Dear Friends,
This is the last weekly newsletter before Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, so let me wish you the best of the holiday season, and may you and your families be happy and healthy as we move into a new year.
If you want us to keep a Wish List for you here at the shop, you can go to the home page of our website to download one, fill it out, and get it back to us. You can also create a gift registry online if you create an account. Tell your family and friends about it!
By the way, another benefit of creating an account online at https://capitalquilts.rainadmin.com/c/account/create.php is that you will be able to look at your purchasing history at Capital Quilts (provided you create the account with the email address we have on file already). That means, for example, that if you have some fabric you bought at Capital Quilts and you need more, you can look at the transaction and find out exactly what manufacturer and color number to ask for; you may even be able to make the purchase online.
Get extra discounts on selected Janome machines through December 31. Like Handi Quilter, Janome has announced that effective January 1, 2020, it will be raising its prices. They have not released any details yet. NOW is a great time to get yourself a new sewing machine, serger, or longarm machine! If you need a testimonial about Janome, I can tell you that I have made pj pants for my children for Christmas for years. When I switched from using a Bernina to using a Janome, all three of them commented on how much better my sewing looked and said it looked really professional! I love my Janome!
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Halloween fabrics continue to be 40% off, along with the red dot fabrics. Orange dot fabrics are 30% off. Holiday kits, patterns, panels, and books are all 20% off.
If you are interested in joining one or more of the clubs next year, I invite you to attend the December meeting of that club or clubs. You will get an idea of what the club is like and what it will be doing next year. Please refer to the list of club meetings and dates included below.
 We are also going to introduce a new club in 2020: the Crazy Quilt Club. This club will run for six months, from January through June. If its members want to continue on, we will extend the club. Julie Taylor will lead the club. She will show you how to make a Crazy Quilt block, suggest fabrics to use, and teach embroidery, ribbon work, and other methods of embellishment. There will, of course, be show and tell and comradery.
Thank you for supporting Capital Quilts with your dollars, your online voice, and your energy. There are lots of places and ways to shop these days, and I appreciate your choosing to shop at Capital Quilts to keep our wonderful community here for all to enjoy. For those of you who participated in the Big Sale these last few weeks, I hope it was fun. Thank you for participating in it and helping us raise some cash and reduce our inventory.
Capital Quilts will be open from 10-2 on December 24 and closed on December 25. We will be closed on December 31 and January 1 for Inventory.
Go ‘n’ Piece and lots of Holiday Cheer,
Alison
CLUB MEETINGS IN DECEMBER
Janome: Saturday, 12/21, 10:30-12:30
AccuQuilt GO!: Sunday, 12/22, 1-3
AccuQuilt Studio: Saturday, 12/28, 10:30-12:30
SAFE USAGE OF ROTARY CUTTERS
We have had a case of a badly cut hand in one of our classes recently, so I want to remind you of how to use a rotary cutter safely. Make these safe practices really good habits!
- DO get into the habit of locking or closing the safety latch on your rotary cutter each and every time you set it down. This will prevent cuts that can happen by accidently brushing against the blade.
- DO NOT lock the cutter into an open position with the blade exposed
- DO keep fingers away from the ruler's edge, and out of the path of the blade.
- DO put fabric grips on the bottom of the ruler to keep it from slipping around on the fabric.
- DO use a cutting mat and ruler designed for use with a rotary cutter.
- DO NOT hold a ruler with your left hand and cross over the ruler with your other hand to cut on the ruler's left side.
- DO NOT cut towards yourself! The rotary cutter should always roll away from your body.
- DO NOT cut sitting down. Most rotary cutters are designed to be used standing, and cannot be properly held for use in a sitting position.
- DO keep the instructions for changing the blades of your rotary cutter. They vary a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even model to model.
- DO handle used blades with care. Just because they don’t cut fabric very well anymore doesn’t mean they can’t slice through your finger with ease. Most replacement blades come in plastic containers. Keep the containers and put your used blades in them for disposal. Wrap the container in tape for extra security.
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IN THE GALLERY
We have quilts that are on sale hanging in the Gallery now. These are quilts that have been class models in the past and are now ready to be adopted by you!
SHOP OPEN LATE
Capital Quilts is always open until 9 on Friday evenings.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
We've been hard at work, coming up with new precuts for you! So far, we have Cloud Whites, Daybreak Batiks, and Island Breeze Batiks. Charm packs, $10.99 each; 2-1/2" strips, $43.99 each.
Coming soon: Aurifil Color Builders, a capsule of twelve curated mini-collections inspired by (and named after) Italy’s most vibrant and colorful destinations. Each collection contains three large spools of 50wt thread — a warm, a medium, and a dark — within the location’s primary color palette. From the lemon groves of Sicily to the pink sand beaches of Sardinia to the clear teal waters of Capri to the stark city grey of Milan… each collection is crafted to evoke images of our beloved Italian landscape. The colors were selected not only for their aesthetic appeal, but for their practicality in every day use. Please let us know if you are interested in these collections. We're currently planning on getting just 15 boxes each month, and need to know if we should up the quantity.
BLOCK OF THE MONTH
Beginning in January, Kim Jalette will be leading a new Block of the Month. The quilt is called “Tara”, and the class will meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Fabric kits will be available.
The First Saturday Club will be working on Alaska by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. This beautiful quilt looks wonderful in any color combination! The First Saturday Club for 2020 will run just 9 months, April through December.
HANDI QUILTER
The new Handi Quilter Capri should arrive any day now! This is the new sit-down machine. I tried it at Quilt Market and was very impressed. The regulated stitch was reliable and the movement of the fabric on the table top smooth. There is a laser sensor near the needle that tracks the movement of the fabric to regulate the stitch. The other great innovation is that the table is adjustable up and down: you can sit down or stand up to stitch with this machine.
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, you will get a refund of the class fee. If you let us know you can’t make it at least 8 days before the class, you will get a store credit of the class fee. Cancellations 7 or fewer days before the class are not refundable, but you can try to find someone to take your place. If there is a waiting list, we’ll try to help with that. The Supply List for each class may be found on our website at the lower left-hand corner of the class page. You may have to scroll down to find it.
Your last chance for getting help sandwiching those holiday quilts is Sandwich Day on Tuesday, December 17. One appointment is available at 5. Bring your quilt top, back, batting, and spray baste or pins and Carol will help you get your quilt sandwiched in no time. You don’t need to sandwich your quilt if it is going to be longarm-quilted.
The last Sit N Sew meeting of 2019 is on Friday, December 27, 5-9. Bring some food and holiday cheer to share with your friends, along with a project to work on. Beverages are provided by Capital Quilts.
The first class of 2020 is Take a Stand, a tote bag class taught by Kathy Barden. This is a perfect tote for retreats, classes, and traveling. The easy-to-install zippered top opens wide for easy access to contents. There is an adjustable, detachable strap, two outer zippered pockets, and two inner mesh pockets. ByAnnie’s “Running With Scissors” tool case (class coming up in February) is the perfect companion pattern for this tote. Class meets Saturday, January 4, 10:30-3:30. Bring your lunch.
Create a beautiful landscape quilt, layer by layer, in Julie Taylor’s Tranquility class. The background is made using a mosaic technique, and the picture is built using applique techniques. The finished quilt is about 18” x 23”. Class meets on Saturdays, January 11, 18 & 25, 2:30-5.
Learn how to piece by hand on Monday, January 13, 10-12. Cecilia Marzulli will teach you the methods and techniques in Learn to Hand Piece. Our Hand Piecers Club meets on the same day, from 1-3, if you would like to join them and learn even more. All skill levels are welcome (even if you don’t take the morning class) and the members would love to share what they know with you!
Make a T-Shirt Quilt on Wednesday, January 15 (with a second class on January 29) with Debra Ball, 10:30-12:30. She’ll show you how to stabilize the t-shirts, cut out the pieces you need, do sashing, and more.
The next session of the Capital Quilts Complete Course of Quilting by Machine starts on Wednesday, January 15. Jan Wisor teaches the afternoon class from 2-4 and Betsy Kulamer teaches the evening class from 6:30-8:30. Sign up for one or the other. This is a 10-week long course, with homework. You must have your own sewing machine. You start by learning about your sewing machine, and 10 weeks later you have a small quilt made! Each block in the quilt represents a new skill. It is a wonderful way to begin your life as a quilter. It is also a wonderful refresher course for those who are returning to quilting but are feeling a little rusty.
Need a respite after the holiday hoopla? Join Kat Martinez for an in-shop retreat on Saturday, January 18, 6-midnight. Night Owl is a time to be with friends and chat and eat pizza and sew on your own projects. If you get stuck on something, you’ll have lots of people to help you figure out the problem! Stay as late as you like (but not later than midnight).
CAPITAL QUILTS CARES
All CQ Cares events are free, and we provide fabric and patterns. Please bring your sewing machine, neutral thread, and supplies. Please register for each event online, by phone at 301-527-0598, or in the shop so that we know how many to expect. Thank you!
Quilts of Valor: The next workshop is on January 10 at 12:30. Please join us to make blocks and quilts for the men and women who have served our country. These quilts mean a great deal to our veterans, and we are honored to be a Quilts of Valor Chapter here at Capital Quilts and have the opportunity to give these quilts to those who have served.
Scarf It Up!: Teens: Here is a fun way to get 3 service hours! Bring your form with you. Drop in on Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther King holiday), between 12:30 and 3. No sewing required. Make scarves and blankets from fleece by fringing the ends with a pair of scissors. Children are welcome to accompany an adult. The scarves and blankets will be given to Interfaith Works Women’s Center.
Interfaith Works Women’s Center: Help us make string quilts for the women’s center in Rockville. The quilts are given to the women for their beds, bringing a cheerful atmosphere to an otherwise rather drab room. This workshop is led by Billye Roberts on Sunday, March 1, 12-5.
Small Kennel Quilts: We are always accepting small kennel quilts, and we always have free basic kits available for you to take home to make and return to us. (The quilts are great stash-busters, too!) They are a perfect little project for practicing your quilting skills. We receive requests from shelters for completed kennel quilts on a frequent basis.
BLUE BAG BONANZA
Congratulations to Kathy R., who won the Blue Bag prize for November. December’s prize is a 2oz. bottle of Unscented Best Press, a "Joy" Charm Pack from Contempo Fabrics, and a notebook from QT Fabrics.
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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