So Excited for Gwen Marston!

Drumroll please...we've got our class offerings chosen for the Gwen Marston workshops in May! For those who don't know, Gwen is a well known artist who has taught both nationally and internationally, and we hosted her last May for two very popular workshops.

This will be a great opportunity for those of you who missed Gwen the last time she was at Two Thimbles, and for those who have taken classes from her before...there's always more to enjoy! The Saturday workshop will focus on small studies based in traditional pieced block designs, and Gwen will have a number of her small quilts with her as inspiration and example. The two day class will be based on Gwen's take on a Medallion quilt. She'll have some samples for this workshop too, and there will be a lot of room for personal viewpoints and inspirations!

Pictured below is a take on the Liberated Medallion. She will be drawing concepts from her not-yet-published book, so we're incredibly excited that she's agreed to teach it for us!

Here is a quilt from a customer who took Gwen's Liberated Log Cabin class here last May - she's combined concepts and blocks from that class with other ideas and inspirations... it's turning out pretty great, isn't it?

If you'd like more information on Gwen, please visit her website. For more info on class details at Two Thimbles, don't hesitate to give us a call or email. Class will run from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and 10 am to 4 pm on Monday. Each day includes catered lunch. Space is limited so don't wait too long!

Happy Stitching!

Stories in Cloth recap

It's always such fun to take chances and come up with your own designs, isn't it? We had a great group of stitchers here on Saturday, working on small hand applique projects during a class taught by Kellie Sammon. Participants shared thoughts, ideas, and creative inspirations as they created their own works of art. There was a lot of laughter and chatting as these quilters got a good start on their own 'Stories in Cloth', and Kellie was a fantastic inspiration. Thanks for a great class, Kellie!

Hard at work!

Sharing thoughts

One stitcher's work in progress...

Fun with scraps

Apparently February is 'class month'...we've got English Paper Piecing techniques with Lee on Friday, and Crazy Quilting in the 21st Century with Suz Litzsinger coming up on Saturday. Still room if you want to be a last minute participant. Looking forward to new projects!

Happy Stitching!

Pocket Full Of Love!

Time for another pincushion! This one has two parts...a darling burlap pocket and a cute little needlecase. The pocket design came from the Handbehg Felts website and is a great size to hold a little something for your valentine? Or fill it with scissors, pencils, a needlecase...or chocolate! We added a stuffed wool heart to the front, in place of the flowers the pattern suggests, to go with the Valentine theme...and it's perfect for holding a couple of pins! This simple matchbook needlecase is the perfect complement. We've got some kits all ready to go for this one.

New fabric, coming in all the time! This line is called Urban Cowgirls, from Moda. We've got charm packs and eight pieces from this lovely collection, in shades of red, brown, taupe, and aqua. Stop by to see the rest...

Now for a sneak peek! We just put out a new shipment of Civil War reproductions from Blue Hill Fabrics, in two different colorways...here is a sample of the blues. There's also a stripe, and a couple more basics. You'll have to come check them out- photos never do justice to fabric, wouldn't you agree?

Happy Stitching!

New Classes

Well, we kicked off the Prairie Women Sewing Circle today and it was a lot of fun! Busy too... so busy that we forgot to snap some pictures, so we'll have to do that next time! There was some discussion on English paper piecing and a few other techniques, some reading-aloud, and lots of show-and-tell. Looking forward to next time! Now, speaking of classes, we have a few others coming up that we're pretty excited about...

Big Stitch Quilting Overview is a two-hour introduction to this liberated style of hand quilting. This style has been around for a very long time and started out as a way to produce quilts quickly so they could be put to use; quilters took large stitches to finish a project fast. The large stitches were originally called utility stitches or long stitches. As quilting became a more publicized art, the technique gained awareness and the term 'Big Stitch' was coined by quilter Jo Walters in the later part of the twentieth century. A pair of Australian quilters and owners of the Sydney shop Material Obsession are helping to modernize the technique.

In the class, we'll go over tools and tips for Big Stitch quilting as well as the history associated with the technique. Below are some examples...let us know if you are interested in signing up or would like more information! The class will be held on Saturday February 25th or Friday March 16th from 11-1, so you have a couple options to fit your schedule!

Another class on the schedule is an intro to English Paper Piecing. We'll spend some time talking about tips and products that make this a really great (and portable!) technique. The class fee includes a kit for a simple pincushion to get you started. We're holding this class on Friday, February 10th from 11-1. Should be a lot of fun! The Prairie Women group worked on some hexagons today for a project down the road, and it seems that some of them might just be hooked...Below is an example of a paper-pieced design. Let us know if you'd like to sign up and learn more about this technique!

Don't forget...our newest class schedule is posted on our website!

Happy Stitching!

Snow and More Snow

Guess that sunshine from last week was a little bit of wishful thinking...looks like it'll stay winter for a while longer. Stay safe on the roads out there! We haven't gotten any fresh snowfall in our part of town, and we got some help clearing a couple of parking spots right in front, so the parking lot seems to be pretty drivable at this point. It's kind of pretty when the sun hits the snow...and it certainly makes for great sewing weather!

Speaking of snow projects, we put the work-in-progress Batik Block of the Month quilt up on the design wall last week. It's really starting to come together, isn't it? All this cold weather seems to create motivation to stay inside near a sewing machine and a warm iron...so we're getting projects done! This one is just two blocks and some sashing away from being sewn together, then we're just borders away from quilting. There's still a few slots open in the program if you want to join in!

Unfortunately, we had to postpone the first meeting of the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle due to the weather- they'll meet next week. We're really looking forward to the kick-off - be sure to stay tuned for pictures of all the fun!

Happy Stitching!

New Inspiration

Not too early to start thinking about spring, is it? We seem to be getting a bit of sunshine, now if only it'll stick around...anyway, bright colors are just the thing. This new line from Northcott, called Emma, definitely delivers in that area. There are two distinct colorways in the line- chocolate and turquoise on an ivory background, and bright pink and green on white. Birds and flowers just shout sunny weather, don't they? We're thinking pillowcases, quilts...maybe even a cute little dress!

The new Stitch magazine came in today, and there are definitely some great ideas and inspiration inside...worth taking a look!

We also have this new Valentine line from Moda, and mixed it with some older favorites...rosebuds, hearts and swirls in red and pink would cheer up any room. Just in time to make some Valentine pillowcases! Or treat bags to hold Valentine chocolate?

And don't forget about the glittery Peeps fabric that came in last week... it's definitely time to think up some new projects!

Happy Stitching!

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Year holiday! Time to jump right back into sewing projects ... our January pincushion takes a little extra time but the result is totally worth it! The bee skep design is cross-stitched around the sides and the top of the pincushion on hand-dyed linen, then finished with some decorative yarn. We'll have two different colorways available- the aqua with chocolate accents that is pictured below, and tan with purple accents. Kits coming soon, but you can reserve yours now!

This new line is called Flora, from Moda, and it fits the style for the Amelie apron just right, don't you think? We've got some charm packs for this one as well.

As a reminder...our class list is posted on the class page of our website. There are some fun ones coming up... the Prairie Women Sewing Circle starts in a couple of weeks, and February is filled with free-form applique and crazy quilting opportunities. Be sure to contact us soon if you are interested, because space fills up fast!

Happy Stitching!