Can you believe the holidays are over and we're into a new year? I'm working on completing some leftover projects from last year and ready to begin some new ones. The New Year always brings that feeling of 'fresh start' to so many aspects of our lives.
I found this antique cheddar quilt on Pinterest over the weekend and I thought it was a good example of cheddar and taupe together. I know these are likely brown fabrics, and some that might have faded to a taupe color, but you get my drift. How do you like that splash of blue? Make-do? Interesting color combo, interesting borders on the bottom and right, and quite pleasing. Just wanted to share it with you and remind you of my upcoming Cheddar & Friends fabric collection due in your local quilt shop early in March.
Speaking of your local quilt shop, have you noticed the alarming trend of so many of our fabulous local quilt shops closing? I know I have and it's ominous. Last week, Barbara Brackman wrote about this very thing on her blog in sad detail. Actually, she wrote two posts about it.
If you love this industry.....if you love fabric.....and want to continue to be inspired by your favorite designers, please take a moment to read what she wrote. Here are the links to both of Barbara's blog posts:
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2016/12/happy-new-year.html
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2016/12/more-about-quilt-bizz.html
It's simple economics. Having less quilt shops means less sales of fabric bolts, patterns, books, and notions, not to mention jobs and inspiration! When this many quilt shops close, it has a profound effect on the industry. There have already been cut-backs in so many areas and some designers are going out of business. Why? Lots of reasons, but so much has to do with folks not patronizing brick and mortar shops.
When there are new fabrics coming that you love and want to purchase, I encourage you to please ask for it at your local quilt shop. If they know you want it and there's a customer base for it, they would be more likely to order it. In my case, I do offer my own fabric via my website for those who can't find it at their local shop, but I always encourage you to check there first!!
Anyway....I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening to an issue very near and dear to all of us who love quilting and want to keep it going.
There are many new things for your quilting pleasure already in the works. I presently have four new fabric lines in production with lots of new quilt designs coming your way. And....a very fun Marcus Fabrics designers (aka Marcus Makers) campaign to be announced very soon.
Clean your machine, buy a new pack of needles and stock up on thread...and while you're at the quilt shop, thank the shop owner by buying some yummy fabrics. It's a good thing all the way around.
I found this antique cheddar quilt on Pinterest over the weekend and I thought it was a good example of cheddar and taupe together. I know these are likely brown fabrics, and some that might have faded to a taupe color, but you get my drift. How do you like that splash of blue? Make-do? Interesting color combo, interesting borders on the bottom and right, and quite pleasing. Just wanted to share it with you and remind you of my upcoming Cheddar & Friends fabric collection due in your local quilt shop early in March.
Speaking of your local quilt shop, have you noticed the alarming trend of so many of our fabulous local quilt shops closing? I know I have and it's ominous. Last week, Barbara Brackman wrote about this very thing on her blog in sad detail. Actually, she wrote two posts about it.
If you love this industry.....if you love fabric.....and want to continue to be inspired by your favorite designers, please take a moment to read what she wrote. Here are the links to both of Barbara's blog posts:
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2016/12/happy-new-year.html
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2016/12/more-about-quilt-bizz.html
It's simple economics. Having less quilt shops means less sales of fabric bolts, patterns, books, and notions, not to mention jobs and inspiration! When this many quilt shops close, it has a profound effect on the industry. There have already been cut-backs in so many areas and some designers are going out of business. Why? Lots of reasons, but so much has to do with folks not patronizing brick and mortar shops.
When there are new fabrics coming that you love and want to purchase, I encourage you to please ask for it at your local quilt shop. If they know you want it and there's a customer base for it, they would be more likely to order it. In my case, I do offer my own fabric via my website for those who can't find it at their local shop, but I always encourage you to check there first!!
Anyway....I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening to an issue very near and dear to all of us who love quilting and want to keep it going.
There are many new things for your quilting pleasure already in the works. I presently have four new fabric lines in production with lots of new quilt designs coming your way. And....a very fun Marcus Fabrics designers (aka Marcus Makers) campaign to be announced very soon.
Clean your machine, buy a new pack of needles and stock up on thread...and while you're at the quilt shop, thank the shop owner by buying some yummy fabrics. It's a good thing all the way around.
Hi Pam,
ReplyDeleteIt is alarming to see the number of shops closing. I've worked in a quilt shop for the past 8 years, and I've noticed a huge difference in buying habits. What is lost when a shop closes, is a place for quilters to gather to exchange ideas and friendship. For some of our customers, the quilt shop is their only outlet to engage with others. --Lynn
I don't know if you recall when you taught the classes in Brigham City that the second day a woman came that just wanted to learn the technique for your "Settler's Puzzle" and then she was going to make it in miniature? At the end of the day she brought in some vintage quilts that she had in her trunk. Does that ring a bell? Anyway, her sister owns the original quilt you show in this post. She has designed a pattern for a miniature version (stars are 3")and has it in her etsy shop here.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.etsy.com/listing/179028492/miniature-cheddar-stars-over-moab?ref=shop_home_active_3
It is something I have been planning to do someday.
I'm so glad you added the origins of this old quilt. I've seen it reproduced in various places but didn't know where it came from. I have a problem with Pinterest because the photos become separated from their source. If Pam had linked to the actual Pinterest photo you can sometimes trace things back and find their origins, but her photo goes nowhere. Perhaps she could add a link?
DeleteWhen I went and looked at the link you include, I could see that the photo that Pam has used is actually of the smaller new quilt and not the antique one it's based on. I think this makes it even more important that she include a link in the post to it. For a start it's not an antique and now that the origins of the photo are known it would only be fair to acknowledge that. But it's also an illustration for this person's pattern, which has become separated, so no-one knows how to purchase it. In the post Pam talks about supporting designers, and no doubt she would not like people using her photos without them linking back to where they could be found.
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ReplyDeleteI like the quilt in your photo. I'm currently working on a hand-pieced (not English paper piecing) GFG that I started some years ago. Every night while hubby and I watch TV I sit and sew hexie blocks. On the machine I'm working on a quilt as you go siggy block exchange from 2009 that I did on an older blog I had. If I ever get some of these old UFOs and WIPs completed perhaps I'll get a new project going.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I miss having a local quilt shop. Ours is one of the many that has closed:(
ReplyDeleteI sew agree with your thoughts. But, I must share this....I live near Raleigh N.C. There are 8 shops all within an hours drive. Only one carries actual Primitive fabrics. One or two have a selection of maybe 20 bolts but that is not their forte. When I ask for more choices their answer is we can't sell that kind of fabric. Making money is important. So is having customers, I shop online when I need fabric for the Primitive patterns I make. When we travel I use Quilter's Companion to find new shops and stop in their store and if they have my Primitive fabrics I order from home too.
ReplyDeleteSo sad. I agree with you and Barbara. We have only one quilt fabric shop in this city, and we are a fairly large city. It is open at sporadic days/times, and their selection is not too abundant. So, we usually end up ordering quilting fabrics incl. repro fabrics. We do have department stores, but those fabrics just don't seem to the the same as top-quality quilting fabrics. If only a store carried prim and repro fabrics... 'Same as what Sewing Rose said in her comment, that one store told me something similar to "we cannot carry that kind of fabric", whatever that is supposed to mean. It's always sad to see any store close, esp. quilting fabric stores. The economy is really tough, isn't it? Prim blessings.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you.My favorite quilting fabric is about 150kilometres and one which sometimes bring quilting fabric which was about 50km,closed more or less three years ago.
ReplyDeletePam, I am a former quilt store owner. I actually met you once at Quilt Market a few years ago although I know for sure that you don't remember. My shop was award winning and nationally recognized in 2012 but by 2014, everything began a downward spiral. We finally closed the doors in 2015. It was sad but necessary to close. We did carry your fabric in my shop and I appreciate your support of the local shops.
ReplyDeleteHip hip hooray! Stay on that soapbox as long as you can. I think my friends sometimes get sick of me repeating myself, but I tell quilters over and over again... if you don't support your local shop, you won't have a local shop. Period. I even wrote a lengthy article for our statewide newsletter stating this obvious fact. I think maybe it's time to write a post about it on my Blog. Thanks for the inspiration and I can't wait until the cheddars get to Cyndi's. She made a fantastic little quilt with your plums. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI am soooo excited. I can never have enough neutrals/shirtings. I need them NOW :) So glad you are doing well & back to creating. I look forward to all your blog posts. Thank you.
ReplyDelete