Merry Christmas to All

From early elementary school days I recall the well-quoted poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. My mother read it to my brother and me every year as she did the Christmas story from the Bible. I remember having a skirt my mom sewed for me that was a complete circle with the poem printed around the bottom. I wore it to school in Fifth Grade class and all the girls were envious of my having such a fun garment. I had "umpteen" crinoline petticoats underneath to make it stand out full and fill the school desk seat when I was seated. Oh, the memories. And that was a long time ago. I always thought I would never be guilty of saying, "Forty years ago..." But, you know, I do it all the time now. Sorry! I'm compelled somehow to do that.

On a more serious note, we sadly report the loss of another of our long-time quilting friends, Penny Nichol. What a great quilter and good friend to many. She was one of the appliqué enthusiasts who would come into the shop on Wednesday mornings for all those years to sit and appliqué and exchange life's fun stories and charm us with their chatter. She will be missed. Thankfully we had the opportunity to know all of the lovely ladies who over the years frequented Heirlooms & Comforts regularly.

Sara

Important Calendar Notes
At Heirlooms & Comforts there are a number of early January sessions that you should note. The full class schedule is expected to be on our web site by New Years Eve. For now, be sure to mark your calendar for these:

January 5: First meeting of the Thimbleberries Reunion. If you were ever a part of the Thimbleberries Club at H&C you are invited to join us first Thursday of each month for "club". There will be no formal program, and anyone who wishes can bring a game or activity, just as Judy and Joan did all those years, for everyone to participate in. You are invited to bring your lunch or snack foods to share around and to sew, visit, shop, or "play' right through the day. There is no fee for this attendance. We will draw a discount percentage at each meeting for you to get special discounts on whatever you purchase that day. We will draw names for prizes, sing Happy Birthday, laugh at bad jokes, etc. Look for all the fun parts of previous Thimbleberries Club meetings without a pre-planned project. Bring the ones you already have, finished or unfinished, to get critique or aid in getting them completed. Margarett Boyer will be using Joan's email address list to send reminders to those on that list. If you wish to be added to the email list, reply to this letter with that request and we will pass your address on to Margarett. We are looking forward to seeing you Jan. 5 at 10:00 AM.

January 11: The Kaffe Club will meet in the shop at 10:00 AM. There is a challenge going on now and it is a voluntary adventure. Remember this is a fee-free event on second Thursday morning each month. You meet with fellow Kaffe Fassett fans to exchange ideas and challenges and to learn from each other new techniques and ideas. The members of this group have remarkable skills they are willing to share with their friends in this diverse group. Come for fellowship, sharing, learning, chillin', fun and maybe even a walk over to one of the lunch venues in Central. Mark your calendar. We want you to come for the fun.

January 16: Memories of Provence is the name of a sampler quilt pattern and group of fabrics that Kathy White has completed and has hanging in the shop classroom. This is gorgeous! Kathy is teaching this in a six-month format. You will get instruction in the techniques for two of the blocks each month and you know already how good Kathy's instructions are. The pattern is free and we have kits for this quilt that you can purchase at a 20% discount when you register for the class. You will need to make a choice of color for setting fabrics and borders. The tuition for six months is $108 and you have two options in paying this fee:

1. Pay in two installments.
2. Pay in full when you register and get 10% discount on the fee.

This starts soon, so we need to be talking about how you want to approach this. Come in very soon to see this quilt and to make your fabric choices. Register for one of the time slots that we offer: Friday mornings or late Monday afternoon. Don't delay; some people have already chosen.

January 21: Deadline for saving 20% on supplies listed by the instructor for classes for the winter. Complete registration with tuition payment by Jan. 21 and you will receive this great discount on the supplies. Don't delay.

January 18 and 31: These dates are reserved for Sew Days for persons who wish to sit and sew with friends for the day in the shop. No fees are attached. You bring your project, hand or machine done, and sew with friends. Bring your lunch or choose to order in or go out. Sew Day is your day.

February 4: Gathering of Quilters is a day set aside for District I members of Quilters of SC who will meet at First Baptist Church in Williamston, SC to enjoy a program that has been developed for the day and to learn from each other on several topics in the world of quilting. More information about this is coming later; for now mark your calendar for the day.

H&C Feature of the Week: Fat Quarters
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will continue to feature our special on Fat Quarters in 6-packs, 12-packs and 18-packs. The special prices apply to fat quarters that are already cut and on display. Great savings and a good way to augment your scrap quilt stash! 6PK for $12; 12PK for $22; and 18PK for $32 - a lot like a late Christmas present.





Fantastic Offers!

At Heirlooms and Comforts we can offer you 5-D Professional Embroidery Software at ½ price when purchased along with any H-V Designer sewing and embroidery machine. With this combination you can be well suited for creative machine work that puts others "in the shade."

As advertised on the Husqvarna Viking web site there is a finance plan for the purchase of a Husqvarna Viking Designer sewing and embroidery machine. You can get 36 months of financing with 0% interest right now. That is a really big opportunity to get sewing and embroidering. Any Designer jewel qualifies: Topaz 20 or 30, Ruby, Diamond, or Diamond Deluxe. See us soon for this screaming deal - software, Designer machine and no-interest financing. Happy New Year!

Rising Star

There is more to life than sewing, quilting, and grandchildren. There is food, right? Lately I have been reading about a young chef in the Athens, GA, area who has a connection to our area as well. And when a new "star" appears in the "sky" isn't it fun to say, "I remember when..., before she/he achieved fame"? Well, lately several names have prompted that response from me when I have seen their names in print.

Hugh Acheson is a rising star name that we have seen in print a lot lately. One day last week there was an article in the newspaper about his new book about Southern foods and his restaurants in Georgia. Hugh is the son of Mary Acheson Lindsay who worked with us at Heirlooms & Comforts when we were downtown Clemson in the late 1980's early 1990's. Hugh and his sister were in school for a while with our children. Now he is the subject of numerous articles in newspapers and even in Southern Living Magazine as a part of the Comfort Foods article. His wife is our daughter's classmate from High School. Look on line for articles about Hugh, a Chef with a rising star that once sailed over Clemson.

Also, I recently read about Marjan Kluepfel in an ad about the Mid-Atlantic Quilters Show in Hampton, VA. Marjan has been teaching there for a number of years, coming east from California to instruct. She works with botanicals and replicates or interprets them in fabrics. Go to www.marjankluepfel.com and read about her. When she was in Clemson years ago she would frequent H&C for fabrics and supplies. It is nice to be able to say I remember her when she was working alongside Priscilla Hair (another of our friends with renown) exploring techniques.

It is fun to say, "I knew her/him when..." We all love to be associated with persons of renown - our own claim to fame. Keep sewing and quilting and one day maybe we can say that about you.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Fat Quarters and Christmas Fabrics
At Heirlooms and Comforts this week we will feature fat quarters in bundles of 6, 12 or 18. A 6-pack is $12; a 12-pack is $22; and an 18-pack is $32. These bundles are 6, 12, or 18 of your choice from the fat quarters that are already cut and folded and arranged in our fat quarter bin. "Fresh-cut" fat quarters do not qualify for this special price.

We will also continue to run the 50% off price on Christmas fabrics with a minimum cut of 1yd. Load up for next year if you have completed your holiday sewing for 2011. Otherwise, finish off your 2011 holiday sewing with finest quality fabrics at a bargain price.

Joyfully Giving
At www.husqvarnaviking.com you can find that H-V is joyfully giving you a number of good things and lots of good ideas. For one, there is the $25 off a $50 order from www.myembroideries.com until the end of day on December 23.

There is also "The Joy of Giving" window where you can click in and get ideas and patterns and suggestions for other fun things to make and to have. Check out the site and have some holiday fun.

Call us if you have questions.

Fantastic Offers!
At Heirlooms & Comforts we can offer you 5-D Professional Embroidery Software at ½ price when purchased along with any H-V Designer sewing and embroidery machine. With this combination you can be well suited for creative machine work that puts others "in the shade."

As advertised on the Husqvarna Viking web site there is a finance plan for the purchase of a Husqvarna Viking Designer sewing and embroidery machine. You can get 36 months of financing with 0% interest right now. That is a really big opportunity to get sewing and embroidering. Any Designer jewel qualifies: Topaz 20 or 30, Ruby, Diamond, or Diamond Deluxe. See us soon for this screaming deal - software, Designer machine and no-interest financing. Ho, ho, ho!

Holiday Hours at Heirlooms & Comforts
Closed December 24 (Saturday)
Closed December 26 (Monday)
Regular Hours December 27-31 (Tuesday-Saturday)
Closed January 2 (Monday)

Super Week Again

At last it is Super Bowl Sunday again! How nice that the attention of members of the household is so well taken by the events on the TV that we who ply the art of the needle can do our fun thing while they are otherwise occupied and not noticing. Fortunately, I reside in a situation where my spouse is not "put off" by my sewing and quilting. So, preoccupation with "the game" is not a prerequisite for my sewing without protest. Anyway, most of that banter about not wanting us to sew is just that-banter, don't you think? This is, however, Super Week at Heirlooms & Comforts, for real. Read the remainder of this email to see what we mean.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Designer Diamond

At Heirlooms & Comforts this week our feature is a Super Special on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond and 5D Professional Embroidery. When you purchase a Designer Diamond (sale priced now at H&C) there is $500 rebate to apply for. Also, when you purchase the Diamond you can purchase Professional Embroidery at half off MSRP. If you trade in any old, outdated software for this Professional Embroidery you become eligible for another $500 rebate (certain restrictions apply; special lasts for a limited time only). It seems too good to be true that you get Professional for almost nothing. Check with us in the shop to get full details.

New Fabric Delivery
At Heirlooms & Comforts this past week we received a shipment of fabrics from Hoffman of California designed by McKenna Ryan for her Sand in My Shoes series. You can get a glimpse of what they are like at the Hoffman web site. While there you can get a free pattern to use with these fabrics. Then come in this week to be among the first of our customers to get your selection of these really beautiful ombre fabrics - delicious in color!