Endings and Beginnings

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday with family and friends. Robert and I spent a very quiet, very calm Christmas Day at home alone watching a marathon of movies and baking cookies. It's time well spent recharging for the arrival of chaos at our house very soon. Santa is coming on Saturday when the kids/grankids are ready after hectic holiday schedules to relax and spend the night upstairs at the retreat space. I finally dragged the Christmas tree out today, wrapped some presents and hummed a carol or two while trying to figure out the last minute grocery list. Everyone's pitching in for an eat-all-night buffet full of our favorites. 

KT Winner

Congrats to Nancy E (quilt4fun1@gmail.com) for commenting. You're the winner of the KT Christmas bundle. Please send your address and we'll get it packed up for you.

Endings

It's been quite a year here at KTQ - new store front, new Bernina dealers, KT retreats reopening and lots of new quilting friends. In just a few months, we've rearranged/expanded the store 3 times, moved my office twice and built a wall upstairs in the retreat space. Jamie Swanson, our general-all-around cleaning/maintenance/building/painting diva, has spent the last couple weeks leading the charge to get this place back to shipshape before New Year's. She's sucked up gallons of sheetrock dust, sanded and painted walls & ceilings, ripped up carpet and moved a ton of furniture/bookcases from upstairs to downstairs and back again. Now, I'm finally moving into my NEW office, sorting thru piles of quilting books, magazines and vintage fabric swatches, trying to organize my life for the new year. The fun part is about to begin, bringing in some of my favorite things to decorate my very own space. We're installing a shelf about a foot down from the ceiling all around the room to hold the fat 1/8 bundles of fabric from each of my collections and assorted sewing needfuls.

Beginnings

2014 is full of new adventures - Pam Buda and I are off to St. Augustine, Fl for a week long quilting retreat in January, then to Mackinaw Island in September. I'm partnering up with Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Co. for a 3-day retreat the end of March in Salina, KS with more in the works. I'm also delighted to be included in the all-star list of quilters speaking at the Nancy's Notions Sewing Weekend in May. As for what's coming in fabric next year, we're stitching up quilts for KT's 2014 Christmas line, Holly Wishes, I just edited a new line of fabric for Spring Market (Paisley Park), and I'm digging thru old quilts for inspiration for next fall's new collection. As the year unfolds, I can share more fun surprises, but for now, let's just say it's gonna be another busy one, for sure! I hope you can take some time and join me along the way.

Watch here for the ten finalists'quilts from The Old Country Store KT Quilt Contest on New Year's Day along with a great giveaway to kick off 2014. Enjoy the rest of your year!