Sweet Stitches Quilt Shop January 2018 Newsletter

SSQS Journal

Issue 5 January 2018 

Sweet Stitches Celebrates 1st Anniversary

Sweet Stitches Quilt Shop is celebrating our 1st Anniversary on January 3, 2018. One year ago we opened the doors to our shop and we cannot be more excited about the future. We are so happy to have shared our first year in business with all of you and we thank you for your support and encouragement along the way. To celebrate our one year milestone, we are having a sale. All fabrics cut from the bolt will be 20% off and everything else in the store will be 15% off on January 3, 2018 from 10 until 5pm.

We look forward to seeing you in 2018 !

Block of the Month "Mystical Prism"

Our Mystical Prism Block of the Month will begin January 5th with an introduction to the block of the month program and helpful tips that will get you started on this Batik Beauty.

The Introduction will begin at 11:30 am in the shop classroom immediately following our First Friday of the Month Demonstration Day from 10:30- 11:30 so come on in for the Free Demo Day and stay for the Block of the Month Introduction at 11:30 am.

Your block of the month packet will have all the fabrics and clearly written instructions for you to follow each month. For accurate piecing it is recommended that you use the Creative Grids 2 Peaks in 1 - 6” Triangle Ruler so check to see if you have this ruler in your collection.  We will have rulers for purchase at our introduction event on January 5th.

If you have not already, call the shop to get on the Block of the Month member list and be sure to order your ruler ahead of time. The cost of the Mystical Prism Block of the Month is $25.00 per month for 12 months and the ruler is $24.95.

Any questions call the shop 219-250-5942 or email us at info@sweetstitchesquiltshop.com

Great News - Sweet Stitches is an Official Quilt of Valor Shop! 

We are excited to be part of this wonderful organization! The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. We are now a drop off location for donated items such as fabrics (100% Cotton Quilt Shop Quality), Quilts, Quilt Tops and Pillowcases that you wish to donate.

Our first event for the year will be The National Day of Sewing which will take place on February 3, 2018 from 10 am until 4:00 pm in the shop classroom. The National Day of Sewing takes place at this time every year as quilters, quilt groups and shops get together to make quilts as a nation. This is our second year hosting this event at our shop and we would love to have our customers and friends join us.

Come into Sweet Stitches Quilt Shop on Saturday, February 3, 2018 between the hours of 10:00 am to 4:00 pm to sew a "String" quilt block for the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Our classroom will have Elna sewing machines set up for you to use and all materials will be cut and ready for you to sew. Members of the String-A-Long Stars & Stripes Group will be there to help anyone wanting to make a quilt block to honor a veteran.

Everyone that participates February 3rd will have their name in a drawing for one of three Sweet Stitches Quilt Shop Gift Certificates ($25.00, and $15.00 and $10.00 gift certificates) We will draw names at the end of the day. (winner need not be present). We will give the winners a call and certificates can be picked up the following week during our business hours.

We look forward to hosting more QOV sewing events throughout the year and working towards covering all our veterans in thanks!

Pre-Game Mystery Party

Join our team Sunday, February 4, 2018 for our second annual Pregame Mystery Party!

The kick off starts at Noon and the game ends at 5:00 pm just in time to get home for the Super Bowl. The shop will open at 11:00 am so you can huddle up with your fellow players, find your position and get your machine set up for the kick off clue at noon. Every half hour from 12:00 to 5:00 you will receive a new clue to work towards the goal of building your mystery quilt. Your mystery quilt top should be complete by the end of our game day and we will provide border measurements for a post game finish at home. The mystery quilt will be a finished size 64" x 82" quilt -  a nice lap size quilt for cuddling on the couch.

Sign up for the team by calling the shop or online here.

This  team event is limited to 11 players, so sign up soon! Sign up is $25.00 for the day and it must be paid to hold your spot. Each player will receive a list with fabric requirements and pregame prep work you will need to complete before game day comes around. There will be half-time food and drinks provided for our players and a little signing bonus for each player that day . So sign up soon, pick those team colors, get your game plan together and join Coach Joan on the field for a day of fun!

Block of the Month Sadies Keepsake

For those of you participating in our Hand Embroidery Block of the Month Sadie’s Keepsake your Month 5 Block is now ready and available for pick up on or after January 2.

First Fridays

 

Our First Fridays Demonstration Day is January 5, 2018 from 10:30 am - 11:30 am in the shop classroom. Our theme for the Demo is Curved Piecing. There will be demonstrations on a few specialty curved piecing rulers and their different patterns along with free form curved piecing and Appliqued Curved Piecing. We will have lots of tips and techniques to make piecing with curves EASY! Join us for this and every free Demo Day on the first Friday of each month.

We will be presenting our new Block of the Month, Mystical Prism right after Demo Day at 11:30 am. The classroom will be open for Free Sew Fridays after the Block of the Month Introduction for anyone who wants to stay and sew the day away until 4:00 pm so bring your projects, machines and meet other quilters!

Class Schedule for January and February

We have published our new class schedules for January and February so be sure to check out the new schedule by clicking the link here.

We have a new Beginners Quilting Class scheduled on Mondays in January. It is a four part class starting January 8 through January 29, that's each Monday in January from 10:30- 12:30. The beginning class will cover all the aspects of quilting that a beginner needs to know. We will go over the tools you really need, how to use them properly and safely, to construction, quilting by machine and binding a quilt. Like any learned talent, Quilters need to build their skills overtime and starting with a smaller, more manageable sized quilt such as a wall hanging/table topper that we will make in class to help you gain confidence when you move on to bigger projects in the future. If you are a beginning quilter or you know someone that might be interested to start quilting, this is a great opportunity to get started!

Other classroom news - Because our First Fridays Demonstration Day on January 5th will cover curved piecing, I have added two class to the month of January on quilts made with curved piecing. The Urban Abacus Quilt and the Rainbow Blocks Quilt. I have also added 2 sets of ABC’s of Free Motion Quilting Classes and my Dresden Snowflake Quilt which is a two part class. I hope to see you in one of our classes!

A Machine Minute

As you know, Sweet Stitches is now an Authorized Elna Sewing Machine Dealer. With this issue of the SSQS Journal we introduce "A Machine Minute" featuring tips and tricks concerning your sewing machine and accessories. 

General Maintenance of your machine is critical for it to maintain optimum performance. Just like any mechanical device, a sewing machine can last for many years and provide countless hours of excellent operation provided the basics of machine maintenance are applied. 

Tip: Each day of use, remove the cover plate, bobbin and bobbin case. Clean these items and the housing with a small soft brush and or a vacuum. NEVER NEVER use compressed or canned air! This is especially true for electronic and computerized machines. Using compressed air can push lint and dust deeper into the machine creating a risk to electronic circuits and boards.