Do you design patterns?

Hey Everyone!

Happy Holidays!

If you design patterns for quiltmaking and craft sewing, then PatternSpot is the place for you! Sign up for the Designer eNewsletter at patternspot.com to be part of this exciting, online pattern marketplace coming soon.  It is a great opportunity for you  to earn additional income and gain exposure for your designs! You decide what to sell; you set the price; you are incharge!

Not a designer but love to make quilts and fabric crafts? Then PetternSport is also the pace for you. Sign up for the Shopper eNewsletter at patternspot.com to get the latest news about this exciting, online pattern marketplace coming soon.  Search by designer, by project, by skill level - so easy and fun to decide what you'll make next!

Have you seen  the new 120-degree ruler by Creative Grids? We have a pattern for a table topper or tree skirt by Far Flung Quilts that uses this great new tool.

Coming soon!

!Quilt Fiesta!

Surprising Designs from Mexican Tiles

by Cheryl Lynch

Reflecting the beauty of the Talavera ceramic tiles of Puebla, Mexico, these stunning quilts invite you to a celebration of color and design. Each eye-catching fusible-appliqué quilt includes a photo of the original tile that inspired it. You’ll learn to translate a tile’s solid colors into a vibrant quilt design.


•Choose from 10 decorative projects, including quilts, place mats, a bed runner, and more
•Mix and match blocks to expand the creative possibilities
•Add unique touches such as prairie points, rickrack, and dimensional elements

The Civil War Sewing Circle

Quilts and Sewing Accessories Inspired by the Era

by Kathleen Tracy

 Kathleen Tracy, popular author of Prairie Children and Their Quilts and Remembering Adelia, has outdone herself with this combination of lovely projects and fascinating historical tidbits. Patterned after quilts made during the Civil War era, this collection is ideal for nineteenth-century reproduction fabrics.

•Choose from 16 easy projects, including large and small quilts, plus a pincushion, sewing box, and needle case

•Learn how women's efforts during the Civil War era led to increased civil and political involvement among women

•See historical photos and read eloquent excerpts from letters written to and from soldiers during the Civil War 

Scrap-Basket Sensations 

More Great Quilts from 2 1/2" Strips

by Kim Brackett

Kim Brackett is back with more of her masterful designs! If you enjoyed the popular Scrap-Basket Surprises, you’ll love this all-new collection of eye-catching quilts. Designed for 2 1/2" strips, each project is perfect for convenient precut bundles—or for cutting strips from your stash.


•Enjoy a varied assortment of fabrics, from soft pastels to rich country colors to contemporary batiks
•Choose from 18 exciting quilts—a great value
•Find concise, clear instructions appropriate for all skill levels


Stop in and say Hello!

Mary and the Staff of Always In Stitches

We're making changes!

We're beginning our "new look!" Some of the shelves have already been moved to their new "homes" in various nooks and we are making room for the new downstairs classroom. Last week we received 200 bolts of fabric and soon we will be getting batiks from Moda Kota and some Moda Crackle.

If you are a Civil War fan and haven't seen the new book, A Path to the Civil War, by Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith, be sure to come in and check it out, along with our new Civil War fabrics.

A Path to the Civil War: Aurelia's Journey Quilt

by Sarah Maxwell & Dolores Smith

2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. And while conflict over slavery is generally presumed to be the cause, many issues across the nation fueled tensions that ultimately led to war. During this volatile period in American history, did women turn to their quiltmaking to take their minds off these troubling topics?


When Dolores Smith and Sarah Maxwell of Homestead Hearth found a mid-1800s antique sampler quilt, they could easily imagine the quiltmaker, Aurelia (pronounced oar-LEE-uh) Bevins of Broome, New York, did just that. Undoubtedly pieced over a long period of time based on the large number of varied fabrics it contains, it’s easy to imagine that Aurelia worked on this project off and on for many years as she witnessed a country heading toward war with itself.


Dolores and Sarah show you step-by-step, using today’s quiltmaking techniques, how you can recreate this 44-block sampler treasure. Written in block-of-the-month style, you can construct a few blocks at a time as you work to complete this project throughout 10 months. As you stitch your own Journey quilt, reflect on the journey Aurelia took as she witnessed the events leading to the war between the states.

Peg is in the process of updating the web site (Thanks, Peg!) and we hope to have web sales soon. Be sure to check in later on to see all the changes. We are also in the process of putting together a class schedule.

You can see some of the changes when you come to out Holiday Open House on December 19 from 12:30 - 4:00 p.m. You will meet the NEW Always in Stitches "Partners" and check out our new "discount fabric loft" and hear all about our exciting plans. And as always, we will have Make it - Take its, yummy food and good friends!

Other new books . . .

Redwork Winter Twitterings

by Pearl Louise Krush

Combine simple embroidery stitches; red embroidery floss; red and white fabrics; and soon you will have created the sweet designs in this book. Whether you start with a whimsical quilt or one of the other smaller projects; these twittering friends are sure to bring a smile to your face. With Redwork basics and six fun to make and use projects; this book will have to creating unique and whimsical designs in no time!

Count On It

from Art to Heart

Celebrate the year by counting each day of the month or enjoy the anticipation of counting down to your favorite holidays. Decorate for birthdays with a Birthday Quilt displaying their age or count down to their special day. Add a Happy Birthday Garland, the names are interchangeable! Give a welcome to a holiday or party with a pot stake banner.


If you like Kansas Troubles, here are swatches from the Perennial line Moda will be sending in January. Scroll on down to see February's Buttercup swatches.

  

 

Here are some swathes from the Buttercup line from Fig tree coming in February.



Stop in and say Hello! and have a great Holiday!

Mary