An update on the construction for our new shop!  We have paint and they have hung the doors!  It really looks different and we are all starting to get very excited about the move!  It has so much space and NO stairs!!!  Woo Hoo.  Anyway, I have tried to give you a view from the front door, a classroom picture, a picture of our soon to be very girly bathroom and my mini office!  Enjoy!

^{The new issue of Quilter's Home has arrived!   As usual it is filled with a lot of funny and interesting stuff, but one article that really caught my attention is one by Megan Dougherty.  She has written a brief history of quilting in a way I have never heard before.  I laughed so hard that I should have been wearing depends!  This is an outstanding story and worth the price of the magazine alone.  Did you know who the real inventor of the rotary cutter was?  You will learn all about it in this issue!  Don't miss this one, it's worth it!}

Look at this adorable tote!  The pattern is available in the new Spring Issue of Quilts and More.  I am a huge fan of magazines because for a little price you can get a lot of ideas and motivation!  Totes are so very popular these days and I like to find things that are just a bit different and this tote fits that description!  See the little prairie points around the top?  Look at the cute little buttons that they made for the pocket tops!  I think I am going to stop blogging and go make myself one!  Later gator.....

We stopped by Thursday night to check on progress of the new shop and were amazed to see walls!  All the dry-wall is up and they are sanding them.  We have picked our carpet and now we need to look at paint!  We also met with a sign guy for our new signs.  Just think, our name is going to be in lights!!!

We have another exclusive kit for you!  Lily Pads by Dodi Poulsen from Two Sisters from Squirrel Hollow has designed a gorgeous quilt using the Floral Graphics by In the Beginning Fabrics.  The quilt is featured in the May/June 2010 issue of McCall's Quilting and we will be providing the exclusive kits for the project!  The magazine is just now coming out so before they are all gone, order yours today!  Just a heads up for our wonderful quilters!

We received a new book from Anka's Treasures and it is filled with these darling pillows.  I have always wanted to have matching shams with my quilts and I thought this would be my opportunity to try some out.  Well what fun I had with these!  The pattern was simple to do and the results are very professional!  I picked a couple of my favorite fabrics from some new lines and made both in one day!  The book has several other designs with tips and hints for the pillows.  Now I want to make a new quilt so I can make some new pillow shams!

If you have been reading our newsletters you will know that the Quilted Kitty is moving!  We have decided that we need more space and would like to eliminate the stairs.  We have found the purrfect space and it's only 3 miles from where we are currently.  It's brand new, larger and has the most wonderful windows!  Big, bright windows for lots of sunshine!  That alone was enough to make me want to move.  Anyway, because we are very excited about the move we make weekly trips to see what has been done.  I am sure the construction crew groans when they see us coming but we try not to get in the way.  We thought that you might like to follow the progress with us so I have included a few pictures.  I will try to post a few each week to keep you in the loop!  Enjoy!

I am very excited about this new collection Leanika by Dena Designs and I have had a great time working on some projects using this line.  My first project was this darling Texture Magic Tote!  I am learning to use a new product that makes your quilted fabrics have a more quilted look.  Once I have a few samples made I will share with you how to do it.  I tried it out with the new Leanika fabrics and WOW, I just love the results.  What do you think???? Cute, cute, cute!!!

  The Sew it Collection is a new line by Amy Barickman for Red Rooster fabrics.  Her motivation for the collection was from a 1929 classic sewing book and the line provides all the vintage charm you could want in a reproduction fabric.  The enchanting panel features a large, central block that depicts a homey scene of children busily creating their treasures.  The panel is balanced by a large, repeating stripe that includes sections of "button people", red cross-stitch letters and sewing notions.  There is a variety of charming coordinate patterns with the overall color story of black, red and cream used for the entire collection.  The latest issue of Fons & Porters magazine (March/April) has one of the best designs I have seen for this darling line.  Sew-it by Cyndi Herhey is a charming design that shows the collection to it's best!  Give it a look and see if you don't agree!