Newsletter January 2021

Newsletters

January 14, 2021

<!doctype html>

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Hello Lovely Ladies!
Happy New Year! I hope you have all settled in to 2021 without too many dramas, and that this year will be full of lovely surprises.
We seem to have hit the ground running… Caroline has been busy collating all sorts of Fat Quarter 5 packs and is putting together some fabulous displays of fabric in the shop.
Carol started work @ The Eye Of A Needle on Tuesday, so her brain is working overtime this week as she gets used to how things roll around here.
We have had our first delivery of sewing machines for the year today, so at long last we are able to fill some of our 3 month back-order waiting lists. We have another delivery of our Bernina Q16 Quilt machine due to arrive before the end of this week, so we have had to rearrange the furniture yet again to accommodate new staff and new storage facilities. There’s never a dull moment around this place!

Our other HOT-OFF-THE-PRESS news is that our website finally went LIVE yesterday! We were hoping to be live before Christmas but didn’t quite make the deadline…BUT we were first on the list on Monday morning and the LIVE button got pushed on Monday afternoon. Please be mindful that this is a work in progress and there is still a lot of refining to do with the website and with the online shop.. with more staff, and hopefully for me a bit more time available to spend on admin, I will be slowly loading more products and fabric to the website as it comes in. This can be a very time consuming and laborious task, so as the girls become more proficient with the running of the shop, I may be more likely found in my office or at my sewing machine whipping up a few more samples for future classes.

I am repeating the class schedule from December’s newsletter to refresh your memory. Now is the time to book in for classes for Term 1. Most classes have a maximum class number of 8 people, so please don’t leave it too long to register as I would hate for you to miss out on your first class choice.

Our regular weekly Class Calendar will look like this:

Tuesday 10am -12.30pm – starting Tuesday 2nd February
Beginner’s Patchwork Class

Carol will teach you the basics of Patchwork. You will make a new block each week over 10 weeks and then learn how to assemble your blocks to make a quilt. This is a class for those who have had little or no experience with patchwork – or perhaps you need to unlearn some bad habits and start from scratch again.
The class will cost $100 for the term. You will need to bring your own sewing machine. Fabrics and items needed for this class must be purchased from The Eye Of A Needle.

Tuesday NIGHT CLASS – 7pm – 9pm
(starting Tuesday 2nd February)

This class is suitable for those people who have busy day lives. The regular girls like a set project occasionally, so in Term 1 we will start with making a By Annie ‘Under Cover’ sewing machine cover. You are welcome to come along and make a project of your own choice if you prefer.
Class fees for the term are $80.00. Maximum class size is 8 people.

Wednesday 10am – 12:30pm
(starting Wednesday 3rd February)

Our Wednesday morning class has some real talent and most of the women in this group have been with us since we opened the shop. Unfortunately the class is currently full, and I don’t think any one in this lot will give up their weekly spot in a hurry.

However, due to popular demand we have created a NEW class on Wednesday afternoon (starting Wednesday 3rd February)

This class will run from 1:30-4pm every Wednesday during term time and will cost $80.00 for the term.
This class will focus on learning new skills and a specific project will be taught. We will start with the By Annie ‘Under Cover’ sewing machine cover. New projects will be added to the calendar along the way. You will need to bring your own sewing machine and fabrics and patterns for projects will need to be purchased from The Eye Of A Needle. Come along and become a PIONEER of our Wednesday afternoon class!

BEGINNER’S SEWING CLASS
Thursday 10am – 12:30pm

Jenny and I have been running this class for several years now and it is so satisfying to see the progress some of our ladies have made. This class is for the real Beginner Sewist. You will learn how to ‘drive’ your sewing machine and will make simple projects to reinforce these skills.
The class will cost $80.00 per term. You will need to bring your own sewing machine and fabrics and patterns will need to be purchased from The Eye Of A Needle.

We also run occasional workshops on Fridays – which are usually pick up days for Block of the Month projects, and Saturdays are a good day to hold all day workshops, especially for a big project or with a guest tutor (see below)
.
We currently have 2 Block of the Month projects running –

‘My Redwork Garden’ by Bunny Hill Design (Block 11 of 12 blocks released in January)
‘Urban Owls’ by Wendy Williams (Block 3 of 10 blocks released in January)

Our ByAnnie classes are always very popular and spaces fill fast. The ‘Under Cover’ project will be our feature class in Term 1 so you will see it pop up in several places in this newsletter.
This quilted cover comes in 3 different sizes with a variety of pockets to store manuals, pedal, cords and more. It also has 2 options for a back pocket opening either on top or at the side.
Please note that all fabric and notions need to be purchased prior to class from The Eye Of A Needle. We have a lovely panel in store to use if you want to copy my sample. Some quilting and cutting preparation before attending the class is also necessary if you want complete your project in class.
The class fee will be $50 for the day + your pattern requirements.
We have ByAnnie zips, mesh, foldover elastic and By Annie hardware in stock, so everything you need to complete your project can be found in store.
The will be a second 2 day workshop to make the ‘Under Cover’ pattern on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th February if you can’t make it on any other date.

KID’S HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES

The Bernette Sew & Go sewing machines have now all arrived, which means it is full steam ahead for our Kids Holiday Programmes starting next week.
The Kid’s Beginner’s Programme will be held next Tuesday 19th and Thursday 21st January. Each student will receive their own brand new Bernette ‘Sew & Go 3’ sewing machine that they get to use in class and then take home. We will teach students the basics of how to use their new machine and then work with them to make their own tote bag.
Class Fee: $299 (includes full kit and a brand new sewing machine)
$150 deposit is required to secure a place in this class – maximum class size is 6 students age 10+.
Kids will need to bring their lunch. A sewing kit is also available for purchase for $35 and is highly recommended so all the kids are using the same tools in class.

The Advanced Kid’s Programme will take place the following week on Tuesday 26th and Thursday 28th January. This time the kids will make a ByAnnie Over the Shoulder’ bag to hold their phone and/or wallet in. A perfect project for this age group. If time allows we will also teach the girls how to make their own pin cushion. (We get a bit tired of them dropping their pins on the floor in class!)
The class size will be limited to 8. The girls must have completed a Beginner Class with us before they are eligible to enrol in an Advanced Class.

JANUARY DROP-IN CLASSES

Because we don’t have our regular classes until February, and also because not everyone gets to go on holiday in January, we have started some ‘Drop In’ days on Wednesdays and Fridays over the summer. You can drop in any time after 10am, and stay and sew until 3pm if you want. Bring whatever UFO project you want to sew or finish and enjoy the company of others around the sewing table.
Dates for these ‘Drop In’ days are:
Friday 15th January, Wednesday 20th January, Friday 22nd January,
Wednesday 27th January, Friday 29th January

You will need to register for these days as there will be limited room around the table. Bring your lunch and $10 for each ‘Drop In’ day you attend. You can register for as many of these as you wish over January.

PROJECT BAG

The first time I made this project bag it was as a sample for the Kid’s Holiday Programme, and the kids all mastered it very well. Since then, the Night Class girls have made a Project Bag and now all the girls in that class turn up with their work in their Project bag each week.
So now it’s time to have another class to teach you how to make your own as this is a really handy little bag to use – either for sewing projects, book club, or any type of storage.
The dates programmed to make this Project Bag are Friday 5th February, Friday 12th February and Saturday 13th February.
The classes will run from 10am -2pm, and will cost $30.
You will need to purchase your pattern and class requirements from The Eye Of A Needle.

QUILT-AS-YOU-GO CLASSES

‘My Redwork Garden’ BOM is in full swing and those who are completing their blocks each month are doing so well! The last block for this BOM will be in February. Once the 12 blocks are completed, we realise there may be a need to hold some Quilt-As-You-Go classes, so that all those gorgeous pieces of work can be quilted and stitched to their full potential. Julie Brunton is primed and ready to help me with this.

We plan to hold a Quilt-As-You-Go class once a month starting in March. The first class will be with the My Redwork Garden ladies in mind, but with the anticipated arrival of some beautiful fabric from Moda ‘Maryland’ by Kathy Schmitz around April, this Quilt-As-You-Go’ technique could also be applied to any quilt block or panel.
The dates for these classes will be Saturday 13th March, Saturday 17th April and Saturday 8th May. Please in the first instance register your interest in store and mark the dates in your diary. This class will be especially useful if you own a BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator) that comes with some Bernina sewing machines – but you may not know what to do with it. We also hope to have our own Bernina Q16 in store by then, which is a slightly larger version of a BSR, so I may need lots of practice myself!

This is the Moda ‘Maryland’ panel by Kathy Schmitz due to arrive in store in April in 2 colourways – black on cream ‘Linen’ (pictured) & wheat on black ”Nightfall’. This would be the perfect block to practice some free motion quilting and to then Quilt-As-You-Go.

BERNINA SEWING MACHINE WORKSHOP – WITH DEBORAH LOUIE

I am still waiting for confirmation regarding our classes booked with Deborah Louie in April. A decision on this will be made in conjunction with Tauranga Bernina shortly. Deborah is pencilled in for classes in NZ in April 2021 and was going to tutor her ‘Hearts & Lollipops’ Quilt in Taupo. With border controls and quarantine regulations from Australia still being rather strict, it may be out of our control whether this class can proceed.
However, I will still run a class for all those folk who have bought Bernina sewing machines from us in the past year. If Deborah is unable to come, we will continue with an alternative project. This will be a great opportunity for you to get to know your sewing machine better. The project will be based on a Crazy Patchwork kind of theme using all of the stitches on your machine that you don’t know what to do with, and will end up as a bag.
This class is best suited for those of you with Bernina machines; it isn’t exclusively for those who have bought machines recently, but if you want to learn more about what your machine can do, then this will be a great opportunity to learn some new techniques.

If you are interested in either of these options, then please let me know and pencil in April 12-13 as potential dates for a class.

WALKING FOOT SERVICE – JANUARY SPECIAL
Did you know that if your walking foot is clunky, squeaky or not sewing smoothly, it might need a service?

David can take a look at your walking foot this month and give it a specialised touch up for just $20.

I hope to see many of you in store over the next week or two, signing up for classes on offer this term. I am working on a couple of new projects which I plan to release soon. I’m so thankful for extra daylight hours so my days feel longer in a sense – does that mean I get more done? That remains to be seen!
See you soon

Happy Stitching

Kay