Ombre Weave

Kathy H. featured this new selection of ombre from Moda to make Ombre Weave.

This smaller version is a nice throw or baby quilt size.
Isn't this pretty?

What's Next?

Strip Club!

You've been asking for it and here it is, even better than before!

For this Strip Club project, come in once a month to pick up pre-cut strips. Special this time is that the strips are not just cut by width, but they are also cut in the required lengths!

All you need to do is pick up your monthly packet of pre-cut strips and take them straight home to your sewing machine. Make 6 quick blocks a month for 7 months.

This sample is made with just 16 blocks to give you an idea. Your quilt will have a total of 42 blocks, making it a full size 72" x 84" quilt. Add a border and it's a queen sized quilt.

Other benefits of Strip Club? There is no finishing kit. Everything is provided, including the binding.

Another great feature is the ease of this particular quilt pattern. Since the blocks are turned every other way, there are no seams to match in the rows. 

You have the option to build your quilt in a scrappy style (pictured above) or in 1930 reproductions as shown here.

Brook and Max

My Chicago kids.

Spring Quilt Retreat

Spring Ladies of the Lake Quilt Retreat

March 22, 23 and 24 at Lake Panorama 

There are about 5 vacancies at this time.

Our retreats are an open sew venue but we also offer a project for anyone interested.

This spring, we will be offering Metro Hoops.

We have a sample stitched up but it is still on the long arm. Watch for it soon.

This is a modern version of the Double Wedding Ring and uses the Quick Curve Ruler.

The nice thing about this ruler is there are numerous patterns written that use it. I'm not a gadget girl but I really liked using the QCR for this quilt.

Here are some of the other patterns, including minis, made with the Mini QCR.

How about a sneak peek at our Fall Quilt Retreat Project?

It's another pattern featuring the Quick Curve Ruler in fall colors with teal and a pop of yellow, featuring Metro Twist. What do you think?

For more information on our Spring and Fall Ladies of the Lake Quilt Retreat, please skip on over to our website and then call us to register.

One brave old dog!

I have been visiting Max in Chicago. He is almost 17 years old. That's one old dog. His years of chasing squirrels and birds is catching up with him. He now needs help to go up and down the steps and finds barking more effort than it is worth.

However! He stood up to this huge stuffed lion, striking an attack mode and ready to defend. He held the pose for about a minute and then decided a nap sounded like a better choice. 

Today!

Due to slick roads, we will be closed today. We apologize for any inconvenience. Be safe. Stay home and sew today!

February Quilt Circle

With threatening weather and winter travel, we had a small gathering this month but it was still a nice and cozy time spent with quilt friends.

Marti opened our Show and Tell with these little dresses she has been making from hankies. Aren't they adorable? The middle one is a skirt on a paper doll, double downing on the use of some of her antique collectibles.

This is a wool pin cushion Marti made at a recent gathering of the Iowa Quilt Guild.

She also shared with us pictures in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine where several of her collections have been featured. This is just a few of her thimbles.

Theresa has been on a quest to use up her 5" batik charms. So easy and yet so pretty. 

And even more of her 5" batik squares, making a 9 patch block set on point. I like the way she organizes the colors.

Kathy recently joined our staff and this was her first QC meeting. Welcome to the group, Kathy! She showed us this big beauty she is finishing up as a welcome gift to friends moving into the area. All scraps. She had leftover 2 1/2" squares so they became the border. Very nice.

Nancy J shared some adorable little quilts she made in Kim Diehl Club but I failed to get the camera out in time. See how we suffer when our group photographer goes on vacation?

We closed our meeting after going through a large box of quilts that were donated to us for our June library fund raiser sale by Judy Williams. What a tremendous gift! Everything from seasonal wall hangings, table runners and baby quilts to lap and large quilts.

Sunday Sewday!

After a big day on Saturday, it felt good to just work on something fun. Grandson Cal (age 4) is having his tonsils out soon and he likes his little stuffed friends. He calls them family. He also chooses ISU clothes for himself everyday so, I think he will like this.

New Sample

This is a wall quilt pattern written by Kathy Hamilton for the new Moda Panel, Home Grown, and it's available only in kit and only in Adel! Aren't we lucky?

 Kathy's original designs features 4 of the 6 squares in the panel so we stitched the two extra squares to the back (see below)

Cheeseburger Chowder

This is the soup of the day at Adel's Brick Street Books and Cafe. All home made and really its the spot on this cold icy day.

Fun Weekend!

Our Fresh Beginnings Event was just that. Thank you to all who came out for it. It was wonderful to see everyone and just so fun.

Everyone went home with a gift from us.

 

Every good gathering has some good food, right? We added Mimosas to our celebration.

Guests shopped, registered for our BOM projects and listened to a presentation by Judy Williams on needle turn applique. Judy repeated her presentation several times as customers came and went.

Thank you to Patty Starmer, Theresa Hane and Diana Weirich for helping in the kitchen.

Plus -  thank you to Lonnie Keeran, Kathy Hamilton and Colleen Eckhoff for helping in the shop.

Together, we made a formidable crew!

Happy Presidents Day!

Fun stitching with friends

At February Open Sew, several of us worked on putting together pillow case kits from fabric that had been donated to Iowa Comfort Quilts. Volunteers just need to grab a packet or two and whip up a pillow case for the program, Betty's Cases

Adel Quilting is proud to announce we are now a drop off for Betty's Cases. Here's a little background on that program:

Betty was one of our online group, whose sons and grandchildren attended the Murray school district.

One day Betty was in the school and witnessed the school nurse wrapping items around Christmas time.  She inquired about the project and learned that the school helped out families during the winter break, that they felt needed a little boost.

Betty decided that the nurse could use her time more efficiently, and asked if pillowcases would work better, and set out each year to supply the district with enough pillowcases.

Betty passed away in 2015, but our online group has continued her project in her honor.

This is a message from Liz, one of our members and a teacher in the district. From this past year.

The pillowcases go to families which have either expressed a need or have been identified as a family which could benefit from receiving a boost during the holidays. This group does not do a toy giveaway, instead they focus on clothing items children need. The nurse, or another adult in the group, visits with the parents and determines items the children need. Socks, underwear. coats, mittens, jeans, sweaters/sweatshirts shoes, boots and pjs are some of the items I have seen go into the cases.. Each family also receives a ham/pork loin, fruit basket, and vegetables for their holiday meal. Candy canes, coloring books and books are are also put into the cases.

In an interview recently, I was asked to describe quilters. The first and most dominate thing that came to mind was that quilters are very generous and kind people. That's proven out over and over.

Another gathering with friends

This is how quilters beat the winter blues. These quilts were made at a gathering last weekend. The "What Cancer Cannot Do" will be donated to Warrior Wagons, a charity that gives kids in treatment a whole wagon full of thoughtful gifts, including a quilt.

Here are just a few of these quilts that were put together that weekend. We are planning to continue this project at our spring Ladies of the Lake Quilt Retreat as our charity project.

We are ready!

We've rearranged the shop, put up several new samples, added a large selection of notions and fabric to our bargain bench, cooked up a big variety of brunch finger foods, have the Champagne chilling and are all set up for our guest speaker!

You are invited! Saturday, Feb 17, 10 am to 5 pm

• View our 2018 Block of the Month and Strip Club Quilts
• Meet the designers and the staff
• Listen to an informal presentation on hand applique from KC quilt artist, Judy Williams (11 am to 2 pm - no fee)
• Pick up a gift from us
• Enjoy finger food from our brunch buffet, including a mimosa if you are so inclined. :) 
• If you are a member of our Purple Bag quilters, pick up a free purple FQ (that day only)
• Register by Feb 17 for our new applique bom and receive 1 month free.
• Plus we've added lots of fabric and notions to our clearance section!

Show and Tell

Every gathering of quilters includes Show and Tell. Here is Jackie O with three of her black, white and red quilts.

We talked about using this setting for a future block of the month. Sweet, isn't it?

Nancy H. showed us this shower curtain quilt she made using the One Block Wonder pattern. Wow!

Fresh Beginnings

You are invited! Saturday, Feb 17, 10 am to 5 pm

• View our 2018 Block of the Month and Strip Club Quilts
• Meet the designers and the staff
• Listen to an informal presentation on hand applique from KC quilt artist, Judy Williams (11 am to 2 pm - no fee)
• Pick up a gift from us
• Enjoy finger food from our brunch buffet, including a mimosa if you are so inclined. :) 
• If you are a member of our Purple Bag quilters, pick up a free purple FQ (that day only)
• Register by Feb 17 for our new applique bom and receive 1 month free.
• Plus we've added lots of fabric and notions to our clearance section!

Happy Valentines Day!

Made for us by Jenny O, isn't this sweet? This pattern comes from Southwest Designs. It features squares that are folded diagonally and then laid on top of another square for piecing. Then folded back and stitched to create curves.

I love it. Wouldn't this make a nice center for a wedding quilt?

Blue and White Quilts

I'm starting to think blue and white things are all the rage right now. No argument from me!

You may have seen this beauty that Lonnie made.

Then Donna and Nancy both happened in at the same time recently to find binding for their blue and white quilts.

And Jill was building this lovely quilt at a gathering I attended about a week ago.

Aren't they all great?

New samples

Here are a couple quick projects I made to feature some of our fun fabrics. The quilt above is made with Moda's soft plush on the back. Instead of binding, I trimmed the back off evenly and wrapped it to the front. Because it is a polyester product, there is no need to turn the raw edge under. Simply stitch near the edge. I like to use a little decorative stitch for this. Super easy, super quick and super cuddly.

I just added a couple borders to this panel featuring wildflowers across the USA.

And I simply added a border to this fun, bright tree panel. Makes us feel better on these cold and dreary days!

Stitching with friends

I  was  recently invited to gather with some friends for a couple days of stitching. Here are some of the quilt tops that were happening.

Patty was working on this quilt for here sister. Giving a nod to their Irish heritage, she is making an Irish Chain quilt. In going through their late mothers estate, they found this one doily, almost finished, with the crochet hook still in it. They finished the doily and Patty is going to applique it to this quilt top. Very nice.

Lynette showed us this quilt top she recently finished called Glazed Donuts.

And this bright beauty, made for her daughter.

Donnette is on a mission to finish up old projects. She just put the last stitches in the binding on this one.

Bonnie was working on this hand applique block. Maybe it will be her next Best of Show at the Iowa State Fair!

Lynnette patiently tried curved piecing and soon became a fan.

Nancy finished up this Halloween-ish quilt for her home. Love it!