The Sweetwater Blog | Sweetwater https://www.thesweetwaterco.com Make Life Sweet Fri, 18 Oct 2024 20:12:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 66941005 Emmitt & Ivy https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/emmitt-ivy/ Fri, 18 Oct 2024 20:12:00 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=51162 There is little in this quilting life that confuses me more than Christmas fabric timelines. Here’s where we’re at:

  • We finished designing “On Dasher” almost 18 months ago. It was shown to stores at this time last year and was available to purchase this past June. On Dasher is showing up in quilts everywhere for this Christmas season.
  • We finished our next Christmas line, Emmitt & Ivy last year at this time, while On Dasher was being shown to stores. We designed and made quilts with Emmitt & Ivy in June, when stores were stocking On Dasher on their shelves. We are introducing Emmitt & Ivy now. The collection will ship in June, 2025 so next year at this time, we will see all your wonderful projects with this collection.
  • Lastly, we just finished designing our next Christmas line that will be shown to stores a year from now and land in June, 2026. For the next couple of months, we will be designing quilts for Christmas 2026.

Got all that? Me neither. Sometimes I just laugh at the prospect of managing three different Christmas lines, all in different stages of their product life. However, I am completely focused (today anyway), on this one. Emmitt & Ivy. If you follow us on Instagram, you have seen this new one. If not, today is the day! If you can remember in that mess of a paragraph above, Emmitt & Ivy is being shown to stores now and will ship in June, 2025. Here’s a peek.

As you can see, Emmitt & Ivy is all about snowmen. One is called Emmitt, and the other (obviously) is Ivy. Just a funny story from when we were naming this collection. My sister actually came up with the name after trying hundreds of different name combos. We voted and Emmitt & Ivy was the clear winner. Then we started designing. I worked on the newsprint. I came up with a few stories about their adventures to make the design. My sister read them and couldn’t understand why I didn’t refer to them as husband and wife. Huh?????? Emmitt & Ivy are NOT married. They are brother and sister. Not in her mind. She always intended that they were a couple. I’m not sure I have ever laughed so hard. Snow people can’t be married. They are KIDS. In my mind, anyway. We voted again and my mom sided with me. Definitely kids. I’m not sure my sister has come around to my thinking yet, but I guess she can think anything she wants to about snow people. The funniest part is that we had an actual adult conversation (argument) about whether or not snowmen (or women) are married.

Anyway, my mom designed the cutest ornaments that depict the snow people perfectly. The one with the earmuffs is Emmitt and Ivy is wearing the hat.

I love these so much. We do have a kit you can preorder that includes the pattern and fabric to make 6 of these ornaments. Speaking of kits, you can also preorder (as usual) any of the Emmitt & Ivy quilt kit. Here they are!

https://www.thesweetwatercoshop.com/listing/1797340738/pre-order-reservation-twinkle-quilt-kitFirst up is Twinkle. The detail on the stars is so cute.

The next is my personal favorite. We call it The Tree Farm.

Finally, this sampler quilt is called Merry Merry.

You can preorder a quilt kit, the ornament kit or precuts from Emmitt & Ivy here. Please keep in mind that the collection won’t ship until June.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Countdown To Christmas https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/countdown-to-christmas/ Thu, 10 Oct 2024 19:16:51 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=51149 I know. We haven’t even made it to Halloween yet and I’m mentioning Christmas. It’s never too early, right? Especially if you want to make a fun advent calendar for your family. We have several to choose from. This is our original from 2009:

https://www.thesweetwatercoshop.com/listing/1792783198/christmas-houses-countdown-kitWe loved this fun house one from 2012:

https://www.thesweetwatercoshop.com/listing/1792780730/christmas-advent-pocket-kitFinally, here’s one from just last year:

We thought it would be fun to offer kits of these three projects so you have plenty of time to get them finished before December 1st. Kits include the pattern, labels and fabric. Keep in mind the fabric is updated to our newest Christmas lines so the fabric you see in the photos won’t be exact, but it will still be cute in On Dasher! You can find everything here. Have a wonderful Thursday!

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Threads! https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/threads-2/ Tue, 01 Oct 2024 21:27:36 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=51138 We announce our newest line, Threads, on Instagram a few weeks back. Here is a little preview of the collection that will arrive next Spring:

Here are the quilts:

As always, we are offering the quilt kits for preorder. You can also preorder any of the precuts for this line. Everything is available here. If you would like a kit or precut, make sure to preorder by mid-day Wednesday.

Also, if you are a member of Project Sweetwater and would like to receive more fabric in your box, we have openings for Project Sweetwater Plus. You can find all the information for that program here. Reservations for that will also end on Wednesday. Have a great day!

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Threads https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/threads/ Thu, 30 May 2024 20:03:49 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=51094 We have something new! We call them “Threads”. They are woven labels that are absolutely adorable. Take a look at our first design:

Even cuter on the edge of a quilt:

And….. if you are a member of Project Sweetwater, you will get a special surprise! Threads will make their debut in the box this week! We received our fabric for the box (Lucy’s Crab Shack) just a few days ago and have been busy packing the boxes this week. We included Threads that go perfectly with the collection! Here is a sneak peek:

Speaking of Project Sweetwater, we have a limited amount of subscriptions available starting with this Lucy’s Crab Shack box. Here is a little peek of the featured quilt:

If you would like a subscription, click here. You will have to wait for the box to get your hands on the Lucy’s Crab Shack Threads, but you can get the “Life is better with a quilt” design now! Click here for that.

We are crossing our fingers we can get all the boxes packed tomorrow and out the door! Have a great Thursday!

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Stitched https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/stitched/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 20:33:36 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=51053 Say hello to something completely new! We call it “Stitched”, and, of course, it’s for all you just love to stitch! We took some of our most popular designs (along with some new ones) and made them into embroidery. Stitched is a club where you receive a full sheet of those designs each month. They can be used on a variety of items- quilts, runners, bags or simply framed. Here is a peek at what we have planned for Stitched.

Now for the details.

Stitched will ship monthly. Each shipment will include a full sheet of embroidery designs. There will be a variety of sizes on each sheet- from around 2″ to 6″. The process is simple. Choose a design from the sheet, cut around the image, peel off the backing and adhere to the desired fabric. After stitching, the stabilizer sheet easily rinses away. No tracing required!

Where you use the designs is up to you. From a tshirt to a bag, they can be used just about anywhere. The shipment will also include full color photos for inspiration and a stitch guide. The first Stitched shipment will go out in April. Sign up here!

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Just An Update…. https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/just-an-update-2/ Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:25:23 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=51037 We have a lot of things going on! Here are some highlights:

First, we expanded our Tagged program. Over the years, we have heard from customers wanting more room to add additional information on their personalized quilt labels. We started Tagged+ for those wanting more. More labels, more room, more embellishments. Here is a look at some examples of our Tagged labels mixed with Tagged+ labels.

In the above example, the Tagged label is the personalized label, and the additional labels are included in Tagged+. For example, below shows the Tagged label on the left. With Tagged+, you get both the labels below.

If you are a current subscriber and would like to upgrade your subscription to Tagged+, please email us and we will take care of it on our side. If you don’t have a subscription, you can sign up for either Tagged or Tagged+ here.

While we are adding things, we have started a new add on for Project Sweetwater. We have heard countless times that our subscribers would like the option to add more fabric to their Project Sweetwater box. Since we now have Tagged+, we decided to call this new add-on Project Sweetwater+. This is for those of you who want cream fabric to add to their projects, as well as larger pieces (1/2 yard cuts) from the featured collection. There’s even an option to add backing. Please keep in mind that if you are happy with your Project Sweetwater box the way it is, there is no need to do anything. It will remain the same. However, if you would like to add on fabric, this is for you. To do so, make sure to follow these steps:

  1. Do NOT cancel your Project Sweetwater box.
  2. Sign up for a reservation for the add-on. You can do that here. There are two options, depending on how much fabric you would like.
  3. This program won’t start until the September, 2024 box. As with all things fabric, ordering, availability and delivery take time and planning.
  4. We need to know if you would like this add-on by February 20. We will have limited availability for subscriptions to this add-on after that, but you can reserve your spot now! The reservation is $1.00 to hold your spot. You can do that here.

Speaking of Project Sweetwater, we anticipate the March boxes will ship a little early. We are crossing our fingers the Vintage fabric will arrive in the next couple of days. If so, we will ship next week. Here is a little peek of the Vintage box.

If you follow us on Instagram we also announced the return of one of our most loved collections. Lucy’s Crab Shack (which debuted in 2012) will be featured in our June box! Please keep in mind that Lucy will only be in Project Sweetwater. Moda was kind enough to let us bring back a taste of this collection for our subscribers, but it won’t be in stores. Here is a little peek of this collection way back when.

If you have a Project Sweetwater subscription, you are in luck and will receive the Lucy’s Crab Shack box. If you would like to get the box, you might want to grab a subscription here to ensure you get it. When we have special boxes, subscriptions do sell out at times.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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On Dasher! https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/on-dasher/ Thu, 18 Jan 2024 20:53:35 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=51011 Introducing On Dasher! This is our brand-new collection for Christmas 2024. I know, we just finished up Christmas. But it’s never too early for Christmas, right? Here is a little peek:

And now for the quilts! If you love snowmen, this is the quilt for you! We call it Snow Day:

Next up is “Up North”. This cutie celebrates everything we love in the season.

As always, we are offering a pre-order of the quilts and pre-cuts. For more information or to pre-order, click here. On Dasher arrives in June. Happy Thursday and keep warm!!!

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Christmas Sweet Tees! https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/christmas-sweet-tees/ Fri, 13 Oct 2023 17:17:13 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=50972 I know…..Halloween isn’t even here and we are focused on Christmas. The truth is, quilters always have an eye on Christmas. We have a brand new batch of tees and hoodies that feature our favorite holiday. Here is a peek:

That’s just a taste of the new collection. You can find everything here. Have a beautiful weekend!

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Last Chance….. https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/last-chance-3/ Tue, 03 Oct 2023 22:01:33 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=50969 Just a quick reminder- we are closing our preorders for anything Vintage early tomorrow morning (Wednesday). If you would like anything from that collection- a quilt kit or precut, make sure you order today! Here is one last look.

Vintage will ship in February! You can find everything here. Happy Tuesday 🙂

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All Things Vintage…. https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/all-things-vintage/ Tue, 12 Sep 2023 04:31:48 +0000 https://www.thesweetwaterco.com/?p=50932 If you follow us on Instagram, you know all about our latest collection called Vintage. If you don’t, here is a quick overview. Months ago, when we were deciding on a theme for a new fabric collection, we discovered we had designed over fifty fabric collections for Moda. Wow. That’s a lot. I didn’t know if we should celebrate or have a pity party that we are getting kinda old. Lol. We decided to celebrate.

We thought it would be fun to go back in the archives, choose some of our favorite prints and put them all together in a new collection. That was sooooo much easier said than done. The biggest problem is all of our favorites really didn’t go together to make a useable, cohesive collection. There were problems with scale, color and themes. We had to take a different approach. We chose a few of our very favorite designs and then built the collection around them. But we had so many favorites. With all the colorways and designs, there are between 1800-2000 individual pieces of fabric. It honestly took longer than designing a complete new collection. After weeks of looking, many discussions and a few disagreements, we came up with a collection we absolutely love. Meet Vintage.

Now for a peek at the quilts. The first one is called “Bloom“.

Next up is Bliss. I love this one for a boy.

The final quilt is called “Lollipop Garden“.

As always, we are offering pre-orders on the quilt kits as well as the Vintage pre-cuts. You can find all things Vintage here. Pre-orders will close on October 5. Happy Tuesday!

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