time to go to school

Well, Summer is over... time to go back to school. I have new shoes, some new clothes, and I made myself this new bag. I think it will remind me that my Bernina is home waiting for me! Don't forget to check out our website to get our schedule for fall classes.

The schedule is here!

Hi everyone
Visit our website to get our new fall schedule.
It's up and ready!
Remember, you can sign up on the phone with a credit card to hold your place.
Any questions, just call
203-743- 0543

And still another new tumbler..

This is another new tumbler kit we have... it is made from the "Proud" fabric collection.
We are proud it is done! :)
Watch your in box for an e mail newsletter from The Quilt Shop.
Our fall schedule is going to be put on the website this week.
Check out the slide show of the class samples for our fall classes.
If you see one you want.. call us soon.

A new tumbler

We have 2 new tumblers ready to go... this beautiful soft yellow and blue, and this white, black and turquoise. Aren't they both beautiful.
Tumbler kits are $40, plus we have finishing kits which include both borders and binding fabric for $20.

Know anyone who wants to start quilting?

We are using this book for our own "start quilting" classes in the new schedule.
Do you know anyone who wants to start quilting? This would be a great class for them.

Do we have your email address?

Are you on our email list? I hope so, because then you will one of the first to know when the new schedule is posted online, what the September coupon will be, and what specials are coming up at the quilt shop.
You can sign up on our webiste "The Quilt Shop"

New tumbler kits being cut and sewn this week.... Stop in to check them out.
Here's a hint of a new one....

Beep Beep

These new fabrics came in the other day. Wouldn't these be great for a little boy's quilt? Plus we have a lot of coordinating prints to go with them.
Guess my 19 year old son is too big for these.

Last chance for the Bernina coupon

Our August coupon for the special price of the Bernina 210 ends next week. Remember, it is for $100 off our everyday low price, plus a free walking foot. That's a $260 value.

If you are new to quilting and want a starter machine, this is the one for you. Or if you are an experienced quilter and need a machine to take to retreats, workshops, classes etc., this is the machine for you. Check out our website for more details about this
machine.
Stop in soon to get yours. Coupon ends the last day of August.

How pretty is this?

Our friend Jane came in to visit today, she brought show and tell. ( Jane always has the best show and tell projects). She made this quilt as a gift for her neighbors who helped her out last fall when she was ill. What a beautiful job! Thanks Jane for bringing this in.

Did you guess it?

No one seemed to figure out our clue for our surprise.
We are happy to announce that our friend Amy Devine will be working at the Quilt Shop now on weekends. Now what does this have to do with the cowboy... well, we were trying to think of a nickname for Amy Devine, as we now have 2 Amy's at the Quilt Shop. Ginny came up with the nickname of Jingles. There was an actor named Andy Devine who played a cowboy on a tv show. His character was "Jingles"
Anyway, for those of you who don't know Amy, she is a great quilter. Amy started quilting at the Quilt Shop, taking Lois' beginner class. The quilt bug got her and she has been sewing ever since. 6 months after she took Lois' class, Amy bought her Bernina and they have bonded. She sews every day. She calls it a great stress reliever. We are just thrilled to have her with us!

rain rain.. cool it off!

The rain is falling, I hear thunder and see flashes of lightning. Perfect day to sew.
Today at the quilt shop we are going to start cutting new tumbler kits. Our tumbler kits have been so popular, our original kits are almost gone! We are having fun putting fabrics together to plan these new kits.
These new fabrics from Red Rooster came this week. How about a tumbler from these fabrics?

Dancing with the stars...

Even Halloween ghouls and goblins like to dance....
Isn't this great ? I'm thinking a pillowcase, or a bag...

go to the beach!

These great batik fabrics arrived on Wednesday... they have lots of beach images printed on them. The colors are just wonderful. Did you just get home from the beach? Get some of these fabrics, to help remember how great it is at the beach.

We have an announcement.... ( but not today)

Pretty soon we will have an announcement from the Quilt Shop. It is really great news.
Here is a hint...
Any guesses?
( no, we aren't going to be offering horseback riding lessons at the Quilt Shop)
Stay cool everyone! Come visit us at the store, we'd love to see you.

too hot to quilt, but not to sew....

It's hot! I was straightening up my sewing room today and found a project that I had purchased a few weeks ago. I've always been a supporter of the underdog. It seems that I also try to support unloved and unwanted fabrics. As I straighten bolts of fabrics at the store, I will come across fabrics that just seem to sit on the shelf. We don't just have cottons at the quilt shop, we have some other fun fabrics around too. Have you noticed chenille, flannels, corduroy, etc. ? Well, this poor fellow is a pintuck fabric by Moda. It has been sitting on the shelf too. I found this pattern for a cute top from Indygo Junction and low and behold, they used this fabric in their sample...
I decided today would be a good day to start this. I placed my fan right on me, laid out my fabric and cut it out. It does have a belt and an insert... I'm thinking about going through my Kaffe Fasset fabrics to add to it! Stay tuned.
Next time you are in the store, look for some fabrics other than cottons. Think of the sewing that you can do with them, bags, pillows, vests, skirts, etc.

Our new Go Cutter display

Did you get your GO cutter yet? We just set up a new display at the store, so all of our GO cutter items are all together in their own section. We have cutters, a full selection of die, mats, die holders, the rolling tote, etc. Stop in soon to get yours!

Our customers are so talented

This is a quilt that our friend Mary made. Isn't it just beautiful. Mary always loves to use batiks so using these 30's reproductions were a big change for her. I think she did a wonderful job on this quilt. We love it when people bring in their quilts. Next time you finish one of yours, please bring it in. We can take a picture and post it here on the blog.

New baby kit

This new kit arrived last week, Amy finished the sample for it and it was hung yesterday. There are 2 versions, a boy version and a girl version. The kit is $38, you will need 3 yards of fabric for the backing, ( not included in the kit). We have several bolts of matching fabrics for the kits.
Plus, we have the packaged in jungle animal baby gift bags that match the quilt!
Stop in soon to get yours, or call us to order one over the phone.

sewing for school

This is my latest project, rocking chair pads for my rocking chair at school. This chair is my most favorite thing in my classroom, ( there is no Bernina in my classroom). It was my mom and dad's chair, I was rocked in it by my dad, mom, grandmother's etc. I found this great frog fabric, found a pattern I had in my pattern stash, and off I went. It wasn't hard at all. If you are a quilter, you have great sewing skills that you can use for home sewing projects.

calling my name

We have a saying around here at the Quilt Shop, "those fabrics are calling my name". When a new group of fabrics arrive, we price them and put them out. There are times where we keep passing by them, petting them, looking at them, thinking about them etc. It is almost as if the fabrics are telling us what to do with them. This group has been calling my name. The colors are just so pretty. They just say "fall". I'll come up with something. Got any ideas?

Peace and love....

And where were you in August of 1969? We are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Woodstock with what else? A quilt! This is called Lava Lamp. Ginny made this in just a few days. Cutting and sewing were a snap, and she got to use her favorite Kaffe Fasset fabrics.
This will be a class in the new schedule, ( stay tuned, it is coming soon)

Back to school, not us, back to sewing!

Lots of places are having back to school sales now, but Ginny came up with a new idea. We are going to have a "back to sewing" sale. Think about it, when the kids go back to school, you may have more time to sew. So on September 12 and 13th we will be having a "back to sewing" sale. We will also have all of our fall class samples up and ready for you to see and sign up for classes.
Mark you calendars now.... September is not too far away.

another sneak peak

Being a loyal blog reader gives you lots of sneak peaks about new things at the Quilt Shop. This is Ginny's newest quilt. She loves Kaffe Fasset's fabrics, so when the new ones arrived, she immediately started planning a new quilt. This time she took the new yellows and teals and remade our favorite half square triangle quilt. The plan is to kit this quilt. If you are interested in it, please let us know so we can save you a kit.
More details coming soon!

start spreading the news......

Look what is back. Our favorite New York fabric and matching taxi cab fabric. Lois made this great jacket out of it and used the Bernina Free Motion Couching foot to write New York on the back of the jacket!. If you want some of this fabric, you better come to see us soon, this fabric goes quick! Remember, you can call us and we will be happy to send it to you.

Even birds want to learn to quilt

Today was one of those days we will be talking about for a long time. We opened the door as it was such a beautiful sunny day. That was our first mistake. I could hear the chatter of the birds outside, but I kept sewing away. I got up to do some cutting and I saw something fly in the door going towards the back of the store. A young sparrow flew in. We then had to search to find him. Sparrows blend into quilts very well. Ginny found him, he flew right into the window, but then kept flying back to the back of the store again. He landed on Lois' purple quilt in the back of the store. Ginny went over again, but this time, he flew right into the window, made a loud thud, and landed on the rug near the door. We stood there for a while, waiting for him to regain his bearings, but he had gone to the big quilt shop in the sky!
Let's not tell Lois there was a bird sitting on her quilt! :) I guess birds like colors too!
Have a great Saturday everyone! Watch out for birds!

It wont be a party without you!

On August 20th we will be having our "820" party. This is a time to come and learn about the new Bernina 820 machine. We will be demonstrating the wonderful features of this machine, and give you an opportunity to try it. Our parties are always fun, so call us and sign up today. The party is free so gather up your quilting friends and come to our party. Please RSVP so we know how many people are coming. 2 different times, 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

5 Little Monkeys jumping on the bed....

A new group of fabrics came this week, Goodnight Monkey by Moda. This is part of the wonderful sock monkey collection that Moda has come up with. We have devoted one section of the store to our dear friend Sock Monkey. Naturally a fabric called Goodnight monkey, had to be put in the crib. We have made up pillowcase kits out of these fabrics,plus we have the socks to make your own sock monkey.
Stop in to see this soon!
Don't forget your August coupon for the Bernina 210, $100 off our everyday low price, plus a free walking foot. You are saving $260. This special is only for the month of August. Want to know more about this machine, visit our website to download the brochure.
The Quilt Shop

sewing for the home... or the classroom

I have started going into my new classroom, I'm trying to make it feel bright and colorful, so it will be a happy place for the kids. My room has a set of shelves under a very long counter. I decided to make curtains for these shelves, mostly because I didn't want the kids to see what was under there! I found a piece of frog fabric, and am now making small curtains for each shelf.
This is one of those projects where I am so glad that I have my Bernina serger. I don't use it too often, but for a project like this, it makes my sewing go so much faster. I cut my fabric, clean finish all the edges with my serger, then press the hems.
Think about how you can use your quilting skills for home dec sewing. If you can sew a straight seam, you can make curtains, pillows, etc.
6 curtains done, 2 more to go. Next, I'm going to try to cover the cushions on a glider rocker that was left in my new room! Get ready serger.... here I come again.

Why I sent my son to college....

This new fabric came in this week, isn't it great. It is filled with great sayings.
Amy has already made a great bag out of it.

my new friend

I was cleaning my sewing room. I came across this pattern for this big stuffed frog. This one was a little different, it was a patchwork frog. So I raided my scrap basket, cut 20 4 1/2 inch squares, sewed them, quilted them, and after a little while, ....
here he is! I think he will sit on my desk at school. Sometimes it's nice to bring a little of your quilting to other places.
What would you name him?
This is why it is good to have a stash... if I didn't have a stash, I wouldn't be able to make this frog. ( of course with my stash, I'd be able to make about 100 of them :))
Stashes are great, but it is so much fun to add new fabrics to them. Hmmmm I used up some of my stash.. maybe I should go buy some new fabrics this week to replenish it!

Happy August, look for the new coupon

If you visit our website today, you can find our August coupon. It is for a great deal on a Bernina 210. If you have always wanted a Bernina, but never thought you could get one, this is the deal for you. During the month of August, we have lowered our everyday low price $100 and are giving a free walking foot with the machine. That is a $260 value.
This machine is great for students going to college, for a beginner sewer, or for a 2nd machine. It's size makes it great for traveling, you could take it with you on vacation, or to classes, or quilting retreats.
I have posted a pdf file of the brochure about this machine on our webiste.
thequiltshoponline.com
Stop in soon to test drive this machine. It's a winner!