Patches and Petals

Pillowcase Sew-In...November 27th

Where:   Come to Martina's Fabric

Time: 10 a.m - 5 p.m.

We will provide cutting & ironing stations; and will have tables setup for your sewing machines. Don't sew? That's okay! There is cutting & ironing that can be done to help.

Our efforts are in conjunction with AP&Q's challenge to Make a Pillowcase, Make a Difference. The pillowcases will be donated to our local charities.

 

Thank you all for your support ~ this would not be possible without you!!

 

Creative Possibilities, Inspiration & Fun!

 

 Fall is definitely here and the snow is creeping down past the treeline; it's arrival here -- inevitable.  However, it's not officially winter until that powdery white stuff covers the ground down here...and in the meantime, we're still sportin' our flip-flops!!

But the telltale signs are here; rich, beautiful autumn colored foliage, and... Cranberries, ripe for the picking!!  Just think homemade cranberry juice and jam; and best of all, flavorful cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving - yummy!

 
With the weather change, comes the sudden urge to camp out in my sewing room, dust off the trusty 'ole girl and listen to her hum away.  Ahhh, what delightfully soothing sound she makes.

First on my last minute project list is a new quilt for you know who in my house.  It's impossible finding a the right size blankets for a 6'4" guy...he's always fussing because unless it's a custom build, they are always too short! 

 I'll add some extra rows, find some plush minkee for the back and this ought to be a fantabulous quilt!  I picked this northwoods theme flannel - it's absolutely PERFECT!!

I know we're all busy working on projects...but did I tell you I managed to steal some time away to surf?  Sure did!!  No, not that kind of surfing!!  I've been having a wonderful time "surfing" the world-wide-web. 

Quiltmaker magazine began their quilty 100 Blocks Blog Tour on the 8th of November, and this has been ALOT of fun!!  Take a peak over at Quilty Pleasures - they've got fantastic places to visit and REALLY COOL giveaways!!

I've had a superb time visiting all the different featured designers, and am looking forward to a few more days of exceptional quilty surfing!!  It's definitely inspiring and got me excited about all the creative possibilities that teased my senses along the way.  I am afraid I've added a few projects on to my already tooo long "to-do" list...but oh what fun it's been!  One of my favorite featured blocks so far, was designed by Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Quilts.  It made me think of my dear friend Margie...I don't believe there's a bird she doesn't love, ravens in particular, and this block is one I'm going to have to make just for her! 

But that's not all!!  I also found a lovely free BOM quilt featured on Dawn's blog...oouuu, la,la!  It is scrumptious!!  I LOVE Civil War Reproduction fabrics, they are rich in color and design, vibrant, warm, and there's something very sophisticated about them; they are timeless.  I may have to consider this one...no doubt, a great stash project!

Lots of other sweet things were found here, and I love the new embellishments - buttons and crocheted flowers!  One can never have tooo many quilty and sewing accessories!  But imagine the possibilities - embellishments for hats, scarves, on a special cardigan, little girls dress....ummm, these are going to be sew cute!!  Look at those darling crocheted cherries!!

Oh dear, what can I say - this has been some fantastic blog hopping today!!

Let me know what you found inspiring during your quilty blog hopping treasure hunt! 

Happy Sewing!!

 

Murhpy's Laws for Quilter's

It's been wonderful to see and hear from so many of our sewing friends and family this past week.  As we all begin to transition from our summer activities and begin to think about our fall and winter projects, it's exciting to feel the creative energy and see all the sewing and quilting projects just waiting to be done!:)

We are so excited to have begun our fall and winter classes.  Jan is teaching our very first machine embroidery class today, woohoo!!  Today's project is on Angie Steveson's pattern Recipe Towels.   I'm excited to see what kind of surprises await us at the end of the session today ~ I LOVE show and tell!

I was browsing through some older files this weekend and ran across this little number titled, Murphy's  Laws for Quilter's" .  Uncertain of whom may have authored this fine literary work, I hope they do not mind my sharing it with you here...

• On any given day the number of employees in a quilt shop is inversely proportional to the number of customers needing quick attention.

• Every quilt will take twice as long as you expect and be ½ as beautiful (we are never satisfied).

• There are only 2 kinds of masking tape: that which won’t stay on and that which won’t come off.

• In cutting an intricate multi-piece block, your ruler will slip on the last side of the last patch.

• When there is no time to do something right, there will always be time to do it over.

• The value of any piece of fabric is directly proportional to the speed and ease with which you will ruin it.

• In any mail-order shipment the item you need the most will be back-ordered.

• The pattern in a special fabric will never repeat when or where you want it to.

• Accidental destruction of a fabric will only occur to an expensive imported cotton, never to muslin bought at 50% off.

• Fabric dyes will never run until the quilt has been completed.

• A block with flawlessly straight sides, precision corners and perfect color placement will always be the wrong size.

• A quilt that has to be completed for a birthday in two months will take two years to finish.  And its corollary:  A quilt that has no due date will take only two months to complete..

• When you finally have your sewing space in the empty bedroom exactly the way you want it your son will move back home.

• You will find the perfect fabric for your quilt only after it has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

• A quilt judge will give you a bad critique only when the area is full of other people..

• That same quilt judge will give praise only when no one else is around.

• The busier you are on any given day the greater the number of quilting inspirations you will want to try.

• Your quilting thread will break at the needle only when the last stitch has been taken in the line
  

• If a novice quilter decides to watch you use your rotary cutter, you will always ruin the fabric and cut yourself.

• Your bobbin thread will only run out in the middle of a long line of stitching.

• That perfect striped fabric you want to use in your sashing has been printed off-grain.

• The top must be completed and basted to the backing before you notice the one block that has a mistake in it.

• The quilt-marking pencil that you tested on every fabric before you marked your quilt top won’t disappear after you have completed the quilt.

• You finally get a great idea for your Guild’s challenge one week before the quilts are due.

• No matter how much fabric you have bought, you are not going to have enough for the quilt you want to make.

Have a wonderful Labor Day holiday & Happy Sewing!

Martha

Bonnie's UFO Challenge!

We all love the thought of a completed project, and Bonnie's UFO Challenge is the perfect incentive to help motivate us into action! 

Yes, those UFO's lurking in the back of our sewing cubbies...ugggh.  Let's be honest, we look at them, pull them out and admire them, talk about finishing them, and then place them back nice and neatly in the back of the cupboard, again! 

I've come to realize, I sometimes even enjoy taking the trip down memory lane...just look on the selvedges of your UFO fabrics, they tell a story all their own!

So, I gave this challenge some earnest thought and decided this could be a win/win situation:

• A little bonus incentive to get some of those older UFO's completed and checked off my to-do list! 
  
• I love the prospect of winning quilty things:)
  
• Check off one of those "New Year's Resolutions", which was to complete 4 UFO projects.  (i haven't worked on any, yet.) 
  
• I wouldn't have to put them on next year's list, again!
  
• I would have four completed Christmas gifts if I just finished 4 of my UFO's!! Woohoo!!!

My two projects for August are - my Roll 'n Go:

and Animal panel quilt: 

I have to bind and assemble the roll-n-go, and on the animal quilt I have to bind it and write up pattern instructions.  So, lets get started...

The rules of this challenge:

• Every month complete one UnFinished Object (UFO) or project from your sewing room.

• The UFO or project chosen must be at least 6 months old.
  
• Sign up before the 15th of the current month, and let us know what project or UFO you have committed to complete. All online participants should have their projects posted no later than the 15th of the current month, at 12:00 a.m. PST, to be eligible for that month's challenge.
• Participants that cannot make our Thursday evening Sit & Stitch to show off their selected project, send me an e-mail with the name of your project and a picture, and we'll post it here on the blog, my email address is:  martha@martinasfabric.com
• If you have a blog, please post photos and details on your blog. Then, comment here with the link to your post so we can visit and check out your challenge project!
• Show your completed project on the last Thursday of the month; our online participants please send us a picture of your completed project. If you have a blog, please post photos and details on your blog, then comment here with the link to your post so we can visit:) These must be posted no later than 12:00 pm PST on the last Thursday of the month.
  
• Everyone who completes their listed project will be entered in the drawing.
• The drawing winner will receive a gift from Bonnie's Quilting Room.
• You may sign up for and complete as many projects as you like. Each project will earn one (1) drawing entry.
• If you sign up to complete a project and do not follow through, you must give your favorite quilting buddy the opportunity to select, from your stash of treasured fat quarters, one Fat Quarter for their very own collection ~ and don't forget to take a picture, post it, and tell us what fortunate quilting buddy received your coveted gift! 

Our August Prize:

This sweet little sewing bag and goodies PLUS a copy of the Capital City Quilter's Recipe Book!  (pic coming soon!!)

Looking forward to a couple completed UFO's!!! 

Happy Sewing!

Lots Going On....

Hello again! The whole month of July has come and gone - that's just incredible!  It's been really busy both at home and at the shop; and suffice to say the month was full of both great joy and sorrow.  There is much to be greatful for and we should not take tomorrow for granted.

A quick rundown of July - the first two weeks, my friend Suzanne and I tested out Kwik Sew's new Fat Quarter Bag pattern, and we had a blast!  Suzanne is a relatively new sewist, and took the challenge of her second sewing project in stride.  We started out making 4-5 bags for gifts for several of her family and friends.  By the time we finished this project we'd made 13 - WOW!!  Our daughters Krystle and Michaela did some modeling just so we could show these off...

This is definitely a pattern we'll keep around for a while:)  More pics with other fantastic fabric combinations here.

Somewhere along the week a pattern and jelly roll "spoke to me" and I started on a new jelly roll quilt using Frolic by Sandy Gervais.  I've not had the opportunity to begin sewing it yet, but I'll keep you posted:)  It's looking like one of those easy, simple piecing, with fabulous results type projects - WOOHOO!!

Our One Million Pillowcase Challenge sewing event was July 17th.  A special thank you to Jan and Linda - I couldn't have done it without you!  To all the wonderful women who joined us that Saturday - thank you, thank you, thank you!  We completed 132 pillowcases!

Thank you for helping make this such a successful sewing event, I've posted more pictures of our day here.

The latter part of July was beautiful and I can't say I spent a whole lot of time in my sewing room...the weather was tooo nice for that.  However, I did indulge in another one of my favorite activities - harvesting and putting away food for the winter.  It is one of the things I look forward to all year! There is always such a sense of accomplishment as you watch the pantry get stocked up for the winter...it's very rewarding work!

So, while I stayed home and harvested the mint and herb beds, Creighton (my Studly) went on a very successful fishing trip.  Mmmm....what at catch;-)

 

He does all the filleting for me - I know, I'm a lucky gal!

 

 The fillets are sized down to fit in pint size canning jars, and the packing begins...

 

These are looking good!  I need 18 for a canner load...we're half way there!

A few hours later the jars come out of the canner and we sit back and listen to the melodic "pop" of lids sealing on the jars.  A sure sign all is airtight and ready for the pantry!  We'll definitely be enjoying these later this year. 

The weatherman is promising more sunny skies tomorrow...aren't we lucky!  I'm off to sew, maybe I'll get that Frolic jelly roll project pieced before that sun arrives to tempt me out of my sewing room!

Have a great week and Happy Sewing!

 

Save the Date - July 17th, One Million Pillowcase Challenge

 Yes, we're a participating shop - come join us!

When:   Saturday, July 17, 2010, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.        

                       Where:  Valley Chapel - 9741 Mendenhall Loop Rd

All pillowcases will be donated to our local charities and organizations in need.  If you have a favorite charity or know of an organization that could benefit from this effort, please let us know.  We really want to reach out to those in need within our community and your suggestions are appreciated. 

This effort is in addition to all the work our local Guild, the Capital City Quilters, does through their pillowcase program - which is currently about 300 pillowcases per year, that are donated to the AWARE shelter! 

Thank you for saving this date and helping us make a difference in our community!

Resolutions vs Intentions

It's me again, finally!  I have come to understand that while I have all these great resolutions - including being more disciplined in keeping up with our blog, I am in fact operating more on intentions.  Good intentions...but the hours turn into days, weeks, months, and somehow all time gets away from me! 

So, I am trying something new - a resolution to visit with you here at least once a week.  I've added a weekly reminder to my calendar, albeit now I will have to add the follow through to actually make this work!

Summer weather has been so great it's been hard to stay indoors and my sewing time has been severely infringed on!  I was out playing in the dirt, I mean in the garden, today and couldn't resist this Salmonberry - isn't she a beauty!  (tasted good too!!)

Surprise!

To all our wonderful, friends and customers, who have waited so patiently, we have an important announcement to make - are you ready?

New Daytime Hours at Martina's Fabric!

Wednesday thru Friday     11 am to 6 pm

Saturday     10 am - 5 pm

AND

We also have two great new additions to our family here at the shop - Jan and Marta.  (bio's and pics coming soon!) We're absolutely delighted to have them ~ tickled pink in fact...we know you are definitely going to be in excellent hands:

Lots more surprises yet to come, stay tuned!!

Happy Sewing,

Heartfelt Thank You

   It is our 1st Year Anniversary....

here in Lemon Creek (Juneau, AK), and I wanted to take a moment to express a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of our local and traveling customers who have come by to see us.  We would not be here if it had not been for your visit, and we have greatly appreciated your friendship, feedback, and patronage.

To the wonderful women who have been working "behind the scenes" - you have blessed my life this year many times over, and none of this would have been possible without you.  For staying up late nights with me, making impossible missions - possible, for your creative ideas and inspiration, sharing your words of wisdom and so unselfishly giving of your time - words cannot express the gratitude I feel in my heart, this anniversary would not have been possible without you!  A special and heartfelt thank you to each of you - Margie, Bonnie, Izabel, Marta and Wilma for your unwavering support...you have helped make Martina's the warm, inviting and cozy little retreat we have grown to love.

Stay In Stitches!

It's the little things in life...

I couldn't resist...the sunsets this week have been gorgeous.  Here is a glimpse of today's lovely display of evening colors.

Martha