picked up Shrimp and Italian Cold Cuts. Sounds like a strange combination to most but the chowder is a tradition as are the Cold Cuts, and Jeff loves Shrimp Cocktail. We also had homemade apple crisp and some fantastic cookies that were given to us as a gift. Need I say more, it was a great meal and we had a chance when we were done eating to sit, relax and talk while enjoying the tree.

Oh, the tree - still looking good, I have not forgotten to water it so not alot of needles are falling off and it still has that wonderful fragrance. When I got up this morning I checked under it but evidently Santa did not get my letter - no Red - BMW z4 underneath it. There is a chance that I was naughty at some point this year and that may have had something to do with it.

Today, we are taking my Mother to Treasure Island Casino for the buffet. She loves to play the slots and that was her suggestion of where to go for dinner. Not alot open on Christmas Day and I really didn't want left over cold cuts so, over the river and through the woods we will go to a wonderful buffet.

Tonight, Jeff and I have to finish putting out the fat 1/4's at the shop for the start of our Annual Inventory Reduction Sale. We put some out yesterday but it takes a while to get them organized by color etc. I made the comment to Jeff that there were a lot but once we spread them out into the containers, they did not look like a many as they had when they were in boxes in our bedroom. Not a good comment to a man who has been folding every night for the past 2 months. He has done a great job helping me and, Yes it looks great. I have not told him yet that he can continue to fold for the next fat quarter frenzy in March, I will break it to him gently.

Bye for now,
Patti

Burrrr.....another Hot Chocolate and Chili Day!!!

Another blustery day....

I have today off so I think I'll pick up around here, put out a few more decorations and make a huge pot of chili. Nothing I like better on a day like this, than a big bowl of chili and a loaf of bread from my bread maker. For anyone that knows me well, they know I don't cook much. I can cook, I just don't like to. The exception to that rule - Chili, Chicken Soup or Spaghetti Sauce. I make my own from scratch. I enjoy making those three things and can actually make some pretty tasty meals. So, tonight we're going to stay in and have a nice home cooked dinner - I have snowman plates and bowls and that'll be fun.

Hard to believe Christmas is less than a week away. I hope everyone is getting their gifts finished up and wrapped. Yesterday at the shop, we had several ladies in that were making decorated towels as gifts. We have a nice selection of towels and with a simple strip of holiday fabric you have a wonderful - inexpensive gift that anyone would like. Great idea for a hostess gift or a Sister-in-Law that is hard to buy for. One lady bought 22 towels, you can bet she's going to be sewing for a few days. I appreciate a gift that is hand made, if someone took the time to make it for me - that means alot.

Our class schedule is finally done and on our web site. Spent last night hanging samples, more to go up and even more coming in by end of January. Have a wonderful selection this time. Has been a while since we offered this sort of variety.

The addition of Kim Cooke to the shop is going to be alot of fun. For those who don't know Kim, she is the former owner of "The Quilter's Basket" in Maple Grove. Alot of her former customers have found out that she is our new teacher and are thrilled. She is a fun, energetic lady with alot of great ideas. We are all really excited to kick off 2009 with some of her classes & events.

Our first annual "Snowflake Sale" started on Monday and is going well. Happy to see the bolts emptying, need to make room for all the new fabrics that will start coming in January. If you haven't made it in for the sale.... don't miss your chance to get 50% off. There are 300 bolts marked with a "Snowflake" as they empty the flake is put on another bolt. I received emails asking how long we will have the flakes. A t least until the end of the month but who knows what will be left by then.

I better go now, if I don't get to the store and get the groceries... no chili tonight. After writing about it, I'm hungry.

Keep Warm

My first post.

Well, this will be the first time I have ever blogged. I am sitting here, looking into my living room at the cutest Christmas tree. Becky and Theresa from the shop surprised me with it. It stands about 5'6" and is REAL. This is a first for me. I have had an artificial tree for years. Never again................ The fragrance is wonderful. It takes me back to when I was a child in Boston at my Grandparents. That was when Christmas was fantastic. I decorated the tree today with plaid ribbon gently woven through the branches, clear tiny lights and shiny red ornaments. I think I need to get more ornaments, a few spots are lacking. It is simple but really festive. This was a wonderful gift and I really appreciate it. They also gave me a dusty rose poinsettia which is sitting on my mantle and looks lovely.

Now to change to a more serious subject. . .

I sent out an email this morning to everyone on my mail list about the theft of two large quilts and a pillow case that were taken from the shop. Sad, but true. I have received many emails back about the subject and I want to say "Thank You". I am glad that you were not offended by the note; I just want to get it out there and, hopefully, it will be received by the person responsible for taking the missing items.

I have worked hard since I bought the shop to try to make it a place where our customers feel welcome and more like friends. The comments I hear on a daily basis confirm that the changes are noticed and appreciated. Some of the changes made were to incorporate antiques on which we could display quilted items, adding homey touches, and give the place a comfy atmosphere. Well, putting the quilts and other items out front where they can be reached is proving to be costly. For instance, the bench on the sidewalk... we displayed a nice vintage quilt on it with a book and some flowers. That was to welcome you to the shop and to try to give the "strip mall" look a little warmth. That lasted only a week before the quilt was taken. Now quilts are being taken off the antiques and from behind the counter. I don't know what to say.

I was brought up believing that if it was not yours don't touch it. The thought would never cross my mind - especially when it is a handmade item that comes from the maker’s heart (not to mention the expense out of their pocket). Taking these items was mean and nasty. I still think quilter's are an honest, trustworthy group of people. However, it's sad to think that among us is someone calling their selves a quilter that does not fit into either of those categories.

Well, that's it for tonight. Maybe I will have something more interesting next time.

Be Safe
Patti