like the hurricane...

there comes a time when one must realize they need help.  this is a good thing of course, for it means we are busy.  if you have been in the store recently you might have had a chance to meet some of our newest creative souls at the cutting counter.    

meet katrina. like the hurricane, she often jokes, to help others remember her name. i assure you though, she is nothing like a hurricane.  kristen ann kirton first brought katrina to our store. she had been googling the internet with the words bone marrow transplant. not the type of search most of us do, yet the dedication katrina has to her job and her patients, had her doing just that. katrina was a staff nurse in the bone marrow transplant unit at university hospitals when i first met her. she recently was promoted to a patient coordinator in that same unit where she now follows the patient and family through the entire ordeal from diagnosis to transplant to post op. not an easy job to say the least, which is one reason she turned to quilting.  we are so lucky that katrina also enjoys spending her saturdays with us.  please join me in welcoming katrina to our team.

jingle bell hop winners...

...we have some great gift bags filled with treasures. the lucky winners who selected to pick up at our location are: 

Patricia Arnwine

Sally Hawks

Carolyn Baker Jenkins

Myrya Johnson

Helen Masino

Barbara McDowell

Debbie Messer

please come in any time during shop hours to pick up your goodies.  congratulations and thank you to all the shop hoppers.  we hope to see you again for the next hop in the spring.

the spain effect...

i heard there was product from a new designer recently at target, that sold out in a few hours. well...missoni has nothing on our kate spain. do you like this fabric...

well...unfortunately you won't be seeing it in our house of fabric. it. sold. out. in forty minutes. two bolts in fact. i ordered an extra just in case. the first one was basically gone before i even had the plastic off. the second within minutes of it going on the floor.  not the display. the floor. as in leaning up against the wall behind the cutting counter floor.  kate has surely outdone herself with terrain. it is a must hurry kind of situation.

no rulz art...

love the name. love the mission...

and now we love the fabric!!!  the crew over at no rulz art, llc are happy to announce they have started to hand dye fabric in addition to their socks and headbands. and we are so happy to tell you it is in our store!!  

if you're not familiar with this creative group of young adults, click here and read a story sarah wrote on her blog last year (wow the store sure looked empty then:) the fabric is cut into pieces approximately 18 x 18 and sell for two dollars each with 100% going directly back to no rulz art to help keep their program rolling.  the fabric is moda bella solid pfd (prepared for dyeing).  no two pieces will ever be the same.  

sunday sweetness...

i'm so excited to share this next photo...

meet kirill and his brother clayton. the journey for kirill to reach his forever family was not easy. his new mom and dad were tenacious in their fight to be sure he lived a life full of love and hugs away from the orphanage he resided. you can read more about sarah's work on kirill's quilt and pillowcases here.

hop til you drop...

going into this shop hop, we had no idea what to expect...

today as i looked about around two thirty, i was thankful the fire marshall didn't pay us a visit. even more thankful everyone was able to enter and exit without incident. goodness, i never thought we would fill three parking lots and get that many customers into the store at one time.  thank you so much to all who stopped in during this jingle bell hop. we appreciate your support and hope you will return soon.

i could never have survived this week without the help of a great group of women, aimee, diane, katrina and penney.  mucho gracious!!! 

the shops will be meeting toward the later part of this month to hold the grand prize drawings. we will announce winners here. stay tuned...

last call...

it's the final day of the jingle bell shop hop. haven't started yet?...

...not to worry. we've had several shoppers complete the hop in one day. just grab a friend and start early.  if you find you're getting close to the end and need a little more time, just give us a call at 440-684-9830 and we will be happy to stay and wait for your arrival. 

hopping treats...

have we mentioned there are snacks waiting for you along the route...

at jellen's we have a sweet treat hunt for you. you'll have to look throughout the store displays to discover your treasures.  here we have some bulls eyes among the max & whiskers...

the colors of the hop...

together they form a beautiful rainbow. all twenty seven...

...shown here, cut to be featured as ohio stars, our block for this hop.  are you participating in the challege? i hear there are some great prizes to be awarded to the winners. there will be many different categories and the rules are simple...utilize all 27 colors on just 1 block or all the blocks in your design. be sure to check with any of the shop owners for greater details.

shop hop quilts...

...i am fortunate to be sharing in the splendor of some extremely talented shop owners.  if you are traveling around on the jingle bell shop hop, you have likely already seen the quilts hanging in the other shops. if not, you can click here and scroll down to see the photos.

so that you may make your own quilt,  each shop has available a kit of fat eighths for your purchase. i'd like to send out a warm and sincere thank you to...

...sister maughan and sister manwaring for volunteering to package our kits up for us. they did such an amazing job and i think they enjoyed doing it. both of these young ladies are serving their mission in the cleveland area and we love when they stop by.

be sure to come get your kit while the hop is in full action for $5.00. after the hop they will increase in price to $8.00

chapter two...

our shop hop is in full swing.  have you been able to start hopping yet? if you're new to the jingle bell hop, you might not know there is a complete story being told.  each store has a chapter to this tale...

we have chapter two.  the story is all about being snowbound at grandma's.  and reading about her wonderful quilts.  guess which quilt block she talks about in our chapter?  you'll have to come get it to find out...

come play blocks with us...

on our interactive design wall.

we are into day three of the jingle bell hop. if you haven't come to visit yet, we have some fun waiting for you.  just how fast do you think you can build an ohio star? come give it a try. ladies, there are some pretty quick husbands out there. i think they might be practicing in your sewing room when you're not looking:)

i was thrilled to be assigned the ohio star as jellen's contribution to the 2011 jingle bell quilt. you can read more about my enthusisam for this block here.  as you can see, i chose to make an apron with my block. there are some great quilts out there too.  you just need to start hopping to see them. you can start at any store, hurry though, before it's too late.

monday, monday...

so good to me...monday, monday...it was all i hoped it would be...

...ok, so now that i've got that little jingle made famous by the mamas and the papas singing through your mind...let me just tell you that yes, Yes, YES, we will indeed be open this monday, september 12 from 10:00- 5:00 for all you jingle bell shoppers who are hopping about this first day of the week. 

we will also have diane wantz, queen quilter at longarm legacies, in the shop all day long. she has graciously agreed to help us out during the shop hop, so should you wish to discuss your long arm quilting needs, monday would be a good day.   

it's time to hop...

if you've had a chance to read our vision over on the website, one of our dreams on the wish list is to be in a shop hop.  a month or two ago i received a call asking if we would like to participate in the quilters fling 2011 jingle bell shop hop.  of course i said, YES!!!

the time has come to start hopping. september 10 seemed so far off yet it has arrived. and so have we, i'm pleased to say. please join us and all the shops participating. we've all been working hard to make sure the blocks are well thought out and the story of being snowbound at grandma's is a must read. we hope to see you this week.  for more information or to print out a copy of the map, click here.

beauteous batiks

my love for batiks seems to expand with each delivery...

...this day it was not on bolts, rather wrapped in creativity and mutual love of the fabric.  quilt in montego batiks by moda and designed by libie at livin4prim. fabric art on side wall by marlene of karmacreations 

thank you suzy...

a few months back sarah and i had the pleasure of speaking with a delightful woman who writes a column for quilts inc.

we were not sure when the article was to publish, so it truthfully went to the back corner of my mind.  then i receieved word it went live.

as i first read the story, i cried. it was as if i was reading the tale of a stranger. then i blinked twice at the picture and realized that truly is sarah and sari standing there. in our store. this really is our story. it still doesn't seem real for some reason when i see it in print.  yet, we have so many wonderful new friends, i am quickly reminded that indeed it is real. still, i pinch myself every so often. 

thank you suzy for capturing our mission so perfectly. (click the picture to read the story)

dear sophie...

by chez moi has arrived...  

every group from this talented artist is masterfully hand painted using classic watercolor technique. she uses her traditional training to compose highly stylized and surprisingly contemporary landscapes. it is exactly this juxtaposition that sets chez moi apart.

sophie which means wisdom, is done in beautiful aquas, rose, pinks, olive green and chocolate brown along with cream.  the charming quilt by libie of livin4prim.  the pillow comes up from atlanta, georgia by warm'n'fuzzies.

back to school sale

did you know we have over 100 moda marbles in stock now?

and this week they are all on sale for just $5.00 per yard.  no limits. no fine print. other than hurry. sale ends this saturday, september 3.

summer nights...

...are coming to an end i'm afraid. i feel the dampness and mild chill setting in when the sun goes down.  that means it's time to change the front window...

...i love autumn. i really, really do. yet it will be hard to take this one down. summer house by lily ashbury for moda, has been the most talked about window display we've done to date.  the bright colors sparkle from the busy street when the sky goes dark and the spotlights come on.

folks who rarely, if ever, have a needle in their hand have been stopping me at the bank, grocery store and sporting events to tell me how it has caught their attention. summer house is supported perfectly with just wing it by momo on the left and spirit by lila tueller on the right. 

much of the fabric has sold from the night i took this picture. i'm finding it is hard to sell the last yard or so from some of my favorite bolts.  though it's a temporary sadness i've learned.  replaced with an extreme happy satisfaction as customers return to show the fabric in their completed creations.

the beautiful hanging quilt was made by helen of pine tree lodge.  the table topper on the left by crystal of frivolous necessity.

nine dots...sarah's way...

yesterday i posted my favorite combination...today sarah is showing hers...

customers often ask how i select what comes into the store. usually it is just my love for the fabric. it was a bit different with nine dots, i ordered this collection sight unseen. i've never done this before. yet there was a reason.

a few months back there was a rather ugly debate going around the blogosphere. it started by a few bloggers questioning the current status of quilting and whether the introduction of pre-cuts and simple patterns had "dummied down" the industry. as i read the original posts and the comment threads, i could not help but feel the premise was basically stating that projects were now so easy any "mentally challenged person" could do them.  and as a mother of a daughter with down syndrome, that hit a raw nerve. 

so i left a comment on a blog. carrie nelson's to be exact. how she got pulled into this conversation i'm still not sure, as her patterns are definitely not simple in my book. here is what i wrote...I am so delayed in joining this conversation, missed the post you are referencing however, what exactly does "dumbing or dumming down" mean? As a shop owner who's mission is to employ young adults with developmental disabilities, I can't help but wonder if it is either directly or indirectly making light of this population of individuals. Whether we are novices or experts in the fiber arts world, why would we need to do this? Why the need to be so critical?  

within the hour, i received an email back from carrie. it was kind, thoughtful and apologetic to think her words or the words of others could be taken this way. i was most impressed and appreciative of her time. we continued to email back and forth for a few days. unfortunately carrie was not able to make it to quilt market and i was unable to see her newest fabric collection. when i returned home i ordered it anyway, feeling a human connection to a beautiful soul. quite honestly i was just a little nervous to open the box. huge sigh of relief combined with extreme excitement!! nine dots truly did not disappoint. it is eye candy for sure.  

hop over to carrie’s blog to read more about her interpretation of nine dots.

for all of you wondering if we have fat quarter bundles available...

...we're working on it. they should be ready by mid afternoon. that is if a certain someone doesn't decide to take another nap:)

simply dreamy...

a feeling of tranquility radiates from these bolts...

nine dots by carrie nelson of miss rosie's quilt co for henry glass fabrics. in soft yellow, grays and aqua. 

 

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...

sweetness everywhere...

such a week. our appreciation to all of our friends and customers overfloweth.  we are so fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

just in case you missed it, we had not just one but two designing celebrities in the house on saturday...vickie eapen of spun sugar quilts and a surprise visit by rebecca silbaugh of ruby blue quilting studio.  how exciting for us and all gathered around.

vickie not only autographed the page with her pattern in the new and delightful book, fresh fabric treats, she also gave us a demonstration of paper piecing.  late breaking update...see that adorable little bag...the one with the bright green zipper...if you hop on over to the moda bake shop you will find a tutorial to make your own...compliments of vickie. 

it is always fascinating to watch a new technique or even if it's not new, picking up little pointers from those more experienced.  such as...tiny little needles make for tiny little stitches.  btw...that quilt draped on the table...the one made with me & my sister...that's the real thing.   

vickie was so gracious to pose for pics with our customers, velta and paula...

...and with the chief fabric organizer and the birthday girl. thank you everyone. we are off to a great beginning into year two. we are more excited than ever.