New Block of the Month Club starting January 2012 - Amaretto Cottage features Giselle frabric

We will have a new Block of the Month (BOM) Club starting January 2012.

Call 703.330.9111 or stop by the shop at 9100 Church Street, Suite 101, Manassas,Va 20110 to sign up.

Amaretto Cottage features Giselle frabric by Marianne Elizabth

Below are some of the fabrics that will be featured in the quilt:

New Quilt Shows

We will be vendors at four local quilt shows in September:

September 11, 2011We will be a vendor at the 38th annual Sully Quilt and Textile Show and Sale on Sunday, September 11, 2011. The show includes an exhibit of antique quilts inside the 1794 house. Additional information can be found at the Fairfax County Goverenment website.
September 24 - 25, 2011We will be a vendor at the Madison County Quilt show September 24 - 25, 2011 at the Madison County High School, Madison, Va 22727. Additional information is available at the Madison County Quilters' Guild website.

September 24 - 25, 2011We will be a vendor at the Friendship and Eternal Quilt Guilds quilt show: "A Quilter's Harvest on September 24 - 25, 2011 at the Brooklyn Park Middle School, 200 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, MD 21225. Additional information is available at the  Friendship Quilters Of Linthicum website.

September 29 - October 1, 2011We will be a vendor at the Chantilly Original Sewing and Quilt Expo! Additional information is available on their website.

QR Code Uses

Have you seen these in store windows, in magazines and on historical monuments? These are QR codes which originated in Japan. QR stands for Quick Response as they can be quickly read by a smart cell phone and will take you to a website that is embedded in the QR code. The reason that they are more useful than a standard bar code is that QR codes can store more information, including urls,  geo coordinates, and text.

We have a QR code on the shop window, so you could be standing outside the shop and scan the code to see what our shop hours or additional information about us.

I've doing some additional research on some quilting related uses for the QR code and have found these ideas:

• A quilt that looks like your QR Code
• Using a QR code as part of your quilt label

Both fun ideas.

Check out the following blogs:

2d QR Code Quilt  to see a QR code quilt by Rubi McGory

Seems to Be You and Me to see how Cindi Allen used the QR code on her label.

Bug Jar Quilt - Shop Sample

 Ginny, Amanda and I are working on a Bug Jar quilt with fabric from Blank Quilting. We found some quilt patterns of different kinds of bugs that will fit into the jars and carrying cases. This one has frogs on it another jar has spiders!

Amanda is busy making up kits for this quilt. The kits should be available later this week both on line and at the shop.

The pattern is free and available on Blank Quilting's website.

In case the Bug Jar Quilt is just too cute for you I've included a picture of a quilt I've finished for my son Matthew. The pattern is called Sidelights and the picture on the packaging shows some beautifully restful floral fabric. I thought what a great pattern to show off this scary motorcycle rider and psychedelic fabric on the sides.

Crab Quilt for Ginny K

These are pictures of the custom quilting we recently finished for a customer. We used the same thread on the back of the quilt and switched between black and a variegated blue/green thread. The hardest part was remembering that we were using the same thread on the back, when we went to do the black areas, I put black thread in the bobbin. (un-sewing for me, fortunately it was only about an inch.)

In the middle of the quilt is a tiny crab motif. I think if you squint you can see it. Ginny was so happy and excited that she gave Amanda a big hug!

Endless Feathers

This is a picture of the endless feather detail on a customers quilt that Amanda just finished quilting.

Quilt of Valor Longarm Quilter Volunteers

Amanda and I have volunteer to quilt tops for the Quilts of Valor Organization. We've completed 10 tops to date. We received this email message back from the guild in Naples Florida:

"We received all of our mail yesterday afternoon including the package from you. The quilt is fabulous. I cannot get over the quilting on it. It is so perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you - that is so inadequate. You are amazing. I just can not stop looking at it. Rick and I had a blast finding all the designs and the "thank yous: written in the quilting. I will take it to our guild meeting this Thursday so everyone can share in the joy of seeing the finished project. I will have the label on by then."

Gammill Working while I'm napping.

 "Look Ma, no hands!" The Gammill Statler Sticher working away without me on Kathy M's quilt. This is a row by row quilt that Kathy made with the Cabin Branch Quilters Guild.

Chantilly Orginal Sewing and Quilt Expo

September 29 - October 1, 2011 We will be a vendor at the Chantilly Orginal Sewing and Quilt Expo at the Dulles Expo Center.

Heartland Quilting Guild - Shop Hop Comes to Us

Amanda and I are packing her car for the trip to Denton, Maryland. What a good idea she had to trade in her Ford Mustang for a KIA Sol. Amanda said it is better to haul two children in. I say, "Pack more fabric into the corners."

What a good idea - have the shop hop come to you! The Hearland Quilt Guild is sponsoring a "Shop Hop Comes to Us" on August 4, 2011 at the Denton Volunteer Fire Hall.
Amanda and I  will be a vendor at the Heartland Quilting Guild "Shop Hop Comes to Us" show on August 4, 2011. at the Denton Volunteer Fire Hall. This will be their 3rd annual "Shop Hop Comes to Us" from 4:00PM to 8:00pm.

During the day they will have several quilt displays though out the town of Denton (Library, Art Gallery and Museum)

Additional information available on their website: Heartland Quilt Guild.