The story of Quilt Market continues with the designers of Freespirit. Right after I chatted with Ms. Butler, I got the pleasure of meeting Erin McMorris, designer of our favorite Park Slope and Wildwood collections. This girl has got it going on! She’s sweet, bright and so talented. I didn’t remember to snap a photo with her, but check out this amazing hexagon quilt with her Wildwood fabrics. You’ll be seeing lots more projects from us with her fabrics.

Valori Wells and her new collection are so inspiring! We currently have a swath of her Del Hi fabric hanging in our front window at the shop, and seeing her quilts made us excited for the arrival of more fabrics from this line. She also has these adorable project cards that will soon be making an appearance at Spool.

Joel Dewberry’s new Deer Valley fabrics are stunning. This is quite possibly one my favorite things we bought at Market. Spool customers will be familiar with Joel’s woodgrain print, which I know is one of your favorites (by the way, a new shipment of quilting & home dec weight woodgrain just arrived at the shop- so many colors!). Joel stopped by as Craig and I were selecting his fabrics. He is so tall and so charming, it sold us on it even more! Look for this line at the end of June. To see more swatches, check out Joel’s website here.

Up next: Michael Miller. Stay tuned!

This past weekend, Craig and I attended the International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. Quilt Market is a trade show where shop owners can see all the new fabrics, patterns and notions for the coming season. It’s so much fun being a customer, and we are quite pleased with our purchases. I can’t wait for you to see them! In the meantime, Craig took some great photos of our trip, so I can share some of the fun things coming in over the next few months.

Since our rooms weren’t going to be ready by the time we arrived, we went straight to the show from the airport. The whole ceiling of the convention center had windows which provided natural light! Such a welcome change from the usual fluorescent bulbs. All the better to see fabrics and take photos!

Within 20 minutes we found ourselves at Amy Butler’s booth. It was gorgeous as usual and we got a chance to chat with Amy. She is so nice, and has lots of exciting things coming up. Her new line, Love, ( which wasn’t yet available at the show) will be out in August. Our Westminster Fibers pal, Elyse, told us it was looking wonderful. Of course!

Here’s a little peek at Amy’s new patterns, due out next month. Both of these are destined to be summer essentials!

One of the most exciting things we found is Amy’s new project software. She has partnered with the people at Electric Quilts to bring us 22 projects- quilts, bags & pillows all on one CD! You can make the projects as Amy designed them or use her virtual swatch gallery to customize your project. I will definitely be posting more about this, but if you can’t wait, we already have the software available in the shop and at our online store!

Seeing Amy’s booth was incredibly inspiring and made me want to start creating right away. All this in the first hour of the show! I’ll be posting this week about the fantastic things we saw from Freespirit and Michael Miller. If you want to see more photos of Amy Booth check out our Flickr page!

Summer style is all about ease and fun, and this blouse from Weekend Sewing definitely fits the bill. We made up our version in Kaffe Fassett’s Shot Cotton, with a little hint of Heather Ross’ Mendocino for the placket. Shot Cotton is lightweight and almost gauzy - perfect for the warm weather ahead. This will be so cute with jeans and paired with the Everything Tote!

The pattern is easy to follow and once you finish, you start seeing all the possibilities of making it your own. You can change the length of the hem and make it a tunic or dress. Shorten the sleeves, or remove them all together for a cute sleeveless top or shift. I am making a sleeveless tunic version to wear to Stitch Party this Friday, and I can definitely see more variations in my future! Be sure to check out the Weekend Sewing flickr group for more inspiration for your summer wardrobe.

The Everything Tote is the first project that jumped out at me in Heather Ross’ new book, Weekend Sewing. Right away, I wanted it made up in this amazing print from Amy Butler’s August Fields home dec collection. I think this pattern showcases the fabric beautifully, and vice versa! We lined the bag with a home decorator weight fabric as well, which makes for a nice, sturdy bag. Great for groceries, picnics, beach towels, and sewing supplies, of course!

Of course, when you don’t need to tote around all your groceries, you can easily fold in the top corners for a cute, hobo style bag. Just enough room for you wallet, keys, phone, and a cardigan in case it gets chilly- now you’re all ready to head out for dinner. I can tell this is going to be my go-to bag for Spring!

I’m hoping that the weather gods are so charmed by this pretty tunic that they will send some warm weather our way! The Over the Top Tunic by Indygo Junction is one of our favorite new patterns for Spring. When Craig and I went to the Indygo Junction Booth at Quilt Market, all the women were wearing them. Everyone looked fabulous!

Tunics continue to be everywhere this season, and this flat front, tie-back waistline suits many figure types. Plus, there’s no zippers to fuss with! It can be made in 2 lengths, with or without sleeves and pockets. We made our sleeveless, dress length version in Jay McCarroll’s strawberry fabric for a whimsical look. Wouldn’t this look great over jeans, and with leggings or tights? I think so!

We will be making the sleeveless version with the length of your choice in our Tunic Class. Join us March 26, April 2 & 9 from 6-8 PM. Please call the shop to reserve your space.

Now, hurry up, Spring!

Temperatures here in Philadelphia have risen to a whopping 50 degrees, so I thought why not start thinking Spring. Amy Butler’s Cabo Halter definitely fits the bill. Doesn’t Cabo sound nice right about now?

Alana did a lovely job with the sewing, and Jay McCarroll’s Garden Friends tomato fabric is adorable. I love how the color is very wearable, and the print makes it fun and whimsical. The a-line shape is flattering, and I think it would be very easy to extend the line of the skirt into a full dress. So cute!

This is a great project for a seamstress trying her hand at garment sewing. If you’ve made a few skirts and are ready for more pattern pieces, you should definitely give it a try. It’ll be Spring before you know it!

Thank you to everyone that commented, emailed and called about our bird mobile. I’m so glad that you love these little guys as much as we do! The pattern is now available as a downloadable pdf in our sidebar, just in time for the long weekend.

Spool will be closed Monday, May 26 for Memorial Day. We are open our regular hours of 11-6 Saturday and Sunday. Have a great weekend!

When I first got a sewing machine my boyfriend’s mom, an excellent quilter, seamstress, and knitter, gave me a subscription to Threads (thanks again, Shirley!). It clued me in to the basics and gave me something to aspire to. I remember thinking, “Oh, that’s how you would do that!”. Threads magazine has been around forever and has undergone a bit of change in the past few years. It has an updated look with projects and tips that help beginners as well as more advanced sewers. You can go as simple or complicated as you like.

The July issue has arrived and the tote bag on the cover has summer written all over it. We made it up in Olive Rose on the outside, Zazu for the lining and a little Amy Butler for the trim. It’s a great size for your summer essentials: phone, sunglasses, sunscreen, and your beach reading. Threads takes you through step by step, so this is a good project for a beginner looking to learn some new techinques. The most difficult part (and the most enjoyable!) is deciding which fabrics to use! Have fun!

I had been toying with the idea of a mobile project and our adorable bird pattern seemed the perfect fit. I knew it would be gorgeous! What I hadn’t expected, though, is how some tree branches and a few carefully placed eye-hooks would transform this project into a work of art!

This would be a welcome addition to a baby’s room or a great project for a baby shower. A single bird would be a whimsical way to highlight favorite prints around your home. Since all this birdie takes is two pieces of fabric and a needle & thread, it makes a great travel project. There are many possibilites, plus they’re just so darn cute!

Let us help you get started on your flock! Handsewing is relaxing and rewarding and a small project like this is a great way to learn. This a free pattern from Spool, and we will be offering demonstrations on how to stitch these little guys throughout the summer. Enjoy!

P.S. You can now download a pdf of this pattern from our sidebar. If you’d like to share your finished birds, we’d love to see them! You can join our flickr group here. Have fun!

Olive Rose is the latest line from Freespirit designer Valori Wells. Using nature as her inspiration, she abstracts the line and color to create vibrant designs with electric hues. These fabrics inspire you to get creative!

We have been on a handbag kick here at Spool and one of our favorite patterns is the Swing Bag fom Amy Butler. The shape is so darn cute and it’s simple to stitch together. Michael sewed this one up in an afternoon! It’s also reversible which gives you the chance to use more than one of your favorite fabrics. Purses are the perfect vehicle for bold pattern and color that you may not normally choose for your wardrobe. The pink hibiscus fabric from the Olive Rose collection instantly stood out to me and the matching stripe is such a fun contrast. Just looking at this combination puts me in a cheerful mood!