From the Cutting Room Floor
JanniLou Creations' Newsletter
Hello, dear friends:
Back to school! Someone mentioned "Back to School" today. Can this be true? Just because we’re experiencing a bit of August showers, it’s hard to imagine that our summer months are coming to a close. We certainly filled up our summer with Shop, family and friend activities! Our trip to Sisters and Quilter’s Affair was, of course, filled with family and friends. Here at home, we’ve participated in a couple of fun Shop Hops; attended and heard about some great quilt shows, traveled to the San Francisco airport to meet Janni’s long-time pen pal from Australia, Gem and her sister, Joy; thoroughly enjoyed Fisherman’s Wharf, Highway 101, driving through (literally) the Redwoods, touring Eureka’s historic homes, and more, as we were heading back north to Oregon. Joy headed to New York and self-planned adventures; Jan and Gem took off on a spontaneous road trip. They had some great adventures as they traveled through seven states…and visited a few quilt shops on their way! What a glorious country we live in! (Yes, cuz Kathy G., you are on our list!)
We offer summer congratulations to our local Benton County Fair 4-H and Fair quilting winners. JLC loves to recognize the participants in the sewing and quilting categories!
Now, as we prepare for fall, we look forward to celebrating YOU all year long! Our Cast Party is scheduled Saturday, September 20. Refreshments will be available from 10am-2pm and many of our "Directors" for the term will be on hand to greet you. We’ve invited our StarStruck 2007-8 participants to show and tell their StarStruck quilts with all of us. We featured the film Teahouse of the August Moon this last year for our challenge. It’s an old favorite of ours. Glenn Ford, Eddie Albert, Marlon Brando and Machiko Kyo show off their talents in this comic delight based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Our StarStruck quilt is a bit more "serious" in nature as we featured a lovely Asian-influenced floral as our Leading Lady. Well done, "block-of-the-month-ers!"
This coming year is a year of "birthday" celebrations! In October, JLC celebrates 15 years "on location" in this great old movie theater building. Philomath and Corvallis are both celebrating 150 years, and good heavens, the members of CHS Class of ’62 is turning 65!! Additionally, every other year since 1991, Benton County has transformed itself into Quilt County from August 15 through the month of September. 2009 is a Quilt County year. So, we think it IS a year of celebration and offer up a very special challenge.
A local artist, Patsy Brookshire, has authored a quirky little novel set in 1918 on the Oregon coast. The story weaves the threads of family secrets throughout the novel’s pages. We encourage you to read Threads, and then create a quilt or quilted item depicting your interpretation of Sophie’s Quilt. You might choose to make a quilt that an "Aunt Sophie" from your own family history might have created. Threads is available at JLC for $14.95. Entry forms will be available at JLC by Cast Party in September. Entries are due by May 15, 2009.
Beginning September 2, our hours will change to: M,W, F: 10am-5:30p; Tu and Th 10am-8p and Saturday hours remain the same: 9:30a-5:30p.
A reminder that although we continue to be closed on Sundays, the third Sunday each month we are open as we host the Reel Dolls Art Doll Club. Our hours for the third Sunday will continue to be 11:00a-4:00p
The JLC calendar is jam-packed with a variety of class offerings for you including many pre-holiday ideas for quick and easy gifts. Shirley offers stained glass and a fusible project featuring any one of the small seasonal quilts from Motif .
Wendy offers Machine Quilting I in October. An excellent class! Wendy has a system that works and loves to share the techniques she’s learned and refined over the years.
Nita offers the "fantabulous" Pocket Full of Rulers bag class, the handy Wallet, and the Ultimate Quilters Bag. These are just great FUN! ... And, they’re extremely useful bags, besides.
Patti Kenyon presents several great classes with the quick-to-finish before the holidays idea in mind. She’s revisiting the great Placemat Palooza project, and, she’s introducing Pat’s 9-Patch a very unique nine patch project with pizazz!
Cathy Cunningham offers Buggy Barn’s "Crazy" system with her rendition of Snowball Crazy. She suggests you try a 4-Block quilt top to learn the technique and have a finished project for the holidays. We’re sure you’ll find it fun and addictive! Cathy introduces her new pattern: Friendship Reflection and, again, encourages a table runner size to learn the techniques.
Kathy offers the great stash-basher Herringbone Table Runner and Art to Heart’s On the Dot runner, and a simple appliqué piece from the new Possibilities book: Simply Stunning Quilts. You’ll get lots of tips and tutelage from Kathy!
We look forward to our partnership with Rich’s Sewing & Vacuum Centers this coming year. Jan is scheduled to introduce Rich’s Quilting Club to paper piecing the Judy Niemeyer way. Keep in mind there are machines on loan from Rich’s for you to test-drive right here at JLC. We DO hope you’ll take the opportunity to do just that! We encourage you to seek them out if you need machine maintenance or purchasing advice! Let them know JLC sent you and you may receive a special "surprise".
We keep Carolyn way too busy working on our CRF and other printing projects, but she still seems to find "tons" of time to create great projects and demos for you! She will be presenting the September Calendar Girls quilt on our Second Saturday gathering, and has some quick holiday tips for you at October and November Calendar Girls Second Saturday.
Speaking of Calendar Girls – this is a reminder that you may join this group any time! It’s very simple… and you need not attend Second Saturday to be eligible for your free monthly pattern. Although, there is a nominal charge for the pattern if you don’t pick it up during the month of offering. We will continue with Calendar Girls in the new year. The 2009 project will take on a different flair, but you will still receive a free pattern each month. The only requirement: you must purchase Debby Kratovil’s Block-a-Day Calendar. If you were a Calendar Girl in 2008, there is a one-time charge of $1 for your new card.
JanniLou Creations once again joins Better Homes and Gardens American Patchwork & Quilting QuiltPink celebration in 2009 with a special 2-day sew-in opportunity September 23 & 26. We’re approaching QuiltPink in a bit different manner this year. The ebay auction just didn’t generate as much support for the cause with our wonderful Gummie Dot quilts as we hoped, so our goal this year is to complete two "Fun & Done" quilts to send forward. If you’ve not tried this method, you’ll have a great time helping us use up our bins of 2" strips and helping the QuiltPink cause, as well.
LuAnn Kessi, Nancy Bryant, Linda Alexander and other Guest Directors join together to offer free journal quilting classes once each month. We’re very enthusiastic about this opportunity to provide a hand-up to healing for Cancer survivors.
Jan offers the ever popular Absolutely Beginning Hand Quilting and Hand Appliqué classes. The Absolutely Beginning Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! Sampler is scheduled this fall and is repeated in January. This is a six-week gentle but intensive learn-to-quilt opportunity. Lou continues to explore the various Delectable Mountain projects with techniques similar to our long-time classic, "Brigadoon." A little embroidery to spruce up your holiday tea towels, and a scrappy table topper project make quick gifts for the holidays or beyond!
If you are in the mood for a delightful Mystery project, JLC offers a scrappy Country Village Charmer. For $12.95 per month, you will receive a pattern and some fabric to create a lovely winter quilt top. This is intended to be a Stash Basher, so you’ll want to add fabrics from your private fabric library. This is a "sign up anytime" project and is offered to our mail order family as well as our on location customers. It IS a mystery quilt, though, so please don’t ask us to show you the finished quilt! The resulting quilt will be sure to add warmth and pleasure to your décor in the chilly winter months!
New in the realm of a good read, you will see titles such as Simple to Sensational Batiks by Nancy Smith & Linda Milligan; Kaleidoscope Quilts by Paula Nadelstern; Fuse-and-Tell Journal Quilts by Laura Wasilowski; Comfort Quilts from the Heart by Jake Finch; Color Your World with Princess Mirah Batiks; A Patrick Lose Christmas; and Appliqué Jubilee from the Editors and Contributors of McCalls Quilting. in the next several months! A reminder: we’re happy to put items on reserve for you – for a limited time, of course, after we’ve called to let you know of the arrival.
In the meantime, JanniLou Creations has been hustling and bustling with projects and receipt of new products. With continuing help from our friends, we have more and more samples for your viewing pleasure. The Great Philomath Quilters Escape continues to provide a neat self-designed quilt retreat site for visitors to Philomath. Don’t forget, we’re happy to schedule a custom class just for you!
Don’t forget to join us for Turn-It Out Tuesdays! When you work on those UFO’s from 6:00p until 8:00p each week, you can get lots done…even with all the chatter we do! Also, if you need some one-on-one attention with Jan, Lou or Shirley, we’re happy to schedule times when calendars are mutually favorable.
The quilting world lost a most wonderful friend this summer. We’ve been so blessed to have Margaret Peters in our lives. Margaret fought the fight and championed both victims and their families as she was struggling with her own breast cancer issues. She was certainly God’s cheerleader and provided great strength to all of those she left behind. She was a strong, powerful, positive force.
Margaret generously shared many of her personal and her family quilts with us during Quilt County 2007… Family Treasures in Safekeeping and this makes those exhibits even more precious. We know many of you had an opportunity to view her quilts. Margaret loved hearing your comments and accolades.
She was everyone’s best friend, and our United States of America has had no stronger patriot and champion than Margaret. Her patriotism was woven deftly into her daily life as well as into all her quilting.
Although there is a huge emptiness where Margaret has been, she made every effort to fill all our hearts up to the brim before she caught what she called the last ride on that bus she’s been on with God. What a gift she has been to all of us. Her strength and courage are an inspiration and encouragement to so many. Jan & Lou planned to visit…we were halfway to San Francisco on Saturday night and had hoped to see her on Monday afternoon on our drive back to Oregon. It was not meant to be. She was everyone’s best friend, and the United States of America has had no stronger patriot and champion than Margaret. We know she’s telling stories of the very best kind in His house.
Your love of color and fabric expression continue to delight us! We so enjoy traveling with you as you adventure into uncharted quilting territories. Happy, happy fall! We look forward to seeing you and serving you soon! We are grateful for the busy-ness of our community and look forward to a wonderful fall season with all of you a part of our lives!
Jan, Lou, directors and crew
