I’ve heard a rumor that there is a new product coming out very soon that could change the way we quilt.  A leading innovator in the quilting world,  AF Enterprises claims to have done it again.   I’m still trying to get more details about the Quilter’s Portable Tool Kit, but I did hear that it’s powerful enough to finish any quilting product.  This promises to be one of the most exciting and far-reaching new ideas in a long time.   I’ll update as soon as I find out more.

No longer a rumor . . . it’s on the market.  Amazing product!  Check out the Quilter’s Portable Tool Kit.  Powerful, versatile, portable.  Just can’t say enough good things about it.

This is on my “GOTTA HAVE” list.  I saw this quilt on-line and loved it.  Then I saw it in person – LOVED it. 

The Love is in the Air fabrics were designed by Deb Strain for Moda and she has created another fabulous line.  The colors look so good together.  And the  solid portions have a look almost like they were colored with chalk… very subtle color variations. It adds another pretty element to an already gorgeous fabric.  This quilt is featured in Quiltmaker Jan/Feb 2009 issue.  There you will find directions for making the heart blocks to add to the panel.  The Love is in the Air quilt kit includes the panel and six fat quarters.  There will be enough left over from the fat quarters to make the binding.  And the part of the panel that you cut off will make great labels for future quilts.  You’ll only need to provide the batting and the backing.

Since I started this post, the status of this quilt kit has gone from “I gotta have it!” to “I have it!” – I just couldn’t resist.  I may wait until after the holidays to put this quilt together but in the meantime I can’t help but drool over the fabric.  It’s just so Yummy!  Or, I may get started on it right away and give it as a Chrismas present. Ohhh, it’ll be hard  to give up this beauty.   I may have to buy another kit for myself.

Attention all blurfers ( blog surfers) you may have noticed down in the links column that I have started a blog, thistledownblog.blogspot.com I guess I had too much time on my hands, I wish. I hope you’ll get a chance to stop by and see what I am up to.

Like me, you are most likely gearing up for the upcoming holidays and just in case you are running out of projects, I’ve drawn up a couple of little seasonal redwork illustrations to share with you. They are easy enough that you can stitch them up in no time at all. Stitch and make into little sachets, stitch them onto towels or breadcloths or put them into a small picture frame. Resize them if needed. These downloads are for your personal use and not for commercial use or distribution.

Watch for my new quilt pattern coming soon after Thanksgiving that uses a fun, easy, and unique technique.

acorn and leaves

pumpkin patch

Enjoy the season,

Linda Zokan

A long standing tradition at QuiltersWarehouse is to bring back photos from each International Quilt Market of the exhibitor booths that have their products featured in the QuiltersWarehouse catalog.  You can find these photos by selecting the tab above,  Quilt Market Photos.

International Quilt Market is sponsored by Quilt’s Inc. and is held 2 times a year;  fall in Houston, TX and spring which moves around the country.  Exhibitors graciously allow us to bring you images of their time at ‘Market’ showing what’s new and what’s popular from their lineup of designs and patterns.

We hope you enjoy this visit to Quilt Market and that it inspires you to create something that you see.

My Favorites has replaced the ineffective Wish List at QuiltersWarehouse.com. This improvement will allow shoppers to keep a list of items they like; want to look at again or plan to purchase during a future visit.

As a customer, simply add an item to your ‘My Favorites’ list anytime you are logged into your account. This list has no expiration and can be used to store quilting books, quilt patterns, notions and quilting fabrics. Then, the next time you visit QuiltersWarehouse, login and shop using these stored favorite items.

Suzanne Bruns, President of Prairieland Inc. said, “the wish list that was on our system was better suited to gift and specialty stores, not quilters or quilt shop owners who are customers.” “Our new ‘My Favorites’” will give our customers the ability to keep track of items they see and someday hope to purchase” she said.

In addition, Quilt Shops who re-order the same items over and over can store those items in the favorites. Then, with the click of a mouse, add them to their current cart without removing them from the favorites list.

“Every attempt has been made to convert current customers ‘Wish Lists’ into the new ‘My Favorites’ system by our IT staff.” Suzanne said. “Our apologies to any customer whose list didn’t all migrate properly.”

The new ‘My Favorites’ list for customers went live at QuiltersWarehouse.com on Tuesday, September 16, 2008.

This just in! A love child is born of Janome Sewing Machines and ThreadBanger!

Actually, it’s TWINS! Fraternal, of course, and both of the ThreadBanger Sewing Machines are chocked full of good genes and talent and are sure to live many, many creative years on the planet

OK, OK, so we jest. TB12 is a cast aluminum body machine that is based on a former model so popular that long-time Janome fans have been begging to see it again. So, here it is—upgraded and updated for ThreadBanger.

But seriously, we are pleased to introduce to you TB12 and TB30, the two newest and grooviest members of the Janome family of sewing machines.

The TB12 has 12 actual stitches, including a number of stretch stitches, and multiple stitch functions, including length adjustment.

EZ change feet and a simple 4-step buttonhole give you endless options for creativity, and a built-in one-hand thread cutter and simple reverse lever make finishing off stitching a breeze.

It’s a hardcore, no-frills workdog–perfect for on-the-go DIY.

The TB30 is a little fancier. (It’s just as tough, but it’s got some frills.) It has 30 actual stitches, 6 one-step buttonholes, a built-in One-Hand Needle Threader and Stitch Width and Length adjustments. Also, there is a Stitch Elongation feature– that means you can elongate some stitches without losing any density. 

Another cool feature is the Direct Stitch Selection Buttons. Push the button once, and the green light shows the left stitch pictured on the button is selected. Hit the button again and an orange light indicates the right stitch on the button is selected. The letter on each button advises you what foot to use. Such a pal!

There are three pressure adjustment levels for sewing a greater variety of fabrics, and a Needle Up/Down Button. This button allows you to select whether the needle stays down in the fabric every time you stop (allows for easy corner turning) or comes up out of the fabric each time you stop sewing. Nice, right?

Also, the Start/Stop Button allows you to sew without using the foot control! AND, if you press it and hold it down, it will sew very slooowly, so you can be as exact as you want.

Both of these machines are perfect creative tools for the DIY sewist!

We love ThreadBanger so sew so much that our own Kira DeLong personally delivered the first machines to Rob and Corinne’s ThreadBanger studio!