A few new pieces - - -

More new 1930 reproduction fabrics.

and new from Modern Tyke

and a few more - - - new from Kim Diehl

The 30's are back!

10 to 15 years ago, the 1930 reproduction fabrics were really popular. Then they fell out of vogue for a while. Well, here they come again, full circle. Above is about half of our new selection. The rest is scheduled to arrive any day and we are really excited to start stitching with it.

Sunday Sewday!!!

It's starting to feel good to sit at the sewing machine again! This past Sunday, I quilted and put the binding on this little table topper.

And I quilted and put the binding on this little Twelve Days of Christmas quilt.

I wasn't the only one feeling the call this past Sunday. Jenny O. finished up this table topper for us, made easier by the pre-cut interfacing material. So cute and easy.

And Lonnie whipped up this Jelly Roll quilt using Moda's Weave line. It is prettier in person and will really shine after quilted and bound.

Best Friends!

Not really friends at age 2 but best friends at age 3 - - - most of the time.

                                                                                       

                                         

Saturday, February 18 -----------

Tomorrow we will gather at the Adel Library from 8 am to 11 am to talk about applique. We have demos prepared for machine applique and needle turn applique done with either freezer paper templates or by back basting.

We will touch on using a light box, reversing patterns, transferring designs, making templates, stitching the valleys and the peaks, making circles, preferred notions and answer your questions.

Diana Weirich will set up her sewing machine and demonstrate machine applique stitches, including some very helpful hints.

You will go away with hand outs so you can refresh and practice at home.

Class is free if you are registered for our Whimsical Garden b.o.m. This b.o.m. is open for registration through the end of March.

Otherwise, class fee is $15.

Find the Adel Library just 1 block south of the shop, between 9th and 10th Streets. The parking lot is off 9th St. The meeting room is just inside the entrance.

See you tomorrow, bright and early!

Grandparents House Rules

This is a new panel. Love it!

Customer Show and Share

Darla C recently brought these two quilt tops in to show us. Above is one of our block of the months from a bit back. Below is a quilt that used mostly AQDG fabrics.

Both very pretty. Nothing feels better than done, right?

Quilty Valentines Day!

I love this silly little verse. From my sewing room to yours - - - Happy Valentines Day!

Sunday Sewday

I am finally getting back on the sewing band wagon after a 3 month time out to heal. The first thing I finished was this little quilt made with an online quilt group.

This is the 12 Days of Christmas. Notice the first block is made with 1 piece, the 2nd with 2 pieces and so on, adding one piece to each block until you get to block 12 which has 12 pieces. My block 12 looks a little wonky. Might have to do a little unsewing there.

Heirloom Quilt Repair

Karen Peters has an old family quilt top that was tied many years ago. She would like to hire someone to take the worn back off, re-layer it with back and batt and quilt it. 

If you are interested, please call Karen at 515-419-5131.

Black and White Strip Club sample

 Note: These are just small samples, about 1/3 the size of the completed project which will finish 72" x 84"

We have two choices for you. Do the brights version with yellow accent - shown above.

Or - choose this black and white version. With this choice, you can choose your accent color. So far, customers have picked black, orange, red, yellow and green (shown)

Program runs 7 months at $15 a month and starts March. Pick up pre-cut strips and binding to make this quilt.

OOOOPEN SEW!!!!!!!!!!

It's this week! Thursday and Friday, Feb 9 and 10. Join us at the Adel Library for this free event - stitching and chatting with friends. We start at 10 am and sew until the last stitch of the day is made.

February Applique Class

As promised, we have scheduled a hand and machine applique seminar at the Adel Library, Saturday, February 18 from 8 am to 

11 am.

This seminar is FREE if you are registered for our Whimsical Garden BOM. Otherwise, fee is $15.

No pre-registration is required. 

No need to bring a machine. 

If you have some of your blocks prepped, bring them along with your basic sewing tools and you can practice what we are demonstrating.

If you do not, that's fine too. Just come and learn.

Seminar will include:

• step x step demonstration of hand needle turn applique using freezer paper
• step x step demonstration using fusible web for machine applique including tips on options  for finishing the edges.
• how to use a pressing sheet for best accuracy on machine applique.
• reference sheets for all above to take home

Not too late to register for our new applique block of the month, My Whimsical Flower Garden Quilt. It just started. 

Make 2 blocks each month for $10 a month and attend the seminar FREE. Pattern set required, $17.95. 

Are you Valentine ready?

Here are a few quick sew projects to decorate your home or the home of a loved one.

This little love hanging measures 6" x 14". The red hearts are wool felt, raw edge, dimensional so they give the hanging a little extra flair. It comes in a kit (shown below) including all the fabrics for the front, back, applique and binding plus the pattern for just $12.95

And here's another small project. Measuring 12" square, this fits nicely on a desk stand or on a wall hanger.

This kit comes with all required fabrics for the front, including a mini charm pack for the border.  The kit also includes a sheet of printable cloth and instructions on how to print this poem on your home computer. Need help with printing? Just give us a call.

January Quilt Circle Party

In Quilt Circle of Friends, we have a tradition of postponing our December meeting until January and having our holiday potluck party then. 

Following a soup and salad potluck, we shared our 2016 Archive Get Er Done Challenge Quilts. Members declared one old project at the beginning of the year that they really wanted to complete. Here are the quilts that Got Done!

This is a block of the month from several years ago, Baskets of Blohms, finished now by Jackie Orton.

Margaret declared this Farmers Wife quilt and she got it done!

Deb finished this Strip Quilt project, Morse Code - on the right. She had enough leftover parts and pieces to make her fur friend a quilt to snuggle on.

Another Baskets of Blohms finished - - This one by Lorna Christensen.

And Theresa finished up this Strip Club project quilt.

Above are little pinwheel quilts Nancy made for her sisters.
Below is a quilt Nancy helped one of her sisters to make. It turned out to be a bit of a challenge for her sister's first quilt. Looks great, though.

This is a challenge Marti is entering. The rules state you must use black and white with 3 accent colors and it must include a flower and a log cabin block. (I think I have that right). You may not notice the log cabin block immediately. The white background is pieced in log cabin blocks. This is what you call Sew Creative!

Above is Nancy J's row quilt, completed from a row of the month published in a quilt magazine. Below is a block of the month she made from Quilt Block in WDM.

Lately, Bonnie has been making place mats. Very pretty.

This is a block Bonnie made for our fall Ladies of the Lake retreat. Guests were each given a piece of ombre fabric with instructions to create a 12" block.

She also shared her little chickie quilt, now finished by hand quilting. A close up below shows the chicken tracks stitch she used for some of the quilting.

Bonnie's last show and share quilt was this one made from a block lottery through the Perry quilt guild. She won the blocks made by members and put it together. Now it will be gifted to one of the guild members who is recuperating from a bad accident.

Love these smiles! Margaret above and Trish below are showing the blocks they made from our Barn Quilt BOM.

Trish shared two quilts she has already gifted by showing us a picture of them. Above was gifted to the family of a friend that recently passed. Below is a Fidget quilt for a friend in a nursing home.

Fidget quilts are kind of new to me but such a great idea. If you have made one, please send me a picture.

This is Trish's quilt from the Sisters of the Cloth block exchange. I really like the clam shell machine quilt design on this square block quilt. Nice.

Theresa made this quilt for her stash. Maybe a good Strip Club Project down the road, right?

Done and ready to hang, Lorna's winter window quilt.

and her wreath. Nice.

Jackie O. is really knocking them out, using a New Years pledge to spend at least a few minutes every day in her sewing room. Above is for a quilt challenge through Iowa Quilters, an online group. Below is a comfort quilt ready to go for the ADM Alumni.

This one was completed for her kids,  Hawkeye fans.

and this one for her son, a fan of Big Foot. You know he loves this one!

Deb has decided to make good use of leftover parts and pieces by making them into doggie quilts. Very creative!   

After show and share, we played a new game, new to us anyway. Each brought a pair of socks stuffed with little gifts like candy, sewing notions, lotion, etc. We passed our gifts around the circle, following a story about the Right family and all of the things they had Left to do. After our exchange, we each donned one of our socks for this fun photo.

It was another really fun evening with my Quilt Circle of Friends. Thank you, Jackie O, for documenting our evening with these pictures!