Tutorials, Panels and Baby Locks

Yesterday I signed my children up for volleyball and softball.  The softball clinic is on April 1.  And to those who are familiar with South Dakota, you know there's a good chance that April 1 will still bring snow or cold weather.  My only consolation is that it will be her, not me, who will be out in that for four hours.  Is that bad?  I love that our kids have lots of options to keep them busy during the winter and spring months.  Art classes, sewing classes, gymnastics, piano lessons, dance lessons, basketball are all offered in the area for our children.  If our kids are bored, it's their own fault.  

Well, Terry isn't bored.  Since she has been back, she's been busy making tutorials for our YouTube channel.  In the last two weeks, we have published How To Use A 24" Panel in Your Quilt, and a Fabric Folding Pen Tutorial.  As always, Terry clearly explains her work in detail, making it easy for you to follow.

Since we showed you how to use your 24" panel, and we have another tutorial posted on how to use your yard panel, we decided to put a panel on sale for you.  You know, to help you get started.

Northcott Ahoy Matie Panel

This cute little panel is on sale for $6.25 this week.  We think it will make such a cute quilt for the little pirate in your life!  Click here  to take you to our website.

Speaking of sales, our Baby Locks are still 50% off!  Please call or come in to grab your next favorite machine.  You only have FIVE more days left to get one at this terrific price.  The sale ends February 28.

Our Shop Hop is coming soon.  Terry has been creating our block for this event, and it is lovely.  We can't wait to show it to you!

Fabric Junction-A History Lesson

Fabric Junction hasn't always been this bustling quilting business you see and hear about today.  Yes, Terry has been sewing since before 6th grade.  But the store got its start when Terry wanted to sew clothes for her children, back in the 70's.  As her expertise grew, Terry was asked to create and repair clothes for friends and family.  From there she expanded to baby blankets.  In 1982, she started entering craft fairs.  Crocheted and baby nursery items were her favorite things to enter. 

Soon she started sewing formal wear-prom and wedding dresses for the ladies, and tuxedos for the men.  Along with creating original apparel, she started doing alteration work for the public.  With a daughter who was a dancer, Terry quickly learned how to make dance costumes.  She was hired to create costumes for many dance troupes in the Black Hills.  She was also asked to make costumes for an old west bar in Deadwood, and costumes for various theater productions in Rapid City.  Although she sewed clothes for other people, Terry had been quilting for herself for years. Her earliest quilts were quilted on a sewing machine, taking a week to finish after the piecing.

She opened her store in 1998.  Originally, she offered fabric for clothes and quilting.  In 1999, she bought her first long-arm machine.  This allowed her to add quilting services to her repertoire.

As the store became more successful, she spent most of her time offering fabric, notions, and service for the quilting side.  She started traveling to quilting shows all over the U.S. in 2004.  This allowed her to expand her knowledge in fabric and technique.  She also became well known here in South Dakota.  She eventually needed a business partner to help with all of the responsibilities.  She partnered with one of her sons, Chris, in 2012.  Chris soon became indispensable with his knowledge of sewing machines, embroidery, buying, and administrative duties, to name a few.  The same year, they decided to carry Baby Lock sewing machines.  The store is now an authorized dealer and a huge source of machines and support in our area.

As the store grew, the footprint of the brick and mortar store grew from 600 square feet to 2400 square feet.  At this point, we're busting at the seams with fabric, notions, two long arm machines, and multiple finished projects that beautify the walls in the store!  We boast six employees who are almost as knowledgeable as Chris about our fabrics, notions, and services.  All of our employees are sewers, so they completely understand your struggles and triumphs as you work through your projects.  Online, our store has expanded our business beyond our state borders.  We currently ship nationally and internationally on a regular basis.  It's a fun part of our day to see where all of our customers live.

Throughout Terry's journey, she has been an advocate for teaching what she knows.  Because of this she started a YouTube channel in 2013.  To date, over 24,000 subscribe to her channel to watch her clearly explain how to make quilts, table runners, scarves, pillow cases, and other beautiful projects.  We have also expanded into Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.  We hope to continue to reach people with our quality fabric art.

Terry's history with her store has been one of love, hard work, and service.  We can't wait to see what happens in the next 20 years!

50% off February

We love Baby Lock!  We love them so much we are an authorized dealer for their machines.  And we love them so much we want you to try them.  So for all of February, we are offering our Baby Lock machines for 50% off MSRP.  How good of a deal is that?  Our Destiny II, which usually sells for $15,699.99, is now half of that.  That is a serious chunk of change that stays in your pocket.  There are three machines that aren't in this sale. They are the BL-9, the Coronet, and the Tiara.  Baby Lock manufactures sergers, sewing, quilting, and embroidery machines.  If you would like to learn more about one of our machines, please call our shop at 605-347-2235.  One of our experienced employees would love to work with you to find the best machine for your needs.

Sophia 2 machines being used by our sewing class.

In other news, we have had a great 2017 so far.  January has been a whirlwind of sewing classes, trips to Phoenix, long-arm quilting for our customers, and improving our YouTube channel.  Our little sewers have made an owl craft, a drawstring duffle bag, and a pair of bowl cozies this month.  It is so fun to watch the improvement those kiddos make from project to project.  Terry and her husband made it home from Phoenix with some great stories and a little bit of a tan.  Our customers keep bringing in quilts for us to finish, and we love using our two long-arms to make that happen.  Our software gives us the ability to create some beautiful scroll work, shapes, and designs that complete a quilt in exquisite detail.  And lastly, our YouTube channel now has some new thumbnails of Terry and titles right on the screen that will help you find the tutorial you want faster.  With over 24,000 subscribers, we are excited to see more and more people watching and learning.  On that note, we should be adding new videos soon.  I'll keep you posted when they come out.

By the way, if you need a new project, find our newest quilt kit on our Facebook page.  It's beautiful.  Understated and soft.

We would love to see what you've been creating this month.  Send us your pictures and we will feature them on our blog.  You can send your pictures to our email:  junctionfabric8@gmail.com

Happy Sewing!

Groundhog Day Sale!

Just a quick note that we will be having a Groundhog Day sale tomorrow.  2.5 inch strips will be 34 for $23.  This isn't public knowledge.  Well, it is now.  Make sure to check back tomorrow morning at 9:00 MT to access the sale on our website.  They will be under our Sale page.

In other news, Terry is back from Phoenix.  They had a great time and met lots of wonderful people.  I'm not so sure they are happy to be back in the land of snow, but we are very glad to see them.

We are working hard to get our calendar updated for you.  Check our Facebook page and our website for upcoming classes and events.

Have you ever seen our Rotary Palm Cutter?  Terry created it to help relieve fatigue on wrists and hands while cutting.  There is a YouTube tutorial you can watch to see how it works.  

If you like it, hop on over to our website or our Etsy store to purchase.  We think it's great!