Handcrafters make good Samaritans -- Hamilton County babies in families where money is tight will be dressed warmly and adorably, thanks to Always In Stitches customer donations. In recent weeks, White River Christian Church brought in nine baby quilts that will be sent to Good Samaritan of Hamilton County and Project Linus, and Patti Lichford donated a wide assortment of preemie items, including bonnets and caps, one-piece outfits, booties, gowns, dresses and a crocheted blanket. Ask any AIS sales associate for more information about how to participate in these or other service projects.
A cut above the rest -- Members of the University of Always In Stitches will learn the art, and sometimes science, of accurately cutting fabric for quilting and bias binding. Leader Ruth Middleton also will discuss rotary cutting and different rulers that can be used. The session is noon-12:30 Aug. 19. Bring your finished item for this month’s sticker. Remember: In addition to great instruction every month, this program includes free gifts.
Critters to knock your socks off -- Bugged-eyed mice with ribbon tails, a bunny that’s too cute for words and a colorful, curly snake are among the projects sales associate Christy Wiegand made from old socks, inspired by the book “Socks Appeal, 16 Fun and Funky Friends Sewn from Socks.”
Author/handcrafter Brenna Maloney uses a lively writing style that will leave you smiling, even if you don’t make a pile of penguins or a trio of turtles. “Socks have a higher purpose,” she writes, “and now that you have used this book, you should hear the tiny voices of socks calling you, calling you, calling you relentlessly, ‘Release me,’ they say. ‘Release me from The Drudgery of the Foot. Let me be the Fish, the Hamster, the Rabbit, the Lion.’”
“Socks Appeal” is well illustrated and has step-by-step instructions, including tips on where to find the best socks for the projects and drawings of the stitches you’ll use. Chapter titles make it simple to match your skills to a project -- Easy-Peasy: Projects for Beginners and Children; Look Ma, No Hands! Projects for Intermediates; and Pass the Excedrin: More Challenging Projects.
Find “Socks Appeal” and Christy’s samples in the front of the shop.
Wait, your machine may not need fixing -- What’s worse than having your sewing machine sitting in the repair shop while that project you’re so close to completing has to wait? How about finding out the problem was something you could have easily fixed at home?
Before you pack it up to bring it to Always In Stitches – we’re an Authorized Service Center for Handi Quilter and Janome – check a couple of things yourself. The two biggest problems we see on “broken” machines are bobbins out of position, needles that aren’t threaded correctly and needles that need to be changed.
Neil Sedaka was right: Breaking up is hard to do -- We know the pain. We all loved our mothers’ sewing machines, and losing them is like saying goodbye to an old friend.
But sometimes – usually after about 10 years – a sewing machine has to be replaced.
An old machine may sew, but will it sew well? Parts for older machines can be hard to find and expensive when they are found. When old machines are repaired, the fix may only last a couple of years.
Always In Stitches sales associates can help you determine when it’s time for a new machine. It’s hard to say goodbye, but this may make it a little easier: Our new machines come with free classes, a 20 percent discount on accessories and 10 percent off your next purchase for every $100 invested in a new machine.
Get quilting this month -- Thangles make it easier to make quilts. Always In Stitches makes it cheaper.
Quilters can buy one Thangles block kit for just $1 – a savings of as much as $5 -- each month for a year after registering during October in our $Buck a Block program. Bring in that sewn block the next month to get your $1 block kit price for the new block. Additional block kits will be available for $3.
Sign up or get more information in the store. Program registration is $6, which includes a Thangles 2” Finished Pack and your first block kit.
Scraps today, quilts for service members tomorrow -- The Thangles Scrap Quilt Challenge comes naturally to the ladies at Always In Stitches. After all, we were taught to use every scrap, make things simple and do good things for others.
We challenge you to gather scraps that take up space in your sewing room, buy a pack of Thangles out of the basket by the cash register, get a free pattern and start quilting. Bring in the finished quilt by Nov. 30 so you can be registered for a Go Baby! Fabric Cutter Package or a Janome Jem Gold 3. We’ll donate your work to the Quilts of Valor, a program that provides lovingly made warm covers to service members and veterans touched by war.
Donate as many quilts as you want; each one entitles you to an entry in the prize drawing, which will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 3. (Winner does not need to be present.) If you decide you can’t part with your creation of scraps, bring it in to show us and receive a special door prize.
And then, when you can see the shelves in your sewing room again, you have a great excuse to buy more fabric.
K2tog(ether) at Thrifty Knitters Club -- Beginner to advanced, the new Thrifty Knitters Club is for you.
Two patterns will be featured every month. In October, just when days are starting to get a little chilly, we’ll make hats. Club members will knit a child’s pumpkin hat or the butterfly hat, and either uses one skein of Cascade 220 Superwash.
Here’s the thrifty part: You get the pattern for the project and 30 minutes of class time during Tink-er’s Night for a monthly $5 fee (plus a one-time $10 membership fee). We do ask that you purchase all supplies at Always In Stitches.
Whaddya think your quilt’s worth? -- Get ready now for Always In Stitches’ version of Antiques Roadshow.
We’re bringing Caryl Schuetz to the store Nov. 19 to appraise and explain the history of your quilts. Caryl is certified by the American Quilter’s Society and is a member of the Professional Association of Appraisers – Quilted Textiles. For $45, Caryl will appraise one quilt in a private, 30-minute session. Additional quilts can be brought in, but each must be signed up for an individual session.
Quilt Guild opens 2-day show Oct. 28 -- More than 400 quilted items, with patterns from traditional to contemporary, will be on display at A Quilter’s Journey, the biennial show of the Quilt Guild of Indy.
Responding to the show’s challenge, some quilts will depict the quilter’s favorite trips. Appraisals, lectures and demonstrations are scheduled, as well. Small quilts, some made by nationally known quilters, will be auctioned on Oct. 29.
The show is 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Oct. 28-29 at Westfield Middle School. The school is at U.S. 31 and 181st Street. For more information, visit quiltguildindy.net.
OCTOBER SPECIALS
Fat Tuesday – Receive one free fat quarter with your purchases every Tuesday this month.
Your Birthday – You’re special! – Show us your ID within one week of your birthday to get 10 percent off your purchase that day.
Always Awesome Clearance Areas – Anytime you’re here, walk around the store to find clearance displays. All are top-of-the-line items being sold at deep discounts.
End of Bolt Discounts – Every day and any day, you can save money on bolts. If the one you like has three yards or more and you buy it all, we’ll take 30 percent off your total. If the bolt has less than three yards and you buy it all, save 20 percent.
End of the Month Sale – Visit on Oct. 27 to get:
• 1 free fat quarter when you buy 4
• 3 free fat quarters when you buy 10
• 8 free fat quarters when you buy 20
• 1 free skein of yarn when you buy 3
• 50 percent off the original price of all clearance items.
Show us Your Great Stuff -- Bring in a finished project any day this month to get one free fat quarter. Limit: one free fat quarter per person per day.
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