Customer Show and Share

We love it when customers share their work. Isn't this a lovely Ocean Waves? All those little half-square units! Beautiful.

And here's another Jelly Roll Race quilt. Such pretty colors.

Jenny O. makes a diaper bag - -

This is based on the pattern for a lunch tote.

Jenny enlarged the pattern for a diaper bag. She lined with the PUL (poly urethane laminate) and added hooks and pockets to the inside and bottle pockets to the outside.

She also added a long, wide strap to make it easy for hands-free use. Although Jenny is styling this bag here, it's made for her son and daughter-in-law and precious grandbabies.

Refreshing salad

Brookly made this salad for a family gathering recently. Very tasty and season appropriate!

Cook and cool 2 or 3 ears of corn and cut from cob.

Chop equal parts tomato and peach - about 1 C of each.

Toss with 1/2 C Feta Cheese crumbles and drizzle with a little EVOO.

Season with salt and pepper.

Best made just before serving.

Serves 8

Want to see how I have been spending by Sunday Sewdays lately? 

Turn on Mickey Mouse Club and your lap becomes an instant grandchild magnet!

Olivia beats the heat

Or "Olive" as Grandpa calls her.

All Iowa Shop Hop Drawing

The passports have been counted! - 35 guests visited each of the 94 shops on the All Iowa Shop Hop! That is impressive. 300 guest made it to each shop in at least one region and 600 made it to at least 5 shops.

Now they are divvying up the prizes - over $11,000 worth of prizes. The goal is to have state and regional winners posted later this week and the 5 shop prize winners by August 15. Watch for it at the All Iowa Shop Hop website .

Big thank you to Kevin and Leland, Helio's Stitches and Stuff in Mt Vernon, for organizing and managing this great event. It is a terrific under-taking and they managed it with grace and diplomacy.

I am hearing that 2015 AISH will be the whole month of June again and that there are already 20 more shops asking to be added.

Over 115 shops in the 2015 AISH?! You gals are going to need a bigger coin purse :) :) :)

Baby, it's hot outside!

But remember - - - It's always lovely in Adel - - - plus we have 30 flavors of Gelato at Aldente Toffee!

Oct 1-4

Does everyone have Quiltweek  on the calendar? Check out this AQS link.

Quilt Labels

Years ago I heard a speaker say, "Some day, we will be proud enough of our work to sign the front of the quilt like an artist does a painting." Proud of all the hands that contributed to this lovely community quilt inspired me to do just that.

Just passing through - - - -

These are the quilts that were dropped off at the shop for the Dallas Co. Fair Open Class. Since I was in Ankeny, I didn't get to see the show and don't know who all the winners were but, I do see some ribbons on these quilts! Congrats and thanks to all for participating. The show grows a little each year. Some day we hope to take over a whole building with exhibit quilts.

Marti K.

Rozetta F.

Margaret B.

Margaret B.

Marti K.

Jenny O.

Loretta C.

Carol P.

Marti K.

Marti K.

Jenny O.

Another big week for quilters!

This week in Adel is OPEN SEW!!! Gather at the Adel Library to sit and stitch Thursday and/or Friday. No fee. The room will be open by 9:30 am and closed when the last quilter leaves - usually by 8 pm. Come for both days and leave your machine and sewing paraphernalia in a locked and safe room or just come for a couple hours, whatever fits into your schedule.

This week is also the Dallas County Fair with an Open Class exhibit of quilts. You can enter a quilt in this exhibit by taking it to the Dallas Co Fairgrounds between 8 am and 10 am on July 10 or drop it off at the shop before July 10 and we will deliver for you.

If that is not enough to keep us all busy - - This week is also the Ankeny Area Quilt Guild Show in Ankeny at the FFA Center on the Ankeny DMACC campus. Check their website for details. Show hours are 9 am to 5 pm on Friday and 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday.

We will have a booth at this show and I will present "Fun With Folds" Saturday morning at 11:30 am.

Grandpa doesn't get down on the floor for just anyone!

Solstice Block of the Month

Pieced by Lonnie and machine quilted by Jess of Thread Quilt Studio, meet our new sampler Block of the Month - Solstice

 Below see a few close-up shots of the blocks. This soft, shiney , silvery BOM starts in July. It's a "must come see" in person. Very pretty.

This is a 9 block quilt and the bom program runs for 6 months. Month #1, pick up the background fabrics. Months #2 through #5, make 2 blocks each month of the same pattern but different fabrics. Month #6, pick up all border and binding fabrics.

All fabrics for the quilt top, borders, binding and pattern are included in the monthly fee of just $15. Call or stop by now to register.

Company coming!

Guess who is coming to Memaw and Grandpa's house for their first overnight stay? We also have two high chairs and two Pac n Plays in place - - - Oh, and our running shoes!

Another outdoor quilt show is in the books- - -

 --- and this was one of my favorites. Thanks to this crew for coming in early Saturday morning to help hang, display, number and record all the quilts hanging in our show and for sale on the porch and have it all done before we opened at 10 am --plus the camera man, Frank.

And thanks to all of our guests for bringing the fun factor to our yard!

Tomorrow evening at Quilt Circle of Friends we will reveal the Best of Show and top 12 quilts based on the votes cast by our guests.

Sneak Preview of our Little Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show

Marcia Jensen brought in this quilt today to hang in our outdoor show tomorrow (Saturday). This is a quilt with history. The quilt top was made by her grandmother and handed down to Marcia through her mother. Marcia had it hand quilted and she put on the binding. It is just a bright and beautiful example of a quilt that was made in the 1950s.

These gals are enjoying the All Iowa Shop Hop. Marcia has just met these gals for the first time but there was an instant bond via quilt talk.

Little Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show

It's almost here! Our Little Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show is June 14. 

If you have a finished quilt you would like to display in the shop, drop it off this week. 

This is also our annual sale of all things quilty - Several items will be offered on the porch for your shopping. Big quilts, small quilts and miscellaneous bags, hot pads, etc. All proceeds from this event are donated to the Adel Library.

Here's a picture from the 2013 show. We usually hang between 50 to 80 quilts for customers to admire.

A visit to the Hill House

The twins just turned 1 year old! How did that happen so quickly?

Here they are with birthday cupcakes. Livie wasn't real crazy about stuffing her face in front of all those guests but, Cal gave the people what they came to see!

And Jackson went to the doctor with high hopes of having his cast removed only to have a new one put on - 2 more weeks. 

Mystery Quilt

“It is only through mystery and madness that the soul is 

revealed” 

― Thomas Moore

Are you ready for a fun adventure? It's time for our first ever Mystery Quilt Block of the Month. 

Purchase your fabric for this b.o.m. from us and we will send you the steps each month for 6 months by email - - - - free.

Several of the gals in Quilt Circle of Friends did this project last year (We didn't post these pictures on the blog - it's a mystery, remember?) But, they tested the patterns and made some lovely variations that I will pass along to you.

This quilt is lovely in just three prints (light, medium and dark) or by making it quite scrappy. Either way, we can help you pick the perfect fabrics. Some are even letting us pick fabrics (based on what they tell us they like) and signing up from out of state.

We are starting this b.o.m. in June and it's June so drop in, call or email soon to register.

Easter Pics

And this is as good as it got. Taken after church and the Easter egg hunt, the window for photo op had clearly expired.

The end!

Hoppy Easter!

Hexie Coasters

A customer recently asked if we knew how to make coasters from hexagons.  We did not so, do a little "interweb" search.  We found a tutorial on a blog called Melinda Quilt's Etc. 

Here is the direct link to the page with the hexagon tutorial. 

You start with a package of pre-cut hexagons.  Moda calls these Honeycombs. From a pack of 40, you can make 5 coasters. Notice below, each packet comes with a hexie template so, you can cut more if needed.

For each hexie, choose two hexagons and place them wrong sides together for your base. Select 6 more hexies. Press each in half, wrong sides together and aligning two of the straight sides. 

Layer them on top in a spiral.  This is where you either need to stop by and let us show you or check Melinda's blog.  

After layering, stitch 1/4" from the outer edge, all the way around. Trim a little and turn the coaster inside out. Very Cute.

We have pre-cut hexies in stock in Moda's civil war print, Hope Chest, shown above as well as these selections in batik and in the more modern prints of From Outside In.