dusting off here

oh my this ole blog here has been sorely neglected. i suppose it's because we have become so comfortable with facebook these days. but it's a new year which makes it seem like a good time to say hello. let's start with this...

 

sarah and i met with marc jacobs from michael miller today.

 

we ordered some fun new prints for springtime. well truthfully, we try to always keep it like a breath of springtime in our shop. the new bolts will arrive sometime mid march.

how a display goes...

from ordinary...

 

 

to extraordinary...

 

 

happy tones by michael miller. quilt and pattern by kristen blandford of sunnyside designs 2.

a bundle of happy...

...for your smiling pleasure

 

...by michael miller fabrics 

swirly girls trunk show...

we have a swirly girls design mini trunk show...live in the shop this week...

 

four samples of poppy love, their newest collection and the featured fabrics in our new block of the month program. also, we do have extra block sets now for sale in both the vintage and vibrant color ways. 

happy tones...

...in our favorite kinds of color

reminds me of the partridge family...

hello world, here's a song that we're singin'
come on, get happy
a whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin'
we'll make you happy...

...happy tones by michael miller...a perfect addition to our tutti frutti room.

we're in the clubhouse...

the michael miller clubhouse by swirly girls design that is. and we are soooooo excited. it all began here...

 

sarah and i were walking around quilt market and all of a sudden she told me to stop. i looked up and there was my blogging and facebook friend, kelly ann of kelly ann's quilting in warrenton, va. she has been encourgaging me as a shop owner from our earliest days. soon i realized we are standing in front of the swirly girls booth. just where we needed to be.

 

sarah adores this quilt. she loves the colors and the pot of flowers in the center. i love that poppy love, is ready to go. all the planning has already been done by swirly girls design. 

 

christine, one of the swirly girls, came over to talk with us and i had such a great feeling about jellen's establishing a michael miller clubhouse in cleveland. 

 

soon we had katrina hooked too. she spent some time learning about the program. she then attended the schoolhouse session to get all the needed info to lead the class. 

 

 

susan, the other swirly girl, came over and had sarah draw a lucky packet of seeds.  she won a charm pack that includes fabric from each of the two color ways...

 

 

...vintage on the left, and vibrant on the right. seriously, doesn't this set up just look like it belongs in our happy little cottage in the city.  and look how excited katrina, our official clubhouse leader, looks standing front row and center.  ok now to the details...

 

this is a block-of-the-month program. here is how this will work...

 

 

first you will pick which colorway you want to make. we will have 12 slots of vintage (black, red, green, gray) and 12 slots of vibrant (blues, yellow, green). 

 

 

each month you will receive a kit with your fabric and the full color instruction sheet. each sheet also has a bonus project to inspire additional skills.

 

 

 

then you just need to decide if you wish to join one of our classes offered on the fourth thursday from 7-9 or the fourth saturday from 10-12. they will begin in january 2013 and will be lead by katrina and a few guests...who knows...we might even be able to convince the swirly girls to come for a visit.  the level is in the advanced beginner range...meaning you have some general knowlege and experience with piecing. each session will be limited to six stitchers.

 

or if you would prefer, you will be able to just pick up your kit each month and not attend class. either way, being a clubgirl will be just plain fun. 

 

registration will begin on tuesday, december 4th.  you will pay for the first month and the last month at the time of securing your commitment.  we will have additional fabric available only for clubgirls should you wish to create the bonus projects.

sarah's on a mission...

just heard there is a little girl from florida coming to the cleveland clinic for surgery... 

so sarah got busy making her a pillow case. she decided circus animals were in order.  

kiss the cook...

just in time for father's day.  or for the barbeque go to guy in your life...

kiss the cook, condiments, ketchup and mustard by michael miller along with turf, plaid and ticking by emily herrick.

the fat quarter bundle belongs to the lucky winner of the guessing challenge on facebook. if you don't follow us over there you might want to. just click the facebook link over to the right of this post.

b-day sweets...

surprise!! oh happy day. may all your wishes come true...

we have so many requests for cupcake fabric and now we have some. along with a happy birthday print. and new stripes, ta dots, scallops and a very fun under the big top fabric. all from michael miller

bird + bunny sweetness...

one of the best things about having a shop is watching friendships develop.  and when they are between a precious little one and sarah, the pleasure simply magnifies.

remy and her new little dress made by her mama. jill was kind enough to bring it in to show sarah. she remembered that sarah picked out the fabric when our michael miller rep came to visit. remy loves this little bird we have in the store. she always finds it.

bundle it...

we've been having so much fun creating new fat quarter bundles this week...

here we have mini ginghams by michael miller.  each bundle is unique in color selection and they are built with different price points in mind.  if you are in a hurry or just wanting to build your stash, bundles are an easy way to check out quickly.

midnight intrigue...

our next grouping is from another new designer to our shop, sandi henderson.  her newest collection is aptly titled secret garden.  it has three colorways and the one we chose is called midnight garden...

sandi decribes this colorway as "pops of moonlight here and there which can also make for a lovely stroll through the garden." we couldn't agree more. you can read more about secret garden on sandi's blog. 

lush...

the one thing i have failed to mention the past 48 hours is this...the first 183 pounds of michael miller fabric was followed the very next day with an additional 77 pounds.  that means there is more fabric on the floor right now than up where it belongs.  i assure you once it is all on display it will be like pure sunshine in our house.  and speaking of that big yellow ball in the sky, our first reveal today is the sunny colorway...

of lush, by patty young.  please hop on over to patty's blog and surf around for a while. what a fun, fun family. and they are all in the business of designing fabric + patterns + accessories for michael miller.  sarah and i had the pleasure of meeting patty and her husband at market (unfortunately no pics as the camera card was full) such nice people. and the fabric...oh we will have sunshine in cleveland everyday of the week now.

33 is the magic number

183 pounds = 3 boxes = 33 bolts = 486 yards.  for this shipment at least...

and we had one winner... sarah anney...who guessed it correctly.  do you want to see what was in the boxes?  stay tuned. it's good. very, very, very good.

 

183 lbs = 3 boxes

so far, we know this much.  183 pounds of fabric arrives in...

three boxes. very big. heavy. boxes. oh just a little hint. i do know we have a winner. just one winner. who guessed spot on.  stay tuned to see if it's you...

a word about michael...

...steiner and kathy miller.  i so often hear michael miller fabrics referred to as him. when in fact, it is a him and a her. not to be confused with she and him, the popular music duo. oh never mind... back to michael and kathy...

yes, michael miller fabrics is actually a combo of michael steiner and kathy miller. i just noticed they have a thing about lower case letters too.  anywho, you can read more about them here.  and while you are on their site...check out how they have the fabric grouped in color stories. those little rainbow groupings sing to my heart.  i've been in a cocoa berry and sorbet mood lately. maybe just maybe that's what's coming in the morning.

oh that reminds me...have you made your guess for some free michael miller fabric? if not, jump to this post pdq...

scarlet & gray...

from one buckeye lover to another...

...quilts by darlene gerber

and mary coffey

beach babes...

it's not often the perfect pair of models are in the store together...

sarah's music therapist, bonnie of the groovy garfoose just happened to stop by for a visit as we were opening our going coastal treasures.  quilt by lu of for the love designs. apron by suzy of the apron addict. and the cute dress by jessie of jamn'jelli. come in and experience the waves with us.

going coastal...

we are starting to receive fabric that we ordered at spring quilt market. and that is super exciting. the most recent delivery is our very first from michael miller fabrics. and the first fabric collection designed by emily herrick...

we had the pleasure of meeting emily and chatting for some time. her inspirational journey to market is one to read for sure. a very recent encounter with thyroid cancer, has left her with a scar in her neck. and that is something to which our sarah can very much relate. so they shared stories of healing, fabric sensitivities, and shirt necklines, while i drooled over going coastal.

the funny thing is...i don't often, as in extremely rarely, go to a coast. i don't boat. i don't own a beach house. i don't eat crab. but there is just something about going coastal that i absolutely love.  and i think you will too.  it's on the shelves today.

got crabs?

apparently there is a rumor floating around...

that we have crabs...in a box...