Quilt Market was in town last weekend and it was a whirlwind of fabrics, notions, patterns, ideas, designs…lots of wonderful conversations and a whole lot of decision making.  I’ll share with you different things I saw and ordered over the coming weeks.  I’m pretty darn excited!

First up, toys.  We expanded our toy pattern/ kit selection by about double with the purchases made at Market.  These adorable little felt owls are from a pattern card put out by Vintage Ric Rac from Austrailia.  They have a wonderful selection of toy patterns, we’re happy to have at the store.

These little felt cuties come from Heidi Boyd, whose book Stitched Whimsy we’ve had in the store as well. These are perfect for a quick hand stitching project, great for nursery artwork, a project to do with the kiddos.  Cute, cute. They can be hung in the hoops, or made into pillow covers or bags…

We also have more of those fabulous stitching kits and patterns from Alyssa at Penguin & Fish.  And, remember, if you’re not near by, we’re happy to ship things out to you!  Just give us a call.

And, fabric-wise, we received an awesome shipment from Robert Kaufman Tuesday with all sorts of fantastic denim, chambrays, voiles, and even welcomed back this lovely striped dobby.  Our selection of the new “Textured Solids” from Andover have started to arrive.  These have a beautiful slightly slubby texture.  Come see for yourself! 

The Make House is located at 17th and Alberta. You can’t miss the space there is a sculpture out front of a giant beaver in Louis and Clark pose.

 The Make House embodies the true Alberta Arts spirit.  It is a communal space where several artists work.  They also have a charming retail space with a sampling of work from the in house artists.

Nathan Reimer is the printmaker and also teaches screen printing classes there at the house. If you are interested in taking a class contact him through the link.

Alexa Stark is a fashion artist she occupies the upstairs studio of the house.

Rutabaga Designs offers jewelry and woven jewelry displays. 

You may remember our Bolt Tea towels they were printed right here in the make house.

Action shot of the printing in progress!

 Just a few more things you may find at The Make House.

 Stop by next time you are in the neighborhood.  The screen printing classes are great! 

Ok, who doesn’t love a smiling lady yeti? And on cozy Robert Kaufman flannel no less!  Time for a super soft pillow case or lounge-y PJ pants.

This is the first we’ve had of Allison Cole’s sweet designs for Camelot Fabrics.  The group is called Festive Forest and is quite lovely.  I love the combination of rich burgundy and dark orange with the bright turquoise and cheery yellow.  A really fun group!

More gracious lovelies from V&A and Dan Bennett.

And, the super fun group, Village Green from P & B Textiles by Carolyn Gavin just arrived.  I love the illustrated birds and flowers in brown with red or blue.  This group works well for both a juvenile and a more grown up aesthetic. 

Welcome Quilt Market attendees!  International Quilt Market—a wholesale fabric show that happens twice a year—is in Portland this weekend.  Terribly exciting for me, as I get to see what I can order for the store.  I’ll certainly be sharing photos of my experience with you all, and look forward to seeing what will be filling our shelves soon after!

If you’re attending Market, we hope you stop in and say hi!  And, be sure to show us your badge for a special treat.

These great Japanese imports arrived this past week.  The bunny print is a double gauze, and as you can see can be reversible.  Making for some fun, innovative design possibilities!

Cute, sewing machine novelty print and “blenders” from Timeless Treasures…and a book to go with it:

Written by Nicole Vasbinder, one of the founders of Stitch Lab—one of the first modern, drop in sewing studios, located in San Francisco.  She now owns and operates Stitch Craft and Queen Puff Puff.

Cozy, soft organic cotton blend knits in great colors.  The stripe is called “San Francisco Fog.”  How lovely.  There’s also a deep, marine blue hemp blend fleece that is one of my favorite knits at the moment.

As I mentioned in my last post, we have a wide selection of books. Here are two of our newer titles.  The Sewing for Kids includes this adorable cat:And, the new Best of Stitch magazine Bags book includes these little pretties:

Don’t forget about Mom!  Check out more ideas here and here and here!

And, stay tuned for activities and whatnot around Quilt Market!

“I find myself reaching for the for simple things again and again,” says Jenny Gordy of Wiksten in her interview in the latest Stitch with Style magazine. I completely concur and that is just why I purchased her downloadable Wiksten tank pattern and have been cranking them out ever since.

This article by Stitch is a lovely one. It is sweet and peaceful, just like I imagine her to be. Jenny talks of her journey with Wiksten and some about her life. We have a few copies at the shop if you are the magazine buyer type.

And here’s some eye candy for you. A few Wiksten tanks I’ve sewn, now a staple in my wardrobe. The inside is finished with French seams which is very clean and professional and the hemline is a classic shirt tail.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner.  Are you ready?  Do you have a little something special planned for the Moms in your life?  We have oodles of ideas for sewing and non-sewing Moms alike.

This is just a small sampling of the great titles we have available.  Maybe a yard of Liberty of London cotton lawn to go with Liberty Love? For the Kaffe Fassett fan, Dreaming in Color is a true treat.  I’ve been enjoying reading about his background and seeing old photos from his childhood and young adult years.  If your Mom loves making bags, you can’t go wrong with the Best of Stitch Bags to Sew.  They’ve compiled their best bags from all those wonderful Stitch magazines!  For the vintage homemaker, Home Sewn Home is the ticket.  Books are a great way to offer both instruction and provide inspiration.

Maybe your mom is in a neighboring state.  Maybe she’s here in Oregon. Maybe you love to embroider.  I love these state embroidery patterns from Sassy Spurs.  So well done, with gorgeous examples on their covers.  And, if you’re new to embroidery or just want a handy reminder of the stitches, be sure to pick up one of the pocket stitch guides.  Perfect for taking along for a little lounging and stitching in the park on one of these gorgeous afternoons!

Other gift ideas for Moms—cutting tools, cutting mat, fat quarter bundles, some special leather bag handles made by Hannah….and, of course we have gift certificates too.  Let us know if we can help.  We are full of gift ideas.

And, don’t forget the Crafty Wonderland sale is Saturday May 11th!

We are thrilled to be able to offer you the wonderfully stylish Victory Patterns in store.  These are quality crafted and designed patterns, we’re sure you’re going to love! 
We also continue to grow our selection of another Canandian based pattern company—Jalie.  We’ve carried these patterns for years and continue to be pleased and hear the same from those of you who have used them.  Well written, well designed.

These hand dyed, flannel beauties are perfect for the next pair of PJs on your list.  Rich colors, natural variation, lush feel. 

Laura Gunn does it again with her painterly prints.  I’m loving the “mermaid” color print on the bottom.  And those dots—a fresh, bright duvet cover or quilt back…cheerful and light.

Pattern designer Cynthia Rowley shows off her fabric design skills with these color saturated prints from her Paintbox line for Michael Miller.

And, last but not least, a couple of classy home decor weight sateens from Bekko, by Treena Travis.

See you soon!

Happy May 1st! Congratulations to Gail Schneider, who’s photo has been chosen as our monthly Flickr Pool favorite for May. Here’s what Gail had to say about her project:

: :  I’m a huge fan of Oliver + S patterns, and the moment I saw the Roller Skate dress from the new spring collection I was immediately sold. It’s a simple, easy-to-wear style with lots of possibilities to make it your own—a great basic dress pattern. My version features the optional yoke, but I rounded it rather than cutting the V-shape shown in the pattern. I picked up the Charleston Farmhouse Bloomsbury fabric while browsing the Bolt sale earlier in April—the colors are so lovely and spring-y and I couldn’t resist it. I didn’t have anything specific in mind to make (I do way too much fabric shopping this way!) besides maybe a skirt for my daughter, so I got 3/4 of a yard—but I was able to cut an entire Roller Skate dress (size 3) from that! I’m already planning another rendition of this dress—like so many
Oliver + S patterns, it’s one I plan to make over and over again.
     Thank you so much for featuring my project! I adore Bolt and we are so lucky to have such a wonderful shop in our community—it’s truly a gem!   : :

Besides having her photo featured on our blog, Gail will receive a coupon worth 15% off her next purchase.

Thanks, Gail for supporting Bolt and sharing with our community!

This gorgeous weather may be a bit of a tease, but I plan to be ready when summer finally arrives. When everyone at the shop started talking about seersucker, I knew I had to make an easy-breezy wrap skirt.

We have the seersucker in traditional blue, cheery red, and this modern feeling grey right now, so everyone can add the perfect summer piece to their handmade wardrobe. Come on summer! I’m ready for you!

Don’t forget that tomorrow is a great day to shop at Bolt because a portion of the day’s sales go to a great organization: the Children’s Healing Art Project.