summer 2013 events

sales, swaps, sewing lounge and other happenings at alewives fabrics!

• Pincushion Swap and SEAM meeting: Sunday, April 28th at 1:00 pm

Celebrate the arrival of spring at our Pincushion Swap! All you need to do to participate is make and wrap a pincushion... the more creative the better! Bring your wrapped pincushion with you to the swap where we will all draw numbers. Then, we'll swap 'til we drop! Swapping and stealing is highly encouraged (and part of the fun!). No matter what number you draw, no matter how often you steal or are stolen from, we will all go home with a handmade pincushion! Call us at 207 563 5002 or e-mail rhea@alewivesfabrics.com for more details.

Fish Ladder Festival: May 25th, 26th and 27th

The annual Fish Ladder Festival is one of THE best times to visit the shop! During this very special time your little ones can have their faces painted and enjoy a puppet show on our lawn (all for free!), daddies will love the pig roast and beer from Oxbow Brewing Company, moms will love browsing our fabrics and everyone gets to marvel at the arrival of the alewives! This is our neighborhood's annual fund raising event, and all proceeds from face-painting, ice-cream and soda sales at our shop go towards helping restore the fish ladder. It's a great cause and a great time for the whole family!

Spring Into Summer Shop Hop: May 31st, June 1st and 2nd

Hop, hop, hop... hear that sound? It's quilters from all over New England visiting 5 of their favorite fabric stores for the 3rd annual Spring Into Summer Shop Hop! Purchase your passport today for $7.50 at Alewives Fabrics (or any of the four other participating shops: Mariner's Compass in Bath, Cottonweeds in Freeport, Cailco Basket in Windham or Quiltessentials in Auburn) and you'll receive a fabulous tote bag as a sign-up gift. Spend the weekend of the hop visiting each of the 5 shops: you'll be treated to demos, snacks and door-prizes. Among other prizes, you might win one of 5 brand new Janome Gem Gold sewing machines. It's the hop of the season... don't miss out!

Slow Sewing Retreat on Sprucehead Island: July 13th from 10:00 to 4:00 This is a special event: cost is $45, includes a delicious lunch!

Spend the day at the Neeson's home on Sprucehead Island! Bring your "slow-sewing" (anything you don't need a machine for: can be knitting, embroidery, applique, English paper-piecing, anything!) and pull up a chair on the wraparound porch overlooking Mussel Ridge. Or, grab a quilt and spread out on the private beach, digging your toes into the sand and basking in the sun. Sounds like a great way to spend a midsummer's day, don't you think? Barbara will prepare some delicious morning snacks, coffee and tea for your arrival, and then a proper feast will be set out at lunchtime! Eat and sew your way through the day and make new friends while stitching to your heart's content. Transportation to and from Sprucehead is not provided, but we will be happy to help coordinate carpooling with retreat participants. If you'd be willing to drive, please let us know and we can arrange for a special discounted price for the retreat!

In-store MIDSUMMER'S CLEARANCE SALE: Friday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 4th

The entire store will be discounted at 20% off for these three days! It's a great time to stock up on the latest fabrics while helping us make a little room on our shelves for the new fall styles. The only exclusions to the sale? Long-arm quilting services, clearance items and food. Sorry, but gift certificates may not be redeemed during the sale. We will also have serve refreshments and bulk up our clearance section with some fabrics, patterns and books... all first quality, just stuff that has been around a bit too long!



• Sewing Lounge: Friday nights from 4-8:30

Sewing Lounge is free and open to everyone! It's a time when we all hang out and sew/knit/crochet/talk/shop/eat... A great way to make some new friends and get some crafting done. During this time our classroom space, irons, design walls, etc. are available to use free of charge and an instructor is always here to give advice if problems pop up. Sewing Lounge can get very crowded, and may not be the ideal time to work on a complicated or large project, and Sewing Lounge is NOT a free class or an opportunity for one-on-one instruction (for that we suggest setting up a private lesson), but Sewing Lounge is meant to be a time for low key sewing and fun. We would love to see you there: especially if you bring us some cupcakes!!!