Happy New Year!

Do you have a New Year's Resolution? I have plenty: lose some weight, spend more time at the gym, call my friends more often.  The one resolution I am going to have to really work on is spending more time keeping the website and blog site up to date. As you can tell I haven't been doing all that well at it...my last post was October!

So....2012 resolution....blog more often and include recipes and patterns or tips in my blogs. Hope you enjoy the "new me"...

Katie

Pie Social at Quilt Essential

Please join us for a pie social
Thursday, October 27th from 4-8pm!

Free pie and coffee.

See you there!

Katie

Long time, no post!

Just back from the show in Fargo (Indian Summer Quilt Show). Whew.  We blew through most of our fall and Christmas items and are re-kitting as much as we can. We even got to show a few brand new items at the show, "Christmas in the Country" and "Believe". Very cool.

After I got back, Sherry and Mercedes got an itch to try out a tool that is new to us, the Double Diamond tool. They came up with the runner below:

Super cute! (The binding hasn't been hand stitched yet).

3 Times the Charm

I finished one of the very neat, very fast projects in the 3 Times the Charm book today. "Greta" is made out of the Terrain Charm Pack, Moda solid for sashing, and bordered in a batik (since Terrain will come out later this summer). I love it! Very cute, but kinda small. It would be an easy table topper or use a couple charm packs to make it bigger. Fun, fun!

charms on sale

As part of our Christmas in July sale, select charm pcks are buy 3 get one free this week! Stop in early for best selection!

Christmas in July

We've been inundated with fabric this week! Northern Cardinals by Holly Taylor for Moda came in yesterday, oh so pretty. I'm sure the line won't last too long on the shelves.

An extra helping of Winterberry Lane arrived as well as Countdown to Christmas, Merry and Bright, and I Love Snow Flannel. I'm about half done with the I Love Snow quilt, it is adorable.

In addition to all the bolted fabric, eleven lines of charms came in...we are now officially up to our ears in charm packs!

Last, but coolest of all, a line of Frixion pens in Red arrived and I was eager to try them out. They write on fabric and iron off with one swipe of the iron. They are REALLY COOL. We've been playing with them a lot the last couple days :)

On a roll...

Wow, I'm really feeling accomplished today! This week has been full of piecing and quilting, two baby quilts and a table topper to be exact. I finished sewing a baby quilt and table topper, quilted them and they are hanging up in the store, while the other baby quilt is almost done. Just borders left.

I really enjoyed doing the first baby quilt, Stars of Hope, it was SO fast and easy.

We also received our first full Christmas line in the store, Yuletide Magic by Benartex. Very traditional colors, gorgeous prints, and a wonderful panel. I should have it up in the online store early next week.

New fabrics

The Trick or Treat line by Deb Strain and Jeepers Creepers (glow in the dark fabric!) from Blank just came in today and is on our website at:

http://www.devilslakequiltshop.com/shop/Fabric-and-precuts/HolidaySpecialty-Fabric/Halloween-Fabric.htm

It will be out in the store starting Monday. For fun we got in a few pieces of Beatles material, not the bugs...the band. Other new fabrics include:
Play Ball by Riley Blake
Minky Dimple Dot in Yellow and Bright Purple (Navy is back in!)
Northern Cardinal by Holly Taylor Jelly Rolls and Charms
Jovial by BasicGrey
Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater Layer Cakes and Charms
Chocolat by Blank Fabrics
Paloma by Blank

New books and patterns:
5-10-15 Fat Quarters
Fab Five
Jump Start your Quilting
3 Times the Charm
Bed Runners
Embroidery Pocket Guide
Modern Basics
Little Wallet
Northern Cardinal
Chic Newsboy Cap
Scrap Basket Sensations
Dear Santa Door Dressing
Believe

Newest project....complete!

Ha! Park City by Max and Whiskers is DONE!

My photo is pretty blurry, I guess I need help with my photography skills...either that or I'm hiding imperfections...

Quilt Essential 2nd Birthday Celebration

Join us this week (May 9-14) for in-store specials:
20% off entire store
40% off select kits
$5.00 clearance fabric

Plus earn 5 BIRTHDAY BUCKS for every $25 you spend. Redeem BIRTHDAY BUCKS at our Birthday Open House on Saturday, May 14th. Cupcakes and coffee will be served.

Hope to see you there.

Earn Birthday Bucks!

May 1-May 14th earn $5 in BIRTHDAY BUCKS for every $25 you spend. Redeem your BIRTHDAY BUCKS for select FREE merchandise on May 14th at our 2nd Birthday Party Open House!

New Class!

Fresh Cut Flowers class on May 7th from 1-4pm. This class is being taught by Betty Breckheimer and will be a super fun afternoon for all those who want to try a new technique. By using Printed Treasures and photos of flowers from your garden, you will create your own bouquet wallhanging.

The cost is $20 and includes instruction and certain materials. More information will be available in our newsletter or at the store. We also have a couple gorgeous samples of Betty's work in the store if you'd like to see what the finished product can look like.

The Fresh Cut Flowers class will kickoff our 2nd Birthday Celebration, May 7-May 14th. It is so exciting we need an entire week to celebrate! Birthday Bash details to come soon...

Quilt Essential in Moda's Blog!

Check out the awesome comments that our wonderful Moda rep Laurie had to say about Quilt Essential in her Moda blog!

http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-road-with-moda.html

My FAVORITE things!

I was putting new fabric into the computer today and realized I'd found my favorite fabric of all time. As I was putting the bolts into their new homes I decided I'd like to share with you some of my favorite items in the store. So here goes...

Favorite thing #1. Grunge in Lemon Grass. Oh, so pretty! I'm positive I could set the bolt up in the window and it would make me happy regardless of what the weather was like outside.

Favorite thing #2. Grunge in Onyx. Ok, so I REALLY like Grunge by Moda. If you want to see me get really excited, ask me about grunge. But seriously, this black grunge can be used with so many different fabrics.

Favorite thing #3. The Gypsy Cutting Gizmo. This company is known for its crazy tools, all colored purple. The Cutting Gizmo is great for chain sewing. Just finish your chain and in one simple motion cut your blocks apart. What's not to love?!

Favorite thing #4. Bali pops. And I just drool over the new colors that just came in! Mango Margarita-yum! Designers are coming out with so many new patterns and books that use Bali pops and Jelly Rolls, it is easier than ever to do something with those 2.5" strips rather than just flip through them and smile.

Favorite thing #5. Count on It book by Art to Heart. The description of this book should just be one word "fun".

Now I'm all excited....off to sew on my Max and Whiskers quilt-soon to be favorite thing #6.

Christmas Fabric 2011?!

We just got in 2 Christmas fabrics! Charm packs from Flurry and Warm Memories are in, plus layer cakes from Flurry.

Also in are charm packs from Grand Finale by Sandy Gervais.

I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready to think about next Christmas! It is finally looking like spring outside and the shop is all bright and cheery with spring and summer lines displayed. I might have to hide the new fabric until later in the year.... :)

Bundles are here!

We've just added another category to our online site-bundles! Bundles of fat quarters or half yard cuts are available from select lines of fabric. Each week one bundle of half yard cuts will be on sale for 25% off, this week's half yard bundle is from the Blush line by Moda. Click on the link below to be transfered to our bundles page. Only a few bundles are available each week and sell out quickly, be sure to order yours right away!

http://www.devilslakequiltshop.com/shop/Fabric-and-precuts/Bundles.htm

Reps and more reps

This week must have been a popular one for fabric sales reps around the area, I had meetings with two of them! There are lots of fun new fabrics coming out, but at this point I refuse to bring in cotton that retails for more than $11/yard which really limited what I could buy from one rep. Moda has still been trying to keep prices more manageable, but it sounds like most fabric companies are planning on raising prices again at the Spring Market in May. Gotta love the cotton shortage...

Finally Minkee!

Woohoo! The minkee that I ordered MONTHS ago is finally in! We have chocolate, black, navy blue, and tan dimple dot minkee in again plus green minkee with monkeys. Cute!

Bracing for another storm

Sitting here in the warmth of the quilt shop looking at the snow whipping nearly horizontally across the front windows, I can't help but wonder if spring will ever arrive. The Minot quilt show seemed to be a reminder that spring is just around the corner as quilter's picked up their last few projects to work on before yardwork begins. But Mother Nature isn't even allowing the slightest glimmer of hope for spring with snow storms looming.

Well, more snow means more time for quilting. We have multiple new items that were sent to the Minot Show, but were never displayed in the store. At least a few quilts, plus some bags and purses. The next few days we'll be putting the store back together after the emptiness that comes with doing quilt shows.

Getting ready for Minot...

The Minot show is quickly approaching and we are scrambling to get new kits and samples made! Right now we have about 8 or 9 quilts at quilters and are hoping to have them ready by next week. Now we are picking out fabrics for smaller projects- purses, bags and runners....this should get interesting! Mom just finished two NEW zippy strippy samples and I've been working on sewing the monthly hangings from the Count on It book. Mercedes and Sherry have been choosing colors for the upcoming months. So far we have March through June (July is almost complete) and a bunny x-ing wall hanging. They are so cute and going fast, so we'll be making more kits before the show. So much to do in so little time!

Website Updates

It absolutely amazes me how long I can spend updating our website! Two hours today were spent adding around 70 items, mostly fabric. Perennials by Moda, Phoebe by In the Beginning, Flannel Elements by Windham, a few fabric book panels, Girl Talk by Benartex, and Forever Spring by Nancy Halvorsen. We have reached 800 items online now! It is hard to decide what to put online next....batiks? Baby flannel? Minky? Any suggestions?

Spring Cleaning

So I know it is a little early for spring cleaning (maybe it is just wishful thinking), but we spent the day tidying and plucking bolts from the shelves for a sale. Last count there were two hundred bolts on the back tables just waiting to be bought at $6/yard ($5/yard if you buy the bolt) and probably just as many fat quarters for $1.50 each. Plus a few kits at 40% off.

Now I just have to decide if that is enough. Not "is that enough for a sale",  but rather "is that enough room for all the new fabric coming in?"  I should be getting in new batiks this week plus all the other cotton that was ordered for Feb/March. Hmmm, sometimes I think we need a bigger store...

Minky, Minky!

Finally! Two bolts of minky came in today....pink and royal blue dimple dot minkys are in. I still have brown, black, navy, red, etc. on backorder. Gotta love the backorders! We also got in the fabric for three fabric books: Vegetales Spend the Year Together, The Shy Little Kitten (a goldenbook I had as a little one), and the Flopsy Bunnies. We still have the Mother Goose book as well.

Thank all of you who came in to see the Guild Quilt Show this last weekend, we had a blast. What beautiful quilts! Congratulations to Loretta, for her viewer's choice award, a $25 gift certificate to Quilt Essential!

"K" is for Trouble....

Kansas Troubles, that is.  We just got in a large shipment of the new Kansas Troubles line, Perennials! Very pretty. The new Nancy Halvorsen line, Forever Spring, came in today as well.

Quilts are starting to be hung in the back room to get ready for this weekend's mystery quilt show, presented by the Lake Region Quilter's Guild. There are some really neat ones! Come in Friday and/or Saturday from 10 am-6 pm, with a tea from 1-4pm on Saturday.

Hope to see you there....

Numero Dos...

Quilt number two done for this week!

(Bark Park 39.5" x 49")

I'm pretty much on a roll, so I've started one more baby quilt. I'm almost half done with half of the blocks (if that makes any sense). If I'm really motivated maybe I can get that one done too this week...although we just got in a bunch more fabric so I'll be putting that into the computer too.

Perennials by Kansas Troubles is the line we just got in. It has some larger prints which would make wonderful borders, I haven't seen many large prints from Kansas Troubles, so we had to jump on them.

It is a busy week coming up. Next week is the LRQG 25th Anniversary/Shiverfest Mystery Quilt Show, so we'll be busy cleaning (we always welcome volunteers :) ), accepting quilts and hanging quilts. I'm going to have to have Ryan or my dad (please, please) come and reinforce the ceiling grid so the weight of the quilts doesn't bring down the ceiling! That might be bad. Nah, we'll get it all reinforced and ready for quilts to be hung.

Off to put fabric in the computer...and maybe online....

Everything's coming up (fabric) roses!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Mercedes and I have been getting our fabric rose bouquets ready. Each rose is made out of a fat quarter, so when you get sick of looking at them voila, fabric for that next project!

I also got in chocolate. The Prairie Dog Chocolate bar by BT McElrath is scrumptious-milk chocolate accompanied by toffee bits, almonds, and sea salt. Yum! There is a 9 piece truffle assortment from the same chocolatier and sea salt topped milk chocolate covered caramels (which ALMOST didn't make it out onto the floor...I could eat them all).

I finished my Take 5 Gets the Point golf print quilt today! I love the argyle print in the blocks and inside border.

Mom and Sherry have also been busy. We have a quite a few new quilts up in the store, below are pictures of a few of them:

(4 Patch Fusion 67.5" x 67.5")

(Rhinestone Cowboy 64" x 64") 

(Fawnd of You 42" x 52")

(Diamond Trellis 82" x 94") 

  

And a few that will be quilted shortly. This one is my favorite! It is made out of the Sunkissed line by Moda. It is SO bright and cheery, I sneak into the back room on gloomy days to take it out of the closet and look at it. It just makes me happy.

(Take 5 Goes to Charm School 64" x 76")

And another, more traditional quilt that will be in shortly. We do have all of these quilts in kits, so if you are interested, let us know.  We just won't have the samples out yet.

 (Summit Square 86" x 100")

Baby, It's You!

I got to open up a couple of boxes today...no, it isn't my birthday, just another day at the quilt shop. A new book came in titled "Baby, It's You" by Amy Hamberlin (aka Kati Cupcake), which includes 10 quilt and bag patterns. The patterns are more whimsical than many traditional patterns, using bits of applique and different border shapes. All in all, pretty neat.

The 505 has finally arrived...and it sure was cold! I kept it in the back room for a while, just in case the contents decided to make an unwanted appearance.

We did a complete rearrange last week and have many new samples up on our quilt wall, plus a few new runners hanging around the store. Just finished the sample for the cowboy "Slapplique" design from Turning Twenty, it turned out so cute...now we just have to find a place to hang it.