May 2021 Newsletter
Hello everyone and Happy May 2021!
The weather is warming up, the flowers are blooming and so are the quilting projects you all have been working on I bet. Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms and Grandmom’s.
We are here because of you and for you. Your continued support has allowed us to expand, improve and continue to bring in more new things. Thank you, Thank you, Thank You!!!
We have had some really fun suggestions and we would like to share them with you.
** A Picture Wall where anyone who has taken a class, bought fabrics/supplies or had it Quilted by us for their project can bring in and post their picture to help encourage others as well as let others know what you have been up. We thought this would be really fun and if you put your name, where you live and who it is for on the back we can make a little sign to go on it for you. Here is something for you to think about sharing:
1. This is my __________________ I made from a class I took at Sew-into-Quilts & sew-Fix-it.
2. I got some or all of the fabrics for this _______________________project at Sew-into-Quilts & sew-Fix-it.
** A special time once a month for “Sew & Tell”. We will have a special time set aside each month for folks to bring in their projects to show, share, encourage others as well as themselves, support one another and inspire the creative ideas to flow. Kind of a mini quilt show every month.
Upcoming classes:
MAY:
MAY 5, 12, 19 & 26; 12:30 – 4:30 Basic Beginning Quilting Quilt class. Learn all the basics. Choosing a pattern, fabrics, cutting, the importance of sewing accurate seam allowances, ironing vs. pressing, squaring up, borders, laying and binding. There are 2 ways to do this: Basic $60 for 4 – 4 hours classes + you buy the book, fabrics, batting, backing and quilting or $125.00 includes the 4 – 4 hour classes, the book and Twila quilting your quilt, but you will still need to get your fabrics, batting and backing.
May 7 & 21; Basic Beginning Table Runner; 12:30 – 4:30. Learn the basics of choosing fabric, pattern, cutting, sewing correct seams, ironing, pressing, squaring up, machine quilting it and binding. $40.
May 13 & 27; Radiant Star Quilt; 12:30 – 4:30 . We will work from Eleanor Burnes Radiant Star Book to make a lovely 4 colored 55” x 64” throw. You will learn how to match up all those diamond shapes to make your radiating colors in your star as well as set in corner blocks and setting triangles. $40 + book and fabrics.
May 15; Spring basket wall-hanging. 9:30-1:30 This lovely Fat Quarter and scrap friendly design will include making the pieced basket background, Yo-yo flowers, folded fabric flowers and leaves. $40 Naomi will be bursting with tips and tricks to make this lovely wall hanging come to life.
May 22 & June 5 12-4; Dance of the Dragonflies Quilt class. Several have asked for this class to be taught again…so here it is. This 2- part class will teach you how to make those 3-D Dragonflies and background designs. This will be Renee’s first class for us and we look forward to her joining our team of teachers to share her knowledge and skill.
JUNE:
1st Wednesday of the month will be “Sew & Tell!” 1pm Please come bring your projects and share.
June 5 12 – 4 part 2 of the Dance of the Dragonflies.
June 24-27 Handi Quilter National Longarm Educator Dee Maier. These classes are for ANY LONGARM.
We have been looking forward to writing this for a long time; we are finally having an HQ National Educator event IN PERSON! That’s right we will be holding in person classes for the long arm being led by Dee Meiar (More on her later). This 4 days event will feature 2 days of general machine classes from basic beginning to rulers and feathers. Then Saturday and Sunday will be 2 full days of Pro-Stitcher and Designer classes. Remember anyone who has bought a Handi-Quilter since our last event will be eligible for 1 class any day for free.
Now for the bad news, prices have gone up……. As such we will only be offering the free class for new owners who bought a machine from us and a discount of $25 for anyone who signs up for all 4 pro-stitcher classes. We are so sorry for this change but we will still be fallowing safety protocols meaning, less people in class. That combined with the price increase has made it where we had to change.
HOWEVER!
Handi Gadgets will still be the normal 15% off and Machines will be at show prices if you’re looking to upgrade or get a new machine.
Safety Protocols:
As Covid is still a very real thing and not everyone will be vaccinated we will be following these protocols, unless things change between now and then.
1) No more than 8 people spread out in our classroom for each class, meaning we have less space than ever.
2) Unless state mandates change Masks will be required, if the mandates change mask will be encouraged but not required, please call with any questions.
3) Each table will be sanitized before each class unless you are signed up for the following class in which case you may keep your same table.
4) Hand sanitizer will be provided and encouraged before touching any machines or show and tell gadgets.
5) Everyone is encouraged to bring your own water bottle, our normal cooler will be behind the counter and individual bottles can be handed out upon request but an employee will need to be the one to get it.
6) Our normal snack bar will not be available; we are working on a work around but ask you bring your own snack if you need one throughout the day.
7) Finally, Lunch will not be provided. If you are signed up for a full day of classes, the opportunity to go get food will be provided or we have a fridge that we can store sealed food in but an employee will need to be the one to put it in or take it out.
Now, back to the fun stuff! First our Educator
Dee Maier’s interest in needle arts was inspired by a loving grandmother and aunt when they introduced her to crochet at a young age. Dee began sewing as a “tween” and moved on to counted cross stitch, crewel, needlepoint and knitting as a young adult. After several years, she progressed into quilting and has never looked back!
Her experience with longarm quilting machines began almost 15 years ago, when she and a dear friend opened a quilt shop. After carefully examining all the machine options on the market, they settled on Handi Quilter because of the company’s dedication to quality, support and education. Dee began a custom quilting business soon after, but also taught others how to use her longarm to finish their quilts beautifully. She has been the proud owner over the years of an HQ Sixteen, an HQ Sweet Sixteen, and now an HQ Avante and HQ Amara, both with Pro-Stitcher. Ruler work is also dear to her, because of the beautiful work that can be achieved with the many specialized rulers now available.
With a lifelong love of teaching others, Dee wants to inspire others to discover the beauty they can create and share with family, friends and those in need of the emotional comfort quilts provide. Dee lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and loves traveling to meet old friends and make new ones while sharing a passion for quilting!
And now what your really here for, the classes.
Thursday June 24th 9:30am-12:30pm $50
Getting Started with longarm Quilting
Topics Include:
• The basics of machine and frame maintenance
• Tensioning bobbins and longarm quilting machines
• How to load a quilt onto a frame
• Quilting pantographs, Groovy boards, and stencils
• Rulers, basic free motion, and Handi Gadgets
Thursday June 24th 1pm-4pm $50
Fear no Feather!
Topics include:
• Feather backbones and spines
• Feather stitch paths and shapes, making them continuous
• Fitting feathers into blocks and circles
• How to put feathers in a border
• Feathers as an overall quilt design
Friday June 25th 9:30am-12:30pm $50
Can’t have enough Rulers
Topics Include:
• Ruler basics: the right foot, ruler base and ruler
• Point to point quilting using the markings on the rulers
• Using a ruler for a design base on an entire quilt
• HQ VersaTool : stitch-in-the-ditch, cross-hatch, piano keys, clamshells, and arcs
• Quilting around applique or embroidery with rulers
Friday June 25th 1pm-4pm $50
Quilting Makes the Quilt (You Make the Quilting)
Topics Include:
• Start with a stencil or other basic design, resize and make it fit
• Draw out designs create a cohesive plan
• Add a little extra to your quilting designs: echo, expand, repeat
• Explore different grids for laying out your design
• Fabric choices and how they can make your designs stand out
Saturday June 26th 8:30am-12:30pm $75
Introduction to Pro-Stitcher Part 1
Part 1 Topics Include:
• Overview of support resources available on-line
• Overview of menu and basic functions and design catalog
• Place a block design using Skew, Resize, X-Form and Align
• Demonstration of the Pro-Stitcher Simulator
• Overview of PS Designer
Saturday June 26th 1pm-5pm $75
Moving on with Pro-Stitcher
Topics include:
• Managing sashing, borders and corners
• Skewing into any size or shape
• Quilting areas larger than the throat-space of your machine
• Cropping, rotating and resizing for customization
• Creating your own designs with Record and Mark
Sunday June 27th 8:30am-12:30pm $75
Pro-stitcher Designer Introduction
Topics Include:
• Overview of support resources available on-line
• Overview of user interface, basic functions and design catalog
• Draw basic designs using the Draw Tools with a backdrop and add stitches, save and import your design to Pro-Stitcher
• Create simple closed shapes using the Artwork Tools and use the Interlocking view option 10
• Use the Auto Digitizing feature to create a design
Sunday June 27th 1:00pm-5:00pm $75
Pro-Stitcher Designer: Connecting Designs
Topics Include:
• Using the Shape Tool to edit and transform designs
• Editing designs one point at a time & right click options
• How to connect your designs: Combine, Connect & Group
• When to use Trim, Weld and Intersect
We will be adding more classes, so keep an eye out!
Thank you again everyone for your continued support & Happy Quilting!
Jim, Twila & Casey
Sew-into-Quilts & Sew-Fix-it
110 W. Crawford St. Suite A
PO Box 398
Deer Park, WA 99006
(509)276-2035
Sew-into-Quilts.com