Country Sampler Quilts

Wow!!

Ann and I got together this week at my house to discuss some upcoming store events and to work on the newsletter.  If you don't know Ann (Is that really possible??), she's the manager at the Papillion store and a wonderful, amazing teacher and quilter.  We usually meet at my house for these planning sessions and updates on what's going on in the two stores because it's quieter and we seem to have a lot less distractions and tend to get a lot more done.  So... before we got started, she had show and tell and I just have to share it with you 'cause it's soooo..... well, take a look!  (A little background info here.... Ann's perched on a highly padded, fluffy chair in my living room - trying to hold up the quilt without taking a swan dive off the chair  ... we're really lucky we got this shot!!)

 Be still my little quilting heart!!  It is so gorgeous!  It's called, "Mistletoe and Holly" and it's not quilted yet, so it's gonna look even more awesome after it's quilted - if that's possible!  Wouldn't this beauty look wonderful on your bed at Christmas or up on a quilt rack during the holidays??!  After it's quilted, Ann's going to add the scalloped edge to it, making it EVEN MORE gorgeous... I'm sooo jealous!  The pattern came from this book... 

 

 by Blackbird Designs and although I don't have it on the website yet - I'm going to try to work on that this weekend.

Papillion is going to cut a LIMITED number of kits for this beauty and Ann's already got eight people that have asked for a kit, so if you're interested, you better give them a call and have them put you on a list (402-537-9515).  We don't have a price yet, just started pulling the fabric, but we can let you know as soon as we get it altogether!

After that masterpiece, I'm embarrassed to show you what I worked on last weekend, but what the heck.. I'm a glutton for punishment!

 I know what you're saying..  "Isn't that a puzzle???" 

Yup, kinda pathetic after Ann's masterpiece, isn't it??!   BUT, it was a 1000 pieces AND I finished it in a week end (with some help from my daughter's boyfriend).  (I know... still pathetic.) 

We occasionally sell these at the shop, especially during the holidays so I brought one home for myself.  I like to do one every winter, so now that I have this one done I can move on to something a little more productive.  I do love puzzles though, they're like crack for some of us.  Ah well..... I hope you have a productive week end!

A Couple of Things....

First, I want to thank those of you who have emailed me with your vote concerning the Moda's Christmas collection, 12 Days of Christmas.  I don't always respond to every email but it's sooo nice to get a reply to the blog.  It makes me feel like I'm not just talking to thin air and that people REALLY do read the blog and enjoy it.  So far, the consensus is that you like it ... but the panel is still iffy.  Keep your votes coming ... I'm interested in what you like and what YOU'D buy if you were the shop owner!

Secondly, although our weather here in Omaha is suppose to get warmer - and believe me, that's kinda relative - I wanted to show you a couple of pictures that illustrate this frustrating mega snow.

 Isn't it pretty??!  Every year shortly before Christmas, I brave the elements to make a Christmas arrangement for our front walk way at home.  I cut about a half dozen different types of pines, cut some of my red twig dogwood, add some twinkling lights; and this year I added the big red Christmas balls for a little extra zing... I was pretty proud of my little Martha Stewart arrangement!  However, this is what it's looked like for almost all the season.....

 Lovely, isn''t it??!  Ah well... I guess you can't control the weather.  I'm hoping it will thaw out by May, so I can plant a few flowers .... maybe I'll just plant around the twinkling lights and red Christmas balls... It's a look (not a good one, but a look).

Decisions, decisions....,

People often tell me that owning a quilt shop would be their dream job.  Most of the time I just nod and smile. Don't get me wrong, I love my job... but it is a job.  And a quilt store is a business.  It has to make money or we all go home and start browsing through the want ads for something that does make money. Both the job and the business come with a lot of decisions.  

Although you'd like to buy just about every fabric made... it's just not feasible, let alone affordable!! So... a gal has to pick and choose.  I usually plan for about four Christmas lines each year.  I try to have some snowmen, some Santa, some traditional, some a little funky, some a little fun.  (Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!)

Anyway, I thought I'd let you pick one of the Christmas lines for 2010.  Honestly, I just can't decide.  See what you think....

The line is from Moda and Kate Spade, called, 12 Days of Christmas .  The picture above was the panel that goes with the line.  Really, I wasn't too thrilled with the panel - not sure what to do with that baby, but the coordinates could be keepers, so see what you think.

 

Green colorway.....

 

Blue colorways.

   
 

The reds.....

These are the whites... and just a heads up... they are pretty white.

A couple of the prints close up.... That first one looks kinda like Whoville from one of Dr. Suess's books, doesn't it?

Well, what do you think???  Is it a keeper??  Should I buy the whole line?  Would you delete anything? How 'bout that panel, any ideas?  I promise I'll do what you say... 'course you've got to buy some of it come this fall.... nah, not really.... I wouldn't hold ya to that... but it should be a line you'd buy if you were me and if you were a regular 'ole quilter (which I'm supposing you are).

So, drop me a line and let me know what you think.  Inquiring minds want to know!

   

And the winners are...

Well, it's the New Year and we have two randomly picked winners for the first ever Country Sampler Blog Giveaway of two Fat Quarter Quilting books by Lori Smith! Congratulations to:

Denise Hamilton who wrote that her favorite tool is the Best Press Spray by Mary Ellen Hopkins.  She uses it to hold the fabric together when quilting and she just loves it!

   
Our second books goes to Robin Luedtke who posts she has a couple of favorite tools: including her little scissors that looks like a pair of tweezers and the Gypsy Gripper.  She wrote that she likes to sew late at night, sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning on weekends.  She has this terrible fear that she'll have to wake her husband up for a trip to the ER to sew on a finger!!  Not only has she bought two for herself, but she also bought one for her sister and a friend... she didn't want them to go to the ER either! 

Thanks to both of you and to everyone who left a comment.  (I'll try and post some of them in the future!)  This was a lot of fun and I'm going to be doing it again in this new year!!  Denise and Robin... if you'd email and let me know if you want your book to be mailed or if you're going to pick it up at one of the store ... I'll get 'em in your hands ASAP!