Dear Sewing Friends,
Lora said to me yesterday that it is hard to remember what day it is in the shop; without classes and events to define a day, all the days seem the same. Amen to that! I usually try to write this newsletter on Wednesday, but I forgot all about it yesterday as there was nothing to say “Wednesday – write!” to me. So here I am on Thursday morning, typing away.
One of our mask-makers has brought us some local sports-team-themed masks. Check them out in our online shop! They are, as my grandson is beginning to say, “Cool-ee-oh!”
I am watching with interest as parts of the country reopen for business. Montgomery County is still closed, but our numbers are improving and I am beginning to hear rumblings about opening in the near future. Be advised that just because the county says I can open doesn’t mean I will simply throw open the doors (much as I would like to do that). We will start slowly and there will be rules to follow! Nobody wants to be a rebound statistic.
The landlord has advised me that he has found a tenant for the fifth bay of our shop (the far side of the shop where the Handi Quilter machines stand). This means we have some weeks of construction noise and dust ahead of us. Rather than move the Handi Quilter machines, I have decided to sell them at a really deep discount. The Forte and Pro-Stitcher have been sold already, but the Amara is still available. Please call me if you are interested. I expect to replace the machines for the shop later, after we have reorganized things and made room for them elsewhere.
We truly appreciate your patronage and your patience through this pandemic. It is hard work and, without you here in the shop, not nearly as much fun, but we will keep on trying to figure out what day is it and get to it!
Go ‘n’ Piece,
Alison
NAVIGATING THE ONLINE STORE
For those of you who are computer-challenged, click here for a quick tutorial on getting to and through our online shop using a laptop or desktop computer. (Smart phones and tablet screens may vary.)
We have had a few people call to say that they are having trouble getting PayPal to work or to make a selection or are having other issues when they use the Capital Quilts online store. If this happens to you, try refreshing your browser. That often solves the problem. If you continue to have a problem, please contact the shop at 301-527-0598.
CORONA CHALLENGE DEADLINE EXTENDED
Quilting will get us past this Coronavirus Crisis! Sign up for our Corona Challenge! You get a yard of fabric, free shipping, and the chance to express in fabric how you are feeling about this virus. We’ll hang the quilts in the Gallery and/or post them online, depending on how long this crisis lasts. Make them at least 20” x 20” but not larger than 60” x 60”. Use the fabric we send you along with fabric in your stash or that you buy (hopefully from Capital Quilts!). Return them to us by JUNE 30, 2020. Go online or call the shop 301-527-0598 to take on the Challenge!
 MAKING MASKS
We have all made a mask or two (or 50, or 200, or…), and would like to share our favorite patterns, and some tips and tricks we’ve discovered along the way. Click here for all the details! (By the way, some of our customers are now offering completed masks for sale on our website, if you aren't interested in sewing one yourself.)
Mask Kits for personal use:
Kits are currently available! They contain all the materials (pre-cut fabric, twist ties for nose wires, cotton twill tape for fabric ties, and pattern with tips and tricks) required to make either 5 or 10 at a time. These kits are not intended to be used to make masks for donating to medical facilities, but are perfect for the “shoppers’ masks” now required to be worn in public in our area. Click here to order.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
We replenish solid fabrics every week these days. Colors vary, depending on what they have in stock! $9.99 per yard. Several colors of Dimples from Andover have also come in.
Timeless Treasures sent us a lovely bunch of novelty prints including: bicycles, cats, crabs, and fish. $12.50 per yard.
From Northcott Fabrics, we have Stars and Stripes, including a giant majestic panel featuring an eagle. Yardage, $12.50 per yard. Panel, $13.99 each.
The Janome MC 9450 QCP is now in stock! This sewing and quilting machine features a free arm, 11" bed space, auto pivot function, and nearly everything needed to make sewing and quilting fun and relaxing. Call the shop for pricing.
We have Bosal fusible interfacing, in both light and medium weights. $3.69 per yard.
Aurifil has sent us the latest Colorbuilder box: Sardinia Pink! Color Builders are 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. $39.00 each.
FLATTEN-THE-CURVE KITS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
ACCUQUILT
Save $100 via mail-in rebate when you purchase either the GO! Big or the Ready. Set. GO! fabric cutters!
May 21-31, take 15% off GO! dies. Please call the shop to place this order. You won’t be able to take the discount online.
Face Mask dies are available on the AccuQuilt website. Retailers are not being given any supply to sell in shops.
HANDI QUILTER
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.com to learn more. While Art & Stitch is still in existence, Handi Quilter will no longer support it.
JANOME
Welcome Spring! Janome is offering a free Home Depot Gift Card with the purchase of selected models. Click here to see the flyer.
We are able to accept your sewing machines for cleaning and tune-ups. Go to our website and sign up for machine repair. Bring your machine to the shop. We will take it in and wipe it down with a disinfectant (safe for sewing machines). Our tech will pick it up here and take it home to work on it, then bring it back to the shop. We will let you know it is ready for pick-up and wipe it down again before we give it to you. Our technicians are working as quickly as they can, but both have essential day jobs. Machine servicing wait time is currently estimated at about 2-3 weeks.
 Meet the Janome 1600P-QC: This is a high-speed (1600 stitches per minute) aluminum body heavy duty machine. It has one stitch: the straight stitch. Think of all the masks you could knock out with this machine! It has a built in thread cutter, built in needle threader, a side loading metal bobbin, and an ergonomic knee lifter. A presser foot sensor prevents you from sewing with the presser foot in the up position. Nearly 9” to the right of the needle makes this an ideal machine for finishing quilts. A dust cover is included.
Regular price: $1,499
Capital Quilts price: $1,149
We have two in stock.
If you would like to buy a different model that we do not have in stock, Janome will ship the new machine directly to your home so you don’t have to come out to pick it up. The shipping fee varies according to which machine you buy.
CAPITAL QUILTS CARES
All Capital Quilts Cares events in the shop are cancelled until further notice.
That said, we have free pillowcase kits available that you can sew at home. They are a wonderful beginner project to do with children. The kiddos will learn some sewing skills and stay busy, too! We can mail them to you or you can pick them up curbside. Return the finished pillowcases to the shop (when you can; there is no rush), and we will donate them to Ryan’s Case for Smiles.
One of our customers is an doctor in a local ICU. She noticed that when she wears the bright, cheerful scrub cap her mother made her, that her mood was lifted for the day, and allowed her personalize an uniform that otherwise consisted of head-to-toe PPE. She is currently making some for the nurses and respiratory therapists that she works with, but there are over 100 of them, and she can't sew that fast! If you'd like to make and donate scrub caps for local everyday heroes, please drop them off at the shop and we will ensure they get to the medical professionals in need. Use whatever design/pattern speaks to you. (She uses Millie's Tie Hat from Brimming With Love.) The employees are both make and female, with a variety of hair lengths.
We are always accepting TQPM Small Kennel Quilts. These small mats are sent all over the country to support rescues and shelters taking animals displaced by disaster. We currently have some going to Michigan where the dam failures caused flooding.
CLASSES
All classes, clubs, and events are cancelled until further notice.
When we begin to reschedule classes, those of you who had registered before will be given the first opportunity to sign up for the new class.
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