What's New at CQ 09/21/17

"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore." Vincent Van Gogh

Dear Quilters and Sewists Extraordinaire,

We’ve received close to 200 kennel quilts for hurricane victims with paws; thank you everyone!  We have decided to make this an ongoing project for Capital Quilts Cares, which means that we will have events from time to time as well as accept donations and kennel quilts from you, our customers, any time.  We have also received many, many quilts for human victims as well, and we will begin to distribute them next month.  If anybody knows someone who is driving or sending a truck to Texas or Florida and would be willing to take some of these quilts, please let me know.  I will organize the receipt and distribution of the quilts at the final destination.

Annette Burns is offering a wonderful class beginning next Sunday, September 24, at 1pm. It’s called “Keeping Memories Alive” and it is a bookcase quilt.  It’s not as hard as it looks!  The blocks are 10” square or 5” x 10” .  The piecing is easy enough for a beginner.  The applique is not hard, either, and can be done by hand or machine.  Annette will also teach you streamlined special techniques that will make your quilt one of a kind.  Each month for nine months Annette will lecture on and demonstrate a new technique, and you will use that technique to create a block for your quilt that is a precious memory for you.  You could hand or machine embroider some of the blocks, add beads or other embellishments, add bling…  There will also be a sewing workshop offered later each month in the evening for those who like a hands-on approach.  I do hope more of you will take this class; it is an opportunity to learn some different techniques and create a unique memory quilt for you and your family to cherish.  Contact Annette or the shop for more information (301-527-0598).  Register for this class online, by phone, or in the shop.

Don’t miss Jennifer McClanahan’s Trunk Show at 3:30 on Sunday, October 1.  Jennifer is the designer behind the Sweet Tea Pattern Company.  Her quilts are fun and fresh. She will be teaching one of them, “Looking Glass”, on Tuesday, October 17, 12:30-3:30.  Come hear her story and see her quilts, including a couple of new ones that she will debut here at CQ!  Register ahead of time and receive a $10 Gift Card at the Trunk Show.


Also not to be missed are the Handi Quilter Quilting is a Stitch classes!  This is such a great opportunity to learn more about longarm quilting.  There will be give-aways!  Free stuff, ladies and gentlemen!  We still have seats available for the Quilting is a Stitch classes coming up on September 22-23.  Register for all four classes, and we'll take off 10%!  Buy a Handi Quilter and we’ll give you the classes for free! Diane Henry, Handi Quilter National Educator, will be here to teach us about quilting borders, backgrounds, and blocks, how to select quilting patterns that compliment your patchwork, how to create special effects, how to use rulers and templates safely and accurately, and how to create stunning designs with templates that wave, curve, and make circles.  And that is just a start: the National Educators always have so much to offer: stories, tips, encouragement, and lots of info about machine quilting.  Sign up online, by phone (301-527-0598), or in the shop for these terrific classes.

A note from our Quilting Services staff: the holidays are rapidly approaching (Christmas is 93 days away and Hanukkah 81 days).  If you have one or more quilts you would like to have us quilt in time for the holidays, please bring them to us not later than November 1 to guarantee delivery.  We will not take more quilts than we think we can complete, and even the November 1 date may become a moot point.  If, however, you have a top ready for quilting after November 1, please give us a call; hopefully we will be able to help you.  We may have a cancellation, or the ladies may get quilting projects completed faster than they had anticipated.  All quilts that you want to have for Christmas must be picked up not later than December 23.

Alternatively, you can purchase a Handi Quilter and finish your own quilts on Christmas Eve, in your pjs and wearing a Santa hat!  All of our floor models are on sale at a 30% discount for the month of September.  Or, purchase a new Avante or Fusion at $3,000 off Handi Quilter’s recommended retail price.  All purchases include free Quilting is a Stitch classes (see above), free installation of the machine in your home, a free lesson on using and caring for the machine, a bobbin winder, needles, thread, bobbins, and everything you need to start quilting the day you receive your machine!  Most importantly, you have the full support of Handi Quilter and this shop behind you, which means you have someone to call when you have a problem or a question, lots of information available online, and a technician who comes to your home to service your machine.

Quilters’ Quest is less than two months away!  For those of you who are new to our community, Quilters’ Quest is our annual shop hop.  There are ten shops that participate in QQ, and you have ten days to visit them.  From November 9 -18, enjoy the shops, win prizes, and get free quilt patterns.  This year’s theme is “Lights, Camera, Action!”  Each shop has chosen a movie to decorate around and have fun with.  Our theme is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!  Guess what we will be giving away!  You might even get a Golden Ticket.  Find out more at www.quiltersquest.org.

Too much driving, you say?  Forget about the driving and concentrate on the fun!  Hop on our Quilters’ Quest bus on Friday and Saturday, November 10 and 11.  Seats are still available.  Sign up online, in the shop, or by phone (301-527-0598).  The $150 fee includes a light breakfast, lunch, snacks, a deluxe coach bus, all the driving, and a ton of fun!  We come back to the shop Friday evening, so you can have dinner at home with your family and sleep in your own bed. You will visit all ten shops, get all the freebies, be automatically entered in all the drawings, and receive a Quilters’ Quest Card good for 15% off your purchases in all ten shops until October 31, 2018.  You’ll also receive a colorful tote bag to carry home the goodies! 

Go ‘n’ Piece,

Alison

NEW & NOTEWORTHY:

Fanciful unicorns, fairy princess castles, and beautiful flowers will enchant you.  From Dear Stella, $12.50/yd.

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

Because Capital Quilts Cares:  Fellow quilter Andrea Mitchell is collecting baby quilts for a baby shower to be given for a group of pregnant veterans whose husbands are deployed and away from home.  If you would like to donate a baby quilt for this event, please bring it to Capital Quilts not later than October 7. 

Pierce Mill, located at 2539 Tilden St. NW, in Rock Creek Park, is the last remaining mill in Washington, DC.  Friends of Pierce Mill have set October 14 as Heritage Day.  Step back in time and witness the 19^th century, four-story grist mill grind corn into meal, powered by a giant water wheel.  Heritage Day activities are from 10-4.  Milling demonstrations will take place from 11-2.  There will also be hands-on activities for children, live bluegrass music, and other exhibitions, including hand quilting. Pierce Mill is seeking a small group of hand quilters to give a demonstration.  Please contact Steve Dryden at jsdryden@comcast.net or by phone at 301-512-5899 if you are interested in participating in this fun day.


CAPITAL QUILTS BLUE BAG BONANZA

Our September prize is 101 Fabulous Rotary-Cut Quilts by Judy Hopkins and Nancy J. Martin.

To be entered in each 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. The more you shop, the more chances you have to win.  Don’t have a Blue Bag? Purchase one at the shop, by phone, or online for just $4.99. We save all of the entries for the year, and at the end of the year we draw a Grand Prize Winner from all the entries.

Sign up for our 5th Saturday Club! Purchase your Green Tag for $10 and come to our special events on the four 5th Saturdays of 2017. The next one is September 30th!  All fabric, panels, and precuts will be 20% off for blue bag/green ticket holders ONLY.  If you finish the bolt, receive a 25% discount on that bolt.

Our thanks to everybody who shops at Capital Quilts and who participates in the Blue Bag Bonanza.