B is for Bunnies

We have brought back this wonderful wool bunnies quilt by popular demand. The colors of the wool are so rich, I just love it. We seem to always have at least one thing on display around the shop with a rabbit theme.

Oh , and how could I forget Anne’s wonderful bunny pincushions !!!

New Classes!

Here is a link to the new schedule of classes! If you pre-register for classes between Spetember 10th -15th you will receive 20% off the tuition price.

fall08classes

Facebook

I am not sure how many of you out there are on Facebook. But if you are not, you should get on. I have to admit I have been spending entirely way too much time on it lately because I am a newbie. It is great for many reasons! The reason I like it so much is it has allowed me to catch up with many of my distant relatives, long lost friends and many others with little effort. Any way if you are on it, I have just created a fan site for Pipers . If you join and become a fan then you can add pictures of all of your latest projects to the site for everyone to see. Also it has an open discussion to talk with lots of people who share the same crazy obsessions that you do. Anyhoo, hope to see you on there!

A-Z of Pipers : A is for Applique’

If you have ever been into our shop than you know how much we love Applique. Although some people shy away from this art, we are into it up to our elbows. It does take more time than basic piecing, but the results are so beautiful. Our Anxiety Free Applique’ class is always the most popular and always full. Jeanette teaches tricks to make this process successful for beginners. If Applique’ scares you, take a class! If you do not live here, find someone who teaches in your area. Many people who start out trying to do straight needleturn become frustrated with the result. It takes practice, and there are many great training-wheel methods to use until you move into a more advanced level. By learning to Applique’ you will open up a whole new world of wonderful quilts that you can make. So even if it makes you a little nervous, you should give Applique’ a try, it is well worth the effort.

The above quilt is a Robyn Pandolph Block of the Month called Willing Hands “Botanika”.

Needlepunch

I love to needlepunch! It is so easy to do and a great project to work on while watching your favorite show. There are not as many patterns available for needlepunch, so I like to use the many that are meant for applique. This is a small quilt that I made using a Piece O Cake applique pattern. This is a great craft that you should try if you haven’t already. There are a lot of tools out there, but I like the Cameo Tool the best, It is the only one we sell at Piper’s. I have tried a lot of them and like the feel of it the best. Some of the tools are very tiny and start to hurt your hand after a while. The Cameo is the size of a pen. I also prefer using the silk floss rather than the cotton. It has a wonderful shine and better color. So get punching!

Winner!

Congratulations Susan! You are the winner of the Heather Bailey Fat Quarter Bundle. E-mail me your address, if you would like us to ship it to you. This contest was so much fun that I will continue to do more of them as often as possible.

Happy Monday to everyone!

Ribbon Tweed

There are so many wonderful ribbon yarns out on the market. I have a huge stash of these, many of them sparkly. I found that if you mix your ribbon in with any wool plain color yarn, the result is a wonderful tweed affect. Suddenly something simple is just a little bit dressier.

I am picking the winner of the Heather Bailey Fat Quarter Bundle tommorow! So if you have not entered, you should.
Contest!

Piper’s Dress

Isn’t this so adorable? Shannon made baby Piper a sweet little dress with some of our new FreeSpirit fabric. So simple, yet so chic!

Halloween

 

Just some of the many wonderful Halloween items that are flowing into the shop. And yes, you should be working on Halloween stuff already, some people are already on Christmas!

Flower Power

We just received this wonderful new Louisa Harding book for children. It is chock full of great designs. So in her usual fashion Jeanette whipped out one of the sweaters for display at the shop.

Isn’t it so wonderful???

She actually used Karabella yarns because the colors were a little better. I am working on a tutorial to add to the blog that is her method for intarsia on this sweater. Look for it soon.

I had to add this amazing Hibiscus that I snapped a photo of in Jeanette’s garden. I do not know what is going on this year, but all of the flowers are amazing. More colorful than usual and huge!