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 --

Time for a Little History Lesson!

Temperance Collection

My Temperance Blues Collection,

named for the Temperance Movement in U.S. history, was a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.  It began as early as the American Revolution in Connecticut, Virginia and New York.  People preached - and pledged - abstinence of alcohol throughout Europe and America for many reasons.

 History shows that by the early 1800's, the average American over 15 years of age drank nearly seven gallons of alcohol a year (three times as much as we drink today)!

Alcohol abuse, primarily by men, wreaked daily havoc in families as women, with few legal rights, and many children to raise, were totally dependent on their husbands for support.

With the formation of the American Temperance Society early in 1830, the movement grew quickly throughout the states.  Maine, which was the first state to adopt actual temperance laws and guidelines, served as a model for other states.

Lightest sku's of the Collection

Medium Blues of the Collection

Temperance fountains were built in public places to provide safe drinking water in hopes of keeping people out of the saloons and away from consuming alcohol.  Concerns over alcohol consumption also gave way to other important social issues such as slavery, ill treatment of marginalized people, and in much later years, women's rights.

Darkest Blues of the Collection

Now, aren't you happy to have that little history lesson!  This collection was inspired by a little T-quilt from the mid-1800's which I so thoroughly have enjoyed owning.  

The blues are represented from the light hues all the way to the very dark, rich indigo.  T is for Temperance Quilt has been designed for this collection.  Notice the upside-down T's on two corners of the quilt!

This line is currently being sold by P & B Textiles/Washington Street Studio and distributors.

T is for Temperance

Kits for Christmas Baskets are Ready at Calico Annie's

Time for a new Christmas quilt at your shop/house!

Yes, there is still time to have a new Christmas Baskets quilt sewed and ready for the holidays this year!  

Call Calico Annie's Quilt Shop in Fullerton, Nebraska, 

for a kit and sit down to enjoy some wonderful 

stress-free sewing.   These fabrics are from the Christmas Remembered Collection!

What a great gift to yourself this holiday!

Phone number is 308-536-2925

Call today!

Christmas Baskets is Ready!

Ready to get a head start on your holiday sewing?  The Christmas Baskets  pattern is ready!

Featuring the Christmas Remembered  fabric collection, this pattern brings a beautiful Christmas quilt to your home that can become a family treasure for some lucky person this holiday.  

Perhaps your shop can hold a class before Christmas!  

Give me a call at 712-362-3022 for patterns.  And I'll get them out to you as soon as possible! 

 Although we are having a few rainy days this week in Iowa, I hope you are enjoying these beautiful fall days!

Awesome Tree Skirt with Christmas Remembered Collection

Twilight Tree Skirt by Holly Hansen

What a great surprise!

Thanks so much to Holly for making her Twilight Tree Skirt from my 

Christmas Remembered Collection !  

It is simply gorgeous!  

She found the pattern in the book "Mariner's Compass Quilts" by Judy Mathieson!

The pattern in the book is 20" in diameter but by enlarging it 118% as the pattern directs, she was able to sew a 30" diameter tree skirt!  The collection's stripe makes a perfect bias binding for the Mariner's Compass circled by flying geese!  It is just awesome!

Thanks again, Holly, for sharing it with us at Thursday Girls last week!  And for finding such a great use for my newest collection!  Time to get on those holiday projects, girls!

My Mariner's Compass is Growing!

 I have always believed I would sew a Mariner's Compass quilt someday - another on my bucket list of quilts to make!  I'm sure none of you have a list like that!!

Anyway, when I learned of a new tool for this block, I went to work on it again quite a while ago.  With the Robin Ruth ruler & method for a strip pieced compass, I was able to make a pretty good first block from some of my Flying Geese collection.

So that is as far as I got that day & I have been looking at it on the wall ever since.  Then I received some of the vintage fabrics from the Star of Bethlehem (1860 - 1880) & Rising Sun Medallion (1840 - 1860) collections by Washington Street Studio/P & B & my interest piqued again.  Thus - the borders appeared.

Recently, I added the pyramids & so far I'm really liking the vintage medallion look.  Although it is remaining a work-in-progress at this time, I'm having lots of fun with it!

These star blocks may find a home on this quilt eventually - who knows!  For now I'm just happy to enjoy it on the design wall again!

Hope you are all having a divine week!!

NEW - St. Louis Collection

Going to St. Louis market?  

Be sure to go to the P & B Booth #420 

to see this newest 

Washington Street Studio Collection - 

The St. Louis Collection!

This grouping features this beautiful floral in these three colorways!  Aren't they simply gorgeous and, of course, there are more than 20 coordinates and backgrounds available with them.

               

 

I have not seen this collection on P & B's site yet, but I'm sure they will be there soon with market just around the corner.  The fabric cards have been printed; Come to think of it, I have seen them in an email. . . maybe I can get them up here on the blog for you to get a sneak peek.  Let's see how that works!??

Nope, it bombed!  So, please stop by Booth 420 in St. Louis & take a look!

Below is the quilt pattern, The Secret Garden, designed to include all of the sku's of the collection. Patterns will be available from Clothesline Quilts as soon as the fabric is available this fall.

The Secret Garden

Christmas Remembered Collection is Selling Well!

With spring just now showing her lovely face in Iowa, I'm really not quite ready to think about Christmas again! But the Christmas Remembered collection is selling well & I have to remind you of it, especially if you will be heading to quilt market next week.

You can see the collection at the P & B/Washington Street Studio booth #420. And if you are not attending market go to the P & B website & view it there!  Or see it now on the opening page of my Clothesline Quilts site.

Do you love toile as much as I do!  I use them in the quilts & then again for the backing & pillow cases, dust ruffles & pillows.  Do a whole room with them for such a beautiful traditional vintage look in your home!

The prints are mostly available in green, black, creams & tans, in addition to red, of course!

Clothesline Quilts patterns will be finalized as soon as the fabric arrives; I want to actually sew the quilts with these fabrics before they are published.  The Christmas Baskets quilt is 70" x 87" with 9" blocks. And the Almost Amish Baskets quilt is smaller and features two sizes -19" square with 6" blocks and 27" square with 9" blocks.  Both sizes are in one pattern.

Shops & customers are welcome to keep in touch with me at 712-362-3022 about availability of patterns.  Or get on my list and I will automatically send them to you as soon as they are printed.

Christmas Baskets

Almost Amish Baskets

Vintage Solids by Washington Street Studio

Encampment

Sara Morgan's Vintage Solids are luscious & any time I want the look of a solid, but not totally solid, I look to the vintage solids.  They have what I call a mottled or blotchy look; looking like they've been tea dyed like we did so many years ago.

So, of course, I had to sew something with the black vintage, to show it off!  Love the black with yellow!

Here's a closeup of the Washington Street Studio fabrics. 

Merry Christmas!

Sending all family, friends & customers a Merry Christmas wish; also wishing you all a very Happy & Prosperous 2017! 

 It sure does not seem possible that we are sending these wishes once again.  As we have always been told - the days of our lives move faster & faster every year!  So we must enjoy them more & more!

Added excitement today is my new collection with Washington Street Studio - Christmas Remembered !  Fabric reps are showing it now for spring delivery.

Reds

Featuring reds, greens, blacks & tans it lends itself to wonderful Christmas projects but all of the fabrics work across the board.  The patterns, stripes & florals will work non-Christmas, too, on the shelf with a multitude of other projects & home decor.

And the toiles that I so love for quilting, especially quilt backs are included in this grouping in red on cream, black on cream, & tan on cream!  Toiles can add so much to a room's decor; I especially love them in bedrooms & dining rooms.  Cut them up into a quilt, put them on the quilt back, and add them as the dust ruffle; their uses are endless for the entire room's look!

  

And don't you love the stripes for bias bindings, inner borders, outer borders, applique. . . I love a snappy stripe to play around with!

Greens

Then in each colorway there is a sweet little check on the bias . . . again for cutting up, borders & bias bindings!

And let's not forget the backgrounds & the red, green, & black prints for piecing the blocks!  

Blacks & Taupes/Beiges 

I am picturing a black, taupe, beige & cream quilt . . . 

Christmas Baskets

Don't miss the quilt pattern on the back of the color cards.  The pattern is Christmas Baskets & will be available on my website www.clotheslinequilts.com as soon as the fabric is available.

  

Or call me at 712-362-3022

Or email me at evonnecook@clotheslinequilts.com

In the meantime

take some time off to enjoy the holidays just as much as you possibly can.   Thank you so much for your business this year!

OUT with the OLD & IN with the NEW !!

I hope this finds all of you healthy & happily ready to say "goodbye" to 2015 & welcome a new year!  I just know that 2016 will prove to be an onward & upward year for all!

On to the quilting . . . Today I am very thankful for my machine quilters!!  I count my blessings to send my quilts off for machine quilting.  There would be many, many non-quilted tops folded up in my closets if there were no machine quilters close by!  

But now, hand piecing has slowly but gradually worked it's way into my quilting life &, surprising to me, is becoming one of my most relaxing quilting past times.   

ARDCO templates

Friendship Ring quilt

Hand piecing or in other words "Peaceful Quilting"

is my new joy & challenge!  

It all began with the Friendship Ring quilt & ARDCO templates! 

Friendship Ring block from the
Flying Geese fabric collection

        Then I played with more of the blocks in various fabrics of the Flying Geese & Friendship Ring collections.

Another version
of the Friendship Ring block with the
Friendship Ring fabric collection

This block to the left is a scrappy version with a little different fabric arrangement.  

Also fun!!

Patchwork Sunburst with indygo/cheddar
Manassas Junction collection

Playing with the strike-offs from the NEW Manassas Junction collection, I hand pieced a sunburst block!  

18 pieces each of 3 fabrics per block! 

The templates are in a lovely book  "Quilts from The Henry Ford" by Fons & Porter with Landauer Books, publishers.  I simply cut the plastic templates from the pattern & surprise - it worked!!  Went together & pressed flat!  Awesome! 

See the indygo/black/brick red/cheddar Manassas Junction Collection at P & B Textiles/Washington Street Studio/Manassas Junction !!

ARDCO hand piecing templates can be ordered at ARDCO Templates  or contact me at evonnecook@clotheslinequilts.com.

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!!

A Soldier's Quilt

A Soldier's Quilt

Another reason to visit our booth at market is the new pattern "A Soldier's Quilt!"  This design comes from an 1860's flying geese quilt & don't forget, we have a whole line of reproduction fabrics for you in order to replicate it.

  

The antique quilt can be seen in Washington Street Studio's market booth #1334 & we'll be in Booth #1339 right across the aisle. 

We'll be displaying the new reproduction   "A Soldier's Quilt" which looks old and patterns will be available to take home with you or to order.  You can also order them from the distributors on the Clothesline Quilts website.

If you have time, you may want to check out the P & B website, but for sure, don't miss us on opening day, Friday, May 15, on the market floor. 

And all retailers check with your local quilt shop for the pattern when your shop owner returns from market.  Have a great week!

More NEW - Spring, 2015

Friendship Ring quilt

Yes, indeed, market is just around the corner now - this weekend in fact!   That's close in my book!

Just want to show you the Friendship Ring I finished while waiting for the fabric line to arrive. There is just something wonderful about this quilt - I don't know if it's the tranquility I feel when I look at it or maybe it's that every time I see it, I automatically think of the quilter back in the 1800's making her plan for this quilt.  And just how did she do it -- with simple hand drawn templates of cardboard.

Well, lucky for me, I had Pam's help at Ardco & now we have the quilter-friendly templates to make our quilt making much easier.  The quilt is ready to show off at market in Booth #1339 & the templates will be available there, also.  The fabric line will also be selling in Booth #1334 Washington Street Studio. Check it out first on the website.

Don't forget to look us up next Friday, the 15th, when the market floor opens!

Much More Progress !! Booth #1339

The days are flying much faster now that we are facing market deadlines left & right.  And really, all of the new quilts should be sewn by now, but we are still waiting for the new fabric!  So, every day counts!

 

Flying Geese quilt draped in my rocker

Flying Geese quilt

Pictured here is the second antique quilt from which we reproduced fabrics.  It's been so fun & exciting; of course, new quilting experiences are always that - fun & exciting!  The quilt & fabric line are simply called - Flying Geese!!

Notice the big stripes & how much attention they get!  Then the reds & golds in the geese coming together in the center of the blocks!

The quilt dates back to the late 1800's but is very crudely quilted with a sewing machine in straight lines one way only. 

Enjoy the quick shots I took of the fabric cards for this line!  Shop owners - plan a stop at our booth in Minneapolis - Booth #1339 - we are right across the aisle from P & B & just down the row from Washington Street Studio!

  

Rich dark golds, blacks & reds!

Go to P & B Textiles/Washington Street Studio to see the whole line!

And wish us luck getting the new bolts!  I'm afraid it's on the slow boat!!

Making Progress!

We enjoyed such beautiful weather last week, & now it has changed to cold, windy days this week.  Such is our spring weather in Iowa.

Friendship Ring quilt block

Maybe it is a blessing in disguise . . . with the cold outside, it is much easier to stay inside & work on market projects & planning.  Hand piecing of the Friendship Ring blocks has progressed fabulously; in fact, the little quilt is at the quilter's & I am waiting for a call today!  Then it will progress to the photographer!

The blocks were really a joy to piece - only 8 full blocks, as pictured, + 6 side half blocks + 4 quarter corner blocks. And writing the pattern is going great, but, of course, you will need the set of Ardco templates to complete the quilt.

Template set for Friendship Ring quilt

I'll bet you hand piecers can easily see how the block goes together just by seeing the template set!

It really is a fun, fun block to hand piece - not for a beginning hand piecer, but very do-able.  This hand piecing was all new to me, but each block I did was an improvement over the last.  So, you can do it, too!

A few of the Thursday Girls have made a practice block & as soon as the new fabric comes, we'll be ready to challenge the quilt.  

Speaking of the new fabric, I snapped a few photos of the fabric cards to show you the Friendship Ring fabric.  

  

Go to P & B Textiles, Washington Street Studio to see the complete line!