Many thanks to members of the Porterville Quilters!

At their recent meeting, Porterville Quilters advised me of their fabric, thread and tool preferences. What a big help!
I found out many prefer Mettler threads, some like Aurifil. Some quilters enjoy redwork, cross stitch, and using embellishments. Most use cotton batting, but their list of favorite fabrics goes on and on!
As I'm placing orders, it's great to know exactly what our local quilters need and want. We haven't had many choices in our town for a long time, so if there's anything we can do to make your shopping experience with us better, let me know!
Drop me a quick email or a phone call and tell me about your favorite threads, tools, supplies, and patterns. I hope to provide those specific requests as best I can. If it's something you love to use, I need to know about it!

georg@calicomermaid.com
559 853 SHOP

Delicious Precuts!

We have lots of yummy Honey Buns and Dessert Rolls from Moda. Don't they have the cutest names? These are great because the prints are already coordinated and ready to go. They're perfect for a quick project, whether it's a bag, wall hanging, snuggly lap quilt, or table topper! They can be used in any strip pieced quilt pattern. We have lots of different print styles, so you're sure to find something to inspire you. Check it out!

Have you seen this?

Here's a cool new tool!
This Sewline Trio mechanical pencil has 2 ceramic leads - black and white, plus a tracer point for tracing patterns, and a built in eraser.
Specially formulated leads give a clear, fine line on fabrics, which is easily removed from most fabrics with the special Sewline Eraser or by dabbing with a damp cloth or washing. Simply rub off with the eraser or dab off with a damp cloth. The refillable lead colors are created to fade under sun light. We have black, white, and yellow refills. Those light colors are perfect for marking quilting, stitching, or sewing lines on dark fabrics.
Just twist the barrel to change points.

Shopping spree!

While we were traveling and visiting with family, we stopped in at the Moda/United Notions warehouse in Dallas. It was huge. What an amazing experience.
Wait till you see all the pretty fabric I found!
By the way, the online store is now open for business. I'll have the fabric ready to sell as fast as I can.

Mermaid Visions - With a Little Help from my Friends

You may be wondering about the Mermaid logo we're using.
My friend Lisa is an amazing artist, so when we first started dreaming of the Mermaid, she was the one I immediately thought of for artistic assistance. She and I have always been on the same wavelength, and she has always been there to ride the waves of my wild ideas with me, no matter how crazy. I knew she'd understand what I wanted, and this time was no different. She drew several mermaids and helped me understand the mechanics of how exactly to make everyone else see her the way she is in my imagination. We brainstormed and drew together, revising each others' work until the Mermaid was ready. And actually, her tail was perfected on a plane coming home from Cancun! So with Richard's computer expertise and a boatload of patience, the Mermaid has become almost real - and now you all can see her as I do.
It took a village to build this mermaid!

Almost ready!

Wow!
We've been home less than a week from the Sisters Quilt Show, and the website is almost ready for sales. We're really enjoying working together on the process of setting up the online shop. Keep watching the website to see when we're up for sales. www.calicomermaid.com
We're both teachers, so this is our big summer vacation blitz to get everything ready.
In California, schools begin in mid August, so we just have a few fleeting weeks before summer is over. And of course, we just HAVE to fit in a little family fun travel time!
Richard is my techno-wizard, working tirelessly at tweaking the site. I'm his helper, but I've been sneaking off when he's not looking to work on the life size mermaid. Her tail is almost finished, and her hair and face are almost ready. I'm excited to show her off as soon as she's presentable. All this silly computer time is cutting into my mermaid construction!
Happy quilting!

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

We just returned from an amazing trip to Sisters, Oregon to see the quilt show. The whole town works together to display 1300 quilts. There are quilts on every wall throughout this tiny town of 2000 people! Every organization helps by working and serving food for the jillions of people who come from all over the nation. What an incredible logistical achievement!

Quilts everywhere!

There were quilts hanging outside every building. Aren't they pretty?

What an amazing quilt show!

It's a beautiful little town.

Jigsaw Puzzles

On these warm days, sometimes it's nice to take a break from quilting and relax with a jigsaw puzzle. We have a variety of pretty designs I'm sure you'll enjoy.