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.