Country Sampler Quilts

Merry Merry Snowmen

2012-02-16T09:24:05-06:00

Well, it's almost here! We're stitching up our models and we're cutting up our first set of kits for this beauty....

Merry Merry Snowmen begins this month and runs through November, 2012. Kits will be available on the 30th of each month - except for this month, of course, when we'll have it ready by the 29th!

For this block of the month, we're selling the pattern as a separate purchase. The pattern runs $40.50 and that may sound like a lot, but remember this is the whole packet for the entire ten month program. And this is a BIG pattern, Edith, with full size applique patterns, great directions, and wonderful color pictures clearly showing each block and it's fabric. Each monthly kit is just $19.95 per month. If you need us to ship out the kits (as long as you live in the US!), we can do that for $4.00 per month. There's a $10.00 refundable sign-up fee that will be credited back to you in November, as long as you've continued the entire program with us.

Stop in or give us a call to get started. I don't have this on the website yet, we can only cut a limited amount of kits - 'cause we can't get more fabric :( - - so I'm waiting awhile to put it on the web.

West Center store - 402-333-6131

Papillion store - 402-537-9515

Oh, and just a little heads up. The pattern is set up for hand applique, so if you're going to use fusible applique (like we are), you're going to have to reverse the block designs. Just a little reminder!

Kansas City - Here we come!

2012-02-11T09:56:22-06:00

Okay.... not this minute, but we've got a bus trip planned and you're gonna want to come along!!

Yup, mark you calanders for Saturday, April 14th, 'cause we're boarding the bus and crossing the border to visit three wonderful shops in the Kansas City area for a day of quilt shop hopping. We'll visit Prairie Point Quilt Shop in Shawnee, Kansas; Quilter's Station, in Lee's Summit, MO; and Peddlers Wagon, in Parkville, MO - it promises to be a fun-filled quiltin' day with the fellowship of women who love quilting as much as you do; plus gifts, prizes, a goodie bag, food, fun, and lots of laughter! (Hey, we've got the BEST "bus moms" ever!!)

Grab a friend and board the touring bus. Make sure you register early though, 'cause seating is limited! Cost for the day includes transportation, a continental breaskfast, lunch & dinner, plus all the goodies I mentioned above.... for just $80.00 a person!! Come in a reserve your spot today - I promise you'll have a great time!!

Oh... and you can give us a call to sign up too. Just give us a ring at ...

402-333-6131 - and we'll get you signed up!

Jo's Little Women Club...

2012-02-10T08:00:00-06:00

Although the newsletter hasn't come out yet --- very soon though --- I thought I'd give ya a little sneak peek at what we've got!

We just started taking sign ups for this year's Jo's Little Women Club at the West Center store.

If you're not familiar with Jo's Club, it's a six month club that features small quilts made by Jo Morton, exclusively for club members. Club membership is $42.00 for the six months; and includes all six classes, a copy of each of the club patterns (there's EIGHT quilts this year - yeah!), demos and lectures, show and tell, and of course, a few prizes at each meeting!! If you love those 1800's reproduction fabrics and traditional quilts - this club's for you!

Jane and Carla do a fantastic job hosting the club. March's meeting features "Wineing about Winter" and includes beverages and snacks.... gee, I wonder what that will be?? We've got a informational sheet up at the shop that should answer any questions you might have, so stop by and pick one up, and sign up soon.

Oh... and I don't think I've showed you the latest "Jo" fabric in the shops. This is Bridgeport, isn't it beau-ti-ful??

Our Jo Morton fabric area just keeps growing and we've a HUGE selection for ya! Perfect for stitching these wonderful "Little Women" small quilts!

Easy Does It...

2012-02-09T10:43:50-06:00

I just wanted to take a minute and show you one of the new baby quilts at the West Center store...

Isn't it sweet? Lori Lang stitched this one up for us. Look towards the bottom of the picture and you can see we kitted it up in both pinks and blues and wrapped them up like little diapers - too cute!! We also backed it with pink minkee, which worked great, since you'd need 3 yards of fabric to back it with,if you used regular cottons.

Sometimes you just need a fast and easy baby quilt that looks great, and this little beauty does the trick!

Downton Abbey....

2012-02-01T17:48:44-06:00

Are you watching this British television period drama series set on the fictional estate of Downton Abbey in North Yorkshire?? If you're not, you should be! I am soooo hooked!

The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, the Yorkshire country house of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. The first series spans the two years before World War I, beginning with news of the sinking of the Titanic, which sets the story in motion.

The second series covers the years 1916 to 1919 (that's the one that's on PBS now, Sunday nights).

The cast is amazing and includes Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern. I think Maggie Smith could just stand there and recite the dictionary and I'd be completely entertained.

Now... I found season 1 on (I think) Amazon and (again, I think) season 2 may be available too. Trust me, Edith, it's great to watch while you're sewing! (Okay, I watch it sitting on the sofa, with my mouth open - I'm so entralled - but YOU could probably watch it while quilting!)

Show 'n Share....

2012-01-25T08:15:00-06:00

I just HAVE to share a great blog that I've found - it's the Olde Green Cupboard blog, and I LOVE it. Gloria owned the Olde Green Cupboard - a country gift and quilt shop in Jacksonville, Florida. She closed the shop in 2010 and she's retired now and does lots of primitive type patterns and designs. I was lucky enough to go to her shop before it closed and it was soooo fun - I kinda wanted to live there. Not necessarily in Jacksonville, just IN the shop!

Anyhooo, here's the photo that really caught my eye...

I know it's not very big, but look closely.... it's a really cool way to hang primitive curtains with hooks!! I love it! She also adds...

You can find old antique spoons - take them out to the concrete driveway - get a STRONG hammer and hammer the spoon part flat... then bend the spoon into a hook. Screw them to the board... are you with me? I've seen hooks made from spoons - with all different patterns on the handle - they are so pretty! Try it!!!

Isn't that a great idea?? She also has fun pictures like this one that make you smile...

Honestly, I don't know where she gets all the funny pictures but they always start my day with a smile!

So... here's the link....

http://oldegreencupboard.blogspot.com/

Trust me, Edith, you'll love it!

More fabric...

2012-01-23T10:05:35-06:00

I've got even more new fabric to show you! Oh, happy dance!

The picture below is of Tavern Blues, by Bonnie Blue and Marcus Brothers. To-die-for blues, blacks, and creams!

We've got two models in the works from this pattern...

Remember I showed you this pattern when we got back from Quilt Market??It was a show stopper in Houston and the quilts are going to be stunning - I can't wait 'til we get 'em finished and quilted. Of course, we'll have kits - I'll let you know!

Next up, a new line, from Kansas Troubles, called Cattails and Clover ... classic Kansas Troubles. It has all the colors of autumn and would make a yummy fall quilt.

And, this photo just shows the "bunches o' batiks" that are flooding in. It seemed like EVERY fabric company had batiks this year and we bought tons.This spring should be a great year for batik lovers!

Whew! And there's more a-coming!! (Be still my little fabricholic heart!!) Don't worry, though... I keep ya updated!

Fabric!!

2012-01-18T11:28:00-06:00

I thought I'd show ya some of the new fabric that's arrived in the shops - we all need a fabric fix once in awhile, right? RIGHT!

This beau-ti-ful pew of fabric is Elizabethtown by Jo Morton.

If you go onto the Andover website here, you'll see the free to use pattern from Andover - verrry pretty and it's a basket pattern too!

But that's not all!! Any day now, our favorite UPS man should be bringing us boxes full of Bridgeport, Jo's latest fabric line, with rich reds....

Yummy browns.....

And some of the best blacks you've ever laid your eyes on. Isn't it great? The gals that are signing up for our Jo's Little Women Club this year are going to have a lot of fabric to choose from! (No, really -- A LOT of fabric! I'm not sure WHERE we're going to put all this "Jo" fabric! Oh well, ya know we'll figure out something. :)

And, if you've been in the shops lately, you've probably seen this oh-so pretty line of fabric from Moda and Blackbird Designs, called Blueberry Crumb Cake....

Admittedly, not my best picture since all the bolts seem to be leaning, but maybe you can see the colors better in this photo...

Even as I write, we're stitching up two quilts from a pattern by Planted Seed Designs, called Star Spangled. Once again, the photo doesn't do it justice - it's kinda washed out, but the quilts are going to be gor-ge-ous - I'll get ya a photo when the quilts are finished.

This next photo is from a line from Bonnie Blue and Marcus Brothers, called Tavern Blues. I LOVE this reproduction line and it's flying out the door....

And, we should have the quilt from this pattern finished and up in the shops soon...

Isn't it awesome??? I was a real show stopper at Quilt Market and it's been back ordered forever (that just shows how popular it is!). We FINALLY got the patterns back in stock at the shops and I've got it on the web site too. Once we get the kits finished, I'll try and get 'em on the web site too!

There's more new fabric to show you, but I'll leave that for another day. I've got to get to work sometime today! LOL

Talk to ya soon.... Deb

Just for me...

2012-01-17T02:07:55-06:00

It's finally beginning to fell like winter here in the heartland. So yesterday, when I was at the grocery store, I bought myself a little bouquet of tulips.....

It's amazing how five little stems of tulips can brighten your day! Here's hoping that today is a big, bright day for you!

We've Been Stitching!!

2012-01-15T21:56:43-06:00

During the holidays I know a lot of you slow down on your quilting (at least once all the sewing gifts are finished), hopefully to have a little time for some egg nog and some holiday cheer... but not those awesome Country Sampler elves. Nope, these women are amazing and I've got some beautiful quilts to show for their efforts! So join me for a short - "show 'n share". (That's the southern way of saying show and tell, don't cha know. It sounds a whole lot better if you say it with a southern accent though. Go ahead and try it ... I'll wait.)

Okay... but first, before I get to the beautiful quilts, I just HAD to show you the new framed art that we have in the shops....

Do you see it??! All the notions spell out QUILT!! I love that it's in black and white too. Now, I didn't put these babies on the website because we only have a few left, but if you're interested you could give us a call and see if we still have one or two. Cost is $29.98, just in case you were wondering. I plan to reorder when they're all gone, but it takes a looong time to get them - so I just wanted to give ya a little heads up. Wouldn't it be a great Valentine's Day or Mother's Day present - heck, just buy it for yourself!! I know I'm going to.

Okay, ready for some new quilts--- YEAH!

First, a really great book, SImply Charming - Small Scrap Quilts of Yesterday. It came out last spring and if you like small scrap quilts this is a "must have"! There are 20 projects in Tara's book and although we haven't stitched and kitted all of them - we've got quite a few on display (with their kits) at the Papillion store.

Here's just a few to tempt ya....

First up.... "Auntie's Favorite". Such a sweet little quilt, 24" x 27", and it's sooo great in rich browns, reds, and creams!!

And, "Nellie's Nine Patch" - really pretty in blues and creams - just 15" x 18"!! (Wouldn't this look great in red and white, too?? Yup, I'd definitely like to do both colorways!)

And lastly, "Coal Miner's Tunnel" - 23" x 26" - and the picture really doesn't do it justice. (I think I got waaay to crop-happy or something.) Trust me, it's really neat in person.

I've got all of these on the web site under the "Quilt Kits" section and the really great thing about all of them is that they're really affordable kits - $28.98, $14.98, and $24.98, respectively. Boy, you can't beat that!

BUT, if you're out and about in our Papillion area, stop by and see 'em all - we've got lots more that I didn't get a picture of and they all have kits!! Double yeah!!