Home again, home again...

Another successful market is history. We always love visiting Minneapolis because of the shopping - Ikea, Mall of America, The Painted Porch Antiques and Terra Garden Center. All fun experiences and all so different. The Painted Porch was our first stop for garden junk for the booth. We scored a cool dragonfly wind whimsy, some plant stakes made out of old silver spoons and a great old cutting board. On our way north, we found Terra - one of the neatest garden shops ever. I bought some stepping stones with butterflies, dragonflies and bees on them for the first step off of my front porch (it's usually a mud puddle), some interesting bird feeders (one looks like a giant cattail) and a wonderful sunflower bird bath that we used in the booth to hold brochures. Ikea is always fun, too, for functional, practical office stuff and did not disappoint. A new outfit and lunch at the Mall and we were ready to go start setting up. I'll have a pic of the booth this weekend if I can remember to download R's camera.

Not too late to get in on this month's giveaway - a Square Pegs pattern. It was a hit at market. Just a Layer Cake and 2 fabrics makes it super fast and easy for the shops to kit and quilters to make.
More later, Lynne

Panhandle QGuild in Scott's Bluff, NE

Here's a look at a couple of workshops from last month's trip to Scott's Bluff, NE. Twenty-five quilters took classes each day to learn my raw edge applique technique to make the Skipping Stones quilt on Friday or a Mini Table Treats quilt on Saturday afternoon. I love Diana and Alvina's versions with batiks! Thanks to Sharon Armstrong for sharing the group shot at their guild meeting.

Thanks again for a wonderful weekend of quilting!
Lynne

May Giveaway

The May giveaway will be a Square Pegs pattern. Our photographer, Bill Roenne of Monarch Portraits, is coming up Tuesday to take pictures so I'll post an official cover pic later this week.

Cooper and Delainey are on their way up to play today while their parents are immersed in a major remodeling job. They've take a wall out between their kitchen and living room to create an open floor plan so it's made a mess out of their whole house. Demolition started a couple weeks ago; sheetrock and mudding was last weekend; texturizing the ceiling and painting cupboards is on the agenda for today. They're lucky they have several friends who are helping that know what to do. They're hoping to have it pretty much done before Delainey's birthday June 9th. Best of luck!

April's Winner is...

Just a quick note today to let you all know that Barbara is the winner of the KC Star book, Piecing the Past. Delainey, age 3, only counts to 22 (who knows why she stops there??) and picked the number 14, so Barbara was the 14th quilter to respond to the giveaway entry. Very scientific, huh?

Watch for the May giveaway announcement this week.
Lynne

More Sneak Peeks...

About every other day the UPS guy brings a wonderful surprise - a quilt coming back from the quilters. Even though I designed and even pieced some of the quilts, it's always such a fun surprise to open the box and discover how good quilting magically brings a quilt to life. A couple of comments on the Summer's End quilt made me realize that I'm seeing the small pieced blocks as flowers because I know we'll be adding raw-edge stems after it's quilted. Much like sending the Square Pegs quilt to the quilter and she questioned the name because all she saw was circles - we didn't add the "pegs" until we received it back from her. Goes to show that as a designer, I see the finished quilt in my head and assume everyone else sees my vision as well. Hopefully, by the time it's bound, everyone will see what I see. One of the cool things about this quilt is that it started with a Layer Cake and all I added was a fat quarter and about 1 1/2 yards of fabric for the outer border/binding. That's it for a 60" x 67" lap quilt. Pretty efficient use of precuts and a great outdoor quilt for summer. Imagine it in adorable kid prints or all plaids - how fun!

Check in tomorrow for the winner of the new KC Star book, Piecing the Past. In the morning, I'll call one of the grandkids and ask for a number between 1 and however many comments there have been. That's our official, technical way of determining the winners. Keep in mind, the sooner you comment each month the better because several of the grandkids only know their numbers up to about 20!

Sneak Peak

Wahoo! It's a Mud Day! Yes, in the country, in addition to Snow Days, we also have Mud Days - when you can't get to town because of the muddy roads or high water. Robert went to town early 'cause he's on call for the ambulance, so he'll probably stay in town until the rain is over. For me, it means NOT HAVING to go to town, all alone cozy in the cabin, baking cookies during breaks and watching the ducks on the pond thoroughly enjoy the weather. It doesn't mean I get a day off, though, because I have my sewing machine and computer at the cabin as well as in town. Crazy as it seems, once in a while, I love it!

The Fat Quarter Shop asked for a couple pics of what I'm working on for market, so thought I'd share a peek here, too. The Summer's End fabric has been really fun to work with and I'm pleased with the results of the quilt (above). Here it is before it was sent to Lori Kukuk, quilter extraordinaire. More market peeks as we get closer.

Still time to enter for the Piecing the Past book giveaway on April 30th - is that next week already??? It was very well received in the NE panhandle last weekend where I hung out with a wonderful bunch of quilters. Thanks ladies, for a great time. Vonda Walter was a very organized, delightful hostess and had assembled an experienced, creative group of quilters to entertain Robert and I. Nicely done.

Til next time, stay dry.
Lynne

April Giveaway

Figured I'd better check in before leaving town for the weekend. Robert and I are headed to Scott's Bluff, NE for a couple of workshops and a program. Both workshops are full and the ladies there are very organized. Should prove to be a good weekend all around.

I've been steadily stitching on the new Summer's End quilt this week, changing virtually every step along the way. Slows things down a bit, but uses a Honey Bun a little more efficiently and I'm always happier with the results. Sneak peak soon.

Now for the good stuff. The April Giveaway is for one of the new KC Star books, Piecing the Past. I'm pretty excited about my first venture with The Star and would love to share a book with one of you out there. I'll post some pics of the projects in the book later this month. Check out Deb Rowden's blog for some interesting commentary. She was tickled by several of the stories that didn't make the book. I thought we should be fairly PC the first time around so I skipped over the parts about my Gramma and her 4/10 shotgun. Not everyone appreciates a woman who shoots critters before asking questions.

Anyway, comment for a chance at the book. There are a dozen projects and lots of fun facts about my family history, Bennington and our historical building.

Hope spring has come your way,
Lynne