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.