Who's that in this picture??? (updated Friday afternoon)

It's a wonder I get anything done sometimes! This week I dyed wool for two days straight...so I took a bunch of the wools out of one amoire and tossed them on the bed so that I could get a bunch of it cut for dying....and guess who decides to make it her bed! Of course...I didn't see her at first until I tried to move a piece of wool and out came the claws trying to stop me!

Ah ha! There she is! (And looking positively evil to boot!)

I'm not sure how much updating I'll get to do on the blog tomorrow...this dang computer is fixing to go back to the Geek Squad (per their suggestion) cuz it's running soooooo slow! So.....here's what I know so far:

Our big ol' order of all the Gentle Arts hand dyed flosses arrived today! So we are now officially carrying their line in the shop! Woohoo! (I will have to say though...for all the money I spent, it would have made me feel a whole lot better if it had arrived in a gigantic size box! Maybe good things really do come in small packages!)

30 ct. Confederate gray linen and 28 ct Cashel in "Dirty" came in today too!

The WOW wool is ready to go for April (and it's not even the end of the month yet!)!! So girls, come in quick for the best selection!

Shawn is busy working on a couple of antique buys he picked up...so hopefully they'll be in the shop in the next week or so...

And...the bolts we ordered of Primitive Gathering's line called "Seasonal Gatherings" are on their way and will be here next week! We do have fat quarters available on all 50 pcs in the line, but we only purchased about 12 of the bolts. They are now over on our selling site (see the right hand side bar)for viewing and pre-orders.


This is one of the new projects coming out in the Summer edition of Primitive Quilts and Projects Magazine. Kerri Arthur (www.calicorabbit.blogspot.com)designed this darling little bag and asked me if we would like to kit it for the magazine. So....we are listed as the kit provider and are already getting calls from gals across the U.S. wanting a kit. There will be a limited number of kits made..if any of our regular customers are wanting one...please let me know! I will have some for sale this weekend in the shop!

And better late than never...


We had this runner in the shop for sale before Easter....so naturally we had several customers ask if there was a kit available. There is now! And...there are only 4 left! Soooo....if you're thinking you need one to do for next Easter...let me know!
Kit price is $32 (WOW price is $28.80)and comes will all the hand-dyed wools and plaid backing fabric.(It does not come with the pattern, but we have that in stock!) When they're gone...that's it...this is a bit of a bear to dye and make it all look really good!

That's it for this week's update..I have to shut this computer down and haul it back to the Geek Squad!
Have a great weekend..and come see us if you get the chance!
Lisa

I'm making this a quick post tonight...I finally got my computer back yesterday from the Geeks at Best Buy...one new hard drive later and carbonite telling me it will take 4 DAYS to restore all of my files...at least I'm able to post a couple of new pics and a little information!

New in this week...May's Wordplay pattern from Country Stitches...along with two other ones by her and one by Blackbird Designs...

$8.95 for the pattern ($8.05 for WOW members)

$14.00 for the pattern (WOW price $12.60)

$9.95 for the pattern (WOW price $8.95)

Blackbird Design's pattern
$8.95(WOW price $8.05)

We received our complimentary copy of the new Summer Primitive Quilts and Projects today! That means our shop copies aren't far behind! They should be in by May 1st(ish)! We run out pretty fast...if you want one..let me know! $9.95 for the issue...$8.95 for the WOW members!

New punchneedle patterns coming next weekend...and we're going to start selling Gentle Arts threads...they'll be in sometime around May 1st(ish)....(that's my new word of the day....May 1stish...)

Beautiful weather this weekend! Come out and see us!
Lisa

A Happy Easter to All....(Updated Friday evening)

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY EASTER!



You know what this picture means!!
We're getting so much new fabric in, we just haven't stopped dancing! UPS delivered Andover's new line, "Garden Gate Plaids" by Renee Nannaman yesterday....I'll be cutting fat quarters and packs on these on Saturday! (and I'll get the pictures up over on the selling site over the weekend...)
But for now, if I did this right, here is a link to the page on Andover's website showing the line. These pics are paper strike-offs and the fabric is soooo much prettier in person! And they go really well with the new "Alexandria" line by Jo Morton that recently arrived! (Just copy and past this link into your browser...)The ones that look light gray are actually are really pretty soft blue...

http://andoverfabrics.com/Grid.php?GroupName=Garden Gate Plaids

(Thursday...)

Finally...got to the Alexandria fabric pictures...these are now over on our sellig site with numbers and pricing. (Look under the "Fabric" section.) Here are pics below of the pieces we received...$9.50 per yard (WOW price is $8.55 per yard)
































































































(My goodness...you'd think I'd been drinking the way those stripes got scanned into the computer!!!)


We are offering Blackbird's New club this year..."Loose Feathers"...and we have received the first book in the series of 4 books for this year.....this one is entitled "Mary Ann Blackburn". Each book is inspired by an antique sampler, and will contain a sampler project plus two smaller projects. Each book is $16.00 (WOW price is $14.40)and you must sign up for the entire club to purchase the books.

This book is worked on R&R's 30 ct. Sheep's Straw linen and Crescent Colors, Gentle Arts, and Weeks Dye Works threads.
If you would like either the linen or thread kits to go with the project book, just let me know!


Back in stock...Spring Tyme Sampler by Country Stitches
$9.00 for the pattern (WOW price $8.10)
Horn book boards coming soon!

And...the 22 count fine ariosa linen should be in for next weekend. If you are needing it for either the new "House of Blues" or "Peter and Peep" patterns...let me know! I have a list going!

I wanted to get the photos up of the silk matka that came in last week...tons of uses for this beautiful fabric! Wonderful for cross stitch projects as well as wool applique! The pictures are of the fabric unwashed...so it's very "slick" with very little texture. But when you wash it, it takes on a whole new personality and becomes a bit nubby with a great "feel". $28 per yard...wow members get their discount!

Color: Tobacco

Color: Taupe

Color: Oatmeal

Coming next weekend...

"Remember Me" by Blackbird Designs

"Sit and Stitch" by Country Stitches

"Sampler of the Season" by Country Stitches

"May Word Play" by Country Stitches

The new Early American Life Magazine came today! Fantastic articles in this issue!
$5.99 per issue...wow discount applies!

And our final bit of info for this evening...

We'll be offering our annual "Pick an Egg - Pick a Discount" on Sunday as our Easter treat to all of our customers that visit us on that day!
At the time of purchase, you'll be able to pick an egg from our Easter basket to determine your special discount! Discounts will range from 10% to 25% and there will also be door prize eggs as well! WOW members will get to add 5% to their discount picked for a little added bonus! So come out and visit us on Sunday!

Lisa

You know what this means!!

It's Happy Dance Fabric Friday!!

I'm pacing the floor waiting to see the UPS truck drive up! He's got Jo Morton's new line, "Alexandria", in that truck somewhere! So you know what that means....new fabric in the shop this weekend!

Update!! UPS just came and not only did he bring me "Alexandria", but I received the entire collection of "Heart of a Nation" by Windham fabrics.....which is AWESOME!!
Here's a link if you want to see what that looks like:

www.windhamfabrics.net/cgi-bin/fabricshop/gallery.cgi?Category=532&View=All&v=1
(Just copy and paste this link into your browser and it'll take you to the entire collection)

And here is a link to see "Alexandria"...it'll be next week before I can get pics up on the selling blog:

http://andoverfabrics.com/Grid.php?GroupName=Alexandria

We'll start cutting special orders in the morning...let us know if you'd like to have anything pre-cut for you!

Also...


"Civil War Legacies" by Carol Hopkins arrived this week and I'm just about sold out of the first batch of books. (Yikes!) But don't panic...I've ordered more!
Book price is $25.00 (WOW price is $22.50)
15 quilt projects...all small quilts...nothing over 36" finished....and the blocks are small.
If you know you want one for sure...let me know! I want to make sure I have enough coming on this second order.

I'm bringing in a "truck load" of sale fabric from our "de-stash" project....lots of brushed plaids...both in spring pastels and great neutrals and darks. Also, twills from some of the older Blackbird Design lines and a fantastic bunch of fat quarters from Brannock and Patek's older line called "Liberty Garden"....perfect for those upcoming summer/patriotic projects!

A few more Spring surprizes coming in as well...can't reveal everything, ya know!

And I almost forgot....the Wake County Library Book Sale is going on this weekend at the Jim Graham building. It's open tonight and tomorrow until 8pm and Sunday til 5pm. I think everything goes 1/2 price tomorrow...which means hardcover books are $2 and paperback books are $1. Lots of good books in the "arts and crafts" section (even after I got through plundering)!

Have a great weekend and come see us!!
Lisa

Friday Night Upate!!

Hello to all...and happy springtime salutations! This week promises not to dissappoint with lots of new treasures coming into the shop!

Our UPS man delivered several boxes today...we FINALLY got our long-awaited Silk Matka in...three luscious colors...oatmeal, taupe and tobacco! Beautiful fabric...perfect for wool applique or cross stitch and stitching! I'll take pictures in the morning when I have good light so you can see the colors.(Okay...so it's Friday and I didn't get around to taking pictures before I took it all into the shop..so you'll have to come see it for yourself!)

We got another order of the vintage springtime cards in...if you girls didn't get to see these...really sweet vintage photos made into hand-dyed cards..perfect for a springtime note to a special friend or an easter greeting...$1.35 each...

Now...for some major news! We are helping one of our good customers de-stash their huge quilting fabric selection. It is all newly cut, out of print fabrics or complete fat quarter bundle sets. Some of the designers include Brannock and Patek, Sandy Gervais, Three Sisters, Kansas Trouble Quilters, Kaye England, Judy Rothemel, Blackbird Designs and Indo US...just to name a few off the top of my head. LOTS of spring brushed plaid homespuns too. We're sorting through what we have right now and will be bringing in a big portion of it this weekend. If any of you quilters are looking for something from an older line...please let me know...we may be able to help!

(Update on the fabric we're coming in with....we've been getting a lot of it ready for thise weekend...we're bringing in probably close to 1000 fat quarters all at a great sale price...here are some of the regular cotton lines..."Strawberry Jam", "Seasons", Prairie Moon", Meadow Waltz", and "Stitches on the Oregon Trail II" all by Kansas Trouble Quilters; "Funky Chicken" and "Sweet Potato Pie" by Sandy Gervais; "Liberty Garden" and "Simple Life" by Brannock and Patek; and several hundred civil war fat quarters from various lines. We're also bringing in great spring cottons and brushed homespuns...some of which are from Sandy Gervais' line "High Tea" and "Paris Flea Market".
Regular homespuns will come in next week...I have to get something else done before the weekend!)

(Friday)

WOW girls...your March wool is ready to be picked up! I'm calling this color "Dirty Little Chicks"!!(So you know it ain't bright!) Also...if you didn't get February's wool...I've re-dyed that and that can be picked up as well...

"For My Friend" book is back in stock....

AND..we finally got in the 28ct Cashel in Summer Khaki and Country Mocha...along with the 30ct Weeks Dyed Linen called....oh shoot...I can't remember the name....but it's a nice light color!

New in...iron cupboard door hooks...pub tapers in all the good dark grungy colors...easter eggs for your doughbowl....and new lighting by Katie's lighthouse

I think that's it for now...I'm off to go eat a bowl of Bluebell Ice Cream...it finally made it to NC!!

Have a great weekend...come out and see us! Lisa

Lovin' this Weather!! (Updated Friday evening)

Well maybe our Spring Open House this past weekend really did do the trick and help warm up the temperatures around here a bit! I don't know about you guys, but I'm lovin' this warmer weather! I have huge Laura Pedlum bushes in my yard that are just on the verge of completely busting out into solid pink blooms!

I really want to thank all the shoppers that came out to our Spring Open House...we were packed to the rafters with lots of happy buyers! The local talent we have in the shop is so talented and amazing and they appreciate your support more than you know!(And they are working hard on more treasures...so stay tuned for that!)We've got great stuff coming in all week long and still have plenty of "Spring" in the shop...if you didn't get a chance to come out...come on by and visit us when you can!


Jen Cunningham's new book, "Simpler Times" arrived yesterday and will be in the shop for this weekend! We are offereing this book at a great price of $16.95 (Wow girls get their discount) and will not be re-ordering when they are gone. If you think you need one and you're not on the list already....let me know!

(Friday evening...)

I'm going to make this short and sweet tonight for the final update for the week! Lots came in this week that is coming to the shop this weekend!

First, we received the "potting soil brown" and dark blue tickings! (These were used on Country Stitches' new patterns!)



Great weight...100% cotton...tons of uses! $9.95 per yard (WOW price $8.95 per yard)

*30 count Weeks Dye Works linen came in...two new colors..."Linen" and "Light Khaki". That makes about 7 colors we now have in stock in their 30 ct. size!

*Back in stock! From Blackbird's line of fabric called "Blueberry Crumb Cake", the tan and lighter blue sampler fabrics...
$9.50 per yard (WOW price $8.55)




*Vintage silver and pink (mixed) tinsel for your spring projects or easter tree! $2.95 for a 9' package.

*Summer Brown thread by Coats and Clark...it's the one Maggie Bonanomi uses on all of her wool applique projects. Two sizes available.

*Walnut Crystals are back in stock! $3.50 for a 1-ounce package....which will go a long way!

*We've re-stocked the spring punchneedle patterns and the newest cross stitch patterns!

*Memorial Day will be here before you know it! Now in, red-white-taupe vintage look bunting. Each piece is about 2' wide by 12' long...great for curtain valances or to drape on your porch railing! $15 each...

*AND...last but not least...if you love old tinware for the kitchen..then come see us! Shawn hit the motherlode of tinware and we've got about 30 pieces (so far) ready to come in...all at a great price!!

I think that's about it for this week...at least it's all I can remember! The weather will be almost picture perfect this weekend...take a drive and come see us if you get the chance!

(Midnight update!!)
I just picked up 9 bunnies from Vickie Wallace for the shop!! You'll have to "hop on in" to see them!

Lisa

We are Bustin' at the Seams for Spring!

Time for Spring at Lone Star Mercantile!

Let's see if we can push the temperatures on back up a bit by "spring-i-fying" the shop this weekend! We've got stuff coming in all week long...starting with Judy Condon's new book, "Just Country Gardens"! This is the second book she has put out focusing on outdoor garden landscaping...always great ideas and wonderful photography!


$24.95 for the book (WOW price $22.45)

Primitive Gathering's new line... "Seasonal Gatherings" has started to arrive! Yardage won't be in for another month or so, but we received fat quarter packs, charm packs and layer cakes from this line....a ton of great small prints in this line...42 in all!


(Friday)

I tried to snap a few pics of some of the Spring goodies that we put in the shop for this weekend....made by one of our local artists...let me tell ya, Vickie has been burning the midnight oil creating some awesome bunnies! They will not last long!





(That little white hanging cupboard...in the picture above... just came in today...it is a fantistic sized little piece...dates around 1870-1890, great old original white paint...$295.00)



An order of Family Heirloom Weaver's throws, table coverings and placemats came in today....lots of beautiful loomed coverlet patterns to choose from!

4 new colors of hand dyed ribbon came in as well! A beautiful "dirty" carrot, one called "Mocha" (a dark black plum raisen almost), one called "Latte" and one called "Moss". Naturally I had to pull 10 yards of each off for me! But don't worry, there is plenty to go around! (I taught a covered box class this week and that hand dyed ribbon looked fantastic tied around those beautiful boxes the girls all made!)

A couple of new colors of cross stitching linen came in..."Light Khaki" in 30 count from weeks and the "Natural" in 28 ct. cashel! Both beautiful colors!

The new Schiffer book, Civil War Quilts, has come back in! If you didn't get a chance to see it, hopefully they'll still be there on your next trip. $34.95 (Wow girls get a discount) and worth every penny!


Back in stock...this new punchneedle pattern from Threads that Bind...$11.95

AND...(drumroll please!)...we got an email saying that the new book, Simpler Times has been shipped and should be here by the first of next week! (We might have to do our happy dance (generally only used for fabric deliveries)when these finally arrive!!)

$24.95 for the book...WOW price is $22.45

A few more hand-made surprises coming in with me in the morning...and who knows what else! Come visit us if you can and have a great weekend! Lisa