Newsletter for May

May 20, 2008

Dear Quilting Friends,

The Day has finally arrived—I now have copies of my new book, Top This! published by All American Crafts. Gary and I just returned from Spring Quilt Market in Portland, Oregon held this past weekend. We saw wonderful fabrics, awe-inspiring patterns, lots of garment and bags, and what I was most eager for, my book. I have to say, I am very pleased with the reception and the comments. The photos are phenomenal, the layout pleasing. So, anyone that wants a copy, just has to email or call me. The books sell for $21.95—less than a dollar a pattern, so pretty good, I think. Shipping is $6.95. I will be adding them to my website as soon as possible, and I will also have them in the shop. All American Crafts will have them on their website as well.

New in the shop—Moda's Fresh Squeezed by Sandy Gervais. This line is bright and summery yellows and oranges with lime and aqua. I know we are just on the heels of an interminable winter, but we also have from Moda, Holly Taylor's Birchwood Lane. This is a woodsy Christmas/winter line, but it is not overtly holiday themed. Benartex does a wonderful job with Nancy Halvorson's fabrics, and the panel for her latest "12 Days of Christmas" has arrived. I don't generally like to get the holiday fabrics in so soon, but sad experience has taught me that if I don't place an early order for lines I know will sell out, I will not get them at all. We also have in a sweet country type panel called "Ever After." It has coordinates with chickens and sunflowers and stars. I have pattern handouts for this series, free while they last. I also ordered several book titles. I got to bring one home called Simply Stunning Woven Quilts by Anna Faustino for C&T. The technique is new and unique and I am looking forward to trying it out. Stop by and see.

Quilt Shows—We had a great time at Tri-Cities, Moscow and Clarkston. It is always fun to get together with the friends we see once a year, and the vendor friends we see only at shows. It is inspiring to view the quilts and learn about what other areas are doing quilt wise. Next up for us is Joseph, Oregon, June 13 & 14. I will be teaching a "Tri-Quiltathon" class on June 12 from Top This! If you might be interested in attending, go to www.cattlecountryquilts.com . There is also an amazing car show that weekend, and of course the beautiful Wallowa Lake area. As soon as we get back, we will get the shop reset up to be ready for the BeBop Shop Hop, which is extended to 1 full week this year. Get some friends together, pool your gas money and see how many shops you can get to. We will have the passports here. July 3 & 4 we will be in Troy, Montana for the Tender Lovin' Quilters annual show during their Old Fashioned 4^th of July celebration. What a spirited town.

Well, that is about all the news for now. Summer is coming. Stay in and sew during the hot part of the day!

In Stitches,

Nona Davis

April newsletter

Dear Quilting Friends,
This year early spring we have seen more snowflakes than snowdrops in our yards. The sun is shining today, though, so maybe winter will soon be gone. It is still too cold to garden so you can easily justify spending time at the sewing machine.
Gary and I are geared up for the quilt show season. We returned Sunday from the Tri-Cities show, towing our trailer through the wind and snow. We had a great time and it was good to see all of our vendor friends again. Look for us next weekend, April 12 & 13, at the Palouse Patcher's Quilt show at the fairgrounds in Moscow, Idaho. If you miss that, we will be in Clarkston, WA for the Seaport Quilters show April 26 & 27. We get a 2 1/2 week break after that show before heading to Spring Market in Portland.
Market is a big deal to me this year, as my book, Top This! is scheduled to be released there by All American Crafts, barring unforseen printing problems. I am obviously excited about the book. Last month, I flew to Binghamton, NY for the photo shoot. There was a lot to do and learn in the single day we had for doing the photos. The pics were all shot in an Ethan Allen furniture store. It was fun to basically have "free rein" in that store, rearranging things and borrowing props from one part of the store to use in another, then trying to remember where we found the various items. One customer was disappointed that a quilt we were setting up to photograph was not for sale. I did tell her about the book and she promised to look for it. The book will be about 100 pages long, with 24 projects. I designed all of the projects. Well, Gary drew the bear for one titled, "Bears in These Woods." The cost is projected to be $24.95 per copy. Please email me or come by and let me know if you want to be on the "pre-order" list. I am planning on putting in my book order the first of May.
We have new fabric in and more scheduled to come it throughout April, May and June. There are two lovely stained glass looking pieces by Blank Textiles, and one that has luscious fruit, good enough to eat. I am finishing up my sample of Nancy Halvorsen's Be Attitudes. Not only is it cute, it is a great reminder of the attitudes we should strive for. Books are in for it right now, but they have been selling quickly. I will be cutting kits for it, but it is easily made from a variety of scraps. Aprons continue to be "hot." I now have several patterns in as well as patterns for children. With summer coming, grandkids will be visiting, and they feel so special if they have their own apron to wear while "helping" cook or bake cookies. Incidentally, I always thought that baking and sewing were terrific ways to teach math, particularly fractions, to kids.
I have developed a new item called a "Quilter's Bindle." Most of us remember the image of hoboes with a "bindle" tied to a stick on their shoulder. Well, my "Quilter's Bindle" comes with a kit, a quilt themed paperback mystery by Earlene Fowler, a Dagoba organic chocolate bar, some tea bags and a sympathetic limerick, written by yours truly. I will have these packaged up and ready for sale before we head to Moscow. They will be great gift items for a friend, or for yourself!
With the upcoming shows, I am not currently planning any classes. I will schedule some for later in the summer.
Another big event for us is our Be Bop Shop Hop which is scheduled for the entire week of June 16-22. There are 15 shops participating. This is a great time to plan to get a couple friends together and drive the circuit. Flyers with maps and info are available at Mrs. Sew-n-Sew's Quilt Shop.
That is all for now. Let me know how you like this "blogger" format. Stop in and visit sometime.
In Stitches,
Nona Davis