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CURRENT
INTERNET SPECIAL
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Orchid
Hawaiian Bed Quilt
Sale Price: $12.00
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OUR GIFT TO YOU!
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purchases of $50 or more.
Our present just for YOU, the faithful readers of our e-Newsletters.
Enter SPARKLE
in the Coupon box in your Shopping Cart; or say the word SPARKLE
when you order by phone.
(Please be sure to enter the Coupon during check-out, if you ask for it after you place your order - it is too late!)
Discount is valid now through January 10, 2016.
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I HAVE A NOTION
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270 spools of Aurifil cotton thread!!!!
WOW! How great would it be to always have the exact color of thread you need for your current project!?! Yes, you can!
Aurifil is our preferred thread for applique, machine piecing and machine quilting. We use it ALL THE TIME.
With just one purchase you will never need to set a project aside until you can get to the quilt shop and hope they have the color you need, or wait for an internet order to arrive.
This attractive case holds six perfectly sized drawers to hold all 270 spools, making it easy to find exactly the color you need. The thread is 100% Egyptian cotton, 2 ply, 50 weight.
The suggested retail price for 270 spools if purchased individually would be $1,350 without the box! If you paid full retail for this box with 270 spools you would pay $1,000 (that's $3.70 a spool). A good buy, BUT we can make it even better for you! Our everyday price is just $945! That is only $3.50 per spool with the case! A deal too good to pass up!
Order yours today.
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HOLIDAY STAR
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FREE PATTERN
Make your holiday table sparkle with this FREE pattern!
Our free Holiday Star pattern is still available. Just click on the photo to get yours today.
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VISITING HAWAII?
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Help to find Hawaiian quilts
To make it easier to find Hawaiian quilts, quilt shops, and quilt guilds while you are in Hawaii visit the LINKS page on our website. We provide lots of useful information to satisfy your need to see quilts and more!
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GIFT SUGGESTIONS
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Still looking for ideas?
Visit the GIFTS page on our website. We have a wonderful array of ideas for quilters of all sorts.
Give this link to your Santa Claus and see what surprises await you under the tree!
It is not too late to order and have it by Christmas. We do our best to mail orders within 24 hours of when they come in. Orders are mailed via the US Postal Service. If your order is over 13 ounces it is mailed Priority Mail. There is still time!
Yes, you can purchase Gift Certificates, too! We can email those to be there on-time.
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 Have you ever wondered why we decorate with so much sparkle at this time of year? I think it is to brighten the dark and dreary winter days! What do you do to add sparkle to your Holiday Season?
This is the favorite, and perhaps busiest time of year for many of us. A time of decorating, baking, partying, giving and receiving, and of course shopping. Thank you for spending a few minutes to relax with our newsletter. We hope your Holiday Season is filled with plenty of Sparkle and Joy!
Mele Kalikimaka!
Merry Christmas!
Connie & Nancy
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WHAT IS MODERN QUILTING?
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| | Connie's "Walk on the Beach"a modern quilt example |
Are you as intrigued by the modern quilt movement as I am? Here is one of my modern quilts, yes, appliqued by hand. By this time I expect that all of you have seen modern quilts in magazines and at quilt shows. Do you wonder what exactly modern quilting is? I found this explanation on the website of the Modern Quilt Guild: "Several characteristics often appear which may help identify a modern quilt. These include but are not limited to: the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space and alternate grid work." Oh, and how about a bit of sparkle...
Clearly, modern quilting shares a similar design aesthetic with modern art and modern architecture: Simplicity, order, functionality, minimalism, basic materials, clean lines, lack of ornamentation and minimal texture. So from this it is reassuring that what is true of modern art also holds true with modern design in many forms.
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| Sketch of a modern-style quilt using Calla Lilies from our 2FAQ pattern
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Wouldn't it also be true that any traditional form of quilting, by applying a few clever adaptations, could be brought into the modern movement? Turns out, according to the Modern Quilt Guild, this is called "modern traditionalism" or the updating of classic quilt designs!
The first quilt I saw with an incredible blend of both traditional and modern design was a double wedding ring quilt by Victoria Findlay Wolfe*. She took a very traditional pattern, added a very modern twist, and did it beautifully!
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| | Sketch of a modern-style quilt using the Monstera block from our Tropical II Hawaiian quilt pattern set. |
While Hawaiian quilting has been around for nearly 200 years, it is tailor-made for the modern quilting movement! We think our quilt patterns fit the definition of modern to a T, making them the perfect jumping off point for your next modern quilt. Don't you agree? With high contrast, bold shapes minimal colors...a perfect match.
Along these lines, I have come up with ideas for even more ways to add a modern twist to our patterns. You see two ideas in this article. Hopefully these will spark your interest and help you come up with even more creative ideas using our patterns!
Share your ideas and quilts with us on Facebook.  See also:
"Hawaiian Quilting Goes Modern - Color-block Ulu" in the May 2015 issue of our e-Newsletter.
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CHRISTMAS SOCKS: Applique runner
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Hung by the chimney with care
There are many holiday traditions that vary from family to family but one I think most of us do, or have done, is hang our Christmas Socks. In my family we would wake at the crack of dawn (or earlier!), get our socks, and tiptoe into our parents room, checking to make sure they were moving around, ;-) so they could come out to enjoy watching us unwrap every little treasure. What is your favorite memory of your Christmas Socks?
The story of how the socks came to be hung by the fire is unclear. Legend says the original Saint Nicholas, who traveled around bringing gifts and cheer to those in need, came upon a small village one year and heard of a family in need. A poor widower, devastated by the passing of his wife, could not afford to provide a dowry for his three daughters. St. Nick 
knew the man was too proud to accept money, so he simply dropped some gold coins down the chimney, which landed in the girl's stockings, hung by the fireplace to dry.
BONUS: Pattern includes easy instructions to make this quilt into a fireplace mantel runner, so you can hang it right where it belongs; plus more options for placemats and shorter runners, too.
Christmas Socks, long runner 13" x 72", plus additional options for shorter runners and placemats. This pattern sells for $12.00. Purchase yours here.
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ORCHID: Hawaiian Bed Quilt
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A Joy to Behold
 Orchid-lovers know that orchids come in what seems to be an infinite variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Different varieties bloom at different times of year, depending largely on their environment. It is not uncommon for orchids to bloom in the winter adding more sparkle to your holiday decor. With a long, cold winter ahead of you, why not get this pattern while it is our Internet Special; choose your favorite colors; and make this your winter applique project. Think how proud you will be to display this quilt in your home!
TIP: You can use this pattern to make a smaller quilt by simply using the medallion pattern, without the border, on a background at least 60" square. We know it is difficult to visualize the actual scale of the applique elements in a large quilt when you are viewing a tiny picture. So, to help you see the scale here is a photo of the pattern page with a hand for reference. Now you can see that even the smallest elements in this quilt are very sew-able. 
The minimum size for this quilt, with the border, is 84" square. To make it larger the outside border will be wider, and the pattern helps you to do it. Orchid Hawaiian Quilt pattern, 84" x 84" up to king-size. Normally this pattern sells for $15.00, for a limited time it is our Internet Special for just $12.00. Click here to get your pattern now.
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CREATIVITY
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5th in our series of suggestions for ways to kick-start, or to continue stimulating YOUR creative juices.
Last month we listed five basic steps in the Creative Process. This month we talk more about the first two steps: Motivation and Preparation.  1. Motivation quite simply is the desire (fire) that moves us to take action. Sometimes this desire comes to us unbidden, by surprise when we feel, see or read something that sparks the desire in us to take action, to interpret this event, or immortalize these feelings in a creative way. Other times we yearn for something new, different, or exciting, so we seek a way to ignite a fire to satisfy the need. The desire for a pleasant reward can motivate us to take action as well. A great quote: "If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head almost nothing" - Marc Chagall Theories abound trying to define, classify and explain motivation. For now, let's just say someone is either motivated or not. If you are, you want to create. We guess that if you are reading our e-Newsletters you are motivated to create. Step 1 - done! If you are not feeling the spark of creativity then relax, breathe, listen. Let your heart speak to you.
2. Preparation begins with defining or visualizing what will satisfy your desire. This can be general: "I want to make a personal quilt for my spouse." Or, it can be very specific: "I want to design a Hawaiian quilt for my spouse using the  monstera leaves and ferns from a photo we took in Hawaii." From there your preparation involves finding out more about what it is you want to do; learning new techniques or skills you think may be required; collecting your supplies; and preparing a workspace.
These steps are not necessarily sequential, nor are they 'one and done' activities. We often will circle through the steps multiple times while attempting to create something new.
If your motivation is strong, your curiosity is high, or the reward is great, you will relish the process. Go ahead, start your prep!
By way of review here are steps 3-5. We will elaborate on these next month.
- Incubation
- Illumination
- Implementation
Share with us on Facebook, or send us an email: "What drives you to want to create?" Express your creative vision using our book and DVD set as a guide: Design Your Personal Hawaiian Quilt. |
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COMING EVENTS
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Connie & Nancy's Whereabouts:
2016 brings many opportunities to meet Connie and Nancy, or take a class from Nancy. Here are places where you can find one or both of them, watch a presentation at a shop or guild, or find us at a quilt show. Most guilds welcome visitors, so don't be shy.
Make your plans now for one or more of these events:
2016 Shows, Classes, and Events:
- Jan 22-24, Silverton, OR. "Stitches in Bloom" Quilt Show at the Oregon Garden.
- Jan 27-28, Florence, OR. Class and program with Nancy at the Rhododendron Quilt Guild.
- Feb 6, Kent WA. 2 Fabric Applique Quilts class with Nancy at Evergreen Piecemakers Quilt Guild.
- Feb 29-March 5, Williamsburg, VA. 3 classes with Nancy at Academy of Applique!
- Mar 11-13, Monroe, WA. "Quilting in Paradise" Quilt Show.
- Mar 21-25, Mount Vernon, WA. Design and start your personal Hawaiian quilt with Nancy at the Treacy Levine Center 2016 Quilting Symposium.
Register NOW for classes. They can fill quickly, or be canceled if not enough people register in advance.
If you do not live where you can take a class from Nancy in person, then perhaps a class on-line at Academy of Quilting would work for you.
Beginning in January 2016, all of Nancy's online classes at Academy of Quilting are going to be "on demand." That means you can take any of her on-line classes any time you want! We will have more information in our January e-Newsletter, but if you can't wait visit Academy of Quilting.
Schedule Nancy now for your show or event in 2016, 2017 and beyond. If you would like her to come to your area to teach, let your quilt shop, quilt guild, or show organizer know. Print Nancy's Brochure and pass it along. Thank you.
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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 hearing from you. Enjoy your holidays with friends and family. See you again in 2016!
A hui hou,
Until next time,
Connie & Nancy
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