New fabrics just in

These are a few of the new Grunge fabrics from Moda that we will be using in our sampler block of the month.

From Hoffman, these are all batiks.

Bags are in!

Our new shopping bags came in today! Buy one for just $4.95 or get one free when you sign up for our new Strip Club or Grunge Sampler. Limit one bag per customer.

Enter our monthly drawing each time you use it. As a Bag Girl, you will also be eligible for ongoing specials and surprises.

Quilters Tip

Janet V. was in today. She has a plan in place to facilitate her stash of wantabee quilts.

• She assigned a number to each quilt project she has waiting to be done.
• Each month, she will draw a number and that is the project she has to complete that month.
• In between each project, she is determined to work on other UFO's.

That's an aggressive plan and I have no doubt Janet will stay on task. I'll keep you posted on her progress. In the meanwhile - what is your plan?

Madelyn's Get Er Done

Our youngest Quilt Circle member, Madelyn B, could not come to our holiday party so she came by the shop to show me her Get Er Done quilt. With help from Grandma Celia, she got this beautiful quilt done. Good job, Maddie!

Sunday Sewday!

This is one thing I got done on Sunday. As a sponsor for the new Iowa Quilt Museum, we were invited to make this 6" block and to either write or embroider our shop name in the center.  We were to use colors that represent rural Iowa - farms, fields, corn, beans, skies.

Niece Lindsay helped me out here. She did the embroidered logo for the center. Love it.

Jenny's Wreath

This is a kit that Jenny received as a Christmas gift. What's cuter, the wreath or the granddaughter peeking through? Sweet.

New fabric!

Lovin this Hoffman line. Makes me think of Hollywood Glam.

Here is a close up of a tumbling block print. I am hearing this is the new popular trend in design and starting to see it in back splash tiles, floor tiles, upholstery and pillows and, of course, in trend setting fabrics. I am working on a shop sample that you will see soon.

And lots of new batiks from Hoffman. So pretty. We have seriously expanded our selection of batiks, each prettier than the one before.

News!

We just uploaded an all new newsletter to the website. So much to share:

• New Spring Quilt Retreat
• New Strip Club Project
• 2 New Block of the Month Programs
• New AQDG Bag incentive
• New spring BlockStock program
• New Classes
• New Featured Quilter
• New All Iowa Shop Hop Fabric
• New Quilt Museum
• New Hotel

What are you doing still reading this?!? Get on over to the website and check it out!

QC Holiday Party

As a group of busy mothers and grandmothers, we postpone our holiday party until January.

We start as any good party does - - - with a potluck. Then it's on to show and share. Since we pass on a December meeting, there is always lots of S'nS.

Theresa has been knitting hats for gifts, these with little fox ears.

and has nearly completed her flannel brick quilt.

We've been watching this project grow. It was from a class Theresa took. Love the blue and white.

Marti finished this fun Hoffman color-chart panel with a simple border. She made it special, though by custom quilting and adding a variety of quilters pins. That's what the dots are.

Jackie is in a group that makes comfort quilts as needed for Adel Alumni. Always in school colors, see one above and one below.

Nancy shared this pretty little quilt made from a charm pack.

and this large quilt made with exchange strips from an online group.

Nancy requested black and white strips in the exchange and then added this turquoise. Love this combo of colors.

For Christmas, Nancy requested her daughter make her a book documenting quilts she has made. What a wonderful keepsake.

This is Bonnie's interpretation of Flower Box Medley. All done in red and black, there is a tiny strip of green piping in the binding. Just beautiful.

Trish has been making coin purses (above) and blocks for a lake house quilts (below).

Trish shared these blocks at our last meeting. Here it is all set together. I guess retirement is working for her!

Margaret received this as a gift. It may be the inspiration for our Row x Row quilt this year. The theme is Home Sweet Home.

Speaking of Row quilts, here is another from the 2015 event that Abbie has completed. On the dark blue river, Abbie added crystals so the water really sparkles. Really nice. 

and this is a Spider Man quilt for a grandson. It will be delivered with the Frozen quilt she is working on now for his sister. Abbie shared that she had trouble finding a Frozen panel so, she bought a set of Frozen sheets and made her on panel and quilt.

Next, we shared our Get Er Done Archive quilts. This is a challenge we do at the beginning of each year where we designate just one old project and pledge to complete it in the new year.

Marti completed this from her collection of ladies hankies featuring violets.

The blocks included embroidery and coloring with crayons.

Nancy J. shared these quilts (above and below). She has been making one for each grandchild. The blocks are all cut from her father in law's Hawaiian shirts.

I had hoped to complete this applique and embroidery quilt that I started about 13 years ago but in the end was happy to at least get all 12 blocks completed. I have plans to set it together soon.

Janet claimed this cute baby quilt as her archive Get Er Done.

and Bonnie shared this quilt made for her son. In the red border, she has couched thread to spell Dreamin of Fishin in Minnesota. That is her son's retirement dream.

This big quilt was Barb's Get Er Done Archive and, she got it done!

Jackie O finished this large quilt, a request from a relative. Sweet.

Several other Archive Get Er Done quilts have already be gifted. About 75% of members claimed and completed one archive quilt in 2015. Now, that's a success story.

Next, we shared progress on our animal and/or snowball block exchange quilts.

Margaret's is done. So cute!

 

Mine is near completion.

Imagine this as a snowball block. Bonnie cut all of her snowball blocks diagonally in both directions. Then she used those triangles with a black print triangle to create these pinwheel blocks. Isn't that both creative and beautiful?

Marti set her snowball blocks together using a block called "Thrifty" for the offset block. So pretty.

We closed our meeting with three rounds of Quilter's Trade, using strips and squares for our poker chips. 

Now, our challenge for the Feb meeting is to make something from the charms and strips we each collected in this game.

It was another special evening with my Quilt Circle of Friends. Even with the sub-zero temps, we had near perfect attendance. Condolences to Celia who was home sick. Celia, you were missed.

And, as always, special thanks to Jackie O. for taking all these pictures and sending then to me.

Booster Seat

Jenny O needed a booster seat for her granddaughter so, she made one. She used PUL fabric. That's Poly Urethane Laminate. It is knit on one side and laminated with water proofing on the other. Perfect for spills that happen at the dinner table.

Based on this smile, I think Avery likes it!

She started with a 4-patch for the top and sides.

She covered a large piece of foam and inserted a zipper in the side so it can be removed to launder.

On the bottom, she put this non-skid material so the cushion won't slide off the chair.  Isn't this nice? And to think, my poor kids had to sit on an upside down soup pot.