Boughs of Holly

Bedknobs & Workshops! ~ The American Jane Recap Part I

Seeew...when the "Mothership" brings my five year old niece, Jenna by the Shoppe on any given day, it's my chance to enter another realm of imagination. Often the imagination I am using here in the Shoppe is business driven. People often tell me they think putting things out for display would be "seeew much fun." In part, yes. But much like quilting, you must pace yourself. There are days in which I "rush around in hopeless circles" and wonder if I could possibly be doubting myself? Do those colors match? Do I really want them to match? How should I hang this quilt? And on and on and on the mental checklist goes. Which is why when Jenna arrives, I guess I really do enjoy the needed break. As I watch her construct a fort underneath our shelves in the stock room, or create a best friend out of a balloon, I start to ask myself "When exactly is that age...when we stop believing?" 

 

Well Uncle Brian has never stopped believing.

"Everyone on the bed who's going...." 

"The knob, Deb?"

Ba ha ha ha ha ha ha! Christine (my Angela Lansbury) is amazed at my magic dust and Deb has this look like, "W.T.F? He's gone crazy!" Awww Deb...there's something wonderful...in you. Now tap that damn bed knob! Where's the knob? We need a knob! Oh wait....there isn't one! Ba ha ha ha ha ha ha! 

*Sigh*.... the perks of working here at Hollyhill! Next time we'll visit the Chocolate Factory with the elevator here inside the Shoppe. I can see Deb with green hair and an orange face. BA HA HA HA HA HA. 

As luck would have it, the girls eventually got the bed to drop them off inside our workshop, just in time to meet up with Sandy Klop. Sandy has a whimsical imagination and she made me laugh...a lot! You just can't help but love her. Our guests worked on Sandy's "Triple Crown" project, enjoyed an inviting atmosphere, and enjoyed some of Priscilla's luscious recipes.

*Just a side note: Sadly, Priscilla fell off the bed in which Deb and Christine were traveling and will not be joining us in Part II. Um...this is what happens....*sigh*...when you stop believing boys and girls. 

Inspire the difference ~Brian

(scroll down for Part II)

Bedknobs & Workshops! ~ The American Jane Recap Part II

Seeew...On Day 2 of the workshop, the "Mothership" surprised all participants with these precious parting gifts which she put together using some of Sandy's Twill Tape. Props to the "Mothership" who is always thinking of something clever. She raises the bar on how a workshop or class should be offered! Do you see the cute polka dot scissors and primary colored thread? That's just a smidge of what she included...I'll keep the rest of the contents a secret between me and our Guests. 

I didn't get a lot of pictures for the weekend, but I did capture a few students working on their projects.  

Here's Elaine working on her Triple Crown.....Elaine arrived super prepared with her own design wall! Elaine gets an "E" for Effort. I bet she had perfect attendance growing up. 

Heather took a different approach to her Triple Crown and used fabrics from the Bliss collection by Bonnie & Camille. Bonnie & Camille...oh how I love them. Their new "Vintage Modern" pre-cuts are in the Shoppe now and can be ordered on our website. P.S. It was Heather's birthday during the workshop and we hope she had a blast. Heather has a blog, "Quilt Or Stitch...How About Both?" which you can read here.

Kath also colored outside of the lines...and went with a Jan Patek Jelly Roll. Don't you love it when you can switch it up? Here is Kath watching as Sandy helps her with her block placement. 

Afterwards, Sandy shared with us her Trunk Show which she calls, "The American Jane Story." Listening to Sandy share her stories is like the perfect bedtime story! Here's a peak at just some of the quilts from her show. I love that I recognize seeew many of the American Jane fabrics we have had in the Shoppe over the years. You just can't help but smile when you look at them.

I love stars. I don' know why...I just do. The "Mothership" tells me I seem to have a knack for selecting patterns that are a lil' bit on the elaborate side. They always look so elegant and are visually spectacular. But that's only because I love to use big words. "Spectacular" is far better than "cute" and "pretty." 

Now....for my favorite! Sandy's "Flying Circles Pattern." Most of the fabrics are from Sandy's Pindot and Pezzy Prints collection. Such a vivid imagination. You can check out many of our other patterns from American Jane by clicking here. 

Sandy's newest collection "School Days" is available in the Thoroughly Modern Holly section of our Shoppe along with Le Petit Poulet. We recently completed kits for this....Party In The Hen House! Seeew we get a lil' bit busy. It will all still be here at days end. The sky isn't falling.

Our kit includes all fabrics to complete the quilt top and binding in addition to the pattern. You just need to purchase your backing fabric which...if you order with your kit, we apply a 15% discount to all regular priced fabrics. You can purchase this kit by clicking here. You'll also find a few Fat Quarter Bundles, Charm Packs, Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes...which I highly recommend. And just seeew you know, Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe & Mercantile has the largest selection of Moda pre-cuts anywhere...on-line and as an actual quilt Shoppe location. Just sayin'.

Alright it's about that time. Time to hang some more quilts and find Deb a bedknob (see part I). They appear to be trapped in my blog. Ha ha ha ha.  Don't tell anyone, but I use a bit of Substitutiary Locomotion to hang the quilts.

 

Gotta love Angela Lansbury. She resembles my late grandma when she starts off dancing with those shoes! It brings a smile to my thoughts.

G'night and remember....the make believe is never through.

Inspire the difference ~ Brian 

Memories of Christmas @ Homespun & Holly! Hurry & Register Now, Spaces Filling Up Quickly!

Seeew....ladies and gentlemen I bring you magic and yuletide cheer with this post because today registration for our 4th annual "Homespun & Holly" officially has begun! Yeah, yeah. I know. The clock striked 12am, and here I sit. The good ole Fairy Godmother. 5 o'clock shadow and all. Anyway, our magical little workshop will be offered on Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17...you choose the day you want to join us!

The $99 covers admission to one day, a catered dinner and supplies for all projects presented by our special guest designers. Currently, confirmed designers include Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs, Karla Eisenach of Sweetwater, Polly Minick & Laurie Simpson of Minick & Simpson...of course, there is always room to add a few more! It's the happiest holiday gathering around! Of course...we will be adding some new elements to this year's celebration! Just sayin'. Come one...come all. 

It's no secret that the "Mothership" and I love the holidays and feature the largest selection of holiday fabrics in our area. But it is a lil' bit of a secret that I have a "Disney" connection which makes me a bit particular in how I do things. Burned out light bulbs drive me bats. Oops. I usually try not to discuss it as it was a special time in my life and well...some things you just want to keep to yourself.  But every now and then you'll see influences of that time, right here on "Boughs of Holly." I know it's far from the holiday season but I am just so gosh darn excited for this year's "Homespun & Holly" that I thought this song from one of my favorite inspirations would fit this announcement...here we go!

  

Registration begins by clicking here. If you are registering for more than one person we will need their complete address and a valid email address. We will process all registrations in the order in which they are received. You may also give us a call at 503-607-0600 after 10am PST. We have added an additional workshop this year which is Friday, November 16. We will offer the workshop 12pm-8pm both days. The workshop is only one day, we simply added an additional day to accommodate more of our loyal "Holly Berries" (that would be you good people).  

That's it for now. All information is now available seeew....let the countdown begin! 

Inspire the difference ~ Brian

Sandy's Going To Teach You...How To Get An "A!"

Seeew...I am a little M.I.A. this week as we prepare for Sandy Klop's workshop this weekend. There are still a few spots left so join us for either the workshop and/or trunk show on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28. I know the picture above isn't much right now, but that's because I'm not done. It's kind of odd. I begin days ahead of time, but it's almost like you have to wait until the night before when it all suddenly comes together. You all do know who Sandy is, right? Bright...whimsical....a cheerful delight? That's the one. The lovely designer behind American Jane. I'll never forget the first time we met her. She was wearing an "apple green" sweater and I thought, "Wow. That's the same green as in her fabric!" Anyway, while I am working on getting her newest collection, "School Days" into the Shoppe, I couldn't help but notice her upcoming collection which will be released in the fall is titled, "ABC 123." 

Um pardon me...but if you are a loyal "Boughs of Holly" follower you had to have known this was coming.... "I comes before E except after C...."

 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if people just woke up like that? What do you mean...like that? You know...to just come through the doors with smiles on everybody's faces and dancing to a good beat? Is that too much to ask? Life is too short! The other morning I showed Priscilla some dance moves as a new way for bringing bolts up to the counter for a customer. It consisted of .."to the side...to the side...to the back...to the front...to the side...and spin." It was epic. Not really. I'm literally to the point where one of these days you might come in and everyone will be dancing. 

Apparently from what I hear, Sandy doesn't follow blogs nor does she have one of her own. C'mon Sandy...join the fun! Maybe we can convince her. But if not...I get it. When you are creating sometimes the last thing you want to do is worry about a blog. I personally start having panic attacks. Do I work on the Shoppe floor, or do I load product on the web? If I don't load the product on the web, I can't talk about it on the blog? Oh wait...someone just emailed. Do I answer it now, or do I finish what I am doing? Oh...hold on...gotta post something new on Facebook. Thank goodness, I do not yet Tweet. Seeew, you see...I get it.

Alright, I have to keep this short for now but keep checking back as I may add some more to this post or I may surprise you with something "all-new." You can also check us out on Facebook to see what I add in between. 

Inspire the difference! ~ Brian

S.p.R.u.N.g is Underway!

 

Seeew...S.p.R.u.N.g is underway. To recap for those of you just now discovering my blog...S.p.R.u.N.g is an annual event (similar to our Homespun & Holly in the fall) which features several designers showing you their latest hand-made creation. This year we have Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs, Bonnie Sullivan, Kathy Schmitz and some of the gals behind Moda's Sweetwater. I'm busy fluttering about as usual...but look what the "mothership" created with that ever-popular "Slice" machine (above). Name tags...featuring a precious flower using more of Sweetwater's "Sunkissed. Woot! I could have the nomenclature on the "Slice" completely wrong...but I can't stop to edit right now. Ba ha ha ha. The ladies just had a delicious luncheon and I am on trash duty. 

But just as soon I am done with trash duty....I am going to crawl up in this! Bonnie Sullivan's "Le Jardin" from her new book, "Bonnie's Garden." If you'd like more information, buy the book! 

And then eat some of....this! 

I know, I know...it just looks like rice...right? Rice and a little tomato? Ummm...what? It's not just any rice...it's Priscilla's Orzo and I mean seriously...it sends me to the stars. I literally have to shut the office door and make love to my plate. Not kidding. Carbs? Yes please!

The food is seeew delicious that even the bees are buzzing around....

Debbie Busby's project for S.p.R.u.N.g is this cute lil' bee pin cushion (above)! I'm tellin' ya...you've got to join us for these events (Homespun & Holly is next in November)!

P.S. My fellow Holly-Berries (this would be how I refer to you, loyal reader)....Homespun & Holly registration will begin on May 1, 2012. The dates for this year's event are Friday, November 16 & Saturday, November 17, 2012. Two days to choose from. It seems like forever before November arrives, but in my world, it's next week. I will announce our special guest designers soon! Patience grasshoppers...patience. 

Kathy Schmitz and her sister Bonnie Sullivan are also here. Kathy designs fabrics for Moda and has many stitchery designs that are just exquisite. Bonnie designs the Woolie Flannels for Maywood Studios and also has her own pattern line, "All Through The Night." In September 2010 this hilarious duo traveled to France to work on their recently released book, "French Inspirations for Artful Hands." Isn't this linen burlap token pillow precious? What a great way to show off your treasured items from your own personal trips to distant lands. Simply use rubber stamps to show off your adventure! Purchase "French Inspirations for Artful Hands" by clicking here.

P.S.S. I just want to let you know...that the day before this event, we met with our favorite Moda rep ever...and I am excited to tell you that the "Mothership" stocked up on Mama Said Sew! It's Sweetwater's new collection that will debut later this year! Um...hi. LUSCIOUS. Seriously, if you don't love Moda...we need to chat. Innovative. Quality. Great prices!  

And speaking of Sweetwater, Karla and Lisa (mom and daughter) have a couple of projects for our participants to create. One of their projects is this sweet little canvas bag using their recent collection, "Reunion." Um...I'm going shopping now. Thanks. Picture it...me...with this bag, and a loaf of bread sticking out of it. Precious x100! Ya know...this is the perfect bag to put those wonderful books of ours in. Titles such as "French Inspirations for Artful Hands" and "Sweetwater's Simple Home" come to mind. Don't know why. Call it a guess. It doesn't hurt either if you bring those books and this bag to a workshop....where? That's right. Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe & Mercantile! Loyalty is a good thing. 

Here's to much more inspiration coming soon! And don't forget, you can also find more frequent updates on our Facebook page! We have lots of ways to stay in touch these days so join us on Facebook to keep up with us! 

~Brian

Spring Into S.p.R.u.N.g! ~ Saturday, April 14 2012

Don't forget to visit us on Facebook for a quick glimpse into what is happening at the Shoppe. Click here to join the conversation with us! 

Seeew...just what exactly is....S.p.R.u.N.g? 

Much like our very popular "Homespun & Holly" in the fall, S.p.R.u.N.g is our springtime workshop which introduces you to four or five of your favorite designers. To keep both of these workshops fresh and interesting, the designers reveal their projects on the day of the event. Each year we try to add in new designers to both events, which bring you face-to-face with new talent and different styles in hand-made creations. Guests of our workshop will rotate between the five designers, spending time learning and creating each designer's project. There are no sewing machines needed and all supplies (except for your basics...scissors, needle and thread) are provided. We also throw in a lovely catered luncheon from our caterer, the hostess-with-the-mostess...Priscilla! P.S. You should see the morsels of realness she leaves on my desk! I'm sure some days she'd secretly like to lace them with cyanide...but whatev. 

Joining this year is Bonnie Sullivan of All Through the Night patterns. Bonnie also designs those popular Woolie Flannels for Maywood Studios and has recently published a new book, "Bonnie's Garden" in which you can find adorable wool projects such as this....

If you want more information on the photo...buy the book, "Bonnie's Garden." You'll love it! 

Bonnie's sister, Kathy Schmitz designs fabrics for Moda and has her own line of patterns. She also has published the book, "Simple Pleasures In Redwork" in which the below project is featured. One of Kathy's most recent collections, "Full Circle" is available in the Shoppe now and can be viewed here as well as her popular basics collection, "Crackle." What we love about Kathy is that she has got it goin' on with that needle and thread! Her embroidery is exquisite. You can check out Kathy's blog, by clicking here. 

In 2010, Kathy and Bonnie combined forces and began working on their first book together, "French Inspirations for Artful Hands." As Kathy says, this project had them taking a trip to France "where every urn and door knocker inspired a quilt or project." You can find the book here. 

Now...as I said at the beginning of this post...we like to introduce you to different styles of hand-made creations during our workshops. After a very well received introduction at last year's "Homespun & Holly" we are pleased to welcome back Karla Eisenach and Lisa Burnett (mom and daughter) of Moda's popular Sweetwater! It also doesn't hurt that their Easter Basket pattern is a hit every year! Nor does it hurt that their fabric collections always have names that seem...how do I put this...simple? Authentic, Pure, Make Life..., Sunkissed, Hometown, Reunion and Lucy's Crabshack. Here's just a hint of one of their featured projects (please note: I have not shown any previous hints other than this one)....

Karla's other daughter, Susan is also a part of this design trio and together...all three of them published their "Sweetwater's Simple Home" book earlier this year. You can order "Sweetwater's Simple Home"  here. Jan (my very own mothership) is putting together a series of projects for the home from this book which will be offered as classes later this year. We will be posting these classes on our Class & Events page in the very near future.

The best part about the gals of Sweetwater....they are just seeew down to Earth! At some point in the near future, the "Mothership" and I will be looking at their newest collection, "Mama Said Sew." The name was inspired by a shop in Fort Collins, Colorado and you can read all about it on Sweetwater's blog....here. Here's a little peak I borrowed from Lisa's blog. 

P.S. As I said back in January...grey is in. Grey is featured in seeew many of our current collections. Sunkissed & Hometown by Sweetwater feature grey as do Puttin' On The Ritz and Ooh La La from Bunny Hill Designs. French General has always played with shades of grey which are continued in the new Rouenneries Deux. And wouldn't you know it, even Minick & Simpson will be using a grey/taupe in their upcoming collection, Independence Trail.  I was even surprised when my mom and I found grey Woolie Flannels! What a treat for the eyes! 

Our fifth designer is the talented Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs. At the time of this posting, I had not been able to connect with Debbie but rest assured, her project will be extra precious.  

Now...My mom, Jan (and yes to my critics...I will always mention my mom as she is a.) my mom and b.) the shop owner)  has been preparing little surprises for all participants. As always she  goes the extra mile! 

For those of you already registered, get ready to "spring" into "S.p.R.u.N.g!" If you haven't yet registered, there are only a few more spaces left so register by clicking here or call us at 503-607-0600. 

If you are local, don't forget to stop into the Shoppe on Saturday, April 7 for our Egg-Stra Special Easter Day Celebration! Loads of Easter eggs filled with discounts and guess what...only four of them contain a $100 gift certificate! Get your Easter hats on ya'll and come on down!

Here's to some inspiration in your Easter bonnet! ~ Brian 

An Egg-Stra Special Basket

Seeew...have you seen this? My mom sewed our newest Easter Basket using fabrics from Sweetwater's Sunkissed collection! It is available in four color combinations, yellow (shown), orange, pink and green! Click here to view the additional colors or get your kit today! We are sorry, but we do not have individual patterns to sell at this time. Speaking of "Sweetwater" they are coming to the Shoppe as part of our "S.p.R.u.N.g" workshop on Saturday, April 14. A great value to spend a day with a bunch of girlfriends creating cute projects by hand! Visit our website, to learn more. 

People keep asking me what the quilt in the background is...seeew....here you go. It's the Summer Breeze kit using a Jelly Roll and additional fabrics from Sweetwater's Sunkissed collection. You can order it on our website or by giving us a call at 503-607-0600. 

My mom didn't want to leave the boys out so she made a modified version of the Easter Basket by leaving out the ruffle. The result...a cute lil' Easter Pail made with Riley Blake fabrics. Precious times 100! P.S. See that sample in the back...it's a Paper Piecing project that will be a class this Summer taught by the wonderful Dorene Kemp. Dorene pieces many of our Shoppe samples and her piecing is exquisite. I'll let you know all about it a bit later. 

The Easter Pail is available in four styles, Farm Fresh (pictured), Pirates, Fox Trails and Alligator. The additional styles can be viewed by clicking here. 

Of course, the chocolate bunny, eggs and jelly's are sold separately at your local Godiva store. This Easter Bunny isn't cheap. He only brings the good stuff down that bunny trail. 

Which reminds me..."Happy...Easter...to you." 

 

I'll be back with more real soon. In the meantime be nice to each other out there.  ~ Brian

Meet Sandy Klop at our "It's Recess Time: The American Jane Workshop" & Trunk Show Friday, April 27 & Saturday, April 28

Seeew...have you registered yet? Sandy Klop, that delightful designer behind those cheerful designs of Moda's American Jane collections, is on her way to Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe & Mercantile  this Friday, April 27 & Saturday, April 28 for a two day workshop event! 

During the workshop, Sandy will be teaching her "Triple Crown Project" (pictured above) which uses her "Equilateral Triangle Ruler."  The workshop is $100 per person and will include two (2) full days of instruction, a catered luncheon both days and a generous Guest discount. It doesn't hurt that we treat our Guests to a day of other surprises as well. 

On Friday night (April 27) from 7pm-8:30pm, Sandy will be presenting her American Jane Story Trunk Show which is full of her whimsical quilts! With fabric collection names like "School Days", "Fairy Tale Friends", "Recess", and "Punctuation"...our classroom will be transformed into a whimsical wonderland with lots of cheer! The American Jane Story Trunk Show is $29 per person and includes wine and appetizers. 

We take pride in bringing you a quality class experience and we are thrilled to be able to introduce to you seeew many of the wonderdful talent throughout the industry. We love Sandy...and we hope you will too! She's bright, cheerful and just an overall joy to experience! 

You can register by clicking here.

Now...I have to get back up on a ladder. We are still bringing in lots of new fabric collections seeew the Shoppe is getting switched up a bit. In the meantime...here's a lil' introduction of Sandy's new collection which comes out this Spring..."School Days." 

Remember you can now join our "conversation" over on Facebook where we post quick updates of some of the new things we add into the Shoppe. To see what we're up to, click here.

Here's to some learning inspiration! ~ Brian

 

A Look At Pickleweed

 

Seeew...it's time for a new Spring & Summer season at Pickleweed Hill. "Pickleweed" is our home and gift shop, located across the street from us here at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe & Mercantile.  Pickleweed is open Thurs., Fri. & Sat. from 11am -6pm starting Saturday, March 10, 2012. Last year we changed it to a seasonal/occasional store which means it is open at select times of the year. This gives us ample time to re-set with the change of the seasons...which keeps it fresh and new! "Pickleweed" will remain open through July and then we will reset for the fall and holiday season. 

I am currently in the process of bringing lots of new into Hollyhill...seeew um...enjoy the pictures from Pickleweed for today. I'll do a re-cap later. Busy. Busy. Busy. 

P.S. Don't forget to join us for this year's "S.p.R.u.N.g"@ Hollyhill....on Saturday, April14, 2012. Featured guests include Karla & Lisa from Moda's Sweetwater, Kathy Schmitz, Bonnie Sullivan of All Through the Night & Maywood's Woolie Flannels, and Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs. Sign up over on our website. Participating guests create five hand-made projects from five talented designers! We supply the supplies and catered luncheon, you just come with your basic sewing supplies, your girlfriends, and get ready to have fun! The "Mothership" (a.k.a. Jan, my mom and shop owner) has been planning her surprises for all attendees. 

 

And what would my blog be without a lil' bit of humor.....love these signs. We have a large variety of these signs....with various phrases. I'll show you more when I get a lil' downtime. Which is usually on Sunday. When I don't hear my name 100 times. Not that I mind. I'm sure mom's have heard that for decades....centuries even. So zip it Brian. 

Here's to inspiration ~ Brian

You Can Now "Like Us" on Facebook!

 

Seeew...I'm not getting a lot of extra time lately. Between getting Pickleweed (our gift shop located in our original location across the street) ready for Spring and re-setting the Main Shoppe space of Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe...I have no extra time for anything. Here at the Shoppe (when I reference "Shoppe"...it means the main shop) I have been moving Christmas to its "home" in a back area of the Shoppe and re-setting the front entrance for Spring. Seeew...I am simply sharing with you a lil' bit of what I am doing with one of my favorite quilts. 

In the meantime, feel free to join us on Facebook by clicking here and "Like" us to follow along. I am also in the process of developing Pickleweed's Facebook page which can be found by clicking here. All in a day's work, right? Since I am investing considerable time so many avenues of communication, I cannot stress the importance of reading the Shoppe emails that we send out and checking our website, our blog "Boughs of Holly" and our Facebook pages to keep up with us. 

Be back soon! ~ Brian