Life has calmed down and I am caught up on the quilting so far.  Things are looking good and just a few changes here at the Quilters Station.   You will notice a slight name change:  The Quilters Station, Inc.  

Other than that buisness as usual, I have been getting inquirys regarding custom quilting and it is officially off my list for hire.  I just can not do the custom quilting any longer, it was a hard decission to come to and a long process to get there but there you have it.

I will continue to do the edge to edge quilting and I will be happy to give you some names of very well known, great quilters that you can contact for the custom quilting when you have that one very very special quilt that needs just a bit more.  Remember that in most cases edge to edge quilting with the right choice of pattern can give you a beautiful looking quilt without the high price and often very very long wait time of custom.   Keep in mind what your purpose of the quilt is, would you be willing to quilt it yourself, are you willing to spend $800 to $1500.00 on having it quilted, are you willing to wait 1 -2 years in many cases to have it quilted.  Often I find the answers to these questions are no, it is for my 12 year old grandchild, Child going off to college.  A wedding gift, etc.  We can choose a very pretty pattern to do edge to edge and even when you have nice wide open blank fabrics the pattern will really pop in those areas and looks great.  

I have done this on many of my own quilts and came home with Blue Ribbons, more and more judges especially in our local guild quilt shows are aware of the growing popularity of edge to edge quilting and it really does look great when done well, the quilt is more usable and comfortable.  The biggest question is:  Is this quilt for use or for show only?

Happy quilting and see you soon.

Rebecca 

We will continue to make and donate quilts to Hospice to use in the annual Chameleon's Journey project and or The Kids Path as they are needed.  If you would like to help you are more than welcome.  Quilts will be given to Hospice as we get them done in batches of 5 to 10 quilts at a time.  If you would like to have a tax donation receipt then please include an Index card with your Name, Address and phone number attached to the quilt. 

Types of quilts needed:  Small, Med and Large - Think kids from age 7 to 16 both boys and girls or quilts that work for either, these should be a lap size approx 50 x 70 is a good size for all.  If you can quilt and bind them that is appreciated, if you just want to donate a quilt top that is also wonderful. 

http://cabarrusquiltersguild.org  I sure hope you are all working on quilts to enter into The Splash of Color show this year.  I have provided a link for you so you can download the entry form and rules.  We have some great categories.  Kids can quilt - No entry fee for kids.  New Quilter - not sure that you want to compete with someone quilting for many years, here is your chance.  Most interesting is that in all our traditional categories such as bed quilts, wall hangings, lap quilts  we will be judging hand quilting, home machine quilting and long arm quilting as its own Category, this means if you are a hand quilter your work will not be judged against a quilt that has been done on a long arm quilt.  I know that will make lots of people happy.

We are a national quilt show, we are judged but not juried so if you enter and you live within the US - your quilt is in.......  I do so hope to see lots of outside quilt entries this year.  So far we have raised over $2800.00 to be awarded in cash and prizes.  (Mostly cash)

Hope to see you there,  This truly is the Best Quilt show in the State of North Carolina.  We are a small guild but a very big show!! 

WE NEED YOUR QUILTING HELP!

          Chameleon's Journey is an annual camp offered by Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, to children, ages 7-16, grieving the loss of a close loved one.  They come together at Camp Thunderbird, located on Lake Wylie, SC, for one weekend in October, to remember their loved one, fellowship with other grieving children, work through their pain, and have some good ol' fashioned FUN! 

          It has been brought to our attention that this wonderful organization is in need your quilting abilities!  The camp is in need of 125 quilts, for girls and boys, (due by September) for the camp counselors to distribute to these grieving children.  Use any pattern you wish, any fabric you wish.  Some pattern ideas: jelly roll, yellow brick road, little dude, simple 9 patch, mile-a-minute.  Something simple and easy!  Multiple quilt stores in the area are offering various discounts.  What a great time to clean out your fabric stash or complete any UFO's!

Sizes:

(20) Small: 40"-45" x 48"-60"   (younger children)

(105) Large:  48"-54" X 61"-70"   (older children)

*Sizes in between these ranges are acceptable too.

Participating Stores:

*Anderson's Sew & So:  20% off fabric, batting and quilting FREE OF CHARGE

*We're Sew Creative:  Donation of 97 yds of fabric!

*The Quilters Station:  FREE quilting and donation of batting

*More stores to follow

* Other ways you can help!  Have a quilt top already made but don't know what to do with it, you can donate and I will quilt it up.   *  Donate left over batting,  I can save the scraps of batting from your quilts and peice those leftover together to use in a Chameleon's Journey quilt *  Do you have large peices of fabric you would like to get rid of?  we can use those to back the quilts with *  Do you have some Orphan blocks from projects, donate those and we will peice them into a quilt top.

Right now we have approx 32 quilts.  We are in need of the larger size and more for boys.  My Mother Pat and I have made about 12-15 each so far so we are moving right along.  It has been a great feeling to just sew up all this fabric.  I have enough backing material that was donated by We're Sew Creative to back approx. 15 more quilts.  It is amazing how fast the material goes when used for backing.  I can get 2 quilts from 4 yards.  Hope you will join us in this project, I know how great it has made me feel!  I am sure you will enjoy it as well.  I can't wait to see the faces of the children that receive the quilts.

Contact:    Lisa Verrier-Christy (980) 225-6053 lkverrier@gmail.com

              Rebecca Verrier-Watt (704) 455-5236 rverrierwatt@gmail.com

*For more information on Chameleon's Journey or Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region, please visit their website:  http://www.hpccr.org/hospice-palliative-care-page     

Ok, so it is not the New Year yet.  However this is the first year since I began quilting that I have had some free time during the Holiday so I have been using the last few days to revamp my website and review my price list.  Believe it or not, I have lowered many of my prices.  I have found that working independently again in my Studio and with the addition of the Nolting Pro that I am in charge of my prices list "Yea"!  For 2013 I am getting back to some basics.  Working on some traditional quilts, enjoying my embroidery machine and Chairing the Quilt Show for the Cabarrus Quilters Guild.  So watch our facebook page for news on that as well.

I am once again carrying the Dream Cotton in the Select Loft.  I can order other lofts if you like the heavier ( I do keep some for my own use).  I still carry the Warm and Natural, Hobbs 80/20 (Moms Favorite) and Hobbs Poly Down.  I can order just about any kind but these are the brands that work the best on my machine.

As for thread, I have over 300 colors to choose from.  I love using the poly neon with its nice sheen and very light to the eye.  You get to see the quilt first and then my quilting.  We can always use a high contrast color but for the most part I just love the subtle effect that you get.  If you are a true cotton purest I do also use King Tut and some YLI, This is a more expensive thread and a bit thicker so if we are going for just some texture we will want to stay away from this.  If you look at most of the work from our well known Award Winning Quilters almost no one is using cotton anymore.  Don't worry, this is not the polyester thread our grandmothers used in their day.  I have many quilts that are over 10 years old and still holding up great. 

Well Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all and lets have a very blessed year!  I look foward to continuing to do your quilting for you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so loyal throughout the years.

Until next year.  Hope to see you soon!

I have made a few changes to my website.  I am finally getting to posting all those beautiful patterns and notions I picked up at Quilt Market in Houston.  Wow, what fun that was!  I have re-opened my Etsy store and will be posting the items for sale there.   I am offering free shipping and you will find discount coupons that you can use during your check out.  Keep watching as I will be putting more things on.

New things - I am not stocking Dream Cotton batting in the Select loft.  I still offer Warm and Natural, Hobbs Poly Down, Hobbs Wool and Hobbs 80/20

I am stocking more 108 Wide backing fabric and will put some of this in the Etsy store but will keep most of the fabric on hand for my customers (you can look to get an idea of what I might have).  I have found many of my customers are starting to really like the wide fabric and it is frustrating to find something suitable.  To be honest, I often go to order something and the vendor site says they have it and yet when I order - Opps it is back ordered.  So I have ordered 15 bolts of varying colors and textures and guess what, 5 came in and 10 are on back order.  Lets hope they come in soon.

Ok, that is about all for now, it is the holiday season so I will put as much on as time allows and the rest will be here at the first of the year when the quilting rush is over.

If you have not made arrangements yet for your Holiday Quilts, let me know soon and I will save a spot for you.  Two machines really help at this time of year so we are doing fine so far!!! 

Oh yes I almost forgot, I have added about 10 edge to edge patterns and hope to post photos of those soon.  I really need to update the photo's of the studio to show the new machine, well she will be a year old next month.  So many things to do and so little time.  One Day....

Another year has gone past.  It has been a very good year for me personally and I am once again really enjoying life to the fullest.  I have been very active in my local guild the Cabarrus Quilters Guild, working on chairing the 2010 splash of color quilt show and also was and am the program director (this year I have a co-chair, Candy M).  I have met so many wonderful people and have just had a great time getting out in the world.  I plan on doing these things again this year. 

I have made a few changes on my website and will try to update my pattern section soon, as I keep buying such beautiful patterns and can't wait to stitch them out.  I have raised my prices just a bit again this year but not much in the edge to edge quilting.  The price range is from .0145 to .0185 Cents a SI and maybe a few select patterns that will be just a bit higher.  That is not much different than last year.  Custom quilting I have raised a good deal,  Every time I do a custom quilt I find I always put much more time into the quilt than what I have charged for,  and I just never seem to have any time to do my own custom quilting so once again I have found myself needing to make a hard choice.  I love custom quilting but I must limit this so I can do some of my own work. 

I will continue to offer edge to edge quilting always and for those of you who mostly get the edge to edge quilting but now suddenly you have a quilt that you really want to have custom quilted I will be glad to do it for you.  Just remember it will most likely take longer and it will cost a bit more than in the past.

Cotton Batting cost has gone up, this one is just out of my control.  You will find that the cost of all cotton will be increasing as of the mid to end of Jan.  I received notice from Warm and Natural that India is no longer exporting and China can not keep up with the Demand so they are forced to raise their price.  This has also brought me to the conclusion that I just can not keep all types of batting in stock,  Warm and Natural is the most commonly used batting and I will have that stocked at all times.  I go through about 40 yards or more a month.

Thanks for all your understanding and I look forward to continuing to quilt for you.

Rebecca

Finally I have had time to really concentrate on the custom work, scheduling the custom quilts a bit further out allow me the time to really work on that quilt.  I am enjoying the quilt on the frame now doing a Karen McTavish border of scrolls and tiny circles in the framing border.  I have always loved doing the custom quilts as long as I am not in a rush to get them done.

I think the thunder has stopped to time to get back to it.

Well it has been 7 years since I have done any price adjustments and as much as I hate to do this I must.  Now I know the economy still is not great so I have really tried to work on a structure that will be very flexible.  You will find several patterns still in the old price range, most of the patterns you are used to are just a tad bit higher and then your going to see lots of new stuff that will be just a smidgen higher than that but they will be worth it , I promise. 

I think I have done very well to keep prices down but honestly after meeting with many other Long Arm Quilters from the Piedmont area I was forced to look at this area of my business.  With this being the first of the year it was a good time for me to really take a look at what I am paying for batting, threads etc..  so yes, there are some slight increases here as well but as we know all things go up looking at my last few orders I see that my prices have gone up so I must adjust.

I am working hard on getting all the patterns listed so keep checking with the website and as always I will help you price your quilts out.

Well lets hope it will be another 7 years before I will have to adjust them again,

Thanks and I look forward to quilting for you in the future.

Rebecca

Often I get the question of what type of Batting do I like the best.  Here are some thoughts on the subject:

The batting I like most is Warm and Natural or Dream Cotton Deluxe.  Warm and Natural holds up very well to quilting of any type.  Dream Cotton Deluxe is a heavy batting and holds up great for dense type quilting that is often done in custom quilting for show.  Another great show quilting batting is Wool such as Hobbs Wool, since you are likely to be shipping the quilt, Wool batting does not have a memory so when the quilt is hung you will not have fold creases.  I have also found this to be true with the new Fairfield Bamboo Batting, a bit pricey but it quilts great and hangs very nice.

Dream cotton Select is a little bit lighter weight than that of the Deluxe and also works well. 

For every day type of quilting I would go with the Warm and Natural batting.  It just works well and you won't break the bank.

Children's quilts should always have cotton batting - Babies can not remove their own covers and Polyester batting could cause the baby to become too Hot.  Also the fire factor you should consider always using the natural fiber of Cotton.

As for Poly batting I like the Hobbs Poly Down batting, it has a softness of the Down and will give a little poof to the quilting.  You should choose a looser quilting so not to quilt all the batting down to nothing.  I personally do not care for Poly batting but many people do - you may want to consider an 80/20 that will still give the poof factor but is mostly a natural fiber of cotton.

Cotton and Bamboo are both GREEN and good for the environment and since we are all much more aware of this these days that is a good thing.  Also because they are natural fibers I think that they are much more comfortable to sleep under and snuggle up with.

If you have any ideas you would like to share on the subject please feel free to email me at thequiltersstation@yahoo.com

Bring a discount coupon from any store for Warm and Natural batting and I will honor the discount up to 50% off the regular price.