Modern Workshop is HERE!

We just got Modern Workshop, the second collection by Oliver + S into the store and online! It takes its inspiration from the Wiener Werkstatte, a circle of artists and craftspeople based in Vienna at the turn of the twentieth century who stood against the industrial revolution’s mass production of homewares by creating unique, beautiful objects that are noted today for their enduring quality and their sophisticated design sensibility!

What a great source of inspiration! I think its one of the ideals that drives most of the people I come in contact with to create! While making things all your own isn't always the cheapest option, there's a sense of pride and beauty in something crafted by hand with love and not in a factory somewhere. On top of that, the skills you hone and the things you create can become a legacy for your family, adding richness to your history and heritage that your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren can look back on with pride! If that's not a reason to create, I don't know what is! Now, enough rambling...here are the pretty prints!! 

  

This collection includes 32 prints in both floral and geometric patterns in a modern color scheme! There are small scale and large scale prints alike which are perfect for coordinating to create a beautiful quilt or some funky tunics or skirts for summer! I could even see a modern kids room or a fun summer party decorated with these! No matter how you use them, keep in mind the spirit of the collection and create something beautiful today!


Strawberry Fields Forever!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to drop in and let you all know that all the bundles, layer cakes, jelly rolls and charm packs from Fig Tree & Co.'s new line Strawberry Fields are now in the shop and online!!!

Loving the more pastel looking color scheme for Spring! This is definitely one of Joanna's more cheery lines and I think I know just the pattern for it! 

This is Chintz, one of Fig Tree's newest quilt patterns and I have to admit I have a crush! I'm a total sucker for all the -gons...pentagons, hexagons, octagons, you name it! There's something about simple geometery in quilt blocks that just can't help but looking awesome and Chintz is a great example of that! I'm really digging the different shapes inside each octagon...definitely adds a whole lotta oomph to the design! And you gotta love the lone heart Joanna added! Here's a look at the finished product!

Sew sweet! Wouldn't this make a great Mother's Day quilt? I'm thinking it would make it to the "most fabulous Mother's Day gift of all time" list for sure!! Or if your Mom is a quilter, grab her a Strawberry Fields Layer Cake and this pattern and give her the gift of a new project! Either way, you're sure to have one happy Mama!

Just One Star

Moda fabrics is proud to be participating in a Quilts of Valor program co-ordinated by Marianne Fons. Moda's very own Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson have created a line of fabrics and kits benefiting this program available in stores April 2011. Invite someone you know that may not quilt to get involved.

Note from QOVF website: Just how much of an impact has the Quilts of Valor Foundation made? As of February, 2011 there have been over 37,000 quilts awarded to service members/veterans! So this project inspired us to take it a step further.

We invite you to join the Moda staff and designers in our newest Challenge…

The challenge is to piece, quilt and bind 100 quilts in 100 days using the Flag of Valor pattern by Minick and Simpson. The deadline for star blocks is May 1, 2011 so that we can meet our quilt deadline by Flag Day, June 14, 2011.

As the saying goes – “many hands make light work”. We need 1800 star blocks to reach our goal. Please take a few minutes to piece Just One Star block (click here for block pattern) using a medium red or blue and a cream background. Better yet, invite your small group or even your entire guild to make Just One Star block! Be sure to sign each block with your name and state!

Then we can truly say....the hands of a grateful nation comfort our soldiers! We will coordinate the donation of the 100 quilts thru the Semper Fi Fund, a cause that is near and dear to designers, Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson.

Thank you for your help!

Send untrimmed blocks to:

United Notions/Moda Fabrics

Attn: Just One Star Project

13800 Hutton

Dallas, TX 75234

Mark Dunn, Laurie Simpson, Polly Minick and Colonel James J. Minick USMC will be involved with the Semper Fi organization to donate the completed 100 quilts.

2 ways to be involved:

1. Make a quilt block (blocks) to support Moda and Semper Fi's efforts.

2. Complete quilt kits (shown below) are available from your favorite quilt store to benefit Quits of Valor .

 

We hope that everyone of you who can will join in with Moda to create a block or a quilt to assist in this amazing cause! Let's all use our creativity to bless those we owe our freedom to!!

A Spring Time Party Idea!

I just found the cutest party decor idea on the Hostess with the Mostess blog! I love the idea of not having an actual theme but using beautiful colors and modern patterns to create a dynamic and interesting tablescape! Mixing patterns is a HUGE trend this Spring so wow your friends with these fun ideas that don't take a lot of time but make a huge impact!

Everyone has a collection of vases or jars hanging out under their sink so round them all up and get ready to revamp them! Now they suggest covering them in wrapping paper but we say FORGET THAT! Wrap them in fabric and you can change the decor whenever you want and all you have to do is pin the fabric in the back and you can use it again after your party! This makes it not just a totally cute but a totally GREEN idea as well. I'm also loving that simple table runner! You could pick two different fabrics and make it reversible so that it could work for more than one event! 



You could even use bright colored fat quarters for some sweet fabric napkins! I love that nothing matches yet it all goes so perfectly! Just pick lots of pretty prints in several of your favorite bright colors and mix them up to perfection! If you're a little intimidated by mixing prints that aren't in the same fabric line, just look at a fabric line for hints! You'll see that in all lines there's usually a few big bold prints that the collection revolves around along with smaller, less busy or repetitive prints like a polka dot, stripe or a plaid in coordinating colors! It may seem hard at first but once you get the hang of it, you'll be mixing patterns like a professional stylist!

And if you EVER need any help picking out fabrics or planing party decor, come into the shop and talk to one of our awesome Cabbage Rose gals! Bring your ideas or your inspiration and we'll help you make your perfect party a reality! 

A New Quilt Kit!

Happy Monday ladies! Hope you all had a lovely weekend! We've been soaking up the Spring vibes as much as possible and in celebration of this perfect season, here's a brand new quilt kit that totally embodies the essence of these glorious Spring days!

This little beauty is the Baker's Dozen Quilt Kit in gorgeous Sugar Pop fabrics! I'm in love with this modern patchwork style, it's such a simple design with a high-impact look! It allows for these lovely and bold fabrics to take center stage rather than intricate piecing. This is an awesome first quilt project for beginners or for any quilter who just wants some (relatively) instant gratification! It would also make an awesome gift for Easter, Mother's Day, a baby shower or any occasion you can think of! Who wouldn't want to receive such a pretty handmade confection like this?? Personally I can't imagine a sweeter, more thoughtful present than something crafted with love which we all know is the main ingredient in ANY quilt! ;)

Wild About Quilts? Um, yes we are!

If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, come see us at the "Wild About Quilts" Waco Quilt Show, brought to you by the Homespun Quilters' Guild of Waco! There will be a judged show, demonstrations, vendors (like us), door prizes, quilt appraisals, bazaar, silent auction, quilt raffle and loads of special exhibits! Here's the quilt they'll be raffling off!

Isn't it something?! The more I look at it, the more I get sucked into this quilt! All those bright colors and fun shapes has my creativity all a buzz! That's one of my favorite things about quilt shows, going and see what other creative minds are cooking up! So inspiring! So get your fanny on out to Waco tomorrow or Saturday, say hi to the Cabbage Rose Girls and feast your eyes on some beautiful creations!

Dates: April 8-9, 2011.

Hours: 10:00am - 5pm

Admission: $7 Regular, $6 Seniors and Students

Children under 12 get in FREE!

Location: Extraco Events Center, Extraco Exhibits Building

4601 Bosque Blvd. Waco, Texas

Sherbert Pips is HERE!!!

I've SO been waiting for this adorable line to come in!

Sherbert Pips by Aneela Hoey is the perfect mix of whimsical and modern in a a super sweet & girly color scheme! The illustrations were inspired by Aneela's own sweet little girls and even became adorable embroideries before they made their way to this fabulous fabric collection!

Aren't they adorable??? Aneela actually posted the stories behind these prints here and here! I love reading where designers get their inspiration from and how that inspiration travels from the mind to the fabric!

And if you need a equally cute project for these pretty prints, then check out this skirt tutorial I found on the Moda Bake Shop blog!

 It's the Zig Zag Skirt by Melissa Mortenson and its just about the sweetest little thing I ever did see! I'm loving the quasi-quilting technique used to create it! If you'd like to try your hand at piecing without jumping into a quilt, this is a great project to try! All you need to make it is a Sherbert Pip Jelly Roll, 2 Sherbert Pip Charm Packs and some white fabric! You can get the rest of the recipe here!

Apron Chronicles Celebration!

We had SO much fun at the Apron Chronicles Celebration this past Saturday! The exhibit was truly a sight to behold and we loved seeing everyone in their awesome aprons! Here's some fun pictures for those who missed it!

Miss Janet working her magic!

Miss Shirley doing a demonstration for some sweet little ladies!

   

This cute family came with their aprons AND cowgirl boots on respectively! ;)

 

The collection of aprons was truly breathtaking! Each one a truly unique work of art!

Some super sweet girlies enjoying all the apron goodness!

A big thanks to everyone who came out and especially to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame for putting on this amazing event! We had so much fun being a part of it!

You can see even more pictures on the Cowgirl Museum Facebook page!

Give me a Slice!

Happy Friday Ladies and welcome to April! Can you believe it's already April??? I'm a little bit in denial about it because I could have swore New Years Eve was three weeks ago, but other than feeling like time is flying by at warp speed, I'm SO excited for all the newness of the season! Especially some of the new things we've been getting in like the NEW & IMPROVED Slice!

The Slice Fabrique was actually designed for cutting fabric so it's much easier to use than the original PLUS you can use it on a variety of different fabrics! Jenny has been using it to cut felt with no problems! It works with design cards specifically customized for fabric allowing you to cut alphabets, numbers, flowers, icons, basic shapes, and more in no time! All you have to do is apply fusible web to your fabric before you cut and you'll have shapes ready to be ironed straight onto your project! This tool couldn't be more PERFECT for applique! Just think of how much you could embellish once all that silly cutting work is done for you! You could embellish t-shirts, make party banners, add a field of flowers to your next quilt, the sky is the limit! However you use it, you're definitely going to love it! If you'd like to see exactly how it works, you can check out the how-to video here!

April Fools SALE!

Now I know today is the day for practical jokes but we don't fool around when it comes to SALES! So today & tommorrow we're offering 25% OFF Chrysalis by Sanae, Fresh Cottons by Fig Tree & Co., Robotics by Ingrid Slyder and Miniatures ca. 1860-1890 by Julie Hendrickson!!! We've also got a few other great lines and some Special Cuts marked down as well so click here and start shopping the SALE!

SALE LASTS THROUGH SATURDAY!