Civil War Kits!

 

We know from visitors in our shop and messages from Facebook that many of you pick Civil War quilts as your favorite. We recently had a new quilter in the store who was asking about the significance of quilting in the Civil War era - so today we are sharing just a few tidbits about the era. (...and the history is SO vast that we just picked a few basic facts...)

Many of you know that quilts were used as maps and/or messages for those traveling north for freedom. Quilts were displayed in strategic places along the Underground Railroad so that travelers knew they were still on the right track.

Quilts were also one of the first ways women in America created income for their families! They would take large quilts and cut them apart so they could be resewn or quilted into several smaller cot-sized quilts and sold at local fairs. This provided quilts for soldiers who were lacking necessary supplies while the women were able to earn money so they could provide food, shelter, and protection for their children and loved ones.

One website we visited mentioned that this experience of making quilts in order to earn money was one of the greatest confidence builders that eventually gave women the courage to stand up for their right to vote! 

If you do a quick google search you will come across so many great websites that provide more facts and stories about the significance of quilts during the Civil War.

In the meantime here are some beautiful kits so you can make your own little piece of history!

Amalie Crosses and Losses Quilt Kit

Amalie Log Cabin Quilt Kit

 What is your favorite Civil War Quilt Story? Have you made a Civil War Quilt?

~QBTB

 

Civil War Kits!

Fun at the Beach!

Love the beach but can't visit it as often as you would like?

 

Then we have the perfect Block of the Month for you!

 

Beach Walk, designed by McKenna Ryan of Pine Needles Designs, starts in October 2010 - you still have time to sign up before it ships out on the 14th! This BOM is 10 months and even includes all of your embellishments! (Finished size is 58" x 72")

We just love this quilt because it is very reminiscent of our beautiful beaches here in Panama City and the rest of the Florida Panhandle. 

...this quilt will make you want to come visit us - that would just be too much fun! We think you should come for one of our retreats! Don't forget about our Retreat in January and then Judy Niemeyer comes to visit in February!

 

Hope you enjoy this quilt and we hope you are able to visit our store!

Happy Quilting,

QBTB

Fun at the Beach!

Baby Quilts!

Have you ever noticed that women "oooooh and ahhh" over two specific things without fail...

Babies and Quilts!

It isn't often that we get to see cute little babies in the store here but when we do every single one of us goes gaga and wants to hold the baby, see the cute little outfit, check out the neat stroller that does everything except buy your groceries...and then we "oooooh and ahhhhh"over the baby quilt!

It is just so special to make a quilt for a little one - weather it is your child, you grandchild, a godchild or a family friend a quilt is a gift that will stay with the child forever and always keep them comfort.

So today is adorable baby quilt day!

Get ready ladies, to Oooooh and Ahhhhhh!

Noah's Journey Kit includes panel, 1 yard of coordinating fabric for back and binding and Quilter's Dream Angel batting.
A quick and easy project-just put the layers together, flip and sew.

Quilter's Dream Angel batting is made with 100% flame retardant fibers. The fibers are designed no to melt or flow when in contact with flame. Perfect for baby and child-sized quilts. Dream Angel is breathable and has a wonderful natural look and feel. Heavenly for both hand and machine quilting. 

 

...And for the little ones who want something to hold onto and use during "nap time" we suggest Shapes and Shades Boy Quilt Kit and Shapes and Shades Girl Quilt Kit!

These quilts finish 46" x 65" so the little one can take this with them as they grow older and begin traveling or staying over with friends. The best part? It was made for them with love!

Through September 30th you can use your 15% off coupon for one quilt kit - just enter your coupon book number in the comments section when you order online!

Happy Quilting!

QBTB

Baby Quilts!

Tumbler Quilt!

Remember this song? "Thank you for being a friend" by Andrew Gold - it is perfect for National Friendship Month! Click Here to have a listen...we probably all think of the Golden Girls when we hear it now...
but in 1978 this was popular!

What kit are we featuring today? A quick, easy Tumbler Quilt Kit!
You can sing along to some good music and quilt all day with this
done in a day quilt! It is so cheerful and happy!

Enjoy the song and the quilt!

-QBTB

Tumbler Quilt!

Kit Week and Friendship!

Did you remember that if you have our coupon book you get any kit 15% off through the end of September?! ...And we have 90 kits online to pick from!

As part of National Friendship Month we are going to showcase a kit each day that is fun and easy to do while you are quilting with friends!

Scrabble Jack is one of our all time favorites! What makes him so cute? His finishing kit includes scrabble letters that say "Happy Fall Yall" - and those are his Jack-o-Lantern teeth! This looks great hanging on a wall in your home - it is a great way to welcome your guests during the Halloween and Thanksgiving season!

And for your table top... a Log Cabin Pumpkin Table Topper Kit! This is perfect for your table setting with a vase full of beautiful fall flowers or a cornucopia at Thanksgiving!

And for your radio/ipod/listening pleasure...and oldie but a goodie - a song about friendship! Click Here to listen to "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor. This is Taylor's only #1 pop single and it dates back to 1971...was this one of your favorites back then?

Happy Quilting,

QBTB

Kit Week and Friendship!

Football or Quilting? ...or both!

So most of America is either at a football game or watching a football game today...

...if you are a huge football fan or surrounded by football fans here are some fabrics for you!

Go team!

~QBTB

Football or Quilting? ...or both!

Quick Quilted Gifts!

How many of you are starting to get ready for Christmas? Have any gifts made yet? We were just talking at the store about having extra gifts ready to go because you never know who will stop in or who you may need a hostess gift for during the holiday season.

Last year we all made lots of these Hot Stuff Oven Mitts and everyone loved them! We kept a few extra in the house to use throughout the year - again, you never know when you need a great hostess gift!

 

You can also get your kids or grandkids invovled in the kitchen for help with all of the holiday meals by making them their own special oven mitts! How special will they feel if they have their own kitchen tools? 

We have a few great fabrics that the younger ones will love...like Dr Seuss and A Dogs Life!

Want to make them elegant for your friends?

Try Aster Manor...when people come in the store they always always always love this line!

Let us know what you are planning for quick Christmas gifts this year - everyone would love to hear more ideas!

Happy Quilting,

QBTB

Quick Quilted Gifts!

Frienship Gifts!

We are loving National Friendship Month! Are You?!

Today is the day to pick out something sweet and little to make for your Best Friend!

It is easy, won't take long, and your friend will just love it!

It is the cutest little wallet with Velcro strap closure, 12-place credit card holder, zippered coin purse, cash and cehck compartments, and miscellaneous Velcro pouch. Finished dimensions: 4.5" x 8".

This would look so cute in one of our new fabrics, Daisy Doodle! 

Or an oldie but a goodie, Metro Blue!

What is the best quilted gift you have given a friend?

Happy Quiliting,

QBTB

Frienship Gifts!

Friendship Quilt

Friendship and quilting go hand in hand. If we have said it once we have said it a million times - quilting with friends is a true blessing.

Today we want to celebrate National Friendship and National Sewing Month by making a friendship quilt!

We picked one that is super simple and easy - you can of course pick any quilt. What is great about this quilt kit is that there is space for a sweet friendship note in one of the white squares. You could even get your whole quilt group to sign the quilt and present it to someone for their birthday! The color choices for this kit are Red, Lime, Pink, or Yellow and finishes 82" x 99". This is the Turning Twenty Simply Sashed pattern.
The ideas are endless but the gift of a quilt from a friend is always treasured. You could always go on and start this for a Christmas gift! Or you could schedule a fun quilt day and all work together to make the quilt!


What are you working on right now? Have you started making any Christmas gifts yet?

~QBTB

Friendship Quilt

Share your love of Quilting!

Two great things today - National Friendship and National Sewing Month Continue. Oh yeah, it is still National Literacy Month and if you have our coupon book you buy one book get one half off through the end of Saturday the 11th.

Such a busy month!

Our great idea today is to find a friend who doesn't sew or quilt and teach them! Not all of us are lucky enough to have this passion for quilting...yet...so plan an afternoon with a friend who wants to learn more about quilting and "wooo" them into our wonderful world! ...we think starting by showing them our website and our Facebook page is a great way to start. Why? Because they will be inspired by all of their options and realize how large the quilting community really is!

So, what book would be good for them as they learn to quilt?

We have several to choose from and here are four that we think will really get them started on the right track!

Why these four books? They all have easy to read directions, take you step by step, and incorporate modern techniques and tools into the process. Start Quilting Alex Anderson may be appealing because your friend may have already heard of Alex since she has a TV presence. 

In any case, once you have the book you need the fabric! You can always share your stash with your friend...but we all know it is hard to part with our stash. It is there for that one project you are surely going to come across...right?!? 

So, if you need to create a stash for your friend here are a few beautiful starters!

...and invite your friend to join to the fun on Facebook! They can always post a question and have not only all of us here at the shop but also nearly 800 quilters able to help and answer!

Have fun!

QBTB

Share your love of Quilting!

A great way to celebrate Quilting and Friendship

Here at the store we get to quilt with each other all the time...it is so great to spend our days with beautiful fabrics and wonderful friends.We get to eat lunch together, we put together new quilt kits, play with new tools, test new patterns, and anything else wonderful you can think of.

So, to celebrate National Friendship Month and National Sewing Month we want to make a day dedicated to sewing with friends! 

Right now, call your girlfriends and sit-n-stitch group and set Saturday the 25th or Sunday the 26th and make it an all out mini-quilt retreat. Pick one of your homes and designate that the location. Each of you bring a tasty treat - a casserole, dessert, or snack food - and get to sewing! 

You can all make the same project, too. We are getting ready for Halloween so we will share some of the cute stuff. (If you need to order any supplies or fabrics for your girlfriend quilt retreat it should come in before the 25th -  so any ideas we share this week can be an option for you!)

 Spooks on Parade Quilt Kit

How quick and adorable is this quilt kit?! We think this will be so good for a girlfriends get together because 1. It is a quick quilt kit to cut and sew together and 2. You don't have to think too hard...when we get to talking to much here at the store we sometimes end up with a "humility block" and 3. It will be so cute at your house when you are passing out candy to the Trick or Treaters. ...or you can give it to your favorite little one for Halloween!

The quilt finishes 56"x68"

What else is fun at Halloween? When we were kids we used pillowcases as our trick or treat bags...so don't forget about our pillow case pattern. Here is the cutest Halloween Fabric that any little one would love:

Kids just love Eerie little things like Spiders and Spider Webs...

So like we said, call your friends and schedule your day! Everyday leading up to the big day we will have fun ideas - and we will throw in some yummy food recipes, too! Let us know here on the blog or on Facebook what you and your friends are planning on making - we will share pictures from the store that day, too!

Happy Friendship Month,

QBTB

A great way to celebrate Quilting and Friendship

Too Much Fun!

We don't know about you but getting a package filled with new fabrics is just about the most exciting event in a quilter's day!

That is just what is going on everyday here at QBTB...that brown truck is a girl's best friend! 

This week so far we have 4 new lines in and we can hardly decide which one to play with first...if you get our newsletter you saw this sneak peak already...but just in case here it is again!

 All of these fabrics are just a dream...

Whimsy was already a popular fabric here at QBTB but now that it is in Blue and Yellow ...our store colors...it is a must have for any QBTB fan! 

Daisy Doodle is completely different than our usual fabrics simply for the fact that it has gray in it - we have never carried a contemporary fabric that was quite like this. We all agree here at the store, though, that it is so fun and will be perfect in a variety of quilts...we are thinking an Amy Butler pattern will be just right! ...who knew gray could make you smile so big?

Pretty Bird is almost making us speechless...it is bright and cheerful and happy...and with fabric names like "Bloomies" and "Dancing Flowers" we are expecting a few of you reading this to giggle! (Yes, we did say giggle...one is never too old to be excited over the little things in life!)


Oh, and this one will really get you excited if you love Batiks...
There are now 365 Bali Watercolors...one for every day of the year! Each piece is named like nail polish - you know when you get your pedicure and you paint your toes "Affair in Red Square" red or "Pretty in Pink" pink...well, the Batiks are just the same! From Election Day to Halloween to Earth Day there is a color to match!


Now, what to do with all this fabric?
Here are a few ideas:


1. It is National Literacy Month so don't forget that you buy one book and get one half off here at QBTB until September 11th! This even works online - just enter your coupon book number in the comments and you are good to go. 
2. You can browse our book department and pick out one for yourself and one book for a friend. Why for a friend? Because it is National Friendship Month! 
3. And since it is also National Sewing Month why not invite your girlfriends over for a quilt day?


Don't worry - we will have a fun pattern, book, kit, and some hostess ideas each day this month so you and your quilt friends can enjoy each other's company and find "excuses" for ordering the fabrics that delight you!


Until tomorrow, 
QBTB

Too Much Fun!