Dear FOFs (Friends of Fabric),
A huge thank you to those of you who voted for Capital Quilts to be a recipient of the By Annie Trunk Show. We received over 300 votes, and that was enough to make us a winner! Our By Annie Trunk Show will be here in July! Hooray! We are super excited. We get to pick out which items we want, and we are going to pick things that will double as models for classes in many cases.
We’ve been keeping Nina very, very busy cutting charms, strip sets, layer cakes, and fat quarter bundles this week. In addition to distributing the precuts around the store as part of various displays, they now have their own display on the shelves in front of the registers. You’ll see all of our available precuts there. For those of you who are new to our community, we make all our own precut sets. You won’t find them in any other store (unless it happens to be for a new collection), and they are accurately cut. If there is a colorway you need or if you have an idea for a precut set, just let us know and we’ll investigate the possibilities! (We do occasionally purchase precuts from manufacturers.)
I have been receiving queries as to whether or not the shop will be open tomorrow due to the impending snow. I will be getting up early tomorrow to tune into the weather forecasters and then making a decision. Check our website and Facebook page for more information before you head out to visit us if things are looking bad! Those of you in Kim’s class tomorrow morning will receive an email or a phone call from Kim if the class is postponed. If you don’t hear from her, we are probably open, but you may want to double check our website or Facebook page first.
Thanks for shopping at Capital Quilts and for being a part of this terrific community!
Go ‘n’ piece,
Alison
SHOP SPECIAL: Take 20% off regularly priced batiks this week, March 1-7.
SHOP OPEN UNTIL 9PM:
Through March 20, the shop is open from 10am-9pm on Wednesday and Friday. We are always open until 9 on Fridays; when we have an evening class, as we are on Wednesdays, we keep the shop open then, too.
SHOP ONLINE:
Our online shop never closes! Click "Shop Online" from the CQ homepage.
IN THE GALLERY:
A new display is going up in the Gallery this weekend! We’ve invited Karen Fricke to be our guest quilter this month. Her work has been featured in Quilting Arts Magazine; the Sacred Threads Exhibition 2017; Cloth, Paper, Scissors; and more. She has taught many classes here at Capital Quilts, in machine quilting and art quilts, and we hope she will continue to do so. Check out “Pins With Attitude” on March 26, 10-1!
FLOOR MODEL SALE:
If you want to purchase a Handi Quilter for less than full retail value and can pay with cash or credit card, buy one of my floor model machines:
Simply Sixteen: MSRP $5995, now $5,245
Amara: MSRP $11,995, now $9,499. Your choice of a 10’ or 12’ frame.
Forte with ProStitcher: MSRP $23,995, now $21,150. Your choice of a 10’ or 12’ frame.
We will install your machine free of charge and provide a free lesson on its basic use and maintenance. There is a separate free class for the ProStitcher.
EQ7:
I have an EQ7 for MAC software package in stock. The retail price is $189.99; I will sell it for $115. The Electric Quilt Company offers an upgrade for it, which I am happy to order for you. If you would like us to offer a class in EQ6 or EQ7, please let me know.
QUILTING HOOP:
I have a gently used floor stand quilting hoop being offered for sale by one of our customers. It has a 29” hoop, is height adjustable, and is all wood. It was handmade by a woodworking artisan in Lancaster County, PA. Originally $300, the asking price is $150. The condition of the hoop is excellent.
VENDOR SPECIALS IN FEBRUARY
ACCUQUILT GO!: March 1-11, buy any 1 GO! die and get a second GO! die of equal or lesser value at 25% off. Edyta Sitar’s “Serendipity” Qube Specialty Set is on sale for $219.99 (regularly 279.99).
HANDI QUILTER: March 1-12, buy a new HQ longarm machine or the ProStitcher at MSRP for $0 down and 0% interest (with approved credit; 36-month and/or 48-month terms and conditions apply) AND/OR free shipping.
SEW STEADY: Sew Steady has a new table bundle available. Get a large 18” x 24” Sew Steady table, a Large travel bag for transporting the table, and the new Grid Glider for $149. The regular price is $183. Dena Wilkins is coming back to Capital Quilts in March to teach Westalee quilting classes, and you’ll need a Sew Steady table for the class.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY:
New Michael Miller Cotton Couture is here! Look for all 38 succulent new colors at the front of the store. We'll have precuts available shortly. Yardage is $9.99 per yard.
If STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) is more your style, you'll love Do the Math by Nancy Rink for Marcus Fabrics. There are a total of 14 bolts; we're showing you 5 here. $12.50 per yard.
Escape to a forest full of flowers with Lisa Kirkbride’s colorful collection from P&B. Forest Fancies is a bold geometric line just bursting with life! $12.50 per yard.
CLASSES:
Register for classes online, in the shop, or by calling 301-527-0598. Please register early; we need at least 3 people to make a class happen. If the class is cancelled by Capital Quilts, or if you let us know you can’t make it at least 7 days in advance of the class, you will get a refund or store credit.
Quilting on a Handi Quilter longarm machine is fun and lots faster and easier than quilting on your sewing machine at home. Learn how to use one of our machines on Monday, March 4, 11-2, in the Getting Started: The HQ Longarm. You will be certified to rent our machines, and a mentor will be with you the first time you use the longarm by yourself; this is included in the price of the class. Don’t let the size of the machines intimidate you! They are just sewing machines with only one stitch and must do your bidding. Like any other new skill, it takes education and practice to learn.
Quilting by hand is also fun, as well as soothing and even therapeutic. It quiets the mind, gives you space to think while your hands are busy. Learn this lovely art from Chris Giannascoli in Hand Quilting: The Ultimate Finish on Tuesday, March 5, 10:30-12:30.
Jan Wisor is teaching Star Storm on Friday, March 8, 10:15-1:15. The quilt is built by strategically placing strips of fabric to form rings around a central pieced inner star. The Star Storm is not paper pieced but formed on large scale paper templates to create the star points. The class will walk step by step through the placement of strips and aligning the angles to form the star. There are just 4 spots open.
Need help sandwiching your quilt? Make an appointment with Carol at 6, 7, or 8 o’clock on Friday evening, March 8. If you are planning on asking a longarm quilter to do the quilting, you do not need to sandwich your quilt.
Are you ready to go the next step with your longarm quilting? Elyse is teaching Getting Started: The Basics of Prostitcher Premium on Friday, March 8, 6-9. Learn the structure, functions, and buttons of ProStitcher Premium, the computer technology that allows you to finish your quilts more quickly and with greater precision. Learn how to customize edge-to-edge designs on your computer to fit any quilt size and transfer the design to your ProStitcher Premium.
Elyse is teaching EQ8 on Saturday, March 9, 1-4. EQ8 has a brand new and more intuitive look, and some new and improved tools. EQ8 is a computer-based application with which you can preview, color, and even resize your quilt. It will calculate yardage, add the ¼ inch seam allowance, and create templates, rotary cutting instructions, or foundation piecing patterns.
Jelly Roll Rugs are quite popular right now! Susan Stanton-Carr will show you how to make one on Sunday, March 10, 2:30-4:30. They come in both a rectangle and oval shapes; Susan is teaching the rectangle. Once you know the technique, you can apply it to making other shapes. We have lots of jelly rolls (packages of forty 2½” strips) in the shop right now. We also have batting available, pre-cut into 2½" strips.
CAPITAL QUILTS CARES:
All events are free. Please register for each workshop so that we know how many to expect. Coming up in March:
 March 31 – Days for Girls: In some countries, girls are unable to attend school for up to a week a month because they don’t have access to sanitary supplies. Days For Girls is a non-profit organization that sends sustainable personal hygiene kits to girls around the world. Everything necessary is packed into a small drawstring bag that can be carried every day. Capital Quilts Cares has contributed to this project in the past by sewing the drawstring bags, and we’re asking for your help to do it again. Bring your machine and basic sewing supplies. There are 4 places remaining. Skill level: easy.
All fabrics are provided, but we ask you to bring a new, colorful, pretty washcloth or two to add to the bags. Thank you!
SMALL KENNEL QUILTS: We are always accepting small kennel quilts, and we always have free kits available for you to take home to make and return to us. They are a perfect little project for practicing your quilting skills! We receive requests from shelters for completed kennel quilts on a frequent basis.
SAVE THE DATE
• March 16: Worldwide Quilting Day
• March 29 & 30: Westalee Rulers Classes for Domestic Machines with Dena Wilkins
• April 12-13: Handi Quilter Classes with HQ National Educator Patty Holley
• April 26-28: Friendship Star Quilt Guild Quilt Show
• May 31-June 2: Quilters Unlimited Quilt Show
• June 8-9: Annapolis Quilt Guild Quilt Show
• August 2-3: Four County Quilters Guild Quilt Show
• October 11-20: Quilters' Quest
• November 1-3: Everybody's Quilt Guild Quilt Show
COMMUNITY CORNER
Spectacularly Solid: Curated by the Arlington CostumeLab, this 3rd annual exhibit by the DC Modern Quilt Guild is a celebration of the art of contemporary quilt making, focused this year on working with all solid color fabrics. The exhibit concludes during National Quilt Making Month. Use #NationalQuiltingDay to share your pictures and reactions on social media. Open during normal business hours Monday through Saturday, at Studio 3700, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington, VA 22206.
Conservation Clinic: How to Care for Quilts is a Smithsonian Workshop being held Saturday, March 2, 2019, 9:30am – 12pm at the American Art Museum. The organizer just emailed us, saying that there are still a few spots available. In it, you will discover ways to care for quilts with textile conservator Julia M. Brennan. In this hands-on workshop, learn about quilt conservation and explore stabilization methods, proper storage, and handling techniques for your textile heirlooms. Click here for complete details.
BLUE BAG BONANZA
The March prize is a collection of 10 different Floriani threads.
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.
Our thanks to everybody who shops at Capital Quilts and who participates in the Blue Bag Bonanza.
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