J.O. Lantern

Looking for some inspiration for your Fall projects?  We have the perfect thing to give you a kick-start.  This small but happy jack o' lantern is all packaged up in a kit.  The pieces are pre-cut (oh yeah!) and directions are included, all packaged for you by Lola Hendrickson.  The finished size is approximately 14 1/2" square.  The kit costs only $16.95.  Call or come in to pick up your very own J.O. Lantern today!

Buttermilk Basin Trunk Show

Stacy West, creative genius of Buttermilk Basin has loaned us several of her great samples for display.  She has a way with wool and fiber that is fun and appealing.  Right now she is out in Reardon, Washington, teaching classes to some lucky folks at Buggy Barn.  How cool is that?!  MN girl gone big-time!

The 3 smaller pieces arranged on the left are part of a 12 month collection of patterns, each featuring a quilt block plus a themed wool applique.  Each one is cuter than the last!

Here are some more examples of the opportunities that she has created for you to add a little bit of folk art whimsy to your collection:

Woolen Pincushions Through the Year

Wool & Needle Block of the Month

Patchwork Pillow Thru the Year

We have many of Stacy's patterns and can order any that you might request.  We will help you with your questions about wool applique, plus we will have a class offering this fall if you are a newcomer to this art.  We have a good selection of many colors of hand-dyed wool, plus wool felt bolts and squares.  If the embroidery stitches are a puzzle to you, we have plenty of helpful tips and even an upcoming class for beginning embroidery, too!  A recent shopper at Bear Patch was so smitten with the Buttermilk Basin designs that she had a trunkful of the trunk show when she left! She shall remain nameless, but her initials are AB, and when I saw her last Tuesday she was stitchin' on some wool.  And that's why our Bear Patch customers are the best!

Holiday Time is Here

Come see all of our wonderful autumn, halloween and Christmas fabric collections!  We brought out more bolts today, and have an excellent selection.  In fact, we had to haul up another table from the basement just to hold it all!  The assembly of that table did provide some comic relief, I wish I had a video of Debbie and Tammy putting together the cube base of the table.  Those pieces were every which way by the time they pulled it together!  So we need your help to come take some of this fabric home so we can avoid a replay of that scene!  Below are pictures of many of the fabrics, but not all.  I did forget to get pictures of the great Christmas flannels.  I have to save something for next time, OK?

We have been so happy and busy during these MN Shop Hop days, seeing old friends and meeting new ones from all over the place.  What a bunch of nice people!  We are so grateful for our dedicated quilters!  The Shop Hop continues a few more days, ending Aug. 19.  We do still have a lot of the fabrics left, which pleases many shoppers who are looking to add to their collection.

While the days of summer seem to be winding down, we are getting ready for our fall class offerings.  Debbie is working on the master calendar on paper, and then will start adding classes to the website.  They go live as soon as they are added, but if you want to see the full listing when everything is in place, please add your name to our email list and you will receive a notice.  The email list can be accessed on the website homepage.

Just a teaser about a couple of the upcoming classes--
Sue brought these in to share this morning.

Cranberry Chutney by Madison Cottage Design

Swirling Leaves by Quilt Woman

 Also, I just put up another Scrappy Sack sample called Shoo Fly.  It is bottom right in the picture below.  These are small quilt kits, and the big bonus is that almost all of the cutting has been done for you!  A little cloth bag contains squares, triangles, border strips, etc., along with the directions.  These would make a fabulous present for anyone you know who likes to sew.  Remember to check them out now so we will have the one in stock that you want and you won't be disappointed!

A few of the Scrappy Sack samples

pre-cut pieces

 

Our Champion Designers

Right now, it's all about the Olympics, right?  Well, the Olympics and Shop Hop, if I am honest!  We are so lucky to live amongst some wonderful and generous designers of patterns for quilters and stitchers.  We have many samples on loan for display during our Quilt MN Shop Hop, and we want to make sure that you get to see them, too.  So sit back and enjoy the show!

Slideshow created with Smilebox

The Suspense is Half the Fun!

If you are one of those quilters who loves to participate in a good Shop Hop, you might have found yourself counting down the days lately until August 3 -- tomorrow!  That is the kick-off date of the statewide MN Shop Hop, running for just over 2 weeks (ending 8/19).  If you aren't familiar with this concept, let me explain:  74 quilt shops all over the state have joined forces to spice up your August with a very fun event.  By visiting several shops and getting your "passport" stamped, you not only get a fun tour of the state, but also the chance to win some great prizes!  The state is divided into sections, and you can visit all or any portion that you choose.  Each area is offering further incentives with assorted ideas to add to your quilting pleasure.  You can read much more about it at the main website for Quilt MN.

Another big part of the fun, at least for our crew at Bear Patch, is preparing samples and displays that use the exclusive fabric designed and sold by Windham Fabrics.  We have plenty of inspiration for you to discover how you can use a bit of this Minnesota-themed fabric in a keepsake of your own.  And how great to make something that announces "Land of 10,000 Lakes" for a friend or family member.  Even for someone who has lived here or visited here, and has special memories of our great state.

Our front windows and entry are all decked out and gussied up for the hundreds of shop hoppers that are going to be visiting.  We have a special little goodie bag for each participant, containing the directions for a quilt block, a 5" square of the MN fabric, a pattern for a MN theme quilt label designed by Mary of MH Designs and the directions for a fabulous wool penny rug designed for us by Stacy of Buttermilk Basin.  The quilt label and penny rug are not available anywhere else, so you do not want to miss a stop at Bear Patch!  Here is an overview of what we have on display for you:

Left to right:  Take 5, Wild Child and Catch Me.  On the black table: Waffle Time.
On the white table:   Tumbling Mats and Classic MN embroidered pillow.

From left to right:  tablecloth and apron from I've Been Framed, Hot Stuff casserole carrier,  Two Timing Tumbler tablerunner, Quiltie Trio mini-runner, Midi bag, Cape Cod Carryall, Bridget's Bagettes, Cabin in the Woods, Cliff's Bear tablerunner and Bee's Knees towels.

This is the Bee's Knees!  I put on my pattern designer hat again and put together the directions for converting some plain old towels into something much more fun for drying dishes!

Here's the Cape Cod Carryall and the Midi Bag.  Last year Quiltsmart designed the Mondo Bag, which was a popular class and project.  This year they have reduced the size a bit for the Midi Bag but used the same techniques.

Come Fly With Me is Debbie's brainstorm, and it turned out great.  The pattern is designed to use multiple fabric strips to make the striped panels on the left and right.  Clever Debbie used the Quilt MN fabric that is a stripe with MN words and simplified the process immensely!

This apron, from the booklet I've Been Framed, is made from one tea towel and a little bit of fabric for pocket and ties.

Debbie has also been posting some good pictures of some of the individual items over on our Facebook page so you should really hop over there and become a friend if you aren't already.

In the next few days I will be posting even more info about the Shop Hop fun.  We will have cookies and bars on the weekends, and cold bottled water, and the coffee is always on!

Pam