It's All About The Pink!

 It's a Circle of Quilters Challenge!

The Bear Patch Circle of Quilters meets every other month to share design ideas, tutorials, product information and so much more!

For this challenge, participants were given a pack o' pink!

Not just any pink-- this is

Robert Kaufman's Color of the Year, Pink Flamingo.

There were very few rules.  Even though they were given a pack of 2 1/2" squares, they only had to use that color, in any amount, somewhere in their creation.

We are collecting votes for some prizes for Viewer's Choice.  Actually, 3 prizes will be given to the top vote-getters, 

plus 1 more from the employees.

Isn't that exciting!?

Customers can vote every time they come to the store 

between now and November 21.

I can't wait to see what happens, 

because there are 13 excellent choices.

I don't have pattern names or sources, so if you are dying to know those details, you can contact the store (651-429-1039) to leave a message.  When the names are revealed, we can put you in touch.

So, here we go!

This is the center of a longer tablerunner, with strategic placement of the pink.

One section of a tablerunner, with just a little pink in the butterflies to tie it together.

Finding the perfect fabrics to go with the strong pink could be an additional challenge!

Hotpad, trivet, coaster for a very large latte?  It all works!

Don't bikes just make you happy! 
This is done by machine embroidery, using just the right colors of pink and turquoise.

Someone was very clever here with the Bear Paw block!
How can we not love that?!

Some skilled paper piecing went into these blocks! 
This does look like summer!

This is a section of a tablerunner with some great
whimsical flowers with button embellishments!

The pink triangles really shine in this quilt!

A color wheel of Aurifil thread spools, plus the perfect quilter's mantra, are wonderful! 
There's lots of stitching on those spools to show the thread wraps!

Perfect hand embroidery, embellished with crayon shading, makes a colorful pillow cover! 
Can you spot the pink fabric?

This quilter took the Pink Flamingo fabric literally! 
We really do have the most creative people around!

These coordinates really blend nicely, and tone down that bright pink!

And a big round of applause for a job well done!

Maybe you will join us for the announcement of the winners at our next Circle meeting at 9:30 on December 9!

English Paper Piecing Challenge!

Last January, our Paper Pizzazz group was issued a challenge.  And now we have the results to share with you!  Each person interested in participating was given a pack of little 2 1/2" squares of Flower Sugar by Lecien.  Lecien is a Japanese company whose designers have created some wonderful fabric lines.  I like the quote on the front of their website:  

"Make Stuff and Be Nice!"

Paper Pizzazz is our English Paper Piecing group that meets monthly for inspiration, learning, sharing and socializing.  It's the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 1PM.  The challenge rules explained that they needed to use at least one Flower Sugar square, and the projects needed to be something that would contain something else.  They could use original patterns/designs or published patterns, and add any fabrics they might need.

We have 7 challenge projects on display, with a wide range of ideas and styles!  What a creative bunch!  We are offering everyone a chance to vote for viewer's choice, and a prize will be awarded!  Voting ends on Monday, 6/12, so the days are counting down quickly!

Even if you can't be here to view and vote, we like to share the talents of our customers--thank you to everyone who participated in the challenge!

Pillowcase Challenge!

We are hosting a special event on Saturday (May 6) and we need your help to make it work!  For several years, we have participated in the American Patchwork and Quilting 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge.  We've lost count of how many pillowcases we have passed on to charity, but it's in the thousands!  The APQ website states that they are about 3/4 of the way to their goal--they have 724,979 donated so far.  That's a lot of pillowcases!

The pillowcases that are made by customers and dropped off here at the store have been donated to the Harriet Tubman Women's Shelter.  

On Saturday, May 6, we are going to host a pillowcase work day for anyone who can attend.  From 10 AM - 4 PM, we will have serger machines set up and ready for you to use to make a pillowcase.  It's super simple, and don't worry if you have never used a serger before!  In fact, don't worry if you have never even sewn before!  We have stacks of pillowcase kits pressed, trimmed and waiting for you!

Even if you don't stop and sew with us, you can participate by donating a pillowcase from home (brand new, of course).

Here's one of our previous volunteers, doing her part to help the cause--

Thank you!

When you participate, we always appreciate your time and talent.  When you take a few minutes to sew with us Saturday, you will receive a valuable coupon!  The coupon is valid for both Saturday and Sunday, and you will receive a one-time discount of 20% off fabric, books and patterns that are in-stock.

There's good in doing good!

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!

Mini Pop Up

Color Challenge

We have a great group of customers, and we love it when our Circle of Quilters gather every other month!  The content changes every month, and it includes info about new products, lessons on techniques and equipment, sharing by everyone, seasonal topics, recipes, and maybe a challenge!  Our most recent challenge to the group was the Color Challenge.  Members were offered the chance to pick a paint chip card, sight unseen, and were given a tablerunner pattern.  Then they were sent away with the instructions to use the paint colors as the basis for their fabric choices.  The results were terrific!

A free slideshow by Smilebox

We all have the chance to vote on the winners and there are some great prizes at stake!  Even employees get to pick a winner!  The voting is not based on popularity (names are not associated with the tablerunners) nor workmanship, simply on the best use of their color card.  

Maybe you would like to join our Circle?!  The next gathering is December 5 at 9:30 am.  It only costs $5 to reserve a seat, and the freebies, goodies and discounts you receive will offset the cost.  Call 651-429-1039 to add your name to the list!