Seminole Sampler News

Sunday Show

Lora B. was in the shop this afternoon and shared a new top she just finished. You probably can't tell from this photo -- the border and vertical sashing strips on this lovely scrap quilt she made are a chocolate brown batik. She said she emptied her extensive scrap drawer making this quilt -- some of these fabrics are 25 and 30 years old. ;) What a pretty way to use up those precious bits! She had fun telling us which quilt she made using what pieces, etc.

She used dryer sheets (after drying:) to sew her scraps onto (that foundation meant she didn't have to worry about grain lines in the scrap pieces as the foundation material kept everything square and straight). She pieced these 'chinese coin' stacks of scraps as leaders and enders -- the beginning and ending bits to keep a continuous stitching line and conserve thread -- so the making of the quilt happened as she was doing other sewing tasks. Great recycling tips and time saving, too. :)

How 'bout you? Why not dig into your scraps or even your stash and make a use-it-up quilt? :) Share those treasured pieces with your family or a friend. Great quilts are waiting to be made!

:) Linda

Show & Tell Share

Isn't this quilt _beautiful_!? :) Robyn Blackburn dropped in today and shared this almost-Caribbean colored quilt she made using batiks fabrics and patterns from the book Bella, Bella. What a lovely share! <happy sighes> 

Thanks for sharing, Robyn!

:) Linda

Today's Array

I've put a new sample up on the home page of the shop's web site. Alice I. made a beautiful 

'flimsie' (unquilted top) using a beginner-worthy pattern called Flower Market and a layer cake of the Aviary fabrics from Moda. Do take a look at it -- I think it is _lovely_. :)

Alice M. brought in a new sample tonight, too. She made an Absolutely Apron using some great black and white fabric with recipe cards on the print:

Here's Alice wearing the apron (which she says she made for "someone younger and thinner" than herself:):

I have a brag a tiny bit on Alice M -- she took Lois Smith's Fabric Dyeing class recently (along with several other staff members and a full class of customers;) and has been using the fabric she dyed to make a 'contemporary colorwash' cathedral window sampler:

The fabric her sampler is laying on is a dark batik shot with hot pink -- we both liked the color echoes. :) I _really_ like this piece she's working on! :)

Karen B., another staff member, brought in a nice set of curved line log cabin blocks Monday evening that she made using some of the fabrics she dyed in the same class. Go, girls!! :)

Today's deliveries were light (only four bolts) but varied from comic to classic:

You can say what you want about our fabric selections but they certainly have _eclectic_ all covered! :) LOL

I hope you enjoy these missives I write for you -- and that they inspire you to at least pet the fabric in your staff with pleasure even when you cannot come in to pet ours! :) Of course, I'd _really_ like to see you in the store, if at all possible!! Do drop in sometime this week for a color break from your Independence Day preparations. Don't forget that we will be CLOSED on the 4th (the streets are closed off in this part of Catonsville for the parade). 

:) Linda

Flash to the Past!

Today's deliveries have a lot of gorgeous yardage in them -- glorious, Jacobean-style (almost Morris-style, too) prints from Benartex in the Samsara collection. I completely fell in love with these prints when we saw them on paper and they are wonderfully executed in fabric!

First, let mw share the new books that arrived from C&T today. So scrumptious and cute you could almost eat it:

Recipes and directions for real and virtual/fabric cupcakes. YUM! :)

Carol Armstrong the well-know applique designer has a new book just for dog lovers:

Here's one for which I had low expectations - expectations that  have been delightfully completely exceeded!

The ingenuity of quilting designers never fails -- here I thought there was nothing new to show about Dresden plates. In the introductory text was something completely new, to me at least:

Definitely tradition with a spiffy twist! :)

I have had my eyes on the (tile) floors all my life -- one of the pleasures of visiting old buildings and museums are the beautiful tile floors. Here is another book with yet a different 'take' on these floors and the application of their tessellating patterns to quilt making:

Some very 'do'able' quilt sin this text!

Many of you who are Ravens (football) fans have asked for yardage -- and we have FINALLY found a source. Here is Ravens fabric in both flat (regular quilting) weight and fleece -- come get it while it lasts!

Now for the gorgeous Samsara line -- clear, rich, saturated colors along with detailed, heavily ornamented designs. <happy sighes!> What's not to like, here??

I tell you, this fabric makes me long to wrap a shawl around my shoulders and dance toward the horizon -- or maybe outfit my (sadly, virtual) gypsy wagon with a new interior and travel.

:) Linda

The Seaside Beckons!

I don't know about you but I LOVE the beach, _any_ beach. :) I titled this post 'sea' side, but fresh water is very nice, too. :) I really don't care what time of year I manage to get there or even what the weather is (I do get a bit twitchy if it is too rainy for me to go out and walk along the strand:).

I don't think I am alone in my love of the water (_especially_ water that is deep enough to have waves along the shore -- something about the sound of crashing surf totally makes my day!:). At least, I hope not!

Karen and I have made up a new set of Braided Runner kits for your pleasure -- these feature seashells and 'beachy' fabrics. Here is the fabric/color run, from the center square at the left to the inner and outer borders on the right:

We've made up a few of these kits just for you with enough fabric for the front, back and binding of the runner. All you have to do is choose your favorite batting (I use fusible fleece on my runners) and have/buy a copy of the pattern (here it is so you can check your shelves at home:

Can't you just see a seashell table runner (perhaps augmented by nice cloth napkins?) on YOUR dining or patio table? :)

Don't delay too long to call, email or come in for one of these kits. They don't last long.

:) Linda

No 'Show', Just 'Tell'

 At the express request of a customer (anonymous, to me:), here is a photo of me. I don't especially like most photo's of myself (have only seen two in my whole life I liked, and I don't have either of them:) ... so I have resisted putting a photo on my personal blog or the shop's blog. <Sigh> Still, it is good to put a face to my craziness, I supposed. <grin>

I've been in Gaithersburg at Capital Quilts all morning (well 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.) at a meeting of the shop owners committee for Quilter's Quest 2009. Today we exchanged blocks for this year's give-away quilt -- I thought you might enjoy seeing the variuos shops' blocks:

  i can't tell you how IMPRESSED I am by these blocks -- whatever quilts get made with these, they can't help but be glorious!! :) (NB: Yes, the tiny paper photo of a block is mine ... I did not get all the blocks finished for today .. I will be sewing fiendishly to get them finished and mailed out by mid-week. <sigh>)

You may not know how blessed we are here in Maryland/Northern Virginia to have so many great quilt shops available for us -- trust me, the vast stretches of the mid-country would be THRILLED to have the resources for quilt making that you probably take for granted. :) Get out and celebrate your options and visit these shops!! :)

Oh, one last 'tell'. Yesterday we saw an independent fabric rep here at the store and I decided to climb commercially onto the Westminster Fabrics, Kaffe Fassett bandwagon. I have long privately ridden on this vehicle -- I LOVE the rich, strong, clear colors and the orchestra of visual stimulation that Kaffe and his associates produce. Now we will be getting about 28 bolts of Westminster prints in to the shop (sometime in mid-August, most likely). If you love intense color OR are an admirer of Kaffe's color sense OR just have a risk taking will (quilting-wise:), keep your eyes on this blog for the arrival of COLOR this summer. :)

<hugs>

:) Linda

Holiday Cheer

Patriotic (does it seem _possible_ that the 4th of July is nearly here??), Halloween, some floral for good measure -- today's delivery has some happy yardage in it. :)

Some great patterns for inspiration:

Ever been a quilt tourist? :) Seen a quilt barn? :) If you are interested, you can read about my sightings while I was away in the near MidWest last week on my personal blog. I'll probably be tweeting about quilt barns, too -- my twitter 'handle' is Seminolelinda :)

Monday, Monday

Well, I have a few more bolts to add to our list of lovely newbies:

Beauty Unfolding!

I've been away all of last week (gone to see my Mom:) and came back to more lovely inspiration. ;)

Pixies with attitude, new holiday prints, some GREAT books/patterns. Lotsa great new goodies (and don't forget our sale is still in progress!!:)

I'm glad to be home -- had a great trip, but happy to be back. Isn't that the summary of a good vacation?

:) Linda

Sunday Sewing

I thought you might like to see my progress with today's sewing. :) This is the center circle pattern of our shop block for this fall's Quilters Quest -- the design is called Pisces and is one of twelve different Mariner's Compass patterns that will be available during the Quest as free give-aways at each shop (each shop has one of the twelve blocks). We (the Quest Committee) chose blue and brown as our colors, on a beige background (Jinny Beyer Marble in 'palamino'). I really like the way it turned out! I hope you do, too. :)

Don't forget that our Anniversary Sale starts tomorrow through Monday the 15th!! I'm going to be away -- I'm going to see my Mom in Ohio - so I hope you all have a LOT of fun here while I"m gone. :)

I'll be sketching ideas for how to set together the twelve Compass blocks -- I want to come up with something a 'little different' (as I hope you have come to expect:).

:) Linda