Loominous Stash Sunday

When Anna Maria Horner named her new line of fabrics Loominous,

She wasn't kidding!!!

Each of the colorways has a stripe, a check, a solid and a pattern, 

Can you see how the Weave in the check just glows, and how the solid is like a luminous shot cotton?

The weight is perfect for clothing, about the same as a Peppered cotton by Pepper Cory. 

Soooo Soft, and Rich!!

I really want to get yardage in each and every one of them and make All of the clothing!!!

Not that I know how, but a girl's gotta dream!

I really feel that this line has so much potential to be used in everything. Have you seen the quilts made of triangles of striped fabrics? Yum!! Or, the shams of diamonds of different weaves? Phenomenal!

I hope that seeing these makes you want to search them out and feel them up for yourself! ;)

XX!

Lori

Linking up with the Scrumptious Molli Sparkles!!

Heather Ross and Cotton and Steel Double Gauze And a Free Charm Pack!

Oh Dear!!

I Fear,

I have gone,

Far, FAR Away

from my budget...

But that's ok :) 

When I saw this Heather Ross Far Far Away bundle, and saw a Cotton and Steel double gauze bundle on sale at the same time, I knew it 

HAD TO BE.

And, so it was ;)

My plan is to make a simple-ish grid quilt, fussy cutting the Heather Ross and having the backgrounds be the double gauze, for the softest, coziest, softest baby quilt, Ever. 

OR 

Maybe a quilt for me...
 Don't you tell any babies!!

Have you tried double gauze? How do you like sewing with it?

XX!

Lori

I also want to remind you that Calico Cat Fabrics has a Spend $50 or more on Kona Solids and you get a FREE charm pack ($10 or less value) sale this week (August 17-24)!! Just add the charm pack to your cart and use the code FREEKONA2

You know how I love Kona cottons!!! 

XX!
Lori

Linking up with the Fantabulous Molli Sparkles!!

Sweetness!! Sunday Stash and Sale

Oh MY!!!

Check out this sweetness that I recently received

from an Instagram destash by

SewDeerlyLoved.

Do I know what I am going to make from these lovely fabrics, you say????

Of course not!! 

But who could resist such delicate sweetness?? 

When I think of the perfect cottage-y, summery, birds singin' quilt, I think of these sorts of fabrics. And someday, when the breeze is blowin the cherry embroidered curtains in at the windows, and the pie's a coolin' on the sill, I WILL make this quilt.

Until then, I will pet, and admire, and pet these lovely fabrics. And I won't feel badly about that at all!!

Do you know about Instagram destash sales??? Well, let me tell you! You know I'm all about the acquisition! ;)
If you go on to Instagram and search the hashtag #greatfabricdestash or #greatfabricdestashuk you will find gazillions of posts by folks looking to sell off some of their stash. This last week I scored some awesome Heather Ross, which I'll show you in another post. You never know what you will find there. Out of print fabrics, notions, fabrics for dressmaking, bag making bits, it's all there!!
Like a huge fleamarket... 

You know I can't resist!

If you would like to see more fabrics like these, check out the sale this week over at Calico Cat Fabrics:

Spend $35 or more on Riley Blake Penny Rose fabrics and get $5 off!! 
Honestly, she just gives it away!

XX!

Lori

Linking up with the Wunderbar Molli Sparkles!!

www.etsy.com/shop/TheCalicoCatFabrics

Stash Sunday: Anna Maria Horner Stash Sale Bonanza!

I recently saw that Anna Maria Horner was having a stash sale over on her website... And you know I HAD to answer that clarion call of savings!!

First the voiles called to me...

Banner days Magenta, and Echinacea Sparkle, from Pretty Potent

And then they called some more!!

Pretty Potent
But then, oh THEN...

Joel Dewberry

Let's see that AGAIN!

Field Study and Cherry

Aloe Vera Voile


What a Haul!!!!
 In no time at All!!

I hope you have signed up for Designers' newsletters. They are an excellent source of deals. I wouldn't want you to miss ANY!!

Now, don't forget that this week Calico Cat Fabrics has Free Domestic Shipping on any order $40 or more (code LOVE2SEW), and $5 off of International shipping (Code LOVE2SEW5). 

I hope you had a magnificent week!!

XX!

Lori

Linking up with the Fantastic Molli Sparkles!!

Cacti Embroidery Patterns!

It's Sunday Stash over at the effervescent Molli Sparkles!!
Today's Stash is brought to you by Needles...

Embroidery Needles, that is!!

Check out that middle cacti focusing on growing her flower :)

These delightful embroidery designs are by 

Anita over at Daydreams of Quilts

Oh my goodness!!!! Have you ever seen anything so CUTE??!

 Christmas Cactus! Bwahahaha!!! I love it!!

And check out these adorable pin cushions!!

I CANNOT resist a well written pattern. And there was No Way I wasn't getting my hands on these sweeties. 

So, Ne-phew, lover of all things prickly, I know what you're getting soon!! 

Now, I didn't know how to embroider. But that did not matter because Anita uploaded excellent tutorials on 

How to Start Your Embroidery Project, and an

Embroidery Stitch Tutorials page.

Anita is also featured on Sew Mama Sew, where you can find her demonstrating several embroidery stitches. I love her style! Such cuteness!

I am thinking of making a set of towels for my sis's new place, as well... unless I keep them for myself!!!

You can rush right over and purchase a set of patterns or 

a beautifully made quilt,

HERE 

But I'm warning you, I will wrestle you for that floral polka dot baby girl quilt!!!

And don't forget that the Oakshott Scandinavia Blog Hop is coming up! 

Here is the schedule and a sneak peek at my project.

 I have seen some peeks of other people's work, and all I can say is 

WOOOOOWWWWIIIIEEEEE!!

Sarah Sharp 5/4

Heather Schrimnscher 5/5

Amy Sinibaldi 5/6

Rossie Hutchinson 5/7

Elaine Poplin 5/11

Sarah Fielke (I know!!!!) 5/12

Nicholas Ball 5/13

Lori Landenburger 5/14

What an AMAZING line up of talented designers!! 

If you haven't checked out their work, please do. They are so inspiring!!!

I hope you are having a wonder-filled Spring!!

XX!

Lori

Fabric Clubs - A Boom or a Bust??

Welcome to Sunday Stash over at the Splendiferous Molli Sparkles!!

This week I wanted to talk a little bit about Fabric Clubs, and whether or not they are the thing for you.

So, what makes a fabric club worth joining? In general, fabric clubs send out fabrics of their choosing, once a month, for a predetermined subscription fee. Most can be cancelled at any time, and many offer a discount over the retail price found in the online store through which you are obtaining your stash additions. I have experience with fabric clubs through Karen Lewis Textiles, Westwood Acres Fabrics and Marmalade Fabrics. 

I have to tell ya, it is super wonderful, addicting, fabulous, addicting, time saving, oh yes, and addicting, to have fabric show up at your door as if elves had read your thoughts and left it there. What is more appealing than coming home at the end of a long day, to happy mail filled with gorgeousness that you never knew existed, and which is curated by queen bees with an enviable eye for color??! 

Oh My GOODNESS! See what I mean??!

I chose to participate in Karen Lewis' (@karenlewistextiles) half panels club because she hand prints her own designs onto Kona cottons, and selects colors that really appeal to me. Now that I have been online shopping for awhile, ahem, I have seen the light and will be changing my subscription to a larger size as soon as it is available. Karen has clubs in 5" Charms, above, (Deelish!), Half Panel bundles, and Full Panel bundles. Click the link to check them out, if you like.

It is my opinion that if you can find an artist who is printing their own fabrics, and who is working their tail off to ensure quality and customer service, you should patronize them. I chose Karen because of her designs, her color selection, and her personality. I just adore her! Now, I'm not gonna lie, buying fabric from the UK if you're in America, is not for the faint of heart. But like I said, I am actually going to change around my subscription because I have discovered that it is more valuable to me as a stash addition than other fabric lines that I could buy, Stateside. I will be doing an entire post on Karen's work, but with MUCH better pictures. For now, here is a sample from her website. 

Right??!!!

Next up is WestWood Acres Fabric. Now, I love me a mom and pop store, and this one just takes the cake. Amanda (@acraftyfox_amanda) and her husband run their shop from their home. I have yet to be disappointed with their product, their price or their customer service. And I have bought A LOT (Alot alot!) of fabric from them!! Their newsletter occasionally has an additional percentage off of fabric in their store, but be warned... once you turn that corner, you won't be able to go back!! 

I was a member of Amanda's Low Volume Club (Inside Voices club! Lol! 10 Fqs), 

and her Liberty Club (FQ, F8, F16th). 

Ohhhhh Yessssss!

Both were excellent. I am no longer a member because I have a limited budget (I know, gasp!) and I wanted to try out some other clubs featuring other styles of fabric not available here in AK.  Thanks to these clubs, my stash is now very nicely filled with fat quarters of perfect low volume fabrics, and fat eights of liberty lawns. No! You can't have any! 

I am booking through them at a very respectable clip, so I'm sure I will become a member again. In the meantime, I'm pretty sure they're naming their unborn child after me due to the sheer volume of purchases I make. Hey, any way I can support a child's education is good with me! ;)

Now, Marmalade Fabrics has been one of the best purchasing decisions I have ever made. And I'm no newbie to the Halls of Commerce! 

I am a member of their Around the Color Wheel monthly bundles. I like it so much, they are on perpetual auto-pay. Each month, I receive a FQ bundle of 12 FQs. My bundle is half solids and half prints. I love it because not only do I receive the entire new range of Kona cotton solid colors without having to hunt them down, but I also get coordinating prints from the latest hot trends and designers. And these are not your joe schmoe matchings. They are brilliant! I just made an entire quilt with 25 different solids in it, and all of the ones I chose were from my Marmalade Fabrics club! Man, they should hire me!! Lol! 

Another thing that they do is label each solid FQ with the name. So handy!! Then when you've gone to the stash and hunted up the perfect color for the background of your next masterpiece, you just look right there and the name is ready for ya. Brilliant, I tell you, brilliant. I have a Kona color card, and it is surely handy, but with the name right there on the fabric, I don't have any of those low light guessings to do. Know what I mean?

This year, I will up my subscription to half yards, as I find that a FQ is not enough fabric for my needs. I like to make a coordinating pillow or other doodad to go with my quilts, and my scraps look like squirrels chewed them by the time they get picked up off of the floor, put in a pile, spilled over onto the floor again, and finally put under the cutting table for later sorting into storage. I know you know what I'm talking about. 

So, now that you know WAY too much about my spending habits, what are the downsides to participating in a monthly fabric club?
Shipping is sometimes additional. That may break your budget, as every little bit counts. 
You may find that you forget that you have fabric coming, and buy more, and then have too much. 
But who am I kidding?!
Check carefully to be sure that you can cancel at any time if your needs change and you no longer wish to participate. 
Every now and again, your taste does not match with the person's who is choosing the bundles. Shops should have representative pictures of bundles from the past, like you see above for Westwood Acres, but if they don't, email the shop and ask what the names are for the upcoming fabrics in their bundles. They should tell you and hopefully also send along a pic. If they don't know, choose another club. 
Sometimes having a fabric club come to your door, blunts the thrill of the chase of finding fabulous deals. If this could be the case for you, set aside a specific amount of money to spend only on fabric detection. The rest can go for chocolate. 

Check out Anita and Cynthia's fabric club suggestions in the comments. Excellent! What are your experiences or opinions about fabric clubs?? Weigh in below!! 

XX!

Lori

It's a Doe! A Stash! A Girl-y Stash!

It's time for another Stash Sunday over at the home of the Glitterati, the place where all things wonder-filled go to hang, Molli Sparkles!!

This week, I single handedly kept small businesses afloat. What can I say? I'm patriotic like that.

I have two new additions to the stash to show ya:

First we have the unbelievably sweet and timeless bliss of Lecien's Flower Suger. 

I purchased my bundle of candy goodness over at Sew Me a Song. The service was fast, the price was incredibly reasonable, and my order came sealed in a waterproof bag; a big plus here in Alaska. 

Here is a pic of a half yard bundle she has online, as we speak. I dare you to get there before I do ;)

Squee! I know, right??!

Next up is Doe.

I mean, really. What can I say? I am speechless in wonder at what Carolyn Friedlander does. Every last thing.

 So VERY VERY good!

Here is the whole line. At least as far as I know. Please wipe the drool from your screen, 

 You're gonna want to see this...

Here are what I would classify as her Golden Yellows. Darker and richer than those in the Architextures or Botanics lines. They complement and add to these lines in rich and thoughtful ways. Every color except the green is represented. Each new colorway extends the idea, and creates a depth that makes this line in combination with Architextures and Botanics, a true phenomenon. 

I have placed them together on their own shelf, and I have to time myself when I walk by, so that I don't get sucked in and spend the entire day contemplating the amazing marvels to be made from them.

The white is a snow white on white, something that we don't have enough modern prints in, and 

I can easily see how the other neutrals could be used in almost anything. I found it interesting that she chose to do a simple grid. I bet we'll be seeing that in traditional and modern makes around the world!

And for a spectacular finale, we have the teals and blues. And of course, that fabulous splash of orange!!

Be still my heart!!!

I purchased my Doe fat quarter bundle from Fabric Spot, in Canada. The shipping to the US was expensive, but worth every penny. I have not found it for sale in the US, yet.

What did you add to your stash, this week?? 

Inquiring minds need to know!

XX!

Lori

Ps, I am not an affiliate of any of these sellers. I just like fabric. Alot. A very lot. Lol!