Friday, November 13, 2015

Around Town - Angela's Favorite Local Quilting Stores






I'm from a small town.  Like 2,000 people small. And finding a quality quilting store that's local may be difficult.


Luckily for me, my hometown of Shiner, Texas has a great quilting shop!

The Square Quilter
807 North Ave D
Shiner, TX 77984
361-594-8022
http://www.thesquarequilter.com/

When you grow up and move to a bigger small town, these are the small town stores you visit:

Simple Sewing Solutions
111 W San Antonio St
Lockhart, TX 78644
(512) 398-3930

Calico Crossing
205 South Blanco St.
Lockhart, TX 78644
512-398-2422

The Quilted Skein
125 West Colorado
La Grange, TX 78945
http://www.thequiltedskein.com

And when you visit the big city, these are the quilting stores you will visit:

Stitch Lab
1000 S. 1st. Street
Austin, TX 78704

http://www.stitchlab.biz/index.html

A Quilter's Folly
8213 Brodie Ln. #100
Austin, TX 78745
512-899-3233
http://www.aquiltersfolly.com/


And for ONLINE pattern design and MORE:

Pattern Jam
www.patternjam.com

These are just a few of my FAVORITE quilting stores and resources!  If you are from a small town (or a bigger one), please leave a comment with the name and city of your favorite quilting shop so that others can visit!

Happy Quilting,

Angela
Happy Harper Quilts
www.happyharperquilts.com
 



 


Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Quilting Apps


Happy Harper Quilts
www.happyharperquilts.com

Hey quilters! Here are some of the Apps I have downloaded for quilting. The Robert Kaufman QuiltCalc is especially helpful in calculating yardage for your projects. Check out these helpful apps and download ASAP! You will thank me! :-)


http://www.apppicker.com/…/the-best-iphone-apps-for-quilting

#quiltingapps #‎happyharperquilts‬

Friday, November 6, 2015

The Low-Down on Fabric

Happy Harper Quilts
 
Many of my #happycampers ask me why I recommend purchasing name brand fabric from retailers other than Jo-Ann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart.

The short answer is:  QUALITY. 
Name brand fabric is more durable and easier to work with.  In my experience, when I work with off-brand or cheaper fabrics, you get what you pay for.  You get . . .  seams that do not match up (even if you trim and doctor your blocks a hundred times over!); frays galore; damaged fabric after seam ripping (because the fabric frays); rotary blades that dull faster; and a frustrating work environment.  Think about how the rotary blade has done wonders compared to scissors when it comes to cutting a straight edge.  What a time saver!  And you know you are going to get as accurate a cut as humanly possible!  Well, it is the same for name brand fabrics.  When I work with name brand fabrics, I save time, get better final products and avoid unnecessary frustration!  Quilting is not always enjoyable-hey, it is hard work!  But in the end, you can relish over your finished product!  So many times, after completing a quilt using off-brand fabric, I regret all the time I spent, because the finished product is sub-par!  No one wants to feel that way after spending countless hours on a quilt! 
Some people like to purchase cheaper fabric so they can “practice” a pattern.  Little do they know, the cheaper fabric is not helping you hone your craft.  Instead, it ends up frustrating your efforts and preventing you from accomplishing the very thing you intended to practice--achieving those perfect seams or stitches.  If you want to practice, but don’t want to splurge, then opt for a name brand charm pack (42 5-inch squares, about $10 retail) or just practice on a smaller project (using name brand fabric).
If you have worked with off-brand fabric successfully, hats off to you, darling!  It has not been so easy for me.  I am not saying that you should never choose fabrics from Jo-Ann  Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, or Wal-Mart. BUT - if you are going to invest your time in a project that you want to stand the test of time, splurge on some name brand fabrics.  I promise it is worth it!
My personal experiences are noted below, per retailer:
Wal-Mart – all fabric I have purchased is thin, frays easily, and my seams were never “perfect”.  Not good for any type of quilt-top piecing or paper piecing patterns, IMO.
Jo-Ann Fabrics – this one is hit or miss; about 50% of the time, I get good quality, but beware of thin or rough fabrics.
Hobby Lobby – a lot of cute fabrics to choose from, and I have purchased off the bolt and successfully completed a few lap size quilts with these fabrics with no regrets.  However, I have purchased their fat quarters a couple of times, and my rotary blade and machine needle needed replacing after this single project!  Talk about rough!
Hope this info helps! And as always ...
Happy Quilting,
Angela
Happy Harper Quilts
www.happyharperquilts.com