AST Christmas Gift Guide 2016 - Part 2

In case you missed yesterday's post, here's how our gift guide works! We have asked all of our staff members to tell us their favorite products from both the sewing center & the quilt shop! Then we put the products all together in this handy little gift guide, so you can get the quilter in your life the perfect gift this Christmas, or you can try some new products, and give yourself a little something!

Today we will be sharing our favorite products from the Sewing Center! 

Pickle Pie Hoop Envy Series - Tayler (aka Ting Tong)

"I am loving the Pickle Pie Hoop envy series! These awesome "In The Hoop" projects are so fun and easy! They make great personalized gifts everyone is sure to love! No matter which one you choose they are guaranteed to be the perfect stocking stuffer! " Pickle Pie's Hoop Envy series is a collection of "In The Hoop" embroidery designs that make adorable gifts and bags, plus they create "hoop envy."

Emrilliance Essentials AccuQuilt Edition - Karen (aka Mamaw)

"I'm loving the new software that works with AccuQuilt dies. Makes appliqué embroidery projects look very professional!" The software library features 75 different AccuQuilt dies and allows you to choose from 3 different stitch types. Come see a sample animals stitched out in store!

Slimline LED Table Lamp - Karin (aka Mins) 

"That new slim light for over a sewing machine. The top swivel to let you point the light exactly where you need it!" This light is very slim and fits nicely in your sewing room. Plus it's super bright and has a simple touch power button.

Baby Lock Rinse-Away & Tear-Away Stabilizer - Laurie

"Good for non-stretch projects where you don't want stabilizer on after embroidery" This stabilizer is a great choice for a wide variety of embroidery projects. Stop in the Sewing Center to find out more about all of our stabilizers. 

Electric Quilt 7 - Melisa

"Electric Quilt 7 software is a must have tool in my sewing room. EQ7 has more features than I will ever use, but it has all of the features I want when designing my quilts. I find it's very helpful in deciding on layouts, altering block designs, auditioning borders, and previewing color combinations. The fabric library combined with fabric collections I import from online sources gives me more than enough color choices to depict the fabrics I plan to use from my stash. This software is not intuitive and does have a learning curve, but working through the lessons and tutorials in the user manual will make you a competent user."

Baby Lock Jane - Mary

"Jane is my favorite sewing machine! She can stitch through anything with her walking foot. She also can sew up to 1,500 stitches per minute." Come test drive Jane in the Sewing Center, we promise you'll want to take her home with you!

Kimberbell Me Time Embroidery Series - Kaitlin

"I love stitching things out in the hoop and the Kimberbell Me Time Embroidery Series has a ton of great designs! My current favorite is the adorable Advent Banner pictured above. I can stitch out six of them in my hoop at one time!" Kimberbell also has a ton of other designs, so come in the store and check them out!

AST Christmas Gift Guide 2016 - Part 1

Last year the AST staff put together a list of their favorite products from both the sewing center and the quilt shop and called it the AST Gift Guide. Since it was such a hit last year we have decided to do it again with a new set of our favorite products! This will be a two-day guide, with today's post being about our favorite items from the quilt shop side of the store! Tomorrow check back for our favorite products from the sewing center!

If you're not familiar with how this works, here's what will happen. We have asked all of our staff members to tell us their favorite products from both the sewing center & the quilt shop! Then we put the products all together in this handy little gift guide, so you can get the quilter in your life the perfect gift this Christmas, or you can try some new products, and give yourself a little something!

Double Wide Dresden Ruler - Karen (aka Mamaw)

"Totally excited about the Double Wide Dresden ruler from Me and My Sister Designs! Uses both ends of the blade to create a star effect! Nice!" Plus keep an eye out for this ruler as part of a special coming up soon! (:

Pink Sand Beach Patterns - Kaitlin

"I have recently started making different bags and I am hooked on Pink Sand Beach patterns! They are very informative, well written, and have great pictures to show you each step. My current favorite is the Fiji Tote (pictured above); just 7 fat quarters and some interfacing and you've got an adorable tote bag that comes together in a snap!"

Creative Grids Round Up Tool - Karin (aka Mins)

"My favorite quilting side product is the Creative Grids Round Up Tool. Oh, boy is that thing fun! Circles, petals, teardrops, leaves, you name it, this little gadget makes them all a snap. It's also great for paper so you can, you know, make fun stuff for packages, decorations, etc. I love things that are versatile like that."

Lace Zippers - Jill 

Jill's favorite products are our new lace zippers. They add a special touch to any project and come in a wide variety of colors. Try one out for your next bag or garment project!

Thangles - Mary

"I love the accuracy you get when using Thangles to make half-square triangles from strips, and the Project Packs are so convenient with the instructions and correct size Thangles included." We carry a wide variety of size of Thangles in store, so come give them a try for your next half-square triangle project!

505 Temporary Adhesive Spray - Laurie

"Love it when spray basting quilts. Great for embroidery items that can't be hopped." 505 Spray is super versatile and chances are you've probably heard us recommend it before. We love this stuff at AST!

Wool Scrap Bags, Bundles, and Tools - Susan

"For this year, my favorites would be the wonderful wool scrap bags and bundles that have been added to our shelves just to call to me as I walk buy. If you've taken one of my wool classes this past summer, you know you must save all your scrap because you never know what you might need. There are lots of great color combinations to choose from too! Also on my list are the Karen Kay Buckley scissors. They are nice and sharp...perfect for tiny wool pieces. Add a few balls of Valdani thread, and I am a happy girl!!"

Crayola Fabric Markers - Makenzie

"I love the new Crayola Fabric Markers!! They are super fun and easy to use. (:" These markers are great for letting your kids or grandkids color their own fabric to use in a project, like a pillow case!

Karen Kay Buckley Adjustable Rulers - Tayler & Melisa 

(must be really good if two staff members chose it!)

Tayler says - "I want one of those new puzzle rulers! They break apart into small sections to make them super easy to store and to take with you to classes. Plus they come in different sizes that great for all kinds of projects"

Melisa says - "The Karen Kay Buckley 3" and 6" adjustable rulers are my new favorite gadget. Have you ever gone to class with a 12" ruler, but needed a 24"? Or how many 24" rulers have you inadvertently broken because they're so unwieldy to pack? These rulers can prevent all that! The five ruler pieces come packaged in a felt storage bag, and snap together seamlessly to create whichever length you need. The markings are clear and include 30, 45 and 60 degree angles. I love the convenience of having all the sizes together and the portability of the small bag - just throw it in your bag and always have the ruler length you need!

Mini Design Boards - Charla 

"These design boards are great for those smaller blocks that you're piecing! They really help you keep all of the pieces in one place and see how the block will look when it's finished." We carry these boards in two different sizes 10 x 10 and 18 x 18. Both sizes are great for sitting on your sewing table while making blocks.  

Frixion Pens - Ruthy

Frixion Pens are great for many things! They work for embroidery, half square triangles, and so much more. The lines fade easily with a press of the iron! We carry plenty of colors so you can choose your favorite! The highlighters are great for patterns too!

Quilter's Cookbook - Fall/Winter Edition

Who doesn't love a good recipe? 

I know I do! 

What would be even better than a list of all of our favorite recipes in one place? 

A quilt pattern inspired by the recipe to go along with it! 
Just simply click on the recipe name to be taken to the recipe.

Melisa's Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

Veggie Soup and Crackers Quilt Pattern (Exclusively at AST)

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Blueberry Hill Quilt Pattern by Villa Rosa Designs

Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials to Keep You Quilting Your Best!

Whether you're a seasoned quilter or you're just starting out, you can never get enough tips, tricks, and tutorials to help you out. We've put together a list of resources to help you become the best quilter you can be!

Basic Quilting Supplies for All Quilters:

• Sewing Machine
• Fabric
• Sewing Machine Needles
• Sewing Thread
• Pins and Quilting Pins
• Batting
• Rotary Cutting Set
• Large Self Healing Mat
• Fabric Scissors
• Quarter-Inch Presser Foot
• Plus check out this video where you can see some of these tools in action

Steps to Make a Quilt from Start to Finish:

1. Choosing Your Fabrics & Fabric Shopping Advice from Diary of a Quilter
2. Rotary Cutting 101 by April Rosenthal
3. Piecing with a Quarter Inch Seam from Quilter's Diary
4. How to Piece Quilt Blocks
5. Squaring Up Quilt Blocks from The Craft Mummy
6. Piecing Your Quilt Top from Diary of a Quilter
7. Choosing Batting & Thread for Quilting
8. Basting Your Quilt from We All Sew
9. Quilting with Straight Lines or Quilting Free Motion
10. Trimming & Squaring Up Your Quilt from Dining Room Empire
11. Binding and Finishing from Canoe Ridge Creations

Tips & Tricks to Bring Your Quilts to the Next Level:

• Adding Extra Flair to Your Binding
• Spray Basting Your Quilt with Adhesive Spray
• Adding a Pop of Color to Your Binding
• Make Personalized Labels for Your Quilt
• 15 Quilting Hacks You Can't Live Without

UFO Challenge - Number for November

We hope you're following along with us for our 2016 UFO Challenge. If this is your first time hearing about it, you can find all the details here. It's never to late to join in! 

Each month we will draw a number, and that number will correspond with the project number to work on for the month. Then at the end of each month, post your pictures on any of our social media sites or email them to us at info@ascarletthread.com. Be sure to use the hashtag #AST2016Challenge so everyone can see your progress! 

This month's number is: 12