QP Chatter

Simply Gorgeous!

2009-11-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Isn't this fabric gorgeous! It's "Rouenneries" by French General for Moda Fabrics. Beautiful reds, creams and taupes....I want some of each!

We have several samples being made from Rouenneries, including a table runner made with 5" charm squares and lace trim, a quilt made with layer cakes and two adorable pincushions. You won't want to miss these coming very soon!

Our staff is awesome! They are working hard to get samples done for Enchanted Evening. I'll be posting sneek peeks for our blog readers so check back soon for more QP Chatter.

Big Fresno Fair

2009-10-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess that I am the lurker. Enjoying what Colette has done and happy to just sit back and read. I was very overwhelmed with all of the Quilts that were on display at Fresno Fair these past 2 weeks, so felt that this was my time to write. The displays were amazing, the quilts were wonderful and it was such a treat to see such fabulous workmanship. Some names I recognized and some I did not and that was wonderful to see such a great interest in this wonderful median of quilting.

Do you recognize these girls? Nancy and her faithful cohort are educating the masses on what a wonderful Guild Fresno has and all of the wonderful benefits that the Guild has to offer.

Piecing and applique always make a wonderful quilt, and this one is no exception.

This was a wonderful quilt with the frog, that was just too cute for words.

Our Annual Quilting Retreat that we host at Bass Lake in both the Spring and the Fall has been commemorated by Kathleen P. Her memories, along with her roommates; who are photo transferred on the porch of the Chalet, are a wonderful tribute to their weekend of fun.

Quilters Paradise is the Official Sponsor for the following 2 categories at the Fresno Fair. One is for Best of Show in Hand Quilting and the other is for Best of Show in Machine Quilting. It was such a treat to see these 2 wonderful quilts hanging in such a predominant place, Glenda B was the winner of the Hand Quilting.

and Ann D was the winner of the Machine Quilting. Kudos to both of these ladies. Some of you might remember the wonderful quilt that Ann did for the Fresno Philharmonic last year as their fundraiser, it was done in Golds, Blacks and had the signatures of some of the guest artists that had performed for the Philharmonic.

Theresa P was the maker of this quilt, don't know what to do with those wonderful florals that are on the Market now; how about a vertical row Quilt.

Gerry P congratulations on a work well done.

Does this look familiar to all ? This Quilt pattern is one of those that withstands the test of time. Always beautiful, no matter what colors they are done in.

Devina got People's Choice, woo-hoo, you go girl !

Remember that there is always next year, so get started on those quilts ladies.

Until next time,

Kathy

Houston Quilt Market

2009-10-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

We're home from market and have spent the last week playing catch-up. Maybe life will finally slow down a bit. Market this year was new for us as we found ourselves both buying and selling.

On the selling end, we were happy with the results of our first wholesale show. We received positive responses from everyone. It will be exciting to see our patterns show up in shops across the country. Here's a picture of our booth.

As buyers, we found so many new wonderful patterns, books, notions and fabric. A few of our favorites include....

Henrietta Turtle by Heather Bailey - I can't resist a turtle. Too cute!

Sophie & Friends fabric and pattern by Bonnie Blue Quilts - very sweet in pink and brown.

Junk Bag by Jackie Clark Designs - we loved this bag!

And this...not a pattern, just a cute way to use ribbons and trim. What little girl (or big) wouldn't love these jeans!

We have so many new items arriving daily and the girls will be madly sewing new samples for "Enchanted Evening and Market Preview", held on Thursday, November 19 from 5 to 8pm. This is a fun evening where we premier all the wonderful new items from quilt market and Old Town Clovis is decked out in all it's holiday splendor, complete with twinkling lights, holiday music and even horse drawn carriage rides.

Quilt Market always inspires me with new colors and designs. Now I can't wait to get back to sewing again. Hopefully I'll be able to find some free time, before all the craziness of the holidays begins. So check back soon for sneak peaks and more QP chatter.

Colette♥

Merced Quilt Show

2009-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

It was a great show this weekend. So many friends stopped by to say hello. Here's a couple pictures of our booth.

They had some of this year's Hoffman Challenge quilts on display. They were awesome. Quilter's are so creative. Here's a few of my favorites.

These past few weeks have really been exhausting. But we're not done yet....

On Wednesday Barbara, Kathy and I fly to Houston for quilt martet. This year we're not only attending as buyers for the shop but will be selling our patterns for the first time ever at a wholesale market. It's been crazy trying to get everything shipped ahead while running the shop and vending at 2 quilt shows. So, ready or not, in two days were off....

Check back for quilt show news and more QP Chatter..

Colette

Busy, Busy,Busy!!

2009-09-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Can't believe how long it's been since I posted. Way too much going on. Why can't things be spread out evenly throughout the year instead of all lumped together. I guess that would make life too easy!

For those who have never visited our shop or maybe it's been awhile since your last visit, here's a glimpse what you've been missing...

A great new bag, the "Boutique Shoulder Bag"

Christmas goodies...

..
Lots of fun retro prints...

Gorgeous, new Morris prints from Moda....

Romantic pastel florals from Robyn Pandolph

Sophisticated Oriental Prints.....

"Kiwi", simply scrumptious!!!

There's so much more to see, come visit us soon. More QP chatter to come....

Colette

Home from Long Beach

2009-07-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

We're home from the big show and trying to play catch up now. It was a great show! Hope some of you we're able to attend.

Here's our booth before setting up....

Yep, that's all ours....

After two days worth of hard work, we were happy with the ending results.

The new "Vintage Trick or Treat" by Bunny Hill Designs was very popular.

We worked very hard preparing for the show. We were able to premier many new QP original patterns and bring back some of our favorites..

"Fleur-de-Lis" is back....

as well as "Nico's Mix"....

and "Hannah Throw" . This is so pretty, kits sold out the first day!

"Simply Charmed" ....a new sample in yellow and blue.

Brand new...

"Wild Thing" . Yep, it's all minkee. This was also hugely popular and was a sell out.

"Summer Breeze" ....so pretty.

"Sprinkles" ....so sweet.

"Petite Bouquets" ....charming tea towels.

Now that the show is behind us, maybe I can get caught up and hopefully give our poor blog a little more attention....hopefully. Maybe you'll even hear from my dear partners soon.

Check back soon for more QP Chatter.

Colette♥

Save the Date

2009-07-01T14:50:00.001-07:00

"Heart of the Valley Shop Hop"

May 14, 15, 16, 2010

Be sure to mark your calenders. QP and 10 other shops have been working together to plan the first annual shop hop in the Central San Joaquin Valley. We're so excited to be a part of this exciting event. Watch for more information to come.

We're beginning to see some finished projects for International Quilt Festival in Long Beach. The baby quilts, in both boy and girl versions are adorable.

Aren't the pillows just too precious.

I've been stitching, stitching, stitching...with Cosmo embroidery floss, of course.

I'm very pleased with the finished results of these lovely embroidered towels.

Patterns for both the baby quilts and the towels will be available soon, along with kits too.

This is next in line.

Hmm...what will it become? I'll be back soon to show the results and share more QP Chatter.

Have a great 4th of July.

Colette♥

One Day at a Time

2009-06-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

As the Long Beach quilt show gets closer, new quilts are nearing completion. It's an exciting but very busy time for all of our QP staff. Yesterday, I spent the day working on a sweet new baby quilt.

I started out with these cute prints...

then added these fun trims...

did a little wavy quilting....

and finished with a cool striped binding.

The finished quilt is soooo cute! Can't wait to show it off. Of course, we'll have kits for this cutie and we'll be doing a girl version too.

After a long day of sewing, I decided I needed a break. So the boys and I headed out to the garden. Meet the boys....

Pepe is a 14 year old, slightly grouchy cocker spaniel who adores me and mostly tolerates everything and everyone else. Especially Oliver, a lively one year old terrior mix.

This handsome fellow is Oliver's most favorite canine pal, Harley, a very large Golden Retriever. I think Oliver dreams of growing into a big boy someday, he already thinks he's way bigger than he is. Harley came over for a play day. His two favorite things are playing ball and....

playing ball in the pool. He loves the water.

Ollie loves playing ball with Harley and gets very excited when he gets to the ball first.

While we were outside enjoying a delightful afternoon, I snapped a few pics of my neglected, slightly overgrown garden.

I love to garden, if there were only a few more hours in the day....

Oh well, an afternoon outside with my happy pups will have to do because tomorrow it's back to work in the studio. Check back soon for more QP chatter.

Colette ♥

They're finally here!

2009-06-05T08:41:00.001-07:00

The excitement of opening up mystery boxes never seems to fade. That was especially true of yesterday's deliveries. Oh, be still my heart. The lovely Cosmo thread we've been talking about has finally arrived.

These Japanese threads are gorgeous to say the least. They have a wonderful silky feel, and add luster with just a hint of shine. Wait till you see the new embroidery quilt using this luscious floss. I have a sneak peek to share...

But before I show you, take a look at what else we unwrapped....

...bolts and bolts of beautiful Lecien fabric.

Lecien has the most romantic florals you can imagine.

I have to resist the urge to have some of each come home with me.

Now for the sneak peek I promised. We are very luck to have my mom, Delpha, doing our embroidery samples. She's currently working on two new quilts. Take a look at what she's been stitching.

These jack-o-lanterns are part of Vintage Trick or Treat, one of Crabapple Hill's newest patterns.

Aren't they wonderful!

Can' wait to see the finished quilt. We found the perfect border fabric. While we're waiting for it's arrival, Delpha, is stitching away on the second quilt. But I'm saving the pictures of this amazing quilt for another post.

So long for now. I'll be back soon with more QP Chatter.

Colette♥

WooHoo! We're blogging!

2009-05-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

We've been talking about starting a blog forever, but never seemed to find the time. We finally decided NOW is the time! Now I actually have to write something.....

For my first blog, let me introduce myself, I'm Colette. Take a look at our picture on our website. I'm the fourth one from the left, sitting on the bench with the long brown hair. Sitting to the left are my partners, Barbara and Kathy. The rest of the gals are our wonderful QP staff.

I spend many hours working at the shop, but many, many more working at home in my studio.

Doing a little sewing....

A little computer work....

A little handwork....

Since I spend so much time here, I try to not only make my space user friendly but to surround myself with my favorite things.

A little lace is the perfect finish to my valance....

A little lavender sachet hangs from my cabinet knobs from Anthropologie, one of my favorite places to shop....

A little quilt and too cute lamp shade from IKEA, another favorite shopping place....

Among other things, I am the designer for our QP Original patterns. I am busy working on a couple new projects that will make their debut at International Quilt Festival in Long Beach this summer. The first quilt top has just been completed and is ready to go to the quilter.

Here's just a little sneak peek....

and a little more....

The embroidery is done with the new Cosmo embroidery floss. If you like to embroider, you'll definitely want to check it out. We are expecting it to arrive in the shop soon.

Better get back to work. Hey, blogging is work, right? Check back soon for more sneak peeks and behind the scenes chatter.

Colette♥