Dear Friends,

It's the last few days of the Shop Hop. We've had a lot of fun! It was great to see new customers, and those that have moved away. I hope all of you who hopped had a great time, too! We are looking forward to next year's program, and hope that all kinks will be worked out. 

It isn't too late to participate in our "I Got the Music in Me" challenge!  If you've been running around with back to school, and the like, don't worry -- we'd still like to have you join. We've rescheduled the final turn-in date to Monday, September 9th.

I have been noticing that we're getting a lot of "bounced" newsletter deliveries. If you know someone who has said they aren't getting our newsletters and think they should be, have them tell us. Some email providers have "blacklisted" emails we send out through Like Sew, and we may need to have those customers use an alternate email address (like Yahoo or Gmail).

Happy Sewing!

-Marianne

 In her new book The Quilting Experience, Victoria Findlay Wolfe shares twelve original block designs for quilters to create their own unique "Experience Quilt", or story quilt. Each block represents a profound life theme such as Friendship, Aging, Celebration, and Grief, to let crafters reflect their personal life narrative. She gives clear instructions for each block, allowing for multiple size and color variations. Also included are: Thought-provoking, poignant, and amusing stories shared by diverse quilters, to illuminate each Quilting Experience life theme, and 11 additional projects for quilts and pillows, with lessons and tips on techniques like efficient partial seam construction, to collage together blocks of various sizes beyond a basic grid layout.

Dynamic quilts are a few cards away with the bestselling Quilt Builder Card Deck series! Each deck contains directions for 40 blocks and 8 different quilt layouts. The card deck also makes for a thoughtful gift and an ideal project for you and your quilty friends to each work on a block for your next quilting bee. Unplug with these cards and do some hands-on quilt design!

If you're wondering what to do with the music themed panel and fabrics from our last newsletter, here's a terrific pattern! It would work with nearly any panel, as long as you can come up with 6 coordinating fabrics.

The new Aurifil Thread Lab 2.0 box is here! 

In the box, you will find: 15 Small Spools 50wt thread (2250, 2530, 1154, 2220, 2134, 2130, 2884, 1231, 1125, 2720, 1243, 2520, 2535, 2479, 6722, Exclusive Aurifil Swag Item. Digital assets include: Exclusive project & project videos by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill; Video Interview between Karen L. Miller and Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill; Added value items/discount codes from our partners; Access to a monthly giveaway.

We still have some July boxes, too.

Classes

Show us how you are inspired by a song with color in it -- either title or lyrics. Your submission should be 18" x 30", have three layers, and be quilted. You may piece, applique, foundation piece, EPP, collage, thread paint, quilt and embellish to your heart's content.  Yes, there will be prizes!  Yes, there will be a Gallery Show! Yes, we will have fun! I might even be convinced to have a party for all those who choose to participate! Submissions are due on or before Monday, 9/9/24.

Relax on Friday night, 9/6 with fellow quilters for our Sew Together virtual quilting bee. Settle into your favorite sewing space with your favorite Zoom-compatible technology for 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. Each month, a guest speaker shares her enthusiasm for an aspect of quilting – a designer, a technique, a hot topic -- with lots of inspiring ideas and photos.

Quilts of Valor is back on September 9th. There are seats available in both the morning and afternoon sessions. The group will work together to assemble a quilt for a veteran touched by war.

Bring your box of fabric scraps to Capital Quilts on September 14th, and let your spirit free! They can be a curated collection or scraps left from a project or just random pieces from your scrap pile. There are no rules in Crumb Quilting. You will learn several techniques to combine scraps to create new fabric for future projects.

Louise will share a few ideas for how to use these newly created pieces to make something new.

Come and sew for an afternoon on 9/15 to create this Scrappy Checkerboard Chain, a scrap-busting baby quilt! This is a great way to use fabric left over from a project or just random pieces from your scrap bins.

Join Capital Quilts Cares to make quilts for kids on September 18th. The session is free, and all fabric is provided.  Just register for the workshop and show up with your sewing machine and lots of energy!

Get it Done for September is scheduled for Saturday, 9/21.  Enjoy four hours of distraction-free sewing in our classroom.  Kat will be on hand to help you over any rough spots.

Elizabeth has developed a portable design tote, perfect for laying out your pieces with a great pocket to keep them together. Make one for yourself on Sunday, 9/22.

HANDI QUILTER EDUCATION WEEKEND

All classes taught by Cynthia Gill, Handi Quilter National Educator

Saturday, October 19 

10 AM - 1 PM 

Long Arm Basics Boot Camp 

Does longarm quilting interest you, and you'd like to learn more about it? Or do you just want a review of longarm quilting basics? This class removes the mystery of longarm quilting by explaining machine and frame elements and features, how to load a quilt, and vital facts about thread, needles, and tension. Handi Quilter longarm machine and frame systems come in various sizes for every budget and are user-friendly because they were designed by a quilter, for quilters - just like you!

2 PM - 5 PM 

Start on the Right Foot

Have you ever wanted to break away from your basic quilting and really see what your longarm can do? You piece, quilt on unique fabric, apply binding to your quilts, and a lot of other great time saving techniques on your longarm. Find out what a longarm can really do and get ready to get more projects done.

Sunday, October 20 

11 AM - 4 PM 

Pro-Stitcher Principles In Simulation 

Pro-Stitcher is an intuitive computer-guided quilting system designed especially for use with Handi Quilter longarm quilting machines. User-friendly and simple to operate, the step-by-step process for each function is easy and fun. Whether finishing your own quilts or considering a business, come and see the elegant and precise quilting you can accomplish with Pro-Stitcher. New users - this is where you start! You may bring your own laptop with the Pro-Stitcher simulation loaded to follow along with the class. 

Monday, October 21 

11 AM - 4 PM 

Exploring Pro-Stitcher Designer Lecture Demonstration 

Pro-Stitcher Designer is a full featured, vector-based drawing software which gives you the ability to quickly design, edit, customize, export and import any quilting motif you can imagine. This class will start with a basic overview of the easy-to-use features. New users will be creating their own digital designs for their next quilting project by the end of this class!

Please come to class with Designer preloaded on your laptop.

Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
100 Station Avenue, Oaks, PA 19456

September 12-15, 2024

Original Sewing and Quilt Expo
Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center
2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

September 26-28, 2024

Everybody's Quilt Guild Show

Pleasant Valley Community Fire Hall
2030 Pleasant Valley Road Westminster, MD 21158

November 1-3, 2024

CQ Cares (Community Sewing Projects)

We will soon have free pillowcase kits available! We donate all pillowcases to Ryan's Case for Smiles, who in turn distributes them to children battling serious illness. Pick one up next time you're in the shop, then complete it and return on your schedule. Alternately, use your stash and any of the Million Pillowcase Project patterns.

We have placemat kits available at the shop, please stop by to pick up one (or two). For those who want to sew from their stash, click on the picture for the beginner-friendly Charm Square Placemats pattern, or you can use your own pattern.

Please return all completed placemats to Capital Quilts.
Thank you for your continued support of the Capital Quilts Cares program. 

We have free small kennel quilts kits available. These little quilts are sent to shelters who take in pets displaced by natural disaster. To quilters, they are a great beginner project, a use for leftover fabric, and a place to practice free motion skills. To use your stash, visit www.kennelquilts.com