News

We just don’t have the room.  Help!  Come clear out some space for us to keep moving more things in! 

Earlier this week we received the whole darn line of Heather Ross’s new Mendocino line.  Lots of great, super fun prints of sea life–mermaids, sea horses, octopi…So darn cute.  Also just in is a bunch of things from Heather Bailey’s Pop Garden, more bright florals, with a vintage twist.

Last week we were madly rearranging to fit in Anna Maria Horner’s Garden Party–fab-u-lous!–and Amy Butler’s latest home dec line, August Fields–lots of gorgeous, clear blues and greens.

So, that’s the latest from here.  Stop by soon to be sure to see some of these beauties before they’re gone! 

Fall classes will be sent out and posted within the next two weeks.  Stay tuned.

See you soon.

Super exciting things are happening around here.  First, a quick reminder that Denyse Schmidt (www.dsquilts.com) and Heather Ross (www.heatherrossdesigns.com) will be at the store Friday, May 16th from 5-7 pm for a casual meet-and-greet, see-new-fabrics-event.  So, come by and see what’s new with these too ultra-talented designers.

Secondly, there are two new “Cute Skirts” classes added to our May / June class schedule.  The dates are May 20th and 27th and June 10th and 17th, both will be from 7 to 9 pm.  Please call the store to check space availability, 503.287.2658.

Lastly, there is once again a TON of new things in the store.  Most recently, the gorgeous line, “Drawing Room,” from Anna Maria Horner, arrived and will surely fly out the door.  Be sure to come quick to see these beautiful, contemporary, colorful prints–and they’re on 54″ cotton sateen that is a lovely home decorating weight!

See you soon.

Hi there,

A quick post to let you know the latest breaking news around the store.

1.  Our April store-wide sale is right around the corner!!! Mark your calendars and call your friends.  On April 11th-13th (Friday-Sunday) ALL FABRIC will be 10-50% OFF!!!  You know that crazy twice-a-year sale we have, when you can find really fantastic prices on all sorts of goodies.  The store is more than well stocked right now too–we don’t have room on our shelves for all of the fabric we’ve received in the last two weeks.  We’ll also be marking down a selection of patterns, books and notions.  The store will maintain its regular hours (Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5 and Sun 11-4), so be sure to come early on Sunday–we’ll have to close up promptly at 4 to set up for class. 

2.  The new Amy Butler line, Midwest Modern, has arrived.  We ordered the full line, and it’s already starting to move off the shelves.  Great designs, lots of sweet, spring colors.  Come check it out soon! 

3. Save the date!! Well loved designers Heather Ross and Denyse Schmidt will be in town for the upcoming Quilt Market in May and will be at Bolt the evening of May 16th!!  Details are still being decided, and I’ll certainly keep you posted!

See you soon.

While the spring showers have been coming down we’ve been busy unpacking new arrivals every week, including books, fabrics, and patterns.In the past couple of weeks we’ve received so many new fabrics it’s like a new store! Lots of imports from Japan, with their cool, little-something-different look. And, we’ve bulked up our Liberty of London selection–each one is gorgeous! There are some beautiful new upholstery weight prints and bold nature-inspired graphics from Robert Kaufman, an incredible line from Purl Soho–Cake Rock Beach–with large botanicals and smaller companion pieces in amazing colors.

Among the Japanese imports are a few new pieces from Etsuko Furuya with animals and spiders. Also some great “kid-friendly” prints of trains, musical insturments and more animals.

There are some new books on our shelves now too! Including a fantastic new embroidery book I’m sure will be a gem with you hand-stitching folks. Lots of great ideas and very hip design. Check it out. We continue to stock a variety of embroidery supplies and just added pearl cotton to our inventory. We continue to offer a variety of really fantastic sewing project books for beginners and those just looking for fresh ideas.

Some of you may have noticed a new handbag pattern at the store called “The Fiona Handbag.” It’s a darling design and the designer, Jennalou, has just come out with a wallet pattern too. It looks great and very doable. Other new patterns include a few from Amy Butler–two new handbags and two new tops. All very cute! We’ll be offering one of the tops–the Anna Tunic–as a class on our next schedule (see below). Favorite Things has come out with some new designs as well–the Eco Market Tote, another version of the all-purpose tote bag, a lunch bag and the “Smarty Pants” in both adult and child sizes.  Lastly, three new stuffed toy patterns from Wee Wonderfuls (www.weewonderfuls.com ) have arrived and are adoable.  Check them out!

A new arrival of another sort…

While I do try to keep it to business here in the ol’ newsletter, I feel the need to express my gratitude.  My partner Jason and I welcomed our beautiful little boy into the world last Wednesday, March 5th.  I am so appreciative of the kind thoughts and words we have received during this time.  It has been a lovely week of a lot of staring. 

I also am very, very appreciative of the staff at the store, Amy, Margy and Julia, who have kept all things moving right along while I’ve been out.  I will be around a bit, but mostly behind the scenes, so please accept my gratitude via newsletter and I look forward to seeing you around.

I hope you all had a most enjoyable holiday season, and are still basking in the enjoyment of the beginning of a new year.  We had a great December here at the store and enjoyed a little time away.

We’re back in action now, with new things coming in a few times a week lately, and getting ready to start up classes again.  See the Classes and Events page for the class list…

We have been having some trouble with our website.  You may find funny little symbols tossed into the text here and there.  We are working to get it looking back to normal.  Thanks for your patience and understanding.

What’s new?

Like I said up there, we’re receiving new things in all the time and just this week received a nice little selection of Asian-styled cotton prints.  We also got to unpack a group of new Alexander Henry prints, including an old favorite around here–”bird seed.”  It’s an adorable bird print that we’ve had in past, but not in this same color.

Our bins holding the fabric on tubes are packed to the gills right now.  This means there’s a wide array of new things, not only cotton prints.  Some of my personal favs from that batch include this luxurious fleecy knit in grey and sagey/ olive green…it’s nice!  Also there is a darling corduroy print, some very spring-y (season, not coil), fun prints, and lovely new knits, including an Italian wool red/ cream stripe knit and an ultra fantastic rainbow stripe knit with metallic gold…screams summer if anything does!

Organic cotton!  Yes, we’ve greeted the arrival of some new products that many of you are sure to be as excited about as we are.  There is a trio of beauties including a fleece, a nicely thick terry and what they call “sherpa”–looks like a knitted sweater on one side and a cozy blanket on the other.  It’s all quite lovely.

New Marimekko is here too.  Just before the holiday arrived a collection of new designs from those super modern, cool designers we enjoy oh so much.  We’ve brought back some prints we’ve had in the past, including the city drawing, but in black, white and grey, and the continuous tree branches with spring green buds.  There are also some new full panels featuring various naturescapes.  They’re amazing.

And, flannel…we’re just now unwrapping some fabulous flannel prints from Oregon designer Valori Wells.  They are perfect for a cozy warm pair of pajamas (I’m watching little snow flurries right now), or a baby blanket. 

So, if you haven’t been in yet this year, you just may want to come by and see all these new, great pieces for yourself!

Other hot items new to the store…

Amy Butler’s new sewing patterns are great and here.  There are two bag patterns and to top / tunic patterns.  Sure to please!

New books on toys, sewn projects using felted wool (we’ve had a number of you ask how to work with “shrunken sweaters,” this should give you a lot of great ideas and techniques), an excellent quick reference book from Vogue, with all the super useful tips from Vogue Sewing, but smaller, less expensive, and quicker to flip through.

We will be taking a little break from classes over the new year. Our next class list will be sent out around mid-January. As usual, we will send out the list to our mailing list first, then post it to the website (e-mail us if you’d like to be added to the e-mail list).

We will be closed over the Chirstmas holiday from Sunday, December 23rd through Thursday, December 27th. We’ll resume our regular hours Friday, December 28th. We will also be closed Tuesday, January 1st.

Finally, a thank you to all of you for a great two years.  It has been wonderful to see the store grow and evolve into what it is at the moment. I sincerely appreciate all of the support each of you have given. I wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday season.

gina

It’s that time of year…and we have LOTS of gift ideas both for giving and for putting on your own wish list.

Fabric–it’s a given that we have all sorts of fabric to choose, and new things coming in every week. We even have a shipment of Marimekko that arrived today!

Books–we have a number of “how to” books that include great, stylish projects of all sorts. They each have their own style, so take a minute to see which one is your favorite. We also have a selection of books on making stuffed animals and critters of all types.

Tools–who wouldn’t love a new pair of Gingher pinking shears, or a rotary cutter and mat? We also have all sorts of machine needles, bobbins, pins, and marking tools.

Fun projects–someone on your list getting into, or already is into embroidery? We have a slew of embroidery transfers, floss, hoops and dish towels for compact projects you can take on the go. You are sure to find a little desirable something among the buttons, patterns, and trims too!

And for those of you who just aren’t sure what to get, we have gift certificates in any amount and can take care of those over the phone and mail them out.

Another great author event–please join us!

Just in time for the gift-giving season. Tuesday, December 11th from 7 to 8:30 pm NYC based author Diana Rupp will be holding a quick-sew holiday project demonstration at the store. Here are the details:

Join Diana Rupp, author of S.E.W: Sew Everything Workshop and the owner of the much acclaimed Make Workshop in New York City, for hot apple cider and a festive demonstration of simply sewn holiday projects. Diana will demonstrate how to use fabric scraps to make one-of-a-kind holiday cards and gift tags. Also, she will showcase a sampling of projects from S.E.W, some of which (like the Lucky Scrap Scarf and Tokyo Tie Bag) can be whipped up in a few hours or less, making them ideal last-minute gift solutions. If you love to sew and/or if you have questions on how to start designing your own projects, as Diana has done for S.E.W. you won’t want to miss this fun, informative get together.

For more information on S.E.W. or Diana, visit: www.workman.com or www.makeworkshop.com.

We expect to receive her book in the next week. Feel free to give us a call if you’re wondering if it has arrived.

 John’s last couple of days

It’s getting to be a sad day here at bolt. John Blasioli, who has been a trusty helper and oh so friendly face around here since before we were even opened, is moving on to other endeavors. John is a very talented men’s clothing designer and has opened doors of his own (with fellow designer Liza Reitz) over on NW Savier in Portland. If you’d like to see the sort of lovely clothes he creates check out his website at www.abrokenspoke.com. And if you’re in before Sunday–Saturday is his last day–you may want to wish him well.

You may have noticed a new face around the store in the last couple of weeks. Margy has joined us and will be helping out in the afternoons and on weekends with Lauren.

A few ways to save and holiday gift ideas

We have these sort of magic tote bags at the store right now that are for sale for $6. Here’s the magic part: they get you 10% off of your purchases through the Christmas holiday at 8 (yep, EIGHT) fabric stores. The stores are in Portland, West Linn, Vancouver, Damascus and Hood River. So, a little quick math…if you’re thinking you’ll spend more than $60 at any of our stores in the next month and a half it’s worth it. One detail about our store’s policy–we do not duplicate discounts, so if something is already marked down, we do not add an additional 10% off, you’ll receive the higher of the two discounts.

Holiday gift ideas…

I know it’s early, and we haven’t even enjoyed turkey and stuffing yet, but if you’re planning on making gifts for the holiday season chances are you’ve already started thinking about it, if not actually making things. We have a lot of great, quick projects that will make lovely gifts. To rattle off a few ideas: hand- and tote bags, place mats, aprons, quick quilts…and we just brought in a great book on fabric gifts for some more inspiration.

We also have gift certificates available for any amount you’d like and tools and books of all sorts if you’re thinking of things for your own wish list!

Holiday Schedules

A quick note to let you know of our upcoming holiday closures. We will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 22nd and for ourselves on Friday, November 23rd. We’ll be back and ready for you on Saturday at 10! Enjoy the holiday.

We will be be closed in December from Sunday the 23rd through Thursday the 27th. We’ll resume our regular hours on Friday the 28th.

Lastly, we’ll be away on New Year’s Day, back on the 2nd!

Amy Karol, of Angry Chicken blog fame will be at the store this Thursday, November 8th from 7 to 9 pm. Come join us! Bring your sure-to-be-dog-eared-by-now copy of her new book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing or pick up your very own copy that night. Either way, be sure not to miss it. Here’s a little more about the book and the author.

In her characteristic lighthearted tone, Karol promotes a relaxed, “don’t sweat the small stuff” approach to sewing. She encourages sewers to loosen up, experiment, and never be afraid to make mistakes. In BEND-THE-RULES SEWING, Karol starts with the essentials, reviewing the basic tools, equipment, and supplies the savvy sewer needs. She offers tips for choosing fabrics, handy techniques, and guides to hems, zippers, and trims readers are sure to turn to again and again. Once you’ve got down the basics, Karol presents thirty easy, adorable designs to get you started.

Amy Karol is a trained interior designer, artist, seamstress, and self-professed fabric junkie. Her wildly popular craft weblog, AngryChicken, found on AmyKarol.com, has received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from the craft community and has made her quilts, patterns for children’s clothing, and handbags highly coveted and collectible. More than twenty pieces are housed in a permanent museum collection in Japan and her quilts are shown in galleries and shops throughout the U.S. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Come help us celebrate our 2 year anniversary.  All fabric will be marked down 10-50%!  There will also be a section of $4 / yard fabric!  A wide range of non-fabric items will also be marked down.  The dates again are Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 11-4, that’s October 26-28th. 

While your snatching up the great deals be sure to take time to see our new items like the adorable stuffed animal “stitch it” kits from Portland’s own Egg Press.  We also just received in Denyse Schmidt stationary for when you just don’t feel like sending another e-mail and some amazing “double gauze” prints from Japan. 

Hope to see you this weekend!