Dear Friends of Fabric,
Don’t forget to come to our Wine & Cheese reception for Karen Fricke tonight, Thursday, March 28, 7-9pm! She will give a Gallery Talk around 7:30. We will have an ASL interpreter for the Gallery Talk. Your RSVP is requested, online, instore, or phone. The shop will be open during the event.
We are looking forward to our Westalee classes on Friday and Saturday. The Friday class is full, but there are 3 seats left in the intermediate class on Saturday. Register online, by phone, or in the shop if you’d like to take The ABCs of Ruler Quilting class.
Friday night is Sit ‘N’ Sew night! From 5-9, bring your sewing gear and projects and some food to share with your fellow stitchers. Enjoy sewing with friends new and old for the evening. Stay as long as you’d like. This event is almost always the last Friday evening of the month, if you’d like to plan ahead!
The classes for April, May, and June are in our computer system. You can find them listed on our website, on the Calendar page. Click on a class name to pull up a description of the class. The link to the Supply List is at the bottom of the class description. Click on the word “next” to the upper right of the calendar to get to the next month or “prev” on the upper left to get to the previous month. There are lots of classes to choose from! Keep an eye on this newsletter each week to see what new classes we’ve added as the weeks go by. Register online, by phone, or in the shop.
Coming right up, on April 12 & 13, is our Handi Quilter National Educator Spring event, “Quilting Is a Stitch”. Patty Holley will be here on Friday and Saturday to teach two classes each day:
Friday, 4/12, 10-1 Stand-Up Longarm Machine Quilting Basics teaches you about the machine, how to load a quilt, and vital facts about needles, thread, and tension.
Friday, 4/12, 2-5 This afternoon we explore Fast, Fun, and Fabulous Free Motion Quilting. Create flowing designs by connecting simple design elements with continuous lines. Find out how drawing and muscle memory contribute to beautiful free-motion quilting.
Saturday, 4/13, 10-1 Come play in A Longarm Toy Box! These nifty gadgets and accessories make your quilting even more accurate, faster, easier, and more fun!
Saturday, 4/13, 2-5 You can do more than just quilt on a longarm, as you will find out in our final class, You Can Do That On A Longarm, Too?. Piecing, couching, and binding are among the possibilities. Make a small project to take home!
You will have the opportunity in each class to try out the quilting machines and the techniques being taught. Take as many classes as you’d like; each one is $35. If you are taking 2 classes in one day, please bring your lunch or plan to eat at a local eatery. Capital Quilts will provide snacks and water.
Discounts on the Handi Quilter machines, gadgets, and accessories will be available during the event. It is a great time to learn about the longarm machines, try them out, and take advantage of discounted pricing.
Call us at 301-527-0598, go online, or stop by the shop today to sign up for these fabulous classes! |
While we are on the subject of Handi Quilter, the company has announced a $1,000 price increase in the ProStitcher as of April 1. If you have been thinking about purchasing the ProStitcher, you might want to do so before April 1! That is next Monday, believe it or not. Where did March go?
Did you know you can shop at Capital Quilts in the middle of the night? Or from anywhere that has internet service? In your pjs and slippers? We have a web shop: https://www.capitalquilts.com/shop.htm Check it out!
Go ‘n’ Piece,
Alison
| THIS WEEK’S SHOP SPECIAL: Let’s have some fun with this! Each morning, March 29 through April 4, the first bolt that we cut into for a customer will go on sale THAT DAY ONLY, 20% off, for as long as the bolt lasts or until the end of the day. We will post the bolt on Facebook and Instagram as well as put it on display in the front of the shop. Shop early, shop often! |
SHOP OPEN LATER HOURS:
We are always open until 9 on Fridays; when we have an evening class, we keep the shop open until 9 on that day, too. Upcoming evenings when we will be open until 9pm: Thursday, March 28, Friday, March 29, and Friday, April 5. Beginning Sunday, April 7, we will be open from 12-6 on Sundays.
IN THE GALLERY:
Take a gander at the gorgeous works of art in the Gallery! We’ve invited Karen Fricke to be our guest quilter this month. Her beautiful 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.
Please join us on Thursday, March 28, 7-8pm, for a reception in Karen’s honor. She will give a Gallery Talk around 7:30. Your RSVP is requested, online, instore, or phone. We have an ASL interpreter scheduled for the Gallery Talk.
FLOOR MODEL SALE:
Handi Quilter longarm machines for less!
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.
VENDOR SPECIALS IN MARCH
ACCUQUILT GO!: March 22-31, get $15 off your entire order when you spend $100 or more on GO! dies and/or Qubes.
JANOME: Janome is continuing their Red Tag sale through the end of March. There are good deals to be had! Click here https://www.janome.com/promotions/red-tag-event/ to learn more. We just got a big shipment of machines in, so there is a good chance the machine you dream of is in stock.
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.
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.
Come to Sit ‘n’ Sew on Friday, March 29, 5-9 and share your quilting passion with your friends! Free. Bring some food to share. Capital Quilts provides the beverages.
Curious about the Handi Quilter longarm machines? Want to rent one of ours? Take Getting Started: the Handi Quilter Longarm on Saturday, March 30 or Sunday, April 7, 12:30-3:30. Barbara Bean teaches.
Art & Stitch: Make It Sew is a class about the Art & Stitch Software. This design software can be used on longarm electronic quilt systems as well as on embroidery machines. It is a class for beginners to intermediate-level users and covers the most often used tools. Learn how to create your own quilting design, edit existing patterns, load pictures, and save your design for stitch-out. Elyse Turkeltaub is your instructor on Sunday, March 31, 1-4.
There is one seat left in Getting Started: The Handi Quilter Simply Sixteen on Tuesday, April 2, 11-1. Learn about loading, threading, using, and maintaining the machine. At the end of the two hours, you will be able to rent our machine. Warning: you may also find you want to have one in your home!
Quilting by hand is a soothing, rewarding thing to do, much cheaper than therapy, appealing to your creative self, and keeps your hands busy while you listen to an audio book, Bach, or the TV. Learn this art from Chris Giannascoli on Thursday, April 4, 10:30-12:30, in Hand Quilting: The Ultimate Finish.
Learn how to quilt! Take it from the very beginning in the Capital Quilts Complete Course of Quilting. This 10-week quilting course teaches everything you need to know to start making your own quilts. We cover the basics: getting to know your sewing machine, rotary cutting, fabric selection, and a variety of techniques for machine piecing quilt blocks. You‘ll make a sampler quilt and learn to sandwich, quilt, and bind your masterpiece. This is the perfect opportunity to explore the quilter’s art, which is both ancient and modern! There are two classes available: one meets on Sundays, 4-6 (there are 6 seats available) and the other on Wednesday, 2-4 (there is 1 seat left).
Barbara Kascic is teaching the Just Hugs Zipper Pouch on Tuesday, April 9, 10-3. Not only will you take home a fun zipper pouch, you’ll learn some new sewing techniques along the way! A sign language interpreter is available for this class.
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 design and resize your quilt. It will calculate yardage, add the ¼ inch seam allowance, and create templates, rotary cutting instructions, or foundation piecing patterns. If you use or own EQ7, you will be impressed with the upgraded EQ8. EQ8 is available at Capital Quilts. Drop by Capital Quilts, or call (301) 527-0598, to reserve or order a copy. Learn how to use it on Tuesday, April 9, 6-9, with Elyse Turkeltaub. EQ8 works with both Windows and Mac.
“Rag Basket” may be a misleading name for these lovely bowls! Make your bowl with clothesline wrapped with strips of fabric (very easy to cut on your AccuQuilt GO! machine!). Learn how to finish off with a fancy handle and add embellishments. Get tips for shaping the bowl. Take this popular class on Wednesday, April 10, 10-1. Limit: 8 people
CAPITAL QUILTS CARES:
All events are free and fabric is provided. You need bring only your sewing machine, neutral thread, and sewing supplies. Please register for each workshop so that we know how many to expect. Coming up in April:
April 12 – Quilts of Valor: Help us make quilts to give to military veterans who have served our country so selflessly. Skill level: confident beginner and up. “Confident beginner” means you know how to use a sewing machine and sew a ¼” seam.
April 29 – Pillowcases: Ryan’s Case For Smiles distributes our pillowcases to children’s centers and hospitals in the Washington/Baltimore area, brightening many lives. Skill level: confident beginner and up.
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, and there are a lot coming in now from the flooded parts of the Midwest. We are running low on finished quilts and need your help making more.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
English Bump is a thick, soft cotton/poly blend fabric that is most often used to line drapery for a nicer look, noise dampening, and insulation. It also happens to make a lovely cover for your ironing board! We use it here at the shop. We have bump available by the yard (54” wide, $11.99/yd.) and in packages pre-cut to 30” x 54”, perfect for your ironing board, at $10.99 per package.
“Red, White, & Blue” from QT Fabrics is here! These fresh patriotic prints in bright, clear colors are perfect for a Quilt of Valor or 4th of July picnic quilt. $13.50 per yard. (Red, White, and Blue strip sets and charm packs will be ready soon!)
Hoffman has sent us some lovely batiks. $13.99 per yard.
The MyLock 634D Serger from Janome has arrived! When you want to make the most of your serging time, with professional results, the MyLock 634D is unmatched. It has 2 needles and 2, 3 or 4 thread overlock stitching. Threading is a breeze due to color-coded thread guides and an easy lower looper threading system. The MyLock 634D also lets you quickly switch to rolled hemming without changing the needle plate. MSRP $799, CQ price only $649.
The Quilting Arts Idea Book is all-in-one resource includes everything you need to create one-of-a-kind art quilts and more. Peppered with gorgeous imagery and expert advice, The Quilting Arts Idea Book will help you hone your skills while enjoying the creative process. Inside you'll find: step-by-step tutorials, inspiring project galleries, and articles on finding inspiration and nurturing creativity. Additionally, you will find tips and advice from artists. MSRP $26.99, CQ price only $22.94.
In Block A Day, author Lucinda Ganderton combines both ideas and how-to, with 365 different blocks to choose from. Designs range from creative twists on well-loved classics to brand-new blocks in a whole range of different styles. There are blocks here to appeal to a whole range of abilities, whether you're a beginner or experienced quilter, and the book is arranged in a vivid rainbow of color. Ranging from scarlets and pinks all the way across the spectrum to purple and violet, it's a treat for your eyes. Block a Day is the quilting book you've been looking for! MSRP $29.99, CQ price only $25.49.
SAVE THE DATE
• March 28: Reception for Karen Fricke
• 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, Gaithersburg, MD
• April 26-27, Ocean Waves Quilt Guild 2019 Quilt Show, Georgetown, DE
• May 31-June 2: Quilters Unlimited Quilt Show, Chantilly, VA
• June 8-9: Annapolis Quilt Guild Quilt Show, Annapolis, MD
• July 11-28: Sacred Threads, Reston, VA
• August 2-3: Four County Quilters Guild Quilt Show, Frederick, MD
• October 11-20: Quilters' Quest
• November 1-3: Everybody's Quilt Guild Quilt Show, Westminster, MD
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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