Don't Forget! Willamette Valley Quilt Festival

We'll be there at 10am!  Come see us and enjoy the show!

Backing Day!

Backing Day is this Thursday, January 30th! 

What is Backing Day? So glad you asked! 

On the 30th of the month (29th if the 30th falls on a Sunday and on the last day of February - second to last if it falls on a Sunday) get backing at 25% for your finished quilt tops - as many as you want as long as the following requirements are met:

1. You physically bring the quilt into the shop with you.  This is required so we can effectively help calculate what you need. If the quilt isn't present, it's much harder to be accurate.  Also, and we are being selfish on this one - we love to see your finished projects walk in the door with you!

2. The quilt top is 100% finished - meaning, the quilt is fully sewn and assembled with borders sewn completely onto the quilt (sorry, pinned together doesn't count).  If the quilt isn't complete, it is much harder to calculate backing accurately because the design may change and alter backing needs (example, the plan was for 4" borders but as it turns out 6" works better).

3. Discount applies to one backing fabric per quilt top.  Limited to stock on hand, in-store, on sale day only.  25% off backing is not compoundable with other discounts (such as 5 Stars points/offers).  Not applicable to online purchases. 

Going to miss Backing day this month? That's okay!  The next Backing Day is Saturday, February 29, 2020...Leap Day! 

Last Saturday Scrappers

The "Last Saturday Scrappers Block of the Month" is this Saturday!  If you're signed up, class is at 10:30am.  Diane is a month ahead of everyone to show the block you'll be working on this month (she chose the batik colorway), but Lauren is doing this project with everyone using the Quiltopia colorway.  

It has been SO cool seeing how different everyone's blocks are coming out even using the same base fabrics!  For those not participating, everyone got to choose one of two colorways - a purple batik with black background or a focus print from the Maywood line Quiltlandia with white background.  But the rest of the block participants supplement with their scraps and/or stash.  Check out Lauren's blocks from the last couple months (she LOVES scraps, so she went very scrappy):

Can't wait to see what the January blocks look like!  If you're not, class is at 10:30am...you're welcome to sit in even if you're not participating in the project. There's show and tell and instruction on the next blocks. 

Bummed you missed out on this quilt?  Don't worry!  We'll be doing another Last Saturday Scrappers Block of the Month after this project completes with new fabrics and a new challenge.  

See you Saturday!

Come See Us!

It's that time again...We'll have a big booth at the 2020 Willamette Valley Quilt Festival!

When: Friday, January 31 and Saturday, February 1 (10am-5pm both days)

Where: Linn County Fairgrounds (3700 Knox Butte Rd., Albany, OR 97322) 

Cost: $7, kids 12 and under are free. you can buy tickets online, and after seeing the lines over the past couple years, I recommend doing so!   

If you haven't been to this show before, I HIGHLY recommend it - it's one of the absolute best shows in the area.  There are tons of vendors, over 300 quilts this year so I've heard, and more food options (hello, they brought in Hawaiian...looking forward to that treat!). Click HERE to check out their website. 

I'l have all kinds of things that have not been at the store before...kits, fabrics, notions, and patterns...and when they sell out at the show, that's all there is! Here's a peek at what my booth looked like last year...wonder what goodies will be there this year??

Accuracy Pro Tip

We're here today to reiterate a pro tip for accuracy in your quilts, taking it back to basics. 

Squaring Up: It Matters.

We've all done it.  Square up? Meh!  I just want to get this done, I can fudge it, it's close enough.  I mean, most experienced quilters can eyeball 3.5" right?

Right.

In working on a pattern, I thought, that looks like it's close enough to 3.5".  I don't think I really need to square up especially since I used the Magic 8 method to make my HSTs, but what the hey, I'll check. 

Well...No.  Every square, all 196 of them, was about an eighth of an inch - quarter of an inch off.  That means that with every square it would become more and more off.  So, I squared up. 

This.  This right here is a great visual on why squaring up is important, even if it's a big ol' pain in the butt.  I didn't measure the total there, but I think we can all agree that's at least several inches of fabric cumulatively.  Imagine leaving that all in, and how much it could skew the overall block sizes, the seam allowances, and the quilt top size and whether it is square?  Sometimes, those little things add up. 

Moral of the story?  Square up, and you will be happier with your project and its accuracy. 

Turtle Bay - Progress!

Work continues on our Turtle Bay Block of the Month!

Check out the focus blocks!  We are thrilled with how they're turning out.  That fabric is a lovely, summery, beachy breeze in the wintertime, and speaking of breeze, those triangles went together with ease.  Now we're working on the filler chain blocks, which will go even quicker.

 

Sign ups are still open!  This quilt is a great skill builder for a beginner, and a good refresher for more advanced quilters.  Take your pick between Option 1 and Option 2 and join us!

Study in Four Patch - A Beginner Stash-Buster Block of the Month

Study in Four Patch starts this month!  When we hear "four patch," we probably all have a similar mental image - a 2x2 cube with four squares...kind of blah, right?  It's a basic foundation block for many quilts and one of the first blocks we all learn to make.  But who says basic has to be boring? 

This quilt is all four patches, and a snap to make!

Use your own fat quarters or use ours and take on this fun throw-sized project.  Call the shop to sign up!