Weekend in the Woods

What a fantastic weekend!

We just arrived home from a wonderful trip to Yosemite... it was absolutely breathtaking! (Going from the desert to the forest always makes for a nice change :) 

My husband’s grandmother lives there and we were able to visit with her, my mother-in-law and my husband’s uncle, too :)
These pics were taken from the back deck at her house... if I only had a view like this!

My wonderful MIL surprised my with this little treasure... she's had it since she was a girl and it really sews! You have to crank the wheel on the side by hand so if you are coordinated you can really have some fun!!!

The visit was so much fun but it's good to be home... I'm still working on the star blocks and I didn't get a chance to sew all weekend so I have some catching up to do! We also needed to come home and get our newsletter ready so you know what current the deal is...

Tapestry is the special this week!

Have a great week!!!

Red, (off) White and Blue kind of day!

What does President’s Day mean? A day off from work at the school and all of my kiddos are home with me. 

In an effort to keep a patriotic theme going with the day, I’ll be finishing up a Quilts of Valor quilt. It's already quilted, it just needs a binding. The top was pieced by a wonderful volunteer at my local QoV group, Victor Valley Quilts of Valor. 

I'll also be working on this lovely quilt. The fabric is Petite Odile by French General... not exactly Patriotic but there is a resemblance to red, (off) white and blue so I’ll run with it!

I’ve been working on this quilt for several weeks and have been piecing for several days. What’s taking so long???? Cutting. Lots of cutting. I like to cut everything out before I sit down to sew… piecing goes so much faster this way! Do you have a favorite method of cutting? I’ll confess that I’m a perfectionist so I love my Accuquilt! I didn’t have the right size strip cutter for this project so this king-size beauty has been all cut by hand. 

Hand-cutting is definitely more time consuming but the blocks are turning out beautifully. I plan on a full day of piecework after the binding goes on the QoV… should be a great day!

Be sure to head over to the site to check out the special this week… Simply Color. I recently finished a quilt for my brother and sister-in-law using this line and it is amazing fabric!

Jelly rolls, layer cakes and Fat Quarter Bundles all come with a free charm pack this week, February 18-24, 2013

Hurry, this offer is good for this week only, while supplies last!

If you'd like to learn more about our specials each week, be sure to sign up for our newsletter @ TopsandBobbins.com

Especially French

Chateau Rouge is the special this week!

This gorgeous line of reproduction prints from French General has a romantic palette of wonderful, soft shades of red, stone, pearl, yellow and taupe.

All Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Fat Quarter Bundles and Fat Eighth Bundles come with a freebie!

2 Free Mini Charms with purchase February 11-17, 2013… while supplies last!

"Charming" Special

Exciting things going on at Tops and Bobbins!

As I said in my last post, we’re overhauling a few things! The website is in the process of getting a makeover to bring it up to date with our new logo design and make it easier to navigate.

We are super excited about this change and hope you’ll be patient with us as we make this transition.

Our “Flirt”y special has been going great! If you haven’t had a chance to get your Jelly Roll with a FREE panel, hurry over now! This special ends today… 

This week’s special is Marmalade! Every purchase of a Layer Cake, Jelly Roll, Fat 8th Bundle and Fat Quarter Bundle will get you 2 free Mini Charms! These versatile 2½” squares are great for making teeny-tiny projects, adding a pieced border or even taking to your local quilt shop to match accessories to your fabric! The special runs from February 4th thru the February 10th while supplies last!

2-for-1-post

Here we are in the middle of an especially cold Winter but I'm feeling all Sunshine-y today!

I'm finally over this rotten cold I’ve had for the last few weeks and able to get some things done! So here's a double post to share some goings on...

First and foremost, I want to tell you about and exciting new plan for the shop! We decided it was time to overhaul a few things and one of them was our random sales…  it seemed like we were always waiting for a special occasion to celebrate. Now we are going to celebrate every week; we’ll make our own special occasions! Every Monday we’ll feature an item with an extra incentive… like a free item with purchase!!!

This week it’s Flirt jelly rolls!

If you’re like me, you’re already in love with this sweet and “Flirt”y fabric line by Sandy Gervais for Moda. Now you’ll have an extra reason to love it… for the week of Jan 28^th thru February 3^rd you’ll get a matching panel FREE with any Flirt jelly roll! 

This is while supplies last only so don’t miss out! This darling panel will help you whip up an adorable project in no time… perfect for Valentine’s Day :)

We have the panels available individually plus charm packs and Fat Quarter Bundles, too, so you're sure to find just what you're looking for!

Be sure to check back each week, there will be more fun specials!

On to part 2: This weekend was so wonderful, Road to California is always a sure way to inspire and motivate me… I’m so glad I was able to go! The weather was dreary, raining and cold but as soon as I walked inside of the huge Ontario Convention Center, I forgot all about Winter! The quilts were gorgeous and the colors were all so warm and cheery :)

This year’s  theme was “Best in the West”… and they all certainly were just that! This was only part of a stunning “Route 66” display… it was amazing!

"Route 66" display

I also included some blurry phone pics (no camera's allowed but many artists graciously gave permission to share) of some of my favorites that impressed me so much… there was so much talent on display!

Stunning Pineapple Quilt

Adaptation of "Starry Night", one of my favorites!

Gorgeous applique!

 With all of this inspiration I should be back on track in no time!!!

Happy 2013

Welcome to a wonderful new year! 2013 is full of promise and opportunities... I know it's going to be great!

Celebrating and relaxing with my family over the holiday break has been wonderful and very soothing to my stressed out craziness of late.

I've been so busy with school and work that I didn't complete the challenge to make quilts for all of my kids for Christmas. Fortunately, there's always next year so now I have a head start! 

(In my defense, I did issue that challenge to myself before deciding I was going back to school ;P)

I did finish some quilts recently but in my haste to get them to their new homes I forgot to take pictures of most of them! I did remember  to take a few pics of some lovely Irish chains we quilted up before Christmas. They both are so lovely but had completely different stories. The first one was made by a new quilting friend in Texas. She said she is pretty new to quilting but I couldn't tell... her piecing is just fabulous!

The second quilt was an antique top. My friend's grandmother started it 70 years ago! Her sister recently finished the piecing and binding. They gave it to their mother for Christmas and as you can imagine, she was thrilled to receive such a special memory of her mother from her daughters. A lovely generational quilt :)

I’m also going to be working on my BOM quilt, it’s due next month and I still only have 3 blocks done, yikes! I’m going to have some late nights playing catch up!

BOM quilt, remember me?

Started in July... due in February... gulp! 

To help ring in the new year I’ve got a sale going on @ the store… go to TopsandBobbins.com and shop around for a bit. Be sure to check out the new fat quarter bundles under the pre-cuts tab. When you’re done shopping, use coupon code HAPPY2013 during checkout for 20% off your entire purchase! As usual, get free shipping when you spend $100 or more!

Sale is good thru January 7^th

New Fat Quarter Bundles!

Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends on this special day! Merry Christmas to you all...