Notes from the Patch

Paris' Papiere's

Sunday I drug out my cardboard box of maps, books, collected business cards, articles ripped from  magazines and blog post downloads on Paris. I wanted to make final notes on the cluster of stationary boutiques that are housed within the Fourth Arrondissement just over the bridge and a few blocks from the Ile Saint-Louis.

This area is a mecca for those who love hand made papers, elegant writing implements, wooden stamp sets and hand printed and embossed greeting cards. Fortunately for me (not so much for Bill) we will be staying within walking distance.

 

My favorite of the three shops is Melodies Graphiques. 10, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe. 4^th Arrondissement - Metro Saint-Paul. Hours: Monday - 2 to 7pm, Tuesday through Saturday - 11am to 7pm.

I love the old world feel of this charming shop

as well as the wall above the bookcases that is covered with handwritten envelopes sent from customers from all over the world. You might want to ask owner Eric to write you a note in his perfectly pinned calligraphy. Melodies Graphiques is a great place to find authenic French gifts for friends back home.

Directly across the street is polar opposite, Papier Plus. 9, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe

4^th Arrondissement - Metro Saint-Paul. Hours: Monday through Saturday - noon to 7pm

www.papierplus.com

This minimalistic paper store stocks handmade journals and papers in a large spectrum of colors. A great place to find files, storage boxes, photo albums, and pencils to color coordinate your entire office. 

Steps away is Kanea - 4, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe - Metro Saint-Paul. Hours Monday through Saturday 11 am to 8pm

www.kanea.fr

Isn't it sad that with computers and emails, beautiful papers and all their accoutrements are quickly becoming a thing of the past? Walking through these shops makes me want to sit down and write a letter. I can't wait to go back!

Encourage one another,

 

 

 

 

Day with Barri Sue

Barri Sue, author of "Quilt a Gift" is joining us tomorrow for a free trunk show & book signing. 10:30am-12:30pm. Bring your books or purchase one here & see all of Barri's adorable creations. Barri's patterns & kits are also available for purchase here at Strawberry Patches.


Visit us online www.strawberry-patches.com
Encourage one another!
- Suzanne

Color by the yard

We received tons of freight today including Christmas and Halloween fabrics and these...

 7/8 inch box pleated grosgrain ribbon in twenty seven lusious colors.

With such a great selection, finding just the right color of trim was a snap.

I'm anxious to try these ruffles around blankets and table cloths, on aprons and on kids clothes.

Encourage one another,

Aunt Lucy sends her love

Have you ever had a pattern that made you giddy with excitement?

Itch'n to get stitch'n? 

Longing to curl up in your favorite chair with a cup of hot tea and stitch the cool fall afternoon away?

I absolutely freaked out when I first saw these adorable new patterns from the brilliant Meg Hawkey of Crabapple Hill.

The Cosmo variegated floss, the antique pearl buttons, the vintage looking lace and faded washed out fabrics all work together to create stitcheries that look as if they were fresh out of grandmother's sewing box. Only without the yellow stains and musty smell.

                                                               photo by Crabapple Hill

                                                                 photo by Crabapple Hill

I just can't tell you how much I seriously love these.

Remember this pillow?

Yea, well these speak to me in that same gotta have them kind of language. Must be the linen  fabric and the faded looking lettering. Brilliant I tell you! That Ms Meg Hawkey.

I don't know about you but I always hate to transfer embroidery designs to fabric. I usually can't see the design well enough and struggle to get all the details traced properly. (Call it mature eyes, but I really don't find that part of embroidery fun at all). Well, we have discovered the perfect solution to the tedious task of transferring designs.

Transfer - Eze is a water soluble film that you run through your printer. You simply photocopy your design onto the pliable film, peel off the paper backing and stick it to the front of your fabric. After your stitching is complete cut the excess away and soak your project in cold water to remove the remainder of the Transfer - Eze.  It's easy to needle through and works great for machine and hand quilting too!

We will be kitting these adorable patterns next week complete with lace and antique mother of pearl buttons from my own button jar. (Don't worry I have zillions of old buttons and I'd love to share). We'll include the variegated floss too so if you'd like us to save a kit for you just call or email us.

Once again I have put my cart before my horse and blabbed about new stuff before it's quite ready to go, but this IS exciting stuff here people and I just couldn't keep it to myself another day.

If you're one of my early morning readers and are interested, please check back later today and we'll have the aforementioned products on our website by afternoon. It's up now!

Now if you'll excuse me the tea kettle's a whistling. I have stitching to do.

Encourage one another,

 

 

Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid

Amanda has been having such fun with our new Cosmo floss. She always has a project handy to work on during her lunch or whenever she has a free moment. As a result she has completed several really wonderful projects this summer.

Apparently you can accomplish a lot if you utilize those free moments here and there, but I wouldn't know about that.

Anyway, this is Vintage Postcard by Crabapple Hill. You may remember this pillow from this quilt market post. You know, the post where I hyperventilated and wanted to live in this booth for the rest of my life reading the tags that were signed by market goers then hung from tree branches? If I were planning a wedding, which I'm so not, I would copy this idea as my guest book in a heartbeat.

Focus Suzanne FOCUS! (This pillow does this to me every stink'n time!).

So. As I was saying.

This is Vintage Postcard by Crabapple Hill; officially my favorite pillow of 2010.

How did Amanda achieve those faded letters and subtle color changes you ask?

Why it's Cosmos' new Seasons variegated floss and the postcard pillow was stitched with just four skeins!

We even have a floss kit for it. (We're thoughtful that way).

This next pillow is a free pattern called Antique Roses also by Crabapple Hill and it's stitched with variegated floss too.  

I had this pillow on the cutting table the other day when a customer asked if it was machine done. No, I said, it was done by Amanda and yes, her tiny stitches are absolutely perfect... and sickening!

 

For the free pattern go here and for the floss to stitch it with go here.

Now if you'll excuse me. I have a few free moments so I think I'll go read my favorite blogs while watching The Real Housewives on Bravo (and I wonder why I never get anything done!).

Encourage one another,

 

PS: If you're wondering about the title of this post it means, "Little by little the bird builds its nest". It's a rhyme my mother used to say to me in french and so true when it comes to any task, be it stitchery...or business...or relationships. (Hopefully that bird will build its nest in a tree with lots of signed tags hanging from its branches!).

3D texture without the funny glasses

You'd have to be living in a cave not to notice the 3D craze we're in the midst of and I'm not just talk'n movies here people.

Big flowers on headbands, sweaters and blouses are everywhere. Ruffles on curtains and skirts, pillows and handbags.

It's all about dimensional texture.

We discovered these fabulous soft dimensional shabby chic roses by the yard at quilt market in May.

They arrived in June and immediately sold out before I could even show  them to you.

Well, they're back in stock, although temporarily I'm sure.

You see they are not only totally versatile,

but at less than twenty five cents each, they are unbelievably inexpensive too.

 

So if you're interested in a yard or two, you might want to getcha some.

You know.

 

Before I come to my senses and

raise the price.

Encourage one another,

 

PS: If you'd like to learn to stencil, sew and embellish on burlap we'd love for you to join us for Bernina Club. It's a free get together for everyone, whether or not you own a Bernina. Annette and I will share tips and techniques and everything that's new at Strawberry Patches. We hope you'll bring what you've been working on to show the group for a chance to win a wonderful prize. See you there!

PPS: Little did I know you guys would clean us out of roses in less than twenty four hours! I'll order multiple bolts of them first thing Monday morning so if you want them go ahead and let us know. We should have more by the end of the week. You guys crack me up!

51 sewing days until Christmas

Please excuse the crumby quality of this photo but I just couldn't wait for daylight to show you what came on Tuesday. Barri Sue from Bareroots Designs has long been a friend to Strawberry Patches and we are absolutely thrilled to offer you her latest book, Quilt a Gift, just in time for the holidays.

I must say that the title is just a tad misleading though because most of the projects are embroidered and wool felt appliqued; there aren't many truly "quilted" projects in its 125 pages. However you classify her projects they are certainly eye candy and the pages definitely get my creative juices flowing.

I've been wanting to bring Barri Sue to Strawberry Patches for the longest time. If you'd be interested in taking a class from her or seeing her trunk show won't you pop on over and nudge her a bit for me? I'm hoping now that her book is done she'll come down off her mountain and pay us a visit. She is just the sweetest thing!

Encourage one another,

A colorful giveaway

Guess what came today?

Here's a hint:

This is the address label. Don't ask me how our UPS driver knew it was for us.

I think this may say "Fragile", but I don't know for sure.

Give up?

Ta Da...

 

Oh be still my heart!

443 colorfast shades of six strand embroidery floss bliss. Once you try Cosmo floss you'll want to donate your DMC floss to the local Girl Scouts for friendship bracelets.

This silky, 100% cotton floss never tangles and the colors never run. It stitches like butter and the colors are oh, so yummy. At just a dollar a skein you'll want to treat yourself to them all.

Hey, how 'bout a giveaway? Leave a comment and tell me why I should pick you and two lucky readers will each receive 24 skeins of Cosmo floss in the colors of their choice.

Go here to view the Cosmo color chart, then get creative and tell me why you should win.

Encourage one another,

 

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You really should go to the Lecien site and read their descriptions of their products. I know. It's not nice to make fun of others and their English is soo much better than my Japanese, but it's amusing to read their descriptive translations. I just love this company, their floss and their fabric! 

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Here is the DMC to Cosmo conversion chart.

A Stitch in Time

I just got my Pottery Barn Kids  catalog and couldn't help but notice all of the big stitch embroidery throughout. I love the portability of embroidery for this busy time of year and try and keep a project ready to go whenever we are on the go.

Here's what I'm working on. It's by Prints Charming - aren't the big, bold, clean shapes and colors terrific? The big stitches just make the shapes pop and hopefully this will all become a pillow for a little boys bedroom. There is something so relaxing about the mindless stitching around these fun shapes. Some days that's about all I can handle!

Speaking of embroidery, Jenny Hart's  new book, Craftpad is one of my new favorite embroidery books. Fortune tellers, insects, chandeliers, and many more fun, funky and lively iron-on embroidery patterns fill up this craft pad of over 70 transfer patterns. These cool designs are a great way to get kids of all ages excited about needlework this summer.

Oh, and did you notice that I'm using size 8 DMC Perle Cotton? LOVE IT! No snarls and tangles trying to separate those pesky strands of embroidery floss. With a little help from my Clover needle threader (should have put that in my photo - I'll learn ) - I'm good to go...when I'm on the go.

Gotta go.