A Thread of Red

Oh. Baby.

2012-01-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday, after the shop closed, we gathered in the classroom for a special baby shower. Kristi, Karen's daughter, is expecting her first baby in just about a month and we were really excited to share in this happy occasion!

How cute is this girl?

There was a beautiful table filled with delicious party food.

And a gorgeous (and delicious) cake for baby Legend! Oh, didn't I tell you? It is a little boy. :)

If you feed us, we will come. ;)

Proud Grandma Karen had this beautiful crib set made from Adorn It's Long Live Vintage. The quilt is made from the same line using the Scribbles pattern by The Pattern Basket.

Who could resist such adorable tiny clothes?

Our own Karen (aka Cookie, aka Cookie-Candy-Cricket) made this sweet red elephant! He is fabulous!

And Laurie made this Boo Bear Blanket from luscious Cuddle. NO stuffed bears were beheaded to make this blankie. It is completely made by hand!

Little pyjamas from Great-grandmother Barbara. Sigh.

Angela made a ring sling for carrying little Legend. And, it's perfect for Mom or Dad!

Great-grandmother, Kathleen, made a set of quilted changing pads! She also included pee-pee tee-pees. Yes, they are what you think they are. lol Check out that cute little guy in the background. That's Karen's grandson. Look at those socks! I'm dying- he is so cute.

Cathy sent embroidered convertible pj's. They can be used either as pj's or as a gown. Clever.

I made an owl from felted sweaters for little Legend. Not only is it made from wool it's stuffed with wool, Kristi, so don't throw it in the wash! I forgot to tell you that. :)

Karen made the most beautiful burp cloths! Lots of them.

Mary made a Sunday Best for Legend quilt. He is going to love all of those bright colors!

And Wendy quilted up this A-dorable owl quilt. What a lucky baby!

Terre and her daughter's gift of tiny sweaters were a total hit!

And, rats, the photo I took of Suzette's gift, Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider and a little onesie did not turn out. You will just have to trust me when I say it was really cute. On the front was written all of the things that are in babies- love, world peace, lots of things I can't remember and a raisin.

I think this baby has everything he needs now.

Sweet little Legend, we cannot wait to meet you!

Busy, Busy

2012-01-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

If you gauge progress by the projects that our customers have been bringing in, this is going to be a very productive year!! Quilts, bags, baby blankets, pillowcases- you name it, they are being made.

Barbara came in with her friend (who is hiding behind the quilt!) and shared this beautiful quilt made using this pattern and Benartex Mayfair fabric. (We don't have that particular line but we can help you find a suitable option.)

She also made this fabulous Drunkard's path from batiks. It makes me think of a time-lapse moon rise! A Drunkard's Path quilt is on my list of things to try this year. What's on your list?

Right at the end of the day yesterday, Terri came in with her daughter's to show us this cute, cute, cute laptop case that she made! And, it's her own pattern inspired by something she saw on Pinterest! I love Pinterest, there are so many neat things to be found there, from quilting ideas, crocheting, knitting, crafts, decorating, recipes......well, you name it, it's there. Be prepared to spend some time scrolling through all the really cool stuff you'll find!

Be sure to come by the shop with your finished projects and we'll share them here so that others can see how talented our AST customers are!

Hi, Linda! Hi, Wendy!

2012-01-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

What's the story, Morning Glory? What's the tale, Nightingale?

Have you heard about A Scarlet Thread?

Hi, Laurie! Hi, Cookie! What's the story, Morning Glory? What's the word, Hummingbird?

Have you heard about A Scarlet Thread?

They have awfully good news!

When you hear it you'll cry!

Now hold onto your hats- here's the what and the why!

(Pardon my nod to Bye, Bye Birdie!)

Here's the scoop- A Scarlet Thread

is going to be in the Spring/Summer issue of Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler magazine!

I know! Can you believe it?!? It such awesome news and we are all very excited! Well, who wouldn't be?

Eek! Boy, what a relief to be able to finally tell you! Keeping a secret is not easy to do, especially when it's one this big and we've had to hold it in since last August!

Okay, now that that you're in the know, lets check in to see what happened in strip club this morning, shall we?

First up was Kris with his practically perfect in every way With a Twist, December's strip club quilt! Gor-geous!

But what really got every one's attention was the bag he brought his quilt in! I mean, really, we had women waving dollars trying to buy it! What a hoot!

Lisa Marie took a bit of a departure from the original and made With a Twist all her own! And, yes, there is some purple in there!

And here is her completed Mission Frame top. It's very pretty, Lisa Marie!

Terri shared her two stockings that she made i a class with Debbie Coursey-Prah. If you haven't taken a class with Debbie, you will definitely want to in 2012. And then you can make cute stuff like Terri did!

Can you believe that Lynn has been quilting for less than a year? Me, either. This Star of David is paper pieced (made in Debbie's class. See? You so need to be there!) It is absolutely beautiful.

And, Lynn's With a Twist quilt using a little bit of tan as her background. It's like the ocean lapping at the shoreline. Simply lovely.

Rose made the cutest thing for her granddaughter. It's a television-watching pillow that she can lean against something and be comfy and cozy covered in Winnie the Pooh fabric. Yes, I wish I was still a kid.

Marsha made Lattice Patch in purples and greens instead of fruit and veggie fabric and it is a stunner! I love that she thought out of the box.

Sweet Barb has been hooked on making small quilts this past year. Here's her With a Twist table topper/wall hanging. L.O.V.E. that teal! Yum. Great job with those batiks, Barb!

Sandy brought the Fayetteville Neighbor article that they did about the shop. Look, it's our own Ken and Karen!

Gale proudly shared her Love and Comfort quilt made in the breast cancer survivor colors of purple and pink. Gale herself is a breast cancer survivor and we all applauded her ten-year triumph over the disease. You go, Gale!

Our own Cookie-Candy-Cricket (aka Karen- now you know why all the nicknames!) came to strip club armed with some really cute things she had made. Like her Marsha Mellow doll, complete with pecan twig hair!

And Mary's Too Cute to Cut pattern made with one of the Dick and Jane bundles. This is adorable.

(Check out Karen's vest- it's the Kwik Sew Quick vest made with minkie. Have you made one yet?)

And ho-ho-ho, a sweet primitive Santa!

Wendy had a few (much deserved) days off last week and she was busy at her sewing machine! The first one is Jaybird Quilts Fast Forward that she made using an Annie's Farm Stand strip set. What a great quilt!

And then, she showed off her Etchings quilt made from a pattern in the Another Bite of Schnibbles book. Delicious! This makes me want to make my Etchings quilt.

What did you think? There were some really wonderful show and tells today! So, what's on stage for next month?

Hot Flashes made with strips with aqua, red, pink and white. I wish you could have seen the different accent and background fabrics that were chosen. Let's just say that next month's show and tell is going to be pretty wild! And Kris had better bring a bag for everybody! ;)

What's Better Than Making Out Your New Year's Resolution List?

2011-12-28T04:46:00.000-08:00

Coming into the shop and getting great deals* on fabric! Really, Karen and Angela have gone to great lengths to make sure that the classroom is full of fabulous stuff. And, at $4.99, $3.99 and, gulp. $2.99 a yard- well, you need to get over here asap! Don't be conservative- if you end the bolt you get an additional $1 off a yard!! We started off with 750 bolts lining the tables and Angela and I cut and cut and cut yardage until we have about 500 left! So, come one over and take a peek!

See you there!

*in-store only. Sale ends Thursday, Dec. 29.

Are You Ready for Christmas?

2011-12-20T05:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not, but that's another story. I think that this year has flown by quicker than any year in the past. It's funny how that works. Time seems to blur from one day to the next and the next thing you know, bam- it's FIVE days before Christmas! I don't know about you, but every year I am determined to get things done months in advance so that the holidays are peaceful and calm. It hasn't worked yet.

There are some people who have been accomplishing things though!

Ginny came by with her completed strip club top- the Monday after strip club! It's a super easy quilt with big impact no matter what fabric you choose! I love how everything in this quilt came together to look like the sea on a calm day. It's beautiful!

And how about a little Fashionista Buggy Barn style? Seriously, this quilt has it all, especially the drama!

How could you not love this? Great job, Glenna!

So, what have you been making in your Santa's workshop? Tell us or, better yet, bring it by the shop and we'll post it here! Maybe that will inspire me to get my stuff finished! ;)

And Now For The Rest of Strip Club....

2011-12-08T06:03:00.000-08:00

Ready? Let's go!

Do you remember Cactus Wreath? We made this in strip club two years ago, I think. This is Liz's finished quilt. It's gorgeous! And, hand quilted. Good things are worth waiting for.

Gale made a pillow case using our new UGA fabric! Cute, cute, cute!

Diana, who says she does not sew, took the fabric used for her daughter's baby shower tablecloth and made an adorable little frog quilt. Now she just has to make another one because her daughter is having twins! Boys! Congratulations, Diana!

How did Gale get out of order? This is a sweet quilt for her daughter made with puppy dog covered fleece and a dog paw print border. Someone is going to be super cozy this winter!

Elaine showed off her elegant Letty Bag. Have you made one yet? They whip together in a snap!

Mary shared two quilts that she made, for a family that her daughter has "adopted", for Christmas. There are four girls and each one is receiving a quilt made with love by Mary.

They are going to love them.

Now, are you ready to see next month's strip club quilt? Yes?

It's called With a Twist! I love the blue batiks in this quilt. Really pretty. I cannot wait to see how many different ways this quilt will go together!

Just in case you need a little reminder of how it all goes together, here's a shot of Sherrie's story board.

After strip club, Angela showed off some of the samples from upcoming classes and new products!

I don't know if you can really see the adorableness of these wool ornaments or not. We have the kits at the shop- again. They fairly flew off the shelves last Saturday after strip club!

Need a quick gift for Christmas? How about giving a One Block, Many Settings quilt? Or, just give the kit and a coupon for a day of sewing with a friend! Either way, it's a wonderful present.

Sherrie will be back next year teaching machine applique at its best! How cute is this?

And Sheri will once again be teaching a Snippets class! Her first one was a huge hit. You will not want to miss this one! Yes, that's all fabric!

We will have a new class this year- Scarlet Rules!- where you will learn how to use all of those fab rulers we have in stock! No more sitting on the shelf for them. We'll help you put them to good use!

Our very first Block of the Month for 2012! It's called Birds and it is stunning! There will be a sew-in on January 13th at 6:00 pm. You will definitely want to join in on the fun!

Mary's next Stashbuster's club won't meet until February which will give you plenty of time to sort through your scraps to make this super cute quilt! I love the hidden arrows. Do you see them?

Last, but not least, the adorable Samantha came to tell us about her school's quilt raffle. This quilt, made by her mom, Mary, is the prize! The pattern is called Fire Escape. It's a great pattern. The raffle proceeds go to help Samantha's school program, The Piedmont Academy Fine Arts Society, raise funds to help them build sets and costumes for their one act plays.

We are very grateful to all of our customers who stopped by Samantha's table to purchase raffle tickets! You all have the most generous and giving hearts. Thank you. :)

Merry Strip Club Saturday!

2011-12-05T06:05:00.000-08:00

I know, I'm late. Please forgive me. But, if you were at strip club on Saturday, you know that I have been a bit under the weather with a nasty cold courtesy of my granddaughter, Emma. Thank you, Emma, you are such a sharing girl.

Anyway, this was our last strip club of the year and we went out with a bang! There were some awesome quilts, lots of fun door prizes and then a sampling of what you will be seeing next year in our classroom at AST! In fact, it was so much it's going to take two posts. So here is part 1 for you. Enjoy!

Look at this crowd! I love all of these people. They are so much fun to be around.

It was nice to see Teresa and some of her beautiful little quilts. She has such a great sense of color.

Each one is like a little jewel.

So cute! Who doesn't love this classic combination of color? Lovely. It was Teresa's happy birthday on Saturday! It was nice of her to spend it with us. :)

Ginny shared her this gorgeous quilt made from a Quilt of Valor pattern. It's for a family member for Christmas. It is beautiful!

Carol finished her Rainbow Chain quilt from our last retreat. It is so stinking cute! I love the colors.

Lisa Marie has been busy making bundle quilts. This one is a batik version of Border Patch.

And this is the beginnings of her Mission Frame quilt. Every quilt that Lisa Marie makes has a little bit of purple in it. I'm not sure but it might be her favorite color!

Angie rocks! She actually made last month's strip club quilt! She was pretty excited to get her 20% off background coupon for completing it. It's just really pretty.

Fore!!!!! Gerri made this super-cute golf-themed quilt. The back is just as cute as the front. I think her husband is going to love it.

You can always count on Stephanie to put her own twist on a pattern. This is Timber, one of the first strip club patterns. She set her trees to stand tall instead of tipping over and it gives her quilt a modern feel.

Colleen had two quilts to share- one made from a bundle (I love this fabric. So pretty!)

And one made from her stash. This is a classic light and shadow log cabin pattern. What isn't classic is her color choice and the fact that at the center of each block is not the traditional red square but a chicken! Seriously, who doesn't love a good chicken quilt?

Kris came with his own quilt show. Really. I don't know how he does it, but he makes the best quilts. This one was a block of the month from Quilts 'n' Fixin's from last year. Beautiful!

And this luscious trapunto quilt made everyone swoon. He said that stuffing the flowers took longer than making the top. It was totally with the effort, Kris.

This Barn Dance quilt was my favorite one of all. It's made with 30's fabrics set on a black background. That choice transported this quilt into the 21st century.

Here's the back. If you look closely, the quilter used yellow thread to quilt each flower making the back standout on its own.

Kris' Love and Comfort quilt. I love the chocolate brown he chose for the setting triangles and the bold pop of raspberry as his border. Oh,wait! That's because I helped him pick them out. hee hee

A sweet little Mary Engelbreit top and

a gorgeous throw made from Martinique by 3 Sisters for Moda. Lovely!

Doesn't this make you want to come to strip club?! It is so much fun!

Come back by tomorrow and I'll have the rest of the stripper quilts and the class projects that Angela shared. (Blogger will not let me add any more photos to this post right now.) You are going to love them!

2011-11-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

We at AST wish you the happiest Thanksgiving Day! We hope that it is filled with family, friends, good food and football. Well, maybe not football.

Don't forget - tomorrow is

FRIDAY!!

(that's Black Friday)

Samples have been hung, fabric has been selected and we're ready for the big sale!

We'll be opening the doors at 8:00 AM! See you there.

Hey, Good Lookin'!

2011-11-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

So many things are happening at the shop! Our friend, Brenda, came by this week to bring the samples that she made for us. Oh, my goodness! Such cuteness.

Like this adorable Cadet Cap, by Betz White, modeled by Karen! I think she needs to wear this all the time, don't you? See the flower?

Isn't that pretty? It's made in the hoop on one of our Baby Lock embroidery machines using a program designed by Jenny Haskins. Come by the shop to see more samples of this gorgeous flower in our sewing center!

Snap Happy! bags made in good ole Georgia fabric and the new line from Bonnie and Camille- Ruby! There's a little trick to the closure if this bag- it's made from a metal carpenter's tape! Just don't go cut up your husband's measuring tape, okay?

Isn't this the cutest project bag? It's made using plastic screening (yes! We carry it!), a little bit of fabric and a zipper. Easy peasy. The pattern is Nancy Ota's Zip It! Screen Play II. This would be a great Christmas gift for your favorite quilter.

This is also a great gift idea- it's a bread bag made from the Bread Bagz for Everyday pattern by Cotton Ginnys. We have the fabric used on the front of the pattern at the shop. It's Metro Market by Robert Kaufman. It's just clucky.

We had some chances for show and tells this week- Liz came in with her completed Farmer's Wife quilt top. It's gorgeous! According to Liz, she did not use any fabric twice! That's pretty amazing. I've been collecting fabric to make my own FW top, I've got my templates printed and ready to go and it will be my depths of Winter project. Probably for the next 5 or 6 Winters, but who's counting?

Judy popped into Breakfast Club to show off her Winding Ways (or Wheel of Mystery) quilt. It is beautiful! You can always tell when Judy is in the shop- batiks are usually being auditioned in multiples until she picks just the right one for her project. Really, it's pretty fun to watch.

This signature coin quilt is a gift for her son's wedding anniversary. All of the muslin blocks have words of encouragement for the bride and groom written by their family and friends. What a thoughtful gift!

Speaking of Breakfast Club, this was our last time to gather around the tables and munch on tasty treats. Next year, Sherrie and I will present a new program- Block Busters! It's going to be a lot of fun but I am sure going to miss Barb bringing dessert for breakfast!

We finished up our breakfast "leftovers" for this class. Gale completed her Blueberry Garden table runner...

And a patriotic quilt for Soldier's Angels! Gorgeously red, white and blue.

Marge finished her Stuffed French Toast runner in time to get it on her Christmas morning table!

Barb brought an embroidered UFO to finish quilting. It is so cheery!

I bet any elf would be happy to live in such a cute cottage!

Rose shared the pillow covers she made for her eight sisters. Yes, eight! She quilted in a quilted in a quote for each sister in the place where they are in the family- the first sister's quote is in the upper left hand corner and the last sister's quote is in the lower right hand corner. Such a great idea! They are going to love them.

She also brought a completed Denver Omelet place mat. One down, five to go!

So, that's it from our little corner of the world. We'll say farewell to the Breakfast Gals and hello to some really fun new classes in the New Year. See that fluffy thing in the bottom right of the above photo? It's the start of a jelly roll confetti rug! That was my "leftover" project. They are so much fun to make and a great way to use up leftover long strips of fabric or a jelly roll that may not have been exactly what you wanted. What's that saying? Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without! This is the ultimate use-it-up project.

There are some really big things coming up for AST! Stay tuned so you'll be in the know before any one else!

After-Market Review, Version 1.0

2011-11-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

Was a hit! We had a great group of women join us this past Saturday morning ready and waiting to hear all about the cool stuff we found at Market!

Everyone was anticipating something good.

And, finally, it was time for Karen to introduce what we had all been waiting for- the goods!

What could possibly be said about all of this? Well, plenty!

Karen manned the Power Point presentation while Angela described each item.

Like the Bellanca Bag by Lila Tueller! Huge pockets inside and out and a sweet drawstring make this bag a must-have. Check out that fabric- It's Lila's Fiona's Fancy! located on the flower cart at the front of the shop.

You have to love Sherrie Curtis, who whipped up both of our Mondo Bag samples in a matter of days! Look how big they are! Both samples are made from batiks strips and can be found in the Batiki Lounge, along with the pattern and printed interfacing, which makes these bags a snap!

We only saw Pat Wys for a second at market- literally! But her book was everywhere! Every page is a treat for the eyes, the quilts are just gorgeous! Congratulations, Pat!

Wendy is hiding behind Steady Betty. What can we say about this product? It was everywhere at market, especially the Quick Points Ruler booth! You need something like Betty to hold onto all those prairie points, scallops and rick rack while you press them out.

What? you haven't seen the Quick Points Rulers yet? Angela and Wendy demonstrated how to make easy-peasy rick rack and prairie points. They can be made in a jiffy! And the scallop rulers have a super accessory- a little Teflon paddle that pushes out the curve and allows you to press it while the form is still inside. No more burned fingertips trying to keep that darn seam where it needs to be!

And to make those tiny cuts, you need Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Scissors! We offer both the 4" and 7 1/2" scissors. The serrated edges on these scissors make cutting a dream.

Wendy spoke about one her favorite Market picks- Simple Choices by Abbey Lane Quilts! She made the adorable Christmas quilt from the book, which offers 5 different blocks and motifs for side, from Moda's Countdown To Christmas! Cute, cute, cute.

This cute place mat was made by Karen DuMont of KariePatch Designs using her dimensional bowtie template. (Say that 5 times fast!) You can make all sorts of things from place mats to table runners or wall hangings. So many choices.

Everyone loves a good shirt and The New Camp Shirt from Taylor Made Designs is a great choice! It's classically tailored and comes with different sleeve lengths so they can be worn in every season of the year. The patterns are found in this handy book so you can make all of them!

That's just a small portion of what was shown at our review. If you didn't make it, we're sorry you missed it! We had such a lot of fun. But, fear not! We'll have another one after Spring market. Keep your calendars open! Really.

Gratitude and a Surprise Guest.

2011-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

On this Veteran's Day I am grateful for this boy coming home safely from a year in Iraq so that he can give me "The Look" when I take his picture. Because I can't seem to get enough of them- I missed this kid so much.

So to him, and to all of those who have served with him and before him, thank you, from the depths of my heart, for sacrificing your comfort, your homes, family dinners, hugs, your very lives. Really, thank you is not enough.

Coming at just the right time, Mary squares up a block made by Jean Anderson of Ohio for the Moda Made with Love Shop Challenge- 100 blocks, 100 days, 100 quilts.

Star blocks of all kinds were made by women (and men) from all over the country for this project. This block will be squared up, stitched together with others into a quilt and then sent to the Quilts of Valor Foundation who will, in turn, send it on to a soldier as a Thank You for their service.

We are so excited to be a part of this worthy cause.

So, now for something completely different-

We had a lovely surprise as Ellen Luckett Baker, of The Long Thread, popped in to visit the shop on Thursday! Not only does Ellen write this fabulous blog, she is the author of 1-2-3- Sew! for Chronicle Books, and she has designed her first line of fabric, called Quilt Blocks, for Moda, due out next spring. Plus, she has two young children to keep up with! Ellen is a local Atlanta gal, so we hope to see lots of her here at the shop. She is adorable and so sweet. I'm sure she just wanted to shop but I kept asking her questions about her work- her inspiration, how she designs, etc. You know, just so you can get to know her! So, click on The Long Thread and take a gander and then pop over to Moda to see her really cool new fabric line.

See you tomorrow for our 1st After-Market Review! There's going to be some really fun stuff to see. :)

More on the Floor.

2011-11-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Just in case you want more.....

A gorgeous rayon chenille scarf at the Olfa booth.Yum.

Loved these giant posies at the Daisy & Dell booth!

And look how cute their other stuff is, too!

Seriously adorable fabric ice cream cones and sweetly folded fat quarter packs at Jillily Studios booth.

More from Moda with samples from French General, Fig Tree Quilts and a basket of luscious jelly rolls.

Loved this display from Basic Grey! Their whole booth was total inspiration.

A stunning miniature churn dash quilt from Under the Garden Moon

Cute togs from Serendipity Studios! We carry their patterns, girls.

How about this amazing quilt? It was the first prize winner in the Jelly Roll competition from F&W Media International. And guess who won? Ready?

*
*
*
*

Really?
*
*
*

Are
*
*
*

you
*
*

*
ready?

*
*
*
*

It's our own Laura Coons and her Garden Walk quilt!! We were jumping up and down with excitement for her! At the time we photographed this Laura had no idea she had won. We're pretty good at keeping secrets.

Congratulations, Laura! They truly chose the very best!

The bright and cheery Power Pop booth.

Angela sitting in Ty Pennington's booth. We missed seeing him. It's probably a good thing though, otherwise I would have been picking Angela up off the floor.

Some cute new home dec projects from Kwik Sew.

And, finally, we really wanted to take off in this little roadster at the Michael Miller booth! I wonder if I could find a place in the shop for a display like this............Bahahahahahaha! I'm awake now.

There ya go- market in a nutshell! Phew. I'm tired all over again!

The Floor.

2011-11-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

You would have loved all of the beautiful booths at market. Really, they were an absolute feast for the eyes!

Just take a look:

Sweetwater, for Moda. Love that garland!

Don't Look Now! Hand-applique bliss.

Be Colorful! Gorgeous paper-pieced quilts.

Kathy Schmitz from her book French Inspiration for Artful Hands. Swoon.

Tom, our faithful Moda rep. What would we do without him? He makes sure we see all the great, new fabrics!

The Moda booth. A-dorable!

Blackbird designs for Moda. I so want that centerpiece.

The cutest new pajamas from Oliver and S. I think Emma needs some.

Luscious Lily and Will II from Bunny Hill Designs.

Homespun goodness from Edyta Sitar.

Who doesn't love Kansas Troubles?

Blue Hill fabrics made a booth you'd want to come home to.

Bright and fabulous- Pat Wys made quite a statement with her cheery booth! We know her!

So, I walked into this booth and told the girls that I could live there. It just read comfort to me. L.O.V.E.

Speaking of comfort- How about a Cuddle quilt? Or a headboard?

Dawn Farrier's Creative Station booth came complete with giant knitting needles and crochet hook! Just look at all of those possibilities for scraps.......

Sandy Henderson's booth featured lots of fun projects. She whipped up that umbrella from a vintage framework and her new cotton laminate.

Last, but not least, is Dana Brooks' a-mazing booth featuring her new line Knock! Knock! This line was Wendy's pick at market-when it's released, it will be in the shop! Dana's booth also won top prize at market. No doubt, huh?

So, as you can see, there was inspiration at every turn. Good thing, too. Gorgeous sights like this was a little shot of energy for us weary market travelers! Hope you enjoyed the market tour! Now to get back to all the happenings at the shop. I need to sneak the photos of strip club from someone. Gee, I hope they remembered to take some!

The Designers

2011-11-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most exciting things about market was meeting the people who design fabric and patterns! We had a chance to meet quite a few and they were all just really lovely.

This is Leesa Chandler, who has designed a beautiful fabric line called Passage to India for Robert Kaufman. (Click on the name to see the fabrics.) It is just gorgeous and was Karen's pick at market! Which means that, come January, we'll have a little bit of India on our shelves!

You know their patterns- like Perfect Ten and Grand Central. You know their book- Think Fast! Now you know what the Swirly Girls look like! That's Susan on the left and Christine on the right. They are super-duper talented and sweet to boot. We love the Swirly Girls!

Nothing like stalking someone as they are trying to leave market! Here's the very sweet Amy Bradley. Yes, that Amy Bradley- the one who creates patterns that Sherrie adores! We have a bunch hanging in the shop- stop by and see if they don't make you smile.

Are you a fan of the new Fiona's Fancy? Then you will love Lila Tueller! She is the one behind this beautiful line that you see right when you walk in the shop. It's one of my favorites for sure. Her booth was adorable and she served homemade iced sugar cookies to anyone who stopped by to visit! How sweet was that?

One of my favorite people to visit in Bloglandia is PamKittyMorning, otherwise known as Pam, stunt sewer for Alex Anderson! You can imagine how happy I was to finally meet her in person! She is a doll. And, she has her own line of fabric called, appropriately enough, PamKittyMorning for Lakehouse Dry Goods! You might actually find it on the shelves at the shop soon!

It seems that Angela and I were the designer stalkers at market! This is Jane Sassaman who designs for Free Spirit. Angela had to have her picture taken with her in her gorgeous booth!

Jane Nesbitt sits amongst her gorgeous Buggy Barn quilts! (Her partner-in-quilting, Pam, wasn't in the booth.) Do you see that one one the right? It's absolutely amazing in person. She was so nice to let me snap her photo, even of she didn't want to be in the picture. Did you know that they are featured in the new MaryJane's Farm magazine? It's a great article with fab pics and we have plenty of copies available at the shop.

Earlier this year, Michael Miller fabrics teamed up with Spoonflower and held a baby boy fabric design contest. There were hundreds of entries and, when the powers that be whittled it down to a chosen few, voting was open to the general public. Well, this cute girl pictured above was the winner! (And I just happened to have voted for her fabric designs!) Her name is Patty Sloniger and I think you are going to be hearing a lot about her! Congratulations, Patty! Will you be able to see what cuteness she designed? Absolutely! It will be coming to the novelty area as soon as it ships!

This girl happens to have designed my pick from market- September Light, by Lida Enche for In the Beginning fabrics. I loved everything about this fabric- the colors, the designs and the designer, who was the most humble, sweetheart of a girl. She showed us the paintings that she has done for her next line and they are amazing! She is quite a talent! I can't wait to get this in the shop and I hope that you will love it as much as I do!

The owner of this darling booth is Sandy Klop or, as you know her- American Jane, who designs for Moda! She always has such cheery colors and patterns in her fabric lines. Isn't she adorable?

This is Cindy Taylor Oates from Taylor Made Designs. She the brains behind the Sassy Skirts, Retro Aprons books, among others, and the Baby Cakes pincushion pattern! She's pretty sassy herself! We love her books at AST!

I thought I had a better picture of Edyta Sitar, the girl behind Laundry Basket Quilts, but then I realized that I took the best one with Angela's camera! Oh, well. Edyta is charming, sweet and soft-spoken and an absolute brilliant designer! Look for her Christmas batiks in the Batiki Lounge!

Last, but certainly not least, is the creative genius behind the Cozy Quilt Designs strip club patterns, Daniela Stout! Yes, that Daniela, whose quilt patterns have supported our stripping habits over the past 40 months! I think we need to start a petition to have Daniela come visit us at the AST strip club! What do you think?
Come to Georgia, Daniela! You know you'll have a great time. :)

Well, there you go- a few pics of some of the wonderful people who design the fabrics that inspire you to create beautiful things for you and your families. It's nice to be able to put a face with a name!
Tomorrow, pics of market booths! There are some amazing ones to be seen, including the first place winner for market! No,. I'm not going to tell you who it was. You'll have to come back and visit to see!

Do You Know the Kolache Man?

2011-11-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

I call this the survival photo because it was taken as we were leaving Market on Monday! We had such a good time but, boy, was it hard work. Trying to see everything, keep our thoughts straight, remember to go back to the vendors we thought had "the thing" for you well, it was a bit daunting. But we think we found some really cool stuff that will get your creative juices flowing!

Of course, all of that work requires some serious fuel to keep us going. Right around the corner from our hotel was this place:

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is a kolache. Deliciously sweet bread dough wrapped around a savory filling or topped with a sweet one.Wanna hear something a little disturbing? Between the four of us we ate 45 of them while we were in Houston! We ate them for breakfast every day and, on a couple of days, brought some along for our lunch! Oy.

Egg and potato, ham amd cheese, sausage and cheese, sausage, jalapeno and cheese, fruit, cream cheese- you name, they make it! Kolaches for everyone! Especially us.

In line, waiting our turn. It looks like Angela is dreaming of kolaches! Hmmm, which one did she choose?

Sausage and cheese!

So, now you know how we made it through market- lots of bread and meat!

Oh, and doughnuts. Because when we weren't at the Kolache Factory, we were at Shipley's eating their kolaches and homemade buttermilk doughnuts.

Houston, we loved ya but you were oh-so-bad for us! I hope that by next year someone has built a salad-for-breakfast place!

Come back tomorrow to see photos of market! It was much better than the food.

These Little Piggies Are...........

2011-10-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

Going to Market!!

We're gonna miss you but

we'll be back at work next Tuesday with the scoop!

See you then!

A Treat and Retreat Weekend.

2011-10-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

The shop has been bustling all week!

Wednesday morning found the Breakfast Club girls gathered in the classroom to make Denver Omelets. Yum- both for the food and the quilting! We had fun. Marge showed us the progress she has made on her Raspberry Crepes. quilt. She chose to make the queen size so it might be a while before she finishes it!

Not to worry, our last meeting is Breakfast Club Leftovers and we'll be finishing off any UFO's in our project box.

Barb finished her Blueberry Garden table runner in super cheery batiks. Cute, cute, cute! I think Barb has finished most all of the Breakfast Club projects. I wonder what she'll work on next month? It doesn't really matter as long as she brings those chocolate cheesecakes again. ;)

This sweet Easy Stripe table runner is a birthday gift for a friend. I can't tell you which friend because that would spoil the surprise!

I don't know how I missed taking a picture of Rose, Barb's friend. Oh, wait! Yes I do- my camera battery died right after I took pictures of these adorable house blocks! Rose made the mobile home, the Waffle House, the bird house and....

the igloo and the lighthouse! How cute are these? It's part of a block swap with some of her friends. Lucky friends! My fave? The Waffle House, of course!

Thursday morning found the classroom filled with quilters anxious to begin making their Circular Bargello quilts with Peggy Barkle! yep, she came back to guide these brave women through each step. She says it is really very easy- it just looks hard. I'll let you judge for yourself:

Georganne and Peggy pondering color placement.

Harriette's strips stacked in piles after being cut into wedges.

Questions? Peggy has all the things you need to know tucked up in her brain. And, she's really good about sharing!

Insert the hum of multiple sewing machines here.

and here.

And the sounds of wheels turning here. Lots of wheels turning.

Ack! I forget whose strips these are.

So, what happens to cheeky Faberellas when they take your photo and plaster it all over Facebook? They get their picture taken randomly and placed on the blog. Ahahahahaha!

Back to the bargellos. Lynn's on the table and.....

Lynn's on the wall. Scrumptious.

Harriette's on the wall. In less than one day, this is what was produced. Amazing!

Pat's gorgeous bargello. It is just divine.

Lynne's citrus-y beauty made in oranges and greens. Yumaliscious.

Some of those taking Peggy's class joined us for the October Quilter's Retreat. What is Quilter's Retreat? Two fabulous days of nothing but chatting, sewing and munching! Serious chatting, sewing and munching.

Mary facilitates the retreat, offering guidance when needed. She also does a bang-up job of checking people in and making sure they get their treats! This month's is an AST Quilter's Retreat luggage tag. It's super cute. And only for retreaters. Now, don't you want to come?

The girls from Florida get settled in at their table. They call themselves the F.A.R.T.S. Yes, they do. It stands for the Fabric Acquisition Road Trip group. I think the "S" should stand for sisters. You can tell they are all great friends.

Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

Show offs! Carol stands proudly next to her latest quilt. I think it's pretty sweet, don't you?

I could not resist taking a few shots of the sewing world's unsung heroes- pins. What would we do without them?

They are just so darn cute.

And, apparently, prolific.

Kris spent her birthday at retreat and Mary made sure that she had Happy Birthday sung to her and received a little present from the shop. What a great way to spend your birthday!

The other Kris came by to show us his latest quilts, because he will not be able to come to Strip Club next month. He just bought a house! It's going to be full of quilts in no time. Like this sweet Mary Engelbreit Christmas quilt.

And this stunning back and white quilt made as a block of the month from Quilts and Fixin's.

And, his Love and Comfort quilt from last month's Strip Club. It is gorgeous. Hmm, who chose that pop of raspberry? :)

So, there you have it. A week at AST all tied up in one tidy photo-filled package. Don't you want to come and join in on the fun? You can- just click here and peruse our calendar to see if there is a class that will suit your fancy. I'm sure there is.

A Sewing Renaissance

2011-10-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

You know how much I love to see what our customers make, don't you? Any time a new quilt or project comes in is my favorite time of the day at the shop. Truly.

Patricia came by to show us the absolutely gorgeous Renaissance dresses she had made. Oh, wait! She did not make both of them. Nope.

She did make this one:

Swoon! How rich is that color? And the trim? Spot on!

This little blue charmer was made by the 12 year old girl that Patricia is teaching how to sew!

It's beautiful. I can only imagine the fun that 83 year-old Patricia has with her 12 year-old student! Plus, to have that wealth of knowledge at your fingertips is awesome for any one learning how to sew.

See that cute crocheted hat that Patricia is wearing? Well, it was made by the 12 year-old's little brother! He made it especially for Miss P, even to the flower and attaching it to the right place. Thank you, Patricia, for sharing your knowledge with these two young people. You are giving them a greater gift than they will ever know.

Go, Jackets!

(Oh, gee whiz, don't let my husband read this! I'll be banished from every Georgia game for the rest of the season!)

See the cute Darlene standing behind her quilt? I know, you hardly can! It's because this quilt is so huge! And that yellow jacket? She copied it at the Chik-Fil-A where they happened to have one drawn on their window! Just the right size and everything. How's that for providence?

Darlene does not do anything small. Ever. Each of her quilts are one-of-a-kind, made specifically with someone in mind and, big. She's a gem, that girl.

Now, I have a question for you? What would you do with these two fabrics?

I know what I'm going to do with them and, in a few days, you will, too!

I know, I'm such a tease!

Bring and Brag- Again!

2011-10-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

Kathleen and her husband stopped by the shop to show off the beautiful quilts that she made. They are being sent to her brother's granddaughters in Norway! They are two very lucky little girls. Just look at these quilts!

This simple patchwork quilt got a hefty dose of awesome from the addition of those raw-edged applique posies! Oh, my gosh- it's just divine!

The little dinosaur sure packs a wallop with cheery colors and tons of fab embroidery! I love those little prehistoric cuties!

Well done, Kathleen! You're grandnieces are going to love having these cozy quilts to wrap themselves in during the cold Norwegian nights! You've given them such a treasure. :)

Strip Club Saturday

2011-10-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

A chilly Saturday in Georgia? Yes! At last! Of course, there's nothing better to do on that kind of morning than to go to strip club! Here's a shot of our strippers-

and from the other side. We have such a great group!

First order of business was show and tell. Ann shared her Take 5 made in beautiful lavenders and greens. I love how soft and gentle this quilt is.

She also made this beautiful embroidered Santa banner! If it's missing after Christmas, I'd start looking for it in the North Pole, Ann!

Ginny finished her Braidworks quilt and it is gorgeous! I love how the cream shows off all the colors.

Here's our newest stripper, Kris! He wowed us with his show and tell quilts. First up is a batik Fractions by the Row quilt. It's amazing! You should see the back- it's as perfect as the front!

And, a very cheerful Twister quilt made with a Just Wing It! layer cake and a stripe from our clearance area. It's. Just. Awesome. Welcome to Strip Club, Kris!

What's this? Another Twister quilt? Yes! Angie's son chose the fabrics for this one. Didn't he do a great job?

Angie is always bringing cute stuff. This is an Amy Bradley wall hanging called Have a Happy, Scrappy Day!

The little yellow kitty is Angie's cat, Cheddar.

How about her Trees for Sale quilt? I have loved every single one that's been made. Gee, I should finish mine. Maybe then I will love it. ;)

Angie took the Twisted Bargello class with Peggy Barkle and just look at how her quilt turned out! Oh, my gosh- it's stunning!

Georgianne came armed with a new tote bag made with a Catkin panel. Did you know she designs her own patterns? And guess what! Georgianne is going to be teaching a bag class early next year! How awesome is that?

Stephanie's beautiful Braidworks quilt made with yummy cocoa browns. Can't you see yourself cozied-up under this on a cold Autumn night?

I love how Jennifer just plows into a project. She took Debbie Coursey-Prah's paper piecing class and made this fab Snail's Train block. Look at how perfect it is!

Her Trees for Sale is done! Jennifer used Wintergraphix by Jason Yenter for her quilt. It's so pretty.

You can hardly see her, but she's all smiles with her Braidworks quilt. The red looks really nice, Jen. :)

Barbara was in last week's Pepper Cory string-pieced quilt class. (Say that 5 times fast!) You can tell she had a lot of fun in that class! Her little quilt is positively delightful, just like Barb!

Lynn is our other over-achiever (in a good way!) I just don't know how she gets everything done!

This is a little place mat that she made for her daughter. Sweet!

Lynn also took Pepper Cory's string-pieced quilt class and made this knockout. And, she just started quilting in April- of this year. I know, I know......

The adorable Sandy shared her Show Me Your fat Quarters quilt that she made during our September retreat. She does the most lovely work. Have you been to one of our retreats? You must! They are so much fun! October's is full but there is still room for our January retreat. You must join us.

Ack! Who is this? Oh, it's me. This is the Itty Bitty Twister quilt I made for my granddaughter's 1st birthday. I kitted out an Ikea doll bed with a fluffy mattress, homemade linens and this quilt. It nearly killed me. Those little blocks are 1 inch square! Are you kidding me? But, it was fun to make.

After show and tell, Sherrie guided us through the pattern for October's strip club quilt. She does such a great job giving us all the tips and tricks that she used to make the sample. Wanna see it?

This months' quilt is called Love and Comfort. Made in soft, pretty pinks, it is our nod to breast cancer awareness. If you have a friend or family member who's life has been touched by this terrible disease, you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Why not stop by and pick up a strip set and a pattern and give someone you cherish a little Love and Comfort. You'll be happy you did!

The Easy Road Home.

2011-09-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is a little pattern I designed a while ago. I called it The Easy Road Home because it's so stinkin' simple! Wendy quilted it for me and she did such a beautiful job. The fabric is Nest by Valori Wells for Free Spirit. It would be pretty done in her new Wrenly line, too! Or anything, really. The world's your oyster!

This pattern is available as a free pattern with fabric purchase at the shop. So, really, there's no excuse not to make one!

Bargello With a Twist of Barkle.

2011-09-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

Who has these women hanging on her every word?

Peggy Barkle, of course!

And why?

So they could work their magic in making a Twisted Bargello quilt!

It all starts with choosing 20 fabrics and then arranging them on a story board.

After that, you cut strips. Lots of strips. And sew them together.

Measure and cut and sew.

And cut and sew some more. And before you know it, you have this:

And this:

Or, how about this?

Or this?

And, then, there's this one.

And this one.

More? Okay!

By the end of the day most of the women had at least this much of their quilt made. I find that to be an extraordinary feat.

To take something as simple as strips and stitch them into this is an absolute wonder.

Peggy said she could teach any beginner to make this quilt and I believe her.

This group had such a good time that a lot of them are going to do it again, this time in

Peggy's Circular Bargello class.

I can't wait to see how those quilts turn out!

September Strip Club

2011-09-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

I bet you thought this post would never show up! Me, too. Just having a little problem loading the photos- they loaded wherever they wanted to! But, at least they're here.

Let's see who had something to show-off this month.

Lynne came to share her Trees for Sale quilt she made at the Sassy Scarlets club. How adorable is this?

And this tool-themed Take 5 quilt which is for one of her grandsons.

The fabulous Peggy Barkle came to help some of the girls choose their fabrics for her upcoming Twisted Bargello class and to show off her Zentangle-inspired mini quilt. Have you Zentangled? It's a whole lot of fun and this quilt is just super.

Karen showed off the newest bundle quilt designed by Laura Coons. It's called Border Patch and uses, fittingly, one of our border bundles. Love it!

So, here's next month's quilt. I told you that things were loading randomly! Honestly.

Isn't this gorgeous? The pattern is Braid Works. Angela and Wendy had a great time choosing Autumn colors to make this quilt stand out. You can find it hanging in the shop!

And, in case you're having trouble remembering how it all goes together, here's Sherrie's story board!

Okay, back to show and tell.

Georgianna has been making bags again. Beautiful bags, as always.

Angela, we need a bag class!

Jennifer and her son proudly display her Schnibbles and Bits Club quilts. Wow, say that five times, fast!

Barb and her beautiful Lotus Blossom table topper. She really does love it. I just need to get these girls to smile for the camera!

Like this. That's better! This is Barb's Breakfast Club project from August. Wait until you see September's!

Colleen went the extra mile and beyond with her Hash Browns quilt from July. Oh. My. Gosh! This quilt is stunning! Great job, Colleen. :)

Well, hello there, Lynn and her extraordinary Lotus Blossom quilt!

And Stonehenge quilt, and.....

her "practice" Circular Bargello. Really, this girl is amazing.

So is Deanna, who shared her Power Serge table topper!

Sandy completed her Wine Country top with absolute perfection.

So, there you have it! Another month full of incredible quilts made with love and some pretty amazing talent.

How about that?

Show Offs, Part 2

2011-08-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ah, Breakfast Club. We have such a good time there! How could we not? Good food, lovely company and quilting. It's the perfect combination.

Barbara finished her Diamond Scones quilt and it is F.A.B! Love those purples, greens and blues. Yum

Raspberry Crepes, Laurel Burch style.

What a great way of getting out of making a ton of those little strips. ;)

Ann is hiding behind her gorgeous Christmas Raspberry Crepes table runner. Lovely!

This month's quilt was called Stuffed French Toast. We munched on all things stuffed- Danish stuffed with fruit and cheese, French toast stuffed with cream cheese (not my favorite) and Oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies. Really- look.

I actually ate one. And I don't like Oreos or chocolate chip cookies.

Carmen was totally focused on piecing together her first block. She chose some really beautiful batiks.

And Sherrie showed off that first block for her! Man, I love that green. And the purple.

Marge showed off her so-so cute table runner that she made with the cutest chicken fabric ever.
It's just clucky. (I know, I know. That was bad.)

After breakfast Club was over I popped into the shop to find Ginny showing off her Jelly Roll 1600 quilts. Have you heard about them? You can watch a video here. I have my jelly roll picked out and ready to go!

Seriously, how cute are they?

They made Linda deliriously happy. :)

Ginny also made the cover quilt from the Autumn Fons and Porter Easy Quilts magazine. It's total candy corn adorableness. And those prairie points? They just make me happy. (But not as happy as Linda.)

Last, but not least, Jennifer popped in with her Darcy quilt from Mary's Schnibbles and Bits class. It's so bright and cheery, just like Jennifer.

I'll be back at work tomorrow, with my camera battery charged. You know the drill- come on by and bring something for show and tell.

Show Us Your Stuff.

2011-08-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

Some of our favorite people stopped by the shop to show off their latest projects! We love when they do that. It's so much fun to see what's being created in their sewing rooms!

Barbara made this adorable little quilt for her grandson.

I bet looking at those pictures is going to keep him busy for hours. :)

Lisa Marie made her Katie Cupcake My Favorite Bag in batiks. It's pink and purple lusciousness!

This is Ron. This is Ron's quilt. This is the quilt Ron said he would make when he retired. It's a fabulous version of Yellow Brick Road. Um, Ron, we can't wait for you to bring in your next quilt!

Last but not least, Mary Frances brought in a quilt that she made for her daughter about 25 years ago. The colors are so soft and sweet and the hand quilting is magnificent! What is she up to now? Well, Mary Frances is going to make a bigger version of the same quilt!

I can't wait to see it!

Don't forget to bring your latest project by the shop! We'll snap your photo and put you here on the blog. You'll be famous. :)

The Sparkle of Peggy Barkle.

2011-08-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

Do you ever meet somone and instantly like them? That's how I felt meeting Peggy Barkle last Saturday. She is so nice, so calm, so talented, so gorgeous, so nice. Wait, I said nice twice. Well, that's because she is!

While I was in the classroom taking photographs, Peggy asked each of her students, individually, how long they have been quilting and what they love about it. And then, she listened. In fact, everyone listened over the background hum of their sewing machines working on the Curvaceous Cabins they had come to make.

Everyone who came loved this class. Productivity was high as was creativity!

Lynn's lovely Asian-inspired cabins.

Shirley making sure every cut is just so.

Busy, busy, busy.

Everyone's blocks came together perfectly.

Every.

Single.

One.

Time for me to go so these girls could finish what they started!

We have two more classes being taught by Peggy this Fall-

Twisted Bargello on September 15 and

Circular Bargello on October 20.

(Just click on the link and then change the calendar to the appropriate month.)

You'll want to be there!

What Else Do You Do in the Dog Days of August?

2011-08-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

It has been so stinkin' hot here in Georgia. Upper 90's, some 100's. Just awful. So, to counteract the heat, the Scarlet Strippers gathered together to cool off and show off!

Georgianna came in ready to shop with her new bag that she made! It's adorable. Lovely, juicy colors and superb craftsmanship. I think we need a bag class, don't you? ;) ;)

Sherrie was up early and brought Windows to the World, Laura's newest bundle pattern! If you know Sherrie you know, when she has a choice, it's going to be batiks. Good thing we've started making batik bundles! They're a steal at $40 and they. are. gorgeous!

And if you really know Sherrie, you know how much she loves Amy Bradley designs. This little cutie is available as a free pattern just for our AST shoppers! It can say anything you want but we thought you'd like to know how much we love you.

Dr. Seuss was on the loose at Lynne's house this past month. Good thing she caught all those crazy characters and got them pinned down in this adorable quilt!

Do you remember Picture Frames from January? Here's Lynne's KING sized version. No wonder it too her so long to get it made! It's really very pretty and worth the wait.

Deanna, the Serger Queen struck again with this amazing Honeyberries quilt! If you click on the photo you can see the detail. It made what, to me, was a so-so quilt and transformed it into something awesome!

And, she got her Hashbrowns Christmas quilt done! Her dining table is going to sparkle and shine this coming Christmas. Oh, and check out the tassels- she made them!

I love Barb. She pretty much tells it like it is and does it as she want to get it done. Which is why her Hashbrowns quilt isn't Hashbrowns- it's a log cabin! And it is positively gorgeous!

After show and tell it's time to get down to business. The girls all had their strips in hand, a pattern to read and Sherrie lead them through the instructions to make yet another beautiful quilt for their collections.

Have you seen lotus blossoms? There is a pond near my house that has been taken over by them. Every year, starting in May and going through July, the lotus blossoms appear like pink popcorn. Each day is a new show and I can't help but stop and snap a photo or two. (Or three or ten...) If you love them as much as I do.......

you are going to love August's strip club quilt!

It's called Lotus Blossom and it's done in luscious bright batiks! You should have seen the choices for background and accent colors - there are going to be some stunning quilts next month!

Don't forget to come by and see them.

Tomorrow? How about a few snaps from Peggy Barkle's Curvaceous Cabins class? Yes? Okay!

Sew. Much. To. Catch. Up. On.

2011-08-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

If you've been by the shop you know I've been back a while. Sorry for not posting. We have been so busy at the shop getting ready for the big birthday sale, making fab new batik bundles and bringing out new fabrics that I have hardly had time to take a picture!

I did get a chance to snap Suzette with her gorgeous Round Robin quilt. She and three friends took one year to complete this project giving each of them time to mull over what they wanted to include on their friend's quilts. Suzette made the center block and then it was passed along not to be seen for almost 365 days. That's a long time to wait but it was totally worth it! Click on the photo to make it bigger so you can see how talented these women are.

Last Friday brought the adorable Jennie Weaver down from the Northside for our Sassy Scarlets class. We had a ball making Trees for Sale! I love this pattern. You really should join us- we'll be working on this quilt again in September!

Here's Wendy cutting out her pieces.....

and her completed blocks using a Jovial layer cake by Basic Grey.

She wasn't the only one who chose this beautiful line. Lynne chose it for her blocks-

and so did Teresa!

and they all turned out differently. Every single one.

Jennifer chose to make hers from Jason Yenter's Wintergraphix line. Scrumptious.

Look at those cute dots and swirls, will you?!

Nancy picked her fabrics from her stash to make her blocks. Classic Christmas.

See? She must have one awesome stash.

Tracey attended last month's class and started her Trees for Sale done in animal prints while there and finished it and did not bring it to show us! I hope she remembers it next month because all of us are dying to see it. Instead, she had a Christmas version nearly completed and finished it in class!

Jennie helped her lay out the blocks and in no time they had this:

Lov-er-ly!

Just in case you think all I did was take pictures, I will share my blocks.

I used a Punctuation (by American Jane) layer cake from the shop. I agonized over what I was going to use and picked this the day before class. Nice, huh? I actually really like how they are turning out (after a few surgical procedures with the seam ripper, that is.) Now I just have to finish them. Because I know Wendy already has hers done. Not that there's any competition here. ;)

Tomorrow I'll have our show and tell from strip club plus some shots of Peggy Barkle's Curvaceous Cabins class. Say that five times fast.

Hi-ho, hi-ho...

2011-07-19T04:25:00.000-07:00

It's off to Massachusetts I go! I am on my way out the door to take a trip with my dad, my sister and my niece to go visit family back home in New England.
I know that there's going to be lots of stuff happening at the shop- I hope someone remembers to take photos!!
See you next week. :)

Women of Valor

2011-07-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday found the classroom at AST filled with women with a common purpose- making quilts for the Quilts of Valor program. It is a wonderful program. Here is their mission statement:

The mission of the QOV Foundation is to cover ALL those service- members and veterans touched by war with Wartime Quilts called Quilts of Valor (QOVs).This foundation is not about politics. It's about people.

Here's a little history behind QOV.

Why Quilts of Valor?
Blue Star mom Catherine Roberts, began the Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOVF) from her sewing room in Seaford, Delaware. Her son Nathanael’s year-long deployment to Iraq provided the initial inspiration, and her desire to see that returning warriors were welcomed home with the love and gratitude they deserved, provided the rest.
She hit upon the idea that linking quilt-toppers with machine quilters in a national effort could achieve her goal of coverall all returning service men and women touched by war. These wartime quilts, called Quilts of Valor (QOV’s), would be a tangible reminder of an American’s appreciation and gratitude. Since 2003, QOVF has become a national grassroots community service effort, connecting the home-front with our wounded combat warriors and veterans.
QOV’s are stitched with love, prayers and healing thoughts. Combat troops who have been wounded or touched by war are awarded this tangible token of appreciation that unequivocally says, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor.”
A Quilt of Valor is a generous lap-sized quilt (minimum of 55 X 65) made by a quilt-topper (the piecer) of quality fabrics and beautiofully quilted by a longarmer. After it has been bound, washed, labeled and wrapped in a presentation case, it is ready to be awarded. Quilts are awarded at many different levels: they may go to military hospitals where Chaplains award them to service members; there may be presentations of QOV’s to entire service units returning from combat deployments; they may be awarded at VA’s or presented individually. But no matter how a Quilt of Valor is given, the impact it delivers is unequivocal. As one recipient said “My quilt isn’t another military medal to be placed in a box and sit on my shelf. I was moved to tears.”
– SSgt RC, US Army, Iraq ‘05
Just how much of an impact has the Quilts of Valor Foundation made? As of February, 2011 there have been over 37,000 quilts awarded to service members/veterans.
So the answer to “Why Quilts of Valor?” is this: It is a wonderful form of National Service and anyone can do it!
National Service starts at home. Make a Quilt of Valor!

The valiant women who came to sew were from our local quilt guild, the Busy Needles.

They came ready to chat,

to laugh,

and work,

all done with a smile.

A vintage Featherweight pulled its weight as it was commissioned to sew, sew, sew.

Red, white and blue prevailed at each sewing station.

Nothing could stop these women. Nothing.

Red, white, blue and stars- just lovely.

Mary even came in on her day off to help.

Three cheers, to all of you who gave up your Wednesday to bring comfort to others.

You are all awesome. :)

Bring and Brag!

2011-07-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

One thing is for sure- when our customers come in the door with a quilt or other project they've completed, someone will be dashing off for their camera! We love to see them!

Here's Carol and her fantabulous purse made from this adorable shoe fabric. Love that big flower!

She is very, very clever.

Here's April, with Karen (aka Cookie or Cookie-Candy-Cricket) and her amazing hand-appliqued quilt. This is going to be a wedding gift for her niece and her soon-to-be husband. What a lucky couple!

Virgina (on the right) brought in a wedding ring quilt top made by her mother. She thinks it was made about 20 or so years ago. It is very pretty with lots of soft colors. Her friend, Yvonne, came along to help her choose a backing and binding for her quilt. What a good friend and what a beautiful quilt!

This is Jimmie who came to knock our socks off with her beautiful Crazy Curves quilt! Every single quilt that has come in from that class has been incredible. It's awesome, Jimmie, we can't wait to see your next quilt!

Pat is a bundle of energy andis alays so excited about starting her newest quilt. This one is made with Riley Blake's Play Ball. It's a simple strip quilt with big impact! Love those baseball mitts and baseballs!

Sweet Mona came in with her Katy Cupcake My Favorite Bag. Look at how cute this is! She chose Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas line to make her bag. I bet this goes on lots of Santa lists!

So, have you made anything lately? Bring it in, we'll snap your photo and post it here so your friends and family can see what you've been creating! One of us always has a camera ready.

Stripward, Ho, Ho, Ho!

2011-07-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July and Christmas a little early at AST with an explosion of beautiful quilts! The Scarlet Strippers have been busy bees so far this summer and it doesn't look like they are going to stop any time soon.

This is Angie's Harvest quilt from last month, all nicely quilted and bound. Wait until you see the back-

Ready?

How gorgeous is this? Angie had to use some math to enlarge the pattern and it turned out perfectly!

I think she learned everything from her sewing machine. ;)

Colleen stunned us with her beautiful French braid quilt with.......

hand appliqued flowers! Each one took about three hours to complete. That is a true labor of love. Wait until you see what she does with the July quilt. Shhhh, it's a secret. But, you are going to love it!

Yay, Stephanie! She made the quilt from last month using the Wine Country pattern. It looks completely different done with that brilliant blue background. We all loved it, every single one of us.

And how about Harvest made with a dark blue background? It's like looking out at your flower garden at twilight. It's just lovely, Stephanie!

Sweet Sandy hid behind her newest Twister quilt made using a Lollipop layer cake by Sandy Gervais for Moda. Cute, cute, cute.

And then she hid behind her All Stars quilt! I think she just wanted us to see how amazing it is with a purple background. Really, really pretty.

Have you had a chance to look at Annie's Farm Stand? We have about 100 bolts of this lusciousness waiting to be made into something wonderful. Like, for instance, this Basket Case quilt, displayed by Wendy. (And someone else who is hiding. We have the most modest strippers.) Harriette made this quilt using the Annie's strip set and the Pattern Basket's super-cute pattern. I've already snagged my strips! You'd better hurry to get yours!

So, what will we be making for our Christmas in July strip club quilt?

How about this?

It's Hashbrowns, using Anna Griffin's Georgette Christmas line. It is quite a departure from the traditional red and green that we normally associate with Christmas. Soft golds and shimmery silvers are the hallmark of this line. Accented with a black satiny background, this is the perfect quilt or highlighting embroidery- either by hand or machine!

I so cannot wait to see what the girls do with this quilt. I'm on pins and needles!

Come back by because we've had a lot of customer bring 'n' brags lately. Everyone has been sewing up a storm!

That's such a good thing.

Let's Meet the Lovely Laura Coons!

2011-07-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Ready to get to know a little bit more about AST's sweetheart and bundle queen, Laura Coons? Well, then, read on!

This is the place you can usually find her when she comes to the shop- in front of the bundle quad! Every single one of those bundles is full of potential and Laura has a way of seeing beyond that tidy little packet to a new and beautiful quilt!

When did you learn to sew and who taught you?
Though I learned to sew when I was younger, I didn't really take to it at first. I remember making a round pillow in Home Economics in Middle School, but I never made any clothes. I did watch my Mom sometimes when she would sew clothes, so I guess you could say I learned from my Mom and my Home Ec teacher.

All Squared- Laura's first bundle pattern!

How long have you been quilting?

I have been quilting for three years now. My Mom had been trying to convince me for several years before that, and I finally gave in and, I love it! Mom has been a great teacher... always giving me pointers and advice. It's great to share a hobby with her. I love piecing tops, and I'm looking forward to improving on the actual quilting part!

How long have you been designing your own quilts?

I have been designing quilts for about a year and a half. I first started out with graph paper and colored pencils, and quickly became frustrated with the amount of time it took. Also, I wasn't able to modify the block once it was down. So, about a year ago, I purchased EQ7 (the Electric Quilt software), and my designing took off! The software is truly amazing, and I keep finding new features on it every week.

Stars and Stripes- perfect for the your Independence Day picnic!

From where does your inspiration come?

Well, firstly, I must give credit to God. He has blessed me with so much and I truly believe some of the inspiration comes directly from Him. I also get inspired by the fabrics and quilts that I see in stores and magazines. I always have to put my spin on it, though, which I guess could be good or bad. I took Mary's Stashbuster's class, and while I did use the technique she taught, I ended up rearranging the little pieces into something uniquely different! That's just who I am, and I'm thankful Mary was okay with it.

The back of stars and Stripes. A clever use of two bundles makes this quilt back as beautiful as the front!

What part of the process do you most enjoy?

I love seeing a design come together after several modifications. I'm also a math geek, so I really love trying to work either five yards (i.e. the bundle) or forty strips (i.e the jelly roll) of fabric into one quilt top. It's challenging at times, but seeing the design come to life as I piece the top is truly rewarding.

Do you envision a color/fabric scheme before you start a design or do you

wait to see how it evolves?

I wait and see how it evolves on most quilts. All Square has gone through several color schemes. But that's what great about the EQ7 software. You can import fabric swatches from the manufacturer's websites and plug it right into your quilt. So, for any one quilt pattern, I can literally test a dozen different lines of fabric.

XOXO- the second bundle pattern in the series. Yes, I said series!

You're a busy mom of three children, how do you find the time to create?

I have a great family, and they know that sometimes Mom needs to sew. My husband is just the best, and he occasionally gives me the time I need by taking the kids on hikes and adventures. But also, I'm the type of person that lives by the expression, "Early to bed, early to rise, make a person healthy, wealthy, and wise." I'm usually in bed by 9:30, so I wake up each day by 5:30 A.M. Most of my best designs come together before the kids wake up!

Into the Garden- a pattern and quilt designed exclusively for Laura's mom from one of our bundles!

We know (and love!) that you design the new bundle quilt patterns at AST.

Do you have other patterns available and where can we buy them?

I do have other five-yard patterns, and they are available on my Etsy website: quiltlakeside.etsy.com

I am also branching out into Jelly Roll patterns. I have entered two into a competition, and if they don't make the final selection this month, I will make those available as well!

Do you have any other hidden talents?

I play piano and I was a gymnast growing up!

There you have it! Everything you need to know about Laura and her fabulous designs! Thank you so much, Laura, for taking time to answer a few questions for us and giving us a peek into your creative world!

Fabulous Freebie from PKM!

2011-06-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

I just love PamKittyMorning! She's sassy. She's spunky. But, most of all, she's very, very talented.

I mean really, look at this!

Oh, swoon, sigh. The tiny gingham. The roses. The rickrack. Perfection.

Hop on over to PKM and tell her, "Hello." And then download that adorable potholder.

It will make you so happy.

The Meet, Greet and Retreat Event!

2011-06-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Were you there? Oh, my goodness! We had the best time!

For what, you ask? AST's very first Meet, Greet and Retreat reception.

It. Was. Awesome.

There were lots of our AST friends in attendance.

Who noshed on some delicious hors d'oeuvres..

Really delicious hors d'oeuvres.

And then we got down to the nitty gritty of the day- talking about the first ever

AST Quilter's Retreat on July 22nd and 23rd.

Just to make sure every one was paying attention, we threw in a few door prizes. We didn't even know what the prizes were! They were a big secret except for the grand prize which was a sewing machine cleaning by Ken! Carol Miller was the lucky winner of that prize!

Well, that got their attention!

Although, Andy Taylor just didn't quite get what all the hoopla was about.

The main reason for the reception was to inform you about the Quilter's Retreat. Silly us! You must have already known how good is is going to be because it is full, full, full! Not one space left!

Mary, who will facilitate the retreat, filled everyone in on the need-to-knows like what you'll have for breakfast and lunch; that you can bring all of your UFO's and get 'em done; the fact that if you run out of something during the retreat, the shop is right there for you during business hours and that you'll be sewing with some of the best people in Georgia!

The wallflowers (aka our club teachers) wait for their turn to share what they love about the clubs at AST.

Hey, there's Mary again!

This is her Christmas style Stashbuster's Club quilt for July! Don't you want to come make one?

And here is the quilt for August. The pattern is called Suagr Bowl and it is adorable. I need a stash so I can come to Stashbuster's!

Here's Sherrie and me chatting about Breakfast Club! Boy, do we have a good time. If you have ever come to sew with us you know that Sherrie always has her quilts pieced, quilted, bound and out of the oven and mine are still in the mixing bowl. I just like to make you all feel good.

Sherrie pulled this beautiful Christmasy version of Raspberry Crepes out of the magic oven for July.

Beeeee-utiful! Oh, and if you come join us, Angela is making the crepes! How cool is that?

What? Mary again? This is her Darcy quilt done in 3 Sister's Grace Christmas line. This little charmer is for the July Schnibbles and Bits Club!

And here's Happy Daze, the quilt for August. There's two versions- one with pinwheels and one without so you get to choose which style you want to make. Easy-peasy or a bit more involved.

This is our newest club teacher, Jennie Weaver of our Sassy Scarlets. She is a doll and an absolute bundle of energy! Pictured above is the June/July quilt, Hanky Panky! Do you remember I wrote about it a few posts ago. You know, the one where I made all my stinkin' blocks backwards?

If you loved Hanky Panky, then you will really love Trees for Sale, the August/September quilt. It uses a freezer paper method and is just. so. cute.

This is October/Novenber's quilt. Ack! I can't remember the name of it! Let's just call it A-mazing!

Once we finished our parts, there was still more to do! Everyone made their way to sign up for the clubs of their choice where they received a $10 Club Cash coupon for each one they signed up for. $10 to use on anything in the shop! See, it pays to come to events at AST!

Jennie offered a door prize for anyone who signed up for the Sassy Scarlets and Nancy was the lucky winner of a handy sewing organizer to keep by her sewing machine! Congratulations, Nancy!

One of the highlights of the event was the introduction of our Feature Teacher- Laura Coons! Laura has designed our newest bundle patterns and they are just beautiful! Each one was created using EQ7 and Laura will be teaching a class on how to navigate your way through it in July! (Yes! I so need that class.) She will also be offering a free class on her new Mission frames pattern. You will not want to miss it!

Come back by next week when I will devote an entire post to this sweet, talented girl.

She's the bee's knees.

Many thanks to Angela, Mary and Karen, for organizing such a fabulous event! It was great!

How About a Bit of Breakfast?

2011-06-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmm, looks delicious, doesn't it?

Mary's hash brown breakfast pizza casserole!

And Karin's Apricot and Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels,

And Barbara's Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecakes.

Plus a lot of perfectly put-together fabrics....

Stacks and stacks of it!

All combined together for a perfect recipe of

Sewing and

Friends!

You really need to come to Breakfast Club!

Disclaimer- I would have had a photo of the upcoming Breakfast Club quilt but it somehow mysteriously disappeared! Seriously- Poof! It was gone.

Don't forget to stop by the shop tomorrow and visit the "Southern Goodness" booth! Diane will be stocked with fresh-picked veggies and her absolutely fabulous Hot Squash Relish! She'll be there right when the shop opens. Bring your own crackers and cream cheese so you can have lunch on the way home. You'll really, really want to - trust me. :)

Strip Club & Show and Tell. NOT the same thing!

2011-06-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my trip to Florida to see my sister and her family. You can read about my whirlwind trip here, if you'd like. We all had a blast.
I know I'm dreadfully late with the strip club photos and a few customer show and tells. Here they are. There are some pretty amazing quilts to see, so I'll just stop writing and post some photos. Okay?

Angie has done it again with this beautiful French Roses quilt. Not from strip club, but who cares?

It's just lovely.

Jennifer presented a perfect start. We need to cut her some slack. She had been busy as a bee installing a new ceiling! She is truly a Jane-of-all-trades!

Deanna made these beauties using her serger for piecing. The quilts are gifts for two special boys.

They are gorgeous, Deanna!

Sandy always delivers with her out-of-the-box thinking. She used a Michael Miller micro check in green as her background. It's like flowers in a field on a Summer's day.

Karen chose a vibrant magenta as her background for her Rising Stars quilt. Va- voom!

She has also been busy making little mug rugs for her Red Hat Society friends. Lucky them!

Here's Lynn's stunning Curvaceous Curves quilt. Yummmmmmmmmmm.

This our own Mary showing off her Happy Daze quilt that will be offered in her Schnibbles and Bits class. Love these colors, Mary!

So, what will we make for next month? This quilt. The pattern is Wine Country by Cozy Quilt Designs and the fabric line is Mariposa.

Now for a little show and tell. Lanie completed her Beginning Quilting quilt using Moda's Lilac Hill line. It is so pretty. Good job, Lanie! And Mary for being such a great teacher. :)

The lovely Becky brought in her equally lovely Celtic Way paper pieced quilt. This photo does it no justice. It is breathtaking in real life.

So, there you have it! We're all caught up. Now, barring any further bouts of viruses, etc, you should see posts a bit more frequently. We may even toss in another giveaway. Just because. :)

Look Who's Back!

2011-06-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

My apologies for my absence. We had a Very. Nasty. Virus. on our computer. So bad that it had to go to the hospital for a few weeks. Weeks! Ugh. It's all better now. So, I hope you have a few minutes to spend viewing what's been happening at AST while the E machine was recuperating. Ready? Here goes:

Have you been to our Beginning Quilting class? Linda did! She honed her skills and is moving on to more adventurous quilts like this one. Here she is proudly displaying her newest quilt with the equally proud Mary lending a helping hand. It's just gorgeous, Linda!

This is Evelyn and the adorable quilt she made for her granddaughter, Hayden. If you look closely you can see the embroidered letters in Hayden's name. They are adorable.

Remember our giveaway? Well, we finally had a winner! Maggie and her daughter, Miriam, stopped by to receive get her prize from Karen! On top of winning the giveaway, Maggie found out that she is expecting a baby boy! Congratulations!

Lynn and her beautiful batik Crazy Curves quilt that she made after attending Barbara Brooks class last month. Fab-u-lous!

Jan popped in to share her super cute Nine Patch quilt made with pieces from her stash and men's shirts! What a clever way to stretch her resources. The backing she chose is on the floor below the quilt. I love this idea so much. Hmm, I wonder if the hubs would notice of a few of his shirts went missing?

This is Annette and the sweetest Sunbonnet Sue I've seen in a while. The blocks were made by Millie Lynn Venable and had been stored in an attic for 30 years. Annette jumped in and quilted this beauty for her friend to remember her grandmother by. You rock, Annette!

So, we have a new club at AST called the Sassy Scarlets. It's led by this cute gal here- Jennie Weaver. She is a total ball of energy and we had the best time sewing together our Hanky Panky quilts, gabbing and laughing the night away. You really need to come join us!

Deanna pieced her quilt blocks ON HER SERGER! She's just a genius.

Karen came in and gave every one's arms a little rub down so we could sew, sew, sew.

She is so good to us.

This is Mary's array of fabrics chosen from her stash. I think I need to see this stash one day! She always has the prettiest fabrics.

No time for posing! Quilting is such serious business.

This is Wendy's first block made with Silent Cinema. It's just gorgeous.

Even after working all day, Wendy still had the energy to sew. And smile.

Shirley chose to make her Hanky Panky quilt with Jovial, by Basic Grey for Moda.

Oh, my gosh, it's gorgeous! here she is with her new sewing machine!

These are some of Mary's colorful blocks.....

and Shirley's beautiful blocks.......

and Deanna's sweet blocks....

and....wait a minute! What's wrong here? These are my blocks. Do you see something different about them?

Apparently I belong in the remedial Sassy Scarlets class because I made mine backwards.

Every. Single. One.

Don't ask.

I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow so it might be a few days before I get pics of Strip Club and more show and tells up on the blog. My niece graduated from high school (a year early!) and we are off to celebrate with her. Have a great weekend, everyone. Catch you on the flip side.

Meet Us on the Patio!

2011-05-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

We're having a sale and someone had to give up a lot for it to happen. This photo says it all! We pried bolts of fabric from Angela's hands- over 600 of them!- to bring you this amazing sale. Read Karen's e-mail below to get the details!

There's a HOARDER in our midst!!!

I would have never believed it...but our very own Angela is a hoarder! A fabric hoarder that is! I was told by our decorator that due to the excessive amount of fabric that we have on order from market, we won't be able to shelve it if we don't do a little thinning out. So off we went with a list of fabrics to interview for mark down. After we pulled tons of bolts off our showroom floor, we had an idea to visit our workroom where Angela stores bolts of fabric she’s using for kits & bundles. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Karin, Angela and I started pulling fabric from her "stash" and before we knew it we had 600+ bolts of fabric to go into our sale!!!
Thus, the PATIO SALE is being planned! Be here this Wednesday thru Saturday (5/25-28/11) and step out onto our patio for the sale of the year! All these beautiful fabrics are priced at $6.99 per yard (1 yard min cuts) and if you buy 10 yards or more...get it for just $5.99 per yard! That's 10 yards of fabric for just $59.99...you can't beat it! (All flannels are $3.99 per yard) The selection is incredible, and Angela is crying because her shelves are totally empty! So be here with your piggy bank (and a tissue for Fabriella) and take home a ton-o-fabric for just a little moo-la!

Can you believe this? It's so awesome!

Search under your sofa cushions, empty your husband's pockets, dig through your purse, count your pennies and head on over to AST for this huge event! And you might want to give Angela a little hug while you're there. She needs a little cheering up.

Let's Try This Winner.

2011-05-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Instead of taking a cranky chicken out of her nesting box, I simply asked my daughter to choose a number between 1 and 56. (I took out duplicate entries so everyone had a fair chance.) What number did she choose? #36
Sooo- congratulations Bill and Maggie! You won our Spring giveaway! By default, but you won any way. :) You can either e-mail us your address or pop by the shop to pick up your prize. Please pick up your prize!
Happy sewing!

So, I Was Looking at the Moda Website........

2011-05-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

and I found Ken and Karen saying, "Cheese!" in the Moda photo booth at market! How cute are they?

(If they see this, it might be my last blog post. lol)

Remember how I said we love it when customers bring in their quilts (and other things) to share?

When they do I make a mad dash for my camera to document their success.

This is Karen's beautiful blue Blooming Nine Patch. It is really gorgeous.

This is Alex. Alex quilts. Alex quilts very well. We love Alex.

His red and blue Diamond Light quilt is super-de-duper spectacular!

See that smile? One comes with every quilt he makes. :)

Another reason we love Alex.

Don't forget- when you make a quilt, bring it into the shop to share. I'll take your photo and post it here on the blog. You'll be famous!

What if you hosted a giveaway....

2011-05-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

and the winner never responded with their mailing information? Well, you would walk by their prize, all neatly packaged and waiting for them every. single.day. and be sad. Very sad.
We're going to give the winner until Monday, May 23 at noon to respond or we will have to drag Lady Flora out of Cluckingham Palace once again to draw a new winner.
Please, don't make us do it.

Bring, Brag and Breakfast Club!

2011-05-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

We love when our customers bring in things that they've made. It just makes our day!

Rosilind made a beautiful tote bag out of the scraps she chose from our scrap baskets. Scraps, people!

Super adorable.

Linda ( back to) brought her Picture Frames quilt to finish. She embroidered phrases from children's church songs around the inner border. Simply perfect.

Last Thursday, the Cherokee Rose Guild from Douglasville, Ga, came to see the shop and do a little shopping. After getting the full tour from Angela, they shopped until they dropped.

It was a little busy while they were there, but we had a great time!

Seeing double? No, there are twin sisters in the guild! How cute are they?

You can't see him but there is actually a man, Charlie, holding up his quilt that he made from the fabulous Kiyomi fabric. This is seriously gorgeous. But, wait! There's more!

Look at this. Is this not amazing? Stunning! Really, this photo does not do it justice.

Equally as beautiful is Jeurice's batik compass quilt. Here she is standing in the Batiki Lounge with her husband, Charlie. (Not the one from above.)

This morning, Sherrie and I co-hosted Breakfast Club. Barb came armed to share her Pumpkin and Pecan Waffle table runner. It's just lovely.

Here's the whole crowd working diligently on their projects.

Mary is never without her Klutz glove, a great way to save your fingers from that nasty sharp rotary cutter.

This was Jane's first visit to Breakfast Club. Notice there is no sewing machine in front of her. That's because..

she hand-pieces her quilts. What a hero.

Every stitch perfectly executed,

creating a perfect whole. That is absolute green goodness.

Barb carefully attached her Angler 2 to her sewing machine.

No chance for her not making perfect half-square triangles!

Carolyn, a visitor from North Carolina, brought some handwork to do while her daughter, Beth, quilted. We were fascinated with her project- Swedish or Huck weaving.

Look at how delicate this is- so pretty.

Who is this smiling girl? Beth, who just mastered a mitered corner on the border of her Shadowbox quilt.

Yay, for Beth!

One of my favorite people and superb quilter, Harriette, with her cool blue Granny's Granola block.

One day I will be able to match up my points like she does. One day.

Mary has been making quilts for Soldier's Angels. This quilt was made as a request from a friend at her church. The camouflage pieces, including the pocket, are from his uniforms worn during Desert Storm. The quilts Mary makes will be going to Germany, to injured soldiers. What a beautiful and touching gesture on her friend's part, as well as Mary's. You can find out more about this project here.

Finally, Mary shares her finished Granny's Granola block.

Oh, no! Can you believe that I didn't take a snap of Sherrie's Pinwheel Puffs quilt for next month? Come back tomorrow and I will share it here. Oy! What was I thinking?

Not Your Ordinary Four Ring Circus!

2011-05-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday stared off with a bang as our own Angela, aka Fabirella, donned her ~~cheesy~~ fab moustache and top hat to become the ringmaster of the AST Four Ring circus! There were four events scheduled that day- Strip Club, Anita Goodesigns Diamond Club, Toy Time with Barbara Brooks and Crazy Curves with Barbara. I hope you were there to be a part of the craziness!

She had every detail planned, down to the Prize Table with baskets of goodies for everyone that attended Saturday's events. How did you get a prize? Each event gave you a ticket that you could redeem at the end of the day. There were some awesome goodies in those baskets!

The barker's call went out promptly at 8:30 and the crowd quickly gathered!

No circus is complete without a side show or two. The strippers did a great job of entertaining us with their quilts made over the past month. Let's take a peek through the tent flaps:

Angie the Mad Stitcher is up first with her beautiful All Stars quilt. Gor-geous!

Have you been to Breakfast Club? We have the best time. You just can't beat the eating-chatting-quilting combo! This is Angie's Pumpkin and Pecan Waffles quilt from last month. We'll be making Granny's Granola in May. You should join us!

It's been a busy month for Jennifer, that's why her quilt tops are almost finished. This is her Rising Star quilt and it is going to be a stunner!

And her just-about-done All Stars. I love that mustard-y background! So cool.

This little stripper almost didn't bring her quilt to share but her husband talked her into bringing it along. Well, we sure are glad he did! Love the flow of color in this quilt! Job well done!

Isn't it amazing how you can take the same pattern and, by making your own fabric choices, make a quilt look completely different? Same pattern, same strips yet Stephanie's dreamy All Stars is all her own!

And now for something completely different- Look. At. This! Stephanie's Crazy Curves she made 5 years ago. It is so spot on (pardon the pun)! Every jaw in the room dropped when she opened up this beauty and then they all wanted to take the class later in the day with Barbara!

Don't you love the pink in the background of this stripper's quilt? It gives it such a soft, romantic feel. Lovely.

You would never know that this quilt was made in the Beginning Quilting class! Seriously, we have some of the most talented customers! We offer three beginning quilting classes, with awesome teachers, so you can be sure to find one just for you!

Angela and Sherrie Curtis shared these fabulous appliqued quilts that Sherrie whipped up in her spare time! (Sherrie is also one of our Beginning Quilting teachers.) Using Zebra Patterns line of floral banners,

you could make one for your own front porch. Or make all of them! Your neighbors will be so jealous.

I just love when Miss Barbara comes to visit. She is just the sweetest gal. These blocks were made by her mother, by hand, with bits of this and that. The red Dresden Plate is picture perfect and this-

the little Pickle Dish is darling. What a treasure to have! Thank you for sharing them, Barbara!

Once Strip Club is over, it's a mad dash into the shop to ~~snatch up~~ leisurely shop for the background, accents and borders for May's Strip Club quilt.

Colleen came in last week to choose hers. She walked the store, bringing bolts back to the fabric line, and made her choices. Before anyone knew what she was doing Saturday, she had her fabrics in hand, cut and bought in a jiffy! What a clever duck.

Speaking of next month's quilt, here it is:

Pieced by Sherrie Curtis and quilted by Wendy Woodruff.

The fabric is Summer Breeze by Moda and the pattern is Harvest by Cozy Quilt Designs,

both available at the shop.

So, what classes will you be taking in May?

PS- melamiller789 we're still waiting to hear from you so we can get your giveaway prize in the mail! Please e-mail us at info@ascarletthread.com with your mailing address and we will get it right out to you!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2011-04-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

After plying my fussy hen, Lady Flora, with cat food and clover, I finally got her to leave Cluckingham Palace to draw a winner for the Spring giveaway! Boy, she is persnickety! And so, without further ado, the winner is.............

Congratulations, melamiller789! Send us your mailing information at madrekarin1atyahoodotcom and we will get your prize out to you jiffy quick! Or, if you're local, stop by the shop any time after today and we'll have it wrapped and ready to go.
Thank you so much, everyone, for being a part of our giveaway. Stay tuned because I'm pretty sure there will be more!

Did you Watch the Royal Wedding?

2011-04-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

I did and it was wonderful to see the lovely Kate marry her handsome prince.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs., the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

If you were late to the wedding, that's okay- it will be played out all day on the telly. You won't miss a thing. But, if you haven't signed up for our giveaway by midnight tonight, you will definitely miss out on some seriously sweet swag.
Say that five times fast!

The winner will be drawn by Lady Flora of Cluck tomorrow morning.
Best get crackin'!

Snowbaby Quilt

2011-04-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

Why does it take me so long to get things done? Well, if you really want to know, I could give you a whole long laundry list. But, I will spare you.

I decided to make a baby quilt with the Just Wing It! charm pack from the giveaway. (Not the actual charm pack!) I have to say that, once I had the chance to sit down and sew, it went together in a snap! Really lots of fun. And cute. I like cute. See? (It is still on my design wall here.)

Now to pick out a border. I'm thinking purple. What do you think?

Haven't signed up for the giveaway yet? No worries! You have until Friday. Then Flora, our CNG control expert, will draw a name out of the bowl. There's nothing like the CNG. What? You haven't heard of it before? The Chicken Number Generator. It's the only way to fly!

How About a Little Giveaway?

2011-04-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

We haven't had one in a while, have we? It's been far too long. Let's remedy that, okay?

There are so many cool things out there in the quilting world. Every time I turn around there's another must-have ruler or gadget to try out. So, today, I'm are giving away 1 Charming Square Snowball template, a super-cute Just Wing It! charm pack by MoMo and, the thread to stitch it all together with. Nice, huh?

Inside the template package is a pattern to make a really sweet table runner. I'm in the process of putting one together and boy, is it cute, cute, cute!

Now, what do you need to do to win all of this loot? Just do three easy steps.

1. Follow this blog or, if you already follow, leave that info in your comment.

2. "Like" the AST Facebook page or, if you already like it, leave that info in your comment as well.

3. Come back here and leave a comment that you've done steps 1 and 2.

See? Easy-peasy.

We'll close this giveaway on ~~Friday, April 29.~~ (The giveaway is closed and we have a winner!) That should give you loads of time to get everything done!

I'll give you a sneak peek of the table runner soon. :)

Pumpkin and Pecan........

2011-04-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

quilt blocks? Yes! We had a lovely time at Breakfast Club this month!

The pattern we used- Pumpkin and Pecan Waffles. We didn't have those for breakfaast though. But, Angie brough a box of Dunkin' Munchkins, Gayle brough some beautiful melons and strawberries, Barb made amazing savory herb abd bacon mini muffins, Sherrie brought us the juice and I made oatmeal breakfast squares with four berry jam. We had very full tummies when we were done.

What do you do when you're full up? You sew, of course!

It all started with an easy peasy sixteen patch center.Angie made hers in batiks.

Barb stitching away on some of her stash purchased during Shop Hop. The colors are just beautiful.

Gayle used batiks for her waffles as well. It's amazing how different they all look!

Angie with her first completed block. Yay!

Suzette popped in with her completed Stoney River quilt! She made this as a wedding gift for her son's friend and his new wife. What a lucky couple!

(No, her arm is not that long! Sherrie is hding behind the quilt holding the corner.)

Here's a little close-up. Fabulous!

Next month we'll be making Granny's Granola. Come join us for breakfast!

Tune in tomorrow for something really fun!

Project Selvage

2011-04-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of this? It's a collaboration between Spoonflower and Michael Miller Fabrics to hold a contest! The challenge? Design a baby boy fabric. Easy, right? I don't think so. The winner will receive a licensing contract with Michael Miller to print their baby boy collection, as well as a baby girl collection, which will debut at Fall Market. Cool, huh?

Here are some of my favorites:

Fox Forest by Sharbear 123

Windy Day by Wendy Sloniger

Little Bugaboo by Heather Dutton

Boys Go Round by Cil

Just click on Spoonflower and go cast your votes! Quickly, because voting ends today!

No Foolin'!

2011-04-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

How was your weekend? It was beautiful here, topped off by a fabulous Strip Club!

Ken and Karen were still cruising about the Caribbean so Wendy stepped in to be Vanna for a Day. (Didn't they just do that on Wheel of Fortune?) First up for display- Angie's beautiful, finished quilt. Last month's pattern was Rising Star, by Cozy Quilt Designs.

Angie is our own rising star- this is only her third strip club quilt!

Look at this! It's Angie's All Squared quilt! This is one of our newest, free bundle patterns designed by the sweet Laura Coons!

Deanna completes her Samurai Squares quilt with a luscious coral accent color. It turned what could have been a bold and sassy quilt into one that took a walk on the softer side.

The lovely Miss Barbara made her Rising Star quilt with a pale mint green background. Guess what? She didn't like it but, the rest of us loved it! It's soft and dreamy. I think it would be a perfect picnic quilt. Or, a cuddle-up-on-the-sofa-with-Grandma quilt. Or, a Barbara-it-is-gorgeous quilt.

Jennifer's All Squared sings in patriotic red, white and blue! As she said, there's not much room for error in this quilt. You use almost every bit of the 5 one-yard cuts in a bundle. Eek.

Deanna's Rising Star. Hey, wait a minute! This looks a little different than the rest of them!

That's because Deanna used her strips tat were destined for Beach City Blooms to make her quilt. No need to let them go to waste! Just make them up in a different pattern. Clever.

Didn't these girls make the prettiest quilts? You should come join us! Next month we will be making All Stars using soft reds, browns, pinks and greens. The strip set has a very old-fashioned verging on Colonial feel to it. I can't wait to see every one's take on this quilt!

Oh, and if you were with us last Saturday, here's your cheat sheet for drawing the lines on your little strips.

You're welcome. :)