What's New At PSQ

Friday, March 25, 2011

What's New At PSQ As of 3-24-11

Here’s what’s new at PSQ this week!  Enjoy!

Batavia Quilt and Textile Show – July 15 - 17
Yeah, I know it’s a few months off but…but it’s never too early to mark your calendar and plan to attend AND submit your quilts to be a part of this great show!  Celebrating its fifth year, the Batavia Threads from Past to Present Quilt Show is always a terrific opportunity to view beautiful quilts both old and new from quilters all over the Fox Valley, and yours can be among them.  This is our chance as quilters to show off the talent of the quilters of the Fox Valley.  Any and all quilts and textiles (including embroidery, cross-stitch, crochet and knitting pieces) are welcome!

We NEED your quilts.  Prairie Shop Quilts is the sponsor of the show so we want our customers to be well represented!  Forms are available for downloading at the Batavia Quilt Show website at www.bataviaquiltshow.com. The deadline to submit your form is a ways off but you can submit the form whenever you like – the earlier the better.  To submit your quilts, just visit the website at www.bataviaquiltshow.com and click on the link to “exhibitor application” to print out your form. 

Check out the photos on the website of quilts from past shows.  Vintage quilts are welcome too!  And, this year there is a special exhibit of “Patriotic” quilts – including a special exhibit of Naval Air quilts.  And on Saturday, July 16 you should stop by and see participants in our Mission: Seams Impossible Quick Fire Challenge.  Contestants will have five hours to create, from start to finish, a quilt project based on the theme “Threads from Past to Present.”  It’s going to be VERY exciting!  Friday night plan to attend a presentation by guest speaker Chris Moline whose topic is “A Collector’s Diary”.  She will discuss how to collect quilts, care for them and where to purchase them.  She will also bring a collection of her beautiful antique quilts.

AND, plan to join us to see an exhibit on “Quilting for a Cause” and explore the various charitable opportunities available in the tri-city area.  Each year the show gets bigger and better.  This is the show to put your quilt in.  We need to show the people of the Fox Valley just how many of us love to quilt!  Your quilts can and SHOULD be a part of this great show that will also feature local vendors.  So check out the website and get the scoop!  It’s a great show and if you’ve  never been, this is the year to start!

Fabric
Extra Wides – We just got in more colors of 108” wide cotton backings.  These backings are perfect for quilts more than 42” wide – No Piecing!  In addition to white on whites we also have brown, beige, cream and green.  Check them out.  They are great neutrals that would go with just about any quilt AND they are quick and easy.  Perfect!

Times Flies by Quilting Treasures – We just got in a re-shipment of the fabulous Time Flies fabric by Quilting Treasures.  This fabric features different styles of clocks, there are bolts with words about time, tone on tone cogs, roman numerals and more!  We’ve also made up kits of the Time Flies quilt that we had previously and that sold out in days.  The quilt goes together in hours and is so easy but so stylin’.  The colors are dark and rich in black, brown, reds, greens and more. 

Books
Beautiful Botanicals – 45 Applique Flowers and 14 Quilt Projects by Deborah Kemball – I have seen a lot of books on floral appliqué but the photos of the designs in this book trump them all!  These flowers, leaves and more are not difficult to do (there are detailed instructions on how to hand appliqué each one).  The designs are fantastic and interchangeable and the finished quilts in the back are stunning.  Even if you just want a little flower or leaf, maybe add a berry to a pieced quilt, this book is the perfect guide.  The embroidery technique she uses to create an embellished stem is worth the price of the book alone.  Check it out and be inspired.  I know I was! 

Organizing Solutions for Every Quilter – An Illustrated Guide to the Space of Your Dreams by Carolyn Woods – When I saw the title of this book I thought, I have to have this!  While my sewing room is not out of control (the folks from “Hoarding: Buried Alive” won’t be calling me anytime soon) it is not organized.  I spend hours when I could be sewing looking for scissors, seam rippers, thread, etc.  But no more!  This book promises to make my sewing space a “calm and happy place”.  I say, “Bring it on!”  The ideas inside are specific and applicable to just about any sewing space and includes tips on how to pack and prepare for “Quilting on the go!”  My sewing room is already looking better for having read this book and it is a happy place!  Now if someone could write a book on how to organize my life so I could actually spend time in the room sewing!

Patterns & Samples
Tortilla Bags – Boy, my staff is quick!  The pattern for the Tortilla bag (for heating up tortilla’s) came in one day and the very next day the sample was sitting on our shelves.  Impressive and timely since I made tacos the other night and needed just one of these bags.  I’ll admit at first I was skeptical – did I (or anyone else for that matter) really need a special bag for cooking potatoes or heating up tortillas?  Yes!  After burning two potatoes (and let me tell you, that is NOT a good smell in your microwave) and enduring chewy or crunchy tortillas, I now swear by these bags.  They are so simple to make and what great gifts!  They are adorable, too!  We have potato AND tortilla chip fabric AND we have the specialty batting that is microwave safe.  Check out our samples and then consider making one for yourself and a few for friends!. 

Classes
Rapid Fire Hunter’s Star                                                                                  
Saturday, April 9 from 1 pm to 5 pm
Learn a new technique designed to streamline construction of the traditional Hunter’s Star block.
Class Fee:  $28                                    
Instructor: Edith Hubbard                                
Level: Confident Beginner

The Basics                                                
Sundays, April 10, May 22, June 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 12 pm to 4 pm
Learn the basic techniques of quilting that will give each student a solid foundation to use as a spring board to more complicated projects.  Students will make a sampler quilt of 16 different blocks while learning numerous techniques and building a wealth of quilting knowledge.  Students who take this class will have learned the skills to tackle just about any quilting technique.  The Basics is an excellent opportunity to start at the beginning no matter how long you’ve been quilting.
Class Fee: $135                                               
Instructor:  Barbara Rippel                              
Level: Beginner

Machine Embroidery Club                   
Mondays, April 11, May 9, AND/OR June 13 from 10 am to 12 pm
Come every month or pick and chose to make a new project learning new machine embroidery techniques.  A great way to learn
all the functions of your embroidery machine.  In April, we’ll cover “Creative Cutwork Napkins”.  In May we’ll learn how to embellish jeans and in June learn a Chenille technique (thread velvet).
Class Fee:  $18 each                            
Instructor:  Becky Robinson                            
Level: Beginner & up

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