Our selections from August Fields from Amy Butler arrived today, along with a few home dec weight solids that go with the Amy Butler fabrics:

How many of you are Project Runway addicts like me? Ha! I knew it! I’ve been so grateful to Bravo for replaying all of the previous seasons lately. I have my DVR set to record any and all Project Runway episodes, so I’ve had lots to watch in my long-day-at-work-too-tired-to-do-anything-else stupor. 

Last February several of us from the shop went to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival together, and in the car we talked about how cool it would be if there were a Project Runway for quilters. I would SO sign up for it! I’ve always loved quilt challenges. I think I entered the Hoffman Challenge for the first time maybe 15 years ago? I remember the piece I entered in 1994, but I don’t think that was my first one. I’ve entered several other quilt competitions with restrictions, done challenges with my local guild, and I always enjoy how they stretch me creatively, force me to work with colors or themes that I might never otherwise attempt.

I figured that I couldn’t possibly be the only one who thought this sounded cool, so I created Project QA for all of you! During the weekend of August 16-17, we will be holding our first Project QA at the shop. We will have a minimum of six designers and a maximum of nine. You will be permitted to bring all your own tools, but your “stuff” (thread, fabric, other consumables) will be limited to a banker’s box that we will give you when you sign up. We will give you a yard of fabric and a theme when you arrive on Saturday. You will have all day Saturday and most of Sunday to work on your creation. We will feed you. I will do my best Tim Gunn imitation and visit and encourage you. You will not be permitted to take any work home with you overnight. You will, of course, be encouraged to purchase anything you might need or want to work on your creation. We want this to be fun, so survivor-style backbiting will not be tolerated. At 4:00 on Sunday, you will have to stop work. We will then judge you (a panel of three distinguished judges) on several criteria (interpretation of theme, originality, etc – we’ll tell you the criteria before you start). The winner will receive a $125 Quilting Adventures gift card. There will be three judge’s choice winners, each receiving a $25 QA gift card.

As I write this (July 20, 2008), we already have three people signed up. We need three more to make it a definite go. Please call or stop by to sign up TODAY so that I can have my Project Runway experience with YOU!

As the newsletter was being sent out yesterday, the UPS man came with boxes.  And then today he brought us some more!

Here is the new Lindsay by Karen Montgomery for Timeless Treasures:

And here’s Love a Tree, also from Timeless Treasures:

Hope to see you this weekend!  Remember, it’s cool in here. 

~Joyce

We got new fabric in today!  :-)  Farmer’s Market by Sandi Henderson for Michael Miller - here are pictures of it as we’re cutting FQs and putting it away:

We also got in a big box of assorted goodies from Robert Kaufman.  I know this isn’t a great picture - it’s the open box on the floor, with the fabric still in plastic wrap.  There’s new cupcakes, batiks, blenders, and more:

~Joyce

Some time ago, I posted something here to ask people if they had any “wheelie” chairs (my technical term for secretarial or office chairs) to offer us to use in the classroom, and since then I got a lot of great chairs donated.  Thanks again to everyone who helped!  Now I’m asking if any of you might have an old dressform or mannequin that you’d like to find a new home for?  If so, please contact us first - info @ quiltingadventures.com - before bringing it in.  I’m afraid that we might end up with a shop full of bodies otherwise!

Free fat quarters - please leave us a comment here on THIS post before midnight, July 25, 2008, and we will do a random drawing from all the posts.  The winner will receive a bundle of pretty happy fat quarters!  So comments, please!  Only one comment per person, please, employees are not eligible to win (but you can comment anyway!). 

Thanks!
~Joyce

One of our customer, SueAnn W., went on a McCalls quilt cruise recently.  She just sent me this photo of her completed cruise quilt - isn’t it gorgeous?

And for the first time in ages, I sewed something that is NOT a shop sample.  Here’s the top for the quilt for my grandson, due next month:

~Joyce

Two classes taught by Cynthia Stockdon that are perfect for beginners 8 and up:

Tuesday August 5, 10-12- Make a handy zippered case to hold school supplies, cosmetics, game pieces, sewing tools, just about anything. In this beginner class you will learn to apply a zipper and sew a buttonhole and button. Ages 8 and up are welcome!

Thursday August 7, 10-12-Turn an old pair of jeans into a fun new purse or tote (depending on the size of pants you use!). Get creative with trims, buttons and applique. Beginners welcome as well as anyone with spare pants!

As promised, here’s a picture of the new flannel we got.  Many of you ask for flannel, so we’ve ordered some bolts to come in over the next few months.  Please let us know what you think!

~Joyce

Two of my friends (and customers) put together this great event each year to benefit the American Cancer Society.  I’ve donated some of the prizes, too!  :-)  Here’s some of the details - for more info, please come by the shop and pick up a flyer:

Quilt Bingo - Friday, July 25, 2008 7:00pm

$20.00 donation

The Montpelier Center, 17205 Mountain Road, Montpelier, VA

Door Prizes, Raffle, Silent Auction, Cake Auction, Handbag Auction

We have lots of new classes happening this summer, a few in the next couple of weeks.

Saturday, July 19, we have a two hour hand piecing class that has a slightly different spin. It’s how to make this ball out of fabric:

This is a great use for charm squares (or scraps of good-quality fabric - especially important for good handwork!). You learn the basics of hand piecing, and KIDS are welcome, too! Once you make one of these balls, you’ll be hooked! Hand piecing is much quicker than you’d imagine, and so portable! You can read more about this class here.

Saturday, July 26, we have THREE new classes! The first is our newest Kids PJ Pants class, taught by Monica Wilmore. We had some schedule changes which allowed us to move this class into a Saturday slot, and we’re very excited! PJ Pants are a great next step for kids who have taken one of our learn to sew classes (and have used a machine), and we have so much great fabric to choose from for these, including our new holiday flannel (which, by the time you read this, will hopefully be pictured in another blog post). Here’s Monica’s sample out of the Flintstones fabric:

Also on the 26th, I’ll be teaching a short class on how to make this Candle Mat.  This is perfect for a beginner who wants to learn how to make perfect triangle every time; a youngster with some sewing experience; or anyone who wants to make a great gift project in about three hours:

Finally, on the afternoon of the 26th, I’ll be teaching my Free Motion Quilting class.  For this class, I ask that you have *some* free motion quilting experience (at least know which foot to use and how to drop the feed dogs), and we will focus on how to do some common filler designs, how to create your own, working with different threads, and in general taking your free motion quilting skills up a notch.

For any of these (or any other classes), please call or stop by to sign up soon.  If we have fewer than three students a week before the class, we may cancel it.  We haven’t been doing that much lately, but have seen many more last minute sign-ups than usual, and sometimes that leads to disappointment.  The last thing we want to do is disappoint you!

~Joyce