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Hello and Happy September!
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September marks the gentle transition from summer into autumn. The days begin to shorten, the evenings grow cooler, and the first hints of autumn colour appear in the trees. It is a month of crisp mornings, golden light, harvests, and new beginnings as the season slowly changes. Of course, it also brings the start of the new school year in many parts of the world. Oh, those golden school days!
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I have been away the past few weeks visiting our youngest and his family. They have two very active boys ages 4 and 6, and they sure kept us on our toes! We always enjoy our visits with them. Of course, this meant that I was not in my studio quilting! However, I arrived back home today just in time to send out this newsletter.
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A few Newsletters ago, I included a link to the YouTube channel "Thread Life with Belle". The link took us to the first of a series entitled "Quilt Husband Learns to Sew" After several months of watching The Great British Sewing Bee on television and inspired by watching men sewing, Belle's husband decided that he wanted to learn how to sew. Belle refers to him as "Quilt Husband", and he's never had a hobby of any kind! He decided sewing would be fun to learn. The first two episodes are free to watch, and they are worth it! If you enjoy these and would like to continue, there is the possibility of paying for a subscription. In case you missed it, here is the link to the first episode., and here is the link to the second episode. They are also embedded at the bottom of this Newsletter. Both of these episodes are free with no obligation to continue. As you can imagine, there are lots of laughs.
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Now that September has arrived, it's time to start thinking about Christmas Craft Fairs. Yes, believe it or not, this is when the planning begins and I must start thinking ahead to December. I have signed up to have a table at the Burren Christmas Family Fayre which will run from 11am to 5pm on Sunday, 6th December, at The Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna (Co. Clare). Read more about it here. I may sign up for another one, but I will let you know for sure in the next Newsletter.
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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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Red and white quilts have always been popular. But imagine an exhibition of 650 red and white quilts! The American Folk Art Museum held such an exhibit in 2011. Take a look back at this very special exhibition of the private collection of Mrs. Joanna S. Rose of New York City. It was the first time that Mrs. Rose saw all of her quilts together!
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2
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I am very excited to see that news sources such as The Times-Tribune, NBC New York, Yahoo, Rolling Stone and Parents are reporting that Gen Z, Millennials, and even celebrities are embracing "grandma hobbies" such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, needlepoint, quilting, cooking, baking, gardening, book clubs, bird watching, and more.
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3
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"Grandma's Corner" this month relates the story of "The Thirteenth Quilt", an old tradition which states that a bride-to-be must help with the making of twelve quilts before she can make a thirteenth quilt which would be her own. Discover "Old Abbie's" thirteenth quilt and the possible reason why she was so cranky and mean spirited.
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Recently finished (almost!)
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As mentioned above, I have been away recently and have not been able to get much quilting done. However, my most recent Dr. Seuss Reading Quilt is about to drop in the Shop. Keep an eye out for it.
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Do You Label Your Quilts?
After you've worked long and hard on finishing a quilt, do you take time to add a label to the back? This is a great technique to use on your quilts, especially if they are being gifted. A label for a gifted quilt could include the name of the quilt pattern, the year it was made, for whom it was made, and by whom it was made. It might also include a small message. This can all be done with a fabric marking pen. Or if you are ambitious, you could embroider this information on the label first. Even if you keep the quilt for yourself, a simple label including the name of the pattern and the date you made it will always serve as a reminder for you and for your descendants.
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Hailey Young from "Hailey Stitches" has lots of suggestions for labeling a quilt. See them here. When the label is finished, it can be attached to the quilt easily by stitching it into a corner on the back when adding the binding. .
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Under my needle
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As it's September and Autumn is just around the corner, I have decided to use this layer cake (set of 10" squares). It's a great mix of colours for the new season, which I will combine with a lighter solid colour to make an autumnal throw quilt.
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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 is a zoomed-in photo of a quilt I recently longarmed for a customer. As you can see, it is quite colourful! The quilter chose a fan design done in a dark purple thread which shows up well on this quilt.
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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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