Looking for the MarcusFabrics.com OCTOBER Update ?

It’s coming in just a few days!  We had sooo much great stuff to share (in the midst of last-minute Quilt Market prep), that we’re just taking a few extra days to complete it. We’re relaunching our Studio 37 website, with contemporary looks from Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Nancy Rink, Sarah Maxwell, Susan Cousineau, Irene Chan and Laura Berringer for starters! And on the Marcus side, we’ve got new looks from Pam Buda, flannel sewing tips, and a preview from Rachel Pellman, the newest addition to our design team.  It’ll all be unveiled in just a few days, but for now, enjoy this little sneak peek…

OCT15WebPreviewCOMP

Fall ’14 Cover Quilt: Medallion Muse

MedallionMuse-HHQuiltIf you’re looking for a vibrant, trans-seasonal quilt project, check out Faye Burgos’ MEDALLION MUSE collection, shown here in the “Lapis & Marigolds” quilt by Homestead Hearth. It’s featured in the latest issue of McCall’s Quilt Quilts (that’s the October/November issue), and it even made the cover!  The fabric is available in this cool blue palette shown above, and in an equally vibrant orchid/gold combination.

   

Think Spring with the SUBTLE SKIES Collection

Looking for the perfect project to welcome Spring?  Consider this pretty quilt designed by Homestead Hearth, featuring Faye Burgos’ beautiful SUBTLE SKIES collection.  “Gentle Dawn” is fully patterned in the McCall’s Quilting March/April 2014 issue.  It’s beginner friendly, and a kit is available.  We love it for a guest bedroom, but once you sew it up, you’ll want to treat yourself!

Check Out BOOTH 2203 in Portland!

Quilt Market is well underway, just look at the booth decor!

1. NEXT WAVE is featured in quilts, decor and children’s clothing, all with equal flair!

2. and 3.  Vicki Bellino’s brand new patterns highlight our PRETTY SPECIAL baby girl and baby boy collections.

4.  VISUAL EFFECT’s contemporary color and prints in a traditional block setting.

5.  Marcus BOM’s – HAMPTON RIDGE (by Red Crinoline Quilts) and PARTY OF TWELVE (by Homestead Hearth)

See it all in person through Sunday, May 19 – BOOTH 2203

Quilt Market Begins…

Most of the sales, marketing & design staff is away in Portland, Oregon, ready for the start of Spring Quilt Market!  The actual show begins tomorrow, preceded by two grueling days of booth setup…

1.  First, we give thanks that the Big Crate arrived on time and intact!

2 & 3.   Next, the last-minute touch-ups on madeup projects that couldn’t quite be completed in the office before we left.  It looks like Pati, our Director of Advertising & Marketing, borrowed a machine from our friends at Bernina(?) These pix show projects made from: NEXT WAVE by Studio 37

4.  Finally the booth is taking shape – show here is the gorgeous HAMPTON RIDGE quilt (fabric by Paula Barnes, quilt BOM by Paula and Mary Ellen Robison of Red Crinoline Quilts).  As you can see, this traditional collection translates equally beautifully into trendy throw pillows, too.  If you’re here at the show, see it all in person – BOOTH 2203!

Stay tuned for more news from Portland!

Were You at QuiltCon?

We were there, and we had a blast! We loved meeting old and new friends over the weekend at QuiltCon in Austin, TX — the creative energy was contagious, and the mood was “joyous”, as described by our president, Stephanie Dell’Olio (that’s her on the right, dwarfed by the towering QuiltCon entry sign – Pic 2)  Here are some pix from our booth…

  • Our QuiltCon booth (Pic 1) featured OMBRE HAND DYES (Pic 6) and STRIP-IT fabrics (Pic 4)
  • Visitors loved our circle garland, made of coordinating CENTENNIAL SOLIDS circles fused together, then joined by a single running straight stitch to create the desired length. (Pic 3)
  • And thanks to Paper Pieces for supplying English paper piecing sampler kits for our attendees – everyone enjoyed this fun technique! (Pic 5)
  • Download these free projects by Nancy Rink, using the Ombre Hand Dye pre-cut Strip-It bundles. (Pic 6)

Spoonflower is Giving Away GRETA SONGE Fabrics!

It’s a Greta Songe fabric giveaway!!  Check out Spoonflower’s blog post about Marcus Fabrics designer Greta Songe, and maybe win a fabric bundle, too!

QUILTCON Countdown!

Here in the office, we’re counting down the days to QUILTCON, the conference and show by and for The Modern Quilt Guild. QuiltCon will feature top modern quilting instructors and will attract attendees from around the world.  As sponsors of QuiltCon, Marcus Fabrics will be there to meet & greet, with goodies, giveaways and demos featuring our OMBRE HAND DYES by Studio 37 and STRIP-IT fabrics..  Be sure to stop by and say hello!

    

Make Greta Songe’s Embroidered Coasters!

Hello everyone! Greta here, and I’m so thrilled to host a tutorial.  I am a relatively new designer with Marcus, under the Studio 37 line of fabrics. This is my first guest post on the blog. I hope you enjoy the project. Feel free to post any questions in the comments section below or shoot me an email at gsonge@gmail.com.  Fabric will be arriving in your local quilt shops in just a couple of weeks!

 I am often trying to come up with simple projects that allow me to work on my sewing skills and can be used as great gifts. I came up with this little coaster project using KITSCHY KITCHEN as the focus fabric and Marcus’ Oasis canvas as a fantastic backing for the embroidery portion. It’s just the right weight and stiffness for the handwork, and comes in a great variety of colors. This is a great project for beginners.

 I realized that a coaster is something I use everyday. Don’t you?   The coasters at our house were really sad excuses for coasters, made up of mostly beat up, overused paper ones collected from who-knows-where. (uck!)  I thought it would be nice to have something beautiful, handcrafted, and enjoyable to look at, especially for an item that I use everyday!

  I have really been getting into embroidery lately. I took a class in African Folklore Embroidery from Catherine Redford at our local quilt shop, Home Ec Workshop. It really got me back into embroidery and totally hooked.

How can i buy cialis online? Its very easy, just go at buycheapcialisonlinemg.com and place your order.

 I just love the texture and charm that a little embroidery adds to a project. I’ve learned to take my time with the embroidery. Small stitches will come out a lot better, and you will enjoy the final product much, much more!

 This tutorial provides information for only three coasters, but I think six would be an ideal set. You could also add a few simple coasters using Kitschy Kitchen fabric for the entire front piece and a coordinate for the backing. Mix and match as you please and make it your own!

Okay, so let’s get started…

 First, download the embroidery pattern PDF from the link below. On the far right of the navigation section at the top of the page, you’ll see “EMBROIDERY PATTERN”

Once you click on it, the PDF should automatically download to your computer and print it out. Be sure to un-check “FIT TO SIZE” so that it prints out at 100%. Otherwise the sizing will be off.

 http://gretasonge.com

It should look like this: (Note: the image shown here is not full size)

Cut the fabric for embroidery pieces:

 (1) 8×10 inch piece of OASIS CANVAS

(I used 0100-3802 for this project. It’s a great neutral.)

Note: This will be cut down into the smaller 2 1/4 x 4 1/2 inch pieces of embroidered pieces later—Keep it larger at the beginning for ease when embroidering

Cut fabric needed for one coaster:

(1) 2 1/4 x 4 1/2 inch embroidered section of coaster

 (1) 2 3/4 x 4 1/2 inch piece of coordinating KITSCHY KITCHEN fabric (Fussy cut your favorite part for the main fabric. There are a lot of fun little vignettes to choose from)

(1) 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch piece of coordinating Kitschy Kitchen backing fabric of your choosing

 (1) 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch piece of cotton batting

 To begin, use a window or a light box for tracing the embroidery image and seam allowance markings onto the 8 x10 inch piece Oasis Canvas with an erasable fabric marker. You may also use the reversed version of the patterns from the PDF and an iron on transfer pen. Choose your favorite method. In the image below, there is no line for the seam allowance, but there will be one on the PDF for tracing.

For the embroidery, choose your favorite stitches. I used the chain stitch, the stem stitch, backstitch, French knots, and the seed stitch for most of the embroidery on the samples shown. There are lots of wonderful tutorials online and on YouTube if you just type one of the above stitch names into the search box. Mix it up, and have fun. That’s the number one rule of it all. Also, don’t worry if it is not perfect. My stitches are far from it, and I like to think that’s what makes handwork so lovely.

Once you have all of your pieces embroidered, cut them out along the solid outside lines.

Pin them right sides facing to their coordinating fabrics, and sew a straight stitch 1/4 from the edge….no need to backstitch these seams

Press the seam allowance towards the embroidered side. Press the front seam open. Square up this piece if it’s lost its right angles in the sewing process. You may be a pro, but I often end up with a couple wonky edges here & there that need squaring up every now and then! 🙂

Sandwich the pieces together as shown below with right sides facing…embroidered front side facing the backing piece, and the batting behind one of those. Pin the edges.  Straight stitch around the edge with a 1/4 inch seam making sure to backstitch at the start and end of this stitch, leaving about a 2 inch gap open for turning right-side out.

Clip the corners to reduce the bulk, making sure not to cut too close to the stitching. Turn it right side out, making sure to push out the corners using dull scissors or a chopstick.

 Pin the opening closed, and top stitch around all four sides with close to the edge. I went around a couple of times just for fun. Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end of your stitch.

Press them flat—and VOILA!  You have yourself a fun little coaster for you or a friend.

If you have any questions or comments, please post them below!

Fabric Giveaway! Comment on Our New Website Look

We thought it would be fun to start the year with a fabric giveaway, and it’s easy to enter!  Just check out the new look of MarcusFabrics.com, and leave a blog comment below telling us what you think of it.  We’ll choose a winner at random from all comments posted by next Wednesday, January 16, 2013!  The lucky winner will receive a sampler pack from our FUN DAY IN THE JUNGLE collection by Studio 37!

(NOTE: Your comment will be visible upon admin approval)