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!