Author: Teresa

Quilts, good books and dogs. Plus a cup of tea. Life is good.

A peek at 2027 quilt class/event possibilities

September 6, 2026

I don’t know if the ECQG webmaster meant to publish the guild’s 2027 speaker/class schedule just yet, but it’s definitely LIVE. I already see workshops in April and July that I’d like to take! This was a nice surprise to see when I went in to register for an upcoming charity sew day in October.

Myrtle Beach Quilt Party sign up is now active. I shared the info with my guild friends. It’ll be even more fun if a couple of them can also attend. One has indicated she’ll stay with family in the area if she’s able to go. Meanwhile, I’m exploring other accommodation options besides the retreat hotel.

As I noted the ECQG class dates in my calendar, I reviewed what I’d already scheduled for early 2027:
January – Myrtle Beach Quilt Party (going)
February – Quiltcon 2027 in ATL @ AmericasMart (going to socialize and shop)
April – Guild class on mariner’s compass using a special ruler technique (note on calendar to sign up 3/5)
July – Guild class on improv – dresden blocks and/or bird/nature blocks (note on calendar to sign up 6/5)

Other possibilities: Middle Georgia Shop Hop (early February), Jabez Quilt Seminar – KY (early March), Sewing Expo (mid-March), Mountain Quilt Fest – TN (early June)

There are definitely classes, retreats and conference opportunities out there. You just have to make the effort to look for them because they get hidden under all the social media posts and emails we get on a daily basis.

You may have noticed my 2027 events are within driving distance (6 hours or less). Airfare has gotten crazy expensive. I’ll either need a fabulous deal on the flights or the location has to be one I’d absolutely regret not going while I had the chance.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Pexels.com

CraftLAB – introducing counted cross-stitch

September 3, 2026
A CraftLAB participant trying counted cross-stitch

Looking for an low-hassle way to introduce cross-stitch or hand embroidery to your students? Consider inexpensive kits (under $5) found at Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s and Wal-Mart. Choose small projects that include fabric, floss, needle, needle threader and hoop.

The cherry project kits I picked up at Hobby Lobby were $2 each. I merely pulled out my big beeswax bar and the small scissors we use in CraftLAB to complete my prep for this week’s CraftLAB session. All leftover kit supplies went home with the student in a quart-size zipper bag. (And there was enough leftover floss to make several cross-stitch Christmas ornaments!). One of the girls remarked that this would give her something to do on the plane when she travels during Fall Break.

Our next session will likely involve transforming the finished cross-stitch into something that can be clipped to their backpacks as a decoration. Following that will be a hoop art project with hand embroidery. We will start with a simple design using a back-stitch (think redwork or a line drawing with a few colors). Each girl can determine how fancy she wants her project to be. I will create the kits as I already have the supplies on-hand from previous classes taught. If not, I would consider the $3-$5 embroidery kits available at Hobby Lobby.

September is National Sewing Month

September 1, 2026

Can you believe it’s September already? Labor Day – the unofficial end of summer around here – is still almost a week away. (This means I can wear my white capris to lunch on Thursday!) While our students have been back in school for a month now, we were surprised to learn that the kids in upper Michigan and on the both the US and Canadian sides of Sault Ste Marie don’t return to school until after Labor Day. Must be nice!

Sadie and I resumed weekly visits at a local elementary school today. CraftLAB kicks-off tomorrow. Teen sewing at the public library starts mid-month. Class calendars at my local sewing machine dealers and quilt shops are filled with new classes and events. I’m teaching Sewing Machine Maintenance at the Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum on September 26th. Now’s the time to pull out your sewing machine and plan some projects to keep you busy as the days grow shorter and the weather (finally) turns cooler.

Ways to celebrate National Sewing Month:
(1) Teach a kid in your life how to sew.
(2) Find a local sewing group that meets on a monthly basis. Can be a guild, group at the library or local fabric/quilt shop.
(3) Sign-up for a class on a technique that interests you.
(4) Make a project to donate to a local charity. Pillowcases, placemats and quilts are always in need.
(5) Participate in National Jelly Roll Day on Saturday, September 19th.
(6) Begin planning now for 2027 quilt retreats. Many organizers start releasing dates this month.

As for me, I’ll be working on my guild’s paint-chip challenge quilt that’s due next month. I’ll be back to Friday sew days at the library and teaching kids how to sew. I’ll observe National Jelly Roll Day on 9/19, but am not exactly sure where I’ll be that day. And classes for the Myrtle Beach Quilt Party (in late January 2027) dropped today. Can’t decide between two of the classes, but I’ll be going – even if it winds up a BYO project retreat for me.