We’re 2!! Celebrate with us tomorrow, March 20th from 11-5PM. There will be cupcakes, drinks, a raffle, and a 10% discount on all fabrics, patterns, books & notions!
Thank you so much for an amazing two years! The time has flown by, and we have loved every minute. We are constantly inspired by your creativity, friendship, and support. Meeting you has been the very best part of our Spool adventure!
Our Spring class schedule is up! We’re so excited about our new offerings, and have added more sessions of our most popular classes. Make a cozy quilt, dress up in a pretty skirt, and decorate your home for a new season. We even have a class to make a great summer shirt for the fellas!
Classes are fun way to improve your skills and meet other like-minded crafters. Call the shop and reserve your space today!
I finished a new quilt! In record time, might I add! Seriously, I started this on a Saturday afternoon and it was washed and hanging on the wall by Wednesday morning. And yes, I did sleep and eat and do all the other things I like to do! The pattern is called Piano Keys from Rangoli Designs. It’s no secret around the shop that I am in love with Laura Gunn’s new line Poppy, so when I saw that this pattern recommends mid to large scale prints, there was no question what fabrics I would be using!
I had the pleasure of meeting the pattern’s designer, Sujata, and she showed me a sample she had made. Using just 10 fat quarters, you can make a completely unique work of art! The pattern’s instructions are clear and the cutting is simple. All the blocks are the exact same size! Arranging the cut blocks is so fun, mostly because you really can’t go wrong. Sujata recommends laying out the quilt and sewing piece by piece, so you see the quilt forming before your eyes! It’s not often that you get instant gratification in quilt making but this definitely fits the bill.
I finished off the the quilt by backing it with a Kaffe Fassett woven check, and quilting with a variegated thread. I chose the wavy line design that I had seen in the sample. This was surprisingly simple and very relaxing. Normally, I am a stitch-in-the-ditch kind of girl, and quilting this way was very freeing. I highly recommend it!
I made the baby quilt size, which is 44″ x 48″, but the pattern also includes instructions for a 72″ x 80″ version. I love this so much, I made up kits for the shop. Each kit includes 10 fat quarters in the fabrics shown and the pattern. I am so pleased that Sujata will also be teaching a class on this quilt in May. Please check our class page for details!
We are thrilled to announce that, on April 10th, we will be hosting a lecture and book signing by the extraordinary Kaffe Fassett! Kaffe has been creating quilts, fabrics and handknits for over 30 years, and his innovative use of color and shape are unparalleled. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet one of the industry’s most creative talents!
Kaffe has a new book, Simple Shapes, Spectacular Quilts, with 23 amazing designs for quilters of all skill levels. In his talk, Kaffe will speak about his latest projects and how they inform his fabric collections and the classic quilts that he creates. Inspired by the every day architecture of city life, his lecture will be of interest to all who love color and the creative process. You’ll leave inspired to continue or start your own creative journey!
Kaffe will give a 1 hour talk, followed by a book signing. We will have copies of the new book on hand, as well as quilt kits for select Simple Shapes projects. If you already have Kaffe’s book, feel free to bring it along!
Since Spool is not quite large enough to contain all of Kaffe’s fans, we will be holding the lecture a few blocks away at The Ethical Society on Rittenhouse Square. For your convenience, we have secured special rates at two nearby parking garages.
When: April 10, 2010
Time: 1 PM
Where: The Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Cost: $16.00
Please call the shop at 215-545-0755 to purchase your ticket. Upon registration, you will receive your ticket via email. See you there!
There are still a few spots left in our March quilting class, starting this Saturday. This six week course is a great way to build your sewing skills and meet other quilt-minded crafters! You will learn to assemble this simple quilt top from start to finish. In the process you will explore fabric selection, rotary cutting, chain piecing, and machine quilting. The finished quilt makes a great baby gift, wall hanging, or lap blanket.
If you’d like to join us, please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!
The details:
Beginning Quilting
$120 plus materials
Saturdays, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3 & 17: 10AM-12PM
Materials:Materials: thread, batting, 4.5 yards of fabric total. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.
You should be familiar with sewing machine basics to take this class. There is sewing homework required to complete your quilt, so you should own a sewing machine or be prepared to rent time on our machines.
We are thrilled to be hosting a trunk show from Meg McElwee’s new book, Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist. Each piece in Sew Liberated uses applique in a refreshing, new way. Get ready to start embellishing lovely things for your home, children, and yourself! This book will be your new go-to guide for all things applique!
It’s so cool to look around the shop and see such a cohesive group of projects with a fun, crafty aesthetic. Meg uses a primarily neutral color palette with pops of accent color to make the special details stand out. It’s amazing what a simple needle, thread, and a pretty print can do!
With in depth directions for each project, as you learn to hand and machine applique. I like that she uses projects with varying difficulty levels. If you want to start out simple, the duvet is a good place to start. For more of construction challenge, the Day Bag, will do nicely!
The Sew Liberated trunk show will be in the shop until the end of the month, so do stop by. It is truly inspiring to see a tried and true embellishing technique in a new way. Judging from the response the show has gotten so far, I expect to see some awesome applique walking around Philadelphia this Spring!
This has been a fantastic fabric delivery week for Spool! Laura Gunn’s new line, Poppy, has arrived and I am swooning! I fell in love with Laura’s first collection, Lantern Bloom, last Summer, and her sophomore effort does not disappoint. These colors are glorious!
Giant poppy and dogwood flowers mingle with painterly stripes and polka dots- my favorite! The visible brushstrokes from Laura’s original paintings lend a lively and personal feel to the designs. You can just tell she had a wonderful time creating these. A light and airy palette is perfect for Spring projects. These cheerful prints would be amazing as home decor. Just walking into a room with these flowers would make you smile! We’ve already started making a swoopy circle skirt in the larger than life orange poppies. What would you make?
I know that there is still 2 feet of snow on the ground outside the shop, but I am looking forward to Spring in a big way! The recent completion of these Simple Tanks are a big part of the reason! I made a one using Kwik Sew 2498 last summer, and it quickly became a wardrobe staple. I am not a big fan of stretchy, clingy tanks in the warm weather, and I love that with one yard of cool cotton you can make a breezy top in different styles.
Elizabeth sewed up these versions in a rosy pink Shot Cotton, and one in Kaffe Fassett’s Serape Stripe. I thought the rosy one needed a little something extra, and since we recently got some gorgeous embroidery floss in at the shop, I decided to embellish! I carefully stitched a row of little french knots along the neckline. They were easier to make than I thought, and I love the shine of the mercerized thread. Sparkly!
If you’d like to get a little dose of Spring this weekend, we will be having a Simple Tank class. Here’s the details:
Saturday, February 20: 10AM -2PM
$45 plus materials
Materials: Pattern, thread, .75- 1.5 yards of fabric depending on size. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.
Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!
Spool is looking for instructors to teach classes this Spring! Classes are an important part of what we do here, and we will be expanding our class offerings. We love to sew and want to share that love with our customers as they improve their skills!
We want to meet friendly, patient and organized sewing enthusiasts to teach weekend classes. You should be an experienced sewer and preferably have previous teaching experience. Quilting and home decor are the areas we are looking for specifically, but if your strength is garment sewing, don’t let that stop you from applying! Please send a brief description of your sewing and teaching experience, along with 3 photos of completed projects, if possible, to stitch(AT)spoolsewing(DOT)com. Thanks!
As those of you in Philly know, this past weekend we had record breaking amounts of snow! While we closed on Saturday, we were open for business on Sunday. Sunday is the day that Heather (pictured above) teaches at Spool. We weren’t sure if her students would brave the snow, or even could if they wanted!
Fortunately, two hearty souls, Francisco & Christopher, bundled up and made their way in to take their Boxer Shorts class! Don’t they look glad they did? As we all know, snowy days are the best for sewing, and with Heather’s help, they had wonderful results! Francisco says, “Heather is great, we’re in love with her!” Awww!
They used the same print from Art Gallery Fabrics in different colorways. I love the Valentine’s palette they chose – so romantic! Great job, guys! Thanks for sharing this super cute photo!
