Feels like Fall ~

It's getting chilly out in the evenings, but I'm back in the house by five pm, so the cooler evenings are not a problem for the shop.  The new heater is working well when I do turn it on, which hasn't been too often yet.

It dawned on me that putting the Sweet Sixteen in the room that had been Rick's toy shop meant either starting up the wood stove, or using the portable electric heaters... guess which won? 

There is still a lot of stored pine lumber in the far end of the back of the barn, but a friend's grandson / woodworker is coming tomorrow to see if he can use any of it.  And in time, I will contact the Vo-Tech schools to see if any of the specialty wood Rick had collected would be appreciated by their students. Step by step, inch by inch, I'll make progress in converting his wonderful workshop into a classroom for quilters.

I squeezed in a trip to the Pembroke New England Quilt Supply this past week, and gathered some new batiks and prints and blenders ... not too many, as I still have outstanding orders with Quilting Treasures that ought to arrive sometime this month or next. 

Some beautiful new Batiks , some soft cotton prints and blenders, all at warehouse prices... come and see what's been added recently.

There are only sixty more days until Christmas, and though that day doesn't hold the joy that it once did when Rick and I celebrated it together with our children and grandchildren, I will look forward to seeing friends and family as time allows.  The shop will keep the new regular hours, three days of five hours per week, and the discounts will continue as established.  So bring a friend and enjoy the colors~ and thanks for following this blog.

~ Terry

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Out with the Old, and In with the New...

Many who have visited the shop have noted the old treadle machines that Rick and I collected and restored, and passed on to new 'caretakers.' Other than the Featherweights which we sold for a church benefit, many of our Foster Machines were given away to young students and older enthusiasts ... one was a shop hop first prize, and one was a quilt show raffle item ... others just came and went as we had time to find missing parts and spend elbow grease cleaning and restoring these old treasures.

It's time now for me to let go of that passion; not only do I miss Rick's company, enthusiasm and talent in restoring these beauties; I also lost the source of my machines' missing parts ... Cindy Peters passed away not too long after Rick, and without Rick and Cindy, my interest in restoration has waned ... so I am in the process now of finding new homes for those machines that we did NOT have time together to fix, clean and restore. There are only a few left in the shop, and a few more in the house.

In their space, I will be bringing a new adventure to life ... I am purchasing a "Sweet Sixteen" sit down long arm quilting machine.  Unlike a full size long arm, with which the quilter moves the machine across the span of the quilt, this sit down model uses Free Motion quilting skills, so I and a few of my friends are boning up on teaching our muscles to remember the motions of making feathers, curves, arcs, swirls and such... One of us has read a book that calls it 'train the brain' to facilitate muscle memory. Who said we can't teach old dogs new tricks?

While it is sad to say goodbye to old treasures, it is a wonderful blessing to be able to replace them with new opportunities. I trust that our 'fosters' will have happy landings in their new settings...

Stay tuned for more information ahead ... I'll also be adding our Bernina 180 Embroidery Machine to the shop ... we're turning the back room into a place for individual lessons! Now, I just have to learn how to make that embroidery machine module sew where I want it to sew! Rick had mastered it, and he could make it do wonderful things ... I have a few new coaches that are trying to help me learn new things... it's not a new model, so we ought to get along... and maybe my coaches will offer classes for others, too. 

As always, thanks for following the Quilters' Quarters' blog. Please feel free to invite your friends to sign up at the top of the page to follow with you. Remind them that ALL quilters get 20% off fabric and notions, and that some who visit often get more. All charity project materials are sold at 50% off, as well.