Harvest House has arrived!

Our newest fabric line, Harvest House, has finally arrived and is in the shop.  I'm so happy with the way it's turned out- I love the big paisley!  The word prints are fun, as are the two checkerboard star prints, and I've even used the Barn/house print as a border on the churndash quilt that you see in the picture. The Barn stripe cuts up nicely in 2" increments; this quilt, which will be in our next book, Absolutely Crazy, has a 4" border, but 6" or 8" will work well also. It seems that I always have my fingers crossed when waiting for a line.....I never know exactly what I'm going to get because those little 6" fabric strike-offs that I approve always look way different in big pieces on the bolt!  Our next book won't be ready for a bit, so be sure to pre-order a kit before the fabric is gone!

Here are a few more market pictures....  Pam with Alma Allen- Barb was late this morning!

Both of us with Jan Patek.  Even Linda Brannock stopped by our booth.  She's not usually at market, so it was a surprise to see her.  I was so happy to see her that I didn't think to get a picture. Darn!

Our fellow Henry Glass Designer, Annie Downs.....we can't wait for her Christmas line to get here!  It should be coming any day and boy is it cute!

And this is Paula Barnes, who will be here to teach Quilt Show week.  She was formerly Bonnie Blue Quilts, but had to change her name to Red Crinoline Quilts, but she's still the same fabulous piecer and fabric designer.  Both names have a "Gone with the Wind" reference, we're told.  Whichever name, we can't wait for her to arrive!






Thanks for checking in with me! It was a difficult spring for many different reasons, but I will try an keep you up to date!  Will be sharing a couple new Blocks of the Month that we have started as soon as we have something to photograph!  Have a great weekend!

We made it to market

I know it's been a long time coming,and you haven't heard much from me, but the new book is done and we've made it to market in Kansas City and back and thought I'd finally take a minute to get you all caught up.

We have Bird Brain,

and Prince Charming, because you have to kiss a lot of toads before you find your handsome prince!

There are Heavenly Days,

and Pumpkins on the Vine,

Oh Christmas Tree

and the newly rewritten and updated Crazy Cats

and here they all are in our booth! Ron made us stay in the booth to help him the first day but we made it out to shop the next two days. It was a great market: we've found a ton of favorite things and I can't decide what to do first..... Seriously, I can't decide where to start. You'll have to check back to see more pictures and to learn what we each start first!

Green, my color of the week!

I mentioned last time, that I've been designing and haven't been doing any piecing of my own, but have been living vicariously through those who are!  I'm just a tiny bit envious...just slightly pea green rather than the full blown, "wicked witch of the west" green with envy!  This is another quilt that I had to have.....but haven't had time to make!  Lucky for us, Gloria came to the rescue!  This is  "Flutterby", a pattern from Whimsicals, and the quilt is made from the European Taupe Collection.  The soft colors are beautiful!  Looking at this quilt, I know that spring is just around the corner....and now that we've lost all of our snow, I can actually  believe it might be true!

This isn't the only time Gloria has come to our rescue and pieced one of our "must haves"....she also got to make the "Circa 1934" quilt which I'm still wishing were mine.  I guess I'll just stuff another kit in my drawer for "someday"!

It will be in good company with "I'll be Home for Christmas"
and

"Settler's Pride", and

" A Boy's Story" and 

"Meadow Backpack" just to name a few!  I tried to clean out in my sewing room this weekend, but how could I possibly part with any of these?  Do you think I'm gonna live that long?  Not to mention my guilty little secret drawer full of Maggie Bonanomi's kits that she's taught here over the years.  I'm thinking I need to make them and put them together for a bigger quilt.  It doesn't hurt to dream!  It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood- the sun is out so I'd best quit whining about no time to sew, count my blessings and head on down to work! I've got to pick a kit for Sandi to piece so I can keep up my healthy green glow! TTFN!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Fabric kit for Star Spangled

I've been working on a new fabric line and patterns so haven't been sewing......but at least I still get to play with fabric and obsess about the quilts I'd like to make!  

One of them is a kit for "Star Spangled" that we put together with Blackbird Design's newest fabric line, Blueberry Crumb Cake.  The  fabric is in the shop now and it's lovely!    This quilt was gorgeous at Market and we just had to have it!  It's hard to see how terrific the cross stitch fabric is as the background, but believe me, it is!  You can choose either the darker tan background or the whiter background, both cross stitch fabric.

Also available is Blackbird's newest book, "Weekend":  We've been fans of Blackbird Designs for a long time!  Alma and Barb are two of the nicest people, and so very talented!  We usually have at least one of their projects going as a block of the month....currently we have "Pressed Flowers"  which I absolutely love.  I'm making that one and I'm behind--I know, you're all shocked that I would be behind and needing to play catch-up!  Pam also discovered one last complete set for "Evening Bloom", that gorgeous  red & gray/taupe quilt from their book "When the Cold Wind Blows" so if you've been saying "could-a, should-a, would-a" this could be your lucky day!  Thanks for checking in!  TTFN*


*TTFN is "tah-tah- for now" which is how Tigger, as in Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, too, always said goodbye.  My boys loved Tigger, cuz he's "bouncy pouncy, full of fun, fun, fun!" and they were always quoting Tigger and telling their Grandma TTFN!  Mom hated to say goodbye, so she adopted TTFN as her own! Now, I find myself using it; it is way better and less final than goodbye.

Fresh Picked Posies

Here are the Fresh Picked Posies blocks I've been diligently trying to getting prepared.....I've got the first five blocks stitched down, and, as you can see, several more glued down and ready to stitch.  I love the new accordion squeeze bottle of Glue Baste It.  The tip doesn't get clogged, and I like the way it fits in my hand.  I never use pins anymore, much to the delight of my husband, since he was always stepping on them and finding them for me!

Even mom use to find my applique pins.  Here's a note she sent to me...she changed the word "tee" to "toe" and ME were her initials so it reads: Hit Recipe off the toe of ME.  In case you can't read her writing, she says, "I found this by my chair -don't know if you've missed it yet.  If its not yours, don't return it- Give it to Tom.  I've already had my turn at it."   I, myself, have never  found a pin by stepping on it....Tom and Mom were always commiserating about my pins! Now, with glue baste it, there's no more "pin misery" in our household!

Pam & I are doing a bit of traveling this year (our schedule is posted in the side bar).  So now I'm all ready to go since I've got plenty of stitching to take with me!  Just two more blocks and the borders to prepare, but for now it's time to get back to work!  I have designing to do, both for fabric and patterns.  Everybody keep stitching!  And remember, if you can bind, you can applique!  If you still don't believe, be sure to check out our applique videos on You Tube.  The links are under the header photo at the top of the blog.

What's All the Cluck About?

We had a fun day at the barn Saturday, kicking off our new Barn Chick gathering, "What's all the Cluck About".  Pam & I see this as a more informal gathering to share information on a variety of topics.  Yesterday, we covered needle turn applique and had a great turn out. Barn Chicks came from far and wide!  It got both Pam and me motivated to prepare several applique projects that, at least in my case, I've been neglecting.  Pam's "Folk Art Gathering" by Cheri Saffiotte-Payne is looking marvelous, don't you think?

Our next gathering is on Februrary 11, for 10-2 and we'll be covering wool applique.  Hope to see you there!

Rambling Rose Kits are ready!

It seems like we've been waiting forever for the "Put Your Heart in It" fabric to arrive, and now that it's here, so are our Rambling Rose kits!  Be sure to check out the new colors in the Buggy Barn Basics that coordinate with this line!   We still don't have any snow on the ground here, and it's been warmer than usual; I find myself getting anxious for spring to arrive, but I know that winter has barely begun!  I'll just have to make due with these winter roses!  Happy New Year to you all!