Early Bird Black Friday Sale!!!
Hello Quilting Friends!!
I think November is the most awaited time of the year when we all go crazy shopping with irresistible offers and deals. We quilters are no different, so we are kicking off the season a little early with an Early Bird Black Friday Sale. It’s a Site-Wide 25% Off, 4-day SALE!! Be sure mark your calendar. Sale runs Wednesday (12:00 am) through Saturday (11:45 pm). Stock up on all your favorite fabrics and quilt kits to get ready for a new year of sewing and quilting. No promo code is needed and there's FREE SHIPPING on orders of $65 or more!
Culinary Corner
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” Yes, as Thanksgiving gets closer our memories harken to the holidays, sharing warm drinks and nuts around a fireplace. To recreate that experience, this recipe only needs a few ingredients to make these heavenly, roasted pecans for you and your guests.
Cinnamon Sugared Roasted Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 1/4 cups pecan halves
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet with cooking spray or for easy cleanup, spray parchment paper on cookie sheet.
- Combine the egg white and water in a mixing bowl; beat with a whisk until frothy. Fold in the pecans to coat evenly.
- Combine the sugar, salt, and ground cinnamon in a container with a lid and shake to mix. Pour over the pecans and stir to coat pecans evenly. Spread the nuts over the prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven until toasted and fragrant, stirring every 15 minutes, for about 1 hour. Cool on pan, and store in an airtight container.
LONG-ARM QUILTING SERVICES
As a reminder, we are happy to finish your quilts for you for Christmas. Currently, from the time your quilt is received, it will be 1 to 3 weeks for completion so please keep that in mind.
RECENT ARRIVALS AND HIGHLIGHTS
Unpacking boxes and boxes of fabric have kept us busy this Fall!
Among the newest is a selection of blender texture fabrics from Maywood Studios and P&B Textiles. They are very touchable and come in a variety of colors too. And they work for every sewing project…not just as a backing! That means you can use these colors to broaden your stash at HALF THE COST!
Also, we have a jump on the floral season that is just around the corner. Lots of new floral fabrics arrived this week from MODA, Riley Blake and P&B Textiles. The beauty and color of these florals will make you feel like you are walking through a garden.
FREE QUILT PATTERN
This month we have a cute, quick-to-sew, Fall Maple Leaf Table Runner. Just the ticket when you want to impress your guests but don't have a lot of time. And you can make this one with scraps you have already.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE PATTERN
TIPS, TRICKS & TECHNIQUES
Flannel OR Flannette?? What to choose?
You almost need a file cabinet to keep all the fabrics straight that we use in the sewing world. In the Fall and Winter Seasons, we often want to make quilts and other projects with cozy flannel. And so many colors and prints to choose these days!! Even with flannel, there are differences though, and we want to be smart about choosing the best option for our quilting projects.
First, cotton and flannel are two very common words we often hear in the quilting world. Cotton is a fiber that is taken from the cotton plant. Flannel is a fabric that is made from cotton, wool or synthetic fiber. Thus, the main difference between cotton and flannel is that cotton is a fiber whereas flannel is a fabric.
Each variety of flannel has a specific purpose, so we want to be informed shoppers. Flannelette is made from flannel yarns and is usually the lower quality of the two. This is what we purchase at Joann’s most often. It is very soft, fuzzy and sometimes feels thick. It’s a good fabric to be used for pajamas, diapers and sheets.
But real flannel is more expensive and sometimes called “quilter’s flannel”.
What is Flannelette?
Flannelette is a soft, woven fabric created to imitate flannel. It is created by raising and brushing the fibers in the weft. It is used most often for those clothing items that require softness like sleepwear, pillows, and bedding.
Some of the materials used to create flannelette are other flannel yarns. It is a woven product that does not transfer the strength of flannel to its product. The cost of this material is on the low end of the fabric scale ranging anywhere between $3 and $8/yard.
One of the drawbacks of using flannelette in quilts is that it is not as strong as regular flannel. It will not last for the decades of use we expect from our well-made quilts. Sometimes flannelette is made from cotton which helps it to be softer than other fabrics. Given its inexpensive cost, it still has a very nice look and almost luxurious feel to the fabric. The final thing you should know about flannelette’s construction material is that there will be times it is made from a cotton-polyester blend. To clean flannelette properly you should read the label to make sure you know which fibers were used in its creation.
Real flannel on the other hand, is not tightly woven. It is loosely woven, creating air pockets between fabric fibers creating warmth we love! It is much more durable, not pilling and fraying when washed. And the shrinkage is normally much less. Flannel is much more expensive than flannelette, possibly costing upwards of $12.00+ a yard for 44-45” wide fabric. Real flannel is a great material to use for those flannel shirts that have to be worn for tough outdoor jobs. It is also good for the quilts we want to become family heirlooms. Those quilts can handle frequent washing and use. Unfortunately, flannelette quilts do not last as long and are basically good for short term, temporary purposes.
Linda
Log Cabin Quilt’N Sew
703-586-3265