Bring in your A Great Notion re-useable shopping bag on Friday May 11th or Saturday May 12th & SAVE!! Fill your bag with any regularly priced notions in our catalogue or fabric in our stores. You’ll save 20% off the regular price of notions; 15% off the regular price of fabrics on anything you can fit in the bag! Don’t have a bag? A Great Notion Shopping Bags are available for only $2.50 each!

One of the new products that we got this spring is Clover’s new Trace ‘n Create E-Tablet and Paper Tablet Keeper templates. Since I have both an e-reader and a tablet computer that I like to carry around, I think that I will probably start my sewing here. These templates let you make two different styles of  cases – one for electronic tablets and book readers, the other to keep paper notepads, and both are in 3 different sizes – small, medium and large.

I’m going to make a case for my tablet, another for my e-reader, and a third for a paper notepad and when they’re all done, I’ll write a review for you, include photos of my finished projects, and let you see how you like them! Not sure when I’ll have them finished though – in a couple of weeks I’ll be off to Kansas City for Quilt Market, and from there on to cuddle with a new grandbaby for a couple of weeks.

I’d love to hear from you too!   Like us on Facebook and write on our wall to tell us what sewing projects are keeping you busy these days. Post some pictures to – I’d love to see them.

Happy Sewing,

Judi

Why have been so lazy, you may ask? Mostly because I had no idea how to clean it properly, and partly because I kept thinking I had left it for so long that I would never be able to remove the tarnish from some of my pieces.

When it was pointed out to me that we actually carry a polishing cloth meant to remove dirt and tarnish from gold, silver, and pewter, I went from feeling like an idiot for not knowing sooner, to being pretty excited to give it a shot.

My verdict on the Glendale Polishing Cloth? I love it! Not only did it work wonders (see for yourself below), but it was quick, easy, and super affordable. It’s $14.99 per package (you get a whole metre in the package, but I only used a piece about 6 inches by 6 inches). Plus, I only spent between 20 seconds and two minutes or so polishing each piece, depending on how many nooks and crannies there were and how filthy the piece was.

Make sure you don’t wash the cloth. Washing it will remove the cleaning compound, plus, it apparently works better and better the dirtier it gets. I tried it out on my silver jewelry – some is stamped with “925″ to indicate it’s sterling silver, some is vintage with no stamp, and one piece is quite obviously fake. I was quite pleased with the results on each piece. Enough chatter, here are the before’s and after’s:

Rings before (slightly embarrassing for me that they are this filthy):

Rings after (can you believe the difference?!?):

Bracelets before:

Bracelets after:

Single bracelet before:

Single bracelet after:

Whole lot before:

Whole lot after:

And just for fun, here’s an after pic of the little piece of the Glendale Polishing Cloth I used:

I’m amazed that I was able to clean some of these pieces, especially the necklace chains! Am I the only one who has let their jewelry get to such an abysmal state?

The Spring & Summer 2012 Class Schedule is now available!

Click on the photo on the left for complete details.

We’ve got a great assortment of classes for you: From beginners sewing & quilting, to perfectly fitted bra making, to “quilting in the hoop”  classes, we’ve got it all! Not to mention embroidery, serging, fabric painting, software classes, pattern fitting… Well, you get the point!

Click here to register and for more information.

This weekend – March 23 & 24!

We’ll be there, so be sure to stop in and say “hello!”

Click on the photo below for more details.

Why haven’t you heard from me? Well, in January, I learned that I am not invincible! On one of our rare snowy and icy days here on the West Coast, I had the misfortune to slip on the ice, landed with a bang, and ended up with a bad break on my left wrist. Never having had the misfortune to break a bone before, and having been lucky enough to be pretty healthy generally, I had no idea how this would interfere with my life! My first reaction was – “I’m right handed – thank heavens this is my left wrist!” I soon learned though that it doesn’t matter whether you’re right or left handed – working with only one arm is a lot harder than I would have thought. And on top of that, I was exhausted all the time while my body was trying to heal. I couldn’t drive, get dressed properly, work at my computer – and worst of all, I couldn’t pick up my grandson or SEW! Talk about going through withdrawal! I finally have my cast off (after the initial cast, I chose a nice purple one!) and am very gradually working on getting my mobility back. Thank heavens I have a great husband who didn’t seem to mind driving me wherever I needed to go, cutting my food up for me, and tying my shoe laces. He even had to learn to cook – something he’s resisted for over 35 years!

Despite my enforced rest over the past couple of months, there’s still lots going on in the stores. We’ve got some great new fabrics in stock – check out the new faux leathers on our website and in both stores, along with some great new quilt fabrics; our brand new Spring 2012 mini catalogue update is in the mail and online with all kinds of exciting new products, and we’ve just completed our newest Class Schedule. The class schedule is available on line – we’re just waiting to get our hands on the printed copies. We’ve got some great classes and events coming up – if you’ve always wanted a perfectly fitting bra, we’ve got a class for that! There are also some great sewing, serging, quilting and embroidery classes coming up too so check them all out and sign up soon before the classes are filled!

I hope to see some of you next weekend at the Vancouver Creative Stitches and Crafting Alive show being held at the Tradex in Abbotsford. If you’re there, come on by and say hello – you might find me in our notions and quilting booth,  or in the Babylock, Bernina, or Husqvarna booth. It should be a great weekend.

Until next time,

Judi

Customer Appreciation Event!

Thursday, January 12 from 12:00 – 8:30pm in both stores

Come on in for:

• Prize Draws
• Free demos
• Free project sheets
• Refreshments
• Special prices throughout the store
• “Make it and take its”

So come on out tomorrow – Thursday, January 12th so we can say

Thank you

for being a valued customer!

We carry two different Seam Gauges, both of which essentially do the same thing, though the Project Runway version has a point at one end which can be used to gently push out points on things like collars and cuffs.

1. Project Runway Seam Gauge, $1.59

2. Sewing and Knitting Gauge, $1.19

My hems used to always be a little uneven because when I pressed them, I would usually eyeball it. Turns out, this little guy is easy to use AND it makes my hems look much more uniform and professional. PLUS, it’s well under $2. Now that is a price I can live with!

Here’s me with my seam gauge in action:

To use the Seam Gauge, slide the gauge to the desired measurement. Put the Seam Gauge on your fabric and fold up the hem, as shown in the photo above (though in this photo, I’ve already turned the raw edge in .25″ using the seam gauge). As you press the hem with your iron, move the Seam Gauge over to measure the next bit of your hem and continue ironing the hem. Easy peasy. Depending on the fabric I’m working with, I’ll measure the hem between every cm (if I’m feeling picky) and every few cms or more (if it works well with that fabric).

Check out how nice and even my hems look now:

My verdict: the Seam Gauge is definitely worth the less-than-two-buck investment. Saves time when pressing your hems, and makes them look professional and even. Plus, the gauge easily slides from one length to another (but stays put while I’m pressing) so I can easily switch between hem sizes. I can’t believe I didn’t start using it 7 years ago when it was first given to me…

Dec. 27 – Jan. 7 in both stores!

Sewing Machines & Sergers - Many in-stock machines & floor models on clearance, all with complete education package!

Fabrics – 10% – 50% off all fabrics

Jenny Haskins Embroidery Threads – 20% off

Huge book clearance – 25% – 40% off

Katahdin Premium Quilt Battings – 1/3 off

AccuQuilt Dies & Embroidery Designs – 20% off

Simplicity Bias Tape Machine – 20% off

And lots more on sale in both stores!

Click here for store locations