a sunday blessing...

this next photo just warms my heart so much. when sarah made jaxson this quilt from sweetwater's make life collection, he was just a little peanut. we first met his family online when the docs were recommending the placement of a trach. this electronic world we live in sure makes connecting with others experiencing some of the same challenges as you much easier than when sarah was tiny and so ill. we then had the pleasure of meeting him in person while we were in salt lake for quilt market.

 

 

fast forward to this week. despite having many medical challenges, our friend jaxson is growing like a weed. look at him now inching off the edge of his quilt! a perfect sunday sunshine!!

noteworthy by sweetwater...

we are so proud to be able to feature our very own katrina in the front window this month...

 

noteworthy by sweetwater for moda is the perfect collection for spring.  the colors are refreshingly sweet. exactly like katrina! 

 

when we were at quilt market last fall, katrina fell in love with the patterns by cluck, cluck, sew.  she utilized "scout" for this quilt.

 

as we traveled to market together, i filled my time on the plane by piecing one inch hexagons. at first, katrina was not so sure about the hand stitching involved. until a few weeks ago that is, when she found herself traveling to salt lake city for a convention with bone marrow transplant docs and nurses. just in case you don't know, this amazing young woman is a nurse coordinator at the seidman cancer center at university hospital during the week.  during her time away she created this very clever pattern with her hexies.  it's the perfect size for a european pillow sham insert. and with that, i think she is hooked on paper piecing!

 

you can find katrina in the shop every saturday. her creations will be on display through the end of march.  and on this sweet sunday, i would sincerely like to thank katrina for all she does for our little shop. she was indeed sent to us by the creator of our master plan and we are most grateful. 

bigger than yesterday

yes i am referring to black friday. and just what could be bigger you ask? why it's small business saturday. of course we take american express. i wouldn't leave home without it.

but even bigger than that...it's the day us buckeyes live for all year...the day ohio state beats *ichigan aka that school up north. and to help us celebrate...

...all scarlet and gray fabric will be just $5.00 per yard. today only. offer does not apply to previous purchases and is limited to stock on hand.  yes, i might just be sitting in one of those seats. it all depends on the weather and miss sarah's breathing capacity.  no matter what...we will be rooting for our team...go bucks!!! p.s. we really do need to thank those ladies over at sweetwater. they really did us ohio staters proud with mama said sew!

scarlet & gray sweetness

...i know this is a stretch...but this buckeye girl just can't help herself. sweetwater just unveiled their newest collection...

photo from sweetwater

on the day we celebrate ohio state heading to new orleans for the final four. could this be an omen? you know we will order this entire collection. the only sad part...we will have to wait until september for it to arrive. oh sweetwater, how we love thee. 

reunion by our very own...

...have you met katrina yet?  she is a nurse coordinator in the bone marrow transplant unit at university hospitals during the week.  on saturday's we are lucky enough to have her share her day with us.  recently, she took home a layer cake of reunion by sweetwater...

..and returned with this well constructed, awesome quilt. it was an instant attraction for me, i fell in love and knew it must hang on our wall. there was a slight problem. she made it to donate to a fundraiser for a fellow nurse who recently had a stroke. so we had to bid on it. in the end it was a win- win situation. we won the quilt and we were able to provide funds for a very deserving young family. did i mention katrina has only been quilting for a short while? kudos to you my friend. we are so proud of you!!!

p.s. the pattern is from corey of little miss shabby and is on the moda bakeshop blog.

hometown...

by sweetwater. oh how i love thee...  

actually i love everything by this talented mother/daughter trio. a while back they talked a little about hometown on their blog.  included on a few bolts are the names of more than 1,000 towns submitted by their loyal followers and readers. chances are you could make something with this fabric and send it to anyone of your friends and they would be able to find a town they onced lived in.

lisa, karla and susan also have a wonderful new book out named...sweetwater's simple home. we have a few copies for your purchase. it includes several wonderful projects for things around your home.

we first introduced you to our newest creature...mr. fox created by ohsweetlulu last week. he is surrounded by quilt creations by crystal at frivolous necessity, and sunnysidedesigns2. the tumbler topper by peanutbutter14, bags by queenbeequilting and njayedesigns.  the adorable dress and tie are hand stitched by twosistersoriginals.

a fox in the house...

there's been a clever new discovery over in the corner...

this sly little guy is all dapper in his new colorful dot coat in hometown. the latest and greatest collection by sweetwater for moda. mister fox traveled all the way from grayslake, illinois to join our family. ohsweetlulu made sure he arrived safely. go pay her a visit to see all the little pals hiding in her etsy meadow.

hope, joy, love & peace...

our christmas in july sale is about to come to a close.

photo does not guarantee availability

don't miss the countdown to christmas as the calendar rolls one month closer to december. today is the last day to purchase all your holiday fabrics at just $5.00 per yard. be early as bolts are disappearing rapidly.  quilt and pillow in countdown to christmas by sweetwater for moda by crystal  of frivolous necessity (pattern available in her etsy shop and our shop) and large selvage stocking from kathi's christmas on etsy.

priceless rewards...

if you were anywhere near the shop this afternoon, you probably heard our screams and shouts. you would have thought we hit the mega lottery.  actually, we did.  now i've never actually won the lottery before, so i have nothing to compare it to...yet the feeling of supreme happiness that sarah and i experienced when we saw this...

truly cannot be defined.  i can't imagine there is a greater happiness. meet jax and arina. you can read more about the two here. some of you reading this have watched our quilts go together. they start with nine blocks that sarah and sari work out on the design board and then they sew the blocks together. i help pin the sashing and then sarah sews it together. once that part is complete, off they go to diane at longarm legacies for quilting.

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our goal is to have a quilt ready for each reece's rainbow kiddo that comes home to their forever family this year.  arina is the first to receive hers. as soon as we knew she was coming home we started sewing her squares together using pink, pink and more pink from kate spain's first collection called verna...

she is the first girl in a family of four boys so her mommy was so looking forward to girly things. can you imagine this sweet angel living her life in an institution, never having her own quilt or her own family?

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and we certainly could not forget about her big brother jaxson. so he received his own version of our four square in make life by sweetwater...

mr. jaxson is a cutie of a fellow. he has been through more medical ordeals in his short life than most in a long lifetime, yet he keeps on smiling...which is why we thought this collection would be just perfect for him...he makes life sunny, makes life colorful and makes life beautiful.

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and finally the package would not be complete without a matching pillowcase in memory of our shining light...kristen ann kirton.  

each pillowcase has been lovingly stitched by either sarah or sari or one of our volunteer sewers.  this project has been such a blessing in so many ways and we are just getting started. we already have the next quilt boxed up and ready to ship.
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please, please, please...if you know a family who has opened their hearts to bringing home a child with down syndrome through reece's rainbow, let us know by sending us an email to jhillely@gmail.com.

sunny sunkissed...

so surprising was the weather this weekend. we hit 78 in cleveland. for northeast ohio, that is a near record this time of year. it was so nice to have a little sunshine peeking in on our newest window display...


sunkissed has moved right up to the front row. sweetwater really hit it with this collection. it has been our best seller to-date. how do you like our version of hoppy, floppy and loppy? sarah and i fell in love with these little bunnies the minute we saw them. and then we turned the corner of her favorite target and spotted the adorable pink polka-dot rain boots. too bad they didn't come in our size:)

and how about the adorable bibs. five in all. another great find on etsy at the site of babymaeboutique. the print is directly from sweetwater's etsy site.  this next picture...


does not begin to do justice to these fine creations.  the easter egg wall hanging. omg!!! another masterful creation from crystal at frivolousnecessity. her letter work is the best i've ever seen. if you are in the area, it is worth stopping by just to see it. but wait. see the nine block on the wall. it too is a crystal original.

now i have to tell you about the quilt in the middle. i found it on etsy in a general search using the word "sunkissed." sarah loved it, so we bought it. then we got an email from the seller at quiltedthimblecottage. turns out jenn has been following our story for some time and was thrilled that we had found her. it seems everyday i am simply amazed at the power of this internet.

one final shot to show you sunkissed on display. i know i say this every time i write, but this time no lie. for real, half that stock is already gone.  sunkissed...we love you.

sunkissed...

you are my sunshine...

my only sunshine. you make me happy...when skies are gray. you'll never know dear, how much i love you...

sunkissed by sweetwater. brings the sunshine into the front room every single day. we have precuts and yardage...

and all the patterns featuring sunkissed by sweetwater, piece and quilt and this and that. and...

look what i just spotted on sweetwater's etsy site. they always have lots of fun stuff for purchase. check it out. and hurry in for sunkissed. it is not going to be here long.