Count Down to the 1st First Saturday

This Saturday, Oct. 4, will be the first Saturday that the shop will be open early for our Block of the Month members. All of our samples are ready, and we are busy putting our kits together. If you have been planning on signing up for one or more of our programs, please hurry, so your blocks will be ready for you on Saturday morning. This promises to be the first of many fun, and inspiring Saturday mornings in the shop.

Also, on our Oct calendar is our annual fall sale. Oct 16,17, 18 and 19. All of our regular priced yardage will be 20 0/0 off.

The fall is always a busy and fun time here at Keepsake, we hope to see you soon!

Giving

I have been working for several months on organizing charity projects for the shop. It is amazing to me how many contacts I have made, and have had no response. I understand that many organizations are understaffed, and use volunteers for many of their positions. I have finally made contact with an organization that I have volunteered for in the past and am happy to announce a partnership with. It is Project Linus, you many have heard of this national organization. They make blankets for children in many areas of need. Their mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, or traumatized.

We are working on a date for January for a big blanket making day. I am hoping to use the Court Yard Hall, here in the Village for the event, but if that doesn't work we will use a large space near the shop. Please watch for the details both here and on the Website.

In the meantime, with the recent Hurricane in Texas, I know that many blankets will be needed to comfort the Children in the wake of the storm. If you have donations of 100 percent cotton, fleece, batting or yarn you can drop them off at the shop. Also, finished quilts or knitted or crocheted blankets are always welcomed. We will have all of the information you need at the shop. Just stop by of call us.

Thank you for helping me make a difference. Julie

Quilt Tour

Today I am finishing up the instructions for my block for the March Quilt Tour. If you did not participate last year, you might want to put it on your spring calendar of things to do. It is a Tri-County shop hop for Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. The theme for the 2009 Tour is The Sky's the Limit, check out their website at quilttour.com for the list of the shops that will be participating. The dates are March 25,26,27 and 28. Each shop has designed a block, and will make a quilt using all of the block designs and their own setting and their own fabric choices. It should be fun to see all of the quilts! You will get a free pattern at each of the shops. J

Blocks of the Month

I love where I work. It is always inspiring to be here in the shop. As fall arrives there are always new samples, new projects, tons (I do mean tons!) of fabric and lots of customers. There is a buzz in the shop that comes from everyone wanting to start something new. We have 4 different block of the month samples hanging, with our new vintage kitchen towel sample in the wings. The quilt Sweet Tea, is here from the Quilt Company, we will have it for a month, so be sure and stop in to see it. It is beautiful. We have kits, and patterns. It was made in 2006, so the fabric in our kits is not the same, but they are beautiful just the same.

September

It's here, one of the most beautiful months of the year. I love September. I love school supplies, new shoes, new classes and new projects. I have really been busy sewing for the store, it will be fun to get the new samples hanging and the new programs under way.

For years my boys have gone to the Dave Mathews concert at the gorge over Labor Day Weekend, they go three nights in a row. Meet up with lots of friends, play on the river during the day and listen to wonderful music at night. They have always "camped" usually in the parking lot. Hot, dirty and noisy. This year they have grown up. They stayed in a condo, with 2 bathrooms, ac and a pool. As a mom, I knew this day would come. They are becoming men! Men who appreciate the finer things in life. Well done!

I am totally in love with Aurifil thread. If you like to applique and you haven't tried it, please treat yourself to a spool. It is really wonderful, you'll think your old thread was really twine!

Moda U

Here it is! Joyce's wonderful Moda U quilt top. I just love the fact that one of the spacer blocks has the year 2008 on it. While I was embroidering my block I was watching the Olympics, so I was thinking I might embroider the Olympic rings, like a little tattoo, so I will always remember what I was doing when I was finishing the quilt. I am working to get mine put together. So, watch for it here.

Thanks Lisa for the photo, I really appreciate your patience with me.

Last night was so much fun, we don't have many parties at the shop, and I was reminded just how much fun it is to "entertain" at work. I need to come up with other reasons to celebrate. Thanks to Joyce, Noel and Michael it seemed like a breeze. J

Idaho was wonderful, it was sunny and warm the whole time we were there. Lots of family time and great food! I came home renewed and ready to hit the fall schedule.
My sewing room has samples in various stages, so I can piece, applique, machine quilt, add borders or stitch on a binding. What ever my heart desires. Just the way I like it!

One of the 3 quilt shops in McCall is for sale. For a moment, just a tiny moment, I entertained the thought of a little annex in Idaho. There are 3 quilt shops in a town of 2000, they are each very different. I remember a few years ago I actually had to go to all 3 to find a thimble and the correct color of thread to bind a table runner I made as a hostess gift. So they really do need a full service shop....

Tomorrow is our Moda U picnic, I am afaid it is going to rain, so we will be inside. Oh,well. We will have fun and Joyce's quilt top is finished and beautiful. I am sure all of the girls are going to be very happy with the outcome.

Rasberry Truffle

This morning I pulled out my Raspberry Truffle project. A 7 month BOM using charm packs and yardage in wonderful 1800 pinks and browns. I have the first 3 months done, and started on the 4th which has a little applique. It is really beautiful, this will be a shop sample soon, I promise!

I will be taking it with me to Idaho, to see my son. That is turning out to be a family reunion! My Dad and his wife from Portland, my brother, his wife and son, from Montana and my youngest son will all be there to celebrate my oldest son's birthday. I can't wait! Maybe I will figure out the camera thing and post a photo.

Summer

The summer is speeding by! I can't believe it, it used to seem so long, and lazy. Now I speed thru everything.

I just finished my last Moda U block this morning. I am really happy with my blocks, it will be fun to set them together. Both Joyce and I are planning on making a few changes to the original pattern. Since this was a mystery to us both, we were doing it along with the girls in the Moda U club, so it was a little hard to plan color choices, when we did not know what the outcome was going to be. We will have a potluck and reveal the final 2 blocks next week. The finished quilt tops will be in the shop, we are going to send them off for quilting together, they are a little like fraternal twins!

I recently went on a retreat with Terri Atkinson, from Atkinson's Designs. It was a wonderful experience all of the attendees were quilt shop owners, and we had a great time making samples and trading ideas. So, watch for some new things to come!

It is good to be back blogging! Julie

Fabric, fabric everywhere fabric!

I know I promised photo's, but I just haven't had everything lined up this week! Maybe this afternoon, I can sneak into my office for more than 3 minutes and get to it. I am surrounded by mounds of wonderful fabric that I bought at sample spree. Fabric that won't be in the shops for months, but I have fat quarter towers, jelly rolls and layer cakes of about 10 groups from Moda. The goal is to make samples before the yardage comes into the shops, so you will be inspired right from the minute it arrives. Yesterday I spent a lot of time looking thru books and patterns to make little kits for my staff. At least 9 projects went out of the door! Hopefully a couple more will go today. I have 3 things to be quilted before they go up.

I did hang several new samples on Thursday. A beautiful batik quilt from the new Atkinson book, Time Out Quilts. 3 new table runners, 2 from Anka's Treasures and one from GE Designs. A wonderful scrap quilt from the Wild Rose collection from Moda. And a beautiful small quilt from Quilted Quickies made with Sanctuary fabrics. I have more to hang, but I can only do this when the shop is closed. Joyce and Noel came in at 8 on Thursday to help me. We always get a good work out and a few laughs as we are trying to manuver a huge ladder in cramped spaces!

Wish me luck with the photos today! J

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig

We are home from Market, and exhausted. I would be worried if weren't. I'm sure everyone wants to know what the "Hottest" trend was, we think Cupcakes would win that category. Even booths without a pattern for cupcakes, used them as props. And, what goes with cupcakes? Aprons. So, be looking for new patterns for both. We are just getting things unpacked, and priced, so the books and patterns that we carried home will be out in the shop by Thursday. The things we had shipped will start showing up next week.

Tomorrow I will post pictures of a few of the wonderful authors we spent time with. Julie

Quilt Market

It is almost here! Tomorrow we (Noel, Joyce and I) are driving to Portland for Spring Quilt Market. Not the most exciting places to have market, but the money I save on air fair, I can use to buy goodies for the shop.

I'm hoping to take pictures with my phone, and then post them here! That will be an amazing fete, but I have confidence that I can do it, or that someone around will be able to help me. I want to share all of the excitement with you. Last year Marie Osmond was there, a true "star". All of the quilting stars will be there, so I will try to record it for all of you.

I have ideas swimming in my head, a list in hand, I promise to be on a mission. I hope to stay away from the candy bowl that will be in each booth, it will just give me a headache by the end of the day.

Sit back and hold on, we are quilters on a road trip! Julie

Mothers Day

Mothers Day in the shop was wonderful. We saw many multigenerational mom's. 60somethings pushing 80somethings in wheelchairs, 5 year old twin boys dressed alike with mom and grandma in tow, husbands waiting patiently for their wives,mothers and daughters to shop. Truely fun.

Just before closing time 2 20somethings came thru the door delighted to find a quilt shop. They were going to dinner at one of the girls aunts house, and saw the big chicken on the highway and just Had to turn in! I remember being 20 and just "turning in" to places just because they looked different. Now, my life is so busy that I am not sure I would take the time to stop. The lesson, slow down. That is why I quilt!

Quilt Sampler Magazine

The Spring issue of Quilt Sampler has hit the streets. It is beautiful, as I always expect it to be. One day, I hope to have my shop featured. It takes a village...

I am gearing up for Quilt Market, and for Shop Hop. Big, big events. Both are wonderful and exhausting at the same time. The great thing is there will be lots of new things in the shop for the Shop Hop. I love the inspiration and energy I get when I attend Market. 3 full days of classes, shopping, thoughts of new trends, seeing old friends, and making new ones. I sometimes wonder just how can it get any better-but it does.

Hope you are all gearing up for Mother's Day. I always work, and my trusted employee Joyce works with me. We have done it for years. It is really our Mother's Day tradition. We, also, always work on New Year's Day. Thank you Joyce! You are the best Mother's Day date out there!

dentist

The dentist was a success, thank goodness for "happy air", otherwise I have a hard time getting thru it.

I tried to sew in the afternoon, but the vibration from my sewing machine made my face hurt. I did get the borders on the cowboy quilt. Pretty darn cute, I will post a picuture tomorrow when I am in the shop.

Today I get to spend the day with #2 son, Cameron. Coffee, grocery shopping, lunch. The basic Fiddle-Dee-Dee. My favorite Tuesday ever. Unless, #1 and #3 son were along, then I would be in heaven. J

The Dentist

I wanted to see if I could figure out how to post from home and Yeah! I can.

Today is one of those days that I dread. I have an appointment for a crown. I really like my dentist, I like the people who work in his office, but, I just really don't like being there. I broke a tooth about a month ago, and today is my "big" appointment. I was awake about every half hour checking the clock to see if it was "time yet". I used to take myself to a cute little cross-stitch shop after an appointment with him. But it is no longer in business, and I can't see well enough to do cross stitch anymore! So, I will go, come home have a nap, and give myself a little sewing time this afternoon as a reward.

I just have the outer borders to put on a little cowboy star quilt. Hopefully, I will get that done this afternoon. It uses darling retro cowboy fabric that reminds me of my brothers PJ's from the late 50's, early 60's. Eventually it will go in my cowboy bedroom. I have collected lots of stuff for this room, and now with the boys all gone from home, I just need to get busy and pull it all out. Paint and decorate! Maybe that will by my June resolution.

Wish me luck at the dentist! J

May Day

My May Day resolution is to sew more, weed my flower beds and to blog on a regular basis. This morning I made a darling baby quilt using charm squares, and nearly finished a cowboy quilt top. So, I am sewing! I came into my office to do a little paperwork, and found myself in front of the computer. So, I am blogging! Now, do we think I will really go home and do a little weeding? Well, 2 out of 3 is pretty darn good.

Sewing with charm squares and jelly rolls gives me a certain push to do other things. You know how sometimes you just don't want to work on an old project, but you really want to sit at your machine? That's when I pull out the pre-cut fabric. It's the immediate gratification that I need. Then, I can take a deep breath and work on something that may be more difficult, or that I am stuck in a rut with. I've even sewn charm squares together in the middle of the night when I can't sleep! I have a no cutting rule after 2am!

It's quiet here at the shop today and the sun is shining, so I just might go home and pull a few weeds. I'll let you know! Julie