Everything ... and More

Forgive me if this post is a little scattered. I think I have SCD. Otherwise know as Seasonally Confused Disorder. January and February which are usually the most dreary months of the year here in western Pennsylvania, have behaved more like March and April. No wicked snowstorms and no frigid temperatures. I like it.

I usually spend those dark dreary wintry days working on summer projects. Then in the spring when the weather turns nice, I start on the items we will need for fall. With these spring like temperatures I feel like I am way behind. Follow that up with a week long parade of Sales Reps offering me everything imaginable in Christmas prints, which will arrive in May/June and you will understand my confusion. I have to stop everything and get organized!

Let's start with the seasonally appropriate spring issue of Quilts and More magazine that is now on the newsstands and on the front counter of our store. Quilts and More is one of my favorite publications. I love their small projects, simple instructions and easy to make items that look great after your efforts. I am especially thrilled with this issue because it features my "Put A Spin On It" baby quilt on page 23. The easy to read illustrated instructions include my Quick Trim Ruler from Creative Grids and the project can be made from a stack of 10 inch squares and background fabric. If you are a purest and must have the exact same fabrics, the kits featuring the identical Tonga Batiks are here in the store and available on the website: http://www.thequiltcompany.com/ FYI the baby laying on the quilt in the magazine photo isn't one of our twins. I actually made 2 quilts. The one in the magazine will go to Grant. Madeline's has circles and may be featured in a future issue.

“Designed by Karen Montomgery]. Used with permission from Quilts and More® magazine. ©2012 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. For more quilt patterns, visit www.allpeoplequilt.com.”

Learning to use my new iPhone is also adding to my brain stress. Even though I can't get Siri to answer my requests I have to admit that this one is a piece of cake compared to the Droid that I eventually gave up on. I was perfectly happy with my "hello" only phone, but I needed a few features that the iPhone offered. Believe it or not you can plug a little gizmo called a Square into the iPhone and it will swipe credit cards. You sign the screen with your finger. Amazing. With a 5000 square foot full service quilt shop and BERNINA dealership complete with computerized cash register, are wondering why I need to swipe credit cards on my phone?

We will have a booth at the Pittsburgh Home Show, another annual rite of spring here in the 'burgh in the beginning of March. We are taking BERNINA sewing machines and Koala Cabinets. If you are in the area, stop by the Home Show to see us. We have some amazing deals on BERNINA machines and Koala products. To process sales I had to either upgrade to a fancy phone or pay through the nose to have the convention center run a phone line into my 10' by 20' temporary home for 10 days. I opted for the phone - because it allows me a direct link to Facebook.

Are you following this? I have been playing with The Quilt Company Facebook page for awhile and I finally have it organized. I would love to have you "like" us and then become one of our followers on Facebook. That will allow me to keep you up to date on what is happening in the shop. I will remind you about sales, special events, and cool new products. Once we have over 150 followers I will also be giving things away - if you leave a comment. Right now I have posted photos of monogrammed pillows that were made on the 830LE. Log on and leave a comment on either photo. To get started once I have 25 comments I will randomly select one to recieve a stitched out monogram in the letter of their choice.

Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Quilt-Company/142564535755634

Last but not least, I hope all of the local quilters are planning to attend our all day retreat at the Hampton Community Center on March 17th - National Quilting Day. We have a project for those of you with machine embroidery and one for those of you without. There will be demonstrations throughout the day. Your project supplies and lunch are included. Stop in the shop to see the sample. Or click on over to Facebook and scroll down to see the photo! See, I told you that you would want to friend us on Facebook!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

I've been busy getting ready for International Quilt Market in Houston. Normally I am knee deep in fabric scraps of a new fabric collection right about now, but this year things are different. I don't have a new fabric collection.

Last year, about the time I should have been working on the artwork for this Market, we chose to take on a BERNINA sewing machine dealership. It wasn't a decision that I took lightly and the time commitment to new dealer training, staff training, store adjustments, etc. was too important to share or impose on my design time, so I decided to let this Market slide.

Now that the dealership is up and running in full speed, over the last several months I've been contemplating how nice it will be to just go and enjoy the Market atmosphere. No sales side of the aisle, just the buying side of the aisle. Everyone knows buying is much more fun than selling! Buying is good, very good, but in my mind creating is ever so much BETTER!

Without the pressure of Market samples for a new fabric line, I have had time to create. I've still been ankle deep in fabric scraps, they just aren't mine! Along the creative journey I have found a few new items that have made me very happy. I have access to just about anything that I want in the sewing world and I have very discriminating taste. A notion has to really be worth it's weight in gold to make it into my stash or earn a recommendation to my customers. I also like things that work with ease and hopefully do more than one thing. Working on my most recent projects I have discovered a few new favorites.

Sue Hausmann told me about Steady Betty. It may not look like much, but like a tried and true friend, Steady Betty is there when you need her. I have the 15 by 24 inch size. Betty is a foam covered pressing surface that is suitable for ironing but is unbelievably helpful when hooping a project for machine embroidery. If you have ever felt like you needed another set of hands to get a project in a hoop, I suggest Steady Betty. She comes in smaller sizes, but in my opinion, get the big one! Your little hoops won't mind. Naturally we have them in our store, but if you are not local, I would bet the quilt shop in your area could order one for you too.

My sewing moto has always been "It is all in having the right tools" but sometimes I don't take my own advice. When we get the time, most of us are just happy to be sewing. We can figure out how to make do with whatever we have. There are always multiple ways to accomplish a task and if we can do it without having to invest in something special, all the better. The other day I was working on a wall hanging that needed some "in the ditch" quilting. I wasn't looking forward to doing it. I can do it and I can do a good job if I go slowly, but those few stitches that "jump" out of the ditch drive me crazy. I decided to try a specialty foot for my BERNINA. They call it an Edge Stitching Foot, because there is a center fin in the foot that helps you guide your fabric so that you can stitch an even distance from the edge. BUT if you put that same guide in the "ditch" created by your seam, the needle stays right there - in the ditch! Wow that was easy! I have the BERNINA 830, which is why this foot looks so huge. The 830 is a 9mm machine with differential feed, so the foot is wider. You can get a "regular" one for your machine.

As long as I was in fancy feet mode, I decided to give the foot for sewing on buttons a try. I can't honestly remember the last time I stitched a button on by hand. Any machine that zig-zags will sew a button on. Simply set your stitch length to zero. The holes on all buttons are standard, no matter what size the button is. Technically you are zig-zagging in place. Who the heck needs a special foot for sewing on buttons? Any zig-zag foot works just fine. Ok, fine. Occasionally you break a button or a needle. It is rare that one slips out and zings its way across the room. It isn't like I've ever put anyone's eye out. I guess that explains the little rubber grips on the specialty button foot. They hold the slippery little devils in place while you sew. Some genius also thought about adding that little bar in the middle that gives just the right amount of slack to the thread so that if you plan to actually button the button, there is room for the buttonhole to close underneath - what will they think of next......