Cornerstones Newsletter

Content, Context and Contacts for Quilters Everywhere

November 2019

Dear Friends,

OK, how many emails did YOU get yesterday, all with the same mission - to convince you that there's ONLY 60 days - or worse yet, 8 Saturday's left - until Christmas?

Enough.

In a week, we'll all be complaining about how commercialized this season can be. Can we just stop, and enjoy the journey a bit? There's a lot of living to be done in between now and then.

Rant over - you may now all breathe easy!

October was an insane month on my end. Mike and I had the chance to take a trip to North Carolina earlier this month, and it was wonderful. We toured Biltmore Estate, road through Deal's Gap and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and managed to fit in a quilt shop along the way. You can read about that, and my obsession with hotel carpets as design inspiration, over on the blog . All you have to do is to click on the link above, and you'll see all about the travelogue - and a few other things.

The website refresh has hit a snag, and I'm looking forward to getting over that now that newsletter week is done. The hold up is the shopping cart piece, and I'm waiting for help from someone. I don't wait well. You should be hearing from me mid-month again - and it's not to share my Pumpkin pie recipe, I promise... Lots of news is coming soon, and there's a lot of great things coming next year.

As I write this, Quilt Market is over and Quilt Festival is in full swing. The pictures are amazing, and I can't wait to see what shakes out of this party. I missed it this year, I admit it. And yet, in this month's calendar, we already have listings for next year's shows. And on that note:

I am pleased to welcome the MQX SHOW to our list of newsletter advertisers...they just opened class registration yesterday. Even though I am not a longarm quilter, there is a lot of great talent - quilts and vendors - that comes to New England with the show, and it's really nice to be able to take classes. They are the first to take advantage of the commercial ad program that Cornerstones offers. Rates are available upon request.

Finally, I have always said that I have the BEST Friends in this business, and this month I am happy to share one of them with you. We have seen too many quilt shops close this past year, and Dragonfly Quilts in Bellingham was one of them. Check out the Spotlight to learn about the next chapter in her story...

And yes, I did get to go and see Downton Abbey - the Movie (with the same friend that I went to Boston to see the Exhibit with). It. was. worth. it. - and I hear that there may be a Downton 2 coming?

A reminder that Calendar submissions are due to me by the 25th of the month to guarantee you are included in the next Cornerstones.

All my best...

Linda
603-233-0320
Linda@thepatchworkpearl.com
Introductory class with Angela Walters rulers

Sat, Nov 9th from 11 - 4
Quilting Away in Amherst NH.
I have been working with these 4 rulers since they came out, and I can't wait to share what I've learned with you. This is an introductory class to ruler work on a domestic machine, and we'll use the 4 rulers shown in the class.

Contact Quilting Away in Amherst at 603-721-2356 to sign up for the class - we'll send you the supply list for the class, and come prepared to take your machine quilting to the next level.

If you have questions, email me and I'll be happy to help you out.
The link to the FB event is here .
AUCTION UPDATE: It's going well, and there are an amazing number of quilts donated to the cause. For some reason, Ringo Lake Reno has received no bids ! I'm sure it happens, but we would like to see it go home with someone. If you could share this, I'd really appreciate it! . Thank you.


The MD Anderson Auction site for this year's Ovarian Cancer Auction is up, and you can see the amazing quilts that have been donated for this year's event, and the many quilts donated are gorgeous. There's something for just about every size and budget, and all proceeds go to benefit Ovarian Cancer research through one of the premiere centers in the US. Please take a look if you're inclined, and share the link.

Bidding will close on November 6.

Many thanks to my partner in crime on this one, Cheryl Szynkowski . The quilting makes the quilt.

I have known Kathryn LeBlanc of Dragonfly's Quilt Shop in Bellingham for several years, and many of you have gotten to know me through my demo work for her in the shop during the Humble Beginnings Adventure Shop Hop. She is the definition of keeping it real, and she she and I have just had a lot of fun over the years. I was sorry - very sorry - to hear that she had made the difficult decision to close the shop.

It's fitting that the Dragonfly is a symbol of transformation and growth, because Kathryn is the personification of that. Kathryn is still in the industry, and now you can find Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio branching into different areas, some of which are allowing her to find new markets.

Each Sunday evening at 7, she hosts a FB Yard Party ($7 per yard, minimum 1 yard cuts) live event where she runs an live sale of high quality, discounted items to an ever increasing audience of regulars, who open a shopping basket before the auction starts. Kathryn, keeping it real, often wonders whether she has enough baskets for everyone participating...a nice problem to have. There's an easy camraderie - and lots of good natured teasing along the way as she works her way though the rack. You do need to pre-register to get your number assigned before you begin shopping, but other than that, you can drop in, check it out, and then decide to stay or not. The audience is trending upwards, and she has an eye for buying what the customers like.

She's sticking to traditional service lines of longarm quilting for customers, and to vending at quilt shows. Who can forget my first FB LIVE wtih Kathryn from Vermont this past year? That was a lot of fun - and clearly, she is has a passion for the industry (and for having fun).

The website is currently undergoing a rebranding, and in the meantime, the best place to see her is to follow her at her Facebook page, which I've linked for you. Information for upcoming events, as well as the new website will be posted there.

Currently, DQDS is hosting an online Quilt Til you Wilt Party through November 9th, where she posts periodic specials and encourages her viewers to stay on track with their holiday sewing projects. It's very much a community feel to the events.

She's a true innovator, and I am looking to see what else she comes up with in the next year. I always learn from our conversations, and she did, in fact, give me something to think about which is going to factor into something big next year. She just doesn't know it yet.

SO what are your plans for tomorrow night? You will have another hour, after all!

The Quilter's Calendar


New Listings:

April 15, 16, 17 and 18, 2020

October 3 and 4th, 2020

Calendar Submission Deadline:

December 2019 issue, please submit by Monday, Nov 25th. THANK YOU.
I would like to thank our Advertisers for their patronage, and invite you to support their products and services
CLICK on the link to the MQX show for COMPLETE SHOW Information
Finally, I leave you with this...

In last month's newsletter, I shared the video I found on You Tube of Maureen McCormick of The Brady Bunch taking us on a behind the scenes shot of her local quilt shop...yes, she quilts and has been doing it for years.

This month, I there was a video posted by Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company, who had a very special guest drop by. This is really, really cool.