Fun July specials

We found this cute pattern at Quilt Market this spring and I thought the round cushion would make a cute pet bed. We have patterns in stock and can help you pick some fun fabrics .

We also just received the new Laurel Burch Christmas fabrics. Bright bold colors are her signature and of course cats appear through out the collection. "Holiday Celebrations" by Clothworks. See a preview at this link

http://www.clothworkstextiles.com/collection.asp?ID=281

FYI: Join us Friday the 1st of July as we start our millenium in store specials. We have been cutting and wrapping and marking down patterns and books and fat quarter bundles. We were ruthless with the mark down pricing gun. Remember the early bird gets the best pick. Check back often to see what is on special. After all there are 5 Fridays , Saturdays and Sundays in July only every millenium , actually approximately every 800 years.

Fun at Quilt Camp

A good time was had by all. Quilt camp is always fun for all of us at the store because we love to see what colors and fabrics the children choose.

They did a great job and as you can see they go home with a wonderful finished quilt.

Summer Dress pattern for little girls

Izzy and Ivy designs just keep producing the best patterns for little girls dresses. This new pattern"Little Vicki" is just one of several we have just received . I hope you like it . The blue fabric with the large circles filled with colorful flowers is in stock and we have several darling coordinates .

They have also produced some cute new purse patterns you will want to see. I loved the messenger bag and petunia purse patterns.

Thanks for stopping by.

Do you love to make table runners ?

Table runners are so fun to make and they really don't take very long .And don't you just love the trendy color grey and mixing it with green only makes it more wonderful. These lovely cotton / linen blended fabrics featured here are from "Jenaveve" by Valori Wells. Very easy to sew with, they had body and did not raffle. At market we found a new product we wanted to try for the center and as you can see the quilting really has great definition and depth. Thank you to Mary Dittenber for her wonderful machine quilting skills. Next time your at the store take a peek at this new product we used for the batting. Peeking in on the left side of the picture is my cat Mr Boots who jumped up on the table runner right after I snapped this picture on the patio.

We have kits available, reserve yours today.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mystery Quilts Revealed Party

We had a fun journey with our mystery quilt this year, and here is some of the proof. You could choose to travel by day or night and you had a choice of 2 sizes. One of our travelers had never made a quilt before and some of us traveled farther than others. We will be starting another mystery quilt this fall so think about joining us in our travels.

FYI: Be sure to click on my face book page I always post fun links I find for projets and ideas.

Do yo need some inspiration?

We have been busy checking in wonderful new fabrics, books and patterns to tempt you with. !!!!

These lovely photos give you a small preview , and hopefully will motivate you to stop by soon.

On the left are new fabrics from Fig Tree for Moda. They are perfect for any one looking for feminine , romantic prints. The ones pictured on the right are Lou Lou Ti from Anna Marie Horner. They are large, bold and romantic and she had some lovely pillows made from them in her booth at quilt market. I think big and bold are themes that applied to several new fabric groups this summer. We have several new models out at the store for inspiration and we will do a virtual tour of the store soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Do you love fabric with roosters?

We are such suckers for any fabric with roosters , but polka dot ones are even better don't you think? This darling fabric from Robert Kaufman has just arrived and we will have the perfect project for you to make with it at our Christmas in July Event. So mark your calendar and join the fun Saturday , July 16th here at the Calico House.

FYI: The Omaha Quilt Guild will be having their quilt show Quilt Safari on Thursday June 23rd through Saturday June 25th at the LaVista Conference Center. For more information visit

www.omahaquiltersguild.org

thanks for stopping by

Happy Fingers

I was typing away when by accident I hit the publish button on the previous post. I really meant to say both not booth. Sorry.

I wanted to let you know if you click on my face book page here on the blog I post fun information on ideas , patterns and fun stuff I find. I usually don't repeat the same info on both the blog and my face book. So please check it out and enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.

A year from Now

It has taken me almost a year from when I first saw the pattern for this tote bag in Marcia Derse's booth at Quilt Market to finish one. I love all her fabric and the hardest part for me was to pick just 3 . I have featured her fabrics and a table runner I made from her fabrics on the blog before. I used my favorite fusible interfacing , Decor Bond on booth the lining and the outside fabric and this really helps the tote stand up empty.

Part 2 of the new quilt made with batiks

So far so good on the next step of the new quilt. This is the only block I have finished and I am still liking it. Why not try several different placements of the colors and then take a picture of each option so you can remember and review them. Sometimes the phone rings and then you forget where you where. The review button on the camera really comes in handy.

Sewing with batiks.

I have started another project using batiks and wanted to share with you the progress for today. I found a great pattern at quilt market , so these blocks are only the first step.

Batiks are such a pleasure to sew with , but I recommend a dry iron , because steam can so easily stretch and distort your blocks. I press and remeasure after each log is added and find this time well spent . If I get in a hurry even as little as a sixteenth of an inch can really add up. I also swear by mechanical marking pencils as the lead markings are always the same. No fat and skinny lines. I am currently using the Bohin mechanical pencil with the white lead that stays on until you need to remove them. Give it a try the next time you need a good fabric marker.

Are you a football fan?

We are always looking for great fabrics with sport themes for all the sport fans in our lives. And it is never to early to start working on holiday and graduation quilts.

This new football fabric that just arrived has great colors and several coordinating fabrics. We can cut some for you, just let us know many yards you need.

You might want to check out the structured fabric baskets over at chttp://sew4home.com/

I thought they would be great gifts and they are having a great give away with some merchandise from quilt market. I loved the fabrics they used for the fabric baskets, what do you think? We have a great selection of black and white fabrics and many sizes and colors of rick rack in stock. The jumbo rick racks can be used in so many fun ways. If your rick rack is all cotton you will need to pre shrink it in warm water. It is always wise to ask the fiber content when you make your purchase.

Thanks for stopping by.

Do you love Antique Quilts?

Pictured is the cover of the gallery guide for the exhibit that just opened at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum. Gallery guide designed by Julie Owens.

Normally I am a big believer in brevity, but indulge me a little.

If you truly love magnificent antique quilts, then I need to share my experience from today with you . Because I am lucky enough to live in Lincoln, Nebraska, I thought I would stop and peek in at the new exhibit. Elegant Geometry American and British Mosaic Patchwork May 28, 2011-January 8, 2012

The quilts are breath taking and that is a big under statement. Each of them could be a study in individual prints and colors. If you want to learn and see early textiles this is your opportunity to see them up close and personnel . My personal favorite involved a quilt that used velvets and silks of unusual colors. It also surprised me how different it appeared at 20 feet away , than viewed up close. This exhibit deserves time , so come when you can stay. I can't wait to return and you will feel that way too. If you are in the area this exhibit is a must see. I have already called some friends to recommend they stop.

Travel with Transatlantique

This is one of the more unique fabrics I have seen in a while, with an incredible amount of attention paid to detail as you can see. The colors are both rich and beautifully combined to create a wonderful scene. It is perfect for any one looking for Car, motor cycle , train , and ship themed fabrics.

We will be starting are Quilting 101 classes shortly, why not join us and try something new. Lora Rocke is the instructor, so give us a call or email me for more information.

New children's prints have arrived.

These adorable Safari fabrics in primary colors arrived today made by Hoffman of CAlifornia Fabrics. Don't you just love the one with the alligator ,hippos and tigers. We have noticed a lot of elephants showing up in all sorts of sizes , colors, and prints. And the safari theme continues to be popular on all sorts of products, not just cotton fabrics. Did you notice the hippo is smiling, even if he does only have 2 teeth. Made you look. Thanks for stopping by.

Hoffman Bali Pop Quilt / It's Finished

Finally after must frustration with the borders this quilt is done. Done is a great word isn't it.

The blue hawaiian Bali pop set of 2½" strips used for this model is for all of you that love blue, green and purple batiks. We tried the strip tube method on this model and found it very efficient , but remember there are lots of bias edges that can really stretch using this technique. The words caution and careful come to mind. When pressing the blocks I would not use steam as it is really to easy to stretch and distort them.

There will be new Bali Pop sets available in August or September and we ordered all 6 of the new color ways at market. I loved the set called strawberries and watermelons. Just picture the fruit in your mind , lots of pinks ,reds and greens. It's gorgeous. Thanks for stopping by.