Material Girls Quilting Retreat

Ready for a break from routine and a whole lot of fun? Join us at the 'Material Girls Retreat'!.

March 12, 13 and 14
Festival Inn, Stratford ON
$325 includes 2 nights, double occupancy, 2 breakfasts, 2 suppers


Bring your WIPs, works in progress, and sew from 3 pm Friday to 3 pm Sunday. Also included is a kit for a special project to remember your fun time. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required at time of booking. Space is limited so book as soon as you can.

'Sew Creative' in Mt Brydges, 'The Quilt Shoppe' in Sarnia and 'The Marsh Store' are working together to plan this adventure.

I went in October and had such a great time I wanted to be involved again. I was amazed at the amount of sewing I accomplished while talking and laughing. Call or email if you are interested.

As Seen In a Magazine

Lightbulb moment! Wouldn't it be helpful to let people know the fabrics we have from current magazines? So here are the ones I am aware of:

American Patchwork and Quilting- Feb 2010:

'sweet tea'- teacup print and 3 pinks

McCall's Quick Quilts:

'cottage garden'- same 3 pinks as above;white, pink and dark pink floral

'roadside stand'- not this line but lots of other fruits and vegetables

Quilters' Newsletter Feb/Mar:

p. 45, #6 Stafford County by Jo Morton

Fons & Porter Jan/Feb 2010:

'Kingyo" panel, border print and black print (D)

"Dancing Horses" by Laurel Burch in earth tones- ad p. 41

on order 'Simple Nature' as shown in ad on page 21

If I find anything else I will post it.

Juki Sewing Machines and GO Cutters Special Promo

We are offering free fabric coupons on purchases of our Juki sewing machines and GO! fabric cutters until March 31.

Receive a $75 coupon for regular priced fabric when you purchase the GO! fabric cutter.

Receive a coupon for regular priced fabric when you purchase a Juki sewing machine.

We carry:

HZL-25Z $295 compact-size easy to use for beginners $50 coupon

HZL-35Z $395 more stitches and features for beginners $75 coupon

HZL- 61E $675 an electronic machine with great features $125 coupon

HZL-F400 $1125 Exceed Quilt & Pro $200 coupon

TL98-Q $1150 Industrial machine for home quilting frames $200 coupon

Snowy Days in Coldstream

Yikes, there's a lot of snow. Tim is blowing snow for the third time in 2 days. And, it's not over yet! The wind is picking up so the loose snow will blow. The balconey is so high we can hardly see over it. We're deciding when the best time will be to climb out the window and start throwing snow off. The weight of the snow is a concern, especially if it warms up and starts to melt.

Nellie loves to play in the snow. She drops her ball on the snow and digs under it until it falls. She keeps going until all you see is a wagging tail tip over the snowbank. When she comes in she spends half an hour picking off snowballs under her belly.

I can't remember this much snow all at once in the 5 years we have been here. Once we dry off it will be time to go play again. Maybe a walk through the trail...

Happy 2010!

Wishing you all you hope for in the new year!

I am taking a break from inventory. Yes, we are counting every fold on every bolt, every spool, pattern, pin and needle. Thanks to Ela and Anne for arranging bolts for speedier counting.

The best thing about inventory is one has time to reevaluate what we have and what we have had for far too long. If you missed the inventory reduction sale in December, there are lots of bolts, kits, patterns and books being reduced. Out with the old, in with the new!

Watch the blog for new fabrics arriving weekly, new classes being posted and other fun new items.

Now back to work...

Happy New Year!

Last Minute

This is the last Christmas post for 2009. If there is still someone looking for an idea for you then a gift certificate will be the best idea. Our sale starts on Sunday December 27 so the gift certificate would be worth 30% more!

Our annual sale runs Sunday December 27 to Thursday December 31. On sale at 30% off are all regular priced fabrics, notions, thread, books, patterns and batting.
Excluded are the Juki sewing machines, AccuQuilt GO and accessories and the Grace Frame.

We are open 10 am to 5 pm each day. I try to be down early and will open as soon as I start the coffee. I plan to be ready by 9am on Sunday. I expect to be ready by 9:30 the rest of the days.

Wishing you a wonderful day, tomorrow and always!

Quilt Kits

There are lots of quilters who like using kits. The pattern and fabrics appeal to them so they can get started making the quilt right away.

I always find it a challenge to make kits. Choosing a pattern is the easiest part. Trying to choose fabrics in colours to suit customers' taste is the hard part. Sometimes we go with the same fabric as the pattern, especially when the pattern is available online from the fabric company. Or, when Brenda has designed a pattern with a specific line of fabric which we ordered, like Northcott's 'Winter Sports' flannel line. Sometimes I like the pattern and try to choose fabric you would like.

We think it is important to take time to plan a quilt with you when you come into the store. Doing this could be thought of as helping you choose your own quilt kit. That way we are both happy with the choices.

Always remember we are here to help. Helping you choose fabric is the most fun I can have! It's my kind of playtime!

PS: Have you ever checked out the free patterns from your favourite fabric company?