Gabe's Muppet

Using You-Tube videos and supplies from Hobby Lobby, Gabe created this muppet for nephew, Jackson for Christmas. He's shown here gazing at the ceiling with his mouth open. Gabe sent the muppet to me to make matching shirts. As expected, Jackson was a little afraid of the muppet but did name him Uncle Gabe.

Need backing fabric?

If you are doing one of our block of the month programs or working on a kit purchased here, now is the perfect time to pick up your backing fabric while it's on sale for 25% off. Sale ends today!

Just 2 days left!

Sale runs through Tuesday. Come shop our large selection of flannels at 25% off! All fabric cut from the bolt is 25 % of through December 30. Lots of holiday kits, fabrics and panels are also on clearance.

Shop hours:  Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.

We will be open on New Year's Eve but closed on New Years Day.

Book Report

This book, recommended in the Des Moines Register recently as a good holiday read, was just that. I finished it this evening. It's a story featuring a circle of friends that quilt together and support each other through joys and sorrows while their husbands are off fighting in the Civil War.  It's an easy read and engaging from first page to last.

It's on!

Our annual pre-inventory-so-we-don't-have-to-count-it-sale starts today.

Plus several new bolts have been moved to our clearance shelves, just $6 a yard.

All regular price fabric on the bolt is 25% off with minimum 1 yard cuts.

This sale continues through Tuesday, December 30.

Hours are 10 am to 5 pm daily  - closed on Sunday.

Another gift stitched with love - - -

Rozetta F. sent me this picture, a gift for a granddaughter. Isn't this sweet?

Did you make any gifts this year? Send me a picture to post.

Merry Christmas!

Livie's first purse - - - from Aunt B, of course. I think she likes it.

Merry Quiltmas!

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.

I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.

Could it be fat quarters or a pattern or lace?

Or a quilt kit, I said, with a smile on my face.

And that's when I heard him,"Hi Santa," I said

"You know....good little girls should be in their beds ".

"I know I should Santa, and now I've got caught.

But I was just so excited to see what you brought."

"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work."

He shook his head quickly, And left with a jerk.

I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.

"You've got enough stuff, I'll see you next year!"

Just in - - -

Just in, these pretty and light weight circle scarves. Add a quilt calendar and a gift certificate to check someone off your list. Maybe it's you!

A gift of love - - -

Hand made gifts are such an expression of love. Friend Patty sent me this Christmas gift she made for her grandchildren. This little cloth house fits over the top of a card table. Patty added love to every stitch to make it really special.

I still have my two front teeth so - - - -

Penny W. sent me this cartoon. - - - - Perfect. I think I probably have a sleigh full of fabric and January is looking promising for a month of Sewing Sundays. I'm all set for 2015!

More gift ideas

Here is another great gift, the brand new issue Needle Travel.

Books are a great gift as one size fits all!

Plus we have lots of other great gift ideas in stock now.

It's here!!!!

Just in today, several customers have inquired for the holiday issue of Block so these will go fast. Add a pocket Quilter's Calendar and a gift certificate. You will be a golden gift giver!

Holiday Decor

Isn't this pretty? Colleen E. sent me this picture and I share it with you because of the story. This is a door from a home built in the 1800s where her mother grew up. This door was salvaged from that home before it burnt down. I love memory pieces like this.

4-H Project

Monday, we visited relatives in NW Iowa. Great niece Sydney, showed us this chair she refurbished as a 4-H project. She won top honors for this and I can see why.

This is a closeup of just the seat. It is woven with leather belts and I love the little buckle adornment. Way to go, Syd!

More new flannels!

RE: Earlier Post

Jenny O. shares what else quilting does - - - - "Makes my thumbs hurt when binding too many quilts at once, lets me give a hug to whoever is snuggles under it even if I’m many miles away, lets me be creative and let the inner “wild” at time run free, and gives me satisfaction of a job well done!"

What does quilting do for you? Share!

True that!

Angel Update

Just a reminder - - - If you adopted an Angel from our Angel Tree, they are due here December 15. We have some wiggle room but we would like to deliver them to the shelter late this week.

Here are some Angel gifts waiting to be delivered. I have already delivered 8 or 10 gifts to the office for the Domestic Violence shelter.

How sweet is this? Jenny O. got her little Angel a Tonka Truck to hold the pillowcase full of gifts.

New fabrics just in

These fun fabrics are flannels!

A few more quatrefoils to add to our selection.

This is 2 bolts of chicken and rooster fabric. 

And one more for the Valentines.

This is a close up of a new tone on tone selection of fabrics just in. We have this in 12 new fresh colors. Love this blender.

December Open Sew

As always, we had a great time at Open Sew this week. Below are a few of the projects coming to life.

This fun batik quilt was made by Sara D.

Wanda H. was working on these blocks and having fun with the secondary design they made.

Young Ms Madelyn was sewing strips together. These pieces will be cut in long 13" segments. Every other segment will be flipped over and sewn back together to make a kind of stair-step design.

Celia made this caddy for a granddaughter.  Then she stuffed it full of fingernail equipment including adorable stick on nails. This will be a lot of fun for a little girl.

Had to take this picture because it is rare. Celia is doing hand stitching!!! She normally avoids it like the plague. 

Nancy J was working on these block of the month blocks. The background is actually the carpet so, don't let that throw off the design!

Nancy also shared this quilt made from her church supply of scraps. Quilts made by her church group are donated as comfort quilts. Some unusual combinations make some pretty special quilts.

I worked on our next Strip Club quilt. This will probably start in February. I have about half of the rows done here and there is also a stripy border to make it a full sized quilt. We will have this available in Kansas Troubles fabrics, Grey and Yellow fabrics or Brights (as shown above).

This group re-configured their tables so they could all face each other as they stitched.

And, of course, the cutting table is up on bed lifts to save our backs.

A real treat this month was the chicken noodle soup made for us by Janet V! She made enough to feed the whole group and it was delicious. Thanks again to Janet for that.

Here's a little sampling - - -

This is the calendar front and back.

Stocking Stuffers!

Need a little add-on gift? We got you covered. The 2015 Calendar of Quilts just came in today!!

This year, we made a pocket size calendar (book style, 4" x 7") with space on each month to make notes. 

Each month also features a photo of one of the quilts voted as favorites during our June Little Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show. Shown above is the quilt voted as Best of Show, made by Cyndi Craigmile.

Pick up several for gifts at just $5.95 each. We ship!

Sneak Peek

The Holiday Issue of Block should be in any day now. Here's a peek.

The Spirit of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas was most certainly in the air Sunday. The First Christian Church hosted their annual quilt show in the sanctuary. On the left side of the aisle were new quilts.

On the right side of the aisle, vintage quilts were featured. Terry B. really supported this show by bringing her collection of 21 vintage quilts.

In addition to the quilt show, this church also hosts a soup and dessert dinner in the midst of their own Festival of Trees. It is such a beautiful event.

Above is my favorite tree. Trish S. and her daughter decorated this tree and named it "Grandpa's Shed". Look closely to see the tree is built around a wooden step ladder and chuck full of things from the workshop. At the base is a sleigh full of chopped wood. So creative.

After the festivities at this Adel church, a friend and I traveled to the Methodist Church in WDM and toured their display of Nativity Sets, over 400 in fact in the "No Room in the Inn" exhibit. 

To truly romanticize the presentation, nativity sets were embellished with all kinds of accessories from candles to dishes and lots of lighted garland. It was just beautiful.

This was the 11th year for this well-organized event. It takes volunteers a week to set up and was open to the public for 3 days, Dec 5, 6 & 7. Admission is free however, in keeping with the spirit of giving shelter, donations are accepted for Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity.

I thought this was one of the most original sets. These wise men were fashioned from cattle horns.

 

 David and Miriam, former owners of Atherton House, had this special exhibit on display. This whole nativity village was displayed on stacked limestone and built by David and Miriam just for this event.

I guess I am now ready to get out my nativity set and decorate my tree!

OOOOOPEN SEW THIS WEEK!!!

Gather with us to sit and stitch at the Adel Library this week, Thursday and Friday, 10 am to whenever the last stitch of the day is made.

Bring your machine and projects and come for an hour or for both days. The room is secured overnight to safeguard your sewing equipment, etc.

No fee - donations to the Adel Library accepted. It's optional but you are welcome to bring a snack to share.

This month, Janet V. is bringing chicken noodle soup to share. You are welcome to bring a side dish to share for lunch together. 

Cream Cheese Pineapple Coconut No Bake - - - - -

NO BAKE - Cream Cheese, Coconut, Snowball's Recipe
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened.
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained.
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups flaked coconut.
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and pineapple until combined then fold in the pecans. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Take out of refrigerator and roll into 1-inch balls; then roll the balls in the coconut. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Yield: about 2 dozen.
***If you actually follow the instructions, and don't try "taste testing" before the product is finished, you'll love this recipe. A few helpful hints to remember when making this recipe:
a. An inch is much smaller than you think, use ruler to measure an inch.
b. After you mix the drained crushed pineapple and softened cream cheese, don't taste it. 
c. After you shape the balls, roll them in coconut, don't taste them. It is now cream cheese, pineapple, pecans and coconut.
4. If you made your snowballs SMALL, and they've chilled over night (or at least 6 hours), the pineapple and cream cheese have "married", and are delicious.
If you're expecting coconut macaroons, perhaps you should look for a recipe for coconut macaroons. These aren't really cookies, they're more like palate cleansers.
A bright little nibble, quite delicious, and a hit at the office party.

This evening - --

We had such a nice time in Adel this evening.

Businesses lined their entrance with luminaries to welcome this evenings visitors to the Adel Open House.

The weather was wonderful for roaming the streets and sampling the offerings at each business.

Meet Chelsey and her mother Renee. They brought a beautiful display of hand made jewelry. One little girl circled back and bought a Christmas gift, something her mother had admired earlier in the evening.

Phyllis Kaldenberg was here to sign her book, The Quilt That Gave a Hug, a Christmas story about a little boy that gave away his quilt. These books have been selling like crazy for gifts.

We now have 12 of these books in stock at just $9.95 and I made sure Phyllis autographed them before she left.

And then there were the kids that stopped in after they had been to the library for face painting. Aren't these guys cute?

Thanks to everyone that came out tonight. What a wonderful holiday tradition and the weekend is not over yet!

Saturday: Holiday Open House continues in the shop. 

Sunday Noon: Vintage quilt show and lunch at the First Christian Church.