Congratulations to our Blog Winner.....

Sharon won our Amy Butler bundle! 

It is so fun to read all of your comments!  I personally LOVE pinks/greens, blues/browns, pinks/browns... and anything that has an Amy butler feel to it! 

With the New Year upon us.... we hope you have some finished projects in your future so you can make room for all the new projects you'll be starting in the New Year!

Happy Quilting,
Little Qulits

End of the Year Sale 25% off

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday! Our newsletter is at the printer and will be here next week. You can see all the classes and samples on the web page now with lots of new classes and clubs! Our Year End Sale goes til Dec 31st at 5pm. Everything (fabric, notions, batting, etc.) in the store is 25% off (few exceptions). Our Christmas fabrics, ornaments, gifts and kits are 40% Off. We hope you'll stop in for some of these goodies.

Mary Ellen's family has grown

LAYLA ARDEN VON HOLT

Mary Ellen's son, Chris and his wife, Megan welcomed thier 1st child December 16th... Layla Arden was the perfect Christmas gift for the family!  Liam (7) is thrilled with his new baby girl cousin!  Rylen (almost 4) is not into girls right now and said, "I didn't order a baby girl cousin, I only like big girls like Mommy & Nana!"  We're sure he'll come around.... soon maybe?

Liam, Rylen & Layla

Daddy & Layla

Brady & Layla

Rylen, Aunt Laura, Layla & Liam

Proud Grandparents ~ Grampy & Nana holding Layla

Christmas News... End of the Year Sale... Give Away?

I hope you've all recovered from the holidays!  I know I enjoyed this season and one of my favorite parts was welcoming my new niece (Mary Ellen's 1st grand-DAUGHTER!)

Layla Arden was born December 16th.  Here she is with her daddy (Chris), Mary Ellen's son, and her proud Aunt Laura (Mary ellen's Daughter.)  I am THRILLED to have girl projects to work on for her!  After 7 years of boy stuff, I am in heaven drowning in spink in my sewing room!!

Right now we're having our end of the year sale... almost everything int he store is 25% off!  We've got to make room for some great new things arriving in 2010!  Use this time to finish up some projects you've had sitting around and to organize your sewing rooms to make room for NEW projects!

And speaking of new things for 2010... on of my favorite fabrics to work with are the Amy Butler and Michael Miller prints!  They are so fun, colorful and versatile!  I am working on a laptop case from an Amy Butler pattern we have at the store.  (Don't worry, I'll post pictures when it's done!)  For all you Amy Butler fans... we're givine away a bundle of 6 fat quarers of an assortment of Amy Butler and Michael Miller fabrics.  All you have to do to enter to win is post a comment to this post telling us what your favorite color combinations are to work with.  I personally love blues!  I also think pinks and greens work so well together!

Good Luck!

Laura

The deadline to enter is Wednesday at 5pm...

International Winners will pay shipping ~ Anonymous comments not eligible

Alternate Colorways for Second Saturday Sampler - December

Amy Butler Trunk Show

Attention Amy Butler Fans... our trunk show just arrived and there are some great project ideas to see. The Amy Butler Software by The Electric Company has 22 unique & stylish projects for the home: 8 quilts, 3 table runners, 7 pillows, 1 floor cushion and 3 bags. Plus 9 bonus projects. All with clear, step-by-step illustrated sewing instructions for all skill levels. Print patterns, yardage charts, and sew.  We have the software for sale at the store.

Call 770-578-6727 or email the store if you are interested in purchasing this software.

Scissor clips and key fobs

What a great stocking stuffer!  My daughter, Laura, makes these scissor clips and key fobs.  The clips are perfect for your little scissors and you can wear your clip while you're relaxing working on your hand quilting or applique and your scissors will always be right there when you need them!  The clips are retractible.  The key fobs make great last minute gifts and stocking stuffers for friends, your kids' teachers or quilt quild pals.  You can view more personalized gifts on Laura's Website and Email Laura if you would like to order some.  She made these with some of our Tanyard Creek fabric.

Christmas at Little Quilts

Christmas is right around the corner!  We've been as busy as Santa's elves getting the store ready for the Holidays!  Take a look at some of the great things we have for Christmas.....

We have a large assortment of ornaments to add to your tree or buy a few for special gifts for friends and family. The stuffed bear ornaments are adorable. We also have bird ornaments and angel ornaments.

Take this Santa home to welcome holiday friends to your home. The sleds are available in several different sizes and would look great under your tree.

Need a quick gift for a friend? We have gift items that will fit the bill! We love this cute collection of notepads! And if you're looking for a unique packaging idea or a new project box, you have to check out the little "lunch box" Christmas tins. We also have gift bags with a sample of all the scents from Mary Ellen's Best Press. Just a few of the great stocking-stuffer ideas at Little Quilts!

Call (770-578-6727) or Email Us if you'd like to purchase any of these adorable Christnmas items.

Baltimore Album by Judy Gray

Judy Gray just finished her Baltimore Album quilt and it is stunning! It was hand appliqued and hand quilted (check out her beautiful quilting stitches!) and is about 90" square. Several of the blocks in her quilt and the flying goose border are her own original designs. This quilt is truly a work of art!

This is a close-up of one of our favorite blocks in Judy's masterpiece! Look closely and you'll see that this block also serves as her quilt label. Judy learned to applique from Wanda Hizer and many of these blocks were pieced in Wanda's year-long applique class.

Judy is currently in the Advanced Baltimore class where she learned the techniques to finish the quilt.

Fall Sale

Christmas has arrived in the store (pictures coming soon) and now we're having a Fall Sale!  We still have a nice selection of fall fabrics available on sale at 40% off. It's a great time to buy backings for all of those fall projects you're finishing up!

More Show-n-Tell... bring in your projects for us to see!

Carol Ann Holton was saving this beautiful fruit fabric for just the right pattern. We think she found it with the Harriett Tubman pattern from Voices of the Past series!  Doesn't this make a stunning quilt for a bedroom?!  We love her choice of coordinating fabrics that compliment the fruit fabric so well!  Great job Carol Ann!

Show-N-tell at Little Quilts

We love to see your projects!!

It's always fun to see finished quilts. Pam Wiegand from Gainesville GA shared her recently completed Kaffe Fassett quilt top. She came in to select a backing fabric. She searched and searched for the fabrics to attempt to make it with many of the same fabrics as the original in a Kaffe Fasset book. You'll agree - this is a stunning quilt made with half square triangles and set on point with sashing strips. Great job Pam! She's switching gears and came in to collect fabrics for a William Morris type applique proejct. We can't wait to see it!

And the winner is......

Congratulations Pokey!  It was so fun to read about what inspires you all as quilters.

My inspiration is looking at antique quilts and trying to reproduce them with today's fabrics.  I started quilting in 1976 after I saw Jinny Beyer's Radiant Star Quilt.  There were no books and patterns on quiltmaking at that time so I learned from reading magazines and cutting out squares.  Now we have such a wealth of information from books, patterns, and quilt shows!  I'm happy to be a quilter now with all these resources, rather than back in 1976!

Keep Quilting!
Mary Ellen

November Alternate Blocks - Second Saturday Sampler

Tanyard Creek Give Away!

We hope you're enjoying our new line of fabric as much as we are!  The Tanyard Creek line is so versatile and can be used for so many different projects.  It's time to GIVE some of it AWAY!  The winner will receive a bundle of 6 fat quarters AND a free Hospitality pattern!  Each comment enters you in our random drawing.  The contest runs through Monday (11/16) night and the winner will be chosen randomly!

Post your comment on:

Who has been your biggest influence as a quilter?

One entry per blogger ~ International winners will pay shipping ~ Anonymous entries not entered

So Many Trunk Shows, So Little Time....

This must be the season for Trunk Shows!  We've got 3 fabulous trunk shows going on now at the store.  We hope you can stop by and see these great things in person; and if you're visiting our blog from far away, enjoy the pictures and project ideas!

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS by Wagon West Designs

"Wish You Were Here" was inspired by the author's grandmother's kisses at the bototm of her cards and letters.  What a perfect quilt to make for that special someone you wish you could be with over the holidays!  This quilt measures 86"x86".  The book, Vintage Christmas, is for sale at the store for $25 and has tons of other great projects!

"Wish You Were Here" in pinks and browns

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT

Itty Bitty Quilts

The 3 itty bitty quilts in this pattern were made using the "Woolies" line of flannels by Bonnie Sullivan and Maywood Studio.  They are adorable and come in 3 different itty bitty sizes.  Flower Baskets 10 1/2 x 12 1/2, Cherries 10 x 11 1/2 and Bars & Vines 9 3/4 x 11.  The pattern is available for $9.50 and includes includes directions for making all 3 of these adorable itty bitty quilts.

Also from ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT

Needle Keeper (left) & Silhouette Pincushion (right)

These adorable patterns also from All Through the Night include directions for making these cute needle keeper and pincushion; perfect to keep by your machine so you always have a needle or pin when you need it!  The needle keeper measures 4" x 5" and it's the perfect gift for your stitching friends. Can be made from wool scraps and embellished with simple embroidery stitches.  The Silhouette Pincushion is 4" x 6" and is perfect to make from wool and homespun. Fill with crushed walnut shells to keep your needles sharp.

BAREROOTS

Candle Mats
Bareroots shares with us their mini votive candle mats that finish about 10" x 10". Make these with your wool scraps but we'll also have kits available for them.  These also make the perfect gift for friends. Easy to fuse and buttonhole stitch or tack stitch with wool floss or embroidery floss.

As you can see, we've got lots of great thinks to see and hopefully inspire you for the upcoming holiday season!  After all, the holidays are right around the corner.....

Fundraiser Quilt from Srapbasket Quilts

This quilts was made using a pattern in the book, Scrapbasket Quilts.  It was miade using 2 1/2inch strips.  Linda Wirtz made this musically themed quilt for a fundraiser at her son's school.  The lucky winner was a band parent!

Josephine's Sampler with Tanyard Creek

What a great pattern designed by Laurie Smith from My Heart To Your hands.  This model was made by Linda Rice using the Tanyard Creek line by Little Quilts.  We have kits available to purchase.

Flag Day Farm Quilt

This Flag Day Farm Quilt was made by our friend Colette for her 10 year old granddaughter for Christmas. It's so much fun when customers bring in their quilts or projects for Show & Tell. We love seeing them and sharing them with all of you. It's from a pattern from Minnick and Simpson whose trunk show we have through this weekend with quilts from their Wiscasset line for Moda.

October Alternate blocks from Second Saturday Sampler

I Spy Quilt

This cute I Spy quilt was made by customer Janice Schaag for her sons Ethan and Jason. The quilt was hand pieced and hand quilted. Janice finished it just in time for the cold weather and the boys are already having fun cuddling up in it and playing I Spy! If you'd like to make an I Spy quilt, we have a bag full of perfect fabric scraps at $.10 each.

Visitors at Little Quilts

Bobbie Mosher, from Almond, North Carolina, visited Little Quilts today. Her Show and Tell, shown below, is a 25th anniversary quilt that she made for her daughter Kathy and son-in-law Bob Lemen of Marietta. Bobbie, a member of the Cherohala Quilt Guild in Robbinsville, North Carolina, won a blue ribbon for this quilt at the Stecoah, North Carolina Fall Festival.

Mary Ellen is going to visit the Cherohala Quilt Guild in June, 2010, to give a lecture and class.

Applique with Amy Butler

Joey Helmke is one of our customers who is fairly new at quilting. She loves the Amy Butler fabrics. This is her first applique quilt called "Big Birdie Blocks". She came to pick out her backing and binding and to leave it here for our longarm quilter. Good job, Joey!

Tanyard Creek Line in "Josephine's Sampler" Quilt

Little Quilts staff member, Linda Rice, has made Lori Smith's (From My Heart to Your Hands) "Josephine's Sampler" quilt using "Tanyard Creek" fabrics -- which is Little Quilts' newest fabric line.  Isn't it gorgeous?  Tanyard Creek is a wonderful reproduction line, with good saturated colors and shirtings; cheerful and versatile.

The quilt is 59" x 74"; kits are available for $78.95:

Happy Birthday Little Quilts

Dear friends,


We have made it another year! Thanks to all of you we have enjoyed celebrating our 11th anniversary of the store's opening. It has been fun seeing everyone - both old and new friends of Little Quilts this past weekend and Monday and Tuesday. A special thank you to Chris Ison one of our customers who remembers the anniversary each year with a special Fall arrangement. We appreciate your business and encouragement and plan to continue to offer the neatest fabrics for all interests, great classes and the best service in the years ahead.

The Staff at Little Quilts

Birthday Girls at Little Quilts

This group of ladies came in today to celebrate three birthdays. From left to right: Sarah Rhodes, Kathleen Hartz, Anne Kreamer,Lisa Spears,Diane Prible, and Marianne Ellis. Anne, Lisa and Diane were the ones with the birthdays. After visiting us they were off to have lunch.

Come celebrate your birthday with us and receive a 25% discount off any one item. Could be loads of fun!!

Christmas Tree Skirts

Mary Ann Eubanks did these tree skirts from a pattern by Silver Thimble, "Slice of Christmas". You have the option of two tree skirts when you use this method. Mary Ann donated one to The Trinity School in Cartersville and our longarm quilter donated her time for the quilting and the binding.

Girl Gang

These four ladies got together to do a project and this is the results. They used a pattern from Threads That Bind called "Stitch 'N Stuff Cat".Pictured from left to right: Fran House, Nancy Perkins, Mary Anne Jernigan, and Paula Wexler.They all said that it was loads of fun. They are also in a class here that meets once a month and are known as the Girl Gang. Fran House is their teacher.

Special Visitor to the store! Who could it be?

Mary Todd Lincoln showed up at Little Quilts this morning

and will be here again this evening for a class.

There is still space available in tonight's class. The costume is fabulous. You really need to see this one. Muriel does an excellent job making her outfits for these classes. She also gives a little history lesson along with great tips for making the quilt and she includes treats with recipes from the past. If you miss this one it will be repeated after the first of the year.

Need a project for all those fabric scraps?

We all have more scraps laying around than we know what to do with right?  Well now you can use them to turn an ordinary strand of twinkle lights into a festive piece of garland you can hang year round!

Supplies

Strips of scrap (cut 2 1/2 inches wide x 6-8 inches long)

1 strand of holiday lights

strips of ribbon, lace, ric-rac (optional)

All you do is tie the strips around the strand wires in between each bulb.  We tied 3 strips in between each bulb to make the garland in these pictures.  We used all the new Tanyard Creek by Little Quilts fabrics for this strand.  This was such a fun and easy project to do and would make any mantle smile!  You can even make these as last minute holiday gifts for your friends or neighbors!

We also used scraps of ribbon, lace and ric-rac that we had in our stash pile; we thought it added a little something extra to the lights twinkling through.