CLICK TO GIVE

Many of you may have seen this already in our newsletter, but for those who haven't, I think it's worth repeating.....

In the spirit of giving, I’d like to share with you a way that you can make a difference in some very needed areas, and all it will cost you is a few seconds of your time. Some charitable websites are sponsored by large companies that donate needed products or services based on website traffic. For example, if you go to www.theanimalrescuesite.com, there is a spot to click. Sponsors donate pet food to animal shelters based on how many clicks the website receives per day. Of course, they’re hoping you stay on the site long enough to read their ads, but it really doesn’t matter how long you spend on the site. At the same site you can “Click to Give” to support breast cancer, literacy, hunger, the rainforest, and child health. Please help spread the word about this..... In this economy, charitable organizations suffer. This is one way to help with their shortfall.

CHRISTMAS IN CHICAGO

Many of you know that I'm originally from the Chicago area. So I was thrilled to get this picture in an email holiday greeting from our friends at Aurifil, USA. This is one of two lions flanking the entrance of the Art Institute in downtown Chicago. They are always decked out for the holidays... And when the Bears were in the Superbowl the lions wore Bear's helmets! Despite all the sordid events in Illinois right now, Chicago is a beautiful city, and I can't wait to visit again. For those who don't know, Quilts, Inc. puts on a huge festival in Rosemont, IL that rivals the big show in Houston. Rosemont is located next to O'Hare airport.....very close to Chicago. If you want to have FUN, why not plan a trip to Quilt Festival in Rosemont, and then spend a couple of days downtown. The parks along the lakefront are wonderful and you can get lost in the Art Institute and the other museums....and the FOOD, and the Shopping.....I won't even go there!

CLOSEUP OF ANNE'S CROWS

I thought you might like to see this closeup of Anne's crows.....aren't they hilarious?!

PARIS BOTTMAN

We are working with a wonderful new artist, Paris Bottman. Actually, she's not really new....she's been around longer than we have! But she's new to us and we just LOVE her work. (Visit Bottman.com to view some of her work.) We're so excited to be working with her. Of course, the hard part is deciding which designs to pursue. We have a few that are already in the design process......

4 F's

We have a wonderful group that meets to sew in our classroom on Mondays. They call themselves the "4 F's"....stands for Friends, Fabric, Food, and Fun, not necessarily in that order. They welcome anyone who is free on Mondays to come and sew with them. The classroom opens up about 10:00 and they usually start packing up to go home at about 4:00. Sometimes they order in lunch, some people bring their own, and sometimes we have a pot luck salad bar. I'd like to introduce you to Eleanor Carlson. She comes every week with her daughter "Coach". These are some of the quilts we have watched Eleanor create over the last few months.

ANNE'S VERSION OF THE QUILTERS

Those who look closely will see this version of The Quilters in the slideshow on the right. I wish the picture was bigger and you could see the details that Anne added to this quilt. She made this for her sister's 70th birthday. The crows represent her, her sisters, and nieces. She uses their hats and shoes to reflect their personalities. One crow has a cowgirl hat and boots, one is wearing a tiara, one has a feather hat and bright pink Mary Jane shoes, and one has a quilt block for a hat (could that be Anne?) She even included her sister's dog, tugging on a quilt!

LORI FAYE BOCK

Three of our quilt patterns, Maestro, I'm Ready, Best of Show, and A Few of My Favorite Things are based on the beautiful art of Lori Faye Bock. Lori's use of color and whimsy reflects her love of animals. I encourage you to visit http://www.lorifayebock.com/ to learn more about Lori's life. Her husband, Richard, has just sent us this You Tube link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnSUi4X38-A ....check it out! You'll see Maestro and Favorite Things, among others.

CHERRYWOOD FABRICS

This is one of my favorite corners in our shop. I fell in love with Cherrywood Fabrics many years ago. Nobody does hand dyed fabrics like they do. I was thrilled when they let us carry their fabrics in our store. You can see a few of the quilts we have made with them. On the back wall is a scrappy quilt....the pattern is Judy Hasheider's Half Fast Pineapple. On the right in front is Blooming Nine Patch from Traditions With a Twist by Blanche Young, and behind that is Linda Hanson's beautiful rendition from the book French Braid Quilts.
We will be conducting a Cherrywood Challenge in 2009. Look for details in January.

Thought you might like to see this stunning version of BQ2 made by Mo Harrah. Mo has devoted a lot of time to Cotton Theory lately, but she does return to traditional piecing and quilting once in a while! This pattern takes only three fabrics and is great for showing off a large scale print. We are almost out of kits in the shop, but it is an easy quilt to select fabrics for. There are such beautiful large prints out now......