Paducah and Pie!!!

So if you are a quilter you know that this weekend is the Paducah Quilt Festival. As you can see, some of our customers and staff have ventured down and are enjoying not only what the festival has to offer, but they are also partaking in what else....pie! Thanks for the photo Dottie, Joan, Sherry, Denice, & Nancy! Feel free to pack some pie back with you and, of course, some new quilt project ideas!

Just One Star or Maybe 103

Moda had a challenge to make 1800 Just One Star quilt blocks for 100 Quilts of Valor quilts to be completed by Flag Day. A customer brought this to our attention and we decided to chip in and see what we could do. And between sewing in Lexington last week and Centerville yesterday, plus customers doing their part at home, we collected 103 Just One Star blocks. This was such a fun project and we were happy to donate supplies and a space for people to participate in this charitable event. We are sending our blocks today but if you are out there and still want to help, just have them in the mail by Saturday. Thank you to all that came out and helped with this cause.

Just One Star Pattern

Because this went to so well, I'm thinking of maybe doing a charity sew once a quarter at each store. If this is something you would be interested in let me know. Also, let me know of any charity sewing projects that you know about. Again thank you to all that came out and helped!

Need a Present for that High School Graduate

It's graduation season! Life transitioning and new beginnings. How exciting. For all of those high school graduates finishing one chapter and preparing for the next, it's an exciting time. When ever people graduate from high school my mother makes this easy but useful project for all those heading off to college in the fall. It's a laundry bag. It's a very useful, personal gift that everyone who's ever gotten one from my mother has loved.

Here's how you do it:
You'll need 1 yard of heavy weight cotton fabric (this piece was perfect)
2 1/4 yard of Cotton Cording (I used 5/8")
A sewing machine with a good button hole stitch (I used the Quilt Expression 4.0)
A serger with a three thread overlock stitch (I used the Coverlock 3.0)

Optional an embroidery machine for the students monogram (I used the Creative Vision of course)

First sew across the top of what will be your bag with your serger to give the fabric a finished edge. All you have to do is fold the fabric right side together and sew with your serger across the bottom from fold to selvage and then up the side. Flip inside out and you'll have a bag.

Now fold down the top of your bag down inside about 1" and press. Flip this back out and mark where you will put your two buttonholes. You will make your button holes based on the size of your cotton cord. Stitch two buttonholes upright about 1" apart. Remember when you make buttonholes it's always good to use a stabilizer for beautiful buttonholes. Cut open your buttonholes. Then flip back down into the bag and straight stitch in place.

Once you've done this you will put a safety pin on one end of your cotton cord and feed it into one of your buttonholes and come out the other side, tie and you're done.

Now if you have an embroidery machine just use a tearaway stabilizer and make it more personal with an monogram. I made my monogram using the Monogram Wizard in the 5D software.

My mother would then get a laundry basket and put the bag, laundry soap, fabric softener sheets and a roll of quarters in it. Perfect useful, personal present!

Just One Block

Have you heard about the Just One Block project from Moda? They are asking people to make a quilt block with a pattern that they provide, write your name and the state you live in on it and then mail it to them untrimed. They will then make quilts that will be donated to Quilts of Valor. Their goal is to make 100 quilts.

We at Sew-A-Lot would like to help them reach their goal. Join us Wednesday April 20th 10am-6pm in Lexington or Wednesday April 27th 10am-5pm at the Centerville store to help reach this goal. We will provide the machine, block kits and patterns, you just need to provide your skills to make Just One Block. You will sign it and we will then collect and ship them to Moda. If you can't make it, print off a pattern and make a block at home. You can drop them off at the Lexington store by April 20 and at the Centerville store by April 27, if you would like us to ship them for you.

New Moda at Sew-A-Lot

We just got a shipment of Moda fabrics, Rose Parade, Summer Breeze, & a new line from 3 Sisters, Grace, that isn't even on Moda's website yet. Also, some Joel Dewberry's Avery 2 at the store in Lexington. Come check them out but you better hurry these are so fresh and springlike that they will not last long.