--gina Hi there! We've moved our blog over to Squarespace. It's still boltneighborhood.com, but in case you're still looking here and wondering what the heck happened to us, come see us at the new site! Continue reading

by Amy Instructions here. Felt, ribbon, and fabric glue at Bolt! We're getting a new blog! It should all switch over smoothly. There is a possibility you may experience a hiccup over the next day or two. If you do, you may want to clear your browser cache and hit refresh on your browser. See you at the new one! Continue reading

--by Hannah As part of our blog evolution, we're introducting a new group of posts titled Stitching Green. Every month we'll share ideas on doing more with less, using every little bit of fabric, thread, anything we can think of. I had the pleasure of meeting Melody Miller last year. She came into Bolt, wearing a beautiful skirt that I, of course, complimented her on. “Thank you, it’s from my new line”, she said. Curious I asked, “Oh how pretty, and who are you?” She introduced herself, we chatted some more about fabric, and she allowed us to snap her... Continue reading

by Gina I Love Red Bird Studio. They opened up shop soon after I opened up Bolt and I have loved them from the beginning. I don't know if it's the whimsical drawings, the amazing cut paper pieces, or the adorable and clever silk screened Ts and other goodies that make me love them so. The shop is located between 29th and 30th. When I walk to work I get to pass their window and be inspired and amused. They have some amazing window display talent! (I tried to snap a photo, but it would never do it justice.) Ok,... Continue reading

--gina We have some newsworthy items around here to share. First up, all you Supportlanders, your points are worth double on Valentine's Day! If you're not on board yet with Supportland, you can grab a card next time you're in and we'll get you started. It's free, fantastic and you'll feel so good! Next up, we're hiring! We're looking to add someone to our team. The position will be about 10 hours per week, heavy on weekend hours. If you're interested, please drop off a resume and cover letter at the store or email it to us by February 26th.... Continue reading

- April Three New quilt patterns are here by Carolyn Friedlander. These patterns bring an element of nature into a hand crafted item. Loving the color choice here aqua and red is quite striking. This one below is called "Olive" I really like the use of shot stripes in this example. This version is a wall quilt, only four blocks, doable and beautiful! The "Sunrise" pattern shown below is a great example of using all solids. I get a sense of nostalgia with this pattern in the polaroid format for these blocks. Our quilt pattern selection is ever growing with... Continue reading

by Amy I meet new quilters almost every day at the shop, and I always like to share with them some of the tips and tools that got me over the biggest bumps on the learning curve when I began my journey as a quilter. Now I'm sharing them with you! Heather Bailey has some of the clearest and most concise directions I've found for binding your quilt. A lot of people seem to be intimidated by this last step, but I find it super satisfying, and even relaxing. It's my "quality time" with my project before I send it... Continue reading

by Gina I'm a big, big fan of Laura Gunn's artwork. I think Michael Miller Fabrics have done a great job of transferring her paintings onto cloth too. We recently received her Garden Wall line and I think it's lovely. I'm also a big fan of hounds tooth and am really appreciating the combination of what is typically a crisp, clean pattern done in a soft, painterly way. Super fun colors too! I was feeling the need for a little switch up with some of the store decor the other day and asked April to do some magic with some... Continue reading

by Hannah I’ve been wanting to make my own envelopes for quite some time now. I have no idea why I’ve had such an urge for such a little project but I just did. I found Valentine’s day the perfect opportunity. These Valentine’s day notes are fun for adults and children. I understand that my snail looks more like a whale so I think I’ll try the bear next with maybe some message like, “I bearly know you and I love you.” or “I love you so much, I can hardly bear it.” You’ll need: *¼ yard of felt or... Continue reading

--gina We're starting to add some new regular features to the Bolt Neighborhood Blog, including featuring some of our neighbors and friends. Each month we'll boast about a person, place or thing that we think is great. This month we're talking about Amy Dotts. She just opened up shop down at 29th and Alberta. She uses fabulously bold cotton prints for party dresses and offers such fun options for layering like bloomers and petticoats. It just so happens she's having a party next weekend, February 4th, all day. Stop in and check it out! A reminder: we're having a tube... Continue reading

--gina We're throwing a "see you next year, January" sale this weekend, January 28th and 29th. Both days all fabric on tubes will be 10% off regular price, or an additional 10% off sale prices. This includes knits, wools, silks, apparel weight cottons, oilcloth, coated cottons, canvas and other heavy weight fabrics, as well as Liberty of London! The other perk--with purchases over $50, you'll receive a free copy of this really cool Portland guide book, while supplies last. It's a great book to have on hand, for either guests staying with you or for yourself, when you need a... Continue reading

--gina A few weeks ago I had a crafting weekend at the coast with a pair of great friends. I was determined to get through some things that have been on my list for waaaaaaay too long. I also was determined to get comfortable with my buttonholer on my sewing machine. I was successful on both fronts! Over the weekend I completed 16 buttonholes, and they look good. One of the projects I brought (and finished) was a set of easy napkin rings for us to use every day. We use cloth napkins and sometimes it's hard to remember who... Continue reading

--gina I find it rather challenging to find attractive knits. I'm so, so, so excited about these. I hope you all are too! New knits for your enjoyment. These came in yesterday along with some woven buddies, also one of kinds, from designers' cast-offs. We've got some great books and patterns working with knits too, if you need a jumping off point. Continue reading

-April Yes, shot cottons are great but did you know about their sibling shot cotton stripes? I have a thing about stripes, I heart them! These are some of the richest and most lovely additions to my ever growing stripe collection. I have heard many a quilter loving these stripes and using them as a staple in their quilts. Looking ahead into 2012 an all stripe quilt is on my list. I treated myself to a quarter yard of a dozen different shot stripes for inspiration. Naturally there are other items on my 2012 list that I hope to get... Continue reading

New Liberty of London prints arrived today... Continue reading

-April Looking back on last year I wanted to share some tidbits about 2011. We are so very lucky to have such talented folks live in and around this fine city of Portland. Not surprisingly some best selling items of last year were from locals. The most popular pattern of 2011 was The Crepe dress by Colette. (Pause for applause and joyous cheering)! This dress can be sewn up in so many different combinations very dressy to totally casual. I think that is a sign of a great pattern when it can be so versatile......always a hit. Four other Collette... Continue reading

--gina We're back! Holiday down time has been enjoyed, inventory has been counted and we're ready for a new year. We received some great new pieces on tubes right before we closed up a couple weeks ago. Generally the pieces on tubes are end runs from designers. These tend to be more apparel appropriate fabrics. They're really fun for me to pick out for a couple of reasons. The first being that I have no idea at all what I'll be shown when I meet with my reps and I can imagine these pieces made up into a wider variety... Continue reading

--gina Some new bright and cheery prints for the coming new year! Just a short, sweet post to say we wish you all a very happy, healthy, peaceful end of the year and start of the next! We will be closed from 3 pm Thursday, the 22nd through Monday the 26th, resuming regular hours Tuesday the 27th. We'll also be closed Sunday January 1st. It's been another wonderful year at Bolt, thank you so much to all of our supporters for keeping us around! We have some fun changes in the works for Bolt Neighborhood that you'll start seeing after... Continue reading

--Meredith I looked in my closet the other day and realized I was bored with everything inside. Don't you hate that! I need a wardrobe boost in the worst possible way. Looking for inspiration in the patterns, I picked up Sewaholic's Pendrell blouse. This one doesn't have ANY closures, similar to my other favorite blouse pattern, Colette's Sorbetto (I have expressed much love here and here). Which really just means it comes together quickly. Perfect! I have been dying to sew with some Liberty of London. Gina has brought in some stunners and I picked up two different cuts. I... Continue reading

--gina Books are great, aren't they? A good sewing book is both eye candy and a wonderful transporter of information all in one. We have a great selection of books that fit that bill. I currently don't have a space where I keep my sewing supplies out, ready for use, so sometimes sewing just doesn't happen because I don't want to take the time to unpack and repack everything before and after. I can happily and easily pass an hour or two browsing through a sewing book, getting ideas, letting my imagination wander, mentally preparing for when I do have... Continue reading

--Meredith Did you hear? The fabulous woman behind the popular Sew Everything Workshop and the new Embroider Everything Workshop, Diana Rupp, will be here! In Portland! At Modern Domestic! Next Tuesday! Diana is a NYC-based sewing and craft teacher and founder of the Make Workshop, an artist-only industrial loft studio located in the Lower East Side. A frequent teacher of all manner of craft, her most recent publication covers embroidery, cross-stitch, hand applique, smocking, needlepoint, and more. She focused on handwork for the new book because she loves doing it and it's obvious others do too, based on attendance at... Continue reading

--gina We've started carrying this great wool felt. Many of you have asked for 100% wool felt in the past and we now have a product that we like! It comes in 12" squares, great colors. You all are picking it up so quickly we're hardly able to keep it stocked. We just received a shipment and have more on order. It's perfect for applique on the stocking or tree skirt you're busy making! I branched out a bit too with purchasing some journals for the store. I couldn't resist these fabric-inspired designs and thought you might not be able... Continue reading

--gina While we fully encourage everyone to enjoy handmade holiday gift giving, we also can surely appreciate a good craft fair, right? Here's a list of some going on soon. If you don't see the one you're going to, send us the info in a comment! Our sister store, Modern Domestic, will be joining the festivities at the Crafty Wonderland holiday sale at the Convention Center. If you're headed there, be sure to swing by and try your hand at one of the wonderful Bernina machines. A word of caution: you will fall in love. Saturday and Sunday Dec. 10th... Continue reading