Little Quilts Finishing School

Finishing School is a great way to get your UFO's FINISHED.   You’ll learn techniques and tips for finishing those patchwork, appliqué and quilting projects. Whether you’re working on a new or unfinished block of the month, or being tested on how to finish a quilt you’ve started, it’s time to enroll! Students are encouraged to bring their work in progress and their machine and ‘graduate’ at the end of the quarter as a ‘well rounded’ patch worker. Free patterns will be given out monthly – included will be an organized plan in working with your stash – you’ll learn about color, setting and border options…plus lots of inspiration. The first class will be orientation as we make out our ‘lesson plan’ for this semester. Guaranteed to be a fun and rewarding class.  Check our website for class schedules.

Chris Ison used the book "Save the Scraps" by Gayle Bong to use up all the strips and small bits from her stash to make this fun quilt.

Chris also finished her "Georgia Hoedown" quilt (Silver Thimbles pattern).

Sue McBride and staff member Jackie Blackburn also had finished projects to share.

Shop Hop 2010... Sneak Peak! I'd keep reading if I were you...

It's almost time... we can hardly wait!  The 11th Annual Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop 2010 is just a few short weeks away!  Mark your calendars for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 18th, 19th and 20th from 9am to 7pm and Sunday March 21st from 1-5pm.

Make sure your here to enter the fun drawings to win some really great prizes like a $100 gift certificate to each store, or a NEW Elna 3210 Gallery Series sewing machine with all the attachments and sew-steady table to go with it, and many other great prizes! 

This year's theme is "As American as....." and Little Quilts as decided it's as American as... "It's a Picnic at Little Quilts"  We hope you'll be able to stop by and see all the great things we'll have for Shop Hop weekend!

Here's a sneak peak of our Shop Hop quilt.....

"Little Quilts Stars"

We're still awaiting the arrival of the "Bar Harbor" line from Moda to use as the setting.

Still here with me?  Well fantstic!  Make sure you stop by the Shop Hop Blog  for the Little Quilts giveaway to see how you can win 3 Americana fat quarters in red white and blue of course...

For more information about this year's Shop Hop, please visit the Shop Hop Website

Spring Has Sprung!

Tired of winter? Come on over and visit us because Spring has definitely arrived at the shop! We have birds that will make your heart sing, bunnies hiding everywhere, and willow beehive lanterns that will have you buzzing with excitement.

Every day we're receiving new fabrics in bright Spring colors.

For a fun addition to your spring table, try adding some of the ceramic sheep plates, bowls and mugs.

Easter is only 6 weeks away and you're definitely going to want some of these bunnies and chicks in your basket! The pearlized rabbits and chicks along with a few bottle brush trees will add a touch of glitter to your holiday.

Hop on over and get a taste of Spring!

Very vintage Little Quilts...

When was the last time you soaw one of these!  One of our customers found these at an antique/consignment store in Alpharetta and she snatched them up for us!  They belong in our "museum!"  Mom used to put me to work when I was a little girl so there is a very good chance that I am the one that personally stuffed and bagged these kits!  Don't worry, she paid me for all my hard work!  Little Quilts was out of our basement and Mom used to put me to work stuffing and colating kits and patterns!  If you can tell me the size of the finished heart quilt, you will be entered to win an autographed Little Quilts "Friends" pattern and new Little Quilts shirting fat quarter to use as your background for your own Heart quilt... all you have to do to enter is Email Laura and tell me the size of the finished heart quilt in this kit.

Good Luck!

~ International winners please pay shipping ~

Saturday Sampler ~ Inclement Weather

Can you believe all this snow in Marietta, GA!  Saturday Sampler for today is still going on but don't risk injury to get here by a certain tine... wait til the roads melt; we'll be doing Saturday Sampler all day in the store!

Here are a few pictures of Mary Ellen's grandsons.  Liam is 7 and Rylen will be 4 next week.  They had a BLAST playing in all this snow!

Our Have A Heart Sew in was a HUGE Success

Thank you to the 20+ quilters that came to our sew-in yesterday and made pillowcases for charity.  Drum roll please...... we made 107 pillowcases!!!  We're still recieving some deliveries too!  We're delighted to say that half of these pillowcases will go to the Sheltering Hands Battered Women's Shelter as well as The Fisher House at Fort Gordon

Busy, busy busy... some were sewing, some were ironing, some were pinning!

Thank you "Yo-Yo Bee" for making pillowases at our sew-in!!!

a small sampling of finished pillowcases...

even more!

If you would still like to donate a pillowcase, we're collecting them throughout the year.

Please send your completed pillowcases to the store at:

Little Quilts

1450-C Roswell Rd.

Marietta, GA 30062

We are donating them to Sheltering Hands, The Fisher House and we are still collecting for Conkerr Cancer.  please be sure to indicate which charity you would like your pillowcase(s) donated to.

We love opening BIG boxes!

Ever wonder when there will be something really new and different? Wonder no more.

Everytime we hear the basement bell ding, we can't wait to get down there to find out what UPS or FedEx is dropping off.  Sometimes it's a few small boxes, sometimes it's some larger ones... we never know what we're going to see, it's like opening presents on Christmas morning!  So yesterday we opened SOME BIG boxes and saw these.....

This is a new line of fabric…Aboriginal fabric, from Australia. 100% cotton fabrics. Intriguing prints with names that draw you in to look again; such as Emu Eggs, Gathering Bush, Dancing Place. The prints have meaning as well. We have a key to the symbols. You can play your own version of "I Spy".

Have A Heart Sew-in this week!

It's a rainy day here in Marietta, GA but we're gearing up for our Have A Heart Sew-in this Thursday, February 11th from 10am-8pm.  We hope some of you can make it!  We'll be making pillowcases for Sheltering Hands Battered Women's Shelter and The Fisher House, a home away from home for families of military men and women being treated at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Fort Gordon, GA.

If you can't come sew with us, you can still take part in the One Million Pillowcase Challenge... simply send your completed pillowcases to the store during 2010!  We'll tally them up and send them to the charities.  Consider having your own sew-in with your friends or quilt guilds!  What a great way to sew for a good cause!

Send your pillowcases to:
Little Quilts
"Pillowcase Challenge"
1450-C Roswell Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062

Show-n-tell

Our customers have been busy bringing us their finished projects!  We love to see what everyone is wokring on!  It's especially fun to help a customer pick out fabrics for their projects and then see the finished project when they are done!

We loved this pumpkin table mat that Bonni Brooks brought in. The mat is done in wool with beautiful buttonhole stitching and embroidery. The pattern is from Primitive Gatherings.

We had a great time making snowball blocks at the Great Snow Event in January and just wanted to show you a quilt made with snowball blocks. Staff member Linda Rice used a great selection of Kaffe Fassett fabrics to make this beautiful quilt for her grand-daughter. What a great quilt!  Kaffe fabrics work so well to get a scrappy look!  Her grand-daughter is going to love this!!

And the winner is.....

Congratulations to Becky Hall, she won our bundle of new Little Quilts Shirtings!  Becky is working on doggie bandana's with hearts on them for some people that are very close to her family right now.  It was fun to read about all the great projects you're all working on right now.

I'm sitting at home right now watching the Super Bowl and I can't stop thinking about all the great things we've got going on at the store right now!  We hope you'll make some time to swing by... we've got tons of new fabrics and great project ideas.

Keep checking the blog!

14% off coupon valid February 8th-13th

Click the coupon to print and bring to the store.

Super Cute Socks, Hats and Scarves!

For a rainbow of fun, try out our new mismatched socks, stocking caps, and scarves. These are knit in North Carolina from recycled cotton that comes from Vermont. The socks are available in adult sizes as well as Pair and a Spare for Children and Two Pair and a Spare for babies. Very bright, very colorful, very FUN!

I got a pair and i can't wait to take the hat to Colorado with me next month!  I love thet the kids socks come with one extra sock... that way, when you lose one in "washing machine sock land" you still have an extra pair!

Minnesota Trunk Show

Check out all these fabulous items from The Minnesota Trunk Show.....  Included are projects from Atkinson Designs, Maple Island Quilts, Brandywine Designs and Anka's Treasures -- 4 Designers, 4 Styles, 4 Fun! All the projects are fun, colorful , and just plain cute! Stop by the shop to see the entire trunk show or keep watching the blog where we'll be posting additional projects each day.

This quilt is Tumbling Triangles from "Sizzlin' Sixties" by Anka's Treasures. Using the quick and easy techniques in the book, simply strip piece the hexagons and this quilt will go together FAST!

Also included in the "Sizzlin' Sixties" book is this cheery Secret Garden Table Runner.  It uses the same easy strip-pieced hexagons.

I (Laura, Mary Ellen's daughter) tried out the hexagon technique using the Opposites Attract pattern from the "Sizzlin' Sixties" book. It really is as easy as the book says!  I've made a few quilts in my life but never one for myself!  I love hot pink, black and white so I'll be hanging this one in MY sewing room when Mom lets me have it back!

This is a really cute personalized quilt from the book "Fat Quarter Fonts" by Atkinson Designs. Follow the simple directions in the book for a no fuss, no fusibles, just fun method of adding appliques to your quilts or other projects. The book includes a CD that allows you to easily print your letters; then layer your fabrics, stitch on the line, trim and you're finished! This is just the greatest book ever for personalizing your quilts or projects. The book also includes the pattern for the monogrammed zipper totes.

Also from our trunk show ~  Maple Island Quilts sent some fun and easy quilts.... This quilt is from the pattern "Snibbles". Use up all those leftover pieces of binding or partial strips from other projects, use a sew and flip technique and you'll have a quilt just like this one in no time! Super easy and very frugal!

This wall hanging is from the pattern "Posh", also from Maple Island Quilts. We especially liked this pattern because it uses the same block as our Block Swap block. All you block swappers out there are going to want this one!

Still more.....  "Mini Snowbear" is just one of the cute projects from "A Critter Christmas" by Brandywine Designs that came in the Minnesota Road Show. It's a very "do-able" 20" square wall hanging that you could finish before the snow melts if you start today! The book also includes patterns for Christmas stockings, gift bags, and adorable quilts.

Also from Brandywine Designs in the Minnesota Trunk Show is this cute Pinwheel Posies Table Runner. Perfect for charm squares!

February Towel of the Month

Hard to believe February is already here!  We've got our February Towel of the Month Kits ready!  Perfect for Valentine's Day!  Call the store 770-578-6727 or Email us if you would like to join our Towel of the Month Club.

Busy week here at the store... but not too busy for a give away!

We've got so many fun things happening at the store right now, lots of new fabric and I just realized it's been way too long sicne we've done a give away (just keep reading!)

Check out some new fabric we've gotten in...  "Shirting Favorites & More" by Little Quilts.  There are 21 fabulous bolts to choose from and they work well with so many different fabrics and we want to give you a bundle of 6 fat quarters!  All you have to do is Email Laura and tell me what project (or projects) you are working on that have hearts?  Valentine's is right around the corner and we're having our "Have A Heart Sew-In" to make pillow cases for charity. Click here if you missed that post!!  So tell us what you're working on.....

We're bsuting out at the seems in our newly remodeled contemporary section!  We've got over 40 bolts of Michael Miller fabrics that will knock your socks off!  We also have some beautiful Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, and more!  These are so rich in color and make wonderful fabric selections for kids, teenagers and funky moms!  Laura made some pillowcase kits in bold pink and lime flowers on a black polka dotted background, so fun!

Also in the contemporary section are these beautiful prints from Moda from the Wonderland collection. If you haven't been by in awhile, you're going to love the bright, airy look in our back room!

Still more contemoporary... we weren't kidding when we said we were busting out atthe seems with these fun fabrics!  Those of you who also do scrapbooking will recognize the name "Basic Grey" from scrapbooking paper and embellishment products. You're going to love her new line of fabrics for Moda to use in your quilts! These are some of the beautiful bolts from the line "Blush".

The newly redesigned sale section is exploding with great bargains. All fabrics in the sale section are 40 % off the marked price (50% if you finish the bolt), with a 1 yard minimum cut.   Also in the sale section are lots of Christmas items and fabrics to choose from. Buy now and save it for next Christmas!

Don't forget to Email Laura and tell me what you've been working on that has hearts... Give away entries accepted until Saturday at 5pm.  International winners will be asked to please pay shipping.  Good Luck!

American Patchwork & Quilting "One Million Pillow Case Challenge"

Calling all sewers.....


American Patchwork & Quilting magazine has invited quilters from across the nation to sew "Pillow Cases for Charity." It's their ONE MILLION PILLOW CASE CHALLENGE! APQ wants to see one million pillow cases donated to charity in 2010. Quilts shops around the nation are collecting pillow cases from their customers and will be donating them to charity.

At Little Quilts, we have selected the YMCA of Northwest Georgia's Sheltering Hands Battered Women's Shelter AND The Fisher House: a "home away from home" for families of injured military personnel being hospitalized.

A handmade pillow case can bring comfort and hope to a wounded soldier in the hospital or their family at the Fisher House... it can also comfort a brave woman and her child as they seek shelter from an abusive relationship.

How can you help?

1. Sew a pillow case and send it to Little Quits 1450-C Roswell Rd. Marietta, GA 30062.
2. Come to the store and purchase a pillow case kit for one of our sewers to make the pillow case.
3. Come to the store on Thursday, February 11th from 10am-8pm for our PILLOW CASE SEW-IN.  We'll provide snacks and refreshments. All you need to bring is your sewing machine, fabric from home if you like, or purchase one of our pre-made pillow case kits at the store. Let's see how many pillow cases we can make to send to these wonderful and deserving charities!

We are collecting pillow cases for men, women and children so please be as creative as you like when selecting your fabrics and making your pillow cases.

Don't know how to sew a pillow case? Don't worry, we have a free pattern. Pillowcases are so quick and easy. To receive the free pattern, EMAIL THE STORE and put "Pillow Case Pattern Please" in the subject line. We'll email you the pattern!

Let's help APQ reach their goal of 1 Million Pillow Cases in 2010!