Thanksgiving Joys and a bit of Splendid Sampler 2 Sewing!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for my family and spending time with them over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Little Paxton was the life of the party all weekend of course and we all doted on him as much as possible.  He's a happy little guy and sure has grown up since we last saw him just a few weeks ago.  It's hard to believe our kids changed as quickly as our grand child does!  Haha!  We missed one of our daughters and her husband this Thanksgiving while they visited his side of the family but we had a mini Thanksgiving with them the weekend before, thank goodness .

I want to share (again) the news that I am thrilled to be a part of the Splendid Sampler 2 book.  If you have not heard about it, you can read more about it HERE on the web page SplendidSampler.com.   It's quite an honor to be included!  Thank you Jane and Pat!

I am a little late to the party but I've gotten a start on my blocks and will be using my first fabric line, Ginger & Spice Collection from Blank Quilting for my Splendid Sampler quilt.  It's been pretty fun to make these little blocks from my own fabric...still hard to believe!

Here are my first few blocks!
First up is Milk and Cookies designed by Rebecca Bryan

I laid my cute little Sheep Scissors on there since this block reminds me of a clock...time has flown since I started on these.  You can find the Sheep Scissors on my website by clicking HERE if you must have some for yourself or a special sewing friend!

Next up is Rose and Dot by Lori Kennedy

This is an easy applique' block!  A fun finish!  I used my starch basting notions for making the shapes crisp and precise very easily.  You can see these on the notions page of my website by clicking HERE.  

Thanks Ladies in the Splendid Sampler 2 for such cute blocks to work on!  I hope to get at it a bit more aggressively and get some of these babies done!
I will post a few more blocks for you to see tomorrow.  Until then, Happy Stitching and Take Care,
Missie

#SplendidSampler2 #BlankQuilting #TraditionalPrimitives #splendidsamplerdesigner #thesplendidsampler2 #thesplendidsampler  #aurifil  #quilting #handwork #31dayblogchallenge2018

Life Brings Changes and Life goes on...

Well, lots has happened since my last post.  My first line of fabric with Blank Quilting has been shipped to stores! YAY!  Ginger & Spice is out there in quilt shops so be sure to find out if your local quilt shop has it in stock.  It was so exciting to see it in person and have it in my hands!  The colors are rich and deep.  The fabrics feel so wonderful.  I'm so proud to have designed these and look forward to seeing them pop up in quilts out there!  If you use them, I'd love to see what you create with them!

My family has enjoyed watching our first grand son grow up a bit each time we see him.  He is just a precious boy...  We went on a vacation in late August to one of our favorite places in the Destin, Florida area and this little guy really enjoyed the sand and water!

We all had a wonderful time together enjoying each other's company and the area.  My mom was doing so well and took a turn for the worse with her health while there and unfortunately we had to say farewell to her as she passed onto her next life, back again with my father and brother and all the other family members who went before her.  We miss her terribly but find comfort that she is forever young and healthy once again.  I wouldn't normally put all this out there, but just can't let it go unmentioned.  She was such an influence in my life and in my kid's lives... I wouldn't be who I am without her having been my mom and I'm so very thankful to have had both of my parents for as long as I did!  Such a blessing...  They encouraged me to be the best I can be, to be creative and to be the parent I am to my children today.  

It's been a busy, busy time since this moment.  Life goes on and she would want us to keep on keepin' on.  She had so much spunk and energy and I hope to have as much spunk and energy as she did up into my 84th year should I be blessed enough to live that long!  

After this life changing event, life got very busy with settling things but also teaching and traveling and Quilt Market was fast approaching!  My friend Julee P offered to help me out and she kindly made one of the free quilt patterns offered at BlankQuilting.net that I designed for Ginger & Spice.  That's what I call a generous friend!  In 10 days she did most all of the applique' on this quilt shown below!  I understand a few of her quilting buddies also chipped in and helped on a few blocks.  So Big Thanks goes to Julee and also Karen, Chris and Norma as well for helping me prepare for Market and Festival!  I loved having the quilt there to show off my fabrics!  Contact your local quilt shop and make this quilt yourself~It's easy applique'!  If your local quilt shop did not happen to order the fabric line, you can find it on my website by clicking HERE!  Once again Thank You Thank You to Julee!!

One of the teaching engagements this fall was with the Des Moines Area Quilt Guild, my local guild.  It was an honor to show my quilts from the early days and share funny stories about learning to quilt.  As the quilts were shared, the ladies laid them on the pews to my left.  After it was over it took my breath away to see them all laid out.  I love sharing what I've learned along the years.  If your guild needs a lecture and workshops please have them contact me.

My time was also filled filming with The Quilt Show!  It was a great day with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims filming my episode that will be aired June 2nd.  Amazing what all goes into making a wonderful show for us quilters.  The whole team did a great job with me to make it a great experience!  The filming took place at Piece Works Quilt Shop in Winterset, IA.  A great shop!  Put it on your list of stops in Iowa if you are ever nearby.

Next up was Quilt Market in Houston.  The weather was good and we met lots of new friends and caught up with the friends met in previous years!  I was very pleased to be able to finish and show my new quilt design English Wedding featured below.  This quilt is made using my starch basting technique for English Paper Piecing as well as cotton and wool applique'.  It's scrappy and happy and a joy to make!  The pattern and kit are available on the website and you can see it by clicking HERE.

I also introduced a new wool and cotton applique' table topper called Boho Star.  This quick little project is quite easy to make and has the added interest of Primitive Boho Buttons on top of some of the pennies.  This one is proving to be very popular and the buttons are part of it's success.  They add such a cute touch to a simple little design!  Since life had been so very busy I enlisted the help of a fine seamstress I've met on FaceBook.  LaNan Eldridge did a fine job stitching this sample for me!  Thank you LaNan!  You can find the pattern and kit by clicking HERE.

There's one thing I have learned in my lifetime...life does bring changes and life does go on.  We gain strength from each event in our lives and learn to be stronger and more determined to enjoy life while we are here to enjoy it!  I will miss my original family (My parents and brother) with all my heart but I will keep on enjoying my life to the fullest!  I'm so thankful to have my own wonderful family~ My wonderful husband and daughters, son in laws and grandson~Yes...life goes on!

Thanks for visiting today and please come back again!  I have some fun news to share soon!

Take care, Missie (and Jeff, pictured above)

Academy of Appliqué 2019!

I received a very special email today and thought I'd share some exciting news! Here is the email!  Follow her instructions and see who's teaching!

Are you ready?  Wait for it, wait for it . . . GO!
The 2019 Academy of Applique Class Catalog is available for viewing, printing, drooling over, etc. at www.academyofapplique.com, then click the tab ‘Classes 2019.’

Many ask me – “What should I do next?”  My suggestion is to print off the Worksheet (a separate tab on the website), and use this as a reference to select your first, second, and third choices of classes.  Then call ALL of your quilter friends, and invite them to join you for this wonderful week of appliqué, eating, laughing, eating, relaxing, eating, being pampered, and eating (can you see where my priorities are?).

Remember, if you are new to this event – or if you invite a friend that is new – both of you will receive $50.00 off of your registration.  If you invite two friends you will receive $100.00 off of your registration and each friend will receive $50.00 off of their registrations, etc.

Registration will open at noon EST on Labor Day (September 3, 2018).  Additional instructions will be blasted as we get closer to the date.  Classes fill in the order of registration – the computer actually time stamps each entry and they are processed in order.  It is allowed for you to register for a friend.  You would simply fill out (2) registration forms, providing the friends mailing address/email.  You would either need to get their credit card number, or pay for both registrations and work it out with your friend later.

 After you register online, a Registration Committee Member will call you back to confirm what class you are in, and to get your credit card number.  All supply lists are available on the website.  Both Lab Fees and Kit Fees are paid directly to the teacher – Lab Fees are required, Kit Fees are USUALLY voluntary – during class.

If you should have ANY questions, concerns, comments – please don’t hesitate to either email me Barbara@academyofapplique.com or give me a call (757) 565-5299.
Good luck!

A Fun Friendship Quilt Along!

This week I'd love to share a Friendship Quilt Along from Amanda Herring of AmandaHerringDesigns.com!  Welcome to those of you who are visiting my blog!  If you like what you see, please follow by email and watch for what's new!

Amanda's got a great thing going with this Friendship Quilt.  Such an inspiring theme.  Each block has a name which describes a trait of a good friend.  The block I have made is called Gracious.  You can see mine below, but be sure to hop on over to her site to read about this block and the others on her blog by clicking HERE!


I chose Gracious which is an applique block since I love applique so much.

Since some of you are new to my blog, I'll review what I do with the notions you see above!  Once upon a time I used to want to learn to do English Paper Piecing.  I tried and tried and was very frustrated with the basting part of English Paper Piecing.  One day I was preparing some applique with freezer paper and starch and a light bulb came on that perhaps this basting method would work for English Paper Piecing!

It did indeed work, but as I learned more about it and practiced more and more, I realized I needed different notions than what was available.
Premium Freezer Paper does not shrink or distort when ironed using the starch
Starch Brush which holds the starch in the handle of the brush and has no clean up required
Fingertip Stiletto that is worn on the finger to keep your finger away from the hot iron.  It is adjustable and can fit any size finger or knuckle.
These items are very important for the success of the process of basting with starch.  It makes it so much nicer when we have tools that are created to make things easier and this is what these notions do for you.  You can watch a video on the home page of my website, TraditionalPrimitives.com, and see these notions in action by clicking HERE.  I'm referring to EPP in the video but everything mentioned in the video will make sense for applique as well.

You can also see the cute little Hexie Shaped Pressing Mat in the photo above.  It is not necessary but it sure is cute!!

For the Gracious block, first use the templates Amanda has created and trace the shapes onto the Premium Freezer Paper.  Next the paper needs to be doubled, with shiny sides facing downward, so it is thicker.   Then cut out right on the line.  Next iron the freezer paper template onto the wrong side of the fabric and trim away the fabric leaving a 1/4" seam allowance as you see above.

Next paint the starch onto the seam allowances with the Starch Brush and use a small mini iron to press the seams over the Premium Freezer Paper template.

The Fingertip Stiletto is  used to hang onto the template and fold the seam allowance over the shape.  It is very valuable on such small pieces like these!  Once the shapes are cooled off, remove the freezer paper and glue baste the pieces onto the background.  Then stitch in place with your favorite applique stitch by hand or machine.  What a sweet little floral design!

I've used my first line of fabric for this little block!  It's one of the first things created from my first cuts of the fabric received.  So exciting to go through the process of designing and waiting until you can get it in your hands for the first time.  The collection is called Ginger & Spice from Blank Quilting Corporation.  Be sure to ask your local shop to order it from their Blank Quilting Rep.  You can see more of it HERE.    

Be sure to check out Amanda's blog to follow along with the Friendship Quilt Along!  It's going to be lots of fun to see all the blocks and quilts that are shown!  (Thank you Amanda!!)

Thanks so much for stopping by and Take Care,

Missie

#friendshipQAL  #BestBuds  #BestFabricFriends

Two Lovebirds...

I've got a few new patterns to show you!  These are both quick finishes for wool applique, applique and punchneedle.  So much fun to stitch and always a good thing when it's a quick finish!  You can buy them HERE if you are interested.  We've got them listed on the Wool Quilts pag, the Quilts page and the Punchneedle Page.  We have also added the cutest Sheep Scissors to the Notions page.  They are so sharp and really cut threads, yarn and wool very well!!  Have fun shopping!

 Bunchberry Blooms Tablerunner

We've just returned from Quilt Market in Portland.  It was lovely weather and we enjoyed walking around the hotel for dinner and getting to the convention.  The blooms were lovely.  Much more abundant than here in Des Moines at the time we were there!  

The booth went together well and we enjoyed meeting new shop owners from the north west as well as seeing a few familiar faces from other shop owners in the US and around the world.  

You might notice 24 folds of fabric in the top picture...it's Ginger & Spice designed by "Me" for Blank Quilting Corporation!  It was so very fun to get my hands on the real deal and make that little quilt on the front of the table just before Market!  The fabric feels very nice and was so easy to work with!!  Now I can't wait to get my hands on a little bit more so I can make something a little larger.  

The fabrics are just a bit more muted in person than in this picture.  I'm so very happy with how they turned out!  I made my first few hexies with these fabrics at the Tulsa show last weekend and it was pretty exciting!  Haha...just a few hexies exciting?  Yes for sure!!  The pattern isn't quite complete for the quilt on the table so I will wait to show you that!

The Tulsa quilt show was a huge success.  Those ladies do enjoy the shopping and chatting at a quilt show!!  So fun!  We enjoyed showing them our new goodies since we were there last and it was so nice to see some friendly smiles.  I saved a few old quilts and have washed them so they are all nice and fresh smelling now.  I love to save an old quilt now and then!

Next up is the Minnesota Quilters Show in St. Cloud June 14-16.   After that is Shipshewanna, Indiana June 20-23.  We hope to see some of you there!!

Take care and thank you for stopping by,

Missie

Splendid Sampler 2 and Next Show!

Have you heard about the Splendid Sampler book from Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson?  It was a HIT! It was so much fun they decided to do a second book, Splendid Sampler 2.  The whole concept of the book is a collaboration of designers who design a block for an awesome Sampler Quilt.  Well. I am so excited to let you know I have a block in the Splendid Sampler 2!

Pat and Jane host a sew along and post new blocks and blog posts from the designers each week. Sounds like such fun to join in the fun and I can't wait to be a part of it!  Take a look HERE to read all about the excitement to come.  

I'm also pretty excited as the time is getting closer for my first fabric line, Ginger & Spice from Blank Quilting to be ready for shops.  I can't wait, I can't wait!  You can take a look HERE and be sure to tell your Local Quilt Shop to get their order in.  I am busy designing a few special quilts to debut when the fabric is available...fun, fun, fun!

Next we are headed to Paducah, KY for the BIG Paducah Quilt Show!  This will be our first time vending there and I would love to meet you if you have plans to enjoy the town.  Traditional Primitives will be upstairs in the convention center in booths 3608-3610.  This is the same room as the prize winning quilts so be sure to come by when you are upstairs!  I'll be doing my demo for Basting English Paper Piecing with Starch and using the special tools created to make this technique SO easy!  Take a peek at TraditionalPrimitives.com and make your shopping list for when you arrive.  

As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by!
Take care,

Missie

OLFA Ambassador and More!

I've been a lover of OLFA products since I started quilting 27 years ago.  Good products stick around for a reason and OLFA is one of the companies that keeps on giving us quilters great products to love!  I am thrilled to let you know that OLFA has chosen me to be an Ambassador of their wonderful line of products!

First up to highlight for you is the new SPLASH Mats and Rotary Cutters!  The stunning colors of Hot Pink and Teal are beautiful, but for me the bright color serves a great purpose on my cutting table...I can SEE them in my stash of reproduction fabrics!  Look at that beautiful new pink mat and rotary cutter...so bright and cheery! And as I mentioned, so easy to see and find on my cutting table.

Both the Pink Mat and Rotary Cutter are new products.  Aren't they pretty!

The Teal Mat is new and matches my well used and loved Teal Rotary Cutter I've had for several years now!  It's fun to have cute stuff that works well in our studios.  But it's also very important to have great products that actually work well.  I find that a good rotary cutter is so taken for granted.  A sharp blade really makes a huge difference in the enjoyment factor for me!  The OLFA products are comfy, cute and work great!  Take a peek at the other Ambassadors and the Design Team HERE!  There are so many different interests in the groups and some pretty cute projects too!

You can bet we'll be very well prepared as we cut more fat quarters for you all as we get geared up for the next few shows!  Next up is the Bits & Pieces Quilt Show in Ballwin, MO near St. Louis.  Click HERE for info and I do hope to see a few of you there!  This is a great show with lots of beautiful quilts and vendors of course!  

Then in a few short weeks we'll be headed to Paducah, KY for AQS Quilt Week!  Click HERE for info so you can join the fun.  This will be our first time vending in Paducah and we will be located in the convention center on the upper floor, booth #3608/3610 in the River Room along with the Prize Winning Quilts.  Now, that will be inspiring to be so close to all those beauties!  I hope to have a few new patterns available for you as well as new woolens and great notions!  You'll have the chance to pick up everything you need for my Starch Basting for English Paper Piecing in person!  

Since I wrote last, we have traveled the country from coast to coast- literally!  We started the year out in Ontario, CA at the Road To California show.  This year we had great weather.  It was a great time and we were so thankful to have two of our daughters join us to help with the crowds.  It was great to chat with old friends and we met lots of new folks too.  Quilters are a sweet bunch!  Here's a pic with our youngest and oldest out in CA.  Katie learned to do punchneedle in front of a crowd and my motto became true once again.  It takes 10 minutes to learn punchneedle and 30 minutes to become an expert!  Give it a try if you haven't done so yet.  You'll be hooked and having fun in no time!  Of course I have all the goodies you need on my website TraditionalPrimitives.com 

After the California show we set up shop in Phoenix at the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival.  Again we had great weather and a good crowd.  Super nice folks out there in Phoenix and we were able to catch up with several friends from the past who now live in Phoenix.  Great show and Great fun!  We hope to see some of you next January at this show!

A few short days later we ramped up for another long trip, but this time we headed to the east coast to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.  Again, we had great weather thank goodness and even ate outside in the evenings!  Our other daughter joined us for this show and she was a great help!  We are so thankful our girls enjoy helping us at the shows now and then.  Bonding and learning about owning your own business all in one.   

It's been nice to squeeze in some snuggle time with our little grandson Paxton.  He's growing so quickly and has such a great personality!  

He's squeeling with delight here in this picture sent by his mama!  This is what his little face looks like most of the time...happy and smiling!

And here he is looking so grown up.  Such a handsome little dude!

I know, I know, this is a quilting blog, but how can I resist!  Haha!  He's so darned cute!  

OK Back to quilty stuff!  I believe I mentioned previously that I have my first line of fabric coming out soon from Blank Quilting.  The time is getting closer and closer to when I can get my hands on the fabric in person and I can't wait.  If you haven't seen it yet, click HERE to take a closer look.  Don't hesitate to ask your local quilt shop to check it out as well!  It will be shipped to shops in July and it's not too late to get it ordered.  Ginger & Spice is a collection that will add a little spice to the  collection of quilts you make with tender lovin' care. 

We have a few new items on the website now- Brookshire Star is now available in a kit containing various red fabrics for a 9 patch background or solid background.  You can see the difference in the two versions in the picture below.  If you look close you can notice the interest the 9 patch background makes with the quilt on the left.  I love those busy backgrounds!  I will work on some better pics for the website so you can see the difference.

We also offer a green Fingertip Stiletto now, while they last!  We have been pleasantly surprised that folks like the green so well.  We are hearing from customers that they love having them in different sewing areas of their home so they always have it handy.  A good sign the product is being well used!  If you have not heard about this product, it is a handy fingertip extension that I use to protect my finger from the hot iron while I baste with starch.  It's very comfortable to wear and very helpful while manipulating the hot fabric.  The angle of the bend is like the tip of your finger so it is very easy to learn to use.  The wrap around arms are adjustable to all sizes of fingers to make it fit anyone's hands.  If you order the Fingertip Stiletto leave a comment when checking out if you want a specific color and we will do our best to make your wishes come true.  The comments box is on the page where you see your address.  

Check out the new items HERE at TraditionalPrimitives.com on the Quilts and Notions Page.  

Speaking of the website, we will be updating the website in the near future.  Just a heads up- if you try to visit and the site is down, please know it will be back on line soon and that we are still in business!  The same is true for my email.  If a note to me gets returned please keep trying.  It sometimes takes a few days for these changes to work out.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking time to read my post!  I appreciate each one of you!  If you see me at a show, please let me know you read the blog.  It has been so rewarding to meet some of you as we travel the country.  I'm glad to know you still check in here to see what's up!

Take care,

Missie