Kathryn Gives Back!! A note from Mom!

Erica,

I just wanted to give you a glimpse at how one person's gift to a child has served others. Several years ago, you gave away a sewing machine to Kathryn when you had a contest in which the students were to write about why they would like to win a sewing machine. That year, Kathryn wrote about how she would like to sew for others.

She did win a machine from you. After attending several Quilter's Loft camps and sewing along with me at home, she is pretty comfortable tackling about any project.

In November, it was time to put together our Operation Christmas Child Box. In addition to our normal shoebox contributions, Kathryn decided to sew a pillowcase style dress from some yardage that we had in our sewing closet. We decided that since we had quite a bit, we would sew a longer dress that an older girl,  possibly her age could wear. She included a ribbon belt so that if the dress were too long, the girl could use the belt to make a waist and adjust the length.

Just thought you would like to know that your heart to see little girls sew was reaching more that just one life!

Merry Christmas!
Kimberly Fennie
Mooresville, NC

Kathryn hard at work on her Pfaff Hobby!

Getting Ready to Sew the Sides

Kathryn's Finished "Pillowcase" Dress

Sock Drive and Making Cards and Pillowcases for Veterans at the VA Hospital

Friday and Saturday our wonderful customers came in to make holiday cards for the Veterans at the VA Hospital.  Everyone learned some new skills with using steam a seam and fabric, stamps and inks.  Downstairs, in the Pfaff Shop, Pat was busy teaching how to make the pillowcases and we are getting closer to our goal of 120 pillowcases. 

Come out this Wednesday as we could use your talents to make more pillowcases and cards.  We still could use some white tube socks too.

We package a new pillowcase, a pair of socks and a hand made card for each Veteran.  Some go to Pat's Place (Local Vet meeting place) and they distribute them to the local nursing homes for our Veterans.  For some this is the only gift they receive and it is nice to let them know that they are not forgotten.

Stop in and sign some of the cards so they are more personal.



Holiday Cards in the Tree



























Holiday Cards Just Finished Waiting for Signatures



Socks under the Tree

The Second Annual Small Business Saturday!

Wow, we had a great time for our Second Annual Small Business Saturday! We were so busy today with so many fun happy quilters, getting a great deal on the sale fabrics.  Today only for Small Business Saturday, there was 20% extra off our already green tag $5.99 yard fabrics . Judy, Pat, Stephanie and I could hardly keep up. We thank you all for your patience as we tried to keep up with all your needs.  And we thank you for supporting a small business on Small Business Saturday!


Judy's busy cutting all the beautiful sale fabrics for someone special!! 
Wow!  Look at all the green tags!!



Randolph Quilt Show

Reba and I went to the Randolph Quilt Show this weekend.  It was a lovely drive thru country roads, with all the leaves changing color.  Beautiful red, yellow and oranges!!  Who needs to go to New England to see fall colors..........we have them right here!!!  The weather was perfect..........cold that is.........but we loved it!  We had a wonderful chicken salad lunch provided by the C4 Church.  It was so tasty. 

The Quilt Show was terrific..........lots of beautiful quilts..........such a talented group!!  If you missed it here are a few of my favorites that I took pictures of.  Love my Droid X phone.........it takes great pictures!!

Moda Talent Show at Houston Quilt Market

Every year Moda puts on a wonderful thank you party for all the Shops that support them through the year.  This year the theme was "Moda's got Talent".  We had a nice sit down dinner and many of the Moda reps dressed up and this U-Tube video shows the wonderful entertainment we had!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCEzwHUpY0M

Hearts and Hands Show - Sanford North Carolina

Reba and I spent the weekend in Sanford, North Carolina at the Heart and Hands Quilt Show at the Dennis Wicker Civic Center. 
The weather was fantastic, cool and sunny with a few clouds...........perfect for me!!  It was a nice drive through the countryside looking at all the changing leaves.  We had dinner two nights in a row at our favorite Italian restaurant, and had the best roasted chicken.  So much food that Reba took all the leftovers home!  I don't do leftovers!!  Having the roasted chicken two nights in a row was unlike me but that roasted chicken was so good with a sprig of rosemary.  Have to remember that!!

The Dennis Wicker Civic Center was a nice place for a show.  We had lots of fun, and I remembered to take some pictures of the quilts that I liked best!  If you didn't come to the show you missed some beautiful quilts.  Lots of beautiful quilts.  I took some pictures of my favorites!  So here is a preview in cause you didn't make it to the show.   We met so many nice people, and had a bit of time to chat with the other vendors.  Reba and I also did a bit of spending to help "support the local economy"!

The applique border really sets this one off!

I loved this one! 

The quiltmaker's inspiration was an antique picture from Germany.

It is hand appliqued and quilted. 

I liked the geometics of this one!

Nice color and dimension!

A wonderful use of color and depth!



Join Us for our 'COMING OUT PARTY"!!!!! CREATIVE SENSATION IS HERE!! AND MORE!!!!

Pam and I are back from Convention and we are so excited about our new Creative Sensation!  We are loving it!!  Better than we ever expected and we had high expectations!!! 

These machines are in short supply and we were not expecting ours until mid September but it arrived this week!!!  Danny checked it out and he is so impressed!! 

We have decided to have a "Coming Out" Party on Thursday September 8, 2011 from 6pm to 8:30pm. 

 Lots more to show you from Convention and we are getting ready for our unveiling!!  Lots of new and exciting things to show you............. we are planning on a fun event......entertainment, yes we do entertain......refreshments, prizes.

We are so excited we can't stand it!!!  Soooooooo call asap.......put your name on the list that you are coming.........if you book your place please show up, or give adequate cancellation so that someone else can have a place toooooo.  Space is limited for this event so don't wait too long to sign up or you will miss out!!  And you won't want to miss all the fun!!!

We Have a New Sign!! You Can Find Us Now!!

Our sign has been fun to find, since it is facing north and half way up the building.  Well, you can find us now!!  We were fortunate that Danny's brother is an artist and he gave our old sign a makeover!

The sign use to hang over the door on Moore Street but blew off one very stormy day!  Let's see that must have been about four years ago or was that five!!!

We now have a new sign!!  Hand painted...........visible and hanging on Main Street!  How novel is that.  Oh and it's a sewing machine sign!  Danny checked and you can see it half way down the block!

So here is what it looks like!



Danny's putting up the sign!





Don't you love the new sign??
You can find us now for sure!!!



Black Velvet Bakery - The freshest bakery in town!!

Today I went to Bob's Grill for a really good chicken sandwich and I stopped into the Black Velvet Bakery for a sweet treat and to say hello to Eric.  I looked at the fresh baked bread and I just had to have a loaf to go with my homemade tomato soup that I made last night!   The Country Bread was calling to me.............so back to the office I went with a great smelling loaf of Country Bread and of course my Brioche Donut!  I just love those Brioche Donuts.........

My office smelled so good all afternoon with my wonderful fresh baked loaf of bread...........and on the way home all I could smell was that wonderful bread........so as soon as I got home I could wait no longer and just had to have a slice before dinner........well then I had a second..........then a third..........nothing tastier with a slab of danish butter.........now I don't need the soup because I am full..........maybe later. 

The bread was to "die for"..........I am never buying bread in the grocery store any more......all natural and reminds me of the time as a child when the bakery use to deliver daily to our home.  Yes really, I remember the days when we lived in Canada and the baker and the milkman use to deliver daily!!!!

Those days are long gone.......but the fond memories of fresh food still lingers. 

So stop into the Black Velvet and see what bread you can take home...........I think I need to try the french bread next!


Country Bread fresh from the Oven!



Brioche Donut with Fresh Lemon Filling. 
My favorite!!



Stabilizer Fun and More, Karla Herrin - Friday July 29th, 2011

Karla Herrin

We are excited to have Karla Herrin, a Pfaff Creative Consultant (Educator) here on Friday July 29th, 2011.  There will be two Sessions. The Friday morning session is from 9am to 1pm, and the afternoon session is from 2pm to 6pm.  Sign up for either session.  The afternoon session is a repeat of the morning session.

Karla Herrin has designed quilts as well as home décor and garments. She has studied with Jenny Haskins and she has trained in heirloom sewing through Martha Pullen events. Karla has also appeared on sewing television shows and web video productions. She loves to have fun with her sewing and enjoys sharing her knowledge and creativity. With the combination of Sewing Machines, Software and Sergers Karla feels the possibilities are endless. Karla has been to the Loft before and we are excited to have her back again.

Karla Herrin will show you how to use the best stabilizer for the project you are working on.  The event focuses on the variety of stabilizers, and how to use them to get the best results! You don't have to own an embroidery machine, to benefit from this event!  We welcome owners of all brands of sewing machines, as this event will  teach you how to get the best results for your decorative stitches and machine applique just to name a few.  And best of all,  Karla will be doing demos and will show you inspirational samples in her trunk show!  Karla will also introduce you to designing software for your quilting too! 

Pre-registration is required to reserve your seat, Fee $10.  We will have refreshment, door prizes, lots of laughs and just plan old fun! 

Each attendee will receive a free gift bag...........and there will be specials!!  You won't want to miss this event.

Call the Quilters Loft to reserve your place, as space is limited.

Christmas Idea Exchange - Thurday July 21, 2011, 5:30pm to 8:30pm

The year is quickly slipping away, and Christmas is less than six months away.  It's time again for our wonderful Idea Exchange for Christmas.  We have been very busy working behind the scenes, getting ready for our Trunk Show for our annual Christmas Idea Exchange.  It's our favorite time of year to show you what you can make for Christmas, for your wonderful friends and family!  Some quick and easy suggestions that will get you started!  We will also have follow-up classes to really get you in the mood to create and hey it's cool in the shop! 

Of course we have refreshments, door prizes and specials for the evening.  All you need to do is call to reserve your place.  There is no charge, but we do ask that if you confirm you are coming, please show up!! If you find you can't make it,  please call in plenty of time, so someone else can have your spot at this popular event.  Space is limited, and you won't want to miss out!!!

We will close the Pfaff Shop at 4pm, to get set up for our event.  The Quilt Shop will be open too, so if you get here early you can shop upstairs, while we get ready to open the doors around 5:20pm.  Can't make the stairs........then you can get a cup of coffee at the new bakery just up the block, near the CVS pharmacy.  We will start promptly at 6pm with our trunk show.  We start at 5:30pm with a social mixer, where you can catch up with friends, or meet new ones!  Have refreshments.  This year we will have our event in the main Pfaff Shop.....it is cooler, more room, since the sun will be at the back of the building in the early evening.

We have lots to show you...........so we invite you to attend!  We plan on having lots of fun and we know you will toooooo!!!!

Danny Wicker - Sewing Machine Service Technician Celebrates One Year Anniversary with Quilters Loft!

We are celebrating Danny's First Year with us with a Sewing Machine Special.  From now until May 31, 2011 save 25% on your annual sewing machine maintenance, (parts and repairs excluded).  Mention this post for your discount, or if you are on e-mail bring in your coupon.  We have had so many requests to service other brand machines.  Danny services ALL Brands.

We have "Wait Appointments"!  Drop your machine off at it's appointed time and you can wait for it.  Just let us know that you would like a "Wait Appointment", which takes about an hour to do the annual maintenance.  You can shop upstairs, explore downtown, or bring a friend and have lunch downtown.

For the "Wait Appointment", you will need to schedule in advance, request the "Wait Appointment", and bring your machine in at it's appointed time.  Please don't be late, so that we may be able to have it ready for you on time.  We only schedule a limited amount of "Wait Appointments"  so book yours today. 

Danny graduated from Needle Trades Technology Greensboro, NC in 1977. His first job was with Wrangler Jeans as a sewing machine technician at various plants in eastern NC. In 1983 he moved to Regency Bedspreads Co. in Conover, NC and was employed as a sewing machine technician. There he gained experience repairing industrial long arm quilting machines and computerized single head quilting machines. In 1989 he moved to Peaches and Cream Inc. and was employed as head sewing machine technician, responsible for 2 manufacturing facilities in Whitakers and Sharpsburg NC. In 1994 he became owner of Statesville Singer Center, an existing Singer and Pfaff dealership established in 1951. He later moved the business and changed the name to Wicker Sewing Machine Co. and specialized in the repair and service of all brands and models of sewing machines. Danny's interests include gardening and music, and he is an award winning guitarist. He is the father of 3 children; Amber, Luke, and Kate; and one granddaughter, Niya. He is an active member and deacon of First Baptist Church in Statesville and lives with his wife Cathy and 2 teenagers on a 14 acre hobby farm in West Iredell lovingly called "The Miracle Farm." Danny says "I am excited about setting up shop at the Quilters Loft and I hope my 30+ years experience will prove to be an asset there. I am looking forward to serving both new and existing customers, with their sewing machine service and repair needs."

Danny Wicker Plays Music at 202 N Main Wine Shop

 Danny our very own talented Sewing Machine Service Tech has other talents!  Went to see him play his music last night at the Wine Shop across Moore Street for Acoustic Wednesdays.  Danny and Clyde played some beautiful music.

The Wine Shop is an upscale place to stop in and hear some wonderful music.  They have great wines, and wonderful coffee and desserts in a restored circa 1900 building.  Mike Parker is the owner and he has done a great job of bringing this great place to downtown.  Stop in and stay awhile.  You won't be disappointed! 

Danny will be there again and I will let you know when.  Come out and support our local artists!  Great music is alive in downtown!  It's Happening Downtown!!

Danny and Clyde making Music at 202 N Main Wine Shop!

Danny playing his steel guitar, what a beautiful sound!

Mike Parker, Owner of 202 N Main at the Wine Bar!

Danny and Clyde



Mike Parker



It's a Zoo Downtown!!

While Reba and I were away at the Inspired Workshop, the Lake Norman Festival was on in downtown.  Someone on the planning committee for the festival put Zoo animals and food vendors together in the same parking lot next to the Christian Mission.  Well for some reason, duh, the health department had a problem with that, and the Zoo had to move.  What better place to put them but around the Quilters Loft!! Does this mean we are party animals here??  So we gave up and closed for the day!  The farm smell was wonderful!  NOT!  Where is the FABREEZE!!  Enjoy the pictures..........

Camel in my parking space!!

The Crowd on Moore Street!

OK, I want one of these!!

Monkey??

Info Booth right outside our door!

Is this the bear?  The Lama? The kangaroo?

Notion Commotion, Trunk Show, Learn to make perfect curves!! and more!! Guest Educator Barbara Brooks - Sat May 21st, 2011

Barbara Brooks and her Puppies!

Yes, this is the event we have been hoping for!!  Barbara Brooks will be coming to inspire - motivate and wow you with all her favorite 'toys'.  We can call it 'Notion Commotion'!!  or 'Demo Day'!! or how about just a day of Creative Playing!! with so many demos on some of the newest tools, that we all want to know about.

If you are a Quilter - Garment Sewer or Machine Embroidery enthusiast.....you won't want to miss this event. Just wait till you see her trunk show! (She will be bringing her RV and says it is packed with samples and her two puppies.)

Schedule:
10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Lecture - Demos and a Fabulous Trunk Show
12 to 1 p.m. Lunch  (On your own or bring a brown bag lunch, we have a fridge)
1 p.m. to 3p.m. More Demos on some great new 'Quilter's Toys' and then we will demo the Crazy Curves - we will have a few machines set up and she will bring some fat quarters and let you sew your 'perfect curves' so when you go home you are ready to start chain piecing.


PLUS.... what a great time for you to see why quilter's love piecing on their Pfaffs!


If you feel more comfortable using your machine, bring it along and we will set them up during lunch break. Bring a 1/4" foot or if you can move your needle on your machine to sew a 1/4" that is fine too.


Supply List:  Bring pen and paper to make your 'must have' list and also 'wish list'.

P.S. Barbara just called all excited about this new tool that she just got and said "wait till your ladies see this - it is now at the top of my top 10 things we all have to have". - then she wouldn't tell me what it is - said she would bring plenty and that I would love it.....
Now for the best part of the best day ...........Barbara has taught 'Crazy Curves' all over the country, including at the Quilters Loft many years ago.  She fills her classes by saying

"Learn to cut out 80 Blocks in 30 minutes.
Learn to piece 80 blocks in less than 2 hours.

And she promises every block to be perfect."

Perfect Circles!

Perfect Circles!

Barbara has been to the Loft before, but it has been several years, so I can't remember just when that was!!!  We love having her here (and her two puppies will be here too), as she has alot of energy and is soooo much fun. She also teaches at Pfaff Convention, so we get to see her there.

Call now to reserve your place as space is limited!  Reserve your seat: $10

Aimee Griffin Joins Quilters Loft!

We would like to welcome Aimee Griffin to the Quilters Loft Team.  Many of you know Aimee from her shop, the Overall Quilter, which was in Indian Trail, NC.  Aimee will be working as an Educator and Sales Associate in the Quilt Shop.  Aimee loves her Pfaff sewing machine and has her eye on the Quilt Expression 4.0. She will also work with Sarah to learn all the new features of Pfaff Machines since she purchased hers years ago.  You may find her in the Pfaff Shop also when she is not teaching or working with someone on a new quilt project in the Quilt Shop.

 Aimee is also a pattern designer and many of her creations are sold at the Quilters Loft.  I just love her recent creation that has cute mushrooms on it and her daughter Jess, helped to design them.  A wonderful mother daughter team. 

Aimee's daughter Jess will be working with us on Saturdays in the office and helping customers too.

Please stop in and welcome Aimee and Jess to the Quilters Loft.

We have a great team with Nancy, Sarah, Pam, Judy, Courtney, Reba, Pat and Danny, along with our new team members Aimee and Jess.  Our team is here to give you personal attention for all your sewing, quilting and embroidery and sewing machine maintenance.

Teachers' Reception - Meet and Greet

Join us on Sunday January 23, 2010 for our quarterly Teachers' Reception from 4pm to 6:30pm. Here is your chance to meet our teachers for the upcoming class schedule, view their class samples and ask questions. We will have refreshments, door prizes and specials for the evening. We have a wonderful time so save the date and time and join us. It's a great time to sign up for classes. Bring a friend and take a class together!

Please RSVP, so we are sure to have enough refreshments!

Chicken Buffet Quilt - Support Hospice of Iredell County



Chicken Buffet Quilt

 We are pleased to assist the Lake Norman Shag Club in their efforts to raise money to support the Hospice of Iredell County.

This quilt was made as a donation quilt, and the proceeds will go to Hospice of Iredell County. The drawing will take place at the Lake Norman Shag Club’s Annual Chicken Pickin’ by the Sea on February 12, at the OD Arcade in North Myrtle Beach, SC. The club’s chicken themed event generated the idea of a chicken quilt to raise money for a charitable organization. Last year their chicken quilt raised over $900, and they hope to surpass that amount this year.

Sue Warren loved making this quilt, because it gave her an opportunity to work with friends and enjoy the creativity that was involved in making appliqués. Several club members, Del Meadows, Karen Guinta, and Pam Bundy assisted her with the appliqués. They had a great time picking out the accessories for each chicken and coming up with the black and white backgrounds and borders. Texture Magic was used on the chicken bodies in order to give the quilt added dimension. Each chicken represents a chicken dish, and the recipes for the chicken dishes are located in a pocket on the back of the quilt. The black and white background adds to the whimsical nature of this quilt, as well as, the chicken feet walking around the inside border. This quilt will make an excellent wall hanging and be a fun addition to the décor of any room.

It will be displayed at The Quilter’s Loft beginning Tuesday, January 18. Stop in to see it, and purchase tickets for $1 for your chance to win this beautiful quilt.

Some Block Details!

(Quilt Pattern by, Linda Huber & Bonnie Collins. The Chicken Buffet was published by Leisure Arts.)