Author Archives: Erica's Craft & Sewing Center

Executive Carryall

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We’re off to Quilt Market in Kansas City, and a few weeks ago Lacy and I decided to make the Executive Carryall (A16564) to take along.

However, it seems I was the one doing all the work, while Lacy slept on the job every chance she got! 

Lacy the CatLacy the Cat

I love working with Soft and Stable (A13750) used in Annie’s patterns. It makes the items look so professional, and it’s light weight for all the stability it gives to the projects!

Executive Carryall in Progress

Because it’s thick, I used Wonder Clips (A12995 and A12996) instead of pins when I got to this point. 

With all Lacy’s help, I finally got it done, and here it is!

Erica with Executive CarryallLacy with Executive Carryall

I’ve used Soft and Stable with purses and placemats (A16219), too. I also made a smaller bag for my netbook, but more on that in another post!

placemat

Be sure to “like” us on Facebook! You’ll see great projects from customers and Erica’s employees, new items just into the store and be eligible for great giveaways! Now you can also follow us on Pinterest and Twitter.

(To find an item or event on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

Quilter’s Shopping Trends Survey

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Gift Card
You can participate in the Quilter’s Shopping Trends survey for your chance to win fabulous prizes! This year’s sponsors have donated over $1,000 worth of prizes (including a $100 Erica’s gift card). Winners are announced at Quilt Market May 18 at 2pm in Booth #1936, 2037. 
Please let us know if you win any of these really great prizes!

Be sure to “like” us on Facebook! You’ll see great projects from customers and Erica’s employees, new items just into the store and be eligible for great giveaways! Now you can also follow us on Pinterest and Twitter.

(To find an item or event on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

It Was A Happy Anniversary!

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Anniversary CakeWe had a wonderful 38th anniversary celebration a few weekends ago. Thanks to all our friends who were able to join us, new and old. Who would have thought that this many years later, two of our kids would be a major part of our longevity. I found a copy of a flyer that we had them take from house to house and hang on doorknobs in the neighborhood when we first opened.Broecker Family I asked them if they remembered that, and they said, “Are you kidding? It was kind of like…Do you want to eat, or not!” We wouldn’t be able to serve customers world-wide if it weren’t for them and all the other wonderful co-workers we have now, and those who helped us grow over the years.

Nancy Hansen NeedleworkNancy Hansen brought in a project that I taught in my very first needlepoint class. (Yes, I did handwork back in those days.) This was from fall of 1974. We were mere children back then!

Chris at Anniversary Celebration

Chris Sikorski not only had the oldest “Erica’s” receipt in our contest some time ago, but she was one of our first customers, and the shipping company she worked for delivered our very first shipment! And she’s been with us ever since. She got started with counted cross stitch when it first came to the US and we had classes in that, too.

Nancy Koski at Anniversary Celebration

Nancy Koski has worked with us longer than any other employee. Twenty nine years! We grew up together, didn’t we, Nancy? (She’s the quilting teacher that Jennifer talked about in our last post.) I knew she was no longer intimidated by me when she first called me “Toots!” She’s been a great friend, too.

Linda at Anniversary CelebrationLinda Ullery was a customer who came to work with us a few years after Nancy. I think I met her first in one of my basket weaving classes, and we’ve seen her kids and grand-kids grow up.

Darleen at Anniversary Celebration

Darleen Davis started just a few years after Linda, when my mother stopped checking in merchandise and we needed someone to take that position. Remember when that was a one person job in the back of the classroom, Darleen? Now she has a whole big room and lots of people working with her.  Our 17 year old fur-child was a brother of two of hers.

Our business has grown from just a friend who volunteered some time to help and me, and keeping track of inventory with index cards in shoe boxes to over thirty people, many with computers to work with. And, still amazing to me, customers from all over the world!!

Dick and I want to thank all of you for your part in keeping us going and making us a “favorite” on your computers.

Please remember to be sure to “like” us on Facebook! You’ll see great projects from customers and Erica’s employees, new items just into the store and be eligible for great giveaways! Now you can also follow us on Pinterest and Twitter.

(To find an item or event on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

Stress-Free Zippers!

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Post by guest blogger Rebecca Adams.

Being an employee at Erica’s I am constantly challenged to do things outside my comfort zone.  During a Creative Sewing Club meeting, Erica and I discovered that many of our customers have a fear of zippers.  We agreed that it would be good to go over zipper insertion.  I was game until I discovered that I would be the one doing the explaining!  After trying the following patterns, I can honestly say that zippers are “no sweat!”

Terry at Atkinson Designs has really got zipper insertion down to a science. She breaks the process down into a few easy steps and the results are truly amazing!

First you measure and cut the zipper to the correct length needed. You achieve this by simply cutting the end of the zipper off, zipper stop and all. Then you take two 1” x 1.5” pieces of fabric and fold each wrong sides together.   You sew one to each end of the zipper creating new zipper stops. (The folded edge of the fabric goes toward the center of the zipper.)

Zipper

 

Next you simply sew on the pieces of the bag you are working with, one side at a time.  If you are using cotton, you need to sew the zipper and fabric right sides together using a zipper foot, then topstitch to create a finished look. If you’re using a laminate fabric, just fold under one 1/4” and  sew close to the zipper teeth using a Teflon presser foot.

zipper

To finish the bag, you fold it right sides together and sew the sides and bottom together. Quickly and easily you have inserted a zipper and finished a quick little bag! If I can do it, you can do it!

Start with one of these patterns to try stress-free zipper insertion for yourself, and have a great finished project at the same time:

Project patternsAtkinson Designs Cash & Carry (28033) $8.00
Atkinson Designs Lollipop Bags (A14624) $6.50
Sweetwater Pack & Go (A12091) $8.00

Be sure to “like” us on Facebook! You’ll see great projects from customers and Erica’s employees, new items just into the store and be eligible for great giveaways!

(To find an item or event on our web page after clicking on the underlined words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

Say What?

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Today’s post is from Jennifer Crutchfield. She’s our relatively new web gal at the shop, and she’s been quickly learning some new vocabulary over the last several weeks.

When you hang around a quilt shop long enough, you’ll hear some awfully funny words. Some of them you’ve heard before but they’re being used in a whole new way. Others, you may never hear anywhere else.

For example, how do you handle your kids “tatting” on each other?

No. Wait. That’s not what we’re talking about.

Not tattling. Tatting. You know, the age old art of lace making. Of course.

Tatting

And don’t even get me started on when my kids are “smocking” each other.

No, no, no. Not smacking, smocking. Smocking is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric so that it can stretch. Yes, I did have to look that one up so that I could be sure I defined it properly. I can’t be expected to know all of the crazy crafting words inside and out, can I?

How about a “fussy cut?” Is that something a distressed mother does when she’s waiting in line with a crying child? Or even “over 2?” Is that an age limitation on who should undertake the crafting project?

Seriously? A glossary should be standard issue when a person walks in the front door of this building.

“Are you a Continental (European) knitter, or English knitter?”

“Where will I find the punch needle books?” (If I punched a needle, wouldn’t that hurt?)

One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to end up “in the ditch.”

You Did What In the Ditch? Book Cover

The good news is that no matter what crazy words you hear around Erica’s, somebody knows what you’re talking about. Everybody does some sort of crafting and everybody is always eager to help and to share her knowledge.

Do you have any funny stories of using crafting language around your friends or family that got them confused? We’d love to hear them. Please share in the comments!

(To find an item or event on our web site after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

What a Cat-astrophy!!

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I came back into my studio from dinner to see this batting lying on the floor under my Handi Quilter Fusion! (I used to just call it my sewing room, but read somewhere that calling it a “studio” improves the value of the room!)

batting lying on the floorAs usually happens when I see (or do) something that’s really wrong, the room really heats up! Once I mop my brow and neck and calm down, the room cools off a bit, and I can start to analyze the problem…

In this case, the batting that was left under the quilt on my frame was too short for the wallhanging now, and Bernie (Munchkin feline) was hiding. I should have noticed that he was attracted to wool batting, and not left the room with the batting unprotected from feline nose. Ahhh, hind sight! Eliminating the cat was not an option, so I had to eliminate this particular problem.

I had already started quilting, so I couldn’t completely replace the Heat Press Batting Togetherbatting. Then I remembered that I had some Heat Press Batting Together (rather unwieldy name, but really great product!), and it would solve the problem. A12633 

Cats and battingSo I pulled the jagged batting up from where it had been hanging down and laid it on top of the quilt. I put another piece of batting so that the straight edge was under my jagged Handi Batting Scissorsedge by a few inches. Then I cut both layers  in a pretty straight line with my Handi Batting Scissors (22078), removed the two short pieces that got cut off, and butted the edges together.

I used my portable iron, Petite Press (47293), and fused the two edges together.Petite Press

When it cooled, I lifted it so I could get to the other side, and pressed Heat Press Batting Together on that side too. Same as new!!

(You can see a detailed video on how the Heat Press Batting Together works on our site.)

HQ FusionWhen I went to bed that night, you can be sure that wool batting was pulled up, out of feline reach!  I have two huge pieces of corrugated card board from a treadmill we got, and I cover a quilt in progress with them to prevent feline hammock activity.

Covered Handi QuilterAnd then I covered the Handi Quilter!

Stamp of Approval

After getting the feline stamp of approval, and adding Piping Hot Binding (23940) to my Mama and her Kitten quilt, it was finished! 

Mama and her Kitten Quilt

Mama and her Kitten (A14957)

(To find an item or event on our web site after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.


Flying Colors II by Laurel Burch

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Check out this new line of fabric fom Laurel Burch for Clothworks! Butterflies and triangles and stripes! Oh my!

You can start with the panel and embellish to your heart’s content.

Laurel Burch panels with embellishments

From left to right the store models above are embellished with embroidery, beading, and glitter.

Glitter, beading, and embroidery on one panel

Or better yet, go with all three on one panel!

You’ll find fun project ideas on the in-store display along with fun gifts for everyone on your spring shopping list.

Laurel Burch socks

Going for a walk will be fun with these bright and colorful socks (some of which are pictured above) and you can carry your stuff in style with these Laurel Burch designed bags and totes (just a few pictured below)!

Laurel Burch bags

(To find an item or event on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

She’s a Superstar!

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Karen Lindley

Our very own Karen Lindley, avid Creative Sewing Club and Handi Quilter Club member, from South Bend, Indiana has been featured in an ad in Machine Quilting Unlimited (item A16227) this month! She won the My HQ Story Contest from HandiQuilter and got to spend some time with other winners at the company headquarters in Utah.  She had a fabulous time there!  Karen loves her Fusion and Pro-Stitcher!

Karen is using her HQ Fusion to quilt her ‘Some Day’ pile. Be sure to watch Karen’s video and leave her a comment so she knows you stopped by!

Congratulations Karen! We’re so proud of you and your story! Thanks so much for letting Erica’s help you in your quilting journey.

Quick Tip for Pressing a Quarter Inch

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I was working on a project recently, and it called for a strip of interfaced fabric to have the two long edges pressed in 1/4″.  From the beginning of my sewing experience (more years ago than I’ll admit), that phrase filled me with dread!  That is, until I figured out an easy way to do it.  I thought I’d share that with you today.

I lay the strip right side down and draw a line parallel to each long edge, in from the edge 1/2″.  Then I simply press each edge in to meet that line!  So much easier than before I thought of this.  You may have thought of it, too, but if not, try it next time you need to “press edge in one quarter inch” and you’ll see the dread fade for you, too!

I turned around as I was writing this to see my Lacy, lying in a box top I keep on my desk to put papers for recycling in.  Of course she’s way too big, but that doesn’t stop her.  It’s her new favorite place to nap!  I couldn’t wait to share the photo with my fellow feline fanatics! By the way, if you haven’t seen the Crafter Kitties in our newsletter, be sure to check the pages out here: http://www.ericas.com/nl/page23-25.pdf .   I’m working on another newsletter for the end of the month, and there will be new photos.

If you have some to contribute, we love to get them.  Include details about yourself and your Crafter Kitty.

Happy Holidays by Atkinson Designs

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Thinking about how to spruce up your table for the holidays? With Atkinson Designs Happy Holidays pattern, this is a snap!

Terry from Atkinson Designs has developed an easy way to turn simple rectangles into beautiful triangles for every holiday. This pattern makes three sizes, starting at a small table topper and going all the way up to a wonderful Christmas tree skirt.

The project is started by sewing two strips coordinating fabrics right sides together. You then cut your strips into rectangles. Then cut the rectangles diagonally from seam to seam and, before you know it, you have two 60 degree triangle blocks.  (We’re using the Gypsy Gripper, 30158, in the photo.  It makes rulers easy to position and move, and keeps fingers away from the rotary tool!)

You must be sure to cut half of them half with one fabric on top, and half with the other fabric on top. This creates the right number of opposite triangles needed to make the table topper.

After cutting all of your rectangles into triangles, you simply sew them all together and you have a quick and easy holiday piece with perfect points!

You’ll want to make one for every holiday: Groundhog’s Day, Sweetest Day, President’s Day, Flag Day, etc!

Happy Holidays!!

(To find an item or event on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.