Quilt Market Happens Just DAYS From Now!

…and if you’re attending, we look forward to seeing you in the Marcus Brothers/Studio 37 Fabrics Booth #1801! These are just a few of the featured collections you can see up close and personal:

And there’s more…

SCHOOLHOUSE “CREATIVE BLOCK EXCHANGE with Pam Buda’s Circa 1880 Club”  Friday, Nov. 2,  Room 362F, 3:45-4:15pm

NEW BOM and CLUB PROGRAMS from your favorite designers, including Pam Buda, Sheryl Johnson, Krisann Watkins, Nancy Rink and Sarah Maxwell.

BOOK SIGNINGS with Sheryl Johnson (Sat, Nov 3 at 2pm) and Pam Buda (Sun, Nov 4 at 11am)

CREATIVE DEMOS by Sarah Maxwell, PLUS… Sarah and Nancy Rink will discuss and SNEAK-PEEK their upcoming Quilt-along, “Mix It Up”!

Safe travels, everyone — We’ll see you soon!

(Boards by Miriam Rawson)

January Buzz: The Rainbow Fish

rainbowfishscalesIf these first days of 2017 are any indication, January is all about THE RAINBOW FISH hitting the quilt shops!  And we’re not surprised by all of the excitement caused by Marcus Pfister’s friendly, lovable character.  In fact, just as I began to write this post, Pati shared this note from one of our sales reps discussing her customer’s experience with the “Scales” (Style 9752-0750)

“Janet made up a pillowcase of The Rainbow Fish, washed it, dried it, ironed it, and brought it in to the store.  She said there wasn’t a single piece of glitter that came off, and the fabric has a lovely hand.  She was really impressed with the quality of the metallic and printing overall, and ordered more of the line today.  I had some customers who thought the glitter wouldn’t make a nice pillow surface, but it was a beautiful, soft pillowcase.”

And the rest of the prints are equally beautiful, some with touches of metallic shimmer. We even have three quilt projects, available through your local quilt shops:

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Look for the collection in stores now, and ask for Rainbow Fish books in selected shops!

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Announcing our “Plum Perfection” Winner…

plumperfectiongiveawayAnd the winner of this lovely little grouping of Marcus PLUM solids, prints and flannels is…

Linda Douglas of Livingston, MT, who shared: “Hi, love purples of all shades! I’m thinking of dark purple eggplant.This collection is gorgeous! Thanks for introducing this collection+sharing some too!”

Thank you to all of you who join us in celebrating this wonderful color  ; )

On Trend: PLUM Perfection

Colornistas are surely enjoying the influx of PLUM in the market, and like you, we couldn’t be happier about it! Check out today’s featured email from Joss & Main:

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Photos: JossAndMain.com

Plum can be cool, tinged with blue, or lean toward magenta with a slightly red tone.  It’s the color of fantasy, royalty, relaxation and more.  Our own Plum Story for 2016/17 begins with ANTIQUE COTTON CALICOS: Old Plum Calicos by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts.  Pam covers a perfect assortment of values from deep to pale.  Her inspiration comes from the prairie life of the past, and the colors remain just as relevant today.

plumflannelsPlum also lends itself to a more casual mood, with new PRIMO PLAID FLANNELS: Plum, perfect for loungewear, shirts, fashion accessories, plush toys, sofa throws and more, for guys and girls alike…

Try blending Pam’s gorgeous prints with the Primo flannels for a unique take on the trend. Or create a contemporary look with the subtle tones of Nancy Rink’s ON PLUMBERRY LANE, mixing plums with neutrals.  View the Lookbook.

plumb-lane-rinkFinally, if you like your Plum uninterrupted, remember the various solids available all year ’round in our WOOL COLLECTION and CENTENNIAL SOLIDS!

What’s your favorite Plum?  What colors do you mix it with, and in what types of projects?  Subscribe to our blog (at right) and share your thoughts below — comment by Tuesday, October 4, 2016 for a chance to win our Plum Surprise Pack!!

Laura’s New Sewing Space

Laura's New Sewing SpaceAs a fitting finale to our recent “Summer Highlights” blog post, we’re peeking at Laura’s new sewing space, courtesy of her college-bound daughter  ; )

“One of my favorite summer moments (albeit, a bittersweet one) was taking my youngest daughter to college – she was so excited and happy.  But coming back to her empty room was not easy…..until a few days later, when I set up my little Singer sewing machine on her desk!      I wonder what I’ll make…”

Laura, our talented design director, is also a new quilter. My guess is that she’ll be whipping up more new quilts and accessories from her upcoming Studio 37 collections. There was also talk of a skirt in one of her HIGH CONTRAST prints. If you missed it, Laura will be donating her GIRLY-O-SAURUS baby quilt to Project Linus.  Follow her on Instagram @laurasewmodern for her next creation…and future fabric giveaways!

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Back to School, Grumpy Cat ; (

grumpyubndisplayWhen Grumpy Cat’s book was spotted in a local Barnes & Noble store as part of their  Back-to-School display, of course we had to share it with you!  And while the majority of parents are probably thrilled to greet another school year, some kids might relate more to Grumpy Cat.

No matter how you feel about it, we wish everyone a fun and fruitful new school year…and may we suggest that some new school gear in GRUMPY CAT prints and FLANNELS just might help to brighten a few dispositions!  Think shirts, totes, locker decor and more… Fabrics hit your local quilt shops in just a few short weeks!

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Summer Highlights from the Marcus Crew

With Labor Day behind us and summer “officially” over, we thought we’d recap some of our favorite moments of the summer season, from big family events to culinary discoveries!  Enjoy…

Stephanie:  “Building sandcastles and leaving Island Beach state park at sunset with my hubby and good friends in our VW Thing”

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Lisa: “I bought a new travel sewing machine (a Janome Jem Gold) for my Colorado mountain retreat. I chose to skip the Amazon route so I could support a local dealer, ending up at Paramus (NJ) Sewing Center (www.paramussewingcenter.net). The owner turned out to be the previous owner of the old Singer retail store  (remember those??) where I learned to sew at age 12!  So now I’m friends with all the ladies in the shop, and I’ve been invited back for one of their impromptu sip ‘n sews.  Amazon never invites me for cocktails...I also got excellent service a great price  ; )”JanomeJem

Brandy:  “I discovered that you can add raw steel -cut oats to your green smoothies, making it more filling by adding calories and fiber. Not to mention more nutritious. I use spinach in my green smoothies. As we all know, dark leafy greens are some of the most nutrient dense foods you can consume.”

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Regina:   “I gave my niece a bridal shower gift of a beautiful short nightgown and wrap robe.  Instead of wrapping it, I made a fancy hanger, stitching lace to create a garment bag that became part of the gift.  It was a hit and she loved it!  Shown here are the bride, Courtney, with her niece, Susie.”

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Indra:  More wedding news!  Indra & family celebrated her son’s wedding on 7/22/16 in Queens, NY. Shown here standing are Indra, her husband, their daughter, and (seated) their son with his beautiful bride. “The back drops were done with metallic tulle and satin backing, making the back drops was one of the many chores given to me; now my friends and family claim I am the queen of sewing – I learned to sew at age 14 in high school.”

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We hope you’ve all enjoyed some great memorable moments this summer, too.  And now, onto some Great Autumn Quilting  ; )

Studio 37 Fabrics Welcomes Casey York!

CaseySwatchesCaseyYork-HeadshotAs autumn approaches, we’ve got lots of great things planned for Studio 37 Fabrics, and one big highlight is the introduction of our newest “Marcus Maker”,  author and designer Casey York.  

Her debut collection, A DAY IN SPAIN, hits your favorite quilt shops in January, and you’ll be able to read more about Casey, and view the entire collection (with great quilt concepts!) in August. But we couldn’t wait another day to give you a glimpse into this talented designer’s contemporary take on historical motifs, based on her travels in the south of Spain.  We know you’ll be as excited as we are… Welcome, Casey!

Travel Back in Time…with Pam Buda

ConestogaDetailWe just couldn’t wait to show you a little teaser of Pam Buda’s next BOM program, CONESTOGA CROSSING!  The fabric collection debuts online in August, and the BOM quilt program launches in January 2017.  The colors, the sampler-style block designs, the quilting — all are gorgeous, in keeping with Pam’s signature Heartspun Quilts style.

Travel with Pam, back to a time when America’s pioneers rode horse and wagon over the Oregon trail.  Their strong desire to move West and homestead is rich in history, and Conestoga Crossing presents fabrics of that era, along with interesting anecdotal stories of the trail experience.  We know this is one you’ll want to add to your creative plans!

The International Appeal of Elizabeth’s Dowry

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Don’t you love a great fabric sneak-peek?  We’re pleased to share this special preview of our upcoming ELIZABETH’S DOWRY collection!  It’s the first project of a new joint venture with The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles.  The line is inspired by the historic Mariner’s Compass Coverlet (1820-1829) from The Quilters’ Guild Collection.  This coverlet is exquisitely constructed, and was made by Mary Dennis as part of her dowry:

QrigQUILTIt’s always exciting to see a fabric line come together, especially when it combines traditional inspiration with the latest digital printing technologies.  Below, these gorgeous prints come under final pre-production reviews by Pati Violick, director of advertising & marketing, and Ancil Wilson, studio manager for Marcus.  Look for the entire collection — as well as the history behind the inspiration quilt, and the quilt project designed by Karen Styles of Australia-based Somerset Patckwork & Quilting —  to be unveiled online in August!

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