QC Party

Quilt Circle Holiday Party was this week. We always wait until January to avoid the conflicts of the busy season in December. This group knows how to party!

Of course we started with a great potluck.

Then we gathered in our circle.

 Show and Tell at this gathering focused in part on our Get Er Done projects and our License Plate Challenge projects. 

Get Er Done is a project we do every year.  It's a commitment from members to finish at least one quilt in their line up of projects. 

A few months ago, I gave everyone in group a cloth license plate and challenged them to create something with it.

Here's Kathy's challenge project, made with pet screen.

And her Get Er Done quilt.

Kathy also shared the first in a series of table runners she is making as thank-you gifts.

Nancy H is holding these little bags made by Jackie O. The fuzzy pic is my fault but wanted to share anyway. These are candy packages, reinforced with fusible vinyl, quilted and then stitched with a zipper closure.

Trish's Get Er Done.

 Deb's donation quilt.

Stack of Kathy's donation quilts and crib sheets. Donation quilts an crib sheets are going to the Mercy PICU. 

Celia's challenge project.

Jackie O's challenge project, a glasses case.

Marti's Get Er Done Quilt.  1,996 half square triangle units. Or as Celia said, "I'd round that up!"

This is Marti's challenge quilt from the Des Moines Guild. The challenge was to use at least a dozen eggs in the design.

Margaret's Get Er Done Quilt.

Bonnie made this beauty for her grandsons friend. 

And this is Bonnie's  challenge project.

and her Get Er Done quilt.

And here we have Nancy H's challenge.

and her Get Er Done.

Jackie O's Get Er Done.

Deb S quilted this comfort quilt for Warrior Wagons.

and here is her challenge quilt.

This is Nancy J's challenge project.

and Trish's challenge project. 

This is Theresa's Get Er Done quilt.

Margaret's challenge project.

and more donation quilts by Kathy.

Then we closed with what I believe to be our favorite part of the evening, the sock exchange.

My favorite was the pair Joyce received, Chicken Leg Socks.

And here they all are. Another fun, fun evening with my Quilt Circle of Friends.

Open Sew!!!

It's this week, Thursday and Friday. Meet us at the Adel Library, 10 am until the last stitch is made.

New Fabric

So pretty!!! This Moda fabric is called Gradient II. The bolt on the left gradiates to a much light shade as it gets closer to the selvage edge.

New wide backs!

We continue to expand our selection of wide backing fabric .

 - - - including these two new colors. This pattern is called Circle Play and has sold very well for us. We have it in 5 color combos.

New Pre-Cuts!

First, these 5" squares of batik.

And then these rich red and black cuts called Fire and Ice. These cane in 5" squares, 10" squares and jelly rolls.

Custom Sewing request

Rachel S. is looking for someone to piece together 6 blocks that feature her kids drawings. If you are interested in this small piecing job, call Rachel at 515-803-1314.

Open Sew Reminder

Open sew is a bit later this month so be sure to mark your calendars and tell your friends!

Thursday and Friday - January 24 and 25. Starts at 10 am.

Salsa Chicken

This is a simple and tasty recipe.

Place 1 large skinless boneless chicken breast in a crock pot. Pour a 12 oz jar of salsa over and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

When chicken is tender, remove and shred with a fork.

You can eat this on a bun or make a chicken taco with shredded cheese and lettuce.  Yummy.

Wowzo!

Nancy Sharr machine quilted this pane, programming each petal. Isn't this stunning? It will hang in her stairwell.

Twin Talk

Day 1 - Got everyone to school on time. Jackson was already on the bus when we took this pic. Olivia paired just the right amount of bling with her new unicorn skirt.

I think she likes it.

Open Sew!!!!!!!!!!

Doing my happy dance! Open Sew this month is the 4th weekend!

January 24 and 25. Note that and spread the word as it is a week later than usual.

Lorna

It was so nice to see Lorna. She was in the area and bopped in to show me this quilt from one of our retreats and to pick out backing fabric.

We have expanded our backing fabric selection and had several pieces that would work. She picked this front one. Perfect.

Celia!

Celia came in to show me what's been under her needle. This three-sided tree has a battery pack and lights. The cosmetic bags
are really nice. They are called Beatle Bag Inserts by Abbey Lane. She used Soft and Stable interfacing, give them that nice structure we love in bags and wallets.

Monthly Purple Bag Drawing

We drew a name from our Purple Bag for December. The winner is:

Nancy Hagelberg!

Nancy wins a Christmas kit and a scarf.

At the end of the year, we also draw several names deposited in the purple bag throughout the year. Here they are:

• Donna Stodden
• Carol Washburn
• Carole Hoover
• Denise Birney
• Judy Kroeger
• Renae Godberson
• Mary Ockerman

Come on in and pick up your gift!

More unicorns!

Apparently Unicorns are pretty popular with the under 10 population. Here's a couple of glittery bolts that just came in.

And here it is made up into a skirt for my 5 year old Unicorn lover.

New Years Shop Schedule

We will be open on Monday, December 31 and closed on New Years Day. We hope you enjoy the day with family and friends or, have your own party - - - 

Lonnie's Baby Quilt

Lonnie just picked up this Charm quilt from her long-arm quilter.
Sweet.

My Sunday Sewday included modifying this Folk Art Flannel quilt. Which version do you like best?

Before:

After:

Another Cork Cloth project - -

Flo showed me this little case she made using Cork Cloth. Fun!

Magic!

Know how to make a unicorn? Just add a horn. Without the appliqued horn, this is our lively Painted Horse panel.

Noel!

And Merry Christmas to all. We will be closed December 24 and 25 to spend time with family and friends.

We'll see you December 26 to 29 during our annual end of the year 25% off sale!

New Fabrics coming in - - -

Aren't these fun? New pieces of Farm Fresh from designer Gingher by Moda. 

These fun prints from Blend Fabrics.

And from Timeless Treasures, these fun prints featuring unicorns and fairies, a favorite of a little 5 year old girl I know!

Arriving soon  - -  several bolts of 108" wide backing fabric in a variety of colors - a favorite designed called Circle Play.

Got this on your radar?

December 26 through 29 is our annual end of the year inventory reduction sale. All regular priced fabric cut from the bolt is 25% off with just 1 yard minimum cuts!

Make it!

I love making gifts. This year it's been cosmetic bags, shown here in plaid wool. I have made about 10 of these little bags and find them fun to fill with little life necessities.

Are your - - - -

- - - - gifts wrapped and - - - 

stockings hung?

The Snow Lady

Celia, known for making all things Snow Man, made this cute bag at Open Sew last week.

Elizabeth Hartman patterns

We are loving these Elizabeth Hartman patterns!

New backs!

We are expanding our selection of wide backs, including this very bright and pretty batik.

.

Plus this fan favorite, Circle Play. We have it coming in several different colors.

Just in!

We have carried Moda's popular plush fireside for several years, it has come mostly in darker colors. Well, here it is in beautiful pastels. At 60" width, it's a perfect backing for baby quilts and lap throws. I find it easier to work with and less messy than some comparable brands.

Sunday Sew Day

This is how I spent my sewing time last Sunday. I finished up three cosmetic bags to have as gifts at a holiday luncheon with friends on Monday. These are made with the new cork cloth. We have a free pattern for this bag. Super simple and all of the seams are finished, inside and out.

Angel Gifts

Looks like a bunch of Santa bags, doesn't it? Kinda is. These pillowcases, stuffed full of gifts with more that won't even fit in the pillowcase, are ready to be picked up and delivered to folks at the Dallas County Crisis Intervention and Domestic Violence Shelter. Thank you to these gals for their generous contributions:

• Renee Godberson
• Jean Feller
• Sue Denny
• Sara (no last name)
• Amy Brandt
• Jenny Osler
• Jacque Johnson
• Pam Godwin
• Lindsay Beaman
• Judy Ticknor
• Tana Belgaarde
• Flo Welch
• Nancy Hagelberg
• Joyce Scott
• Jackie Orton

OOOOOPEN SEW!

OOOOh what fun it is.  Join us for Open Sew at the Adel Library this week, Thursday and Friday. The room opens at 10 am each day and you can stay until the last stitch is made. Bring a snack to share. Free! 

Folk Art Flannel II

Available in kit! With 2 kits, you can make the plaid borders wider and use the 10" panel print squares (like the center squares) for the outer border corner stones!  Just an idea.

Another project using a Thicket panel and half square triangle units. Flo W made this based on a request from her daughter for a big bag for transporting a lap top and file folders. Very cool.

Penoach Winery Open House

With the straps!

I followed the plaid lines in this shirt to quilt it on to Soft and Stable interfacing. Love that stuff for stabilizing bags. I also put binding around the top and top-stitched the bag handles on the outside of the bag. Super simple, free download pattern here.

We have straps, magnetic snaps and Soft and Stable interfacing in stock now.

Holiday Open House!

Our Holiday Open House is today, tomorrow and Saturday.  Visit us for 15% off Christmas fabrics, a Christmas cookie and a free pattern to make a cosmetic bag from Cork Cloth.

And don't miss  Cheers to 25 Years Sip and Sample, Friday evening. Tour Adel, sipping, sampling and shopping. Starts at 5 pm. You can pick up a Cheers (bingo) Card at Modville and play along for prizes as you shop.

Another winner!

Rhonda Keifer - Your name has been drawn from our Purple Bag for our December. Come on in and pick up your gift!

Had to share this. Gabe and his girlfriend, Brooke, had this done by a street vendor who drew it with a pencil in his mouth. Kind of amazing, isn't it?

Cork Cloth

I've been playing with cork cloth and really finding it super easy to work with. From a half yard cut ($10), you can make 4 wallets or 4 cosmetic bags or 2 of each.

This is a shot of the cosmetic bag inside. Visit us during our Holiday Open House, Dec 6, 7 & 8 and we will give you a free pattern to make this cosmetic bag. 

It's beginning to look a lot like - - - -

Santa stopped by Story City last weekend to check in.

He will be in Adel on Friday evening, December 7, for the Adel Holiday Open House - Sip and Sample. We will be serving chocolate, bacon covered puff corn and warm apple cider wine from Penoach Winery.  We will also feature Flo's assortment of aprons that eve, great gifts!

Olivia made this tree for the top of my tree. Sweet.

The Free Quilt

Julia S calls this her Free Quilt. It's made up from leftover block parts with no new fabric added. Julia is planning a few gatherings for next spring to help you make your own Free Quilt so start gathering up all of those leftover block units, binding strips, squares and strips.