Tag Archives: sewing

Colorful Comfort from The Pieceful Quilters

Posted on by

We love updates from our guild friends!  This just in:  Sandra Gibson of the Pieceful Quilters in Richland, MO, submitted this great photo:

As promised, attached is a photo of the more than 25 lap quilts our club members made for the local hospice program, using the box of donated Marcus Brothers fabric (and a little of our own).

Pieceful Quilters Guild of Richland, MO #marcusfabrics

Pieceful Quilters Guild, Richland, MO

Sandra, we applaud your beautiful creations, and we know that the hospice will appreciate your generous gifts also.  And I have to say, the color coordination of this particular display is impeccable  ; )  We’re pleased to know that our remnants are used for such a worthy cause.  Keep stitchin’  —    lisa s

Look at These Gorgeous Greens!

Posted on by

This just in…Stephanie Dell’Olio, president and fearless leader of our retail division, couldn’t help but notice the spike in orders for NEW AGED MUSLINS, and in particular this gorgeous selection of green tones along the center of the swatch card.  The muted, subtly shaded effect of AgedMuslinGREENSthese “not-quite-solid” muslins makes them perfect for life-like appliqued leaves and stems.

We already  know that floral applique projects are big now, so  in part that might explain it, but we always love to hear about your other creative uses for our basics. Applique? Backgrounds? Sashings? Fashion?  Do you mix them with contemporary prints or reproductions, or maybe use them in place of true solids?

In fact, that would be a fun giveaway:  Comment below to tell us how you’ve used our NEW AGED MUSLINS for the chance to win this swatch card (you’ll love this giveaway — the swatches are huge!)  We’ll hold a random drawing next Tuesday, February 3!

September is National Sewing Month!

Posted on by

Celebrated officially in the US since 1982, National Sewing Month is a perfect opportunity to indulge ourselves in our collective passion for sewing, quilting and all things FABRIC! Visit your local quilt shops and fabric stores, visit or join your local guild, or just gather a few friends to share some creative time…the National Sewing Month website has project ideas and more for you!

The “Season” for Wools and Cotton Prints…

Posted on by

CrowBundlesComing soon to a quilt shop near you… two debut collections from the Quilting Crow Girls of Australia – THE SEASONS WOOL COLLECTION and POMEGRANATE LANE.  The design duo combines easy pieced blocks with wool applique in Marcus’ new BOM, The Seasons on Pomegranate Lane (shown below).

If you’re new to felted woven wool applique, the Girls Crow-BOMquiltshow you how to felt the wool for a soft, luxurious feel, how to pair up prints with wools, applique with wool and more — you’ll even find free pincushion projects online to get you started! Download the PDF for tips & the Girls’ free “Birdee” Pincushion projectCrow-Faces

For even more inspiration, be sure to check out the Quilted Crow Girls’ books and patterns, including their upcoming second title, Country Elegance, available in September 2014 (Martingale).

CrowBooksCrowPatterns

Super Bowl Week in NJ / NYC!

Posted on by

Whether you’re a pro football fan or not, you can’t help but notice the Super Bowl frenzy, and it’s magnified for us here in NYC.  In fact, from the weather forecast to the NJ-NY “rivalry” to the game itself, you almost feel left out if you’re NOT talking about it on some level!  This is a view of Broadway, just steps from our offices:

What about you, quilting friends?  Are you into the Big Game?  Will you spend February 2  around the big screen with friends and food, or will you use the day as a creative getaway and quilt the day away?  Maybe you’re just now finishing up some PRIMO PLAID quilts (or scarves!) to stay cozy no matter where you are…let us know how you’ll spend the day!

Brother Int’l Tops Trends in Crafting for 2014

Posted on by

If you love quilting and fabric crafts, chances are your artistic interests might also include other crafts, too, so we thought you’d enjoy a sneak-peek at some of the trends unveiled recently at the Craft & Hobby Association’s  2014 Winter trade show…

BrotherScanCutFabricWhile fabrics aren’t quite the main focus of this show, there’s always some cross-over of trends that are worth considering, and we congratulate our friends at Brother International for taking First Place in CHA’s Hot 20 Awards! Brother’s new ScanNCut machine is a revolutionary new home and hobby cutting machine with the convenience of a 300 DPI built-in scanner.  It stands alone, so you don’t have to hook it up to your computer. It cuts fabric beautifully, along with paper, vinyl and other things!  In fact, the die-cutting category in general proved to be one of the top trends.  Other areas of creative interest include:

  • Airbrushing and airbrushed effects – found on everything from T-shirts to wall art to cake tops!
  • Chalkboard Art, which leads to chalky effects, giving an “instant vintage'” effect for home decorating.  NEW AGED MUSLINS provide the look, without the chalky mess!
  • Handwriting
  • Raw Materials & Textures: Cork, Burlap, Canvas, Wood

#cre8time

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on by

PrimoPumpkins2012At this time of year especially, we’d like to express our gratitude to all of our quilting friends, those celebrating Thanksgiving with us here in the US, as well as our friends around the world.   Thank you for sharing our love of quilting, sewing and crafting!

May you enjoy a safe, happy and creative holiday season…

April Is…National SERGER Month?

Posted on by

On the heels of celebrating March as National/International Quilting Month, comes a new first, National Serger Month, from Baby Lock, a leader in the home serging category!  Like sewing machines, sergers have come a long way in helping all of us to express ourselves creatively, which means we at Marcus are all for it!  Why not?? There’s even a great contest… Check out the Baby Lock site for details, and join us in celebrating your craft all year long  ; )