This is the NEW Top Shelf Quilts!

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1 April-June, 2015 Volume 3, No Elwood Street Frankfort, IL (815) Inside this Issue Paula s Corner 1 Row-By-Row Experience 2015 Illiana Shop Hop April Activities 3, 6 May Activities 4, 7 June Activities 5, 8 Upcoming Sales Sew Together Dates Workshop Suggestions Hours Monday Tuesday 10:00-5:00 Wednesday 10:00-5:00 Thursday 10:00-7:00 Friday 10:00-5:00 Saturday 10:00-4:00 Sunday 12:00-4:00 April 5th, May 10th, June 21st, 2015 This is the NEW Top Shelf Quilts! Paula s Corner I asked George to write this newsletter s Corner and he only said two words. BUY FABRIC! He is right, but no help. Spring is in the air! It is time to plant and be outside - but please don t forget about your quilting! We have many bolts of fabric coming into the shop in the next three months, including some really pretty Christmas fabric. Come in! See it! Feel it! And like George says, BUY IT! Do not miss our own Meet the Author Night, Friday, May 2th. Karen DeWitt has published book three in her Bunco Club series. Join us, see a great bed turning and hear how she came up with her story. You might be interested to know that our own Chef Evelyn is in the new book! I promise it will be a fun evening for all. Every month we will have our Sale Days. Watch for these to get some really good bargains. If you can t make the sales (and even if you can), don t forget our sew days (first Sunday, second Saturday and third Friday evening). In addition to hopefully getting a project finished, you will receive 15% off on all purchases. Wouldn t you like to learn something new? Check out our classes for the next three months. We have a number of new classes coming. We have samples of most of our class projects/quilts hanging in the shop. We are always looking for new techniques and interesting patterns. If you have any topshelfquilts@yahoo.com suggestions, be sure to let us know. This past March marked our second anniversary. Time has really flown by. I must say, it has been fun and very enlightening for me. Quilting has always been a passion for me. To have the shop has definitely fed that passion. When I am able to spend time with all of you and see what you are creating, it truly inspires me. Keep creating and let us help you do it. Support your local quilt shop! Paula (and George) 1

2 TSQ to Join the Row by Row Experience 2015 The Row by Row Experience began in 2011 with 20 quilt shops across New York State. In 2012 the event grew to include 62 participating shops in New York State. Pennsylvania came on board in 2013 for a total of 138 shops throughout the two states. In 2014 over 1250 quilt shops participated in 34 states and Ontario. Plans are underway for the biggest and best Row by Row Experience ever in 2015! All 50 states and several more Canadian provinces are planning fun for travelers throughout the summer. Top Shelf Quilts will be among those joining in the fun. No Passports! No Fees! Simply visit any of the participating shops and receive a free pattern for a row in a quilt. Combine your rows in any way to create a unique quilt that represents the fun you had traveling throughout the summer. Prizes! Your quilt must use at least 8 different rows, be quilted, bound and have a label and be the first one to be brought into a participating shop to win a stack of 25 fat quarters (6-1/4 yards of fabric!). Use that shop s row in your quilt and win a bonus prize! Collectibles! Exclusive Fabric Plates by Zebra Patterns will be available in some of the shops around the country. Each one is unique! Collect a bunch to create fun projects, sewing studio wall art or even a fun backing for your quilt. New Theme for 2015 Row by Row H2O Travel and Collect Rows: June 21 - Sept. 8, 2015 Bring in Completed Quilt for Prize: June 21 - Oct. 31, 2015 The Game is Over! November 1, 2015 Illiana Shop Hop 2015 Celebrating Service is the theme of the 2015 Illiana Shop Hop. This year s hop will run from July 13th through August 8th. A total of ten shops including Top Shelf Quilts will be participating. Passports will be available soon from any of the participating shops for $5.00. The passport entitles you to visit each location during the hop, register for individual door prizes, receive 15% off all regular priced fabric of 1/2 yard or more and have your passport validated for additional prizes. Individuals with passports validated at all ten shops will be eligible for the grand prize drawing of one Bernina Bernette Sewing Machine, one second prize drawing for 100 fat quarters and 10 third prize drawings for the $25.00 gift certificates, one from each of the shops. The drawings will be held on August 10th and winners will be notified. The Celebrating Service shop hop is in honor of those who serve our country in all branches of the military. Each shop has designed a 12 finished star block around the theme using the Love and Glory line of Marcus fabrics. Continued on Page 3 2

3 April Happenings Needle and Thread Stitchers Do you love to do hand stitching? Join the Needle and Thread Stitchers at Top Shelf Quilts and bring your latest appliqué, embroidery, or hand quilting project. We all love to do quilt-related hand stitching with our friends! Come and sew with those old friends and at the same time make some new ones. We meet at the shop the first Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM. The yearly fee is $ This is not a class, but a social sewing bee for those of us who love to stitch by hand. See you then! April 1, May 6, June 3, 2015, 6:00-8:00 Cost: $20.00/Year Tools & Techniques of the Month: Charming 5 Square Template by Creative Grid w/barb Barb will demonstrate a simple template that cuts 5 squares, 2 ½ x 5 rectangles, 2 ½ squares or uses the cross hatch mark to center a feature print. Receive a $5.00 gift card for attending the demo. Sunday, April 26, 2015, 1:00-2:00 OR Wednesday, April 2, 2015, 1:00-2:00 Beginning Applique w/ Chris Ready for a new challenge? Want to learn to stitch those gorgeous flowers? The American Rose Basket has large shapes to make learning the needle turn applique technique fun! The first class will get you started with the basics and give you some homework to enjoy and practice. Come prepared for the second class to complete the flower, vine, and leaves and you will be on your way to making those beautiful applique quilts you ve been dreaming about. Thursdays, April 16 and 30, 2015, 6:00-8:30 OR Saturdays, June 6 and 20, 2015, 10:00-12:30 Cost: $50.00 To Our Customers Taking Classes It is imperative that you have: a sewing machine in good working order, a good working knowledge of how your machine operates and a copy of your machine s manual, if possible. Cost: $5.00 Illiana Shop Hop 2015 Continued... Each shop will set the blocks into a unique quilt and offer finishing kits for their layout. Block kits will be available for $6.50 at each shop (for that shop s block) and shop hoppers may reserve all 10 blocks by purchasing a passport and prepaying for the set ($60.00) by July 1st. (Prepaying assures you of being able to pick up each block as you hop from store to store, however, no blocks will be mailed.) Watch for more information to be available soon at TSQ. 3

4 May Happenings Let s Twist w/barb How about using the twister ruler to make any one of several patterns - wreaths (two types), flags, flowers, table runners, animals, Twister Shimmer, etc. All seams are straight, no curves! Using 5 squares and the Lil Twister tool will create larger finished products, while using 3 1/2 squares and the Primitive Pinwheels Tool will create smaller ones. Saturday, May 2, 2015, 11:00-3:00 Coffee Filter Fan Quilt w/paula Did you ever want to make a fan quilt or pillow with that classic pattern? Paula will teach you a super simple way to do it using coffee filters as your foundation paper. There are NO set in seams and NO curved piecing. You will also discover how to finish the base of the fans with a triangle for a VERY easy, no fail fan. There is also a simple way to attach the fan to the background square. Use your scraps or 2 1/2 inch strips. EASY...I PROMISE Thursday, May 14, 2015, 6:00-8:00 Cost: $20.00 Off Track Quilt w/joanne This super cute and fun quilt can be made with 2 1/2" strips from your fabric stash or cut from yardage. The pattern is easy to follow with color illustrations and comes with the option to make 3 sizes: throw, twin, or Queen/King size. Sunday, May 17, 2015, 12:00-4:00 Meet the Longarmers Do you know who our longarmers are and all the different options they have available for quilting the quilt top that you so lovingly made? Do you know what/how longarmers charge for their services? Come and meet several of them, learn about their services and ask questions. Thursday, May 7, 2015, 6:00-8:00 Cost: Free Strips and Twist Star Quilt w/barb How about learning a new technique! We will use it to make any one or all of the seven different timeless block designs using 2 1/2 strips. By creating various 3-strip stratas (of light, medium and dark strips) which are then cut with a template and twisted into various block designs, you can create a beautiful table runner or quilt of your own. Saturday, May 16, 2015, 11:00-3:00 Tools & Techniques of the Month: Sidekick Ruler w/barb Barb will demonstrate how you can use the sidekick ruler to easily cut diamonds, triangles and 60 degree half-triangles in four sizes. This timesaving tool also comes with full-color instructions. Receive a $5.00 gift card for attending the demo. Saturday, May 23, 2015, 1:00-2:00 OR Wednesday, May 27, 2015, 1:00-2:00 Cost: $5.00 4

5 May / June Happenings A Night with Karen DeWitt Karen DeWitt has just released the third book in her Bunco Club Series. This book entitled, Threads of Friendship, discusses the friendship of Marge and Beth, two of the Bunco Club members. Join us for an evening of friendship and listen as Karen talks about this book and shows us some of her recent quilts. (RSVP so we know how many to plan for.) Friday, May 2, 2015, 6:00-8:00 Cost: Free Embroidery and Coloring with Crayons w/karen Don t you just love the look of handmade embroidery with color? We will have a number of beautiful patterns for hand embroidery from which you can choose. Why not be a kid again, coloring with crayons, but this time on fabric. Join us for an interesting and fun time doing both in one day. Wednesday, June 10, 2015, 1:00-3:00 Cost: $20.00 Flutter Quilt w/joanne New to quilting or would you like to learn something new? Try a technique that looks harder than it really is. There are four sizes to choose from. This quilt is from the book, Fat Quarter Style (12 quilts that never go out of style). Saturday, June 27, 2015, 10:00-2:00 Patty s Pocket Tote Bag w/patty This is a versatile tote with many pockets on the outside and on the inside. It has long straps and plenty of room for everything for going to the beach, going to a quilting event or every day running around. Pattern is included with class fee. Saturday, May 30, 2015, 1:00-3:00 AND Saturday, June 6, :00-4:00 Rock Candy Table Topper w/barb Use the Sidekick ruler (or create your own template with template plastic) to make this 20 1/2 x 23 table topper. There are no Y seams. It looks much more difficult than it really is. Sunday, June 14, 2015, 12:00-3:00 OR Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 12:00-3:00 Cost: $30.00 Day at the Beach (Bag!) w/laurel Complete a reversible sling bag for your summer activities! The pattern by Amy Butler makes two different sizes, big enough to hold your towel, beach gear and your favorite book. This is a great beginner project! Sunday, June 28, 2015, 12:00-4:00 5

6 April 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Needle & Thread Stitchers 6:00 8: Saturday Sew 12 Sunday Sew Beginning Applique 6:00-8:30 17 Friday Madness Spring Showers Sale 25 Spring Showers Sale 26 Tools & Techniques of the Month: Charming 5 Square Template 1:00-2:00 Spring Showers Sale Tools & Techniques of the Month: Charming 5 Square Template 1:00-2:00 30 Beginning Applique 6:00-8:30 6

7 May 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Let s Twist 11:00-3:00 3 Sunday Sew Needle & Thread Stitchers 6:00-8:00 7 Meet the Longarmers? 6:00-8:00 8 Saturday Sew Coffee Filter Fan Quilt 6:00-8:00 15 Friday Madness 16 Strips & Twists Star Quilt 11:00-3:00 17 Off Track Quilt 12:00-4:00 24 Support Our Troops Sale Support Our Troops Sale 27 Tools & Techniques of the Month: Sidekick Ruler 1:00-2: A Night With Karen DeWitt 6:00 23 Tools & Techniques of the Month: Sidekick Ruler 1:00-2:00 Support Our Troops Sale 30 Patty s Pocket Tote Bag 1:00-3:

8 June 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Needle & Thread Stitchers 6:00-8: Beginning Applique 10:00-12:30 Patty s Pocket Tote Bag 1:00-4:00 7 Sunday Sew 8 10 Embroidery and Coloring with Crayons 1:00-3: Saturday Sew 14 Rock Candy Table Topper 12:00-3: Rock Candy Table Topper 12:00-3: Friday Madness 20 Beginning Applique 10:00-12: Row by Row Experience TSQ* Spring into Summer Sale 27 Flutter Quilt 10:00-2:00 Spring into Summer Sale 28 A Day at the Beach (Bag!) 12:00-4:00 Spring into Summer Sale 2 30 *Row by Row Experience Ends September 8th. 8

9 Upcoming Sales! Spring Showers Sale April 24, 25, 26, % off fabric purchases. Support our Troops Sale May 22, 23, 24, % off all purchases. Please bring a donation of non-perishable items for our troops. Spring into Summer Sale June 26, 27, 28, 2015 Watch your for more information. Sew Together Dates Sunday Sew, Saturday Sew, and Friday Madness will cost participants $ Call to reserve your space. (Food is not furnished.) Sunday Sew (11:00-5:00) April 12th, May 3rd, June 7th Saturday Sew (10:00-4:00) April 11th, May th, June 13th Friday Madness (4:00 10:30) April 17th, May 15th, June 1th Every Tuesday (10:00 5:00) No fees, discounts, food or prizes provided just the fun of sewing and socializing together. Everyone welcome! We Want your Suggestions for Workshops/Classes/Techniques We d like your help! What workshops/classes/techniques would you like to see taught at TSQ? For example 4-Patch Posey, Stack-n-Whack, Stained Glass, Take 5, Lone Star, Wool Applique, BOM, Mystery, you name it! Submit your suggestions using the forms near the Suggestion Box in the shop. Applique? Paper Piecing?