Who Won the July 4th Flannel Giveaway?

Fourth of July "subscribers only" giveawayThanks to everyone for your comments.  It looks like many of you are spending the summer in relocation mode – have fun setting up your new sewing spaces  ; )  Now that I’m back from my own overdue vacation, it’s time to announce that Lisa Zook is the winner of the PRIMO PLAID FLANNEL Country Squire FQ giveaway!

Congratulations to Lisa who says she “plans to refinish my bathroom vanity and finish up a mystery quilt from my local quilt shop.

Remember to SUBSCRIBE to the Marcus Mentions blog and COMMENT for your chance to win in our next random blog post giveaway…use the subscribe box on the right side >>

–lisa s

Fourth of July “Subscribers-Only” Giveaway

Fourth of July "subscribers only" giveawayOur next giveaway has just two requirements:  (1) subscribe to the Marcus Mentions blog, and (2) leave a comment below on what creative projects you’re working on this summer (patriotic or not!) for a chance to win this PRIMO PLAID FLANNELS Country Squire fat quarter bundle!  Sorry, the vintage tin sewing machine is NOT a part of the prize – Pati would kill me if I gave it away…it’s really cute!!)  But you’ll still love the fabrics.

Remember, only blog subscribers as of July Friday, July 10 are eligible to win!  The signup box is to the right.  Already subscribed? Just leave your comment below.   And enjoy some creative leisure time, whether you’re celebrating the 4th of July, or Canada Day or no holiday at all ; )

Time to Pick the Winner!!

CollGallCOMPThanks to all who shared their love for COLLECTORS’ GALLERY last week.  Without further delay, the winner of our BLUE fabric bundle and a printed copy of “Red, White and Sometimes Blue” book from Martingale is:

SANDRA CHAVEZ —  Congratulatulations, Sandra!  Not surprisingly, most of your 300+ comments shared Sandra’s sentiment:  “Beautiful pure colors make this fabric look exquisite. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity.”

And thanks again to Martingale for partnering with us on this exciting giveaway!

Celine’s Quilt is in Progress ; )

So, it looks like Pati has PatiHeadShota definite vision as her First Quilt for her First Grandchild actually begins to take shape!  “With a three-hour drive to Connecticut, it seemed like the perfect time to start Celine’s quilt,” she reported over the weekend.

And are we at all surprised by her choice of English paper pieced hexies?  The mix of a traditional quilt block with bright, contemporary colors of Nancy Rink’s INTRIGUE collection will appeal to each generation of the family.

Here she’s auditioning various backgrounds for the flowers. Personally, I’m not a fan of light grounds, so I vote #1 Orange, then # 2 Pink.  Or maybe alternate orange and pink ground blocks?  What’s your favorite?  —- lisa

Pati baby quilt / Marcus Fabrics

Vicki’s ALS Quilt…Almost Done!

Vicki Bellino of Bloom CreekFor those keeping track of the Lucy Boston quilt we are donating to Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS by Quilter’s Dream Batting, Vicki Bellino (left) shares this photo and progress report:

Vicki-ALSQuilt

After many days of trying a variety of block layouts, I am happy to say the blocks are all on the wall and I’ve begun sewing the rows together! I’m a very symmetrical designer, so the challenge for me was to maintain a very scrappy feel, in a pleasing, somewhat balanced way.  With the variety of fabrics and colors, and the varying numbers of blocks from each fabric, this stack of blocks did not lend itself well to a “symmetrical” layout!  I can only hope that the quilters who so graciously gave their time and effort to make a block will be pleased with the final quilt.  On Monday the quilt top will be boxed and shipped off to the quilteryippee!!

It looks beautiful, Vicki, and I think we can all relate to that “Yippee moment”   ; )  and we look forward to seeing the finished-finished quilt.  —  lisa

Check out some of Vicki’s other designs at Bloom Creek.

The Classic Appeal of Red, White and Blue

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Decorating trends featuring red and blue remain strong — from Redwork embroidery and Americana country settings to more contemporary looks, their appeal continues. The addition of cream gives each color a fresh, clean look. So as we were launching COLLECTORS’ GALLERY by Faye Burgos, we were especially excited to see so much quilt inspiration available to go along with it.  Case in point: Red, White, and Sometimes Blue, published by Martingale.  The book is a compilation of classic red and white, blue and white, and combined color projects from the pages of McCall’s Quilting magazine.  Choose from the 17 projects, including pieced and appliqued, scrappy and tailored that go far beyond patriotic themes.  You’re sure to find lots of ways to highlight Faye’s lush florals, textures, and 1″ Strip-It prints, too.

We figured it was a natural giveaway, so we’ve partnered with our quilt buddies at Martingale to offer a “Book & Bundle” prize to a lucky winner,  Comment below for a chance to win a copy of the book along with a 12-pack of BLUE half-yard cuts!, then visit the Martingale blog and comment again to increase your chances of winning!  Good Luck, everyone!

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Pam Buda’s ANTIQUE COTTON

Have you seen ANTIQUE COTTON, the latest from Pam Buda? You’ll love this range of colors, inspired by her personal collection of quilts from the past.  Her palette allows you to mix and match freely for a random, scrappy look, or to carefully select from the blues, purples, browns, reds, greens, pinks and light neutrals to create your own look.  Look for this pretty collection in your local quilt shops beginning August!AntiqueCottonCOMP

When RIT Dye Meets Marcus Wools…

DyedWool-textCOMP…cool things can happen!  I should start by reminding you that we now offer 44 fabulous colors in our woven 100% WOOL COLLECTION, including gorgeous new brights, classic heathers, darks, and midtones. But in the event you choose to further customize your colors, it’s easy to do with RIT Dye.  You can dye the wool yardage overall, or experiment with custom ombres and shaded effects inspired by nature.

Just for fun, I took a cut of our Cream wool and transformed it using RIT liquid dye in “Camel”.  BONUS:  I loved the fact that I could felt and re-color the wool in one process!!  The 100% wool content accepted the dye easily and evenly.

Not up to dyeing it yourself? Here’s a peek at just a few of the 44 colors available in your favorite quilts shops now, plus free wool projects —WoolsScreenSHot

 

 

 

 

 

So, Who Won the “Random Reds” Giveaway?

Thanks for all of your great comments on last week’s “Seeing Red” post!  And without further delay, congratulations to Margaret McCullough of Okemos, MI.

Here’s the Random Reds bundle I pulled together from various collections…enjoy them, Margaret, and feel free to send us a pic of whatever you create with these!

RandomRedFabricPack

A Future Quilter is Born ; )

CelineWe’re pleased to announce the arrival of Celine, the newest member of the Marcus family,
and first granchild of our Director of Marketing, Pati Violick.  They say nothing gets you stitching like the birth of a grandbaby, and Pati has already started to choose fabrics for the First Quilt, a mix of orange and hot pink — along with grey, they make up the nursery palette.  I have a feeling this little girl will learn to appreciate the joy of hexies and paper piecing before long…  –lisa

Anyway, Welcome to Celine, and Congratulations to “Grandma Pati” and family!  We can’t wait to see what you whip up with Nancy Rink’s INTRIGUE prints…

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