Just One Block!

That's all it takes!

If we each make "Just One Block", we can put together a donation quilt with ease.

Join us in this block challenge. Joyce S. has already turned her block in (above). Beautiful!

• Purchase a fabric pack from us ($1 to pick up or $2 to ship).
• Use 4 of the 5 fabrics in the pack for your block.
• You have the option to add white but no other fabrics.
• Block must be a 12" finished star block (12 1/2" raw).
• Block must be turned back in to the shop by June 10.

This summer, blocks will be displayed for Viewer's Choice. Next summer, the completed quilt will be sold by auction at the Dallas Co. Sponsors Dinner with all proceeds donated to DC 4-H programs.

Retreat Show and Tell

Another favorite part of any quilter gathering is Show and Tell. Here are a few of the quilts from our spring retreat.

Barbara K. shared this little hand pieced table topper, a pattern from our Sisters of the Club 2016 series.

LaRue S. brought this Afternoon Delight quilt to show us. This was an applique bom from our shop last year. Beautiful, LaRue!

LaRue had a few blocks left over so she pieced them into the back. Nice.

This is the quilt we featured at a previous retreat. Deb S. got hers finished it up and brought it to show us. Nice job, Deb!

  

JoAnne S. shared these two quilts she made. They will be donation quilts to the Quilts of Valor program.

Valerie M. shared this Double Irish Chain. She started this last year at our Spring retreat and got it done!!

 Val also shared this jelly roll race quilt with a twist. Between each strip, she added a triangle. Really nice. Val started this at our 2016 Fall retreat and she got it done! Did I tell you she just retired?

Janet D brought this French Braid top to show. She had started this one at a previous retreat. It really is fun to see these projects both at the beginning and again as they are completed.

Becky E. was working on binding old quilts that she has picked up at sales and had machine quilted.

Weren't these tops lucky to find Becky who was willing to bring them to life and give them a home?

This quilt top also belongs to Becky but it was made by her Great Grandmother. So lovely!

Retreat quilt tops

Here are a few of the quilts that came together at spring retreat.

By Lonnie K. You will see this quilt again with a pieced border. So pretty!

Nancy S. made this Jelly Roll quilt, maybe one of the prettier ones I have seen.

Lois W. finished this quilt top! She has worked on it at several of our previous retreats. Such a big quilt and intricate pattern requires laying it out as you sew and Lois says she does not have a space large enough at home. This is a major accomplishment and a major beauty. Way to go, Lois!

This quilt will also have a few borders added but, the tricky part is done. This was our Grunge BOM by Deb S. Nice job, Deb.

Jo Anne S. is burning through her stash and finished up this top.

Spring Ladies of the Lake

We just put another Ladies of the Lake Quilt Retreat to bed. We've been doing fall retreats for 15 years. This was our 2nd Spring retreat and it's unanimous. It is officially an annual event as well. The 2018 retreat is scheduled for March 22, 23 and 24 and there are just 4 openings left. What a great weekend. Thank you to all. 

Our theme for this retreat was T-Shirt Quilts. Here are a few:

Abbie A. made this one from all Harley shirts and Harley print fabrics. Spectacular.

Sue R shared this T-Shirt quilt she made. Very nice.

This is a series of blocks I made for demo, featuring Adel Quilting T-Shirts and photos.

Abbie A shared this one with us. It's made from the same pattern as the Adel Quilting sample but she used ombre for the accent fabric. Such a great idea. This pattern is found in T Shirt Quilts Made Easy.

This book is a great reference for making T-Shirt quilts, from picking out the shirts to cutting and stabilizing. It also has several patterns to choose from to set together your T-Shirts.

Our best tip for making t-shirt quilts is to stabilize the back of the shirts with cotton iron-on interfacing. This makes the quilt much easier to machine quilt. We have it in both black and white.

Spring Scavenger Hunt

This week:

Thursday - 10 am to 7 pm

Friday - 10 am to 5 pm

Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm

Enjoy 15% off while you shop, snack and hunt for answers to the Scavenger Hunt questions. 

Scavenger Hunt forms are available at each shop so pick one up at your first stop. 

Each shop will give away a gift basket valued at $75. To be eligible for the drawing, you just need to correctly answer the 3 questions provided by that shop.

Visit each participating shop and answer all of the questions correctly on the Scavenger Hunt Form to be eligible for the grand prize drawing - - - - 5 yards of fabric of your choosing from each shop!

Adel Quilting & Dry Goods Co. - Adel

Creekside Quilting - Clive

The Quilt Block - West Des Moines

Woodside Quilting - Des Moines

Quilters Cupboard - Ankeny

Quilt Connection - Ames

March Quilt Circle of Friends Met

We started our evening with the presentation of the next block in our Barn Quilt BOM. Above is mine and below is the one Lonnie made to test the pattern,

Above are all blocks members brought from the February Barn Block BOM.

Then we presented the new Just One Block Challenge. Please come by or call for your packet. They are $1 each. You must use 4 of the 5 fabrics provided and you may add white.

Make a 12 1/2" Star pattern block and turn it back in here by June 10. Blocks will be judged by viewers choice during our June Outdoor Quilt Show.

Then it was time for Show and Tell. Nancy H. shared this fabric and her plans to follow the One Block Wonder pattern and make it into a shower curtain.

This will be fun to watch come together

Nancy J showed us this found and finished small quilt she made from our orphan donations. 

She did the same with these two pin weaving placemats, orphans donated by Sue Denny. All of these items will be in our annual library fund raiser sale in June.

Nancy also showed this table runner she finished. Such a pretty combo of colors.

Bonnie N above and Lorna C below took a class last weekend from Jessie Zeigler on her paper pieced pattern, The No Y-Seam Feathered Star.

Lonnie K shared what she has been up to. A two fabric bargello above, her finished quilt from our half square triangle exchange and a new shop sample she just made from the Side Lights pattern below.

Deb had fun explaining the delimma of going from way too many half square units to perhaps not enough.

Margaret presented this beautiful star block quilt.

Remember this one by Theresa H from last month? It has really grown, hasn't it. Very cool.

Abbie A. shared this little fun Chirstmas quilt above and a Row x Row runner below featuring photos of Decorah eagles.

Marty K made this soft colored quilt for her husband. Nice.

Bonnie N. has shared this quilt before. She has been handquilting it. The difference now is that it's done! We celebrate with her. The best part of making a quilt is getting it done!

Jackie O. is still on track with sewing a bit every day. She finished this quilt from our Mystery project a year or so ago.

New member Sharon P. shared this flannel quilt she made for her husband.

And Sharon's sister Cathy shared this quilt, one of three she is making for her young adult children.

We closed our evening with a little Q and A with Megan Barrett, director of the new Iowa Quilt Museum in Winterset.

We also went through a large bag of orphan parts and pieces donated to us for our annual fund raiser by Sue Denny. There were about a dozen of these bags made from place mats. Megan choose a few to take to the museum for their gift shop.

Thanks to Megan for visiting us in Adel and thanks to Jackie O for taking all these great pictures.