Friday, June 5, 2020

Adding Spice to your Kitchen

     My apologies for those of you that have remodeled your kitchens during the white cabinet craze.  Your kitchen is about to be officially out of style.  I know this because the countertops in MY white kitchen were installed yesterday.  Our pandemic delayed kitchen remodel is finally nearing the end.  Only details like baseboards and decorating are left to finish. Very shortly, and I can only assume it will be mere hours, HGTV will declare white cabinets "dated".  Brushed nickel fixtures will become woefully out of style and simply have to be replaced before a house can be sold.  The color grey will be out, out, out.  I'm confident in this prediction because I'm an HGTV junkie.  Every single time I have seen something I own appear on one of their programs, it simply HAS to GO.  Sorry HGTV, I'm loving my new space no matter what the pros profess to be in style.


    This is a photo of my almost complete kitchen.  What I like best about it, besides the fact that it is spotless is that it is the perfect backdrop for pops of color. (The truth is the faucet wasn't installed and the cooktop wasn't wired in yet in this photo, so I couldn't mess it up)  I can change the look by changing the placemats and wall hangings.  That blank wall by the door is screaming for a quilted wall hanging.  The island is going to look marvelous with an 7' runner for a holiday buffet.  The coffee nook that doesn't show in this photo has no upper cabinets offering even more space for quilted artwork.  

      I think I will start my decorating with this Easy Striped Runner. This one is made from a fabric from Timeless Treasures and it features jars of seashells.  The beach theme is perfect until I stitch up something special in red, white and blue for the 4th of July.  

     If you follow the Friends of The Quilt Company on Facebook, you already know I have LOTS of Easy Striped Runners to choose from.  (If you aren't in our private Facebook group, send a friend request to Friends of The Quilt Company and I will friend you right back.)

A few weeks ago in that Facebook group I asked for opinions on the cover for the new Anniversary Edition of the Easy Striped Table Runner pattern.  These were the choices, 1, 2 and 3:
     After over 100 votes, the favorite was split almost equally between #1 and #3.  Guess what?  We are printing #2.  The powers that be (my distributors and other shop owners) feel #2 stands out, shows the entire runner and is the most different from the original.  Different is important, because even if you own the original pattern, you might want the Anniversary Edition too.  The new version includes how to use the larger stripes, how to create placemats, how to use only triangles and tips for selecting fabrics for specific designs.  All of these options are included in the new pattern:
     You should be able to find the Anniversary Edition of the pattern in a quilt shop near you.  If you can't find it locally, you can order a copy from my Etsy shop by clicking HERE. The price is $9 and the shipping is FREE!