Dear Friends,

It's April already, and so far it's been a challenging year. Let's be honest. Between family, friends, staff -- everybody's life is high octane at the moment. We're all trying to find peace and tranquility. Personally, I'm trying to squeeze in a few minutes of sewing here and there, because it lowers my blood pressure. Friends are sharing jokes and relaxation techniques. What do you do to reduce your stress/lower your blood pressure/find tranquility?

Happy Sewing!  

-Marianne

ps. Have you seen the award winning quilts from QuiltCon? They're amazing! The Quilting Hub has an article on the top seven, and the Modern Quilt Guild's page has some higher quality photos of all the winners.

From Felicity Fabrics, we have Cats and Flowers by Aidi Riera. This brightly colored collection features (oddly enough) cats frolicking amongst various blooms.

If you like foundation piecing, you're going to love these scrappy triangle foundation papers from Leila Gardunia Design. Choose from 3" triangles, 6" triangles, or 3" x 6" half rectangle triangles. Or get all three! The complementary block sizing will allow you dozens of options for layout.

I've brought in some strip rolls of Linda Ludovico's Retro Vibes from Northcott Fabrics. They feature patterns of Groovy, Half Moon, Semi-Circles, Hexie, Big Dots, Rings, Dotty, & Circuit Board in colors of rust, black, brown, beige, and slate.

Classes

Quilts for Kids (tomorrow, Wednesday, 4/9) is one of our popular charity sewing workshops. These quilts are donated to children in need throughout the area. As with all of our charity workshops, all fabric is provided; just register and show up with your machine and a can-do attitude!

Jan is teaching Upscale Plaid starting on 4/16. Some of us are always awe-struck by Jan, and she has quite the following. I've already picked out my fabric and gotten my pattern, because I NEED to make this quilt!

Gain the confidence to longarm your own quilts! Learn the parts of the longarm machine and the frame, how to load your backing, batting and top in preparation for quilting, how to thread the machine, how to adjust for proper tension, and some basic quilting designs. Cynthia is teaching Getting Started: Long Arm Rental on the morning of April 17th.

And, if you are not a fan of free-motion quilting, you're also going to want to take Getting Started: ProStitcher Premium in the afternoon of the 17th. 

Get it Done! for April is on the 19th. Bring your project and your machine for four hours of distraction-free sewing. Kat will be here to help with any rough spots.

Celebrate May Day by making your very own Scrap Petal Garden! Kat teaches this popular pattern starting on May 1st. Class is loads of fun as students weigh in on fabric choices and layouts. A variety of scrappy background kits are available - classic, batik, all white-on-whites, mixed white-on-whites and white-on-neutrals, and finally, low volume with a pop of color. But don't let our background kits limit you; Kat is working on one  that is blizzard-inspired, with dark backgrounds and light sparkly petals.

NEW CLASS ALERT!

We are probably all guilty of falling in love with a charm pack and buying it, then not knowing what to do with it! Why not use it in Elizabeth's class? Take ONE charm pack and two yards of background fabric to make this NO WASTE quilt with minimal cutting.  Learn “web” piecing to make this quilt even faster. Come join the fun in making a throw size quilt, approximately 55 inches by 55 inches with just one charm pack. Students will leave class with all the skills necessary to complete this quilt top at home. This class is TWO sessions, starting 5/21.

The July 27th Walking Foot 101 class still has spots available. In class, you will install your walking foot, test thread tension, learn several methods for marking a design on your quilt sandwich, and fill six squares with different walking foot designs.

Friendship Star Quilt Guild

"A Celebration of Quilts"

Asbury Methodist Village Rosborough Center

301 Odendhal Avenue

Gaithersburg, MD 20877

April 25-27, 2025

Baltimore Heritage Quilters

Quilt Expo 2025

Maryland State Fairgrounds 4H/Home Arts Building

2200 York Road

Timonium, MD 21093

April 26 & 27, 2025

Annapolis Quilt Guild

Quilts by the Bay

Riva Trace Baptist Church

475 West Central Avenue

Davidsonville, MD 21035

June 13 & 14, 2025

Road to Virginia

Quilters Conference 2025

Greater Richmond Convention Center

403 N 3rd Street

Richmond, VA 23219

June 26-28, 2025

CQ Cares (Community Sewing Projects)

We 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.

For those who want to sew placemats for Meals on Wheels and/or Iona House from their stash, click on the picture for the beginner-friendly Charm Square Placemats pattern, or you can use your own pattern. We also have free kits in the shop.

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