Suzzett's Fabric

Fall Quilt Market 2011

2011-11-01T10:20:00.001-07:00

Well we are on our journey home from market. We saw so many wonderful things this year. We are very excited for all our new treasures. Here are a few of my favorite things at market:

American Jane always does great work.

We loved all the great patterns from Creative Sewlutions.

Can\\\'t wait for the new lines from Moda to come in.

And finally a view of the market floor first thing this morning.

Great Bandana Quilt Challenge

2011-03-16T21:13:00.001-07:00

Are you up to the challenge of creating an original 'Bandana Quilt' for the "Great Bandana Quilt Challenge?" You will need to incorporate at least one Cherish Bandana as well as one of the ez Quilting Simpli-Ez Pink triangles, squares or the Pink Ribbon template into your quilt that must measure 45 by 54 inches. The first place prize is being valued at $1000. You need to get started soon because the entry must be received by Simplicity by July 1, 2011. More information is available at www.suzzettsfabric.com. Click here to access the website page with information about the "Great Bandana Quilt Challenge".

You will see on my website a picture of my sweet Mom who died from breast cancer six years ago this May. I know that many of my quilter friends have experienced firsthand the challenge of breast cancer. I want to encourage you all to make a quilt, pillow or something fun that would encourage a special person in your life who is battling this disease. You could use your sewing talents to donate a quilt to use as a fund raiser for a friend who is raising money for the Susan G Komen 3-Day Cancer Walk.

You can also create a quilt for a Relay for Life fund raiser. Speaking of Relay for Life, I am donating all proceeds from the sale of the Sweet Cakes Cupcake products found on my website to Relay for Life from February through April 2011. Click the Sweet Cakes Icon to see the Sweet Cakes products.

Fun Flower Gifts

2010-12-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

I am having fun making gifts using my Fun Flower Fabric from LakeHouse Dry Goods by Holly Holderman. I created an apron using a free download pattern found on the All People Quilt Website.
Using a towel and fabric remnants I made a hand towel to hang on the fridge.

Join the Brownie Point fun by checking out the Holly Blog where you will find a different shop featured daily.

Order the Fast Flowers Quilt Kit on SuzzettsFabric Website to be eligible for a Fat Quarter Bundle of Fun Flowers fabric.

A donation to the local SPCA will be made for each Fast Flowers quilt kit purchased from SuzzettsFabric

Pictured below are my three Border Collies getting ready to play a little basket ball. Scooby, the red collie I am petting, is the ball handler as well as the lead cow dog.

2010-12-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Holly Holderman will be hosting a Fun Quilting Event on her Blog featuring the quilt she calls "Brownie Points" found on the Quilts & More magazine, Winter 2010, website as "Fast Flowers". The pattern is available as a free download on the magazine's website All People Quilt LINK HERE.

You can see the quilt which will be available when the Brownie Point Fun begins December 13th by clicking HERE. Keep watching the Holly Blog for the fun prizes from Holly's personal stash. I will also be offering a Fun Flower Fat Quarter drawing on my website so watch for details.

Pictured below is an apron I made using Fun Flowers Fabric. Inspiration for the apron was from the Purdent Baby web site tutorial called Fat Quarter Apron. I chose to use a half yard of fabric and large pink ric rac.

Time to be Thankful

2010-11-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day is coming soon. This is one of my favorite holidays. My daughter is making some cute aprons using fall fabric and a maple leaf applique using my AccuQuilt Go Cutter.

Yeah! I was able to get my serger working to ruffle the fabric for the apron. My serger has been sitting idle for a while waiting on me to find the manual to figure out how to thread it correctly. Hubby keeps saying "I told you to buy the one that threads its self." What does he know right? I wish I had listened to him. At any rate, I was able to use the ruffle feature successfully. I see new ruffled pillow shams in my future. So, I suppose I am thankful for the intelligence to be able to get my serger working for all the fun projects I would like to complete. Simple things like the machines we use to get our projects completed are often taken for granted as is the God given knowledge to operate these tool. Take time to be thankful for even these little things that make our life simpler.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

I am Thankful for UPS....

My UPS friend just delivered a new shipment of the chocolate brown Fun Flowers fabric prints from LakeHouse Dry Goods. McCall's Quick Quilts Dec/Jan and Quilts and More Winter 2011 both have quick easy quilts made using this great fabric line by Holly Holderman. Be sure and watch Holly's Blog for more information about fun quilts using the Fun Flowers fabric line.

Market Saturday and Sunday

2010-11-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday: Our first day on the market floor!

One of my favorite things about going to market is getting to spend time with my daughter. She helps me out in the shop and has an eye for fabric for her generation. We enjoy discussing all that we see. My daughter has always wanted to make an Aunt Philly’s Toothbrush Rug. We stopped by Aunt Philly's booth where she was kind enough to show my daughter how to start her own Toothbrush Rug. Aunt Philly is such an interesting person. Look for her patterns on the website soon or come see the sample Lindsey is working on in the shop.

Sunday:

Were we tired for our last day on the market floor!

I was able to take pictures of the two block of the months that we will be starting in January. Kansas Troubles’ Block of the Month will be KT Favorites 10 Years and Counting program. The 2nd Block of the Month, The Night Before Christmas, by Bunny Hill Designs features the La Petite Ecole fabric line by French General for Moda.

Fall Quilt Market Review

2010-11-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Friday at Quilt Market!

My daughter and I went to Fall Quilt Market in Houston this weekend. We checked out all the latest fabric lines for spring, and its not even winter yet. Friday we both attended Schoolhouse. Schoolhouse is a full day from 10:30- 6:00p.m of 15 and 30 minute classes. These classes are designed to teach new techniques, show new fabric lines, and introduce new patterns. One of the most moving Schoolhouse presentations was a new program to make Quilts of Valor quilts that is being launched by Marianne Fons of Fons & Porter (picture 1). The new program, "Under Our Wings," will have participating Quilt shops mentor a new sewing/quilting student. The mentor will teach the student to construct a Quilts of Valor quilt for a current or retired service person or family. Nine different fabric companies will produce American Valor Fabric lines for this program and will donate a portion of their proceeds to the armed service charity of their choice. We have ordered Moda’s full collection called Quilts of Valor by Minick & Simpson (picture 2) and P&B’s full collection titled Tribute by Pat Sloan. A fun quilting template that was demonstrated was the The X-Blocks tool demonstrated by Patrica Pepe. Lots of fun and traditional designs are featured in her new book "Once Upon a time in X-Blocks Land Nine Magical Quilt Designs (picture 3)."

Moda's Latest! Fabric Candy Bars --- In Chocolate No Less!

2010-06-12T18:18:00.001-07:00

My Moda Fabric Candy bars are due to arrive on Monday, June 14th. I can't wait to check out the sweet recipe book which has six projects to bake up.

The Moda Warehouse is now out of stock so you will need to order soon to not miss out.

Moda Chocolate Candy Bars are the newest fun precut from the Moda Bake Shop that was introduced Spring Quilt Market 2010.

A box of White Chocolate or Light Moda Candy Bars includes four packs of 40 2.5 by 5 inch fabric rectangles. Included in the Light/White Chocolate box are a pack of each of the following new lines: Bliss by Bonnie & Camille, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Fig Tree & Co., City Weekend by Lisa Gibson for oliver + S, and Fandango by Kate Spain.

The Dark Chocolate Candy Bar Box contains a pack each of the following fabric lines: The Hope Collection for a Cause fabric by Howard Marcus, Clermont Farms by Minick & Simpson, Luna Notte by 3 Sisters, and Remembrance by Brannock and Patek.

Each four pack box contains a recipe book for six different treats using your four pack of candy bars.

April Spring Sampler Quilt

2010-04-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Make a Quilt Day!

Celebrate Make a Quilt Day, April 18, with Suzzett's Fabric, Quilts and More and the April 2010 FabShop Hop.

The April FabShop Hop brings FabShop Hoppers a special challenge just in time for spring. In addition to hopping and shopping, celebrate spring and Make a Quilt Day, April 18, by collecting quilt blocks to create FabShop Hop’s exclusive Spring Sampler quilt.

FabShop Hop will also host a Spring Sampler Show ‘n’ Tell Challenge in June. Here’s how to participate:

• Make a finished quilt top from the Spring Sampler pattern. Creativity is encouraged.
• Take a great digital photo of your quilt and submit it to info@fabshopnet.com by no later than June 1,
2010. The image must be 300 dpi, and 4 inches wide.
• Give your quilt a name.

Registration has already begun for the shopping tour that takes you across North America.
Learn more about hopping and shopping at http://www.fabshophop.com/hopmain.asp .

The April FabShop Hop is your way to fabric and fun!

Available on my website, SuzzettsFabric,.com you will find at the bottom of the Kits Link a Spring Sampler Finishing Kit and a Spring Sampler Block Kit for the FabShopHop April Spring Sampler quilt. Currently there are two different fabric choices for the Spring Sampler Finishing Kit available.

Be sure and check out all of the beautiful fabric and quilt kits on the Suzzett's Fabric, Quilts and More website.

30 years

2010-01-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

The thirty year milestone has been met. Thirty years ago today we married in a small country church in west Texas. The unfinished quilt top attached was sewn for my dear hubby in honor of our 30 years. His favorite quilt and fabric style is 30's so that is what I presented to him this morning. The quilt is unfinished because I wanted to make sure he was agreeable to a floral applique' border before I completed the quilt. Yeah he is. Now I have more work to do.

The pictured quilt top was made using the Granny's Stars pattern by Nancy Mahoney found in the July/Aug. 2009 Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine. The fabric used was primarily the Nancy Mahoney P&B Textiles prints which can be found here on my website.

Cuddle Fabric Quilt

2009-12-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

Cuddle Fabric is so soft and I have found not that hard to work with. Cuddle fabric by Shannon fabrics is much like the Minkee fabric you see in fabric stores. The fabric is 100% polyester and oh so soft. I needed to make some craft sale items so I elected to sew up some quick cuddle stroller blankets. The blankets measure about 29 inches square and require 30 inches of two different 60 inch wide fabric. Since the fabric is so wide, you can make 2 cuddle blankets from the two 30 inch cuts. Lay the two 30 by 30 inch fabrics right sides together and then pin the heck out of the two layers. When I say pin the heck out of the layer I mean you will need a pin about every 1 1/2 inches. Sew the two pieces together leaving about a 4 inch opening on one side. Clip the corners and turn the blanket inside out. Pin the 4 inch opening and top stitch about a 1/4 inch away from the edge all the way around. Once you master pinning and not running over the pins, you can make these quick little baby stroller blankets in less than an hour.

The second Cuddle fabric project created I learned about from attending quilt market in October. The strip Cuddle quilt requires a combination of different prints that are sewn in strips onto a solid backing that is basted to your batting with spray adhesive. The strips sew on quite easily when you follow the directions. Add border strips as desired and then sew on binding and you have a great quilt as you go project that is so soft. I used the jaguar print and the brown fabric for the front of my quilt, green for the backing and then used the dark brown for the binding on the quilt.

Accuquilt Go!

2009-11-25T06:20:00.001-08:00

How much Fun is the Accuquilt Go? I am having fun playing with my Go! Pictured is my quick baby quilt made from the Udder Cowboy fabric from Moda using one of the many Go! triangle templates. The Go makes cutting sew much faster. If you want the Go! for Christmas you better get your order in fast.

I have also cut snowflakes, Christmas trees, bears, ducks and hearts from the templates. There are lots of ideas on the Go website for what you can create using the Go templates.

Moda Sampler Box

2009-11-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

I am so excited. I received my order of Moda Sampler Boxes today. Each Moda Sampler Box contains 12 miniature (2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch) charm packs of 40 squares each. The fabrics are all from the 2010 Spring fabric lines. Each box contains the history of the Charm quilt by Barbara Brackman as well as five different templates that can be used to make a charm quilt. Additionally, ten project ideas are also included in the sampler box template book.

Fun Gifts

2009-11-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Several gift giving occasions have come my way of late. I love to sew and when I have a gift to give it makes it even more fun. With inspiration from the ModaBakeshop.com website I created a diaper bag using 1/2 a Sultry Honey Bun and some coordinating Eva fabric. The most fun part was creating the inside of the bag and making goodies to go inside. I added a lined zipper pocket, a removable center pocket and a padded side pocket. Extras for the diaper bag included a vinyl coated changing mat made using iron on Heat and Bond vinyl, a vinyl lined bib embellished with an Accuquilt duck applique' and a burp pad made from a prefolded diaper, a bit of Eva fabric and large ric rac. Way fun project.

For a young lady getting married soon I made a reversible apron using Nouveau fabric. The main apron was a small floral print with teal accents. I embellished the apron bodice with a teal band and large rust colored ric rac. Ric rac was added to the pocket as well. The reverse of the apron was the teal fabric. The bride to be looked so cute in her apron.

New projects in the works

2009-10-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

A diaper bag for a baby shower is in the works currently. It's been 10 years since I have needed a diaper bag though it seems just a few years ago. It's kind of fun picking out the fabric and design. I am using the Eva fabric that just arrived and a Sultry Honey Bun which coordinates well with Eva since both fabric lines are by Basicgrey for Moda. The lime greens are great color that really seem to go with just about any other color.

I just received my Happy Camper fabric by American Jane for Moda. Happy Camper fabric takes me to Colorado every time I look at it. As a kid we tent camped nearly every summer in Colorado. I love fabric that brings back memories. I am going to make a throw for when we go camping. I just have to decide what pattern to use.

Houston Quilt Market Finds

2009-10-13T08:28:00.001-07:00

Inspiration at quilt market in Houston is a little overwhelming. There are lots of bold and bright large print fabrics on the market but also a large number of the retro look with a more muted earthy color in smaller prints. Of course there are always reproduction fabric lines that are so inspiring. Shannon Fabrics and Moda both have the cuddle soft polyester fabrics for those oh so soft baby blankets that are so popular. The Shannon Fabrics come in a multitude of prints. I should have soft pastels and brown animal prints in stock within a week or so just in time for Christmas gifts for you favorite baby.

The AccuQuilt GO! Quilter was everywhere at market it seemed. There were lots of new patterns for use with the die templates used but primarily what I saw was just imagination using the different die cuts. I had ordered an AccuQuilt Go cutter just before market and found it a great tool. One of the main trends I saw was scrappy quilts with large squares of small prints with the various appliques. Very nice. Appliques are used not only on quilts but also are great for bibs, children's clothing, tea towels, aprons or just about anything else you see applique on. AccuQuilt GO is available for order on my website. New dies will be added to the website as soon as possible.

Pictured is an over view of one slice of market and a picture of the Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt which was completed in 1988 and recently found. The quilt display was very pretty. For more information on the display go to the Quilts.com website.

The American Jane Booth (first picture below, Fig Tree Quilts Booth and the Blank Quilting Booths were three of my favorites.

The Spectacle Receptacle was one of my favorite pattern finds. This is a really quick little project to hold just about anything from eye glasses, rotary cutters, remote controls or perhaps use as a desk pencil holder.

Getting Ready for Quilt Market

2009-10-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here is my new Market Bag all ready for stuffing lots of stuff in from quilt Market this weekend. Same block pattern used on both sides. The pattern is

Sweet Sugar Swirls

from Fig Tree Quilts. I will try to update with pictures and notes this weekend.

What to do on a rainy day.

2009-10-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

What do you like to do on a rainy day? I like to sew. But then again "What day is it that you don't like to sew?" some in my family say. Today my daughter and I completed her charm square bag made from the Easiest Handbags Ever pattern from Fig Tree Quilts. Lindsey used a Summer Basket of Flowers Charm Pack for a fall bag. That girl has more purses and bags but "one more just for market next week to hold all our stuff Mom" is what she said. I enjoy crafting with my daughter.

All you need for the this charm pack bag is a charm pack, 5/8 yard of fabric and some batting.

Quick Gifts

2009-09-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Now is the time to get going on Christmas gifts. Charm packs make nice quick baby quilts or Christmas table runners or tree skirts or.... the list goes on. Precuts such as Jelly Rolls, Charm Packs, Honey Buns, Layer Cakes, Turnovers and Desert Rolls can really save a lot of valubale time by reducing the amount of fabric you have to cut apart just to sew back together. Use the left overs for project backs or have fun creating Journal book covers or totes.

Web special this week is $2.00 off each Honey Bun. Honey Buns are a roll of 40 1 1/2 inch by width of fabric strips. Much like Jelly Rolls, Honey Buns give a scrappy look to your project.

New P&B Fabric to arrive today.

2009-09-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

I have 3 new lines of P&B fabric arriving today. Arabella is a contemporary line by Pat Sloan that has some fun floral paisley prints.

Chole by Janet Broxon is very colorful with small prints that would be great for children's clothing.

Woodland Christmas from Julie Ingleman has a colorful 12 Days of Christmas panel with coordinates in red, green and cream including great dot prints.

Cowbow quilt

2009-07-24T09:39:00.001-07:00

Here is a blue and brown baby quilt made with just blocks and strips. I love EQ. You can create anything. This was a special request quilt for a 2nd cousin on the way. The nursery is blue and brown so the grandmother wanted something like this. I used the Udder Cowboy fabric with the shoofly print for the blocks and the paisley for the border.

Neck Coollers

2009-07-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Thomas and I made 16 Neck Coolers today in preparation to our trip to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. We will be teaching VBS all week in the mornings and maybe working outside later in the day. Neck coolers will be needed to chill us out. Thomas did most of the initial sewing and filling the tubes with the granules. I then would sew the sections for the granules in place. Doesn't he look like he was having fun. He does a great job sewing. We did the men neck coolers in Texas fabric and the ladies in bluebonnet fabric. When we get back home he is going to make one for him with baseball fabric.

Happy 4th of July to you all.

No time to sew

2009-06-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

I try to make time to sew and find that all the other things on the priority list are winning out due to the deadlines that are enforce. I have started my pillow shams for my bed that will coordinate with my new years eve mystery quilt that lies lonesome with no pillows. Started is better than nothing I suppose.

This next month is going to really busy. I have church camp with the girls I work with at church (my dear hubby will be processing orders for me), then a few days of vacation, a week off to prepare for a mission trip I am going on to Arizona in July. Next time I will have a chance to sew is mid July. July is Dad's 75th birthday. The girls in the family will hopefully get together for our 2nd annual girls retreat. We may let the 2nd generation of girls join this year which should be fun.

One of my deadlines was ordering my fabric for fall - Decisions, Decisions. Bright colors are on the horizon for fall delivery with spring quilts in mind. I love the greens that are on the market now. Keep watching my website for more to come since I do have fabric coming in monthly.

Picture for this month is our new calf Juno. Inspiration for this picture post is the Udder Cowboy fabric that is in stock - way cute for that baby boy quilt you need to create.

Pauly cat is ready for summer

2009-05-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

This is actually last years picture but I love it. It is time for the pool here in Texas.

Sweet Honeybun

2009-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have found that working with precuts is such a fun chalenge. I know I have said that before. Here is a baby size quilt top I made from adapting Pieces from My Heart

Pattern Dutch Treat

. I scaled down the blocks to 3 by 3 from 5 by 6. I then added a little faux piping treatment around the inner border. Lastly for the outer border I used leftovers from mu Sweet Honeybun to make rail fence blocks for a finishing touch. All that was required was a pattern for inspiration, 1 Sweet Honeybun, 3/4 yard of Bella Solid white for blocks and inner border, 1/4 yard Bella Solid pink for inner border and of course the binding and backing.

Tilt a Whirl Quilt Top Completed

2009-04-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

It was time for a fun Jelly Roll Project so I decided on Tilt a Whirl by Quilt Moments. I love Quilt Moments patterns because there are so many options for building your quilt. I chose a Maypole Jelly Roll and a yellow marble for the setting triagles. I experimented with different border options and then went with the Jelly Roll left overs. Jelly Rolls are so fun becuase so much less cutting.

Zippity Doo Dah

2009-04-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

Zippity Doo Dah is such a fun patriotic fabric line by Sandy Gervais. I had to use the panel to make a stars and stripes wall hanging. Well the wall hanging grew a bit to almost a throw size. Panels make for quick fun projects when you just add a few blocks and borders. Check out the Zippity Doo Dah line at www.SuzzettsFabric.com

Pickin Wildflowers Table Runner

2009-04-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

Quick projects give you a feeling of accomplishment for actually finishing the project. Charm packs are fun because no two projects need be alike just by the way you arrange the charm squares. Pictured is the Pickin Wildflowers table runner by This and That using a Tranquility Charm Pack. Any charm pack should work just choose based on your decor. Happy quilting!

What does March Madness Mean to you?

2009-03-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

March Madness to me means TAXES. Yes that seems like every spare minute has gone to preparing my paperwork for Taxes. As a newbie, I have learned what will make tax preparation easier next year in regards to data entry in my Quickbooks software.

I can't wait to get back to sewing. I have about 30 different bolts of fabric to post to the website as well as multiple patterns. GOTTA GO.

Stacked Coins Baby Quilt - Candy Kisses

2009-02-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

I found the Stacked Coins Baby Quilt pattern on the Moda Bakeshop website that I blogged about earlier in the week. Here is the picture. I used the Candy Kisses Charm Pack by Sandy Gervais though I did a few modifications because I wanted to use some Flirtation fabric also by Sandy Gervais to add some brown into the quilt. I then used the flirtation fabric for the backing and the binding. Way fast quilt to make.

Moda Bake Shop is sew sweet!

2009-02-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

Check out the Moda Bake Shop to see what is cooking. I found a rag rug posted today but then of course I had to keep looking. Here is the link to the site. MODA BAKE SHOP

Portable Design Wall

2009-02-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Are you like me and have no wall space in your sewing area? I found Cheryl Ann's Design Wall to be my solution. This is a completely portable flannel wall that you assemble using fiberglass poles. The wall comes with a nice little carry case. My
5th grader was able to assemble the wall in less than 5 minutes. Order at www.SuzzettsFabric.com

Crazy Batik Shortcut Quilt

2009-01-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

Well Lindsey is making progress on her Crazy Batik Shortcut quilt. She has finished all her blocks and is now ready to add the sashing. I think using the batik fabrics with black gives a cathedral window look.

Next thing you know I am going to have her teaching a class on Crazy Shortcut Quilts.

Winter Quilts in Texas?

2009-01-23T03:36:00.000-08:00

Here in Texas it was 80 degrees yesterday. So how do you get in the mood to make a winter quilt in the middle of winter in Texas? I am not sure. I do know that I put my New Years Eve quilt top on the quilting frame and got two passes done when I decided I did not like the second pass so I'm going to gently remove those stiches and as I tell my children "Make a new plan Stan."

In the meantime, I have rearranged the shop again to accomodate more fabrics. I have lots of precuts in from Moda that just needed to show their pretty faces to me for inspiration. I have found a few patterns to accomodate the new Honey Buns and Turnovers from Moda. Are you like me and really just like to sit down and sew from what is in your head and see what appears? The problem is then you have to translate the creation to paper if someone else likes the creation which then takes you away from the sewing machine. Such a vicious circle!

It seems like the chat groups I am on are all quite. I suppose everyone is working on new projects instead of chatting. That is a good thing so we don't get behind in the new year projects.

If you are not a TV football fan, line up a project and get ready to sit and sew on Superbowl Sunday. That is my plan. I have some new Scrap Bags in from Moda that I may just have to pull off the shelf and make a quick Sunday project with those 40 coordinating 3 inch selvage strips that are calling my name.

Enough said have a good end of January.

Suzzy

New Year

2009-01-09T04:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I have not posted in a few weeks but what can I say the new year is quite busy. I started off making a mystery quilt with a couple of my Yahoo groups on NY eve. I decided to make the queen size quilt using one of my favorite colors, burgandy. What can I say but it just takes time to make a large quilt. The home stretch is now in sight with a completion goal of today.

The shop has been busy as well with new fabrics arriving. I have totally ran out of room on my racks I have so hubby has built more shelves for me. New shelves will hold the Hello Betty fabric that is due to arrive any day. I love 30's and Retro prints with this line having plenty of both. Those Retro fabrics just take me back to the halls of Lueders-Avoca High School and wearing those short dresses we wore back in the day. I know our dresses were as short as the girls we see at times now. Of course, I now know what Mom was concerned about now when she would say "Do not bend over in that dress."

Blueberry muffins in the oven for the munchkin. Have a great end of week.

Christmas is here

2008-12-22T19:36:00.001-08:00

Don't you love the season. The last package is wrapped. The baking big time begins tomorrow for the last minute gifts. Then "Chill out" on Wednesday with the family. Go to church Wednesday night. Go look at lights after church. The kids will open packages Christmas morning. This is the first year we have ever opened packages on Christmas morning. A new tradition has begun. After the kids open packages we are having a very untraditional Christmas lunch. In fact, when I was growing up the meal we are having Christmas day is the meal we had the day after Christmas. So what are the Crowells having? Red beans, ham, corn bread and french fries. Because Thomas thinks every holiday meal should include Grandmother's deviled eggs we will have them as well. Thursday should be a beautiful day here in Texas to enjoy just chilling out after the rush of the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas family and friends.

Friday I plan on working on the presewing part of the New Year's Eve mystery quilt that I will be doing with others on several yahoo quilt groups on New Years Eve. What fun. I just have to decide what fabric to use for the mystery quilt.

Moda Fabricmatcher tool

2008-12-17T08:05:00.001-08:00

Have you visited the Moda website lately and checked under fun stuff lately? I check out the Moda website often to see what new fun things are available. The FabricMatcher tool is a interactive program that lets you create a project by loading your fabric and a pattern into the program to get an idea how a project will appear. Check out the Fabricmatcher tool at http://moda.fabricmatcher.com/ and start creating. How about checking out the new arrivals at www.SuzzettsFabric.com to see what fun project you can create using the FabricMatcher tool.

Spring Fabrics

2008-12-16T05:01:00.000-08:00

Now that it is so cold outside, even here in north Texas, it is time to warm up to some beautiful spring floral quilts. The Hill Country Spring fabric line by Sentimental Studios for Moda has some beautiful floral prints that would be perfect for a quilt pattern that uses a floral focus print in the pattern. I think that either Walk About or Love That Print quilt patterns by Grizzly Gulch Gallery would be great for this line.

Christmas Countdown

2008-12-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

It is not too late to start a project for Christmas gifts.
Check out the new fabrics that have arrived. Heavenly Hollyhocks by Lain Stowe, Hill Country Spring from Moda and Nature's Chorus from April Cornell are all in stock. Additionally check out the New Arrival Links for links to new products from the International Quilt Market in Houston this year. Links are available on the Suzzett's Fabric link to the left.

Bunco Man

2008-12-02T07:00:00.001-08:00

Check out this "Winter Welcome" snowman wallhanging from Quilters World Dec 2007, I call Bunco Man. The name Bunco Man is the result of him being my Bunco gift for the Christmas exchange for the Bunco party last night. I used a Royal Holiday Charm Pack, various fabrics for the applique, various creams and tans for the snowman body (crazy quilt style) and a bit over a yard for the blue background binding and backing. This is a fun project for a quick Christmas "homemade" gift that can be used all winter. Question for you quilters....How in the heck do you miter the corners that are greater than 90 degree angles? The angles at the bottom of the wall hanging are more like a 120 degree angle.

Merry & Bright Reversible Wallhanging

2008-11-28T09:04:00.000-08:00

Merry & Bright fabric by Sandy Gervias for Moda was my inspiration for my Christmas project this year. I love the little coupe cars on the streets today and think the coupe in the main panel of the fabric line is just great for a wall hanging. With the panel as my inspiration and the desire to "create" using Charm Packs, I took a Moda Charm pattern, opened two Charm Packs and started playing. Since I had just a few left over charm squares left after completing the wall hanging front, I decided to piece the back of the wall hanging instead of having to cut more fabric for the backing. For the back I used one of the panel blocks, all but one of my charm squares, the rest of my red from the front border and just a bit of three other fabrics. Wow what a saving in fabric to piece the back. Piecing the back is certainly nothing new. One of my favorite old quilts made in the 20's by my grandmother's family used old trousers for both the front and back. I use this old 20's quilt for my Christmas tree skirt every year just to remind me of how special my grandmother was to me. I hope you all had a time to reflect on family and friends this Thanksgiving and enjoy the Christmas season this year. Remember the Christmas season is not about snow, Christmas trees, house decorating and shopping but instead celebration of the birth of Christ.

Clearly Perfect Angles

2008-11-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

At Houston Quilt Market, I saw a demo of the Clearly Perfect Angles template that clings to your sewing surface to help you sew accurate 45 degree angles. WOW it works. I have always took the time to mark a diagonal on my small squares when making my flying geese units. No more marking is needed with this easy template guide which is so easy and fast to use. Check it out in the notions section of the SuzzettsFabric link. Here is a picture of the template installed on my sewing machine. As a bonus, the template includes 1/4 inch and 5/8 inch seam guides.

Gilda's Club North Texas Quilts

2008-11-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

This Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a conference at Gilda's Club of North Texas on the topic on Hereditary Colon Cancer. The conference was quite informative about both FAP and Lynch Syndrome. I so enjoyed walking around Gilda's Club and seeing all the art work created by those impacted by cancer either as a patient or as a loved one. There were several quilts that had been created to express the hope that many cancer patients feel which was very encouraging. I am glad that I know that several of the fabrics that I have purchased this year have contributions that go directly to the Gilda's Club foundation. Collection for a Cause Heritage 1846 from Moda and Inspiration III from Blank Quilting are two fabric lines for which financial support goes to the Gilda's Club.

The Udder Cowboy Fabric by Sew Treasured for Moda

2008-11-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

The Udder Cowboy fabric by Sew Treasured for Moda will make a treasured crib set for that little wrangler. Check out the Cows on the Range print for this line. The fabric is now available in yardage as well as fat quarter pack of 28, 2 1/2 inch strip sets and fat eight packs of 28. Check out the New Arrivals section in the Suzzett's Fabric Link.

2008-11-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas shopping on a budget. My daughter loves the Moda Home Market Bags. It is amazing how much girl stuff these market bags will hold. The bags have very sturdy handles and have a wipe clean surface. Check out the link for the Moda Home Market Bags to the left.

Slipper Cuties

2008-11-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

I actually had a chance to complete a project today. Using the Slipper Cutie pattern from Fig Tree & Co., I made a pair of child house slippers. This is a way quick project if you use prequilted fabric and quite economical because you can make a pair of small slippers with just a 1/4 yard of prequilted fabric and about a yard of 2 inch binding. Here is the link to the kit for the child slipper kit. http://www.suzzettsfabric.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ShoeKit&Category_Code=KITS

The Slipper Cuties includes instructions for enlarging the slippers up to a size 10 ladies per Joanna Figuora. I had an opportunity to take a class from Joanna, the designer of Fig Tree & Co., while at market. Joanna has a fun personality and has come out with some great new patterns. Check out my website under the patterns link for Fig Tree & Co. patterns.

Quilt Market Houston 2008

2008-11-02T12:42:00.001-08:00

Recovery from Quilt Market in Houston is still ongoing. I still have not posted all of my goodies but have ordered several new fabrics for next spring including the new I Love Lucy fabric from Quilting Treasures. Northcott has a beautiful new line by Lain Stowe called Heavenly Hollyhocks. Lain Stowe has created several patterns for her line that showcase the large print from the Heavenly Hollyhocks line but will work well with any large print.

Above is a sneak peak of the I Love Lucy fabric and the Heavenly Hollyhock fabrics from Quilt market.

I also picked up at market a few new notions, books and patterns. I will be posting these new goodies soon.

Use the Suzzett's Fabric website link on the left to see new sales posted every Wednesday as well as new products being added often.

Good morning

2008-09-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

Good morning to all. This is the first of many messages to come.

Have you got your quilting projects all lined out for the gifting season ahead? It is so easy to start a new project without completing another. My favorites folder is full of "possible projects" and "way cute" ideas all from creative folks who offer free project ideas. Someday I will be in someones favorites folder but for now I need to finish those Christmas, baby gifts, wedding gift projects that are already on my to do list.

Have a great day.

Suzzett