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

We’ve got a great lineup of classes this week and next, and several still have room in them!  Here they are, in no particular order:

This Thursday evening, October 1, learn this great Coiled Basket technique.  It’s a great way to use up “ugly” fabric and/or scraps, and the gift possibilities are endless!

Our Twelve Weeks of Christmas Ornament Series still has openings in all the sessions.  Thursday evening is the Folded Variable Star:

Next Tuesday, the 6th, is the Log Cabin Ornament:

And on Saturday, October 10, the first three ornaments repeat!  And don’t forget the special deal if you sign up for all 12 classes. 

Saturday, October 3, learn a great technique for curved piecing with the Bent Pieces Table Runner class:

And here’s a terrific class for beginning garment sewers – the Great Fit Gored Skirt on Sunday, October 4:

Thursday, October 8, we have a DAYTIME version of Beading for Quilters – sorry, this doesn’t photograph well, so come see it in person:

Lucky Stars is a great class for those of you who are just starting quilting and have taken one beginner class.  This session starts on Thusday evening, October 8:

Saturday morning, October 10, two great classes to choose from – I’d be hard pressed to pick one over the other!  Beginner Locker Hooking -

And Experimenting with Angelina Fibers:

Please call or stop by to sign up soon!

~Joyce

Since we’re looking at rainy weekend, why not come check out the ATC swap on Sunday?! ATCs are Artist Trading Cards – 2 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ mini works of art that you can trade. Based on the baseball card trading phenomenon, ATCs can use any technique, and are fun to make because they don’t take a lot of time. They are a great way to experiment with new techniques such as foiling, angelina, applique, or beading, but there isn’t a large time commitment like when you’re making a quilt. They can be paper, fabric, metal, anything you  like. I’ve seen some fantastic ones with drawings, watercolor, and collage.

The ATC swap is this Sunday from 1-3. If you can’t make it this month, we meet every other month, so check us next time! Here’s the link to the swap on our website:

http://www.quiltingadventures.com/classes-detail.php?ID=75&mth=

~Phoebe

We love when we get to see all the beautiful things you make! Here are just some of the wonderful creations we’ve seen lately!

Amy L. made this fun Flirty Skirt.  I love all the different colors!

Ruth G. made this great quilt featuring the carnation and daisy fabric.

Lila L. made her daughter a nap mat for kindergarten.  She also put a sweet little embroidered label on the back.

Theresa H. saw this Positively Pineapple kit at a shop in her travels to another state, but didn’t purchase it. However, her daughter heard her exclaiming over it, and made a surprise telephone order for Theresa. We were glad to see this beauty when she came in to get the perfect backing for it.

Vasantha B. made this cute ruffled skirt for her daughter from a Kwik Sew pattern. Now she and her 13-year old daughter are going to tackle a dress they chose from the Kwik Sew catalog.

Michele Holt (a Q.A. teacher) sent a picture of her finished “Bling Thing” that she demo-ed for the Minnesota Road Show.  She even added “Vintage Diamond” blocks to the border.

Rebecca W. took the Backpack Tote pattern and cut it down to make her dragon bag.

Also, Lori G. came in and showed us two batik quilts she finished recently!

So that’s the Show and Tell for now! We’ll have more soon – especially if you keep showing us your fantastic creations!

Til next time,

Kristal E.

Our 12 Weeks of Ornaments series start this week – Tuesday! – and it’s not too late to take us up on the 10 classes for $120 deal.  It may sound like a lot, but it includes ALL SUPPLIES!  You can read more about them here and here.  And see lots of pictures there, too – or better yet, come see them in person!  And since all the classes repeat, you really have until October 10 to take advantage of the great deal. 

Call or stop by to sign up soon!

~Joyce

Hi there!

We have a very exciting weekend (including today) all set up!  The classrooms are FULL of goodies!

First of all, we have a lot of beautiful items from Amy Butler showcasing the patterns in her software CD.

We also have a big display with TONS of ideas for gifts you can make for the holidays or any gift-giving event!  The staff have made lots of samples.  Mary Terry has even written up a bunch of FREE patterns!  Here’s a little sneak peek of the display.

AND, last but not least, the other classroom is full of sale items! We have a great sale on Olfa rulers, rotary cutters and blades – 25% off! Come get them before they’re all gone.

We hope to see you today through Sunday.  I’m sure you’ll find something that will inspire you to start working on gifts!

~Kristal

Thanks to all of you who are leaving encouraging comments about our new location!  Some of you who visit us only on occassion from out of town are asking about the ease of reaching the new store.  I promise you I will be posting detailed directions and maps and emailing and snailmailing you ALL kinds of updates between now and December, but I will tell you this much – for those of you who reach us by exiting I-64 at either Staples Mill or Glenside, the distance to the new shop is very close to the same as to the current shop, and it’s not hard to get there.  And the new location has SO much more to offer – you can spend an entire day hitting all the shops and eaterys within walking distance.

It was pointed out to me today by more than one person that they were unaware of our upcoming Holiday Gift Idea Fair next weekend.  It’s been in the newsletter, but I’m thinking that the news of the move just kind of made everything else fall into the background!  Those of you who visited QA last year during the Tour de Quilt will remember that we had an entire classroom filled with samples of gifts that we’d made from various books and patterns (and some free handouts!).  Since we’re not doing the Tour this year, we’re doing the gift idea fair a little earlier so you have plenty of time to sew your holiday gifts.  The staff has been hard at work on an assortment of cool gift ideas.  AND we have a very special addition – a trunk show of items on loan from Electric Quilt, projects made from the Amy Butler Softwares – three big boxes full!  The gift fair will be next weekend, Friday through Sunday, September 18-20, our normal hours (Friday 10-8; Saturday 10-6; Sunday 12-5).

Hope to see you soon!
~Joyce

Hello!

It’s time for another post about all the new fabrics we have!

We have a beautiful line from Red Rooster called Kingyo.  In addition, Laura Blanchard has designed a wonderful quilt for this line!  We have the patterns available in the store.

For all the fans of children’s book fabrics we now have Maisy in from Andover Fabrics!  There are lots of fun prints in this line!

Clothworks has released a beautiful flannel line from Laurel Burch called Jungle Soul.  They also sent free patterns for a quilt to make with this line – how cozy would that be!?

We have a gorgeous line from Moda designed by Tula Pink called Hushabye. Any of these fabrics would be perfect for a nursery!  We have 31 different fabrics of this line so there’s two pictures of this.

Jay McCarroll is up to his usual quirky things with a new line called Germania with Free Spirit.  These would be great for a gift for some sort of science-y person!

One more line for now… Just last night we got a shipment from Marcus Fabrics by Michele d’Amore called Metro Mirage.  Remember Metro Blue or Metro Blue Goes Green?  This time Metro is even more colorful!  There are lots of beautiful, rich colors in this group!

So come on by and see all these great new fabrics for yourself!!

~Kristal

Ava G is 7 years old and took sewing classes with Heidi Story who
recommended QA for fabric purchases! She made her skirt and bag by herself and now her mother wants Ava to teach her how to sew!

Theresa H. made Rachel Brown’s Adoration Quilt (we have the book!), and came in to choose borders. I snapped the photo, because I might miss it when the quilt is totally completed.

~MaryT

Hi Everyone!

I’m just writing in to tell you about this week’s demo (Thursday at 5:30 pm, Saturday at 11 am and 2 pm).  This week you can learn how to install BIG Grommets.

There are tons of fun ways to use these! Think curtains, purses, skirts even!

We also have LOTS of colors available.  So, come on by this Thursday or Saturday to see how to use these!

~Kristal

We had a lot of fun this weekend revealing our big secret in the store, but I know a lot of you didn’t make it.  So, as promised, here’s the big news:

See that empty storefront just screaming out to be filled with color and life?  Well, in just a few short months, it will be!  Yes, QA is moving – to the Shops at Willow Lawn.  For those of you who don’t live in the area or haven’t visited Willow Lawn in some time, you won’t believe what a happening place it is!  If a new store with more fabric isn’t exciting enough, we have Panera, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, more stores to occupy hubby while you shop, and right next door – Ben Franklin (for those of you who haven’t been there in a while, you may not know that Ben Franklin is not in the “outbuilding” any more – it’s between Old Navy and Kroger). 

We’ll be closing the doors at our current location on December 13 and reopening to the public on December 21 at Willow Lawn.  We have something special planned for Sunday the 20th – watch for more details – and our Grand Reopening/New Year’s Day Celebration will of course be on January 1, 2010.

Please don’t worry that we won’t continue to get new fabric in until the very last minute – that’s what movers are for! 

I’ll be sure to post photos and updates of our progress as we work on getting the new space ready for the next chapter of Quilting Adventures!

~Joyce