Christmas… in May?

Sure, you’ve probably heard of Christmas in July, but today we’re taking a tip from our friends at American Patchwork & Quilting with a sneak peek at some of the fabrics you’ll find in shops for Holiday 2014.  Their preview includes just one of our holiday lines, PRIMO PLAIDS – Christmas, shown here in a fun snowman quilt pattern by PastThyme Patterns: PrimoPlaidSnowmanPasThym And we’ve also got  WINTERLY WONDERFUL holiday panel and coordinates by Faye Burgos.  The color scheme includes rich tones of red, green and blue, mixed with neutrals to give a more versatile decorative appeal:

and more winter style from Maw Bell Designs with CHALK IT UP TO WINTER  FLANNELSYou’ll love these classic reds and greens in the designers’ quilt and craft pattern designs, or in a cozy creation of your own.

A Year of Purples & Plums

It looks like plum is the color of choice for more traditional quilts, judging from the highlights at our Quilt Market booth.. you can call it purple, lavender, lilac, berry, mulberry, violet  or pomegranate.   It mixes beautifully with cool blues as well as earth tones and neutrals, making it a fresh (and gender-neutral) choice for home decor. Choose from MILL WORKS

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THE SEASONS on POMEGRANATE LANE, a BOM featuring both THE SEASONS WOOL COLLECTION and POMEGRANATE LANE prints by The Quilted Crow Girls…

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Quilt Market Begins with Schoolhouse

Before the actual buying activity begins, shop owners attend dozens of Schoolhouse Sessions – 15- and 30-minute classes where they learn about upcoming products, merchandising tips, industry trends and more.  Paula Barnes & Mary Ellen Robison of Red Crinoline Quilts, Nancy Rink, and the Quilted Crow Girls all presented sessions at Spring Market, promoting Marcus fabrics and specialty programs…

Mary Ellen Robison and Paula Barnes of Red Crinoline Quilts

Mary Ellen Robison and Paula Barnes of Red Crinoline Quilts

Nancy Rink discusses COLOR LOVE

Nancy Rink discusses COLOR LOVE

The Quilted Crow Girls

The Quilted Crow Girls share their passion for wool applique

Hungry at Quilt Market? Carrie Recommends…

If you’re in Pittsburgh and need a break (already), take a tip from Carrie, our sales rep:

“Hi Lisa, we ate at this great place in Pittsburgh after a hot first day of set up.  It was fantastic!  And I thought the graphic was cool printed on the rough brick wall.” I agree, cool graphicsphoto4

 

 

Booth 2335 – So Far, So Good…

Booth setup is moving along well…catch this sneak peek of current collections, made up in gorgeous children’s dresses.  These include #LRRH, Precious Beginnings and American Bouquet among others.  Behind them are previews of our new The Seasons on Pomegranate Lane BOM, a mix of prints and felted woven wools by The Quilted Crow Girls (photo 1, left), and Sidewalk Cafe (photo 1, right and last photo).  Photo 2 finds Indra, our Customer Service Manager, peeking out from behind a shipping crate, and photo 3 shows off a quilts featuring Molly B’s Basics. You’ll find them all in our Fabric Gallery.

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My Love & Glory Project…

LoveGloryFinishedLisaRecently I met someone who heads up an organization called the Foundation for Military Families, based in South Jersey. Long story short, I offered to see if we had a patriotic quilt available to send to him as a door prize for an upcoming event.  We didn’t, so I decided to whip one up, using Faye Burgos’ beautiful (and convenient) LOVE & GLORY panel and some coordinates.  Just a few hours later, this is the result, along with a few SxS pix.  The fabric really does all of the work, all you have to do is decide on a few borders.  Here I used an ivory ground print and Faye’s Strip-It design.LoveGloryInProgress  I pieced the back from three sections, arranging them from light to dark blue. After some light quilting and trimming, I turned the backing to create a faux binding, secured with zigzag stitching along the edge of the quilt.

The wall hanging will be shown at two of the group’s upcoming events, then finally it will be presented as a gift to a military family.

Patriotic prints aren’t my usual first choice of quilt fabrics, but as it turns out, this was the ultimate quilt project — simple, fun and greatly appreciated by the recipient organization!  The LOVE & GLORY collection is perfect for Flag Day and July 4th celebrations…       —  lisa s

Quilt Market – Stephanie & Company

In advance of all the Market activity, our fearless leader and President of Marcus Fabrics’  Retail Division, Stephanie Dell ‘Olio (second from the left), serves as a panelist at FabShop’s Quilt Market Kick-Off Dinner!  She’s joined by other industry experts, likely sharing thoughts on the state of the international quilting market.  And the audience of independent quilt shop owners is captivated!

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Quilt Market – Before Booth 2335 Became Booth 2335

Spring Quilt Market gets underway soon in Pittsburgh, PA, and most of the office crew is now onsite.  Mechelle sent along these photos of the empty booth space that will be magically transformed into a gorgeous display of new and upcoming Marcus designs & inspiration!  Stay tuned…QMSp14-EmptyBooth1 QMSp14-EmptyBooth2

The Lowell Mill Workers… The Story Continues

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If you share Nancy Rink’s interest in the history of the Lowell mill workers,  you’ll love MILL WORKS, her new fabric line and accompanying BOM program! Her inspiration comes from swatches of the American Textile History Museum, and the colors reflect the spirit of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. (1820-1870). Don’t you love this palette of cool tones anchored by neutrals? It’s a look to enjoy all year long!

 

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Gadget Show & Tell

Ruler insert - Final_Outlines - use this fileThis tip comes from Carrie, one of our sales reps and an avid quilter.  Here’s her review of the Hex’n More Ruler by Jaybird Quilts

“Let me be the first to tell you something that has been super in my area.  It was “new” a couple of markets ago, but has become quite popular for kitting, BOMs and a Nifty Notion: The Hex n’ More ruler!  It’s a 60 degree triangle and hexi in one ruler.  I have blog-carrieQuiltused it in three quilts, personally! Easy and fun.”

Check out one of Carrie’s Hex n More projects.  She  made with the 60 degree part of the ruler.  Small triangles with fat strips, and fat triangles with small strips.  “I called it Tumbling Rubies.  It wasn’t difficult but it took a lot of time and fabric to put the strips on.  I gave it to my cousin actually for Christmas.”  Thanks for the review, Carrie!