Waterwheel House Quilt Shop

Ooh La La! October

Ooh, La La!  Lovely New Lark fabric by Amy Butler!

Stack O'Lark Fat Quarters!

Would you like to get your hands on these beauties?  Well....If you attend our Trunk Show and Make and Take Event on Saturday, November 12 at noon, you will be entered to win a bundle of this new line by Amy B.  So what is this event all about?

Jessica Vandenburgh of "Couture Clutch Purse" fame will be bringing all of her wonderful patterns to the shop and showing us samples of her bags and totes.  After the trunk show, Jessica will be demonstrating how to make her latest pattern...Folded Fabric Ornaments!

Red and Green

Blue and White (Remember to click on any pic to enlarge)

These ornaments are a NO SEW project.  Jessica will get you started on making these fabulous decorative ornaments.  How about making a bowlful of these in non-holiday fabric? What terrific gifts these will make.  Kits will be available for purchase  and will include the pattern, pins, fabric and embellishments to make one ornament.  There is no charge for the Trunk Show. Space is limited, so call today! 

802-824-5700

We still have a few spots left for Jessica's "Couture Clutch Purse" class on Saturday, November 5th.

Jessica provides the hardware ,tools and glue to make this chic bag.  Interfacing and fabric are available at the shop.  These bags take 2 fat quarters to make and are very quick and easy! Class is $40 and includes hardware etc... Call today to sign up for the Clutch Class on November 5th and /or the Trunk Show Event on November 12th 

Last weekend we enjoyed the Empire Quilt Fest in Clifton Park NY.  Here is our booth...

Couple of Views.

Here are a few of my favorite quilts in the show.  They were all wonderful!  Way to sew ladies!

loved the 3 D birds!

Very Cool!  Art quilt.

Ruching...I want to Ruche!

Soft and beautiful!  Love the gradation of colors!  Pink and Yellow, yum!

Wild!

So impressive, our Vendor's Choice Award.

Very Waterwheel House!

Clever,clever!

I apologize to these wonderful quilters for not including their names but I was to rushed to jot them all down. Hope to see you soon!

As Always,

Happy Sewing!

Shelley

Announcing The New $5 Club

Here they are.....  Ta Da!  Pick your fabric!

This is the first block made in "Annie's Farmstand" fabric from LakeHouse.

 
More of this line.  If you choose this, your quilt will be bright and cheery.  Lime greens, yellow, orange, turquoise, red, black and white, kelly greens and pinks.  Dots, gingham, florals, plaids and more!  How Fun!

Or select bright batik fabrics!  Tough choice,  huh?!

There are 14 blocks in this sampler style quilt.   For the last 2 months you will make 2 blocks a month.  Each finished block measures 12inches.  Each block is a traditional pieced block. Your finished quilt will be bed size.  Each month you will get the pattern for the block and the fabric.  At the end of the 12 months there will be a finishing kit available at extra charge.  This is a combination "Mystery Quilt" and "Block of the Month" type club.  You may choose to do the club in person at the shop or have your blocks mailed to you.

Here is the scoop.... 

In Shop Club-  Meets the second Saturday of every month for 12 months. You will get instruction on how the block is put together.  You will get the pattern and the fabric.  There are refreshments, door prizes, demos and show and tell.  Cost is $5 per block.  You pay $25  up front to register and this covers the cost of the first 5 months.  At the end of the 5 months you pay another $25 for the next 5 months.  The last 2 months will cost only $20 for the last 4 blocks.  You must be able to attend the majority of the in shop meetings.  In special circumstances you can pick up your block the during the week after the meeting. 

Club by Mail- If you opt to do this by mail, you will get your block instructions and fabric the following Monday or Tuesday the second week of each month..  The cost is $7 per block, $35 up front for the registration and first 5 months.  You can register by calling the shop at 802-824-5700.  We will charge your credit card $35 for the first five months.  We will keep your card on file (under lock and key) and charge your card $35 for the second five months and $28 for the last 2 months.  You will then get a picture of the finished quilt and can purchase the finishing kit by calling the shop.

Important Note- Registration for this club closes next Sunday, October 16th at 5pm.  You must opt for either  In Store or By Mail.  If you want to do a combination of the two, you must pay $7 per block for bookeeping purposes and let us know specifically the  months you want the blocks mailed.  The mail club is really for people who live too far away to come to the shop.

So...select your fabric choice and call us with your credit card number!  The first block meeting/mailing will be November 12, 2011.

We hope you will join in the fun here at the WWHQS!

Happy Sewing,

Shelley and Judith

PS  Here is last years $5 Club quilt finished!

A paper pieced beauty, waiting to be quilted!  Kudos to Judith for all her hard work and exceptional talent!

 

Late June

"Loulouthi" is here!!  We have 2 colorways...Blue/Green and Chocolate

Pink, Yellows ,Orange and Gray.  YUM!  Anna Marie Horner rocks!

Prince Charming by Tula Pink

Blue Greens...We have bundles...

Select Blue or Pink or both!  Bundles contain 6 fat quarters each and are $18.

Robyn Pandloph, "Bowood House" from RJR Fabrics.  $11 per yard or Bundled.  $18 for 6 fat quarters.

From The Art of Possibilities group by Free Spirit here is "Jazz City"

Jazz City Mosaic and Jazz City Graffiti are the companion fabrics for this  line.  $6.63 per half yard

Want to join the Farmer's Wife QAL (Quilt Along)?  We have the book that comes with the CD to download all the instructions and templates for each block.  We offer 10% off books everyday! This is an ambitious undertaking!

Coming Soon!  A new class using the "Creative Grids" Cathederal Window Ruler and this wonderful book by Lynne Edwards.

Another new class based on the teachings of Jean Wells will be offered soon.  This class will meet monthly and focus on a chapter of the book each time.  You will learn many new improvisational piecing techniques.  Color and composition are the backbone of these wonderful piecing techniques.

New Patterns from AArdvark Quilts

We have Kaffe Fassett stripes to make this quilt!

From "JayBird Quilts"

And

This pattern uses the new "Lazy Angle" Ruler from "Creative Grids".  We have several other patterns that use this ruler.  We will be having a workshop where you will learn how to use this ruler in a variety of ways.

Here is Judith's "Perfect Ten" Quilt by Swirly Girls, using Kaffe's "Folk Art" panels.  Stunning, huh? 

Another new pattern...

 By Tula Pink.  We are making a sample using her new "Prince Charming" line.

Might seem a bit early, but we are making pillowcases for every holiday.  Here is one of our new lines from "Quilting Treasures".  It is not to early to start making those holiday gifts!

 

Another fun stash busting class will be based on this great pattern.  Love the 3 D effect you get when you arrange the blocks in a certain way.

 
Gracie is sporting a new summer Hair Do!

You can call the shop, 802-824-5700 to order any of the above.  And, we are offering Free Shipping on all orders $50 or more until August 31st!

The new schedule of classes will be on the website shortly.  Waterwheelhouse.com

We appreciate your support of our "Brick & Mortar" Quilt Shop!  We know you have many options for buying fabric and sewing supplies .  When you choose to spend a bit more, you are keeping small businesses like ours alive! 

And don't forget our Frequent Buyer Card Program...When you spend $200, you receive 20% off your next total purchase at the shop or by phone order.  These cards never expire and we keep them here!

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

 

 

Joyous June

The wet and cold hasn't dampened our spirits here at WWHQS!  Perfect sewing weather...who could ask for anything more!  Here are some new arrivals.

So excited to finally get this book in the shop.  For those of you who read quilting blogs and participate in online, virtual quilting bees and swaps, you may know the quilters who created the quilts in this book.  If you have not explored the world of quilting blogs, including viewing photos on flickr, a photo sharing site, you are in for a real treat!  Here are 12 months of quilts from the "Modern Quilting Bee"  an online group.  The authors Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks journal their year long virtual quilting bee.  There is a foward by Denyse Schmidt.  Each month showcases the designs of today's leading modern quilters along with easy to follow instructions.  Who knows...you may decide to start your own online bee and begin to collaborate with quilters all over the world!    We offer 10% off books everyday!  And we thank you in advance for supporting your brick and mortar quilt shops when you purchase books at the WWHQS!  To get more info on this popular blog, go to www.blockpartyquilting.com

Love this new pattern from "Quilts Illustrated"!  We have Lake House fabric's new fabric panels from the "Annie's Farmstand" line.  You can also use the Veranda Tote pattern and these panels to make a great summer bag.  Pattern is $9

Annie's Farm Stand Panels (the sunflower seed packets are the real thing!)  Gotta get those seeds planted soon!  Each panel is $8.68  You need 2 panels for the Mini Messenger bag and 3 for the Veranda Tote.  Both bag patterns are fat quarter friendly as well!

Getting in the summer spirit. We have lots of red, white & blue goodies!  Kwik Scrappy Stars is an easy pattern for a summer picnic quilt.  Pattern is $8.  A kit to make a 37x46 inch quilt is $52.00

The kit includes all the fabric needed for the top and 1st and 2nd borders.  You will have enough fabric left to make a pieced binding!

4th of July Easy Peasy Table Runner  $15 for Complete Kit.  Select a red paisley center panel with blue star border, or a blue paisley center panel with red star border as shown above.

2 new Easy Peasy Table Runners for Fall.  Floral center or Veggies!

Complete Kit $15 Fabric is from Quilting Treasures and has gold metallic highlights!  Gorgeous.

We have bundled some of our fabric lines for "Turning Twenty" quilts.  These make twin size quilts using the book "Turning Twenty Again"

20 fat quarters  Camelot by Jason Yenter for In The Beginning Fabrics  $59.00

Breakfast At Tiffany's by Fig Tree Quilts from Moda   $59.00

Jewel Tone and lights from Island Batiks  $60.00

Journeys by Kathy Davis from Free Spirit Fabrics  $59.00

  These are just a few of our bundles of 20 fq's.  We assemble these bundles with all of our latest fabrics!

Well,  gotta run.  As Always,

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

 

 

June is Jumpin' At The WWHQS

Just getting around to posting pics from the Glen's Falls Quilter's Quild show we attended in Queensbury New York last weekend.  Our booth set up went more quickly this time and again, we received tons of compliments on our setup as well as our merchandise! :D  Here are some booth shots... Remember you can click on any picture to view it larger!

"Come on in...."

Easy Peasy Table Runners, fat quarter boxes, kits and bundles.

Kona Cotton Bundles, samples,kits....

Shiva Oil Paint Sticks Demo Station

We met so many quilter's who have never been to the shop.  We are looking forward to seeing our new quilting friends soon. 

I was so impressed by the quality of the quilts in the show.  I picked a favorite and gave her my Vendor's Choice Award.   When I first saw this quilt, I thought, now here is a quilter after my own heart!  We are on the same wavelength!

Lisa Filion's  Quilt.  Love the colors and the improv piecing, not to mention the big stitch hand quilting "Ala Kaffe Fassett."  Here is a detail pic.

Wish I had the time to do some hand quilting!  You can find out more about Lisa on her blog Upstatelisa.blogspot.com  Way to sew Lisa!

I took pics of some of my fav's at the show.  I apologize, I do not have the quilter's names to give them credit for their beautiful work... but here they are-

Baltimore Album Style Quilts are so impressive. 

Blown away by this applique!

Gotta say, wow!

Gorgeous Art Quilt

Hand quilted, trapunto wall hanging...a stunner!

Look at this quilting, oh my!

I am always a sucker for hand embroidery, how charming!

Gradation of value amazing, huh?

Double blue Ribbon winner, wow!

Nice!

In the wearables category, this umbrella!  I wouldn't take this out in the rain!

All in all, a great show!

I have been doing a little sewing at home, but first I had to clean up my area!

I haven't seen this much table space behind my machine in ages!

This is neat and tidy, for me!

I am trying to rescue 4 beautiful orphan blocks I made a years ago in a class with Deb Tucker at Fletcher Farm School of Crafts in Ludlow Vermont.  The pattern is called "Dizzy Flying Geese" and it was before Deb's "Wing  Clipper" ruler days.  I used reproduction fabric designed by Froncie Quinn from the quilt collections at the Shelburne Museum.  I loved the bright colors then and of course I still love them now!  See, I sew with repro fabric too!

The center panel is a cheater and is a reproduction of a quilt made by Florence Peto called Grandma's Flower Garden.  The actual quilt, on display at the Shelburne Museum is very small with needle turn applique!  The colors are right on.  The problem will be the borders, they will need to be pieced.  Flying Geese probably....and I will definetly use the Wing Clipper ruler!

Would love to do big stitch quilting on the panel...it has printed stitch lines on the fabric!  This could be a lifetime project!

I am also working on a quilt using the "Stonehenge" pre-cuts from Northcott.  They are beautiful! The pattern has you make the quilt in quarters.  You stack the 4 quarters and cut a half circle, then reassemble the pieces.  The whole project is based on value, lights, mediums and darks.

Progress so far...

Be sure to check the website for our newest schedule of classes and events.  Click on "Calendar" and then, "View Entire Calendar" to see all the details of a class, click on the title.

On Tuesday, July 19th we are having a special Bargello Class taught by Jan Broude of the Quiet Valley Quilt Guild.  Jan is an expert in this piecing method and is a whiz with color and value.  There is so much to gain from taking this class.  Jan is full of tips and quilting history!  Here is a small sample of her work.  Please register ASAP for this class as there is a materials list you will need prior to the class so you can start collecting fabrics.  Call or email me to register.

Detail of Jan's latest Bargello she made for our Solid's Challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

Marvelous May

Wishing All Mom's a Very Happy Mother's Day

Here is what I made for my lovely Mother who lives far away in Florida...

A small x stitched  heart that can be used as a paper weight on her desk(Mom doesn't sew, so this is not a pin cushion!) The "B" stands for Barbara!  It  is filled with crushed walnut shells so it is heavy!

Yesterday we had our first big bus!  What a thrill!  Over 30 quilters filled the Shop with fun and laughter.  Gracie wanted to board the bus, but the ladies kept streaming out and of course she had to greet each one.

Backing into the parking lot was a breeze!

Lotsa Ladies!  Hope to see you again next year!

We have new fabric arriving daily...just in "Art Gallery Fabrics"  Coquette and Bohemian Soul check out these  fabrics at  

 http://www.patbravo.com/Fabrics.html

Pat's  site is so inspirational!   Also just in is "Kaufman's" Waterford Linen in natural, 100% Linen in a 54" width.  What will we sew with this wonderful linen?  We have expanded our "Kaffe Fassett" Aboriginal Dots and Spot fabrics to include all  the juicy colorways!  Come and see soon!

I think I will host my first giveaway prize in this post.  Leave a comment on this post and you will be entered to win a Fat Quarter Pack of "Art Gallery" Fabric's Coquette and Bohemian Soul.  I will pick a winner at random on Tuesday, May 10th.  Good Luck!

Meanwhile don't "Garden" too hard!  Take some time for sewing.

Shelley

 

April Additions

We have new fabric coming in daily!  Just in...gorgeous colors of Michael Miller's "Garden Pindots".  This is a wonderful blender fabric that goes beautifully with all of our bright focus prints.  We have also received our shipment of Northcott's "Stonehenge" precut 2 1/2" strips, 40 strips per package.  Can't wait to see what our sewing friends will make with these striking fabrics!

 

                          Michael Miller Garden Pindots in yummy colors!

Just in... 22 new bolts of Kaffe Fassett favorite classic prints!  Yay!  

We have updated our sale area with new additions.  Black and Whites and soft Neutrals.  Great stash builders!

 Classic Black and Whites
 these new sale fabrics are $5.99 per yard.

                 New Easy Peasy Table Runner Kits are $15 in our latest fabric....                           Jason Yenter's Camelot fabric in the red colorway

 
And in the blue colorway.  These kits are complete with back and binding!

 
Barn Yard fabric makes a great kitchen runner!

 
Blue colorway of "Nouveau Riche", we also have this in the violet colorway as well as the green.  This runners are a perfect beginner project or a quick 2 hour project any quilter would love. 

  Call for price 802-824-5700
This is a fusible applique project we have in a kit.  A "Springy" Delight!

 
"The Bella Bag" in Camelot....Blue!  We have a new kit that is complete with grommets, magnetic snap,fusible fleece plus this wonderful fabric!

 We used the "Awesome Tote Bag" pattern and our Farm Yard fabric for this fun tote.  To market to market we go!

 
Here is an interior shot of the bag with the chicken feet fabric!

 
This line makes a darling childs quilt too.  This pattern is PDQ from Swirly Girls.  Pretty Darn Quick!

 
And "Goo Goo" from Alexander Henry...Kelly is working on a "Crazy Eights" baby quilt with this line.  Love, love, love!!

 
We are wild about these socks!

Also from Alexander Henry, Meg made this classy vest from a Kwik Sew Pattern and Meijie Mum fabric.

 
Yep, that's me!  Gracie observes the fun!  Here is a rear view....:}

 
We used our new Fettucia ribbon for the ties.

Let's see what else is there to share?  Oh....

 
20 Riley Blake flannel fat quarters makes this charming quilt.  Faith whipped this up using a "Turning Twenty" pattern.

 
Finally, I made up a quilt with the Mod Kids panel, I made the dolly months ago.

 
And here she is!  You can make a quilt with dollies to go with.

 
Here is Linda and Judith at our last Improv Club meeting.  We made improv houses!  Our next Improvisational Quilting Club begins the end of July and meets once a month thru November.  We can only take 10 members and registration is now open.  There is a $25 registration fee and $10 per meeting for supplies.  Call the shop to register.

Our schedule for April is on the website.  waterwheelhouse.com

Take note that on Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17 we will be vending at the Northern Lights Quilt Guild Show in Hanover, New Hampshire.  Come and see me there!

Our full schedule of classes will resume in May. Among the offerings will be a new Paintstix class.  Here is a sneak peek at one of the paintstix projects...

 
This was made using a "Cedar Canyon" floral rubbing plate.

I have this King Size Philip Jacob's beauty on display at the shop.  We will be getting his new designs in later this month...Can't wait! 
 
That's all for now!  Happy Sewing!  Oh and a quick reminder, Our "Solids" Challenge Party has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 14th at 11:30 am.  And last but not least...  The Waterwheel House Quilt Shop will be 2 years old April 19th!

Shelley

 

March Magic

Life is magical here at the Waterwheel House Quilt Shop!  Every day we get something new! Just in....

The "Camelot" collection by Jason Yenter.  2 gorgeous colorways-

Rich hues of rust, peach and red!

Delicious Blues and greens!

 

 

 

 

 

Jason has published a new book of patterns to go along with this line.  The patterns are based on the Camelot Tales.

Beep Beep by Alexander Henry is a very substantial weight for quilting cotton.  We are glad that this company has not sacrificed quality for price.

 
Moda's line, Robotics is too darn cute for words!  I am working on a quilt using both of these boyish prints which I will reveal soon.

Little Girls will delight in Ballerina Fairies  from Moda.

"Oh My" by Sanae from Moda is a home dec weight twill at a remarkable price.  Love the chocolate and teal companion fabrics, so rich.

Detail of Main Print

Here is a detail of the teal.

Have you seen these great woven fabric baskets?  We have a way to make these in a snap.  In stock is  heavyweight nonwoven stabilizer strips, precut for use in this pattern by "Aunties Two".  How cool is that?

Want to try the latest zipper craze?  We have the patterns and the zipper accents to make pins, bracelets and necklaces.  The patterns,  "My Garden Zips" and "Zipper Jewels"  are by Amy Barickman for Indygo Junction.  The packages of zipper accent trims contains one yard each of five colors.  Think of the possibilities to create and embellish!

A little girl on Spring Break would love this easy to sew, easy to wear dress.  The varigated hibiscus flower fabric is designed by Alfred Shaheen, "Hawaiian Prints-Pua Nani".  Aloha!  The pattern is "Polka Dots & Summer" from Fig Tree & Co.

Our new Improv Club Meeting on Friday was a blast.  Our savvy sewers met every challenge with enthusiasm and confidence.  Here are a few samples of their amazing work.

Their homework was to find a photo they liked and select colors from the picture to match fabric and create!  Citrus Delight!

Veggies galore.  Love this color scheme.  Seems we have a food theme going here!

Some Improvisational Piecing.

Way to Sew Girls!

Mastering improv trees and stars!

Remember, our next Improv Club II  meets the last Friday in July and ends in November.  You can register now to reserve a space for the Summer/Fall Club.  No prior improvisational piecing experience is necessary.  Club is limited to 10 participants.  Registration fee is $25.  You pay $10 a meeting for supplies and instruction.

March 11, thru the 20th is the Vermont Shop Hop.  We will be open special hours during the Hop.  Daily 9-6 pm, including Sunday and Monday.  The last Sunday, we will close at 3pm. 

Here are our 2 Shop Hop Projects we designed especially for this year's Hop.  We used the Shop Hop Fabric in each project.  Passport holders will receive free patterns for each project and kits will be available.  Hoppers will receive a discount on the kit prices as well.

Wall Hanging.  "Kaffe Fassett's Flower Shop"  Fusible, machine applique and free motion thread painting.

"Water All Around"  A lap quilt.  Can you guess the block?

 

Fabric Postcards, Saturday, 3/26 is one of our new classes.

Be sure to check out our new class schedule for March on the Web Site.

www.waterwheelhouse.com

Gracie still needs her booties for her hikes with Dad, but we are thawing out rapidly.  Hope to see you soon at the Shop.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

P.S.  All flannel fabrics are on sale for the month of March for $8 per yard.  Now that's a great savings!

 

 

Happy New Year!

We are bursting with new ideas for sewing and quilting in 2011! Check out our web site for the January schedule of classes. http://www.waterwheelhouse.com/

Go to the site to view the January Calendar of classes, with prices and detailed descriptions.

Have you ever worked with Laminated fabric?  Make a tote bag, rain-jacket, poncho, bib or table topper with this super soft material. This is not like oilcloth! We just received two new laminated fabrics from Amy Butler and Tanja Whelan

Remember "Spot" that adorable puppy from the children's books? Just in, is Spot on fabric from Moda.

Judith couldn't wait to make this sample for the shop!

Also new this month is "Totes on Bolts" from Lakehouse. Purchase 3 panels and you can make a "Veranda Tote" bag with the pattern by Penny Sturgess. Or the same 3 panels will make a snazzy apron. Just cut out the pieces for each project on the dotted lines printed on each fabric panel. How cool is that?  Call the shop to sign up for the "Veranda Tote" class scheduled for Friday, January 21st or Saturday January 29th from 10:30-3:30.

You can make this tote bag with fat quarters of your choice as well.  I made this one with Amy Butler's new "Soul Blossom" line.

This bag has nice shaping and tons of pockets and is very interesting to make.

Speaking of Amy B, here is another quilt made by Kelly to show of Amy's newest line.

This is an "Atkinson Design" pattern called "Urban Cabin".  We love brights with white!

Here's a detail of the quilt.

We still have a few spots left in our Improv Quilting Classes scheduled for Friday, January 14th or Saturday, January 22.  10:30-12:30.  Become familiar with modern, improvisational piecing techniques.  Make and Take a small project.

My improv "Matisse" quilt.

We are celebrating these chilly winter months with a special, 20% off all "snowflake" and Jason Yenter's winter line of fabrics. 

We also have Christmas themed fabric marked down to $5.99 per yard.

I made this winter quilt using inspiration from Kajsa Wikman's new book "Scandinavian Stitches, 21 Playful Projects with a Seasonal Flair".  Call the shop to order this book.  It will make you very, very happy!

Here is my quilt....

Love the snowflake fabric.  This is a small quilt 45x36. Quick and adorable!

Also of note, 2 books , "Material Obsession 1" and "Material Obsession 2"  have all of us drooling.  This is quilt book to read cover to cover!  Talk about inspiration!  Call to order.

Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke offer lots of ideas for "modern quilting with traditional roots".

Check out the website for more classes offered in January.  And come in to browse our Valentine's Day display and ogle Kelly's newest creation for Valentine's Day.

Done up in Kaffe Fassett's reds and greens.

Pictures don't do our quilts justice!  Visit soon!

In the works is our new FLICKR Group sharing photos from our various Clubs and Classes.  Watch your email for an invitation to join one of our FLICKR Groups. You can click on this link to check out our progress.

FLICKR

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

Improvisational Quilting Club

Starting in January, we will be hosting an "Improv Quilting Club".  This club, limited to 10 participants, will meet the last Friday of every month for five months from 10:30 AM-12:30 PM. The club will consist of two Series.  Series I will meet in January, February, March, April and May.  Series II will meet in July, August, September, October and November.  You may sign up for one or both series.

What is "Improvisational Quilting"?  For us here at the Quilt Shop it means starting with an idea or inspiration and sewing without a set pattern.  For example, in my Matisse Quilt, my inspiration came from the "Matisse"  focus fabric.  I fussy cut the fabric and framed these squares with sashing.  I then strip pieced strips in compatible fabrics and subcut these strip sets into units. I sewed the pieces back together  adding other strips of various widths until I got my desired block sizes.  This is a somewhat intuitive process.  Here are some photos of this quilt.

Framed focus fabric block.

A closer look.

The improv blocks.

There will be 2 introductory classes on Improv Quilting.  Friday, January 14th from 10:30-12:30 and Saturday, January 22nd from 10:30-12:30.  In these classes you will learn some intuitive piecing tecniques based on an idea or an inspiration.  If you are new to the idea of "Modern" improvisational quilting this is a good place to start.  You can then decide if this club is for you.

If you join the Improv Club, Series I, you will meet with the group the last Friday morning in January, February, March, April and May.  In each meeting you will be presented with an idea, inspiration or challenge.  You will start your small project at this meeting and will come back the following month with a finished piece or work in progress. Before each meeting you will be emailed a materials and supply list.

This group's focus will be on creativity and sewing without patterns.  You will be encouraged to use your own stash of fabrics, art supplies and embellishments.  We are very, very excited about this concept.  The best part of the club will be the coming together of "like minds" and sharing ideas through "Show and Tell".

We all ready have 5 interested members for the club so please call the shop to sign up soon to be included.

Our schedule of classes for January is full of fun projects!  It will be posted on our web site www.waterwheelhouse.com next week or you can pick one up at the shop.

Happy New Year to all our Quilting and Sewing Friends,

Shelley, Judith, Kelly, Meg, Faith and Grace