Spring is Here!

Happy April! I thought I would get this newsletter out sooner, but when you move, I guess all other plans go out the window! I am moved, but unpacked is another thing! Slowly but surely, my new house will become "home." Our old house just hit the market, and I am hopeful that a new family will find it, love it, and begin to make special family memories in it like we did. God has blessed us with this new home, and I am so grateful!

I am also grateful for my Sew Katie Jean family who has given me lots of help and support during my move. I couldn't have done it without you! Now, what do we have planned for you in April?! Well, Quilt Rush 2025 is coming in 3 days! We are going to have such a blast celebrating "25 years of Fun on the Run" with all of you. We will have a photo op for you and your friends, snacks, a free fat quarter, a free pattern, and so many kits available for purchase and fun stuff! We also have some great prizes from our vendors for those of you who make it to all 10 of the participating shops. The Grand Prize is a $100 gift certificate from each shop, totalling $1000! There is a 2nd place prize basket worth $500 of fabric and quilting supplies, as well as ten 3rd place prize baskets worth $250 of fabric and notions. Thank you to our many vendors who supplied these products. In addition, each shop will have a daily drawing for a $25 gift card for those who stop by each day. So, I hope you have Quilt Rush on your calender for April 10-13 and that you are making some travel plans with your favorite shop hop buddies. We are looking forward to seeing lots of quilters over those 4 days!! 

April also brings more classes! I love planning new learning opportunites for you. So keep reading to see what is coming to Sew Katie Jean's classroom.

3D in Yellow! Daffodils, Dandelions and Daisies all come in yellow!

Our color this month is Yellow! I think this will be my favorite month!! Window blocks are due by April 30th at closing time. First prize wins the blocks, second prize is 4 free fat quarters and 3rd prize is a $10 gift certificate. Remember, we are doing a year of color, so make one block for the shop and one for you to make a year of color sampler quilt.

April Classes and Clubs:

Tuffet Class: Thursday, April 3, 10-4  and Thursday, April 24, 10-2:

Our Tuffet Class is back by popular demand! We have a class in April, as well as May! Come make a touch of whimsy for your home with this one-of-a-kind tuffet, not just for Miss Muffet. Our instructor is Diana Tatro from Yuba City. The cost is $113.99, which includes two days of class instruction, plus the pattern. The finishing kit is $160, which includes the hardware for the tuffet assembly.

Leafy, Originally Scheduled for Sat., April 5; new date coming soon!

This is a beautiful, simply stated, springtime quilt. We originally had this scheduled for Saturday, April 5th, but we had to postpone due to teacher illness. We will be reschedulling this class in the near future, so if you missed signing up, there is still room for you! The cost is $52, plus tax, which includes the pattern.

School of Sewing: Level 1, Tuesday, April 1, 8, 15, and 22 from 5:30-8:30pm:

We will have our Beginning Sewing Class again this month. We have a full class for April, but we are always taking sign-ups for future classes. We are also offering this beginning quilting class in July and October.  This class has 4 sessions, meeting Tuesday nights, to complete 4 different projects. Our instructor is Rita Traxler, and she will instruct you on sewing skills to complete each project. The projects for level 1 are: a pillowcase, a drawstring bag, an apron and a zipper pouch. Cost is $164.95, which includes the book. 

Quilt Rush 2025: April 10-13:

Al stores will be open from 10-6 pm Thursday through Saturday and 10-3 on Sunday. We are looking forward to seeing all of you and having a great time!!

Moroccan Sampler Block of the Month: Month 4, April 15 from 10-3 pm:

Laurie Johnson will continue with her Moroccan Sampler students this month, and they will be working on their fifth block, which is called "The Wild Goose Chase." 

On The Go! Bag Class, Wednesday, April 16 from 10-4 pm:

This is a great travel bag! This will carry all of your necessities for your travels this summer, and you can carry it close to you because it is a cross-body bag. Ruth Shields will be our instructor, and she has a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to By Annie patterns. The cost is $40, which includes the pattern.

Make-It, Take-It: Scissor Pouch; Thursday, April 17 from 5:30-8:30 pm:

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These scissor pouches will keep you oranized and your scissors protected The pouches hold up to three pairs of scissors. Bring your scissors, so you can adapt the pattern to your sized scissors. The cost for the class is $30, which includes dinner.

My Grown-Up and Me: Spring Break Edition: Chicken Pincushion, Thursday, April 17 10-2pm:

This month our junior sewists will be meeting during Spring Break to make a chicken pincushion just in time for Easter (and to hold their pins!). The cost is $40, which includes the walnut shells to fill the chicken. Donna Bengle and Marcie Morrill will be our instructors once again.

Intro to Foundation Paper Piecing, Saturday, April 19, from 9-3:30pm:

This is a popular class as it teaches the beginning steps to Foundation Paper PIecing. Barbara Carlston will be the instructor, and she will guide you through this process with the Wensleydale Pattern by Jen Kingwell. This is the perfect pattern that is simple and repetitive so you learn the foundation paper piecing technique, which takes practice to get the hang of it. Someone once said, "It's quilting upside down and in reverse!!" Not really, but you will appreciate the guidance by Barbara, along with the repitition. The cost is $63.99, which includes the foundation paper packet.

5 Yard Quilt Class: Saturday, April 26, from 10:30-3:30pm:

We are so excited to offer another quilt class featuring Fabric Cafe's quilt patterns. This time, we are highligting their new book, "Fabulous 5 Yard Quilts." Betty Kisbey will be here to instruct you with this new book. The cost is $48.99, which includes the new book.

Square-in-a-Square Part 2 Class: April 29, from 10:30-3:30:

Betty Kisbey will be here once again to share more of her extensive quilting knowledge. She will continue instructing you on how to use the square-in-a-square ruler, with a diferent quilt pattern. The cost is $65.95, which includes the instruction book.

Introduction to English Paper Piecing, Tuesday, April 30 from 10-3 pm:

Diana Meier will be here to instruct you on the art of English Paper Piecing, which is all hand sewing. You will start with hexagon-shaped papers, fabric and some starch. While you won't be making the quilt sample as shown here, just yet, you will be learning the technique to make the hexagons that you piece together to make quilts. The cost is $50.  

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

4/2: 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.

4/1 & 4/8: 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.

4/4, 4/18, 4/25: Friday Girls (Closed Mini Groups): Meets Every Friday, except the fifth Friday.

4/4: Folk Art Wool Block-of-the-Month, Pick-up and Demonstration: Meets the first Friday of the month from 4-6 pm with Pat Hertema.

4/5: 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. 

4/9: Open Sew Day: 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.

4/23 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.

4/22: 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. Please remember to sign up ahead, as this class fills up quickly.

Looking Ahead to May:

Check our online calender In May for more great classes, including Happiness 2.0 (a Jacqueline DeJong Pattern), Linda Ballard's "Thirty-One Seventy," a Ladies' dress-making class, more Tuffet Classes, Easy Go Wallet, Beginning Quilting, and Baskets by Betty Kisbey. I will also be starting a series on Introductory By Annie projects during my Make-It, Take-It Classes, starting in May.

I hope to see you at Quilt Rush 2025! Happy Shop-Hopping!!

Tammy