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The Sew-Sisters continued . . . |
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Judy and Karen find the sourcing of fabrics to be both a fun and a time consuming part of their business. They make every attempt to provide high quality fabric to the Canadian market at prices competitive with US retailers. They find it quite a challenge but feel they are doing very well in this area. They buy their fabrics directly from manufacturers and distributors in both Canada and the U.S. and are constantly searching for new products and suppliers. Judy makes buying trips in Ontario and the U.S. looking for great fabrics and products.
Last May, Judy and Karen took part in the Kitchener-Waterloo Quilt Festival marking their first experience working off line.
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Karen and Judy's Booth
at the Quilt Festival |
Judy says, “ Business was brisk and it went very well. It was such a wonderful experience for us! We got to meet a lot of great people we had preciously known only as online customers or from online guilds. It was a real treat to get to put a face to all those email names! Karen kept commenting about how much more fun it was to talk to people in comparison to sitting at home putting fabric in envelopes all day.”
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They plan to return to the show in Kitchener next spring and will have a booth at the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival later this month in Toronto.
The Sew-Sisters are also visiting Quilt Guilds this year and are looking forward to increasing the number of their visits to guilds, quilt retreats, and quilt shows.
For small guilds or retreats of less than 40 members, Judy does a short technique demonstration. This year's demonstration is on making fabric postcards. When the group has 30 members or less, they play quilt bingo games and set up tables with a selection of their products for sale. They are also available to participate in Merchant Malls for Guild quilt shows.
When asked what interesting things have happened as a result of their eBay business, Karen replied, “A friend of mine from grade school read about us when we were eBay Power Sellers of the Month and wrote to us. I though that was neat!” |
Judy's String Pieced Design
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Judy says, “ The best thing about running an eBay business is meeting (online) people from all over the world. We have customers in every U.S. state and every Canadian province. We have a customers at the North Pole, in Botswana, in Israel, in every province of Australia, all over the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Japan, Zambia and New Zealand. We used to put a pin in the map for every new customer but Canada and USA have been completely filled up, so now we only add a pin when we have a customer from a unique location.”
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Expatriot Quilt
Designed by Judy |
Judy recently added a blog to the Sew-Sisters pages. Be sure to read it and enter their Christmas contest!
You will not want to miss seeing the special fabric for quilters! It is so cute and many us fabric hoarders will immediately identify with the quilter on the fabric who is busy hiding her ever growing stash from her husband! That fabric will be difficult to resist!
Be sure to visit the Sew-Sisters
at their eBay Store and at booth #499
at the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival
and their
online quilt shop!
Mention this newsletter to Judy or Karen at the Festival
and receive a Free Fat Quarter!
The Festival runs Oct 19, 20, 21 and 22 at the
Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
For more information on the Festival, click here. |
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Celtic Quilt
Designed by Judy |
Another of Judy's Designs |
Kitty Cucumber Quilt |
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All the ReasonsWhy
You Need More Fabric
Copy this list and tuck it in your purse for quick reference!
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It is a patriotic duty to support cotton farmers, textile mills and fabric shops.
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"Oh, it's not for me! I'm buying it for a friend!"
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It's on sale.
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I need extra weight in the trunk of my car for traction on snowy, icy roads. This is important, even in Florida and Southern California, as you never know when the weather will change.
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It's non-fattening.
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Like dust, it's good for protecting previously empty spaces in the house.
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Because it's there.
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It's much cheaper to cover the floor with fabric than new carpeting.
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The devil made you do it.
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It's the only remotely artistic thing I have ever done.
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I can't live without it.
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I have new shelves for fabric storage.
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It will go with some I bought last year.
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It's so pretty, and I'll use it some day.
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I want my daughter to have a proper inheritance.
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Without fabric, I would have nothing to do with my rotary cutter and my mat and my sewing machine.
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It does not promote tooth decay.
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It calms the nerves, gratifies the soul and makes one feel good.
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If I don't buy it now, I may never see it again.
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A large fabric stash is the sign of a creative mind.
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I owe myself a reward for that half-pound I lost last month.
-author unknown
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Free Pattern - Compliments of
Simply Plaid and Maria Michaels Designs |
Click to Download
Quilt and Pillow Pattern
as a self-extracting zipped file
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A Simply Plaid Log Cabin:
Courthouse Steps
Simply Plaid is the wholesale distributor of lovely, woven, cotton plaid fabrics. They iron beautifully and all the plaids line up perfectly with the selvages and crosswise fabric grains, so they can be cut in perfectly straight lines.
For this pattern, I cut them off grain for a whimsical, country look, but it is very satisfying to know that we can cut them straight when we wish.
This pattern makes a perfect quilt for the men and boys in your life. Six possible settings are included in the pattern.
Visit the Simply Plaid website to see all of the plaids available. Ask your local quilt shop to order them.
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A Matching Pillow
The fabric remnants left from making the quilt were used.
The pattern includes 5 scrap block settings.
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Phishing Scams
These scams are becoming more prevalent on the Web, so we need to keep informed in order to protect ourselves. They come in several varieties with one purpose - to retrieve our private information: passwords, and so on.
About.com has a very good article which explains these scams, gives us well illustrated examples, shows us how to recognize them, and also lists the ways we can protect ourselves. Do take the time to click on the link and read their article.
This seems, at first glance, to have nothing to do with quilting, but we quilters use our computers and the Internet a great deal which is one good reason to be aware and vigilant. Also, these scam artists have begun to mimic legitimate quilt sites as well as large companies like eBay, banks, and so on. I have even received some that look like I sent them, both from my personal email address and from - seemingly - Maria Michaels Designs. It's very disconcerting to say the least.
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Click on Page 3
for Pattern Winners, Book Reviews, Questions and Answers, and more!
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