Jamie Kalvestran, the designer behind "Scrap-Bags™ patterns", visited us at the shop recently and posted this short little tour for her readers. If you haven't had the chance to visit us in person yet, here's the next best thing!

Welcome to Texas Quiltworks in the charming town of Rockwall Texas!

I am pleased to introduce Judy Hall owner of this

shop. Judy is standing in front of one of her original

designs "Flying High Texas". This pattern is

published under the label: Coming Home Designs

and is available both retail and wholesale by contacting

Judy at Texas Quiltworks.

Here is Judy in 'work mode'

she doesn't know I took this photo. Hehehe . . . (Hi Judy)

Texas Quiltworks is a long time customer of Scrap-bags™ Patterns!

Here is the gracious welcoming entrance

when you first walk in through the front door.

This quilt is another of Judy's Creations!

Simply gorgeous!

Oh, and that's her husband hard at work.

There was road construction and I was unable to

park the behemuth RV and so she sent him down

to the Walmart Parking lot to pick me up, I love limo service. ;-)

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Thanks again to Jamie for the good review!

Beginning Sewing Class with Betsy

When I was 12, my mom sat me down in front of her old Singer, housed in the big walnut cabinet, and showed me how to sew. It was a little frustrating at first, trying to get that bobbin in the case, and my stitches wobbled and clumped and they zigged when they should have zagged. But before too long I got the hang of it and how I fell in love!


I remember flipping the pages in the pattern books and finding the perfect one (it was “koolots” with a zipper down the front! Wow! So very “in”!) and of course, bright striped fabric! I was so very proud of my new garment and turned many heads in my 7th grade class! Hundreds of patterns later, I am very glad my mom took the time to teach me. I can’t remember the last time I bought curtains… I have always thought “Oh I can make that!” In fact, I am in the middle of a set of curtains this week! Before that project it was an arm chair that needed freshening up with a slip cover and some new pillows for my daughter’s bed. So fast and simple to make! My teenage daughter has also caught the sewing bug, her last project being a very elaborate anime character costume with a flared skirt and wings, all her own sewing creations.

When I am at the store, I often hear “I don’t even know how to thread a machine.” or “I always wished I could at least sew a pillow.” or “I don’t know a thing about sewing but I’d love to make something!” So many women have walked through the store and looked longingly at cute patterns, cool purse projects, baby blankets, only to shrug and walk away, mumbling sad phrases such as these.

So why not help them out and start some beginning sewing classes! The class runs from 6 to 8 pm each Thursday, here at the shop. We will be making items such as pillowcases, some cute jammie bottoms and ever so stylish aprons. It will be lots of fun! -Betsy

New Blocks-of-the-Month Beginning in September

Well, it is that time of the year when we begin to look for our projects we would like to keep us company. This fall when the leaves begin to change and the gentle fall rains keep us inside we want a good project to enjoy. We want a project that challenges us, keeps our attention and we have a home for it when it is finished. Whether it is for our home, a family member or friend we want to create something that is our own personal work of art. So check out our new blocks of the month, call in 972-771-9952 or sign up on the web http://www.texasquiltworks.com/ and let’s begin our journey together.

Kids Camp 2009

What do you do with an overly energetic 8 year old that has a wonderful desire to learn to sew? The first thing I found is to keep her busy and hopefully the two hours will pass quickly.

First we did the usual which was a pillowcase. I thought the fabric selection would take at least 15 minutes, well, before I could turn around the selection had been made. Okay now what!!!! The speed with which she selected her fabric was unreal and not the least challenging to her. I know when she becomes a quilter the Quiltshop owners will love her because she knows what she wants.

Once the pillowcase was serged she wanted to embroidery her name. She loved watching the embroidering and then we made her brother a pillowcase.

Well, the rest of the week was fun and we got everything made and each item was a treasure to her.

Last night at church I saw a really cute little blonde girl from the back that had a darling purse and I wanted to get a closer look. When I got up closer I realized it was her and she had made the purse in shop. What a compliment to her and her work.

So if you have a young one, girl or boy, who wants to sew let them try because you never know what they can create.

Make a Blanket Day is Here!

August 23 1:00pm at Texas Quiltworks

We are officially participating in the Collin/Dalllas/Grayson County Chapter! (A request will be made to add "Rockwall" to that title).

Come play on our first Make A Blanket Day on August 23 at 1:00pm. Teresa Costin, our fearless leader, will head up this awesome day for us! She will bring dozens of kits with her to pass out to everyone.

We are enrolled in the latest mission that Teresa Costin has agreed to - which is to donate hundreds of blankets to the children of fallen soldiers.

Teresa has requested that you bring everything that you will need to make a blanket - sewing kit, sewing machines, crochet needles, etc. You do not have to quilt a blanket, you can crochet or knit one as well.

Because our classroom has limited space, we are requesting that you just send us a note or a call to let us know that you are coming. Also, if you would like to make a blanket but you don't want to stay all day, feel free to take a kit home with you.

The Project Linus Mission

Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission statement, which states:

• 
  First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”
  


• Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.
  Together we have distributed over three million blankets to children in need since our inception in 1995.

It began...

I was eight years old when Mama, Papa and my siblings moved from Mayfield, Kentucky to Raymond, Mississippi. We rode the train with all our worldly possessions. The train was hot but the breeze from the windows being open helped stave off the heat.

I remember the train ride as if it were yesterday. There was an air of excitement on the train as World War I soldiers fill the seats. Being young and impressionable I was intrigued with them. They were handsome and full of energy as they made there journey to the battlegrounds so far away. I made friends with one of them and I was in love. Later he even wrote me a letter and I knew for sure I was in love.

I tell all of this in order for you to understand what was happening in my life when I wore the dresses that later became a quilt. My mother saved these dresses and once I had worn them out the fabrics became part of the makings for a quilt.

The quilt was handmade by my mother, Annie Carter. Sashing, borders and fancy piecing were not to be a part of this quilt. It was simply pieces of fabrics sewn together to make the blocks. Then the blocks were sew together to make the quilt top. Such a simple quilt but the memories of those times come back to me when I see the fabrics in this quilt some 90 years later.

And so the story goes………………….

This story was told by my mother-in-law when she showed me this quilt. It is a story that explains not all quilts have a visual beauty from the colors, textures or workmanship but has a beauty from the eyes of a little girl in 1918.

SPRING FLING: I've Got the Notion

It’s Spring Time.

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming and the air feels fresh. There is an all over feeling of newness. It reminds me of living in Kansas where the growing season is a bit shorter there than it is here in Texas. That always made me appreciate the warm sunshine of early spring so much more.

You are probably wondering what Kansas or Texas in the spring time has to do with quilting. Well, in Kansas, I have a dear friend named Margaret who loves to quilt even more than I do. She is probably 15 to 20 years older than me but when it comes to quilting, she is truly young at heart.

In the spring, Margaret and I used to love to sew outside on the front porch. We would take our machines, quilt projects, and any notions that we might need out to the patio and sew all day. We would begin in the morning when the air was crisp and cool, wearing our light jackets and finish at the end of the day when the sun was beginning to set in the west and it had warmed up. We had so much fun!

Now that we are Texans and own a quilt shop, I am lucky enough to celebrate spring with the Spring Fling event.

Spring Fling is a shop hop involving 10 quilt shops in the area. We love to celebrate with our customers each year.

At each store you will get your “passport” stamped to show that you arrived, then you will get a free pattern plus a different notion at each shop (must be 18 years or older). If you have your passport stamped at all 10 shops, you will be eligible to be in a drawing for a sewing machine!

The dates of the Spring Fling are Thursday through Saturday of April 16m 17, & 18. Our shop will be open from 9am to 8pm on these special days!

The following is the list of participating shops;

Texas Quiltworks – Rockwall
Peachtree – Weatherford
Pastime – Gainesville
Quilter’s Dream – Colleyville
Old Town Quilts – Keller
Lone Star – Arlington
Kaleidoscope – Whitesboro
Houston Street Mercantile – Granbury
Country Stitches – Burleson
Cabbage Rose – Ft Worth

Look forward to see ya’ll next weekend.

Judy