Here's a great deal!

Call the shop for details & appointments. 559 793 2510

What's black & white & red all over?

There seems to be a lot of black & white & red all over my shop. How did that happen? Did I do that?
It's flying out the door faster than I can put it away!


We had a lovely day today at the shop. Lots of new customers came in & some old friends stopped by to say hello. We had shoppers who drove up to see the shop after visiting our booth last weekend at the Cotton Patch Quilters' Show in Bakersfield. Everyone seemed to find something that satisfied their sweet tooth - or maybe "color" tooth...or even "creative" tooth...or is that too weird?
Sorry.
Anyway.
It's so nice to spend the day downtown in such a beautiful space. I really enjoyed myself. You just never know when a new friend will walk through the doors. Everyone who came in today had a different project, a challenge & a story to tell.
Richard showed off his new quilting patterns on the Avante, & made some appointments for Avante rentals. I put out some new yarn cards for embellishing, & set up for tomorrow's Super Bowl Party.
All in all, a very successful, fun day at the Mermaid.
I'll just put my feet up for a little while & it will all be good.

Let's jump start this short month!

February may be a short month, but it's a pretty one. We have new fabric, books, & patterns to inspire you. Come check out these classes.
Sheri's Valentine twister is so pretty! You'll love this technique. If you haven't ever tried, it's addictive. Watch out.
Look at these pretty samples for Lynette's Wool Class. These kits are perfect hand sewing projects. You can take them anywhere!
This is Smitten, a quick & easy free pattern by Barb Tourtillotte for Clothworks. Stop in & we'll make you a kit!

Cotton Patch Quilt Guild Show

We had a wonderful time in Bakersfield this weekend. Sew Full of Whimsy was a great quilt show & we made lots of new friends. You can see Sheri's Ripples & Reflection BOM is almost complete. It was a huge hit.

Road to California Quilt Show

We had a great day at Road to California yesterday. The whole mermaid crew went (we seemed to be a giggle of mermaids) & became newly inspired as we scouted, shopped, gawked, & giggled.

Dion found some cool skull fabric she didn't already have.

Darlene isn't really at the coast - this is an amazing quilt behind her!


Rae Lynne found a Sunbonnet Mermaid.

Richard & Jenn took a lot of pics with their fancy phones.
The quilts were just fabulous. The more we looked, the more we were dazzled.This is the back of a gorgeous underwater mermaid castle quilt.

February Classes!

The February Class schedule is ready!
Check the website calendar www.calicomermaid.com
If you'd like to join our email list & receive special event invitations, just contact me.


Beginning Quilting
every Tuesday 4-6 $10/session + book

Count On It Calendar Block
$15 +book
Wednesday, February 1 5-8

Sweatshirt Jacket
February 2 & 9 4-7
Make your own unique jacket to complement every outfit.
$35 incl. directions

Friday Night Free Sew
February 3 5 to midnight
Come join the fun! $10 Potluck dinner

Avante Handi Quilter Demo
February 4 1-4 no charge

Pockets a Plenty Bag
February 10 & 17 3-6
or February 11 & 18 10-1
$25 + pattern

Valentine Twister
February 12 1-5
$20 incl. directions +tool

Scrappy String Quilt
February 16 4-7 $25 incl. directions

Accuquilt Demo
February 15 & 29 2-4
$5 incl. materials


Dresden Table Topper
February 23 3:30-6
$20 +pattern

Working With Wool
February 24 10-1
no charge +kit

Zippy Strippy Bag
February 26 1-4
$15 +pattern

Now offering lessons &
Avante or Sweet Sixteen machine rental.
Make your reservations with Richard 793 2510
Avante lessons $10/hour rental $10/hour
Sweet Sixteen $5/hour

MLK Weekend Thoughts

Last week in my classroom we spent some time discussing how Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted the world to be a better place, so he took the risk & did what he thought was right. He wasn't always popular, but that didn't stop him from doing what he knew in his heart was important.
Usually this weekend is a time for regrouping, planning, & creating at our house. The Christmas festivities leave us craving a little quiet time. There's always some left over holiday debris to deal with - whether extra laundry, decorations or a tree that still needs to be disposed of. School has been back in session long enough for us to appreciate 3 lazy quiet mornings & time to do what's important.
Many years ago I started my first real quilt on this weekend in January, after buying all my fabric on sale after Christmas.
Another year, on this weekend my sister in law brought her sewing machine & some gorgeous fabric she'd bought in Maui. We planned & created a whole bedroom set that weekend, complete with duvet cover, dust ruffle, pillowcases, & extra throw pillows. It's beautiful & I get to sleep under it when I visit her.
Today I actually FINALLY found time to sew a little. It felt so good! My confidence was a little weak, but I knew I needed to try. Since the shop opened I've developed some lousy habits. Like spending all my time making sure everyone else has all they need to create, & not making time for me to be creative.
This is the Sonora collection from Benartex. I have to tell you-as much as I love bright colors, this collection is pretty cool. Serendipity is a free quick pattern from Benartex. Even with all these dorky little pieces, it's going together quickly. I think I might just put some kits together.

I feel like I had a breakthrough today. It was important for me to step out of this boring little box I've made for myself & break through some bad habits. Now to convince Richard to quilt the piece for me this week quick before someone comes in to rent the Handi Quilter!

Fun new fabric everywhere!

Ripples & Reflections Block of the Month

Sweet Sheri has completed the first block in the Ripples and Reflections BOM. Isn't it amazingly beautiful? She does beautiful work. The Hoffman batiks should be in any day now & I can hardly wait to get my hands on them! You can register any time now for the 11 month BOM. I'm sure these monthly kits will go fast.

2012 is here & the holidays are now over

Some people are quick to take down their Christmas decorations, but I can't find it in my heart to let go just yet. I know, it's silly to procrastinate. I just can't help it. We had such a wonderful time with family & friends this holiday season, I'm still enjoying the lingering delight.
So instead of doing what I probably should have done around the house, I spent my spare time last weekend purging Christmas from the shop & reorganizing the stock room. It never seems like there's enough time to spiff up the unseen spaces.
Then we changed up the shop to make space for new fabric scheduled for delivery every week this month. We brought in some new shelves but they were filled up immediately.

Since school started back up this week, my Christmas vacation is really & truly over.

Did I clean up Christmas from my home? No.
Did I organize my closets as I'd planned? Well, no.
Did I research some new art projects for my class? Ummm...no.
Did I do much sewing? Nope.
But I had a great time at home with family & at the shop with friends.
And, after all, I can clean up the Christmas stuff here at home next weekend.
Maybe.