To introduce the Quilter's Way Kit Designer, we are running a contest through Valentine's Day. Each time someone shares a quilt kit they designed in the Kit Designer between now and February 13, 2012, they can also submit an entry into the contest. On Valentine's Day 2012, one of these entries will be randomly selected and awarded a free queen-sized quilt kit (of their own custom design) valued at up to $200.

In order to enter, go to the Kit Designer, create a kit, and then share it with a friend or family member through Facebook, Twitter, or email. You can also embed the Kit Designer on your blog or website. When you choose your method of sharing, you will be given the option to submit an entry into the contest. There is no purchase necessary to enter the contest, and the more times you share a design, the more entries you receive for the drawing.

Go! Design! Play! Have fun! And good luck!

There is excitement in the air at the shop today. We're about to string the lights in our windows and put out the Christmas decorations. Our primary excitement and anticipation, though, comes from the launch of our new and improved website! There are many new pages and features that we hope will keep you coming back time after time.

I’d like to spend a few minutes taking you on a tour of the new site. Grab a cup of coffee, and let me introduce you to our new online catalog and other features the new website.

Many of your favorite fabrics, notions, and books from the shop are now available through our online catalog. At the moment we don't have our complete inventory online so if you don't see something, please ask; we may have it in stock in the shop or can order it for you. We're always happy to help you locate whatever it is you're dying to have.

To get started, you can access our online catalog through the "Shop" fabric button at the top of each page of the website, or through the “Shop” section of the left-hand menu. You'll notice right away that our catalog pages feature something new -- we've added drop-down menu choices that will help you pinpoint the products you really want to see. By making a selection in one or more of these menus, you'll only see products that match the choices you have made. If you find that you want to widen your search, you can choose "All" from any drop-down menu or click the "Reset" button to eliminate all of your selections at once.

The "Sew" section of the left-hand menu, is where you'll find all the great activities that take place in our Concord shop. Check out current classes, clubs and monthly program offerings -- you can now register right online if you like.

Our most exciting new feature is the Kit Designer. The Kit Designer allows you to choose a pattern and fabrics online to create your own kit without ever leaving your house. Instructions on how to build your own kit will be in a separate blog post.

You will want to check the website often so you don’t miss what’s new in the shop, additions to patterns available for the Kit Designer, and blog posts with tips, announcements, and specials in the shop. We are thrilled to be able to continue to serve all of your quilting and sewing needs by adding these online services. Welcome! And enjoy!

We are excited to introduce the Kit Designer, a new tool to create your own quilt kits with the fabrics you love. Below you will find detailed instructions on how to use Quilter’s Way’s Kit Designer.

1. Go to the Quilter's Way Home page.
2. Click on the Kit Designer Logo on the right side of the Home page.
3. Choose Your Kit Design.
1. Style: You may focus on a particular category of designs by making a selection from the "Style" dropdown menu . If you don't click on this menu, you will see all available quilt designs.  By making a selection, you can narrow the quilt designs you want to work with to those in the style you have chosen. Quilt styles include Traditional, Quick & Easy, Graphic, Lazy Angle Blocks, and Jelly Roll Quilts, but more are being added all the time so check back often.
2. Size: If you know the size quilt you want to make, you can eliminate all designs not available in that size by making a selection from the "Size" drop-down menu.
3. Double-click on the image of the quilt design you want to work with or click the "Next" button.

4. Customize Your Kit.
1. First, you'll notice that the page is divided into three sections. At the top left, you'll see an image of the quilt (initially shown with the fabrics from the default Kit Design). To the right of the quilt image, you'll see small thumbnails of the collection used to create the default Kit Design. Running left to right at the bottom of the page, you'll see a list labeled "Your Kit". These are the components of the Kit Design: the fabrics chosen for each role in the design, and below each is a thumbnail image indicating the placement of the fabric in the quilt.
2. Click and drag a fabric to the desired fabric location of “Your Kit”. When you do this, you will see the fabric change both in the thumbnail image and in the quilt image. This will help you confirm that you put the fabric in the location you intended.
3. To work with a different collection of fabric, choose a collection name from the “Collection” drop-down box. You will notice the fabric thumbnails change.
4. Play with different collections and different fabrics to build the quilt you desire.

5. When you are finished, you can add the Kit Design to your Shopping Cart. The Kit Designer places in your cart only the fabric you'll need to complete your custom quilt. You can review the yardage requirements and add more to your cart. Once you check-out your kit will be custom assembled and shipped to you.

Some tips on working with the Kit Designer:

• If you double-click on a fabric swatch, it will open a window with a larger image.
• You may share your Kit Design on Facebook, Twitter, or through email by clicking on the appropriate button below your kit.
• Above the quilt image, you'll see a menu of familiar icons. They do the following:

• New—re-starts the Kit Design process.
• Open—opens a saved kit design.
• Save—saves a Kit Design to your account so that you can come back to it later.
• Print—prints your Kit Design.
• Undo—reverses your last fabric selection.
• Full Screen—allows you to work on your Kit Design in full screen mode.