P is for....

Pincushions!! Yay!  Pincushions are so much fun.  I am a firm believer that one can never have too many pincushions.  One for every season.  Even better one for every month.  Oh yeah.  Here are some of our favorites.
*Fresh Picked by Heather Bailey.  Love this update on an older classic.  Not only is there a pattern for a pear, but included is a strawberry, tomato, and an apple.

*Larry the Lamb from Hatched and Patched.  Oh man this little guy is adorable.

*A Little Bird Told Me from Wooden Spool Designs.  And I have great news.  We have kits.  And they come with the wooden spool the little birdie sits on.

*Just in time for Christmas, I have a little treat for you. From Moda Bake Shop: Peppermint Swirl Pincushion
Perfect gift for all your girlfriends.

*P is also for peppermint.  I found, just for you guys, Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies, to go along with your pincushion.

O is for....

Owls.  These little guys are the hottest thing right now, as I am sure you all know.  And we love love love them.  I bet you didn't realize how many owl items we have in the store.  Let's start out with the newest owl based fabric line, Hooty Hoot from Riley Blake.  I love their eyes.  Not only does this line have adorable owl but it has some great coordinates.  I think my favorite would be the argyle.
Oh my gosh.  I am so excited about this pattern.  It is called Remember Who Loves You by Acorn Quilt Company. I am serious when I say that you need to come into the store and look at the sample.  Warning though: you will love it.  AND we have kits.

Bunny Hill Designs has come up with the cutest little pincushion.  Bitty Owl is made from yummy wool and your favorite scraps.

Are you ready for this?  I am about to spill some top secret information.  Fine....maybe not top secret but exciting nonetheless.  We have more owl inspired items coming in.  A line from Moda and Momo Designs?  Maybe.  Squishy stuffed owls?  Perhaps.  I am going to give you a Thanksgiving gift.  Consider it a kickoff to Christmas.  Meet Owlivia.  Sooo cute.
I'm dying to make this.  If you have the hankering to make this chocolatey goodness, let us know how it goes.

N is for...

Notions!  Oh my goodness I apologize for being such a slacker.  It takes a major blizzard to get me back into the groove.  Today's post will hopefully help you find some good ideas for some stocking stuffers.  Take some notes and give them to....."Santa".  Here are some of the top favorites of our employees.

*Aurifil Thread.  Everybody that uses it swears by it.  So beautiful.  So fine.
* Precision Trimmer by Feathered Star Productions.  Yes it is also the same name as a facial hair trimmer...more importantly Jan here at work loves hers.  Great for squaring up your blocks

*If you have been to the store lately you will have seen the mini black and white scissors by the cash register. Perfect stuffer.  AND they are $4.95.
*Blinding clips.  I used to wear these in my hair.  It is slightly weird for me to see them as binding clips, but they work great.  And Moda has a tutorial to make cute ones, here.

*New blades.  New blades are the most wonderful treat.  Somebody gives you new blades....you love them forever.  Especially if it is a 5 pack.....which we carry.

*If you haven't looked outside lately, I hate to break it to you....it's a blizzard out there.  One of my favorite things on earth, hot apple cider.  Look here for a fantastic recipe.  Soooo gooood.

M is for...

Mm...mm...Moda!  Yeah!  The Moda rep dropped by the store yesterday.  It's all top-secret, but I can tell you that spring is going to bring some seriously good-looking lines of fabric.  Oh man.  I can tell you that we have some beautiful collections coming soon from them within the next few weeks and months.  I can't get links directly to the lines, but if you go here you can check out all the new from Moda.  Sadly, we can't them all, but it is fun to look.
*We already have Bliss from Camille and Bonnie.  We have jellyrolls, charm packs, and layer cakes.  This is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
*Breakfast at Tiffany's by Fig Tree Quilts.  We have the pre-cuts for the collection, but not the bolts yet.  They should be coming in a little while.  Absolutely beautiful.
*You might have seen the bundles of Lily and Will from Bunny Hill Designs.  Maybe some of the delicious baby fabric.  It doesn't have to be baby, but we do have many patterns for little ones using it.

I don't want to give away all the new stuff we have coming in, but I promise it is going to be good.  Another good Moda thing I love Moda Bake Shop.  Check out today.  It is the most amazingly beautiful ruffled curtain.  LOVE IT!

Again, Paula Deen has come to our rescue with these Magical Peanut Butter Cookies.  It says to use a baking sugar substitute, I don't know I really like sugar.  :)  Either way.

L is for...

Laminated fabric! I love laminated fabric.  I think it is completely underrated.  It used to be that the only choices were thick and stiff.  Times have changed!  Laminated fabric is so much fun to work with and so many different projects are possible.  Bags, tablecloths, curtains, diaper changing station covers, and raincoats.  Yes the same raincoat I was talking about yesterday.  The Little Splashes Hooded Raincoat.

And the adult version, Rainy Days Hooded Raincoat.

We have so many different prints from so many different designers.  Such as Amy Butler.

Lecien.

Heather Bailey.

Anna Maria Horner.

Moda.

Come in and take a look.  Just like the home decor weight, laminated fabric is 25% off! Another good tid bit of news.  We are having another giveaway!  Yay!  This time we will be giving away a journal cover kit.  So, leave your name, email address, and what you most want for Christmas in the comments and we will pick a winner at the end of the week.  Good luck!
Now, go and make yourself some lava cakes!  It is super cold outside and you are going to need something hot and gooey.

K is for...

Kids! Kids?  Yes, today we are going to feature these little people.  We love children's patterns and prints.  I have SO many different patterns and links to share with you we are just going to jump right into it.
Little girl skirts are one of the funnest things to make.  They are bite size and incredibly adorable. We love the Girly Stripwork pattern from Pink Fig. (Did you know that she is from Utah?)

Next up we have something for all of you that have handsome little boys.  Boys are fun in a way that girls can't reach.  Take a look at these Little Guy Ties from Little Londyn.  We love this pattern because it has different kinds and sizes of ties for every taste.  There is even a bonus pattern for Dad.

Who doesn't love Buggy Barn?  I do.  A lot.  They are a classic in the quilt world and for a while now, have a pattern book out with children's quilts.  It is called Those Crazy Kids.

If you haven't heard of Melly and Me, then I am sorry for what I am about to show you.  There is no going back now.  They have a book.  Kaleidescope.

Going quickly back to boys.  I have the perfect book for mothers/grandmothers/anybody with an adorable little boy in their life.  It is A Boy's Story from Hatched and Patched.  Come in and look through it.

Riley Blake has come out with some dangerously cute things lately.  One of the more recent.  Crochet flowers.  And we have them.  They are waiting for you.  How cute would they be with a little girl dress or bag? They come in so many fun colors.

The last pattern I am going to leave you with is Amy Butler's Little Splashes Raincoat.  I am not going to tell you much because it is going to lead into tomorrow's post.  Stay tuned. Ha ha ha ha.

I was thinking hard about what recipe to leave you for our Kids post.  And I think I might do something slightly unorthodox for this blog.  I am going to send you to this website.  Jessica Seinfield (yes funny guy Jerry's wife) wrote a cookbook a few years back called Deceptively Delicious.  I bought it.  I love it.  Here is a snippet from it.  It is all about cooking for your family in a healthy way that they will love.  Especially little ones.  Try it out!

Meet Me Monday- Kris

Kris, this is everyone (out there in the blog-o-sphere). Everyone, this is Kris.

How long have you worked at Quilter's Haven?Oh man. I used to work here for a few month when I was in high school. Then I left to work at a different (un-named) quilt store for five years (forgive me!). I started back at Quilter's Haven in August 2010.

What days do you typically work?
Thursday mornings, Friday & Saturday

Favorite color:
If we go Crayola style... inchworm green. I also love grey. And aqua. And red... and peach.

Favorite dessert:
My heart broke the day Haagen0Daz stopped making their Pomegranate Dark Chocolate Chunk ice cream. I'm still trying to recover.

Favorite fabric line in the shop right now:
Anything Amy Butler or Riley Blakes' Domestic Divas.
What/who got you into quilting or sewing?
My mom (Jan, who also works here!)/granny. Just happened. Lots of clothing construction in high school.

Sewing project you are most proud of:
Uh... Proud? Not sure. Awesome? A sweet baby bag. Love bags. Love babies. Have many bags. No babies.

Share an embarrassing or funny story that happened at work:
Back in high school when I was here, somebody bumped into me while I was cutting with the rotary cutter (and I seriously mean somebody bumped into me, this is not code for I slipped). I sliced my thumb wide open! I nearly fainted and couldn't look at it. I drove home holding my finger above my head and out the window. My mother wrapped it up good and I still have a scar.

J is for....

Journal covers.  Beautifully handmade fabric journal covers. We have put together kits for journal covers that include the journal!  The ones in the store we have are made from the fabric line Early Bird by Cosmo Cricket.

 This is just a piece from the line (yes, we still have it on the bolt, but not much).  We just the coordinates and then fussy cut the toasters out.  So cute.  Here what the journal cover looks like.  It isn't in these fabrics but it is the style.  Out of the two, the kit is for the nothing but striped journal.

Both are SO cute.  Once you get the kit, you can make one for yourself and use the pattern to make some for Christmas gifts.  Good idea?  I think so.  If you find that Early Bird isn't your cup of tea, then we can get the single pattern for you.
You could use the journal to write down all these yummy recipes we are giving you.  Like this version of jam print cookies.

I is for...

Ironing board covers!  First off, sorry this is such a late post.  Goodness.  It was a busy, busy day.   Okay, back to ironing boards.  We love the idea of cute covers!  Have you seen the one we have in the store?  It is made from Riley Blake's Domestic Diva.  (Yes, THE Domestic Diva)  The pattern is Cotton Way's Patchwork Ironing Board Covers.  So easy and so cute.

I am extremely excited about this recipe.  Inside-out Caramel Apples, I think this might be what causes me to get a gym pass.  They are so good and extra easy because of the pastry sheets. 

H is for...

Home Decor fabrics!!   We have some fantastic home dec weight fabric in the store.  They are located right in front of the red cutting counter.  I would say that about half of them are Amy Butler's from her Love collection (if you look toward the bottom of the page you can see the home decor weight fabric, we have most but not all).  We even carry my own personal favorite print from Love.  How beautiful would that be for a bag? Coat?  Crib bedding?!

We carry this fun raincoat pattern from Amy Butler that can be made from the home dec fabric.

Remember the post yesterday about shower curtains?  Home dec fabric would be fabulous! Also, the bag post.  Amy Butler's Style Stitches, a few call for heavy weight fabric (home decor)
Now that you are all so excited about the home decor fabric, I have good news.  Right now, all Home Decor fabric is 25% OFF!  Holy Hannah I know.  You better come in and check it out!!

Recipe?  Of course.  I wouldn't leave ya hanging.  Homemade Sweet Potato Fries! Thank you Paula Deen, thank you.

G is for....

Grommets.  Yes, grommets.  Did you even know that we carry grommets in the store?  We do.  I don't think too many people know what to do with them.  But that is why we at Quilter's Haven are here.  To give you ideas.  We are pretty good at it.  Anka's Treasures makes an adorable tote called the Bella Bag, it uses grommets.

 Another pattern that I ran across is Wallet & Grommet from Maple Island Quilts.  I think I laughed to myself for about....two minutes.  Wallet and Grommets......Wallace and Gromit.......okay moving on.

A few years back I had the hankering to make a shower curtain.  I used some of the large grommets we carry in the store.  SO CUTE!  I am very happy with it.  I don't have a picture of mine (I used laminated fabric, but you can use cotton just make sure you have a liner), but I found a picture online that gives you the same idea.

They wouldn't even have to be shower curtains.  Any kind of curtain would be cute with grommets.  The grommets are so easy to use too.
Ginger snaps.  Oh man do I love ginger snaps. It is such a cold snowy day.  I think you need to make ginger snaps and hot chocolate (awesome hot chocolate recipes here, they even have ginger hot chocolate)  and watch some Wallace and Gromit.  :)

OH MY GOSH! I almost forgot, again.  We have the winner of last week's giveaway!  We put in all the entries into the random number generator and found a winner.  Congratulations Melissa! You should be getting an email soon giving you the details!  Keep reading because we are going to have another giveaway this week!  Get excited.

F is for....

Flowers!  My goodness I love flowers.  I would have to say that my favorite is peonies, though I go through cycles like I am sure most of you do.  I am always so sad when the flowers in the vase on the kitchen table start to wilt.

The quilting world has come up with a resolution to that problem!  Fabric flowers.  So cute and most are so easy to make.  One of our favorites is Posie flowers from Fig Tree.  You might have seen a vase of these on sticks in the store or if you look closely they are in the Quilt Sampler magazine we are featured in.

Blooming Possibilities is an extremely popular book we carry by Abbey Lane Quilts.

You probably have seen the flowers.  We don't have them in the store anymore, they returned home to Abbey Lane.  As you can see on the cover, the flowers are cute little frayed guys.
Midwest Mod Pillows from Amy Butler has one of my favorite pillows ever.  Hands down.  The big round flower one on the front.

Go and search "Midwest Mod Pillows" in Google images and see all the others people have made.  You can get some good ideas.
We even have quilts that feature darling flowers.  Few of the favorites would have to be Wallflower by Thimble Blossoms.

And Flutterby from Whimsicals.  (If you have never heard of Whimsicals, check them out.  They design patterns and fabric.  Love them.  They have a beautifully unique style.)

I am particularly excited about this recipe, mostly because I think I am being witty.  Ready? Flourless Cake. (Ha.  Get it.  Today is flowers and it is flourless cake....just go with it.)  And yes it is really from Whole Foods.

Meet Me Monday- Mary

Next up for our Meet Me Monday series, Mary!

How long have you worked at Quilter's Haven?
3 months
What days do you typically work?
Mondays & Fridays
Favorite color:
Blue or Red (I'm kind of an opposite girl!)

Favorite dessert:
Cookies! Especially Parson's German Chocolate cookies.

Favorite fabric line in the shop right now:
Jo Morton's

What/who got you into quilting or sewing?
My mom & aunts

Sewing project you are most proud of:
An applique using all 30's fabrics. It is a wall size- but pretty involved with many appliqued flowers.
Share an embarrassing or funny story that happened at work:
During our Fall Frenzy sale a customer standing at the cut counter mentioned that her husband says she would probably save him money if she were addicted to alcohol instead of fabric. Then, as she checked out and saw her $80.00 bill she said "How much alcohol do you think this would buy?"

E if for

Embroidery.  We may be a quilt store, but let me tell you, we have some seriously beautiful embroidery patterns.  Not only do we have awesome patterns, we carry Week's Dye Works floss. Hand dyed floss.  Gorgeous hand dyed floss.  We have some smaller embroidery kits in the store right now.  Many of them are from Bareroots.  One of my favorites is the Christmas Stitchery.  Here is a picture.  That one is in a frame, but the one that we have a kit for in the store is a pillow.  We love Bareroots and have a few adorable Little Stitches kits. 
Another embroidery pattern company we love is Crabapple Hill.  
Look for the A to Z Embroidery book in the store, it's back by the floss. Fancy that. 
ANNOUNCEMENT!: We announce the winner of our giveaway (the apron pattern), on Monday. 
Recipe: Take a look at Smitten Kitchen.  There are so many good recipes that I just couldn't choose one.  But you will love it.

D is for...

DOMESTIC DIVA!  Whether you are a self-proclaimed diva or waiting for yours to blossom, we are here for you.  Did you know that there is a fabric line called Domestic Diva? It is by Riley Blake (like most good things).  Take a look here.  You probably have walked right by it in the store and didn't even realize it.  It is a hidden treasure.  Side-note: Did you know that Riley Blake has a blog?  If you scroll down a bit on this page, you will find a tutorial for a Domestic Diva tablerunner.  You can also find a Domestic Diva tablerunner pattern at the store.  It is by Thimble Blossoms.  Best part: it also includes a pattern for a hot-pad and an oven-mitt.  Perfect gift.  Done and done.

One step above Domestic Diva?  Domestic Goddess.  Remember that pattern?

*Recipe? You know it! Dinner Rolls.  This is a first, I have yet to make these.  But I saw them and couldn't stop staring or dreaming about the day I get to eat one.  Mmmmm.  (Can you tell I love Food Network?)

C is for

Charm packs! We love these little guys.  I did a little research.  Did you know that one of the definitions for the word charm is "capture: attract; cause to be enamored", also, "appeal: attractiveness that interests, pleases or stimulates".  And of course pack means to arrange in a container.  So, really, you could say that a charm pack is a way to capture attractiveness (fabric) that simulates (creativity) in a little container.  Here are just a few of the charm packs that we currently have in the store.
*Bliss by Bonnie and Camille for Moda (click here to get a glimpse)
*Punctuation by American Jane for Moda
*Breakfast at Tiffany's by Fig Tree for Moda (this one just barely came in)
*Wheels from Riley Blake
*All Star from Riley Blake

Since we are already whipping out definitions, might as well add another.  Schnibble: A scrap of fabric; a leftover bit of cloth; a small piece.  Also, a type of pattern from Miss Rosie's quilt company.  Most of these Schnibble patterns call for charm packs!  One caught my eye the other day, called Plan-C (ha "C"....get it).  Guess what?! We have a kit coming for it made from Punctuation.  Get excited.  We have a few other kits for Schnibble patterns, you'll have to come in and see them. 

Another kit we have that calls for charm packs, but is a larger sized quilt, is Texas Hold 'Em (or so we named it). The pattern is from Fig Tree quilts and it is called Clovers.

I really love you ladies because I have done more research so that I can find you the pattern for that cute pumpkin from the Jo's Little Women Club post.  It is also from Fig Tree! See.

Recipe for today.  Chocolate Raspberry Truffle tart.....things.  So good.  Not hard....not super easy.  Again, SO GOOD. 

B is for....

BAGS!  B was a gimme.  We adore bags, purse, satchels, clutches, totes, ect.  Bags are wonderful gifts.  They are easy to make (if you have a good pattern) and you can never have too many.   We looked for a few different patterns that might be new to you.

*Mama Mia by Favorite Things.  Okay, technically this is a diaper bag.  BUT it is a dang cute diaper bag.  The fabric used in the picture is Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey.  It is an older line and we do have some of it left, but not that piece.  Sad day, I know. 

* Sidewalk Satchel by Anna Maria Horner.  This is on my Christmas wish list.  I am pretty sure that it is the perfect size and I am dying to know how she made the rose on the front.

*Sometime you need something a little more traditional.  In comes Classy Sophisticated by Seamstress Designs.  This would be a good starter bag.  Warning: Once you start, there is no going back.  (Sorry about the quality of this picture.  Away from the store today and this is the only picture I have.  Guess this means you will have to come in and check it out.  Oh well.)

* Petunia by Izzy and Ivy is going to bring a little razzle dazzle into life.  Love this bag because it is just plain cute and girlie.  For those days you want to standout. 

*If you are like me and just can't have enough bags, this might keep you busy for awhile.  Style Stitches by Amy Butler.  It is her newest book, full of nothing but bags.  Life doesn't get any better.

*We even have a bag kit in the store in case you need a quick gift ready to go.  (Again, the picture is not so hot.)    The kit is for these exact fabrics.  What you see is what you get!

* Just like yesterday I am going to leave you with a recipe.  I stumbled across this website last March and it quickly became on of my favorite places to go.  A Bountiful Kitchen.  Shout out to our little Bountiful!  I made these brownies and have become the hit of every party.  Check it out.