All over the board.....

I'm teaching some classes on Scrap Therapy. The classes are organized so that you actually start cutting your scraps into usable sizes of squares and then make quilts and other projects from these squares. The ladies in the class came with assorted shapes and sizes of fabric. As I was helping one lady press her scraps in preparation for cutting, I noticed that she had saved many ends of prepared binding. I started pressing these open and then I thought of all of the scrap quilts we have made with scrap pieces of binding. I pulled several pieces from her bag and set them together and suggested that she keep a box where she can collect these binding pieces, join them together, and the next time she finished a scrap quilt, the binding would be ready to go.


My new favorite notion is the Frostings Donut.




The Frostings Donut contains prewound bobbins of 36 colors of Superior's MasterPiece thread, hand picked by Becky and Linda from Piece o' Cake. This thread is perfect for applique and the BobbinSaver keeps it all in one convenient place. I wrote the thread information on the back of the BobbinSaver with a permanent marker. Makes a pretty snazzy bracelet, too!

Two times this winter we are having an Embellishment Schoolhouse. Five of our very accomplished friends are going to teach students wonderful ways to add embellishments to their work. The students will have hands-on experience in paints, making clay buttons, working with angelina, felting, paintstiks, and much more. Nancy and I sat in on a dry run last Saturday and we got sooooo excited that we will probably both sign up! The first schoolhouse is February 14th from 10-3:00--a great Valentine's present. Samples will be posted in the store soon and I will try to get them on the blog.


I can't wait until next week! We are going to have a contest here on the blog with a really great prize. Be sure to check back in.


Have a great weekend and get lots of sewing done.
Lynda

Block of the Month Kick-Off, January 17

We are so excited to present 3 brand new Block of the Month quilts for 2009. We actually have two of the original quilts in the store and you might want to see them, even if you don't plan on making them--they are stunning and well worth the trip!

The first one is by Sue Garman and is titled 'twas the Night Before Christmas. It is a 12 month BOM. This is displayed in the store and Kelly is hard at work making her own sample.

This next quilt is Back Home Again by Kaye England. The fabric line used to make this quilt is gorgeous. It is a beautiful sampler quilt--all pieced blocks and no applique-- and a great BOM for new as well as accomplished quilters. This BOM continues for 7 months.

Merry Christmas to All is marketed as a 16 month BOM, but we are accelerating it to 8 months so that you can have it finished by Christmas 2009. The design is by Daisy & Dell and Judy is working on her 5th block. This quilt is also on display in the store.

See close-ups of the blocks in the two applique quilts on our website. The Block of the Month kick-off is January 17 at 10:00. We will have lots more info then and will also be posting more info on the website at that time. If you can, please try to get in to see the quilts in person.

Lynda and Nancy

My "Not So Upbeat Playlist"

I married into a very musical family. All play several instruments, build instruments, and collect music in every form--records, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, CD's, MP3's, XYZ's, etc. My claim to fame is that I can play my ipod--but, not very well I found out!

My daughter commented to me before Christmas that I needed to work on my ipod playlists. It seems that my "Holiday Playlist" had several renditions of popular songs--I think maybe 9 versions of White Christmas and 6 of Jingle Bells, and if you don't hit shuffle, it is quite repetitious.

Kim also commented on my "Upbeat Playlist". It starts with Fields of Gold by Sting, advances to If You Leave Me Now by Chicago, goes on to On My Own by Michael McDonald, and I Can't Get No Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones, and falls into the depths of despair from there. WOW! I must have been pretty depressed when making this playlist and I am the optimist in this family. (I keep this list because it makes me laugh--which makes me more UPBEAT!!!)

So, I learned that I could have help making my playlists. If you download Genius from itunes you can select any song in your library and Genius will select 24 more songs that supposedly have some sort of connection with the one you chose. It actually is pretty neat. I tend to listen to the same songs or playlists and forget about the other songs I have purchased or downloaded. With Genius I am listening to songs that I forgot I had, and songs that I truly wonder why I downloaded in the first place. But, sometimes I wonder what in the world the songs Genius chooses have in common with the one I chose, but then I only have to think about my "Upbeat Playlist", which Kim now refers to as My Not So Upbeat Playlist.

Today, I started playing games with Genius. I took a remote song in my library to see what Genius would come up with. I chose Orinoco Flow by Enya (this version by Celtic Women) and could not believe what songs it matched--where did these songs come from?--well I now have several songs that I will be deleting from my library. I guess the more songs that you have in your library, the better Genius does.
What are your favorite UPBEAT songs?
Musically,
Lynda

Quilts by Pam Thiele and Becky Kramarz

Pam Thiele is a friend of ours who belongs to the embellishment group Nancy formed. We meet once a month at the store and learn a new technique. Earlier this year it became Pam's mission to finish several quilt tops. I can't remember which one this was (maybe #11 or 12), but it was one of Nancy's and my favorites. Every month she brings the finished quilts for our show and share part of the embellishment group. Pam is definitely inspiring the rest of us to finish our UFO's.
Way to go Pam!

Next is a Color By the Yard quilt made by Becky Kramarz. Becky took our class in Spokane. Her quilt is made of flannel--a great cuddle quilt, especially since Spokane has already received its share of snow. The close-up photo shows how rich and beautiful the prints are and the wonderful quilting. The quilt was quilted by Becky's friend, Lois Carpenter. Becky says that her quilt has inspired many of her friends to make one because it is perfect for whittling down a fabric stash. Color By the Yard is from our book Super Simple Strips.

Thank you Pam and Becky for sharing your quilts with us! Keep quilting and inspiring others!

Lynda and Nancy

Joined in Hope Update

Back in October, I told you about the Pink Ribbon Bagel Campaign that we were working on with Panera Bread Company and the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers Foundation. We designed and made a quilt to be auctioned off with proceeds going to RMCCF. As you can see, the quilt is gorgeous and on the back are signature blocks signed by local community leaders. Bidding closed at noon (MST), Wednesday, December 24, 2008.

We will be getting together in January to put together the quilts from the other blocks that were submitted. I'll let you know more about that soon.

If I don't get another post in by tomorrow, have a great holiday.
Lynda

More yummy recipes for the holidays!

Here is a terrific Southwest Appetizer and to go along with it, Baked Mexican Chicken. It is about 3 degrees here in Denver and we had an all time low last night, so I am looking for anything hot--temperature and taste. I spice up the chicken with a spicy salsa. Now, anything hot and spicy needs to me tempered with a delicious Margarita--anyone willing to share their favorite recipe?





Happy cooking,
Lynda and Nancy

Murphy and the Popcorn Popper

I have a Wheaten Terrier named Murphy who is afraid of everything. My daughter Kim was popping some corn on Saturday night. Luckily the camera was right there and she took this video of Murphy. Notice he never gets very close and looks up at her every once in awhile to see why she is not protecting him from this strange creature. At least he sounds ferocious!

Enjoy, Lynda

Cooking Possibilities--Pizza Crab Dip

Several years ago, we put out a cookbook titled Cooking Possibilities. We asked five top quilt shops to submit recipes. They in turn, asked their employees for submissions. The recipes were terrific and it is one of our all time go to cookbooks. Unfortunately it is now out of print, but we would like to share some of our favorite recipes with you from time to time. Since this is the time of year for lots of holiday parties, we would like to start with a great appetizer from Judy Carpenter, our Buyer and Show Coordinator. It is easy and soooo delicious!

Pizza Crab Dip
8oz cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups ketchup
2 tbsp horseradish
1-2 6 oz cans crab &/or shrimp, drained
1 cup green peppers, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup green onion, chopped
½ cup black olives, sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
Crackers

Spread cream cheese on small dinner plate or decorative 8” pie plate. Mix ketchup with horseradish and spread over cream cheese. Sprinkle with next 6 ingredients in order. Serve with crackers.

Enjoy!
Happy Holidays,
Lynda and Nancy

Happy Thanksgiving

We'd like to take a minute to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! It's kinda quiet here at work today. I guess that many are getting a head start on the cooking. It is always a nice holiday time here at the store because we get many out of town visitors stopping in.

We are thankful for so many things--our families and friends, our wonderful employees, our great customers! We are also happy that we share our passion with so many wonderful people. Thank you to all who came to our lectures and took our classes this year. You have enriched our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Lynda and Nancy

Making Beautiful Clay Buttons

I finally finished the slide show of how to make the clay buttons pictured in our blog of October 19th, 2008. The buttons are very easy to do and add a one-of-a-kind embellishment to your work. We have added beads to the buttons to stitch them to this wallhanging. This is the added bonus project included in our pattern booklet, Cappucino. Visit our website to see all of the embellishment product we have, including the Makin's Clay and the Jacquard products. Enjoy the slideshow!

Lynda

Another sneak peek

Here is a sneak peek at another of our new Block of the Month programs we will be starting in January. Judy is already working on this one. Let us know if you would like more information.

It is a gorgeous fall day here in Denver. It is so nice that we have the doors opened wide. My husband, daughter, and I spent the morning and part of the afternoon raking leaves and putting the summer furniture away. It was very satisfying, but the wind has picked up this afternoon and more and more leaves are falling. Raking leaves reminds me of cleaning house--just when you thought you were finished it is time to start again. Well, speaking of cleaning, I'm off to the basement to work on my sewing room. Time to clean it up and get started making my Christmas presents.

Lynda

From scrapbook paper to fabric--Urban Couture

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We just received the entire Moda fabric line of Urban Couture by BasicGrey. BasicGrey is a scrapbook paper company known for their refreshing palettes and exceptional prints. Here is what Moda has to say about this line: "Upscale attitude with a touch of metro-style, Urban Couture features illustrative prints, natural form, and unconventional design. You can now take your favorite scrap booking papers into the sewing room. This flawless translation from paper to fabric still has an edge and reminds us that attitude is everything."

Enjoy watching the slideshow of the collection for yourself. We do not have the fabric online, but you can get the SKU numbers from the Moda website and call or email us at info@greatamericanquilt.com with your order--or better yet, stop by the store and see it in person.

It's great fun waiting to see what the UPS man brings to our door everyday. We bought some great stuff at Quilt Market including several new Block of the Month programs we want to start in January. We just need to decide if we want to do them all at the same time or stagger them. Two of them are Christmas BOMs that would be nice to start in January.

Here is a sneak peek at a block from The Night Before Christmas. Judy can hardly wait to start this one. I'll give you more sneak peeks of the other BOMs over the next couple of weeks and if you are interested in any of them e-mail or call us and we will keep you updated with information.

Have a terrific weekend!

Happy stitching,
Lynda and Nancy

InterFaith, Diaper Dash, & Tie One On Day

If you are local to our store you no doubt know that we are avid supporters of InterFaith Community Services. This fantastic organization serves families in-need in the Denver area. Recently we participated in the Pack-To-School program, where we provided new back packs, all school supplies, new school outfits, and other little surprises, to a group of deserving kiddos. We received some of the most wonderful thank you notes from these kids, and we've posted them on our website, so feel free to take a look.

InterFaith is always in need of donations of many kinds. In November, we are asking your help. During the week of Nov 2-8th we are sponsoring a Diaper Dash. Bring in one package of 10 or more diapers of any size and get 20% one item of your choice. The much needed diapers will be donated to InterFaith.

We are also celebrating Tie One On Day (Nov. 26) for the entire month. Tie One On Day celebrates the humble apron and the spirit of women of earlier generations. On the eve of Thanksgiving, wrap a loaf of bread in an apron, tuck a note of hope in the pocket, and deliver it to someone in need. Don't have time to bake? Join us to donate money to InterFaith for their food drive. For your donation of $10 or more, you will receive a coupon for 20% off one item of your choice valid during December--just in time for Christmas shopping. Also, throughout the month we will be featuring some great patterns for aprons and kitchen accessories.


We, and InterFaith appreciate anything that you can do to help!

Lynda and Nancy

Amy Butler Trunk Show and Bread Bag Ties

We are lucky to have a trunk show from Amy Butler. She sent us several bags and articles of clothing and we added all of the fun stuff that we have been making. We have a great selection of Amy's books, fabrics, and patterns in now, so if you are in need of inspiration, we have it. Enjoy the pictures of the display.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This next photo is of my 20 year old son, with his permission. He had braces for several years---way, way longer than any of his friends. He is missing a tooth and needs to get an implant. But, he lost his retainer several months ago--he swears Murphy, our dog, buried it. I think not, but I have noticed that Murphy's teeth are looking straighter. Well, he finally made the appointment and I said that I thought the Dentist should make sure that his teeth have not moved too much. He assured me that they were OK since when he had his retainer, he would leave it out often and it would only be uncomfortable for maybe 5 minutes when he put it back in. Besides he said, "I tie them together with bread bag ties".

OMG, if I had only known, we could have saved lots of money in orthodontist fees--I would hate for his orthodontist to read and see this. : ) Luckily his implant appointment is coming up in about 3 weeks. Till then, I'm saving bread bag ties.

Here's to fun, inspiration, and innovation!
Lynda

Quilting Treasures, Marie Osmond, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

Whew! Another Fall Quilt Market is over. We work hard getting ready to go, we work hard while there, and we work hard catching up when we get home. But, we really have a great time!!!

Our new line from Quilting Treasures, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, made it's debut. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod is a poem written by Denver journalist, Eugene Field, in 1889.
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe...
Sailed off on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
The main print is a panel and it's supported with some other fun prints, including a star that would be a great addition to anyone's stash. The best thing is that the fabric wasn't supposed to be in until December and we already got ours--yeah! For quilt market we made lots of samples, including 3 quilts, teddy bears, a slumber sack, a day pack and lots more. Nancy quilted the entire poem on one of the quilts and embellished the stars with crystals.

Another fabric designer for Quilting Treasures is Marie Osmond. She actually came to Quilt Market and spent part of the day being photographed and signing autographs in the Quilting Treasures booth. Here she is below (sorry for the blurry pic) with Cranston Print Works President, George Schuster. Cranston is the parent company of Quilting Treasures.

Isn't it a shame that some people have soooo much hair (I'm referring to Marie, not George)--I sure could have used a little more. I especially liked Marie's Gypsy Breeze fabric line. The color palette is soft celadon, aqua, periwinkle, and purple.

While Ashley and our good friend Peggie manned our booth, Judy, Nancy, and I set out to see what QM had to offer. We looked at hundreds of fabric lines--including 5 Christmas 2009 lines at one booth alone. We have lots of new patterns and books coming in--if you are in town, we have a QM preview coming up Nov 19th. Last market we pooh poohed the Clover pom pom maker--this market we saw a demo on how to make wonderful fabric Hydrangeas and we ordered two sizes!

Needless to say, we had a great time, ordered wonderful product, ate delicious food, met up with good friends, and will be ready to do it again in May! I'll be sharing more pictures soon.

Welcome to November,
Lynda