A Very Special Anniversary!

We can hardly believe that it’s been 35 years since Judie Rothermel designed her very first line of quilting fabrics! In 2022, we’re celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Judie’s iconic designs for Marcus Fabrics and her unique contribution to the world of quilting!

That first collection came about because Judie grew tired of tea-dyeing the available prints at the time to achieve an antiqued look. So, she set out to design a group of prints with the look she desired. It debuted in the Marcus booth at Quilt Market in 1987. Since then, she’s created thousands of beloved fabric designs for quilters, like Aunt Grace 1930s prints, Civil War collections, Old Sturbridge Village fabrics and sew many other… and there’s more to come!!

The official festivities begin September 1, 2022, so now’s a great time to browse through your treasured stash for your favorite “Judie Quilts”, fabrics, swatches, patterns and more, to enter various giveaways and contests to come  – stay tuned!

You can even begin sharing some of your favorites Judie quilts, swatches, etc. now on social media – please be sure to include #Judie35 or #JudieRothermel35, and tag us @marcusfabrics and @schoolhousequiltshop.

Congratulations, Judie!!

ICYMI – Mondays with Marcus – Series 3 Wraps!

As we conclude another exciting Monday with Marcus designer series, “The Colors of Marcus”, we wanted to give you an overall view of the free projects. Links to all of them remain available on the MWN page on the Marcus website, and we invite you to visit and follow each designer’s own sites and social media to learn more about them! View SLIDESHOW below

It all began on February 14, when we launched the series with the color RED. All of the participating designers created projects in red for Valentine’s Day and beyond…You’ll find the links for these on the MWM page, too!

Finally, watch for details on our Series 3 giveaway! We’re putting together a fabulous Deluxe Gift Basket of colorful Marcus fabrics and goodies, so stay tuned for the announcement and entry details. Happy Stitching!

#MondaysWithMarcus Returns Feb 14

It’s true!! We’re back with our third Mondays with Marcus FREE PROJECT SERIES, The Colors of Marcus!  This time, we’re launching on Valentine’s Day, so naturally, our talented designers are focusing on projects using RED fabrics.  Watch the video below for a preview of the RED launch projects, the visit our MWM page for links to their project instructions. Then, every Monday, through April 18, each of our designers will choose a color to feature in a second free project.  Collect any or all of the free instructions, and if desired, you can even order fabric kits for the projects, where available.  

We suggest you mark your calendar now with can’t-miss dates for your favorite colors and designers — we think you’re gonna love them ALL — and share the schedule with your friends.

Be sure to follow our Facebook page and Instagram feed, and those of our designers, too!

Here’s the lineup:

February 14    RED           Valentine’s Day Launch with All Participating Designers   

February 21    ORANGE    Gennifer March / G. March Design  

February 28    YELLOW     Nancy Rink / Nancy Rink Designs    

March 7          GREEN       Paula Barnes & Mary Ellen Robison / Red Crinoline Quilts      

March 14        BLUE          Lisa Norton & Lora Zmak  / Material Girlfriends 

March 14        BLUE          Tracy Souza / Plumcute Designs     

March 21        PURPLE     Sarah Maxwell / Designs by Sarah J   

March 21        PURPLE     Cindy Staub / Quilt Doodle Designs 

March 28        BLACK        Dolores Smith / Timeworn Toolbox Designs

March 28        BLACK        Pam Buda  / Heartspun Quilts 

April 4             BROWN      Rebekah L. Smith / Rebekah L. Smith Designs  

April 4             BROWN      Deirdre Bond-Abel / Hatcreek Quilts

April 11           GREY         Sheryl Johnson  /  Temecula Quilt Co.   

April 18           PINK          Laura Berringer   / Marcus Fabrics   

#MondaysWithMarcus: UpClose with Sheryl Johnson!

To keep the MWM momentum going as we prepare for the next series, we decided to give a weekly glimpse into the lives of our designers each week. No kits or supplies are needed, just sit back and get to know them better by enjoying some of their most recent creative escapades…

This week we check in with Sheryl Johnson of Temecula Quilt Co. She’s been hard at work, taking inspiration from the past, with her usual eggs-cellent results…

“I have been busy cooking up a special recipe with a rich history. Shirtings were a fashion necessity in the late 1800s,  used to make men’s shirts and Gibson Girl blouses through the turn of the century. Traditionally, these were lightweight cotton prints with small, simple black motifs on a white ground. Today, their low volume appearance makes them the  perfect pairing for your favorite dark and medium calicos. I believe the DELIGHTFUL DOZEN prints are a must for patchwork,  providing all important light contrast, and will make a great addition to your scrap basket.” 

What a great way to present your own batch of favorite fabric prints, a dozen at a time ; ) You’ll find these delightful designs in quilt shops in March!

Video: Make This “Joseph’s Coat” Project with Patch-It Fabrics!

We know you’re gonna love Vicki McCarty’s expert tips for creating with her Patch-It fabrics! These pre-printed 5″ stripe designs are designed for fussy cutting and creative piecing. Watch above to see how she creates a modified (and simplified!) Joseph’s Coat design.

You’ll find three of Vicki’s Patch-It collections in quilt shops now: Patches of Autumn, Patches of Joy, and Patches of Americana. Each includes a coordinating panel along with the 5″ stripe fabrics, for more easy project options.

Enjoy, and be sure to visit Vicki online at Calico Patch Designs for her patterns, rulers, kits and more…

We’re Celebrating AGED MUSLINS with a Giveaway!

TEN YEARS and still going strong!! In fact, ever since we introduced this novelty “not-so-solid” solid in 2007-08, they’ve just gotten better with time —

What separates our AGED MUSLIN from the look-alikes is a special dyeing technique that creates a faded, distressed, look.  The result is an inherent overall shading that gives the cloth gives its rich, suede-like appearance.   These qualities make our AGED MUSLINS an interesting complement for prints in pieced quilts, where a true solid would read too “flat”, and a texture print isn’t quite right either.

  • The 100% cotton range began with a few neutrals in paper-bag tones
  • Then it expanded to include blues and greys — Pair these with the season’s best denims & chambrays.
  • Next came the dusty midtones (NEW AGED MUSLINS)
  • And in 2017, we added eight saturated fashion colors to the New Aged Muslins category.

Perfect for Trendy and Traditional Quilts, Home Décor, Fashion…

  • They’ll give an authentic, aged look when paired with reproductions, or a casual effect when blended with contemporary prints.
  • AGED MUSLIN’s weave is slightly tighter than standard quilting fabrics, making it an excellent background fabric for appliqué, embroidery and other forms of handwork.
  • The collection also plays well on its own, as you can see in “Stargazing”, shown below our new Aged Muslin BOM program by Krisanne Watkins of Quail Valley Quilts.  Watch for details on line soon!(Begins September 2018, 91” x 91”)

What’s your favorite use for our Aged Muslins, including neutrals, blues and greys, dusty midtones or the newest saturated colors?  Or if you haven’t tried them yet, what would you make?  Comment below for the chance to WIN a FQ BUNDLE!! All blog comments received by Sunday, April 8 at 11:59pm are eligible for the random dawing  —  Good Luck!

Sneak Peek: Join Carol Hopkins’ New Club!

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It’s a rare occurrence in the quilt world to introduce a coordinated effort, where the book and the fabric are released together — It’s Not a Square is a new club designed by repro expert Carol Hopkins, with the AMERICAN SWATCH BOOK collection by Judie Rothermel! It ensures quilters will have the fabrics AND the inspiration at the same time, for maximum enjoyment.

“The unique feature of these blocks is that they aren’t square – they finish at 4″ x 5″. We recreated some classic blocks and also designed more than 50 original blocks that no one has ever seen before, ending up with 182 different blocks.” Carol says about her new book for Martingale (co-authored by Linda Koenig). “The 4″ x 5″ Quilt Block Anthology: 182 Blocks for Reproduction Fabrics” contains instructions for making all of the blocks!

We’ll unveil these gorgeous fabrics online soon*, but we couldn’t wait to partner with our friends at Martingale for the first of TWO joint book-and-fabric giveaways!  Enter the first giveaway now at Martingale, then watch this blog for the Marcus giveaway to follow.  And be sure to add It’s Not a Square to your creative schedule – the 12-month Club begins  August 2017!

(*Retailer-Only – log-in now to preview the collection and Club details)

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A Fresh Start Leads Down Memory Lane…

With the start of a new year comes the opportunity to reorganize and re-energize, so we’ve been clearing out lots of fabrics and swatch cards that have accumulated over the years as we renovate and relocate (no, there’s no need to change your contact info; we’re only moving down the hall!)  If you’ve ever relocated your office space, you know the task we’ve been facing for the past few weeks (Note that I’m sparing you the evidence of the messiest areas, but you get the idea…

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Yet, amidst the disruption, we’re also enjoying our “Trip Down Fabric Memory Lane” in the process!  Stephanie in particular was excited to uncover some of our earliest calico swatch cards, circa 1987, when Marcus first entered the quilting industry.  Stay tuned for more on these classics in a future post…

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And of course, a change like this can be subject to some type of outside reaction:  We happily shared some of the surplus fabric sample cuts that had accumulated over the years with friends from a couple of local quilt guilds.  No sooner had the fabric been picked up than we began to hear whispered rumors that “Marcus was closing its doors??!!!”  Well, be assured that nothing is further from the truth, and we’ll continue our long-standing tradition of bringing you the very best in quilting and craft fabrics for many years to come.  In fact, even in the midst of our office relocation, we’re busily prepping for upcoming events including QuiltCon next month in Savannah, and Ouilt Market in St. Louis this Spring!  See you soon!  ; )

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We Love Pantone’s GREENERY for 2017!

Like many of you, we fully approve of Pantone’s pick as Color of the Year for 2017 – it’s called GREENERY, and it gives us a sense of freshness, renewal and hope.  The world’s foremost color authority chose Greenery, also known as 15-0343, for these reasons:

“Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.”  Read more

If you’re lovinGreenery as much as we are, breathe deeply and rest assured we’ve got it covered, from Centennial Solids and Wools to designer prints and batiks:

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