Temperance Blues with Cheddar!

Greetings from (dare I say) sunny Iowa!  Sunny for now anyway!  I hope this finds you preparing for a wonderful Easter holiday with your friends & family!

Little Sunburst Quilt

While Sue was sewing the LeMoyne Stars last month with the French Paisley Collection, I was still playing with the Temperance Blues & added a dark cheddar to the fabric mix.  Using a set of Cindy Blackberg's stamps for the sunburst templates, it really went fast . . . another small quilt!  I'm planning to do a little hand quilting on this one; always nice to have a quilting project in a hoop!


I love it!  Hope you do, too!  


Last month I offered a fat-eighth bundle of the French Paisley grouping to a follower who made a comment and that bundle will go to Comment #3 from Regina.  If you would email your mailing address to me at ecook@yourstarnet.net, I will get your bundle into the mail as soon as possible.  Congratulations, Regina!

Today let's have lots more follower comments about my little sunburst quilt and I will pick a number & send a fat-eighth bundle of the Blue Temperance grouping to them.  Sorry, no international winners because of postage, but I still love to read your thoughts & comments.  Let's have more comments this month and I'll pick 2 winners!

Have a wonderful Easter and don't forget to leave a comment, if you are a follower within the US!

French Paisley Collection

Hello from snowy, windy Iowa!  Another blizzard on its way for the weekend!  Yippee, skippee!!  However, it does give us lots of wonderful quilting & sewing time!

Just thought I'd show you some beautiful daffodils that must be blooming somewhere! ☺


I want to quickly share my latest fabric collection, French Paisley, with you.  The main paisley piece is available in brown/blue/tan, Prussian blue/red/tan, and brown/red/blue.  You can see all of the collection right now on the opening page of my website!😊

French Paisley brown/blue/tan

French Paisley blue/red/tan

French Paisley brown, red, blue

Lots of pairings can be made with the paisleys in this grouping with many backgrounds, medium florals, & stripes to mingle with them. 

My dear quilting friend Sue Bish (wanting to get her hands on some of these) quickly offered to hand piece some little 4" LeMoyne Stars & sent them to me - 12 within the week (actually there were 13 - and she had to battle the wind & snow to get them to the post office)!  She did a spectacular job fussy cutting the fabrics in unique ways adding so much creativity to the stars!  


Such a help that was!  Aren't they sweet!  Forever in your debt, Sue!

Using the brown/red/blue large paisley for alternate blocks, I had quick fun putting together this sweet little quilt.  Doesn't it look like a little quilt right out of the 1800's!

I have some fat eighths of this wonderful collection & would love to send one to a lucky quilter who has been following me!  Please make a comment here & sign up to follow me -- I may draw your name!  Be sure to follow me so I can let you know when you win the bundle!  God bless --

To Market Once Again . . .

Yes, it is that time once again . . . spring market!  Off to Salt Lake City we go this year!  I sure hope that the weather is better out there than it is in Iowa. Rain, rain, rain, but worse than that, it is cold here!  The weatherman is even talking freezing temperatures for tonight!  Yikes!  Have to get out the old blankets & cover as much as possible, especially the rhubarb! A freeze will surely ruin the rhubarb for the season; what a shame that would be!

Back to market plans --- shops were asking for a new Table Cozee so I have a new one to show you today!  Table Cozee V has two designs, as all the Table Cozee patterns do.  It's nice that shops can sew two samples & package two different fabric kits from the same pattern!  


Design 1 - Broken Dishes

     Design 2 - Lookout Mountain







I hope you like them as much as I enjoy bringing them to you!  

Come see us in Booth #2137 on the end cap in Salt Lake!  

We are looking forward to the trip west!

Little Whirligigs !!

We've had such fun sewing some little quilts with the new fabric lines!  This one - Little Whirligigs - uses many of the Flying Geese fabrics in all types of whirligigs - just don't know what else to call them . . .  half-square triangles laid out in different ways.    And don't you just love the use of the yellow for the alternate blocks!

I love yellow!!

Favorite Little Mason Jar Pincushions!

This is the little wool project that I have been working on the last months . . . it takes me a long time to do handwork!  But I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed these little pincushions; it will be difficult to give them away.  But, 'ya know, a gal can use only so many pincushions!  Right?

I used the patterns from the booklet Rustic Winter by Marilyn Gash of Indygo Junction.  Thank you, Marilyn!

My new socks!

My new socks!

I'm so excited about getting back to knitting!  And this is the first pair of socks I have ever knit - aren't they sweet!  My grandmother taught me very young to knit by sitting behind me & holding her hands over the top of mine while I held the knitting needles - it worked!  So I have used that method with my own granddaughters, too.

Knitting socks is a new challenge for me; they are definitely more difficult to knit than a scarf or a dishcloth.  So I am very proud of my first pair - can you tell?? !!  I love the high tops & how they fold & scrunch down.

The yarn is ONline Supersocke 100, color Saturn - cotton, virgin wool, & polyester.  The wool makes them soft & warm, with no itchiness! 

Yarn shop at Erica's, South Bend, IN

Driving on I-90 heading to Pittsburgh market back in May, we found ourselves just north of Erica's  in South Bend, Indiana, so, of course, we had to detour for shopping.  Their yarn department equaled their fabric & wool departments; it was wonderful !

Have a great Monday, Everyone!





Jo Morton's Savannah (& others) make an awesome new quilt!

Don't you just love the mornings when you can clean the cutting table off & begin an entirely new project!  That's what I was doing the last time we visited!  
 

I was cutting some of Jo Morton's fabrics into a new design that is destined for Quilt Market in Houston the end of October!
 



Well, here are the steps that followed that first cutting! 

 

And voila - stars!

Stars for a new quilt for the Civil War Generals Series!  I am loving it & it's coming together fabulously!  An awesome sashing - but I can't tell it all just yet!

I'll have it to you before market !  Be sure you are receiving our newsletter by signing up on the website www.clotheslinequilts.com.

Make a comment below & get into the drawing for a FREE copy of the new pattern as soon as it's printed!

Piles of Projects!

I keep asking myself "How do I get all these piles?"  I have piles of fabrics all over my table for projects only in my mind at this point, piles in the process of making it to new patterns, piles for redoes of older patterns, piles of fat quarters, piles of threads, piles of books, piles of patterns, & on & on it goes.  Here are a few of my present piles -

Still just love those Aunt Grace's; I have to pull a project or two out once in a while just to have a little handwork, I guess.  I think it's just an excuse to work with the sweet colors of the 30's fabrics.

Here I have a pile of fabrics for blocks of 100 patches; it is great fun & I'm trying to do a couple blocks every week. just mindless sewing which is very nice at times.  Think I'm a few behind since I started new quilts for Houston market coming up this fall.

This is a pile of beginnings for a possible quilt to commemorate our club's 100th anniversary next year.  That will have to go on the back burner for a few more months. . . Don't you just love that red floral !

This is a pile of Jo's reds - fat quarters - again, planning for a new pattern that has only made it to the beginning stages.

Then, of course, there are piles of Jo's latest two fabric lines, Madison Manor & Savannah; have you seen them? 







The colors & patterns are just simply beautiful; in fact, that is what usually starts most of my piles. 


But that is good!

I really am working on new quilts for the market booth this fall.

I have two new generals patterns in the works at this time. 




So this is my new pile that just moved to the cutting table this morning. 

Sewing is going good, so I'd better get back to it.  How about you - do you have any piles on your cutting table??

A Snowy April in Iowa . . .

Yes, 5 more inches of the light white stuff last night & bad roads to go with it.  Will we ever see spring??

I have to say though that it was amazing how it just set down on top of every door handle & chair & table or anything outside during the storm.  It just piled it's 5 inches, then quit!  Ah, Mother Nature . . . she cannot be outdone!

 

Table Cozee II

       Back to quilting ---    Here's the little red Table Cozee of Cumberland Fabrics just bound & finished.  These are the little scallops shown at the recent retreat;  I finally decided that I like the smaller doubled scallops on each side of this one.  Use Darlene Zimmerman's Easy Scallop tool; it is easy indeed! 

And I found a new notion while shop hopping -- you probably already know about it; it holds all your bobbins neatly on a little tower & you can add sections to it for more & more bobbins.  The Stack 'n Store Bobbin Tower.  I've seen these in shops for awhile now, probably years, but I finally bought one & I really like it.  Takes up much less space next to my machine.

 

And while I'm talking about space, I have completely cleaned up & organized my working space just last week.  You know, when you need to cut a backing for a new project & you can't find any open space on your table.  You finally say, enough is enough, & clean off that table vowing you'll never let it get that bad again.  Well, then you move to another space & begin organizing there & around the room you go. 

Well, what a wonderful feeling to have open space once again! 

I think I won!

 Back to work!

Wonderful Quilting Month !

With all the snow storms & bad winds, this past month has been a gift of quilting time.  It's just been a super National Quilting Month!  Hope you've enjoyed it, too!

Busy, busy at the sewing machine;  I have a number of pieces of the Cumberland Collection by Choice Fabrics; picked up fat quarters & some 1/2 yd. cuts in both the reds & blues almost a year ago now, and have just yearned to work with them.  I left them out in plain view so as not to forget my plans.

These reds worked up into a new Table Cozee; I'll demo on this little quilt next weekend at the retreat in Little Falls, MN.  Sharon & I are really getting anxious to get on the road in another week.  This little Table Cozee is all ready to demo my method for mitering corners & then how the Easy Scallop works for marking scalloped borders.  It is absolutely one of my favorite tools because I love scalloped borders & curved corners.

The blues are beautiful in this collection, too.  I must make another Table Cozee from the blue!  Absolutely, what could be more fun than working with a group of fabrics you've had tucked away for months.





I'm also putting together a little quilt from Jo's blacks & golds for the demonstration, too!  Won't it be cute with the border prints.  Love that gold!


Well, everyone, have a blessed Easter.  Hope the weather stays somewhat warm here in the Midwest for the weekend; a little spring rain would be wonderful. 

Blessings!

Love those Browns & Toasts of Jo Morton's !

Jo Morton's browns have been calling me for some time now just knowing I was going to do something special with them some day soon.  Well, the day's coming . . .

Late last summer I was enjoying an antique shop in Okoboji, Iowa - a wonderful resort area near us - & spotted a very old quilt hanging off the door of an old Hoosier cabinet.  The simplicity of the old quilt just grabbed me; 'ya know how that goes.  So I had to snap a picture of it hanging there to share with you. 

This quilt is my inspiration for a little brown basket quilt of my own doing.  I've begun the baskets by designing them in EQ - making them 4 1/2" square on-point. 

Now I believe this old quilt's been sewn by simply appliquing the baskets on muslin in rows.  But my baskets are pieced with appliqued handles made from bias strips.  I began with 5 fat quarters of Jo's pajama prints - beige off-white - not too white & 10 of Jo's brown fat quarters for the baskets.  They really are coming together nicely.  I should be able to share a digital with you soon.

Have a great day & don't forget to visit & support your local quilt shop tomorrow!  I'm sure they'll have some super bargains to share with you!





 

A Whirlwind of Christmas & on to the New Year !

Jordyn Marie Jensen - 6 mos. old

I hope you have all enjoyed many celebrations with family & friends over this holiday season.  I know we have celebrated many times over by the tightness around my middle that I'm feeling today.  Anyway, it was all worth it ! 

We had our first great-grandchild Jordyn Marie here from Montana to help with the merryness.  Such a good happy baby !




Now we are on to 2013 -  & it's bound to be a great year ! 

Vinyl see-through bags

I have been enjoying this week between holidays - my own Sit 'n Sew in my studio here in the basement every day.  I didn't have to pack up my machine or fabric or anything - just come down here every morning & cut & sew . . . cut & sew.  I've had a ball sewing these little bags with vinyl fronts so you can see what's in the bag.  I really have to say though that I had big problems figuring one of the patterns out during the first sewing . . . directions for something like this are not good unless there are enough pictures or illustrations.  But then, after one was made, the sewing went quickly to do more.

Volume 6

And, of course, while sewing, I've been cleaning up my sewing space.  Isn't that what always happens when you start to take some sewing time for yourself.  Anyway, in the process I found 2 of the Volume 6 Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazines that were not accepted by the quilters whose names were drawn.  If you didn't get a copy for one reason or another, please email me directly & I will mail one out to you.  The first 2 bloggers who email me their mailing address at evonnecook@clotheslinequilts.com will receive these copies. 

My very good friend Shirley showed me just a few weeks ago that my block Checkerboard Star was made into a quilt in the Block Tester's Gallery on page 90 of the magazine.  It is a bright festive holiday quilt created by Karlene Larson with Kaufman fabrics & named Peppermint Polka.  Go, look it up quickly, it really is cute.   Thanks, Shirley!

Got to go & get back to my sewing - it feels like free time!  But I wanted to wish you & yours all the best in the New Year 2013 !!  Take care & Be Happy !

Something Just for Me on this beautiful August day --

I'm so glad I planted a bush of zinnias late this spring because it's nearly the only flowers blooming this August in my garden.  Due to such a dry summer, everything else is done blooming;  needless to say, I am really enjoying these colorful zinnias!  Got some cosmos just starting to bloom to the left, too.

I've been having some computer tech problems trying to update my Access customer base, so I've been tearing my hair out; the old Access program must have been corrupted last fall when I updated to Windows 7.  Since it took days & lots of anxious moments to get the customer list back in working order and, then, updated, I thought I deserved to sew something special just for myself.  Do you ever feel that way about your sewing & quilting - sometimes you just need a little day project for yourself!

Well, I came across this site www.luvinthemommyhood.com and followed a tutorial there for a tablet case.  This summer while visiting, my 11-year old granddaughter Audrey had helped me purchase a new tablet; she knew a whole lot more about it than I did for sure, so she was a big help!  Now I needed a soft case to protect it when I toss it into my purse.  My tablet is only a 7" one, so I did some adjusting in the size of the pieces, but it went together quite nicely.

Did I ever have fun making it!  The Jo Morton toiles were out on my cutting table just waiting for something special.   And the button came from my button box!  Isn't it so cute!  I even made a buttonhole - something I've not done for how many years??

Well, back to work; have a great day!

Jo Morton's been up to so much good again!

Elizabethtown in red/brown/gold

Another beautiful grouping from Jo at Andover Fabrics;

Elizabethtown! 

Creative juices have been running since they arrived

a couple weeks ago!

Gorgeous border prints & coordinates in three colorways! 

Good job, Jo!

In blue/gold/navy

In plum/green/gold

Which is your favorite?

Just wanted to show you these

& wish you & yours a very

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Take care & travel safely!