Many Adventures!

Since I last posted so much has happened...so much that I can't remember it all! Spring Quilt Market was in Salt Lake City, a beautiful town indeed. I was so impressed with the kind people, beautiful scenery and clean downtown. We stayed in an apartment near the convention center and had a lovely view of the mountains.

Spring Market was successful and it was so fun to see new friends I've made in the past few years. I was next door to Robin of Briar Root Primitives and Norma of Timeless Treasures. Across the aisle was Cindy from Quilt Doodle and Barbara from Vanilla House. Such nice gals...each one of them! We all learn from each other and I'm so impressed with how differently they each run their businesses. So cool that this industry is filled with such wonderfully creative women.

My youngest daughter Katie and my Dear Hubs came along and we had a great time. I am so thankful for my wonderful family!

I did introduce some new designs that I have not shown you yet. First up is Castle Windows, inspired by...guess...a Castle Window that I saw online a while back. It is a very simple and quick Applique quilt that looks much more detailed than it actually is! I whipped it up in just a few days and most of the stitching was done in the car on our various travels this spring.

Next is Vintage Buddies- Two Old Crows and A Pair Of Hares. This one was super quick to make and has the unique binding I'm enjoying when I do an English Paper Pieced quilt. It intrigues people so much to see the Hexies on the fron and back of the quilt. An interesting "binding" for sure. To add interest there is a bit of stitchery on these designs. I used wool thread which looks soft and a bit fluffy and adds to the vintage feel of these table runners.

Royal Babies is also quick and simple to make. These baby quilts have pieced blocks that are inspired by one of the Blocks in Gardens Of A King. The full block is made once and then other sections of it were added in as the other blocks. They are all applique'd onto the pieced background and make a cute quilt for a boy or girl. Very simple and a breeze to stitch up!

The name of these quilts have a little story. I mentioned the block inspiration is from The Gardens Of A King, which you all know was inspired by the King George III Coverlet. King George III was married to Charlotte. The current Prince William now has two children, George and Charlotte. SO... I decided to make a boy version and a girl version in honor of the connection between the past and present Royals, George and Charlotte. Someday I do hope to have some grandchildren who can love on these quilts!

Of course, you can find these patterns and more on my website, Traditional Primitives, if you are interested!

While driving to Utah we saw a Tiny House! Very cute, but I need my space!

Since we got back from Market, we've done 2 shows. One in Tulsa and one in Minnesota. Both were great shows and it's always so nice to meet folks that I know from blogging or FB! Of course it's always fun to share my Starch Basting technique for English Paper Piecing with the show attendee's and watch them get so excited to learn an easy shortcut for basting. So many times I hear the statement "Why didn't I know that before I made a queen sized Hexie quilt!?" I am glad it gets them excited to get busy on more Hexies! In case you wonder what it looks like in my booth during a busy show, here's a snapshot!

This young mother wanted to find some sort of sewing to do with her four year old. She asked if they could try Rug Punching and they worked together to see if they would like it. The answer was yes! The little girl was so calm and patient and couldn't wait to get started at home! So wonderful to want to pass down the "sewing bug" to her young daughter! We need more young folks to keep these arts alive.

Jeff took a panoramic shot of the booth. It was funny because it took about 5 tries for us to get a half decent picture! A little blurry but you get the idea!

Next up is the Omaha Quilt Show this weekend. I'd love to meet some of you if you'll be there! Click on the link to see the info it begins at 5 pm June 23 and ends on The 25th at 4pm. This one goes until 8pm on the 24th! Wow, that will be a big shopping day! Hope to see you there!

That's a little summary of what's been happening recently. I've got another few quilts in the works and will post about them soon. Thanks so much for stopping by and as always, Take Care!

Missie

 

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Busy Days

I know it seems like I have fallen off the planet, but I am still here plugging away at my little business. As I take a few moments this morning with my coffee and iPad, this is my view from my recliner.

It's been a big tan wall for quite a while as I've been vending and taken all my favorites to a few trunk shows and lectures. I'm retiring this pattern from my booth, so will get to enjoy Charmed Beginnings on my wall for a while! When I finish new designs something has to give in my booth, so I'll start retiring the older quilts to a warm and cozy spot in my home. You can still purchase this pattern from Blackberry Primitives if you are interested. They asked me to design a quilt using their wools and it was a great experience. This is the cotton version I made for displaying in my booth. It has a smidge of wool but is mostly cotton. The 100% wool Applique version is shown below the cotton quilt.

This quilt celebrates the colors and qualities of new spring which is happening right now around here. It's amazing to wake to freezing temps one week and suddenly the next week we wake to birds singing and trees bursting with buds and blooms. My iris are shooting up inches every day and soon they will be bursting with blooms as well!

This blooming tree looks a bit small in this photo, but it is good sized and we are so happy to enjoy the blooms this year. Many years it will be hit with the last frost of the winter season and the blooms are taken before we can enjoy them. Soon, they will be blowing away in the wind, so we enjoy an evening drink on the porch to enjoy the beauty that spring brings.

My days have been spent preparing for Quilt Market, making sure I have enough patterns on hand. The pile below does not look very organized, but it is very organized in the placement of which patterns will be packaged for Sample Spree and which will be placed in the booth as we set up. There is a method to my madness! And believe me, this is a neat pile compared to a few days ago! Haha! That means I am making headway and will be ready sooner than later! I am ready to be finished so I can get back to sewing something new!

While unpacking my vending goodies, I decided to display these punched rugs on my wall in the office so I could enjoy them for a while also. It's showing me that soon the mess you see above will be packed up and I can have a nice clean space again! Those patterns above have been taking over the house the last few weeks!

Today I'll be stamping the Punchneedle Designs on the weaver's cloth, so I'll be able to finish up the pattern prep today. If you are headed to Quilt Market in Minneapolis, please look me up! I will be in booth 140 right next to the food court doing my demo on basting English Paper Piecing with Starch.

I'd like to put out a call for comments on my Starch Brush. If you've used it could you please email me at missie@traditionalprimitives (dot) com and let me know how you like it? I would like to print some comments for testimonials to post in my booth. Same request for those of you who have gotten a start on The Gardens Of A King? Since this is a new technique I would like the store owners to see how much people love this method for preparing English Paper Piecing. I won't print your email addresses or violate your privacy in any way of course! Be sure to email me as I can not print comments from the posts below.

One more shout out for a new magazine being published very soon. It's called Punch Needle and Primitive Stitchery Magazine and I'll have a new project in the premier issue! Be sure to get subscribed if you are a lover of primitive stitching and Punchneedle! Click HERE to get to the website and subscribe. This magazine will be a great addition to your current subscription of Primitive Quilts and Projects Magazine! It's so wonderful to see Punchneedle making a comeback. I am on a mission to get it exposed to as many people as possible to keep the beautiful and simple art alive and well!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I promise it won't be too much longer and I will get back to posts about stitching! I can't wait to get at it again...my fingers are itchin' to get stitchin'!

Take care,

Missie

 

 

Visit my web store www.TraditionalPrimitives.com

Thanks To My Hometown!

My hometown is Springfield, MO...the Ozark Piecemakers Guild did a wonderful job at their quilt show and welcomed all of the vendors with a helping hand. It was great fun meeting all the ladies who enjoyed shopping at the vendor mall...so fun to chat with others who love quilting! I also enjoy sharing my passion for English Paper Piecing, Applique, Wool and the tricks I use when making a quilt.

I had to set up most of the booth by myself this time and it took every minute to get thing organized. My mom was my wonderful helper the first day of the show and she did an awesome job for me! It was great fun to have a girls day together, even though we were super busy and didn't have too much time for relaxing. Thanks Mom! Love you! My husband joined me for the weekend days of the show and was also a great help! Thanks Jeff! Love you too! I couldn't do it alone, that's for sure...

Above, you can see my new "department", wool rug punching or rug hooking. Thanks to one of my followers from the blog, Colleen, who helped me out and made two of the rugs you see there! She made the one with the pineapple, "Little Bird Welcome" and the circular chair pad on the bottom right, "Wooly Blossum". She will get them back after my fall shows and I will hate to give them up! I am working on my own to have, but she really helped me get these done in time to show at the hook in a few weeks ago. Thank you Colleen! I still have not had time to add these to the website...if you are interested, please let me know and I'll get you the info!

The booth was a little different size and it was nice to have room to show all the quilts well. Usually things are quite scrunched as I design new projects...things get more crowded!

 

This is the Punchneedle department...crowded and packed, empty towards the end of the show!

 

Here's a small group watching my EPP Demo. My table gets so filled and messy, but I love to be able to grab a project and help people lean something new, so it's all right there within arms length. (Just like at home! Lol, I'm a messy gal!)

 

I'm finished with my (first) Reproduction of the King George III Coverlet, Gardens Of a King! It is quilted and delivered to hang in the Des Moines Quilt Guild Show next week. The pattern will be available soon. I'll show you the entire quilt at that time. If you might be interested in purchasing this pattern, please let me know and I'll make sure you get the info in your inbox. It was so rewarding to finish this one! I may have to make another to hang in my home full time! Most of my quilts are not hanging in my home...they are off at a shop trunk show or packed for a vending trip. I have started making duplicates of my faves so I can enjoy them too! I have a long way to go until I get to enjoy all of them at home!

The AQS/Des Moines Quilt show is next week. Another fun week of beautiful quilts and shopping! Can't wait! Then I'll be headed to Kearney, NE for Threads Nebraska October 9-11! Is anyone headed to this fun event?

Thanks for stopping by today,

Take care,

Missie

 

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A Little More Rug Love!

I've been working on another punched rug with the Oxford Punch (available HERE) for the Hook In I will be vending at next weekend, Sept. 6th in Warsaw, MO. This one will go along with Pennies In My Garden wool and cotton quilt! The Hook In is sponsored by Saltbox Primitives and sounds like it will be a blast! I'm really excited!

 

I've had a few questions about what type of frame I use when doing rug punching. This is an antique Edmund's Rug Frame that my husband clamped some legs to, so the frame is held up off the table. It is working great! One important thing to remember when punching vs. hooking rugs is that you can not use a hooking frame for punching. The sharp needles on the hooking frame will snag the loops. When hooking, you work from the front and the needles grab ahold of the back of the rug. When punching, you work from the back, so the needles grab ahold of the loops and you don't want that! This is why I use a different frame when punching.

You can see that we also added some nails to 2 sides of the frame to hold the munks cloth in place. These old frames were made to use thumbtacks to hold the backing fabric in place. But that's too much work for me. These nails are working great to pull the backing fabric nice and tight while I punch.

This picture shows the nails much better! Plus, you can see the rug a bit better too! So far, I have not been able to hang my quilt, Pennies In My Garden ( available HERE), in my home but a few weeks. Once it finishes traveling the country to hang in stores and my vending booth, I will really enjoy hanging the quilt and displaying the matching rug together! It has been such fun creating these rugs with elements of my quilt designs!

The picture above shows my quilting hoop with fabric wrapped around the inner hoop. This is what I used for the smaller designs. Worked great!

Rug Punching is so easy and quick. I am thrilled to have finally jumped in and accomplished something that's been on my bucket list for quite a while!

I will be selling the monks cloth with the designs drawn for rug hooking and rug punching. If you are interested, please leave a reply or send an email and I will custom draw one for YOU! If any of you live near Warsaw, MO, I would love to meet you next Saturday, the 6th...come see me at the Hook In!

 

Take Care,

Missie

 

 

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