A bit o' green and our latest!

This book Lizzie's Legacy is published by Kansas City Star, and Betsy Chutchian's second book.  History Repeated is certainly one of our all time favorites - and we know this will be equally enjoyable.  Lots of great pictures and a bit of history - our favorite kind of treasure!

And we took just a few minutes, truly, to strip-piece this table topper.  It is from a tutorial we found online, so no pattern required.  Of course, we can hardly wait to make it again in our favorite Halloween fabrics!  This great stonehenge shamrock fabric line, could make some festive napkins or bibs if you have a wee one to celebrate.  Go here for step-by-step how to's  http://fabricmill.blogspot.com/2012/08/spiderweb-table-topper-tutorial.html

A bit' o green table topper!

Prairie Women's Sewing Circle project

And since we were in the mood for spring green (aka poison green) and daffodils, this little one patch quilt was just right.  A smaller version (1 inch finished squares) was made from leftovers and is perfect to set a vase of fresh daffodils upon.   We are wrapping up our Prairie Womens' group and haven't committed to our new path just yet, but if these are the types of projects you'd like to work on and would like to join our monthly sewing group, please put your name down and we'll get in touch when our plan is ready.  Here are some other photos from our current session.

class projects

scrappy inspiration

Caramel Chocolate broken dishes 

 As you might be able to guess, this last little quilt was created just as an excuse to try the new Ghiradelli turtle brownie mix - we followed the recipe for the cookie option on the back of the box.... thumbs up from the entire sewing group!

P.S. We have received over 20 civil war sampler challenge quilts - they'll be on display starting on the 20th!   The Tri-County quilt tour also starts on the 20th and I'm pretty sure our quilt will be ready....

Happy Stitching!

Back to School

Can't believe it's already September, can you? Here's our newest kid's quilt...made from a panel called ABC Primer from Wilmington Prints. We added simple frames, sashing, and border. Doesn't get much easier than that!

Speaking of school...The next Journey of the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle will start in October (or maybe November), and there are still a few spaces left! This six month series will meet once a month. Meetings will focus on sharing ideas and techniques for that month's project, as well as a discussion of some historical aspects of quilting in America.

You can check out our class page here.

Happy Stitching!

Finish One Project, Start Another

Well...last month was the final meeting of the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle Journey Three. Sad to see all the fun end! Only for a little while though, because we plan to start things up again in the fall, with Journey Four. You can see some photos of the projects below...definitely some variety from the current Journey, which always makes for some fun sewing times! 

This time, the club will meet on the first Wednesday of each month, from September through March (we'll skip January). There are two sessions: a morning group from 10:30-12, and an afternoon meeting from 1-2:30. The cost is $80 for your class fee AND pattern set ($80 for six small patterns plus a bonus project, and 6 gatherings of fun, camaraderie and treats on occasion!? Doesn't get much better than that...). If you can't make time in your schedule for class-time, there is also an option to purchase the pattern set alone for $40. We're quickly filling the morning session, but there are still a few spots open, and lots of room in the afternoon session. Let us know if you'd like more info!

Here is the last project from the current Prairie Women session...we chose schoolhouse colors to show off the blocks.

Speaking of new projects... pictured here is the new Clubhouse Block of the Month project from Michael Miller and Swirly Girl Designs. The program is called 'Weekend' and this particular color-way is titled 'Cabana'. We're running it as a traditional BOM program (pick up a kit every month, no class or meeting) but with the addition of occasional group sew-days. The photo of the quilt is kind of deceiving- the blue in the border fabric is more of a denim-textured color than a bright blue. Some of the fabrics are shown below... of course, fabric in person is always better than fabric online, but at least you get an idea of the color palette. These fabrics are allocated for kits only right now, but eventually some of them will be available for other projects. It's a gorgeous color combination, don't you think? 

For other news...we just received some new preprinted tags for your small projects. These are called Tag-It-On's, and they are the ones that you stitch into a seam - on a binding of a quilt or into the cuff of a pillowcase. We have several options, from Halloween to Christmas to 'Grandma Loves You'...perfect for adding some personalization to a project!

Happy Stitching!

Prairie Women Catch-Up

As promised... here is what the Prairie Women, who meet every third Tuesday, have been working on since the beginning of the year! It's been fun to see the progress that everyone has made on their projects.. and the variations that some participants have chosen. Pictured below are Pam Buda's versions of the projects (Pam is the creator of the program and her business, Heartspun Quilts).

Some of our store samples were made in color and fabric choice similar to Pam's; others took a different spin. Here are our versions. Enjoy!

Month 1: Contrary Wife. There is also an option to create a larger version of this quilt, as well as a non-applique version. Ok - this photo is really about the sunshine - we were lucky that day!

Month 2: Windy Hill Farm. For another look- this quilt could be really striking using bright solids.

Month 3: Lockridge Mill. This turned out to be the perfect project for that sashing fabric...

Month 4: A Light in the Window. These were definitely some tiny pieces...but rust and yellow is always a great color combination.

There are two more months in the program; and some room in the afternoon session if you are inspired and would like to catch up. We also have the pattern set available for purchase separately, if Tuesdays aren't a good day for you. Something to think about...

Happy Stitching!

Clubs and More Clubs

The Michael Miller Clubhouse wrapped up last Saturday- hard to believe it's been one year since this club started! As you can see, our customers made some serious progress on their quilts, and seemed to have fun with it! Club members have been earning 'Club Cash' throughout the program, and on Saturday we had lots of fun 'stuff' for them to purchase. Of course, treats and coffee were an important part of the party. What a great way to end up with a finished quilt!

Our clubhouse teacher, Jyl, finished up the sample quilt in time to hang on the day of the party. Didn't it turn out gorgeous? Jyl did a great job. Although the club meetings are over, we still have kits available for this project- either as a whole quilt or in monthly installments. Let us know if you are interested- remember, each month includes bonus patterns for throws, pillows and other projects that would be great to outfit a whole room in your house!

As promised, here are a few pictures from the second meeting of the Prairie Women Sewing Circle group that met on Tuesday. As you can see from the second photo, there was plenty of show and tell. There was definitely lots of room for creativity in this project - some chose to follow the applique route while others chose to piece a Sawtooth Star block instead. There was also a new history lesson, and an unveiling of the Month 2 project- you'll have to come in or watch the blog to see that one! Although our morning session is full, there is still room in the afternoon session, so if this just looks like too much fun and you want to join in, please let us know and we'll get you caught up!

Happy Stitching!

New and Exciting Adventures

As much fun as it can be planning for the holidays, it's also time to look ahead to new adventures. In January, we are beginning Prairie Women's Sewing Circle-Journey 3, created by Heartspun Quilts. This is a new club for us, and it will be offered in place of the Jo Morton's Little Women monthly club. We'll miss our monthly Jo's club, but we're looking forward to something new and different!

Each month for six months, club members will meet to discuss the historical perspectives of quilting in America; talk about new techniques and ideas for small quilt projects; and explore the historical concept of "make-do", which can be used to add a scrappy and unique feel to a project. Participants will receive a new small quilt project each month, as well as a bonus project using hexagons. The projects are pictured above. There will be lots of opportunities for student participation, and it should be a fun time for everyone involved!

Please visit our website for dates, times, and all the details. And don't hesitate to let us know if you have questions or would like to get on the list- there are limited spots available! This could be a great Christmas gift, just a thought...

Happy Stitching!