Good news today: the Suppose web store is up and running!  Hallelujah!  Though we are still improving the design and functionality of the site, we can now take orders online. (Please excuse the imperfections as we continue to work on things.)  Most of the 2000 bolts in the shop are available, and we are adding more notions, books, patterns, and kits constantly.  So now I can say things like:  See what we have left in the Lush collection by Erin Michael right here.  And if you are local, you can use the in-store pickup option for shipping so you can grab things before they sell out even if you don’t have time to come in to the store right away.  And keep an eye out, when we have the official web store launch we’ll be running some specials.

Final day! By Sunday we were exhausted but ecstatic because we bought this:

Our very own long-arm quilting machine! After tons of research on Kathy’s part, we chose the APQS Millenium. It will be here soon and in due time we’ll be quilting up a storm. We’ll update soon with our rates and details on how you can have your quilts quilted by Suppose.

We are happy to be home and back to our haven at Suppose, and anxious to get to work on all the goodies we found at market.

The days start to blend together during market as we hustle to see and do everything we can. Today we had a minute to stop and visit with Julie Popa at her booth for Sunflower Hill Designs.  Her debut fabric collection Sunshine Serenade arrived in the shop Thursday and we can’t wait to get home to see it. She’ll have a bunch of new patterns available soon too.  Oh we are so proud of our local talent!

Plus, how exciting to see hanging in her booth, the quilt she made with fabric she picked up at Suppose. I love her mix of colors and prints here.

We are big geeks at market when we run into our idols. At the American Jane booth we oohed and ahhed over Sandy Klop’s new quilts with her new fabric colleciton Happy Campers, which we will carry in it’s entirety.  For her booth display, Sandy got her hands on a vintage viewmaster with family vacation type photos, which we all had to try out.

And I totally geeked out with Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S. But how can I help it when she is so talented and so kind? As always their booth looks like perfection.

I wish we had photos of all our favorite booths, but there just wasn’t time. The big news today is that… drumroll… Suppose will now carry Liberty of London prints! We’ll be getting select Tana cotton lawn prints, and word is Liberty will start producing quilting cottons. You have no idea how excited I am about all of this!

Tomorrow: Market winds down and we make a huuuuge purchase.

Sometimes when people ask what on earth Quilt Market is, I like to say it is the Fashion Week of the independent sewing and quilting industry.  Basically, fabric designers debut their new collections in big, colorful fanfare. All day long we meet with our favorite fabric companies to choose the most exciting things to bring into the shop. Along the way there are so many new notions, patterns, doodads, and hoohaws to see that we can only stop if something really spectacular catches our eye. In the middle of the exhibit hall stands a quilt show where I had to stop and admire this quilt from Japan by Haruki Asada. I almost couldn’t get close enough.

The highlight of the day was the Moda boat party. We cruised up and down the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, catching views of the Heinz ketchup factory, a coal barge (remember how I am easily entertained?), a Pirates vs. Rockies game, and the convention center where we’ve been spending our long days. We enjoyed meeting shop owners from all over, including here in Pennsylvania and nearby Virginia. And we serendipitously sat next to the most darling ladies who, as it turned out, are from Seasons of Home in Midway, Utah, not so far from Suppose Preston!  We were so happy for their company.

There is just something about passing under a bridge on a boat. Am I the only one?

More exciting fabric related news tomorrow!

Oh boy oh boy. Quilt Market always proves to be such an inspiration.  Our second day here we went to Schoolhouse Series in which you get to choose up to 15 mini-classes/lectures to attend.  It lasts all day and is just a flurry of excitement.  I decided I’d better just pick a few highlights of the many things we saw, otherwise you’d probably feel just as overwhelmed as we are.

The Kaffe Fassett Collective shared quilts from their new book Quilt Romance and showed off some new fabrics.

Confession. I have a total art crush on Kaffe. His talent with design and color is just unreal. I think I have to make this Kaffe Log Cabin.

I learned about the process of making Batiks, and now they are even more alluring to me. The painstaking labor, time, and skill that go into these hand-dyed fabrics is unbelievable. This is the type of stamp that can be used to stamp a wax design onto fabric before it is dyed.

Eleanor Burns, creator of Quilt in a Day series and author of Victory Quilts is another idol of mine. Her charisma and energy are infectious.

Electric Quilt and Amy Butler showcased bags and projects from their new pattern software. If you are a fan of Amy, this program will be a must-have: 22 new patterns plus customization and other cool tricks.

Sue Spargo spoke about how she uses silks and texture in her creations. I love Sue’s identifiable folk art style and have lots of ideas for new projects…

And oh, Leisl Gibson of Oliver + S patterns! Showing off some of her designs using new fabrics, Leisl lectured on her principles of fabric selection. She has impeccable taste and is a fine example to this industry. Her presentation might just have to be another post unto itself because it is such good advice.

Walking back and forth to classes, with anticipation building, we stopped to spy on the exhibits being set up down below.

And finally, the day ended with Sample Spree, a 2 hour rampage of voracious quilt shop owners clawing for the prettiest, newest fabrics and products of limited availability. People queue up early, and this is the view from our spot in line which was not at all close to the front. No end in sight.

And oh boy we took home a lot of loot to put in the shop and make samples with. We can’t wait to get it home and start playing with it all!

Quilt market is THE trade show for the quilting fabric industry (and by quilting fabric, I mean high quality cottons, etc. used for many many awesome things), and we always get a little giddy when it’s market time.  Market is held twice a year, each fall in Houston and in a different location each spring.  This time we are in PIttsburgh, and just 1 1/2 hours from Falling Water which I really wanted to visit (I am a huge Frank Lloyd Wright fan) but it was closed on our only free day. Argh.  But Amish country is only 2 hours away, which turned out to be a satisfying second choice.

First we visited Pittsburgh shop The Quilt Company, home of Karen Montgomery, a designer for Timeless Treasures, where as usual, husbands wait outside.

Then we headed west into Ohio towards Amish country. Google Maps on my iPhone told me to turn onto some tiny little road, winding past lovely large Amish farm homes, and some less large but also lovely old structures.

I worried that we were getting lost, but alas we came upon Charm, Ohio, home of Miller’s Dry Goods.

Several young Amish (or Mennanite?) girls ran the shop.  I tried to decipher their Pennsylvania Dutch but I don’t think it’s actually anything like German. Actually, it’s not like my German is that good anyway.  Miller’s Dry Goods possibly had more bolts than I’ve ever seen in one store. This photo is just one little corner.

Ohio was beautiful and picturesque, so much so that I almost thought this little bridge should have been a miniature at the storybook boats at Disneyland.

We took many shots from inside the car window that didn’t turn out fabulous, but here’s proof of the Amish. I thought they were just charming.

We stopped at the Guggisberg gift shop for some delish cheeses and the Disneyland allusions continued with a miniature Matterhorn! I would recognize it as a Swiss allusion if I’d been to Switzerland but–oh wait, I have. Disneyland is just my point of reference in this world, I guess.

Maybe I’m just easily thrilled, but I loved this brick factory we passed, near (ish) New Philadelphia. The rain made it even better–driving in the rain is so peaceful, but it made for sloppier photos thru the windows.

With brick kilns (right?) even!

And finally, from Ohio to West Virginia, to Pennsylvania, just in time to rest up for the big day ahead.

Stay tuned for more Market adventures!

Betwixt all the hubbub at Suppose we have updated our class catalog into the end of June. We’ve got some fun things ahead!  Come see the samples in person, or if you don’t want to leave the comfort of your sewing room, just give us a call and we can take your reservation for classes over the phone.

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Crazy for Sudoku
Friday, June 12, 10am-12:30pm
1 Sessions $15

Sew a Sudoku puzzle quilt top using an original design by Evelyn Greene.  You will be taught by the pattern designer herself, who is an expert at quilter’s math.  In this 2 ½ hour class, she will walk you through creating the quilt step-by-step.  After class, use the bonus pattern to make a game mat and play Sudoku while wrapped up in your Sudoku quilt!

skill level: beginner, sudoku enthusiast
taught by: Evelyn Greene

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I Can’t Believe I’m Sewing: Beginning Sewing for Adults
Wednesdays, June 10, 17, 24, 6pm-8pm
3 Sessions $45

This is your chance to learn to sew from the very beginning.  Kind and patient instructors will guide you through the basics.  You’ll take home a completed project after each class, including a coaster set, a pillowcase, and a  zipper pouch.  Teens welcome.

skill level: pre-beginner
taught by: Jo & Kathy Thomas

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Bag Extravaganza
Saturday, June 20, 10am-4pm
1 Sessions $29

Bring a sack lunch and your choice of bag or purse pattern for a fun-filled day of bag-making delight.  Two teachers will be on hand to help you with reading patterns, techniques like gusseting, and any challenges you run into during your bag project.

skill level: beginner to intermediate
taught by: Jennifer Greene & Jo Thomas

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Patchwork Greeting Cards
Tuesday June 30, 6-7:30pm

1 Sessions $15

Use up your scraps and give the delight of handmade cards! We will make one-of-a-kind greeting cards: a quick and easy project with satisfying results.

skill level: beginner
taught by: Jo Thomas

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Beginning Sewing For Kids
Tuesdays, June 30-Aug. 4, 10am-12:30pm
6 Sessions $90

It’s never to early to learn to love to sew!  Students 8 years old and up will learn essential sewing skills including marking and using a seam allowance.  Students will stitch several paper projects and do basic patchwork.  Each child will make their very own fabric beanbags, pillow, and a small snuggle quilt.

skill level: beginner
taught by Evelyn Greene

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In our first two months open, we’ve had quite a few comments in the shop about the music that plays.  Sometimes we have oldies day, sometimes I customize a playlist of my current favorites, once in a while I push it and see how loud and upbeat we can get things.  We’ve had some requests to share our playlists, so we’re going to try something out. I have used blip.fm personally to share musical favorites with friends and find new music.  Blip is like Twitter set to almost any song you can think of. You can now follow Suppose on blip and hear what we are listening to in the store!  You will find a tiny version of our blip playlist in the sidebar to the right and you can join and follow Suppose on .

My own mother taught me everything I know. How to run a kitchen, how to find beauty, how to be kind, how to have fun… and of course how to quilt. She is the mature half of the Suppose creative genius.

And of course, her mother taught her everything she knows.  This is her mother and father, my Grandma and Grandpa Smith, the weekend they met, I believe.  Lucky for us, we get get a visit from Grandma Smith every Friday at Suppose.

This Saturday at Suppose we’ll be having a celebration in honor of our mothers and grandmothers:

Your Mother’s Apron Party

Here are the details:

Saturday, May 9, 10am-6pm

Wear a vintage apron and get 20% off any one cut of fabric.  All kitchen themed fabric, food themed fabric, home decor weight fabric, and oilcloth will be 15% off.  We will be serving homemade cookies and demonstrating our favorite sewing tools that our mothers and grandmothers only dreamed of when they first started sewing, plus complimentary make-&-take projects in the classroom.

Don’t forget, Suppose gift certificates make the perfect Mother’s Day gift, and are available in any denomination.

See you Saturday!

Here in Preston we have started a new sewing & quilting guild called Suppose Creative Guild. But like a dummy, I haven’t taken any photos at our meetings so far.  Last week we made the patchwork pincushions I blogged about here, and this week we will meet and start making memberships official.  We have a killer presidency to lead us, which I’m really excited about.  Lauree, our president, made this dress and purse for her little girl out of fabric from Erin McMorris’ Park Slope line.  The birds are especially perfect because her name is Wren. Can you even stand how adorable that is?

So if you live in the Preston area and are interested in getting together with other sewists and quilters, learning new things, and just having fun, consider coming to the guild.  Here is some helpful information about Suppose Creative Guild:

• We will hold a business meeting on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm in the Suppose classroom.  We won’t be sewing at this meeting, but will have show & tell, refreshments, and take care of other business.
• Optional classes will be offered during the other weeks on topics nominated by members.  These classes can be taught by our members or outside teachers, and may range in cost from free to a nominal fee.
• We will have opportunities to take field trips together for exhibits, shop hops, etc.; participate in humanitarian service, and any other grand schemes we come up with.
• All levels of sewing experience are welcome.
• Yearly dues are $20, which will cover costs of meeting space and give us a budget for teachers, events, etc.
• You may attend one meeting for free before choosing to join and pay dues.
• Email with questions or to be put on the guild email list.

So, this Thursday May 7 at 7:00 pm we will hold the monthly business meeting for May in the Suppose classroom.  Our presidency will be introducing themselves and Lauree is bringing refreshments (she is an excellent cook). Afterwards, those who are interested are invited to the Thomas home to watch the season premiere of the new fashion design competition show on Bravo, the Project Runway knock-off  The Fashion Show.  We’ll give directions at the meeting. See you there!