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!