A Brand New Look!

Nearly a year in the making… Pellon®’s brand new website launched TODAY!! We couldn’t be more excited and are so incredibly pleased with how everything looks. A long overdue refresh, the new site should bring us a teensy bit closer to design sensibilities of all of you fabulous creatives out there. It features a user friendly interface, complete with a high functioning search, making it easier than ever to find the information you need. Browse our product library without those pesky blue photo backgrounds and grab detailed product how-tos. (We’ll be adding downloadable pdfs to product pages throughout the year!) Check out the extensive line-up of projects and learn more about the talented designers who create them.

One of our most favorite features? You no longer have to log in to access the project downloads!! How cool is that? We do still have a mailing list and encourage you to sign up so that you don’t miss any breaking news about products, projects and more.

And just in case you’ve already forgotten the old, outdated version of the website, we thought we’d share a little side-by-side comparison. Is it awful to admit that we get a little bit giddy every time we look at it?

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We hope you’ll come to visit us often!

(pssssst — did you also notice that we’re working on revising the blog! Ah, Spring — a beautiful season for change!)

 

Craft Buds Video Chats

I’ll admit I’m a little embarrassed that I’ve taken so long to share this news with you! About a month ago, I had the pleasure of joining Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness and Lindsay Conner from Craft Buds & Lindsay Sews for a fabulous video chat as a part of the Craft Buds Video Chat Series. We had planned for Kim Niedzwiecki from My Go-Go Life to be there as well, but due to technical difficulties, she was only there in spirit;). As I’m sure you already know, all three of these ladies are also Project Designers for Pellon®, so we had a blast with the Google Hangout!

Check out Lindsay’s original post on Craft Buds for more and let us know what you think! Have you ever done a Google Hangout? Make sure to follow along with Craft Buds so that you don’t miss the next installment!

And, if you’re really digging these video chats, don’t miss the first one all about how to write sewing patterns, featuring Andrea Pannell from The Train to Crazy & Go To Patterns, Heather Valentine from The Sewing Loft and Jessica Abbott from Me Sew Crazy & Sew Set.

Thanks so much for watching!! Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions at all and please consider following some of these lovely designers — links below! — Erin @ Pellon

Sara Lawson :: Sew Sweetness
Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest

Lindsay Conner :: Lindsay Sews
Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest

Kim Niedzwiecki :: My Go-Go Life
Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest

Andrea Pannell :: The Train to Crazy
Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest

Heather Valentine :: The Sewing Loft
Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest

Jessica Abbott :: Me Sew Crazy
Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest

Our August Winner & a FAB Deal!

We Love It Wednesday was such a HUGE success that we thought it deserved it’s very own follow-up post;). First, we’d like to send a hearty congrats to our BIG winner, Jackie!!

As usual, we used random.org to select our winner. Jackie was #44 out of 84 entries!!

Second, we’ve got to give you all a shout-out for some awesome project ideas. We saw everything from using cheesecloth in making soup to dying it and sewing it together to create a unique quilt. A handful of you are even planning to make your own cheese. (WOW!!) We’re consistently impressed with your creativity and resourcefulness. Please keep us posted and consider sharing images with us on Facebook of what you create.

Last, but not least… The Perfect Loft™ Cluster Fiber was a big hit and so many of you have plans for throw pillows, holiday gifts, travel pillows and even a few dolls! With that in mind, we’re happy to report that the Cluster Fiber is now available at your local Joann Fabric & Craft Stores AND as of yesterday, it is ON SALE for $6.99 down from $10.99. You can check out the deal via this week’s sales flyer.

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First on our list for cluster fiber projects? Pincushions!! They are quick and easy, can be little mini works of art and make great gifts. We’ve got a little eye-candy to get you started;).

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16]

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That’s all for now!! Happy Monday!

Quilt Market Love

WARNING: Reading this post may cause you to lose a few hours out of your day;). We’ve all been hooked on the Quilt Market recaps this week, at least I know I have been! There is so much loveliness to observe, so much talent. After everything I’ve seen this week, I couldn’t help but dedicate this week’s Pinterest post to the magical weekend in Kansas City. The time-loss part? Scroll down for an alphabetical list of all of the Quilt Market recaps I could find! Happy browsing!!

top left: pinned by Virginia Halkias — source: Sew Sweetness
top right: pinned by Heather Magill — source: Sew Sweetness
bottom left: pinned by Cindy Walker — source: Riley Blake Designs
bottom right: pinned by Kelly McCants — source: C&T Publishing on Twitter

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top left: pinned by Amanda Kattner — source: Pink Chalk Studio (image of Anna Maria Horner)
top right: pinned by Jenelle Clark — source: Pink Chalk Studio (image of Amy Butler)
bottom: pinned by Lisa Walsh — source: In Color Order (image of Vanessa Christenson)

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top left: pinned by Sandy Rizzo — source: Kimberley Jolly via lockerz
top right: pinned by KC — source: Sew Sweetness
bottom left: pinned by Erica Burnbaum — source: Freshly Pieced
bottom right: pinned by Julie Forster — source: Pink Chalk Studio

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top left: pinned by Helen LeBrett — source: Fat Quarter Shop
top right: pinned by Pink Chalk Fabrics — source: Pink Chalk Studio on flickr
bottom left: pinned by Becky Laswell — source: Lindsay Sews {@craftbuds} on flickr
bottom right: pinned by CatsMeowToo — source: Freshly Pieced

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top left: pinned by Sue Shimomura — source: Oh! Fransson
top right: pinned by Di Mill — source: Free Spirit Fabric
bottom left: pinned by Megan Patent-Nygren — source: The Printed Bolt
bottom right: pinned by Nadine S — source: Modern Quilt Relish

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top left: pinned by Elaina Turpin — source: Free Spirit Fabric
top right: pinned by Pink Chalk Fabrics — source: Pink Chalk Studio on flickr
bottom left: pinned by Jacklynn Grimm — source: My Go Go Life
bottom right: pinned by Pink Chalk Fabrics — source: Pink Chalk Studio on flickr

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top: pinned by Whistlepig Creek — source: Whistlepig Creek
bottom left: pinned by Pink Chalk Fabrics — source: Pink Chalk Studios on flickr
bottom right: pinned by Andrea Turner — source: Two More Seconds via Instagram

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Spring Quilt Market 2012 :: Blog Round-ups
* Have a recap of your own that you don’t see listed here? Post a link in the comments and I’ll add you to the list!

3 little birds

A
A Place to Share :: Art Gallery Fabrics

B
Bari J :: Bumble Beans

C
Canoe Ridge Creations :: Cloud 9 Fabrics :: Common Threads Quilt Shop :: Craft Foxes :: Crazy Old Ladies

D
Dear Stella :: Diary of a Quilter :: Don’t Call Me Betsy

F
Fabric Envy :: Fancy Tiger Crafts :: Fat Quarter Shop :: Fishsticks Designs :: Free Spirit Fabric :: Freshly Pieced

G
Generation Q

I
I’m A Ginger Monkey :: In Color Order

J
Jackie’s Art Quilts :: Jaybird Quilts :: Jennifer Jangles

L
Lella Boutique :: Lindsay Sews :: Little Bluebell :: Lovebug Studios

M
Made By Rae :: Modern Quilt Relish :: My Go Go Life

O

Oh, Fransson! :: Olive and Ollie :: oliver + s

P
Pearl the Squirrel :: Peas in a Pod :: Penguin & Fish :: Pink Chalk Studio :: Pokey’s Ponderings :: Prudent Baby

Q
Quilter’s Haven :: Quilting Lodge

R
Rebekah Meier :: Ribbon Candy Quilt Company :: Riley Blake Designs

S
Schmetz Needles :: Schnitzel & Boo :: See How We Sew :: Sew Flakes :: Sew It Seams :: Sew Modern :: Sew Sweetness :: Stitch This! — Martingale :: Such Designs :: Suzn Quilts

T
The Cottage Home :: The Long Thread :: The Printed Bolt :: The Quilt Patch :: The Rabbit’s Lair :: True Up

V
Violet Craft

W
Whistlepig Creek

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Happy Long Weekend!!

Spring Quilt Market 2012 — Day 3

Day 3:

It was a hectic one, that final day. It started out with yet another fabulous class by Darlene Christopherson (she really is amazing!) and rolled into to what felt like an all out sprint from booth to booth. My flight was scheduled for early afternoon, so I had a little less time to snap photos, but I did what I could.

So, what did this first time attendee think of Quilt Market? WOW. It’s incredible that one word can so succinctly sum it all up. Just wow. The level of creativity and craftsmanship was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The camaraderie was unparalleled. I witnessed reunions between quilters and industry veterans, first time meetings of long time ‘online’ friends, and more hugging than I ever would have imagined possible at a trade show. I’ve been talking with many of you for weeks, even months, and upon meeting face to face, almost every single one of you went in for the hug;). After a while, the hug just seemed like the way to go, so a few of you might have fallen subject to a healthy squeeze from me too. It really does seem like Market is just a gathering of new and old friends, all together for the most awesome and creative party imaginable. Am I overreacting? Maybe. But I’m hoping that the I’m at successful in communicating how humbled I was by it all… by the level of talent, the unconditional support and unwavering respect for your peers.

I hope that you all enjoyed yourselves, and, if you’ve been following along with the recap, that you’ve grabbed your own little piece of the action just by looking at the photos. Here’s hoping we’ll see you in Houston!

International Quilt Market, Houston
October 27 – 29, 2012

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Accuquilt® :: www.accuquilt.com

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Me and My Sister Designs :: www.meandmysisterdesigns.com

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Birch Organic Fabric :: www.birchfabrics.com

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Moda Home :: www.unitednotions.com

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Such Designs :: such-designs.com

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Michael Miller Fabrics, LLC :: www.michaelmillerfabrics.com

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Ilene Bartos Designs :: www.ilenebartos.com

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Totes by Sandy :: www.totesbysandy.com

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V and Co. :: www.vanessachristenson.com

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Sarah Jane Studios :: shop.sarahjanestudios.com

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Until next time!

Spring Quilt Market 2012 — Day 2

Day 2:

My second day of Market began with a wonderfully packed class taught by our very own Darlene Christopherson. She filled eager listeners in on our new products, deferred to guest speaker Linda McGehee (Ghee’s) for a presentation on zippers and bag construction and then went through how to make your very own ebook cover. Attendees were all given a slew of info and a whole bag construction kit. It made me wish I was a more skilled sewer;). Maybe next year!

In between meetings, booth duty and our big fixture giveaway, I managed to stroll the aisles, say a few more hellos and grab more photos! Enjoy:)

Textile Creations, Inc. :: www.textilecreations.com

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Maple Island Quilts / Debbie Bowles :: www.mapleislandquilts.com

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Kona Modern Quilts :: www.robertkaufman.com

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Violette Field Threads :: www.violettefieldthreads.com

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Bananafana :: www.bananafanadesigns-byjess.blogspot.com

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Villa Rosa Designs :: www.villarosadesigns.com

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Frond Designs Studios :: www.fronddesignstudios.com

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Suzn Quilts :: suznquilts.homestead.com

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Seven Islands Fabrics — Echino, Heather Ross, Kokka :: www.sevenislandsfabric.com

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Quiltsmart, Inc. :: www.quiltsmart.com

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That’s all for now! Stay tuned for the Sunday photo recap:)

Pellon Projects™ Fixture Winners!

If you were roaming the aisles of Quilt Market this past weekend, you may have happened by the Pellon® booth. If you did, you likely got a glimpse of our Pellon Projects™ Fixture.

The fixture is a fantastic merchandising system that we created for shops both big and small to help motivate and facilitate sales. It proudly displays our best selling products, including a wide range of batting on boards, all of your favorite interfacings and stabilizers and a healthy selection of new packaged products. It also features tear sheets with FAQs and project ideas complete with shopping lists. It’s really an amazing way to shine the spotlight on products that are normally hidden in the back of a shop. Why am I going on and on about this wonderful fixture? Well, we went a little show crazy and gave one away! That’s right… a whole fixture, for FREE.

[top & bottom: crowds gathering for the drawing; center: our CEO giving a little background on the fixture]

Shop owners had the chance to enter to win between 9:30am on Friday morning and 2pm on Saturday afternoon. The winner had to be present at the drawing in order to win. We all had a few laughs as the first few names drawn were no-shows. I ended up being the one with the magic touch and drew our winner! The moment that I called out the name Nancy Handler, there was a small shriek from the crowd and a heck of a lot of smiling.

[top: Marcia Beck, Dee Beck, Nancy Handler & Cris Haskell, our CEO; L: Darlene Christopherson from Pellon® & Nancy; R: Cris & Nancy]

Nancy runs her shop, I Love Sewing, with her mom and her aunt and all three were present to claim their prize. The shop is located in Fremont, NE and though I’ve never been, I’m absolutely loving their website. I hope you’ll take a moment to check it out and if you’re local, pop in and say hello! Pretty soon, they’ll be sporting a fabulous fixture to meet all of your Pellon® needs!

Congratulations again!!

AQS – Paducah 2012

The entire town of Paducah, KY will be buzzing with thousands of quilters and educators this week, all because the AQS Quilt Show & Contest is in town. Carloads of quilting buddies will be motoring across Kentucky, stopping at quilt shops along the way. Residents will share their homes with return visitors and tourists will swarm, sampling the local food and shopping the quaint downtown shops. The National Quilt Museum will be filled with folks eager to see top winners from past years. Caryl Bryer Fallert’s Studio, The Bryer Patch, will be lit up with visitors. BBQ and lemonade will be served under tents on the grounds while golf carts and buses transport giddy quilters from one event to the next. It’s truly a magical week for the quilting community, one not to be missed!

Some of the most talented quilters in the country have entered their work to be judged at the show, known as one of the leading exhibiting shows in the nation. BREAKING NEWS: The judges have made their decisions and the contest winners were announced last night (Tuesday, April 24) at the award ceremony. More than $120,000 in cash awards were given out to the prize winners! For a peek at the winning quilts and access to more information about the designers, click here. (ed. note: AQS promises a showcase and we’re confident that the images will be available soon! In the meantime, browse the winners from Lancaster!)

Legacy by Pellon is a proud sponsor of the show & contest and can be found in the Convention Center at booth 1204. Make sure to pop by to say hello to our experts, Darlene and H.D., always ready with a smile and a helpful tip or two.

You Should Know

Schedule:
Wednesday :: Thursday :: Friday :: Saturday

Noted Vendors:
Pellon/Legacy Premier Batting
Accuquilt
APQS – Longarm Quilting Machines
BERNINA of America
Brother International
Janome America
Moda Fabrics

Local Destinations & Info:
The National Quilting Museum
Hancocks of Paducah
The Bryer Patch
Paducah Tourism Info
Local Quilting and Fabric Shops

What are the attendees pinning?
Paducah on Pinterest

(images courtesy of: AQS, BodeensTravels, Traveling Quilter)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from all of us here at Pellon®! May your day be filled with family & friends, fun & excitement (and maybe a few Easter Egg Hunts too!)

 – Fabric eggs and all images via Sew, Mama, Sew. –
– Free pdf tutorial for your crafting pleasure right here. –