I’ve been trying to stretch out of my comfort zone lately and create with color palettes other than rainbow order. With that goal in mind, I put together another blogger bundle for Fiddlehead Artisan Supply in Belfast, Maine, including some of my favorite autumnal colors. To play with the Summer Nights bundle I curated in August, this one is called Autumn Dusk. To double the fun, I have a bundle to give away, too!
This color palette feels peaceful to me, with the soft purples, burgundy, magenta, mauvey peach, and a pop of turquoise. I’ve been working on a project using my bundle and I admit, it feels weird to be working with a non-rainbow color palette with no low volumes or black/charcoal neutrals…. but I like it!
Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a tutorial for the project I’m making with this bundle, so if you want to add these fabrics to your stash and immediately put them to use (fabric added to the stash doesn’t count if it’s immediately created into something beautiful, right?), you can with ease.
These fabrics are all great stash additions, and help bolster my weak purple collection a bit. They are consistent with my love of tone on tones and blenders, which means my scraps will surely make their way into a rainbow somehow.
Fiddlehead Artisan Supply is generously offering an Autumn Dusk fat quarter bundle to one of my readers. The bundle includes fat quarters of the following six fabrics (clockwise from Tula’s ponies):
Pony Play from Fox Field by Tula Pink (Free Spirit)
Leaves in Turquoise from In the Bloom by Valori Wells (Robert Kaufman)
Full Circle in Petal Pink from Shape of Spring by Eloise Renouf (Cloud 9)
Bike Paths in Lilac by Alison Glass (Andover)
Twinkle Twinkle in Burgundy from Natural History by Lizzy House (Andover)
Jewels in Purple from Hello Pilgrim by Lizzy House (Andover)
To enter the giveaway today, visit Fiddlehead’s online shop and tell me your favorite quilting print from their online offerings (click here for a direct link). Leave a comment and make sure I’m able to get ahold of you if you win. If you’re a follower of Night Quilter, leave a second comment telling me how you follow for a second entry. ‘Like’ Fiddlehead Artisan Supply on Facebook or subscribe to their newsletter and tell me how you followed them in a third comment for a third entry. That’s three separate comments for three entries to win.
This giveaway is open to US and international participants. The giveaway will be open until 8pm Sunday 12/6 when I’ll select the winner randomly with random.org. Good luck!This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Linda!
Fiddlehead is also having a big online sale through tomorrow (Monday 11/30) so you can get 15% off your entire online order with the code Thanks2015. That’s as good a reason as any to bolster your stash, don’t you think? *wink*
I’m linking up with Molli’s Sunday Stash. I’ve been quiet in the stash building department lately, but I have a few fun new stash additions I’ll be sharing in the coming weeks! I’m gathering fabric to last me through the snowy season; after all, winter is coming.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking an entire day for quilty crafty inspiration. I didn’t even touch a sewing machine, yet I spent the day immersed in color inspiration of one kind or another. With five week old Finn snug in my Ergo and the big kids excited about a Daddy day, I began the day at Fiddlehead Artisan Supply, my gorgeous local quilt shop, where Amy Butler, Heather Jones, Samantha Lindgren from A Gathering of Stitches, and the rest of the Quilter’s Color Weekend retreaters were having a visit.
Heather Jones and Amy Butler browse the gorgeous displays at Fiddlehead Artisan Supply.
Walking into a quilt shop as gorgeous as Fiddlehead is inspiring in and of itself; walking into a quilt shop as gorgeous as Fiddlehead and packed with fabric, color, quilt-loving women made my heart happy and my inspiration cup runneth over. It was fun to see Heather again (we first met at QuiltCon), and meet Amy. I also got to meet Kerry Goulder from Kid Giddy, another Maine sewist with whom I’ve communicated via Instagram but had never met in person. There were snacks, book signings, chatting, and of course fabric buying!
After all of the retreaters swarmed back onto their bus to head back to their retreat haven, I spent some time catching up with Abby from Fiddlehead and selecting a new fabric bundle (stay tuned–you’ll hopefully see it later this week!). Of course, snuggling, nursing, and changing Finn peppered the day.
Next, we stopped in for a visit at the Quilter’s Color Weekend Retreat at Point Lookout in coastal Northport, Maine, only another 15 minutes from Fiddlehead. The weekend quilting retreat was one of the first of its kind in Maine, organized by Sam at A Gathering of Stitches, and it happened practically in my backyard (sooo exciting)! The location was stunning, and situated on the top of a mountain, it was peaceful as well as having amazing views. I have never been to a quilt retreat before, but even spending an hour in that room with a bunch of happily sewing, newly inspired, and eagerly learning women was enough to convince me that quilting retreats are where it’s at. I definitely absorb positive energy by being around excited, inspired, colorful quilters, and living in rural Maine, my chances at surrounding myself with such people are rare. This day was a treat for sure!
Color stories created by one of the retreat-goers.Kerry snuggled Finn for a while so that I could walk around to see the inspiring creating taking place.Sewing and chatting and laughing and creating and soaking it in.Heather Jones and Sam Lindgren, sharing their wisdom.Amy Butler and a retreat-goer talk quilting.Even Finn had a good time! (Kerry shows off her progress while Finn happily wiggles).The gorgeous view from the dining room at the retreat. Bliss!
After getting my quiltspiration fill for the day, Finn and I headed home and met the rest of our family in Belfast for a quilt photo shoot (you’ll have to wait until September to see those photos, though!). It was a busy but inspiring and refreshing quilt-fabric-color-filled day!
With a little babe and an extended family visit overlap, I sadly cannot attend the entire retreat, as much as I would LOVE to. I am hoping to find a way to go for at least a day, though. This summer, especially with a newborn, I’ve been very much embracing the slow stitching idea, learning embroidery, playing with EPP, and taking the time to do hand quilting. It’s no secret how much I love Carolyn Friedlander’s work, and to get the chance to explore, learn, and share techniques and ideas not only with her, but also Chawne and Sam sounds amazing. I can only imagine how blissfully serene it would be to spend four unplugged days stitching, relaxing, and enjoying the Maine woods in the best of company. If you go, will you send some of your slow stitching bliss my way!? Thank you!
Last week, in my most epic shop hopping day to date, my kids and I visited four quilt shops! The shops were in a cluster in or near Waterville and Augusta, about a 75 minute drive from us. It amazingly went fairly smoothly, although I learned that a quilt shop is really not the place for a toddler. Here’s the rundown:
Reviews for this shop talk about the wide selection of just about everything related to quilting, sewing, and even knitting. This indeed is a large shop, with lots of everything. It has more of a warehouse/department store feel with lots of rows of fabric, rolls of batting at the ends of rows, patterns and books on top of the rows, and rooms in the back, side, downstairs, and next door. The fabric seems to be mostly traditional quilting fabric, with a wide selection of novelty themed fabric. Are you looking for horse fabric? or space-themed fabric? Maybe baby’s rocking horse fabric? food fabric? This is the shop for you. I saw four different popcorn fabrics alone.
Yardgoods Center has a wide variety of themed fabric.
Maddie loved this shop, since she was able to find dinosaur fabric with which she plans to make a birthday blanket for her friend Noah.
Maddie with her prize.
The large, full store layout made it less than ideal for an “I want to walk!” toddler. Within five minutes, Max had escaped and climbed INTO the window display. I found him five seconds later with a packaged rotary cutter in one hand and a spool of thread in the other. Straight into the carrier he went, to ride squirming and complaining on my back for the rest of the time in the shop. Here’s a look around, albeit blurry:
Themed fabric galore!The lowest level was filled with large rolls of batting and rows of upholstery fabric.Thread, buttons, notions galore.Gorgeous yarn!
Yardgoods Center at a Glance
Location? Located in Waterville in a large shopping center. The shop was fairly easy to find with gps and has a large parking lot.
Sells? Traditional quilting fabric, themed fabric, upholstery fabric, batting and other quilting, upholstery, and other sewing needs, sewing machines, notions, buttons, books and patterns, yarn and knitting supplies, books, and patterns, and more!
Modern or Traditional? Traditional with a few modern quilting books.
Swag? 5″ charm square of Shop Hop Theme fabric, and coupons for both during the Shop Hop and afterward.
Kid friendly? Not really. This is a very large shop with many rows down which a toddler will bolt. I’m finding that a quilt shop is not the greatest location for a 2 year old 🙂 Older children who also enjoy sewing may like all of the themed fabric.
Cozy Cottage Fabrics is a cute shop right in downtown Augusta. They specialize in Maine Woods fabric, decor, patterns, etc. but also have a selection of batiks and tone on tone fabrics as well as other traditional quilting fabrics. While we were there, they were promoting the yo-yo quilt patterns by local designer Marcia Layton. This is a small shop with very friendly shopkeepers who were eager to talk all things Maine. They also offer long arm services as well as tailoring and alterations.
Max’s mischief of choice in this shop was to run to the door and stand right in front of the laser bell that set off a loud, high-pitched chime when someone walks in, or in his case, a constant high-pitched chime since he just stood right in front of it. After wrangling him back into my arms the third time, a smiling fellow shopper turned to me and incredulously but kindly asked, “You find time to quilt?!” I honestly don’t blame her surprise with the way Max makes mischief in quilt shops.
Here’s a look around the shop:
Promoting the yo-yo quilt patterns by local designer Marcia Layton.Maine woods decor and patterns.A detail look at the way the yo-yos are incorporated into larger quilts.
Location? Located right in downtown Augusta, this shop was quite easy to find. Free street parking is available right out front. We had lunch at a lovely cafe right down the street after our visit here, too.
Sells? Traditional quilting fabric and notions, specializing in Maine Woods fabrics and patterns. Cozy Cottage Fabrics also sells patterns, books, Maine woods decor, offers long arm services, and tailoring and alterations.
Modern or traditional? Traditional.
Swag? 5″ charm square of Shop Hop Theme fabric.
Kid friendly? They were certainly friendly to kids, and it’s a small store so it was fairly easy to keep track of my toddler and four-year-old. Max was able to be down on the ground, although I had to collect him from in front of the entry bell to save the hearing of all the shopkeepers and shoppers.
Mystic Maine Quilts is a big, bright, spacious shop with a wide selection of fabrics, Janome sewing machines, notions, finished quilts, books and patterns, and they offer custom quilt making services. They have an extensive selection of tone on tone and blender fabrics, as well as batiks. In talking with the shop owners, they, too, haven’t found a market for modern fabrics. In the back room at Mystic Maine Quilts lives a gorgeous long arm machine. They offer long arm lessons, and then rent out the machine at an hourly rate to facilitate completion of the project. The women with whom I spoke were very kind and helpful in answering all of my questions.
Max was an angel at this shop; he was asleep in the carrier the entire time. Maddie, on the other hand, was ready for a playground so our visit was short. Here’s a quick look around:
Location? This shop is located on River Road, in Chelsea. It should be noted that it is NOT located on River Street, which is located on the other side of town. You can trust me on that, since my gps brought me to River Street first. On River Road, Mystic Maine Quilts is a well-marked shop with a large parking lot. As long as you keep your eyes peeled, it’s easy to spot as you’re driving.
Sells? Traditional quilting fabric, Janome sewing machines, notions, finished quilts, books and patterns, and they offer custom quilt making services. Mystic Maine Quilts also offers long arm training and rental.
Modern or traditional? Traditional.
Swag? 5″ charm square of Shop Hop Theme fabric, and a choice of an additional gift from a basket on the table (included measuring tapes, seam rippers, buttons, and seam gauges); I chose a seam gauge!
Kid friendly? This shop is spacious and organized in a way that I think would be suitable for roaming toddlers (of course always under a watchful eye). Since Max was asleep on me during my visit, I didn’t get to test it out.
We got lots of running out before we went into the shop. Even still, I should have known with this kid that there would be trouble inside!
Even beyond the name, Whippersnappers was my favorite quilt shop of the day. The shop is adorable, with gorgeous exposed brick walls and a good selection of modern and traditional fabrics. Whippersnappers sells fabric, books and patterns, notions, quilting tools, buttons, and offers long arm services. The women in the shop were very friendly, despite the unhappy toddler strapped to my back. In the front of the shop, there is a long arm quilting machine that was quilting away as we shopped around it.
Here’s a look around the shop:
In addition to the welcoming atmosphere in the shop, the location is superb. I had never been to Hallowell before, but I would definitely go back! It is such an adorable little town.
Whippersnappers at a Glance
Location? Whippersnappers is located right in downtown Hallowell, about 10 minutes from Augusta. The town is adorable, with many shops and cafes. There is street parking available in front of the shop.
Sells? Both modern and traditional fabrics, books and patterns, notions, quilting tools, buttons, and offers long arm services.
Modern or traditional? Both! This shop has a good mix of both modern and traditional fabrics.
Swag? 5″ charm square of Shop Hop Theme fabric, free fat quarter, and a seam ripper.
Kid friendly? No. This is a small shop without much open space. Especially with the long arm machine running right in the front of the shop, I would not let my toddler free in this shop. Babysitter, next time!
My children especially liked the candy shop across and down the street from Whippersnappers. They spotted the bubbles floating down the street, so we had to investigate. This may be the most clever marketing strategy ever: put a bubble machine right in front of your candy store. Good thing neither of my kids are old enough to read well yet, and they were so distracted by the bubbles they didn’t look in the window.
Best marketing strategy ever: Set up a bubble machine right in front of your candy store.
We played with bubbles for about 20 minutes and then departed FINALLY to a playground. What a full day!
I grab a needle and thread once the kids are in bed
This color palette feels peaceful to me, with the soft purples, burgundy, magenta, mauvey peach, and a pop of turquoise. I’ve been working on a project using my bundle and I admit, it feels weird to be working with a non-rainbow color palette with no low volumes or black/charcoal neutrals…. but I like it!
These fabrics are all great stash additions, and help bolster my weak purple collection a bit. They are consistent with my love of tone on tones and blenders, which means my scraps will surely make their way into a rainbow somehow.
Fiddlehead Artisan Supply is generously offering an Autumn Dusk fat quarter bundle to one of my readers. The bundle includes fat quarters of the following six fabrics (clockwise from Tula’s ponies):
Reviews for this shop talk about the wide selection of just about everything related to quilting, sewing, and even knitting. This indeed is a large shop, with lots of everything. It has more of a warehouse/department store feel with lots of rows of fabric, rolls of batting at the ends of rows, patterns and books on top of the rows, and rooms in the back, side, downstairs, and next door. The fabric seems to be mostly traditional quilting fabric, with a wide selection of novelty themed fabric. Are you looking for horse fabric? or space-themed fabric? Maybe baby’s rocking horse fabric? food fabric? This is the shop for you. I saw four different popcorn fabrics alone.
Night Quilter 