Dear Quilting Friends,

I’ve been out of town most of the last 2 weeks, so the deadline for this issue of Current Threads seemed to arrive more quickly than usual! We spent one week at our cottage at Lake Avalon with all the extended Rufenacht family, including our sons, daughter-in-law and two grandsons—what fun! Our generation even took the opportunity to ride motorcycle on the 300-mile trip to the lake, leaving all our “stuff” to be hauled by our kids. There are some definite perks to this empty nest stage of life!

Awesome Autumn Adventures

Now that vacation is over, I am more intent on planning the details of the events we have scheduled for this fall. First of all, if you haven’t signed up for the Saturday Sampler that begins on September 12, now is the time to do so. We are getting ready to cut the kits for the first month and need to know how many of each colorway to prepare. If you want to be sure that we have a kit and pattern ready for you, sign up either online, in the shop or by calling us at 419-445-9610. For more information this year’s project or for basic information on the Saturday Sampler program, follow this link to our web page: http://www.saudervillage.org/Shopping/quiltshop.asp#Saturday_Sampler

The weekend following the first Saturday Sampler demonstration we will be stitching our hearts out at our Fall Quilting Retreat. The time from 10:00 AM on Friday, September 18 until 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 20 is yours to use as you please. As the weekend progresses, and everyone displays their finished projects on the walls, the retreat workroom turns into a beautiful quilt show, stimulating creativity in everyone. Whether you are a beginner or accomplished quilter, everyone is welcome to join this quilting community. Sewing, quilting, eating, snacking, soaking in the hot tub are all more fun in the company of quilting girlfriends, so make plans to come with your friends or come by yourself and make new quilting friends. Either way, you are sure to have a marvelous time and go home on Sunday with completed projects. For more details and a printable registration form, go to: http://www.saudervillage.org/Shopping/quiltshop.asp#Classes and we will look forward to a weekend quilting with you!

Beginning September 1, we will be selling passports for the Quilter’s Road Show Shop Hop featuring quilt shops that can be easily accessed from the Ohio Turnpike. This is Threads of Tradition’s first year to be part of this 3-year old event, and we are excited about joining in the fun. The seven shops included in this event are: Threads of Tradition in Archbold, Corner Quilts in Wauseon, Sonflower Quilts in Sylvania, The Door Mouse in Bettsville, Black Swamp Quilt Shoppe in Millbury, Sew Little Time in Norwalk, and Quilts and Kreations in South Amherst. Each of the seven shops has designed an original pattern that will be published in a book that you will receive when you purchase your passport. The quilt we designed for the book is the Carefree Cruisin’ Braid, as seen in the picture. If you purchase your passport in September it will cost only $8.00 for the seven patterns and a full day of shopping mania. In October, the same passports will cost $10.00, still a great bargain for a full day of fun and a chance at wonderful prizes! Plan now to enjoy a day discovering treasures on the Quilter’s Road Show and mark your calendars for October 15-16-17—we’ll be looking for you!

Creative Classes

September is a great time for taking classes, since it feels like a good time to learn something new and return to our first love of quilting after taking a summer break. As teachers, we also took a summer break, but are now raring to go with a variety of class offerings, maybe one or more are just the perfect inspiration for you! Registration forms (online or printable) are available at: http://www.saudervillage.org/Creativity/Class_Registrations.asp

Ivy Twist Wallhanging
Saturday, September 12, 2009 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Instructor: Nancy Rosendaul
Class Fee: $30.00 / $27.00 Members
Class Size: Minimum 4 / Maximum 10
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner

This fool-the-eye piece is created with all straight seams. Using folded fabric inserts you can create the look of curved piecing. Our sample is done in classic 30’s fabric, but this would also be spectacular in batiks.

Basic Rotary Cutting
Tuesday, September 22, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Instructor: Glora Belle Yoder
Class Fee: $15.00 / $13.50 Members
Class Size: Minimum 4 / Maximum 10
Skill Level: Beginner

If you own a rotary cutter, ruler and mat and do not know how to use them, or just want to learn how to cut and piece quilts, this is where you need to begin. We will cover the grain of fabric, squaring up your fabric, how to cut different shapes and the different tools and how to care for them.

Piping Hot Highlights
Saturday, September 26, 10:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.
Instructor: Sharon Moore
Class Fee: $30.00 / $27.00 Members
Class Size: Minimum 4 / Maximum 10
Skill Level: Intermediate

Learn to make piping and apply it to highlight curves, circles and binding using Susan K. Cleveland’s Piping Hot Binding and Piping Hot Curves plus some unique techniques that make it even easier.

Perfect Project Ideas

If you are searching for a fall project, we have ideas for you! I’ll mention a few here, but if you want more variety, stop in the shop and take a look around—we have lots of samples on display and new fabrics for a totally new look.

With cool weather soon to arrive, I suggest a warm and cozy throw sewn with Woolies Flannels. The Get Comfortable pattern is perfect for these wool-imitating flannels and their warmth, pattern and colors will attract everyone in your family, including the men in your household. To make fabric selection easy, we have cut and bundled fat quarters of Woolies, so you just need to decide which one to use as center squares and circles.

If you want a queen size quilt, we have a beauty for you! Diamond Dazzler, as we have adapted the pattern, is a true queen size quilt that will dazzle you with its blend of batiks and simple piecing creating a dramatic result. Kits include the pattern and our instructions for increasing the size, as well as all fabrics for the top and binding. Piece it now and quilt it this winter and enjoy it on your bed all year ‘round!

Everyone loves snowmen, at least looking at them through the window! Celebrate the joys of winter with a Winter Welcome wall hanging. We purchased these kits from Moda and they come packaged in their own black decorated felt tote which can be put to other uses after the quilt is sewn.

Fabulous Fabrics

As always, we have lots of wonderful new fabrics and precuts including Bali Pops in 6 different colors. Since pictures are worth a thousand words and I’m running out of space in this newsletter, I’ll just tempt you with the photos of some of these new fabric groups. Of course, they are all more exciting when you can actually see and touch them, but for now pictures will have to do. Feel free to come in and “pet” your favorites!

Aurora
Crazy Christmas
Cozy Cotton

Millie's Garden
Pheasants
Trains

Pumpkins and Spice
Bali Pops
Warren Kimble Birdhouses

Awesome Accessories

New fall purse styles and colors from Donna Sharp have just arrived and are they ever gorgeous! Great new styles include the Reese bag, a medium sized bag with a zip top and lots of pockets; and the Cell Phone Purse with an outside pocket for your phone, a zipper opening with lots of space for credit cards and cash inside and a detachable shoulder strap—perfect for errand or shopping trips when you want to travel light.

Brand new fall colors include Crimson—a combination of classy reds and blacks, and Pistachio—a trendy blend of green and brown patchwork. Also back by popular demand are Woodland, Roanoke and Sophie Patch. Pick up yours soon, while the selection is at its best!

Notable Notions

Great tools and gadgets can certainly make our creative lives easier and more fun. We’ve recently come across some new finds that we think have wonderful possibilities for quilters. First of all, the Quilt Halo by Sharon Schamber (who will be our quilt artist and teacher at Quilt Show 2010) will give you the control that is needed to machine quilt beautiful designs. Simply place your Halo on top of your basted quilt, slide your quilt and halo under the foot of your machine, hold the edge of the Halo with gentle pressure and quilt the designs of your choice.

The Rowenta travel iron has always been a favorite of mine, but now they have come out with the DA1560 model which features a Microsteam200 stainless steel soleplate technology with more than 200 steam vents that provides effortless glide, advanced steam distribution and easy wrinkle removal. Dry ironing, burst of steam and vertical steaming are also options. If you are considering a new travel iron for your sewing room, this is the one to check out!

Pair up your new iron with the Steady Betty Pressing Surface. The Steady Betty stays cooler than most pressing surfaces, but allows the fabric to be as hot as needed. When you are pressing your piecing using the Steady Betty, there will be no stretching or distortion like traditional pressing surfaces. When pressing long strips and bias edges, they will grab the surface so you will have less distortion and stretch. The Steady Betty will save you time, energy and frustration. It’s 12” x 12” size makes it easy to transport to classes and retreats.

For storage and travel, the new Double Deep Super Satchel from Art Bin can handle your biggest needs. It is deep enough for storing folded fat quarters, large thread cones, and other crafting supplies. Sturdy dividers allow you to set up the interior to organize whatever you decide to store inside.

With Jillily Studio Appli-Glue there is no need to pin or stitch to hold your appliqués in place. Simply use the precision tip to apply a tiny dot of Appli-Glue every ½ inch or so in the seam allowance of your appliqué pieces. Place pieces on background fabric for a firm temporary bond. Fabric will remain bonded unless they contact water. Appli-Glue is archival quality, acid free, pH neutral and water soluble; completely safe for your quilt, whether you wash it or not!

Breathtaking Books

Buying precut bundles of fabric has become an obsession with some quilters because it is an easy and less expensive way to obtain a small amount of a large variety of coordinated fabrics.Book authors have taken up the cause and are designing patterns specifically for using these precut sizes. For Jelly Roll lovers the new book Scrap Basket Surprises has 18 projects with easy triangle-free piecing using 2 ½” strips. Pick up a copy of Charmed, I’m Sure to put all those fun charm squares to clever use in quilts that showcase 5” squares. Many of the designs allow you to use whole squares, so a lot of the cutting is done before you even start. Stitch up a quilt in a weekend!

Best in Show by Carol Armstrong includes portraits in appliqué that practically sit up and say “Woof”. Show off 24 dog breeds at their most appealing with these charming little appliqué portrait quilts. Full size appliqué templates are included in the book.

Learn to stitch beautiful appliqué with the Baltimore Album Master, Elly Sienkiewicz. Her new DVD will teach you how to create her style of heirloom appliqué, up-close and in person. Learn the basics of needle-turn appliqué and replay the lessons as often as you want to!

By now many of us have adopted digital photography and with that digital camera and a computer, you can easily transform your digital photos into luminous fabric art! Artistic Photo Quilts by Charlotte Ziebarth will help you create stunning quilts with your camera, computer and cloth. Eleven exercises show you how to alter photos and use them to create beautiful, original works of fabric art.

And last, but not least, turn quilting into a new artistic venture by letting Jean Wells take you on an Intuitive Color and Design adventure in art quilting. Eleven creative exercises take your use of color, design, and piecing in dramatic new directions. Classroom proven techniques make the adventure easy for any quilter—including you!

Wow, I’ve really gone on and on this month, but there are just so many new and exciting things to share with you. I hope this newsletter didn’t take forever to download or jam up your computer. Most of all, I hope you enjoyed reading about all the exciting things happening at Threads of Tradition and decide to join us for at least some of them!

Happy Quilting, Linda

Threads of Tradition @ Sauder Village
22611 State Route 2, Archbold, Ohio 43502
800.590.9755 or 419.446.2541 ext. 3011
www.saudervillage.org
send email inquiries to: lrufenacht@saudervillage.org

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