Thanks!

Thanks to all our wonderful customers for your support throughout the past year. Due to your loyal patronage, we continue to move forward and make improvements to the store. We have just finished adding new shelving throughout the store and have reorganized the fabric. It will take a little getting used to, but you will likely see fabric you have never noticed before! So come see us, bring your friends, and start 2008 off right with some new stash, or a new sewing machine. January 1st, New Years Day, is our big Anniversary Fabric SALE from 1-5 p.m. All fabric 25% off! And our Berninas remain on sale through Wednesday, January 2, with great deals on many models. We hope to see you soon!

Julie's Two-Second Quilt

Here is my latest quilt and it went so fast! It is from the book Sweet and Simple with a Lime Twist, by Lavender Lime. I think it took me longer to cut and put the borders on than piecing the blocks. I used fabric from the Chez Moi Fresh Air collection by Moda. I will give you 10% off this book, thru Friday, December 14th, if you mention that you saw my quilt on the blog!

Julie

Laurel Burch News

We have just received Fanciful Felines - a great new collection from Laurel Burch that brings back her often-requested cats! This is the first of many new collections that Laurel's family will be introducing in her memory over the coming years.



In addition to the cats, we also received a wonderful line of Laurel Burch basics which coordinate wonderfully with this new collection.



Stop by to see this wonderful fabric line.

Batik News

Great news for all of us batik fanatics! A new line from Moda just arrived---Leaf Reflections Batiks. Beautiful patterns in shades of teal, jade, grass, bark, brick, sand and burgandy. We also just received a line of pastel batik stripes. Come on in and check them out!

Toys for Tots

We are an official drop-off site this year for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation. "The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders." Please help by donating a new or gently used toy, unwrapped, in our box. For more information or other ways to help and more donation sites, visit the Toys for Tots website. We thank you for caring and helping this holiday season!

Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe Fassett is here in town and the first workshop is going on today, Friday, at the Sheraton Hotel. We can still accomodate a few more people at his "Kaleidoscope of Color" lecture tomorrow, October 20, Saturday evening at 7 p.m. The lecture will be held at the Grace Church, 200 Sage Road, Chapel Hill, 27514. The fee is $20 and you may pay at the door.
We will have copies of Kaffe's new book, Quilts in the Sun, available for purchase.
Doors will open at 6:30.

Directions:http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=200+Sage+Road,+Chapel+Hill,+NC&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.599615,57.919922&ie=UTF8&ll=35.955777,-79.01556&spn=0.030501,0.056562&z=14&iwloc=addr&om=1

Deer in the headlights?

No, a deer in the quilt shop! We arrived Saturday morning to find a buck had crashed through the front window of the Bernina room, landing right on an Artista 640. Fortunately it happened just minutes before we arrived to open the store, so no one was in the room at the time. He turned around and went right back out the way he came in, leaving a huge mess of broken glass and blood behind. The deer was badly injured and the police told us he died on someone's front porch in a nearby neighborhood. Customers started arriving and we had a class starting, so closed the door to that room and kept right on going. We found a very efficient company, Servpro, who sent two hard workers to take care of the clean-up and board up the broken window. They arrived within two hours and did a great job. We have said it before... that you just never know what will happen next, even in a little quilt shop!!

Stash Dash-it's almost time

OK, so if you have never done Stash Dash you are probably wondering what the fuss is all about! So here you go: The theme this year is "Think Outside the Blocks." The event goes on for 3 days-this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You buy a little passport ($5) at one of the participating 8 stores, (and if you get it right now we still have a few collector's pins!) Starting on Thursday, you visit each store, be sure to get your passport stamped at the stamping station, and you will be given a free pattern. The pattern will be one of eight parts of a quilt, and you will see eight different versions of THE official Stash Dash quilt made up in each store. Feel free to take photos, as at your last store you get to vote on your favorite quilt. Each store will offer you a 20% off coupon for one item of your choice. Door prizes will abound, (see photo of our sea of goodie bags!!) and you are likely to run into every quilter in the Triangle at one store or another.

The stores this year: Us of course, in Raleigh: Bernina World of Sewing, Sew Unique, and Carolina Sew-n-Vac, in Cary: Etc, Crafts and Elegant Stitches, in Wake Forest: Quilts Like Crazy, and in Selma: Whistle Stop Quilt Shop.

Now, here is the big kicker: Turn in your passport at your last store and you will be entered in the Grand Prize drawing which is a fabulous selection of 16 big prizes, including 3 sewing machines, notions, fabric, tools, etc!

So quilters, do not miss this fabulous event, and if you show up in our store toward the end of the day, bring wine or margaritas, or mojitos (for the staff that is...!)

See you soon. And if you were thinking of just regular fabric shopping this weekend, better wait til Sunday!

Flower Sale

SALE!! We have 100's of bolts of gorgeous florals on sale. Celebrate the rain with us by getting a garden quilt started! They are 35% off and going fast! Sale continues through Saturday 10-5.
Hope to see you here...

Jelly Rolls

We just got in these new Moda Jelly Rolls-the bright ones are called "Alien Invasion" by Amy Bradley and the other ones are from a collection called "Shangri La". The Shangri La Jelly Rolls come in these cute little suitcase-style tins that is perfect for holding sewing notions. They come with a free pattern inside too. So what is a Jelly Roll you ask? Well it's pretty new if you are feeling out of the loop, but they are 2.5" strips perfectly pre-cut for you and tightly rolled into an irresistable little package. And what do you do with them? Well, make a quilt of course...and to help with that we have lots of patterns that use 2.5' strips. Endless fun!

Keep Cool and Sew

Wow, it's been a long time since we posted. Where did August go? School starts tomorrow and the weather forecast promises a little relief from the record breaking heat. Thank goodness. It's been a good month for staying inside and sewing, so I guess we shouldn't complain, since we have such a great indoor hobby. So what have we been up to at Thimble Pleasures? We reorganized the store a little bit, so don't panic when you walk in and there's Christmas fabric, where Kaffe used to be! Kaffe has a new and bigger location along the wall where all the florals used to be. We're not sure where the florals went... The loads of new fabric Julie bought after Spring Market are arriving. We just put out some new bright pastel batiks that are gorgeous. There's a new Fusions collection-a roses print in many colors. If you like sheep there is a group of sheep fabrics that are adorable. Hope you all have been sewing cause its almost time for Fall Market! My machine has been whirring away all weekend. Two small quilts are almost done. I'll post some photos when I can take them in the daylight!
Karen

Hot new notion

These beautiful new Olfa rotary cutters just arrived and we can hardly resist them. They are decorated with orange or plum Calanthas, and just make cutting your new fabric even more fun.

Halloween fabrics are arriving and some are not even out of the box yet, but if you get started soon, you could have a wallhanging ready by Halloween. Come by, its cool in here!

Cool new stuff

We have a whole new assortment of fun embellishing products, like Bead Soup, Bead Gravy, Oliver Twist, Boucle, Radiance and Eyelash yarns, lots of new colors of Paintstiks and Angelina fibers. Oooh, ooh, just so enticing. Plump bolts of spectacular Alexander Henry's keep showing up, and if you haven't seen Jason Yenter's new collection from In the Beginning Fabrics, come quick as some are just about gone. The collection is called Floragraphix and is a luscious mixture or florals and graphix in 22 (whoops, 21 now) different prints. I took a photo but it didnt do them justice so just come see!

Quilting for Teens

We are back from Bernina University and our heads are spinning with new ideas. We are all working on integrating some of what we learned , with new quilts, classes and techniques to keep bringing you fresh inspiration. Meanwhile, while we were gone, our wonderful staff filled up the store with new goodies. (fabric!) So come see! We keep finding new bolts that we had not yet seen.

Coming up soon, with space still available, is our first-ever quilting class especially for teens, 13 and up. If they are just a little familiar with the use of the sewing machine they can take this class. They will make a simple and gorgeous, large, throw-size quilt using the fabric of their choice. We carefully scheduled this class during the late summer so that most teens would be back from camp or vacation, but had not started school. Stop by to see the beautiful sample made by our teacher, Kristie Taylor, using Amy Butler's fabrics. (pictured above) The class starts Monday August 6 and will be held from 2-4pm,then will continue on Tues, Thursday and Friday of that week.

Greetings from Orlando

We are writing from 18 floor of the Hyatt Regency overlooking Disney and Epcot. There is the most outrageous pool you have ever seen, however we have only had time to get in it once! Our butts are sore from sitting in classes all day and learning all we can about what's coming up from Bernina. We will remember as much as we can and share it with you when we get back. Some new machines have been unveiled along with new books and embroidery software from Ricky Tims that you will love.
See you soon!!
Julie, Gail, Celeste and Karen

I'M BACK

I"M BACK!!!!!!! I can't tell you how good it is to be back amongst my friends- the fabric bolts... and it has been great seeing all of you, too!
I hope the group is enjoying themselves in Florida, at Bernina Universtiy. I can not believe they left Kathleen and myself in charge. Of course Jean, Kathryn, Lisa and Lea are keeping a close eye on the two of us. We have been warned about completely re-arranging everything and confusing everybody.
Kathleen did get into several of the new arrival boxes. That's her favorite thing to do. She pulled the Floragraphix (from "In the Beginning" fabrics) out. They are fabulous. Lisa, Kathleen and I have naturally already cut ourselves some. There was an arrival of new boxes yesterday and I just might get into them (even before Kathleen!).
It really is great being back. I've missed the interaction with all of you. We really do have the best customers in the world. See you all soon- Diane

Bernina University

Julie, Celeste, Gail and Karen are heading off to Bernina Unversity in Orlando on Saturday. Bernina has all sorts of cool things planned for us, so we hope to come back with lots of new ideas to share with you. Diane will be back working in the store on Saturday, and she and Kathleen, Lea, Kathryn, Lisa and Jean will be holding the fort down for us while we're gone. So be sure to come by and give them a hard time! (and buy lots of fabric, cause the store is busting at the seams!)

Quilting at the Beach

I spent last week at Corolla Light on the Outer Banks, and in between the delightful weather and plenty of beach time, I taught my neices how to quilt. Pictured on top is Rachel, 17, working on an Itty Bitty Bag and below are Christina and LeeAnn, both 10, with their finished quilts! They did all the piecing, machine quilting, the binding, and even the hand-stitching themselves. It was a great experience for me, and they were just tickled and so proud of their quilts and Rachel of her new purse. We had a sewing room all to ourselves, (the boys had a pool room!) two Berninas, and lots of great fabric as you can see! What fun, I highly recommend getting kids sewing at age 10 or so. They can reach the foot pedal, are great at following directions and have the attention span to keep working until the project is done. I am so proud of them!

Karen

Well, we no sooner get one entry made and another two big boxes of fabric show up at our door. Here are pictures of Free Spirit prints from a collection called Inspiration, by Terri Mangat.

Kathleen returned from her trip to New York with great things to say about this quilt shop in Victor, New York. It's called The Ivy Thimble and their store is an old train depot. Check them out on the web at http://www.ivythimble.com/.


This print is based on the Chinese calendar and has great characters on it. See if you can find yourself in there. They are really fun to read. What kinds of crazy ideas do they put in your head?








For the embroidery enthusiasts, we have new designs in the Embroidery Take-Out. Don't forget, I can create files in any format you need for your machine (Bernina, Janome, Brother, Deco, Babylock and Viking). Laurel Burch, "Jungle Songs" is in the New Arrivals, as well as Catberry Tails (Debra Mason) and Watercolor Florals (Jan Woodman). Great Notions has a beautiful "Pretty Peacocks 1. Some of these would make wonderful quilts.

Come in and get out of the heat! Our summer classes are on the schedule now. It is a great way to spend the hot days of North Carolina.

Celeste and Julie

New Fabric and Patterns

Julie and I are updating our blog so Karen doesn't yell at us when she returns from her vacation. We know you are checking this Karen.

I don't know how we keep up with all the boxes of fabric and patterns that arrive daily. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful selection to choose from.

Some of the highlights have been the new Amy Butler patterns. Our favorite is the Gum Drop Pillow. It is a large pillow to be used as a footrest. We may have to special order that much polyfil for all of us.

Julie's favorite fabric has been the great Asian collection and I just love the turquoise and brown Joel Dewberry collection.

Also, Julie told me there will be a trunk show arriving next week for Turkey Track Designs. They are sending some of their bags for us to see. I can't wait! I love making bags during the summer months.
Here are some pictures of some of the new fabrics we've recently unpacked. Enjoy!!

~Celeste and Julie

Progress Report on Diane

Diane's hip surgery went well and she is recovering nicely. She is walking two hours outside each day. She is now free of two pains - her hip and her job. She also retired from Duke and will be spending more time teaching classes here. Yeah!
Julie

Viewer's Choice Winner

All the visitors to the CHHS show had a chance to vote on their favorite quilt, and the winner of "Viewer's Choice" was Anna Will, for her creatively sewn quilt. Her quilt is pictured here. Anna received a $100 Gift card to Thimble Pleasures. Congratulations to Anna!

Chapel Hill High Student wins a Bernina!

The students from Mary Zimmerman's CHHS sewing class presented their quilts for a special 2nd Friday Artwalk show last Friday and we had a great time going through their finished quilts and deciding on the winner of a brand new Bernina activa 210 sewing machine. The winner was Julia Taylor and her quilt was chosen based on her fabric and color choices, use of color value in her design, her sewing workmanship, attention to detail, and finishing technique. Her winning quilt is pictured here with her new machine. Congratulations to Julia! We hope this is just the beginning of a lifetime of sewing!

Problem Solving

I used to be a nurse (well, I guess once you're a nurse, you're always a nurse, but anyway...) so I spent my days helping people solve their health problems. It was always satisfying to see them get better, but of course that took time, and maybe I would eventually see them again to find out if my suggestions worked. So, when I starting working in a quilt shop it never even occurred to me that a big part of the job would be problem solving. I have noticed over the years, however, that it's a huge part of the job. Helping sewers find the perfect color of thread to match the skirt with a rip in the seam, or sashing to help pull together blocks that don't seem to go together. Borders, borders, we are always looking for the perfect border combination to spice up the quilt. Today the tough issue was a straight pin that had been quilted inside a quilt--how to get it out. And the sewing machine making the strange noise (bobbin winder on), the hook that keeps falling out, (not latched in), the feed dogs that won't feed (packed with fuzz), I could go on and on...the little issues that "are critical in a non-emergency way" (a customer said that to me and I thought it was a great way to put it). There is always something to figure out, and most of the time someone on our staff can. I love seeing the relief on the customer's face, the confusion lifted, the new plan-of-action in place. They come in frustrated and leave happy. What could be more satisfying? I figure it's a kind of mental health care, (when I am feeling guilty about not nursing anymore). We find ways to help people even if it is all about fabric...!

Karen

The Cat's Away

Julie is in London for a week! So guess what we are doing?? Unpacking carton after carton of new and amazing batiks. We put out 67 on Saturday and another 40 or so bolts today. They are new ones you have never seen before, so get in here fast because the staff has already been into them.

We hope you survived our little break in the action last week. Some of us were quilting non-stop at Lake Gaston for a few days. If you ever need a perfect lakefront home for your quilting group to take a retreat, ask us about the one we use. It sleeps 8 comfortably and has a great sundeck, kitchen and sewing room (well, we turn it into a sewing room!) Lots of quilts were made, some new designs experimented with, and of course plenty of food and beverage were consumed.

We are working on the schedule for the next quarter (July, August, and September), so hopefully we will have the newsletter ready to send out and the schedule posted on the website in early June. Dont forget END-OF-BOLT Sale is this Saturday!

The new Activa 210's are here!

They are finally here and we are so excited about them. Bernina's new entry-level machine. It is great! It has needle up/down, temporary altered stitch memory, 12 basic stitches, super easy snap-on/off feet and Bernina's powerful DC motor.

I am so excited to have these machines for beginners. I just uploaded this image and I do have to tell you the machine is red and white (not blue and white).

Celeste

Demo and used machine sale

Okay all you bargain hunters, we are replacing some of our demo machines and we finally have a couple used machines recently taken in on trade. Now is your chance!

The demo machines we have are:

Activa 230 Patchwork Edition
Aurora 440 Quilter's Edition (with walking foot AND BSR!)
Artista 630E (this includes the embroidery module)
800DL serger

All of these machines are from the current line.

The used machines we have are:

Deco 650 (this is an embroidery only machine)
Virtuosa 153 Quilter's Edition, Alex Anderson series (includes CPS Software)



Celeste

Bernina Machine Mastery Class change

Just a quick note to those of you attending your free machine mastery classes this series...We have to reschedule this Tuesday evening class (#5) to Tuesday, June 12th, 6 - 9 pm. For anyone who missed class #5 before and would like to sign up, just call the store and let them know.

Remember, these classes are free to you after you purchase your machine and you learn so much about the great capabilities of your machines.

Celeste

Save a bag

We all need to do our part to reduce landfill waste, so we have a new program to help you remember to bring a bag in with you or to just go bagless when you shop. Each time you make a purchase in our store and don't need a bag, you can choose a free fat-quarter. Also, to encourage the use of fabric bags for all our shopping, we have a free pattern for grocery bags that are very easy and quick to make and require just 1/2 yard of fabric. We have a new Super Muslin (heavy weight natural muslin) that is perfect. Or you can make pretty ones out of prints. Just ask for a copy!

Cool New Stuff

A big order just came in with some great new products that you may have seen in the magazines: Misty Fuse is a new super-sheer fusible product, used like WonderUnder. ExtravOrganza is a see-through organza that you can put through your printer. It's meant to embellish quilts or scrapbooking projects. From EQ Printables, we have a 240 thread count cotton lawn that can be printed on (for top quality photos on fabric). Also a non-woven tear-away foundation fabric that you can copy or print on for foundation piecing (for those of you that dont like the feel of sewing through paper). And self-adhesive paper for printing templates for peicing or applique. We are all re-stocked on Angelina Hot Fix Fibers, and have some new fabric Paintstiks that you can embellish fabric with. Gail has already made a new sample using the Anglina and is working on one with the Paintstiks. So come on in and check it all out!

New Serger Class!

Do you have a serger you never learned to love? Or did you just get one and have no idea what to do now? This new class is for you. It's called "Serger Basics," and we will teach you how to thread the machine for the different stitches. You can bring any brand of serger. We just want you to know how to use these great machines! The class is tomorrow evening (Friday, April 20th).

We will follow this class up with one called "Serger - Beyond the Basics and into the Fun" (I know the name could be better) the next Friday. In this class we will learn more creative techniques such as making our own wired-edge ribbon, gathering, and creating lace effects to the edges of towels, skirts and more, to name a few.

Each class is $30 and you must call the store (968-6050) to register. Look for these classes to be on the schedule regularly. There is just so much you can do with a serger!

See you there...Celeste

Do you EQ?

Electric Quilt is a powerful software program for designing your own quilts. If you have never seen or used it, this is endless fun, and can be a great tool for figuring out your colors and fabric choices before you do all that sewing. Believe me, it has helped me resist making lots of quilts that I might not have liked. EQ just came out with a new version, EQ6, which has a great new feature: you can scan your fabrics, place them in the design and the program scales them appropriately for you, so they really look like they will in the real quilt. This quilt is an example of one of my "goofing around with EQ" sessions. We have the program here at Thimble Pleasures and I teach a class on how to use it, which is very easy once you get the hang of it. If you would like a quick demo just ask!

You just never know...

You just never know what might happen next in a quilt shop. Our favorite phone call this week was someone looking for a type of tape that you use to tape fabric to your skin! Now, I guess we are out of the loop cuz we hadn't actually heard of that product. But lo and behold, a customer in the store pulled some out of her purse. So I used the caller ID and called the person right back and even told her where she could buy the stuff. Now I didn't really find out why she needed to tape her clothing to her skin, but we gathered that it helps prevent clothes from falling off, or maybe a body part from falling out? If you know anymore about this please enlighten us!

Upcoming Bernina Club

Don't miss the next Bernina Club scheduled for Thursday April 5th from 10 am-12 pm or 6-8 pm. Everyone is welcome-you do not have to own a Bernina. The project we will be making this month is a Quilted Sewing Machine Cover. It will brighten your sewing room and keep pollen off your sewing machine. It even has a pocket to hold your slide-on table extension.

The supply list is as follows:

Fabric:
1 yard for the main outer cover
1 yard for the lining
1/4 yard for the contrast piping
1/4" cording for inside the piping
Craft size batting, matching thread
Sewing machine with power cord and foot control
Cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter

The presser feet we will be featuring are the Edge-stitch foot #10, the Bulky Overlock foot # 12, the Walking foot, and the Free-motion or BSR foot. If you have any of the feet, please bring them, otherwise you can try out some of ours. Please call to sign up so we know how many are coming. We hope to see you!

Charlotte Quilt Show

The Charlotte Quilter's Guild is holding their annual show this weekend at the Charlotte Latin School. Hours are Friday March 23, 9-5 Saturday March 24, 9-5 and Sunday March 25, 12-4.
The address is 9502 Providence Road, Charlotte NC 28277. Admission is $5 and children 10 and other are free. This is one of the largest shows in the southeast and features 180 art and tradtional quilts. Julie is there as a vendor, so stop by and check on her!

Laura Cater-Woods Workshop

Laura Cater-Woods is coming to Carrboro to hold an all-day workshop titled "Dreams and Memories" on Wednesday, April 25th from 10-5 at the Union Grove United Methodist Church. Please call the store (919-968-6050) or stop by to register. At left is a quilt by Laura called "Blue Moon Too". More of her work can be seen on her website: www.cater-woods.com. The workshop is appropriate for confident beginners and beyond. A supply list and directions to the location will be sent to all participants. Expand your skills and join us for a great day of sewing!

Sale on Bernina Sewing Machines

This week (March 22-30), we are having a great special on our Artista Sewing Machines!

When you buy an Artista 630E, 640E or 730E, you will receive the Bernina Version 5 Editor Plus Embroidery Software for FREE. This is an $899 value, plus you will receive free classes on how to use the machine AND the software.

Celeste will be working this Saturday (10-5) and Sunday (1-4) to show you these great machines and answer questions you may have about the software.

Bow Wow Chow Mein

It's here again! Some of you remember this fabric from Alexander Henry that flew out of the stores a few years ago. They have re-released it and we have one big bolt. This unique fabric features a pack of wacky dogs eating out of trash cans in Chinatown. Get some quick while it lasts!

News from the Bernina room

Wow, we are recovering from a very busy weekend! However, the bolts are now re-shelved and ready for you. This photo is one corner of a gorgeous tablecloth made with the new Bernina Border Embroidery set. It is a collection of 30 different designs, created specifically for borders and includes a calculator to help you decide the size and position of the design. They come on an easy-to-use USB stick and in many file formats. Come see it in person and watch for an Embroidery Club using these new designs!

Batiks

Luscious, solid Hoffman batiks.

Fabric and more fabric

It's a beautiful spring day and unbelievable amounts of fabric have showed up. UPS just delivered four more huge boxes . There are soft fuzzy baby flannels, and 33 solid batiks-the Hoffman 1895's. Wahoo! Here is a sampling of the Westminster collection from Marie Kelzer. They are colorful, funky blenders and geometrics. Thank you for all your great comments. See you soon!

New Fabrics

We have been busy unpacking two huge collections of new fabric from Westminster Fibers (Kaffe Fassett's company). Marie Kelzer's collection includes more bolts than we can even count (around 100)! We also just put out 30 bolts of new Carla Miller fabrics, another Westminster designer. We now have an entire corner full of Amy Butler fabrics and plenty copies of her new book, In Stitches, and samples made from it. In addition, we have the new Emperor's Collection for the month of March. Hurry in to see them now!

Welcome to our new blog

We are so excited about our first blog entry! Thimble Pleasures is a brick-and-mortar quilt shop in Carrboro, North Carolina, near Raleigh-Durham.

On our blog you will find up-to-date information about what's going on at our store. If you are looking for 100% cotton fabric, patterns, books about quilting, or Bernina sewing machines, Thimble Pleasures is the place to visit. We will try to make regular entries when new fabric, books or the hottest new notion comes in. So check back often to see what we're up to. For our latest schedule of classes please visit our website via this link http://www.thimblepleasures.com/.