Weekly Email Newsletter
November 9, 2008
Hi everyone,
It's November! Someone, a not very nice person I might add, told me it's only 7 weeks until the end of 2008 - which means the holidays are fast approaching. May I just say YIKES! I just want it on record that I did give a passing thought today to having to get a turkey & think about cooking something to go with it. Ok, Thanksgivings' taken care of!
I've been working on quilting some samples and we have some great new kits to share with you this week.
I saw this pattern at market and just fell in love with it. My Dad had one of these trucks but his was yellow & had ALOT of rust on it - salt water wreaks havoc on metal. And I remember the five of us crowding into the cab - this was LONG before seat belts - to go get the Christmas tree. My Dad picked out the ugliest trees and we also vetoed his choices! We have kits ready, click here , but we are waiting on more patterns. They will go up on the website as soon as they arrive. We're also waiting for crystal snowflake buttons to embellish the tree!
This is the quilt on the bed in the lobby right now. Kristie made this sample from Moda's Peace On Earth line. The kit is for a full size quilt click here to see.
About 5 years ago, Jim talked me into buying an Accucut Die Cutting Machine. We cut a few things with it and then stuck it on a shelf where it has sat ever since - except for when we moved! My friend BrendaLou bought one last spring and has been very excited about hers, doing all kinds of kits, etc with it. One of the buzzes at Quilt Market this fall was - you guessed it - the AccuQUILT Die Cutting Machine. 
So I came home, dusted ours off (literally!), sorted through the dies and found a great Christmas light bulb appliqué. This kit is the result - we think it's cute as heck! The light bulb appliqués are not only pre-cut, they're pre-fused too! Click here to see the kit. (Your table runner will not be lopsided like the one in the picture, I don't know what I was thinking when I took that picture!) Next week look for another Christmas table runner done with the AccuQuilt 2 1/2" strips die. (I'm still quilting that sample!)The strips will be pre-cut for the table runner, all you'll have to do is sew & subcut!
The Hoffman Challenge fabrics arrived yesterday! Look for them on the website sometime this weekend. Also into the store are two new baby lines, a new nautical line and a new contemporary floral line from Hoffman. Click here to see.
Our community blog at www.myquiltvillage.com has some good ideas for holiday gifts and some impressions of Quilt Market. Be sure to check it out. I've posted a few new things on the QP blog too - some great pictorial quilts from the show in Houston!
Going on at QP: 
Here's a sneak peak for a new block of the month that will start in January. The sample is hanging in the entryway to the shop. Click here to sign up.
We have the sample for "Cake Walk" the quilt shown to the right. Yes, the baskets are all hand embroidered. It's a lovely quilt! Click here for the pattern.
Stop in and check out the quilting room. The frame for the new Bernina, the frame for the Baby Lock Jewel long arm machine AND the Studio Frame for the HQ 16 are all in there. We've been rearranging, condensing & straightening the quilting machines, the stencils, pantographs, batting & pillow forms into some semblance of order. I've put some of the long arm and mid arm supplies up on the website. Click here to see.
And I forgot to put in last week's Gazette - all Halloween fabric is 50% off, minimum one yard cuts. The website won't register the sale price but we will adjust the price before charging your card.
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Fri, Nov 7th, Machine Quilting 101, 12:30-3:30
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$5 Quilt Club, 6:30pm
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Sat, Nov 8th, $5 Quilt Club 9am
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Machine Mastery Class #3, 10-noon
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Machine Mastery Class #1, 12:30-3:30
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Sun, Nov 9th - Machine Mastery Class #4, 12:30-3:30
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Tues, Nov 11th - Advanced Beginners - 12:30-2:30
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Explorations Software, Please DO OPEN before Christmas Virtual Training at QP
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Beginning Quilting by Machine - class #4 7-9pm
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Wed, Nov 12 - Machine Mastery Class #2, 12:30-2:30
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Fri, Nov 14th - Holiday Workshop with the Staff - 6-10pm (Make all kinds of neat gifts for the holidays!) $20
- Sun, Nov 16th - Date with 8! Come see the new Bernina 830!
Debbie's Weekly Quilt Tip - when buying new pins, purchase the ones with glass heads for two reasons - 1. they're easier to manipulate with the bigger head and 2 you can press over them, the heads won't melt like the plastic ones do. Until next time:
October 31, 2008
Greetings!
My whirlwind trip of Houston & Quilt Market is over & I'm glad to be home - even if it is a heck of alot colder here than it was in TX! A "light" frost is predicited tonight - yikes!
Market was wonderful as usual. It was also a brain drain as usual! New fabrics, new patterns, new pattern companies, new fabric companies, new techniques and just an almost overwhelming canophy of sights, sounds & colors - that's quilt market.
This is the front of the George Brown Convention Center where market is held every fall. At the moment, it is hosting Quilt Festival, a huge quilt show open to the public.
And this is the view from one of the portholes looking onto the convention floor. What you are seeing is about 1/5th of the show. My plan of action at market is to walk the entire show the first day and just look - ok, I only got to the fourth booth before I was ordering something, but it's good to have a plan! I started walking the show floor at 9:30 Friday morning, I did stop for lunch , and finished at row 2300 at almost 6 o'clock. And yes, my grand plan of just looking the first day fell completely apart by the end of the first row!
So what were my impressions of market?
Redwork & embroidery is still strong & I found lots of new patterns that will arrive soon, some already have. I found a new designer who had the cutest wallhangings & pillows. I'm stitching this one now and have pumpkin buttons & leaves coming to compliment it. Click here to see the pattern.
The same designer also had this wallhanging/pillow called Flowers Tall - Flowers Small. It will be perfect for spring. Click here for a close up.
Isn't this the cutest dress? It's made from a T-shirt! The pattern has toddler sizes & it's really easy. Sweet Tea Dress pattern - click here. There were quite a few patterns for babies & toddlers clothing, look for some new ones from Jackie Clark to arrive soon.
Purses were also EVERYWHERE at market. New pattern companies had some great new ones that will be arriving soon and I bought more than a few of Penny Sturgis's newest creations. They'll also be arriving soon.
Fabrics ran the gamut - colorful jewel tones, reproductions, calm blues & tans, batiks in every shade & color. And yes, I ordered Christmas 09 fabrics already! Yikes! Two new lines are coming from two friends of mine - both named Karen and both designing for Timeless Treasures. Karen Snyder, my fall market roomie has a new 30's line coming in Dec and also a new line of redwork fabrics. Karen Montgomery has a really calm, cool blue & tan line coming that I'm going to cheat and do whatever she does out of it.
One of the nicest parts of quilt market for me is to see friends in person that I chat with online and on the phone with during the rest of the year. It's nice to see expressions & laugh in real time rather than just read notes or chat on the phone. This group I've surrounded myself with are a bunch of amazing women, who I am blessed to call my friends & colleagues. Some of my best ideas have either come from them or been polished by them & I came home with some beauties this time too! Look for some exciting new things to happen in the new year at QP!
Meanwhile back at the ranch QP:
New wide backings are in from Timeless Treasures - both batiks and regular fabrics. I'll scan them & get them up on the web soon.
Eleanor Burn's newest book arrived the other day - Lover's Knot is a revised edition with new sizes, some changes to the directions & is in COLOR!
The OESD Holiday Collection CD #2 is ready to be picked up or ordered on the web. Click here.
The new Baby Lock Jewel has arrived! This 18" long arm machine is sure to be hit. We're waiting for the frame so it isn't set up yet but look for it soon! Click here for machine details.
Look familiar? All of you doing our All Roads Lead to the Sea block of the month will recognize this version that was hanging in the quilt exhibition at market. 
Here's a close up of the church. The whole quilt was covered with crystals and other embellishments - it SPARKLED!
Coming up at QP:
- Sat, Nov 1st - Machine Trapunto - a technique class
- Sunday's What's New With Baby Lock has been postponed until the Jewel frame arrives. Stay tuned!
- Tues, Nov 4th - Advanced Beginners with Lori - class 2, 12:30-2:30
- Beginning Quilting by Machine - class #3, 7-9pm
- Wed, Nov 5, Birdie Sling, 12:30-3:30
- Fri, Nov 7th, Machine Quilting 101, 12:30-3:30
- $5 Quilt Club, 6:30pm
- Sat, Nov 8th, $5 Quilt Club 9am
- Machine Mastery Class #3, 10-noon
- Machine Mastery Class #1, 12:30-3:30
- Sun, Nov 9th - Machine Mastery Class #4, 12:30-3:30
Debbie's Weekly Quilting Tip - Rotary Cutters. No matter what type you have, the blades get dull and need to be changed. Handle the blades with tweezers to help prevent cuts. Take the cutter apart & lay the pieces in order to your right as you take them off, with the first piece off the furthest away. Wipe away any lint/dirt buildup with a tissue or a scrap of fabric. Put on your new blade & reassemble the pieces in the order you laid them down with the furthest piece away going on last. And remember, an old, rough mat will dull your blades faster. If you find your blades are needing to be changed more often, run your hand across your mat. If it's rough, you might need to replace it.
Until next time, enjoy your weekend!
October 17, 2008
Hi everyone,
The year is just merrily happening along without my noticing it! I constantly lament about time just getting away from me and since no one has written to tell me where it's gone, I'm left to conclude that not one of you know either!
It's time for Quilt Market already. This time next week I will be in Houston & on Friday I will be presenting a lecture on my Beginning Quilting by Machine program. Think of me about 11am next Friday morning!
For those of you who don't know, Quilt Market is the twice yearly convention for the quilting industry. Picture a room the size of three or four football fields at least, now picture it with thousands of vendors, thousands of quilt shop owners, teachers, fabric designers, well known industry giants and not so well known industry giants. This is quilt market. There are classes on techniques, new books, new products & business practices. The whole time you are there, your mind is just jammed with information, colors, designs, conversations, new items, quilts & more. By the time I come home, I'm exhausted - mentally & physically!
The best part of market is meeting up with friends made over the years. I'm meeting with the two groups I chat with daily and I hope to take pictures & post them when I get home. I'm also scheduled to blog on the www.myquiltvillage.com website while I'm at market - barring no unforeseen technical difficulties. If there are, I fully plan to con Karen Montgomery into blogging in my name on my assigned day!
New in the shop:
Many of you have taken classes at QP with Michelle Scott. She's now designing for Lyndhurst Studios and we have her first fabric line, Nature's Palette. Pretty earth tone colors! Click here to see.
An Apple A Day makes you think of apple pies & Mom making the turkey on Thanksgiving morning. Click here to see the line. 
Roxanne made a really neat reversible apron out of this fabric too! This is a no tie reversible apron from Mary Mulari. Click here to see the kit. Speaking of aprons, we're on an apron kit again. We've been dreaming up these really neat 
combinations & I've put them on the website. Click here to see more 
combinations. We're doing them for all the seasons, so far we have Halloween, two apple versions (do we have pie on the mind or what?), a floral and also a Christmas version. We're working on a New Year's Eve version!
Tropical Mist is a tone on tone grouping from Kona Bay done in LUSCIOUS colors! Click here to see all 12 colors.
We somehow had two bolts of these panels so Kristie took them home & came up with these adorable placemats! They're so cute, we kitted them. Click here to see.
Kristie also designed this oversized flannel lap quilt. Made from luscious Maywood flannels, this is sure to be the favorite quilt to cuddle on the couch! Click here to see.
We're having a VERY special sale this weekend on all BabyLocks, Berninas, and Elna sewing machines, sergers, embroidery software & embroidery machines! This weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - QP will offer special financing terms on machines over $1,000 up to 48 months on the new Ellissimo & 24 months on machines over $1,000! Stop in for a test drive!
Debbie's Weekly Quilting Tip - are you having tension headaches? Machine tension that is! Usually the problem lies in the way the machine has been threaded. Did you know that you need to have your presser foot raised when you thread your machine? If your presser foot is down, your tension disks are closed, making it harder for the thread to go between them, thus no tension (well, except in you!) Also, rethread your machine - top thread and bobbin thread. Most of the time, your tension problem will be solved. If it isn't, your machine may need to be serviced. Enjoy your weekend & hopefully, next week's Gazette will originate from Houston! Look for it Sunday night - market doesn't start until Saturday & be sure to check out the blog at www.myquiltvillage.com Monday night.
Enjoy your weekend.
October 10, 2008
Hi everyone,
The two show weekend is over & I think I've almost recovered! Samples are hung back up in the shop, most of the stuff is put away & it's not all over everywhere. It makes it easier to think when "stuff" isn't everywhere. I'm gearing up to head to Quilt Market in Houston TX in about two weeks. My goals this time are new blocks of the month, nautical fabrics (as always!), and "stuff" for spring. I have my fabric appointments all lined up, and I'm drawing up a list of "stuff" to look for. If you want me to look for anything special, email me.
New in the store:
Metro Blue Goes Green from Marcus Brothers has arrived! We've been imagining this done up in purses & tote bags but a customer bought it to make her daughter a lap quilt to take to college. Use your imagination! Click here to see.
Barbary Coast is from Exclusively Quilters and has coordinating prints for a little boy. Click here to see
All of a sudden I am collecting pincushion patterns. Just what is it about pincushions that's drawing my eye? The size? Quick to make? I'm not sure but so far I've found three really good ones. Click here to see them.
New batiks and flannels have also arrived - too many batiks to put up on the web page and Dan forgot to put the stock numbers in for the flannels when he entered them so I can't figure out which ones we have . . . . hopefully that will be remedied tomorrow & they will go up over the weekend.
New classes have gone up on the website including a class to make the popular apron that's hanging in the shop, Lori's new class for Advanced Beginners and a new carry all purse from Amy Butler. Click here to see.
The Oct/Nov instore happenings newsletter was emailed to the list yesterday. If you didn't receive it & would like to, hit reply & put your email address in the body of the email. The Machine Mastery class schedule for Oct & Nov (no classes in Dec, ok one!) is on the web. Click here.
We also have a limited number of the OESD Holiday #1 CD available. Click here for details.
Debbie's Weekly Quilting Tip - Satin Stitching - always use a tear away stabilizer under satin stitching, it prevents the fabric from collapsing & "tunneling". Use a Microtex Sharp needle. Stitch on a scrap of the fabric you are using first to check your tension, stitch width & length. Outside corners are always pivoted when the needle is on the outside of the appliqué. Inside corners are always pivoted when the needle is on the inside of the appliqué.
Enjoy your weekend!
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