There's BOLTS and then there's BOLTS

Hey hey one and all,

Funny little story for you before I depart for a lovely weekend of camping in Bar Harbor (and, as luck would have it, the ONLY weekend in these last two months that they are forecasting RAIN):

Yesterday, when Oliver came home from work, he popped into the shop to say hello to me. His timing was impeccable, as there were a TON of new boxes of fabric that had just arrived. All of these boxes needed to be opened, unloaded and then broken down, and I don't know if you've ever noticed this but a bolt of fabric is HEAVY (Especially the 54" funky stuff that we have been ordering lots of lately). Sooo, I employed the doe-eyes and the pouty lips and the "blink, blink, blinking" of the eyelashes and successfully cajoled him into helping me with this whole process.

I am working away on my pile of boxes and Oliver is working away on his pile of boxes when all of a sudden I hear him say "Hey, I found a bolt!!!" I'm thinking "Well, I should hope so because I've just found 5 bolts of fabric in the box I've opened, myself." I look up from my box-cutting, expecting to see Ollie pull out a new bolt of fabric, but NOOOOO: Between his thumb and index finger, Oliver is holding a huge, rusty metal bolt that he found in the box.

You have to laugh. 100% of my daily recommended dose of irony supplied by this tiny, metal screw that somehow shanghaied it's way to Maine from MODA's HQ in Dallas, Texas.

Have a great weekend and think of Ollie and I as we set up our tent in the rain. If we need a bolt, I TOTALLY know where to find one.

XOXO

Rhea

Kaffe Fassett BOTM

Hello hello,

BOTM stands for Block Of The Month, by the way...

We have truly lost our marbles because we are going to tackle the "Post Card" quilt from Kaffe Fassett's book Quilt Road. But seriously, folks, I think this quilt is an excellent candidate for a BOTM project. It's big, it's intricate and most importantly...it's gorgeous. And it uses Kaffe fabrics. Sounds right up our alley, n'est-ce pas?

We will be making the Postcard Quilt "Round Robin" style. That means we will start with the center medallion design of the quilt and then each month add a border all the way around until one year later... voila!!! Le quilt c'est fini!!! And even though this may not be the easiest Quilt that we have ever tackled I do think that breaking it down into small increments is the key to it's successful completion. Again, this is where the BOTM format comes in handy.

How can YOU get in on this BOTM action??? Easy!!! There are three different ways to participate in the Postcard Quilt:

1) You can take The Postcard Quilt BOTM as a class, which means you will come into the shop every second Saturday of the month to pick up your fabric kit and complete your borders in a classroom setting. You'll get lots of extra help and tricks and tidbits of information. You'll also get to see the same people once a month for an entire year, which perhaps would scare the heck out of some people, but we think it's kind of neat.

2) You can participate in the BOTM by picking up your fabrics on the second Saturday of every month here at the store and then complete at home, at your leisure, or...

3) You can participate via mail-order! No matter where you live you can get some Kaffe Fassett goodness once a month in your mailbox. No decisions to make, no fabrics to shop for... it all comes to you. That's a first for us and a great opportunity for those of you who are "from away" to get your Alewives fix.

Hmmm... what else should I be telling you? You can choose between 2 colorways: either choose Hot Reds or Cool Blues (or both!). Hot Reds will be those very "Kaffe-y" reds and pinks and magentas, while Cool Blues will be periwinkles, turquoises and lilacs. I'm psyched to be choosing the fabrics for this project and luckily we have an amazing source of Kaffe fabrics at the store to draw from.

Everyone will need the book Quilt Road, which is of course available at the store, and you will need to hook us up with some information (Credit Card number, e-mail address, phone number, color choice, etc.) but other than that you can sit back and piece, piece piece to your hearts content. This won't be the easiest thing you've ever done but I know it won't be the hardest, either. I equate this project to reading a really good book: you don't read it to be finished quickly, you read it to be somewhere in the middle. In other words, this project is all about the process. It's about enjoying the piecing and always having something to fall back on. Hopefully, one year from now I will be sitting pretty, with my own completed quilt top and pictures of lots more that I can post right here.

If you have any questions at all then feel free to e-mail me at the store or even to call us (we love the phone calls!) The BOTM action starts Saturday, November 8th.

Hope to hear from you soon and check out the new fall classes and workshops listed on our website's class page.

Talk to you soon!

XOXO

Rhea

Quilt Shop Baby

Hello, hello...

Well, today is certainly "brisk" here in Maine.

I'm torn between my love of the cold weather and my fear of the oil bill.

It would be great to crank up the heat just for a little bit to take the chill off but not so great for the invoices to start rolling in.

Still... five little minutes wouldn't hurt...

But enough about my love/hate realationship with the cold.

I have something MUCH more interesting to blog about today and that is our unofficial Alewives mascot and his name is Reuben the Dog.

I "inherited" Reuben (a handsome black lab of 6 years old) when my boyfriend, Oliver, came into my life. I would love to be able to take credit for Reuben's calm, laid back manner and killer smile but it is all Oliver's doing. What can I say, the guy is a good Dad. When we first started dating and I was introduced to Reuben I knew exactly who I needed to make a good impression with: Not Oliver's family, but his dog. Luckily, Reuben liked me from the get-go (Bacon in your pocket will do that every time...) and we have been buddies ever since.

Reuben is a great guard dog. He will bark when people come to the front door of our house, but he wags his tail vigorously all the while. He's just waiting to make sure people are there for friendly reasons. What kills me is when I come home, especially later on at night, Reuben is so excited to see me that he runs and gets his "Duck" toy and brings it over to show me. It's like he's saying "look at my toy! Now that you're home let's play!" I do not know why but I find this to be the most endearing thing in the world. It reminds me of something I would have done when I was a little kid.

Reuben is also very smart. He has figured out how to open doors by their handle (not unlike the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park) and has been known to let himself outside. Once he exited through a plate glass window, but that's another story, and not one of his prouder moments, so we'll save that for another time.

Every once in a while I bring Reuben over to the store with me. He will never be a full time shop dog, because I understand that some people have allergies and some people are just not "Dog" people (including myself at one time: funny the changes you make for men, don't you think?), but a couple of times a week Reuben hangs out at Alewives. He loooves it there. He is admired by everyone he meets and each new customer that comes through the door has "you look like you might pet me" potential.
The cutest thing is when he flops down on the floor and goes to sleep, raising one quizzical eyebrow if he hears a noise, and then dozing off again when he decides it's nothing worth his attention.

I still love cats, but having spent quite some time now living with Reuben, I find that it is so true what they say: You just can't beat a Lab. So, if you see me out walking Reuben or happen to be at the shop when Reuben is there as well, rest assured that he is the biggest, friendliest goober that you have ever met and he DOES accept bribes.

See you soon with new classes and fall photos!!!

XOXO

Rhea

Free Pattern Day!

Hello Ladies and Gents,

Hope you had a wicked good Labor Day.

Myself, I had the "quintissential" Labor Day in Maine experience: meaning lobsters with the family, a visit to the ocean, a visit to the lake and GORGEOUS weather. The store was open, too, and I had a lovely weekend as far as that goes. I am so (I repeat: SO) happy that August is over. Now is my favorite time of year, from September straight on through until Christmas. I literally feel 10 pounds lighter.

In fact, I am in such a good mood as of two days ago that I have a present for you all...

How about a FREE vinyl grocery tote pattern? Would you like that?

My New Year's Resolution was to use fewer plastic bags, and now that it's September I thought I should get right on that. We had this iron-on vinyl at the store that kept calling to me. I thought, geez, I should really DO something with that, and one night at sewing lounge I started messing around and the vinyl grocery tote was born. I wrote up the pattern, took a few pictures, and voila! Instant free pattern for you.

Now, I CANNOT STAND the expression "Go Green," so I'll refrain from using it here. Don't get me wrong, I am all for the environment and the idea behind the expression, I just think the expression itself is probably the most over-used saying of the last few years. If I hear someone say "Go Green!" one more time... but I digress. I need hardly point out that a vinyl grocery tote is an EXCELLENT way to use fewer plastic bags in STYLE. All you need are two coordinating fabrics, 2 1/2 yards of twill tape for the handles and 2 1/2 yards of iron-on vinyl, ALL of which we carry at the store.

Iron-on vinyl is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. We carry some Moda fabric at the store that already has the vinyl adhered to it and it always sells out really fast, so it's totally neat to be able to "vinyl-ize" ANY fabric you want. I made the example totes out of Heather Bailey's new "Pop Garden" fabrics.

To get your free pattern just drop by the store. And don't feel like you have to limit their use to JUST grocery toting. They would also make great diaper bags, toy bags, book totes, beach bags, fabric bags (wink, wink...) Puh-lenty of uses. I'm going to make up a smaller verison in Halloween fabrics for a Trick-or-Treat bag, too. And there are big plans to give these away for Christmas presents.

Also, there is a HUGE choice to make concerning these bags: A decision of such monumental proportions that it could alter the course of your life forever, so for Heaven's sake choose wisely. You must choose between "Matte" vinyl and "Glossy" vinyl.

I think there is great potential for a personality analysis based on whether people choose matte or glossy. For me, it depends on the fabric I'm using and the mood I'm in, but I mostly prefer the matte (This is definitely consistent with my no-nonsense, managerial personality). But Rina, she HAD to have the glossy (being French, she likes every little bit of bling-bling that she can get her hands on). So far, the matte and glossy vinyl have been neck and neck in terms of popularity. Just when I think one is going to edge the other out, there is a come-back. It is forever cracking me up.

What more could you possibly want in a fabric store? Gorgeous fabrics, free pattern AND personality analysis to boot...

So, come on in and get analyzed and I'll see you there.

Happy September!

XOXO

Rhea

All Apologies...

Hello to everyone,

I think that August is surely the busiest month of the year. It is inevitable that no matter where I am in my life, no matter what I am doing, August is always going to kick my butt. It has definitely been the most crazy month so far this year at the store, and that's saying something. You just never know what is going to happen.

And sometimes, despite my best intentions, I let the craziness get the best of me.

Take, for example, Wednesday morning. I have gone to visit my Grandmother for tea. I have left said Grandma and driven to the local car-wash to clean and vacuum my car's interior in preparation for the trip to Betsy and Andy's wedding which will take place later on this same day in Kennebunk. I cannot relax unless my car is clean, for which I plead my type-A, OCD-edness. Kennebunk is about 2 hours away from here, if there is no traffic. Oliver and I were spending the night down there, and we were running late.

My mind is racing through all the things I need to do to get myself ready (buy wrapping paper, wrap present, write out card, do the dishes, pack clothes, shower) none of which I have done yet, when I come around the corner to the store and see about 20 different people sprinkled throughout the area. They are gathered on the store property, my property, the sidewalks, up and down the street, all throughout the Mills, and they are painting. More specifically, they are painting Watercolors. Watercolors of the store, of my house, of the bay, everything.

Now, normally, I am a big fan of the Watercolor painter. I have been known myself, during my Boston days, to get on the T (at Alewife station, no less!) with my bag full of tricks and a fold-up chair and spend the afternoon painting watercolors in the park. I looove painting watercolors. It is very soothing and quiet and pretty and I like the colors and brushes and control that you can get. In fact, for Andy and Betsy's wedding gift, I painted a watercolor of their house and Oliver made the frame. The point is: I consider myself a friend to the watercolor painter and would normally be thrilled to death to have a gaggle of painters on our property.

But not on this day. This day the painters had parked right smack dab in the middle of our parking lot, filling it up completely 45 minutes before we even opened. Crazy-Rhea parked her car and asked the nearest painter (who probably had no idea what hit her) what the deal was with all of the artists. She told me that they were all in a class, at which point I asked her if they would be there for a long time. They would be there until 11:30, she said, at which point another car came and pulled into our property AND it was chock a block full of painters with easels.

I would like to be able to tell you that I calmly and politely asked them to please move their cars, but I AM an Aries and sometimes things come out of my mouth that sound a lot harsher than I mean them too. They are straight, sharp, barbed little arrows of nastiness that fly out of me before I can even think. My aim is DEADLY and My Mom is ALWAYS telling me this. While I did ask them to move their vehicles I was perhaps not as diplomatic as I could have been in the situation. I offer up as an excuse the fact that I was super stressed-out, but, really I think that is not a very good excuse at all (Can you tell that I'm a Catholic and feeling a little guilty?)

So, if you haven't guessed by now where I am going with this, I just want to put out there on the internet for all to see, in the vain hopes that someone who knows one of these painters will pass the message along, an APOLOGY. Painters, I am sooo sorry that I may have been a teeny, tiny, blush of a bit angry with you for filling up our driveway, but it's the only one we've got and I was stressed about things that really had nothing to do with you at all. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wish I could go back and react a bit more calmly but I cannot. As Popeye says, I yam what I yam.

So, there ya go. I got that off of my chest. Please, if you are painting a watercolor in the tri-state area and see me drive by, be not afraid. I assure you that I shan't make this mistake again, and watercolorists will always have a safe-haven at Alewives. Just don't park in our driveway.



Ta ta for now!!!

XOXO

Rhea

Pssst....

...A little birdie told me that there is a HUGE sale over at Alewives today.
Over a hundred bolts of our best cheese at just $5 a yard, plus all kinds of other good deals, like patterns and books for 50% off and unfinished quilt tops and bag samples, etc. for next to nothing. The sale lasts through Sunday so get yourselves over there while the getting's good.

Tell them Rhea sent you. Er, rather, tell ME that I sent you because I'll be the one in the sale room. See you there!!!

XOXO

Rhea

someone needs a shower...

Hello one and all,

Am writing to you after an absolutely cuh-razy weekend, in addition to which I feel like I am STILL recovering from the big, bad Quilt Show, but I PROMISE not to kehvetch (spelling???) about it any more.

This post has been MONTHS in the making: lots of planning and secrets and creative hiding and a cast of thousands (okay, a cast of tens) So, without further delay, I am free to present to you the fabulous tale of...
BETSY AND ANDY'S SHOWER.

A few months ago, Meredith Fossett, who is the president of our local Clamshell Quilters Quilt Guild (and coincidentally one of the most fabulous people I know) comes to me with the idea to make the soon-to-be-married Betsy Jewell and Andy Spekke a
wedding quilt. Not only that, but to present it to them at a surprise shower and give them gifts as well. I LOVED this idea. Nobody actually DOES stuff like that any more. And, Betsy and Andy are exactly the type of couple for whom it is a pleasure to do this kind of thing. They are both so nice and fun to be around and chill, you cannot help but love them (plus, I am forever in Betsy and Andy's debt as they are the ones who guided my boyfriend, Oliver, in my direction).

So, Meredith and I decide on some fabrics for the quilt and one by one, the Clamshell Quilters and my Alewives Girls ALL came in and made a square for Betsy and Andy. The squares got sewn together by the wonderful Ruth Vietze and quilted by our very own Maia Hart and voila: instant quilt. Except it was more like instant quilt in two months. There were even so many extra squares that we made matching pillows and throw pillows and pillowcases for Andy and Betsy.

In the meantime, it was my job to liaison between Andy and Meredith. Andy was in on it from the beginning. He was on a need to know basis about the shower but knew nothing of the quilt and other fabulousness coming his way. It was his job to get Betsy to Meredith's house this past Sunday at 2 o'clock for the shower. This was somewhat easy-ish, because Meredith also happens to be the notary who will be doing the actual marriage ceremony. It was perfect for her to arrange a little pre-wedding get together to go over the vows, etc.

But, of course, when Betsy and Andy got to Meredith's house they did nothing of the sort. We all hid on the deck and got to jump out and yell "Surprise!!!" ( I love the photo with Andy's "the jig is up" face) and, as Andy says, there are very few true surprises in life. He's right. When you get to pull a fast one on somebody (especially for a good reason) it feels sooo good.

The couple were immediately whisked into the living room, where their quilt was waiting on a quilt stand, surrounded by pillows and gifts. Meredith read a poem that she wrote herself (this was the point where everybody started crying...) and then, after the quilt had been oohed and aahed over and the whole story had been told, we got to EAT and that was very fun. I'm telling you, these little ladies know how to rock and roll with the baked goods and finger foods. That and talk about the most spicy things imaginable. I thought my friends and I were bad, but the Clamshell ladies make "Sex and the City" look tame. Seriously.

Anyways, Betsy opened the gifts and Andy TOTALLY schmoozed with the Clamshell ladies and then we talked the afternoon away on Meredith's beautiful deck overlooking the Damariscotta River. Of particular cooperation was the weather: a day that started out positively black with rain and thunderstorms had become golden, sunshine-y and warm by 2:30. Those of you who live in the mid-coast area, you KNOW of which I speak.

Months and Months of work and it all actually went off without a hitch. Very much worth it.

Andy and Betsy's wedding will be in Kennebunkport on the 14th. Oliver and I will be there, so don't look for me at the shop on the 15th until much later on in the day, as I will be recovering from what is sure to be a great shindig.

Congratulations, Betsy and Andy...

You are very much loved and have the quilt to prove it!

XOXO

Rhea