Thimbleberries Quilt Clubs have sprung up worldwide. Individual members piece their quilts throughout the year. The Summertime Quilt employs rich reds, blues, beiges and green into a synchronized geometry where triangles and squares become a checkerboard pathway around a flower garden.And there is plenty of help available. “We are always available as we are when we have classes,î”Cheryl said. “We are always here to give any kind of guidance.” Brownie’s Basement is also home to numerous classes throughout the year. Classes with intriguing names like “Shaggy Log Cabin”, “Paper Piecing” and “Crazy Mixed Up Flannel” will be offered at the shop soon.New members are welcome at the Thimbleberries Club. At the monthly meetings club members admire each other’s work, enjoy refreshments, door prizes and learn from project instructions. A newsletter provides additional patterns and instructions, tips and recipes. The yearly membership fee is $10.Members are eligible for twenty percent off Thimbleberries fabric purchases. Thimbleberries kits include detailed instructions for each quilt. And there is both a daytime and evening meeting each month. The next scheduled meeting is September 3 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Brownie’s Basement is located at 866 E. Main St. in Santa Paula. The phone number is 525-4556.
Thimbleberries Bloom in Santa Paula
August 21, 2002
Santa Paula News
The elements of artistic design, creativity and a love of beauty all blossom together at the Thimbleberries Quilt Club. And while thimbleberries, small, red thimble-shaped raspberries, may not grow in Santa Paula, the new club is flourishing.
By Susan BranhamSanta Paula TimesThe elements of artistic design, creativity and a love of beauty all blossom together at the Thimbleberries Quilt Club. And while thimbleberries, small, red thimble-shaped raspberries, may not grow in Santa Paula, the new club is flourishing.Thirty-four charter members met at Brownie's Basement on Main Street Santa Paula last month for the first meeting of the club. There instructor Peggy Gaston introduced the new members to the fabrics and patterns they will be sewing this year, four quilts in all, each special to the season. Cheryl Baudizzon, the owner of the local quilt and gift shop, is enthusiastic about the club. “It was exciting to have that many members right off the bat,” she said. “I was thrilled.”The Thimbleberries company is headquartered in Minnesota. It is the realized dream of Lynette Jensen, whose company designs the patterns and fabrics for the popular projects. She explains in her book, “The Thimbleberries Book of Quilts” how she chose the Thimbleberries name for her company. She writes that the word to her represents “fruit of the thimble”or “the fruits of the labor of the thimble,” a most appropriate selection.