ETSY shop to begin

Jeanne and I have decided to post some items on ETSY to sell in order to make room for some more fabric! We will be working on that this weekend and will let you know here when items go up. So far, we know we have some of our great pincushions and Toto pillows ready to go. We always make up several samples of each pattern as we get the measurements correct and those items are usually sitting around in my studio waiting to be needed. Since we have had to clean out so much because of flood anticipation, it's time to look at what we are keeping with a new set of eyes. Keep your eye here for news!

Back to the Care Quilt

Jeanne took the photo here of the Care Quilt when we got it back from Whispering Pines Quilt Shop. We love the textured effect that the meandering quilting added. She hung the quilt a wall of her barn/house and used natural light for the photo. I think it looks great and the colors glow. I did the binding last week and the quilt will head off for Spain this week to bring comfort and Care to a family member as she goes through chemo treatments.

What we love about this quilt is the simplicity of the design but the ability to make it speak to the recipient. Whether you use a charm pack, scraps from your stash, or shop for just the right blend of colored prints, the ease of assembly and simple layout pattern brings it all together. Using all the embellishments you want to add or just leaving it plain, it says "We care and are with you". That's a pretty important thing to say.

Flooding and Rain In Oshkosh, WI

We've had almost 6 inches of rain here in Oshkosh since late yesterday evening. Most of the city streets have been under water. Jeanne and I were high enough out of town that we didn't get flooded although we watched the water run over from the fields and thought it might get close to us at times. I moved most of the items that were close to the floor in my quilting room up higher just in case. Having a studio in the basement means you don't have to fight the hot weather but the possibility of water damage was scary. Luckily, it has finally stopped raining.

I'm not sure if I will be able to get into town to go to work this morning. Hmmm..how about a late start after some quilting time???

Julia!

Did I mention that the baby quilt was finished exactly 3 days before Julia arrived??? I must say that it wasn't as much fun to make as other baby quilts have been. I think it was the combination of too many different fabrics. It wasn't fun to machine sew-the chenille, minkee, and cotton just did NOT get along. I love the look of it (picture to follow when I get it downloaded) and the feel is wonderful for a child. BUT it sure wasn't much fun to stitch. And there was just no way I was going to be able to hand quilt it all over so I just did some big x's in the cotton squares.

Jeanne and I survived the rainstorms that covered our part of Wisconsin all weekend. I can't swear that we aren't a bit moldy around the edges but the beautiful greens that have resultd from the rain are something to see. And both of us have lots of irises blooming-all golden and blue with a few spots of apricot thrown in for good measure. The mounds of dianthus in my favorite flower bed are a wonderful shot of hot pink. Now if it will just stop raining so I can go out and pick some flowers, it would be perfect!

New Grand Daughter!

Whew--what excitement in our family. A new grand-daughter was born yesterday! Mom and Julia Grace are doing well. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 13 oz and measuring 17 1/2 inches-she is a perfect armfull. Lots of black hair and blue eyes (for now!) complete the picture. There is much joy and, of course, a baby quilt made especially for her.

Jeanne's Birthday!

It's Jeanne's birthday today! So everybody say "Happy birthday!" We had a girlfriend party last night-complete with pizza and ice cream cake and flowers. It was fun-especially because her 5 year old twin grandsons 'crashed' the party due to babysitter complications. I think they thought it was pretty cool to go to Grandma's Girlfriend Party.

We have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow to lay out our summer design plans. I think we both have pretty good sized lists of what we want to work on next. Coming up with an agreed upon list that satisfies both of our creative and technical spirits usually takes a bit of compromise. But if we have a big enough pot of coffee and a treat or two-we CAN DO IT! We'll share our plans at the end of the week.

Free Pattern up on web site

Seems like May has come and gone so quickly! Our monthly free pattern has been uploaded to our web site and we think you'll love it. Who doesn't like to embroider tea pots???? June is the perfect time of year for tea parties and this quick-to-stitch design will get you in the mood.

Jeanne continues to work on her apron designs and I'm busy with yo-yo's and another version of the Care Quilt. We'll be sharing some new photos in a day or so. Until then--enjoy the first day of June!