We’ve got some great new patterns. We love the patterns from Cozy Quilt Designs. Their Strip Club patterns use 2 ½” strips to create dynamic quilts quickly and easily. ‘Tradewinds’ uses the Strip Tube Ruler, ‘Star of the Show’ has a more traditional feel and ‘Leftovers’ makes use of your strip sets ends from other Strip Tube projects! ‘Paper Lanterns’ does for Fat Quarters what the Strip Club Patterns do for strips. All Cozy Quilt Design Patterns give yardage and instructions for small quilts right up to King size!

Tradewinds

Star of the Show

Leftovers

Paper Lanterns

Sewing for little ones in back in style! We’ve got two new patterns from Favorite Things. ‘Blossoms & Bloomers’ has full size patterns for a reversible jumper, elasticized bloomers and a sweet little hat. Eight infant and toddler sizes are included. ‘The Nappies’ is a pattern for those who want to venture into the world of cloth diapers with a great designer look. This pattern is sized for infants from 6 - 35 lbs.

Joan and Suzi collaborated on our store sample of The Sleep Over Quilt that we mentioned a few weeks ago. It folds up into this easy to carry tote. Wouldn’t this also be a great quilt to have on hand in the car?

Here’s a quick idea to jazz up that bottle of wine that you’re taking somewhere as a gift. This kit from Quiltsmart contains printed interfacing and cording to make 2 Bottle Bags. There is no measuring. All you need to do is add some fat quarters from your stash, then cut and sew on the lines!

It’s been kind of a crazy week here in Toronto, between the heat, the G20 security and the earthquake. What a great time to hunker down, switch on the air conditioning and get some serious quilting done!

Here’s a quick project to make as a gift for a child. ‘The Sleep-Over Quilt’ from Seams and Dreams is a fold-away quilt with handles and an extra pocket to hold other essentials for a night away from home! This would also be a great project to use to introduce a child to the basics of quilting. The pieces are large and easy to handle and you can have fun together picking out some favourite fabrics!

Another quick and easy project is this table runner called ‘Three Branches’ from Sew Be It. Using fusible web and raw edge appliqué, this would make a great hostess gift if you’re visiting friends this summer.

A great thing to have on hand if you are travelling this summer is the Quilters’ Travel Companion. This book has information, maps and directions for over 2000 North American Quilt Shops!

We spent yesterday with Linda our Trend-Tex rep ordering fabric for the fall. It was impossible to choose from all these gorgeous Hoffman batiks!

The batik shelves are overflowing due to the arrival of the Tonga Batiks earlier this week. This got me thinking that it was about time to reorganize the shop. Several hours of moving bolts and shuffling fat quarters later, I’m really happy with the way it looks! I found lots of ‘skinny bolts’ so we’ve decided to have start a Skinny Bolt Sale section. When you purchase these fabrics, you will get 15% on a 0.5 m minimum cut or 20% off when you finish the bolt. There are lots of great fabrics here! Also, don’t forget to check out the Clearance Crib for fabrics reduced by 40%. Clearance patterns are 3 for $15!

Diane dropped in on the week-end with her finished quilt. It’s a beauty! The pattern is “Under Construction” from The Country Quilter.

We had a great time Wednesday night at our annual Show and Tell evening. It was great to see so many terrific quilts. We hope to have some photos to show you soon!

We’ve got some super new organizer bags! The Total Tote from Creative Options has all kinds of neat features to help you organize your essential quilting notions for travel or for taking to class. Available in 2 sizes, this tote features a removable centre wall and a zippered take-away pouch!

Have you got lots of scraps? Who doesn’t? This new pattern by Linda J. Hahn uses 6″ squares to great effect!

Suzi has finished the Sweet Harmony Bag from Amy Butler using fabrics from her ‘Love’ collection. The purse has some great interior pockets as well as the outer ones. There is also a small exterior pocket for quick access to a cell phone!

Be the first in your quilting group to try these Wash-Away Appliqué sheets. You can use your ink jet printer to print appliqué templates or foundation piecing patterns. They are single sided fusible, water soluble and give a crisp clean edge for stitching. No more cutting out the back of your work to remove freezer paper!

We’re just putting the finishing touches on the spring newsletter. You can register for classes as soon as it is posted. Watch for it online next week!

What would a week be without new fabric? This bold print shown with coordinates is called ‘Poppies’ by Pamela Mostek from Clothworks. It would make a knockout One Block Wonder!