Dear Fabricolous Friends,
We are all concerned about the plight of Australia’s people and animals because of the wildfires, and we wish we could help. Probably the best way is to send money. USA Today has put together what appears to be a fairly comprehensive list of reputable organizations in this article: Australia's devastating fires are still burning. Here's how you can help. We have talked about sewing pouches for the marsupials in a workshop, but apparently Australia is inundated with pouches from around the world and is asking people to stop! So we won’t go that route.
Get healthy, lose the aches and pains, and slim down all at the same time through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss© program. It’s a 6-week long program, with most meetings online. We will have 3 meetings here at Capital Quilts, on January 27, February 11, and February 25, from 5-6pm. Get guidance on what food to eat and when to eat it (it’s all about your body chemistry), on how exercise plays a part, and developing good, healthful habits. We’ll give each other support and encouragement. It costs $200; if your spouse signs up, too, he or she will get a discount! I figure I can do anything for 6 weeks if it will make my clothes stop pinching me at the waist! With any luck my back will stop hurting, too. If you’d like to learn more, go to www.fasterwaywithmorna.com; you can register at that site as well. If you have any questions for Morna, our Certified Coach, you can contact her at morna@creativeartsprofessional.com. Morna is an accomplished quilter as well and a customer here at Capital quilts. (Please note that The FASTerWay to Fat Loss© program is not affiliated with Capital Quilts.)
New class added to the schedule: Getting Started: Handi Quilter Pro-Stitcher Premium, Tuesday, January 21, 11-2. Barbara Bean will introduce you to the software that guides the Handi Quilter to quilt beautiful designs. Pre-requisite: Getting Started: the Handi Quilter Longarm.
AccuQuilt has more than 50 dies on sale. Find a listing of the dies in the shop. I can order any die or machine you’d like (and you don’t have to pay shipping!).
As always, 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.
Go ‘n’ Piece,
Alison
IN THE GALLERY
In the Gallery now through February 1 we have Quilts of Valor hanging for you to see. These quilts are part of a challenge our chapter did to create a QOV from a panel. Eventually each of these quilts will be given to a vet in appreciation for his or her service to our nation.
SHOP OPEN LATE
Capital Quilts is always open until 9 on Friday evenings. In the upcoming week, we will also be open until 9 on Wednesday, January 22.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
Look for these products coming into the shop in the next week!
Quiltmania Magazine: If you’d like us to reserve a copy for you when it comes out, let us know and we’ll add your name to our list.
For the young astronauts among us, we have All Systems Glow, a glow-in-the-dark collection of 13 bolts full of rocket ships, planets, and stars. 12.99/yd.
Two extra-wide 108” quilt backs are here, a golden yellow one in a wave texture and “Dandelion Dreams” in shades of gray. $17.99/yd.
HANDI QUILTER
The Capri has arrived and is set up in the Handi Quilter room. It is a BIG machine for SMALL spaces, with a small footprint but a large 18” throat. Without the available 18” x 32” side extensions, the table fits into a space 36” wide and 5.5’ front to back, including chair space. Built-in stitch regulation means your stitches will be perfect every time. The lighting is superior, including in the bobbin area. The table height is adjustable, from a comfortable for sitting 25.5” to a standing height of 39.5” and heights in between. There is a low-bobbin alarm, it stitches up to 2200 stitches per minute and 4-22 precision stitches per inch, and it has needle-stop position control. If your needs change, you can upgrade it to a moveable-carriage frame. It comes with the same warranty that all Handi Quilter machines have, 10 years on the casting and 5 years each on the electrical and mechanical systems. It is designed, engineered, and assembled in the USA. Price: $7,995. I’ll include the VersaRuler and a 12” straight ruler for FREE!
Purchase any new machine package and receive a FREE HQ HighLight, the brightest LED lighting for your sewing room. Offer valid January 10-20, 2020.
Handi Quilter ProStitcher owners: Handi Quilter is replacing the Art & Stitch software with their own Pro-Stitcher Designer software. If you are already a Pro-Stitcher owner, you can take advantage of a limited-time offer and save almost $400. Until June 30, 2020, purchase your digital copy of Pro-Stitcher Designer for just $199.95. Visit the new www.ProStitcher.comto learn more. While Art & Stitch is still in existence, Handi Quilter will no longer support it.
JANOME
Janome is celebrating its 99th anniversary in 2020. To celebrate, they are offering great pricing and bundles on most of their machines. Check out the brochure in the shop or at www.janome.com. If I don’t have a particular model in stock, I am happy to order one for you.
• Save $500 on the new Continental M7 or the top-of-the-line quilting machine, the 9450, and receive a gift with a value of $1,001 that includes a roller bag, the Kimberly Einmo Block of the Month, 3 Kimberly Einmo rulers, and a Kimberly Einmo jelly roll.
• Save $300 on your purchase of the embroidery-only Memory Craft 550E and receive the Acufil Quilting Kit, AcuStitchSoftware, AND the new Artistic Digitizer 1.5 for FREE, a $1,734 value.
• Save $300 on the MC6700P, a workhorse of a machine that sews 1200 stitches per minute.
There are lots more machines on sale. Take a peek!
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.
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).
New class added to the schedule: Getting Started: Handi Quilter Pro-Stitcher Premium, Tuesday, January 21, 11-2. Barbara Bean will introduce you to the software that guides the Handi Quilter to quilt beautiful designs. Pre-requisite: Getting Started: the Handi Quilter Longarm.
Sandwich Day is on Tuesday, January 21, with appointments at 1, 2, 4, or 5. Bring your quilt top, batting, backing, and basting spray or pins and we’ll help you sandwich that quilt in no time! Your top and backing should be squared and pressed. If you are going to ask a longarmer to quilt the quilt, you do not need to sandwich it.
Let’s get beyond quilting in the ditch! Karen Fricke will expand your quilting horizons in Fun With Free Motion on Thursday, January 23, 2-5. Explore other techniques like meandering and some filler designs and learn how to use stencils. Please note that you should have some free motion experience for this class
Have you mastered meandering and loop-d-loop and other basic designs in your longarm quilting? Take the next step and learn how to use rulers. Barbara Bean will teach you how to use rulers safely and effectively. You will get a chance to try several of them. Rulers for the Longarm meets on Friday, January 24, 11-2.
Knowing how to balance which needle to use with what thread can make a world of difference to your sewing. Your work will be more accurate and look more professional. Barbara Kascic will show your how in Needles & Thread on Saturday, January 25, 1-2.
We’ve added a new class to the schedule: Crazy Valentine! Julie Taylor will show you how to make a heart using crazy quilting techniques and then applique it to a wool background or a folded card to make a valentine for your sweetie. Class meets on Sunday, January 26, 2-4.
Learn how to make a lovely basket out of scraps and clothesline in Rag Basket, Thursday, January 30, 2:30-5:30. Lois Sumser teaches.
The first Sit-N-Sew of 2020 is on Friday, January 31, 5-9. This is a free time to sit with friends in the classroom and sew and chat together. Bring some food to share with the group. Capital Quilts provides beverages.
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!
Scarf It Up!: Teens: Here is a fun way to get service hours! Bring your form with you. Drop in on Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther King holiday), between 12:30-3. 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 this 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. The next 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.
COMMUNITY NEWS
If you’ve been talking about the Australian animals with your family, you might enjoy visiting Roos2U in Germantown, MD. Visit www.roos2u.com for more information.
BLUE BAG BONANZA
January’s prize is Traditional Cutwork, by Darlene Guillory, a sample of “Simply Cotton” batting, and a pack of 24 charm squares of the “Choose to Shine” line by Cherry Guidry from Contempo.
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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