Traveling this Summer? Join us for the NYS Row by Row!

Get ready to hit the road, the New York State Row by Row Experience starts tomorrow!

We are so excited to be participating in this years Row by Row Shop Hop. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Row by Row here’s the skinny right from the Row by Row Facebook page:

It’s the easiest shop hop ever! Just visit any of the participating quilt shops throughout the summer. Each shop is giving away a pattern for one row in a row Quilt. Pick up as many as you can, then mix and match your rows to create a fun and unique quilt. No passports and no fees! It’s a freebie!  Be the first person to bring a finished (quilted, bound, labeled) quilt using at least 8 different rows in to a participating quilt shop and receive a bundle of 25 beautiful fat quarters. Include their row in your quilt and receive a bonus prize! Limit one prize per quilter or quilt.

New York has over 90 participating shops and each one will be giving out a FREE pattern for a row! From July 1st through September 2nd 2014 you can stop into any of the shops and pick yours up. The theme this year is “Sew a Season” and Barb requested that we use birds in both locations Rows to unify our two stores.

“Summer Birds” our Row for the Williamsville Location

“Winter Birds” our Row for the East Aurora Location

We are SUPER excited to offer kits for sale of these Rows that include pre-cut applique pieces! That means if you pick up one of our kits you wont have to cut out and tiny bird legs or flower centers! All the pieces will be pre fused to Heat-N-Bond lite so all you’ll have to do it arrange them and fuse them down! I don’t know about you, but that makes me very happy! Along with being convenient this could also increase your chance of winning a prize. Since the 1st person to bring a finished quilt with at least 8 different rows (the rules state that a finished quilt is quilted, bound and labeled) into each shop wins a 25 Fat Quarter bundle- the quicker you get your row done the better your chances are!

The other fun part to this hop is that most locations will be selling Fabric Plates for you to collect. No gave involved with these…they’re just cute!

Our Fabric Plates

The plates will sell for $4.00 until Labor day and then $6 after that (if there are any left!).

The organizers of Row by Row do such a fantastic job at organizing this event, please check out the Row by Row website for a complete list of participating shops, and interactive map and so much more! www.rowbyrowexperience.com

We think this will be such a fun addition to the summer schedule and we can’t wait to meet all of the new quilters and sewers who will be visiting us in the next few months.

Tell me, are you planning on participating in this year’s Row by Row?

What I’m working on…Shop Hop Edition!

It’s Shop Hop season! For those of you who don’t know what a Shop Hop is here’s a definition from the examiner.com

“A shop hop is kind of like a pub crawl only you’re shopping instead of drinking. Normally sponsored by a group of shops that are near each other geographically, shop hops give quilters an opportunity to take a road trip together and do what they love most – shopping for quilt stuff!

The shops usually offer prizes, giveaways and special sale prices for those on the hop. Each participant gets a passport that is stamped or punched at each store to prove they’ve been there. The shops often coordinate on creating a quilt and participants pick up one block pattern (or sometimes even a whole kit with pattern and fabric) at each shop so that by the end of the hop they have all they need to create the quilt.

For the shops, hops provide a whole new customer base. I know that on the shop hops I’ve been on, I’ve gone to quilt shops I had never heard of before. It’s a great marketing opportunity for them. They not only make sales on the day of the hop, but people often remember those shops and visit them again next time they are in the area.

For the hoppers, hops provide exposure to a wide range of different shops, classes, teachers, and products, and a chance to hang out with friends. They also get a chance to win prizes at each shop and sometimes there is a grand prize of a gift basket with contributions from all the shops, or a sewing machine or other big ticket item.”

Tomorrow (6/4) starts the Western New York Shop Hop. This Hop spans the Buffalo/Rochester area and includes 10 shops.

By stopping at each store you will be entered to win 2 $50 gift cards from each location or the grand prize of a BERNINA 215! Each shop will be giving away a 6″ strip of fabric and a free quilt pattern. The free quilt pattern part is where the “what I’m working on” part comes into play…

So as I mentioned each store on the hop has to give away a pattern. I never really looked into just finding a free pattern to give away off the internet someplace…although maybe that would have been smarter. I decided that it would be a good idea to design these quilts myself! (WHAT was I thinking?) After many MANY hours I came up with these two quilts;

Scrappy Chevron Quilt

 

Rainbow Cabin Quilt

These quilts were all designs, pieced and quilted by me…I think I might have a control issue. It was my 1st go round of designing and writing quilt patterns, so if you happen to get one of these patterns…please go easy on me! (but I always appreciate constructive criticism). The Scrappy Chevron quilt will be on display in our Williamsville Location and the Rainbow Cabin will be at the East Aurora Location. Free fabric, free pattern and the chance to win a BERNINA 215?? Why would you NOT want to attend this hop? Get your butts in here! Tomorrow the 4th – Saturday the 7th. Oh and P.S. there’s 20% off all bolted fabric at all of the shops in the hop! Awesome.

While I was making these quilts I was also working on our Rows for the New York State Row by Row shop hop. This Hop is a little different than others. Here’s what the Row by Row website has to say about the hop:

“Row by Row is a shop hop type event with no fees, no passports and all summer to play? Simply visit any of the participating shops and receive a free pattern for a row in a quilt. Combine your rows in any way to create a unique quilt that represents the fun you had traveling throughout the summer. Travel with friends, discover new quilt shops and have fun collecting rows! Create a quilt using at least 8 different rows and be the first to bring it into a participating shop to win a stack of 25 fat quarters (6-1/4 yards of fabric!). Use that shop’s row in your quilt and win a bonus prize!”

This hop runs from July 1st-September 2nd and the shops are all over the state of New York. The theme for this years Row by Row is “Sew a Season”, and we wanted to incorporate birds into both of our rows. I started with these computer renderings as a proposal for the staff to see what people thought.

Row by Row Summer birds (Williamsville)

Row by Row Summer Birds (East Aurora)

The response was great, so I went ahead! Here are the fabric versions:

What do you think? These patterns will be a FREE give away at each of our stores! There will also be kits for purchase if you want to just grab and go. We think our birds are so darn cute and are so excited about them. They will be available starting July 1st.

So there you go, 4 original designs in 2 or so weeks- I hope you’ll give me a pass for being behind on my Quilt of the Month project, I am in the process of quilting the May quilt- I think you are really going to like it…here’s a sneak peek of  what’s to come;

Kite Runner

 

I look forward to hearing what you think of this work!