Spring Open House!!!

****Oops! In the original post we stated that Marcea from Abbey Lane would be signing their "Simple Choices" Book, but she will actually be signing copies of her Baby Times book. Sorry for the mix up!!!*****




It's that time again!! Time for the Spring Open House!

 New classes, new friends, and new projects are waiting for you at My Sister's Quilts!! 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week the store will be open later than usual so you can come in a preview the new classes, decide which new projects you want to start, and learn a little something new. 

And... (drum-roll please)....

As our special guest on Saturday, Marcea from Abbey Lane Quilts will be here for a trunk show and to sign copies of thier new book "Baby Times"!! I for one can't wait. Are you familiar with Abby Lane Quilts?? If not, you should be! Beautiful and simple designs for just about everyone, but especially for the modern quilter. 

Its the perfect time to pick up their book and get some new fabric too, because you know what open house means right?? 

SALE TIME!!

For the open house from Thursday through Saturday, everything in the store is 15% off (excluding sale/clearance items, classes, and BOMs).

Also all this week (like right now!) precut fat quarters are only $2, Fat eight bundles (4 precuts) are only $4.15 each, and 1/3 yard precuts are only $2.65, and all books are 20% off! 

Remember too that Mother's day is coming up soon, so why not get yourself an early present?!?! Hope to see you there!

Giving Back

Have you ever noticed how nice and giving most quilters are? We all have so many plans for quilts for others. We rarely make a quilt that we don't plan to give away. If you are one of those giving quilters that just love to piece new blocks but don't always have a plan for them then we have a great opportunity for you. 

'My Sisters Quilts' is currently accepting donations to make quilts for "Home of the Brave", an organization that honors the families of fallen soldiers. A group of Utah Quilters lead by Pat Moseman would like to give memorial quilts to the families of Utah soldiers who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Sounds like a worthy cause to me. If you want to help there are three different things you can do:

1) Pick up a kit for just $1 at My Sisters Quilts to make a 12 1/2 in block and return it to the shop

2) Create your own 12 1/2 in block from red, white, and blue or civil war reproduction fabrics and drop it off at the shop.

3) Donate batting or civil war reproduction fabrics to go toward the finished quilts. 

Pat Moseman will pick up the finished blocks (it takes 15 blocks per quilt) and any fabric or batting donations and turn them into beautiful quilts for these amazing families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. 

This is for a national organization and if you want to learn more or download the pattern and instructions for the blocks, visit the website www.homeofthebravequilt.com . The pattern download is under the quilts tab. And if you know of a family that deserves one of these quilts, you can also nominate them to receive one on the website. 

We hope that as many of you that are willing and able will help with this project! We believe it to be a worthy cause and would love any help that you can give us!

Meet the 3 Dudes

How many of you have been to Phoenix AZ and had the pleasure to visit 3 Dudes Quilting?? 

Linda recently had the chance to visit them and had a whole lot of fun. She chatted with Jeff (one of the 3 dudes) while she was visiting the shop and came across an incredible, and simple, quilt she wanted to share with you all. Ray (another of the 3 dudes) came up with a beautiful way to use strips to make an endless variety of very interesting quilts. Check out their web site for a download of the pattern for "Lets Strip It Majestic Mountain Quilt" by Ray Steeves (its the first on this list). 

Here is a video from the Missouri Star Quilt Company demonstrating this great quilt block. It is so easy!

While your at it, check out some of the other tutorials from the Missouri Star. They have some really great, not to mention easy, tricks to help you make some gorgeous quilts. When you fall in love with one (which is inevitable) come on into the shop and we can help you pick the perfect fabric for your new project!

Linda is making the Majestic Mountain Quilt out of the Scoot fabrics from Riley Blake. 

She will display it in the shop when it is done. Can you imagine how cute that is going to be?? 

I for one can not wait!!! 

What are some of your favorite online quilt tutorials?

Sugar Cookies and the BEST frosting ever!

Greetings!

One of the things that my mother in law mentioned she loved about going into the store is the recipes the ladies share. She happened to get a recipe for clam chowder and then made it the following day for the whole family. (YUM)

So while I was pondering what to put on the blog today, I thought I might share with you one of my most favorite family recipes for sugar cookies!

Now these are the type of sugar cookies that you can roll out and decorate, not the kind you roll in sugar and come out chewy. The best part of this recipe is that there is no refrigeration required. So if you are like me and forget to prepare things in advance, this is perfect.

A word about the frosting. It really is the BEST. Its just a simple buttercream that goes well on everything, but honestly, I am not usually one who enjoys frosting, and this has me licking the beaters. So good. 

Here you go, my family's secret for awesome sugar cookies and buttercream frosting!

Sugar Cookies

8oz package cream cheese, softened

3/4 c butter, softened (the real stuff)

1 c sugar

2 ts vanilla

2 1/4 c flour

1/2 ts baking soda

Method: 

Beat butter and cream cheese together in a standing mixer (or with a hand mixer) with the paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 1-2 min. Add sugar and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add flour and baking soda and mix thoroughly. Roll out on a clean lightly floured surface to 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Cut out as desired with cookie cutters and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 min. Do not over bake~if they look done, they are overdone. Makes about 3 dozen

Buttercream Frosting (adapted from America's Test Kitchen)

10 Tb unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened

2 ts vanilla

1 1/4 C (5 oz) confectioners' sugar

pinch table salt

1 Tb heavy cream

Method: 

In a standing mixer with the whip attachment, cream the butter on medium high until smooth (20 sec). Add sugar and salt and beat on medium-low until combined (1 min). Scrape down the side of the bowl as necessary. Add heavy cream and vanilla and beat until incorporated on medium. Then increase the speed to medium high and whip for at least 4 min until light and fluffy. Makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes or one Sugar Cookie recipe. 

ENJOY!!

Did You Know??

Did you know that there are a variety of services available to you at My Sisters Quilts?? 

For example, though the store itself does not house a long arm quilter, there are THREE fabulous ladies that have regular hours at the shop so you can drop off you quilt tops to be quilted!

Nifty right?

On Thursday nights from 5:00-7:00pm you can drop off your quilt and choose a design for it to be quilted with Paula Everill. She has many designs for you to choose from (over 1000!) starting at $.015 per square inch and up. Look at some examples of her work HERE.

On Friday mornings from 11:00-12:30 Natalie Thompson of Nestled Long Arm Quilting Company is at My Sisters Quilts for drop off and consultations. Natalie specializes in edge to edge quilting and her designs start at just $.01 per square inch. She also has a fast turnaround, so if you are in a time crunch, she is your gal!

Then on Saturdays from 10:00-12:00 Dona Marie will be at the shop for drop offs. She also has a quick turn around (about one week), 1000s of designs starting at $.01 per square inch, and she also does custom work. Visit her website HERE to view her FAQ and gallery of work. 

You can also call the shop and ask for their contact info and call them for a private consultation :) 

So now that you know, there is no excuse to have a pile of un-quilted quilt tops! Bring them in and one of these three fine ladies will help you make that quilt a family treasure!

Open House Review

WOW

Seriously, there are some incredible classes to sign up for this year!! 

At the open house all the samples were so beautiful, I wanted to sign up for nearly every single class. 

What classes did you sign up for??

There is also another quilt on the sew and tell wall. Check out this beauty made by Kathy Wayne!

That is some beautiful applique Kathy!

We also got a few new fabric lines that are gorgeous. 

It is going to be a GREAT year for quilting!!!

Open House

It's that time again. Time for the open house and class registration and My Sister's Quilts!! 

This Thursday, Friday and Saturday (12th -14th) come on in to the store and check out the samples from all the classes and sign up to learn new skills taught by one of the many great teachers at My Sister's Quilts. 

I don't know about you, but I have been anxiously awaiting the class list to see what new fun techniques I can add to my skill set.  

Have you seen the class list??? Its HUGE!!! There are so many great classes and instructors this quarter that I can't think of one that I don't want to take. Batiks, basics, purses, applique, binding, Hawaiian quilting, lone star, aprons, a mystery quilt and more. Way too many to spotlight here, so hop on over to the website and check out all the class descriptions. There is surly something there to suit your fancy, if not four or five or six classes you are going to want to sign up for. 

Oh, and did I mention that there will be a SALE this weekend too?? Perfect.

January 9^th – 14^th SALE

10 Fat Quarters for only $20 (pre-cuts only)

Existing Pillowcase Kits – 40% Off

20% Off

Calypso Swing

Max & Whiskers

Lilac Parade

Lovely

Quilts of Valor

Come on into the store this week and sign up for classes and save up on those quilting supplies that you can't live without. We can't wait to see you!!!