Hello Lovely Ladies
Warmest greetings to you all from sunny but soggy Hastings today. It has been quite a week for so many of our friends and family, and our heartfelt love goes out to so many of our locals who have lost everything after Cyclone Gabrielle hit our region last week.
I almost feel guilty that we have come out relatively unscathed at this point; our home and shop are both high and dry and for this we are so grateful. Going without power for (only) one day was a mixed blessing and I have been able to catch up on some hand stitching for the Stoneleigh quilt project, which has been very therapeutic.
Unfortunately for us as a small business, having relocated and now needing to build up new clientele in the midst of a flooding crisis will take its toll in other ways. The past few days have been a time of reflection and digging deep.
One has to ask the question ‘How will we survive this?’
What can we do to help others who have been so badly hit?
This morning I was out walking and I heard the words ‘Use what you’ve got’.
What have we got?
Sewing machines
Fabric
Threads
Tables and chairs
A sewing room or 2
Batting
An OPPORTUNITY
So here is what we are going to do: Have a SEWING BEE!
As of tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be opening the shop to anyone who would like to come and make quilts for flood victims using our sale fabric and quilting supplies at no cost to you. We have a lovely environment here, and plenty of room for friends and fellowship. We also have a stack of beautiful fabric that we can donate to a most worthy cause. We have a great kitchen we can use to make lunch/coffees or whatever.
If you would like to help, even if you can’t sew, come and help those who can. We have ironing boards and cutting tables, and a few spare sewing machines if you don’t have your own.
Let’s be a community who can help those less fortunate than ourselves.
To be honest, we’re not all able to clean up MUD. Some people need a little company and are better off just being around other cheerful souls but still do something useful. We would like to help serve our community in a practical way. This is all we have right now, and we want to use what we have got to bless others.
This will be a free community event every day this week from Tuesday – Friday; 10am – 3pm. If it’s a hit we will look at extending into next week. All I need is for you to tell me what day (or days) you will be coming.
If you are unable to join us, but would like to donate money towards sewing supplies, all donations will be gratefully accepted via internet banking. Please contact me either by phone or reply to this email if you would like to do this. All donations will be tax deductable.
SCHEDULED CLASSES
Our scheduled classes due to start next week will continue as planned, so this will affect Tuesday next week, and Friday, but we can certainly fit our SEWING BEES around this.
Our CRAZY COLOUR MYSTERY QUILT which I initially taught when we first opened the shop in Taupo was a very successful class, and well worth repeating. We have a full class starting next Tuesday; there are still a couple of spaces left to start on Friday 3rd March.
”This is a project specially designed to use the decorative stitches on your sewing machine. It doesn’t matter what brand of machine you own: every machine has decorative stitches, even regular stitches like the straight stitch can be used to decorate, although my teaching will be based around the Bernina brand.
You will be working with machine quilting threads and other special (metallic) threads. There will be opportunities to work with ribbons, trims, sequins, strings (couching) and freehand quilting with this project. The plan is to have fun using different stitches to create one block each month for 12 months. With each block you will learn a new technique. What you don’t complete in class, you can finish at home over the following month before you return to class for the next block.
You will have the opportunity to buy extra feet for your BERNINA at discounted prices. There will be lots of samples to experiment with in the class, so you can try before you buy.
The colour of your quilt doesn’t necessarily need to be as crazy as my sample below, but it does help to have some colour in this project to allow you to explore more options with variegated threads. You will need to choose 8-10 plain/textured fabrics from a selection which we will have in store.”
The full list of requirements and the class dates will be available with your registration. A non-refundable deposit of $50 will secure your place and choice of day. There will be an option to attend EITHER a Tuesday morning class 10am – 12.30pm OR a Friday morning class 10am – 12.30pm.
Classes are inter-changeable, so if you are unable to make your regular Tuesday class one month, you may be able to swap to the Friday class (subject to space being available). There will be a maximum of 6 people per class.
Each class will cost $10 per month – you can either pay each time you attend or pay the full amount of $120 up front + the $50 deposit making the full CLASS fee $170.
We prefer all fabrics and class requirements to be purchased from The Eye Of A Needle please.
The first class will begin on TUESDAY 28th February OR FRIDAY 3rd March, and will be held once a month on the first week of that month.
2023 BLOCK OF THE MONTH
The FLOWER FARM by BUNNY HILL DESIGNS
‘There’s nothing like a field of flowers to bring joy to our hearts.
With 12 blocks featuring life on a flower farm, this quilt will bring you flowers and joy every day.
Get ready for some applique fun. You’ve arrived at The Flower Farm!’
There has been great interest in this BOM and spaces are filling fast. I made the most of last week’s quiet time to make up the sampler quilt, so have the first 4 blocks finished so far.
Our 2023 BOM will be launched on Friday 17th March, when the first block will be released. You can either pick up your kit in store, or I can courier the BOM to you each month.
We will hold a class on the third Friday of each month so if you need help with anything regarding this pattern I am available to assist you.
The cost of The Flower Farm BOM will be $45 month. Postage will be extra.
By ANNIE ‘PROJECT BAG’ CLASS
PLACES STILL AVAILABLE FOR THIS CLASS!
I like to hold a new By Annie bag class every 3-4 months as there are so many patterns I want to try! Usually I will make a sample and then I like to share it and then lots of people want to make their own. The Project Bags are great for organizing everything you need for each of your projects! Because we are starting a new year with fresh classes, it would be a fun idea to make yourself a Project Bag before you start making more projects with us! It’s a brilliant introduction to all things ByAnnie with quite a simple pattern to start with.
The handy zippered bags have sturdy quilted bases and vinyl windows for visibility of contents. A handle at the top may be used for carrying or hanging.
The medium, large, and jumbo bags also have colorful borders at the bottom. These borders may be pieced or may feature a single fabric.
Hold and organize everything from sewing supplies to puzzles, games and more in these sturdy bags.
Pattern includes instructions for bags in four sizes:
SMALL: 6½”H x 10½”W
MEDIUM: 10½”H x 12½”W
LARGE: 13½”H x 13½”W
JUMBO: 16½”H x 16½”W
Classes to make the Project Bag will be held on Saturday 25th March and Saturday 1st April. The class will start at 9.30am and finish at 3pm and the class fee is $25.
We prefer that the pattern and all class requirements are bought from The Eye Of a Needle please.
To finish on a happy note – yesterday I got a new grandson! Hector William arrived at 6am on Sunday morning. My son and daughter in law (Willie & Amelia) were able to get out of Napier last Thursday when the first road opened briefly. They came to us because we have a much more reliable open road to Hastings Hospital from our place. We have had our first cuddles and I’ll be back for more this afternoon! Hector means ‘anchor’ and ‘steadfast’. These are two qualities we all need right now in the midst of all the grief and destruction :). It is so nice to have some new life and joy amongst us.
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