What's In the Box?

With so many boxes of wonderful new fabrics arriving daily, and just in time for our Open House in September, we will be starting a new feature here on our blog called What's In The Box.  Every Sunday I will write about a fabric, tool or pattern that recently arrived at the shop.  Next time you are in the shop, if you can tell us what the last posting of What's In The Box was you will receive 10% off your purchase.  Want to play?

This week we received 28 colours of Fusions Mist by Robert Kaufman.  This tone-on-tone fabric has a pattern like frost on a window.

As soon as I saw the variety of blues I knew exactly what project it was destined for.  I have  been updating some of the older more popular pattern covers in my spare time. Jane Guthrie  recently re-worked all of the embroidered HATS FOR SNOWMEN blocks in variegated COSMOS thread which works perfectly with this Fusions Mist.  Picture to follow of the new quilt top very soon.

Spring Show Season is here

My favourite spring flower, bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis), has revealed itself a week early this year. It’s a sure sign of spring and my cue to start working in the garden.

Of course, this time of year is also quilt show season so I will have to squeeze in an hour here and there in the yard until the shows are over in the middle of June. I had a great time at the Peterborough and Belleville quilt shows in the last few weeks and collected a few more ‘30s prints for my latest project. Yes, it is true. I buy fabric from the other vendors for my stash! The quilts at these shows are so amazing and inspiring too!

While packing for the upcoming OVQG show at the RA Centre in Ottawa, a new line came in called Byzantium. We are madly cutting this fabric for the show. It is fabulous! Inspired by the artwork of Klimt it is a gotta have stash fabric.

Colour Spectrum and Bear Essentials

If you have ever had difficulty finding the perfect colour for your project we have the solution. Just arrived at the shop is the complete collection of Bear Essentials from P & B Textiles, and expected this week the complete line of Colour Spectrum by P&B.

Bear Essentials includes 64 rich tone-on-tone colours. For those quilters who search out whole collections, we have packaged the whole line as fat eights (8 metres), perfect for applique enthusiasts. Supply of this gift-boxed collection is limited, although we will be carrying the whole line as one of our basics.

I cannot wait to work with the Colour Spectrum fabrics. These solids will work into traditional Amish Style quilts or more contemporary Gee's Bend quilts. This stained glass window from Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria is my inspiration for a new quilt using these two lines of fabric. The pattern is drafted. . . .