Wednesday, May 23, 2012

2012 Spring Quilt Market - Kansas City

We had a graduation to attend last weekend, but that didn't stop us from attending Quilt Market in Kansas City for a couple days.  Event though we weren't there long, we found everything we were looking for and more.  Of course I can't share EVERYTHING because what fun would that be???

The best part of Quilt Market for me was meeting Chubaka and Darth Vader.  Honestly, I thought they'd both be taller.


My second favorite part of Quilt Market was meeting Tula Pink.  We've never carried her fabric at Common Threads, but it's never too late.  She recently wrote a book including patterns...of course I brought my copy for her to sign.  Here's a sneak peak of her Halloween line, Nightshade (I would love to make a "all-year-round" quilt from it).



The one theme that we noticed right away while on the floor was that everyone seems to leaning toward the modern side of quilting.  We know that some of you aren't ready to cross to the modern side of quilting, but don't be scared. :)


Of course there are always vendors that have games at their booths to try and real you in to buying their product.  Holly played Plinko at one of the booths and yes, we bought something.  :)


Some of the things we see are TOO cute!  This was one of my favs, a cute pillow at the Riley Blake booth that says "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."


And just like the trend toward modern quilting, social media was a huge part of Quilt Market with their Twitter wall.  Can you spy our tweet?


Here are a couple fun fabrics we found.  We are looking forward to using them in our Kaelly Studio pattern designs.





Tuesday, May 15, 2012

E-Chatter April & May

We're off to Spring Quilt Market tomorrow, but before we go we had to post the E-Chatter from the last two months.  Sorry for the delay, we were so busy with retreats and Stash Bash that we couldn't get to it.  That just means more new stuff to drool over.  Don't forget that we have the "Bosses Are Gone Sale" this weekend...while we're away at Quilt Market you can save 20% off all regular prices merchandise.

Books
Pretty Patchwork Quilts
Each sweet and elegant quilt in this book invites you to combine what you have on hand with new fabrics to create a fresh, modern look.
* Twelve unique quilt patterns are perfect for confident beginners and seasoned quilters alike* Planned color schemes use a wide variety of quilt fabrics in each color for an easy yet appealing scrappiness* Several quilt patterns include charming applique designs that can be done by hand or machine

Runnermania

This book is a must for every quilter with the ultimate in runner designs, from octagons to squares to rectangles. It even includes circles. It complements a number of fabric lines and types, with 12 unique designs to get your creative juices flowing and to help you create outside the traditional box. It also uses charm packs in a variety of ways and offers a multitude of scrappy designs.

Sew Embellished

Create a focus using photos, embroidery, appliqué, novelty quilt fabrics, or found objects Add words for uniquely personal quilts Encourages self-expression using charms, buttons, beads, trims, sequins, rickrack, prairie points, and more.


Just Spooling Around
Four quilt patterns, wall hanging pattern, table runner pattern, pillow pattern, project bag pattern, and more. 

Civil War Legacies (not pictured)
Wonderfully scrappy quilt patterns from the Civil War Legacies collection, perfect for wall hangings and doll quilts Step-by-step instructions with clear diagrams and pressing directions Value-packed collection with something for every skill level.


Elegant Quilts, Country Charm
How can something so elegant be so easy? Experience the joys of using wool appliqué to add depth and texture to your quilts and other projects. There are no edges to turn under--and wool doesn't fray! Even beginners can create these cozy, antique-looking quilts.


More Take 5 Quilts
In this follow-up to her best-selling Take 5, Kathy Brown has outdone herself with a terrific collection of all-new quilt patterns.
* Choose from 16 easy quilt patterns with broad appeal, each made from just five fabrics
* Showcase the latest quilt fabrics in a variety of scrappy and complex-looking designs
* Create beautiful projects based on traditional quilt patterns and using Kathy's simplified approach to fabric choices

Scrap-Applique Playground
Discover how easy it is to fuse and patch your strips and scraps to make whimsical applique designs. These projects are as charming to look at as they are fun to make!
* Choose from eight sweet and simple applique quilt patterns for quilters of all skill levels
* Learn five different ways to make scrappy fabrics for applique designs: combine strips of varying lengths, strips of similar lengths, scraps plus strips, bias-cut strip sets, and pre-fused scraps
* Find step-by-step instructions for each project and method

Magazine
Primitive Quilts


Fabrics
Heartstrings

 Bali Pops - Plum Pudding & Blueberry
Seasonal Gatherings
(used in the Pre-Order Kit Home for the Holidays)


Heirloom


Patterns
Mosaique de Mer - fun pillow shams and a bed runner

Samples
Goofy Golf

Peanuts Pillowcases
Golf Pillowcase

Kits
(Kits will be available for purchase online after Quilt Market)
Mod Squared

 Floral Bouquet

Epicurean Delight

Garden Trellis

Dr. Seuss - Cat in the Hate Story

Baby Forest Friends panels & stuffed animals (not pictured, also comes in blue for a boy)


Pre-Order Kit
Home for the Holidays

Events 
(click on the event for more information)
Thursday, May 17th - Saturday, May 19th (this weekend) ~ Bosses Are Gone Sale
Sunday, June 3rd ~ Quilts at Carlos Creek
Friday, June 8th - Sunday, June 10th ~ Spring/Summer Gathering
Friday, June 22nd ~ Beetles and Binding
For the full calendar, click HERE!

NOTICE!: We are looking for small projects to feature at Quilts at Carlos Creek.  If you would like to submit your small project, please bring it into the quilt shop.  You could win "Best in Show" during our event.  We are also looking for people to help pre-sell tickets for this event.  If you are interested in helping out in anyway (remember, it's for a good cause, The Relay for Life), please email Katie at commonthreadsmn@gmail.com

Classes
Wednesday, May 30th & Thursday, May 31st ~ X-Blocks - With the X-Blocks ™ rotary cutting tool, you can create dozens of spectacular designs that look complex but are incredibly quick & easy!  Join us May 30th for technique/cutting and May 31st for sewing.
Class fee: $15, 20% off supplies
(click the picture below for more info)

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Stash Bash 2012

We had such an amazing time at Stash Bash this weekend!  The group was a little smaller than we had hoped, but we couldn't have asked for better attendees.

  
We decorated our Stash Bash store in purple in memory of our dad/grandpa that passed away from pancreatic cancer.  


Everyone got a lot of projects done and filled up our goal tree.  Every time a goal was complete a ribbon went on the tree.  The ribbons were in the colors of cancer awareness.


As you can see a lot of goals were accomplished.  We also had a few demos throughout the weekend including the Bloc Loc Ruler, Wing Clipper Tool, I-Top Button Maker, and Square-agonals technique.  Everyone seemed to appreciate all of the demos and loved learning new tricks of the trade.


The food was AMAZING...check out the dessert shooters we had!


If you're upset because you weren't able to attend, don't worry, we are already making plans for next year's Stash Bash!  We want to double our attendees and maybe have a full sized tree covered in ribbons!

Thank you to everyone that attended and we hope you had as much fun as we did!  If you're wondering who the drawing winners were Sandy and Dianne won $25 Common Threads gift certificates and Linders and Deb won tickets for Stash Bash next year.