JANUARY 2020 NEWSLETTER

HAPPY NEW YEAR y’all !! You’ve probably heard that a thousand time by now. I think it bears repeating. A new year and a new decade. What a wonderful opportunity for a fresh new start. (Yes, I know there are those who argue that it is the last year of the last decade, not the first year of a new decade. I prefer to think of it the beginning of a new year and a new decade.) Maybe because I’m ready to give the last decade the big boot, it wasn’t a good decade for us personally. Too many trying challenges to overcome. We made it thru and we are pressing forward with renewed vigor, hope in our hearts and a positive attitude.

We trust that y’all had a wonderful holiday with your families and friends. Ours was packed! So much crammed into a short period of time. Not that we didn’t have enough on our plates as it was, I discovered that the shop had been vandalized by a furry four-legged creature! What a shock! That miserable little varmint made as big a mess and did as much damage as if it were an army of them! I couldn’t believe it. It knocked my mini tea pots collection off the mantel of the fireplace, smashing many, knocked half the buttons off the button wall, pushed stacks of panels, patterns, and other merchandise off the shelves. I’m still trying to locate a couple of things. We have no idea how it got in, but it couldn’t get back out and died on the floor by the register. Good thing too. Can you imagine what a circus it would have been if we had opened on the 2^nd and had a live squirrel running around the shop. 😖 A twisted end to a weird year.

 Even though we were supposed to be off on vacation, the work of a business owner never ends. We had fabric deliveries out to the ranch and web orders that had to be filled and business that needed attention. Some beautiful new fabrics are here and a bunch more due this month. Just too many to show them all, but here are a couple that are great starters.

   We started carrying a couple of new companies and I am really liking their products. Our solids “go to” for years has been AMB. (although we do have a lot of KONA too) We have run into some frustrating issues with AMB and will not be getting any more beyond what we have in stock. A new, to us, company Oasis, is producing a beautiful solid that is ultra-soft and smooth. I have several colors in it to try. It may be our new “go to”. We have some cute new flannels, glow-in-the-dark fabrics, a bunch of new panels (we have over 160 now) and always more Shannon Cuddle! Tis the season for Cuddle. We have made up a big basket of Infinity scarf kits, complete with pattern, for you to stay cozy this winter. Our Christmas fabrics might be looking a bit thin (for us anyway) at this point in the year, but never fear, we have many, many more new one on the way. Remember, all our Holiday fabrics are available all year long.

Creative Stitcher’s Club : Friday Jan 10^th Continuing to learn new stitches. This month, the knotted stitch and the ladder stitch. Please bring your basic embroidery supplies and floss. (needles, scissors, needle threader, thimble, hoop, and if needed a desk type light and magnifying glasses.)  ☺️

Remember, anything you purchase during the meeting that pertains to your project is 20% off, including books

Warriors Heart Quilt project. If you are looking for a project with meaning, feel free to contribute to our Warriors Heart Quilt Project. (Please remember these quilts and pillowcases are for adults) We have kits available for your convenience at wholesale prices or you can use up your stash if you choose. If you need the instruction sheet, let me know and I will email you a copy. You can check out Warriors Heart on their website. www.WarriorsHeart.com

We are also a drop off point if you are participating in the Million Pillowcase Challenge.

Valuable Info

       How many times have you heard someone say ”I wish I knew what year this was made”, or “I’m not sure if Grandma or Aunt Mary made this quilt”, or “what do you suppose it was made for or whom”???? With the gift giving season behind us once more, it’s time to reflect on the gifts of our precious work. Artists sign their paintings, ceramics, woodwork, even photographs, for the purpose of claiming their work and identifying the time period. Many of our works of art will outlive us, and without the history of the piece, it can be lost forever.

Enter the quilt “label”. Labeling our quilts is a very important part of the quilting process. It allows the maker of the piece to take credit for all their hard work as well as tell the history of where and why the piece exists.

What do you put on the label? This is a question that stops most quilters from going any further in the process. Don’t let it stop you! What’s the “story”. Here are some guide lines to help you make your labels:

1 – DATE; when did the construction happen. It can span a time period if that is how it was made. I made a Christmas counted cross stitch picture that took me 3 years to finish, so the date spanned those years. It’s OK, that shows how much time and effort you poured into the project.

2 – WHO & WHY; Who did you make the piece for and what was the occasion?

3 – WHERE; Where were you when you created your piece. What town, state, country, whatever identifies your location at the time.

4 – ARTIST; Yes, you are an artist !! Own it !! Put your name proudly on your work of art for today and the future.

5 – NAME OF THE PIECE; If you chose, pick a name for your work that says something about the process itself. Ie; “All about Me” or “Blood, Sweat & Tears” (LOL, my grandma use to say that about every quilt she made), or “Heather’s Happy Day”. Something that says a bit about you or the reason for the quilt’s existence.

Then there is the question of how to make up your label. There are lots of options available. Labels printed on fabric that you write your own story on, books that have labels you can trace and fill in, downloads from the internet to print onto fabric, or you can make up your own label design. IF you are fortunate enough to have an embroidery machine, that is a great way to keep the story from fading away.

I like to make my labels out of the same or very similar fabric as the backing and sew two edges of it into the binding on the back of the quilt. I have seen a pocket made on the back of the quilt that holds the story and information. Some people have written directly on the backing itself. permanent Micron Pigma pens for the lettering & coloring. Fabrico ink markers or even crayons are great for coloring. Both are permanent when heat set.

 Here are a some pictures of ideas to inspire your labels. From top left to bottom right; the first one is a frame downloaded from the internet and printed onto fabric then hand lettered. The second is a pre-printed fabric label and the story is hand written. The third one is traced onto fabric from a book and the story hand written. The fourth is a machine embroidered label.

Don’t forget to label your quilts