Check out www.shopquiltology.com. The inventory online is the shop inventory--so you can order in your jammies at midnight or stop by and do the touchy feely test in the shop.
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Check out www.shopquiltology.com. The inventory online is the shop inventory--so you can order in your jammies at midnight or stop by and do the touchy feely test in the shop.
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Amy Butler's newest collection--MIDWEST MODERN has started shipping and we've got three full shelves of these fresh new prints in the shop!
I'll be adding these fabrics to our shopquiltology.com site in the next few days. In the meantime, if you want to see them, drop by the shop.
190North reporter Lou Canellis and his all girl crew stopped by Quiltology last week to tape a segment for their show. Lou’s yia yia must have taught him right—yaya is Greek for grandma btw—he nailed the quarter inch patchwork seams and sewed them straight! I put him to work on sewing strip sets for our beginner Urban Amish quilt—but I think this guy may be ready to tackle stars! Lou, think you can handle a little bias?Sorry to say, I forgot my camera so no preview pics for you this week. You’ll have to tune into the show this coming Sunday April 20th @ 10:35pm on ABC7 to see the fun.
A few notes—the next machine quilting workshop is scheduled for Saturday April 26th from 10a to 3p. We’ve got a brand new Bernina 440QE in the shop—this is the big girl machine with BSR—that’s the Bernina Stitch Regulator—a real dream quilting machine. We’ve still got two open spaces—call soon to reserve a spot.
And for all of you who’ve been paying us all that money (not that we’re complaining) to finish off your binding—here’s your chance to learn how to do it for yourself—a binding class scheduled for Tuesday night April 29th @ 6:30p to8:30p. This is $30 that will be well spent my friends!
Now…we’re ready for close-up…thank goodness TV doesn’t add pounds to the quilts!
CU SOON,
Colette
]]>Is it spring yet?We hope so! You gotta love the longer daylight.
Lots of you have been asking about evening hours. My policy has always been--as long as the lights are on--you're welcome to drop in and shop or check out what we're doing in class. Now it's official--Quiltology will be open from noon to 8p on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Next weekend is the big quilt show at in Rosemont--so we'll be open on Friday and extending the shop hours on Saturday and Sunday.
EXTENDED SHOP HOURS...QUILT WEEKEND
Our birthday event was a smashing success--thank you to all of you who stopped by the shop. We hung some amazing quilts from students who took classes here this past year. And we're leaving them up for a couple of weeks--so if you missed them, stop in soon and check them out.
"Carnaval" by Ron Bedard (In & Out pattern--Ricky Timms hand dyed fabrics)
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We're turning two this week.
And to celebrate--we're hosting our annual OPEN HOUSE on Sunday March 30 from noon to 5p.
We'll be taking down our store sample quilts so we can hang some of the wonderful quilts our students and customers have made this past year. Feel free to stop by and see what everybody else has been up to. Have a cup of coffee--or glass of wine--visit with some of quilting friends--or meet some new ones. And stay tuned for our annual sale events...details to come this week!
cu soon,
Colette
ps...April classes are startinig next week.
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The queen of scrappy patchwork goodness has been busy—Jan Aaron has been digging deep into her stash and using up all those bits and pieces of fabric to create a series of fun paper pieced baby quilts. And we’ve got the one pictured to the left hanging in the shop. We’re calling it “Urban Amish Too” because it’s a simple way of taking strip quilting to the next level.
Why paper piece? Well, my friends, because it will make your life so much easier!
Sound good? You bet. Paper piecing is a great way to achieve accuracy. You can totally avoid that annoying stretching problem that results in distortion—and—you get to use up all those small pieces of scrap fabric you just couldn’t bring yourself to throw away!
What more could you want?
Paper piecing (aka foundation piecing) has been around for ages. Crazy quilters often used muslin to stabilize their odd size pieces of delicate silk, satin and velvet fabrics. Now we use paper—often printed with lines to follow—nice! Using paper as a foundation to piece patchwork will allow you to construct more complicated patterns easily and accurately. Whether you’re into taking on a Mariner’s Compass or the amazing New York Beauty—this is a technique you’ll use over and over again. And basic triangles—forgetaboutit—you’ll never fear bias again!
Jan will be teaching the paper piecing method in the April studio class. You can work on one of her patterns—or bring in your own. Personally I’m excited about this class because I’m planning to join in and work on a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time now—piecing my dad’s neckties into diagonal blocks. Join us!
Paper Piecing Studio Project Class
Thursday nights April 10, 17 & 24 @ 6:30p to 9pm
$125 + supplies
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As we’re plunging into yet another week of sub-zero wind chill temps, I find myself wondering—am I just getting used to this or have my cold weather coping mechanisms finally kicked in? I ran to the grocery store tonight because I needed cat food—believe me I wouldn’t have stopped for any other reason—and in the parking lot I found myself chatting with a woman who pulled up next to me. She asked me if I liked my Seabring convertible! Yes, I replied—more so in July than right at this moment—but yes I love my convertible.
So what’s gotten into me? How have I made my peace with this wicked cold spell?
Well, sleep, glorious sleep—early to bed, early to rise—a quick little jog on the dusty old treadmill in the corner of the bedroom—and then lots of morning coffee while I noodle around on the Internet to catch up on the important stuff like my horoscope. And that’s just for starters. Here are some of my other winter coping mechanisms…
1) Hanging a Hawaii calendar over my desk
2) Slathering on lots of lotions and potions—get messy, it works!
3) A new humidifier (who ever thought I get excited about that!)
4) MSNBC—the perfect alternative to the gray CNN and red FOX for all of us political junkies—and what a year it is!
5) Charlie Meowski—my new cuddle puss—this guy is a rescue and a real sweetheart.
6) Netflix—delivered right to your door—or mailbox as the case may be.
7) Sterling Cabernet—I’m a red wine girl.
8) Aveeno soothing bath treatments—whoever invented these things must have known what they were doing.
9) Carbs—the natural comfort food—what can I say—bathing suit weather is months away.
10) Binding my new Kaffe Fassett Hot Diamonds quilt!
There’s nothing like putting a binding on a big quilt project in the dead of winter. This one took me a couple of nights, all curled up under mounds of fabric, Mr. Meowski on one side, my cabernet on the other. I threw in a Netflix and dreamt of the hot summer nights to come. Sometimes it’s nice to simply stitch methodically and enter into a winter Zen zone—toasty and warm—content and happy to be finishing something wonderful.
cu soon,
Colette
]]>Sometimes we all need a little help from our friends. And thanks to the Internet—our circle of friends reaches far and wide to people we haven’t even met yet. The cyber quilting community is alive and thriving with lot of great ideas, tips, tricks and tutorials—not to mention loads of POCS—that’s plain old common sense!
So if you’re feeling a little stuck re: quilt borders, backings, bindings or quilting the quilt—you are not alone. We’ve all been there, which is why we’re adding in a new section on our nav bar with links to some really great places to find the info you’re looking when you need it. If you’ve find a site or blog that’s particularly useful—feel free to share—send it our way and we’ll add it to the list.
Cheers,
Colette
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It was bound to happen—someone ripped off my Urban Amish pattern. Sure, they can claim that this is a variation on a theme—that they’ve created something substantially different—in this case adding on a big honking (and dare I say ugly) border—but I know and they know—this is the same quilt—my Urban Amish with their big butt-ugly border.
Okay, what to do….
1. I could fire off an angry email fueled with indignation and peppered with a few choice words!
2. I could compose a very business like cease and desist letter gently reminding them that there is such a thing as copyright law in the United States of America.
3. Or I could take the high road—accept the old adage that “imitation is the highest form of flattery” and simply move on.
Bingo…this snowy morning it’s number 3. As I thought about this, I realized that I’m not in the pattern business—I’m in the teaching business. I designed Urban Amish as a project for my intro to patchwork class. It was intended to be copied by my students and customers. Beginners follow in the footsteps of more experienced quilters in order to learn the craft and perfect the technique—it's how we all learn. When I started quilting, I was inspired to recreate the quilts I saw and loved. This is the way it works!
Case in point—Jill Zenoff’s new queen sized Urban Amish! This is a wonderful new quilt made from a gentle mix of Joel Dewberry prints and batiks. I always say, there are the “wow” quilts we hang on the walls, and then there are the “ah” quilts we live with on our beds. This is a Zen-ah!
Jill has turned into quite the power patchworker. She's now helping me with store samples and teaching the Sewing Machine Basics class. And the amazing things is, Jill just started sewing and quilting a little more than a year ago when her friend Anne talked her into joining the beginning class. Since then she’s made a bunch of quilts including a Blooming 9-Patch as a wedding quilt for her friend Katie, another as a gift for her new niece and now a charity quilt for a fundraiser she’s organizing in March. You go girl!
Want to make a copy of your own Urban Amish? February classes are starting up next week. Come join us….
Stay warm and dry everybody!
Colette
]]>The new Kaffe Fassett fabrics are starting to arrive….take a look at this stuff on our shopping site!
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