I’ve been working on the new schedule of classes and events for the fall. Being the non-office type that I am, it’s been a hard week! I love the vision, idea part, but the paperwork part…that’s my sister, not me.
But, perseverance is strength, so I did it. Watch for an email late next week!
Here’s a quick preview of events:
Two major HandiQuilter events! If you own an HQ16 or Fusion, or if you have taken the HQ Rental classes, these events are for you!
Two Cutting/Sewing Workshops to help you use up your stash!
Two Saturday Demo Days where you can learn for free!! On Saturday, October 17 we’ll demo a bunch of notions and gadgets, and on Saturday, November 14 we’ll have a long list of quick, easy but very cute gift ideas.
Expanded UFO schedule:
Saturday, Sept 19 from 3-10
Saturday, Oct 17 from 3-1
Saturday, Nov 21 from NOON – 10 pm Special Edition for us non-football types!!
Saturday, Dec 5 from NOON – 10 pm—more time=more sewing!
Summer in a quilt store can be very busy if you are fortunate enough to have a national quilt show in town and then have a regional Shop Hop 4 weeks later. We were running pretty empty, so we left town early and went to the beach. That kind of cures all, doesn’t it??
If you know us, you can see that David, the white guy, can’t be in the sun very much. Burn City! So, we have always traveled with a tent-without-sides, which was no different this year. David wanted to hit WalMart in Wilmington on the way down, but me? I said NO WAY!! are we depending on my favorite store (not!) to have a tent in stock. We’ll get all the way to the beach, and we’ll end up with no tent! So, David, being the obedient husband, buys a new tent (the old one blew away) at Dick’s. Then, he treks all over online and finds a very cool cartop soft sided bag at www.roofbag.com. (I would recommend this to anyone needing extra space…it worked great and was easy for us to handle)
So, away we go….Sunday we visit the beach late in the day, no tent, and we notice no one has a tent. Monday morning, we hit the beach armed with the tent, a cooler, chairs, boogie boards, towels, etc, etc. Get the tent all set up, and a fellow beach-er comes over. “Have we heard they banned tents on the beach?” Well, obviously we didn’t. “Yes, the first time the Beach Police give you a warning, the second time, it’s a $100 fine.” So of course, we already have the tent up, sand all over it, can’t return it, need a roof between us and the sun. We take the tent down and lather up with 550 SPF. Not really 550, but 70 worked!
Probably less than 30 minutes later, here come the Beach Police (yes, that’s what their white t shirts said in big, bold black letters) cruising down the beach in their golf cart. They patrol looking for tents 2X a day! What a job!
As luck would have it, right next to Myrtle Beach airport (We picked up Erin) is a big mall, and there’s Dick’s Sporting Goods, where David remembers seeing a huge, giant umbrella, seats all of us, red with a silver 125 SPF lining, complete with ropes and stakes. On sale!! Meant to be! So, next day, there we go again, giant umbrella, a cooler, chairs, boogie boards, towels, etc, etc. And, that’s where we lived the next 6 days! Nothing to do but watch the waves! Good times!
Aloha! This year we toured the wonderful Hawaiian Islands, just in time for Hawaii’s 50th anniversary of becoming a state. (Sadly, I actually remember that happening…in elementary school that was a big deal in Social Studies! Oh well…) For those of you who joined us, and for those of you who missed it, here’s a recap of our Quilt Spree Preview Party!
Last minute changes always occur, and thunderstorms happened all day, so we had to open the doors early and move the first island stop indoors! A little congestion followed, but we worked it out. Everyone started the journey with a very beautiful lei! Very authentic!
Here’s a quick rundown of our tour through the islands, and actually a little interpretation of the island names:
Oahu—means The Gathering Place, and that’s where we had a little luau! We had lots of Hawaiian food, like macaroni salad with pineapple and cole slaw with oranges. What luau would be complete without a pig roast?? So, we had SPAM! With pineapple of course, in honor of :
Hawaii has the highest consumption per person of SPAM! 6 cans per year of SPAM for every man, woman and child!! Really, it’s true!
L’nai–The Pineapple Isle, so that’s where we had the drinks, minus the pina coladas because I just couldn’t figure out how to swing it—frozen drinks for 75?? So, we filled a baby pool and had our tacky 8 foot palm tree all lit up like Christmas! Oh, it was beautiful!
Niihau—The Forbidden Isle! Well, that means chocolate in Ohioan, so we had a living and breathing chocolate fountain! YUM!
Molokai—The Friendly Isle is where we conducted the prize drawings…things like books, patterns, bags, some pretty neat stuff!
Maui—The Valley Isle—what’s a party at a quilt store without taking home fabric that keeps calling your name?
Hawaii—The Big Island—HandiQuilter sent us large tote bags to give out to all of our guests, so we just gathered around the HQ16 for a little gift giving!
Kahoolawe–The Target Isle—Now, I saved the best for now! We played only one game this year, but it was a good one! We called it Honolulu Horseshoes, but it was really “throw a lei around David” Sound easy? Would have been, except looking at David dressed in a real cute Hawaiian sarong and a coconut bra!! So, hard to focus, wouldn’t you say?? Well, Mary Ellen had to remind him to sit like a lady, if you know what I mean! I guess Judy never went over that etiquette fact with him!
Kauai—The Garden Isle is where we handed out gift bags to everyone as they said their Alohas
In addition, everyone enjoyed a 20% discount on almost everything! So, if you missed it, don’t miss it next year! It’s always different, always a surprise, and always fun! What more is there?
Yea!!! We have a day off in the middle of the week, thanks to Becky and Colleen working together today. What did we do? Well, we opened the store at 9am to meet a fabric rep, only to find out one of us (anonymous) had the time an hour off, so we went to breakfast while we waited for the fabric rep to come to the 10 am appointment. After we finished ordering some gorgeous fabric f0r March, April and May delivery, we came home. At a loss about what we used to do when we had a day off, I remembered I had forgotten to email payroll figures. Whoops! Big mistake. That done, I started penciling in classes for April-June. I’ve come up with some new classes this quarter including a 2 session class by Frauke Palmer, featuring her beautiful hanging we have in the store by the front door. It’s lime green pieced background, (session 1) with gorgeous magenta and purple “vases” (session 2). It will be a fantastic class, completed right before the quilt needs to travel to a show. Be sure and stop in and look up!
Well, I really should be finishing laundry and cleaning the bathrooms, but it’s more fun to think ab out new classes. And, of course, I could sew a little. I’m working on a sample table runner/wall hanging for celebrating birthdays. It’s really cute and super easy. I’ll post a picture when I’m done.
I must admit after today’s cold rain and gray skies, I am officially done with winter. If it can’t be tons of snow, enough to cause all fo us to stay home and sew for days, then it might as well be warm and sunny. So, bring on the warm and sunny. There, I said it!
Just a reminder to all of you HQ16 owners: don’t forget to take care of your “Sweet 16″! Here’s the basic list:
Every 2-3 hours of quilting, place a drop of oil in the bottom of the bobbin casing, (after you remove the bobbin and bobbin case) and turn the machine on for a few stitches. Keep the pen on the oiler pulled out—-don’t push it back in after each use’it introduces dirt and air and will cause the oil to discolor, signaling a break down in it’s lubricating abilities. If you can’t remember when you last oiled your machine, oil it!
change the needle every 4-6 hours of quilting
use a small watercolor brush to clean out all the lint that collects inside the machine arm. Remove the bobbin and clean all around, as far as you can reach with the small brush. Don’t forget to reach up and dust the underside of the metal throat plate. Do not use canned air!
Keep the bobbin case free of lint build up by using a piece of paper or business card (nothing bigger) and pushing it up between the tension spring and bobbin case. Sometimes lint is trapped and prevents even tension.
Keep the white tracks white! Use a terry towel and some cleaner (Fantastic or 409) and keep the tracks clean for a smoother ride.
Keep the upper tension area free of lint and dust by using that small brush around the discs.
Keep your HQ16 unplugged (even though it’s connected to a good quality serge protector) and covered (less dust) when not in use.
Have your machine cleaned and adjusted every year if you quilt a lot—it will help prolong the life of the mechanical parts so you can enjoy years and years of quilting fun! Call and make an appointment, we can provide same day service!
Today was a snow day for most of us, and I did what most other quilters did—sewed all day! It was beautiful watching it snow out the window while actually getting warm from all the lights and other heat sources in the room!
So, Sunday we have a “Super Sale”! Not a “Super Bowl Sale”, because we sure don’t want to get in any trouble with the NFL. But, come from 1 to 4 on Sunday, Feb 1 and we’ll have a Super Sale! 20% off most things.
So, during the Super Bowl, what are you going to do? Watch football? Or join me in quilting? Our house is divided: one for football, one for quilting. (That is, unless I can get Louberg over here to sew with me.) Leave a comment and let me know!!
Pour into a heavily buttered 9″ x 13″ casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Check the center to make sure it is done. Serves 12-15
This is a favorite recipe from a former client of mine, and we enjoy this almost every Christmas! Add some fruit and sausage or bacon and everyone is happy…..except the vegetarian daughter who’s allergic to eggs! Oh yeah, that’s why there’s the fruit.
Well, it was great to see all of you bright and early the first day of the first month of the New Year! I was surprised at the head count—-wow—it’s crazy being early for an 8 AM party!! But, we had a good time! Next year, you’ll have to join us. There was plenty of space, and lots of food. We went through 3 lbs EACH of sausage, bacon, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, 3 dozen eggs and donut holes and bagels. Plus, OJ, coffee and champagne! (I’ll post the recipe for the EggBake)
If you didn’t make it in to the Party, you missed the debut of our Crowns! We have a new promo for 2009: Make a crown using a “Details by Diane” Crown pattern and each time you wear it in to QuiltTrends you can put your name in a drawing for a prize at the end of each month! The crowns are fun to make and you can embellish them to your hearts’ content. One entry per day per person!
We’re having free classes for the crowns, so check the “Class Schedule” and sign up!
It’s fall, and we sure need a good recipe for something to do with those apples. Since the girls and I went to pick our own, I’ve been using apples a lot! I found a recipe online, but of course altered it. The recipe calls for 10 cups of apples, but I just fill a 9″ x 13″ pan, then proceed. So, here’s the recipe:
FILLING:
10 cups sliced apples (or fill a cake pan)
1/4 cup lemon juice (I was out, so didn’t use it!)
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (ditto above)
3/4 cup sugar
cinnamon (my addition)
Stir apples together with other ingredients and place in pan.
TOPPING: in a mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oats (this makes it not get crunchy)
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Distribute the crumbly topping mixture over the apple filling. Bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, or until apples are tender, but not over cooked.
Apples vary in sweetness and personal tastes vary, so gauge sugar amount accordingly. If you’re not that adventuresome, think of it this way—how much dessert have you thrown away at your house lately???Just do it and take notes later! Enjoy!!
You might think that being empty nesters, and living in a small community of mostly empty nesters that Trick or Treat night might be quiet at our house. Not this year.!! Erin called to say since BF was out of town, she would come over and carve her pumpkin on Trick or Treat night. Then Kelly decided she would too, because, you know, tradition! Well, you know, tradition is what took us a few Saturdays ago to the apple pick-your-own farm, where we left with a ton of apples and a few pumpkins and assorted goodies, like an elephant ear. I’ve made one apple pie, and two big pans of Apple Crisp, gave Kathy a bunch to crunch, and still have a bunch for applesauce. I think I’ll have to borrow Kelly’s apple peeler I used when I went to Kindergarten to make applesauce with her kids!
OK, so, on to Trick or Treat night. Kelly teaches Kindergarten, and she deals with 30+ little kids a day, through thick and thin, sickness and health. Notice the stuff flowing out of the mouth! Since a picture is worth a whole lot of words, here it is:
Now, Erin is a Martha Stewart type, so she brought all of her fall cookie cutters and borrowed David’s hammer to create hers:
As for me, I picked all the seeds out of that slimey stuff, and now have an entire mixing bowl full of seeds to roast, as well as some fun memories of Trick or Treat with the kids!
