Thursday, October 13, 2016

Changin' and Rearrangin'

A few more store improvements have appeared within our walls.  In some previous posts, I shared pictures of work-in-progress.  See, it's not just our quilts that are a work in progress!

The large old box shelves that housed our batting supply have been removed.  Carpenter Bob built some much improved cubby box shelves for our batting in another spot.

In place of the old batting storage, we have a nice new clean wall and all our our thread has been moved across the store to that spot.  
This is just a few feet away from all of the hand embroidery threads, so it can now be called the "Thread Department".  
Some of these stackable thread shelving units will still undergo some changes, as we get new units and get our selection more organized.  We love the Mettler and Aurifil brands!

Over where the thread racks used to be, Bob has built and installed some more shelving for fabrics.  The picture below was taken before even more units were added to that wall.  Our dream is to have the right balance of shelving and bolts so none of the bolts have to be on the floor!  Never gonna' happen!  And we would be so sad if it did!


We have some new space created for our extra-wide Cuddle fabric bolts--  it's 88-90" wide, so makes a fabulous back for many quilts and doesn't need a seam!



And on the flip side of that shelf unit we have--


All of our wonderful cozy Cuddle bolts (58-60")!
Most of the Cuddle that we sell is destined to be quilt backs, but there are lots of other things that you can make with this soft plush fabric.  Click on this link to the numerous free patterns on the website that use Cuddle fabric.

Here's something else fun for you--
A group of new Moda Grunge fabrics on our shelves!

Come in to see the wonderful shades and tones at your fingertips!


Tuesday, October 11, 2016

It's Already Time To Vote!

Are you ready to vote?!
No more freaky debates, no more Twitter anything, no more lies and innuendos?!

Just a throwback to the time when you simply get to vote on what you like, and you can even have a do-over every time you visit Bear Patch from now through November 1.  How great is that?

First, let me explain the beginning.  Our Bear Patch Circle of Quilters meets every other month on a Saturday morning.  (Next meeting is December 3.)  Attendees get a chance to sit back, learn about what's happening and what's new at the store.  There is talk about rulers, notions, patterns and books, including some demonstrations and tutorials.  And there's always a sweet treat to share, plus the coffee pot is close at hand!

The group was offered a chance to participate in a challenge.  They were given a piece of fabric from fabric "headers" donated by our Moda representative, Julie.  These are large swatches of fabrics shown to shop owners to make buying decisions.  Each participant received a different fabric.  The challenge then was to make something from that fabric and bring it back to display.  The possibility of winning super duper prizes was an added incentive!  Three Viewer's Choice prizes will be awarded, plus one more favorite picked by employees.

We received 15 projects from the group, and I have to say, they have really hit the mark with variety and creativity!  Now, any of our customers can view the projects and cast a ballot for their favorite.  And you can vote again every day you visit!

I had intended to compile a nice little slide show here for you.  But there seems to be a little war going on between Smilebox, Adobe Flash Player and my MacBook!  So we can skip the slide show and just enjoy the pictures below!  I have added pattern information as far as I am able to determine, and I will add more as it becomes known.  Some of these are originals, others are adaptations of existing patterns.  They are presented in random order numerically.  A swatch of the original challenge fabric is attached to each, so you know what the starting point is.  
So get ready for a load of pictures--

Our autumnal view on the hub of White Bear Lake.
Collage pup designed by Laura Heine




Bowtucks Tote









The little pyramid opens into a sweet sewing box!



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