Off to the Quilt Show

As Ed would say:

The reeaallyy big shoooow!

























See you there???

To answer any lingering questions:

:: The shop is OPEN during the show (but I won't be there).

:: Sewing Lounge WILL HAPPEN during the show (but I won't be there).

:: SouleMama giveaway THIS weekend (I won't be there, either).


Wish us luck!

XO,

Rhea

Milk & Honey

Get them while you still can!

Milk & Honey Fat Quarter sets are now up in the shop.

























They contain a lovely mix of cotton/linen blends and double gauze by Heather Ross, organic sheeting by Cloud 9, and quilting weight cottons from Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Liberty Arts, Denyse Schmidt and more.

The prints are just the right amount of vintage-reproduction florals and modern, whimsical designs for that totally schizophrenic look I love in a quilt.


























Personally, the Milk & Honey fat quarter sets are one of my favorite kits I have ever put together.

(Toot, toot!)

They would make a great La La Log Cabin quilt.

Or an extra-large Turning Twenty quilt.




There is a giveaway happening next weekend over at Soulemama for one of these little babies.

After the giveaways the kits never last long, and it is quite the production to make more, so if you would like one of these Milk & Honey kits it would be advisable to pounce.

And these are going to the Quilt Show with me next weekend which makes them extra-vulnerable to selling out.

(Usually we come back from the Quilt Show and all that is left in the shop are some tumbleweeds blowing around)

See you soon and if you are planning on coming to the Quilt Show do drop in and say helloooo!

(Say it just like that, too!)

XO,

Rhea

The dorkiest thing I have ever said...

So, here's a quick little post for you.

You know how I have been working on my La La Log Cabin and desperately trying to finish it in time for the quilt show?

You know how I said I needed 56 squares and I was almost done with them all?

Well, on Monday I did finish all 56 of my squares and I put the quilt squares up on the design wall and rearranged a bit (I am nothing if not a champion re-arranger) but something was not quite right.

Something wasn't doing it for me and I was really upset because I feel like this quilt is my baby, you know?

So it occurs to me that I have the quilt set 7 blocks across by 8 blocks down, for a large, fat rectangle.

(Here comes the part where I say something dorky... I HATE when people say stuff like this and yet here I am saying it on the internet for all to read...)

I'm looking at this rectangle-y quilt and looking at it and looking at it and it occurs to me:

The quilt is TELLING ME that it wants to be square.

It DOESN'T WANT TO BE a rectangle.

Isn't that the dorkiest thing ever:

"The quilt is speaking to me!?!"

Wha???

(Whew, feels good to get it out, though.)

So, what did I do?

Spent my days off coughing up 8 more squares at the 11th hour so I can set the rows 8 by 8.

Now I have 64 squares to sew together and then it's off to be machine-quilted and the I have to bind it.

If you see me at the quilt show (which is in exactly one week, by the way) with this quilt finished it will be

A) A miracle

and

B) A good opportunity for you to tell me that you like the square-y-ness of the quilt and that I am not a huge dork.


XO,

Rhea

In which the Alewives Girl actually gets some sewing done...

I have been getting some sewing done lately...

I have two Simplicity 3835's all done which I will have to post pictures of soon.

I have my new BFF Phiona over at Nido to thank for the 3835 craze.

(I have to post about my lovely encounter with Phiona someday soon here...)

Remember all of my Summer Blouses?

When I fall for something I fall hard.

But enough about un-photographed projects: onto the photographed ones!!!

First up, I just this morning completed my Museum Tunic!























I love, love, love how this came out and can't wait to make more...

Now that I understand the construction I can crank these out with just two pieces of whichever fabric I like!

(Ahhh, fabric...)

I put a panel of the Pastry Stripe dobby in magenta down the middle in both the front and back of the dress.

I wish I could say this was for purely artistic reasons, but as it turns out I am a bit more curvy than the divine Miss AMH.

Turns out I am shorter, too.

In order to avoid a most serious J-Lo, double tape encounter I had to take in the shoulders by a few inches.

And, unlike Miss AMH, as you can see I inversed the panel so that the smaller squares are at the shoulders and hem and the large squares are in the middle... it works the exact same way!!!

I like how this came out, especially since I ended up having to take in the shoulders so much.
























Turned out pretty good, no?


(BTW, all of our dobbies, including the pastry stripes, are gone EXCEPT FOR we have some of the Square Dance panel left in the magenta colorway which is gorge, but must be pounced-upon if you want to make one of these Museum Tunics for yourself... the dusk is all gone now and the light blue color is super long gone now.)

(Double BTW, we just got in those new-to-us AMH voiles from Westminster this morning and they are up on the website!)

And the other type of sewing I have been getting done are these super-addictive La La Log Cabin blocks.























I am trying to finish off the very first La La I ever started so we can take it with us to the Quilt Show at the end of the month.

I need 56 blocks.

The good news is that I have all but 7 done at last counting.

The other good news is that I am shortly coming out with a free set of instructions/pattern for how to make these blocks.

You can get a copy by visiting us at the shop, seeing us at the Quilt Show, sending me a SASE, or when they are ready I will start putting copies into people's orders as their little freebie gift, instead of the Vinyl Grocery Tote pattern that people are now getting.

BUT, they aren't ready yet.

I promise I will let you know when they are done and then the free pattern madness can begin!
























So in addition to all the other stuff I have been up to, against all odds I have gotten quite a little bit of sewing done, too.

Have a great weekend and I will see you soon!

XO,

Rhea

Lazy Girl or Crazy Girl?

Maybe a little bit of both lately?

I must admit that I have been enjoying summer.

A lot.

Maybe more than I should.

Here's a list of what I have been up to:


Enjoying lots of unscheduled days off from the store (as Mom pointed out to me)...

And yet, somehow, miraculously getting all of my work done (as I pointed out to Mom).

And swimming at the mills,

And riding around the lake with Ollie and Reuben in our little red boat (we brought my Grandma donuts by boat!),

And enjoying down-time while Ollie was on vacation last week,

And enjoying my girlfriends and their company whenever they can steal away,

And narrowly escaping food poisoning at a local establishment that shall remain nameless (unless you bribe me with a cookie, in which case I will sing like a canary!),

And filling 100 bottles with homemade chive blossom vinegar for our wedding favors,

And getting a jump on the wedding invites (which are very fabric-y and I will share them with you soon, I promise!),

And designing the file/executing the printing for 30,000 "Quilt Shops of Maine" brochures that should be arriving this afternoon,

And doing a little cleaning/rearranging/paring down at the house.

And getting ready for the Quilt Show at the end of the month,

And watching Season 2 of True Blood,

And neglecting the blog.


It has been great!


XO,

Rhea

PS...

If you want to watch a fun little piece of silliness, visit Anna Maria's blog for this adorable short film!

Ketch-ing Up

I have lots and lots and lots to tell you about, so I thought it was time we played a little KetchUp.
























• First of all, there is still tons of good stuff at the Sample Sale.























The Sample Sale will be over and done with once Sunday comes to a close, but in the meantime there is still plenty of snag-able goodness.



• Second of all, Far Far Away 2 has arrived (with the exception of one print which, as Jessica so accurately puts it, has magically not appeared), so if you have been one of the people who has been waiting (patiently) to purchase your yardage from us, the wait is over.

We ordered what I consider to be a pretty good amount of the collection, but still, Heather Ross stuff has a way of coming in the door and then marching right back out again, and these prints take 2 months to re-stock from Seven Islands in Japan, so you may want to pounce while the going is pounce-able.



• Third of all, Maine Quilts is coming up at the end of July.

We are running around like chickens with our heads cut off getting ready for it.

If we weren't running around like chickens with our heads cut off I would be really, really worried that something was wrong.

But we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off so all is as it should be and we are right on schedule.



• Fourth of all, I just called Westminster and ordered everything they have in stock (that we don't already carry) for Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks voiles.

These new ones will be in soon, I promise.

The good news is we will be carrying the voiles for a while.

The bad news is that the dobbies have been discontinued (*sob*).

If you are one of the gals who wants to make a Museum Tunic like this, you should know that we have a bit of the Square Dance in Berry left and a very little bit of the Square Dance in Dusk left.

(If you are the lady who called and we told you that we didn't have any of the dusk left, that was a boo-boo... turns out we do have it still...

...What we didn't have was a way to call you back!!!)

I must admit I snagged some in Dusk for myself and am mid-progress making one of these little numbers for me, me, me to wear at the Quilt Show and everywhere else, too.

I love this fabric and I'm so bummed out they won't be making it anymore.

Oh well, such is the life of the Alewives Girl.


• Fifth of all, we got a bunch more Nani Iro and other Japanese prints with our Far Far Away 2 shipment.

They are on our Japanese fabrics page and they are spectacular.



• Sixth of all here's a hot tip for you...

We have a giveaway coming up with Soulemama on the weekend of July 31st.

I have a new Turning Twenty in the works for the giveaway that I think you will all like.

The new kit is going to be called "Milk and Honey" and it includes some Liberty Arts prints, some of the original Far Far Away, some of the new Far Far Away 2 and other bits and bobs.

It is exceptionally brilliant, if I do say so myself.

This new kit won't be up 'til the giveaway, but in the meantime we have lots of new Turning Twenty kits up in the shop, did you see???



I think that's it... I believe you are all caught up now.

Stay cool in this heat and if you are in the area please do drop in!

I have loved meeting some of you in person here at the shop... nothing tickles me more!


XO,

Rhea

Sample Sale!!!

Hello everyone!

Question for you: what are you doing this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday?

Answer: You should be going to our very first ever Sample Sale!

My business associate (Mom) and I have spent the last few days tagging up many, many, many finished quilts, bags, aprons, garments and more so that they can find a good home with someone.

Possibly with you!

Wedding season is upon us: what young couple wouldn't want a gorgeous handmade quilt or some other lovely thing?

Perhaps you would like to get a jump on your Christmas shopping?

Maybe you are in the market for that certain something you just won't find at the mall?

Whatever gets you there, we would love to see you!

Best of all, the Sample Sale means we will have more room and more funds for more fabric!

(So, you see, it is a very worthy cause).

The Sample Sale starts Thursday and lasts through Sunday during our regular business hours.

Why don't you come on down and see what you find?

XO,

Rhea

Turtles for everyone!!!

A couple of days ago I went out my front door on my way to town and my neighbor stopped me and told me that there was a turtle in my yard...

Sure enough, he was right!

I snagged my camera and took some photos.























Here he is in all his glory, hanging out with the only friend that makes him feel better about his "velocity-challenged" self, Mr. Snail.

He was the cutest little turtle that I've ever seen in my yard.
























Here at the shop we have a different sort of Turtle: the Henrietta Turtle, which is a pattern by Heather Bailey.























As you can see, Henrietta Turtle and Mr. In-my-yard Turtle are remarkably similar in size:



















I didn't want to pick up Mr. In-my-yard-turtle, but he didn't seem to mind if I put my hand next to him...

Must have been that lovely engagement ring!

I have wanted to write about the Henrietta Turtles for such a long time, but we have had a bit of a "keeping them in stock" problem with the patterns: meaning I just couldn't keep them in stock.

But now I have gotten wise to the matter and have ordered a generous(er) amount of patterns and feel it is safe to write about them.

Earlier in the Spring I sent out a call for sample sewers and one of the most hotly requested items to sew up for me were these turtles.

In the end, the job went to my friend Michaela who now lives in Detroit.

I sent her a few (I think 9) fat quarters and asked her to just "make however many she felt like."

What I got back was a whole herd of turtles!
























And having a whole herd at my disposal (I think she made almost 20 of them!), I sprinkled them throughout the shop, and that's what caused the Great Turtle Craze of 2010.

Can you blame me?
























Michaela says that these turtles take about an hour each to make.

Don't try and get away without using interfacing: according to Michaela it is a necessary evil to help keep their cute little turtle shape.

Other than that, you just need some fat quarters or scraps and some patience to make these cuties.

Thanks, Michaela for making the herd of turtles for me (great job!) and thanks to my neighbor for pointing out the real thing on my lawn!

Have a great 4th of July weekend... see you again soon-ish!

XO,

Rhea