It's beginning to look like an autumnal quilt in
Minnesota this week as the maples, oaks and aspens flame into shades of
oranges, yellows and reds. The late season grasses and mums are in
full bloom, the sumac and oaks are tinged with color and my favorite season
of the year is here. Fall is particularly busy
 for
all of us at the Main Street Cotton Shop with so many events on our calendar. We are in our final weeks of preparation for our 10th Annual
Quilt Harvest Retreat. Making kits, decorating the store and
adding the finishing touches to displays all add to the excitement as
retreat time gets closer. Yesterday, I went with my Redwood Falls
manager, Cathy Felt and my Hutchinson manager, Connie Lindmeyer, on a last
minute shopping trip to get those extra special gift items. We hit the
jackpot and found incredible antique dough bowls, benches, stools and garden finds.
During quilt retreat, Lynette Jensen has an awesome tour of her home and
gardens and today we had a sneak preview. Next month, I will share
pictures of the home tour and quilt retreat with you. |
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New fall fabrics like Maple Valley and Seeds of Time have
arrived and are just fabulous. Along with that, the Maple Valley book
has a great looking Indian Summer table runner that will fit any decor.
For a fun coffee table treasure, check out the Autumn Accents book, full of
wonderful decorating ideas. Two of the newest kits that we have added
to our collection, just in time for fall, is the Antique Pomegranate and Gourd
Harvest table runners. Both of these kits use some of our hand
dyed wools that add a rich colorful look to the project. |
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 Our newest patterns in the shop arrived last Friday.
These are both Thimbleberries designed and are just the right size to get
started on now. Basket Block Runnners and Cookie Cutter Sampler can be
finished in a weekend. Both kits are available
 now with fabric for the
top, binding and pattern included. To help you get started this month,
we are offering the Cookie Cutter Sampler kit, regularly $49.95 for only
$39.95 when ordered on-line. If you don't have time to do the project,
give the kit as a gift! Perfect for the hard to buy for friend. |
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For the past year, we have offered Cotton Cut-Ups to our
customers. The Cotton Cut-Ups are fabric assortments with a variety of
sizes in the package. Each package is one pound or more and has a
minimum of four yards total of fabric for only $19.95. We offer a
variety of collections with various designer fabrics. This time of the
year, our Harvest Mix and Christmas Memories seem to be the most popular. |
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Today, the WinterScape fabric collection arrived.
The fabric is available by the yard and we have a charming wall hanging
available using the WinterScape line through our Thimbleberries Project of
the Month Club. |
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In less than a month, the Fall Favorites Top Shop Tour
will be taking place. There are a few spots still available. 400
women from all over the US will be touring these nine shops that have been
selected in the past by APQ Sampler magazine as "must see" quilt shops.
Our Redwood Falls shop is on the tour October 8, 9 and 10. Lynette
Jensen will be here signing books and visiting with our guests all three
days. Across the street from our shop is a great building that we will
have filled with a gallery of quilts. Call 651.426.1885 if your are
interested in joining us. |
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With so much going on the next few months, I better get
going. Walls to paint, windows to change and quilts to finish. I
only have the binding left to finish on my Flower Market Bouquet done in
Maple Valley Fabrics. It's a winner and a quilt that I was able to
finish in a month. |