IF IT'S WEDNESDAY, IT'S VINTAGE NOTIONS

Were you a fan of the 5 and Dime? As a small girl I would often go 'to town' with my grandparents and my Aunt Thelma. We would go to the market, the bank and almost always the 5 and Dime. I remember this store vividly. Dark, wide plank, wooden floors. Stairs leading the the Mezzanine, where the clothing department was. A fabric cutting counter, with a wonderful measuring meter. The fabric was fed through the machine, and pulled until the amount you had requested appeared on the dial. Then the clerk would push down on the metal dial and it made a small cut in the cloth. Then, she tore the fabric. I loved watching the fabric clerk!


Then there were isles of glass shelves with pretty little knick-knacks. My Aunt Thelma loved the Salt and Pepper shakers. She would buy a set almost every Saturday. I have her collection, plus a few I have added along the way. She gave me the love of collecting. The love of all things 'cute'! I am sure these cute little pincushions were in those 5 and Dimes. Not expensive, just something pretty for the home sewer to have near her sewing chair.



This sweet little kitty is an all time favorite. My grandmother always had 1 house cat, and it was always white. There were lots of barn cats. I remember her playing with both Puff and Muffin.

An elegant looking dog. I think it must be a dachshund.

An unhappy looking Bull Frog.

An old fashioned shoe was a common theme.

I am sure there are other pincushions like this, when I have the chance to go antiquing, my eyes are always looking for new ones! J

SCHINBBLES CONTEST!

Have you heard about the Schnibbles Contest? Well here is the scoop. That Patchwork Place, Moda Fabrics, and Carrie Nelson have combined their efforts to bring a fun contest to all of you who love Fabric and Quilting books. The prizes are amazing! Imagine winning 12 monthly shipments of the newest books from That Patchwork Place and 12 monthly shipments of the most current fabrics from Moda.


Do I have your attention yet?


Carrie Nelson, aka Miss Rosie, has just written a new book for That Patchwork place, titled SCHNIBBLES times two. She has taken some of her most popular Schnibbles patterns, which use charm squares, and enlarged them by using layer cakes. She gives you the recipe for both sizes of all 12 quilts in the book.

The book is beautifully photographed, and our own Lisa, has 2 quilts in the book. She has become one of Miss Rosie's 'stunt sewers'! We are so proud of her.


Here are the rules:
1. You buy the book SCHNIBBLES times two.
2. You make a quilt from the book using current Moda Layer Cakes or Charm packs.
3. You turn in your finished quilt to Keepsake Cottage Fabrics, by 6pm July 31, 2010.
4. The quilts will be hung in the shop August 2 - August 16.
5. Customers will vote for their favorite quilt.
6. Photos of the shops winner will be emailed to That Patchwork Place by midnight August 16.
7. September 15, 2010 the winners will be announced.


The Prizes:
1st Place: 12 monthly shipments of New books from That Patchwork Place and current Moda
Fabric. (total combined retail value: appx $2,100)
2nd Place: 6 monthly shipments of New books from That Patchwork Place and current Moda
Fabric. (total combined retail value: appx $1,050)
3rd Place: 3 Monthly shipments of New books from That Patchwork Place and current Moda
Fabric. (total combined retail value: appx $525)


I know a lot of you are Miss Rosie fans, and it would be fun to show her a little love, from Keepsake Cottage! We will have the rules and the entry forms in the shop. So, put your thinking caps on ladies! I want the best quilts to come from our store. J

Pincushions At Moda

Susan Fuquay, editor of American Quilt Retailer, spoke about the unexpected. Things that are not always what they apear to be. This 'tuffet' is a wonderful example of that. This was so adorable, everyone was taking pictures of it!

How about this basket of 'inflatable' pincushions. Would you put a pin in one? Do you think the air will escape if you take the pin out?

This is more familiar, but would you put a blue tack in your beautiful wool pincushion?

I love pincushions, especially old ones. I wonder about the seamstress who left it behind. Recently, I realized I had collected dozens of old pincushions, needle holders and other vintage sewing notions. I am going to share them with you. Starting next week, I will be posting each Wednesday about those notions. So, if it's Wednesday, it must be Vintage Notions. Please join me. J

Moda Designers

One of the perks of the retreat was spending time with 2 of Mada's fabric designers. Kaari Meng is one of the hottest new designers in the industry. We all know her as the French General, which sounds stern and intimidating. She is really a sweetheart, a jeweler by trade a a fabric lover by passion. Her wonderful fabrics are based on her collection of antique french fabrics. Just yummy. She has a new book out, with photo's of her beautiful beads, buttons and notions. We will have it in the shop next week.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Joanna Figueroia, for over 3 years. Her color sense is unlike anyone else I know of. Her creamy, peachy, dreamy look is so warm and inviting, I can hardly stand it. She wants her quilts to look more difficult than they actually are. Finding easy ways to help you accomplish this.

Joanna has added Keepsake Cottage to her list of shops that will be offering her Fig Tree Club! Watch for details coming soon. This is a once a quarter program with exclusive patterns for club members only. I have seen a couple of the Projects she has designed for the past quarters, and if you are a Fig Tree lover, as I am, you will want to jump on this right away

Thanks Kaari and Joanna for all of the wonderful inspiration! J

Memories of Moda

Moda is a work hard, play hard company. All of the staff, from the President of the company, to the people in the warehouse get involved in the meetings they host. They are friendly and helpful. They make you feel like family. Maybe that is a Texas thing. I don't know for sure, but it's really nice. I had a wonderful time, learned a lot,and took lots of pictures to share with all of you.

Since is Saturday, lets start with the playful side of the company.

I love sock monkeys, and so do they. Their signature Sock Monkey fabric has been a staple in their line-up for many years. You never know when you are going to turn a corner and see one of their silly faces.

I spotted this one just as I was leaving the office today! What can you say about a monkey in a boa?

A monkey, a quilt and a basket of buttons. My childhood dream come true.

Does this tail make my butt look big? I think she has a little bit of an attitude, don't you?

It wasn't all fun and games, really. I am ready to hit the road running. Ideas for samples, displays and events. I will be sharing photo's of Mr. Dunn's antique quilt collection, cool notions and a few famous faces.

Have a great rest of your weekend. J

Fun in Dallas!

'One thing the staff at Moda knows how to do is throw a party! After a long afternoon, they hosted a little Carnival. There was a Yo-Yo making contest, a balloon man, a tarot card reader, popcorn and a "Project Runway" challange, with Moda Pre-cuts.

Here is the evenings winner, Mr. Dunn, owner of Moda-United Notions, with the Hostess of the challenge, Joanna Figuerioa.

This is Debbie Duckworth, affectionatly known as Ducky, with a balloon duck made just for her.

It was a great day, I can't wait for tomorrow. I am going to hunt down that big monkey! J

MODA-MODA-MODA

When my boys were young, my husband taught them a mantra "It's a great day to be alive".

They are young adults now, and I occasionally hear one of them repeating their Daddy's words. Well, today is my turn "It's a great day to be a Quilt Shop owner!"

UPS Rob delivered the latest collection from the French General by Moda, Rural Jardin. It will take your breath away. It has the beautiful reds and taupe's that were in Rouennries, with the addition of blues. If you loved the 1st group, you will not be disappointed in the sophomore collection!

The other reason for the happy dance today has to do with my plans for the rest of the week. At the crack of dawn, I am hopping on a plane to Dallas. I am going to a Shop owners retreat at the Moda headquarters!! I will be taking classes from Joanna Figuerioa, from Fig Tree Quilts, several business Guru's, and my good buddy, Roseann Kermes, from Rosebud's Cottage. It will be informative, interesting and most of all Fun! Of course Moda Lissa will be there, the Urban Chicks and Howard Marcus.

The photo above was taken when I visited Moda the 1st time. For a girl who loves a sock monkey, this guy was a dream come true. Stay tuned for pictures from this trip! J

SPRING FLORAL SALE

The sun is shining outside, even though there is still a chill in the air, it feels like spring is finally here.

We are bursting at the seams with spring floral fabrics, and thought this would be a good week to have a few select floral groups on sale. We've moved some fabric around and all of the florals right inside the door are on sale for 20%off. This is just for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you are thinking of making a spring quilt, this is a great opportunity to stock up.

There will be an 'Eggstravaganza' in the Village on Saturday. It's a little like 'trick or treating' for Easter Eggs. Participating shops will have signs on their doors, to let you know they have plastic eggs for the kids. This event is happening from 10 until 2. Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather, and maybe we will see a few bunnies hopping around!

The shop will be closed on Sunday, so we can all celebrate Easter with our families.