DAY THREE...

Just wanted to let you all know that we are 'running with scissors' here at Keepsake!


We have been super busy and having lots of fun. Yesterday after running out of a darling Nome fabric, we sold the pillowcase sample. Looks like everything is up for grabs!

We are surviving on coffee, diet cola's and M&M's. All food groups are covered!


The nice ladies from Quilters Anonymous passed out 570 of our packets on Wednesday and 450 yesterday. Hopefully they are also selling lots of their raffle tickets! We've had cars, buses, RVs and motorcycles. Tomorrow we are expecting an all girl Harley Gang and hopefully the Patchwork Pirates! Nothing but good times are happening in the barn! J

Here we go...

The reader board is up,

The weeds have been pulled,

The bunting is on the fence,

The little chicken is full of pins,

The big chicken is ready to lead you in!

Now, all we need is you, our favorite customers! We are looking forward to seeing all of you over the next 5 days! Happy Shop Hop!

The Calendar tells us that Summer has arrived. This is when we think of back yard BBQ's, long lazy evenings and Road Trips! The latest edition of the Quilters Travel Companion has arrived just in time for those adventures.

This is the most complete guide of every thing quilt related. Shops, shows and shop hops. Every quilters car needs one! They publish a new edition every 2 years, and this one is hot off the press.

It is the Eve of the Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop, we have been busy kitting, stocking, cleaning, hanging quilts, making signs, making lists and trying to get ready for our biggest party of the year. The hard part is nearly over, and the fun will soon begin. Shake your Bobbins and Wave your Fat Quarters, it's going to be fun, fun, fun! J

Making My Own Sunshine

I know summer will come, but when? In the NW we are fond of telling people from other parts of the country that it rains all the time in Seattle. It's our way of discouraging people from moving here. Yes, it rains, but not every day and not very hard. This year has been the exception. It didn't rain yesterday, and it hasn't rained this morning. However,the weatherman has warned us that by this afternoon it will return. You might need and umbrella to BBQ for Father's Day.


I decided to make my own little sunshine out of the Riley Blake "Rainy Days and Mondays" umbrella fabric. I made this fast little table runner with a Pieced Tree Designs pattern. You know the ones, those cute little laminated cards that are hard to resist. You can't buy just one! I keep mine in a small photo album, and I like all of the pages full.


When I was cutting the fabric for the table runner, I realized that the cute dot I was using for the border is actually the birds eye view of the opened umbrellas. Clever designer! I don't know who the designers are for Riley Blake, I am going to have to find out. They are really great, I seem to love almost everything that comes from that company.


I want a pink umbrella will ball fringe on it! J

Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop

Our big party is just around the corner! Next Wednesday to be exact. The Shop Hop is something I think about all year, sort of like Christmas. You know the date, you are planning in your head, but when the date draws near, it's always a little shocking!!

I am really pleased with how this years quilt turned out. When we saw the fabric, I really did not have a true vision of how it would come together. But just look at how stinking cute this quilt is!! I think all of the shop owners really stretched themselves. Our cute little sleeping owl is the middle block on the top row. We have used wool and a little embroidery to finish off this cutie. I hope you will all enjoy making it.

I love the squirrel block in the center of the quilt! The quilt is made up of 49 blocks, and there are 3 'floating' blocks on the poster. The shops are given a deadline to have their completed block turned in to In the Beginning, so a quilt can be made, photographed and printed in a poster. If your block is late, but they haven't printed the posters yet, they float them on the bottom of the poster.

This year there are 54 shops participating in the Hop. The hours will be from 9-8 on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 10-5 on Sunday.

We have been busy working on new samples, putting together new kits and digging through our back room to have extra things on our sale tables. I hope you will stay awhile after you get your passport stamped, and check out all we have to offer you, our favorite customers! J

SUMMER SEWING FUN

There is something about a 9 patch block, that just makes me happy. They are easy to make, so there is instant gratification. They call out, "make me scrappy". A perfect little block to help reduce your stash.

When Karen (www.karensayssew.blogspot.com) wrote about making a ninepatch a day it sounded like fun. When Roseann (http://rosebudscottage.typepad.com) wrote about people saying they didn't have time to sew during the summer, it all came clear to me.




So, I started pulling both red and yellow fabrics from my stash. I cut 21/2" squares and put them in a basket. I must admit I have not made one block a day. But, I have 8 blocks put together. They really make me happy. Just a quiet little project that I can pick away at all summer.


If you are on face book, go to the search box and put in 9 patch project. There are over 600 people that are "friends" and they are starting to post pictures of their blocks. Later in the summer, Karen has promised she will show different setting ideas.

This would be a great idea for making charity quilts. So, why not make 2 blocks a day. One for yourself, and one to give away. I hear the buzz words, 'stash reduction'. What a great way to use up some of those fabrics that you have in your scrap basket.

In the shop Kay Harris, Kay Hobby, Faith and I have already started. Why not join us in the fun! J

Souviner Towels and Totes

Many of you know that I love old things. I can spend hours poking around in antique stores and flea markets. There is something magical about graphics from the 40's and 50's. I own stacks of old linens, yards of old fabric and feed sacks, boxes of old needle work patterns and I am always looking for more.


I also love good reproduction textiles. While I was in Minnesota I found darling souvenir tea towels and tote bags. Not all the states have been reproduced, but luckily Washington has been. They arrived in the shop today. I was going to save them for Shop Hop, but they are just too cute to stick in the back room! I am thinking about making an apron out of one of the towels, they are 22"x22". The towels are $7, and the tote bags are $15, perfect for your Shop Hop purchases! J

LET'S DO THE TWIST!

One of the fun new tools I picked up at Quilt Market was the Twister Tool. It helps you make complicated looking quilts in a Jiffy!


The tool comes in 2 sizes. The large quilt in the booth was made with a layer cake and the large Twister ( the border was made with 2 charm packs and the small Twister), and the smaller one on the right was made with a charm pack and the small Twister.

I had heard about this little tool from a fellow shop owner, who demonstrated them last fall at the Minnesota State fair. I looked for their booth, watched a demo, and then thought about it for about 10 days until I could try it for myself.

Here is my little wall hanging! One Bird Song charm pack, a little border fabric, one small Twister Tool, and 2 mornings of sewing before work. Pretty Stinkin' cute! I have a Fresh Squeezed layer cake and the large Twister on my cutting table. Hopefully, by the end of the week I will have that top finished!

Stop by the shop for a little demo. We are all loving it! J