Fabric Musings

Hello all you wonderful quilters!

The fabric seems to be coming in faster than a a home run king sliding onto home plate. Yes, the start of baseball season is quickly approaching, and many people we know and love are knee-deep in fantasy baseball league drafts. If you have no idea to what we are referring, that's a good thing. All I know is that there is a feeling of frenzied anticipation amongst the males in my house. And I am not going to reveal who our favorite team is; you might track us all down and do a drive-by egging. All I know is that I can't wait to go to a game and eat! Hot dogs and peanuts and cotton candy, oh my!

Kudos to you if you are right there with him on the couch cheering on your favorite team. But if you want to escape the drone of the TV you know The Quilter's Inn is the perfect place to get away. Bring your machine and stay a spell.

On to some of the new fabrics--and patterns! Under the heading Just Too Cute is Moda's Backyard Safari collection. Orange, and of course lime green, are the new hot colors, and combined with bugs and more bugs this line is a sure to be a hit. Spring pillowcases!

How much do we love Jelly Rolls? We have a new debut--Wee Play--from one of our local favorite quilters, Sandy Klop. There are Jelly Rolls and charm square packs.

When the Za Za rolls from Moda came in we knew they would go fast. Think dusty purples, olive greens, butterscotch/caramel, and rusty reds. Nice allover large floral with cream accents, medium scale paisleys, dots, and a geometric print. Very fun.

Other new arrivals include patterns from local designer Lori Lott's Uptown Girl Quilts company. We have Bursting Buds, Thymes Square, and Sunday Picnic. Lori was kind enough to leave a few of her quilts here; stop in and see them soon.

And, for as long as they last (the ink is barely dry before they're gone) there is a small pile of the newest Quilter's Home magazine right up front. And there was a great surprise! Right there on page 77, just three pages after a recipe for Mark's Grandma's Potato Gnocchi (YUM!, one of my favorite things), is a review of my (Cyndy's) newest book written with Lynn Koolish, Innovative Fabric Imagery for Quilts. Thanks Mark! And he doesn't even know yet that he's a pin-up boy here in the store. Come in and find him (excluding the obvious one shown above) for a 10% discount on one item.

Glorius Spring

Has the weather been fantastic or what? Every year I forget how much sooner spring arrive here on the West coast. We moved here from Massachusetts ten years ago, and on April Fools Day that year it snowed 36"! So I fully appreciate the fact that the birds are singing, there are buds on many trees, and the daffodils are opening.

Today my friend Sheryl and I went for a walk up behind Westminster House off Hemme Ave in Alamo. There is a little parking area; check it out. If you have a dog, you can let him off leash. Today Ruby, Sheryl's dog, looked like she was just having a ball. The brook is gurgling again after having been "turned off", and there are buds everywhere. It was just what I personally needed to renew my spirits after that long rainy season.

Sheryl let me borrow her camera. I took a lot of shots, but these are my favorites.

I'm not so great at what I used to refer to as the "A" word, but which I now think is pretty wonderful. Our fabulous applique artists and friends Verna Mosquera and Laura Fraga are so inspiring. Laura has given me many tips, and I am getting bolder as a result. The branch of white and yellow flowers shown here may just have to be a quilt.

Stop in and see us soon. New fabric arrives just about every day. In the meantime, try a walk on the Iron Horse Trail. It's just too beautiful to be inside.

Most of all, have fun!

Road to California

We realize it's been a few weeks since Road to California took place down south in Ontario, but figured you might be interested in seeing some photos. If you've never been, it is well worth the trip. What road trip that is quilt-centered isn't worth it? A change of scene does a body good.

It was huge, like Pacific International huge. There were almost as many vendors as there were quilts, and it was packed. Your intrepid reporters stayed from about 11 a.m. til it closed at 6 p.m. and had a blast. Funny how I ended up with a cast on my left wrist after the show. It would have come in so handy while fighting our way through the crowds.

You'll see from the photos that I was attracted to bright quilts. Next year I'll be more careful about taking photos of a greater variety of quilts.

A huge round of applause for Linda Schmidt of Dublin, whose waterfall quilt won a third place ribbon. Her work is exquisite in it's detail and use of materials. Congratulations Linda!

Uh oh, time to go. So I'll let these photos tell the rest of the story.

Until next time, as always thanks for your support.

Love (of fabric) is in the air!

My how time flies. How can it possibly be February? No matter, because there is a lot to look forward to this month. The fabrics that we ordered at fall Quilt Market are beginning to roll in, with lots more to come. Coming to your favorite quilt store are organic cottons, and some really cute fabric based on the story The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Check out a beautiful new collection from Benartex called City Girl. Think contemporary, chic big flowers with peach, rose, green, blue-green, and brown mixed in. These would work well in quilts that feature some larger pieces. Come in and we can brainstorm with you.

As you walk in the door look to your left at our Valentine's Corner. Make some pillowcases, or try one of our kits. We also have some adorable retro tea towels from Moda--Better Than Sliced Bread, as the tag says. Moda also offers a Charm Square pack designed by Deb Strain called "All You Need Is Love"--whip up a Borsa bag with these. Don't know what a Borsa bag is? Come find out. It's an easy purse you'll want to make many times over.

Love batiks? At least ten new bolts just walked in the door (and are they tired--all the way from Bali); these include a couple of really great reds (one with cream polka dots), and a nice light blue for sky if you are into landscape quilts.

In the "Why Didn't I think of That?" category is a cool new tool called the Side Winder. Wind bobbins without having to use your machine. And it's portable! I want one, don't you?

And before you leave don't forget to check out our Odds and Ends corner where you'll find deeply discounted patterns, books, kits, quilts, etc.

Did you see the truly wonderful article about Jane and the Quilter's Inn in the Contra Costa Times Danville section this week? Many thanks to writer Elaine Schmitz and photographer Jim Stevens.

Cyndy Rymer, who works here on Fridays and is often the author of this blog, has a new website. Check her out at cyndyrymer.com.

Oops, gotta go, Kim needs the computer. Hopefully it won't be so long til we chat again.