After Saturday, I PROMISE I won’t bring up the Rusty Barn Show and our Playground Booths at the show until at least closer to Labor Day (when we have another show at WestWorld in Scottsdale!)!!! But Saturday will be the final push for our Playground sample-sewing to be finished off, hopefully by you as a volunteer. We have all our stacks of quilts ready to be serged or bound for the Four Paws cat rescue in Youngtown and the Az. Humane Society on Dobbins Road. Please join us for this SEW SMART Event, have some fun, practice your binding skills. I will be going over the easy and good way of how I bind totally on my machine, and if you’re a serger, bring your machine and serge those edges up for us. I will set up our b68 air threading serger for you to use if you want to learn. Michelle, on staff, had never used a serger, but she picked it up really quickly last week, had a smile on her face, and serged some our quilts for the pets! It should be a fun day, and you can come in or leave when it suits your schedule. We’ll start at 9:30 and work until all are done.  

In the afternoon, the AQG has their meeting at the shop, and maybe they’ll even join us for a few, or come in early before their regular meeting time at noon. Additionally, if you’re interested in the first of the monthly Door Banner kits, we will have Cora available to answer any questions if you choose to sew it at home, or you’re free to set up here and work on that kit Saturday also. The classroom should be bustling with energy, I think, with all of these things taking place at the same time! Nothin’ like stayin’ busy and laughin’, right??? Keep in mind that the banner kits we have are limited, and that we also have the metal holders available. The kits slip easily on and off the holder, so two nails and you’re done! Cora has been making the samples, the July kit just came in to us, and she already has it sewn and 5 kits are on the wall for you to see. Each pattern relates to a specific month and was designed by a different pattern maker, so you will be introduced to some new techniques throughout the months. Have fun, learn something new, and get it done quickly. What a great shower or wedding or birthday gift for someone special, or just for special ole’ you. Hope to see you Saturday!

On Sunday at noon-4, Andi will be here with Longarm Techniques, for those of you who might be new to longarm quilting. Andi is a professional quilter herself, so she knows what issues and problems you might be facing, and she’s there with the answers to help. It’s a small class, and you will be sewing on our Q’nique machines and frames. This class will focus on Ruler Work. Sign up early so we know how many machines will be needed.  

Open Sew is on Monday, as usual, and everyone is welcome to come in. You work on any project of your choice with a great bunch of ladies. Open Embroidery is on Tuesday, and you can work on your own project with Jan here to help with questions, or you can work on the Just Flowers monthly quilt project with Jan. Again, you can join in with this project at any time, work on your floral blocks in class and/or at home. The pattern is from Lunchbox Quilts, and includes a backup CD with the pattern. Jan has some of the floral block samples she’s made on the classroom wall, and I hope to have a finished quilt for you to see which Marilyn M. has already completed. The pattern includes formats for nearly any machine you have, so don’t let that stop you. You also have a choice of two sizes which you can make, and change your embroidered flower colors to match your decor or your favorite colors. The supply list is on the pattern back, and your background fabric choice is only limited by the colors you like!  Jan is using white on white, Marilyn’s is a turquoise, and the pattern cover uses grey tones. You’ll practice lots of embroidery, and never get bored since there are 14 flower choices in the pattern. We have 2 patterns left in stock right now, so grab yours and let’s get going.

A 2 day Bag Camp follows Wednesday and Thursday, if you forgot and still need to sign up. Lynn M. focuses on Bags byAnnie, and she has lots of samples available for you to look at, as well as huge selections of fabrics for those bags. Lynn has done some great ones with the Tula fabrics, and we have matching zippers, hardware, mesh and more available.  

For our special of the week, due to our cooler-than-normal weather, let’s do Flannel at 20% off. This will include the Cuddle/Minkee fabrics we have in stock, also! Give us the code: Flannel20 to take advantage of this, and remember that it’s available online with the code, or in-shop with the code. Great for a bit of softness and warmth for our current days, or for baby and kids’ quilt backs. We usually think about using them for backing, but remember that they can be just as nice on the tops of your quilts, even if it’s just a few squares in the top for texture!

I hope to see you whenever you come in, and especially at Sew Smart on Saturday. In the back of my mind, I’d love to be able to bring in Murfee for the event so he can enjoy seeing all of you again! But then again, it IS Murfee, and you just never know about him: he was so traumatized with the masks during covid days that I just can’t be sure he’d be on his best behavior! Or at least, not worst behavior. That will probably be a last minute decision, and he has grown up since you last saw him, so it could be fun. Maybe. Sort of. Hopefully.  

Barbara and THE HELPFUL, HEALTHY, HAPPY CREW AT SVQ

Sun Valley Quilts / 9857 W. Bell Rd. / Sun City, Arizona 85351 / 623-972-2091

To Visit our Web Site www.sunvalleyquilts.com

To Visit our Class Schedule www.sunvalleyquilts.com/classes.htm