Stitchin' Post in Sisters

On a Roll.......

Hello everyone - we are busy here at the shop with all of the class sign ups. We had our preview party this weekend. And today is Wednesday so the Sit n' Knitters are bringing a buzz to the store. I love Wednesdays, you can hear laughter and chatter downstairs as the girls knit and hang out. It reminds me of The Friday Night Knitting Club novel. I love that book...I just started reading Knit Two the next novel in the series......Now onto other things....Carolyn and I have been working on taking photos for the web site - Stitchin' Post and Twigs.....here are a few new shots that we got over the past week. We are working on updating and revamping the Twigs web site.....bear with us.

The candle sticks are antique glass that we carry in Twigs....thought they would look cool out in the aspen trees.

This is the free pattern that I am doing for my new fabric collection "Del Hi". The quilt is called Del Hi Street.....the palette is High Desert - the other colorway, Mediterranean is being pieced as we speak. I will share when it is done.
In the last posting I shared a little about Carolyn - so this week I want to share a bit about my mom. Jean Wells - the founder of the shop and the Quilt Show. Here is what we have for her little bio.....
“I began my career as a home economics teacher right out of college, but my love for sewing started long before that, I discovered sewing at the age of nine. I made my first quilt 39 years ago when I was pregnant with my son Jason.  The beginning of a long passion that eventually led to my opening of The Stitchin’ Post in 1975.  That same year we had our very first Sisters Outdoor Quilt show, in which 12 quilts blanketed the outside of my shop, today we hang more than 1200 quilts from around the country.
 I love pattern, color, and piecing and most of all teaching. I love to see people learn and discover their own talents and be proud of themselves. That is the foundation of the store--education and inspiration.  I am not a quilter that has specialized in just one technique… I love it all. I have had the opportunity to write 27 books, number 28 comes out this July "Intuitive Color and Design - adventures in art quilting.”

Jean (mom) is an incredible lady both in business and in talent. In 2010 Jean will be inducted into the quilter's hall of fame in Indiana, a very well deserved honor.  Jean continues to grow as a quilter, she is never satisfied with one way, one style, she is constantly moving forward, this in my opinion, is what makes her so successful and makes the Stitchin’ Post the Mecca that it has become.  What Jean has given the town of Sisters goes un-numbered, every year for the last 34 years she turns our small old loggers town into a kaleidoscope of color and shares everyone’s talents.

Some of her most recent talents and quilts will come to you in this great book....should be out this Summer. Keep your eye out......
Have a  great day.....Happy quilting, sewing, knitting.......OH next week I will have new yarns to share.....yummy....
Valori

2009...starting the year with a new mission....

AAAHHH, it has been months since I have been here....way too long. I made a pact with myself that I would get our blog going and be more....well, here.
So, where to start.....The shop is a buzz with new fabric coming in and our class preview party getting ready to launch next week. I don't have the image of the flyer here by I do have the image that I shot for the cover....with my sweet Olivia.

We have all of our classes on line, you can even sign up on line if you would like.
I love how the classroom looks this time of year - it is filled with all of the samples for classes. The girls did such a great job putting it all up.
We have finally got the newest Valori Wells Designs pattern......Prudence and Henry. Again I have my great girl to "model" for me...now I did have to bribe her for this one....

These lovley little animals are travel pillows with a blankey.
I want to share our staff at the Stitchin' Post with you....we are starting to do it in our e-newsletter and I thought that it would be great to show them off here. We do have the best staff out there.....First I will start with Miss Carolyn....Carolyn writes the e-newsletter and this is what she wrote about herself....

"Here you go, me......I started at the Stitchin’ Post when I was 16, I began in a school to work program searching for what I was going to be when I grew up, and here I am almost 12 years later.....I never knew that this would turn into my career......I started in the Stitchin’ Post as a floor clerk, inspired by some beautiful fabrics that came from Holland I made my first quilt, with the help of my good friend that also worked here at the time. The quilt was a combination of 4” squares and four patches and now adorns the guest room bed at my moms house.  Then an opening came up in the gift department of the shop, to keep myself busy I rearranged some displays and lets just say it was a niche I never knew I had and Jean saw something more.  A few years went by and a position opened for a manager/buyer for Twigs (it was called The Wild Hare back then) I was 19 at the time, I applied and Jean while a little skeptical thought why not lets give it a try and the following years were history, I loved my job, I married my best friend, co-authored a book with one of my great friends, Valori, learned to knit, and had the light of my life, my son Maddox, arrive in 2007. Just when I thought things couldn’t get better my job description changed a little to include even more of my passion for learning, while I still manage and buy for Twigs I also co-manage the yarn department create displays through out the shop, write to all of you, work closely with Val on photo shoots, ads and the behind the scenes creative part that makes The Stitchin’ Post the shop that it is.  In my 12 years here at the store, I have met so many incredible people, made a ton of friends, and for those of you that have seen it first hand I have grown from an awkward teenager to what I consider a successful business woman - wow that is strange to write, let alone say - I anticipate the coming years and what they have to bring......."
Besides Carolyn being such an awesome asset to our business she is one of my BEST FRIENDS. I could never ask for someone more caring and wonderful to call my friend.....I love her!!!
Carolyn and I made a pact the other day that we would do a photoshot once a week to increase our photos to use..... Wel,l even in the snow this week we did a photoshot.....it was for an ad in our local paper, The Nugget.....

We also shot this......

I want to introduce you to LuLu - our manaquine - we use her a lot in photo shots. The clothes she is wearing.... the dress is out of my new Del Hi fabric - due in the shop in April, sometime - I made this dress for my Art Show opening  last night......The sweater is from some new yarn we just got into the shop from Rowan - Lenpur Linen - it is beautiful. Too bad I didn't have it last night would of looked great with my outfit.
I know it is a lot to give in a post - especially after SO long....but I just wanted to fill you in....
Live, Love, Inspire, Create!
Valori

Hello....finally!!!

Hello!!! Well, as you can see I am still working on the design of the blog. I have been having issues trying to get our logo at the top in the header position. But the folks here at typepad are so good at helping I am sure we will have it resolved soon. In the mean time I figured that I had better get on here.....especially since the last post was over a year ago!!!
Let's see what can I share with you today......we are enjoying a little cool down here in Sisters. It has been good for the fires.......the shop is a buzz with people coming in from all over - I love seeing everyone enjoying the quilts and the knitting.....AAHHH makes you smile!
So, I was out the other day to shot a new photo for an ad - I thought I would share along with some other images from around here....and there!!

I couldn't get the chair into the field by myself so I made this work. Still looks pretty cool. The quilt is Gracie and the fabric is Olive Rose.
Here are some photos of the shop and some new displays that Miss Carolyn did......


We are trying to create a "lifestyle" area in the front of the shop...showing how fabric can be more than just quilts. We are offering a bunch of "lifestyle" classes this year in our flyer.....speaking of our flyer if you haven't checked your mail or you are not on our mailing list check out our web site to see what classes we have.

I am just so excited about the classes we have to going this year as well as the events!! I will keep you posted on the events to come. It is hard to remember when everything is happening that is why I am here for you...besides it keeps me remembering......
To close for this posting I will share some of the photos of the flowers from the shop......



Take care and happy sewing.....
Valori
& the rest of the Stitchin' Post crew

After Quilt Show

A very fun, beautiful quilt show is now history in Sisters. It is hard to believe it was only a couple of weeks ago. Violette Grace, Val's new daughter arrived a week after the show (three weeks early). John and I took care of Olivia while everyone was at the hospital. Everyone is home now and settled in and doing well. Our class flyer went to the printer yesterday so I feel like a lot has happened in the past two weeks. If you are not on the mailing list you might want to sign up---the flyer is in full color and a brand new format. Diane is the one responsible for having the vision and making it all happen. We will have it online by the middle of August.

Now I can enjoy summer and boy do I love all the flowers around the store. All of the hard work in the spring has paid off in the eclectic garden with perennials as well as annuals grown from seeds with French beans and zucchini thrown in. I took several pictures to share with you. The garden reminds me of a quilt that Terri Kirchart made for us right before quilt show. She was inspired by the paisley print from Sole' and had taken a class from Marti Mitchell at market on Kaleidscope quilts. It is like a stack and wack the way you create the images. She choose the sunflower print from Sole' for the border. It is a very dramatic quilt.

Jean

Welcome.....

Welcome to the Stitchin' Post in Sisters...we couldn't be starting this at a busier time. We have 1500 people here taking classes prior to our 32nd annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show - which is this Saturday...... Everyone starting arriving for classes a couple of days ago....this morning at the High School - where we hold the classes - there was a excited, happy energy..... I had a teacher, who comes every year to teach, say that it was like a reunion with everyone - so much fun. The weather is cooperating - it is sunny and warm, not too warm - at least not yet!
My gardening efforts have paid off and flowers are blooming everywhere around the store. The quilts we have hanging from the shop are - Paprika, the quilt on the left - designed by Valori Wells is our Raffle quilt for this years show and we did a pattern and kit for it. The quilt to the right was made by Terri using some of Valori's new fabric Sole'. The last quilt hanging from the shop is a copy of last year's raffle quilt, Sisters Scape - it was also designed by Valori - and we did a kit and pattern for it.
As the week progresses we will be shooting lots of photos to share with you of our event!!! Here is a preview of what the shop looks like when you walk in - with my grand daughter - Olivia, isn't she cute in the little tent - made from her mother's fabric.....
Enjoy and come back as our look changes......
Jean