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News 6/09/09: Spring has sprung and summer is around the corner. How do I know this? Well the Summer Solstice is just a few weeks away and that means longer days which translates to more golf time for me and more quality quilting time for you. Oddly though my Mother-in-Law is visting relatives in Montana and she got snowed on. How sweet it is to be living in Southern California (my apologies to those of you on this list that are out of this area - I hope you have nice weather too...really).

It's been too long since my last update and of course I have plenty to share. Marilyn and I enjoyed two great weeks in Europe traveling to France and Italy with our daughter Stacy. Now that we are back we are gearing up for a busy summer at the shop. Classes for this session are in full swing and July brings the Southern California Quilter's Run AND the International Quilt Festival at Long Beach. Christmas fabrics have started to arrive (no way - yes way). School is out and it's time to focus on your quilting projects. We are here to help. Let me start off with a joke I told at Saturday Sampler this week.

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack. "Miss Wack, I'd like get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday", says the frog. Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger and that his dad is Mick Jagger. There should be no problem as he knows the bank manager. Patty explains that he will need some collateral to secure this loan. The frog says, "Sure, I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about 1-inch tall, bright pink, and perfectly formed. Very confused Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the manager and disappears into a back office. She finds the manager and says, "There is a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000 and is only offering this as collateral." She holds up the tiny pink elephant. The bank manager looks back at her and says...

(you're going to love this)

"It's a knickknack, Patty Wack. Give the frog a loan. His old man is a Rolling Stone."

And with that, it is on to announcements...

First, we are kicking off yet another new block of the month. This one is another Bunny Hill design (did you like the Autumn House BOM?) called "A Vintage Christmas Quilt".




We are still working out the pricing but are taking names and phone numbers to call when its released. Also, it is not too late to get in on a few of our other Block of the Month (BOM) programs. We still have a few openings in the Autumn House and Spring Baskets. I recommend you contact the shop if your are interested (pictures are on the website). Also, we have complete kits for the Amelia's Rose Garden BOM for sale. These are beautifully packed as BOM blocks complete with fabric and pictures for each month. Buy it all at once and take your own time to make it!

The 2009 Southern California Quilters Run is right around the corner. This year should be just as exciting (if not more) than last year. This is the 11th year and with over 42 shops participating it will be a challenge for anyone to get to them all. But the reward of going to all 42 shops is great. Not only will you be entered into many drawings for quilt baskets, you will be entered into a drawing for a $250 gift certificate and the grand prize drawing for a trip for two to the 2010 AQS Quilt show in Paducah Kentucky. To give you enough time to shop every store the quilt run covers two extended weekends, July 9-12 and July 16-19. The hours are Thursday-Saturday 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday 9 am to 5 pm. We now have brochures at the shop complete with maps and directions to all stores on the run. More information at quiltersrun.com. Join the fun.

Right after the Quilters Run is the International Quilt Festival at Long Beach. I bring this up because it is a particularly large show for our area. Last year was the first year for this show and in general it was a big success. Lots and lots of vendors. Beautiful quilts. And a great location, right in the heart of Long Beach at the Convention Center right next to the harbor (Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, California 90802). The show runs three days, Friday thru Sunday, July 24th-26th. There is a special preview night, Thursday July 23rd from 5-9 pm. Show tickets are $10 per day or $25 for all three days. Seniors and students pay only $8.You can buy your tickets in advance online at www.quilts.com or as a courtesy we are selling tickets at face value at our shop. If you intend on going to the preview night you need to buy a ticket that includes that option (no extra cost). We will be vending there again this year and hope you can drop by and say hello. If you signed up for our bus trip, you do not need to purchase a ticket as it is included in your bus fare. Please note our bus for this year is already sold out.

We hope you all enjoyed the sale we had last month on close-out fabrics. There were some great bargains to be had. In fact it was so successful we have decided to kick it up a notch (I've heard that somewhere...). This month we are having a variation on our "Buy the Bolt" sale. In the past versions of this sale, the more you bought the more you saved. This time we are making it easier. We will be hand selecting bolts for discount, but instead of a discount these will be simply priced at a discounted rate. We will have selected bolts marked to $6 per yard, $5 per yard, $4 per yard, and even $3 per yard. Plus we will be discounting all remnants normally priced at $5.98 per yard to just $3.50 per yard. When is this sale you ask? The sale will be starting Tuesday June 23rd and will go through the end of the month to Tuesday, June 30th. This gives you 8 great days to stop by and stock up on some great deals. Come once or come often as we may be adding to the sale pile as the week goes on. No special hours. Just great prices during our regular hours.



News 4/28/09: Hello fellow quilters! For you local folks, I hope you are enjoying this fine spring weather we have been having. Several places around the country are still getting late snow storms. Nice to be in Southern California. For those of you spread out across the country, I hope your spring weather arrives soon.

I know I seem to say it every time, but really, the classes this session are some of the best we have ever put on. If you haven't yet come by the shop to see the class samples and find a class to take this summer, I urge you to do so. The popular ones are filling fast. And don't forget my EQ6 and photo transfer classes (shameless plug - because I can). There are also several Block of The Month programs that still have openings as well as our Mystery Quilt "pick-up" series "Stop the Recount".

We just got back from the Seven Sisters Quilt Show in San Luis Obispo. What a great show. Lots of beautiful quilts and a plentiful supply of quality vendors. Thanks to all who stopped by to say hello. Next up for us is the International Quilt Show in Long Beach at the end of July (23rd-26th). Yes we are sponsoring a bus this year. It is on Saturday, July 25th (contrary to the erroneous date in the prior email), and costs just $50. The cost includes your bus fare and the show entrance fee. Tickets are on sale at the shop right now. Hurry as we are already over half sold out and I will not be adding a second bus. I've been told there is someone looking into sponsoring a bus for the Friday (July 24th) so if you are interested in that date, let me know so I give them your name. There is another show in May (16-17 I think) at Cal State University, Northridge. It's put on by the two guilds in the San Fernando Valley. We will not be vending there but hope to come as quilters.

Now about that Spring Cleaning Sale. The sale will run from Monday, May 18th through Saturday, May 23rd, during normal hours. During this sale all non-sale fabrics will be discounted 20% including towers, charm packs, and fabric bundles. Selected kits will be discounted 20-30%. All fat quarters will be at our show prices -- $2 each or 6 for $10. Plus we will be blowing out our sale fabrics at 50% off and marked remnants 30% off their already discounted price of $5.98/yd. Sale prices cannot be combined with other discounts and loyal customer reward points will not accumulate on sale items. This will be a good time to replenish the weak areas in your stash. Mark your calendar so you won't forget.



News 4/4/09: Just a quick note until I can post more info. The May Newsletter has been posted. I'll be sending it out via email tomorrow (Sunday). If you just can't wait, click on the link below to download your copy of the newsletter which covers May 2009 thru August 2009:

Class Schedule (PDF)

News 3/3/09: Hi everyone. Spring is right around the corner and once again we are looking forward to a great season. I've said this before (and I'll say it again), this is my favorite time of the year. As an avid mountain biker there is nothing I like more than getting out in our local mountains with all of the new spring growth. It's absolutely beautiful, and inspiring. Who knows, it might actually get me back to the sewing machine. I'm long overdue and will make an effort to pick up where I left off. Now which project should I go back to first???

As usual, things continue to be busy here at Cotton & Chocolate. After everyone helped us clear out some of the older fabrics we've quickly restocked with a lot of new beautiful lines. If you haven't been by to be tempted lately, I urge you to come see us. How about our latest mystery quilt pick-up series? It just started last month and it's not too late to jump in. This is our third design from Debbie McCaffery and it is just a great as the other two. Marilyn has already started hers. I've decided to try and finish the last one in time for this one's show and tell. Once again it is a six-month program where you pick up each month's instructions for only $1.00. You get a great pattern for only $6.00 and have fun putting together a quilt that will surprise you when you complete it. We even throw in a 15% discount on the fabric to get you started. If you need help picking your colors, our staff will be happy to assist.

Block of the Months - Yes, we have them. We have two that are currently active, Amelia's Rose Garden and Spring Baskets. I believe both still have spaces if you are interested. Check out the website to see what these BOMs look like. In addition, we are launching a new one called Autumn House.This is a great applique quilt from Bunny Hill Designs featuring some great fall designs. This nine-month program starts this month (March 15th) and goes for nine months. The cost is only $25.50 per month; if you pay in full in advance you can save 10% for only $206.55. The picture of the quilt pattern is here on our website.

Quilt Your Heart Out News 2/6/09: As a husband of 27 years I do not need to tell most of you women out there that it is high time you remind your hubbies that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I speak for men around the world. We are dense and generally not paying much attention to the calendar. We need the occasional knock to the 'noggin. If not, you might be a disappointed and I'd hate to see that. A gentle reminder should be sufficient to set fear in their hearts and get them out shopping for something nice for you.

Ok, the subject line of this post was not my idea. I give full credit to my lovely wife, Marilyn (Happy Valentine's Day dear!). She thought it might be clever and a great lead in to our next sale (don't worry, she if full of ideas - just wait until next month!). For now, we wil focus on the love affair you all have with fabric. Not to say that I don't understand. As you know I've kinda become a quilter myself and have been known to bring home cuts of fabric just because I think it's nice and I'd hate to see it disappear before I have a project for it.

As many of you know we just held our biggest sale of the year last Sunday and I have to say it was BIG. Not long after we opened, I looked up from my busy register station only to see a sea of customers all bubbling with excitement. What a great feeling. We loved it. You loved it. Hmmm. Sounds a bit like Valentine's come early. Thanks so much to everyone who came and patiently waited in some rather long lines. We hope you were pleased with your purchases.

Well, for those of you who couldn't make it last Sunday, here is a consolation sale. This month on Friday and Saturday, February 13th & 14th we will be offering some great closeouts on fabric. Yes, as a result of the big Super Bowl sale we have lots of bolts that were nearly stripped to the ends. So we've gathered up those bolts, then added a bunch of other close-outs, and finally dug through our storage area and came up with lots of pre-cut backs. Rather than continue to store them away for a rainy day, we thought we should offer them to you in a brand new Valentine's Day promotion Marilyn named "Quilt Your Heart Out".

The sale is only two days, Friday and Saturday, February 13th-14th, from 10 am to 5 pm. Here is the deal. All close-out sale bolts will be at the blow-out price of just $3.50 per yard (1 yard minimum cuts). The same price will apply to all of our remnants, currently priced at $5.98 per yard. In addition, we will put out stacks and stacks of pre-cut backs, most of them 5 yard cuts, at only $3.00 per yard!

If you think there won't be much of a selection, you couldn't be further from the truth. I want you to come by and see what we have. I promise you that there will be a huge selection to choose from. Our close-outs are worth your time and money. Don't miss out!

News 2/2/09: I want to start out with a big thank you to everyone who braved the crowds and came to see us last Sunday for our big sale. We had a fantastic turnout and we want you to know how much we appreciated your support. We are so thankful that our shop continues to thrive during this tough economy and that wouldn't be true if it wasn't for customers like you. We are proud to be able to provide you with a great selection and periodically open our store to you at a great discount. We met all of our expectations and hope you did too. For those that didn't make it, there is always next year.

Have you seen the new April 2009 copy of McCall's Quilting? We are thrilled to be featured on page 58 with an original and exclusive quilt designed by our very own Penni Albarran, Penni's Stars & Stripes.






If you are interested purchasing, we have both the pattern for $11.50 and a complete quilt kit for $169.50.