Quilt Show Season is Here~

Last weekend was the big quilt show, Machine Quilting Exhibition (MQX,) in Manchester, NH. This weekend is the Northern Lights Quilt Show at the Richmond Middle School in Hanover, NH. The Hannah Dustin Quilters Guild will hold its show next weekend in Hudson, NH, and the Merrimack Valley Quilters Guild Show is at the Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow, NH.

Remember to click on an image to enlarge it for details.

Post cards unique to Massachusetts Row by Row participants are still available here at our shop. We were the only shop in our state to order these, and we will soon be sharing the left-over supply with other quilt shops who request them.

We also have a small quantity of 2014 HAPPY QUILTER license plates left in stock and will sell those along with the new 2015 edition.

Quilters' Quarters is gearing up for its next event: the Red White and Blue Fabric Contest.  I'll post details in next week's entry, but start gathering some of your favorite scraps for this new challenge, which will start May 1st and run through June 17th (which, of course, is the day after Flag Day!)

And that will bring us to the opening of the 2015 Row by Row Experience, opening on June 21st ... and we are getting ready at Quilters' Quarters. Nautical fabrics will be very popular this year as the theme of the event is WATER. Here's a preview of the fabrics we'll have on hand during the summer months:

Three of these fabrics and a solid blender will be used in the row we have designed for our 2015 free pattern: we've embellished the row with some fun nautical buttons that will be made available in the shop as well.

And we are beginning to stock Superior Threads (in addition to the Coats and Clark, Gutermann and Mettler brands.)  You can see a close up of what is on the display table in the photos that follow:

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The Masterpiece line (a new tri-poly thread  exclusively used by quilt show artist Alex Anderson) has begun arriving. And Ricky Tim's favorite polyester "Art Studio" brings its bright colors into the shop, too

Fantastico is a polyester blend with variegated colors that will bring your work added detail.  And Superior's famous Egyptian line, "King Tut" with long cotton fibers is available in both solid and variegated colors. We've also ordered and will be receiving soon the "Bottom Line" all cotton thread that is loved for its stability as a bobbin thread, but also works well as a top thread. 

Come in soon and see all of the new fabrics, threads and notions at Quilters' Quarters. It's been a long, cold winter but the sun is shining and the barn is warming up naturally. Our quilts are home from the winter library quilt expo, and some of them are for sale! 

As always, if you are reading this in your email, thank you for joining our site and receiving our newsletters. Please invite your friends to the shop or to the site ... we love meeting new friends! We're open Wednesday through Saturday, from 11 am to 7 pm, unless we're at a quit show, in which case we'll notify you by posting at the top of the page, and on our Facebook Page.

We're easy to contact and would love to assist you in designing and making your own quilt. 

Terry, web page TerryCrawfordPalardy.com, email: needlesandpens@comcast.net
Rick, web page WoodenToyandGift.net, email: woodentoyandgift@comcast.net
Rick's blog: WTandGNews.blogspot.com

The End of Winter Hours

Just a quick note regarding open hours at Quilters' Quarters: Our shop is currently closed due to illness, but will be open again when April begins. At that time, we will revert to our non-winter hours, opening at 11 am on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and remaining open into the early evenings, closing at 7 pm to accompany quilters with day jobs.

Sometimes, family events necessitate closing on a Saturday, and when that happens, we'll post it here in advance and open instead on Sunday that weekend.

We've been busy preparing for the 2015 Summer Row by Row international quilt shop hop.  Here's a sneak preview of our new free pattern, using fabrics that complement the 2015 theme of WATER:

Click to enlarge: row is embellished 
with whale, dolphin, and boat buttons

Our new license plate, designed by Debra Gabel, also features the water theme. The plates have arrived and will be sold beginning the last week of June. We still have a supply of 2014 plates (with the theme of SEASONS) and some Post Card Party Kits available as well.  And new this year are Row by Row metal pins that will be sold during the Row by Row months of late June through early September, as long as the supplies last.

Spring Fabric Contest

Our second bi-monthly design contest will begin on Wednesday, March 18th~ come in before hand to pick up a flier for the Spring Fabric Contest.  As with our first event (Valentine's Day Fabrics) we will offer a ten percent discount on Spring Fabrics, including our new line titled "Tweet Town."

These 3 Wishes Tweet Town Fabrics are also available
at our webstore: www.TerryCrawfordPalardy.com

Your design might be our next winner! Make an outfit that sings Spring! Or make a light-weight purse or busy-bag, or table toppers, place mats ... anything that will help you put the winter behind and celebrate the coming warmth!

Here are our bi-monthly contest details: there are three potential levels of your choice.

•    If you use at least one of our new Spring Tweet Town  fabrics in your work, you'll qualify for a level one prize ... a ten dollar gift certificate for Wooden Toy and Gift orQuilters' Quarters. 
• If you use two of our fabrics, you'll qualify for a level two prize ... two $10 gift certificates, to spend or share with your friends. 
• And if you use three or more of our Spring Fabrics in your design, you'll win a $25.00 gift certificate for either Rick's shop or Terry's ~winner's choice ! Both shops are located together at 59 North Street, Georgetown, Massachusetts ~ just two doors north of Perley School.
• Bring your finished Spring Fabric Contest project in to our shop by Wednesday, April 15th to have a photo taken of it. Your name and the photo of your project will be put into an envelope and then into "the fabric sack" and the winner will be drawn on Thursday. April 16th. 2015

Over Sixty Inches in Sixteen Days

Yes, winter has caught up with us here in North East Massachusetts; it's nearly the middle of February, and spring is less than forty days away. Rick has been kept busy every day for the past three weeks blowing snow from the driveway, the pathways, the sidewalk ... and shoveling the steps and the fire hydrant near our home.





While I've been comfortable inside the house, kept company by the pretty plants that weather over in our attached greenhouse, I've been staying busy planning and drawing quilt designs and figuring out which fusible interfacing is right for a  T-Shirt quilt. I finally called Pellon and asked if the bolt that I'd bought (lightweight) would be enough for the job, as it didn't match the sku (stock keeping unit) number that I'd read in other Facebookers' posts would be perfect for the job. With relief I heard that yes, I had the right alternative. The one praised on the web was only available to Joann's Fabric Store. But the one I had was as good.

My 2015 quilt journal is beginning to grow, and I'm happy to add each project to the page as the year progresses.  Do you keep a journal of projects begun and finished? It's a very satisfying task, takes only a few minutes now and then to update,  and is a good record of the work that I've done. I encourage you to keep a journal, too.

I'm looking into a new thread supplier: Superior threads is one recently  recommended by quilters that I trust.  I'll try to order from their wholesale pages to get the best prices for Quilters' Quarters' customers. I read that lint in the sewing machine is a non-event with this brand, and that breakage is rare. It's worth giving it a try, if we can afford it - it's more expensive than the other top of the line threads that we stock. The colors are vibrant and the variety of weights offer many choices to hand and machine quilters.

A beautiful shipment of pre-cut strips has arrived at the shop, ordered last fall from Quilting Treasures.

  Some are warm, some are cool, and some are in the design of the Lola fabrics.  A box of earth tone fat quarters in many colors also arrived (and joined the abundant collection of fat quarters that we always have on hand, courtesy of our quilt artist Ann Lainhart.)

We also have plenty of checked flannel prints on hand. And we're planning another trip soon to New England Quilt Supply where we will be able to look at quilt quality fabrics for spring and summer projects.

Please remember, our winter hours are 2 to 7pm Wednesdays through Saturdays; we can always accommodate different hours on request.

I'll be in the shop for Sit 'n Sew drop in sessions on Friday Evenings (6:30 - 9:00) and Saturday afternoons.  Bring a friend, bring a project, bring a question, bring a snack if you want.  I'll be out there working on something  and will be happy to answer questions that I can, or research what we need to know.

I'll be sharing my vintage sewing machines with you in the shop - I'm doing my best to learn all that I can to maintain and restore these old beauties.  I'll be happy to share what I learn with you. Maybe you have one in your attic that you'd like to be using, too.  I hear they are fabulous for piecing and quilting - who knew?!  Read what I've begun learning about these precious beauties at my new page, Vintage and Antique Sewing Machines. 

Don't forget our Valentine's Day contest - we've extended the deadline to February 28th, due to the statewide emergency/driving bans this month. We have only one entry so far, and two drawings planned, so you have an excellent chance of winning!

Thanks, again, for following our blog. If you haven't signed up yet, it's easy - just enter an email in the top of the right margin, and you'll receive our semi-monthly newsletters.  We're planning a bi-monthly fabric contest this year, too, and you don't want to miss the heads-up that will be in the newsletters.

The park bench under the most
beautiful red maple tree out front
is buried beneath the snow,
but in time it will emerge!

Please share this blog with your friends to let them know that we're here and we want to be helpful to them.  We can't beat big box stores like Joann's with large discount coupons now and then, but we want to be predictable and stable for our customers.  Come visit and let us know what you want to find in a community quilt shop!


Meanwhile, here are the links where you can learn more about what we have to offer.

Terry, web page TerryCrawfordPalardy.com, email: needlesandpens@comcast.net
Rick, web page WoodenToyandGift.net, email: woodentoyandgift@comcast.net
Rick's blog: WTandGNews.blogspot.com

We're expecting more snow this coming weekend, but we'll keep the light and heat on for you!

S-Days and Other Happy Occurrences

****IMPORTANT: DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 28TH ****

We have had so many days of restricted driving due to heavy snowfall, we are going to double your opportunities to win this Valentine's Day Contest! We will hold a drawing for a winner on February 14th as scheduled, but will hold a SECOND WINNER'S NAME on February 28th! It's not too late to begin a project using our sweet collection of Valentine Fabrics!  Remember, winter hours are 2 - 7 pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays.  CLICK HERE for more details on the Valentine's Day Contest. 

When our son Rob was a child, "S-Days" meant "Stay at Home Days!" Saturdays, Sundays and Snow Days were our favorite days of any week!

Happy Blizzard of 2015! We have two feet of snow, three foot drifts and five more hours of snowfall ahead of us. Needless to say, being open Wednesday January 28th is a question of conditions ...our local schools will be closed again...  Will the State of Emergency be lifted?  Will the ban on all but emergency and snow removal vehicles be ended? Will the driveway at Quilters' Quarters and Wooden Toy and Gift be clear enough for customers? Time will tell!

In the meantime, should you find you have time on your hands, I suggest you visit the newest page of this blog: Vintage and Antique Sewing Machines is a serial narrative I am building day by day. I'll continue until I reach present day, recounting my acquisition of several old sewing machines. I'm also sharing links to pages that are helpful in gaining knowledge and experience in maintaining these treasures. My goal is that I will be able to offer workshops here at Quilters' Quarters in restoring, reworking, cleaning, repairing and using the machines.

A quick update regarding the other pages of this blog:

• Our "Ann Lainhart" workshops are currently on hold but will be rescheduled as health and travel allow.
• The Valentine Contest has its first entry ... check out the contest details at that page of the blog.
• The quilt journal of 2015 has begun and one finished project is posted; a second and third are underway, so you'll want to check that page when you stop here at the blog. 
• If you are local, you will want to stop in to the Georgetown Peabody library to see the quilt exhibit that will remain through the months of February and March. A reception with the quilters will occur on Saturday, February 7th from 9am to 1pm. The most recent "potholder quilt" from the Georgetown Quilt of Valor group will be on display in this exhibition. The library will also be honoring our early sponsor, George Peabody, during that reception, as it is his birthday. Light refreshments will be served. 

Rick and I are all set here ... we have power, unlike 25,000 others in Massachusetts who have unfortunately lost theirs to the heavy snows. We have wood for the stove if the power does go off, and we have plenty of projects here to keep us busy.

Be safe, all. Be warm, be caring, check on your neighbors, and please get

together to keep your fire hydrants shoveled and your furnace vents clear. 

As always, if you are reading this update in your email, thank you for signing up for the newsletter. We usually publish it about twice a month, but in between editions, we also update the various pages that comprise this blog. 

Feel free to share this email or blog link with your friends and families. Thank you for sharing our pages.

Terry, web page TerryCrawfordPalardy.com, email: needlesandpens@comcast.net
Rick, web page WoodenToyandGift.net, email: woodentoyandgift@comcast.net

Rick's blog: WTandGNews.blogspot.com 

Post Card Parties End ... New Row by Row 2015 Next!

We had a Post Card Party to end the season of making. The Featherweight was the machine of the day. Scraps of different fabrics covered the table.The postcards that were completed by Quilters' Quarters quilters and needle-workers are now on their way to Calico Gals in New York, to be shuffled in with cards from other states and redistributed/shared with quilt shops across the nation and Canada. Here are the six that went out in the mail this weekend: beautiful, varied styles on the front, and sweet messages on the back!

Barb's geometric block 

Betty's Crazy Quilt block

Judy's Cross Stitch block

Sandy's Modern Quilt block

Random Patchwork block

Terry's Divided Four Square block

All unique, and all beautiful!

Sandy's message

Four more blocks are being made by snowbirds from Massachusetts who are wintering in Florida but wanted to participate and represent our state in the swap, and another four were to be given to a quilters' family and friends and so won't be in the swap.

I  have many more kits available and will post them at the webstore soon. They make nice "WATER THEME" accompaniments to the 2015 Massachusetts license plates, and I will make a postcard kit available for a reduced price of $4.00 to any quilter who comes to our shop and buys a HAPPY QUILTER license plate during the Row by Row 2015 summer weeks

Postcard Party Event ending this coming week!

These will be highly collectible items in years to come!

All participants who want to be involved in the nation-wide Post Card Swap are returning their completed kits to Quilters' Quarters by Friday, January 15th so that they can be mailed in bulk to Janet at Calico Gals in New York for sorting and redistribution. Join us!

If you haven't come in for a kit, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are your last opportunities to complete a Massachusetts Kit.  Our shop space is booked for kit completion on Friday from 1 to 4pm for a private group, but customers are welcome to come and pick up a kit during those few hours to complete at home and return it by 7pm. Otherwise, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday you are welcome to stay and complete your kit in the shop, using our sewing machines, including

•  a 1917 Singer Red Eye Treadle, 
• a 1950 Singer Featherweight, and 
• a 1964 WHITE Featherweight! 

We also have modern Brother machines that you might use for your kit.

Quilters' Quarters remains the ONLY shop in this state participating in this pilot event. Other states have several shops that have quilters and needle-crafters making their states' kits come alive with their talents. If you participate, you will, in March after all the sorting is done, receive one of those cards from other states.

Massachusetts' First Year Kits will become highly collectible in later years of this program, as our shop purchased only 100 kits. And no other shop in Massachusetts purchased any! Get one for yourself, and one to send to Janet for the swap with another state.

Quilters' Quarters is on winter hours (Wednesday through Saturday, 2pm - 7pm)
Friday night, January 15th, the kits will be sent to New York; please come in and complete yours so that you can be a part of the groundswell participation in this event!

You don't have to live in Massachusetts to participate - you just have to come to Quilters' Quarters for the kit, and return it so that it can be sent to Janet.

As always, if you are reading this update in your email, thank you for signing up for the newsletter. We usually publish it about twice a month, but in between editions, we also update the various pages that comprise this blog. December additions are at the Surfing the Web page,  and progress on current quilts at Terry's Quilting Journal 2014 page.  Come visit us at the blog and see what else is happening at Quilters' Quarters

Feel free to share this email or blog link with your friends and families. Thank you for sharing our pages.

Terry, web page TerryCrawfordPalardy.com, email: needlesandpens@comcast.net
Rick, web page WoodenToyandGift.net, email: woodentoyandgift@comcast.net
Rick's blog: WTandGNews.blogspot.com