I'm so excited.......!

Do your remember the The Pointer Sisters' song? Perhaps I'm dating myself! lol Well anywho, I am so excited and I just can't hide it! Yes mam! I'm making head way in my quilt production world! Let me clue you in!

I have been lacking mojo for quite some time. I really could not figure out what it was all about. Then it dawned on me what the problem could be, the piles and piles of quilts blocks "in waiting". You see, I leave a potential quilt in blocks for easy storage and also to avoid puckering from having sat sandwiched for a long time.

I tend to do my machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine and since I work mainly in queen and twin, it can take me a long time to finish a quilt. Sometimes, a quilt really only requires an elaborate pantograph and nothing more. However, it is something I cannot do on my DSM. I guess you can say that I custom quilt all of my quilts! So, I tend to leave possible tops into blocks for easier storage. When I have completed one quilt, I piece blocks and start machine quilting a new one. It is quite a tedious process. Meandering and other basic stuff is fun but not always my preference for machine quilting.

I have been coveting (well perhaps lusting is a better choice of words lol) a long arm for quite some time. However, we will be doing some major renovations this spring. Our home is 150 + years old, which means lots of plaster and dust. It would not be an ideal condition for such a delicate machine.

What to do, what to do to get rid of the pile of quilts in waiting?

Cowles Quilting Machine offers long arm machines for rent. Before I can rent one, I must take a 3 hours long course, which I have booked for this Thursday January 10th!

You cannot imagine how excited I am! The pile will finally go down and I can concentrate on making more quilts!

I truly believe that clutter impairs one's ability to create. It was difficult for me to move on knowing that I had so many beautiful quilts in waiting! At last, I will have these beauties available soon enough! Well, sooner than previously thought! ;o)

Thank you for sharing in my excitement. I really cannot wait for Thursday to arrive!

Have a great day every one!

The People's Place Quilt Museum - Partie IV !

This will post will conclude my recent travels to Amish Country, Pennsylvania. Sadly, I did not take notes on the quilts I photographed. They are gorgeous! The workwomanship is phenomenal.

The Museum is located on the second floor of The Old Country Store. The quilts on exhibit are made by Amish and or Mennonites women.

As you reach the top of the stairs you are greeted with yet another gift shop!





By now I'm pretty much all gift shopped out! There's really nothing else to say about the "gifty" part of this tour. So let's head out to the quilts!

Libby, I thought of you when I saw this one! Very small pieces! Oh so gorgeous! I just love the way the various beiges work so well together



Here you have your traditional Amish quilts. They are my favourite!



The colours on this quilt was just magnificent. So bright and cheerful! The picture really does not do it justice.



This is one of my favourite quilts!





That is a beauty! I stood there for a long amount of time admiring the workwomanship! I cannot imagine the hours that went into this quilt! The stitches are perfect! It took my breath away!

If anyone of you would like to make me a whole cloth for a special occasion, I will gladly accept it. Valentine's day is coming up! Oh and my birthday is on November 3, that should give you plenty of time to whip one up for me! ;o)

This concludes my trip. Again I apologize for not having taken down the names of the individuals who created these work of art. I would recommend going to the Old Country Store and viewing these treasures for yourself. Do plan on spending a day in Intercourse. There's really so much to see!

Thank you for visiting with me! Have a great day!

A small break from my travels!

Hubby, who religiously read my blog and offers unsolicited but sometimes constructive opinions ;o), mentioned that I have a tendency to leave my readers hanging.

Anywho, it appears that I do not, at times, follow through with my posts. So there's a New Years Resolution for you, to follow through with my posts. ;o)

Here I go buttoning things up! lol

The December 20th, 2008 post needs a closure.

If you recall, I blogged about the Yankee Swap gift I was making.

This is what I ended up sewing for the swap. I wanted something that would go with every one's decorating style and this was a perfect table topper.

DH made a beautiful wooden bowl, which I would have gladly posted a picture but he forgot to take one! Too bad because it was gorgeous! Very artsy fartsy! lol

We were the only ones that had a hand made gift! It was fun to watch people trade for them!

The next post that needs buttoning up is that of December 9th, 2007.

On that blog entry I made mention of a machine quilting design I had come up with for the Winter Sentry Quilt.

It can take me a bit of time to come up with a design for a quilt. Especially for this one since the blocks were only 4 inches finished.

So far I like the way it turned out (if you click on the picture, you'll get a much closer view). It is a little bulky at the center but acceptable! I still have a tad more machine quilting to do on it before I consider this wall hanging complete.

The final post that will be buttoned up in the near future is the Crayola affair! I am still working on that one! The objective of the experiment was not only to test the "washability" of the markers but also how long it could safely remain on the fabric.

So stay tune for the final post of the Crayola affair coming soon on your computer screen!

If there are other post that I have not "button up" please do let me know!

Have a great day every one and thank you so much for stopping by!

My Travels - Partie III !

The entrance to The Old Country Store! Don't ya just love the store front? So not like anything we have in my neck of the woods!
For those interested in reading more about this shop, it was featured in the Better Homes & Garden Quilt Sampler 1998 issue.

When you walk in, this is what greets you, lots and lots of beautiful "gifty" items!

It's my understanding that some of the items are locally made!

The shop really has a warm welcoming feel to it! Would you be surprised if I said I spend a few hours in there? ;o)

And check out that old stove! It's just gorgeous.

I'd love to have that in my kitchen. Of course I'd have to change the lay out a tad! ;o)

This is a separate room on your left.

It has a plethora of various items to suit any one's fancy. They even sell clothing that fits an 18 inch doll!

I love that cabinet!

On your right, after that gorgeous stove, is the quilt for sale room.

I tell you there are some beauties in there! The hand quilting is phenomenal! The prices are quite reasonable too!

Someone had once told me that some Amish people/stores buy quilt tops made in China, hand quilt them and pass them off as "Amish quilts". Now, the quilts I saw in this shop did not look like they came from China. You can tell that a quilt is from China by the type of fabrics they use to make their cheap quilts. No, the one's I saw were real beauties! I did go to Glick's Craft Shop in the town Bird-in-Hand and they actually had a large sign on their back wall stating, "We do not sell quilts made in China." So, perhaps some shops do go the China route!

During my very first visit to Amish country, (oh so many moons ago ;o), I was taken aback by the number of quilts that were made with printed fabrics. Given that traditional "Amish" quilts are made using plain cotton fabrics, it struck me odd. However, it dawned on me that although it would be against their principle to have a "printed fabric" quilt in their home, it does not mean that they cannot make them to sell! Perhaps they are better sellers than their traditional quilts! Myself, I would much rather have a traditional quilt any day!

The last part of the "gifty" section of the shop are, of course, the Amish dolls!

What struck me strangely were the faces on the dolls, forth row down!

They must have had a request for dolls with a face because it is not part of their tradition that's for sure! Never mind the rosy makeup cheeks!

Now for the "quilty" stuff!

They certainly had a very good selection of fabrics!

Their Batik section was sweet! You know, it's wonderful to be able to buy batiks at such a low price compared to other stores!

There was another room on the right of this one that I did not bother to photograph. It had a good selection of flannel fabrics as well as a section of fabric bolts that were "marked down".

Check out their fat quarter section! I love that cabinet!

They also had quite a nice selection of books to suit any one's taste.

Their notion wall was not as elaborate as some shops I've seen, but hey, keep it simple no? ;o)

This pretty much concludes the tour of the shop! Isn't sweet? There's just so much to explore!

Stay tune for The People's Place Quilt Museum tour located on the second floor! I'm telling you, you could spend hours in that store!

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with me! Have a great day everyone!

My travels - Partie II !

If you are into gift stores, Intercourse is definitely for you!


The Kitchen Kettle Village is the place you want to be. You can easily spend a day in Intercourse if not more!

The Kitchen Kettle is actually a store full of amazing home made preserves and pickled what evers. By the way, their pickled beets are out of this world and so is their salsa!

Aside from the Village Quilts, there are numerous little gift shops that make up this unique attraction.

Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to wonder around from shop to shop. One thing about Amish stores, they do close early on Saturdays and of course are closed on Sundays.

Just next to the Kitchen Kettle, sort of behind Zooks Dry Goods is the Country Accents .

They have an array of "country theme" items to decorate your home. Of course I stayed away from that store because I knew I would blow my budget! ;o)

I have visited these places in the past and due to my time restraint, I felt I should forgot these shops and concentrate of the quilt shops.

There are other shops within Intercourse that sell quilts and gift items. One of my all time favourite shop, which is across the street from the Kitchen Kettle Village is The Old Country Store.

What a sweet looking quilt and gift shop.

I was tickled pink when the owner allowed me to photograph not only the store but The People's Place Quilt museum, which is located on the second floor of her shop.

Stay tune for the tour!

Thank you for stopping by! I always enjoy reading your comments!