Closing Fluffy Sheep Quilting {The Shop}

The short story: 

• Fluffy Sheep Quilting {The Shop} is closing.  
• There will be a blow out sale of everything starting today (Friday 16 June) through Sunday (18 June).  Once the sale ends on Sunday, the shop will no longer be accessible.
• All fabrics are on sale for €10.75/yard (except Konas).  
• Spools of Aurifil are going for €6 each or €25 for a cone.  
• Precuts too: charm packs €10 each and layer cakes €30 each.  

The long story:

I thank you all for being such a wonderfully energetic, supportive, creative, inspiring, positive circle of friends.  It was with your support that I started Fluffy Sheep Quilting {The Shop} five years ago. Since its opening, the shop has been an adventure filled with color and excitement.  I have learned a long list of new skills, met wonderful friends, traveled through Ireland and the UK to sell cotton pretties and have humbly been a part of many of your beautiful projects.

I am incredibly thankful to my family for their support, encouragement and understanding through this adventure.   My parents (from the other side of the ocean) were continually positive, always asked for shop news and cheered with me when I found success.  Brian, my other half, has cooked for me while I wrote a business plan and took classes, listened to my financial gripes, celebrated my achievements and has always understood when I needed to pack orders instead of watching a movie after dinner.  Without these three people in my life, I would not have followed this path, grown in entrepreneurial spirit and learned an entirely new set of skills that I am now using in my day job.  I am so grateful to have launched, owned and managed a shop.

Life has changed in the past five years.  New opportunities have arrived and I need to grab a hold and make the most of them.  To make room for that growth, I need to let the shop go.  I hope that you will join with me to celebrate its existence with the thing that makes us all happy - a good sale in a colorful fabric shop.

I invite you all to join me at Fluffy Sheep Quilting for a massive sale.  This sale will be on for three days, after which the shop will no longer be accessible.  The details of the sale are below, but what you need to know is the the prices marked are the final prices (no discount code!).  All prints - including new arrivals - are only €10.75 a yard and all other items are hugely reduced.  Don't miss out!

The nitty gritty details:

Product listings: You will notice for most fabrics there are two listings.  One is marked "FQ", the other "HY".  The listings marked "FQ"  are for fat quarters.  It is my hope to never cut another fat quarter again, so those that are cut are what is available.  Once they are gone, they are gone.  Listings marked as HY are for half yards.  A quantity of 1 will give you 18x44 inches.  A quantity of 2 will give you 36x44 inches.  They will arrive in one continuous piece.

All of the fabric descriptions are accurate.  Please read them carefully for important information before purchasing.

Skinny bolts: Any print with less than 3 yards on the bolt is listed as a skinny bolt.  The length of the piece is listed in the product description.  They are sold in one continuous piece.  There is only one of each available, so scoop it up quickly if you like it.

Returns & refunds: As the shop is closing, all sales are final.  There are no returns or refunds.

Shipping:  Shipping rates have been changed to include registered post on all orders over 500g (2.5-3 yards) as there will not be a refund for lost orders.  If you would like standard shipping, please leave a note on your order and I will refund you the difference.   You will assume all risk for any potentially lost parcels.

I will pack purchases in the order they are placed.  I will ship as quickly as possible, but please understand that there will be a larger volume than usual and there may be a slight delay.

Discount code: There is no discount code.  The prices listed in the shop are the final prices.

Black Friday Sale!! Get 20% Off Everything!

Another year has flown by with so much to be thankful for.  I have a new nice.  My parents came to see our new home.  We continue to be in good health and loving the time we spend with our pets.  Life is good.  Thanks to all of you, this past year has also been wonderful for the shop.    

I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you with a Black Friday sale.  This Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday I am offering 20% off everything in the shop with the code BlackSheep.  Yes, everything including BlocLoc rulers, charm packs, layer cakes and all of your favorite Moda pretties.  Even the already deeply discounted Christmas fabric that will be the center of your world over the next month.  Stock up on Konas, Aurifil and DMC perle while you're there.

Enter the code BlackSheep at checkout by clicking on the Use Coupon Code to the left of your screen under the pretty pictures of your fabric in the shopping cart.  I have tried my best to update the website's inventory, but there may be mistakes.  I will pack orders as they arrive, so everything on offer goes first come first serve.

Happy Black Friday.  Hope you score wonderful deals all weekend long.

Birthday Sale!

Saturday is Fluffy Sheep Quilting's fourth birthday!  It amazes me that this adventure is thriving, growing and increasing momentum each day!  This is only possible with your continual support and encouragement, so please celebrate with me at the shop's birthday party!

Starting right now there is a 15% off SALE in the online shop. Just click over here to have a peek at the pretty fabrics, pile your favourites into the cart and use the code birthday at checkout to receive your discount.  The discount code will be good from Friday morning to 11:59 PM Sunday night (Irish time).

I have tried my best to be sure the inventory is up to date when kicking off this sale, but sometimes there are mistakes.  Please know I will fill requests in the order they arrive.

I thank you all for making this adventure so much fun.  I thank you for the laughs, the encouragement, the cheers when I feel overwhelmed and for your suggestions along the way.  The spirit of our wonderful quilting community continues to shine through and brighten each of my days. 

Urban Zoology Charm Quilt Top

Happy Monday!  Did you return to your normal routines today?  I did.  I have to say it was worse thinking about it on Sunday night than it actually was this morning.  It was nice to be out of the house and trying to remember what I was doing before Christmas mania kicked in.

Over the Christmas holiday I finished three small child quilt tops that I'll show you today and tomorrow.  They were all partially started in October and November with the idea that I would try to include them in the shop stall at Christmas markets, but I just did not finish them in time.  So, they sat in my sewing room as a pile of blocks that needed to be sewn into rows and then together.  Low hanging fruit for my Christmas break.

First up, I used an Urban Zoology charm pack from the shop (which has now sold out) mixed with Kona solids to make a charm quilt.  I split the charms in half (to 2.5x5 inch rectangles), framed them in Kona white, lime, red or peacock and then squared the blocks to 6 inches on all sides.  

The entire quilt is surrounded in Kona navy.  I have to say I am not convinced that border should stay on.  I was pretty happy with the unisex brightness of the quilt before I added the border, but after it looks quite dark and male-ish.  We'll see.

As usual, my glamorous photographic assistant was with Sunday while I snapped a few photos.  It is rough taking pictures this time of year - it is always sideways raining, windy and dark.  Sunday it was just overcast and slightly breezy, so you'll see most tops are not straight on the line, but it is the best I could do given the time of year.

 

Poor Molly hasn't been dry in weeks with our crazy weather.  She has been swimming in the floods a good bit, which makes her happy.  The bad thing is the garden is totally saturated, so even when she just goes out for a trot around the yard she's soaked.  Can you see the puddle that formed under me while I took photos of this top?  Crazy!  I was actually sinking the longer I stood still!

Thank goodness for awesome, waterproof boots, huh?

Black Friday Sale Is Now On!

I have much to be thankful for this year.  I spent a good bit of time on Thanksgiving thinking about my wonderfully supportive, hilarious family, my (cutest in the whole world) pets that bring me much happiness and our new-to-us home in Galway.  Thanks to all of you, this past year has also been wonderful for the shop.    

I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you with a Black Friday sale.  This Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday I am offering 20% off everything in the shop with the code Black20.  Yes, everything.  The new Gooseberry, Modern Background Paper and Hello Friend.  Even the Christmas fabric that will be the center of your world over the next month.  Stock up on Konas, Aurifil and DMC perle while you're there.

Enter the code Black20 at checkout by clicking on the Use Coupon Code to the left of your screen under the pretty pictures of your fabric in the shopping cart.  I have tried my best to update the website's inventory, but there may be mistakes.  I will pack orders as they arrive, so everything on offer goes first come first serve.

Happy Black Friday.  Hope you score wonderful deals all weekend long.

Birthday Sale!

Today is Fluffy Sheep Quilting's third birthday!  I invite each and every one of you to celebrate with me at the shop's the birthday party.  It is only with your continual support and encouragement that the shop continues to grow, so who better to share the big day with?  Let's party!

In celebration, we will have a 15% off SALE in the online shop. Just click over here to have a peek at the pretty fabrics, pile your favourites into the cart and use the code birthday at checkout to receive your discount.  The coupon is good on all products including Kona solids, Aurifil threads, DMC perle...even the newly arrived fabrics!  The discount code will be good through the weekend (to 17 May).

I thank you all for making this adventure so much fun.  I thank you for the laughs, the encouragement, the cheers when I feel overwhelmed and for your suggestions along the way.  The spirit of our wonderful quilting community continues to shine through and brighten each of my days. Thank you.

Note: the quantities available in the small bolts may not be entirely accurate.  I will fill orders first come first serve.

Celebrating the Year of the Sheep

Happy Chinese New Year!  I have to say Chinese New Year is not a regular holiday in our house, but this year is special.  2015 is the year of the sheep!  Or the ram.  Or the goat.  It's confusing.  I was reading this NYT article about the in-distinction this morning, which only further supported the general confusion.

Is the sheep in the FSQ logo an ewe or a ram?
I think she's an ewe, but that's an issue for another day.
Does she need a name?  Perhaps we see a contest in the future!

I will say every year is the year of the sheep here at Fluffy Sheep Quilting, so we're just glad the zodiac has finally caught up.

What better way to celebrate than a massive reduction in prices in the shop?  No discount codes, no start/end date.  We just spent a ton of time last night reducing the price of nearly every fabric currently in the shop (except 2015 arrivals, Konas and Aurifil).   What was in the sale section is further reduced.  What was not in the sale section can be found there now.  Have a good dig around the website - some fabrics went right from full price to -40% off!

To give you a preview:

In the -10% off section, you'll find Architextures, Figures, and Oh Boy.

At -20% off, we have Riley Blake gingham, Mixed Bag, Paint, Rocket Age, Social Club and Vintage Happy.

There are three pages of prints at -30% off including Enchanted, Rapture, Wishes and Scrumptious.

Finally, there's a bonanza at -40% off  with all Christmas prints, Briar Rose, Minimalista, and all kinds of orphaned prints from Nordika, Simply Style and Boho.  So don't miss out on scoring your favorite prints today - some of these bolts are awfully skinny and will not stick around for long. 

Happy new year, friends.  

Black Friday Sale at Fluffy Sheep Quilting

Happy Black Friday!  Today officially kicks off the shopping mania (in the US at least...) that leads up to Christmas.  What is Black Friday to me?  It's overstuffed newspaper with adverts tumbling out the sides, traffic that will make you wonder if the sale inside is worth the parking torture and lines at the checkout that will make your head spin.  But the deals are irresistible   

**How happy are we to stay at home and shop for pretty fabrics online?  Sheer bliss.**

What better way to celebrate Black Friday than with a Fluffy Sheep Quilting sale?  This Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday I am offering -20% off everything in the shop with the code Black....even the new stuff like Flower Patch, Miss Kate, Karen Lewis Textiles, Mimosa, Paint and Fancy Free.  Just enter the code at checkout by clicking on Use Coupon Code to the left under the pictures of your pretty fabric in the shopping cart.  I will return to Galway 2 Dec, so all orders will ship starting 3 Dec.  Happy shopping!

Aprons for my Helpers

When I brought my shop to the Clarinbridge market last weekend it was a true neighborhood affair.  Not only did the community join in to support local vendors, but the two lovely girls from next door volunteered to help me mind the shop.  They are 10 and 12 years old.  The 10 year old loves pink and purple, loves to perform/sing and can tell a super story playing each roll herself.  The 12 year old is a jokester, an athlete and animal lover.  They are hilarious together.  We visit nearly every day to let our dogs play and hear the news from school.  

They knew I was preparing for the market by cutting fabric and making bundles.  They (in all their cuteness) figured out how they could ride their bicycles the 2 miles over to the next town on the back roads so they could join in the fun.  The night before the market, I get a text from the 12 year old asking if she could help me at the stall for the day.  She (and later her sister) joined me for the day and we had a wonderful time together.  They were chatting to customers, making change, creating bundles, setting up displays.  It was really wonderful to share the day with them and watch them come out of their comfort zone.

Now, what I had not thought about was that I had only one spare shop apron.  In all honesty I expected them to come and mess in the market square for the day.  I did not think they would actually spend it all in the stall as focused shop keepers!  I clearly needed two aprons for my two helpers and I was unprepared.

As a thank you for their time, effort and wonderful company, I made them each an apron of their own.  One in the pinks and purples she loves.  The other in the vibrant teal with birdies, her favorite fabric in the shop.   I used a tutorial from Sew Mama Sew and fabrics from Fluffy Sheep Quilting: Enchanted (pinks and purples) and Kokeshi (birds and teal swirls).  

Of course, this photo shoot wouldn't have been possible without a helper cat.  Clarkson can not resist a sunbeam.

Clarinbridge Market Stall {2014}

Last weekend I took the shop to the next town over, Clarinbridge, for their annual market.  Every Saturday in September they ask the local vendors to come to the town's square and set up a market stall.  It's quite traditional in that there are farmers vending veg, people spinning yard from fleece and livestock for sale.  You wouldn't believe how hard it was to resist the donkey foal on sale for 40 euro!   If only we had a field.

We arrived bright and early to set up in our assigned spot.  There was a small issue in that we were wedged between two trees.  Thank goodness the weather was predicted to be sunny as it would have been impossible to get the sides/walls up with all of those branches.

Even though we were grunting while setting up the canopy (and even had to do a little pruning!) we were delighted with how the branches and leaves softened the stall and made it more homey.  It was beautiful!  The quilts by Emily, Rhonda, Lynz and Annabella were out front on display to draw folks in.  

Our neighbors were SUPER cute...

and VERY chatty.

The stall was packed full of fat quarters and bundles....

....and more bundles and perle.  Even a few charm packs to liven things up!

Because there were tree branches and we liked the light coming into the stall, we hung the quilts (by Fiona and Lucy) gathered up.  I love how this looked.  People were interested in them, too!  They came fully into the stall, pulled them down, had a full inspection.  I love that they were appreciated.  

All in all, we had a great day.  The weather was spectacular so the entire town was out to have a look, chat with friends, and pick up a delicious treat for lunch.  The stall was packed all day, so we met some wonderful local sewists and quilt appreciators.

I couldn't think of a better way to spend a sunny Saturday.  Thank you to all who came to the market and made it such a success!

A Sparkling Blogger Bundle!

Who is this month's featured blogger?  Can you guess?  They created a bundle that's sophisticated, masculine and modern....and dipped the FSQ in pink glitter.  You have one guess and only one guess...

That's right! Today is the launch of the Molli Sparkles blogger bundle.  Today's a great day to visit Molli's blog if this is your first time meeting him.  Just this past Monday he made his television debut on the Today show where he did a super job promoting quilting while the co-host lost all sanity while trying to stitch together two little squares of fabric.  Step away from the machine, Karl.

Back to the fat quarter bundle!  This month's bundle is filled with teal, aqua, grey and black mixing Kona solids (teal, aloe and black) with Simply Style, Le Creme dots, Minimalista and Architextures.

Retailing for €27.50, you can pick one up in the shop right here.  It's the perfect stash builder, really boosting your aquas and turquoise selection.

Molli, this has been great fun.  We'll have to find another way to join up in the future - I have to get these little sparkly sheep back to Oz!  Baaaa!

The Canvas Pattern: Now Available in FSQ

I am delighted to announce that She Can Quilt's Canvas quilt pattern is now available at Fluffy Sheep Quilting {the shop}!

You can find the pattern by clicking on the "Patterns and Kits" button on the shop home page, or by following this link.  Currently the pattern is available as a PDF that will be emailed to you after your purchase.    

Created by Leanne of She Can Quilt

Leanne's pattern is very clearly written with a lovely prologue describing considerations when you are designing your own Canvas quilt.  She helpfully includes size charts including fabric requirements, two cutting charts and figures for each step of the piecing process.  

Created by Leanne of She Can Quilt

My favorite thing about this pattern is that you can use it time and time again in different sized projects for different occasions.  Included are the cutting instructions for each of the following projects: mug rug, table topper, napkins, pillow, mini quilt, baby quilt (two sizes), lap quilt (two sizes), queen quilt (two sizes) and king quilt (two sizes).

Made by me!

With a new pattern hanging around the shop, I could not resist giving it a try!  I thought I would make myself a set of four napkins.  For the first time, I cut into my precious Locally Grown fabric for the centers, framed it with Kona Tomato and Kona Bahama Blue and then set off with Le Creme Swiss Dots in red.  They're backed in more Kona Tomato.  Can't have enough red.

They are generously sized napkins, so you can easily square them without them shrinking too obviously.

I think they will be fun for our next picnic.  I would absolutely return to this pattern for my next house warming gift or if I need a baby quilt.  The Canvas pattern offers a great opportunity to personalize each project with the fabrics you use while still offering great impact with its design.  Lovely job, Leanne!

Clover & Violet's Blogger Bundle

What a delicious bundle I have for you this month!  This month's color-laden blogger bundle was created by the lovely Jennie of Clover and Violet.  Jennie has such amazing taste in fabric, expertly combining pattern and color so that they sing. 

Here Jennie combined natural Essex linen with the Wrens and Friends main floral print and lots of super pretty, color-saturated blenders from Dottie, Architextures, Minimalista and Wishes.  Won't these make a gorgeous hand bag or tote? 

Jennie knows, of course, that they'll be stunning in a project like that.  If you have not done so already, be sure you pop over to her shop where you can see the wide variety of bag patterns she has available in print or to download.  There's a bag there for every occasion!

To scoop up your own bundle, just click here.  They're retailing for 27.50 each, so I can not imagine they will be hanging around the shop for long!  Jennie, thank you.  Your bundle is absolutely beautiful.

Just. Can't. Resist.

If you're looking to grab a good deal, pop over to Fluffy Sheep Quilting's sale section.  Every fabric that has been in the sale section for a few weeks has been further reduced and new goodies have been added.  It has been recently updated with Minimalista....

and Sunnyside fabrics....

as well as Scrumptious yardage and charm packs.

Happy day, happy day.

Birthday Sale!

Hello and welcome to all of my new friends from SMS giveaway day!  If you're looking for the giveaway post, just page down one entry...or read on for a super deal from my shop!

Today is Fluffy Sheep Quilting's second birthday!  I invite each and every one of you to celebrate with me at the shop's the birthday party.  It is only with your continual support and encouragement that the shop continues to grow, so who better to share the big day with?  Let's party!

In celebration, we will have a 15% off SALE in the online shop. Just click over here to have a peek at the pretty fabrics, pile your favourites into the cart and use the code bday15% at checkout to receive your discount.  The discount code will be good for the next week (through 21 May).

I thank you all for making this adventure so much fun.  I thank you for the laughs, the encouragement, the cheers when I feel overwhelmed and for your suggestions along the way.  The spirit of our wonderful quilting community continues to shine through and brighten each of my days.  Thank you.