Ties that Bind
Volume One, Issue 2
Volume One, Issue 3
Volume One, Issue 4
Volume One, Issue 5
Volume One, Issue 6
Volume Two, Issue 1
Volume Two, Issue 2
Volume Two, Issue 3
Volume Two, Issue 4
Volume Three, Issue 1
Volume Three, Issue 2
Volume Three, Issue 3
Volume Three, Issue 4
Volume Three, Issue 5
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TIES THAT BIND
Volume 1, Issue 3, February 2000
Greetings to all of our friends!
Exciting happenings occur daily here at QuiltSmiths! Since the last issue of TIES, we had a day with no sales-Christmas Eve; and days of record sales‹every day from January 27th through the first day of February. WOW! It all started with a nice article in the local newspaper, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, on the 27th with a big picture of three of our friends at the previous Thursday night Sit-n-Stitch; Cristy Boothe, Jessica Mann, and Margaret Yopp. We were flooded with phone calls and new quilting friends stopping by to express their delight at a new quilt shop in the area. The article mentioned our Superbowl Party set for Sunday, which was seen by the local FOX-TV affiliate news producer, who sent a crew out to report on the action. Needless to say, they were baffled to learn that we had a No Football Superbowl Party in full swing! Rita handled the on-air interview like a pro! Our son, 25, saw it with some buddies and called to say that they thought it was awesome. He is now impressed with what we are doing.
After the NFS Party I moved the newly shortened Gammill quilting machine from our home to the shop--out the window with the heavy parts! Many thanks to David Boothe for the assist. Even though it is only 11 feet long now, the machine will handle a king size quilt. We have had three quilts finished on it this week-a learning experience for two first timers. Contact Rita for a reservation.
Our first class schedule is a huge success, with seven classes already filled. We still have openings in several classes with more planned for the coming months. Basic Appliqué with Cristy Boothe was our first class to meet on February 1st, and was a great success. Everyone had fun, learned new techniques, and two brand new quilters got their feet wet, pricked their fingers, and discovered the joys of rotary cutting, stitching, and camaraderie.
On January 10th Rita and I drove down to Atlanta to shop at a distributors warehouse. The poor Honda barely held all of our bargains. I see a truck in QuiltSmiths' future. Bolt count tops 400 now with new additions including Hoffman Bali Handpaints, fun prints by Alexander Henry, Beautiful Backgrounds by Maywood Studios, Voices of the Past by South Seas Imports, and others. We also have some wide quilt backs by Jinny Beyer and solids for photo transfer and Redwork as well as new shirtings by Virginia Robertson. There are also many new and interesting patterns, books and magazines. I had to buy new hooks to hang all the new notions. What is some of this stuff? How many rulers can one quilter need? Neat find of the month is an elegantly simple wooden holder to round up all those unruly rulers‹a bargain at $16.95.
While in the Atlanta area we stopped in to investigate two very different but way cool shops. Little Quilts and Tiny Stitches both in Marietta. We met owners of both, talked shop, swapped ideas, and were awed at the 4000 bolts at Tiny Stitches and the homey atmosphere at Little Quilts. We want both here at QuiltSmiths. For those of you who comment on my mentioning the competition here, let me just say there is no competition‹just a family of quilters‹some who sell quilters wares and services, and all who have things to learn and things we can teach. The mission here at QuiltSmiths is to promote the art and industry of quilting, and recognizing success promotes that mission.
On a lighter note, we have had discussions about a shop mascot. There have been many pro and con comments about cats, dogs, birds, fish (from Bob the landlord and aquarium shop owner), and cute kids. Between the allergies to, shedding fur from, squawking of, and turning into teenagers by, I am leaning towards declaring one of the Featherweights our official mascot. Any feedback on this important subject would be welcome. E-mail to qltsmith@bellsouth.net or michael@quiltsmiths.com.
LATE BREAKING NEWS‹Bali Princess Mirah is shipping to us on the 11th of February. I have no idea how long it will take to get here from the coast, but will keep ya'll posted.
May you stay warm as the wind and snow blows, and be blessed by God in all your quilting and family endeavors.
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