The Birds are Back!

Where have we been? Well, since our sale, we had a terrific workshop with Laura Wasilowski (more on this tomorrow), then we closed for a week of frantic painting, redecorating, rearranging, opened for business the following Monday, then got ready for an auction of fabrics and things that needed to find new homes, held the auction last Wednesday evening, and then I think we passed out! Reactions to the new shop layout have been very positive - there's so much room now. And we have incredible lighting in the shop now! I'll post photos later this week.

What this post is really about is Virginia Robertson. She's coming for three days this week, and on Friday, July 10, she is giving a FREE lecture and trunk show at Lansing Community Center at 10 am. The lecture is "If Monet Were A Quilter", and Virginia will discuss how color can be used mostly effectively in quilts, and how color can influence the "feeling" of a quilt. Don't miss this opportunity to meet an amazing quilter who's been influential in the world of American quilting for 29 years. Virginia's quilts for the lecture and trunk show arrived last Friday, and all I can tell you is that it will be worth the drive to come on over to Lansing for this event!

Friday afternoon (12 - 5pm) Virginia is teaching the class "Grandma's Button Jars". We still have room in this class! The cost is $25.00 for the class and a kit fee of $22.50 to Virginia for the fabrics, ribbons, trims and buttons for the jar lids. The kit will make about 6 jars - find some cute ones and give us a call to sign up!

Saturday, Virginia will be teaching "New Twist on an Old Favorite - Wedding Ring". Don't think about the old way of making a Wedding Ring quilt - many customers have told us either they only made one, and never again - or that it was just too difficult of a quilt pattern to even consider making. Don't worry, Virginia has taken the technical part of this quilt and simplified it for us all. Just look at these beautiful samples she sent us. She will teach several different quilt techniques and you'll be on your way to a fabulous new quilt. We have a couple of places open in the class, and we'd love to fill it up! The class is Saturday, July 11 from 10 - 5 and costs $48.00.On Sunday, Virginia teaches "Strip Club", although there won't be any partially clad men running around the shop! We'll be using 2 1/2" strips to make one of five different quilts. The quilts are all absolutely charming, and again Virginia will be demonstrating shortcuts for the techniques needed. She says that most folks leave the class with their small quilt top completed or well on its way. Please don't feel that these classes are too difficult for you as Virginia teaches to all levels of quilters. One of the great thing about taking classes is having the opportunity to learn from a great teacher, and also learning and sharing from the new quilting friends you'll meet in class. There are a few spots left in the "Strip Club" that we'd like to see filled. It isn't everyday that you get the opportunity to take classes from a really great teacher!

Last, but not least..... if you won a gift from us, but it hasn't come, please, please let us know! Sometimes things don't get where they are supposed to go, and if your gift didn't make it to your house, we want to fix that!

Birdy hearts to you all -

posted by Angela