This blog is intended to be interactive. If you see something you like, post a comment; if you have a question, post it; and if you pieced the quilt, please post comments with information about the quilt fabric/pattern or about yourself. LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Home from festival
We are all settled into our routines and getting on with projects at the shop. There is so much we want to do and so little time. (Sound familiar?)
During market I had the pleasure of meeting Janice Vaine. We were directly across the hall from Landaur and for three days we were looking at Janice's latest quilt from her new book, EMBROIDERY AND PATCHWORK REVISITED, due out in February. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. We would like to introduce a project out of the book to our Running Stitchers Club this spring. The project is Grandmothers fan that is embellished with fancy stitches. I am really looking forward to sharing it with the gang.
Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful.
My best to you all....Nancy
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Gadgets found
Teresa and I finally got a few minutes to look around a bit on the last day of market, and look what we found! A magnifying lighted seam ripper. (A lady next to me assured me you could rip out black thread on black fabric in the dark under your covers...if needed. ;)) and.... wait for it....a Bohin 3 in 1 mechanical pencil. How cool is that? Remember those pens that had multiple colors of ink? Well this is basically the same. Pink, black and white are the three colors and we can't wait to get them in the store.
We are off for a couple of days now and are preparing for festival. I love coming to market. We always leave with so many new ideas to bring back to the shop. I can't wait to share. Until later... Nancy
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Houston market
Yahoo!!! Teresa and I made it to Houston and market. This is the second day and we still haven't had a chance to get around and see much, but what we have seen has given us lots of ideas for the shop. We're looking forward to sharing when we get back. Ill be checking in again later.
Nancy
Saturday, September 14, 2013
I'm sure you all have been as busy as I have! Crazy. I did want to share with you what I've gotten done so far with my Posies. I do have three of these done. Just one more and I can put them together. I must say I really like it.
Our Robin had a wonderful birthday bash at the cottage. We all had such a good time. I always love going to those things. I laugh so hard my sides hurt for days. I'll have to share with you what I worked on at the cottage. It's really cool. I'll share that with you next time. I won't wait so long before checking in with you.
Take care everyone. I would love to hear all about your progress and what you've been up to!
Later,
Nancy
Monday, September 9, 2013
Barn Salvage at Quilter's Cottage
This is how the barn looked when we started our final day of salvage. My son, Ryan, had removed these boards and laid them in piles, by size, waiting for me to remove the nails. Now that's a fun job!
Randy went up on the roof to remove the tin. We're still not in agreement about it's use in the new space. I want to use it on the ceilings. He thinks it belongs at the recycling center. But, guess who won this argument? He'd drop the sheets to the ground, and I piled them in the garage.
After I removed the nails, I stacked the boards into piles by size. We ended up with two types of boards: really old with a little paint, and even older with even less paint. Won't they look great on the walls of the retail space? That way when customers lament about the loss of our 1898 barn, I can simply point to the walls/ceiling and say, "here it is..."
Time for a commercial break. We had to drink plenty of water. How do you like my advertising for the Iowa State Cyclones and Shelby County State Bank?
The barn tin will look great on the ceiling some day, don't you think? I particularly like the sheets that have bullet holes in them.
Here's the view of the north side of the barn after the boards and tin were removed. Look how bad the roof was below the tin sheets? Gosh, that was pretty dangerous for Randy to be working on. Good thing he didn't fall through.
See the board ladder up the steep side of the roof? That's the ladder that Randy made to go up and take down the cupola for me. What a honey!
As if the day was not hot enough, Randy cut down two dead pines and started a bonfire on Highway 30. No one stopped to roast marshmallows though...
Sadly, the beautiful trees that once lined the property had been overgrown with wild cucumber vine. It's amazing how one little plant can choke the life out of a full grown tree. We had to cut down 2 more cedar trees that didn't bounce back. I'm going to have to plant lots of new trees.
This is a shot looking at the north side of the house. That is where the retail addition will be constructed.
Of course, many hands make for faster work, so if you want to help with planting next spring, give me a shout!
So what's the plan for Quilter's Cottage? Well, we plan to add a 25'x28' structure on the north side that connects to the 17'x18' porch. The entire area will be used as a retail/quilting area. I plan to bring my quilting machine to the cottage, where I can quilt/design/sew to my heart's content. The retail area will be open four days each week (Thursday-Sunday). Because we are on US Highway 30 (the Lincoln Highway), we see a LOT of traffic each day, and we hope that the shop will be a nice attraction. We plan to feature fabric designers from the Midwest, and quilt-related products and merchandise. When quilters are staying at the cottage, they will have the added benefit of having a full retail/notion store at their convenience. Currently, the Cottage has 3 bedrooms and 1-1/2 baths. Through the winter, we also plan to add a 4th bedroom and full bath in the basement (garden level).
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Happy Birthday Robin!
Happy Birthday Robin!
Robin invited 6 of her friends to spend a long holiday quilting weekend at Quilter's Cottage. We started with a home-cooked spaghetti dinner (birthday girl's favorite meal), then cleared the table for a rowdy game of Trader's Dice (R).
Robin asked everyone to bring (30) 5" primitive squares. Nancy C was naughty and kept sneaking in UGLY fabric... At the end of the game, we did some friendly swapping, and everyone had enough fabric to make a table topper or wall hanging. Add a little fabric from home, and we can make the throw or bed quilt. I designed a new quilt for Robin's party -- Shoo Be Do!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
That always seems to be a bit of a challenge to me, making up my mind on which way I want to go.
Looking forward to hearing from y'all!
Later,
Nancy
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Pockets of Posies Pattern
Nancy is making her blocks in assorted Christmas fabrics.
Here's the link to the pattern for the blocks that Nancy blogged about:
Pockets of Posies Block Pattern
Enjoy!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Nancy's Pockets of Posies
Robin tells me we got more fabric in today. I can't wait to see it. I'll be in tomorrow meeting with The Running Stitchers Club. We have such a good time. I love seeing what everyone is doing. Everyone seems to be having a good time, whether it's getting hand projects finished or working with an ARCO template. It's fun to see what everyone is working on and it's such great inspiration!
Hope you are all enjoying the "Posies". I know I am.
Until next step,
Nancy Cook
Happy Sewing!!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Nancy's Pockets of Posies getting started
This is great! I love Teresa's instructions, they are so easy to follow. I'm making the wall hanging at this time and have just finished my first block. Now I'm ready to start chain piecing the other fifteen. Again, I love Teresa's instructions, they even tell you which way to press. (I'm just finishing a large quilt that the instrctions are not so clear and I'm having to do some unsewing) I hope you all will enjoy this project as much as I am!
See you later,
Nancy
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Cutting Instructions for Pockets of Posies
Wall Size 47"x47" |
Outer Petals
W 1/3 yard
K 1-1/2 yards
|
Cut (W3, K19) 2-1/2” strips into
(W16, K100) 2-1/2”x4-1/2”
rectangles
(W16, K100) 2-1/2”x6-1/2”
rectangles |
Fabric
|
Cutting Instructions
|
Outer Petals
W 1/3 yard
K 1-1/2 yards
|
Cut (W3, K19) 2-1/2” strips into
(W16, K100) 2-1/2”x4-1/2”
rectangles
(W16, K100) 2-1/2”x6-1/2”
rectangles |
Inner Petals
W 1/3 yard
K 1-1/2 yards
|
Cut (W3, K19) 2-1/2” strips into
(W16, K100) 2-1/2”x4-1/2”
rectangles
(W16, K100) 2-1/2”x6-1/2”
rectangles |
Contrast Squares
W 1/4 yard K 1-3/8 yards |
Cut (W3, K18) 2-1/2” strips into
(W48, K300) 2-1/2” squares |
Background, Sashing & 1st Border
W 1-1/4 yards
K 5-1/4 yards
|
Cut (W9, K56) 2-1/2” strips into
(W16, K100) 2-1/2”x4-1/2” rectangles (W112, K700) 2-1/2” squares Cut (W9, K25) 1-1/2” strips into
(W24, K180) 1-1/2”x8-1/2”
set aside remaining for border |
2nd Border & Cornerstones
W 1/3 yard
K 5/8 yard
|
Cut (W5 , K12 ) 1-1/2” strips into
(W9 , K81) 1-1/2” squares
set aside remaining for border |
Outer Border
W 3/4 yard
K 1-1/3 yards
|
Cut (W5, K10) 4-1/2” strips
Allow additional yardage for
mitered border cut WOF |
Binding
W 3/8 yard
K 1 yard
|
Cut (W5, K11) 2-1/2” strips
|
Backing
|
W1-1/2 yards
K 9-3/4 yards
|
King Size 105"x105" |
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Robin and I thought we would have a nice leisurely day yesterday when Teresa said she was planning on staying home. Were we in for a surprise! I could barely get in the back door with all the boxes of new fabric that has arrived and Terese was working overtime from home. While I was running the quilter and working on a new store sample, Robin was busy making new kits from patterns Teresa was sending in from home! WOW! We are busy planning our Christmas in August and have some really fun things in store for you. Hope you can make it, you won't be disappointed.
We have two new baby quilt samples in the store and are they cute. I love baby quilts!
Halloween is just around the corner and we have two new Halloween lines in. In fact, I just finished piecing a really cute table runner out of Boo Crew! It's darling. Stop by and check it out, we'd love to see you.
For those of you who can't stop by, I promise I'll get busy with some pictures so you can see too.
Nancy signing out....catch you later.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Won't You Be Nancy's Blog Buddy?
Nancy is trying to build our Blog Subscribers. And what better way than to offer a FREE pattern to Blog Subscribers ONLY?
Between now and August 1st, Nancy will post parts of our pattern, Pockets of Posies. You can choose to make a wall quilt or king-sized quilt. It can be scrappy or not. You pick. The pattern will be posted as a progressive pattern -- that means you'll get part of the pattern each time.
Invite all of your quilting friends to subscribe to our Stitchin' Tree blog -- it will be a lot of fun!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Spring Market Report
Later that morning, I taught a schoolhouse session for other shop owners. It was standing room only! WOW - that was fun.

Thursday evening was the Sample Spree. The line for Sample Spree extended from one end of the convention center to the other. Once the doors opened, it was pretty much a FREE-FOR-ALL. Shop owners stampede into the ballroom and rush through the tables to see how much they can get as fast as they can. We took half of our PinPals to Sample Spree and nearly sold out.

There are no fancy booths or displays at Sample Spree, everyone just gets a plain table. The table directly behind us was occupied by none other than Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic (MODA) -- Robin couldn't wait to get a pic with Brigitte! This was just the bginning of our celebrity photos!
One aisle over, Robin was impressed with the Chicken Lady. Do you like her fabric? I hope so, because we'll be getting it in August. The line is called Fowl Play, and the designer is Luella Doss, who designs for Free Spirit. She's a hoot!
The Sample Spree ended at 10 pm, and we went back to the hotel EXHAUSTED. We needed a good night's sleep to get ready for the 1st day of Spring Market.
You'll notice in the background, our booth faced severval beautiful quilts by Primitive Gatherings, another Moda designer.
Polly Minnick (in white), of Minnick & Simpson, brought mini-charms of her line Midwinter Reds -- gorgeous reds, tans and creams.
By 6pm on Sunday, we were packed up and ready to head home. Each day, as we walked to and from our hotel, we kept mentioning that we needed to take a pic outside the convention center with the beautiful rhododendrons and azaleas. We picked a skateboarder off the street and asked him to take this pic.
So long Portland, it's been GREAT!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Mother's Day Mystery -- Chatterbox Quilt
At today's Daytreat at Quilter's Cottage, 9 quilters came together to construct a mystery quilt. Each quilter was told to bring 12 fats and some coordinating fabric for sashing and border. Using Ellen Replogle's Chatterbox pattern from her book, Laps From Fats, the quilters began their day cutting fabric, helping each other put colors together and stitching the basic flower leaf block. In the afternoon, we stitched in teams so that each group would work together to build blocks and make the quilt. It was a lot of fun. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that the block design and quilt were revealed.
Robin and Renee are BFF's and they had a lot of fun together today. Traveling from different areas of Iowa, Quilters Cottage was a fine place for them to meet and enjoy each other today. They both chose bright fabrics to complete their blocks.
Sisters Diane and Verna worked together with similar fabrics. Diane surpised her sister, Verna, with this Daytreat, and provided fabric for both of their quilts. This was their first trip to Quilters Cottage.
Mother and step-son, Patty and Dan, chose several brights from their stash at home. This is Dan & Patty's second retreat at Quilter's Cottage. Dan puts up with all of us crazy women!
(and thanks Dan for doing the repair work in the RR) :-)
Julie Coberly (center) planned this Daytreat to share with her mother-in-law Ann (left) and mother Marilyn (right). This was their first retreat at Quilter's Cottage and I hope they will come back again soon.
One of the goals of the Daytreat is a day of pampering and fun. For our Mother's Day Mystery, we had a Fancy Nancy lunch. Everyone dressed in feather boas and hair pretties -- Dan was dressed in black hat and bow tie. We enjoyed a fussy lunch:
Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
Melons in Rum Sauce
Spring Chicken Salad with Veggie Pasta
Bruschetta
Raspberry Swirl Dessert
I'm sure the Melons in RUM sauce had nothing to do with misplaced and miscut blocks after lunch. If you missed our event, but would like to have the recipes, see below. If you'd like to see more pics of our Daytreat, go to our Facebook page and take a look at all that we did today.
1 tsp. lime rind
6 tbsp. lime juice (about 3 limes)
½ c. light rum
1 cantaloupe
1 honeydew melon
¼ sm. seedless watermelon
1 c. blueberries, rinsed & drained
Dissolve sugar in 1/3 c water in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in lime rind. Cool to room temperature. Stir in lime juice & rum. Stir in drained blueberries. Cut melons into small pieces or balls. Combine in a large bowl. Pour sauce over fruit. Chill overnight. Mix before serving. Serves 8-10.
6 Roma tomatoes
1 small sweet onion
2 tbsp. dried basil leaves
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. real parmesan or Italian blend cheese
Dice tomatoes and onions. Combine in a bowl. Add basil and olive oil. Mix well. Make & bake slices of garlic bread until browned. Remove from oven. Add 2 tbsp tomato mix. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes. Serve warm.
Spring Chicken Salad with Vegetable Pasta
(2) 12 oz. package of mixed vegetable pasta
2 med. carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 small red onion, chopped
½ c. fresh parsley, chopped
2 c. honey mustard salad dressing
Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse and drain. Set aside to cool. Combine chopped carrots, celery, onion and parsley. Combine with pasta. Add salad dressing and mix well. Add chicken and mix well. Chill for several hours. Stir before serving. If pasta seems a little dry, add more salad dressing. Serves 12-16.
¼ c. packed brown sugar
1 stick margarine, softened
½ c. chopped pecans
(1) 10 oz. package mini marshmallows
1 c. milk
(1) 9 oz. carton Cool Whip
2 sm. boxes raspberry Jello
2 sm. packages frozen raspberries
Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl, mixing well. Pat into 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Melt marshmallows in milk in saucepan; cool. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour over cooled crust. Dissolve Jello in 2 cups boiling water in bowl. Add frozen raspberries, stirring until thawed. Pour over marshmallow layer. Use a spatula to swirl raspberries through marshmallow layer. Chill until set. Serves 12-16.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Good day to quilt
Monday, April 29, 2013
A Taste of Paducah
Our booth was in the Pavillion for the second year.
Question: How do you hang 20 quilts in a 10ft by 10 ft booth?
Answer: Very carefully. It took us 3 hours to set up, and only 1 hour to tear down.
During the show, we sold out of 4 kits -- woot woot!
I played Trader's Dice with quilters from all over the world. They won a free pattern (the same Pop Stars pattern that is posted on our Facebook page) and were able to take home the fabric that they won. Each time we played the game, we drew a pretty big crowd. We played game after game, and by Friday at noon, we sold out of Trader's Dice and ran out of fabric, so we moved the table to the side and changed the display to feature the PinPals.
The AQS Author Quilts were displayed in the front of the Pavillion. This is Sumiko Minei's "Memories" featured in her book Foundation-pieced Double Wedding Ring Quilt. Look at the teeny weeny applique stitching. The entire quilt is embellished with embroidery stitches.
What a treat!While I was in the main convention center, taking pics of gorgeous quilts, I met Sue McCarty while she was being photographed with her Best of Show quilt. The photographer was none other than Ricky Tims.
This is Adventure Awaits by Sue McCarty of Roy, UT. It won Best of Show. Wow! The quilt was inspired by Tolkiens' The Hobbit. It's a wholecloth quilt with incredible threadwork in the embroidery and quilting. It was in the Large Wall Quilts, Longarm/Midarm Machine Quilted division.
We met lots of interesting, fun quilters throughout the show. It's fun to see how different groups identified themselves. We saw lots of matching shirts & hats. We also saw incredibly creative get-ups, like this group of 4 who had appliqued frogs on their jackets... RRRIIIPP it -- stands for "unsewing" :-)
There were many family reunions, girlfriend getaways and couple vacations at the show.
I hope you enjoyed this brief look at AQS Quilt Week in Paducah. If you'd like to see all of the pics, log into our Facebook page.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Robin and I have been really busy in the shop changing things around and planting surprises for Teresa. All I can say, we're having a really good time!
Looking forward to seeing you all in the shop Friday or Saturday! Remember if you live too far away, use those coupons in our on line shop!
I'll post pictures next time
Later,
Nancy Cook
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
BOGO Coupon for Nancy's Blog Subscribers
Click on this link to download the Buy One Get One Free coupon to be used on Regular-Priced Fabric only, April 25-27. If you want a similar coupon for Sale-Priced Merchandise, go to our Facebook page.
Or print this page with the coupon on it.
Ready for the REALLY Big Show!
There is a sea wall directly behind the show, next to the Ohio River. After the flood 2 years ago, the city has worked very hard to repair the wall and paint it with beautiful murals.
Downtown Paducah is all dressed up and ready for company! This is a museum with a huge crocheted afghan stretched across the entrance. Check out the bull. He's wearing a scarf and is on casters.
Nancy and I are staying across the river in Metropolis, IL -- home of SUPERMAN!