Learn All About It!

Hi there!  It has been busy, busy, busy at Bear Patch during our past 9 days of sale fun!  We heard from many of you that the extended days were greatly appreciated.  That allowed quite a few people the chance to come shopping even if they were tied up with work, vacation, family, etc.  That's good to know!  It also allowed happy quilters the opportunity to make repeated visits!  A great chance to do some advance planning, scout out the goods, and land a good deal on supplies for a project still in the envisioning stages!

Also, a huge THANK YOU to our employees, who really stepped up their game and came to work for extra hours over those days, and even in advance to get things ready!  It takes a great team to make it all come together.  Arriving early, staying late, crossing the line between Sew Center and Quilt Shop, fetching lunches, squeezing in a few hours after their "real job", and sharing cookies and laughs--these are a few of my favorite things!

Now, as we all take a deep breath today, I found some great entertainment for you!  Have you heard of Cotton + Steel?  If you have, and you like it, you are part of a growing cult of fans of this design company!  If you haven't, you really must take a look at their fabrics!  Look through their artistic images on their website, and treat yourself to the touch and feel of the real thing at the store!  These fabrics are also some of my favorite things!

I've picked up this Cotton + Steel video from their website, because it is one of the best short stories about fabric production that I have seen.  I know you will learn things about cotton and fabric that you never knew before!  For example, I learned about a machine used to check that the weft threads stay straight at a 90 degree angle to the warp threads as the fabric is produced!  The skewed angle that can happen when the yardage is rolled and rolled and rolled through the machinery is what makes us so frustrated with prints that don't line up on the grainline.  I always thought that problem was inevitable, due to the manufacturing process, but now I know that it is correctable with the right equipment and attention to detail.  So have a cup of coffee (that's what I'm doing!), sit back, and enjoy!  And thank you, Cotton + Steel!

Made in Japan: Our Manufacturing Process from Cotton + Steel on Vimeo.