We are a full-service quilt shop offering the best in quality cotton fabrics, featuring many exciting fabric lines to satisfy a variety of tastes. Browse our many books, patterns, and notions. Check out our hard-to-resist kits to get your project started. While you’re here, enjoy our mouth-watering chocolates! We are pleased to feature ”Endangered Species” chocolates with a percentage of sales benefiting environmental causes. Also, we are very proud of our exclusive quilt patterns featuring local quilt artists.

News 05/08/08: We just finished back-to-back weekends of shows are are pretty exhausted. We really enjoyed both shows and loved meeting lots of new customers. Thanks to everyone who came by and said hello. We really do enjoy seeing our regular customers at the shows. I know many of you participated in our Customer Appreciation program and we look forward to seeing you this Friday night at the auction. For those of you who are not going to make it, we will do our best to find other exciting ways to let you know how much we appreciate your business. I have just a few announcements and notes for you so pay close attention to these details.

First of all, I want to let all of you know that the Wizard of Oz fabric has arrived. Many of you have been asking about it and we got shut out of the first run. Well we now have some and it will go fast. If you are interested, I suggest you hustle up to the shop as I won't be putting it online.

Second, as you know our bus to the Long Beach show is full and I don't plan on adding another. However, Sharon Kendrick (from Lompoc) has graciously chartered a bus for Friday, July 25th. Here are the details. Please contact her if you are interested as she needs to finalize the commitment by this Friday. Cost is $ 30.00 (transportation and driver gratuity). The bus could make a stop in Camarillo at the parking lot at Las Posa Road in Camarillo. She will have to let you know on the time in Camarillo. Departing Lompoc at 6:30 AM so approximately 8:15 AM. They plan to get to the Long Beach Convention Center at 10:00 AM when the exhibits open. Leave from the show 3:30 PM. Can bring drinks and snacks on the bus. Please email Sharon at smkendrick@verizon.net AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you are interested as she must make a decision this weekend!

Third, if you are signed up for the Customer Appreciation Auction this Friday and will NOT be able to attend, please call the shop to cancel so those on our waiting list can attend. We will refund your $5.00. We did have to limit it to 120 as our shop simply cannot accomodate any more. We are super excited about this event and promise you will have a grand time. To get ready for the event we will be closing the store at 2 PM on this Friday, May 9th, and will start registration at 6:00 PM. The auction will start at 6:45 PM. Appetizers and drinks will be served. We can't wait to see you then!

Fourth, our quilt run fabric has arrived. Please stop by the shop to see it in person. It's really quite nice. There is a limited supply and we are taking pre-orders. However, we cannot provide the fabric to you until the run officially starts. Check it out.



News 04/22/08: Things are starting to get a little bit hectic so I thought it best to remind you of a few things. We have two back-to-back shows that we are vending starting with the Seven Sisters show up in San Luis Obispo this weekend and the Camarillo show next weekend so please excuse me if I fall behind a little on updating the website. Hope to see you at one of these shows.

As many of you already know our latest sessions of classes is now open for sign-ups. Come on into the shop and see the beautiful class samples. Some class sessions have already filled but there is still plenty of opportunity for you to find something you will enjoy. If you need a copy of our class schedule please come by the shop and pick one up or download it from the website. If you need us to send you a paper copy, please call the shop and we'd be happy to send one. One update I have is that the first session of my photo transfer class has filled so I added another session on Wednesday May 14th from 6-9. This is not reflected in the schedule but is open to new sign-ups.

Many of you asked for wool and we listened. The shop now has a wonderful assortment of wools in colors that range from soft pastels to rich jewel tones. All have been felted and are ready to use. The 8-inch squares of hand dyed, solids, and textured wools at just $2.50 are great for building your wool stash or perhaps starting one. Also available are fat quarters of hand dyed and solid-colored wools. The shop also has basic colors of Woolrich wool on the bolt for your large projects.

Good news, bad news. The Cotton & Chocolate Quilt Company bus to the Long Beach Quilt show has been sold out. We had 53 spaces available and are now taking a waiting list in case there are some cancellations. Good news for those who signed up. Not so good news for those who missed it.

I did see a recent email from the Quilt Pink folks indicating that quilts (not necessarily ours) will start being sold on eBay May 1st so you may want to keep an eye on eBay. If (and when) we hear our submitted quilts will be listed I'll either send an email or post to the website.

We have had overwhelming interest in our Customer Appreciation program and are really looking forward to our main event on Friday May 9th. If you are planning on attending and have not signed up at the shop we urge you to do so as space is limited. There is a small $5 fee to offset the cost of chair rentals and appetizers. As you know there are only a few more days left to collect your C&C bucks with Wednesday April 30th being the last day. So to help you with that final preparation we have decided to add one more double-bucks day. So on Wednesday, April 30th (only) all sales will be awarded with double the sales bucks. In addition, we are extending the shop hours to 7 PM to allow those who work real jobs (like me) to have an opportunity to shop.

News 04/05/08: The April to August 2008 Newsletter and Class Schedule has been posted. Click here to go to the Class page.

We just wrapped up vending at the Glendale Quilt Show. We had a great show and really appreciate all of our customers dropping by to say hello. This year's show was one of their better ones in our opinion. The quilts seemed to be above average (especially Nadine's which was right across from our booth) and the crowds were plenty. All in all a good show. If you missed it I recommend you come see us at the Seven Sister's show in San Luis Obispo April 26th and 27th.

Hopefully by now many of you have earned some C&C bucks by shopping at our store. If you haven't its not too late to get started. Remember that these bucks will be like cash at our Customer Appreciation night and you can pool your bucks or give them to a friend to maximize your buying power. Details can be found in an earlier note below. Remember you must sign up for the auction night, Friday, May 9th.

In other news, I have brought in to the shop some photos of the Quilt Pink quilts that were put together by our shop friends. I believe we had fourteen quilts. Thanks again to everyone to participated in this great event. I am sure the quilts will be on E-Bay some time this summer. I'll try to post them soon. The next session class sign-ups starts on Saturday, April 19th. Those who get them in snail mail should see them by Monday or Tuesday next week. For those of you who have requested an email-only version I have you marked in our database. For those of you who have not yet indicated a preference, we would appreciate you going green and helping us save a stamp by letting me know that you would be ok with an electronic version.

Ok, we have started another mystery quilt. If you did the last one ("Pins and Needles") then you will trust me when I tell you this one ("Change in the Wind") is equally as nice. Another Debbie Caffrey design. And for the kicker, both Marilyn and I are making this one. Yes, I picked my own fabric and have already finished the steps for the first month. If you want to see my finished quilt you will need to join this party and come to our show and tell in September (or October). I will be there with my quilt -- finished (I promise). It's only $1 per month for six months of instructions. We give you a 15% discount on your fabrics. Come on. Take a chance and have some fun!!

Speaking of Debbie Caffrey, we will be giving out portions of some of her quilt patterns in this year's Southern California Quilters' Run. We just the brochures today and I'll have them in the shop some time this week. This year we've broken up the region into 4 smaller regions so you can do a part of it and still get a full pattern. We are also busy planning our theme and will be giving out even cooler charms this year. The dates are Thursday-Sunday, two weekends, July 10-13th and 17-20. These are the two weekends before the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach. Come pick up a brochure.

If you are interested in the bus trip to the Long Beach show its more than half sold out so don't delay on your registration. This event will be on July 26th and we will be traveling to the first ever International Quilt Festival in Long Beach! The cost is only $30 and that includes a few dollars for some fun, food, and prizes! We will be departing from C&C at 9 am and returning around 7:30 pm. Note that the cost does not include admission to the show.

News 3/8/08: All of us at Cotton & Chocolate recognize what a great relationship we have created with you, our customer. This truly is a win-win relationship. Both Marilyn and I are really proud of what we have been able to create in the last three and a half years. But we recognize that we wouldn't be where we are without our wonderful customers. So this month we launch our first ever customer appreciation event.

How Does it Work?
During the months of March and April, you will receive a “C&C Buck” for every dollar you spend in our store. This is for any purchase you make and includes, well, everything. We will round up your total (including tax) to the nearest dollar. At the end of your sale, you will receive your “C&C Bucks”. Treat this like cash, as it cannot be replaced if lost.

Customer Appreciation Auction:
On Friday, May 9th at 6:00 pm we will host an auction. Note that this was originally announced as May 2nd, but that date conflicts with the Camarillo Guild quilt show activities and we want to make sure you can attend! This is your opportunity to spend your “C&C Bucks” during our live and silent auctions. We will also have items to purchase with your bucks, as well. What can you “purchase” with your bucks? We will have a host of great items that include kits, fabric, notions, patterns, etc., etc. We promise you lots of fun while spending your “C&C Bucks”.

You Must Pre-Register for the Auction:
In order for us to have a chair for everyone, we must know that you will be here. We will also have some refreshments available and will charge $5.00 to cover costs. Pre-registration reservations are made at the shop.

What If You Don’t Have Many Bucks or Can’t Attend?
We will do our best to have items in a number of “dollar” ranges. You can give your “C&C Bucks” to a friend, or combine them with a friend to purchase a larger item, your choice. This may give you more buying power! Remember, this is meant to be fun! Remember, all “C&C Bucks” earned during March and April can only be used at the auction , will expire May 2, 2008 and cannot be redeemed for cash or any other discount.

Why Are We Doing This?
We appreciate you and your business and this is one of our ways of saying a big “Thank You”. We also just love to have a reason to host a party and have fun!

Of course I have other great things to announce. I am really happy to say that I have made arrangements for our first ever bus trip to a quilt show. This event will be on July 26th and we will be traveling to the first ever International Quilt Festival in Long Beach! I have reserved one bus for up to 53 passengers and am willing to add a second if I get enough interest. The cost is only $30 and that includes a few dollars for some fun, food, and prizes! Also, I am working on getting us some T-shirts that you can wear to proudly display your home quilt shop while you traverse the quilt show isles. Sadly, I will be unable to ride with you on the bus as I expect to be at the convention center manning our booth. Trust me, we will have staff that will make this trip a lot of fun for you. Don't miss out! We will be departing from C&C at 9 am and returning around 7:30 pm.

Another item to mention is that we are launching another Mystery Quilt this month. If any of you particpated in the Pins & Needles Quilt you will appreciate this new mystery quilt from the same great quilt designer, Debbie McCaffery. This one is called "Change In The Wind" and is just as crazy and fun as the last quilt. Once again it is six months at only $1.00 per month. We will be offering a discount if you buy your supplies from us. I don't know about you but at the last Mystery Quilt Show & Tell we saw over 40 quilts that were all fantastic. Don't miss out on this one. We will be doing another show and tell some time after it ends in August. You better come because I just picked out my fabrics and if you aren't there you won't see my quilt. Note that Marilyn will be hosting a getting started session Saturday, March 15th, at 9:30 AM at the shop.

By the way, we just sent off 14 beautiful quilts to the Quilt Pink Breast Cancer Awareness organization. Be on the look out for them to be on sale on ebay later this year. We'll keep you posted! Thanks to everyone who helped. I took pictures of them all and will try to get them on the website soon. Finally, if you don't know about the Glendale Quilt show, it is March 28-30th at the Bob Hope Airport Marriott Hotel in Burbank. Go to our website or the Glendale Quilt Guild for more information. There will be lots of great quilts and vendors for you to see. Stop by and say hello as you know we will be there (along the back wall).

News (1/29/08: Its nearly the end of January and this is the first time I think I've had a chance to breathe and write another installment in my blog for Cotton & Chocolate. Right after Christmas our family went on a great ski trip to Mammoth. No sooner did we get back I had my knee surgery (torn miniscus - not from the ski trip!). The recovery from the surgery has been very quick and before I knew it I was loading bins into our trailer for the Road to California Quilt Show. I hope you had a chance to go because the quilts this year were fantastic, a nice improvement over some of the last few years. We had a great show. It was packed with quilters and true to form, they were in the shopping mood! As has been our trademark recently we highlighted our Grandmother's Flower Garden kits and added many new quilters to our flower garden community. We look forward to building on this success throughout the year.

In addition to all that craziness, right before the Road to California show we hosted our “Pins & Needles” mystery quilt show & tell. For those of you who came I am sure you would agree with me it was a great success. We had between 30 and 40 quilts that were shown, each done in its own color and style. Marilyn is already busy at work planning the next mystery quilt series so if you missed this last one, don't miss the next one.

As for upcoming events, I hope you are planning on spending part of Super Bowl sunday with us. You can come shop at our blow-out sale where everything in the store is 30% off (minimum ½ yard cuts) and still get home in time to feed the guys during the game. For you non football fans (like me) the sale is next Sunday, February 3rd from 11-4. Based on our prior experience the first few hours are really really busy. If you want a little less crowd and wait times, come after 1 or 2. We do look forward to seeing you there.

Other events coming up include EQ (11 am) and Grandmother's Flower Garden (1 pm) demos on Saturday, Feb 2, the monthly applique society on Sundays (Jan 27 and Feb 24), and Project Linus, Sunday March 9th from 10-3.

Also, if you haven't noticed, we've been updating our website with current events and new products. We've started adding our newly arrived fabrics to the website. This is a great way for you to see what's new at our store, even if you aren't shopping online. For those of you in our Block of the Month clubs, I've also added web pages for each so you can look at the blocks.

News (1/5/08): Happy new year. Just wanted to let you know I've updated the website today. In addition to cleaning up some of the pages and updating the upcoming events page, I've added a page with the Enchanted Autumn BOM photos. I'm still planning on adding the 2008 Saturday Sampler as soon as I can get the pictures taken.

Also, we still have a few openings in our Gifts of the Sea Block of the month program which starts this month. This is another beauty (see photo below) designed by The Vintage Spool, Verna Mosquera, who also designed our Vintage Valentine and Enchanted Autumn quilt BOMs. This program is starting right now in January and we only a few openings left. With this program you do not have to come to the shop to participate. We will send you each month's block. Pay for all of the months in advance and save 10%. Call the shop for more details. Jerry


News (12/25/07): Wow, another year come and nearly gone. I can hardly believe it. We here at Cotton & Chocolate have had a great year and have been blessed with having THE BEST staff and customers. Thank you all for being a part of our quilting community. We hope 2007 has been good to you as well and wish you a happy and prosperous 2008. We look forward to seeing you often.

I think for Christmas I should have asked for a shop camera. Once again we were caught camera-less and wishing we had one. If you were one of the lucky (some say crazy – just ask their husbands) ones to be at the shop a few Saturdays ago when we did sign-ups know what I’m talking about. Several of the local stores were wondering what was going on. Someone thought a new phone had come out. The nail salon put out a sign for manicures. The donut shop ran out of donuts and coffee (just kidding). No it was nuts! The line of ladies waiting when all the way out to the parking lot curb. The first few gals were in line at 7 AM. We sold out of the First Saturday Sampler class by the time we opened. Like I said - THE BEST customers. We love you.

Now for a few reminders. Don’t forget our “Buy The Bolt” sale that starts right after Christmas. If you clear off a bolt for us, you save big. The more fabric off the bolt, the more you save. Up to 30% if its more than 10 yards. If you don’t buy the entire bolt, you can still save 15% on any fabric cut, fat quarter, or tower. Only the pre-made kits are excluded. Also we will be marking down all Holiday items including fabrics 40% off. This sale goes normal hours, Wednesday 12/26 thru Sunday 12/30. We will be closed Monday, 12/31.

Monday, January 14th is our “Pins & Needles” mystery quilt show & tell night from 6 to 9 pm. For those of you who bought into the $1/month pick-up quilt pattern this night is for you! Even if you haven’t finished (or started) your quilt, you will want to come and see what everyone has done. I’ve seen at least two completed tops and they are beautiful. This is a great pattern and with all of the different colorways purchased, this evening will be a blast. Not to mention the refreshments (wine & cheese). Please do call the shop and RSVP as we are trying to plan our food needs. 805-241-0061.

We will be at Road to California again this year. The show is at the Ontario Convention Center Thursday-Sunday January 17-20. Drop by and say hello.

Finally, be sure to mark your calendar for our annual “Super Bowl Sunday” blow-out sale where everything in the store is 30% off (minimum ½ yard cuts). Sunday, February 3rd from 11-4.

News (11/29/07): The Winter 2008 newsletter has been posted. Please go to the Classes page and click on the link to download the pdf version. Remember that class sign-ups start on Saturday December 8th. Class samples are already on display at the shop. Please note that due to the popularity and limited class size for the Saturday Sampler 2008 club, priority tickets will be handed out starting at 9:15 AM on December 8th. Please see the newsletter for additional details. There are some restrictions.