We're Getting a Facelift

We're getting a facelift. It's hard to believe that in January, we will celebrate 6 years in business. For those of you who come to the shop frequently, you know that we've moved and shifted cases in the shop frequently to constantly change our look and make room for new fabric. This summer, we took on several external projects to give the building a fresh look. Recently, Jerry Henscheid, Harl...an, finished painting the front of the building a paint scheme that preserves the historical character of the building. In order to be historically accurate, we should have removed the metal awning, but we like the shade and cover it provides, so Jerry has some ideas of how we can add our fabrics to the existing structure to tie it in with the quilt shop. Look for the additions in November... I better get sewing!



Look What's Quilting -- Diane Fineran 10-28-11

Mmmm mmmm mmmm. Diane Fineran's (Denison) quilts are always scrumptious. This beautiful batik shows a simple pattern with a beautiful design. Diane chose to quilt it with Asian Leaves pattern in Mallard thread by Signature.

Look What's Quilting -- Jackie Dollen 10-27-11

Jackie Dollen, Persia, has been a very very busy Grandma... This green quilt is the first of 16 that she pieced for Christmas. For years, Jackie was the owner of a craft shop in Neola, and years before that, she sewed costumes for Tri-Center's Golden Girls (huge dance squad), so Jackie has a stash of fabric that could put most quilt shops to shame. Jackie chose to quilt this throw with Maple Leaf Blues pattern in Kelly Green thread by Signature.

Look What's Quilting -- Norene Schechinger 10-25-11

Norene Schechinger, Panama, is a prolific quilter. She has made quilts for friends, family, church and community. Her daughter-in-law, Jenn, now owns a long arm, and Norene has Jenn finish most of her quilts, but she sneaks one to us every so often. This quilt is an original "Norene." She designed the quilt to use up bright jelly rolls and scraps. Norene chose to quilt it with 30's Flower in White thread by Signature.


Show & Tell -- Cool Purse 10/22/11

Kris Peterson, West Des Moines, participated in our Triple Play Day Shop Hop on 10/22. While checking out, I noticed her beautiful felted wool bag. Kris's sister, Karen Heddens, designs these bags from recycled sweaters. She has a business in Boise, Idaho. You can check out her website at www.karenheddensdesigns.com.

Look Who Found the Pumpkin

During our Triple Play Day Shop Hop, we played "Find the Pumpkin." Each hour, Nancy Watts would hide the pumpkin somewhere in our store. The lucky quilter who found the pumpkin won 2 free fat quarters.  Lynne Masters, Council Bluffs, found the pumpkin during the 10:00 hour.  To see the other pumpkin finders, check out our facebook page.

Show & Tell 10-17-11

 While I was in Washington DC, we had some visitors in the store.  Look what they brought for us to see.

Kristi Hansen

Look What's Quilting (while I was gone)

While I was in Washington DC, the Quilting Nancy's were very busy. 

Barb Schultz, Persia

Barb Schultz

Betty Reinig, Harlan

Katherine Wingert

LeAnn Lehman, Vincent

MaryAnn Kenkel

Pat Morris

Smithsonian Quilts -- 10/15/11

These are the quilts that were on display at the Smithsonian Institue of American History in Washington DC. If you visit there, you should always stop by the information desk and ask for a map for the currently displayed quilts. The displays change frequently, so the quilts change frequently.

Inside the Smithsonian Institute, there is a display area with a 200 year old house. This 1913 baby quilt is a reproduction of an actual quilt that would have been appropriate for the time period. The quilt was put together by the Annapolis Quilters Guild, using the original quilt as their inspiration. The original quilt can be found in the Annapolis Museum.

This quilt was displayed at the 1939 World's Fair.

This is a block from the national Aids Quilt project. The block was created by the family of Roger Gail Lyon, an AIDS victim.

Look what she bought -- Mary Jo Bonsall 10-10-11

Mary Jo Bonsall, Dunlap, found this vintage beauty at the Brass Armadillo in Des Moines.  It is clear that the original quilter was interupted and unable to finish the quilt.  The blocks are are hand-pieced.  Mary Jo picked out a suitable backing fabric and matching quilting thread, and after much deliberation, decided to quilt the entire top as is, rather than finishing the quilt herself.  She plans to add it to her collection of vintage quilts.  Mary Jo has made arrangements to have her quilt top hand quilted in Manning.

Look What's Quilting -- Wilma Walwer 10-10-11

Wilma Walwer has a farmer in the family.  She pieced this Farmall quilt for her 4th grandchild.  Wilma chose to quilt it with Tractors pattern in Rail Gray thread by Signature.

Look What's Quilting - Mary Jo Bonsall 10/6/11

We can always count on Mary Jo Bonsall, Dunlap, to be bright, bold and Rockin!  Mary Jo dipped into her stash of scraps to accentuate the flamingo focus fabric to make a fun quilt top!  She chose to quilt it with Fidget pattern in Turquoise thread by Signature.  Mary Jo had asked us to quilt it in Flamingoes, but we were unable to find a digitized pattern that would work.  If any of you know of a Flamingo pattern, please let us know.  No doubt, Mary Jo has some flamingo scraps that will make a reappearance at some point.

Look What's Quilting -- Jackie Dollen

When is the last time you saw a polyester double-knit quilt? We can thank Jackie Dollen, Persia, for this blast from the past. Jackie brought in the quilt top and explained that a family friend had given her the fabric, so she made a quilt to return to the friend.  Instead of tying the blocks, Jackie chose to have it quilted in Loops & Swirls pattern in Gray thread by Signature.  Jackie also chose to have it quilted with Dream Green batting by Quilters Dream.

Show & Tell - Jennifer Perkins 10/3/11

Jennifer Perkins, Harlan, dropped by to see if we still had some of the blue batik in stock. Lucky for her, it was a Moda Kota Batik basic and we had plenty in stock.  Jennifer is finishing up this paper-pieced project.  Doesn't it look great?  To get an idea of the scale, keep in mind that it is lying on a regular cutting mat with 1" squares.  Wow!  Great work, Jennifer!

Check out our new fabric

Skidoodle by Blank Studios $11.00/yard

Let Freedom Ring by American Valor for Quilting Treasures $10.50/yard

Laila by Laura Ashley for Quilting Treasures $10.50/yard

Wall of Peace

That's "My Stitching Peace"

We're back from the  AQS Show in Des Moines and we have a wall full of samples, kits, patterns and buttons featuring designs by Jean Devereux of My Stitching Peace.  The kits were a big hit at the show, and deserve a place in the shop where they can be seen and appreciated!  Stop in and pick out your favorite.

Meeting New Friends at AQS Des Moines

Bag ladies come in all shapes and sizes (and genders)!  We took pics of lots of folks who drew our eye, and you can check them all out on our facebook page.

Scottish Yurt at AQS

Created by Linzi Upton, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the Quilted Yurt was revealed at the Loch Lomond Quilt Show in Dumbarton, Scotland in May 2010.  Linzi has previously exhibited a number of quilts at prestigious shows in Europe and USA. 

This unique 18-foot-diameter wood framed Quilted Yurt took less than 6 months to complete and is largely the work of just one quilter in collaboration with a worldwide group of quilters recruited online from an APQS quilter's forum.

See more pics of the quilted yurt on our facebook page.  You'll be amazed by the quilts.

Winners at AQS

Best of Show went to Gina Perkes, Payson AZ, for her handquilted masterpiece, Ambrosia.  I spoke with a couple of ladies from Payson, and they tell me that Gina is a young mother with small children at home.  Where does she find the time?

Go to our facebook page to see detail photos of this quilt and the other winning quilts.

Show Quilts at AQS

The quilts displayed at the AQS show were simply stunning.  I took pics of over 30 of the quilts to share with you all (see our facebook page).  If you want to see all of the quilts, you can go to the AQS website and order the CD of the show.  The quilts came from all over the world, including IOWA!  The hand quilting was intricate and perfect (see right), and the machine quilting was dense and amazing.  These quilts were truly in a class by themselves.

Check Out Our Booth at AQS

Just inside the entrance at AQS Des Moines, we were the first booth on the right.  What a great spot to meet and greet our friends and bag ladies (and bag gentlemen).  Check out more pics of our booth location on our facebook page.