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FANTASTIC FABRIC
GIVE-AWAY | | |
How can YOU WIN
2 yards of Janice's
hand-dyed fabric???
It is easy!
Just buy fabric from Pacific Rim Quilt Company during April. For every $10 in fabric you purchase, your name will be entered automatically in a drawing for the chance to win 2-yards of Janice's hand-dyed fabric.
We had four lucky winners in our March drawing:
Pat, Ontario, Canada
Joan, Indiana
Laurel, Washington
Leanne, Washington
YOU can be a WINNER on May 1, just buy fabric from us by April 30, to get your name in the drawing.
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| CURRENT INTERNET SPECIAL | | |
Spring Lilies
Regular price: $12.00, for a limited time purchase for just $10.00
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| AWARD WINNER | | |
2010 All Star Award Winner
We are very proud of the fact that we have received the 2010 All Star Award from Constant Contact. If you look at the bottom of our emails, you will see that Constant Contact is the service we use for managing our email marketing list and communications. This award means that we are one of Constant Contact's 2010 top performers and most prolific user of its tools.
Constant Contact and our e-Newsletters have made it possible for us to stay in touch with you -- keeping you informed and inspired.
Thank you for your faithful and continuing support of our little quilting business. Without you there would be no us.
Call or email Janice if you want more information about Constant Contact for your business.
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KONA BAY FABRICS
BOLT SALE | |
The sale continues...
and the fabric selection changes regularly! Selected 6-yard bolts of Kona Bay fabrics for just $6.00 per yard! (Normally these fabrics sell for $9 to $10 per yard.)
To get your hands on these beautiful fabrics at this great price, visit www.konabaygifts.com and go to the Six Yard Bolts section. IMPORTANT, be sure to use the coupon code 5107 when you check out, to get this special price and your FREE bonus gift!
Think about:
- Hawaiian quilts
- Quilt backs
- Aloha attire
- Room decor
- Stash-building
NOTE: You are purchasing these fabrics direct from Kona Bay; they will be shipped to you direct from Kona Bay Fabrics, Redmond, WA, USA. Their sale terms apply.
ANOTHER NOTE: Purchase of this fabric from Kona Bay does NOT enter you in our Fantastic Fabric Give-away drawing.
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| QUILTCHONG.COM | | |
RETREAT TO THE OREGON COAST!
Visit Nancy's studio in Gold Beach, Oregon, for private applique lessons with Nancy or for your quilting retreat. Whether you come for one day or several, by yourself, or with friends, you deserve a place to relax while you stitch.
 | | Nancy's Studio |
Go to QuiltChong.com for more pictures and information, then call Nancy to book your retreat!
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| Aloha!
Have you been looking at the many table runner patterns on the market? We have, and we noticed a trend in what we found. Namely, that most of them are pieced patterns, and they tend to be too wide and too short. So wide, in fact, that there is no room on the table for the runner and the placemats. So, we have designed three new applique runners with placemats that will fit on your table at the same time. We call them Applique Quilt Borders & Table Runners because they are so versatile. What we hear you calling is, "Yippee, new patterns!"
Keep reading for the new pattern information. Then, if you are in the Salem, Oregon, area this coming Thursday, Friday, or Saturday (April 21-23), please stop by our booth at the Mid-Valley Quilt Show at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Rickreall. Nancy will be there with the new quilt samples and pattern. She would love to see you!
E komo mai!
Nancy & Janice
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| NEW PATTERNS | | |
Quilt Borders & Table Runners
 | | Crowning Glory |
 | | Forest Finery |
 | | Christmas Socks |
Yes! Narrow applique runners that are so much more than just table runners. Use these patterns for placemats, bed runners, pillow cases, quilt borders or wall hangings. Unlimited ways to group and mix the various designs within each pattern, or with other patterns. In a word: versatile.
We bet you have noticed that these quilts will let you use more than two fabrics. While these can be made with two fabrics (which is typical for our other patterns), why limit yourself? These are multi-piece applique, use as many fabrics as you like, using your favorite applique methods. The choices are yours. Remember, these are versatile.
Runners, as shown are 13" x 72". Patterns also include placemats and short runners, along with other surprises and options.
Price: $12.00 each. Buy Them Now
Note: You will find 2 new navigation tabs on our website. One on the left side "Borders & Runners" where you will find these quilts. The second one is under the "Learn" tab at the top of each page, hover to find the "How To" tab. Keep reading to discover what you will find there.
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PICTURES WORTH 1,000 WORDS
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Be Inspired
Rather than give you a lot of words about the new patterns, we decided just to show you pictures. May these inspire you to create beautiful quilts.
 | | Crowning Glory |
 | | Crowning Glory placemat |
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Crowning Glory pillow case or short runner |
 | | Forest Finery, by Diana Vilas |
| | Forest Finery, Janice's hand-dyed fabric |
 | | Forest Finery placemat |
 | | Forest Finery placemat |
 | | Christmas socks placemat |
 | | Christmas Socks placemat |
We are very eager to see what these new patterns inspire you to create! For an extra boost, visit the new How To page on our website for free instructions to make an easy 3-seam pillow case. Then applique any of these designs on a pillow for over-the-top decor! In what creative ways will you use these patterns? |
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THINK SPRING! | | | Spring Lilies
 I am sure it would feel more like Spring if the daytime high temperatures would get above 53 degrees! But this wet, cold weather we are having in the Pacific Northwest makes me want to be surrounded with bright colors and bright lights (and yes, warm sweaters and gloves, too). I have said it before, I will say it again, "If I can't have pretty flowers in my garden, I can have gorgeous flowers on my walls!"
So with that in mind, we are making Spring Lilies our Internet Special for this month. You could even have this ready for Easter if you fused and machine quilted it, really quickly! OK, that is probably even a bit ambitious, even for the over-achievers in our midst.
HINT: The pattern shows you the placement for the stamens in the Lilies, which you can paint, hand or machine embroider, applique, or fuse.
Spring Lilies, 24" x 36". Regularly priced at $12.00. For a limited time Buy It Now for just $10.00
It does not happen often, but we even have these same fabrics in Fabric Packs for you. Spring Lilies Fabric Packs.
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THREAD | | |
20-Spool Set
We are often asked for a list of the most useful colors of Aurifil thread, or for a collection of assorted colors for a new appliquer. In response to those requests, Janice put together this 20-spool collection of the most popular colors, balanced so there is a good selection across the color wheel in light, medium and dark values. A perfect starter set, or for anyone who just wants a varied selection of thread without having to make the decisions. This would also make a wonderful gift for you to give, or get (you must have a birthday coming up soon).
 These are 220 yard spools, of 50 weight, 2 ply, 100% long-staple Egyptian cotton thread. Made in Italy. This thread is wonderful for hand applique, machine piecing, machine quilting, machine embroidery, or just general sewing.
If you want more colors, take a look at the full range of colors we carry - 216 solid colors, plus 13 variegated options. You can choose the individual spools you want. Janice is also happy to match thread to your fabric swatches, or put together personal assortments to your liking.
Our everyday low price for the 220 yard spools is $3.75 each, suggested retail is $4.20. Such a deal.
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READER QUESTION | | | Choosing a batting
Q: What batting do you use?
A: This is also a question asked in Nancy's classes and in our booth at quilt shows. Our answer usually begins: "How do you intend to use the quilt?" And that is a good question to ask yourself.
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High-loft polyester batting,
hand quilted |
For our Hawaiian quilts we use high-loft polyester bonded batting because it provides loft for our Hawaiian quilts. The air between the polyester fibers makes it easy to hand quilt, and keeps the batting fluffy between the rows of echo quilting. The quilting shows beautifully from across the room when you use a high-loft polyester bonded batting. We have never had any trouble with bearding (batting fibers migrating to the surface of the quilt), so we use it all the time for our Hawaiian quilts.
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Low-loft cotton batting,
heavily machine quilted |
For the new Applique Quilt Borders & Table Runners, we use a very low-loft batting because we intend to quilt it very flat. We certainly do not want the wine glass tipping over when placed on the runner or placemat! If you want a flat runner, then start with a needle-punched, or low-loft batting. You can even get fire-retardant battings, a good idea for quilted items used in or around the kitchen, or open flames.
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Mid-loft cotton batting,
lightly machine quilted |
For our 2 Fabric Applique Quilts, we use a low-loft or medium-loft batting, depending on its use. Because Nancy travels so much, she uses a very low-loft batting in her samples, that way she gets more quilts in her suitcase and it keeps the weight down. For the wall hangings we use in our homes, we use either a low- or medium-loft batting (cotton, or 80/20 blend, or polyester), depending on the look we want. If we want the quilting to be seen, then the medium-loft batting adds to the visual affect. If we want all of the attention on our fabric choice and the applique design, then a low-loft batting is our choice. Also, with a low-loft batting it is more likely the quilt will lay flat on the wall.
In general, our personal choice usually leads us in the direction of a higher-loft batting than what is typically recommended in quilting books and magazines. We want the quilting to show, and we also like quilts that will keep us warm. The Hawaiian quilting tradition is that the quilting stitches should be even, not necessarily tiny. We like that philosophy.
Here are a few more of our observations and opinions about the more traditional fiber options:
Cotton batting: Densely packed fibers; easier to machine quilt than to hand quilt; breathable (if not a bit heavy) in a bed quilt. Produces a relatively flat quilt.
Polyester batting: Loosely packed fibers, a lot of air in these battings; easy to hand quilt; if machine quilting, baste very well to keep the layers from slipping in the machine; warm in a bed quilt. Produces a fluffier quilt.
Wool batting: Moderately packed fibers; warmer and lighter than cotton, more breathable than polyester, but not quite as lofty. "Like quilting through soft butter," is often heard about wool battings. You guessed it, strikes a happy medium between flat cotton and fluffy polyester.
The bottom line: Use what YOU want in your quilt. Choose a batting that you will enjoy working with and that will give you the look and feel you crave.
For more information about Hawaiian echo quilting and hand quilting, review our January 2010 e-Newsletter. In our April 2010 e-Newsletter we answered the question "To quilt by hand or machine?"
TIP: All our past e-Newsletters are available in an Archive, ready for you to review at any time. Just click here, or click on the "Review Our Past e-Newsletters" link on any page of our website. |
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COMING EVENTS | | |
Nancy's Whereabouts:
Go ahead, treat yourself to a class or retreat this Spring or Summer. You deserve it!
Quilt Shows
- April 21-23, Mid-Valley Quilt Guild, Salem, OR.
A great opportunity to shop, see our quilts up close, and meet Nancy in person. Yes, she will have the new patterns and quilt samples with her!
Classes - Presentations - Events
- May 10, Oak Harbor Knit & Sew, Oak Harbor, WA
- May 11, The Quilt Shop, Anacortes, WA
- May 12 & 13, Quilters Junction, Centralia, WA
- May 14, The Quilting Loft, Seattle, WA
- May 24, Metropolitan Patchwork Society, Beaverton, OR
- June 23-26, Vermont Quilt Festival, Essex Valley, VT
- July 5-8, A Quilters' Affair, Sisters, OR
- Aug 8-13, London International Quilt Festival, London, Ontario, Canada
- Aug 15-16, Friendship Square Quilt Guild, La Habra, CA
Hawaiian Quilt Cruise
- Feb 2012; Learn to design your own Hawaiian Quilt with Nancy while enjoying the beauty of 4 Hawaiian islands! This cruise is with C.P. Trips. Get more information and contact information for C.P. Trips on our Calendar.
Click CALENDAR for details and contact info
Register early for classes, they can fill quickly, or be cancelled if not enough people register in advance.
Nancy is booking events in 2011, 2012 and beyond. Remember to let your local quilt shop and guild know that you would like to take an applique class from Nancy Chong. Give them our website, or print Nancy's brochure and give it to them. Be sure to circle the classes you are interested in! Nancy will travel anywhere she is invited to teach. QuiltUniversity.com If you do not live where you can take a class from Nancy in person, then perhaps a class at Quilt University would work for you.
"No tests. No grades. No pressure. New classes open every weekend from January until the end of October. Students receive a password to an online classroom with a teacher-led Discussion Forum and Student Gallery. A typical class consists of three or four lessons. Lessons open on Friday evening."
Nancy's next QuiltUniversity.com classes begin:
May 13: Hand Quilting
June 3: Celtic Tablerunner June 17: 2 Fabric Applique Quilts July 22: Hand Quilting |
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Thank you for spending a little of your precious time with us, we really appreciate it. Remember to send us your stories, pictures, questions, or suggestions. We love to hear from you.
A hui hou,
Until next time,
Nancy & Janice |
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