Block of the month updates

We've been keeping our noses to the grindstone preparing for the Kansas City Regional Quilt Show June 15-17.  Vending is not anything new to us -- we've been to many shows -- but we've never been to a show where attendance was over 7000 in 2015 with hopes of doubling attendance this year.  We feel like the tiny fish in a great big bowl.....but it'll be loads of fun. We plan to take our blocks of the month that have openings to the show.  If you're on the fence about whether to join, you may want to make your decision before June 15.  Rather than give complete details about each program, we'll refer you to our website http://sewgracefulquilting.com/ for details about each program. Community Sampler

Pretty Petals Spooky Hollow Seaside Town Simply Vintage - still a work in progress but very close to completion When we cut a block of the month, we always set aside some fabric in case someone miscuts.  We had enough fabric to make a kit of our very first block of the month "Friendship's Gift".  The book is required and is not included in the kit.  We are out of the book but can refer you to a source so you can buy your own copy.  Kit is $225 and will be sold first come, first served. With July 4th just around the corner, it's time to start thinking of patriotic type kits.  "Choose Ye Liberty" could be displayed all summer long.  Your $26.95 kit includes the pattern, background fabric, wool for the applique, and binding.  Let us know if we can reserve a kit for you. We'll be back next week with some new projects we're itching to share with you.  We hope as you make your summer travel plans you'll include plans for a trip to Sew Graceful.  See you soon. Darlene and Debby

New block of the month

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the shop last Saturday for our Open House event.  We know it's a hectic time of the year with graduations, yard work, and planning for summer travels so appreciate your taking the time to stop by. While we were tidying up the shop we ran across a couple of patterns we're no longer able to get wholesale (for some reason the designer decided to sell only on a retail basis) so we made kits for them.  We don't have a sample so you'll have to use your imagination but we think they'll be very cute. Both kits include the pattern, background fabric, wool for applique, and binding.  The sentiment on "Best Things" - "The best things in life are not things at all" rings so true.  Kit is $12.95

"Trust" would make a great accent piece for the place where you spend most of your time thinking.  Kit is $10.95. When we look at the quilt Cake Mix quilt Jane recently finished we can't help but want to curl up under it with a good book.  The quilt is made using Moda's cake mix papers.  In case you're not familiar with the papers, you get a pack of 44 paper "recipe cards".  You layer two fabrics together and sew the recipe cards creating blocks which will ultimately create the quilt.......hope this is making sense......if not, feel free to stop by or e-mail (info@sewgracefulquilting.com) and ask questions. Here's our quilt.  It has many possibilities:  send it with that special child as they begin college or give to grandma to use as a summer throw or how about gift to a friend for their road trips or how about you just keep it yourself......you get the idea......it's a versatile quilt.  It finishes 56" x 72".  Your $79.95 kit includes the cake mix papers, all fabrics for the quilt top, and binding.  We're very excited with how our newest block of the month, Simply Vintage, is looking.  We sometimes hesitate to share photos of works in progress because sometimes they don't look very appealing but we love how this is looking.  Kay's adding lots of stitching to help bring the motifs alive. We anticipate a July start for the Simply Vintage block of the month.  The program will run for 9 months and you'll receive all background fabrics, wool for applique, borders, and binding.  The pattern has been reduced and you will be responsible for reducing the pattern (we will give you the percentage to reduce).  We've also made changes to the pattern and will provide those changes to you. Cost is $26.95 per month.  The quilt will finish somewhere around 60" x 60".  We can't give a definite size because it's a work in progress. The pattern can be found in Blackbird Designs' book "Simply Vintage".  The book is out of print so will be available only if you sign up for the block of the month.  Cost for the book is $26.95. Please e-mail us (info@sewgracefulquilting) to reserve your spot.  If you've never participated in our block of the month program, please call Darlene at 479-372-7403 and she will get you signed up.  Before we close we want to share a couple events with you.  Vicki Hardcastle is hosting the 12th Annual NWA Hook In June 10, 9:00-4:00 at the Berryville (AR) Community Center.  In addition to vendors and lots of hooking inspiration, she is hosting several workshops.  Admission is $25 and includes lunch and a souvenir -- you must preregister to attend.  Please contact Vicki at hardcastlefolkart@hotmail.com or 580-235-2279 for more information. Image courtesy of Hardcastle Folk Art. The following week, June 15-17 we'll be vending at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival in Overland Park KS.  This is the second year for the festival and if it's anything like the first year, we expect we're in for a real treat.  To get more info, please visit http://kcrqf.com/ Of course, we'll remind you of the show as time draws closer.  If you plan to visit the show and would like us to bring something for you, please e-mail us before June 13. See you soon. Darlene and Debby

Great new books coming this year

Spring quilt market opens this evening with the wild and crazy Sample Spree event.  While we will miss visiting with our favorite designers, we won't miss the hectic pace of the 3-day market event.  We've spent our time preparing for our open house this Saturday, May 20 9:00-3:00.  We hope you'll plan to join us.  We have several new projects to share including a preview of the work-in-progress newest block of the month.  We will also have some specials throughout the shop. We're sure many of you remember the fun of anticipating holidays when you were younger.  We've put together a list of books that won't be released until later this year in hopes of bringing back that feeling of anticipation.  If you'd like to reserve any (or all) titles please send an e-mail (info@sewgracefulquilting.com) and Debby will get your name on the list. Kim Diehl has never disappointed us with any book and if the cover is any indication of the contents, we feel sure this will be a great book.  "Simple Harvest" is due out the end of October.  $28.99

We'd know the author of "Stitches from the Heart" even if it wasn't printed on the cover.  Kathy Schmitz' books are always filled with such beautifully photographed projects.  This book is due the end of September.  $24.99 Jen Kingwell has taken the modern quilting world by storm.  Her newest book "Bakers Dozen" is due late July and appears to be filled with all sorts of pieced goodies.  $28 Last but certainly not least is a new booklet by Blackbird Designs.  "A Little Flower" contains those great motifs so common to Blackbird Designs.  It is due out late September.  $12 We can't close without sharing a project.  Our "Little Lamb" pincushion is a great take along on vacation project.  Your $9.95 kit includes the pattern, wool for the front, wool for applique, wool for the back and a button in case you don't want to stitch the flower.  We'll be happy to put together a thread kit if you need threads. Please note the wool in your kit may vary slightly from the sample. Hope to see you Saturday. Darlene and Debby

Mark your calendar

If you keep up with the quilting world, you're probably aware the spring quilt market is just around the corner May 19-21 in St Louis.  We've thought a lot about whether we should go and decided to sit this one out.....instead we plan to have an open house party on Saturday, May 20 (9:00-3:00).  We will have refreshments, several new projects to share with you, Kay will be available for her Apliquick demo and we're planning to have some items on sale. We'll also be sharing a preview of our newest block of the month......it's looking really pretty and we're so excited you'll be the first to see it.  Hope you'll mark your calendar and plan to stop by.

If you're anything like us, you'll fall in love with the tins we recently received.  These would make a great gift for your Mom, grandma, your child's crafty teacher, your Sunday school teacher, your stitching pal....you get the idea......they're a fun little gift.  Give them empty or give them filled with chocolate, hard candy, paper clips, sewing pins, or......you get the idea.....they're just a fun gift. Tins measure 2" x 3" and each is $2.25.  At that price, you may want to buy a set for yourself.  When you order, please give Debby the tin # (or #s) and she'll reserve them for you.   We love the sentiment expressed on the "Heart and Home" tablerunner:  "May your heart and home be filled with peace".  Your $24.95 kit includes the pattern, fabric for the top, wool for applique and binding.  It finishes 12" x 26". Please note your fabrics may vary slightly from our sample. We received our shipment of Robin Vizonne's new book "Peculiar Primitives" and haven't been able to put it down.  It's filled with 12 unique projects that scream primitive.  You may remember our cute sheep $10 block of the month last year -- Robin designed that project.  The book is 80 pages with pull out patterns.  $25.95  Let us know if we can reserve a copy for you. We have more to share but better close and get back to sewing and cutting kits.  See you soon. Darlene and Debby

New Nikko fabric and new apliquick tools

What a weekend experienced by many across the US - everything from flooding to tornadoes to snow.  Hopefully things have settled down in your area. Kay enjoyed the quilt show in Stockton despite the torrential rains.  Thank you to everyone who braved the elements to stop by the Sew Graceful booth. We're so excited to share some new Diamond Textiles fabric with you.  The Nikko line is one of the prettiest we've seen in a while......OK......we may say that about every Diamond line.  We would love to buy every single bolt in the line but space and budget dictate we pick and choose.  You can see these on our website by searching for Nikko Sew Graceful Quilting

Before we opened our shop over 6 years ago we wanted to design a quilt pattern that was easy enough for a beginner but fun for an advanced quilter to make.  Our "Simply 9" fits the bill perfectly.  The other day we realized we haven't shared our current Simply 9 colorways in a while. All our Simply 9 quilt kits finish as a lap size but we will be happy to help you choose fabrics to make a larger size.  Please note when we sewed this top together, we inadvertently sewed the bottom row to the top......so use your imagination and move the top row to the bottom.  This is a good example of how even an experienced quilter can make a mistake.   Each colorway photo shows the fabrics used in the body of the quilt on the left side; borders and binding are on the right side.  Kits are $56.95 and include the pattern, fabrics for the top and binding.  We'll be happy to help you select a backing fabric - $9.95 per yard. Blissfully Blue - Jane made this sample Typeface - Erin made our pretty sample in this colorway Metro - Jane is sewing the binding on this sample French General - our best selling look The Arbor - we have only one kit left in this colorway Lynette Anderson's mystery button club "Seaside Town" starts this month.  We don't know what the finished quilt looks like but know it finishes approximately 34" x 44".  Each month for 12 months you'll receive a pattern, hand painted button and fabric for the block.  During the 12th month, you'll receive fabric for the borders and binding.  Cost is $22.95 per month. Please call Darlene at 479-372-7403 to sign up. We have an optional Valdani thread kit available for $49.95.  Thread kits include 3 ply embroidery floss specifically chosen by Lynette.  If you've already signed up and would like Debby to include a thread kit with your mailing this month, please e-mail info@sewgracefulquilting.com. Here's the first month......yes......you'll receive 64 fabrics to make those 16-patch blocks. We're very excited to let you know we now carry the Apliquick tools.  Kay has used this applique method for quite some time and is in love with how precise you can be with it.  If you're not busy this Saturday, May 6 at 10:00 stop by the shop for a free Apliquick demo (please RSVP by e-mailing info@sewgracefulquilting.com). Tools are surgical steel so will last a lifetime.  $42.95 per set That's it for this week.  We'll be back next week with more to inspire you. See you soon. Darlene and Debby