Yea!  It's almost Christmas and my grandbabies will be coming home.  Can't wait!  Of course, I spent way too much on "stuff" for them, but it was just so much fun.  Isaac will be 3 soon and is just getting to the age where Christmas is magical.  We can't wait to enjoy the holiday through his eyes.  Another blessing of the season:  Emma has decided to go to college next year!  She is a senior and has never really wanted to go to college.  "I just want to get out there and work and make some money."  Of course, she told me this a week after we spent some of her college fund on a new roof and windows!  Of course, we only have a few weeks to get her college applications in and her essays written.  But what's a little stress during the holidays!   I'm so excited for her and proud of her for making this "grown up" decision. 
 

You will have to stop by the shop to see all of the new class samples for the upcoming class session January-April 2012.  We have an interesting combination of project and technique classes with something that is sure to interest you.
 

Diana Annis is offering two classes this session: one teaching a flying geese technique that is sure to make your life easier as well as a striking project using curved piecing without curves.

Emily Ellen is continuing with Strip Club, as well as introducing a new class series called Baby Talk, where she will teach a monthly project that is focused specifically on the baby (i.e., baby quilt, diaper bag, sleep sack, and nappies).  She will also be offering a class called Massachusetts Magic that uses the Texture Magic product and will continue with her popular Kids After-School Sewing Camp.
 

Sue Gariepy will be teaching machine embroidery classes this session.  She will be teaching a monthly project called Wildflowers, an embroidered pillowcase with a continuous design, as well as monthly embroidery club projects. 
 

Dianne Miller is continuing with her Baltimore Album series which is so popular but adding a second quilt called Aunt Millie's Garden for those of you who might be interested in a more contemporary project.

Cheryl Martel will be teaching two classes this session.  The first is a class using your serger to make seasonal placements.  The second is a bag class.

Karen Pulaski will be offering a paper-piecing class, using Carol Doak's Paper-Pieced Stars book as well as a contemporary project called Run for Color.
 

We are welcoming back Linda Ramrath who taught here years ago.  Linda is a local pattern designer and the creator of the quilting show "A Quilter's Touch" on Holliston local cable.  She will be teaching three classes this session.  First, she will teach you how to create a line drawing from photographs and turn them into blocks for red work embroidery.  She will also teach a class on using 2.5" strips while making an intricate looking border.  Her last class will teach you her confetti technique for making pictorial landscapes.
 

I will be teaching three classes this session as well.  The first is the return of Colorsplash Trip Around the World.  Several of you have asked me to offer this class again, so we have.  The second will be a new quilt pattern called Walden Woods which teaches you how to use the Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers.  The third is a new class geared toward new quilters. 
 

Paula Webster will be returning with her Anything McKenna series mentioned below. 

Class registration for this session will be Saturday, December 31, at 10 a.m. for in-store registration.  Phone registration will start at 11 a.m.  Priority registration for all Emma's Quilt Club members will be Friday, December 30, at 10 a.m. 

Starting January 1, 2012, we will be launching a new frequent buyer program at Emma's.  Here's how it will work.  During your first visit to the shop in 2012, you will need to "join" our new club; and we will create an "Emma's Quilt Club 6-Box Card" for you.  We will keep these cards for you at the register so you won't have to carry anything around with you.  Every time you make a purchase (sewing machines, software, and services are not included), we will record your pre-tax sale in one of the boxes on the card.  When you complete all six boxes on the card, we will total up all of your purchases and apply 10 percent of that amount to your next purchase.  This will include sale items as well.  So the more you spend, the bigger your discount. 

As with any of the club programs we have introduced over the years, our goal is always to reward our frequent, loyal customers for their continued patronage.  To that end, we will be offering an additional reward for those frequent shoppers.  Once you complete three cards, you will receive an Emma's Quilt Club bag.  Then, whenever there is a 5th Saturday in a month, if you bring in your club bag on that day, you will receive a 20% discount on whatever you can fit in your bag (excluding sewing machines, software, and sewing machines). 

For those of you who are currently a member of Emma's Membership Club, you will continue to receive your immediate discounts and enjoy all of the club benefits until your membership expires. 

Everyone has been eagerly awaiting the "reveal" for our new Saturday Sampler program for 2012.   Starting the first Saturday in February, our program will be a little different this time around.  You will be able to choose from three quilt patterns this year.  The first pattern is called Memories of Provence and is a traditional pieced quilt.  We will be offering it in two color ways:  a traditional floral in navy, red, green, and beige and a batik version in fall colors.  The second is an applique pattern (fusible or hand) called Spring Joy and is a whimsical quilt featuring many of the signs of spring. 

This year, we will be offering a new third option, which is a mystery quilt.  The only things you will know about this quilt are its color way or theme and that it will be a combination of piecing and fusible applique (or hand applique if you prefer). 

For all three selections, we will be providing the pattern and block fabrics with the exception of the background fabric.  You will need to provide that fabric.  We will have plenty of background fabrics on hand for those of you who would like to make your quilt similar to our sample or to coordinate with a finishing kit.  The joining fee for each quilt will be $20.  Sign up for as many as you would like in whichever color ways tickle your fancy.  

We are currently sewing up a storm making the samples for the coming year.  Please check the website and class schedule to learn more details about the program and to see pictures of the samples.  As soon as the quilts are finished, I will post them online.  

This will be our seventh year offering the First Saturday Program, which has been incredibly successful for the shop.  It is always a challenge to keep it interesting and fun every year as we have many participants who have been with us since the beginning.  We hope you will enjoy the addition of the mystery quilt  as well as the quilt patterns we have selected for the coming year's program. 

Please sign up in advance so we can ensure we have blocks ready for all participants on that first Saturday in February. 

Also, one other "new" thing for all current members of the 2011 program.  When you sign up for the 2012 program and bring your completed quilt top from this year to the February meeting, you will receive a $25 gift certificate to the shop. As you know, we want people to make quilts, not just collect blocks.  So I thought this would be a good incentive for you to finish up your quilt and share it with everyone. 

Once again, we will be offering the Buck a Block Program in 2012.  Starting in February, we will be offering the quilt in three color ways.  The first will be a pretty spring floral in yellow, lavender, and green.  The second is a batik offering in lime green, purple, and turquoise.   The third will be a traditional floral fabric selection of navy, red, and green.  The picture shows the pattern only; our color choices are listed above. 

The 2012 quilt will use 2.5" Thangles and consist of 24 blocks, similar to this year's program, so each month you will be making two blocks.  Thangles are a great way to introduce quilters to a different technique for creating half-square triangles.  It's also a great time-saver, cost-effective, and will ensure you have perfect half-square triangle units that make putting blocks together a breeze since everything matches with all of the points in tact.  It’s also an alternative for those who may be interested in the Saturday Sampler but are not available on Saturdays.  Of course, there’s nothing that says you can’t do both!  Here’s how this program works.  Each program member is eligible to purchase one block package each month for $1.  You can come to the shop to pick up your block any day throughout the month.  Any additional block kits for that month may be purchased for $2 each (in case you want to make a second quilt in a different color way).  If you miss a month or your block isn't finished, then you’ll need to purchase the previous month’s block(s) for $3 each to get back into the program.  You will need to come into the shop to pick up your own blocks; a friend can't do it for you.  Please sign up in advance so we can have your blocks ready for you in February to pick up.

Welcome to strip club at Emma’s.  No, this isn’t a meeting that you will be embarrassed to tell your friends about!  Who doesn’t like pre-cut strips and patterns where you can just sit down and sew.  This is a great club where you can get great-looking quilts with all the efficiency and quickness of pre-cut strips.  Here’s how it works.  Each monthly session is $5; sign up for all 4 sessions or only 1, whatever your schedule permits.  It will meet the second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m.  During the prior month of the strip club meeting, we will showcase the fabrics used in the quilt, but the pattern will remain a mystery.  During the meeting we will unveil the monthly strip club quilt and provide a lecture/demo on the quilt construction as well as some other interesting/fun activities.  As a club member, if you attend that month’s session, you will receive the pattern for free and a 20 percent discount on the strip kit and any required tools as well as your borders and backgrounds. So start stripping ladies!

Who doesn't just love McKenna Ryan's beautiful fusible applique projects.  We have had such success with the Beach Walk Series we completed this year that we decided to offer a monthly class on "Anything McKenna," meaning that students can work on any McKenna Ryan project that they would like under the expert guidance of Paula Webster.  Paula has completed a number of McKenna's projects and will share with you many of the tips and techniques she has perfected over the years.  So for those of you who have purchased McKenna's patterns or kits in the past, now is the time to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn from a great teacher and tackle some of those unfinished projects.  And you will end up with a truly beautiful piece of art. 

Do you know someone who has expressed an interest in learning how to quilt but just hasn't found the right class or the time to take a class.  Well, send them our way as we will be offering a new class called Introduction to Quilting for the truly novice quilter.  This will be a 5-week class starting in February on Sunday afternoons. 
 

In this class they will be making a four-block wall hanging while being introduced to the basics.  They will learn about quilting tools, needles, rotary cutters, rulers, threads, fabric, etc.  Also, piecing squares, triangles, rectangles, corner stones, sashing, and borders.  They will finish up the quilt with batting, sandwiching, quilting your quilt layers together, and applying the binding.
 

There's still time to sign up for our next quilters retreat which will be held at the Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis on March 9-11, 2012.  The retreat will start on Friday morning at 10 a.m., include eight meals, 3 nights’ accommodations, sewing rooms, mystery quilt, workshop, and activities, and end Monday afternoon at 4 p.m.  The price for single accommodations is $650 and $499 for double accommodations.  A deposit of $75 will hold your spot, with the final balance being due no later than February 1, 2012.    If you are interested in attending, please sign up soon so we can finalize the activities for the event.  We can also accommodate monthly payments on this to help you manage the cost – a form of “lay away.”

We are delighted to announce that we have two teachers coming this spring to Emma's to teach classes.  The first will be Karen Eckmeier, who is best known of her "accidental landscape" series.  She will be teaching a landscape class on beach scenes on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

The second teacher who will be joining us is Pat Ferguson, a certified teacher for Zentangle Quilting, which has become quite popular this past year.  Pat will be teaching a 6-hour workshop on Saturday, June 16, 2012. 

More details will follow about these exciting workshops as we get closer to the dates, but I just wanted to get these dates out so you could "save the date!"

Starting today, we are celebrating Designer Days at Emma's where you will receive interest-free financing for 36 months with equal payments on the purchase of any Designer Series Sewing and Embroidery Machine.  Look what this means! 

The Designer Diamond Deluxe -- payments as low as $250 per month

The Designer  Ruby -- payments as low as $140 per month

The Designer Topaz 30 -- payments as low as $92 per month

The Designer Topaz 20 -- payments as low as $58 per month

Haven't you been good this year?  Ask Santa to bring you a Husqvarna-Viking Designer Series Sewing and Embroidery Machine this Christmas and enjoy the gift of creativity! 

Look at all of the beautiful quilts hanging in the shop.  Accurate piecing and appliqué are possible because of the many tools now available to quilters.  To encourage quilters to improve/broaden their skills, we will highlight one of our favorite tools and a featured book each month.  Purchase them at 20 percent off the regular price unless otherwise noted.

Featured Notion:   Clover Thread Dome

A novel threaded needle case in which the threads are wound in a reel. Up to 10 threaded needles can be stored in this case.  I use it for pre-loading all of my threaded needles to complete the binding on a quilt.  I also have a separate one for all my redwork needles and my colored embroidery threaded needles.  A great time-saver that keeps you organized. 
 

Featured Book:  Be Attitudes by Art to Heart
 

Given the time of year, we thought it would be a great time to promote this book by Nancy Halvorsen.  The quilt patterns showcase all of the wonderful attitudes we should have, not only during the holiday season but throughout the year:  be patient, be kind, be honest, be grateful, etc.  What a great project to display in a classroom.  It's all done with fusible applique, so it's a great confident beginner's project.   You are sure to have a lot of fun with these projects!            

The American Sewing Guild is a national organization whose goal is to promote the preserve the sewing arts and provide a support organization for sewing enthusiasts.  The Guild is a network of Chapters where sewing friends representing all types of sewing and needle arts as well as experience come together for educational, social, and philanthropic activities. 

At the heart of every Chapter are the smaller, informal neighborhood groups that are based on geographic location or special interests.  They may be ongoing or limited to a specific course of learning or activity, and they provide the perfect setting for making sewing friends and sharing tips and techniques. 

Emma's is very interested in starting a Franklin neighborhood group, and we are actively looking for people who may be interested in joining our group.  We are looking for both a group leader as well as active participants and are hoping to get this group started in the spring.  So if you have an interest in either capacity, please let us know; and we will keep you informed of our efforts to get this group going. 

The trick to creating a marbled look in this chocolate cake is to gently drag the chocolate batter through the yellow batter with a knife until the batter is just swirled.  This not only looks great, but tastes great as well.  The secret ingredient:  almond! 

Cake:
Vegetable oil spray for misting pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 plain yellow cake mix (no pudding)
1 cup sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon water
 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable spray and then dust with flour.
2. Place cake mix, sour cream, oil, melted butter, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until well blended.
3. Melt semisweet chocolate with the milk and water in a small pan over medium heat, stirring often until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Cool slightly.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing out with a rubber spatula.  Drop the chocolate mixture by spoonfuls over the batter.  Marble the batter by swirling the chocolate lightly through it with a knife.  Place the pan in the oven.
5. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, about 40-50 minutes.  Remove pan from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes.
6. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack, then invert it again onto a serving platter so that it is right side up.  Pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides.  Allow the cake to cool completely before serving, about 30 minutes.

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Add cocoa powder and cream and stir until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.  Do not boil.
3. Remove pan from stove and stir in the sugar and vanilla until smooth.

The Green Thing

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." She was right... our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles, and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Certainly adds perspective, doesn't it!