While the City Quilt love is making it’s way around the internet, I’d thought I’d take this opportunity to show off my new quilt! I am smitten by the book’s new City Shops quilt, and started one almost immediately upon the book’s arrival! The Gee’s Bend look of this quilt struck me right way, and am always happy when when quilt instructions are clear, easy to follow, but do allow for some random fabric placement! There’s something about it that feels more like an adventure!

Inspired by bar codes & shopping (who doesn’t love shopping!), Cherri used black, white and blue fabrics for her City Shops quilt. Loving the look, but wanting to make it my own, I chose a palette of green, yellow and white Kona cottons, which is what Cherri uses in all of her quilts. Then, I reversed the dark to light ratio, creating a more light and summery version.

Everyone at the shop LOVES the result, so much so that we quickly quilted and bound it, forgetting to add the border! If I were to go back I would have added one in the minty green Kona cotton, but I think it looks wonderful just the same!

If you’d like to try your hand at our version of this quilt, kits are available in both shops. We’re also down to the last 2 days to enter our City Quilts blog tour giveaway! Be sure to leave a comment by tomorrow at midnight. Enjoy!

July is here! So fast! The last week of June was hot and humid, like only a Philly summer can be. Thankfully, the weather has cooled and now that it is gorgeous and in the 70s, I can think again! This is weather for walking around in town, enjoying the sights. For me, that almost always means coming home with a sunburn. I have taken to wearing a hat while I’m out and about, and it has helped quite a bit in not having a red nose and MORE freckles!

Since it has been so warm, I chose the breathable Essex linen/cotton blend to make my Kwik Sew 3699 chapeau! I lined it with a pretty grey & yellow dot from Laura Gunn’s Poppy collection. I have a real soft spot for yellowy greens. They just epitomize Summer, don’t they? This light color is pretty and deflects that hot sun, plus it looks good with red hair!

Once I cut out my pattern & fabric, this hat took less than an hour to stitch. Since the linen content makes for a sturdier fabric, I only interfaced the brim, so it wouldn’t fall in my eyes. If you were to use a regular quilting cotton weight or one of our Shot Cottons, like I did here, you would definitely want to use a featherweight interfacing, to give it a bit of shape. I can roll this up and put it in my purse and it still comes out looking great!

Now, if you made this hat in Nicey Jane cotton laminate, you would have a super cute rain hat! The weather can change on a dime in the Summer months. Last week, we had a crazy storm that came out of nowhere and lasted only 20 minutes! Now, while this hat may not protect your whole ensemble from a torrential downpour, it will at least save your hair-do and keep the rain out of your eyes. To me, that’s always the worst part of getting stuck in the rain – sporting “the bedraggled look” after the storm has ceased!

If you’d like to make a hat of your very own to protect that beautiful face, join us for class next weekend! Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!

Sun Hat
Sunday, July 11: 1:30- 3:30PM
$25 plus materials

Materials: Pattern, 1 yard fabric total, 3/4 yards interfacing, thread. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.

We currently have an adorable Oliver + S Trunk Show in the shop, so I’m taking the opportunity to share some the recent O + S samples we have made. The Music Class Blouse + Skirt falls under the category of “Patterns Grown-Up Ladies Want in Their Size”. Everyone wants that pretty little blouse!

We made this blouse using Anna Maria Horner’s Little Folks voile. Voile is a very fine, lightweight cotton with a the softest, silkiest feel. Anna Maria writes a wonderful post here about working with this lovely fabric. The print has a Liberty of London look, which is very of the moment, but a bit funkier, which is more to my liking!

Because the fabric is finer, I feel like the details are better defined. Those little pin tucks are perfect and sweet; Elizabeth used a contrasting thread to stitch them down- fantastic! Like the Sketch Book Shirt, this blouse pattern may take a bit longer to put together, but is a wonderful way to improve your skills and try something new.

While the Music Class Blouse may be a bit of a challenge, the skirt is easy as pie. Simple, and functional, with a little pleated girly flair! Plus, it has the all important pockets for everything a girl needs to carry along with her. This project can be completed in an afternoon- a great warm up for starting in on the blouse!

Now I know school is just ending, but this would be an ideal back-to-school outfit. If you start now, there’s a very good chance it will be ready to wear on the first day in the Fall.

We have a very pretty version Oliver + S-made version of this in the trunk show, so do stop in and visit. This is the last weekend of the show, and it would be a shame to miss out on the cuteness!

It’s been so fun having the Oliver +S trunk show in the shop this week. Tiny clothes always bring smiles! I realized I had not yet posted about Spool’s latest samples of the new patterns, and thought this week would be a good time to share them. Our version of the Sketchbook Shirt & Shorts has been getting quite a bit of attention, especially that crisp, white button down! People can’t believe it’s handmade!

I love this mini version of a man’s dress shirt. Little boys want to be JUST like their fathers! I remember one Easter my brother wanting his dress up outfit to be exactly like my Dad’s, down to the blue and red striped tie. This would have been perfect for him!

We made our shirt from a new-to-Spool fabric, Essex. This 55% linen/ 45% cotton blend has lots of body and washes up beautifully. Sometimes linen can be a little tricky to work with because of the open weave, but in this case the cotton helps stabilize, making it easier to stitch.

This shirt is probably one of the more challenging Oliver + S patterns, only because this level of detail takes a bit of time. Don’t let that discourage you; it goes together one piece at a time, just like any other project. Take your time and you will be rewarded with a whole new level of cuteness!

These sporty, flat front shorts are to die for! Stripes are one of my most favorite things, and Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane collection offered a great summery option. The waistband has an elastic back, for dressing ease, and side pockets are ready to hold special treasures. Shorts a must for kids in the summer, and these would work well for a boy or girl, depending on your fabric choice.

We have the Oliver + S version in the shop now as well, so stop in and check it out! The trunk show is here through June 27th. See you soon!

Ever notice how sometimes the stars align and fun summer events all fall on the same weekend? Well this seems to be one of them! Spool staffer, Elizabeth, is graduating from college. We are so proud of her! At the same time, one of my very best friends is getting married (congrats, Lee & Eric!). Awesome!

As a result, we will be closed Sunday, June 13th. We will be open our regular Saturday hours of 11-6PM, so do stop in and say hi to Olga!

I leave you with a sneak peek of some of our current quilt projects, one using Erin McMorris’ Weekends and another using pretty, pretty Kona cottons! Have a great weekend!

I love it when a quilt comes together! Our latest Piano Keys Quilt is done; Shot Cotton Surprise is quilted and bound! We finished off the quilt with Kaffe Fassett’s Buttons on the back and bound the edge with a Micheal Miller stripe. It looks gorgeous, if I do say so myself!

This quilt was truly a group effort – colors chosen by me & Olga, blocks cut & arranged by Olga, pieced & quilted by Elizabeth and bound by me. The quilt composition is so well balanced, and the wavy quilting is a nice foil for all those straight rectangles. Everyone knows I love a stripey binding, so I am pleased as punch with the look of this edging!

Piano Keys is a pattern meant for playing with pattern and design. There are so many color stories waiting to be written! Quilt top kits are available in both shops, just waiting for your creative touch! Have fun!

Sunday is the first day of my weekend, and when I left the shop on Saturday I asked Olga & Elizabeth to cut and arrange a new Piano Keys Quilt using my fave Shot Cottons du jour. Look what was waiting for me on the design wall when I arrived at the shop this morning!

So lovely! All I wanted to do was sit down and start sewing it together right away. I decided to stay my course, however, and snapped a few photos to share instead! Check out that gradation of color in the border, creating an orderly frame for their favorite pairings at the center. Fantastic! The saturation and depth of the Shot Cotton colors get me very time- I think it would be impossible for me to NOT adore something made with these special fabrics. Great job, Olga & Elizabeth!

It’s amazing how completely different, but equally strong, it looks from my last Piano Keys quilt. This pattern lends itself so well to larger prints, but I’m glad we decided to see what it looked like in all solids. With the cutting and piecing so simple, it gives you a great opportunity to concentrate on playing with pattern and color to your heart’s content!

If you like the looks of this quilt, we are holding a workshop starting this weekend, taught by the pattern’s designer, Sujata Shah. There are only a few spots left, so be sure to call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!

Piano Keys Quilt
$65 plus materials

Saturdays, May 15 & 22: 11AM-2PM

Materials: Pattern, 10 fat quarters or 1/4 yards, thread. 3 yards backing, 60″ x 60″ batting. Finished size: 44″ x 48″. Pattern includes instructions for a 72″ x 80″ version as well. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.

Just in time for the first day of Spring, the Flora & Fauna collection from Patty Young arrived in the shop. Aren’t these prints fresh and happy? Bees and hummingbirds are busily doing their duties to ensure a perfect season, while daisies and dandelions are cheerful reminders that soon beautiful blooms will be all around us. After the winter we’ve had, we could sure use it!

To get ready for the warm weather, we made a new version of our favorite satchel, the Birdie Sling. I love a complementary color scheme, and this one is no exception. Honey and magenta tones are quite fashionable these days, and it’s fun to see them paired with such whimsical prints. When making this bag, I usually like to put a larger print on the bottom section, but the since the darker honeycomb reads almost as solid, the pretty shapes in the handle stand out even more. So cute!

This is our go-to purse for all the sunny activities that are about to start. Parties, barbecues, and beach days are coming! Buzz, buzz!

Spool staffer, Elizabeth, is a fashion student in the midst of her senior collection. Needless to say, she is a very busy girl; designing and sewing constantly. When this new dress pattern fabric arrived from Alexander Henry, she just had to have it!

During a particularly hectic school week, she stopped and took a little time for herself to stitch up this adorable tote. She used Robert Kaufman’s Fusions for the lining, and did the contrast stitching in a pretty fuchsia to match. It is so cute, and she says it was a great pick me up. She has something fun to cheer her up wherever she goes!

I think this a great reminder of how simple crafting, even for an hour or two, can make us feel accomplished and happy. Now Elizabeth can get back to high fashion with clear head! Great job, lady!

We are in Love with Amy Butler’s Frenchy Bag! Since our Frenchy Bag models sold out in our sample sale, I thought it was time for some new ones in new fabrics! When Amy’s new line arrived, Elizabeth was especially taken with this lacy, paisley print. Aubergine and pale chartreuse is one of her current favorite color pairings! Seeing them together, I think they may become one of mine too!

Elizabeth got work stitching up the Shoulder Bag and Handbag versions, both of which are included in the pattern. I think they turned out beautifully, and she did an amazing job of centering the patterns. The contrast between the wild paisley and the more traditional medallion is just lovely!

If you’d like to try your hand at making your very own Frenchy Bag, we are having a workshop on March 7 & 14th. This is great class for getting more confident with sewing patterns. Plus, you know you’ll be dying for a new handbag when Spring rolls around, so why not make your own? Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!