Are you a Trendsetter?
Are you ready for a bright punch of Spring?
Get ready for it - it's coming! The 2012 Color of the Year is..
TANGERINE TANGO!
We have been getting in lots of beautiful new fabrics for the upcoming seasons! I thought I would share some of the National Trends. Please let me know how you feel about these.
Siren Red and Poppy are the hot colors in the Reds category. The Blues are trending very high - with a Nautical vibe. Classic Navy is being seen all over for Summer. Neon Sky Blue and Cobalt are also very hot.
Teal is everywhere! Peacocks - the color as well as the actual peacock pattern have been seen everywhere from the runway to furniture stores. Have you seen our Plume Collection? It's stunning!
The Pink popularity of the last few years has calmed a little, but Soft Shell Pink is still very popular. Greens, also featured in the Peacock trend, are very popular. Anything from Cool Mint, Seafoam, Limey Margarita to Moss.
Earth Tones are having a resurgence this year, with the Spicy colors being the hottest. Charcoal and Warm Grays are the Neutrals that many are reaching for.
Berry colors are also very hot - and that seems to be true here at Suzanne's too. We recently got in the Garden Magic Collection and it was an overnight sensation! Here is the Garden Magic Quilt Kit!
As for patterns, as I mentioned, Peacocks are very popular, but another animal takes the top spot! It's Elephants! I must say that I think Peacocks are so much prettier than elephants, and so much cooler. What do you think?
Other style trends include: Mid-century Mod with clean graphic prints and color blocking;
Bollywood to Budapest with Russian and Indian influences, using Teal, Orange and Purple shades; and Anything Nautical.
Plan to see a lot of Britania too, with the Summer Olympics being held in London this summer.
Whatever your preference, we want to see what you are working on! Send pictures of your projects!
Happy Quilting!
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Here's a new twist on the Little Twister Tool!
You can create a cute Valentine wall hanging in just a few easy steps!
It takes 34 charm squares, arranged in the shape of a heart, (according to the graph in the pattern). Then use the Little Twister to cut pinwheel blocks and sew them together again.
Add two borders, quilt and bind, and you'll have this ADORABLE symbol of True Love!
Here is a link to the Pattern. http://store.suzannesquilts.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Store_id=417&page_id=23&Item_ID=30021
Staff member Donna loved this project, we hope you do too!
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"Autumn - with all it's sights, sounds and smells, is the perfect mediator. It gladly grabs the torch from summer and carefully passes it on to winter. All the while, helping to soften the shock of the transition." My friend wrote that this morning on Facebook, and I thought it was brilliant.
"Fall" means it's time for cooler weather. The trees and garden will soon be ablaze in reds, yellows, oranges and all colors inbetween. It's time for apple picking and pumpkin pie. For raking leaves and pulling out the sweaters. For halloween costume preparations and holiday baking plans. Crisp morning air is a sure sign that winter is coming, but let's take the time to enjoy one season at a time. The days will get shorter, and the temperatures will fall. Watch out for the leaves sign that summer is officially over. They will turn into a fiery glow before falling.
Did you know that pumpkins can grow to be over 1,000 pounds? Did you know that there are over 100 shades/names for autumn colors? Aubergine, Goldenrod, Persimmon, Sienna, Raw Umber, Plum, Pumpkin, Amethyst, Moss, Terra Cotta... and the list could go on.
I do not forget that for some of us (including myself), these are not the important colors of fall. My favorite fall colors are Garnet and Gold (the colors of Florida State). Others might prefer Burnt Orange, or Navy and Gold... or many other color combinations of our favorite football teams.
Every autumn, nature puts on a brilliant show of colors! I hope you can take time to enjoy everything that Fall offers. If Fall isn't your favorite time of year, you can always pretend you are like our friends in the Southern Hemisphere and celebrate Spring! Aqua, Cantaloupe, Lavender... Oh, those are colors for another day!
Happy Fall, Y'all!
PS: If you are looking for Fall Quilt Fabrics, Patterns, Projects - We have got them! Here is just a sampling.
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Friday, September 2 is National Teal Day.
Teal is the color of ovarian cancer awareness. We urge everyone to wear teal- and tell others why you are dressed in this color.
I think most of us know someone touched by ovarian cancer. This Friday, I will wear teal for Tammy Martinez, aka Sandshaker. We lost Tammy about 4 years ago now, after a courageous battle. She was 45 years old and left a sweet son.
Some of you have done Memory Quilts, which is a wonderful tribute.
So, paint your nails teal. Wear a teal ribbon. Wear teal shoes. Just don't forget to share the message.
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The main objective of a good quilt is to keep you warm in bed. Some quilts celebrate life events – weddings, births or special remembrances. But so many of us have beautiful quilts packed away. Do you have quilts hidden in a closet, under a bed, folded in a cupboard?
Now is the time to get ‘em out and show them off!
Quilts are easy to change out, by season, or just because it’s Tuesday.
I just wonder how many ways a quilt can be displayed… Table covering, table topper, shower curtain, folded in woven baskets, draped over dining room chairs, hung over banisters or loft railings, on the back of a bench in the foyer, as a headboard…
When I moved to my new house, one of the first things that was unpacked was a quilt made by my Great-Grandmother. That quilt followed me from my elementary and high school days, through college, through becoming a Mom, and was now there to make my new house feel like "Home".
We might not all have rooms like the above picture- taken at the Quilt Show (Don't Look Now!), but quilts were made to be appreciated.
If you have individual blocks that you haven’t made into a quilt, you might want to mount them on mat board and frame (using non-glare glass). A grouping of several squares is stunning!
Quilts can complete a room and tell your story all at once... And make a house feel like Home!
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Those 4 words were spoken by a man that is also known as The King. You don't need to know his last name (although everyone knows). Born 1/8/1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, he influenced a generation, made grown women swoon, and made curling your lip the hip thing to do.
Bruce Springsteen said "It was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody's ear, and somehow we all dreamed it." Very eloquent words about a poor Southern boy.
Globally, he was a sensation! Selling over 1 BILLION records, 14 Grammy Nominations - 3 wins, and the only person to be in all three Hall of Fames - Rock and Roll, Country and Gospel. He should be in the Blues Hall of Fame too (assuming there is one).
He was known for giving away Cadillacs and flashy jewelry. But quietly, in 1961, he did a benefit concert for building the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. In 1973, during the filming of Aloha from Hawaii Concerts, he didn't charge admission, but urges concert attendees to "give what you can" for the Kui Lee Cancer Center in Hawaii. Some report that he was one of the first "stars" to encourage donations in this way.
I'll never forget the day in August, 1977, when it was reported he had died at this home in Memphis - alone.
Years later, faithful fans still make the pilgramage to Graceland.
And of course, the man also known as the King, is
Elvis Presley.
We have just gotten in a line of fabrics (just a little sampling is to the left.) Elvis fans will love it!
Be thinking about what kind of tribute you want to make!
In the immortal words... "Thank ya, thank ya very much!"
"He was the firstest with the mostest."
__Roy Orbinson said about Elvis
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I'm a lover of celebrations! Celebrations don't have to be big, or fancy, and some celebrations are more for a memory. For instance, on my calendar today:
Thursday July 14 - Bastille Day!; William Hanna's Birthday (of Hanna-Barbera fame); M&M Argument Day (Which is better, Plain-Peanut or Almond?); and Rosey Greer's Birthday (Football player from neighboring Cuthbert, GA). And it's Courtney and Sam's Anniversary.
Some Celebrations are huge, and deserve special attention. And some are so important that they deserve a countdown (for preparation sake, or just to add to the excitement). On my phone, I have a Countdown App that tell me that it's 50 days until my college football team kicks off the 2011 season!
If you like Celebrations, love the countdowns, then I have a book for you! It's called Countdown Calendars - 24 Stitched Projects to Celebrate Any Date. There are projects for countdowns to Christmas, Back to School, Birthdays, Military Homecoming and so many more.
Go to this link to see the book! I think you'll love it!
http://youtu.be/-Zc6uK9xc5k
Happy Quilting!
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On January 28th and 29th, we were lucky to have Debi Gower from Illinois here at the shop to teach 2 special classes. On Friday the students learned to draw free form
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On Saturday, February 5, 2011 we hosted a class to raise support for our local food bank. It was the weekend of the Super Bowl. Participants had to bring in 10 cans of food to get the class for FREE plus FREE Lunch. They needed to purchase a Hoffman Bali Pop or a Timeless Treasures Tonga Treat. These are pre-packaged 2 1/2" strips of batik fabrics color coordinated in luscious combinations (Berry Bliss, Mango Margarita, Chocolate Mint, Zinfandel, Sugar Plum, etc.) In addition they needed 1 extra quarter yard of batik to blend and 3 extra quarter yards of batiks for accents. They also needed to purchase the pattern but could not see it because it was a mystery.
Students cut and sewed and cut and sewed some more. Finally after lunch someone was ready to got to the design floor for color arranging. The mystery pattern is by Karen Montgomery of the Quilt Company, in PA. The our sample quilt was revealed to Ohhs and Ahhs! By mid afternoon the students were ready to go more and plan thier color placement on their design space. Can't wait to see them come back in the shop for a final picture.
Check out our wide selection of Bali Pops and Tonga Treats and the Migration pattern. Creative Grid Quick Trim Ruler is needed for this project.
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Suzanne's Qult Shop Fall Retreat was held November 5-7, 2010 at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Norman Park Georgia. The retreat theme was "Dance to the Music". Participants chose their fabric kit by a musical theme. Choices were: Country (1930's) Oldies (Civil War), Rhythm and Blues (Blue and White) and Rock and Roll (Brights on Black) Suzanne and the staff designed the Record Spin quilt as a mystery project for this retreat. Pattern and kits are now available to regular customers.
Retreaters participated in a challenge block competition with a music theme. Everyone voted for their most creative, most unusual, best technique, and favorite, Prizes were awarded for each category. Three names were chosen from the group of participants to win a set of blocks.
Special entertainment was provided by staff member McKenna her husband Russ. Everyone enjoyed the folk music retreat and even sang along at times. Plus there was dancing to the music as well as quilting to the music. There were plenty of goodies left by the Fabric Fairy. Grace from Canada shared with us the 15 Minute Tablerunner. Suzanne demoed the Little Twister ruler and the Striped Tablerunner. Of course there were trips to the quilt shop 15 minutes away to make extra purchases to make these items. A good time was had by all and old friendships and new were cherished.
Spring Retreat 2011 will be held March 18-20. Come join us! http://www.suzannesquilts.com/suzannes_events.asp
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