Great Spring Day!

In Central, SC, Saturday was a Great Spring Day.  We celebrated the heritage of the Railroad in the town of Central. There were many great activities available for children and adults at the Festival. Quite a large number of people came into Central on Saturday to enjoy the festivities and the live performances of the musicians.  One of the early activities on Saturday was the unveiling of the Quilt Trail quilts in the garden of the History Museum of Central. The Quilt Trail movement originated in Ohio and has spread across the country and in two provinces of Canada. Family or favorite quilt designs are replicated on weatherproof materials and mounted, originally on barns, on various outdoor surfaces to be seen by passersby. At this time 34 of these quilts have been installed in upstate South Carolina. At the History Museum there are three such mountings - one on a garden post and two on a Garden Arbor built by a local woodworking artisan. When you are in Central next, go by the History Museum and walk into the garden to see these beautiful displays of quilt art.  They are truly inspiring.

Sara

    

H&C Feature of the Week: Patriotic Red, White and Blue Fabrics
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature patriotic red, white and blue fabrics.  We have recently received several bolts of wonderful Quilts of Valor fabrics. For this week we will double-punch your fabric card when you purchase the qualifying dollar value for punching. You will love these fabrics for making your Quilts of Valor or Wounded Warrior Quilts. They are especially good looking fabrics!  So, when you buy $5 worth of these fabrics we will punch your card for $10.  If you don't have a card already, we will see to it that you have one and explain the way the program works.

Get Ready
Mother's Day is coming fast!  Get ready.  You know Mother is deserving of the best and Husqvarna Viking has that for her.  At Heirlooms & Comforts we have two special models that have been classroom models and carry full warranty.  Either the Sapphire 875Q or the Designer Diamond will give the wonderful, efficient use that Mother is hoping for in her next machine.  These are specially priced, but you must come into the shop to get the price quotes since they are lower than we are able to quote in the media. Quantity is limited on these models!  Come in to test sew on one.

Grandpa is cool!

This is Naaman here. I am the big brother to Miles and Finn who just got born about 10 days ago. Life is really different around here. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and it has only been three months since they were here last. But the babies are here now and they show up to ooooh and aaaah over them. They gave me some attention too while they were here. Grandpa is pretty cool, you know. He helped Dad and me build a gate for the new fence between us and the neighbor. She was nice enough about the construction on the fence so Dad and I offered to put her a new gate between her front and back yards. The tools are what I like. Grandpa was telling me how he likes tools too. He uses ones that are not as noisy as the big ones Dad and I use. My favorites are the electric drill and the leaf blower. The shop vac is nice; it is pretty noisy. Dad has taught me to wear my goggles when using tools to protect my eyes. They get kinda hot and make me sweat, but sweating is a macho thing to do when you are working - looks like you are really doing something. Anyway, Grandpa, Dad and I work pretty well together. Only thing is, when I start to be insistent about something they start saying stuff about me getting on toward two years old. They better watch it cause I have seen some of those two-year-olds and how they operate. I could do what they do if they don't let me do what I want. Maybe I'll hold off on that and spring it on them when they least expect it. Maybe a good time would be when Miles and Finn get too much of the attention around here. So far it has gone pretty well for me. Dad is going back to work full time tomorrow so it could get to be difficult for me when I want something. We'll see what has to happen. Too bad Grandpa and Grandma can't stay a really long time. Really my Nana and Poppie come more often and they will take my side any time I get slighted - so does my Aunt Sissy. Oh, well I just thought I would write again for Grandma since she does this every week and I could give her a break. Go into Heirlooms and Comforts often to see Grandma. She loves when you come. She told me so!

Naaman Ballentine

H&C Feature of the Week: Katagami Collection
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature the Katagami collection of prints from Red Rooster Fabrics. Just arrived is this beautiful two-color print group in cream and navy. There is a koi print that is outstanding and a stripe with a crane figure as well as some prints with pine boughs and mums. There is a strikingly pretty pattern available on the Red Rooster web site as well. You have to see this; it is really nice.

Classroom Model 875Q Special
At Heirlooms & Comforts we have several units of classroom model Sapphire 875Q machines. These are super for quilters who want the extra space to manage a large quilt in the quilting process. The extended sewing surface gives room for manipulating the bulk of the quilt as you machine quilt. The Exclusive Sensor System on this machine is also an asset for the machine quilter, not to mention the Selective Thread Cutter and the automatic tension control. You just need to see these machines and sew on one to see how wonderful the 875Q is for you. The price is GREAT and the supply is limited.

Community

Community is a great word with wonderful meaning: a group of people, a neighborhood, kinship, the public, the people. Have you lately experienced community? It is a great happening or condition! We have community of fellow citizens; we have community of educators; we have community of quilters; we have community of leaders politically. There are many ways we can find community. Bobby and I just experienced community of our daughters and their friends. There was a gathering of that community around the spring sporting event on Saturday for convivial conversation and food. It is especially nice when the young people include the "seniors" in their gathering. It is especially nice to observe the developing community and the evolution of the very young into social beings. I watched Reid as he (age 15 months) approached another baby with an expression of wonder and inquiry. Reid has a facial expression that is worth a thousand words. He looked this one-year-old directly in the face and got not much response so he just flashed his winning smile of acceptance. It is one that no one can resist - the smile comes and you are instantly "taken". It is priceless to see the sharing offers and attempts to become friends. Of course Reid has two handy examples of how to get along in his brother Jackson and close-as-a-brother-cousin Wyatt. Life is wonderful at this stage! By the way, the younger baby finally came around to being friendly with Reid. Community is great!

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: 50% off Thimbleberries Books
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature Thimbleberries books at 50% off. This is in no way a misprint. Thimbleberries books are 50% off original price until the end of the day on Saturday, April 16, 2011. You choose from the basket of books the ones you want. You will find the choices are varied from table runners to king-sized quilts and all between these in sizes. Most of these are very easy to make and are graphic and beautiful designs. We do have quite a variety of projects and designs. This is a bargain, ladies.

Classroom Models Available
At Heirlooms & Comforts we still have several classroom machines available at great prices (too low to be able to advertise. Several are Designers and there are some Sapphire 875Q models. You should test sew on these to see how well they sew. There are not many of these to sell, so come by soon.

Life is full of joy! Really, it is great when you don't have to suffer the pain, but you can share in the joy. Such is the situation with being a grandparent - WOW! Miles Bennett and Finn Elijah were born on March 31 in mid-afternoon - 6lbs, 2oz and 4lbs, 13oz. What a wonderful mother to endure the waiting abed for so long and the birth of these boys. Big brother Naaman is pleased (so far) with having two brothers. Wonder what the response will be in two years? Mother and boys are doing well and Dad is "busting his buttons". Joy unspeakable! Great-grandmother, Mema, was a twin and always hoped to see grandchildren or great-grandchildren twins. She missed these, but would have been surprised and happy at who is the parent of these twins. There is something rather magical about this kind of miracle. Grandpa and I are grateful and thankful for the safe arrival of Finn and Miles. Granddaddy Newton always told me the only way to pay for your raising is to raise one of your own. Now our son gets to deal with a family ¾ the size of the one we raised. We will always be praying for guidance for him and his wife. Here goes a great adventure!

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: 20% off any one item
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature 20% off any one item of your choice excluding Department 975 (machines, sergers, software suites, and cabinets). Choose something that you normally would not purchase on impulse or something that you buy almost anytime you are in the shop. One item of your choosing can be 20% off regular retail price this week. Remember that book that you wanted? Now is the time. How about a new cutting mat or even a second one of a different size? Maybe a new easy-blade-change rotary cutter or those Gingher scissors that you have wished for would make you happy. You choose!

New Opportunity for a Diamond
At Heirlooms & Comforts we are continually surprised by the opportunities that are provided by Husqvarna Viking to make it easier for our customers to become Viking owners/users. At the moment H-V has an offer for you to purchase a top-of-the-line Designer Diamond sewing-embroidery machine that has been opened and used for about three hours under the supervision of Viking specialists in a classroom such as an Heirloom Sewing School. These machines carry full warranty and are in no way at risk and have an unbelievably low price tag. We have access to several of these machines in limited quantity. Come by for a full demonstration of how these machines work - you'll love it. You must come into the shop to get the price quote - too low to advertise or quote by phone.

Moving Fabrics
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week there will be new "residents" on the sale table in the fabric "neighborhood." You can never tell when one of those that you have hesitated to choose will end up on the sale table at a great discount. It could become the backing of that quilt that needs to be finished. This week there will shifting in the racks. Be the first to review the new reductions.

Recovery!

Grandma has recovered from the "experience" of more than one small child at a time for more than a sleepover. But, my oh my, it does take time to do so at this age. God is a wise God, giving the active little ones to the younger mothers. What a joy to be able to have the grandchildren close by to be able to spend time with them. Now we can move on to other experiences with the boys.

Let's think about spring-cleaning a little bit. Do you get revved up when the weather warms and gets ready to make all things look new? How long does that energy last? Can you get through the project of clean-up quickly enough to not give up on it? Are you organized for your collection of fabrics and notions to be handy when you get back to sewing your creations? Lately I have been trying to get organized in the "land of thread" with locating containers that adequately hold all the different kinds of threads I want to have on hand. Each brand or type has a different shaped spool. So, I have to have different shaped storage containers. It has been a quest and I have a few samples to show you at Heirlooms & Comforts. Come by and we can share ideas.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Clean Off the Bolt
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we have Clean Off the Bolt Week. Don't be "fooled" even if Friday is April Fools Day. We will have something special going on for you that day. Otherwise, the normal Clean Off the Bolt rules apply: take the remaining yardage of a regular price bolt for a 25% discount or take the remaining yardage of a sale priced bolt for an additional 10% off. Who knows? There could be new "neighbors" in the sale racks by the end of the week as well.


VIP Treatment for Home Design Customers
If you currently have a Home Design card from H & C then you will get VIP treatment this week. When you use your Home Design Card you can take an additional 10% * off your purchase this entire week. If you currently do not have a Home Design card, don't worry; you can still get the VIP treatment - just apply for one and you will qualify for the extra 10% * off when you use it. This applies to any purchase. Whew! This is no April Fool Joke--Let's rock!

*The extra 10% discount applies to the net purchase before tax and after all rebates (in-store and mail-in) have been applied.

Reminder
Thursday, March 31st is the last day for your purchase to qualify for the $500 Rebate on the Designer Diamond and also the last day to trade in old, anybrand embroidery software (certain rules apply) for a $500 coupon against 5D Professional Embroidery Software. We have had some really happy customers who took advantage of this offer. Join them in their bliss.
Visit the Husqvarna Viking web site for more info.

Pride Can Be Good

Growing up in a grass-roots family in the South made a lot of things indelible in my behavior. One of the things that I heard consistently as a youngster was that we shouldn't be prideful about what we have or do. On the other side of the coin, I heard a lot about being grateful for what we have or can accomplish. Now, the trick is to balance those two attitudes regarding pride in what we are surrounded by. I am very proud and grateful that my four children have grown to be contributing adults in the communities in which they live. I could write an entire book about the good that they have done and continue to do. I will not bore you with that. I will say that my daughter the second grade teacher was awarded some kind of prize that I can't remember why and received a weekend stay at a vacation spot. You know in those situations everybody in the family wins, and Bobby and I won a weekend visit from the four-year-old and the one-year-old while their parents are away. See, diligence pays off. We have consistently stressed our capabilities for looking after small fry and were rewarded by being chosen to care for these two for three days. They are smart, well-behaved boys, and so far have followed instructions from Grandpa and Grandma very well. The older one has even done hard labor in the yard removing fallen sticks and limbs. Life does have its rewards. Check on Grandma on Monday to see how fast she is moving around the shop.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Floral Fabrics
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week our feature is Floral Fabrics. Pick any fabric with a floral motif and get 20% off the purchase (1/2 yard minimum cut, please). There are traditional florals and modern florals to choose from in many different colorways. Your choices are vast. If you find a favorite one in the sale rack, go ahead and get 20% more off a minimum two-yard cut of it. Celebrate spring with floral fabrics!

Refer to our Blogs
Refer to our recent Heirlooms & Comforts Blogs (links on the right--->>>) to see the special things that are going on with machines and embroidery software. Again celebrate with us that we have a great Webmaster who keeps our on-line communications up to date.

Spring To It

With the spring forward exercise having been done overnight, we should be ready to hippity hop right into the bright, light pollen season with great vigor. Did you get yourself up at 2:00 AM to move the clock hands or have you entered the world of satellite clocks that automatically change with the date? I have always had a great chuckle over the naïveté that you should change the clock only at the time that the "authority" says in the exact time for the change - makes for good jokes. Anyway, welcome to the Daylight Savings Time world where you have just lost an hour of sleep so that you can get an extra hour of "working time."

Please remember that the offers from Husqvarna Viking that we have described below end on March 31, 2011. Don't let time slip away from you on these great offers!

Sara

 

H&C Feature of the Week: Patterns
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature patterns at 20% off, no limit on quantity. You may choose as many patterns as you wish to have from our really good stock of really good patterns to get 20% off the original price. There are those great handwork patterns, the "block of the month" patterns, the tote bag or purse patterns, the kid's dress and/or skirt patterns, the pre-cut fabric quilting patterns - on and on. For our customers this week all are a bargain.

Money Back
At Heirlooms & Comforts for a limited time you can buy the Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond at our sale price and get a manufacturer's rebate of $500. This is unprecedented in the world of Husqvarna Viking and you really should take advantage of this while the time is right. Talk to us about a financing opportunity as well. Additionally, when you buy the Designer Diamond you can also buy the 5D Professional Embroidery Software at half off the MSRP for this product! Want another $500 off? Look below. Now we're talking!! This is BIG, my friend. This is BIG. See us soon for this deal.


Got Old Software?
Do you have some brand of embroidery software that is outdated or difficult to use? Trade in any brand, any condition software and get $500 off our current price of 5D Professional Embroidery Software. This offer cannot be combined with any upgrade discount. (4D to 5D does not qualify. Other discounts apply for upgrade.) Here is a limited time opportunity to move from that troublesome suite that you have been struggling with to the newest H-V version that makes the world of embroidery design fun easier and almost instant. Come in soon to get full details.