Lots of Topics...

I hope you all have had a blast as we have these last few weeks. Between the Retreat last weekend, the many shows we've been to, the new friends we've met through the Shop Hop and all of the wonderful pillowcases we've seen - needless to say it has truly been a whirlwind of a month or so.



As far as the Retreat goes, I do believe many projects were completed or at least moved up in the pile of things to do, so good progress was made. The ladies had way too much fun and lots of new friends and connections were made, so I think that is best of all. Everytime I called to touch base with Beth, all I could hear in the background was giggling, I think that's a good sign.



We have just been astonished at the amount of you ladies participating in the Steppin' Out Quilt Tour. As of tonight, we have had 6 people register at our shop for the Grand Prize. That means that they have visited all 13 shops in the last two weeks. If you still would like to join the Shop Hop, you can. Even if you cannot make it to all of the shops, it might just be worth it. For every shop you do visit between now and October 31st, you still get entered into the individual shop's basket drawings if you make a purchase at their store. You never know if you might win the prize. Just to remind all of you, due to the Shop Hop's schedule we will be open from 9-6 tomorrow the 24th and next Saturday the 31st. After those days we will resume our normal hours on Saturdays from 10-4. Our hours during the week are the same. If you'd like more information on the Shop Hop including the list and map of all participating shops visit their website here.



And just for a quick update on the pillowcase project for ConKerr Cancer: I counted this week just how many pillowcases we have thus far. I couldn't believe it - I don't think you're going to believe it - but I'll tell you anyway. As of this moment we currently for the month of October have 201 pillowcases at the shop. Thank you to all who have donated and wish to donate. We are completely blown away by the generosity of our customers and friends. Thank you all again and we received a very nice card from the NE Ohio Chapter Coordinator for ConKerr Cancer that I believe will touch many of your hearts. Thank you sooooo soooo much and remember we will be doing the monthly drawing the 2nd of November. Check here to see if you're the lucky winner!



We received new fabrics this week. This is Wiscasset by Minnick and Simpson for Moda. Just yummy - there is just no other way to put it. If you have scraps left or pieces from past Minnick & Simpson lines, these will work together with those other pieces. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

I know we've done some projects with this line before, but we still have free patterns and fabrics available to make this adorable child's quilt from the Animal Party fabrics. This panel might not last much longer so come in the shop and pick one up or come see us next weekend at Wildwood Quilt Guild's show at the Mentor Senior Center on Sunday. PS For more information on the Wildwood Show give us a call or leave us a comment and we'll e-mail you back ASAP.

And last but definitely not least: Becky's first pattern has been printed and will be at the shop on Monday afternoon!!! To check more out about her fun little new business and all that's happening in that part of the world check out her blog here. More to come on that subject later, but check back here shortly on all updates in all aspects of the quilt shop. Talk soon!

Hi again! First and foremost we would like to thank all of the generous and wonderful people in our community that have graciously donated pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. We recieved this postcard in the mail the other day, I know the picture is a bit blurry, but you get the idea. This was a kind and sweet reminder from Cindy Kerr, the founder of ConKerr Cancer, that what this foundation has done just so far has helped over 100,000 children and counting. We were shocked with our first month's response, but only being halfway through the second month, you ladies have just blown us away. Our first month we received 27 pillowcases. So far this month I believe we are close to 60. Thank you all so much!

Remember Animal Party that we showed you a few weeks ago. We just made this adorable Yellow Brick Road this week out of the fabrics from Animal Party. We have kits available for the same Yellow Brick Road (baby size) at the shop. Stop in and pick one up!

Alright, to the updates of new arrivals. Some of this you knew about, some you didn't. Let's get to it. This first group is the new Boyscout fabric by Robert Kaufman. Perfect fabrics for the Boyscout in your life.

Next is Caffiene Cafe. This fabric also arrived with a free pattern for an adorable apron. I can see some aprons, maybe some valances, maybe even a tablerunner or two out of this line in the near future. Christmas is coming and what a better gift for the coffee lover in your family?! You could make a tabletopper and wrap up a mug and a bag of coffee and some biscoti. Just an idea...

Okey dokey, this is Blessings by Brannock and Patek for Moda. I told you in the last post it was coming soon and like magic it just appeared a few hours later. I think Beth already has plans for this one brewing in her head.

This is it! This is Stafford County by Jo Morton if you haven't checked out the swatch page on Andover Fabrics website. This is what is left and it is sooooo scrumptious. Come in and grab what you want, there are already a few bolts that are gone. We also have made a few Fat Quarter packs of the entire line, all 27 prints. Those also are few and getting fewer. Come and get it!

Just real quick...

I can't talk long, just a little chat. We are so busy lately between shows - figuring out what we have left, figuring out what we need for the next show - and most importantly, figuring out when we need to be there.

Beth is down this weekend today (Friday 10-8) and tomorrow (Saturday 10-5) at the Streetsboro Quilt Guild Show at the Faith Baptist Church located at 9890 State Route 43 in Streetsboro. This is a great show and will be sure to please. Go over and visit Beth and see all of the other vendors - it'll keep you dry in this lovely Northeast Ohio weather!

Alright and the drum roll please..................The winner of our first monthly drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate for donating pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer is...............Kathy Gornichec! Congrats Kathy and thank you to all who have donated so far. We have had such a tremendous response since we started receiving donations. Our first month was incredible and the second month started out with a bang. Yesterday one of the local Quilt Guilds dropped off 19 finished pillowcases and are bringing more up once they're done. Thank you again, you don't know how much this means to us and the kids that receive your donations! And just remember we are doing this from now until forever. Unfortunately, this is something that is always needed and we will be glad to help you out and take in your donations. Also, all of the pillowcases donated to our shop will stay local and go to Cleveland Clinic, Akron General Children's Hospital and Rainbow Babies Children's Hospital.

And last but not least, sorry I do not have a picture for you, but the latest line by Jo Morton has just arrived. Stafford County is absolutely gorgeous and we cannot stop thinking up a list of projects to make out of this one. If you would like to see a sneak peek of the line, and we have a bunch of it, go to Andover's website here. Scroll down about halfway and look for the title Stafford County by Jo Morton. I really don't see this line lasting long, so come in and get it before it's gone. As one of my favorite signs reads: If you don't buy it today, it may not be here tomorrow. Okay, we're off to shows and Becky will be at the shop preparing kits and holding down the fort, so stop in, give us a call, or e-mail us if you need anything or even if you just want to chat.

Happy Quilting! Stay dry out there in this lovely weather!

New Fabrics Have Arrived!

Alright, these are the fabrics that I told you about last week. I'm sorry I didn't put them up sooner, but I have been quilting up a storm when I wasn't preparing for our show this weekend.

This first batch is Gobble Gobble by Sandy Gervais. We are working on a few projects out of this line from Anka's Treasures Sizzlin' Sixties book. Check out the store next time you're in, we'll either be working on them or hopefull we'll have them done and hanging up.





This line is called Millie's Garden. The colors are so vibrant and cozy feeling. It's the perfect focus fabric for your next project whether you choose the blue or pink colors - or both.




Let me introduce you to Animal Party. Full of adorable creatures big and small and the cutest panel and monkeys. This line will make a cute quilt for the little guy in your life. We have created a small quilt using this panel and coordinating fabrics. I'll have pictures once it gets back from the show.

These are the most b-e-a-utiful batiks we've had. Some of these incorporate a new technique in the line called Chop Chop. What this technique does is puts the fabric through the dyeing process twice creating color combinations that were never available before. You can kinda see this in the 2nd and 3rd bolts from the right, but for a better look, come in the shop and check them out for yourself. We don't see these fabrics lasting long.

An adorable panel of 30's fabrics dresses is the feature in the Sweet Pea line. With a couple coordinating fabrics, this line is cute just using the panel as a quilt, or mixing it up with other cute 30's prints.

Are you hungry yet? You will be when you feast your eyes upon the Girl Scout Cookie fabric that arrived. Complete with Tagalongs, Samoas, and Thin Mints this fabric has it all. Make your little Girl Scout a pillowcase or some pajama pants out of these fabrics to match their quilt.

Okay, we'll be at the shop and at the Cascade Quilt Guild Show tomorrow in Bath, Ohio. Come see us at either location and we'll help you either finish your projects or start another. You can never have too many (says the person that has atleast 15 projects currently going on! ooooppps). Atleast it keeps me out of trouble for the time being.

We'll post more pictures soon and show you some of what we have been spending our creative hours on lately. See you soon at the shows! If you have any questions on upcoming shows either call us, stop in, or check our website for more information. Off to hand quilt some more. I'm working on getting one project done. Let me know if I can help you finish yours!

Ready for a nap

We're ready for a nap, but it's for a good cause. Here's the scoop - We have just teamed up with ConKerr Cancer to make pillowcases. ConKerr Cancer is an organization that helps make hospital stays as pleasant as possible for children who are sick with cancer or other serious illnesses. ConKerr Cancer began when the founder, Cindy Kerr, took her son to the hospital for long stays and made him bright fun pillowcases to brighten his room. Soon after she began making pillowcases for the other sick children in the hospital and it grew from there - rapidly. Now ConKerr Cancer has chapters nationwide and is expanding globally.




We are now a drop off location for standard size pillowcases for children of all ages - even teenagers. All pillowcases dropped at our location will be kept within the area at Rainbow Babies Children's Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, and Akron Children's Hospital. Instructions to make a standard size pillowcase can either be picked up at our shop or found online at ConKerr Cancer's How To Help page. Unfortunately pillowcases are always needed, but remember that donations will be taken from now until forever.




What we will do for all of our generous customers and neighbors is this - for each donation made to the shop we will put your name into a drawing. Monthly we will pull a name and donate a $25 gift certificate to one lucky person. If you would like to donate but don't have the time to sew, other donations can be make to ConKerr Cancer if you visit their website by clicking here. Also, not all pillowcases have to be sewn. No sew polar fleece pillowcase instructions can be found on their website here. For more information stop in and pick up a brochure or visit the ConKerr Cancer website here.







Moving on... or moving around. On our last post we showed a glimpse into how the store layout was changing. We've continued that slightly and here's another sneek peek. It's still a work in progress, but come in and let us know what you think. I was told by a little bird there might even be goodies and coffee for taste testing in the near future!






Since we have moved the store around a bit the classroom is no longer where it was and it's purpose has changed into more of a multi purpose room. We're still going to have classes but it now has a really comfy chair and ottoman, a rocker, and a beautiful antique hoosier cabinet in it too. What we are planning to do since we are here six days a week and we understand life happens and schedules get hectic, our space is open to you. What I mean is this - If you and a friend want to come and just sew your hearts out in our space, call us and reserve the spot. If you are having a hard time with a technique or just want to sew with other people around, come on in! Or if you are interested in a class but your schedule just can't fit it in, call us and we can sit with you one on one. We understand sometimes space can be a premium that your house doesn't allow or another opinion can make you feel at ease. Come join us and just have fun!



We are getting ready to begin our Fall Show Extravaganza! We are at several shows in the upcoming weeks - here, there and everywhere! For an updated list of the shows we will be attending as well as directions and other vital information, visit our website On The Road page. If you have any other questions about where to stay eat or other attractions to see, call us or e-mail us and we will try our best to help you out.


Oh, I almost forgot to mention - the details are still being worked out, but we are part of the Stepping Out Quilt Tour (Shop Hop) next month. It will run from October 12th through October 31st, three solid weeks to visit 13 different shops across Northern Ohio. More details will come soon, I promise. If you have any questions, check back soon and if that doesn't help give us a call!



We hope you all had a nice holiday weekend and you'll stop in and say hi! Come see us and the wonderful new things we have in store for you. And let me tell you, we have many new and wonderful things in store. Just this afternoon 23 delicious bolts arrived of batiks and Girl Scout Fabric. I will take pictures of those and other goodies that arrived last week and post them all here soon. If you can't wait, just stop in and see them for yourself! Gotta go, happy quilting!

Missed you much!

Alright, I know it's been awhile and we have alot of catching up to do. So sorry it's been a crazy month and once you read on I'm sure you'll see why.



First things first: The winner of the Nine Patch Challenge is Mary Lou Atkinson with Number 2. Congratulations and next January be on the lookout for another challenge quilt. What'll it be this year? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.



Okay, moving on. We (meaning Donna) rearranged the store recently and some more changes will be coming in the near future. Just for a sneek peek this is some of what you'll see when you walk through the door. Come for a visit and see the total transformation as it's happening. That's all I'm telling you on that for now, like I said: More to come later.








Some new fabrics have come in lately. More should be coming soon. Oh, and before I forget, the first of many Bali Pops by Hoffman Fabrics have arrived. More should be here any day now. The fabrics below are another goodie from Studio E called Deja Brew. For all the coffe lovers out there, this fabric line is truly delicious. Also, the stock of gorgeous Black and White fabrics has been replenished with some beautiful pieces. There are just too many choices now, I can't decide which to piece with first.

And to Patty and Halle, I'm so sorry it took awhile, but the two ladies took our Crazy Curves class awhile ago with Carol Chenoweth and these would be the results of their class time. The pictures do not do the quilts and fabrics justice at all, but I can assure you the ladies did a wonderful job with their first curved piecing and they did it in a flash! The earth toned one is Patty's and yes that is Halle posing with rollers in her hair next to her bright and fun quilt. For more information on any of our upcoming classes like this one, check our website here .

Okey dokey, I think that covers everything since the last post. Sorry again and I hope you missed us as much as we missed talking to you. Oh, and a big thank you to all of you who voted for the Challenge quilts. The ladies did a wonderful job! Check back soon for more updates, I promise there will be another one soon! Have a wonderful day and come see us soon!

Get Your Votes In!

Alright, Here they are! We have six entries into our Nine Patch Challenge. The voting begins immediately and runs through the end of the month. The quilts below are numbered, so you can either leave us a comment, e-mail us at cottonpickersquiltshop@gmail.com, or call us at 440-428-6449 to cast your vote. The voting is open to anyone who wishes to: your husband, your kids, your neighbor - we're not picky. Just let us know and we will tally all the votes and have the winner announcement on August 15th.

Quilt #1

Quilt #2

Quilt #3

Quilt #4

Quilt #5

Quilt #6

And as mentioned in our previous post, we're going to collect your favorite recipes. Just to share, nothing big. It's prime picnic season and we wanted to know what your favorite potluck/picnic foods are. Sometimes it is just too difficult thinking of a dish to take without using the same one you've used for everyother event. Becky's favorites are the staples like macaroni salad and potato salad and pasta salad (noticing a trend here - like carbs!) and Beth's are potato casserole and better than sex cake. We'll think hard to pick a favorite and post the recipe soon. Just leave us a comment of your favorites and maybe you'll discover a new dish to try.

Okay, off to work on more projects. They tend to multiply around here while we're not looking. Happy quilting and cast your votes. Remember you have until the end of the month!