Hello Everyone,

April is rolling in like a spring shower pouring down many things to do and see this month. We hope you are all enjoying the Spring Easter Holiday with your family and friends. The following weekend we hope you plan on attending String-A-Long Quilt Guild’s 17th Biennial Quilt Show “A Spring Garden of Quilts” April 7^th (9am-5pm) & April 8^th (10am-4pm) at the Porter County Expo Center. There will be over 200 Quilts on display for you enjoy, 16 vendors to shop (yes we will be one them), a beautiful raffle quilt to take a chance on, raffle baskets of all kinds, and silent auction quilts that will raise funds for Kits for K-9’s.

There will also be a Quilt of Valor Display and information table for those interested in making quilts for veterans and soldiers who have served their country in times of war. Sweet Stitches is a Quilt of Valor Shop and we are eager to share some exciting news with you at the show. Be sure to stop by the QOV Display near the Quilt of Valor Information Table to learn more about Joans Quilt "With Great Fanfair".



There is much more at the show so be sure to check out the Quilt Flower Challenge, visit the Guild Boutique to buy one of a kind crafts, bring your scissors for sharpening and be sure to grab some food by Tate’s Place of Portage too. Quilt Shows are always inspiring and we hope you come out and support your local quilt guild, your local quilt shop merchants and keep the art of quilting alive and thriving in Northwest Indiana!

There will be a few changes to our class / event Calendar for April. Do to the fact that the First Friday of the Month, when we usually have our Free Demonstration Day and Mystical Prism Block of the Month Demonstration, is on the same day as set up for the String-a-Long Quilt Guild Quilt Show, we thought we would skip both demos as most of our usual attendees will be working to set up the show and we ourselves will be packing up the truck to set up our booth at the show. The shop will still be open both Friday and Saturday for those who are picking up their Hand Embroidery Block of the Month Kits and/or their Mystical Prism Block of the Month Kits and of course we will be open for all your fabric shopping needs too- we can’t fit the whole shop in our show booth! The Mystical Prism Block of the Month block is very simple this month so a simple explanation of the directions when you pick up your block is all that will be needed.  

Our First Friday Demo in May will be on “Wonderful Wedges” so mark May 4^th at 10:30 am on your Calendar. One more change to our April Events Calendar is the kick off date for our Mid Month Mystery Quilt. I have spent the whole month of March working on all new quilts for the booth at the show and time has slipped by, there are not enough hours in the day to get all the things done that I have planned but I want to make sure this mystery quilt is fully ready so the new start date is now MAY 19th. If you have already signed up, don't worry, we have your information. If you would like to join in on the mid-month mystery starting in May you can click here to sign up.

May All Your Stitches be Sweet,

Joan

Block of the Month - Sadies Keepsake       

For those of you participating in our Hand Embroidery Block of the Month Sadie’s Keepsake your Month 8 Block is now ready and available for pick up on or after April 2.

Block of the Month - Mystical Prism       

For those of you participating in our Mystical Prism Batik BOM, your Month 4 Block is now ready and available for pick up on or after April 2.

Class Schedule for April and May

 

Joan, Linda and Heather have a month full of classes for you. From Tote Bags, Hand Embroidery to Free Motion Quilting and much much more, you can see our class schedules for April and May by clicking the link here. Be sure to stop back often as we do add classes during the month.

General Maintenance and proper technique are critical for optimum performance of your sewing machine and project outcome.

Spring has Sprung ! 

This is the machine minute so we are not talking Daffodils, Crocus and Tulips, we are talking machine springs. Your sewing machine is a mechanical devise that has a wide variety of springs that ensure moving parts are properly aligned, return to position or simply supply needed tension for correct operation. Many of these springs, while very small, support important mechanical requirements. It is not uncommon that springs are dislodged and lost when machines are cleaned with pipe cleaners and similar items. While cleaning your machine at home, it is difficult to see these springs and easy to dislodge one and never know until a symptom develops such as an unusual sound, poor stitch quality or a host of other possible negative results. To keep your Springs in place, use only cleaning brushes and vacuum at home and take your machine for professional cleaning at least once per year!

 
This is an actual spring that is found just under the bobbin holder on most machines!

Quilters of all skill levels can find encouragement, inspiration and creativity at Sweet Stitches Quilt Shop. Located in Chesterton, Indiana just a few miles from the natural beauty of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Sweet Stitches Quilt Shop is your destination for fabrics, notions and all things quilting. We carry a wide variety of brights, batiks and reproduction fabrics as well as notions, patterns, books and Elna sewing machines. Our large classroom offers students everything they need to learn and grow their quilting talents. From fabric selection to project advice to training on your new machine, our friendly, knowledgeable staff is ready to assist. Stop by the store or click the "Shop Online" link to view our wide variety of products ready to ship direct to your door.

1585 South Calumet Road  Chesterton, IN 46304
219.250.5942
www.sweetstitchesquiltshop.com