Published August 12th, 2008
in Marcus News.
We’re proud announce the latest development in our collaboration with Old Sturbridge Village, as the museum has recently added all of its Judie Rothermel reproduction fabric lines to its permanent collection. The vast historical resources of Old Sturbridge Village document every facet of life in New England during the period from 1790 to the 1840s, including an extensive set of quilts and textiles.
Over the past four years, quilt historian and fabric designer Judie Rothermel has created best-selling reproduction fabrics inspired by the museum’s permanent collections. Now that the fabrics themselves have been added to the permanent archives of Old Sturbridge Village, Marcus Fabrics’ commitment to preserving America’s quilting traditions comes full circle.
“With the installation of our fabrics into the permanent Sturbridge archives, Marcus is not only inspired by the past, but now we are also actively creating new traditions for future generations of quilters,” explained Stephanie Dell’ Olio, president of Marcus Fabrics retail division.
If you love reproduction fabrics, you’ve probably come across our Sturbridge collections, including flannels, miniatures, color-specific groups and most recently, a line of classic calicos. The fabrics appeal to a wide variety of quilters, sewers and costumers, whose styles from vintage to contemporary, country to urban chic.
Published July 9th, 2008
in Marcus News.
Since we introduced our first STRIP -IT collections last month, we’ve been thinking up cool ways to use this pre-printed strip quilting fabric. What’s Strip-It? It features (17) 2.5″ wide print sections across the width of the fabric, allowing you to cut the individual strips and repiece with the coordinates, or your favorite
Marcus fabrics. You can also creatively cross-cut the strips to design a variety of special effects from simple patchwork to bargello to chevrons and more.
We show a few quilt ideas on our website, and offer a quick block idea here - it’s perfect for an eyecatching pillow or quilt block. Just cut four identical 45-degree triangles and join them as shown to create a stylized pinwheel effect, depending on where you cut the fabric. Try working from photocopies of the fabric, or a 90-degree angle mirrors, to test the effects before cutting the actual fabric. Then border it with your favorite coordinating print.
Published July 8th, 2008
in Marcus News.
These colorful pieces were designed to be a part of a teen/’tween girl’s bedroom display at the upcoming CHA Summer show later this month. CHA sponsors the craft industry’s largest trade show (open to industry buyers only), and as a proud CHA member, Marcus was pleased to have our fabric selected exclusively for this display. The CHA selection committee felt that our “Two Young Street” collection by Prints Charming perfectly captured the energy of the teen/’tween market.
Shown here are pieces by Lisa Shepard Stewart: a soft bulletin board with a chalkboard fabric center for memos (it’s super-easy to sew through!); an easy, oversized pincushion, and a knitting needle case wtih clear pockets. Other room highlights will include bedding, a lamp, closet accessories and much more.
Published June 25th, 2008
in Marcus News.
This season, we’re excited to be featured on the cover of not one, but TWO great quilt publications! Check out the August ‘08 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting for a gorgeoues CHARLESTON IV design by Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith of Homestead Hearth. This rich, beautiful collection by Judie Rothermel grows more popular with each version.
And, Keepsake Quilting has chosen “Sand Dollar,” by Vicki Bellino of Bloom Creek, as its cover quilt for Spring ‘08! She created it using SURF & SAND by Michele D’Amore!
Published June 10th, 2008
in Marcus News.
We recently returned from International Quilt Market. The Spring ‘08 show was held in Portland, OR. If you’re not familiar with Quilt Market, it’s the major, twice-yearly trade show for the quilting industry, where the store buyers shop, learn and prepare to bring you the best stuff in the market, including your favorite Marcus fabrics! Our collections were very well received, which translates into lots of great looks coming to your local quilt shop this season, from traditional to contemporary! These are a few views of the Marcus Fabrics booth…Enjoy!
Top - Fresh Paint Quilt, fabric by Michelle D’Amore; center - Mixed Collections Floor Quilt; bottom - Home for the Holidays II Quilt, fabric by by Faye Burgos.
Photos by Brandy Browner.
Published May 14th, 2008
in Marcus News.
The free fabric is all gone (for now)…Thank you to the many members of the Marcus Fabrics Guild Connection for your outstanding response to our free fabric offer. Please note that already, all of the sample cuts we had available for donations have been spoken for, through the nearly 50 phone calls we received within just 90 minutes of sending out our email offer yesterday morning (May 13).
Not only have you helped our sample room manager to regain his space and his sanity ; ) but more importantly, we know that your many service projects and charitable quilting programs will help thousands of people in need all around the world, and we are proud to be a part of that.
We make our free fabric offer periodically via email to all of our Guild Connection members. You can also make a request anytime for fabrics to be used in charitable service projects, and if donation goods are available,we will do our best to accommodate your guild at that time. We only charge a flat fee of $10 to help cover the cost of shipping and handling for a generous box of random sample cuts. (Please note that at this time we can only ship to street addresses within the U.S.)
Not a member yet? To join our Guild Connection, have one of your guild leaders or officers complete the survey online.
Published May 7th, 2008
in Marcus News.
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?
Published April 2nd, 2008
in Marcus News.
…is available on the Marcus Fabrics website, under the Make It With Marcus free 
project section. I stitched up this sample in environmentally sound OASIS CANVAS (in my favorite deep, spicy red). This fabric is certified organic 100% cotton. ”Certified” means that the cotton crop has been grown organically for at least 3 years. It’s also colored with eco-friendly dyes.
Once you’ve mastered the basic construction steps, it’s easy to change the sizes to suit your needs, from a generous grogery shopping bag, to a slender, medium sized magazine tote, to a cute little lunch bag. Then change the fabrics for a wardrobe of carryalls – it would be equally great in your choice of SIMPLY CHIC DECOR lightweight canvas prints. For extra credit, customize your tote with applique, embroidery, patchwork, simple pockets and a hook & loop, button & tab, or zipper closure. —– lisa shepard stewart
Published March 12th, 2008
in Marcus News.
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.
Published February 21st, 2008
in Marcus News.
Here in the office, we always peruse the quilting magazines as soon as they arrive, not only to see what’s new in the land of fiberarts, but also to check on the latest Marcus Fabrics buzz. Yesterday, we received both Quilt magazine’s April/May 08 issue, AND Quilter’s Newsletter’s April ‘08 issue…
With Earth Day (April 22) quickly approaching, Quilt has a feature on “Earth Awareness”, which inclluded a mention of Marcus’ OASIS CANVAS, but I was equally interested to read about the eco-friendly battings by Fairfield and Mountain Mist. We look forward to getting a sample of these to try in the office. If you’ve tried any of these, let us know what you think of them. And if you’re already a “green quilter”, be sure to send us your tips!
In the same issue you’ll also find the advertisement for the Web Sampler Celebration, sponsored by twelve leading quilt retailers, and featuring Judie Rothermel’s Civil War Classics group…
Meanwhile, Quilter’s Newsletter mentions our affiliation with the New England Quilt Museum, referring to our new Merrimack collection in particular. Happy reading! -lisa
