Penelope (P. for short) is one of the most stylin’ kids I know! She is about to become a big sister, like at any moment, and her mom, Jessi, has been doing some serious nesting. Quilts, baby things and clothes for P. and her older brother have poured out of Jessi’s sewing machine. She picked up the fabric for the new Oliver + S Playdate Dress 2 days ago (one day before her due date) and kindly brought P. in to model. She chose Heather Ross’ Mendocino mermaid fabric and a polka dot from Anna Maria Horner’s Garden Party Collection. Jessi did a beautiful job with the sewing, and P. looks amazing in it. I think the floral pants and red sneakers really complete the look. P. will be wearing this to the school picnic today, if her new sibling doesn’t make an appearance! Thanks for sharing, Jessi. I looking forward to meeting the newest addition to your crafty clan!

People always ooh and ahh over our Oliver + S samples when they come to the shop. Many customers have been inspired to learn to sew or get back into sewing because of these adorable designs. Oliver + S has 5 new patterns for the Fall, including 2 patterns for boys, and sizing expanded up to a child’s 8. They’re not just for babies anymore!

Our new staff member, Alana, sewed up the 2+2 Blouse. We chose Michael Miller’s Garden Tour for the body and a raspberry floral from their Pod Posey collection for the contrast. This pattern has the option of short or long sleeves and buttons up the back. The pretty A-line shape of this blouse gives your girl room to play while the sweet tie and placket keeps it pretty enough for a school picture. This project involves gathering, applying bias binding, making buttonholes, and setting in sleeves. Trying new techniques will expand your sewing knowledge and refine your finished garments. Comprehensive instructions and detailed diagrams are always part of the Oliver +S package. Remember, the Spool staff is always here to help in case you come across a bump in the road! Imagine your little girl heading off to school in this…completely worth it!

Jill handquilted this beautiful pillow cover! Isn’t it fantastic? She has been a wonderful student at many of our sewing classes. I love it that she took what she learned from her beginner’s quilt and made something so lovely and all her own. This is exactly what I hope will happen when people take our classes. You can see another (slightly blurrier) photo I took of the whole cover here. Kudos, Jill! Thank you for sharing this with us.

If you want to learn to handquilt, new sessions of Beginning Quilting are starting in the next few weeks. New Learn to Sew dates have also been added to the schedule. Classes are a fun way to expand your skills and meet other crafters. See you there!

How pretty is this pillow?! Our friend, Megan, patchworker extraordinaire, whipped this up with the new Daisy Chain fabric from Amy Butler. I love it! If you been looking for simple ways to incorporate your sewing projects into your home, these pillows are a great place to start. They are fun to make and make great gifts!

Megan will be teaching a class to make this 9-patch pillow cover on Saturday, October 18th from 11AM-2PM. The cost is $24 plus materials. You will learn to use rotary cutter, construct a nine patch, and make an envelope style backing for the pillow. Please call the shop to reserve your space.

The first day of school outfit and new Fall clothes are firmly ingrained in my mind. When the leaves start changing, I start imagining new clothing combinations that inevitably involve new skirts! The A-line skirt has a classic shape that is flattering on everyone. Our new home dec weight fabrics are perfect for warmer skirts in cooler weather. They have a lovely drape and the fabric designs are fresh and fashion forward. This wood grain skirt would be so cute with knee-high boots and a sleek turtleneck sweater. Fall clothes are the best!

Round out your Fall wardrobe by learning to make a new skirt of your own in our A-line skirts class. Learn to use a pattern and get a well fitting result from your sewing. Class starts Sunday, October 19th. Please call the shop to reserve your space.

Denyse Schmidt’s collections always have a wonderful vintage feel. The prints are reminiscent of the 30’s and 40’s, but the colors are much more bright and modern. For her latest home dec line, Country Fair, she again draws inspiration from the 30’s, when “cheater cloth” was popular. Cheater cloth is fabric that has patchwork printed on it, ready for you to quilt. Patchwork Promenade is Denyse’s take on cheater cloth, where she takes prints from her quilting line, Katie Jump Rope, and assembles them into crazy log cabin blocks. So clever!

I took a yard and half (each repeat is one yard) for the front, pieced together the back from 3 yards of quilting weight cotton from Katie Jump Rope, and basted the layers together. I got out my trusty walking foot and machine quilted diagonal lines across my quilt. I thought about marking everything out ahead of time, but I decided to free hand instead. I think the off-kilter log cabin blocks are quite forgiving of my crazy quilting!

This whole process took a day’s worth of work, plus a few hours for hand sewing the bright red binding. I couldn’t be more pleased with this quilt! It was fun to see things come together so quickly, and now I can wrap up in a nice toasty blanket. I would like to do a hand quilted version of this as well, following the lines of all the blocks. I wonder how my family would feel about everyone getting a different version of this for the holidays? I know I would love making them!

My friend, Cathy, made these lovely pillows from Amy Butler’s latest home dec collection, August Fields. Each one has it’s own pretty block design, and I can’t decide which is my favorite! Pillows are a great way to try new techniques, like making cording and block piecing. Plus, they bring a punch of cheerful color into your living space. Cathy will be teaching a class on these pillows October 19 & 26. Please call the shop the shop to reserve your space. See you there!

Favorite Things Patterns is a new-to-us line that recently arrived here at the shop. Among them is the Prairie Girl Dress and Top. I had been looking for a pretty blouse pattern, and I definitely think this fits the bill. Tunics continue to be everywhere this season, and I think this gives a nice, shapely twist to the look. This piece slips easily over your head, forgoing the need for zippers or buttons, and ties at the back, giving a gentle waist definition. The gathers at the front accommodate the bust and accentuate the nice, flat skirt panel over the tummy. So flattering! It has two sleeve options as well: set-in like the ones in the photo or a ruffled cap sleeve. Either would fit easily under a cardigan, or over a long sleeve shirt when it gets a little chillier.

I chose Amy Butler’s Tree Peony fabric, for it’s sophisticated and feminine print. You can dress it up or down depending on your fabric choice. Make the dress version for work in a rich autumn tone, and make the top in a more whimsical print to pull a weekend outfit together. This was a fun sewing project, and it came together nicely in two afternoons. You should definitely give it a try!

Julie has been a very busy bee! After she recovered her kitchen chairs, she was back for more home improvement. She took, as she calls it, her sad blue chair, 5 yards of Drawing Room home dec fabric, and a staple gun and got crafty! Julie says that this is a huge improvement from the blue, and that she is very happy with the much needed update. She did a lovely job! The fabric choice is stunning, and the upholstery job neat and professional. Kudos, Julie!

Those of you in the Philly area may know that the Gee’s Bend Quilt Exhibit is opening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art next week. The show contains over seventy works by the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. I am always impressed with how modern and fresh these quilts look, and with unique use of materials and color sense. The one in the photo, by Ruth Kennedy, is made entirely in corduroy. Beautiful!

I received an invitation to attend the opening this Thursday, Sept.11 from 6-9, and would like to extend the invite to all of you. Tickets are required and can be purchased the night of the opening for $20. Since many of the quilters from the exhibit will be in attendance, this will be a rare opportunity to speak with the artists and get a sneak peek of what I am sure is an amazing show. Dilys Blum, curator of Costume & Textiles at the PMA, says “it is impossible to walk through this exhibit and not feel inspired — you will want to start making things after you attend.” Sounds wonderful! See you there!