Panels -- your key to fast holiday projects!

We have plenty of quilts and projects that we spend LOTS and LOTS of time on. But holiday projects? Usually not in that category. When it comes to the holidays, time is short and the sewing list is long.

That's why we love panels (like the two below that we have online and in the shop at 118 N. B St. in Livingston, Mont.). They can be a beautiful short cut for all kinds of quilts, wall hangings, table runners and other pieces.

But we've met many a quilter who's attracted to -- but totally stumped by -- panels. Some folks have a hard time envisioning how to design with a panel in mind. We found this great video tutorial from the wonderful Missouri Quilt Co. that walks you through how to plan a quilt around a panel. 

The tutorial also has neat tips for incorporating pre-cuts like charm packs.

If you need help with a panel project, come see us, we love to talk ideas! If you've got the ideas and just need the fabric, come on down and we'll point you right to the panels.

Sew sweet advent calendar

When we get to thinking about the holidays and the possibilities for projects, our little brains just get going a mile a minute. Stockings! Table runners! Garlands! Ornaments! Tree skirts! And on and on...

This month we'll be sharing a few of the fun ideas we're thinking about and highlighting the great fabrics we have online and in the shop (118 N. B St. in Livingston, Mont.) that would go well with those fabrics.

First in our list is this great advent calendar from the blog sewmamasew.com. You can find the tutorial for the project here.

This would be darling stuffed with little candies or tiny toys for kids and grandkids. For adults, you could tuck in dainty love notes or jot down memories of holidays past to fill the pockets.

We looked around the shop and thought the Celebrate the Season collection designed by Angela Anderson for Quilting Treasures would be so perfect for an advent calendar like this. The collection has two colorways:  the black and gold combo for a more modern, dramatic effect, or the red and silver palette for a lovely traditional feel.

Either collection would create a gorgeous advent calendar your family will treasure for many holiday seasons to come.

Two months till Christmas!

As our little quilt shop in Livingston, we're often inspired by the seasons and the calendar when it comes to choosing what projects to start next. We looked at the calendar recently and thought, "Whoa, it's just two months till Christmas!"

Many people don't start Christmas shopping till Christmas Eve. But with quilting, that's not exactly an option (although really, who hasn't stayed up later than they like to admit to get a project done in time?).

So consider this your friendly little reminder that if you have homemade projects on your to-give list this year, it's time to buckle down and get sewing.

We've got loads of cute ideas and great projects in the shop (118 N. B St.), like the picture below of this sweet panel that's designed to have Christmas lights put in it to add a little twinkle to your piece. So come on in if you need inspiration or a little nudge to get started on holiday gifts.

Pink ribbon quilts for October

October is breast cancer awareness month. We all know people who have had or have been effected by breast cancer.  And as women, breast cancer is certainly an awareness campaign that hits close to home.

The onset of October  got us to thinking about how women channel breast cancer awareness into their quilting and incorporate the pink ribbon that's become a symbol for the fight against breast cancer.

Some women quilt beautiful pieces as gifts for the survivors in their lives. Some create incredible quilts in honor of those they've lost to breast cancer. Others quilt as a form of therapy and creative release while they themselves are  fighting cancer. 

We put together a Pinterest board of some of the gorgeous pink ribbon quilts we found., like the one pictured below from overbrookquilts.com. Just seeing these has us looking at all the pink ribbon fabric we have in the shop in a new way ‑- a new very meaningful and empowering way.

The next time you see the fighter or survivor in your life, give her a hug. Then give her a second hug and tell her that one's from us and that we're cheering for her.

In LOVE with Pinterest

Are you a Pinner? If you're not already on Pinterest, go sign up now! 

Pinterest is basically a digital bulletin board for "pinning" ideas for quilts, sewing projects, crafts and just about anything else you can imagine. It certainly doesn't replace coming into the shop and wondering around aisles of fabrics you can actually see and touch, but it is a great way to collect all kinds of inspiration.

We love that Pinterest melds a time-honored art and craft like quilting with modern technology. For example, you could search "Civil War quilts" and come up with hundreds of stunning photos of quilt patterns, color schemes and techniques. You simply pin those ideas you like best  to a digital board. Then when you come into the shop, you can pull up your Pinterest boards on your mobile device, like your iPad or smartphone. That way you have your ideas right in your hand as you shop for just the right fabrics. It sure beats carrying around magazine clippings that are easily lost or torn.

You can see what we're pinning by heading directly to our Pinterest page! You'll see pins of things we've made (like this quilt below), things we want to make, fabrics we love, and more.

Almost quilt show time!

Next weekend is the Livingston quilt guild's annual show, and we're so excited!

The Peace by Piece Quilt guild holds its show at the Park County Fairgrounds next Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11 and 12. The entry fee is $2. Click here for show times and details.

We'll have a booth at the show, including a display of some of our Pfaff sewing machines.

We can't wait to see what folks have been working on in the past year since the last show. We see so many of our local quilters in the shop frequently, but we don't always get to see their finished projects. So the guild show is a neat way to check out what our friends and neighbors have put together. This show always offers plenty of inspiration, color and fun.

You'll also see at the show the incredible quilt the guild is raffling off. We had this beauty displayed in the shop for a while, and we just loved having the chance to show display it.

Check out the show, then swing by the shop (118 N. B St.) while new idea are fresh in your mind!

In love with Civil War-era quilts

Gordy Ann, owner of Thimbelina's Quilt Shop (118 N. B St., Livingston, Mont.) has a soft spot for Civil War-era quilts, patterns, fabrics and colorways. So you can be sure that whenever you stop by the shop, we'll have some beautiful projects to show off and many great fabrics you can take home for your own Civil War quilts.

We happened to find this neat blog, Civil War Quilts. The author, Barbara Brackman, shares neat bits of history she finds that go along with quilts made during the Civil War.

Her blog is a great place to find inspiration for your Civil War quilts while also learning about that unique time in American history. The photos below come from Barbara's blog.

Bust it, don't stash it

Fabric leftovers pile up, no matter your good intentions. Creating quilts from your scraps is always a great way to cut down on the piles (and gives you a good excuse to head over to Thimbelina's to replenish your stock!).

Many scrap patterns call for whole quilts of similarly hued bits and pieces. These look just lovely, but wow, do they require a lot of sorting through your stash! Especially if you don't store or organize your leftovers by color. Sometimes, going wild with random colors and patterns is the best way to bust a stash fast.

We found these fun, crazy colorful blocks made by Piecemeal Quilts on photo sharing site Flickr. Forget color wheels and rules about symmetry or combining patterns. We love that this quilter just went for it, and came up with blocks that will pull together into a fun, playful project.

Now where did I put that?

At the quilt shop (118 N. B Street in Livingston, Mont.), we've got loads of shelves, racks and to keep us organized so quilters can easily find what they're looking for an discover other fun stuff. But staying organized at home? That's a challenge for anybody.

Most sewing folks don't have huge spaces to work with. And even if you do, can you ever have too much storage?

We're always on the lookout for clever storage and organizing solutions. We came across this and had to share. These ideas from Apartment Therapy are so neat and so pretty they almost makes us want to put our latest projects on hold and go home to organize instead.

These lovely pictures come from Apartment Therapy. Follow the link to find more of the site's cool ideas.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-ways-to-store-fabric-in-your-home-office-or-craft-room-191200

Halloween is in the air

At least in the shop it is! We have so many adorable Halloween fabrics in the quilt shop (118 N. B St. in Livingston, Mont.) that we can't help but think of fall projects.

Of course there are always quilts, but this panel we have in the shop would be darling to use as a table runner or as a door hanging for the front door to greet trick or treaters. We've also got many cute prints that would be perfect for candy bags. Or what about some festive bunting  to string across the front porch rail?

So many ideas, so much fabric, so little time!

Bust those scraps, bind that quilt

If you're like us, you've got mounds of scraps. There are always great projects for using them up, but so many of them are time intensive with all the tiny pieces, or they require buying more fabric. What's a quilter to do?

Scrappy binding is a great, simple way to use up your leftovers. Start with what you've got left from the project you need to bind, then scrounge up the remaining fabric from your stash. Plus, a scrappy binding adds a little bit of fun to the edge of your quilt.

                                                                          

If you've never made a scrappy binding before, check out this tutorial from Pat Sloan, who blogs at http://blog.patsloan.com/. The above photo comes from Pat's blog.

Quilts for sale!

We make so many quilts around here, that sometimes we realize it's time to clear them out and free up space in the shop (located at 118 N. B St. in Livingston, Mont.). So we're putting some up for sale!

We've got a range of ready-to-go pieces, from kids' quilts to seasonal projects. We love this Mr. Potato Head quilt, but it's time for him to go to someone who's got a little more room than we do. And we've got a whole pile of other beautiful projects in need of new homes.

                                                                            

Stop by the shop and see what we've got!

Style in the kitchen

Each year Thimbelina's Quilt Shop sponsors an apron contest at the Park County Fair. It's just a fun way to encourage people to sew and get their creative juices flowing. Each year we love seeing what people have come up with.

Check out this year's entries from the recent fair! We were delighted by the blue-ribbon entry of a mommy-and-me set of aprons from Julie LaDuke.

Need a fast and fun baby gift?

It seems like there's always some kind of baby gift that needs giving (and that means making it!). But you don't always have time for a full quilt even if you have good intentions of doing so, right? The decorated onesie is your go-to gift.

We found this great tutorial on making an embellished onesie from Lauren, who blogs at www.thinkingcloset.com. You can find the tutorial here. 

This photo comes from www.thinkingcloset.com.

This project is also a great way to use up fabric scraps. And of course, if you do have extra time, you could always make a cute, simple quilt to bundle with that onesie for a gift.  

Guess how cute this fabric is...

Down at the shop (118 N. B St. in Livingston, Mont.), we recently got in the Guess how Much I Love You fabric. So cute! And so fuzzy and snuggly.

If you're not familiar with this darling kids' book, go out and read it right now. It's by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram. The story is sweet and the drawings are beautiful. We love the idea of pairing this book with a soft, cuddly blanket made out of this material for a baby shower gift or a birthday present for a little one. Or, this fuzzy fabric makes a great backing no matter what the quilt top is. 

Color makes the difference

Around here, we're always looking for ways to make quilts really pop. And one of our favorite trick is to use variegated thread — you know, the thread that changes colors along its length, perhaps starting with dark purple and fading to light pink.

Whether you're hand quilting or machine quilting, variegated thread is such a neat (and easy!) way to add a little special touch. It often gives the quilting a sense of movement and life because different areas of the thread will show up more depending on their contrast with the fabric. It's a bit hard to see in the picture below, but this quilt uses thread that changes color and it just gives the top a fun bit of quirkiness on top of the cute giraffe-pattern quilting.

We have variegated thread available in the shop in a rainbow of colors. You can pick up a spool for quilting at home, or you can choose a thread for us to use on your quilt that we're finishing for you on our long arm quilter. So the next time you're thinking about thread for quilting, try out a variegated option for some neat color.

Go Griz!

This weekend a local customer and her daughters stopped in looking for some fabric for a quilt they had with them. Sandra's project was so clever that we just had to share it here.

Sandra has two daughters who go to the University of Montana and one who plans to attend once she finishes high school. With a house full of Griz fans, they end up with plenty of shirts, shorts and pants bearing the UM mascot and logo. So she created a quilt for each girl out of the clothing items.

When she needed extras to round out the quilts, she found more shirts at a thrift store in Missoula that sorts items by color, making Griz gear easy to find. Sandra plans to finish the quilts with fabric borders that coordinate with the UM colors.

We love that Sandra's project makes use out of the great memento shirts and sweats that pile up during college. You hate to throw them away since they have so much sentimental value, but how many shirts can you really keep? Sandra's quilts mean her girls get to keep the memories without having to devote precious closet space to them! 

Nothing says July 4th like red, white and blue projects

Holidays are always such a good source of inspiration for new projects. They're also a great justification for picking up "just a little bit" of new fabric, right? After all, you wouldn't want to miss out on a chance to be festive by making a little cute something!

We have a bunch of darling 4th-inspired projects, and their patterns, on display at the shop. Going to a BBQ? Check out our star-spangled cloth bowl cover. You can see the blue cover on the red bowl toward the back left of the table pictured below. This topper has elastic at the bottom, so just slip it over your potato salad to keep the flies off. So much prettier and more festive than boring old plastic wrap.

We also love the sweet Britta Hoopster Basket pattern by Hemma Design. How cute would this be for toting rolls or homemade bread to a picnic?

Add a patriotic casserole cover, some placemats and table runners (all of which we have patterns for), and it's beginning to look like we've got potlucks on the brain around here.

Even if  you missed the window for getting projects done in time for this year's Independence Day, you can always stop by the shop (Thimbelina's Quilt Shop, 118 North B St. in Livingston, Mont.) and grab some of our red, white and blue fabric for next year.

Happy 4th of July!

What will you show off?

For many quilters, projects take a back seat to the outdoors during Montana's beautiful summers. But it's time to start thinking about what to enter (or make!) for the annual autumn Peace by Piece Quilt Guild show.

Here's the fun hat quilt Gordy Ann entered in the 2012 show.

This year's show is Oct. 11 and 12 at the Park County, Mont., fairgrounds. Peace by Piece is the guild that serves Livingston, Mont., and surrounding areas. The annual show is such a wonderful opportunity to get out and see what folks have been working on in the past year. Colors, patterns, techniques -- you'll get more ideas than you know what to do with!

The 2014 show has lots of fun categories: kids, holiday, modern, vintage, and even one for "man cave quilts." Head over to the guild's show page for all the details on categories.

If you need inspiration for what to enter or what to start working on, check out the guild's photogalleries. And don't be shy about brining your works in progress by the shop. We love to see what you're sewing! Thimbelina's Quilt Shop is located in downtown Livingston at 118 North B St.

We'll have more details about the show, including the really neat raffle quilt that's on display now in the shop, in upcoming blog posts.

Hang your quilts in style

Look at these beautiful quilt hangers we have in the shop, handmade by a local woodworker! Joe King of Livingston brought these in to us and we recently began carrying them. Joe crafts these quilt hangers out of various types of wood (alder, oak, cedar, etc.).

They are the perfect way to display your wall hangings without having to attach hang loops or worry about putting holes in you works of art by using pins. Just slip the quilt under the top bar and the little knobs secure it in place.

Joe's hangers are available in a range of sizes from 30 inches to 72 inches. They cost $1 per inch.

These hangers also make great gifts for the quilter in your life!

Solstice by Kate Spain

We are so excited about this pattern and fabric collection that we have in the shop now and online that we just had to share it here. 

Kate Spain (we love her designs!) partnered with Moda for this gorgeous collection. There's just something about the way the white in the fabrics sets off the crisp reds and greens that makes it feel really fresh and ripe for summer projects.

We also have the pattern that Kate Spain and Moda released to highlight this great collection. It makes a 68x68 inch square top. The pattern uses five different blocks set off by borders that really make the bright colors pop.

If you need a summer project, put this one on your "to quilt" list!

Mystery quilt class, coming right up!

We still have some spaces available for our mystery quilt class on Saturday, June 28. Choose your fabrics from three lovely colorways, then watch to see how they all come together.

Click here to find details on how to sign up. 

Frog and Toad Together, at Thimbelina's!

Remember the great Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel? Clothworks Fabrics has a new Frog and Toad collection featuring those two little guys, and the fabrics are just darling.

We've got them in the shop (118 N. B Street in Livingston, MT, near Spirits liquor store) and in our online store).

These prints have us thinking about all kinds of cute presents for babies or kiddos: bibs, changing pads, burp cloths, bags to hold library books, wall hangings for the nursery, etc. And of course, a kid-sized quilt paired with one of the Frog and Toad books as a great little gift set.

Be sure to check out the Frog and Toad Together panel. It would make a nice centerpiece for a fast, simple quilt. Or cut out the little blocks and use them as appliqués for different items for baby or kiddo.

Sign up now: Mystery quilt class!

 We're hosting a super fun, very easy mystery quilt class at Thimbelina's on Saturday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The "mystery" is that while you'll know what fabrics you're using, you won't know what the pattern is or how it all goes together until it's done! You will finish the quilt top during the class. Who doesn't love a top you can finish in a day? Julie LaDuke will teach this fun class. Fabrics are offered in three colorways.

This is a beginner-friendly class. You don't have to have quilting experience, just be familiar with operating a sewing machine. If you don't have a machine, we have a few at the shop you're welcome to use. Experienced quilters looking for a fun project are welcome, too.

Perks of this class include:

* fabrics are already chosen -- so no stressing about color and print choices

* pieces are pre-cut, so all you have to do is sew

* the finished top is 70x79 inches, very manageable for novice quilters

We have room for eight people. Call the shop at 406-222-5904 or stop in to sign up by June 26. The class costs $75, which includes all the fabric. You will pick your color choice and thread when you sign up. The day of, come prepared with your scissors and pins.

Shop dog!

Where there's a quilt, there's a Tilda...

We just couldn't resist sharing this cute shot of our quilt shop pup, Tilda. As you can tell by the photo, if there's a quilt around, Tilda probably wants to be on it. Tilda joins us pretty much every day in our shop in downtown Livingston, Mont. She greets customers, keeps the chairs warm for us and tries to catch naps wherever she can.

Bright and bold

Check out this great quilt!

We used a pattern called Shenandoah, which we have available in the shop. We love that this pattern highlights bright, bold fabrics. It really puts the emphasis on graphic prints that so many fabric designers are featuring these days.

This project comes together fast since the pieces are large. The original pattern calls for the patterned panels to be all of the same fabric, but we went with a few different patterns. We also deviated from the pattern by adding a patterned border and two colors of backgrounds rather than using all the same color like Shenandoah calls for.

If you're looking for a fast, easy quilt that picks up on bold fabrics, come into the shop to pick up Shenandoah and browse through our many modern, graphic prints. Or pick up the quilt kit we've put together with these fabrics.