We’re seeing some great new directions for Spring home decor, including new colors, patterns and fabrications.  Some of the standouts include:

• PURLE as an accent color -  Take a look at the current home dec magazine covers and you’ll find it in every imaginable shade, from pale lilac to deep aubergine.  Check out flowers & coordinates of AUBERGINE GARDEN by Faye Burgos, pairing shades of purple with blendable tones of sage, coral and tan for season-spanning elegance.
• NEUTRALS WITH GREY - Neutral doesn’t have to mean boring this season, as seen in the sophisticated MOCHA MERINGUE collection by Michele D’Amore.  Tan, ivory, mocha, brown and grey motifs are skillfully layered for a dimensional effect.  It’s a look you’ll love for quilts, decor and artful clothing pieces.
• GOING GREEN - Environmentally responsible products continue to grow in popularity at every level of the market, making OASIS CANVAS a “natural” choice for the modern quilting, sewing and craft enthusiast.  Try it for easy-to-sew, eco-savvy totes and much more.
• BIG BLOOMS - Large-scale flowers lend themselves to lots of creative inspirations including applique, fussy cutting and more.  And you’ll find them in every color palette, from neutral to bright to deep tones.  Sew up fun dresses for girls of all ages, eye-popping pillows for the home, table settings for spring time entertaining and more! And did we mention that they’re great for quilts, too?

As we have for many years, Marcus Fabrics again proudly sponsored one of the prizes for the 2008 Road to California quilt show & competition.  Shown here is the winning entry of our $500 cash prize for “Best Large Quilt,” a stunning piece by Gloria McKeehan of Redlands, WA (quilted by Lynette Harlan.)  Gloria based her 80″ x 80″ design on the Oley Valley Tulip, starting it in 2005 and completing it in 2007. 

Gloria says, “I challenged myself to make something really different with a lot of color and design. I did needle-turn applique and the quilt has two wool battings to give it the trapunto look.”   

To view other winners, and to learn more about the event, visit Road to California.

Quilters, by nature, are generally among the most resourceful people ever invented, with wise ways that existed long before “reduce, reuse, recycle” became a household mantra.  And at Marcus, we believe that those resourceful, earth-conscious ways should be shared, and applauded.  So from now through March 31, 2008, we’re collecting your best tips for creating beautiful things while at the same time helping to preserve the environment, in both big and small ways.  By sharing your tips, you’ll be entered in a random drawing for one of three fat quarter bundles of OASIS CANVAS, certified organic canvas-weight cotton made with eco-friendly dyes.   

Submit your tip here, and thanks in advance for your contribution!

If you’re not quite in the mood for a needle & thread project, but still wanna play in your stash, why not make a no-sew Floorquilt!??  We loved the concept by Ellen Highsmith Silver, and it’s all detailed in her book, Floorquilts! Fabric Decoupaged Floorcloths - No-Sew Fun. 

Ellen created this Floorquilt (shown at right and detail below) for our booth at Quilt Market in Houston this fall from a pleasing mix of several of our reproduction fabric collections.  It now graces our lobby wall, but it’s durable and is completely designed for use as a floorcloth!

Ellen’s Floorquilts book is a great treat for yourself or a fabricholic friend.  Check it out at C&T Publications, and ask for it at your favorite fabric retailer.