Are You Ready for 4th of July?

Saturday is the 4th of July and it is time for celebration!  BBQs, fireworks, family and friends - what do you have planned for the day?

Always Quilting's brick and mortar shop will be closed on the 4th so our staff can enjoy the day with family and friends. But we'll be back on the 5th and ready for FREE Sunday Sew!  We hope you will join us. And remember, we are always open online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!  Enjoy the holiday!

Gingerbread Village is SOOOO Cute!

"Gingerbread Village" is hot out of the oven!   And the finished quilt is here in the shop for you to come and see it!  Please stop by - it really is a beautiful quilt! 

There are 7 delightful Gingerbread theme house blocks in this adorable quilt. The Peppermint Stripe Border and Scallop Border with Ric Rac "frosting" is "icing" on the top. So cute!  Gingerbread Village is from Quilt Company, and it may be their cutest project ever!  It is available as a block of the month project, or as a full kit.  Click here for additional information, and to see the accessory pack for this project!

This is the accessory pack that goes with Gingerbread Village.  It includes the pre-printed signs for the windows and other fun things for each block.  The project is using Maywood's Santa Claus collection, and backing fabric from the collection is also available.  But they are all so cute it will be hard to choose!  Start this summer and you can have it done by Christmas! 

Congratulations to our Geese Migration Book Tour Blog Hop Winners!

We are so excited to announce the winners of our prizes for the Geese Migrations Book Tour Blog Hop!  It was a fun week, and great to see all of the quilts in Judy & Judel Niemeyer's new book, Geese Migrations!  Be sure you visit their site, quiltworx.com, to see all of the quilts in the book!  And if you'd like to purchase a copy of the book from us, just click here! 

We are giving away two prizes.  The first is a set of papers for Geese Over the Flathead.  We love this quilt, especially for those of us in the West, and we are calling our version Geese Over Lake Tahoe!  Click here if you'd like more information about the purchase of our kit. 

The winner of a set of Geese over the Flathead Papers is:

Paula (Paulatrout) 

Please contact us with your information so we can ship your prize to you!  Congratulations, and we will look forward to seeing your finished quilt!  


The second prize we are giving away is a set of papers for Celestial Flight.  This quilt has such nice movement, and is especially beautiful in a color way with all blues - ice blue for the background, and dark blues for the contrast.  Click here to view more information about this project. 

The winner of a set of Celestial Flight Papers is:

Minibea12 (nikilsend)   

Please contact us with your information so we can ship your prize to you!  Congratulations and we will look forward to seeing your finished quilt too!

If you haven't won a prize yet, don't despair - there are more prizes to give out!  You can win at any shop you stopped at on the blog hop, and Judy Niemeyer is also providing prizes too.  So stay tuned for the winners of those prizes to be announced!

Thanks so much to everyone participating in this Blog Hop, and we look forward to your visits again soon!  Keep an eye out for future events and special give-aways - there will be new things coming soon! 

Nifty Notions Mesh Bag Class Had Lots of Fun!

Pat's Nifty Notions Mesh Bag Class was held today, and everyone in the class finished their project!  In fact, some folks finished two of them!  And some were out shopping and missed the photo!  Here is the class with their finished bags:

 

Don't they look cute!  And Jan brought some purple mesh and made her second bag out of that - it has a Hawaiian feel to it with the beautiful side fabric she selected.  Don't you love it!

 

 

 

We have another class scheduled for this bag in August; click here if you'd like to register for that class!  And click here if you can't wait until August and just want to purchase the kit and the pattern!  Hope you had a fun weekend! 

Soccer - Congrats USA on a Big Win vs China!

Women's World Cup Soccer is going on right now!  It is very exciting to watch, and our family is especially cheering for the USA.  And a little bit for Team Mexico too - I'll tell you about that in a minute.  One of my daughter's college teammates, Julie Johnston, is now playing on the US National World Cup Team! 

My daughter Kat just graduated from Santa Clara University, a school that has a very proud Women's Division 1 Soccer history, with Coach Jerry Smith, and player Brandi Chastain.  Brandi is famous for removing her shirt after making the winning goal when the US beat China in 1999. 

Brandi is currently a volunteer coach at Santa Clara, and it was an amazing experience for my daughter to play in this organization, and be on the field with Brandi every day.  Here is Kat at Santa Clara.  I've been watching her play since she was 4, and it is a little bit hard to believe she is graduated  - who knows what will be next?  Kat is #6 in the red. 

 

 

Here is Julie at Santa Clara.

Last year, when Julie Johnston graduated, she was selected to play for the Chicago Red Stars professional team, and was named Rookie of the Year.  She has been playing all year with the US team as well, gradually moving into a starting role.  We spent three years watching Julie play, and she is a fantastic player!  She has already been named Player of the Match for one game, and now vs China she had the assist on a beautiful goal by Carli Lloyd!  Here are a few pictures of Julie playing for the US.  She is #19 in blue in the first picture, and white in the second picture.  I'm sure you will be hearing a lot more about her!

And I mentioned about cheering for Mexico as well.  My daughter trained for years in youth soccer with Amanda Perez and her sister Veronica.  They are both now on the Mexican National team and Amanda plays for the University of Washington Huskies.  It is so exciting to see these kids compete at the highest levels of college and national team soccer.  There were so many days of driving back and forth to soccer practice, and 'Mom, can I just stay another hour to practice my shooting?".  It was a good thing I had lots of binding to do on my quilts - I can practically trace the history of my quilts through which practice/game/tournament I worked on them!  Here are Kat's friends and teammates from youth soccer - sisters Amanda and Veronica now on the same Mexican National Team!

Do you have children or grandchildren playing soccer?  Or do you play yourself?  It's a fun game and I've learned a lot through watching my daughter over the years - but you won't see me out there on the field!  I'll be sewing the fun soccer quilts and wall hangings for the kids!   Here is a great wall hanging for your favorite soccer player,

and some fun soccer fabric you can use - it's perfect for World Cup time! 

And we also have some great ideas for t-shirt quilts - but that's a story for another time!  Enjoy the World Cup, and Go USA! 

 

Hoffman Crackers, Snaps and Strips Have Arrived!

Today was like Christmas!  We got a wonderful arrival from Hoffman today!  The Hoffman 1895 Batiks are hand dyed water colors, and there are over 372 colors in this collection!  Personally, I want them all! 

 

Hoffman has narrowed them down to six different beautiful color ways, and packaged them together in their famous Bali Pops, Crackers, and Snaps.  Bali Pops are strip rolls with 40 pre-cut strips 2 1/2" by 42/43".  Crackers are 10" squares, with a variety of 40 unique squares in the package, and Snaps are 5" pre-cut squares with 40 unique squares in the package. 

The collections in order, from left to right are:
First Row - Terra, Sea Glass, and Gemstone
Second Row - Mercury, Mineral, and Agate


There are so many great patterns out there for these pre-cut collections!  One of our favorites for strips is Magic Maze.  This fun quilt frames your strips with a maze-like pattern.  This would be a great gift for the man in your life made out of the Mineral Strips!  Click here for info on this pattern. 

What about the Judy Niemeyer pattern Crackers for a beautiful baby quilt out of the Sea Glass pastel 10" squares?  Click here to see the Crackers pattern. 

Or the Villa Rosa pattern Tower Bridge?  I've made this several times and it is a really fun and easy pattern to do.  It would look great in any of these collections!  Click here to see Tower Bridge.

And Table for Two would look fabulous on your table made out of any of the 5" charm square packages.  Click here to see the Table for Two pattern. 

What ideas do you have for these great new pre-cuts from Hoffman?  Leave a comment and let us know what your favorite is!

We hope you have enjoyed the Geese Migrations Book Blog Tour this week.  Stay tuned for prize winner announcements coming soon! 

Get Ready for the Holidays - Christmas Celebration Tree Skirt Would be A Great Addition to Your Holiday Decor!

 

The Christmas Celebration Tree Skirt is a beautiful Judy Niemeyer pattern that can be used for a tree skirt, or for a table topper.  With a beautiful star center and flying geese all around, it would be an elegant accent to any room! This project has been made around the world, multiple times - it would make a great holiday gift!  Click here to order the pattern.  Here are two other examples of this project: 

 

I call this the "Northwoods" version, since the dark feature fabric has bear, moose, etc and the feel of a cabin in the woods.  The next version brings in more of the greens and purples, and it is so beautiful as well!

Kathi Carter, Judy Niemeyer Certified Instructor, will be teaching this class at Always Quilting on Saturday, August 1st.  If you are thinking about taking the class, please register soon so we can make sure you have your fabrics cut and prepared prior to the class.  We'll have a special day where you can come in and work with us to do that.  You can click here to register. 

Kathi's beautiful sample is in our shop, and you will want to stop by and see it!  Hers is a table topper (it does not have the tree skirt hole in the center) and it is so elegant in rich reds, greens and golds. 

She also quilted it magnificently with gold metallic thread; here is a close-up of her beautiful quilting!  This is a fabulous table topper and you would definitely enjoy taking the class from Kathi!

Another great holiday project is the Seasonal Table Runner.  Of course it would be great in green and red and gold, but how about these other color ways?  It would be fabulous for any season!  Click here to order this pattern.  And if you'd like a kit, just let us know what you are looking for and we can customize it for you! 

And where did the time go - today is the last day of the Geese Migrations Book Tour Blog Hop!  We hope you are having fun, and seeing lots of beautiful Judy Niemeyer quilts!  Links to the participating Certified Shop are listed below, so make sure you stop by and visit them all.  You still have time to enter and win a prize - so many will be given!  Leave us a comment - what is your favorite quilt from the book that you've seen so far?

Monday, June 22  Canton Village Quiltworks

Monday, June 22 Crafty Threads  

Monday, June 22 Wish Upon A Quilt 

Tuesday, June 23 Scrap Apple Quilts 

Tuesday, June 23 Always Quilting

Wednesday, June 24 The Quilter's Market 

 Wednesday, June 24 JanniLou Creations 

 Wednesday, June 24 Quilter's Corner Virginia 

Thursday, June 25 Scruffy Quilts 

Thursday, June 25 Sew-Ciety 

 Thursday, June 25 Stitchin Heaven

Friday, June 26 Backdoor Quilt Shoppe 

  Friday, June 26 The Quilter's Attic  

Enjoy the Blog Hop! 

Nifty Notions Mesh Bag Class Saturday; Pattern and Kits Available Soon!

Join us on Sunday, June 28th at 1:00 pm for Pat's Nifty Notions Mesh Bag Class!  What a fun and easy way to use your license plates.  Make one for you and one for a gift - You won't be able to stop at making just one! 

Click here to register for the class, and click here to purchase the pattern and kit.  And while you are thinking about Row by Row, we have two rows available.  The first is Cruisin' to the Beach.  This is a unique Always Quilting design and definitely a fun row to make!  And of course we have kits available with the cruise ship names already embroidered for you!  Click here to order this row kit; we can set one aside for you but according to the Row by Row rules, you will need to come in to the shop to get it.  We are not allowed to mail out any Row by Row kits or patterns until November1st.  If you'd like to be on the mail-out list for November 1st, just let us know and we'll send it to you then!

Our second Row choice is Watercolor Wave.  This beautiful bargello wave is made from ten great Hoffman Batiks!  Click here to order this block, or if you can not make it in to the shop, let us know if you'd like to be on the mail-out list for November 1st. 

Of course we have plenty of 2015 license plates available; you can click here to order.  We also have a limited number of 2014 plates available as well.  And there are two styles of  Row by Row pins; one is the round logo pin and the other is the square license plate pin.  They are selling fast, so order yours today!  Click here to order the pins! 

Lastly, don't forget that the Geese Migrations Blog Hop Book Tour is still going on!  We featured Geese over the Flathead

and Celestial Flight. 

Both are so beautiful!  Be sure you visit all the shops and follow their directions to win  There are so many beautiful quilts in the book, and so many great prizes you can win!  Here are the links to the shops.  Enjoy!

Monday, June 22  Canton Village Quiltworks

Monday, June 22 Crafty Threads  

Monday, June 22 Wish Upon A Quilt 

Tuesday, June 23 Scrap Apple Quilts 

Tuesday, June 23 Always Quilting

Wednesday, June 24 The Quilter's Market 

 Wednesday, June 24 JanniLou Creations 

 Wednesday, June 24 Quilter's Corner Virginia 

Thursday, June 25 Scruffy Quilts 

Thursday, June 25 Sew-Ciety 

 Thursday, June 25 Stitchin Heaven

Friday, June 26 Backdoor Quilt Shoppe 

  Friday, June 26 The Quilter's Attic  

Blog Hop Continues and Amazing Prismatic Star Kits!

Just in - We have this amazing new Prismatic Star quilt!  The Always Quilting fabric kit includes a custom strip roll with 48 strips in the color gradations you see in the picture, and your background, accent and binding fabric. The accent is black; the background is black with very small silver dots. Pattern (or extra foundation papers) must be purchased separately. The picture does not do this quilt justice - it is spectacular!  Click here if you'd like to order the pattern, the kit, or the strip roll. 

Special thanks to Judy Niemeyer Certified Instructor Kathi Carter for her color design and for making the sample. She will be teaching this project October 31st at Always Quilting. To register for the class, call or email the shop, click here, or click "classes" from our main menu, select October 2015, and click on the class on October 31. We hope you'll join us!

And don't forget - the Geese Migration Book Tour Blog Hop is continuing on...you won't want to miss out on visiting any of the shops, and you will definitely want to enter for prizes at every blog you visit! 

Here are the links for the other participating shops  You'll want to visit them right away!

Monday, June 22 Crafty Threads  

Monday, June 22 Wish Upon A Quilt 

Tuesday, June 23 Scrap Apple Quilts 

Tuesday, June 23 Always Quilting

Wednesday, June 24 The Quilter's Market 

 Wednesday, June 24 JanniLou Creations 

 Wednesday, June 24 Quilter's Corner Virginia 

Thursday, June 25 Scruffy Quilts 

Thursday, June 25 Sew-Ciety 

 Thursday, June 25 Stitchin Heaven

Friday, June 26 Backdoor Quilt Shoppe 

  Friday, June 26 The Quilter's Attic  

Also, a special prize will be drawn and given by Judy Niemeyer (Quiltworx.com).  They will be giving away one copy of the Geese Migrations Book and a kit to Judy's design in the book, Fish Ladders! Don't miss out on the fun and come to the blogs TODAY  to continue the tour and enter for a chance to win!  And good luck - we hope you win and that you are enjoying the hop!  Thanks you for stopping by to visit us! 

Geese Migrations Blog Hop Book Tour and Giveaway Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Geese Migrations Blog Hop Book Tour!!  Today you will be able to visit two Judy Niemeyer Certified Shops to see lots of fun things and enter to win some great prizes!  Today we'd like to share a little about the book and show you two fun projects from the book!

We'll remind you again at the end, but to enter for our prizes, please leave a comment on the blog and/or subscribe to our blog via email!  It's so easy to do!

Geese Migrations is the first book published by Judy Niemeyer.  It features 29 quilt designs by Quiltworx.com and affiliated Certified Shops.  Design, Create, and Inspire are the three words at the heart of Quiltworx.com, and have been since Judy Niemeyer founded the company in the late 1990s.  The foundation of this book is to provide multiple foundation units, such as geese, stars, etc. and then provide 29 patterns that use each of these designs uniquely, distinctly, and creatively.  The book also discusses how to take these units and design your own project! 

The book provides instructions for all 29 projects.  A separate paper package for each design is available for purchase to make each of the quilts in this book.  Just let us know which quilt you want to make and we can order the papers for you - it's as easy has that!  To order the book, click here!  

Today we'd like to feature two quilts from the book.  The first is Geese Over the Flathead.  This reminded me so much of Lake Tahoe in California!  I just loved the beauty of the lake, the majesty of the mountains, and the geese flying around the sun!  This project is 42" x 72", and we have the papers and the fabric kits (all batik) to go along with the project.  If you'd like to get this project, click here. 

Another project we really liked is Celestial Flights.  We have a sample in our shop made by Certified Instructor Kathi Carter, and it is gorgeous!  Kathi's version looks more like a two-color quilt - light blue and dark blue - however, if you look closely, you can see a variety of colors in the dark blue pieces.  Here is Kathi's version: 

Now for the best part - what are we giving away?  We are giving away two sets of papers - one set for Geese Over the Flathead and one set for Celestial Flights.  To enter our giveaway, leave a comment on this post and/or subscribe to our blog by email.  If you leave a comment and are not subscribed, please make sure we have your email address so we can contact you if you win! 

And of course you want to make sure and hop over to the other blogs on the list.  There are lots of prizes and lots of chances to win.  Each shop will have different ways to enter, so be sure to follow their rules.  Click on the links below on the assigned days and see what they all have to offer! 

Here are the links for the other participating shops  You'll want to visit them right away!

Monday, June 22 Crafty Threads  

Monday, June 22 Wish Upon A Quilt 

Tuesday, June 23 Scrap Apple Quilts 

Tuesday, June 23 Always Quilting

Wednesday, June 24 The Quilter's Market 

 Wednesday, June 24 JanniLou Creations 

 Wednesday, June 24 Quilter's Corner Virginia 

Thursday, June 25 Scruffy Quilts 

Thursday, June 25 Sew-Ciety 

 Thursday, June 25 Stitchin Heaven

Friday, June 26 Backdoor Quilt Shoppe 

  Friday, June 26 The Quilter's Attic  

Also, a special prize will be drawn and given by Judy Niemeyer (Quiltworx.com).  They will be giving away one copy of the Geese Migrations Book and a kit to Judy's design in the book, Fish Ladders! Don't miss out on the fun and come to the blogs TODAY  to continue the tour and enter for a chance to win!  And good luck - we hope you win and that you are enjoying the hop!  Thanks you for stopping by to visit us!