What's New at CQ 07/21/16

"My mom taught me how to sew when I was 2 or 3, so I've been sewing for as long as I can remember." Serena Williams

Dear Friends,

A big thank you to those who participated in our Capital Quilts Cares program and helped make the string quilt wall hanging for Casa Ruby last week.  The quilt is beautiful.  It is at the quilter’s now; we will bind and deliver it in the next two or three weeks.

The more the merrier, especially for block swaps!  The more quilters we have doing the swap, the greater the variety of fabrics that become available to swap and the more variety you will have in your finished quilts.  So gather your friends together and come to the Nina’s Block Swap demo this Saturday, July 23^rd at 1:00 or on Saturday, August 6 at 12 noon!  Can’t make either date?  Send us an email or give us a call and Nina will find a way to include you!  Please register before the event so that we can make you a starter kit with instructions, tips, and enough fabric to make 2 blocks.  The block goes together quickly, with little waste.  Your blocks to be swapped aren’t due until the end of August, so there is plenty of time, even if you have a three week vacation scheduled!  Come see us at the shop and take a look at the model quilt hanging behind the registers.

Are you participating in the Kitchen Kitsch Challenge?  I've seen people having a lot of fun with this!  And, there's still time to enter; completed projects are due at the shop by 6pm on Wednesday, July 27th.

FLASH SALE:  This weekend, July 22-26 only, Handi Quilter is offering a FREE TruStitch and Overlay with the purchase of a Sweet Sixteen machine package!!  This is a savings of $1,084.95 plus $65.10 in sales tax, for a total savings of $1,150.05!  The Sweet Sixteen is a longarm quilting machine that is set into a table.  You sit down to quilt, much as you would at your home machine.  The advantage is a lot more surface to support your quilt and a slippery surface to make moving the fabric a lot easier.  The TruStitch is a stitch regulator that insures your stitches are all the same length, regardless of how fast or slow you move the quilt.  It is the perfect solution for those who live in small homes and/or who like to sit down to quilt.  I invite you to come to the shop and try our floor model.  I think you will like it!  The machine comes with a great warranty, lots of extras, and the full support of Handi Quilter and Capital Quilts.

FLASH CLASS!  “Learn to Sew” with Shelby LaVigna next Wednesday and Thursday, July 27 and 28!  This is a class for beginner sewists.  Learn how to use a sewing machine, read a pattern, cut fabric, sew a straight seam, properly press your project, and more.  Class meets from 11-4 both days.  $100 for 10 hours of instruction.  Ages 9 and up welcome!  You will need to bring your own sewing machine.

Special Deal for Learn to Sew classes!  Purchase a Janome 1050 for $349 and enroll in the Learn to Sew class for FREE.  This offer is valid for participants in the Learn to Sew class only.

We are going to be offering more Learn to Sew classes going forward.  At Capital Quilts we are committed to passing along our sewing and quilting skills to the next generation, and to those in our own generation who would like to become a part of this wonderful community!  If you know of anybody who might be interested in learning how to sew, please let them know about Capital Quilts!

Go ‘n’ Piece,

Alison Zacharkiw

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Quilting is a Stitch is a series of four classes taught by national Handi Quilter educator Vicki Kerkvliet on September 16 and 17. Join us in the Handi Quilter room to learn more about the fine art of quilting. Friday morning we will talk about the common problems quilters run into and how to fix them. In the afternoon, the topic is edge-to-edge quilting: how to choose a design and accomplish it successfully on your quilt. Come back Saturday morning for Backgrounds, Borders and Blocks, a look at different ways to quilt the basic building blocks of any quilt. The last class, on Saturday, afternoon, will be an in-depth look at textures and fills. Look at our latest Newsletter for 3rd Quarter Classes (page 6) for more information. Sign up now for a guaranteed seat!

Art ‘N’ Stitch expert Carol Best is coming to Capital Quilts on September 24 and 25!  Carol will be teaching her four Skill Builder workshops, two each day.  Art ‘N’ Stitch is a software program for creating machine embroidery designs.  It is included in the Handi Quilter ProStitchers and can be used on embroidery machines as well.  Each class is $100 and includes snacks and beverages.  If you are planning on staying for both the morning and afternoon session in the same day, please let us know and we will arrange for your lunch for an extra $10.  You will need to bring your own laptop with Art ‘N’ Stitch loaded on it (a trial copy is fine).

VENDOR SPECIALS

HORN OF AMERICA is offering an Independence Day Special through the end of July! Purchase a model 6470, 6278, or 6280 and receive a 10% discount. These cabinets are made for the latest top of the line sewing machines and provide storage for accessories. Purchase any of the other electric or airlift sewing machine cabinets and receive a 5% discount.  Visit the Horn of America website for more information.

SEW STEADY: NEW + IMPROVED! Free Motion Wish Package Includes:

•      22-1/2" x 25-1/2" Wish Blue Drawer Table,
•      New Circle Tool and Holes, Universal Grid, Table Lock,
•      Free Motion Glider, Quilting Foot Kit w/ Bonus 12" Arc Template and
•      6 pc Sampler Template Set 1.
•      Includes BONUS Echo Guide Set until 9/30/16!
•      Total Value: $379, now ON SALE FOR $300

CAPITAL QUILTS SPECIAL: if you are looking for a great price on a used Handi Quilter, look no further! Our floor model Avante, Fusion, and Infinity machines are on sale. Contact Alison or Annie for details! 301-527-0598 or alison@capitalquilts.com or annie@capitalquilts.com.  At no extra cost to you, we install the machine in your home and give you a lesson on using and maintaining it.  (If you live more than 50 miles away from the shop, we will charge standard mileage).  You’ll receive the full support of Handi Quilter and Capital Quilts should you have questions or difficulties

WHAT’S NEW AT CQ

Fit for Art Patterns has a new pattern available.  Rain or Shine Variations includes templates and directions for transforming your Tabula Rasa Jacket with new front closure, collar, pocket, back, and hood options.  $12.

A shipment of Australian Aboriginal fabrics has come in, and it includes new designs as well as oldies but goodies!  Annie is already planning which ones she is going to use to make blouses and skirts!  $12.50/yd.

Moda’s Luxe Brushstroke Metallics are here!  These beautiful blenders have a soft hand and will give a warm sparkle to your quilts.  $12.50/yd.

Four books have arrived for your reading pleasure:

CLASSES

You can sign up for classes online, by phone at 301-527-0598, or in person at the shop.

Kim Jalette’s Gazebo class is Friday, July 22 from 6 to 9. This versatile pattern from Jaybird Quilts can be used as a table topper or the nucleus of a larger quilt.

Calling all machine embroiderers! Expand your machine embroidery skills and make this terrific cat quilt at the same time! Perfect in a child’s room or the home of a cat lover. (Psst, dog lovers...there is a dog quilt available, too! Ask for the Mixed Mutts version! Do either in class.) The Cat’s Meow meets on Wednesday, July 27 and August 24 (so you have time to work on the embroidery between class sessions), 1-4. Dottie Acton is your instructor.

Learn to Sew is a class for beginner sewists!  Learn the ABC’s of sewing, from threading a machine to topstitching a seam.  Shelby is your teacher.  Meet on Wednesday and Thursday, July 27 and 28, from 11-4.  Ages 9 through adult are welcome! 

Also meeting on Wednesday, July 27 is our monthly Sweet Sixteen Workshop, with Annette Burns teaching. This is a great class for those who are thinking about purchasing one of these machines for their own, and a required class for anyone who wants to rent quilting time on the shop’s Sweet Sixteen. Class meets from 7 to 9.

Annette is back the following evening, 7-9, Thursday, July 28, to teach the first session of Machine Quilting for Beginners. The second session meets the following Thursday, August 4. Learn how to set your machine up for quilting, how to coordinate your hands and feet while quilting, and some basic quilting techniques and designs.

July 29 is the last Friday of the month, and that means it is Sit ‘n’ Stitch time! Meet with friends any time during the 5-9 time and sew and visit together. Bring food to share. Capital Quilts provides the beverages.

July 30 promises to be a busy Saturday. From 10-1, Jenny Trussell will teach Tip Top Table Topper, a wonderful quilt that uses the 60-degree ruler. Use a border stripe, or create your own striped fabric! And as always in Jenny’s classes, you’ll take home a completed project. The ProStitcher Certification Workshop begins at 11; learn how to use the computer to quilt your quilts. Finally, Sue Moats is leading a Quilt of Valor for Kids event from 2-5. We invite children ages 9 and up to help us make a quilt to give to a military person who has given so much to help keep our country and our world a safer place. All fabric is provided; bring a sewing machine, thread, and basic sewing supplies (small scissors, seam ripper, pins). Adults are also welcome!

Kim Jalette and Kat Martinez are teaming up again for Big Hexie Love, on Sunday, 8/31 at 3pm.  This quilt combines English paper piecing and machine applique.  Explore the Slow Stitch movement, but enjoy reaping the benefits of a quilt that finishes quickly.

On Thursday, August 4, join Laurie Sieminski to make baby quilts for Mary’s Center, a family services organization in Rockville.  This is a Capital Quilts Cares event; all fabric is provided (donations are always gratefully accepted!), and the event is free.  Help us make a difference in our community!

Jenny Trussell will show you how to transform a plain old blank composition book (the kind with the black and white mottled covers…remember those?) into a lovely journal, to keep for yourself or to give to a friend, relative, Secret Santa pal, favorite teacher…  Jenny offers four different pattern options.  As always with Jenny’s classes, you’ll take home a finished project!  Journal Covers Four Ways meets on Saturday, August 6, from 1-4.

If you were unable to attend Nina’s first Block Swap session, come on Saturday, August 6 at 12 noon to learn what the Lucky Me swap is all about and what the rules are and to get your free fabric (enough to make two blocks!). 

CAPITAL QUILTS BLUE BAG BONANZA

July’s prize is “Unexpected Twist”, a pattern by Jessica Smith of The Quilt & Needle, and a Sun Print 2016 Charm Pack by Alison Glass for Andover. To be entered in the month’s drawing, bring your Capital Quilts Blue Bag with you when you shop. Make sure you show it to the staffer at the register! Upon completion of your sales transaction, your name will be put in the jar for the drawing at the end of the month. Don’t have a Blue Bag? Purchase one at the shop, by phone, or online for just $4.99.