Thursday, June 30, 2016

Happy Independence Day!  

This brief update is to let you know our holiday hours: Surprise!
We are still open from Wednesday through Saturday, 11 am - 7pm.


As always, if we are home on other days and can accomodate your own schedule needs, we will do so - just give us a call to make sure we can. 

In other news:

Quilters' Quarters is happy to announce that our recipient for July's first week of FEEL GOOD SHOPPING will be


"Stitching Your Wishes"

Helping our community one stitch at a time

This is a group of non-profit volunteers who meet at the Stevens Memorial Library in North Andover on the second Saturday of every month. 10:00AM – 3:00PM. (Except for July & Aug.) They knit and crochet preemie hats, baby blankets, baby sweaters, shawls, scarves, hats, mittens, chemo caps, lap robes, etc., and donate these items to local organizations, such as veteran's homes, nursing homes, pregnancy centers, homeless shelters, Hospice House, cancer units and neo-natal units at hospitals, etc.
Mark your calendar and plan your fabric, notion, thread and book shopping for July 6th through 9th and know that 10% of your purchase amount will be donated to "Stitching Your Wishes!"
Quilters' Quarters is featured in our local newspaper this week; you can read the article online at this link: Georgetown Record

We've had a strong beginning for Row by Row™  2016 Adventure, with quilters finding us through the national Row by Row website, and several paperback travel books that now list our shop in Massachusetts. 

Rick and I have begun visiting local libraries to present information on the vintage and antique sewing machines that we've learned about -  we give a talk about the history and creators of these machines, and then speak to the relative ease in maintaining the hundred-plus year old work horses. We bring a treadle maqchines, a few hand cranks and Featherweights and invite the audience to visit the machines hands-on and ask questions or tell stories of their own families' machines. We've spoken to the Hammersmith Quilt Guild in Saugus, and the Georgetown Peabody Library here in town. We're scheduled for an early August presentation sponsored by the Langley-Adams Public Library in Groveland, MA.
If you would like us to visit your quilt guild or library, please contact us via email: needlesandpens@comcast.net, and we'll be happy to schedule with you.

Wishing you each a Happy Independence Day and a happy, healthy holiday weekend!

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Welcome to Row by Row 2016™

Home Sweet Home is the theme this year for the now-global Row by Row summer long shop hop. Quilters' Quarters has chosen a fun row for this year's theme, and titles it "Patch Puppy Paradise."


Click on any photo to make it larger

When Rick was a young child, he had a Dalmatian, and of course named him Spot. So many Dalmatians were named Spot in the fifties, as children learned to read with Dick and Jane, and their dog's name was Spot.

When we decided to buy a puppy for our son, Rob, we found a Dalmatian that seemed to have gone through the spot machine too quickly to be called that. This one was nearly all white, with small black dots here and there, and larger spots on his ears. Rob decided to call him Patch.
Patch, 1993 - 2004
As a firefighters' daughter, wife, and mother, I was very fond of the Dalmatian dogs, though my family had mixed breed puppies when we were growing up. But this year's RxR theme gave me an opportunity to honor those wonderful animals that brightened the childhoods of the men in my life. So I created a comfortable setting with some beautiful fabrics, and built small dog houses for four Dalmatians. I machine-appliqued the houses and dogs to the strip setting, then added some embellishments (visiting puppy pals and birds in trees) before free motion quilting the row.


The kits are package in three color-ways; one has a mix of different colors using 5" squares from Quilting Treasures' charm packs. The other two are of 5" squares cut from Moda's marble swirl fabrics; one of rainbow colors, and one of similar colors but including pink and purple. There is fabric containing four Dalmatians to be fussy-cut included in each kit, as well as the background stips of sky, grass and rock wall.

The kits are being sold in this first week of Row by Row 2016 for the introductory/celebratory price of $10.00. They will be $11.00 for the rest of the summer.

We're also featuring a retro-license plate for this Home Sweet Home theme: Massachusetts had a burgundy colored plate 'back in the day.' Plates have an introductory price of $5.00 this week, which will rise to the regular $6.00 for the rest of the summer. We also have some 2014 (Seasons) and 2015 (Water) license plates left, and will sell those for $5.00 all summer long.

The Pin Peddlars who make and sell high quality metal pins for the Row by Row™ group have sold their business to Missouri Star Quilt Company; Quilters' Quarters has ordered the rectangular shaped pins for 2016, These will be sold, like the license plates, for $5.00 this week, and then for $6.00 through the summer, for as long as they last. We do still have some 2015 pins left (for $5.00 all summer) in case you missed those last year.

We're looking forward to seeing all of our traveling quilters this summer! And we have a bonus to offer you - a $6.00 Humble Beginnings Adventure Pass that will get you double-block fabric kits from six small quilt shops in Massachusetts for the special inaugural shop hop we're holding from September 30 - October 2! That's fabric and patterns for twelve 6" blocks and three days to gather them for one single payment of $6.00! Don't forget to ask for yours at Quilters' Quarters - the first fifty will receive this re-usable, un-losable, un-missable orange tote for the hop!
          



And don't forget - each time you shop with us, your purchase amount is entered on your "Five Box Card" and earns you a store credit of 10% of your totals after your fifth visit. And new bags have been ordered and will be here next week for those who have filled their Five Box Card and are eligible for the special refillable Loyalty Bag ... to be filled on any and every Fifth Friday with as much as will fit, at a 20% discount! And... this July happens to have a Fifth Friday! In fact, this month of July has a fifth Friday, a fifth Saturday, and a fifth Sunday! I think we'll need to do something special with the number Five on that weekend! Stay Tuned for more 'Feel Good Shopping" promotions!

                     
Thank you for your loyalty!

Terry's email: needlesandpens@comcast.net

Terry's webstore: TerryCrawfordPalardy.com 

(Remember, if you see something here at the blog and you don't see it at our webstore, just email me and I'll put it up for on-line sale.)

Rick's website: www.woodentoyandgift.net

Rick's blog: WTandGNews.blogspot.com


And, one more thing: 
Quilters' Quarters is happy to announce that our recipient for July's first week of FEEL GOOD SHOPPING will be
"Stitching Your Wishes"
Helping our community one stitch at a time
This is a group of non-profit volunteers who meet at the Stevens Memorial Library in North Andover on the second Saturday of every month. 10:00AM – 3:00PM. (Except for July & Aug.) They knit and crochet preemie hats, baby blankets, baby sweaters, shawls, scarves, hats, mittens, chemo caps, lap robes, etc., and donate these items to local organizations, such as veteran's homes, nursing homes, pregnancy centers, homeless shelters, Hospice House, cancer units and neo-natal units at hospitals, etc.
Mark your calendar and plan your fabric, notion, thread and book shopping for July 6th through 9th and know that 10% of your purchase amount will be donated to "Stitching Your Wishes!"


Monday, June 13, 2016

Beautiful Panels Make Your Quilts Grow Quickly!

Quilters' Quarters has received beautiful fabrics over the past few weeks. From Wilmington Prints and Quilting Treasures we have panels that are perfect season by season. More batiks have arrived from Mirah. Varied prints and patterns in precuts of 5" charm packs half the size and half the price of others, and packages of 2 1/2" strips also in few numbers and lower prices. Ten inch blender blocks will also speed your projects along and give your stash a boost in color and pattern.

Dolphin Island panel from
Quilting Treasures

Dolphin Island
Blender Fabric


Sand and Sea Panel
from Wilmington Prints

Sand and Sea
Blender Fabrics
and 2 1/2" Strips


Winter Whispers Deer Panel from
Wilmington Prints

10" Blocks of Winter Whispers'
Blender Fabrics


Quilting Treasures' Northern Lights
Polar Bear Panel


Northern Lights Blender Fabric

Patriotic Santa Panel
from Quilting Treasurers'
Peace on Earth

Long May She Wave Panel
from Quilting Treasures

Long May She Wave
Blender Fabric


All of these, and more, are in stock at Quilters' Quarters. We have many more panels, and fabric books, and fat quarter packs, packages of jelly roll strips, and 5" charm packs of 24 rather than 42, saving you money while still offering the variety of colors and patterns. Come visit us soon!

The summer long Row by Row™ international shop hop begins in just a few weeks! And when you're in our shop, I'll invite you to join our Humble Beginnings Adventure 2016, being held at the end of September. 

And don't forget - each time you shop with us, your purchase amount is entered on your "Five Box Card" and earns you a store credit of 10% of your totals after your fifth visit. 

Thank you for your loyalty!
Terry's email: needlesandpens@comcast.net

Terry's webstore: TerryCrawfordPalardy.com (remember, if you see something here at the blog and you don't see it at our webstore, just email me and I'll put it up for on-line sale.)

Rick's website: www.woodentoyandgift.net