still busy, busy, busy...

My BFF Bernie told me to get off the stick and update this blog because she was tired of reading about the Shipshewana Quilt Show. I've been busy! Bernie should know that, I spent the 4th of July weekend in Orlando attending her daughters wedding.

July is flying by and I am doing my best to savor every moment of it. Those of us that were socked with 24 inches of snow in 24 hours last winter want to soak up as much July as possible. We want to wallow in the sunshine, feel the heat on our bare skin and relish the feeling of only wearing one layer of clothing. It is time to show off parts of our pasty white bodies as proud survivors of Jan/Feb 2010!

In an effort to enjoy every moment summer has to offer, we have been checking out local art festivals, attending the summer theater series and eating out as much as possible. Things have been really busy at the shop with Monday night Happy Hour and our regular schedule of events. Not to mention those one-per-day Nine Patch blocks that I have to keep up with!

This week we are hosting our Chirstmas in July event. We take a different approach to our holiday fabric presentation. The bolts start to arrive as early as April/May, but we don't put them on the sales floor. We stockpile all of the holiday prints until mid July and THEN we bring them all out at once. That way our customers get to see the entire holiday selection at one time. Everything we have to offer is available at the same time. No wondering if something else you like better will arrive next month. No disappointment because the theme print is sold out before the coordinates arrive. It also means that as the temperature climbs into the 90's this week, I will be digging out Christmas decorations!

To prepare for the event I've been doing a lot of sewing and instruction writing. I've finally finished and published the instructions for the Hanukkah pillow in our button pillow series.

It always seems like Halloween comes about a minute after our Holiday Open House. I have no desire to rush the season, but to get to publishing and distribution in a timely fashion I also had to finish our new Fright Night pillow. Each of these 12 by 16 inch pillows feature a different technique. Hanukkah has detailed instructions for mitering corners. Fright Night features a chenille cat! The cat is made of 4 layers of black flannel that "fluff". As always, the cute decorative buttons are included right inside the pattern.

Both of the patterns and fabric kits will be available for our holiday event next weekend and the patterns will be available on our website very soon.

Summer also brings lots of out of town visitors. We have some "regulars" that stop by to see us and shop every summer as they pass through on their way to the beach or visit friends or family here in town. If you are "local" stop by and show us what you bought on your travels or join us any Monday night for Happy Hour at 6:30 for a free demo. If you aren't local and are passing through the Pittsburgh area this summer, stop in and say hello! No matter where you live, post a comment and tell me what you are doing to enjoy the summer!

Jingle Bells

Shhh, Listen. Do you hear sleigh bells? Are those reindeer hoofs up on the roof?

No, it’s just the staff and I getting ready for Christmas in July. It’s going to be in the high 80’s today and we are going to begin the process of re-arranging the store and sorting through the holiday fabrics for our Christmas in July event that starts on Monday the 21^st.

When you own a quilt shop Christmas comes THREE times each year. The first event is in January when Sales Reps from every company clamor for your attention and request the earliest appointment to show you the “new” Christmas collections. You’ve barely finished packing away the garland from the previous Christmas and they want you to get all excited about doing the whole thing over again.

Christmas #2 comes in late May and June when all of those bolts that you ordered begin to arrive. In our store we take all fabric “when ready” meaning the company can ship it as soon as it is available. Almost all of our holiday fabrics are in the shop by mid June, right before our annual Shop Hop. This year we decided to do something different. Instead of putting them out on the shelf as the bolts arrive, we stockpiled them in our very small storage space (which is currently bursting at the seams). This allows us to present the entire Christmas assortment all at one time – beginning next Monday, July 21^st. Our customers will have EVERYTHING to choose from instead of wondering what might be coming later. We also have all of the pieces that we ordered at the same time. No one has “cherry picked” the theme prints before the coordinates arrived.

While it might be hard to get into the mood to shop for Santas and snowflakes when the weather outside is screaming “take me to the pool”, it’s a good idea to crank up the air conditioning and concentrate on what you are going to need when Christmas #3 rolls around later this year. Just start humming Jingle Bells…… it helps.