Merry Christmas

We at Sew What Quilt Shop want to wish each and everyone of you the most joyous Christmas ever. We hope that the joy of the season continues to follow you throughout the new year.

To all of our friends and family in the military, we wish you peace, joy and love through this holiday season. Without you, we would not have the freedom to say:

Merry Christmas!

We will be open Christmas Eve until 4:00 p.m. The store will reopen Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at the normal time. Join us then as we kick off our Year End Sale where everything in the store will be 25% off.

Gift Ideas

Don't know what to get for all your quilting friends for Christmas? Come in and let us help you. We have notions, threads, books, patterns, coordinating fat quarter bundles and lots of fabrics available. We will be more than happy to help you put together a gift basket for them. Or, if you want to take the decision out of the equation, we have gift certificates available starting at $5.00. You are sure to find something for every one of your friends here.

Holiday Open House Winding Down

It's been a hectic 3 days so far. We have met some new customers, and welcomed again some of our current customers. Sweet! Today is the final day of our Holiday Open House. Yes, we are open today, a Sunday, from 12 to 5:00 p.m. Be sure to stop by to take advantage of the last day of our sale. Everything in the store is 20% off. So, if there is a pattern, a special fabric, book or notions that you have been eyeing, you need to come in and get it at a reduced price.

We are anxiously awaiting two shipments of fabric. The manufacturers have notified us that they are in transit, so we wait. We have some new Civil War reproduction type fabrics from Wyndham coming in one of the shipments. The other shipment is the Moda fabrics for our Paris In The Fall block of the month which we will be starting the 5th of January, 2011.

Oh, before I sign off, I would like to let you all know that the shop will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. However, we will be OPEN Friday, Saturday and SUNDAY after Thanksgiving. So all of you football widows come join us those days and we'll see what kind of surprises we can come up with to entertain you. (You might find a sale or two as well.)

Til next time, happy quilting!

Free Kids Class Scheduled, Holiday Open House and more

We have scheduled the second in our series of Free Kids Classes for November 20th. The kids will be making a Christmas Stocking. The class is free and we will supply the fabrics needed. The class is open to girls and boys aged 10 - 14. The cost is free to kids. Class space is limited, so sign up early. If we have more kids interested than we can accomodate on that date, we will schedule a second class. You can get more information at the shop.

Our Holiday Open House is scheduled for November 11 - 14. All of the details have not been finalized yet, but you can bet it will be a fun 4 days. Check back soon for more details.

Hours for the shop will be slightly different over the next two months. We are looking forward to spending a little time with our families over the Holidays. Here is a list of the dates to look for:

November 11- 14 Holiday Open House

November 25 CLOSED Thanksgiving Day. We will be open Friday and Saturday
though.

December 25 CLOSED Christmas Day.

January 1 OPEN!!!!! All of you football widows can come join us at the shop on New Year's Day.

Harvest, Eagles and Puppies?

Gosh, it's been almost a month since I updated the blog. It really is true that time flies when you are having fun! Fun is exactly what I have been having at the shop. Every time we get new fabric in, it's like Christmas. and I am like the kid waiting anxiously for time to open the presents!

We have received a lot of new fabrics in the shop this month. We have apples, stars and blackberries. These go nicely with our other harvest fabrics. Next up, we got in a multi-colored flower fabric and a lovely stripe in bright primary colors to compliment one of the fabrics we already had in the shop, the flip-flops.

As a sponsor of Quilts of Valor, we always like to have a nice selection of patriotic fabrics in stock. This month, we added four new fabrics to our patriotic fabrics. These are from Windham Fabrics.

This next piece is from Quilting Treasures. It's a fun panel from the Golden Books series, that makes into a book. It goes together quickly. Flea suggested that we carry this fabric in the shop. Can you guess why it's his favorite?

That's right, The Poky Little Puppy has come to Sew What. We added the panel to make the book, or you could cut the panel apart and make blocks out of the pages to make a quilt. There are two companion fabrics in the shop as well as a nice mint green with multi-colored polka dots, and a larger multi-colored dots on white. Either would go well with Poky.

One thing we are slowly working on is adding to our line of wide backing fabrics. This month's addition is a nice soft pink tone on tone in the Pine Boughs pattern.

I think that covers all the new fabrics that have arrived since my last post.

Check back soon for the date for our next Free Kids Class. I will post it as soon as we get the date set.

Until next time, happy quilting!

Flea and Me

I would like to introduce you to Flea, my 6 year old Chihuahua. Isn't he cute? He is my constant companion (when I'm not at work). It doesn't matter what I'm doing, he is always close by. If I am sitting, he is in my lap. Flea might sound like a funny name for a dog, but when my son first got him, he was so tiny he could fit in your hand. My son was still in high school at the time, so i became Flea's mama person. When I moved to Kansas earlier this year, Flea was the only member of the family that moved with me.

"Okay, Carol," you say, "what does a dog have to do with a quilt shop?"

Let me explain.

I have been trying my hand at designing to showcase some of the fabrics that we offer in the shop. This last Saturday was the launch dateof my first pattern, a table runner. My designs will only be offered at our shop. You won't find legal copies for sale any where else. So, without boring you further, here is the first in what I hope is a long line of designs by . . . you guessed it . . . Flea and Me:

And They All Fall Down

Table Runner

Approximately 19" X 59"

The fabrics featured in the sample are from the Harvest line from Timeless Treasures. The borders are a line called Willow from Timeless Treasures.

I would like to thank my pattern tester, best friend and sister, Paula, for making the sample that hangs in the shop. Without her, the design may never have been anything but an idea on paper. Thanks, Sis!

Kits to make this table runner are also available at the shop.

Art In The Park

Just a reminder that Saturday, September 18th, is the "Art in the Park" festival here in Marion. While we won't be in the park, we will be open with extended hours. We will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. We will also be open Friday night until 7:00.

Come on in while you are at the festival. We will have select bolts of fabric at 50% off retail. And, we always have 15 to 20 bolts of fabric that we have reduced to $1.00 a yard. These are all quality quilting fabrics. We just want to move them out to make room for the new fabrics we have on order.

See you Saturday!

Proud to be a sponsor of QOV

Sew What Quilt Shop is proud to be a sponsor of Quilts of Valor. If you don't know what QOV is, you might want to take a look at the Kansas Chapter's website at http://www.qovkansas.org/ or the national website at http://www.qovf.org/ . Not only are we a sponsor, we are also a drop off point. You get it to us, we'll get it to them.

Standard Mattress Sizes

Thought I would follow-up on yesterday's post about quilt sizes. This is a listing of standard mattress sizes. Your quilt sizes can vary from those listed yesterday, depending on the amount of "drop" (the amount you want hanging over the sides and bottom of the mattress) you add. Personally, I like at least a 12" drop on the sides and bottom.

Mattress Sizes

Crib Mattress Size: 28" x 52"

Twin Mattress Size (Single): 39" x 75"

Full Mattress Size (Double): 54" x 75"

Long Twin Mattress Size: 36" x 80"
Note: Most beds in college dorms have long twin mattresses

Queen Mattress Size: 60" x 80"

King Mattress: 76" x 80"

California King Mattress Size: 72" x 84"

I hope this information is useful to you! Happy Sewing!

Carol

Sizing chart - Quilts

I am always and forever hunting up sizing information for each quilt I make. (CRS Syndrome, don't you know.) Endless hours on the internet, hunting down the information is driving me nuts. So, for future reference, I am putting it here on the blog so I know where to look next time. I hope it will prove useful to you as well.

Twin 63" X 87"
Double 78" X 87"
Queen 84" X 92"
King 100" X 92"

It's been a "Bali" good day!

I am so excited! The first three bolts of our Bali Batiks arrived today! These pictures definitely do not do them justice. They are coordinating prints in rich blues and teals. At least you can see the patterns pretty well. The first is a marble print.
Then we have a stone/tile print.

And last, but not least a leaf print.

Also arriving today, we have three new books and one new quilt pattern. First is "Miss Rosie's Spice of Life Quilts." There are 13 gorgeous quilt patterns in this one! Great way to clear up those "THE KIDS HAVE GONE BACK TO SCHOOL AND I'M BORED" blues! (If you are like I was when the kids were in school, you looked forward to the quiet time.)

Next is Art to Heart's "Tidings". This one is chock full of projects for Christmas, table runners, wallhangings, banners, etc.

Don't want to have to decide which project to make out of a book that gives you so many choices? How about a neat little pattern with just one? We have The Teacher's Pet's pattern, "A Different Path."

Don't feel like sewing just yet? Back to school time is the perfect time for a Road Trip! And we have just the thing to help you find all those little out of the way shops you might otherwise miss, the "Quilter's Travel Companion."

I would sure love to have the time (and money) to visit each of the quilt shops listed in this 640 page guide! Oh, and this is the 2010-2012 edition.

Yes, all in all, it has been a Bali good day! See you soon! And happy sewing!

Fat Quarters

I know most of you that quilt know what a fat quarter is. However, I have found in the short time that the shop has been open, that the most frequently asked question is, "What is a fat quarter?" For those of you that don't know, let me give you a little background. And for those of you that do know, read on for some other useful information concerning fat quarters that you may not know.

Everyone knows that a yard is 36 inches long, and that 1/4 of that is 9 inches. So, a normal 1/4 of a yard would be 9 inches X the width of the fabric (usually 42 - 45 inches wide or more). A normal fourth of a yard is plenty for some things. What do you do if you need one piece of fabric measuring 15inches x 15inches? Buy 1/2 yard, you say? But then you have a lot of extra fabric you may or may not use later. Enter the sweetest invention ever (in my opinion), the FAT QUARTER. It ranks right up there with sliced bread, or chocolate in my book.

To get a fat quarter, your local fabric shop takes a one yard length of fabric and cuts it in half both lengthwise and widthwise. You will end up with 4 equal pieces measuring 18 inches X 21 or 22 inches ( depending on the original width of the fabric). Less fabric waste! Ok, quilters, I know you don't waste your fabric, there are always uses for left over fabrics . . . scrappy quilts for instance. But, if you are honest, you will probably admit to a having a HUGE pile of left over scraps of fabric for that scrappy quilt you will make SOMEDAY! I see you nodding your head in agreement.

I promised some information about fat quarters for you quilters that you may not know.

Out of one fat quarter you can cut:
99 - 2" squares, or
50 - 2 1/2" squares, or
42 - 3" squares, or
30 - 3 1/2" squares, or
20 - 4" squares, or
16 - 4 1/2" squares, or
12 - 5" squares, or
12 - 5 1/2" squares, or
9 - 6" squares, or
6 - 6 1/2" squares

There are numerous patterns on the market that only require 1 or 2 fat quarters to make. Check them out at your local shop.

Another fact you may not know about fat quarters: at Sew What Quilt Shop, LLP, we cut our fat quarters 19" by 1/2 the width of the fabric. Why? Because most patterns instruct you to square up the edges of your fat quarter before you proceed with making your project. If a fat quarter is just 18" wide, and cut crooked for whatever reason, you won't have enough fabric to make your project. Not being able to make a project after you have psyched yourself up to make something is frustrating to say the least. Our 19" cut will allow you to square up the edges nicely without fear that you won't have enough for your project.

'Til next time, Happy Sewing!

Sneak Peek

Finally a break in the 100 + temperatures! Yay! Makes my head turn to cooler weather projects. I don't know about you, but when it is 100 + outside, I just can't wrap my head around working on a full size quilt; smaller wall hangings, maybe. . . but not a full blown heavy quilting project.

Thought I would share a few pictures with you of my latest project. By the way, the project is slated for it's debut during Art In the Park weekend, here at the shop. For those of you not from this area, Art in the Park is our town's craft fair. Vendors and crafters set up their booths in the park in the center of town. It is held the third Saturday in September every year.

Here are three of the fabrics being used in my project.

Here are a few of the blocks I cut, patiently waiting for their turn under the pressure foot.

And, here is a few of them sewn, cut apart and waiting for the next step in the process.

That is as much as I will show you for now. Any guesses as to what it will look like when finished? Stay tuned to find out!

'Til next time, dig out a few of those fabrics hiding in your closet and start a project, or finish one that is already in progress. Have fun and happy sewing!

Just a Reminder

Hi, everyone. Hope you are having a fabulous Friday the 13th. I know I am! The fall fabrics I posted last week are selling fast, so hurry in and get yours before they are gone.

Just a reminder. . . our second Going Green Shopping Bag class is scheduled for the 21st of August. We still have a few spots left, so why not sign up to join us? Every time you bring the shopping bag back to the store with you, you will receive 10% off your purchases of patterns, books and fabrics. And, too, they are a lot cuter than the boring old plastic bags you get at the grocery or department stores. Come in and make one that matches your personality. Cost is $25.00 and that includes your choice of fabric to make it.

See you soon!
Carol

Fall has Arrived . . . well, not quite yet.

It's still hot as blue blazes outside, but Fall has arrived at Sew What Quilt Shop! These gorgeous fabrics are from the Harvest line by Timeless Treasures. Wouldn't these make a lovely table runner or placemats, or maybe a wall hanging?


There are actually two focal fabrics, the pumpkins above and the one below that features sunflowers mixed with the normal signs of fall . . . pine cones, pumpkins, berries, pears, apples, acorns and leaves.

Aren't they lovely? There is a gold outline to the leaves and some of the other major elements in the designs. Come on in and check them out, these pictures do not do these lovely fabrics justice! They really are much more vibrant!

'Til next time . . . Happy Quilting!

Free Kids Pillowcase Class

Saturday, Paula and I had a fun afternoon teaching two children how to make a pillowcase. The class was open free of charge to any child between the ages of 10 and 14. We deliberately limit the size of the class so we can provide one-on-one instruction to each child. We will definitely be offering more kids classes in the future.

We started by letting them select the three fabrics for their project. The kids had never sewn on a sewing machine before, so we set the machines on what Paula calls "Turtle Speed" for their first attempt. As the afternoon progressed, and they gained a bit more confidence, we let them increase their speed.

A. finished his first and was eager to sign up for another project. He did a great job with his pillowcase.

F. was so proud of her pillowcase. And we are proud of her.

Both of them did a fantastic job. I hope to see both of them in future classes.

The next class we have scheduled is August 21. It's another Shopping Bag class. Remember, take the class, make the bag and bring it back with you each time you shop at Sew What. When you bring in the bag, you are helping us in our efforts to Go Green, and we will reward you by taking 10% off your purchase of fabric, patterns and books. Space is limited, so sign up early. Cost of the class is $25.00 and that includes your choice of fabrics for the bag.

New Fabrics - End of July

Here at Sew What, we are getting in new fabrics almost every week. These are just a few of the new fabrics that have come in since our Grand Opening.

First, we have a new wide backing fabric. Pine Boughs from Benartex Fabrics. This fabric is a lovely golden piece with pine boughs and little red berries. It is 108" wide.




Next is Snowbuddies by Dianna Marcum for Marcus Fabrics. Cute little snowmen and lovely star blocks alternate to make a sweet wallhanging panel approximately 24" x 44".



The companion fabrics include these five prints.

Next, is a whimsical little wallhanging made by Jan using the Wickedly Wonderful line of fabric designed by Teresa Kogut for Marcus Fabrics. The pattern Jan used was from Joined at the Hip's Hanging on a Star series called The Witch Is In. The pattern is available in the shop, too.

The Wickedly Wonderful panel fabric is approximately 24" x 44".

And we have five companion fabrics from the line as well. Cute witches, bold stripes, colorful stars on a black background, a tone-on-tone orange swirl, and a cute little spider on a green background, these would be a wonderful addition to your Halloween stash of fabrics.

Don't forget to check out our Bargin Bin, too. We have some really nice fabrics in the bin for $1.00 a yard . . . that's right, quality quilt fabrics for a buck a yard! How can it get any better?

'Til next time . . . Happy sewing!

First Shopping Bag Class

I had a blast teaching this class Saturday. The deal is, you sign up for the class, pick your fabrics, take the class, make the bag and bring it back with you everytime you shop at Sew What Quilt Shop, LLP. When you bring it back with you, you get 10% off your purchase of fabrics, patterns and books. Sweet deal, huh?


Got a couple pictures to share with you. First is Irene. She chose a patriotic print, and lined it with another piece from our patriotic line.



Next is Betty, Irene's sister. She chose a nice apple print, and lined it with one of the greens from the "Willow" line.

Barb got away before we could take a picture of her bag. All of the ladies did an awesome job making their bags. I hope they had as much fun making them as I did teaching the class.

Remember, class space is limited for our classes, so please sign up early. The next shopping bag class will be held on the 21st of August, so make your plans to join us.

Til next time. . . keep sewing!

Going Green, new fabrics and patterns

Hey everybody! Exciting news from Sew What Quilt Shop, we're GOING GREEN! In an effort to be more environmentally conscious, we are offering a class to our customers. In the class you will make a shopping bag. This bag is fully lined with no exposed seams. As a grocery bag, it will hold two (2) gallons of milk. Now, that may not seem all that spectacular, but a gallon of milk weighs approximately eight (8) pounds, to say nothing about the fact that the plastic seams in the handles of a gallon of milk will cut into your hand. So, two gallons would weigh approximately 16 pounds. Try doing that with one of the plastic bags that you get at a grocery store. . . disaster waiting to happen. Sometimes those things won't even hold a loaf of bread without splitting.

So, what does a grocery bag have to do with Sew What Quilt Shop? Come in, sign up for the class, pick out your fabrics, make the bag and every time you bring it back to the shop with you, you will receive 10% off your fabric, books and patterns purchases. (Of course, you don't have to just use it in our shop, you can take it shopping with you anywhere and know that you are helping to save the environment.)

The first class will be held this Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Class space is limited, so sign up early. Cost of the class is $25.00 and that includes your fabrics.

On another note, within the last week, we have received two shipments of patterns and one of fabrics. Come on in and see what's new at the shop.