Have you ever seen such a happier set of grandparents

Here are Ginny, her husband Dennis and her two beautiful grandchildren, Mike and Grace!
How cute is this?

The Sewing Republic

Sounds like a new country doesn't it... I wouldn't mind living there would you?
The Sewing Republic is a new website sponsored by Bernina. It is geared towards the young sewer, but there are some wonderful features on this website that sewers of all ages will love. There are projects galore, but my favorite part are the videos. There are videos online that will help you with buttonholes, zippers, etc. Check it out!
The Sewing Republic

Happy Birthday pillowcases....

We have happy birthday pillowcase kits all ready to go. They include directions on how to make a pillowcase. These are great for all ages, kids, teenagers, college students, even grandparents would love this. Everyone has a birthday, so go ahead and celebrate it! These kits are $12, and we would be happy to send it to you. Just call 203-743-0543 and order yours today.

Go Huskies!

Do you know someone going to UConn this fall? We have UConn fabric here at the Quilt Shop. We made up some UConn pillowcase kits too. Stop in soon to get yours! Pillowcases make a great gift for a college bound son or daughter.

Happy Birthday!

We just got in these great fabrics from Free Spirit/Hallmark. They are birthday fabrics. I made up some pillowcase kits from these fabrics, but they would be great made into an apron, a tablecloth, a table runner, etc, for a birthday celebration.
Come get yours soon, before they are gone!

Look what we have now....

Big news...... we now have Aurifil thread! If you have never tried Aurifil thread, you are in for a treat. This thread, made in Italy, sews like a dream. It is great for piecing, but even better for machine quilting. My favorite part of it... it makes no lint in your machine! Berninas love Aurifil thread. Come on over to try it!

my whale is done!

I finished quilting my eagle quilt today. Tomorrow I will start the binding, but until then, it was time to clean my machine, give it a little drink of oil, then clean the whole sewing room. As I was cleaning it, this fell off the shelf. I made this bear about 26 years ago, as I was waiting to hear if I was going to be hired to teach in public schools. I remember sitting in my sewing room, staring at the phone waiting for it to ring. Instead of just sitting there, I got out this bear pattern and went to work. He isn't very good... I think I got better as I went along, but he is special.
Do you have a project that triggers a memory for you? Sometimes it is fun to look back on what we made and how much better we are now.
If you want to improve your skills, the best way is to take a class. You always learn something in a class. This Saturday we have our disappearing 9 patch class. It is fun to make, and a great time will be had by all! Call us to sign up over the phone.
203-743-0543.
Back to cleaning.....

Confetti Cake Kits...

We have new kits made up for this Confetti Cake quilt. The kits include the pattern and are $35. Stop in soon to get yours before they are all gone.

tumbling along...

We have another tumbling along class this week, Thursday July 29th from 10-2. Gather up your quilting friends and come on in. We have lots of tumbler kits to choose from, plus we will give you 20% off of your backing fabric purchase for your tumbler quilt.
Call us soon to save your spot.

Peanuts anyone?

Here I go again. A new elephant pattern came this week, Effie and Ollie from Heather Bailey. Now I loved her pig pattern, so I wanted to try this one. This is Effie in progress... I did finish her, but it is one of those projects that I need to do again. The first one came out ok, but I know I can do better the second time. Again, her directions are wonderful, I love Heather Bailey patterns. Stay tuned for the finished project!

The new baby is here...

Well, the new Bernina baby is here. The 380 arrived today. It is a really nice machine. It has a great selection of stitches. Come on over and visit it soon!
Be warned... you will fall in love!

I found some....

I found some really neat fabrics to match Mike's ice cream cone...

blue moon

Ginny is on vacation, visiting her grandchildren Mike and Grace. Thanks to the wonders of technology, we keep in pretty close touch, texting, video chatting, and getting pictures. This one came yesterday. Once I stopped drooling over how good that ice cream looked.... I started looking at the color blue. There is a wonderful Alexander Henry print at the Quilt Shop with that color blue in it.... and I think I have seen it in a few Kaffe Fasset fabrics too. Have you ever looked around for color inspiration? Try looking at your local ice cream shop, then come on over to the quilt shop. Remember, there are no fats or calories in the fabric!

Time to give back

Sometimes we forget that we have wonderful skills. We can use these skills to help others that are in need. Bernina has sponsored a new website called We All Sew. It is filled with projects, videos, free stuff, and ways that you can use your sewing skills to help other people. Check it out.
We All Sew
Lots of new things came in today at the Quilt Shop.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new 3 series machines...
New rotary cutter arrived... and the most adorable binky burp cloths came.

a few bites done...

This is what I did today.... I am so in love with this machine. Even though this quilt is large,I am not struggling to get it under the needle,

Melinda Mae

Melinda Mae
Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae,
Who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started in right at the tail. And everyone said,"You're much too small," But that didn't bother Melinda at all, She took little bites and she shewed very slow, Just like a little girl should... ...and eighty-nine years later she ate that whale Because she said she would!!! Written by Shel Silverstein (1930-1999)

I started my monstrous whale today. I am machine quilting a very large quilt. How did I start, right in the middle, one little bite at a time! :) My Bernina 830 makes it so easy with all of the great room it has for the quilt. Have you been afraid to try machine quilting a big quilt? Remember Melinda Mae... one bite at a time. It wont take you 89 years.

You've got the cutest little baby face....

These new baby fabrics arrived today. They are called In the Nest, designed by Jackie Cook from Benartex. It is a nice large baby collection. My favorite ones are the owls.... and the fabric that looks like crocheted granny squares... remember making those? Stop in soon to get yours if you have a new baby coming soon.

need a new cabinet?

Ginny and Lois found the most adorable cabinet. It is from the Arrow Sewing Cabinet company. This is their Olivia cabinet... and their sewing chair. If you are interested, come on over to see us.

Be careful when you ask this question

My son just moved into his first apartment. He now has a double sized bed, and of course I asked him if he would like a new quilt for his bed. I should have stopped there. Instead I found this beautiful quilt in Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine. I asked him if he would like it, ( hoping he would say it wasn't his cup of tea), and he did.
I just finished the top. Tomorrow I will layer it. It is a pretty big quilt, but I am going to quilt it myself. I have the Bernina 830 which has plenty of room to quilt big quilts.... but what will happen to this quilt in his apartment. I think I am going to have to instruct him on the care of this quilt.

I said it before and I'll say it again

I said it before and I'll say it again... quilters are the nicest people in the whole wide world. Today was our project Linus day. We had 7 wonderful ladies that came and spent the whole afternoon with us making quilts for children with cancer. Thank you everyone that came to help us today! A bigger thank you to our dear friend Annie who organizes Project Linus for us. She collects fabric, cuts it up, puts it all into kits, organizes the kits with everything you need to make a finished quilt, thread, batting, etc. Then she comes and spends the day helping everyone put their quilt together. Thank you Annie! You are our angel!

no longer plain white.....

Sewing machines used to be plain white... not anymore. Look at these great "skins" you can get for the Bernina 210, 220,230 and 240. You can even design your own. Check out this website for more details. Bernina skins

Through the needle magazine is going green!

Through the Needle, Bernina's own magazine is going green! It will now be available online. You can sign up at Bernina If you are a Bernina owner, or a Bernina want to be owner, this is a great magazine. It is filled with wonderful projects, plus lots of tips and techniques on how to use your machine in many different ways. Check it out!

Project Linus is this Saturday

Our annual Project Linus day is this Saturday, July 17th from 12-5. Just come... we will have a kit for you to make a quilt top for a sick child in Fairfield County.
The more the merrier... so come on over! If you have never done this, it is lots of fun. Plus you are doing something nice for sick children in our area.
Hope to see you there!

a rainbow inside

Yesterday we opened the most beautiful fabrics from Kona... they are called Kona Dimensions. All the colors of the rainbow are now represented in our solid fabric section! All I need now is a pot of gold!

Help

I am stuck. The first round of Blockswappers is almost over, and I will have 72 floral 9 patch blocks. We are having a "garden party" to celebrate the end of this round of Blockswappers in August. The idea is... bring what you made out of the blocks. I don't need a quilt. I want to make something different.... What can you do with 72 6 1/2 inch blocks? A bag? a toy, something for the house? hmmmmm. Ok my loyal blog readers... Any ideas out there?

Lots of new things arrived today

Have you ever thanked your UPS man or Fed Ex person? Today I felt so sorry for them, they both carried in huge boxes filled with fabric. It's great for us, but boy they work hard. I think someday I should make them a quilt.
Anyway, lots of new things arrived today. First came a huge box of batik fabrics in yummy colors.
Then about an hour later, we got organic fabric from Robert Kaufman. It is really pretty.
We also got this new collection called Jane.
Then we got a new collection from Kona, called Kona dimensions,they are solid fabrics with a design on them.
And finally we got another new Batik group called Northwood Metallics.
Phew.... Stay tuned for pictures.

That was then.... this is now.

What kind of machine are you sewing on? Is it doing everything you want it to do?
Are you able to sit down and sew whenever you want, or is it always a challenge to get the tension right, the stitch right, etc. It is so frustrating when you find the time to sew, and your machine gives you trouble. If you are thinking about a new machine, these new 3 series machines from Bernina may just be what you are looking for. The machines aren't here yet... but we have lots of information about them.
Stop in soon to hear all about them.

Look what Lois made

Lois just sent me this picture of what she made in class today at Bernina University. Lois loves little purses, so this is perfect for her!

Lois and Ginny's adventure

Every year at Bernina University, Bernina sponsors a 5K walk for the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer foundation. This year was no exception. I didn't get a picture of Lois and Ginny in their shirts.... but I did get these pictures as proof that they did walk!
Way to go Ginny and Lois. We are proud of you.

We have some talented customers

Today was like a show and tell day. Lots of friends came in to show us their quilts.
Pauline came in with this beautiful quilt top,
Another lady came in with this beautiful quilt. She called it, turning 20, not turned.
Isn't it great?

I don't need another machine, I don't need another machine...

but look how cute the 210 is with this new "skin" you can get for it. And
here's our Ginny trying out the new 3 series machines......

Running a quilt shop is hard work.

We had a wonderful day today, lots of friends came to see us, lots of new friends too on their way to a vacation or on their way home. The nice UPS man brought us some boxes too! That is my favorite part, unpacking the new things.
Here is one thing that came today, this new Dritz light that you can attach to your sewing machine. Comes in 3 different colors too!
We also got a cute doll clothes pattern called Mini Nina....
That's my project tomorrow!
Tomorrow is our Tumbler class. We still have room if you would like to come.
You can sign up for classes on the phone. Just call us 203-743-0543.

pack your bags......

Ginny and Lois left yesterday for Florida. They are attending Bernina University. It is a 5 day long workshop on everything Bernina. This year they will learn about the new machines- the 3 series and something else called the 635... hmmmmm.
Amy and I are here to take care of things at the store.
I instructed them to send me pictures.... we are even going to try to do a video chat.
Stay tuned!

Hot Hot Hot!

Yes it is hot! I tried to do my part for the electric company by not turning on my Bernina. Instead I pulled out my GO cutter from Accuquilt. I grabbed a bag of scraps and started cutting 5 inch squares. I now have a pile of scrappy 5 inch squares. What am I going to do with them? I don't have a clue, but I have them ready when I come up with something. I'm thinking about cutting out some stars with my GO cutter too.
If you haven't tried the GO cutter yet, stop in soon for a demonstration. It makes your cutting fast and easy. Plus you can get all kinds of different cutting dies to cut lots of different shapes.