Encouraging (politely forcing) Spring to Warm Things Up

I usually enjoy winter. I like the cool to cold temperatures, the sound of snow crunching under foot, the holidays it brings, the sweaters and hats and gloves that keep us warm and brighten our days ... I like to hear the newscasters say school is cancelled and sledding is underway. And then it ends, and Spring arrives with beauty and fragrance and warmth.

This winter, though, has tried our patience. Schools closed due to icy roads. Multi-car accidents due to darkness and fog.  Late blooming plants this spring were unexpectedly re-buried in last night's mid-April measurable snowfall.

We had a year, a few years ago, where Spring was fleeting ... late winter snow followed almost immediately by oppressive summer heat that extended long into fall before a nearly snow-less but frigid winter. The cycle of seasons has been erratic this past decade, and I long for the days when I could look at a calendar and rely on the pages turning predictably.

So I'll tempt you to believe in Spring again, by sharing photos of the fabrics we selected for this season.

seashells and ocean currents, buoys and lighthouses

sailboats and sea breezes

Spring and summer colors

Fairies, bunnies, silly birds, hearts flowers and dragonflies

bright happy colors

all ready to blend together into something cheerful

old friends to make you smile

Bugs and Tweety, flowers and more

dogs, butterflies, baseball and blues

Beautiful complementary colors in silk and quilt squares

  All of these and more can be seen in our shop at 59 North Street, "Just two doors North of Perley School" as we say.  Come visit us Wednesday through Saturday, between 11 am and 7 pm. The evenings are growing lighter even though the temperatures continue to tease us. If dark clouds hover, we'll keep the lights on for you. Our lantern out front is blue for Autism Awareness month.

You might like to go to the blog to see the progress I am making on the tie quilt for my friend who is a retiring principal. I really like the way the blocks are coming together. Four down, and nine to go. (yes, there is an extra block in this calendar wall hanging ... it will be a surprise.) I update my Journal page when I finish a block.

You can see more new purchases for the shop online at our new Facebook page, or here At Quilters' Quarters. If your schedule would be better accommodated at hours outside of ours, just call or email us to schedule a visit at another time. We want to be your local, convenient shop for fabrics, notions, needles, threads, ribbons, batting, backings and friendly greetings.

By the way, we need five more likes at our Quilters' Quarters Facebook page.  Can you like the page so that we can see stats for it? Please and Thank you?

Please share this site with your friends and families, and invite them to join us on the web or in the shop.

Happy (whatever season this is today)~ I'm going to go out and get some forsythia branches to bring in and encourage them to open~

Be well, keep stitching and creating more beauty in our world.

~ Terry and Rick

More New Cabinets Hold More New Fabric!

Spring will come, I promise.  Today's temperatures reached 55 here, and the air outside of the shop was warmer than inside. Rick and I spent yesterday at our favorite warehouse, New England Quilt Supply in Pembroke, Massachusetts.  We were able to buy several bolts of fabrics that sing Spring and Summer!

When we came home, we unwrapped the bolts and  placed the fabrics into the new cabinets that Rick has been adding to our shop.  His design, his work ... well, each picture is worth a thousand words!

One beautiful wall of cabinets

Gingham and seersucker in  pink, green, lilac, blue and yellow

light teal and lilac, with flowers, Tweety and Bugs Bunny 

beautiful pinks, floral, birds, butterlies, fairies and compliments 

kid prints with Linus, Baseball, Dalmatians, Mutts, flowers and dots

nautical fabrics with lighthouses, sailboats, shells, ocean currents, buoys

red white and blues for Quilts of Valor and more

blossoms, bids, berries and blenders in bold bright colors 

Remember, if you're reading this in your email, Thank You for signing on to follow Quilters' Quarters. 

Please share this with your friends and families and help our new venture grow.  We have an exciting summer project ahead.  We'll post more information about an inter-state contest that we've joined, called Row by Row 2014.  

Watch for our brand-new Facebook Page for quick messages about Row by Row 2014 and other surprises ahead.  

Keep smiling, keep shining, and keep stitching!

                           ~Terry and Rick

Sharing a Few of our Favorite Things!

The little packages keep coming in the mail, and Rick keeps slitting open the envelopes and leaving them for me to find.  I bring them out to the shop, then, and price them and leave them for customers to come and find. I am having such a good time with this new adventure in my life.

Some of you might remember that I am in a "mind-mapping" group of artists with Rick; led by a wonderful facilitator, Marci August. We sit together and share our goals and dreams and come up with valid, purposeful plans and strategies for achieving what we have dreamed. A few months ago, before we opened the quilt shop, the group focused on helping me realize what the center of my business plan was. What was in the center of the map we had formulated from my activities and efforts? A single phrase: BE HAPPY. That is the desired result that all of my goals are pointing toward. That is the focus of my wishes, my newest goal. It is achievable. It is a truth in my life.Is it a valid business plan's desired result? You bet it is!

Here are some more items that have arrived or are on their way to Quilters' Quarters, gradually filling the beautiful cabinets Rick has added to our shop::

Eight yards of Timeless Treasures: "Lighthouses"

One yard of Fabric Visions: "Curious"

We also have a new supply of fat quarters from our friend Ann Lainhart. In addition to those individual, beautiful 9" x 44" pieces of fabric, Ann has put together bundles of "eight fat eighths" ... fabric cuts in a color family, each of which  measure 9" x 22", and so total to a full yard of coordinating fabrics.

Fat Quarters from Ann Lainhart

Ann's quarters and bundles of eight fat eighths in color families

Ann has wonderful fabrics to share!

a yard of 44" fabric with 12 blue printed blocks
 of animals in Dresden Plates

2.5"strips and pre-cut squares; some 4", 5" 6" and 10"

2 yards of soft white cotton with pink floral splash

Embroidered linen tablecloth ready for finishing

We look forward to seeing you and sharing these wonderful finds with you.  Next week, we will be adding more bolts of fabric to the cabinets Rick has built for the shop. Take a look at what we have in store for you!

Remember, if you are reading this in your email, you can forward it to your friends and family and invite them to enjoy our retirement adventure with us. They can find us here At Quilters' Quarters, or drop into the shop Wednesdays through Saturdays between 11 am and 7 pm. We'll do our best to find and stock what you are looking for. We'll be at the fabric warehouse this week, so check out New England Quilt Supply's catalog and let us know what you see that you would like us to purchase and have in stock.

 You can call (978 352 2676) or email (needlesandpens@comcast.net) and we'll be happy to talk with you about fabrics and notions!

We appreciate your advice~
Happy sewing, be well, and don't be a stranger!