Boise Basin Quilters 2011 Raffle Quilt

Boise Basin Quilters has once again collaborated for a wonderful raffle quilt. This one was more than many years in the making but great things sometimes take time. Ten years ago, Patty Hinkel of The Quilt Crossing in Boise, Idaho made the top, then took it to Empty Spools Seminars and Fall Quilt Market for signatures of well known people in the quilt industry. In 2010, the applique border was added by members of the guild. Cheryl Little of The Cotton Club and Patty Hinkel then returned to Empty Spools and Fall Quilt Market to add additional signatures on the vine around the entire border.

Now, over 100 signatures, including such celebrities as: Alex Anderson, Judith Baker Montano, Jinny Beyer, Caryl Bryer Fallert, Eleanor Burns, Amy Butler, Hollis Chatelain, Nancy Crow, John Flynn, Marianne Fons, Diane Gaudynski, Anita Grossman Solomon, Roberta Horton, Doreen Speckmann, Patrick Lose, Paula Nadelstern, McKenna Ryan, Judy Niemeyer, Robyn Pandolph, Eleanor Peace Bailey, Mark Lipinski, Nancy Pearson, Paul D Pilgrim, Yvonne Porcella, Liz Porter, Kim Schaefer, Elly Sienkiewiez, Edyta Sitar, Ricky Tims, Kim Schaefer, Jean Wells, Phillip Hoffman and many more. The complete list is on Boise Basin Quilters website. (If in bold, now deceased.)

If you want to buy tickets they are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. You can send a check to Boise Basin Quilters or to Cheryl Little, c/o The Cotton Club, 106 N 6th, B5, Boise, Idaho 83702 . If possible, please enclose address labels for your tickets. For your ticket stubbs, please include a SASE or an email address and we will email you for your donation. Or better yet, come to the show the end of June.

Cat Acatemy BOM Block of the Month

We think Cat Acatemy is one of the cutest quilts we have seen in a long time. The artist, Karen Brow, has done a wonderful job of expressing the personality of cats with cloth. In making our kit we tried to duplicate her choices with the most current fabrics available. The blue and neutral batiks are just beautiful. Can you tell, we LOVE our kit! And, it is ready to ship!

Although you can use the applique method of your choice, she uses our favorite freezer paper, spray starch and iron method and gives directions in the pattern. Like us, for preparation, she loves a mini iron for the pressing and our favorite is the new Clover iron, because it is hotter and has an on/off switch on the cord. We actually lower our ironing board, pull up a chair and make ourselves comfortable while we prepare our pieces.

She also uses another product we love - Roxanne's Glue-Baste-It. In addition to the original 2 oz. size, now, it also comes in a small travel size and a refill.

If you want to take a look at it and other applique products in our Online Catalog, Click here.

And, if you want to see Cat Academy, Click here.

Really, when it comes to the hand applique, we can't say enough good things about AURIfil 50 weight 2 ply thread. Prior to it we pretty mostly used silk, but it was somewhat of a struggle. It would wear through quickly and become unthreaded easily. AURIfil is a dream and for us applique people, whether by hand or machine, it is fabulous to have all the colors.

If you want to know more about how to join a club and receive all the colors, Click here.

January Silk Pincushion

To celebrate the New Year, Mary Jo Hiney designed this beautiful Globe Pincushion and a new silk packet too. She continues to astound us with her new creation each month. Isn't it beautiful. Although, she made it in both silk and cotton, she is known for her use of silk. Really, with her helpful hints anyone could work with silk. Her secret is to back the silk with a lightweight fusible.

For more information on the Globe Pincushion and the Pincushions On Parade Club, Click here.

Pincushion on Parade - Victorian Boot

Here is the second of Mary Jo Hiney's Pincushions on Parade Club mailings. The Victorian boot is done both in silk and cotton and called Travelin Boot and uses the Sweet Silk Packet or fabrics from the July/August, 2010 Issue of The Cotton Club. If you join the club now you would receive the current mailing.

When we introduced Mary Jo's Silk Club, she designed a new project for every month. We expected it to be some little project to give you ideas on how to use silk, but instead, they were these fabulous projects: scarves, purses, pincushions, pillows, eyeglass holders and more. We are so excited about the pincushion club, because it gives us a chance to see another new design from her every month for another 12 months. Mary Jo will choose a theme for each month and if you sign up now, you will receive the first shipment now. The next one will be sent in October. These are keepsake pincushions and will be treasured for years to come!

Also, when you sign up for the silk club, we will enclose an information sheet on how to work with silk and some facts about it. Mary Jo backs hers with a lightweight Fusible Interfacing which we have available. From her Silk Fun Facts, did you know that according to legend, in 2640 BCE, Chinese Prinsess Xi Ling Shi was the first to reel silk from a cocoon that had dropped into her cut of tea, so they say. It could have been her bath water... Silk farming, harvesting and weaving processes became a closely guarded secret for the next 3000 years, known only to the Chinese.

For more information on Pincushions on Parade, Click here and scroll down to see the entire Silk Catogory.

To see all of our clubs, Click here.

1/16" Round Hole Punch

We have been selling this tool since 1984. We ran it in our first display ad in Quilter's Newsletter Magazine. At that time, we thought it was extravagantly expensive at $16.95, but, we were all making our own templates, drawing around them, cutting them out and "marking the intersections" so we could hand piece. We loved to get it just right and this tool allowed us to punch a hole in the intersection of template plastic, the exact size we needed it. Every year the tool goes up in price, a little and now, in 2010, it is $39.95. When you consider that cars and houses are 10 times more expensive than they were then, I guess it isn't too bad.

Sally Collins, of miniature quilt fame, still recommends this notion and Debra Wagner recommended it too. The truth is, even now it is one of those tools that is always there when I need it. Recently, I had finished 8 wedges that had to be sewn together in a 360 degree circle and it came in very handy. I made a template of my triangle with the 1/4" seam allowance added then punched the intersections. I laid it on my wedges, marked the intersections, then drew sewing lines to connect the dots. I then was able to sew them together with confidence. I used a method I learned from Marsha McClosky years ago, when we first started piecing on the machine which she called, Precision Machine Piecing. I just sewed from dot to dot, leaving the 1/4" free at the ends, so they could be ironed any direction. It was her pinning method along the drawn lines and those dots that made it go together so easily.

To go to the 1/16" Round Hole Punch in our Online Catalog, Click here.

We carry a very extensive collection of notions and supplies. All of our favorites and the new ones as they prove themselves as useful.

Attention Astrology Lovers - Sun Signs of the Zodiac Fabric

At The Cotton Club we are excited about the arrival of a new fabric line - New Dawn. It just arrived on Friday and 2 of us are already working on quilts. The line features all 12 of the Zodiac signs along with a panel and 5 overall designs. We have so many ideas for using it.

From a Fat Quarter pack, we quickly made the small (57" x 44")top shown, featuring all 12 zodiac sun sign fabrics and the panel. With the remaining Sun Sign Fat Quarter pack, we cut out 4 1/2" squares - about 60 of them. We are going to add an inside border of black, then the squares, another black border and a dark binding. We are going to back it with the Tarot card like fabric, that actually says something about the characteristics attached to each of the sun signs.

We think, whoever did the art work on this fabric, really knew a lot about the zodia signs, the animals and other associations attributed to each of the sun signs. It looks serious enough for those who know a great deal about Astrology. Each fabric has a 24" repeat. The art work is intricate and sophisticated.

Even as a baby quilt, we think it would be wonderful. The fabric is serious enough to carry one through life. And, as other things change, our sun sign stays the same. I would like to take my sign and combine it with my husbands sign for a quilt. That lead me to think how doing the same would make it a fun wedding or anniversary quilt. The possibilities seem endless.

When I get the border added, I will post another photo but even this is big enough for a lap quilt. If you want to see the whole line, Click here.

Cheryl Little and other Fabric Slaves at The Cotton Club

Cornucopia - Pincushion on Parade Club

The Cotton Club's newest club is a Pincushion of the Month Club - Pincushions on Parade. Mary Jo Hiney is the designer. She is known for her beautiful work in silk. The first pincushion is for fall - a Cornucopia. She has made it both in Silk, using the Gracious Silk Packet (7 - 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" pieces of silk) and in cotton. For the cotton version she used the fabrics from the July/August Issue of The Cotton Club. Both are yummy. So much so, that we decided to make the club available in 3 ways. The Pattern and a Silk Packet, the Pattern and a Cotton Packet or just the Pattern. We like to make it fun for us and fun for you.


When we introduced Mary Jo's Silk Club, she designed a new project for every month. We expected it to be some little project to give you ideas on how to use silk, but instead, they were these fabulous projects: scarves, purses, pincushions, pillows, eyeglass holders and more. We are so excited about the pincushion club, because it gives us a chance to see another new design from her every month for another 12 months. Mary Jo will choose a theme for each month and if you sign up now, you will receive the first shipment now. The next one will be sent in September and has a Christmas/Holiday theme - three lovely designs for the price of one. These are keepsake pincushions and will be treasured for years to come!

Also, when you sign up for the club, we will enclose an information sheet on how to work with silk and some facts about it. Mary Jo backs hers with a lightweight Fusible Interfacing which we have available.

For more information on Pincushions on Parade, Click here.

For information on the Silk Club, Click here.

To see all of our clubs, Click here.