DECEMBER 2011 NOTES FROM NANCY

Thanks for all who supported Small Business Saturday. I had a VERY BUSY day and really appreciate all the sales. I know there were many who came just because they wanted to support our independently owned businesses in Charlotte.

Sales were also good for Black Friday but I do believe I could give the same discount sequence by opening at 10:00. I will remember that for next year!! There are a few 1.00 fat quarters left and quite a few strands of floss for 4/$1.00. Check it out in the back room.

If you haven’t been in the shop, you need to stop and check out Jo’s Variety. It is an awesome line of red and whites—not white-white however. There are fat 1/8ths and fat quarter bundles as it’s hard to just pick a few fabrics and it is a small line.

The Saturday Crankers met Saturday and we had lots of fun. If you have a hand crank or would like one, come and see me. I do have a few for sale. We will meet again on the 17th of December and probably all be really busy working on those last minute Christmas presents.

Debby will have one more hand piecing class in December and then will resume in January. Carolyn will start classes back up in January so if you want to learn to quilt or tat please give us a call. The new Jo’s Little Women Club will start up in February. I have pictures of the quilts but no instructions for Debby yet.

Carolyn will do the second series of Prairie Women Sewing Circle and it will also start in February. The plan is to have Jo’s in the morning and Prairie Women in the afternoon.

The Wednesday Woolies will meet on the 28th (Wednesday) of December for working on whatever wool project you want to start or finish!! We meet at 9:30-12:00.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and on January 2nd I will have a new newsletter with a great surprise for you. Until then—–keep stitching.

Nancy

NOVEMBER 2011 NOTES FROM NANCY

November is just around the corner and Christmas will be here before we know it so it’s time to get busy on those Christmas projects. I should be getting the new Primitive Quilts and Other Projects magazine on Monday the 31st. I am very excited to have my Redbird Pincushion published in this high quality magazine. I have kits available and what a nice Christmas present it would make for a special friend. It is very humbling to be listed with all the big designers!

Thirty bolts of Elizabethtown by Jo Morton arrived last Friday and the pictures are on the website. The girls have been busy cutting fat quarters, fat quarter bundles, and fat eighth bundles for your enjoyment. This week (Thursday) Jo’s new book, Prairie Flowers Encore, came and I will need to order more. I don’t think Jo got my last e-mail to double my order.
I have lots of new Needle Punch Patterns by Crane Designs and have pictures under Whats New on the website. I just got a re-order so that says everyone loves these patterns.

We have started a new Club called the Wednesday Woolies and we meet the last Wednesday morning of the month. This past Wednesday was our first gathering and I was really pleased that 7 of us were able to have a great time stitching wool projects. Please join us if you can November 30th at 9:30. We stitch till noon but I think we need to bring goodies and stay all day in November.

I have three hand crank sewing machines for sale. Peggy always finds the Singers and cleans them up and gets everything in working order. These are just under 100.00. Keep them in mind for Christmas presents. We hand crank the last Saturday of the month and always have a great time. We will be cranking November 26th and our project will be small Christmas napkins.

This is the first year in a long time I will not be having my Christmas Make and Take the Saturday after deer season opens. There are so many places to be on that day and I no longer have a lot of craft supplies. BUT I thought perhaps on December 10, I would have a drop in 5.00 wool ornament for you to make. More on this in the December newsletter.
I will be open at 8:00 A.M. on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving for special sales. All Halloween and Christmas fabric will be 40% off from 8-10 A.M. From 10-12 A.M. they will be 30% off and the rest of the day they will be 20% off.
The Wool Workers will be meeting every Friday evening from 5:30-9:00.

OCTOBER 2011 NOTES FROM NANCY

Shop Hop is winding down and on Tuesday, October 4th we will meet and draw for the prizes. I am getting good response for those of you who signed up that you like having it 2 week-ends in a row.
Thank you for your participation in this year’s Harvest Shop Hop.

My Dad is on his second week of visiting and getting anxious to go back home to Indiana. I agree with him that you can only sit so long even though he sits most of the day at home—at 98 you can do what you want. Tuesday will be his last day here and I can get back up to my sewing room each evening.
New items have been arriving all week. Got in lots of new brushed cottons—many designed by Primitive Gatherings. Great for backings for wool projects and backgrounds for everything. Maggie’s new book Buttonwood Farm is in the shop and flying out the door. I have two wool kits for her projects. One is a Wool Bird, and the other is a Wool Hearth Rug. I put the backing on the Wool Bird today and have it hanging in the shop. The kit is 30.00. The Wool Hearth Rug kit is 69.00 and I will be starting that soon. Many other new books have come in; one is Renee Plaines Stitches from the Schoolhouse. I have made several of these projects in classes with her but just need to put some finishing touches on them. Another book that is very enjoyable and has a beautiful quilt to make is called Faithful and Devoted. These are all Kansas City Star books. Crazy Quilted Memories is another great new book that came in on Thursday. Check them all out on Whats New on the website.

Jo’s Variety should be coming in October. As you know, Andover was hit hard by the hurricane at one of their warehouses. They are working very hard to get back on track. I have 5” squares for you to get a sneak peak on what will be coming.

The class schedule for October is on the website. Remember we rug hook every Friday evening at the shop and The Saturday Crankers will be meeting on October 22. Please join us with your hand crank or machine with a tail. You may work on your own project or do one we have kitted with instructions for you.
Nancy

JULY 2011 NOTES FROM NANCY

My store is full of new Fall fabric. It has all found a home at the front of the shop so when you come in you will see wonderful colors of Fall and we are still waiting for nice weather and summer right?
And—the rest of Jo’s Carolina arrived this week. So that line grew from the 18 that you saw to 24 bolts. Now, you will have to come and pick up the rest of the 6 fabrics!

And then a few days ago Happy Jack arrived and I will be kitting that quilt only making it a bit smaller. I even have the wide black rick-rack for it. However, I am still waiting on four more bolts that go with the line. Check out the picture on Whats New on the website.

And it never stops—my out of the box Christmas fabric came with those cool crazy snowmen that we liked several years ago. There is a free pattern you can download from the Andover website for this quilt called Flannel for All Seasons. The fabric I ordered is cotton.

Jo’s Little Women has stopped for the summer and will resume in September as well as the hand piecing classes.

Remember “My Garden Quilt” that I was going to do as a block of the month a long time ago? Well, I have 5 blocks done and on display on the wall and two more ready to stitch. The wool has to be dyed for the kits and by August or September the kits should be ready. At this time I do not know the cost.
I have received the wool for a pumpkin and flag wall hanging kit from Blackberry Primitives. I will get that started when I get back from Primitives.

Saturday Crankers will be sewing on their hand cranks and early machines with tails on Saturday, July 23. Come and check us out, you may want to be a “cranker” yourself.

Remember that Journey to the Past is coming up July 29, and 30. Don’t miss this event.
I am off to my Dad’s for Fathers Day and combining it with a class reunion. Then on Sunday I am off to Primitives of the Midwest—my annual fun trip. I’ll be back in the shop June 27th.

Keep Stitching, Nancy