CHRISTMAS STITCHES

I stopped in at the LQS the other day, namely What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff. The shop is looking so good and decked out with all things Christmas. I asked if I could take some photos for my blog. I always love visiting quilt shops around the country via quilt blogs, so I thought I would share with you what my favorite shop looks like right now.

Pattern above: Christmas Sampler by Country Faces

They have projects and kits galore! I just had to buy that book from Primitive Gatherings with that wonderful sampler in it. And these stockings are the absolute cutest! They have patterns for six of them (from Under the Garden Moon) and they were all hanging off the fireplace mantle. There is no actual fireplace, but a year or so ago they brought in a mantle and it is always fun to see how it gets decorated. Now take a look at that Advent Santa! All wool of course!

That is it for now. Wishing you all a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

STARS AND GARTERS part II

In my last post I asked if any of you had heard the expression, "Oh my stars and garters". Well I had quite a mixed response, and I loved hearing that at least a few of you knew the expression. Here is what Di had to say on the subject:

"Absolutely! I've heard it all my life and I googled it and here is probably where it came from: http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/55/messages/588.html ". I hadn't thought to google the expression, but Di did. Thanks Di! Good to know!
(Di doesn't have a blog, or I would link to it. Are you planning to join us soon Di?)


The photo here is one I swiped from the blog of our LQS, What's Your Stitch N Stuff. It shows my pattern, Stars and Garters, being assembled by Sue at the shop. I hope you can enlarge the photo and see how she placed that cool Coverlet print in the center of the stars. I haven't got a picture of the whole quilt, but she did complete it. Awesome! So often simple quilts are the best!

Now how many of you have heard the expletive, "Great Caesar's ghost"? Where has our imagination of expression gone? These days all I hear is "holy crap". What fun is that?

Have a happy scrappy day!

OH MY STARS AND GARTERS!

Several years ago I designed this really easy star pattern that creates an alternate Shoofly block when you set it with sashing. I was creating designs to use in class with new quilters. Not my most creative work, but still, it gives a great effect in its simplicity. I came up with the name "Stars and Garters". That was an expression my grandmother used: "Oh my stars and garters"! Having heard that expression all my life I naturally assumed that everyone knew it. Boy was I wrong!


Yesterday (amid strong winds and rain as a weakened hurricane swept through) there was an open house at our LQS, What's Your Stitch N Stuff. Sue G., who works at the shop, made up this pattern in the Coverlet fabric, by Windham. It turned out great! They made it up into kits and held up the quilt to show it to everyone. One of the gals asked about the garters. I explained that it was just a fun name that came from the expression my grandmother used, "Oh my stars and garters". Everyone in the shop was mystified. No one had ever heard that expression.


So here I named a quilt pattern after an expression I thought everyone would recognize and get a kick out of, and NO ONE ever heard the expression before!


Have you ever heard that expression before?

Oh my stars and garters!

Please let me know.

SWEET SAMPLER 'N STUFF

Well the heat has finally hit Virgina in a big way! I broke down and turned on the air conditioning, only to find out that one unit was totally devoid of freon. Luckily my repair man actually returned my call and came and fixed it. The problem was in my sewing room and office, so I would have had to call it something like, oh, "the sweat shop" or something original like that.

So I have been playing around and thought I would clean up my sewing space a bit, since it was nice and cool in there. What do I find but three little Tree quilts from last December. These were going to be gifts, but never got that far. (I did finish several of these!) Actually, one is for me because I ended up giving mine away. Darn cute, isn't it? I at least got all the loose ends sewn together and now they need a little quilting. This is smaller than the pattern on my website. I scaled it down so that the tree top is 3 inches. Many of you made one or more of these last year. If you are a new reader, this was my Christmas treat to everyone last year. The pattern is still available on my website for free, and Christmas fabric is flooding the shops-so what are you waiting for?

Cheryl at Polka Dots and Rick Rack has a photo of My Happy Place quilt at her site that her friend made. It is very cute and she made it for a good cause. Check out Cheryl's blog to read about it. I love that she used 30's prints in the quilt. They are always so cheerful!

I designed this quilt a couple years ago to hang above my sewing machine. So far that hasn't happened. It has been hanging at the LQS, What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff, since its creation, which, oddly enough, also happens to be my happy place! Plus, they sell all my patterns! That makes me very happy! The shop just recently started a blog called Heidi-Idy's Happenings 'N Stuff. I LOVE this shop! It is so in line with everything I do! Civil War, Primitive, plaids, wool, needle-punch--they have it all! And KITS, lots of KITS! Plus some kids fabric and brights, and minky for those who require it. If you come to visit Virginia Beach you need to check out this shop!

I mentioned last post that I was playing with wool. Well, here is the progress so far. I love wool applique and embroidery. This one is called Sweet Sampler, by Shawn Williams, and I got the pattern at the above mentioned shop! There is lots more to do on this, so come back again, but don't hold your breath. I am not known for my speed.

--Marcie

QUILT SHOP OPEN HOUSE

Well, did I catch your attention with the photo? It's my granddaughter. Doesn't she look happy? She is learning a lot in her freshman year of college. Photoshop, for example. I think I will try and get me a date like that! Oh why bother. I don't even like to go out anymore!

I did go out this afternoon though. The local quilt shop, What's Your Stitch N Stuff, had their Open House today to intoduce new classes. The shop was busy and quite a few people signed up for classes. My new quilt, Williams-burg Medallion, was very well received. In fact, the shop is going to make kits using many of the same fabrics that are in the original, including, of course, the Williamsburg Toile. I don't have the pattern ready yet, but if anyone wants a kit, call the shop and get on the list! (757-523-2711)

A lady e-mailed me the other day saying she had seen my blog and is from Virginia Beach. (Hi Joyce!) I mentioned the Open House to her and she came over and we met. That was really cool! I haven't ever actually met anyone as a result of blogging. I e-mail with several bloggers, but so far no face to face meeting. Meeting at the quilt shop was on pretty safe ground. She had never been to the shop before and I think was a little amazed. It really is an awesome shop!

My friend Connie brought her Civil War Diaries Quilt to show me. She has all the blocks pieced and sewn together into a top. It is amazing! I will post some photos of it soon. (That is supposed to be a little teaser, like they always do on the news. "Did Jeb make it across the tracks in his old pick-up truck before the train? News at 10:00").