Whew! Is it hot enough for you? I am soooo grateful for our heat pump which we set to "cool" for a/c on these blistering hot days... I am happy to remain indoors when it's this hot! If you are the same, and looking for something to do until this heat wave passes, here are some things for you to check out...




First of all, for you Aurifil lovers, check out Karen Neary's latest blog post here to see the new collections and thread colours she now has in stock. (47 colours now in the 1300 m. spools!!) It's great to see her business growing. Aurifil is such a  wonderful thread and you just can't beat Karen's prices. I will continue to collect thread orders over the summer and place an order once we have reached the required amount.

I have a fair bit of colour in my garden right now, but on these hot days, I turn to the colour in my fabric stash for "playtime." If you love bright colours, you may like Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Here is the link to a number of free patterns, using Kaffe's fabrics. There are patterns for quilts, runners, pillows and totebags - something for everyone if you are craving some colour in your life!

At one of our winter meetings, I showed a needle organizer I had made for my sewing machine needles. I had said I would add the link to the directions to this blog, and then promptly forgot. Sorry! So here it is... It's a five part "series" of instructions, the link for the next day's directions is provided at the bottom of each post.

I made a few changes to mine - made it smaller (fewer pockets), rounded the corners and did a continuous binding, and used just one size (2.5mm) of twin needle rather than the three sizes suggested. If you decide to make one of these organizers and have never stitched on vinyl before, I would suggest you buy a small amount of vinyl and see if you have any trouble stitching on it. The directions recommend a teflon (non-stick) foot; I didn't need one as I didn't have any trouble but you might have a different experience. So it's a good idea to try the stitching on vinyl first, as I suspect few people have a teflon foot and they are pricey...



Is anyone working on Christmas projects? Hmmm, thinking of snowflakes and snow covered evergreens might be a good way to cool off!!  If you are participating in the free Christmas Block of the Month  "Gnome for the Holidays" at Fat Cat Patterns, the July block is now available. Check it out here.

Covered Bridge Quiltery in Riverview NB has just announced their new BOM - Winter Wonderland, which combines pieced and machine appliquéd blocks. Call the store if you are interested in joining (506-386-2888). They are already sold out of fabric kits but you can still join to receive the pattern each month. The quilt can be seen in the shop, or on their Facebook page.

I have updated the list of summer and fall quilt shows in our area, on the sidebar. If you know of others, let me know and they'll be added. There's quite a good list, so if you're travelling, don't miss your chance to check them out!

EDIT:  One more thing.. In case you haven't heard already, Mardens in Maine is discontinuing their practice of giving guild members a 10% discount, as of the end of this month.
 Also, you may not know that Sande Gunning of River Gallery is no longer selling fabric. They are preparing to move to Ontario, and she has sold all her inventory of batiks and cottons. She is  continuing her wool business for now.  SUPPORT OUR LOCAL SHOPS, LADIES!!!!