Happy New Year! Welcome 2025!

I hope you all enjoyed some cozy family time over the holidays. I hope all of your sewing gifts were well received and appreciated. Now, for the New Year and some new sewing and quiting projects. Sew Katie Jean is ready for a new year and new classes! We are excited for some new adventures, including our very first Sew Katie Jean Retreat in late February and early March. We will have more "Pizza and Pajama" sewing nights, once evey 3 months, starting in February. I am also looking for a cute block of the moth for our handsewing friends and a Christmas quilt to start in the late spring or summer.

To start off 2025, we are introducing a "Year of Color" with our Window blocks. Each month we will choose a different color and use it in a more traditonal quilt block. Make one for yourself each month, as well as one for Sew Katie Jean's window. By the end of the year, you will have a "quilt full of color"--a sort of sampler! For January, our theme is "Got the Blues?" and our color is blue! Look in your stash for some great blues, and we will give you some white to make a disppearing 9 patch.

January Window Block: Chase the Blues Away with this Disappearing 9-patch!

Window blocks are due by January 31 at closing time. First prize wins the blocks, second prize is 4 free fat quarters and 3rd prize is a $10 gift certificate.

January Classes and Clubs:

Block of the Month 2025: Amish With A Twist V (Meets the first Saturday of each month 8:30-9:30 am)

This year's Block of the Month is by Nancy Rink: Amish With a Twist V. This is a colorful, vibrant quilt with tradiitonal style. This quilt pattern is suitable for advanced beginners who have taken the Beginning Piecing and Quilting class or the equivalent.  Once again we are blessed to have Shirley Cox head up the tutorials on this quilt. She will meet with paticipants the first Saturday of each month from 8:30-9:30 am to give tips and srategies on making the current month's blocks. There are still 3 spots left in case you missed signing up! The cost is $30 for registration/pattern and $30 per month for 10 months, from January-October. We will need to keep a credit card on file to be billed the first of each month for the fabric kit.

Beginning Piecing and Quilting: Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25, from 10-3:30pm

For 2025, we have reworked our Beginning Piecing and Quilting Class into one, month-long class, incorporating the skills from both levels one and two of our previous classes. There are 4 sessions, meeting each Saturday during the month of January. Participants will learn the "Best Practices" of piecing and quilting from our instructor, Laurie Johnson, and complete a small-sized quilt. Cost is $146.50, which includes the pattern. This month's class is full, but we are taking sign-ups for March.

School Of Sewing: Level 1; Meets Tuesdays, January 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 5:30-8:30pm

The School of Sewing is for beginners who want to learn how to sew! Rita Traxler, along with her assistant, Jane Lowas, will continue to teach our newest members in our sewing community. During this 4-session class, students will make a pillowcase, a drawstring bag, an apron and a zipper pouch. The cost is $164.95, which includes the book. Level 2 will be next month, with 4 more sessions and 4 new projects to complete. The cost is $140 plus supplies.

By Annie Travel Bag Class; Thursday, January 9 and 23, from 10-4 pm:

Our By Annie Classes are back! What better way to start the new year than to make a travel bag for this year's upcoming trips?! Ruth Shields will be the instructor, and you get to choose which bag you want to make. You can choose from: the Ultimate Travel Bag, Get Out of Town Bag or the Travel Duffle. This is a 2-session class for intermediate bag makers. The Clam Bag Class, or the equivalent, is required before taking this class. The cost is $99.99, which includes a pattern. If you want to start making By Annie bags, we have an Intro to By Annie Bags: Clam Bag Class coming up on February 8. Call the shop to sign up.

Make-It, Take-It: Sewing Machine Mat; Thursday, January 9 from 5:30-8:30 pm:

We will be continuing with our Make-It, Take-It Classes as well this year! I just love these classes! They are an evening of sewing with friends! We make a project and have dinner together, while spending time getting to know each other better. Come join us this month as we make a sewing machine mat. The cost is $30, includes dinner.

Snowman Applique Wall Hanging; January 15 and 29, from 10-4 pm:

Aren't these snowmen adorable? Inspired by the pattern "Patchwork Pumpkins" by Julie Cefalu, Rita Traxler has created a winter version of this cute wall hanging. This is a 2-session class, where you will learn some applique, as well as quilting skills to complete this additon to your winter decor. The cost is $90, which includes the pattern. 

Tuffet Class: A Touch of Whimsy; January 16 and 30, from 10-4pm:

Our Tuffet Classes are back by popular demand! We have 3 more sessions planned for the first part of the year. Our January class is full, but we have two more classes coming in March and May, so call the store to sign up. Diana Tatro is our instructor for this amazing Tuffet. You will do some sewing and building! This is a piece of furniture with character that will be an heirloom for your family. The cost is $113.99, which includes the 2-session class and the pattern. There is also an additonal cost of $160, plus tax, for the hardware kit due at the first class.

Moroccan Tiles Quilt Sampler; Tuesday, January 21, from 10-4 pm: 

Laurie Johnson will be teaching this sampler quilt. You will make a block a month, learning new techniques as you build each block. Techniques to be learned are: tradiitonal piecing, foundation paper piecing, curves and more. This is a year-long commitment for advanced beginning quilters, and requires a credit card on file to reserve your monthly spot in the class. Credit cards will be billed $35 the first of the month for each class. You must have taken the beginning piecing and quilting class, or the equivalent, prior to this class.

My Grown-Up and Me: Origami Tote Bag: Thursday, January 23, from 4-6pm

We will be continuing with our My Grown-Up and Me Class again this year (ages 8-18 yrs), with new projects for our junior sewists. This month we will be making an easy, origami tote bag. The kids, with the help of their grown-ups and teachers, Marcie Morrill and Donna Bengle, will be making this fun bag from two pieces of fabric. The cost is $30, plus supplies. Just bring your sewing machine and sewing tools.

3-Yard Quilt Class with Panels; Friday, January 31, from 10:30-3:30pm:

We had so much fun with 3-yard quilts in 2024, we thought we would do one more to start off the New Year! This month Betty Kisbey will instruct you on how to replace one of the 3 yards of fabric with a panel. She has compiled an informational sheet to help you choose the right 3-yard quilt for the size of your panel squares. The cost of the class is $30. Keep a look out for more classes Betty will be teaching in the new year, outside of the realm of 3-yard quilts.

Monthly Clubs and Sew Days: 10-4 pm, Cost $10:

1/2: Villa Rosa Club: Open to all Villa Rosa Pattern enthusiasts! Come work on your Villa Rosa patterns during this sew day. This club fills up quickly so it is a good idea to sign up early.

1/7 & 1/14: Tuesday Girls (Closed Mini Group and Sew Day): Meets the first and second Tuesdays of the month. This group has room for a few more sewists to join their Tuesday Sewing Group.

1/3, 1/10, 1/17, 1/24: Friday Girls (Closed Mini Groups): Meets Every Friday, except the fifth Friday.

1/4: Amish With a Twist V, Block-of-the-Month Pick-up and Demonstration: Meets the first Saturday of each month from 8:30-9:30 am with Shirley Cox. 

1/8: Open Sew Days: Open Sew Days are for anyone who has a project to work on. These open sew days fill up quickly, so it is a good idea to register ahead.

1/22 Lincoln Farm Girls: This is our Lori Holt Group where we sew all things Lori Holt. This group meets the 4th Wednesday of each month. This is a popular club, so be sure to sign up early.

1/28: Hand Sewing Club: This club meets the 4th Tuesday of each month, and it is for hand sewing enthusiasts. If you love to embroider, do wool applique, sashiko, or any hand sewing varieties, you are welcome to join us. No machine sewing on this day. 

Looking ahead to February:

Make sure you check out our online calender for classes scheduled for February.  Some classes coming up next month are: Valentine Paper Piecing, Clam Bag (Intro to By Annie Bags), Point of View Folded Star Table Topper, Betty Kisbey's Turning Corners, and Intro to Wool applique.

Happy New Year! I look forward to spending lots of quilting and sewing time with you in the new year!

Tammy