Quilting Adventures ~ The Friendly Store for Everyone Who Creates With Fabric!

From my Hand Dyeing Made Easy class, here are the fabrics that Deborah A. dyed:

A quilt by Nancy M:

Amy’s Market Bag from the Portabello Pixie  pattern made with Alexander Henry owl fabric:

And Paige R. made FOUR quilts for her siblings for Christmas!  Here are pictures of all four:

~Joyce

We have a great class starting Tuesday night. It’s the Quick Step Quilt with Susan. It’s not only beginner friendly, but even for those of us who have been quilting for years, it’s a different technique.  For this quilt, you do the front and back and batting all at the same time, so when you’re done “piecing”, you’re also done quilting.   It’s a terrific gift quilt – think crib size, baby shower.    You can also do two very different sides – Kristal made one that’s warm batiks on one side and cool batiks on the other and it’s simply GORGEOUS!  The class is three Tuesday evenings, Feb 3, 10, and 24, from 6-8PM.  And I’m giving TWO seats in the class away FOR FREE!  Of course, you still need supplies for the class, but I’ll cover the class fee.

Leave a comment below before midnight Sunday, February 1.  I’ll pick the winners with a random number generator first thing Monday morning.  I know that’s short notice, but hey!  it’s free! 

~Joyce

We have two classes based on the _Strips & Curves_ books by Lousia Smith.  One of these classes (the one you should take first) is coming up soon, Saturday, February 14 – click here to read all about it.  Here’s a picture of the one Amy did the last time we offered the class:

Our class on the New Twist ended last Sunday, and here are some pictures from that class:

If you’re interested in the New Twist class, follow this link, click to inquire about the class, and we’ll notify you when we schedule it again.

~Joyce

We continue to get requests for instructions for these so I thought I’d just post them here.  Be sure to read our post that warns about potential hazards, too.

Supplies:
•    2 fat quarters of coordinating 100% cotton fabrics
•    100% cotton batting measuring 21.5” x 11”
•    Coordinating cotton  thread

Sewing your bag:
Cut fabric and batting to 21.5” x 11”.
Lay both fabrics right sides together; lay batting on wrong side of one fabric.  Pin short raw edges on both ends through all three layers.  Sew short raw edges using ½ inch seam.  Trim batting from seam allowance.  Turn fabric right sides out; press. Lay sewn piece on table with the exterior fabric up. Fold up 3 inches of fabric on one of the sewn ends and press (this exposes the lining fabric). Baste flap in place with a ¼ seam along the raw edges.  Fold fabric in half right sides together, press and sew together with a ½” seam.  Zigzag raw edges if desired.  Turn your pocket right side out and you are ready to bake your potatoes!  Prewash before using.

Directions for using your bag:
This bag will cook one to four medium sized potatoes.  Simply wash and dry your potatoes.  Do not prick!  Wrap potatoes in a paper towel and place in bag.  Fold flap shut. Microwave times will vary, typically 8 to 15 minutes.  ENJOY!

~Joyce

Yesterday, Phoebe and I singlehandedly moved over half the bolts of fabric in the store – at least 2000 bolts – all at least once, sometimes twice.  I made Amy help me finish the job last night, so she moved a few hundred, too.  Here’s poor Phoebe after a few hours of me pushing her to move more more MORE!

What this means for YOU is that the clearance fabric is now all in one section and it’s HUGE!  It just barely all fits in the allotted space, so please come by this weekend and help us thin it out a little bit.

It also means that Phoebe and I know where all the fabric is, but pretty much nobody else knows where much of it landed (except MaryT – be sure to ask her where the FAIRY FROST is!).  So please be patient with us for the next few days until we get new signs up, fat quarters moved, etc.  I think you’re going to love the new look!

~Joyce

Amy (who works for us) did this ADORABLE Chubby Chicks quilt.  And yes, of course we have the pattern. 

Have you been in to pick up your Phoebe’s QA Challenge kit yet?  They’re selling fast!  This contest promises to be lots of fun; we can’t wait to see what you all do with the fabrics!
~Joyce

Attention all BEGINNERS and people who love HANDWORK!  We have a few spaces left in Susan’s Hand Pieced Tumbling Blocks class tomorrow (Thursday) evening.  You’ll learn everything you need to know about hand piecing, and believe me, these blocks go together more quickly than you’d ever imagine!  They’re fun and portable, too. 

Then, in a few months, after you get lots of blocks made, Susan is offering a separate class in putting the blocks together, Thursday, March 12.

Both of my dyeing classes on Saturday still have openings.  You don’t need any experience to do either one and you won’t believe how easy and how much fun dyeing your own fabric is!  In Hand Dyeing Made Easy, you’ll dye 24 FQs in a color wheel of your choosing.  And in the afternoon Dyeing Silk class, you’ll learn how easy it is to dye silk fabric, too.

Susan’s Wrap Around Jumper class starts on Saturday, too – a chance to take your smocking and sewing skills to the next level.  Isn’t this just *adorable*?

Sunday afternoon is another ATC Swap.  This group continues to grow and grow and the cards they’re swapping are just amazing!  I need to get some updated photos – I think that all of these are cards that Phoebe made.  The photo on the card on the bottom is my Daddy. 

The ATC Swap doesn’t require any signups, but the rest of the classes do.  So please call  or stop by soon!
~Joyce

We got the cutest picture from Penelope M., a customer who just randomly stopped by on New Year’s Day as she was on the road headed home to SC, so she just lucked out on joining the party!  She says she really enjoyed the felted cup holder class, and while here she picked up supplies for this adorable bunny.  Thanks for sharing, Penelope, and we hope you’ll stop by again soon!

And here’s a photo of some happy students during the Mystery class with Cheryl on Saturday:

~Joyce

We have a new dinosaur in the shop, Dilbert!  Amy made him from the pattern by Melly and Me:

And I know this is kind of cheating, but I was just doing some blogsurfing, and I saw some wonderful gifts that Patty Young made for Christmas (gives you an idea of how far behind in reading my blogs I am!).  But these are just awesome, and I wanted to share – follow this link and check them out!  And yes, we do have this fabric on order, it should arrive in the next few weeks.. 

~Joyce

Stop by this weekend and pick up your “kit” for the latest QA Challenge!  In honor of Phoebe’s upcoming 21st birthday, she got to pick the fabric, and the deadline is her birthday, April 2.  Kits are only $4.99, and trust me, they will force you to expand your creativity AND have fun! 

We also got the Hoffman Challenge fabric in today!  Here it is in our shopping cart, ready to go up front.  This year we bought the whole collection.  It’s prettier in person, as always.

Hope to see you this weekend – come in here where the heat is working just fine!