Sunday Sewday

Here are a few things I worked on Sunday. Quilt Circle of Friends is finishing up "things" to sell for our annual Adel Library fund raiser. As many of you know, we love to gather and sew at the Adel Library and this is our way of saying thank you!

We call our projects orphans because we make things to sell from parts and pieces that have been donated. Above is a journal cover, a zip travel tote to carry misc chargers when you are on the go and a pillow.

These items were all made from woven (pin weaving) mats donated to the club by Sue Denny.  Thanks Sue!

Our Little Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show is one week from tomorrow, June 18! We will have these and a lot more for sale starting next week and running through the outdoor show. I'll be posting more pictures all next week.

If you have a quilt you would like to hang in our outdoor show, just give us a call.

Another Purple Bag Winner!

We have a June winner!! Carol P. from Adel won a kit for a table runner including a charm pack, pattern and all the finishing fabrics.

Are you a Purple Bag Quilter? Just purchase a purple shopping bag from us and bring it in for your purchases when you come to shop. Every time you do, you enter your name in our drawing.

Once a month we draw for a pretty fine prize. We save all of the names from our drawing each month to draw for some grand prizes at the end of the year. 

We also have lots of "pop-up" surprise specials for the Purple Bag Quilters only. 

Ask when you come and we will get your started.

Simple and Fantastic - -

Have you seen these? They are scrap bags we get from Moda. Strips are about 30" long and are cut lengthwise along the selvage. They are pieces Moda has left after they cut 5" and 10" squares for pre-cut packets.

Each bag has fabric from just one line of fabric so you know they will work together. The width of the strips varies from 1 1/2" to 3" and, for just $12.99 a bag, they are very reasonable.

Below is a picture Diana W. sent me. She made this baby quilt from the fabric she got in one Scrap Bag plus her background fabric. Isn't this just adorable?

Diana made this as a baby quilt gift for her niece but, before it goes to the baby, she is entering it in her guild challenge. The challenge was to make a quilt pattern that started with the same letter as your name so - - -  Diana made a Dresden Plate! Sweet.

Sisters of the Cloth!

Sisters of the Cloth is a group that meets at the Adel Library on 3 Saturday mornings in the last half of the year to learn more about vintage quilts and the women who made them. We also enjoy lots of show and share quilts, mostly vintage.

Our meetings also include lots of hand outs, patterns, supplies to do hand stitching (optional) while listening to the program, prizes, refreshments, and speakers.

Our dates for 2016 (10 am to noon) are:

• July 16
• September 17
• November 19

Here is what we have lined up for the 2016 series of classes:

• July - Suzi Parron, author of "Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement". Her presentation is both informative and entertaining as Suzi explores the way in which our quilting heritage takes on new meaning.

• September - Jeanette Harms will bring several quilts made in the 1800s and tell the story of how she found them in her grandmother's attic.

• November -  Helen Lewis from the Iowa Speaker's Bureau will come dressed in period clothing and tell the story of Jane Addams, born in 1860, a pioneer, American settlement activist/reformer, social worker, public philosopher, author and leader in women's suffrage movement and world peace.

Register now for all three classes, just $35. Seating is limited so don't tarry. Even if you miss a class, the value is still there in the hand outs, patterns, supplies and fellowship.

Hopping and Shopping!

Today is a great day to visit us for the All Iowa Shop Hop! 

Also in Adel today is the All-Wheel Show with lots of vintage cars streaming into Adel now to park around our historic limestone courthouse.

Our hours today are 10 am to 5 pm, closed on Sunday.

Customer show and share

Diana W. brought this quilt into to show us. It's a wedding gift for a nephew. Very nice.

And Carol P. made this quilt. Take a closer look. That's right, it's all Mickey Mouse fabrics. Very fun.

Our first All Iowa Shop Hopper!

Carol P. started her All Iowa Shop Hop with us this morning. Enjoy the tour of the Iowa quilt shops, Carol! May you return home with a book full of stamps.

Here we go!

The 2016 All Iowa Shop Hop starts today!  Need a passport? Pick up the 2016 Guide or download one from the AISH website free.

This is the shop sample quilt Jenny O. made for us featuring the All Iowa Shop Hop fabrics. We have this available in kits of course. All the AISH fabric is also available to go home with you - - - - starting today.

Let the fun begin!

Happy Birthday to Olive and Cal.

Guess who turned 3 years old today!!

Remembering - - -

 Lonnie K. made this Quilt of Valor. In fact, she made two of them. They will be presented to two of her classmates who are veterans. This is an arrangement of Log Cabin blocks. Isn't it a striking quilt? 

This was machine quilted by Deb S. who uses all of her quilting proceeds to fund her charity, Iowa Comfort Quilts so this is a "giving" quilt in more way than one. 

Happy Memorial Day - - - We are closed today to spend time with family and friends. Play safe and remember those who have gone before us to make that possible. 

Baby Quilts for more family twins!

Here are baby quilts I made for great nieces Camryn and Brooke. They decided to come a few months early so, they had to stay at the hospital and missed their baby shower.

Here is mom and dad at the baby shower. For those who don't know me, I am 5' 10" tall. My nephew Jeff makes me look like short, though.  Suppose his baby girls will be long legged?

Looking for a volunteer - - -

The raffle quilt for the Dallas Co. Fair is almost completely pieced.

This quilt was made from the block challenge we held last summer.

It will be auctioned at the Dallas Co. Fair in July and all proceeds will be donated to the Dallas Co. 4-H program.

I have pieced the quilt top and donated all of the setting, backing, batting and binding fabric. Now we are looking for someone to machine quilt it and someone to bind.

The machine quilting can be the most basic all over design, not custom work, since the beauty of the blocks speak for themselves.

If you are interested in volunteering for either machine quilting or binding, just send me an email. Thanks!

A Quilt for the Birds

 See the first two books by local author, Phyllis Kaldenberg above. A Christmas story and a Quilts of Valor story. We have kits to make a doll size Quilt of Valor. Pair a little doll quilt with the book for a very sweet little gift.

Just released and in stock now is Phyllis's latest book, A Quilt for the Birds. This is a very cute story about a little girl watching the backyard birds build a quilt while Grandma is doing the same in her sewing room. Sweet little book.

Another Diva Wallet Class

Nancy Sharr will teach this class in Valley Junction, West Des Moines on Saturday June 25 from 9 am to 1 pm.  Contact At the Heart of Quilting to register.

Above are several of the wallets Nancy has made. She has lots of ideas to add to and improve on the original pattern. Fun class and great gifts.

Here's Nancy with a purse she made from 2 1/2" strips and below is the matching Diva Wallet she made. 

Great combo for the summer!

Our first two guest for the American Quilt Expo!

Meet our first two customers of the day, in the area for the American Quilt Expo at Wells Fargo in Des Moines (Thurs to Sat). They flew in from Arizona just for the show. Of course, they came a couple days early to hit all the local shops. Love their green bags, don't you?

Quilt Circled May Meeting

It was another great gathering of friends, Quilt Circle of Friends that is.

Lonnie brought this purse she made from All Iowa Shop Hop fabric to donate to our June porch sale.

Deb shared this Strip Club quilt she is working on.

She also showed us the pig block she has completed. This is part of a challenge we have been working on. There should be several of these "animal block" quilts on display at our Little Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in June.

 Trish made this cute pin cushion to donate to the June sale.

and here is her animal quilt. Really cute. The challenge was to use the 5 different animal blocks and make something - - -anything.

Here is a close up.

Margaret brought the potholders above and table topper below, both to donate to our June porch sale.

Margaret also shared this gorgeous batik quilt.

Lorna showed this pumpkin table topper she just finished up and below is the quilt she made from the Comfort Blocks the Quilt Circle friends made when her husband passed a few months ago.

Abbie showed us this quilt she finished for a Monster High loving granddaughter. She couldn't find Monster High fabric so she cut these pieces out of a sheet set. Next is a couple close-ups.

This will be one happy little girl.

Abbie also shared some projects she started in an art class at the Machine Quilter's Expo. First, a creative expression in drafting for thread play - - 

then design transfer.

and fabric painting.

and hula hoop weaving!

Sue shared her t-shirt quilts - above and below

Sue also shared this cool strip quilt.

This is the quilt top I put together from blocks made at our Spring Quilt Retreat. This is Scrappy Trips, a Bonnie Hunter pattern taught to us by JoAnne Schnebley. It will be a Quilt of Valor.

I demoed one block of Scrappy Trips, using just red and white fabrics. I hope to have some more blocks made to share at our June meeting.

I also shared this little shop sample quilt, forest animals with doll clothes. Then we closed our evening with a cupcake.

Look at all these happy faces. We always have a good time together at Quilt Circle of Friends.

Thank you, as always,to Jackie O. for taking all these pictures.

Adel Chocolate Walk Winnters!

Just realized I have not yet posted the winners of the Adel Chocolate Walk prizes. Six local businesses each gave away a $50 basket of goodies. Here are the names that were drawn from the completed passports:

Enezer Gartei

Jessica Embre

Amy Lucht

Jamie Jorgenson

Maria Lopez

Renee Sweers

Congratulations to the winners and a big THANK YOU to all who visited us during the annual Adel Chocolate Walk!

Sunday Sewday

I spent most of Sunday working outside and loving the spring Iowa weather.  In the evening, I did spend a little time in the sewing room, finishing up this mattress, pillow and quilt for a doll house bed. They measure 6" x 9".

American Quilt Expo

Free Polyester Fabric

Mae Graeve of Adel is helping a friend donate "lots" of polyester fabric, already cut in 4 yard pieces. If you are interested, please call Mae at 515-993-3735.

New Iowa Quilt Museum Opens Saturday!

We have a request for volunteers at the new Iowa Quilt Museum in Winterset,Iowa. To learn more, contact board president, Phyllis Kaldenberg at 515-462-4731.

Museum opens Saturday, May 21 with a Gran Opening June 4.

Look what just came in!!!

The All Iowa Shop Hop guides just came. You can see two of the patterns on this front cover. There are 3 more patterns and all the patterns this year are really nice.

Also just in - - - - The All Iowa Shop Hop 2016 fabrics! On the side of the barn there is a sign that says "Come Home to Iowa". You can place an order now. We will cut it and save it for you to pick up June 1 or later.  Follow up - The border print shown above will not be available until later.

This year, there is also a large assortment of blenders to go along with the AISH fabrics. We ordered one bolt of each and these are also available to order now for June 1 or later pick up.

OOOOOpen Sew This Week!!!

Quilt Circle of Friends meets this evening in the shop, 6 pm. Bring your show and tell to share. 

Join us for Open Sew at the Adel Library Thursday and/or Friday this week, 10 am until the last stitch is made!