Hearts A Flutter

Remember, I told you about the sample Veronica was working on for the January Cut Loose Club. She is done and it is be-you-tiful.

Come join the club on January 19th (10AM-2PM) and start off fun-filled 2013 with your sewing buddies. Happy Valentine!

New Arrival : Modern Texture

Cut Loose Club

Cut Loose Club meets once a month on the third Saturday. We sew patterns using precuts(that's why it was quick paced and fun). It was a wonder Veronica and Cecile have been coming up with pattern after pattern to sew with precuts. It was even bigger wonders that everyone had fun finishing their amazing quilts, emphasizing the word 'finishing'.

 

Cut Loose Club had 2012 year-end party on December 15th. Members joined with their quilts and had show-and-tell, having wonderful time.

Please expect to see more exciting Cut Loose Club in 2013!

Next Cut Loose Club meeting will be on January 19th (every 3rd Saturday),10:00 AM -2:00 PM. It is titled 'Hearts a flutter', so you can guess it is Valentine related. As soon as Veronica is done with the sample, you will see it here.

Are you crazy about Kaffet Fassett?

        Then come celebrate his birthday with us.

(Posting by Soyeon)

New in 2013 - Block of the Month

Remember the Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt Cecile made? Cecile has picked that beautiful appliqued quilt as 2013 Block of the Month project. Be sure to invite yourself to this year-long sewing party, will ya!

 (Posting by Hena)

Upcoming event - "Meet the Teachers"

Green Tea and Sweet Bean

I have been counting the days. The day I had my hands on the Green Tea and Sweet Beans pattern book by Jen Kingwell all the way from Australia, I was excited then realized it was done all by hand. I expected as much but to confirm that, I went "Oops!"

However, the more I looked at it , I just had to do it. By the third day, I was completely hooked on the Green Tea and Sweet Bean. But I did change one thing. I was doing it by machine. Now I am exhilarated to conclude that this project can totally be done either by machine or by hand.

My goal was to finish it in a month. It was ambitious, I know. I finished it the day before the Thanksgiving, a week longer than my plan but not too bad. I felt marathoners high or rather "quilter's high". I could not even begin to put in words how I felt, looking at my accomplishments. 

I was able to sleep in next morning, first time in 6 weeks. Tomorrow, this goes up in the design wall at the Sewing Party. Then I will adore it with full enjoyment.

I have not decided on the border and quilting design yet. As soon as the whole quilt is done, you will be the first to view it. So see you back here soon!

(Posting by Cecile)

December class schedule

(Posting by Hena)

Houston Quilt Market

As you well know, Cecile had been to Houston Quilt Market and ordered various new collections. Please expect to see them arriving at Sewing Party throughout December, January, February and March. Here is a link to what went on in the Market for those who missed it.

(Posting by Hena)

New in 2013! - Monthly EQ classes

The Sewing Party is planning on EQ classes in 2013. It will start in January. The classes will meet each month with different topics so you can pick and choose to join the ones you are interested in. Teacher is non other than Linda Pace.

Curious about EQ? Watch these videos, here and here.

Do you EQ? Come join us for a fun time playing and learning EQ software.  All you need is your laptop and the software.  Don’t have the software yet?  Not a problem we can provide a trial version of EQ 7 for you. EQ 7 will be available at the Sewing Party for your convinience if you so choose to purchase one. You can design and create your own quilts with EQ functions like Easydraw  and working with Layers and Borders. You can create and print your design with yardage requirements and even template for appliqué and paper piecing. After this class when someone says “Do You EQ?" You can say yes!

Details will be available in the Month of December.

Please don't let words like computer, program, and software scare you away. There are many quilters out there who are successful creating one-of-a-kind quilt using EQ.
Let's find out about EQ artists/quilters:

Do you EQ? Kim McLean does.
“I’ve been using EQ since it was released. EQ has certainly been an invaluable tool in my next project which is drafting 30 quilts from photographs of antique Australian quilts to be published mid-2006 in a book I’m collaborating on with Annette Gero.”
                                                                      - Kim McLean, Roseville, NSW, Australia

 She used EQ to design her quilt Turkish Tiles.

Do you EQ? Award-winning quilter, author and teacher, RaNae Merrill does!
“EQ works beautifully with all the tools in my creative toolbox. Even when I sketch, draft or photograph an idea for a quilt, I can import and trace it in EQ to create a quilt design. From there, I can test fabrics, size it, print foundation and templates, and calculate yardages. EQ is a wonderful way to share patterns with my friends and students, because it gives them a starting point, then inspires them to easily create their own variations and new designs.  I also love EQ Printables Foundation sheets — I use them in my own quilts, and in all my classes and kits.”        - RaNae Merrill

Do you EQ? Designer and author Joanna Figueroa does!
“I create most of my designs in my head or in my sketchbook. But when it comes time to figure out how the quilt is actually going to look and which setting will be the best, EQ is absolutely invaluable to me. It helps me to create options that I would never have come up with on my own and it makes the quilt in my head “real” before I cut into a single scrap of fabric. I love it!”       - Joanna Figueroa

 
Do you EQ? Author & teacher Joe Cunningham does!
I never thought I would need a computer to design a quilt… but when I wanted to create a new line of quilt kits, EQ6 allowed me to create the most accurate patterns and the best layouts for my project. It’s a lot smarter than I am.          - Joe Cunningham

Well, will you EQ with us?   Let's EQ now.                                          

(Posting by Hena) 

Creative Stitching by Sue Spargo

After much anticipation and months of hard work,  Sue's new book 'Creative Stitching' was born! 'Creative Stitching' includes step by step concise written instructions, along with clear illustrations, for 50 of Sue's favorite stitches. Included are close up, color, photographic examples of each of the stitches used. The beginning of 'Creative Stitching' gives you a detailed look into the needles and threads Sue uses, and throughout the book are never before seen color photographs of Sue's work. 'Creative Stitching' is spiral bound to stay open to the page you are using, is small in size to conveniently take with you anywhere, has an alphabetical index in the back of the book along with a category breakdown of stitches in the front which allows you to choose a stitch by the effect you are looking for. 'Creative Stitching' is the must have book for you to begin creating highly embellished, textural pieces of art.

A sneak peek inside the book :

If you want to try your hands at wool applique and some fantastic embroidery, consider Wooly Mama classes held every month at the Sewing Party.

  
(Posting by Hena)

Pre-Thanksgiving Sale at The Sewing Party

(Posting by Soyeon)

Juggling Summer collection

 (Posting by Soyeon)

A new quilt kit - 'Make Life Go Round'

We have another wonderful quilt kit available for you at the Sewingparty: 'Make Life Go Round'.

Fabrics are by Jay McCarroll for Freespirit. He came up with wonderful  fabric collections: Habitat and Center City among other things since winning the inaugural season of the Emmy nominated competitive reality television show, Project Runway. 

Jay manipulates  color, pattern and texture into functioning fabrics for us to use and enjoy. He was inspired by the essence of some of the greatest cities in America to create Habitat and Center City collections of prints in an exciting, abstract and urban way. The underground graffiti of Philadelphia to where the stars and sand meet in Palm Springs, the layers of mountains of Denver to the winding roadmaps of Los Angeles are just a few things that influenced his collections. 

That is why these collections with a range of prints and color palettes as diverse as America itself are ideal to be worked into a quilt such as 'Make Life Go Round'. The quilt is comprised of simple circle* appliques but encompasses subtle complexity using Jay's fabric collections.

*Here is the true secret to making this quilt. These simple looking circles are raw edge machine appliqued using fusible webs. How more simple can circle appliques be! 

This kit will be going, going, going, then gone! 

To purchase the kit, please click here.

  
(Posting by Hena)