We hoped that our friends would follow us over to the new store and we hoped that new people would find us, but we had no idea the number would be so great! Everyday, folks stop in just to see what is going on in that new building. And if we thought that all the quilters in Syracuse already knew about Calico Gals… well let’s just say that we have been humbled. Welcome, everyone!

A friend named MoonShine stopped in to say hi this week.

"Shine" is shopping too!

Shine’s owner, Debbie Butler-Miller not only raises and shows beautiful dogs, she creates quilts of beautiful dogs. This quilt was created as a gift in memory of a much loved Golden Retriever. You can see more of Debbie’s work on her website.

Quilter Debbie with Ollie

Marcia! Gay! What are you doing with that hammer?!

Careful with that thing!

We’ve been coming up with all kinds of excuses as to why there are so few quilts hanging on the walls in the new store… we are still unpacking… we don’t have a ladder yet… etc… etc. All valid concerns, but the real reason is that I have been hesitating to put nails or anything into the new walls. Gay and Marcia took matters (aka hammers) into their own hands this week. We are hosting an amazing trunk show from Sue Spargo and those quilts could have been created for our walls. Look!

See what I mean!

You can look at the photo, but nothing can match the real thing. The quilts, bags, pillows, runners and more are made of a clever mix of wool and cotton. Sue combines piecing, applique and embellishing to create her own unique style. Stop in to see the show before January 1st. We have the fabrics, books and patterns, too.

She’s famous!

Kathy. Just making the world a happier place.

Calico Gal, Kathy B, keeps us in stitches in and out of the store. If you have ever stopped in on a Wednesday or Thursday, you know what I mean. I found out this week that she was moonlighting in the mall, wrapping Christmas gifts. How do I know this? It is all over the internet – as reported by TV guy, Matt Mulcahy. Read all about it on Matt’s blog.

Your newsletter was mailed this week!

And if you don’t subscribe or you like to see it on your computer – hop on over to Calico Gals website. Go down to the bottom of the page where you can download the whole thing for your printing and viewing pleasure.

Some highlights include the 40% off Christmas fabric sale until January 2nd. I am not going to brag about the huge selection because there are only about 15 bolts left. They are good ones and the sale is irresistible if you love Christmas fabric.

Also want to invite you to the Calico Gals annual taste of Winter Event, noon to 4pm, on January 3rd. This is where the teachers make and serve soup. Lots of it! A whole smorgasbord of delicious soups to celebrate the whole smorgasbord of exciting classes being offered this winter. Stop in and get a taste of both!

Calico Gals is the place to be and this week lots of people agreed! The Gals hosted three local quilt guilds on three different days. The guilds brought their members and lots more people stopped in to see what the excitement was all about.

On Monday, Candlelight Quilt Guild showed up with homemade chili and cookies. Gotta love it! Elizabeth Balderrama and Sharon Jarvis hosted the table where Elizabeth was proudly showing the current issue of Quick Quilts. Yes – that was her quilt on the cover! Congratulations to the team at Seams Like a Dream Quilt Designs.

Elizabeth and Sharon "wrap it up" at the Candlelight Gathering

On Tuesday, the Towpath Quilt Guild showed up in force! They were also enjoying 2 days of workshops with Barbara Persing and Mary Hoover, the popular designers of 4th &6th Designs. We were thrilled to see Barbara and Mary stop in to our new store. (Guess what… they liked it… a lot!) And we like them… a lot! They took a few minutes away from stacking bolts on the counter to autograph their books.

Barbara and Mary - just say hi!

Not to be outdone, the Plank Road guild members descended on Wednesday, with Charlotte Angotti in tow. What? You don’t know Charlotte? She fills the room with fun and laughter wherever she goes! Visiting from Myrtle Beach for 2 days and teaching at the guild, Charlotte climbed over boxes and settled into a rocking chair in our loft. We discussed the possibility of turning the loft from box storage into a stitching lounge. (What do you think about that?) I couldn’t get enough of Charlotte, so I accepted the invitation to meet her and the guild gals at The Retreat in Liverpool for dinner. Good food and great friends – can it get any better?

Charlotte, Shirley, Linda and June - wait for me!

Meanwhile, back at the store… Joan Ford was teaching one of her Project Therapy classes. When you join this group, you become part of Joan’s design process for her Scrap Therapy patterns. Everyone in the class is a pattern tester and Joan values the feedback that results. Barb Sunderlage, from Brewer Quilting and Sewing Supplies, “dropped in” from Chicago to take Joan’s class. Brewer is the exclusive distributor of the Scrap Therapy program and they love Joan as much as we do!

Barb and Joan choosing fabric for the Project Therapy class.

Let me ask you this…

What is your favorite part of Calico Gals new store? Everyone seems to have an opinion, so let’s hear them! We will take some pics to share. Here is the first one: Kathy B’s favorite thing in the new barn is the toilet paper holders. Here’s a great shot of her demonstrating just how wonderful they are. Thanks, Kathy, for your valuable comments!

Kathy, in her Spooktacular garb, shows off our TP.

What is the one thing, above all others, that says “Fall” to you? For me, it’s honking geese. I heard ‘em. It’s official. Good thing we love fall as much as summer. We don’t just love fall in Central New York, we live it!

Have you seen the decorative apple tree in front of the old barn? Pause to enjoy it, next time you stop by. Here’s a photo until then:

Something else we expect in fall: Adopt-A-Bolt at Calico Gals! All this week until next Sunday. 30% off every bolt you finish. And if you get there and there is nothing but a pile of empty bolts sitting by the door… you’ll know you were too late. (Not like that’s going to happen. Have you seen how much fabric we have?)

Now if you don’t want to adopt-a-bolt, you could adopt-a-dog! That’s what Calico Gal, Nancy did this week. Meet Monty, isn’t he just the cutest thing? OK – Nancy got the puppy, everyone else gets the bolts.

Montegue Graham

Are you busy on Halloween?

Have we got a date for you! Leave town on the Spooktacular Quilt Shop Bus Tour and visit 5 more spooktastic quilt shops in Pennsylvania (Transylvania) and New Jersey (Boo Jersey). The Calico Gals Bus Mom, Lynn, is already brewing up a bunch of activities to keep you laughing all the way. The other shop owners and I are planning to meet in Houston at QuiltMarket to stir a few more random “parts” into the pot. Don’t delay! Our bus is already over half full. Call now! 315-445-0617

Looking good!

Our sewing studio in the Parade of Homes is looking good. Our beautiful furniture never arrived, so that caused quite a bit of stress. But quilters are creative creatures! I called my husband and he sent over the guys from Lutz Monuments. They loaded one of our store cabinets into the monument truck and brought it over. It looks fantastic! Then Joan shows up with baskets of beautiful quilts and stitching accessories. She helped Nina and I pull the whole thing together. ALL of my photos came out terrible (I should stick to apple trees). But you can see the real thing through the 27th. Don’t forget to print your coupon!

Looking great!

The moment you have been waiting for… is the new barn ready?… no… keep waiting. Now just look at this. I go down there expecting all kinds of banging and pounding and dust and noise and this is what I see.

Hi Tom.

OK, I guess they deserve a lunch break for a few minutes. But, I warned them. Their picture will be all over the internet and quilters everywhere will be outraged! Get to work!

Now that's what I'm talking about!

This is what we like to see.

Just keep it moving. We’ve got lots of fabric and sewing machines and a whole classroom to move in here. I wonder if we can borrow their truck?

People have been driving by the construction site and telling me that nothing is happening. Not true! There is a lot of inside work going on in there. What are they doing? I have no idea! Construction guy stuff, I guess.

Last week, they sprayed foam insulation on all the walls and ceiling. Close-up it looks like marshmallows! Farther back and it looks like snow on the inside.

Marshmallow frosting everywhere!

I was sure this would keep us toasty in the winter and cool in the summer. But, Bob P, the owner decided to add more insulation to the walls. He wanted to be sure we aren’t bothered by noise from the street outside. The gals are a little concerned that he has driven by the old barn during some of our classes… maybe he wants to keep the noise inside! Anyway, they brought in a product that we can understand:

They use batting, too!

Before they cover all of this batting with sheet rock, the ducts for the air conditioning were going in the ceiling.

Looking in the rafters

Here’s a little teaser for you. Guess what we are getting…

Don't tell the guys!

Are we building a sewing center or a sports bar? Hmmm… mostly a sewing center.

And on the outside…

What are these things?

I am told they have something to do with drainage for the property and the parking lot. OK, makes sense.

Gals are busy, too.

We are running around, getting ready for our fall activities. The newsletter is printed and stitched and heading to the post office. Web Gal Lisa, is frantically adding the new classes to the website and calendar. The teachers are finishing up their supply lists and bringing in their samples.

We pulled out the Adopt-A-Bolt tags that we use every year for our big sale and we have to change them. This year it’s 30% (not 25%) off every bolt you finish (Monday the 14th thru Sunday the 20th). We usually pull small bolts off the wall and cut them into fat quarters. We have been leaving them for weeks so you have lots of littles to choose from.

Parade of Homes starts on Saturday. Our beautiful new Koala Sewing Studio is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. We ordered an exotic Brazilian Cherry finish that will look amazing in this house. I won’t tell you too much more because I am going to take pictures for the Gabby Gals blog. Wait a minute! Stop out and see it in person! Here’s a coupon to save a dollar off admission.

What did we do during our free time? Went to the fair, of course. We enjoyed the quilts and the tomato sandwiches. Kathy Barden sampled the deep fried dill pickles and actually liked them. We didn’t go on any rides, but we still had a blast. Just ask Melonie and Beth.

Got milk?

Gail Pulvere showed up at Summer Sewing Spa in August with a bag full of technology, including a fancy-dancy digital camera. This week she dropped off a flash drive with some great photos of the weekend.

We are fortunate to enjoy the hospitality of Christ the King Retreat House in Syracuse for both our Summer Sewing Spa and Winter Camp. However, at Summer Spa we can also enjoy the outdoors. Thanks, Gail, for the wonderful photos!

Mmm... summer spa

Jill, Sandy, Shania and Gay enjoying a picnic lunch

You go Myrna!

Zsa Zsa and Patti

Event organizer, Lynn, having fun, too

Melonie and Gay

Pat... enjoying her quilt in progress.

Where did they go?