As we close in on the Memorial Day weekend and kick off the summer season, here’s a quick review of great Marcus looks you can find now in your favorite local quilt shops…

Create a patriotic look with STAR STRUCK by Nancy Rink. Then mix in some PRIMROSE GARDEN WEAVES by Katie Solberg. The addition of Katie’s blush with the red, white and blue tones in Nancy’s signature Jacobean print styling takes it from patriotic into an all-occasion look with ease!

In June, look for fresh summer blues of GENEVIEVE, the debut collection by Carrie Quinn. Try our free project or create your own!

You’ll also love NEIGHBORHOOD FLORIST and FLORIST WEAVES, debut lines by Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Designs. These will also hit quilt shops in June, and Dawn provides LOTS of quilt inspiration, too – her quilt designs are shown below!

This piece, entitled “Soldier’s Quilt: Square Within a Square,” is in the permanent collection American Folk Art Museum, a fabulous New York City resource where admission is always free!
The quilt is made of wool, likely from military uniforms, dating approx 1850-1880. At the time, soldiers quilted while convalescing from wounds, and as a more “wholesome” downtime activity in general.
We love the second image, a detail of tiny pieced squares. Feeling inspired? Check out our Lanacot Wools collection online at MarcusFabrics.com.

MIXING TEXTURES: The only thing better than a Marcus print collection is the addition of interesting textures like wools and dobby weaves. Two of our newest designers, Dawn Heese and Katie Solberg, have done just that in their debut collections, for next-level quilts, fashions and home accents!

ENGINEERED PRINTS: While some of us still embrace the term  “cheater quilts” (a topic of friendly debate in our office!) these wonderful time savers are now known as  Engineered Prints.  Whatever you call them, we can all agree that with limited time to create, we continue to enjoy the headstart afforded by Judie Rothermel’s AUNT GRACE SIMPLY CHARMING Double Wedding Ring print, PAM’S CABIN pre-printed Log Cabin yardage prints by Pam Buda, and Nancy Rink’s STAR STRUCK pinwheel patchwork.

SUSTAINABILITY: More than a buzzword, sustainability is increasingly becoming a way of life, and quilters have always lived a sustainable life, scrap by scrap.  Marcus basics including LANACOT WOOLS and BASECLOTH make it easy to create classic projects that remain in style regardless of the trends.  QUILT BACKS can be used to repair and repurpose older quilts.

SLOW STITCHING: Stitchers continue to enjoy the relaxing pace of slow stitching by hand, for portability, a special heirloom project, or simply a much-needed technology break.  Marcus BASECLOTH in new neutral tones, LANACOT WOOLS, MONKS CLOTH, and AGED MUSLINS are perfect for showing off hand-stitching. in all of its forms.

In honor of Judie Rothermel’s 35th anniversary as a quilt industry designer and innovator, we’ve put together a fun challenge especially for her most dedicated fans (of course, everyone is welcome to enter!).

All you have to do is click on the Official Entry Form, and correctly identify the six Judie Rothermel collections shown, a mix of Aunt Grace, Civil war and others. We’re awarding 35 Anniversary Prize Packs to those with the correct answers, so enter now thru December 31, 2022. (HINT: You might want to save the images, then do your research, then come back and complete the form — kinda like an “open book test” ; )

Good Luck, everyone!