I am thrilled to tell you that this week was a pretty exciting week. We received so much fabric, it was Christmas every day. The store is bursting at the seams. There is so much to see that one visit to the store might not do it. We received a new line of Princess Mirah batiks (34 bolts of it)! That’s just the tip of the iceberg! There are tables full of new treasures which certainly won’t last long such as French General, Rouenneries Collection from Moda, Floral Melody, Stonehenge and Natures Palette from Northcott, Collection for a Cause (Alliance) by Moda, Bali Pops, Lovely as a Tree by Cyntia Coulter, etc… We still have a little bit of Christmas fabric to complete your projects...
Of course, there are books (loads of new books), patterns, notions and accessories and pre-cut fat quarters to add to your enjoyment. I’ve added some pictures but the best way of taking it all in is to come to the store.
If you need help choosing (or would just like an extra opinion), we are always happy to help you coordinate your new quilt or any other project that you have on the go or would like to dive into. There is no shortage of fresh new ideas and with all the new fabrics, it’s sure to get your creativity flowing and urge you to get your sewing machine running. If you’ve been waiting for a piece of “something special fabric” the time could be now. Possibly, there are no words to describe the new additions to the store.

Charity work

Working at The Running Stitch is a pleasure for me for several reasons. Among those reasons is the ability to be part of important causes. Recently, The Running Stitch had the opportunity to contribute to the Tour For Kids Quilt Day, which was an event held by the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. This Foundation supports camps in Ontario for children living with cancer. The photos are of the group who attended the event and some of the hard work they did. It was a pleasure to be able to contribute to this event, and I hope to be part of events like this in the future.

Batting

There is so much buzz about batting, environment and organics that you may wonder what is best for your quilt why what you have been buying does not seem good enough. There are many batting products available and include lightweight, heavyweight, puffy, thermal, green, bamboo, silk, wool, cotton, polyester blends and others. Each material has a specific purpose and it is important that you know what kind of quilt the batting will be used for.


Hand quilting is best served by wool batting because of the lanolin (basically a soap) in the wool helps the needle slide more easily. Silk batting is also an alternative for hand quilters. You may wish to use synthetic batting for large quilt and ones that will be washed fairly regularly since the batting will be more lightweight and will not bunch. A wall hanging may use cotton batting but be careful when using natural cotton because of cotton seed oil present in the cotton.


Bamboo does not seem better than cotton and is not more environmental friendly. Because bamboo is a hard wood it requires a considerable amount of chemicals to break the wood into fibers which are short so require bonding with another material usually cotton because of its long fiber. Bamboo is not as easily renewable as wool which is sheared from sheep’s or cotton which is grown yearly.


Organics are difficult to control outside of industrialized countries which have very strict regulations for the label. In many other countries the word may not mean the same and may have as organic only the ink used to print it.


When you are looking for batting make sure to tell the story of your quilt so we, the employees of The Running Stitch, can help you choose the most suitable batting for your project.


This article is a synopsis of a piece in FabShop News.

The Bernina 830

Hello everybody:


The Bernina 830 is in. Come and see this machine. It's the ultimate sewing experience. It offers the kind of high-performance features that'll allow you: " to create more, create bigger and create longer than ever before". Gabriele will do demo on this machine on Tuesdays and Wedenesdays. It will be a pleasure for her because she's pretty excited about it.

day off

Saturday, I took a day off to meet with fellow quilters at a retreat in Buckingham. It was a fun day. The setting was great. We were sewing facing a lake in a huge veranda. What a view. I was so excited to be able to work on a few projects; but the best part was to be with a bunch of women and chit chat and laugh … and laugh I did. What a wonderful day I had. It was inspirational and fun.
That’s why I would love to organize retreats for the store. When we did the survey last March you showed some interest and I’d like to pursue this. Your suggestions of venues are welcomed. I know a few places but I’d like to explore more. Also If you wish to participate do not hesitate to call the store and leave your name and phone number.

trip to houston

Hello fellow quilters!
This is week one after Houston. The Quilt Market is certainly the experience of a lifetime. As with most things American, it is huge, well organized and very diverse. Store owners visit the Market to develop network, look for new trends and establish relationships with vendors and BUY. So yours truly visited hundreds of stands, met with many store owners, exchange information with designers and purchased new fabrics for the coming year.


The best news is that I was able to bring back many new patterns, some books and a lot of ideas that I wish to share with you. Many of you are aware that quilting is evolving constantly. The more adventurous artists are creating a totally different approach to quilting more along the lines of free creation in a fiber environment. This direction has opened the door to the use of different fabrics (silk, wool, threads, beads, etc.) being integrated in quilts. We have moved a long ways from our grandmothers using pieces of clothing or other available fabrics to put together a warm quilt. Today we find thousands of patterns to entice us to more and more creativity. The quality and diversity of fabrics ensures that quilts will be unique even if a standard pattern is used. Is it not great that our creativity can be so enhanced?


Was it a great trip? Without doubt because of the incredible variety that was proposed to buyers, because the weather was great, because the quilt show is incredible with quits that blow you away. (It is possible to see the Quilt Show in advance when we attend Quilt Market). There are many great quilters, many designers and fiber artists that are showing their latest creations that makes the show so wonderful. It was outstanding. Did anything go wrong? We could not get out of Houston on time so we missed our connection in Philadelphia and ended staying the night in the Airport with the cleaners, the waxers and even a ghost. That is most unpleasant and to make the experience worse, it was 0 degree in Ottawa under snow. Very difficult when you leave Houston at 85 degree Fahrenheit.


And what was the highlight of the trip? Would you believe the new sewing machine, Bernina 830. Barb and I were bowled over. It was incredible. It is hard to describe how wonderful that machine is. WOW! We will soon have it in the store and we will have special presentations. Brace yourself! You won’t believe your eyes. This machine does everything a quilter could dream of. Sorry, it does not talk, but otherwise it’s a perfect tool for the avid quilter and not so avid. You can see more information at the Bernina site (www.bernina.ca)


Come to the store to see the new purchases as we have received many new collections during the month of October. Many new patterns are available and so are lots of new books. We have some new quilts that should inspire you.


Remember we have longer hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday we are opened till 6 and Thursday we are opened till 8 or 20hr. All classes are full for the fall but there will be a new set of classes starting in January. We are still accepting registration in our clubs with more to come in January. Please inquire at the store.


Remember also that winter may be coming early so get your winter projects ready with the fabric that you want.