We will have another “Wild Bloom'' ready for you at this Saturday’s applique Saturday Sampler session. At 9:00am (on 4-20-24) we will first share information about all that is going on in the shop, next we will enjoy show and tell, and then we will share the newest block kit and tips for making the piece. We can’t wait to see your blocks from last month!ill be our gift when you show your completed block!

We so enjoyed the Three Rivers Quilt Show last week! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to present the show, and thank you and congratulations to those who entered quilts! Good news - you have another chance to visit a local show this weekend. Consider heading to the North Pittsburgh Quilt Guild Show being held April 19th to 21st at the Ross Township Community Center. Check their website for all the details - who can resist seeing more quilts?!

The mountain of boxes that filled the shop on Tuesday contained several fabric collections. I feel there should be a drumroll when I say four of the boxes contained dinosaurs - Tula’s highly anticipated Roar collection! The names of the prints should give you a good idea about the prints - how about Tree Rex, Gift Rapt, Wing It, Trifecta?! The dinos, flowers, and geometric designs are offered in a rainbow of bright colors - who doesn’t love the idea of an aqua T Rex surrounded by pink and green blooms?!!! We currently have all the prints in the collection (as of Friday morning) and the kit for her Big Bang foundation pieced quilt, but I fear you need to be as fast as a Velociraptor to snag some! See you soon?

Fabric $13.80 per yard, quilt kit $398.00

See these fabrics online...

New Classes!

Freezer Paper Piecing

Friday ~ May 3rd ~ 10:30am-2:30pm



Have you tried traditional foundation piecing? Did you like it? Would you like to learn a new version of the technique which requires no ripping of papers, and no backwards piecing?! The Freezer Paper Piecing technique is a game changer! Once you learn the technique you can apply it to most traditional paper piecing projects. 

Fee $28.00 (in class you will work on a single block - supply list will be shared when you register)

Beautifully Bound

Friday ~ May 10th ~ 2:00pm-4:00pm



You finished your quilt top, then the quilting, now “only” the binding step remains to complete your masterpiece! This last step is so very important - it protects the edge, adds the final accent, and finishes the project. In class you will work all the steps required for a professional looking finish - preparing the project edge, cutting and preparing the binding, attaching it to the quilt via machine (with perfectly executed corners!), and then completing the process with a hand stitched back edge. There are so many little tricks to share - you are going to learn so much!

Fee $18.00 (supply list will be shared when you register for class)

We continue working on pieces for the quilt donation drive, coordinated by Stacy Lee Creative, for Comfort Cases (an organization that coordinates and facilitates the creation of filled backpacks - each containing new pajamas, a new stuffed animal, travel size toiletries, a coloring book or journal, and a new small quilt or blanket - so that no child enters the foster system carrying what little they own in a garbage bag). We are hosting another stitching day (4-19-24) to work on quilts for the effort, but you can be involved even if you can’t join us Friday. You could work on your own to create quilts (finishing either 30” x 40” or 50” x 50”), or gather travel size toiletries to drop off for the effort. We hope to have everything ready to go here by the end of April - we will share pictures soon of the quilts your friends are making for the project!

We mentioned the All-Mid Atlantic Shop Hop in our last letter. You will want to have the special hop magazine that showcases all the shops, as well as articles, patterns and a passport for the July and August event. We are now ready to take your pre-order for a copy (and maybe orders for some for your friends, too!). They are due to arrive mid May (I fear we will run out!). During the hop you will receive the gift of a small commemorative fabric square at each stop, you will be able to shop the hop fabric collection, and have chances to win fabulous prizes. Sounds like a fun adventure - I can’t wait to get started!

I love the fact that I “have to” study new patterns before each Christmas Club session. I look for things that are a tad different, and ones that would make great gifts. This time I took a look at a new Maple Island pattern. I always love the clever, clean designs created by Debbie Bowles, and her newest pattern keeps that streak alive. CheckMate is intended as a table runner, but I can already see ways to make more blocks in order to make a quilt from the design. As I cut the simple shapes that make up the piece (after selecting from four different size options and deciding whether to add borders), I realized I’d cut into the lovely Wilmington floral I had selected for the large squares for a different demo - ugh. Thanks to the eagle eyes of one of our club members, I was able to score enough to finish the runner top. Find a focus, accent and background fabric, add the pattern, and you will be ready to create a unique, quick gift!

Pattern $11.50

Please note ~ current shop hours are 10:00am-4:00pm Monday thru Saturday.