Heartwarming and up lifting

When you turn on the news each night, you hear all the bad things that happened that day. Some days there isn't even one story that would be considered heartwarming or up lifting.

Well, this is that heartwarming, up lifting story.  I received a message last week from Cindy Wilson, a long time friend and quilter. She wanted to know if Fabric Town collected pillow cases for "ConKerr Cancer". She had a box of cases her Mother , Pauline Tyrrell, had made to donate. I responded that we did and would be glad to take the box and contact them for pickup.

The photo you are looking at is what was in the box...100 pillow cases. There are ones made in fairy fabric, trucks, robots, angels and many, many more.  All washed and pressed ready to be given to a child fighting to over come Cancer. 

I got a message back to Cindy, wanting to know if I could put her Mothers name and a little bit about her on our blog. This is what Cindy told me about her Mom.

Pauline has been making pillow cases for over a year now. She has already made 200 and has 70 more cut out and ready to sew. She enjoys going to quilt shops to pick out fabrics to make the cases. Her partner Perry makes it a team effort, he enjoys picking out the fabric for the boys cases. Then they work together to pick out the trim and cuffs.

With the economy in such a state and all the nastiness you hear about on the news, it's nice to know that there are still people like Pauline and Perry out there.  Knowing that Pauline's cases will help make 100 children smile is what I call a heartwarming, up lifting story.  


Thank you Pauline, your generosity and efforts are appreciated by every family your pillow cases touch.

Make it take it Day.

I have been working on a few ideas for quick, inexpensive classes to help pass the blustery days of winter.

Here's a question for you... would you be interested in a "Make it Take it" class? That would be a project that you would be able to completely finish in 3 - 4 hours.  It would be a small wool project, you'd have two options to chose from. 

I always enjoyed doing Make it Take it's. I like the chance to make something that I could get done in an afternoon, and it was usually something I would not normally do.

I've been working on a special - surprise project for a retreat I'm going on, each of the attendees will receive one. Several have seen them and asked if I would teach them to make one. It's a great introduction to wool, fast and very pretty.  After my retreat, when all have gotten their surprise  I will post the photo of them.

I'm thinking of having the class on a Sunday afternoon and then again on a day during the week. What would work best for you?  The fee would be minimal, just for the supplies. The project I have in mind would be approximately $9.95 and that would include Coffee and Tea while you create.

I would appreciate your input...  

Patti

Christmas plans are made..

Tonight is Christmas Eve. I'm hoping everyone's ready and can spend the next few days enjoying time with family and friends.

For the first time in years Jeff and I are going to his brothers house for Christmas Eve. We usually have to stay around here. My Mother's in a nursing home and I can't go away on a Holiday with a clear conscience  and leave her alone. She says it doesn't matter to her, she'll watch TV. That's not my idea of celebrating Christmas. So, today I'll go over and visit her in the morning. My sister will come in the afternoon and open gifts with her and spend a little time.

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, I'll go back to open the gifts Jeff and I purchased for her.  I'll watch a little television with her, I'm sure there's a John Wayne marathon on... next to my father that was the love of her life. So needless to say, she never misses any of the marathons. 

Jeff is heading up North to his Mothers, the family is having a dinner and it sounds like almost all are coming. It's a 3 hour drive to their house and I am not able at this time to drive that long. It's been quite awhile since I have gotten together with all his sisters and brother. He has the most fantastic family, I lucked out in the In-Laws department.I love spending time with them all. 

Until Jeff comes home, Quahog and I have a plan for our night. After I leave my Mothers, we're going to finish up a little sample I've been working on for the shop and then watch a little TV ourselves. (for the record - NOT John Wayne)

Well, that's the plan for my holiday. I hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing time. If you're traveling, be safe.

Merry Christmas to all....

Patti

Special for our Facebook and Blog followers.

December 10th and 11th.

 All Holiday fabrics 25% off.

February 11th Quilt Sewcial

We will be hosting our Quilt Sewcial on 

February 11th.

Have you reserved your spot yet?

Call today and let us hold one for you.

You don't want to miss the fun.

(952) 432-1827

Floral Block-of-the-Month.... almost ready.

This is my new Block-of-the-Month that will be starting on January 15th. "Amy's Sampler" by Brandwine Designs.

I've wanted to do this quilt for 2 years. I even went as far as to pick out all the fabrics and put them along with the pattern in a hutch at the shop.... planning on doing it as soon as I got the time.

Well.... here it is !!! I've got the blanket stitching done (by hand) on all but two of my blocks. I'm not much on doing alot of handwork. It's pretty well known that Becky does all my binding. For some reason, I truly enjoy this kind.

One of the things you can't really see in the pictures, I did a little embellishing with glass beads on some of the flowers. It just gave a little sparkle to the blocks.

Tomorrow I hope to get my pieced blocks done. Then I can finish up the stitching on the last two blocks and bring it into the shop.

This block and the hedgehog block below are my last two to stitch. Isn't the hedgehog adorable. I think it's one of the reasons I wanted to do this... I have always wanted to have a pet hedgehog but if you know anything about Boston Terriers... absolutely NO rodent kind of animals in the house.  So this is as close as I'm going to come.

If you shy away from applique, this is the perfect project to start with. I really think you'll enjoy it. We will be taking sign-ups January 1st, we have a limited supply of kits so don't wait too long to reserve yours.

Resting & Recouping at home with Riley Blake

Been waiting til I felt up to sitting for a longer period to sew.  Today was the day. I got the cutting board and my featherweight out and decided to give it a go.

When we got in this line "Daisy Cottage" by Riley Blake and I just fell in love with it. There were several different patterns we could use but one kept sticking in my head.

When Shelley was here from "Pieced Tree Patterns" she had a sample made up of  this pattern and it was really nice. "Roll Play" is designed for Jelly Rolls - or basically 2 1/2" strips.

I got my strips cut and started.... before I knew it, I had 22 blocks done. Riley Blakes jelly rolls are only 22 strips vs Moda's which have 42. So, I have to go get another one at the shop before I can finish it. With two rolls, it will be 48" x 60" - without borders. Once I get it put together I'll decide if I want to border it, I'm generally a Border lover. I think it just finishes the quilt. Once it's done, I'll post a photo of it. I think it's going to have that "Groovy" feel. Oh boy... I just dated myself.

Isn't it always about the "Shoes"

Heide gave me this mug last year and I love it.  After all... Isn't it always about the shoes?

Thanks Heide... you always find just the right gifts.

Holiday Wishes

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a time for all of us to give thanks and express appreciation for what we have.

With 2012 approaching, it's hard for me to believe that I have owned Fabric Town for 4 years. The time has really flown. It may not be said as often as it should, but I appreciate your constant support of the shop as well as your encouragement. You make it all worthwhile and fun.  For that I am extremely thankful.

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season. 

Best Wishes,

Patti

Surgery has its advantages.

I would like to start off by saying that my intent was not to put my medical information on Facebook or blog about it...but it did manage to get out there so, yes I had  surgery and I'm doing very well.

When you're feeling bad, there's nothing that can help like the sight of a Bachmans purple and white box - with your name on it.

Most of you don't know it, but the Christmas Cactus, Poinsettia and Hydrangea are my favorite flowers...but by far it's the Christmas Cactus. This was such a wonderful gift from my girls. For the past 4 years they have watched me try to grow a "Blooming" Christmas Cactus. It's alive but the word Blooming....not so much.  I get 1 bloom per season and last time if fell off an laid on the carpet all wilted.

 Well check out these blooms ... hundreds of tiny little pink buds. It's totally covered and lush.

I have an instruction sheet on how to care for it.... the first thing will be to get it back to the shop. The light at my apartment is not good enough. Who knows, maybe this one can show my old one how to bloom.

Thank you so much Ladies for the thoughtful gift and for taking care of the shop while I'm recovering.  I appreciate it and you more than you realize.

Having a good staff makes a big difference.

Patti

Remodeling underway.

 For some time now I've been saying "we're going to re-do our class area". Well, we started last week. My plan is to make it more private - yet keep it open so that customers can come to the notions wall. The first thing we're doing, is taking the fabric out of the class section. We've emptied the shelves and have them off the walls. 

If all goes as planned, we'll have slat wall put up today where the shelves were. That will allow us to display class samples opened up so they can be seen better. plus have the option of putting  the kits on small wall shelves with the samples and patterns. Basically, make it easier for our customers to find everything they need to make the quilt without having to hunt for things. Space has been made for a flannel board to be put up that's permanent and lastly, replace the carpet.

The shelves we took off the wall (seen here empty) will be put together in a section 3 in a row/back to back to form a dividing wall.  Since we do alot of kitting in the back part of the shop I don't want to completely block the view to the front. On the other side of the room we will be bringing in a hutch with a table and chairs. We have alot of ladies that like to do handwork and this will give them a quiet place to come, sit and relax. Eventually we will have coffee and cookies available.

So, there's alot of work to be done. If you stop in and the back looks a little strange - that's why. It may take a little longer to get it done than I planned but we're finally moving ahead. Lets hope that Jim who's doing the slat wall arrives today. He got tied up last weekend so the shop looked torn apart all week. Once he gets his part completed we can go get the Hutch and table out of our storage locker.

I will be glad when it's finally finished. This is all going to take time, but I think it'll make a big difference in keeping classes a little more private.

Another AM on my deck... in November!!

   November 12th, 7:30 AM. The sun is shining on my deck and I'm taking full advantage of it.

It's a little crisp out here but nothing like it should be. As long as I'm wrapped up, it's quite nice.

 The only change I had to make was to my coffee cup. Usually it's my favorite china cup, but with it so cool out - my coffee became cold quickly. Time to breakout the thermal... in more ways than one.

 My project this morning is a flower pincushion in wool.  You can't really tell from my pictures but it's in a tart tin. This one's almost done,  just have to finish up the last petal and add the embellishments.

I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful fall weather...

Patti

Gobble Gobble.... getting ready for my favorite Holiday.

Today, Quahog and I worked on making a Thanksgiving Turkey towel. I can honestly say that he left the floss alone and just rested by my side. 

 

I love Thanksgiving, it's always been my favorite holiday. Christmas is nice but the feeling for me that I get at Thanksgiving is one of warmth and family. My favorite meal is the traditional Thanksgiving fare... Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, rolls, cranberry sauce and cider.  The way the pilgrims meant it to be. (And to my sister....the pilgrims did NOT put rasins in the stuffing)

Any way, are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? Do you have any traditions that you'd like to share. We'd love to hear them.

Patti

Lola's unbelilvable quilt sale

 What do you do with 300+ quilts, table runners, toppers, tree skirts, pillows, totes and purses? You sign up for the Canterbury Autumn Festival and fill a booth to the rafters.

Lola makes alot of samples for our shop plus she has her own pattern line, so you'd expect her to have quite a few quilts etc. That was an understatement and I was in no way prepared for the amount she had in her van. We turned an 8" x 11" booth into a one woman quilt show and sale. These are the before and after pictures of her booth.

 I am still amazed at how we managed to get it all in. The hanging racks made it easy to display alot of them but the tables are still stacked 8 - 10 deep. From quilts for kids to seasonal and bed quilts - she has them all. She is one very talented lady.

I know she'll do well at the show, she has something for everyone. If you're looking for a great show, head to Canterbury this weekend and check it out. Lola is in booth 423.

If you go... tell her I said "Hi".

Spring Block-of-the-Month starting soon.

We're all still enjoying the wonderfully mild fall days, but we all know what's just around the corner. I'm going to head off those Winter blues by starting to work on  our new "Spring" Block-of-the-Month.

 I have been wanting to do this pattern for some time. Awhile ago, I started collecting fabrics in all the shades of my favorite flowers. After getting the last three that I was looking for, I'm finally ready to get started.

 Our new class schedule comes out in December and we will be starting all classes and clubs in January. This BOM isn't a year long, it's only 6 months. The first months kit will be available on January 1st.

 I'm not going to show you what it looks like yet.... give me a little time to get a few blocks finished up and then I'll reveal it.  It's sure to help you keep those winter blues from getting a grip on you.

Quahog is learning Quilting terms.

Since Jeff went hunting for the weekend, Qua and I have been doing some quilting together.
We're working on my next Block of the Month. (I'm working, he's snoring)

Check out his blog for his  "Quilting Terms and Phrases" www.quahogsworld.blogspot.com

Heide...on Halloween

I don't think this needs any description. Just Heide in her
Mis "sale" aneous Costume.

She is certainly a "Beauty"... Jim is one lucky man!!! (don't tell her, but we're pretty lucky to have her around too.)

"Cranberries & Calico Primitives" new pattern

I just finished my sample for the shop of "Cranberries & Calico Primitives" new pattern "Warm and Wooly Mitten".  It's a cotton lined wool mitten. Appliqued then blanket stitched together.  If you want to give it the well worn feel, pick the cotton between the stitches so that it shows. Hard to see it in this photo, but up close it looks old.

I went out in my yard and snipped the pine branches and pine cones to stuff it with. When I get to the shop I have some red berries to put in as well. The best part of using real pine is the scent. Right now my entire kitchen smells like a Christmas Tree Lot. In my opinion, that's one of the best scents of the Holiday season.

Lots of possibilities with this mitten. I don't know if I should stitch a ribbon onto one corner and hang it from a doorknob or set it in my bathroom in a basket with rolled towels. I may just make several and put them in the wire basket in the photo. I guess this is one of those patterns that you can embellish lots of different ways to make it fun.

We have the patterns available at the shop - make your own "Warm and Wooly Mitten" today.

If you need a quick gift  this would make a Great gift idea.

The last stitch.

I have to admit, I'm a little behind with my block-of-the-month. The good part is that everyone that's doing it... is too.  I appreciate that they say to take my time, Thanks ladies.

I'm doing most of the applique with blanket stitch  - by hand, so it takes me a little longer. This is my final block,  it's time to assemble the entire top. I have about 7/8  of it already done, just have to add the last 3 blocks and the filler pieces. I'm really excited about he way it is coming together. For me this is over the top... I usually stick to the more "log cabin" style or venture out there and do a "nine patch". I like to stay in the safe zone. Well, this was so much fun and I've always enjoyed fusible applique.

The pattern calls for applique on the border. For mine,I chose not to put the appliques on, I felt it was too busy. My inner border is dark green. I think it'll  frame it nicely. Then the outer border is a red tone on tone dotted print.

Patti H.(Quilts from the Trail)  is waiting for me to get it done so she can quilt it. Knowing her, she has something special in mind. I'm always excited to see what she comes up with.

It should be hanging in the shop soon. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Fun Gift Idea

 This may be my last morning sitting on my deck. It's getting down right frosty out here. I'm wrapped in a quilt and am snuggly, but it won't be long before I'll have to remove snow to sit here. UGH. I really enjoy doing  hand work out here... where there's a will there's a way. We'll see what I can come up with.

This mornings project -  Do you have a person on your Holiday gift list that's hard to buy for? I think we all do. This may be your answer to that problem. Quick, easy and inexpensive to make. This is a tea towel pattern by "The Wooden Bear".  I started it when the Vikings game started and had it done by the time the game was over ('cept for the buttons which I'm doing while I drink my coffee)

Who doesn't love cute little snowball faces? I did mine on a navy and tan towel. I think they'd be just as cute on red and tan. Well, there you have it, a quick gift or fun accessory for your own home. I was just thinking, if you have a child or children that would like to make a gift for someone - this would be easy enough to do. What a great surprise for Grandma or even a favorite teacher... a handmade tea towel. 

Only 9 days left...

Only 9 days left til our 3rd Annual "Ghost Event"

October 29 - 31, 2011

How many have  you collected?

Special Trick-or-Treat bags for all participants.

 

A gift from a treasured friend.

 I have a friend that I don't see very often but is very special to me,  her name is Georgia. We met back in 1968 when we both moved to Burnsville. We lived across the street from each other. A friendship started back then and remains today. The two of us have been through thick and thin and even thinner!!! We've cut each others hair, TP'd the neighbors, made prank phone calls, babysat together and skipped school, (the stories about the notes we wrote for the absence is a scream) and we were in each others weddings, I think you get the picture.

 Last week she stopped in the shop and brought me this wonderful tea set. It's a well know fact that I love Lamps, old wooden chairs and tea cups. Almost every morning in the spring, summer and fall I sit on my deck and enjoy coffee and tea - in a nice china cup. This was a wonderful present. It's getting a little cold out so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to use it on the deck before the snow. Well, this morning I got up, made the coffee and grabbed a quilt.  I drank my coffee on the deck from this lovely dragonfly cup.

The detail on the handle of the dragonfly is so sweet.  I love the tiny spoon with the leaf handle and the dainty tray to set it on. It was perfect. I was so wrapped up in the quilt, it was refreshing and so quiet.
Thank you Georgia for the lovely tea set and as always for your friendship.

Patti

Facebook page

As of October 31st. we will be shutting down our facebook page titled,   Fabric Town Patti.

The page you need to friend/like  is  Fabric Town - Apple Valley, MN

Be sure to make the change so you won't miss out on the updates and fun things we're working on or the events we've got coming up.

Patti

Women of the West Show

 Yesterday was the Women of the West show. Just a few photos of our booth.

 We had alot of fun. Met  the two wonderful ladies that own "Sweetwater Quilt Shop". They were great to talk with and I'm looking forward  to taking a little road trip to see their shop. Next to our booth was Kathy and Lois from "Calla Lily Quilt Shop". Kathy's in the Twin Cities Shop Hop with us so I get to talk with her often. It was fun to be able to spend a little time with her.

 Below is the great Waffle Time Halloween table runner Theresa made. What a surprise when Terry Atkinson (Atkinson Designs) stopped by our booth and got a chance to see what we did with her pattern. Nice to see her, it's been a while.

Our snowman quilt was a hit again. We are just about out of the kits... just a great little quilt to throw over a chair or hang on a wall for the season. In Minnesota, you could leave a snowman quilt out 'til May (ha ha).

Thank you to the Women of the West Guild for a great show. Special thanks to Donna Champion and I hope to see you at the shop one of these days.

Patti