Countdown to Christmas

Dear Friends,

Many of us are looking forward to saying goodbye and good riddance to 2020.  This year has created so much havoc in our daily lives and in our business.  The loss of friends and family that Covid19 has impacted their health or worse taken them far to soon.  In business the uncertainty of not knowing if or when we would open our doors and not knowing when we are going to receive our orders or receiving them piecemeal in several orders.  Overall 2020 has been a very challenging year.

Yet as this year draws to a close we still have many blessings to count.  Many individuals have opened their hearts and wallets to assist so many families and individuals in need.  There is still so much need in our communities.  This year one of our gifts to our children will be a gift to a charity in their name.  It is a small gesture, but one we fill is so important to teach the value of sharing.  In addition our fabric donations to some of the charitable organizations that we support each year, Randy and I are going to make a special gift to our community food bank.  Randy and I grew up in an underprivileged community, but we never realized that we were poor.  Our parents worked hard to support our families and as children we were never hungry.  Over the years of hard work and determination, we have received many blessings and it is our wish that no one is hungry during the holiday season.

Our quilting community is filled with generous individuals that donate their time and energy to make pillowcases and quilts for individuals that are hospitalized, facing life changing illnesses, children in distress or to honor the men and women that served our country with pride and honor.  I am very proud to be part of this community and honored to know so many individuals that share their talents so freely. 

Yes, we have many blessings in our life.  I would like to thank each of you that have blessed us by being part of our quilting life.  Thread Bear Fabrics started as my personal therapy for attempting to deal with the loss of my oldest son.  But as the years have gone by each of you have helped make Thread Bear the business it is today.  We may not have the great displays of other shops and our shelves are overfilled with too many fabrics; but the spirit of the shop is not the materials within the building.  Each of you have made our shop special by coming in and sharing your time with us.  When there is a line at the table, there is "visiting" among customers that is heartwarming.  I like to think of everyone as family.  Thank you for being part of ours.

Now with that said, let's talk business.

Holiday hours-

Closed December 24th at 2:00 pm

Closed December 25th - January 1st

Reopen Saturday, January 2, 2021 at 10:30 am

For the remainder of 2020, we are offering a 15% off discount as a thank you for your support.

This discount will be in effect until December 31st. 

For online shopping, please use the coupon code "gift" at check out to receive this discount.  As a reminder, the discount will not work on BOMs or contract items.

I will continue to markdown fabric collections and add them to the "Featured Categories" on the website homepage.  The 15% will be off the sale price listed for these collections.  This translates to great savings.  This makes a great gift for you. 

And speaking of gifts, I will let Randy remind your loved ones that gift certificates make great Christmas gifts.  And since the sale goes until December 31st, this means more bang for the buck or gift certificate for projects to start off the new year.


Finally, I need to address some outstanding issues.

For those in our Hoffman 2020 fat quarter club, I have finally received all of the collection except for 1/2 of the October collection.  I understand that this shipment will be here shortly, so you can pick-up them at your convenience.  For those that I am shipping the bundles to, I will contact you and find out what you would like to receive and when.

With this said, I am hoping for better times for 2021.  I have seen improvement in the supply chain, but there are still major issues.  Many basics have come in and sold out again with delivery dates weeks out.  I have received messages from fabric companies notifying me to expect 3 - 4 weeks delays in expected delivery times for new collections.   Hopefully we will continue to see improvement as 2021 progresses.


Coming February 2021

Aurifil is introducing a new Color Builder program.

The 2021 Color Builder Subscription is a capsule of 12 mini-collections, each containing three large spools of 40wt thread -- a warm, a medium, and a dark. Wound on a bold green spool, Aurifil's 40wt/2ply thread is every bit as versatile as their 50wt but with just a bit more strength. 40wt is tremendous for sewing bags and garments, or for when a more defined topstitching or quilting pattern is desired. It is also their number one recommended weight for quilting and machine embroidery.

This year Aurifil has drawn their color inspiration from 12 magnificent Endangered Species, currently in dire need of attention, advocacy, and compassion. Through our year long marketing efforts, they’ll work toward affecting positive change via increased awareness and targeted fundraising. To help achieve these goals, Aurilil has partnered with Earth League International.



These animals are the inspiration behind this year's colors.  Each month you will receive 3 spools of 40 wt thread (a light, medium, and dark).  The normal price of the subscription is $39.50, but sign up by January 31st and the subscription will be $38.50 per month.  (Shipping is $5.00 per the program.)

This is a perfect way to build your 40 wt thread collection.

Below is the first set in the program.





Call the store at 770-781-0001 to sign up.

More information will be available soon on the website.


As of yet, I have not selection any Block of the Month programs.  I will evaluation these in January and will give details in an upcoming newsletter.



In closing, I wish each and everyone a Merry Christmas and a brighter New Year. 


Happy Holidays!

Janet & Randy
  

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 ******************  Bear Essentials  ***********************



 * New Employee - Many of you have seen a new mask around the shop the past couple of weeks. We invite you join us in welcoming the newest member of the Thread Bear Team - Bethany.  She is quite a bit younger than most of us. Combining this along with her other skills  should provide a complimentary perspective to color choices, fabric selection, and project design. You can now actually receive some assurance that the project for your 20 something will meet with approval. 


*Boxes - As is the custom during the Holidays, we will have Free component boxes and shipping boxes as well as packing material during the holidays. Weather permitting we will place a box a box out side between the  two stores. If you need more, or larger boxes, call or see us inside store.  We will be purging our boxes (sending to recycler) after 01/01/2021.



*Holiday Hours -

Christmas Eve (Thursday 12/24/2020) Close at 2 PM

Christmas Day - New Year ( Friday 12/25/2020 - Friday 01/01/20210 Closed 

Saturday 01/02/2020 - Normal business hours (10:30 AM - 4:30 PM)


Although, the brick and mortar store will be closed, you will still be able to order online.  Please visit us at threadbearfabrics.com

*New Arrivals - Many of our back orders have now been shipped. We continue to open boxes and list new products. Be sure to check our website (threadbearfabrics.com)

*Price - Many of our suppliers have already notified us of price increases for 2021. We are committed to keeping prices as low as possible. We discount all fabric off of list prices, we buy in bulk , drive to east coast distribution centers to avoid shipping costs, and cover credit card processing fees, plus during the pandemic any mail order over $35.00 is a flat $5.00 shipping fee. We do not charge handling, processing, nor restocking fees. Even with all of these cost cutting measures, we have no control over the price manufactures charge for their products, nor over shipping costs. 

*Order on line / pick up at store - For "local" customers, this program can save you shipping. Just select "Pickup at store" when checking out online and the system will not charge you shipping. We will send you an email when your order is ready for pickup. You can call us from the parking lot and we will bring it to your vehicle or you can step inside store. Now, local is a relative term. We received a call from a lady wanting to know her order was not shipped. (yes, we had tried to contact her). After, explaining she had selected "Pick up in store" when checking out, she decided to have it shipped. It is a long drive from Canada to Cumming, GA.!!

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Ok this is section is mainly for the guys. 

The Christmas Shopping Season for us is about to start. The 23rd is only days away. Here are a few helpful Christmas Shopping Tips I have garnered over the years: 

1. Remember the old joke - 

A guy finds a lamp. Rubs it. A genie appears to grant a single wish.

Guy - " I want a highway to Hawaii. I want to be able to drive to Hawaii."

Genie -" You're nuts!" The expense, the material, all that work - No that is just too hard! Pick something else."

Guy - "Well ok. Then I want to have a complete understanding of women - their wants, needs, expectations..."

Genie - " You want two lanes or four."

Accept, you are never going to understand. It's not that your grasp of reality is any better or worse than hers - just different.

2. After 6 hrs of fighting people, traffic, and making little progress, you decide to grab some grub. You know Re-energize! You walk into a room full of people at KFC and see a girl holding a chicken breast and someone shouting “$5.00” Another male voice louder over the din, “No, wait I’ll give you $7.50 and a scratch off for the chicken!” 

You wind up at a gas station along with a hundred other guys in search of food.  Nothing left on the shelves save some Sushi.   Do not go there. No matter how hungry you are - DO NOT BUY THE SUSHI! Short duration hunger probably will not kill you.  I can’t say the same if you eat that sushi.  

3. We live in “politically correct” times.  A sign on a bathroom door saying “paperless” may not just mean they only have air hand dryers.  This will be of special importance if you did not heed my advice in #2 above.    

4. Guys, remember The Kobayashi Maru from Star Trek? Well, there are no win situations especially when it concerns the other gender. Remember, when your wife says “Do you think these pants make me look fat?”  This is a trap! Any answer is the wrong one!   

Best to grab your stomach, mumble something like ‘Sorry, must be something I ate” and barricade yourself in the bathroom.  Remember to take plenty of reading material.  With luck in a few hours her focus will have changed and it will be safe to come out.  

Avoid the temptation to intellectualize – “Well you know size is a relative and subjective thing.  Your rear is quite small when compared to our washing machine.”   Offered as a compliment perceived as an insult – same holds true of gifts. 

So, don’t buy her a vacuum cleaner even if it is metal flake blue and the exhaust is Happy Hawaiian Holiday scented.  Women talk just like us - just not in the same language.

After Christmas Joan is going to ask Jen "What did Bob get you for Christmas? 

The response, "Oh a nice vacuum cleaner. It really sucks!" 

Dude, trust me, she is not making a favorable comment on the 13.5 amp motor!

5. Money – We are guys!  We like money as a gift - not saying women don’t, but they sometimes liken it to value.
   “So, you think I am only worth this much!”   

Gifts ideally bring joy and thoughtfulness – the “call girl” feeling is not always pleasurable.  

6. I can make it – Well dude unless you are a master craftsman and have been diligently working in secret on her buffet for the past year – then beginning the project on the 23 of December is probably not the best option. 

Now, you could cut up an old flea market painting into bookmarks or maybe try you hand at verse –  

All the fireplace logs were ablaze

As poor Santa emerged from the haze.

With his whiskers aflame,

He was sorry he came,

And he sighed, "It's just been one of those days!"  

Yeah – Just ain’t felling it. Less face you probably should not quit your day job in order to write and as a gift - well - dude, it's words.  

7. Cost – Every guy wants as as much bang for his buck as he can get, but here is that value thing – if I buy her this diamond necklace I could unknowingly put her life at risk.  She could be car-jacked.  No thug is going to pass up a diamond.  By not getting her anything I am showing her I care and value her.  

One of the daughters terms this “fuzzy logic” and believes all men suffer from this.  Curse or blessing, the wife is not going to follow your reasoning.   She wants something tangible to open.   

8. Wrapping – Don’t know why women don’t like duct tape and used cereal boxes.  I mean, really the gift is the same, even if it does have a few Fruit Loots stuck to it. It has been my experience women seem to  like the beauty and mystique of nicely wrapped packages.  Even though they are going to rip off the paper with reckless abandon – your wrapping technique is going to be critiqued and criticized.

If your significant other is a quilter, the pattern should line up at the seams and those mitered corners need to be sharp and even.  

Now, while it true the blue and yellow lines at the top of the plastic food bag when pushed together will make green - and even though green is a "Christmas color" - chances are she will not think it is "Festive" nor in harmony with the season. The bag may hold water but trying to pawn this off as gift wrap will not.

8. Unscrupulous commission sales people - They probably don't want to be there, they see you coming, and most could sell Custer arrows.  

"Lipstick for a stocking stuffer- great idea! And the fact that the color is glow in dark efflorescent alien navel lint green will make her stand out in a crowd. And what a deal! By buying our sample it is sooo much cheaper than regular price and you can see how popular it is because there is only half a tube left." 

Dude, it does not matter - they only sell one color to guys  - THE WRONG ONE.

9. Medical procedures / self improvement - think nose jobs, tummy tucks, face lifts, ect. 

 Even though you have saved all year, done the due diligence and research, secured all the financing, and even checked out the expected results – rhinoplasty (nose job) would not be my first choice as the perfect Christmas gift for your significant other.   Trust me, it will go sideways.  She is not going to see all the time, effort, money you spent on this.  Oh, and that “but now you don’t have to drink from a straw” comment – I would XXX that too.  

10. Gifts that keep on giving - Elephants have nothing on women when it comes to memory. She might not be able to remember where she put her keys last night, but rest assured 14 years later she will still remember you compared the size of her rear to a washing machine or thought her nose was like Pinocchio's.   Gifts should be memorable – not infamous.  

11. Take Backs – For some odd reason, some of the fairer sex have inhibitions about returning stuff. With guys, its all about getting something you want.  Women seem to somehow attached a weird extemporaneous life to the act –

“it’s a size 5, but I need a 12, but I don’t want to take it back because I like it and who knows if I lose a few pounds I might could wear it.”  

Or, “It looks soooo pretty in my sweater drawer”  

And then the one she tells her friends “ I just can’t return it – it would hurt his feelings.”  

And of course the practical, “ Sarah’s birthday is in January, I can give it to her”.        

Guys, give her something she is not going to want to take back or regift.

Perplexed? Confused? Wouldn't you rather spend your Christmas shopping time buying Cheetos and beer for Bowl Week?

The Bear has your back! 

**************************************************************************** Rejoice guys! God must have inspired someone to invent the perfect gift for women bought by men – THE GIFT CERTIFICATE!!!   *Thoughtful (you knew what she liked)   *Stylish (can be printed on decorative stationary)   *Easy to Wrap (Man - check out the mitered corners on that envelope!)   *No Complicated Choices for you - No sizes or colors to try to find  *Convenient – order on line – print out – lick the envelope – you’re done – go back to the game   *Paperless – Don’t feel like licking the envelope (a tongue paper cut would be bad for Christmas Dinner) go paperless and just email it to her      *No Return Anxiety   *Value – With many Thread Bear Sales through out the year  - get even more out of that Gift Certificate.  *Safe – no traffic, no people, no bad food, and best of all no sweat!   *Language * Tina and Janet speak fluent  "fabric" and with over 25,000 fabrics to select from - your significant other may be gone for a week - could be a great Bowl Week!   *Stores closed?  The web is open 24/7... *The Best Reason for A Christmas 2020 Gift Certificate is it is SAFE. With Covid raging you will not endanger anyone - not you, not sales people, not your family. It is a good safe choice.   *******************************************   How do I Get One?  Easy peasy!     1. Go to Threadbearfabrics.com 2. Click on “Shop Online” located on blue bar on far left and the first item will be "Gifts Certificates".    3. Click on drop down and select the amount.   4. Click  “Add to Cart”   5. Click “Proceed to Check Out” 6. Pay and print or email All done and she doesn't need to know that you did not plan this months ahead! One final piece of advice - I don't think I would mention that you passed on a new car or diamond necklace for a gift certificate.  Just accept the thank you with a grin. ****************************************************** For the Ladies  Over the years much has been written on understanding shopping habits – especially male shopping habits. Although, purportedly "scientific studies” are numerous, and while some are quite adapt at identifying trends; but as to explaining “why?”, I fear most are little more than fiction. Statistics can be a two edge sword. For example, one study indicated males spent an average of 26 minutes shopping for a Christmas Gift while females took over 2 hours for the same task. As far as money, studies indicate if you can get men to open their wallets - then they are very loyal - spending a 32.5% more than women on a gift! But here is the RUB - how to get him to buy me something - I really want? Well ladies, science and The Bear are here for you.  Ladies, the key to getting what you want, is in the small window of opportunity, when he thinks about what to buy and the actual decision.  Being subtle is way overrated. Men are visual creatures – you must make your wants visible. He is going to take credit for the "perfect gift" anyway. May as well get something you really really want.  So since time is short, Thread Bear has come to your aid.  Simply print out the following:       ********************************       I WANT A GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM THREAD BEAR FABRICS!!!   ******************************** Paste it in a sure to be noticed location.  I offer the following possibilities:   1. Past it to the underside of the toilet seat - You know he is going to raise it!!   2. Paste it across his steering wheel.      Now, you must realize even with all the "guidance" you provide - the message may just not get through You might end up with a pink cameo "Bug A Salt" Gun. On what planet is a Bug a Salt 2.0 Gun a good gift ? I can just hear two women talking, "I thought it was a toy? Little did I know, I could now kill flies with table salt??!!”   (Yes its real – A Best Seller on Amazon and yes it comes in pink - all men think women like pink- don't be surprised if you get the laser sight as a stocking stuffer).     The guy logic may go something like:   1. My wife hates flies.   2. This is a unique way to kill flies.   3. It’s cheap – uses only table salt.   4. It’s pink cameo and looks cool.   5. I like it – she will too.   6. Therefore, it is an awesome gift.     7. And by the associative property I am also awesome. Now, unless you are a frog or a bat, most people hate flies. Once you figure out what it is, he will be surprised and delighted when you shoot him with it   - for all the wrong reasons.  ************************************************************* Finally a few thoughts on 2020 - the year of Covid: 1. So you are staying home, practicing social distancing, and keeping yourself clean - congratulations! You have become a House Cat! 2. Since handshaking is now taboo - even more reason to embrace the Vulcan salute - "live long and Prosper".  3. For all those interviewing prospective employees years from now: "I see there is a gap in your employment history in 2020. Can you explain this? What were you doing?" Answer - "Looking for toilet paper". 4. The good old days - when you used to roll peoples yards. 5. For all those forced into homeschooling - The number one question - "How can I get this kid transferred out of my class?"  6. I should have opened a psychic service in 2020 - "I see you will be spending time at home. That will be $20.00." 7. Saw a singles add - "Man w/toilet paper seeking woman w/ hand sanitizer for good clean fun."  8. Your mother in law told your wife - " Don't marry him! He'll never amount to anything! Little did she know - Here I am laying on the couch, watching football - and oh yeah - SAVING THE WORLD!!"   9. Remember all those quarters you spent playing "pacman"? Little did you know, they would come in handy. Going to buy groceries during covid - Avoid everyone, get the fruit, and take any route to get there"  10. For all those who like wine - Plan you next wine tasting tour - Place a differnt bottle in every room of your house. Enjoy! I hope 2021 brings better times, prosperity, and an end to covid. *************************************************************************** Until next time, Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas, a Safe and Happy New Year, and a gift which bring a smile to your lips and warmth to your heart.     Merry Christmas! Janet + Randy