Give Thanks and Keep Sewing

As the official blogger for Needle in a Fabric Stash I decided to get in on the sewing action during this Thanksgiving holiday. When I was growing up I loved sewing with my mom. One Summer I made a handful of shorts that I wore out completely. One pair had ice cream cones, one had Hawaiian flowers and another had loud geometric designs. I made quilts for my dolls, backpacks, dresses and anything I was in the mood for. Since then I have been busy with college sports, full time work and have not sat down to sew for years.

Thanksgiving around our house is pretty relaxed. We like to keep the focus on the food and family. There is always lounging time in between meals and so my mom and I thought it would be fun to sew some pillow cases for Christmas gifts this year.

We got started and it was just like old times. The first step was picking out the fabric – which was more difficult than it sounds for those who know how different our tastes are. I love all of the prints my mom picks out and can fully appreciate her eye for color. However, I admit that my own personal style is very plain and nothing like the ice cream cones I used to rock. I now have a fear of prints and bright color in my everyday life. It sounds extreme, but it’s true.

We came to a compromise that we were both very happy with. I loved the neutral tones of the Art Gallery Blithe Collection by Katarina Roccella and my mom sold me on the whimsical pattern of the Winter Woodland print. She especially loved the subtle metallic details on the Winterberries print. Lastly, using the Birch Bark print  for the cuff pulled the prints together. If you love these designs as much as we do, stay tuned in January because Needle in a Fabric Stash has been invited to participate in Katarina’s Blog Tour  and will be making a project using the Blithe collection.

My mom reviewed rotary cutting, pressing and simple techniques and she taught me the steps for this simple, fun and easy burrito pillow case pattern. I made a few pillowcases – one for myself, two gifts and even a sample for the store.

No matter how busy life gets it is special moments like these that make it worth sitting down for a moment with those who mean the most to you. Reminiscing over ice cream cone shorts and creating new memories of sophisticated pillowcases are just some of our Thanksgiving traditions here at the Stone house. From our family at Needle in a Fabric Stash we wish you a happy holiday season filled with laughs, love, good food and hopefully even some sewing!

Boardwalk Delight Fabric Instagram Giveaway

 

To kickoff our participation in the 2016 Row-By-Row experience, the nationwide shop hop and quilt challenge beginning June 21, Needle in a Fabric Stash is proud to announce our use of all Art Gallery Fabrics in our row. We are ready to start celebrating with the first Art Gallery giveaway of the summer on Instagram!

We are giving away a fat quarter bundle of Art Gallery’s Boardwalk Delight by Dana Willard. This delicious 12-piece bundle is curated and donated by Sue, owner of Needle in a Fabric Stash.

Here’s how you can win:

Follow Needle in a Fabric Stash (@needleinafabricstash) and Art Gallery Fabrics (@artgalleryfabrics) on Instagram and carefully follow the instructions on our Boardwalk Delight Giveaway Instagram post to qualify for your chance to win. The Boardwalk Delight Giveaway will run June 19 through June 30. A winner will be selected randomly and announced July 1^st.

If you haven’t seen it already, check out our last blog post here for the details on Row-By-Row and our unique 2016 “Home Sweet Home” row crafted exclusively with Art Gallery Prints.

And for some great ideas on how to use Art Gallery Fabrics be sure to check out their blog…it’s fantastic!

 

 

 

Celebrate Summer with Row-By-Row Experience and Art Gallery Fabrics

We are proud to announce that for the second year in a row Needle in a Fabric Stash will be participating in the Row-By-Row Experience. If you aren’t familiar with Row-By-Row, it is a chance for the larger quilting community to bind together every summer through a “shop hop.” Starting June 21 through Sept. 6, quilters from all over the country and Canada can visit participating stores and receive a complementary unique 9.5″ by 36.5″ row pattern for their quilt. In addition, stores will sell one-of-a-kind fabric kits designed especially for the row and ours is perfect for those who want to add to their modern fabric stash. However, no patterns or kits will be available online for purchase until the challenge is over.

Each store will award 25 fat quarters to the first customer who presents a finished quilt and a special prize if they also use the store’s row pattern. Be sure to check out the exact details here to see how you can qualify to win the challenge.

 

The theme this year is “Home Sweet Home”. For Needle in a Fabric Stash’s 2016 row, we strictly used Art Gallery Fabrics, proving to be absolutely perfect for this theme! Happy Home by Caroline Hulse was the centerpiece, sparking inspiration for the entire piece. Additional colors and designs were curated into our 2016 row including Chalk and Paint by Caroline Hulse, Paperie by Amy Sinibaldi, Essentials II by Pat Bravo and Squared Elements by AGF Studio. Striking, vibrant and modern, we are thrilled at how the heart block turned out! Shop all of our Art Gallery Prints on our online shop.

Most importantly, we want you to celebrate our use of Art Gallery’s beautiful fabrics with us. So, throughout the summer look for several Art Gallery giveaways by Needle in a Fabric Stash by following us on our Blog, Instagram, Facebook and Art Gallery’s blog! The first giveaway is on June 20 and will be posted on our Instagram.

Summer is here, so bring on the sunshine, bright fabrics, good times and let’s get sewing.

 

A Family that Sews Together Stays Together

The best part about Thanksgiving is the opportunity to relax with your family and be reminded of who inspires us to follow our dreams and never look back. It becomes clear that these moments are even more important when both of your kids are juniors and seniors in college and make the decision to fight the holiday traffic down from school in order to cherish these rare opportunities.

Mother-daughter duo, Sue and Hannah Stone

This post is actually coming straight from the blog creator herself, Sue’s daughter Hannah. For the average college student, waking up early on a Saturday morning to work at the new family store sounds a bit rough (or at least it did to me when I agreed to it).

However, I write this post while sitting in the shop this morning, listening to my mom teach her beginner sewing class. Now, keep in mind that my mom has been teaching her entire life. In the first 10 years of my life my mom taught me how to solve math problems, how to play tennis and of course how to sew. 

All three of these passions are running themes within our family and as you can see they continue to shape all four of our lives in unbelievable ways.

I think that we all knew that this Thanksgiving was going to be a little bit different than the rest because even though there are only four of us, we are all running in different directions with our heads cut off. To start with our holidays are never extravagant. To give you an idea, I’m pretty positive that for the past four years I have worn sweat pants to every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner and never waver from the plan of lying on around on the couch for most of the day.

But the highlight of this Thanksgiving was not the couch or the mashed potatoes. As I sit here in the store listening to my mom and dad utilizing their endless amount of practical skills to start up this business so quickly and what appears to be seamlessly (pun intended), I know in my heart that through this venture they have taught me that anything is possible. Whether you are labeled a quilter, a sewer, a journalist, an engineer, an asparagus breeder, an entrepreneur, an athlete or a teacher you will never just be one thing in this life.

Thank you mom, dad and Sean for helping me make it alive to my senior year of college and giving me the motivation to make everyday better than the next.

Everyday is Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays from Needle in a Fabric Stash and the Stone Family.