Sew Inspired "Snips & Pieces"

As a product of 80's and 90's music, I'm a big fan of alternative rock (R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Nirvana).  Now, we have alternative fabric in the shop and I couldn't be happier.  Not one's to blend into the background, these pieces beg to be used in an alternative way.  No burying these guys in a quilt, they beg to be made into garments - fun kids clothes, pajama bottoms, shirts, and linings of jackets.

Jersey knits:

Masculine Flannels:

Jacquard (perfect for linings):

Quilter's Linen (cotton fabric that looks exactly like linen!)

Posted by sewinspired at 01:40 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Have you ever wondered what to do with your collection of buttons from the 40's?  Or the shoe box full of novelty yarn bits left over from your knitting craze circa 2004?  Well, we have the answer for you: Fabric Embellishing.  We are offering a new and exciting monthly class taught by Laurie Dhandapani.  She has taught fabric embellishing for the Greater Hartford Quilting Guild and the Farmington Valley guild, as well as other quilting shops, and now she's here with us!

This is a series of classes that meets monthly.  Laurie starts with basic techniques and builds from there - the sky is the limit.  As you attend the various classes you'll build a fiber art book of ideas and techniques.  While you can join us at any point, the classes do build on each other, so I say - begin at the beginning with us and experience the entire journey!  Here's the deets (the younger generation's slang for details):

• Classes are the second Monday of the month from 1:00 - 3:30pm and the second Tuesday from 6:00 - 8:30pm.  You choose what works best for you.
• Open studios with Laurie are the fourth Tuesday of the month from 6-8pm.
• Each class is $35
• Each open studio is $25
• You can purchase a class "Pass" for $150.  This entitles you to three months worth of classes and open studios.  It essentially saves you $5 per class as well as $5 per open studio.

Come to the studio for more details and to see samples of what will be taught in class!  I think you'll be amazed at what you can do with fabric and a few embellishments!

Posted by sewinspired at 12:31 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

...Some are the play-in-the-dirt, dig-a-hole-in-the-ground, tear-their-pants-at-the-knee kind of kid.  And have we got the fabric for you!  Check this out, the most wonderful tonka-esque fabric I believe we've ever had at the shop.  Kathy, one of my co-workers who also happens to have two of the "dirt under the fingernails" type of grandsons, is already thinking of ways to use this fabric.  What will you dream up?

Posted by sewinspired at 01:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Just when you thought peer pressure was a bad thing, I bring you the Ca$h and Carry, by Atkinson Designs.  Ca$h and Carry is the most wonderful pattern ever.  It is a pattern for change purses.  But not just any change purses.  These are the cutest, easiest, most addictive change purses known to quilting (wo)man.  Fortunately, (hopefully!) making these little guys won't set you spinning down the spiral of despair that other addictive, but less culterally acceptable vices, may.  Instead, these little wallets will make you smile and lift your spirits*. 

Here's a look at some of the sample's Marianna and Viv have whipped up for the shop.  There is an unofficial (but no-holds-barred none the less) contest for the cutest wallet going on here between the employees and owners of the shop.  Stop on by and let us know what you think!

* This claim has not been evaluated by the FDA.

Posted by sewinspired at 01:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

...Anniversary parties!

Can you believe we are already 5-years-old?  In dog years that's like, well, old!  Thank goodness we aren't counting in dog years!

Well, Sew Inspired Quilt Shop and Studio has indeed been open for 5 years this summer.  We decided we needed to celebrate.  And what comes at once to our minds?  Food of course!  And what kind of food, seeing as it's now the third week of heat wave?  ICE CREAM!  I mean come on, what else would we have thought of, hot chocolate?  I think not.

So, we invite you to help us celebrate our 5th anniversary by coming to our Ice Cream Social - we'll have ice cream from Tina's Ice Cream in Granby, CT and I'm sure I can convince Viv and Sandy to have some special deals going on as well.

The party is planned for Saturday and Sunday, August 7 - 8.  And just between you and me (it's a secret now, so don't tell anyone!), there may be a free give-away.  I mean it - I swore not to tell...

Posted by sewinspired at 01:31 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I'm sure you can agree that it's never too early to start thinking about fall: crisp night, crunchy leaves underfoot, and HALLOWEEN!  (All of these are especially inviting because as I write this it is approximately 94 degrees outside and, well, let's just say it's not a dry heat!)

All of our Halloween fabric is in, so I thought I'd take a few minutes and post some samples of all the awesomely, spookily fun fabric we have!

Robert Kaufman's Eerie Alley

Avlyn's Happy Haunting (including glow in the dark stars!)

Exclusively Quilters' Trick or Treat

Henry Glass's Spooktacular

Quilting Treasure's Hairraising Halloween

And don't forget all you Ghosts and Goblins, Halloween fabric isn't just for quilts!  How about some costumes, clothing, table runners, napkins and such?

Posted by sewinspired at 02:53 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

You all know that Sew Inspired is the place to go if your needs tend toward the quilting.  But, did you know that we are now expanding into clothing patterns and classes as well?  I know - pretty neat huh?  I've written before that we are now KwikSew dealers, and we've started up a garment sewing workshop to kick things off.

Karlie Lebatique, a Palmer/Pletsch Certified Sewing Instructor, is going to be our resident KwikSew expert.  She's going to run our workshops for us and we couldn't be happier.  Here's how it's going to work.

We have selected basic garment patterns for you to choose from: 2 skirt patterns, apron, and kids or adults lounge pants.  You choose one of the patterns and buy a "Sewing Pass" for $75.  This pass gives you access to 4 sewing classes.  Your first class will be one of Karlie's "kick off" classes.  This is where you will learn very basic garment sewing skills, such as taking measurements, reading the back of a pattern, and determing what size you are.  Once you've done the kick off event, you can attend any three open sewing sessions where you are free to work on your garments at your own pace.  Karlie will be there to assist you and will offer tips throught the sessions that can and will be used for almost any garment pattern. 

Once you finish your fourth sewing session, you should have the skills to tackle any basic garment pattern.  However, we know you'll simply fall in love with Karlie (I mean come on - she's wonderful - you'll see, it'll be hard to not fall in love!) and will want to come to even MORE sessions.  That's cool with us!  Sewing passes will continue to be $75 for four classes, but once you've done the kick off class, you don't need to repeat it, so you can simply pick four open sew sessions and again, work at your own speed on any beginner patterns.  I can see it now: skirts and pajama pants for the whole family!

Our kick off events will run every other month throughout the summer and fall, and open sewing sessions will run on Monday mornings, Wenesday evenings, and occasional Saturdays.  Spaces are filling up, so stop by or give us a call to reserve your spot!

Posted by sewinspired at 03:18 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Now, kids, you may not know this, but Auntie Blog Writer is a HUGE fan of Christmas.  And when I say a HUGE fan, I mean a HUGELY GINORMOUS fan.  So, I have to say that I am ridiculously excited about this whole Christmas in July thing.  Here's the scoop:

You may have noticed that we haven't put out our holiday fabric yet.  This is no mere oversight on our part.  We're going to keep everything together, then come the wee hours of July 17th, we are going to wrap all the holiday fabric and put it under our pretend Christmas tree (pretend because no real tree would be big enough to put all the fabric under).  No kidding - we really are going to wrap the fabric.  Then, the first customers in the shop will experience Christmas morning 5 months early when they unwrap all the fabric.

This will be your chance to see all the fabric collections together and in one place, with no missing pieces because your friend from the guild bought the last of the signature piece from that line.  We'll also be unveiling new holiday patterns and kits.  Plus, picking out fabric in July ensures you'll have plenty of time to finish your projects before Christmas.  Well, maybe "ensures" is too strong of a word, but at least it'll give you a good head start!

So mark your calendars ladies and come on by for some cookies, punch, and most importantly, Christmas fabric!

Posted by sewinspired at 02:27 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Yay for new block of the month clubs!  As many of you know, our Thangles Buck-A-Block program is ending this month.  So, we thought we'd follow it up with something similar, but a little different.  And thus the Starry Night block of the month program was born.

Here's the 411.  The quilts are made from Michael Miller's Krystal and Jet Black fabrics, a beautiful combination.  Each is 76 inches square, and is made up of 12 sampler blocks and 13 alternating star blocks.  The alternating blocks can be either pieced or appliqued.  We have two color ways to pick from - the calm sounding "Sea of Tranquilty" with its cool blues, greens, and purples, or "Super Nova" with its warm reds, yellows and oranges.  Sea has a black border, Super Nova a purple one.  Here, aren't they pretty?

We are taking sign ups now, and both color ways will be available the last week of June.  You'll purchase your Jet Black fabric up front, and then each month you'll come to the shop to pick up two fat quarters and a pattern that you'll use along with the black to make your blocks.  Keep your eyes open as we'll have finishing kits availalbe for the alternating blocks and borders a little further into the future.  Lastly, even though these quilts aren't specifically designed for Thangles, they are made up almost entirely of half square triangles, so you can certainly use Thangles if you so desire.  You can also use Triangles on a Roll or any of your favorite HST techniques.

Can't wait to have to come in and join us in our Starry Night! 

Posted by sewinspired at 02:01 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Don't know if you remember, but I wrote about the coming of the new Electric Quilt software a few weeks ago.  Well, it's now here Kats and Kittens!  If you didn't pre-order your copy, it's okay, as we have the software in stock in the shop.

And, of course, now that you own (or soon will) this super-cool software, don't you want to learn how to use it?  I'm sure you do.  Whether you're an EQ newbie or a hardened veteran, we have the class for you.

Sandy, our resident Gadget / Technology girl is set up downstairs to start an army of EQ users!  We have a big screen and a projector so you don't even need to bring a laptop to class to follow along, although that is certainly an encouraged option.  Here's the details for the classes:

• Starts in July
• Day and Evening classes
• Meets: 2nd Wednesday evening of the month from 6-8pm OR 2nd Friday of the month from 10 - Noon.  (July's class is Friday the 16th)
• Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced users are welcome!
  

Posted by sewinspired at 06:52 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)