Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Quilts and Music for Spring

Hello Quilters:

Everyone at Country Treasures is enjoying the fantastic spring weather.  Even though spring takes us outdoors to start out gardens, shoppers are busy coming in to soak up the new lines of fabric that keep coming through our back door!

Fabric Just In
New Fabric received includes Home to Roost and Happy Harvest from Red Rooster, Gingerbread Christmas, Mistletoe and Holly, and Winter Pines from RJR Fabrics, Home for the Holidays from Timeless Treasures, Who’s Watching from Marcus Brothers and Let Us Give Thanks from Windham Fabrics.  It’s never too early to start those Christmas gifts!

New Kits
The charming chicken-laden fabric of Home to Roost is happily nesting in new kits.  The pattern book also has companion stuffed figures.  We have two new kits made with flannel in place of wool called Frosty Mugs and Wool of Ewe.  Sew beautiful!

New Books
Our staff suggests you check out three new books: Barbara Brackman’s “Civil War Sampler,” “101 Fabulous Small Quilts” from That Patchwork Place, and “In the Studio,” a machine-quilting design-concepts book by Angela Walters.

Shop News
Sue is back from the quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky this weekend but leaves in a few days for a family vacation at Disney World.  Carolyn enjoyed several classes at MQX in Manchester, NH.  She went with Linda and Sarah, who also took some great classes.  Carolyn will add more intricate and decorative designs to her machine quilting classes coming up this fall!

Jim has finished another quilt, actually two, twin-sized quilts using the Abigail fabric line from Red Rooster.  The pattern came from the book “Cozy Modern Quilts” by Kim Schaefer, but Jim changed the design of two of the three blocks so that none of the internal seams meet.  He says that creates the same kind of organic pattern he seeks in his musical compositions. No two snowflakes should be alike whether in the winter sky, on a quilt, or in the concert hall.  Carolyn quilted the first of the two quilts using a modern pattern similar to those featured in the book “In the Studio” mentioned above.  In the photo you can see the second quilt top waiting to be quilted.  Carolyn calls it the lady-in-waiting.  Speaking of Jim’s compositions, the Windham Orchestra will be premiering his most recent piece, Concertino for Tuba on their programs next week.  Please see www.windhamorchestra.org for more information.  Carolyn attended the recent concert called “Prelude for Chester” which previewed next week’s orchestral concerts.  She had no idea what a tuba could do, and so beautifully, too.  Jim also played the oboe in the Beethoven Quintet for Piano and Winds.  Bravo, Jim!

COMING EVENTS
May 18                            Green Mountain Quilters Guild, Spring Meeting, Barre, VT
May 27                            Memorial Day, Country Treasures is open 10 am – 5 pm
May 30 – June 2               Spring Quilters’ Retreat, Country Treasures, Chester, VT
June 28 – 30                    Vermont Quilt Festival, Essex Junction, VT
June 30                            VQF Sunday, Country Treasures is open 10 am – 5 pm
July 4                               Fourth of July, Country Treasures is open 10 am – 5 pm
July 26 – 28                     Maine Quilts, 36th Annual Show, Augusta, ME
August 1 – September 22 Billings Farm & Museum 27th Annual Quilt Exhibition, Woodstock, VT
September 2                    Labor Day, Country Treasures is open 10 am – 5 pm
September 16 – 22           New England Air Museum: flights and fantasies Quilt show 2013
September 21 – 22           Chester Fall Festival on the Green
October 14                       Columbus Day, Country Treasures is open 10 am – 5 pm
November 5 – 10              Falling Leaves Retreat, Country Treasures, Chester, VT

*****

Please don’t forget that Country Treasures is CLOSED ON MONDAYS.  Our hours remain the same on the other days: Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 12 noon till 4 pm.  Country Treasures will be open for Holiday Mondays: Memorial Day (May 27), Fourth of July (July 4), Labor Day (September 2) and Columbus Day (October 14). Country Treasures will also be open 10 am – 5 pm on VQF Sunday.

More soon at Threading the News.

Yours in quilting, 
Sue and staff

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QOVs and Wide-Backs

Hello Quilters:

Spring is here and the bulbs are springing up.  Country Treasures is open again after our two-week Mud Season break to shake out the spider webs and freshen up the shop.

Quilts of Valor
The quilters from Country Treasures have been burning up the bobbins making Quilts of Valor.  Here is a gallery of quilts that have been completed recently.




 

 

 

 

 





 

 












A First for Country Treasures
For the first time, in response to requests from our quilters, Country Treasures is stocking a collection of wide-backs.  A collection from Windham Fabrics has arrived and more are expected from P&B Textiles shortly.

Fabric Just In
In addition to the wide-backs received, New Fabric includes:  Scarlet Evening and Tavern Blues II from Marcus Brothers, Silent Harmony and Holiday Accents from RJR Fabrics, Black, White & Currant from Henry Glass & Co., Alligator Tales, Here Comes Santa and Joyful Harvest from Red Rooster, Razzle Dazzle from Kona Bay, Home for the Holidays from Timeless Treasures, and a large delivery of Batiks from Hoffman Fabrics.

New Kits
We loved the fun floating frogs and the animal tail stripe in Alligator Tales so much we are already assembling kits.  It is difficult to think of December when we are still waiting for trees to leaf out but we are also working on a couple of sample projects that use RJR’s Holiday Accents.  Finally, we are putting together Carolina Tablerunner and Placement kits using Lovely in Lavender, a fabric line from RJR which we received in February.

New Books
Our staff suggests you check out the new book “Seamingly Scrappy.”  Sue made a sample of the Cavanaugh pattern using the Red Rooster Escapade fabric which is hanging on the chimney in the shop.  Our staff favorites among new books are:  “The Blue and the Gray,” “Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe,” “Hexagons made Easy” and “Modern Baby.”  Carolyn will be teaching a quilting class using decorative stitches in the Fall.  You can preview the class in a book titled “Creative Uses for Decorative Stitches.”  Look for her new samples soon!

Shop News
Some of you may have heard that Sue fractured her ankle on March 22.  We are happy to say that she is healing up quickly.  She was fortunate not to need a hard cast, just “The Boot.”  She quickly graduated from crutches to a cane.  Now she says she only uses the cane when the hubby is watching.  She did have to elevate her leg for about two weeks but that only gave her an opportunity to catch up on hand appliqué.  It’s hard to slow a quilter down!

Sue is off to the quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky this weekend.  Please be aware that some of the quilt samples from the shop are traveling with her.  Please call the shop first if there is a particular sample in which you are interested.

COMING EVENTS
April 20 – 21                    Northern Lights Quilt Guild Show, Hanover, NH
April 24 – 27                    Rotary Club of Paducah, KY Quilt Show
April 26 – 27                    Central Vermont Quilt Show, Old Labor Hall, Barre, VT, for more information see www.centralvermontquiltshow.com
May 3 – 5                        Sharon Burch Group
May 4 – 5                        Northern Star Quilters Guild, 34th Annual Quilt Show, Somers, NY
May 18                            Green Mountain Quilters Guild, Spring Meeting, Barre, VT
May 27                            Memorial Day, Country Treasures is open
May 30 – June 2              Spring Quilters’ Retreat, Country Treasures, Chester, VT
June 28 – 30                    Vermont Quilt Festival, Essex Junction, VT
July 26 – 28                     Maine Quilts, 36th Annual Show, Augusta, ME
August 1 – September 22 Billings Farm & Museum 27th Annual Quilt Exhibition, Woodstock, VT
September 2                    Labor Day, Country Treasures is open
September 16 – 22           New England Air Museum: flights and fantasies Quilt show 2013
September 21 – 22           Chester Fall Festival on the Green
October 14                       Columbus Day, Country Treasures is open
November 5 – 10              Falling Leaves Retreat, Country Treasures, Chester, VT

*****

Please don’t forget that Country Treasures is CLOSED ON MONDAYS.  Our hours remain the same on the other days: Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 12 noon till 4 pm.  Country Treasures will be open for Holiday Mondays: Memorial Day (May 27), Labor Day (September 2) and Columbus Day (October 14).

More soon at Threading the News.

Yours in quilting, 
Sue and staff

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March is Boiling!

Hello Quilters:

Happy Sugar Time!  Sue’s double boiling: boiling sap making maple syrup and boiling energy organizing to head off to the quilt show in Lancaster.  In Chester, our weather is unsettled.  Some days it has been warm enough to melt recent snow but since there’s no place for the melt to run off we have deep puddles between drifts.  And then the next day we get more snow.

Winter Classes Wrapped Up
The sewing machines in our classroom will be mostly quiet until next Fall.  Due to a winter storm our last weekend of classes was compressed into a single day.  We called it Sue’s Three-Ring Circus because she was teaching Flower Power, Color Splash and Bailey Island Bags all at the same time.  Picture Sue on a lazy-susan in the middle rotating from one technique to another and you have an idea of the fun.  Here are few photos of the busy quilters, including Carol, Sue, Kathy, Wanda, Mary, Claudia, Joanne and Jane.













Fabric Just In
New fabric received includes: Escapade and Happy Harvest from Red Rooster, Kimba from Henry Glass, Harmony from David Textiles, Strawberries, Blueberries & Chocolate from Marcus Brothers, Blue Variety by Joe Morton from Andover, Apple Cider and Suede Flannels from P&B Textiles, Jinny Beyer’s Rajasthan Basics from RJR Fabrics, Socky, Spring and Tonga Sugar from Timeless Treasures, and Rose Cottage from Clothworks.

We have assembled kits from Escapade, Socky and kid quilts in colors for girls and for boys from the Kimba line.

New Books
We have received quite a few new books over the last month.  Several staff favorites are: “100 Fabulous Small Quilts” and “Eye-catching Quilts,” both from That Patchwork Place and also “Paper Piecing Perfect Points” (try saying that with some pins stuck in the corner of your mouth) by Debbie Kratovil.

Shop News
Sue is off to Lancaster for the quilt show but the shop will be hopping beginning next weekend with the Vermont Shop Hop kicking off on Friday March 15th.  Here’s a photo of Country Treasures’ 2013 Shop Hop project, a set of placemats and table runner you can make from one Bali Pop or Jelly Roll we call Island Interlude.  As you can tell from our fabric selection, we are kicking off a Caribbean theme which will run through much of the year.

COMING EVENTS
March 13 – 16                  Lancaster Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA
March 15 – 24                  Vermont Shop Hop
April 1 – 12                      Country Treasures closed for Mud Season – reopen Saturday, April 13
April 6 – 7                        Hands All Around Quilt Show, Amherst, MA
April 6 – 7                        Franklin County Quilters’ Guild 15th Annual Quilt Show, St. Albans, VT
April 14                            Quilt of Valor presentation ceremony, Bldg. 44, White River Junction VA, 2 pm
April 20 – 21                    Northern Lights Quilt Guild Show, Hanover, NH
April 24 – 27                    Rotary Club of Paducah, KY Quilt Show
April 26 – 27                    Central Vermont Quilt Show, Old Labor Hall, Barre, VT, for more information see www.centralvermontquiltshow.com
May 3 – 5                        Sharon Burch Group
May 27                            Memorial Day, Country Treasures is open
May 30 – June 2              Spring Quilters’ Retreat, Country Treasures, Chester, VT
June 28 – 30                    Vermont Quilt Festival, Essex Junction, VT
September 21 – 22           Chester Fall Festival on the Green
November 5 – 10              Falling Leaves Retreat, Country Treasures, Chester, VT

*****

Please don’t forget that Country Treasures is CLOSED ON MONDAYS.  Our hours remain the same on the other days: Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 12 noon till 4 pm.  Country Treasures will be open for Holiday Mondays: President’s Day (February 18) and Memorial Day (May 27).

More soon at Threading the News.

Yours in quilting, 
Sue and staff
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