Sarah is our organizer, hostess and designer of the place mat pattern shown above. She is having a blog hop party this week and asked me to participate today by making her new pattern into 4 place mats and show them on my blog. I was happy to be able to play along with the other girls and show you Sarah's new pattern. Sarah is revealing this pattern during the week and it is available for sale at her blog. There are giveaways everyday and a grand prize giveaway on Sarah's blog at the end of the week. Please Blog Hop on over to Sarah's blog for all the details in case I don't have something exactly right.

Disclaimer: Sarah sent me her pattern to make a set of place mats for this party. However, I don't use place mats at my house. I'd have to make way too many! But I do use the place mat concept to make table accessories for my house. I hope Sarah forgives me for not following the exact rules of the game. And I hope you can see many possibilities from what I make and from the other ideas linked to Sarah's party.

First I made Sarah's pattern into a valentine place mat. Yeah mine look different from hers, and probably everyone else. Again, forgive me Sarah. I often purchase a pattern, and make it my own in some way. I know lots of quilters do that so maybe you'll understand. I realize that the Valentine place mat looks really busy. But if you look at it for a while you can see the resemblance to her pattern.
Next I made Halloween Houses into a place mat. The fabric is whimsical and I used non-Halloween fabrics as complimentary pieces. It is easier to make out Sarah's pattern here.
This one is for Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, all the summery patriotic holidays. Again I used just regular fabrics together to create a flagish color scheme. And this time I pretty much did follow Sarah's pattern.
My last (and favorite) is a very non-traditional color scheme for a Christmas place mat. I love love love Monica's new Holiday Happy fabric. She has it in 2 color ways. But this set of colors matches all my other Lecien. And really, I can get away with using this other times than Christmas. I'll just pretend those designs are not Christmasy when I want to. I really love this place mat.
So I wanted to show a representation of how I might use the place mats for holiday decoration in my home. Valentine means red. The beautiful teapot was a gift from Lori Holt. I am so glad red is in most of our holiday themes.
I don't like a huge show of holiday decoration at my house. I think a little goes a long way. So I like to use quilts in different sizes to bring that hint of whatever holiday spirit into my house along with a few accessories. I could have candy in either of these little kitchen items.
Flora gave me these patriotic accessories that I display on my entryway buffet. I think they look lovely partnered with my new place mat.
To me, pink, yellow and aqua say fun. And Christmas is fun. So these colors work for me. I might put the seasonal or holiday place mats on my table or in my sewing room with anything on top of them.
Earlier in the month I showed you the bags and kits I was taking to Panguitch for the Quilt Walk Festival. Well I decided I had a couple left over so I will offer a kit complete with lining, rick rack and button along with the pattern to make the bag (as seen above) as my little giveaway part of the party. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post before Friday July 2. And I'll include you in the drawing for this kit. (kit only, completed bag is not part of giveaway)
Here is the pattern.
This is the kit you will receive. Well not with Monica's Happy Holiday fabric underneath the kit. But hey her fabric would make a cute bag wouldn't it! hmmm Thinking.

Leave a comment after this post for a chance to win the kit. Say anything. Well anything nice. If you comment on a different post here you won't be included in the giveaway. Just comments on this post will be considered. You also want to go to Sarah's blog to comment in order to win the grand prize. And don't forget to visit everyone and see their place mats and their blog prizes you could win. Refer to rules and details on Sarah's blog.

I'm kind of running a few different directions right now. So I hope this all makes sense! And it is nearly midnight. My computer is back and running great. Thank Heaven! So I had to push making this post to the very limit.

Enjoy and leave a cute comment!!

-nanette

-nanette

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When I Shop Hopped 2 weeks ago I really wanted hop to a few other stores. I wanted to go to Piper's in Sugar House and Quilter's Haven in Bountiful. But I just didn't have the time. Both are fabulous stores with great ideas and selections of fabric.
Saturday I got the chance to visit Quilter's Haven. We drove my daughter Whitney and Allison home for the weekend so she could have her husband take care of her and sleep in her own bed for a couple nights. (Allison and Whitney are back at our house now.) Whitney lives 5 minutes from Quilter's Haven. So of course I stopped and I was so glad I did.
These photos are taken with my iphone so they aren't very good but it will give you a tiny idea of the lovely things in the shop. I really love how Quilter's Haven lights their displays and quilts. It makes for such a happy visit. I actually get butterflies in my stomach when I see great fabric and quilts I would love to make.
This is the view from the front door through the store and to show they have fabric and quilts downstairs. Every quilt displayed is one I would love to make. Quilter's Haven may seem familiar to you since they were featured in this year's issue of nationwide stores in Quilt Sampler Magazine. This was the quilt they also featured. You can also go to the website for Quilt Sampler and tour this store by clicking the link above.
They have new fabrics everywhere as well as classics. For a while they discontinued their 30's but they got the RJR "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" latest line back in the store.
Sorry bad photo but I just loved how they group their different fabrics and quilts in the store so you can go right to where your style suits.

I stood and looked at this quilt for a while (Even though Mr. Hive and 2 of my daughters were in the car. I found out later they went to get ice cream so I shouldn't have worried.). I love this quilt. And I purchased the pattern. Even though it is paper pieced.
This is the corner of the store I zeroed in on. Lecien and sweet flowery prints with several lines of beautiful fabrics.
I really love this quilt. It is so pretty with the deep scalloped edging. It is romantic yet whimsical I think.
Closer look at Lecien. They did have a few fabrics there I've not seen in any other shop so I got just a few yards.
I had a few more pictures but they were just too lousy to show. My computer I usually use is down with another Trojan-fake-Windows-Security-takeover so I hope to get up and back to normal business by Wednesday because I'm participating in Sarah's (Sew Joy Blog) Place-mat Party, and my photos are all on that computer.

-nanette

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So now I get to show you everything that came with Shop Hop last week. I didn't get much any any store but it added up nicely.Quilting Cottage had this lovely dot in a great blue from my friends at RJR. Don't you think 'great binding'? Then I got a few fat quarters. Quilting Cottage was having a 20% customer appreciation sale too. Now I get to go back and pick up my $100.00 gift certificate. Just what will I do with that???
This cute Lecien doggie fabric came from Pine Needles at Gardner Village. It really is a sweet fabric.
These are my Pine Needles fat quarters. Lori and I got a lot of the same ones. Of course.
This pattern got crumpled while dashing in and out but they were giving away this cute pattern for a wash line dish towel at Pine Needles.
This is the blue sale fabric I was excited to get for half off at American Quilting.
While I was at American Quilting I got a yard of this.
And a yard of this Lecien.
And a yard of this Lecien.
During Lori and my visit to Quilts, etc. in Sandy I picked up these little fat eighths and fat quarters. We both got these cute pins.
I was excited to get this Cosmo Cricket fabric at Broadbent's. I love vintage kitchen but I really like the "greet the day with a song" on it. When I was age 9-11 at church I cross stitched this motto (I know I won't get this right but here goes:) "I can bring the light of the gospel into my home by greeting the day with a song, by serving gladly and by bringing joy to others." Some one else out there must remember that and can tell me how close I got to the right words, or not.
I also got these other little bits from Broadbent's, too. The one on the left was their favor, wrapped into a birthday candle.
These are the fat quarters I got from Material Girls. Lori got the same ones, I think.
I got the freebies on the left from Material Girls, too. And I couldn't resist this cute pattern on the right.
That about does it for my loot. We have cute little Allison still staying at our house with Whitney. Allison is wearing my crown from Material Girls. She looks a lot cuter in it than me. Whitney opted not to have surgery on her right broken foot. But she's got quite a bit of recovery from her complicated fractures. So for the next 10 days or so she's at our house so we can help her with Allison and make sure she stays off that foot.
Bye! Have a nice weekend everyone.

-nanette & allison

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My last stop on the Shop Hop road to fabric and fun was American Quilting in Orem, Utah. I know I missed so many other stores in my Shop Hop quest. Utah is known for fantastic quilt fabric stores. But with my limited time I visited as many as possible. Kim has some other shops on her blog that she visited and you might want to check them out. Kim has a great blog. Anyway on to my last stop.
When I got to the store I was specifically looking for Lecien and sale fabric. Mr. Hive and Mason were with me (we were on the way home from another location). So I knew I had to hit and run so they would stay patient. I immediately saw the fabulous store owner, Amy. After a warm welcome she took me right to the sale fabric I was looking for. The other wonderful Amy had told me that this cute novelty print was on sale so I was on a mission to find it. I'll show that fabric (and more finds) on Friday for my Fabulous Fabric Friday post.
Amy's store is full of life. I love how the store is organized and they have great eye candy and inspiration everywhere.
Because they are "American Quilting" there is always great Americana quilting spotlighted in the store. I love the little Sunbonnet guys carrying flags. I'd love to make that sometime.
I zeroed in on the Lecien pretty fast. I limited myself to a couple fabrics. Hard to choose!
We went into the sale room and there was the Shop Hop fishing pond. Now I have wonderful memories of being a kid at the church bazaars and festivals with a fishing pole in my hand and fishing for little toys and prizes behind the blue cardboard screen. So I immediately grabbed a pole and started jumping up and down (well, nearly). Then I demanded Mr. Hive and Mason do the same thing. Hey! I knew they'd give me their prizes.
Look what I (we) won. Three really wonderful patterns from women I dearly love. A Holly Holderman pattern, a Leslie and Norma pattern and a pattern by Joyce. I was feeling very very lucky. And vintage candy came with the patterns. Mr. Hive got a "Big Hunk" which he promptly ate, of course. Amy knows how to throw a party.
The store was set-up and ready for Shop Hoppers. They had cutting stations everywhere. I love when a store gets my fabric cut fast. You can see that blue fabric is my sale piece and the others in front of it are mine, too.
I know it is a little early for Christmas but I loved seeing a little bit of Christmas displayed for Shop Hop. You just can't be too early for planning and creating lovely holiday things. There is something just really really sweet about these projects above.
Behind the cash register is this little display of mini quilts. Isn't that sweet? I was thinking that I need to recreate this somehow, somewhere in my home.
Before I left the store I snapped one more picture before dashing back to the car with a waiting Mr. Hive and Mason. This corner of the shop is so inviting. I love how Amy put the quilts in front of the window in a way to let the light still come through.

Sigh. Loved Shop Hop. Mason and Mr. Hive were pretty good company but you can't beat Lori. I'll have fabric to show later in the week. So stay tuned.

And!! ........ Drum roll. Yesterday I got a phone call from Debbie at the Quilting Cottage (see Shop Hop Part III). She said I WON their Shop Hop prize (stifled scream). It is a $100.00 gift certificate for fabric in their store. Holy Cow. This is my first Shop Hop win. And I'm so excited I wish that every day was a Shop Hop day. I will show what I get (of course) but I'm too excited to spend it at this point. I want to bask in the glow of dreaming about what fabric I could get.

-nanette

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Without Lori, Shop Hopping is just not the same. But still fun. I had a chance to dash into 3 more stores last week for a short stop. My first stop was Broadbent's in Lehi.
Broadbent's Quilting Chicks (their blog) are always fun to visit and ever helpful. I took a quilting question to Laurie and Laurel and of course they answered it fast. Thanks girls. Their Shop Hop quilt (above) is spectacular. Designed by Janice and sewn by Laurel, this is one unbelievable quilt. Look at all the detail. Look at the tiny pieces in the boarder. It is so amazing! As you can tell they were celebrating birthdays.
This corner of the shop showcases some of the amazing quilts made by the "chicks". They have so much talent there.
I loved the bags lining one side of the shop.
They have Emily's quilt in the corner by the door right next to the birthday tree. All shoppers wrote down their names and birth dates and tagged the tree.
I loved the little kitchen accessories hanging on the line above. As you can see, Broadbent's is also a General Store. But I think their quilt shop and fabrics are some of the best in Utah.
Next I went to see Suzanne, my old dear friend, at Quilting Cottage. Don't you love their welcome sign.
The thing I love the very most about Quilting Cottage is the selection of 30's. I never can leave without picking up at least a fat quarter or two. They have 30's I don't find anywhere else.
And it is always wonderful wonderful to enter a shop and see a quilt of mine hanging on the wall!
I could tell they put a lot of work into getting the shop all ready for the Hoppers. Every display was cute and fresh.

One more shop still to go!

-nanette

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