Cuddle Up

We are trying to keep our heads above water in a sea of softness.  We have just been unpacking numerous bolts of Cuddle and Minkee fabrics to add to our shelves.  So much that it won't fit on those shelves, and we are facing the dreaded bolts-on-the-floor syndrome.  Lots of colors and textures to choose from----

And to make it worth your time to find your way to the store, 

we are running a "Flash Sale"!

Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24 ONLY

9 am - 5 pm

20% off all the Cuddle and Minkee bolts!

And as we do on most Fridays, 

we take an additional 20% off all of the sale bolts.

Half yard cut minimum.

The majority of our sale bolts start out as $10+ per yard and are marked down to $6 per yard.  

On discount Fridays, they are 20% off, 

bringing that $6 down to $4.80. 

Our sale fabric selection is larger than I have seen at any other store.  We have literally hundreds of bolts, many with plenty of yardage for quilt backs and borders. 

Who can resist?  I know I can't!  There are many times that I see a bolt on the sale shelf, and even though I know it has been on our store shelves for several months already, suddenly it becomes irresistible with that big red $6 written on the end!  

Do you suffer from the same problem?  

If you do, we will be happy to help you!

Got Wool?

We are adding some more fabulous hand dyed wool to our shelves today, and it's such a pleasure to feel and admire these pieces.  This batch comes to us from Mary Flanagan Wools and is a portion of the cuts that we have ordered.  If you are looking for just the right color, stop in and you will probably find it!

Beautiful Baskets

 We have just recently restocked our imported baskets, so this would be a good time to select one for yourself or a friend.  These make wonderful storage for projects, knitting, needlework, etc.  Christmas will be here before you know it, and what a nice gift this would be!  They come to us from Ghana and are handmade by women there.  Each one is unique.

Currently, we have the large round or oval shapes in stock.
  They are sturdy and durable.

I have had a couple of these at home for several years, 

and love them.  

After some time of sitting around, they can become a little bit slouchy.  The basket below is like that, although it's not real obvious in the picture.  The great thing about these baskets is that with a little TLC and the magic of water, they can be straightened up again!  They get a little bath in the laundry tub, and once they are wet and pliable, they can be molded back into shape.  As they dry, they firm up again. 

 Plus, if you grew up on a farm, you will be transported back to your childhood by the aroma of wet straw!  That's just a bonus that comes with the basket!

Just Schoolin' Around

 Our shop hoppers are the luckiest!  When they stop at Bear Patch and make a purchase of $10 or more, they receive a small silver charm.  There is a whole series of charms to be collected.  But we are so lucky because we have the wonderful walleye charm!

A whole school of walleye!

Want to know more about the walleye?  You can get some good basic information on Wikipedia.  Additionally, the MN Dept. of Natural Resources has some good info.

When we get to go fishing, we always hope to find some good walleye that are of the "keeper" size.  There is a "slot size" that requires that the walleyes of a certain length be returned to the lake to live on and breed.  But if we get lucky, we catch some that are just under or just over that slot size.  Those are the best!  

I did catch one very large walleye once, it was kind of scary when I saw it swim up to the boat!  But it was nowhere near as big as this guy....

Happy fishing!  For fabric, that is!

Sweets For The Sweet

 Is your sweet tooth needing a fix?  We have the remedy!

Debbie and Laurel made their annual pilgrimage to the Pearson Candy Co. in St. Paul.  Now we have cases of mini-Salted Nut Rolls and Chocolate Covered Mints stashed in the storeroom instead of fabric!  So you need to help us out and take a few off our hands!  We offer them free to anyone visiting during Shop Hop.

Plus, you can win this whole jumbo jarful of goodies if you guess correctly!  I can tell you right now that "several" will not be the winning guess!

Exclusively at Bear Patch!

A sweet little memento of your Shop Hop experiences--

an embroidered coin purse made by our own friend, Phyllis.

She also branches out into other themes, like owls, Vikings, other necessities!

The talent behind the embroidery machine...

Thanks, Phyllis!

The Flag Shows the Way

Lookin' for a good time?

Find the flag at our front door!

This is our front entry, right on the corner of 4th and Banning.  We have on-street parking as well as a lot right out our backdoor.  By the way, the backdoor is handicap accessible, so you can roll on in!  Really, we are easy to find--north of 694, east of 35E, just a few short blocks west of the lake (White Bear Lake, that is).

We have wonderful hours of business for you, because we know how important it is to fit in your fabric fix around all of the other demands of your lives.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

9 AM - 9 PM

Friday and Saturday

9 AM - 5 PM

Sunday

12 noon - 4 PM

extended to 5 PM during Shop Hop!

And while you are here, check this out--

beautiful plush Cuddle fabrics in chevrons!

And darn cute ribbons from Riley Blake Designs, coordinating with their fabric lines!

Just 2 quick examples of the joy of shopping at Bear Patch!

Did you know....
Quilt MN not only has a website full of information about the state and stores, but there is also a blog and Facebook page?

Great places to look for more details and ideas.

It's a Mod Podge Thing!

Debbie has been working on a new and unique project for our large panel of Quilt MN fabric.  She used her talent with a foam brush and Mod Podge to create a great floormat! 

It is on a base of RocLon Multi-Purpose Cloth, which we have on hand along with the lovely Mod Podge.  You don't want to miss out on this one!

Just a little Mod Podge trivia, because I know you are having flashbacks to some of your early craft projects!  The name comes from "Modern Decoupage" back in the early 60's when decoupage was a big trend, but was created with coats of varnish.  A clever and crafty woman developed her own formula for an improved product, and the rest is history!

Here are the directions from Debbie:

Decoupage Floor Cloth

Supplies:

 Mod Podge   
Fine grit sandpaper or steel wool    
Multi Purpose Cloth    
Fabric for the front and back

   Foam Brush   
Plastic Drop Cloth to protect work surface

Directions:

1.  Cut the main fabric and the backing one inch larger than the desired finished size of the floor cloth.

2.  Cut the Multi Purpose Cloth to the desired finished size.

3.  Apply Mod Podge to one side of the Multi Purpose Cloth. 

Immediately attach backing fabric to the Mod Podged surface, smoothing out wrinkles and bubbles.

4.  Apply Mod Podge to the backing fabric.  Let dry 1-2 hours.

5.  Trim backing fabric even with the Multi Purpose Cloth. Use your rotary cutter for an even trim.

6.  Turn the floor cloth over and apply Mod Podge to the other side of the floor cloth.  Center the main fabric on the floor cloth so that you will have fabric to wrap to the wrong side of the cloth.  Smooth out wrinkles and bubbles. Let dry.

7.  Sand lightly with steel wool or fine grit sand paper, if desired.

8.  Repeat so that you have 4-5 layers of Mod Podge on the front and 3-4 layers on the back, sanding between coats.

9.  Wrap excess front fabric to the back side and apply Mod Podge under the fabric to hold it to the floor cloth and over the fabric so that it will also be finished.  If desired, Mod Podge one inch strips of fabric  to cover the raw edges of the wrap around fabric for a more finished look.

10.  Apply Mod Podge to the back side one more time.

Let your creativity run wild!  Cover floor cloth with charm squares, applique shapes.
Add trim or rick rack for even more variety!

So dip a brush in your mod podge bottle and see what you can create!  Come in the store and walk all over our floormat!

Cook's Delight

Linda made us a new apron sample, and Eileen was a very good sport to model it for us.

  Linda did a great job of using the direction of the words on the fabric to line up straight.  It's a little hard to see from my professional-quality photo (NOT), but there is a big front pocket on there.  Perfect for a hotpad, tongs, oven mitt, candy bar, etc.  One should never cook without a little chocolate nearby!   This pattern is My Favorite Apron and comes from Perkins Dry Goods.

Slug Bug

Were you maybe expecting a VW?

Nope, this Slug Bug is another of my own new patterns for 

Quilt MN.

This uses the large panel print in the center.  The striped fabric makes 4 of the borders look a lot more complicated than they really are.  And the chevrons are easy to make especially with 4" Thangles.  We have kits and patterns on hand!  Call now before they are gone with the wind!

651-429-1039

SHHH--Don't Tell!

The Shop Hop Law Book says that the fabric can't leave the store until 8/2.  But the Quilt Police might be after me because I have violated the law.  This morning I was looking at the stacks of bolts in the storeroom, and thinking about how long they have been cooped up in there in hiding.  So I took a few out for a walk!  Seems like the humane thing to do, don't you think?  They got a wee bit of Vitamin D, and then it was back to the storeroom for them!  Waiting for you until Friday!  But getting very impatient!

Laurel brought in another new sample yesterday.  It is from Fast & Furious Home by GE Designs--I told you a couple days ago about Gudrun's great quilt-as-you-go technique.

Makes great use of a striped fabric, offset by the solid strips and corners.  You should give it a try!