"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Dear Friends Near and Far,
Our Sew Together Zoom group is growing in size and popularity. Led by Betsy Kulamer, this is a great bunch of people who get together each month to chat and sew. Betsy invites a “Guest of Honor” to talk about a particular subject each month. On February 5, Kathy Barden will share her joy in making useful three-dimensional projects, especially ByAnnie bags. Reserve your space before they are gone! Go to the calendar on our website, find February 5, and click on the class to sign up. You can also, of course, sign up in person in the shop or by phone.
It is time once again to let the world know what your favorite quilt shop is! ByAnnie is running their annual Local Quilt Shop Contest, this year sponsored by 4 fabric companies, Blank, FreeSpirit, StudioE, and Henry Glass. The winning quilt shop, based on number of votes cast, will win a $4600 store credit at those four companies (all of which we carry) and from ByAnnie. This is a lovely prize, and I hope you will all cast a vote for Capital Quilts and help make us a winner. Just click here to vote. Thank you!!!
Capital Quilts has teamed up with Sew Steady and Westalee Rulers to bring you virtual quilting classes! These classes are designed to teach you how to quilt on your home machines, using rulers and templates to give your project a professional finish. Our first class is a FREEBIE! It is on Tuesday, March 2, 2-4pm. Participate from home: no masks, no social distancing. The Ruler Work for Beginners class is given on YouTube; you don’t even have to worry about zooming! The class is recorded and you can access it for 30 days following the class. This means you can watch the instructor live, then use the recording to practice the skills and techniques on your sewing machine for the rest of the month. This is a beginning class. More advanced classes will follow. Click here to register for Ruler Work for Beginners!
A younger member of our quilting community recently expressed a feeling of discomfort at a guild meeting because she perceived that she was the youngest person there and there were no other persons in her age group. To those of you under 50, please be assured that guilds, at least the ones I am familiar with, would LOVE to have you be a part of their group. Having younger members means the guild will continue to exist and serve the community as well as provide a group of like-minded people as a source of camaraderie and knowledge of the sewing handcrafts. Talk to your quilting friends and encourage them to join a guild with you. Go to the meetings of more than one guild to see if you are more welcomed at one than another. Start your own guild! Guilds exist to pass on knowledge from one generation to the next, to promote friendship, and to serve the greater community.
Our Quilts of Valor chapter is participating in the National QOV Sew-in Day on Saturday, February 6. This is a FREE in-store event, and we have set up 3 2-hour sewing sessions. The 11:00 is full, the 1:00 has 3 seats open, and the 3:00 has 5 seats open. If you’d like to help us make blocks for QOV quilts, please sign up soon! You can do it online, in the shop, or by phone 301-527-0598.
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Challenge! Challenge! Challenge! Challenge! Challenge! Challenge! It seems I have inadvertently ordered 2 bolts of Day of the Dead Dog fabric. Day of the Dead (Dia de los Meurtos) is celebrated on November 1-2. Google tells us “Assured that the dead would be insulted by mourning or sadness, the day celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life.” I am issuing a Challenge to all you quilters out there: $8 gets you a yard of Day of the Dead Dog fabric. Make a quilt that is at least 20” square that speaks to the Day of the Dead holiday. How do you honor the lives of deceased loved ones? Perhaps you would remember a deceased pet. Quilts are due October 15. Please be sure to put a hanging sleeve on the back, either sewn on or pinned on with safety pins. The sleeve should be at least 4” wide and one inch shorter than the width of the quilt. Click here to register and get your yard of fabric. |
Shopping at Capital Quilts: Please give us a call at 301-527-0598 if you’d like to make an appointment to come shop in the store. You can usually get in the same day. We are no longer making appointments online, only by phone. I’d like to be able to open the shop entirely, but I still feel the need to control the number of people in it in order to protect both you and us. The virus numbers are rising again, there seem to be new, more transmissible mutations around, and we want to reduce the odds anybody in our quilting and sewing community gets COVID-19. Remember that if anybody on the CQ Staff comes down with the virus, we will have to completely close the shop for at least 10 days, as we will all have been exposed.
If you are exposed to the virus and/or get a positive COVID-19 test result, please do not come to the shop, and if you have been to the shop while you may have been infectious, please call the shop so that we may let others know. There is nothing political about this, and there is no judgment from us. We just want to do our best to help stop the virus from spreading and protect our friends and families and community.
We really and truly appreciate your continued patronage and your patience through this pandemic. Your support has been, and continues to be, awesome. You are truly loyal friends! Keep wearing those masks! When your number comes up, get that vaccine! Stay safe.
Go ‘n’ Piece,
Alison
CLASSES and CLUBS We are having classes via Zoom. We will make the virtual classes as easy as we can for you, sending you a link to the Zoom class. All you have to do is add the Zoom app to your computer, iPad, or other device so that you can open the link and participate in the class.
Class size will be limited. As before COVID, you can sign up online, by phone, or in the shop if you are here on a shopping appointment. Class descriptions are found below and on our website. Each class will have a supply list; look for this on our website: click on “Class Calendar in the blue bar at the top of the home page. Find the class on the calendar and click on that, then scroll down to the bottom left of the page to find “Supply List” and click on that.
For classes we may have in the shop, we require that you wear a mask during the class and social distance as much as possible. Each person will have their own table. We may also take your temperature when you enter the shop and ask that you use hand sanitizer or wash your hands with soap and water.
CLUBS: The Longarm and Pro-Stitcher Clubs will meet on the first Saturday of each month in 2021. We will continue to meet via Zoom, until such time as we can once again meet in the shop. Barbara Bean and Elyse Turkeltaub have done a great job of continuing the clubs during the COVID crisis. Thank you, ladies! Members of the clubs enjoy a 10% discount on Handi Quilter items purchased in the shop on the first weekend of each month. If you can’t make it into the shop, please call us at 301-527-0598 to make your purchase. If you'd like to join this club, please call the shop.
QUILTING CLASSES: Currently all classes are ZOOM classes. You must download the Zoom app/client, and you will need a camera/webcam, microphone, and speakers as well as an internet connection. On the day of the class, you’ll receive an email with a link to the Zoom meeting. Please confirm that Capital Quilts has your current email address and phone number.
Sew Together: Ask an Expert Tired of sewing alone? Join fellow quilters for a virtual quilting bee. Settle into your favorite sewing space with your favorite Zoom-compatible technology for 2-1/2 hours of stitching and chatting. Everyone will have a chance to talk about what they’ve been working on and pose questions to the other quilters. No masks required! Each month, we are inviting a guest who is expert in some aspect of quilting and needlework to join us to answer questions about his or her specialty.
February 5: Kathy Barden shares her joy in making useful three-dimensional projects, especially ByAnnie bags.
March 5: our very own Kat Martinez loves improv quilting and shares her knowledge and experience with you.
April 2: Sue Fierston, president of the Nature Printing Society, talks about leaf and fish printing on fabric.
May 14: SherriJoyce King immerses us in the world of Dear Jane quilts, where blocks from an 1863 sampler inspire classic and modern expression.
June 4: Beth Morningstar, an accomplished longarm quilter, answers questions about sending quilt tops to be quilted on a longarm machine.
July 2: Marianne Losey, one of Capital Quilts’ sewing machine technicians, provides tips to help you be your sewing machine’s best friend.
Skill Level: any Instructor/Moderator: Betsy Kulamer Class Size: max. 18 Cost: $8 Time and Date: 6:30-9 on Dec. 4, Jan. 15, February 5, March 5, and April 2.
Lots of Dots This lovely quilt provides a good study in color and value. There are four small blocks that make up each larger block. Each ring is made using four different values of a color. The center is made using two lighter values of the ring color. You will also learn how to create the pieced ring. The original pattern has you piecing each part of the arches that make up the circles by sewing blocks together. Julie will show you how to paper piece the arch, a technique she finds easier than sewing blocks together. Finished quilt: about 70” square. Skill Level: Intermediate Instructor: Julie Taylor Class Size: max. 20 Cost: $65 Time and Dates: 2 sessions, 1-4, Saturday, February 20 & 27
Ruler Work for Beginners This class is designed to teach you how to quilt on your home machines, using rulers and templates to give your project a professional finish. Our first class is a FREEBIE! It is on Tuesday, March 2, 2-4pm. Participate from home: no masks, no social distancing. The Ruler Work for Beginners class is given on YouTube; you don’t even have to worry about zooming! The class is recorded and you can access it for 30 days following the class. This means you can watch the instructor live, then use the recording to practice the skills and techniques on your sewing machine for the rest of the month. This is a beginning class. More advanced classes will follow. Click here to register for Ruler Work for Beginners!
SOFTWARE CLASSES: Demystifying EQ8 Learn how to design your own quilts using computer software. Import existing fabrics, make or modify blocks, resize, add borders, play with color…there is so much you can do! In this class, meant for beginners, you’ll learn the basics of how the program works and what the various buttons and functions are.
This is a ZOOM class. You must be comfortable using a computer, and you must have the EQ8 program loaded on your computer. Please contact the shop to purchase EQ8, as I do not stock them and must order one for you. Allow a couple of weeks at least. Thanks! Skill Level: beginner Instructor: Elyse Turkletaub Class Size: max. 6 Cost: $45 Time and Dates: the class will be taught multiple times; sign up for one. 12-3 on Feb. 9 or March 20
Pro-Stitcher Premium: Getting Started Pro-Stitcher Premium is computer software from Handi Quilter that allows you to design quilting patterns and then stitch them out on your longarm quilting machine. This class goes over the basic functions and structure of the software. Learn how to find pre-loaded designs or import a new design, how to fit the design to your quilt, and how to stitch out the design.
This is a ZOOM class. You must be comfortable using a computer. The instructor will give directions for loading the training software on your computer. Skill Level: beginner Instructor: Elyse Turkletaub Class Size: max. 6 Cost: $45 Time and Dates: the class will be taught multiple times; sign up for one. 12-3 on Feb. 16 or March 27
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
Inspired by colorful wovens, Laura Berringer created Visual Vibes, a printed, thread-like design in twelve rich, undulating color combinations. The unique blend of textural interest and saturated color lends itself beautifully to both large and small quilt piecing, as well as backgrounds for appliqué, embroidery and other creative techniques. $13.50 per yard.
Domino Duo is a new collection of modern, high contrast graphics in black and white, all with a modern feel. Use these together, or mix freely with almost any other fabrics. $12.50 per yard.
A great background is hard to find! Sarah Maxwell's "Tipsy Squares" really has the potential to work with lots of different fabric collections. She created colorations to work with a broad array of prints, making it the ultimate go-to background print. $12.50 per yard.
JANOME
MC 15000: Save $2,000. Includes the following gifts: Horizon Rolling Cart, Hilos Iris 100 best polyester thread, and the Janome Artistic Digitizer. Continental M7 Professional: Save $1,000. Includes the gift of an M7 table, a $699 value. MC 9450: Save $1,500. Includes the gift of a Universal table, a $599 value. AirThread 2000D: Save $300. This is the newest Janome serger, with a built-in one-push air threading system an 8-piece feed dog, and a built-in needle threader. We have these in stock.
Contact the shop to purchase any of these machines.
Artistic Digitizer: Are you the proud owner of an Artistic Digitizer? Janome has announced an update, to version 1.6. You can download the update from the Artistic Digitizer page on the Janome website.
Meet the MB-7: The MB-7 is the “World’s First” home-use 7-needle embroidery machine. This innovative machine is built to work with embroidery formats used by industry professionals such as .jef+, .jef and .dst. With 50 built-in embroidery designs and 10 fonts for monogramming, a USB port to easily import designs (such as from the Artistic Digitizer) and a maximum speed of 800 SPM, the possibilities are endless. Durkee hoops are compatible with the MB-7. Embroidery operations are noticeably faster and smoother on the MB-7. Your finished product will look highly professional. Contact the shop for details.
HANDI QUILTER Tune in to the Handi Quilter Facebook page every Tuesday at 2pm EDT for Handi Quilter’s Watch and Learn Quilting Show, which features tips, tricks, and tutorials on Handi Quilter products with limited-time special pricing and a give-away to a random live attendee. They announce a special on a different machine or accessory each week. If you can’t watch the Tuesday show, go to the HQ website and enjoy the “And I Quilt” series of videos. You can still get the special pricing on the week’s product through Sunday.
Longarm quilters: there is a new website you should check out! It’s www.quiltable.com and it is all quilting designs to view and purchase. The digital products include several file types and are intended for robotic quilting systems (not just Handi Quilter). There is an option to join a club and automatically receive new designs every month plus get a discount on other designs throughout the site.
Handi Quilter has launched a new program called Pro-Stitcher Catalog. Get it through the Handi Quilter website. The program will store, organize, and give you a quick way to find your designs. Heaven on Earth! Use the code HQ1498 to get a $10 discount. You’ll also be supporting Capital Quilts, as we will then get a commission from Handi Quilter. Click here for more information.
Our Handi Quilter Moxie is now fully functional and ready for you to come try. I’ve sold one to a quilter who already owns a Fusion. She said she wants to use it for free motion quilting while the ProStitcher on her Fusion is working on another project. The Moxie is very light compared to the bigger machines and is easy to move around, with less stress to your joints. You can also put a Simply Sixteen on a Loft frame (the one the Moxie uses). You’ll get a little more quilting space and a more sophisticated machine on the smaller frame. If you already have a Simply Sixteen and want to move up to the Loft frame, you can do that. Call me if this is something you’d like to order.
Also on display is the Handi Quilter Capri, a stationary, sit-down quilting machine. It is right next to the registers. This machine has the smallest footprint of the longarm machines and is most like your sewing machine in terms of feel. Rather than move the machine over the fabric as you do on the machines that have a frame, you move the fabric under the needle on the Capri. Have a seat and give it a try!
SEW STEADY Wish Table Sale: Buy a Wish Table and get the Grid Glider for just $1! The table is 22.5” x 25.5”, with beveled edges, a blue drawer for notions, holes and a tool for circle sewing, and a table lock. The Grid Glider, valued at $25, offers all the right markings to make sewing easier and adds a slick sewing surface, especially good for free motion quilting. MSRP: $200. Capital Quilts price: $149 plus $1 for the Grid Glider.
CAPITAL QUILTS CARES Thanks to those who have donated kennel quilts in the last few weeks! Keep them coming. If you are willing to help, please make more for us! Find the directions here. Please be careful of the dimensions of the little quilts; too big or too small and we can’t send them. Drop them off “curbside” at the shop; no need to make an appointment (unless you want to shop, of course!). We have both pillowcase and kennel quilt kits available, for free! Make them at home and return the completed project to us for distribution.
Every year on the first Saturday in February, the Quilts of Valor organization has a national Sew-in Day. Normally, it is a full day of sewing in the classroom, with people ironing, sewing, trimming, gophering, and generally having a swell time while making quilts for veterans of our armed services. This year, for obvious reasons, we are having to do things a bit differently (but it will still be a swell time!). We are limiting the number of people in the classroom to 5, one per table, plus Sue Moats, your hostess for the day, a total of 6 people. There will be three (free!) 2-hour sessions, from 11-1, 1-3, and 3-5. You may sign up for more than one session if you wish. If you sign up on our website, you will see the 3 sessions listed as classes on the February calendar, on February 6. If you want to stay for more than one session, please register for each session separately. We will take your temperature and ask you to use hand sanitizer when you arrive, and plan to wear a mask at all times.
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