I’m happy to say that we have scheduled more classes at Maine-ly Sewing in Nobleboro, Maine, and we will soon be scheduling more at Cote Brothers in Auburn, too. Check the end of the message for the class listings.

If you haven’t been to Maine-ly Sewing in Nobleboro and are anywhere in the vicinity, make it a point to stop. Marjorie Hallowell’s shop is on a rise in the road on Route 1, the old Atlantic Coast Highway. It’s not really near anything like a town center (well, the Well-Tempered Kitchen is a half mile down the road), but there’s lots of parking, and route 1 is the main north-south road along the Atlantic Coast. I taught a machine quilting class there this past weekend, and for once remembered to (a) take in my camera and (b) use it! Here’s Nancy hiding behind her sample piece…talk about a duck taking to water…she did a great job! Can you belive she’d never done free-motion before???? Wow!

And here is Mary Lou, sitting by the window overlooking Route 1 with Betty looking on:

By the end of the class, every student there (it’s cool cause the classroom is small, so there are never more than about 5 or at most 6 students and everyone gets lots of attention) was ready to go home and quilt their first quilt, including free-motion!

Marjorie and Maine-ly Sewing has the most amazing selection of fabrics packed (nicely…still easy to view) in this shop. Lots of batiks, Kaffe Fassetts, prints, Hoffmans, Japanese / Asian prints, dyes, Tsukinenko inks, embellishments, probably the best selection of threads in Maine (but I’m biased… I love this place), some yarns, notions, Janome sewing machines and quilts hanging on the available wall space, rafters, everywhere. She even has a skylight over the cutting table with quilt blocks in it! Marjorie and her daughter-in-law also have a long-arm upstairs to do quilting for folks, and do a great job, and Stacy (DIL) is a super sewing machine mechanic / repairperson.

This old house has been various businesses over the years, but still seems like a converted house inside: you enter either through the “enclosed porch” or the “front door”. Besides the porch area, there are three main rooms: the room to the right of the front door serves as the classroom, and houses the Janomes for sale when not in use. The main room has a pot-bellied wood stove which is wonderfully welcoming in Maine winters, and currently is home to all the threads, embellishments, fun stuff, notions, batiks and Asian fabrics. Look up and you can see the original hand-hewn beams! The third room houses more prints arranged by color, solids, batting, and (at least this week!) Marjorie’s growing collection of jackets (which are made on sweatshirts as their foundation but look like anything BUT a sweatshirt jacket—really cool and classy…Marje has a great color sense).

The house is said to be haunted…check out this link to Marjorie’s website to read the story! And the old place just got a great face lift…new siding and insulation, new roof, leaks repaired, and new windows coming. Marjorie will be snug this coming winter!

One other really cool thing just happened: if you like Asian fabrics you’ll like this! Kona Bay fabrics is selling a “limited edition line” of fabrics called the Emperor’s collection–only 400 bolts of any given fabric will be sold in the US. And Marjorie is on the distribution…she’ll get one of those 400! And there is a range of them… maybe three colorways of a print, plus coordinating prints. Best of all you can order on-line from Marjorie! Her first shipment should arrive in late July or early August, so check her site for news.

Now…here’s the class listings; call Maine-ly Sewing at 563-8445 or Cote Brothers at 782-5922 to register.

July 15, Saturday: Applique by Machine-at Maine-ly Sewing, Nobleboro–3 techniques: fused with satin stitch, mock-hand-applique, interfacing underneath (and “reverse” applique in all those techniques). Using the technqiues in my blue gingko pattern you’ll be able to make any other pattern out there!

July 24, Monday: Intro Machine Quilting-at Maine-ly Sewing, Nobleboro-it’s like painting a house: you need the combination of the right tools and materials, the right skills (aka practice) and the right preparation to get good results. I’ll make your learning curve shorter than mine by teaching you what I’ve learned over 18 years of quilting so you get better results right away! The second half of the class is hands-on practice with the walking foot and free-motion. By the time you leave, you’ll be ready to tackle your first quilt and then quilt your name onto it!

July 30, Saturday: Applique Demonstration–at the Cote Brothers booth at Maine Quilts 2006 in Augusta at the Civic Center. Come to the annual show of the Pine Tree Quilt Guild to enjoy the quilts and vendors, then pop by at mid-day to say hi and for a demonstration at the Cote Brothers booth.

August…Sarah’s away to play with the family!

September 16, Saturday: Fine Finishes–learn how to make perfect straight grain / butted bindings, perfect double-fold bias bindings with mitered corners, faced edges (for “invisible” finishes as well as Prairie point edges) and piping (to use as an edge finish or to add a special accent to your regular bindings). We’ll also look at another sixteen ways to finish quilt edges, and each student can pick which ones you’d like to learn with the time remaining.

September 21, Thursday: Machine Applique-Cote Brothers, Auburn–3 techniques: fused with satin stitch, mock-hand-applique, interfacing underneath (and “reverse” applique in all those techniques). Using the technqiues in my blue gingko pattern you’ll be able to make any other pattern out there!

September 23, Saturday: Intro Machine Quilting-at Maine-ly Sewing, Nobleboro-it’s like painting a house: you need the combination of the right tools and materials, the right skills (aka practice) and the right preparation to get good results. I’ll make your learning curve shorter than mine by teaching you what I’ve learned over 18 years of quilting so you get better results right away! The second half of the class is hands-on practice with the walking foot and free-motion. By the time you leave, you’ll be ready to tackle your first quilt and then quilt your name onto it!

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