See! It all comes in time.

If you live in the South, the weather all comes in time; you just have to wait a short while. There is frigid winter and less than two weeks later there is light, warm spring. But be careful. Winter could rear its icy head again. We're not safe until March has had its say in the matter. Keep your supply closet at "the ready" just in case you get shut in again. One never knows when you live in this region.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Clean Off the Bolt
This week at Heirlooms & Comforts we will feature Clean Off the Bolt all week long. You will get 25% off any regular price fabric of which you purchase all that remains on the bolt. You will get another 10% off any sale priced fabric when you clear its bolt. There is no limit to the number of yards you can purchase. Be sure to look for backings in the sale fabrics at this time to get the real bargains. We noticed some really nice skinny bolts in the racks this week. There may be some that you really need if you look around a bit. Come on in to see.

Class Picture
There have been several requests to see pictures of the jacket that Carolyn is going to teach. Look on the class page of the web site to find a picture of the jacket without sleeves-commonly known as a vest. Carolyn is happy to show you how to convert the pattern to a vest if you prefer. This is a great place for that special button you have been saving for a special garment.

Free Quilt Pattern
At Heirlooms & Comforts receive a free pattern when you purchase fabric from the Clothworks collection called Beetle Boy. It is a cheerful group of fabrics in bright colors that are typical of what young people like nowadays. Some lucky child would be delighted to have a cuddly quilt made from this group of fabrics!

A Mixed Bag

What an eye-opener a class can be when you attend one at Heirlooms & Comforts! There were 11 ladies getting their skills honed in the area of 5D Embroidery Software on Thursday. They learned procedures that will allow them to create customized embroidery designs to use on special gift items of various kinds. I am always amazed and amused at how diverse in character the "students" in these classes are. It is wonderful! A cross section of our community together in common interest is always delightful. We are so pleased to have the experience in our shop.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: 25% Off One Item of Your Choice
At Heirlooms and Comforts this week the feature is one item of your choice at 25% off. You can choose any product other than sewing machines, sergers, cabinets and embroidery software. Select from rulers, scissors, threaders, threads, or other items that you wish to purchase at 25% off. This is an opportunity to purchase a new rotary mat or other item you have wished for.

Husqvarna Viking has an offer to make your head spin! With the purchase of a Designer Diamond you can qualify for a $500 mail-in rebate. First you make the purchase at our Heirlooms & Comforts special sale price and this qualifies you for the $500 mail-in rebate. This is an offer that rarely happens in the world of top-of-the-line sewing/embroidery machines. Prepare to take advantage of this rebate. Come in to the shop to see the Designer Diamond and have a chance to sew on it yourself. You will love the ways it hums along and all the features that it presents to you for sewing and embroidery.

Class Registration
A look at the calendar of classes on our web site will reveal to you some really interesting classes still available for registrants. Carolyn's jacket class "Let's Go Out in the Cold" is designed to help you make a cozy jacket that is flattering to most figures. Susan is planning a class for teaching you to do basic paper piecing which gives you quite an edge on making quilted projects with varied motifs. Barbara is working away at preparing to teach hand embroidery and red work stitches. Go to the class page and check it all out. Then call or go into Heirlooms & Comforts and complete your registration for never being bored again!

Where does it come from?

Have you ever seen such a thing? The snow comes and blankets the world with beautiful white and everything looks so pristine (except for the dirty house paint). Those of us still mobile become even more energetic. Grandpa announces he can walk to work now instead of having to drive 70 miles. But what happens to him on his way to "work"? He stops by the home of the 5-year-old and collects several people in his entourage. He moves on to where the sewing machine workshop is at the home of the 4-year-old and the one-year-old. They begin "sledding" in the white stuff and their parents join in. Grandma finally hears from the entire group who relate their hunger. So Grandma the cook gets started making hot lunch for all. After the group has eaten, they go again to slip and slide in the beautiful white world. So much for walking to work. Grandpa has spent all day playing with the family who live in the neighborhood and life is good. Only one adult has any bruises after so many hours of action play; so, that is really good. Grandpa then spends the evening snoring on the sofa before retiring for the night. The only thing that could be better is if all of the family could have been in town to play together. All is well in the "land of Ballentine". Oh, and Grandma got the baby quilt put together during the snow vacation. That makes it all even better.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Needles
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will continue the feature of sewing machine needles since we were unavailable to you for most of the past week. Buy two packs of machine needles and get the third one (of equal or lesser value) free. Needles should be changed after about 10 hours of sewing. They become blunt and can easily get burrs and become crooked after penetrating numerous layers of seam allowances for 8 to 10 hours. To help you remember to change your needle frequently and to use the correct style needle, we are continuing the special event for needles.

Great Opportunity
At Heirlooms & Comforts we have a great opportunity for our customers to get a really tremendous bargain in a Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 830 classroom model machine with a full warranty for only $799. Can you believe it?!! That is an MSRP $1499 originally. You do the math; you get the savings. There are so many reasons to have this model machine that my email would be much too long to name them all here. Just suffice it to say if you want a Sapphire machine for any reason, now is the time to come in. The supply is limited, so don't delay coming in for your machine.

Your class was cancelled?
If your scheduled class at Heirlooms & Comforts was cancelled or postponed last week due to the weather, be sure to check with us to see about make-up or rescheduled time. We are counting on you to call us to be sure what happened to your class. You could have already gotten an email from the instructor telling you what to do about that missed class. If that is not the case, be sure to call in to get updated information.

Needle-ology

With regard to winter in South Carolina, at Heirlooms & Comforts we will always put a message on the phone system to say what we are doing about getting into the shop on bad weather days. My remembering to change the message after the bad weather ends is sometimes a problem (at my age). The message will always include the date just in case I forget to go back to the normal busy message. Above all we want our friends to be safe, healthy and happy. Therefore, if the road conditions are "iffy" we will make adjustments to our schedules. A quick check with our phone (864-639-9507) will be your best information.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Needles
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature the all-important sewing machine needle. Buy two packs of machine needles and get the third one (of equal or lesser value) free. Needles should be changed after about 10 hours of sewing. They become blunt and can easily get burrs and become crooked after penetrating numerous layers of seam allowances for 8 to 10 hours. Most often the cause of skipped or uneven stitches is a damaged needle. We frequently see stitching problems related solely to the needle having been damaged or dinged on a forgotten pin or a "lump of trash" in batting. Polyester fiber is also very sharp or strong and can cause a blunted needle; so a project with poly batting can require numerous changes of the needle depending on the size of the project.

The engineering of the needle is important as well in producing a beautiful stitch. Universal needles have a slightly rounded or not very sharp point. It is a little hard to describe in terms of what it is; it is easier to say what it is not. A universal needle is not so sharp that it will cut the threads in a knitted fabric and cause a "run". It is not so rounded that it has a difficult trip through a woven fabric. Therefore, it is called universal because it can sew both kinds of fabrics. A Stretch needle is honed to go through knitted fabrics without damaging the fibers. A Ballpoint needle has a very rounded tip so that you can sew extremely elastic fabrics such as Lycra and Spandex without damage to the fiber. The round tip just shoves the stretchy stuff aside until it is done putting the thread where it should go. A Microtex needle is engineered to use its very pointed, almost arrow shaped tip to penetrate the fabrics that are dense and tough. It is designed not to cut the fabric, but to go easily between the rows of woven threads to make the stitch. Certainly I have not in this letter touched on all the available types of needles; this is just the tip of the "needle iceberg."

This is all so scientific and almost microscopic to my eye that I have to trust the printed materials that I have read across the 26 years that I have been in this business. I trust that the explanations for the use of the many different types of needles are the result of industry at its best. We offer you two brands of needles that we have found to be suitable for almost all machines on the market today. We have charts available for you to refer to in choosing the correct needle for your project. Remember also that "size matters".

Great Opportunity
At Heirlooms & Comforts we have a great opportunity for our customers to get a really tremendous bargain in a Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 830 classroom model machine with a full warranty for only $799. Can you believe it?!! That is an MSRP $1499 originally. You do the math; you get the savings. There are so many reasons to have this model machine that my email would be much too long to name them all here. Just suffice it to say if you want a Sapphire machine for any reason, now is the time to come in. The supply is limited, so don't delay coming in for your machine.

Resolutions

Happy New Year! Do you make resolutions? Are able to keep the ones you make? How does that make you feel? Mostly I keep mine to myself so that nobody knows by observation whether I was successful or not. That is not the way it is supposed to be done, I know. However, it is a "safe" way to get by, right?

I do wish for you and your loved ones a year of prosperity, achievement, health, happiness and creative inspiration. We at Heirlooms & Comforts want to be included in your creative experience. We would like very much to be a part of the inspiration for the items that you produce in the world of sewing and quilting. For that reason we have compiled a group of classes to assist you with developing skills and with having fun with fellow artists and craftswomen. We are looking for you in the shop; spend your creative time with us.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Class Registration

At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we are featuring Class Registration. When you sign up and pay your registration fee this week you will qualify for a 20% discount on the supplies listed by the instructor for the class you sign up for. That is twice the discount we normally offer for supplies. There is no limit for the number of classes you can register for. The 20% discount ends with the end of the first session of the class for which you register.

Click here to see the class listing.


Classroom Machines
At Heirlooms & Comforts we have several Sapphire 830 sewing machines that have been used in the classroom that we are offering at an unbelievable price and with full warranty. Are you looking for a great machine to carry to class, or a second machine for when your sewing-embroidery machine is busy doing embroidery, or a machine for a beginner sewer who is very interested in sewing? This is a great solution for you! Come in and test sew one of these Sapphires to see how great they are for the sewer or quilter. You'll love the way this machine sews!

New Items Arrive
We have received several large shipments of fabrics at Heirlooms & Comforts. Among them are new Westminster Fibers groups from Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and friends, Moda's Morris Tapestry, In the Beginning Fabric's Marzipan, voiles and linen/cotton prints for home décor, and of course new Batik fabrics. Seeing them "in person" is the best way to experience the excitement of the vibrant color and marvelous design.




Reminder

At Heirlooms and Comforts this is Clean-off-the-bolt week.  The usual discounts for this event apply.