Some of you have asked about the multiple quilts mentioned in our last blog. So, we thought you might like to see what some of the ladies at Snappy Quilts were up to during the holidays
There seemed to be the common theme “strip quilt”
Really, It started last summer with Snappy whipping up a darling strip quilt out of the Ric Rac Rabbits collection by Andover for a business associate’s baby shower.
Lorrie then got the bug and made a strip quilt for her granddaughter Brynn with the Cuzco Sanctuary collection by Kate Spain from Moda Fabrics. She used Metro Floral Peacocks as a feature fabric making them the largest strips and then randomly placing other fabrics from that collection along with a couple of blenders to create this bright and cheery quilt.
Twice joined in with a strip quilt out of the Mama Said Sew fabrics by the Sweetwater Folks also from Moda. She also randomly selected fabrics with varying widths to create a causal less formal composition. She then put two borders around it and backed this quilt black minky
Janice couldn’t resist when the Timeless Treasures’ Jessie Goody 2 Shoes can in. She made this strip quilt using three different widths. The strips were cut into strips of 9, 6 or 3 inches.
We love the fast and easy way strip quilts go together. Check back with us to see the new strip quilt kit we made up in Kaffe Fassett Fabrics.
Well the holidays are over. Stocking so carefully hung by the chimney with care, along with the ribbon, tinsel and gift-wrap have been packed away for another year.
We here at Snappy Quilts managed to fit, on top of the traditional holiday fare, four weddings, 3 funerals, multiple quilts and so many pillowcases we stopped counting. Like many of you: we are sure; there were sewing all-nighters; days where we were dog-tired and didn’t know which way was up; and moments of absolute beauty and joy.
As we close out 2012 we would like to thank you, our customers, for a happy and successful year. A year well spent.
We look to the New Year with hope and enthusiasm. We hope that you will continue to share your quilts, your ideas and your enthusiasm with us.
Happy New Year
Love
Snappy, Janice, Twice, Jan, Jane, Kay, Julie, Lorrie, and Lisa
The Ladies at Snappy Quilts
With the first snow fall already behind us our minds turn to cozier things.
Flannel being the very definition of cozy, we have in the shop, the comfiest flannels we have ever seen and felt. These flannels are woven into rich hounds-tooth and plaids patterns in warm browns, blues, greens and grays. The 100 % cotton hand is thick, and the texture soft, perfect for the cold weather months to come.
We here at Snappy Quilts envisioned them in the Classic Vest, an Indygo Junction pattern. This causal menswear inspired vest with large snap details is the perfect addition to any fall warerobe.
There are also plans to back a fall quilt with them. The A Bit Askew pattern by Blue Underground is a pattern we have used before and works well with a more masculine sensibility.
Come feel for your self the very meaning of fall.
We would remiss if we didn’t send out big congratulations to Maria Judy and her mother. Maria was featured in the September issue of American Quilter magazine. The story is a recap of the honors Maria took home from MQS quilt show in Kansas City in May. She won second place in her division as well as a Piecer’s award. Her second honor this year, she also won 1st place in her division at the Firehouse Quilt show in Denver. What a delight it has been for us at Snappy Quilt to get to know this talented young girl and her mother Thama.
A big kudos also goes out to her quilting mentor and buddy Deb Geissler of Designs by Deb
We can’t wait to see what will be next for these two.
Big things await them. To read the whole article, Triumph of a Higher Kind, in the September issue of American Quilter you can stop by the shop and pick up a copy or you can go to www.americanquilter.com and become a member.
The holidays will soon to be upon us, and Snappy Quilts is currently offering several classes that will help you get a head start on gifts this year.
Teresa Carter is offering her Wall Flowers class as a Snappy exclusive. Come learn the technique of creating fabric petals that can be layered to make beautiful framed wall hanging or a pillow.
You can also join Teresa as she teaches the “Little Gems” table runner class. In this class you will learn a quick technique for sewing perfect mini blocks. Once you get the technique down the possibilities are endless.
Come in to the shop to register and check out more of her samples around the store. The red silk and cotton is a holiday favorite.
Over the past 30 years Teresa has honed her skills as a designer and instructor. She is the owner of the crafting business “Bloom’n Creations” @www.bloomncreatiions.blogspot.com
We are so excited and honored that Snappy Quilts is featured this month by Pat Bravo and the folks at Art Gallery Fabrics as the “Star Store” for September. When Nancy was asked why we love Art Gallery Fabrics so much, here is what she had to say:
“We are crazy about Art Gallery Fabrics for several reasons. One, of course is the fabulous hand and drape. We also find the patterns and designs are always artistic and sophisticated. Then there’s the gorgeous color – Pure Elements solids are just yummy. LillyBelle is a big hit right now, and we almost had fights over Poetica (just amongst ourselves – we never fight with our customers).”
To check out the whole interview go to http://artgalleryfabrics.typepad.com/weblog/2012/09/star-store-of-the-month.html .
We’ve just started carrying a larger selection of Art Gallery solids -- Pure Elements. Nancy is right. They are “yummy”! Also, we love Lacis Spiceberry from the Lilly Belle collection so much that we choose it for the back of our Merry Christmas Quilt.
At the request of many we have started an open sewing night. On the second Thursday of each month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. come prepare to sew. Many in the group will be working on the Farmer’s Wife Quilt. With 111 blocks, this sampler quilt will be a year-long project. But you may bring your own quilting projects as well. Join our host Stacy Beach and others for a fun evening.
Post written by Lorrie Clark
For most of us, the new year is a time of reflection, commitment, and change. This year our hope here at Snappy’s is to reach out to you our patrons and challenge you, invite you, support you, and unite our community as we grow as a quilters, fabric artists and friends.
One way to facilitate that is to invite you into our community of quilters for a year-long collective project: a Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt. The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt is based on Laurie Aaron Hird’s book of the same name. It features 111 blocks all inspired by the letters written in the 1920’s by farm wives. We chose this project as a way to strengthen our own skills and to see what we could create together. We will be meeting on the second Thursday evening and the last Friday morning of each month to talk, sew, encourage, motivate, and collaborate. It’s going to be an amazing year!
Will you join us?
Check out the class schedule online to find more details on the Farmer’s Wife Quilt Along
(antique Dutch quilt courtesy of Dutch Quilt Cat)
Most of us here at Snappy’s have a heritage steeped deep in quilt making. Some can trace our love for quilting back to pioneer roots when quilts were carried west in covered wagons as essential elements of survival; and some of us hold remnants of old quilts in trunks, attics and even in pendants around our necks. Quilts, now threadbare, that are a reminder of who we are, where we came from, and the legacy we wish to leave behind. Some share our passion for quilting with mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, friends, but regardless of what brought us to quilting, it’s the why we quilt that unites us.
We quilt as a symbol of gratitude for those who have gone before us who quilted out of necessity, so that we could quilt for sheer pleasure.
We quilt as a symbol of hope, that our work will be cherished, valued, remembered when we are gone.
We quilt as a way to comfort, to give warmth, to express our love.
We quilt as a distraction. Many of us have turned to quilting in difficult times in our lives, to chronicle our experiences, to find relief, to simply get through what we could not in any other way.
We quilt because we have learned that creating beauty helps us see the world differently.
We quilt because we love the result, the beauty that comes from scraps of fabric and our heritage.
We quilt for all of these reasons and more, but mostly because we love what scraps of time and fabric combined with bits of ourselves creates: beautiful quilts.
Share with us why you quilt.
If you've come into the shop lately, you've probably met Kay (and loved her!) She is one our favorite people, and very talented. Here are a few cute napkin rings she's made. We are so inspired by these!
Wouldn't those be fun on your table at your next dinner party? We just love how unique and creative they are. With great fabrics, the possibilities are endless!
This year we sent "Team Snappy" to participate in the Greenwood Village Goose Chase. They were sporting their fabulous "Team Snappy" shirts and had a great time.
Among the team was our own Julie Dixon and her husband Dave.
Steve and Dave got a close up look at a police motorcycle, which they were excited about.
Here are our guys all together. Great job Team Snappy!
We hope to see you all next year at the race! Let's make it a tradition.
Also back by popular demand- Michael Miller "Bird Swing"!
Birds are really popular right now, and we can see why! This fun bird print and the clean, modern colors have us feeling happy and summery.
Come on in and get some for your next project.
Ally made a cute table runner out of Amy Butler fabrics from Snappy Quilts, and we love the way it turned out!
Such a fun, summer look! With great fabrics, the possibilites are endless.
Here is a cute apron Ally made (with help from Snappy herself) We used the French Flea Market apron pattern and Aviary 2 fabric by Joel Dewberry, all available at Snappy Quilts.
Dino Dudes are back by popular demand! This Michael Miller fabric is just so much fun.
We are loving this fabric, and already planning all the awesome things we could make with it. If you have a dino-loving boy in your life, this is a must. Hurry in and get yours today, before they go extinct!
While Mark Perrino doesn’t know the first thing about sewing or quilting, he does know a good quilt when he sees one!
Mark wanted a quilt to wrap up with and watch TV on those cool Colorado evenings, so he asked Nancy and the crew at SnappyQuilts to put together a pattern and some “manly” fabrics to create a quilt a man could be proud of. They picked a free pattern from Henry Glass called “Artful Home”, and built their fabric selections around colors and designs from the Ty Pennington collection at SnappyQuilts. (Who is more manly than Ty Pennington!) Stacy Dixon agreed to make the quilt, and it turned out beautifully.
don't you just love polka dots? Here's another adorable quilt made with lots of fun polka dots and triangles.
We're pretty big fans of dots ourselves...
pattern for triangle quilt will soon be available!
Spring is in the air and we've displayed some beautiful new quilts. They are so fun and the colors have us dreaming of warmer days (it's coming right? Spring is sure a tease this year). We have kits for this one (Fruit Salad), it's beautiful isn't it?
Turtles! Adorable, I love the oranges and browns and greens, but this could totally be done up with blues and greens. Or pinks, wouldn't that be cute?
This is a simple quilt, and a great way to those prints with larger patterns. (They can be tricky). Really cute for a baby quilt. We've used the Gypsy Bandana collection, but we think this pattern would work with just about anything.
This might be my favorite of the new bunch, isn't that polka dot backing perfect? I love it. This is a Schnibbles pattern. You can make it using 10inch squares and we have some already cut for you in the shop.
And speaking of Schnibbles, don't you love their patterns? You can make the quilts from 5 or 10 inch squares. A great way to use your precuts. Did you know we have a cutter in our shop and can cut just about anything for you? Come in and ask, we'd love to help.
New fabric! We received Joel Dewberry's new line (Aviary 2) in the shop, and it's lovely! It's a mixture of his previous lines--Aviary, Ginseng and Deer Valley lines in different colorways.Don't you just love these birds? and the woodgrain? Come in and check it out.
I guess it's no secret that we like Kaffe Fassett around here. The colors are just so vibrant and beautiful. I can remember the first time I ever heard of Kaffe Fassett. I was at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX about 7 years ago. Everyone kept talking about him and asking for his fabric. Of course I had to see it for myself, and found some of the prettiest color combinations I had ever seen. Such great inspiration. He really knows his way around color doesn't he?
These are my favorite of all his prints, but honestly it's pretty hard to choose a favorite. It's okay to love it all, right?
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