Sewing Center Weekends for January thru April

Hopefully by now you know about our Sewing Center Weekend Retreats. Think of it - three days of sewing on projects and making new friends. Each quilter gets a full six-foot table for sewing. We have a cutting table and irons for your use. You bring whatever else you need. Each night you can leave your sewing equipment and project at the shop.

Times for these weekend retreats are Friday and Saturday from 10-5 and Sunday 10-4 with hours often extended depending on availability. The cost for each weekend is just $54.00. As a bonus, we are offering an optional Monday to most retreats for an additional $15.00. The additional day is only for those who are enrolled in the weekend retreat, and must be purchased separately at any time prior to the Sunday of the retreat.

We are excited to share these dates for the next session:

Friday-Sunday Jan 10-12 (no bonus day)
Friday-Sunday Jan 17-19 with bonus day on Jan 20
Friday-Sunday Feb 14 -16 with bonus day on Feb 17
Friday-Sunday Mar 14 -16 with bonus day on Mar 17
Friday-Sunday Apr 18 - 20 with bonus day on Apr 21

Note: There are still two spaces left for the December 20-22 retreat. Contact the store directly to sign-up for this retreat.

All dates will be released for online sales starting Wednesday December 11th at 11:00 AM PST when the add-to-cart option will be enabled. Click here to sign-up for the retreats on-line. Click here to add your optional Mondays though there is no rush as these are only open to those in the retreat. If there are still openings after the first hour, you are welcome to sign-up either online or in-store.

If you are unable to get the dates you wish, please call the store at 805-371-3042 to be placed on our waiting list. We will be answering the phone starting at11:00 am on Wednesday and will take names in the order we receive them. We do receive cancellations so be sure to add you name to the list.

Won't you join us for one or more of these weekends of fun sewing?

2025 Quilt Sampler Program ~ Stormy Seas

We are happy to announce the limited release of our 2025 Saturday Sampler Block of the Month Program. What makes this program so special? Well, for a great price you can be a part of the program, make a beautiful quilt, and hopefully learn some helpful techniques along the way. We only offer this program once each year, so read on...

The quilt design is called Stormy Seas and will be a 12-month program starting January 4, 2025. The quilt has been designed by Wing and a Prayer Design who write great patterns! The fabrics are all beautiful Tonga batiks from Timeless Treasures. The Timeless Stormy Sea collection goes from frothy creamy to the deepest navy, reminding us of the colors of a stormy sea. These neutral colors have a wide appeal. Not sure? These fabrics always look better in person so come by the store where we have the sample hanging. 

This quilt finishes at 104"x104". However, you can leave off the 8-1/2" outer border to reduce the size to 87"x87", or size your own border somewhere in between. Skill level required for this is between a confident beginner and an intermediate quilter. Marilyn's tips and videos will help guide you through the piecing process.

The program fee includes the cost of the pattern and 17-7/8 yards fabric for the top and binding.  It also includes in-person demonstrations and YouTube videos where Marilyn will provide guidance and tips to make sure you are successful, even for our remote customers. Backing options be offered at a later date at a discounted price. 

Theretail price for this program is $349.99 plus tax and shipping. For a limited time we are offering our existing customers (as of 11/22/24) a 20% discounted price of $279.99 plus tax and shipping. A non-refundable deposit of $75.00 is required up front.  For this deposit, select in-store pick-up to avoid shipping. Click here to secure your spot. The balance will be paid in 3 installments. The first installment of $75.00 will be due when the program starts January 4th. The second installment of $75.00 will be due on April 1st, and the final balance (either $37.49 or $124.99 depending on your initial price) on July 1st. Participation requires maintaining a valid credit card on file.  

For an even better price, our existing customers can pay upfront and get a 25% discounted price of $262.49. Click here to pay-in-full.

New customers can still participate at the regular price of $349.99. Click here to secure our spot with a $75.00 deposit.

If you require shipping, we charge you our cost for shipping and will always try to find the lowest cost for each shipment.

Dates for demonstrations and block pick-up are generally the first Saturday of each month, and will be announced at as we near the start of the program. If dates change, we will let you know far in advance.

We are also offering an Oops kit which contains one Fat Quarter of each of the 13 fabrics used in the quilt. The Oops kit price is $42.99. Click here to pre-order your Oops kit.

Please note we are only accepting deposits until Tuesday, December 15th. We cannot add new participants after that date.

Tools we use for perfect piecing include the Tucker Trimmer I, Tucker Wing Clipper I, Tucker V-Block, Quilters Magic Wand, Block Loc 6.5" ruler, and the Folded Corner Clipper. If you don't have these tools, they are available through our store at a 10% discount when enrolled in this program. Not familiar? Marilyn will be demonstarting all of these tools throughout the program in our YouTube videos.

Road To California Quilter's Conference and Showcase

This quilt show in Ontario will be held January 22nd - 25th. If you aren't familiar with this show, click here to learn more. In additon to many classes being offered, they have a terrific quilt show with over 1,000 quilts on display along with vendors from all over the US and the World for some truly fabulous shopping!

As we have done in previous years Cotton & Chocolate is hosting a bus to take you from Cotton & Chocolate in Thousand Oaks to the show in Ontario. We will be traveling on Saturday, January 25, leaving the shop at 8:00 AM and returning around 5:00 PM. The cost is the same as last year, $62.95, which includes your transportation, entrance ticket, and a generous tip for our wonderful driver, Ivan from Barnes Charter. 

Please note that once purchased, your ticket is not refundable unless a replacement passenger is available to take your place. Click here to purchase your bus reservation on-line. Remember to choose shipping to our store so you don't pay the shipping cost. You can also reserve your spot at our shop either in person or by phone at 805-371-3042.

For those traveling on your own, we have wristbands for sale at our store. Multi-day wristbands are good for all dates and are cost $23.00 each, payable in cash only. Please note that you can buy single-day tickets at the convention center for $18.00.

For those of you on the East coast, Road to CA is expanding with a brand new show, Road to Virginia, coming June 26-28, 2025, in Richmond Virginia. Go to road2va.com for more information.