Country Quilts and Bears
January 7, 2020
Scheduled Classes and Shop Updates
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~Country Quilts and Bears~
Hello 2020!!

Shop Announcements
 Messages from Marilyn...
 A Message From Marilyn
Ring the bell, shout and cheer,
it's a New Year!!
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Christmas Mystery 2019

And there she is, our Christmas Mystery Quilt 2019.  It's still not too late to come and pick up a kit for yourself if you were unable to attend class.  We have five kits left.  They are $65.00 each.
Get started on your Christmas sewing, 2020!
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Also worthy of mention is our newest line from Moda and French General,
Chafarcani.
We have layer cakes, cotton yardage, linen embroidery sampler panels, as well as a HUGE selection of coordinated Cosmos Embroidery floss.    
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We are starting a new 
Beginning Quilt Class
See below for dates and details
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Reed Johnson 
has a fun, new class scheduled.  See below for details regarding his 
Love of Quilting Magazine cover quilt!
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Linda Simons
has two new classes on the books.  Both classes teach techniques guaranteed to improve your quilting skills.  
See below for details 
Classes and Clubs
Mother's Choice with Reed Johnson
Mother's Best Quilt
with 
Reed Johnson
Mother's Best Quilt
Let's have some fun! Come and learn how to make the Mother's Best Quilt with the designer, Reed Johnson of Blue Bear Quilts. This quilt was featured in the May/ June 2019 issue of Love of Quilting Magazine. This quilt uses beautiful batiks, from Hoffman's Seed to Blossom line, to create 12" Mother's Choice blocks. In this class, you will learn a quick and easy method to make half square triangle units and flying geese units, which will make this 60 x 60" quilt come together in a breeze.
 
Fabric Requirements:
 
5/8 yd each of light teal, light green, burgundy, dark green, purple and tan batiks for blocks
1 yd dark teal for blocks
1 5/8 yds cream batik for blocks and border.
1 1/8 yds medium teal batik for border and binding.
4 1/8 yds backing fabric
68" x 68" batting
 
Supplies:
 
quarter inch foot
 
6 x 24" ruler
 
cutting mat (optional)
 
Rotary cutter
 
12" square up ruler
 
Fon's and Porter Quarter Inch Seam Marker (optional)
 
rotating mat (optional)

Magazine listed below - available at class
(Reed will autograph it, free of charge!)
 
the usual sewing machine, thread, pins, scissors, snips, personal iron, pen and note paper






Saturday, January 25th
 10-4:00
$40

Beginning Paper Piecing with Becky Madasz
Beginning Paper Piecing with 
Becky Madasz
 
Beginning Paper Piecing that is FUN AND EASY!!
Join Becky and have some fun using up your scraps and learn some easy paper piecing techniques.  If you have not tried paper piecing, Becky is promising that this pattern is easy to master.  By the time you leave the class, you will be thoroughly happy you embarked on a new quilting skill and you will be well on your way to making a fabulous dent in your stash!  Or, if you don't want to pull from your stash, you can control the color palette in more consistent manner. The choice is yours!
 
Come by the shop and see smaller versions of this quilt and pick up your supply list.
    
Monday, February 3rd
10:00 - 2:00
$20 class
 
Call the shop today to put your name on the list and learn from the master!
  
Paper Pieced Pineapple with Linda Simons
Paper Pieced Pineapple
with Linda Simons
 
PINEAPPLE BLOCK/ QUILT
   This is a great paper piecing technique.  Sew on top, no flipping paper up and down. No trimming seams for the next round.   Continuous sewing with pre-cut strips. Those of you who are confused by traditional paper piecing should try this method.   Linda is using this method to sew her first two-color quilt...navy and white!
Pattern, instructions, and paper foundation will be provided.

Saturday, February 8th
10 - 2:00
$50
(pattern provided day of class)

Class Supplies
Fat quarter each of light and dark fabrics (at least 21" long)
     Machine in working order, with *1/4" FOOT*
     Small rotary mat with sharp cutter, and ruler
     Small iron or wooden iron or sharp fingernail
  
Machine Pieced 8 Pointed Star with Linda Simons
Machine Pieced Eight Pointed Star
with Linda Simons
 
8 Pointed  Star Block    

This star block is so common in quilts today.   If you're not fond of hand piecing (that's Linda!) and this block scares you, then join her in her step
by step approach to this star block. And YES, there are Y-seams, too!
Cutting instructions for several block sizes will be available.

Saturday, February 29th
10 - 2:00
$40

Class Supplies
Fat quarter each of light and dark fabrics (at least 21" long)
     Machine in working order, with *1/4" FOOT*
     Small rotary mat with sharp cutter, and ruler
     Small iron or wooden iron or sharp fingernail
  
Club Kaizen with Susan
Club Kaizen!
 
Kaizen:  
A Japanese principle of continuous improvement.
This will be a time to Sew & Share, with Susan as  facilitator.  We will learn from each other.  
 This club has now expanded to include all types of handwork - wool, embroidery, Japanese taupe projects, applique, and even some hand quilting.
If you have a hand work project that you would like to work on and you would like to do it with a wonderful group of ga ls, this is just the club for you! If you do not have a handwork project, we can help you find one that suits you. We have many hand applique books and patterns, we have a great deal of wool and we have pearl cotton and embroidery floss if that's what you want to use.
    
 Our meeting dates are as listed.  Note:  We try to meet the second Saturday of each month, but due to vacations, holidays, etc., there could be changes.  
SO, watch our newsletters for upcoming dates and announcements.


Saturday, January 11th 
Saturday, February 8th
Saturday, March 14th

10:00 - 3:00
$5.00
Beginning Applique with Becky Madasz
UPDATE!!  New Day for Beginning Applique***
Learn from one of the best! Becky will teach you her method of hand applique.  Kit's are available for this class.  Let Becky know your two favorite colors and the kit will be waiting for you.  You will learn how to mark the pieces for cutting, the proper needles and threads to use, as well as first hand needle turn instructions...    This class will meet the second Thursday of each month and will go from 10:00 to 1:00.  It's an ongoing class and you can hop in at any time. 
Cost of class is $12.00 per session 
plus the cost of the kit.


Thursday, January 9th
Thursday, February 13th
Thursday, March 12th
Thursday, April 9th

10:00 - 1:00
$12
Call the shop today to put your name on the list and learn from the master!

Beginning Quilting with Becky Madasz
 .

This class will take you from fabric selection to binding your projects with the beautiful sample shown above.  You choose your own colorway and fabrics.  

 

This is a four session class with the dates listed below.  

Cost of all four classes $40

10 - 2:00

Book required  

 

Monday, February 10th

Monday. February 17th

Monday, February 24th

Monday, March 2nd

 

 Supply list available at the shop.

Paper Dolls with Susan Freebery
y
 
The Paper Dolls
Love that name!  
We are calling all you quilters who like to paper piece!  
Susan's method for paper piecing is simple, logical and it WORKS!  Continuing on from her very popular Beginning Paper Piecing Class, we are starting a club to explore this technique further.  Each month we will work on a different skill, or project, building on what we have already learned.  Very soon we will be working on some pretty ambitious patterns!  Start looking through all those patterns you have passed by because you thought you couldn't do it...you should pick them up again and hear us tell you that,  "YES you CAN!"  

Again, this is a club with a minimal fee - $5 each class to cover the cost of club materials, handouts, etc.  
 
A Note about Paper Dolls:  The intention for this club is that it take the form of a stitch-along rather than a classic class.  Susan will help us get started each session, but then we will be stitching along together and helping each other.  

The Paper Dolls will be meeting the 3rd Saturday of each month.  

*****NEW WORK SESSIONS*****
It has become evident that we need to add a monthly Sit-N-Sew so the Paper Doll Club can have a work day.  This will take the form of a Sit-n-Sew session and the fee will be $5.  Get in here and get some of your Paper Doll Projects done!!

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Saturday, January 18th - Paper Dolls
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Saturday, February 1st - Work Session
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Saturday, February 15th - Paper Dolls
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Saturday, March 7th
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Saturday, March 21st
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Saturday, April 4th - Work Session 
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Saturday, April 18th - Paper Dolls


10:00 - 3:00ish
$5.00
Country Quilts and Bears "Row by Row"
 
Our Row by Row 2019
~~Taste the Experience~~

We've had such fun with this year's theme.  Living in Florida, Marilyn first thought of "oranges" as our theme, but then "fish" came to mind...
And from there the fish made a big splash and our shop pattern was born!  Not only a tasting experience for the fish, but one for us, if that baby fish takes the bait!  We actually went shopping and found a variety of icky artificial worms that turned out to be just what we needed for this year's Row by Row pattern.
Have fun!
Complete Kit $12.00
License Plate $5.00


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Our Row by Row 2018
Sew Musical



This year's theme - Sew Musical - came easy for us since music has always been important to the owners of Country Quilts and Bears, Marilyn and John Humphries. Therefore, we were excited when this years theme was announced. We were equally as excited when we learned that we could chose from various shapes for our 2018 Row. Being Florida, where sunshine is prevalent, it also came easy to chose, "You Are My Sunshine," for our Row by Row Foxy Boxy entry. We are looking forward to see all the Row by Rowers this summer! 
Complete Kit $12.00
License Plate $5.00
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"Like" us on facebook!  
We have entered the world of social media.  Come on by and like our facebook page!  We will be posting class photos, shop events, and new stock items on our wall as these things occur.  Can't wait to see you there!  Click the link below to go to our wall:
 
 
Country Quilts and Bears Facebook Page
   
 
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Country Quilts and Bears is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 to 4:00
 
Sincerely,
Marilyn Humphries
Country Quilts and Bears
1983 Drew Street
Clearwater, FL 33765
727-461-4171
www.CountryQuiltsandBears.Blogspot.com