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August is a warm and golden month, filled with the last bright days of summer. Gardens are at their fullest, fields glow with ripening crops, and long evenings invite us to slow down and enjoy nature’s beauty before autumn arrives.
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I must apologise for the lateness of this email. I have had several computer glitches today which did not allow me to access my website. I hope it is solved now and that this month's email newsletter will reach you.
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The 13th of August is International Left-Handers Day! All of you who fit into this category can happily celebrate your uniqueness. If you are a sewer or a quilter, do you have any problems because of being left-handed? I am right-handed, but I suspect that left-handers must have tricks that they have learned in order to handle the sewing/quilting tools of the trade. The first post below talks about this topic.
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Did you know that most of the posts from each monthly Newsletter are not lost once the email goes out? If you delete the Newsletters after reading them, you can always find the posts in the News & More section of my website. So should you remember something that you would like to read again, you will be able to find it there.
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As a reminder, Red Bridge Quilts offers free standard postage to anywhere within the island of Ireland. So those of you lucky enough to live on this beautiful Emerald Isle always have this advantage should you choose to order anything. All other destinations will incur the normal postage charge unless the total reaches the 'free postage' amount. We also offer a free local pick-up service for everyone.
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FEATURED CONTENT THIS MONTH
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Quilting news and tips
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New this month
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Following are the new posts up on the website this month. They are a gathering of various topics and articles from the world of quilting. I hope you find them of interest.
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1
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Are you a left-handed sewer? What are the challenges you encounter as a left-hander when trying to sew or quilt? How do you overcome them? Did you know that only one in ten people are left-handed and that many famous people are left-handers? August 13th is International Left-Handers Day. Read about the problems and challenges left-handers face and how one woman overcame and embraced this difference.
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2
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Quilters love to make quilts. That's a fact! It doesn't matter if we are making a quilt for ourselves, for a family member, for a friend, or for a charity project. However, I believe we get a special joy from gifting our handmade quilts. In gifting we obviously feel the pride in our accomplishment, but we also feel the joy of giving. In this blog post, "Hailey Stitches" suggests five ways to gift wrap a handmade quilt.
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3
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Are you afraid of flying? I travel by air from time to time, and I must admit that turbulence makes me nervous and a bit fearful. In Grandma's Corner this month, Grandma finds herself in the position of having to travel by air for the first time in her life, and she is afraid. However, if she wants to meet her first great-grandchild she must get on that airplane. How did her love of quilting help her overcome this fear?
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Recently finished
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I have been quite busy this month, and I hope you see something you like here.
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"On the Farm" Baby Quilt is a lovely new addition to the Shop. It is a yellow and white 100% cotton quilt with a farmyard animal theme. It is quilted in white thread with a baby duck and bubbles design. The wording going all around the quilt makes it particularly sweet and perfect for a baby boy or a baby girl. Read more details about this quilt in the Shop.
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The Lil' Llamas Baby Rag Quilt has proven to be very popular, but is now back in stock again. It's made with 100% cotton flannel fabric, and is so cosy, soft and warm. The baby llamas are very sweet, just perfect for a little baby girl or boy. Take a closer look at it in the Shop.
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The Birds of a Feather table runner is back in stock again! It's a popular seller, and this one will be the last for a while because I need to order more fabric. This item has been selling so quickly that I hadn't realised that I was running low on the fabric needed to make it. I'm hoping that the order arrives soon so that I can keep the stock going. This last one is available now in the Shop.
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This yellow and black paisley tote bag is a new addition to the tote bag collection. The sharp colours and style of the fabrics make it perfect for summer fashion. It's a handy bag to use every day as it will hold all of your essentials. Read more details in the Shop.
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The Mellow Yellow small fabric wreath will bring bright summer sunshine into your home. It makes a perfect table decoration for almost any room in the house. Add your own touch by placing a candle or other decoration in the centre. Read more details about this new wreath in the Shop.
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Using Your Wadding/Batting Scraps
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Just as quilters do not like to waste fabric, they also like to save every possible scrap of wadding "just in case". This is actually very thrifty and useful. Quilters are always going to need wadding when quilting, but sometimes we hate to cut into that bolt or large piece when we know we will be wasting some of it. However, there is an easy way to use wadding scraps to make up a whole piece that will be just the size you need for your project.
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Wendi from "Shiny Happy World" has an easy, straightforward tutorial. The only thing I would add to that is how to make sure the edges on the binding scraps are straight before they are joined together. To do this easily, slightly overlap the edges of the two scrap pieces, and then, using your long straight ruler, cut down the centre of the overlapped area (see photo below). Discard the small off-cuts and then stitch the two binding scraps together as Wendi explains. While you are on her site, check out her darling patterns. (I have no affiliation with her site, other than admiring it).
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Under my needle
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I haven't made a Dr. Seuss Book Quilt in a while, and have decided that will be my next project. I have just been gathering the necessary fabrics together.
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Looking for a Gift?
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Do you know someone who loves quilts? Or someone who appreciates a handmade item for the home? A Gift Card from Red Bridge Quilts takes away the hassle of trying to choose just the right gift. You won't have to worry if they will like what you choose or will want to return it or exchange it. Let them decide what they'd really like!! See RBQ's Gift Card options.
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Did you know?
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With every online order from Red Bridge Quilts you will receive a free quilted glasses case. These sturdy 100% cotton cases will protect reading glasses as well as sunglasses. The photo shows a few of the cases from the current selection.
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Red Bridge Quilts offers a Longarm Quilting Service. This means that if you are a quilter, and either don't have the time, are afraid of doing the quilting yourself, or you would like to have a professionally finished look to your quilt, then you might have a "longarmer" do the job for you. I have been "longarming" since 2018 and have hundreds of different designs/pantographs and more than 100 thread colours from which to choose. Contact Red Bridge Quilts for more information.
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Below are a few quilts that Red Bridge Quilts has "longarmed" for customers recently. The first quilter will definitely be ready for the autumn season! The first quilt is quilted with the Baptist Fan design, and the second one is quilted with a pumpkin design.
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The second quilter has made a lovely quilt with a variety of quilt blocks for her son. It is quilted with a geometric design. I am sure he will love it!
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I hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter. Please feel free to share it with anyone you think might like to read it. As always, thank you very much for being here.
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Julie
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Vectors designed by artists at Vecteezy
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