Happy Halloween!

Goodness, its been a long time since I have been here.  The quilt shows this year just seemed to come one right after the other.  The little bit of time I had between the shows was spent re-stocking the inventory and traveling.  Shows are over for us this year until the end of January 2022, when we pick up again in Phoenix at the State Fairgrounds.  I will be doing a trunk show and workshop in Prescott Valley the week before the show in Phoenix.  I will have more on that as the time gets nearer.

The first thing we did when our last show was over was to pick up our oldest grandson and have him here at the ranch for a brief visit.  He is growing so fast, I hate to miss any time we might get to spend with him.  

I am loving this time at home...working on new designs, ordering fabrics for next year's shows, spending time in the garden and doing some overall cleaning out and fixing up different things here on the ranch.  It seems I have neglected a lot of that over the last year.

I did finally finish the top of the Flying Geese Antique Quilt.  I am hoping to get it on the long arm in the next day or two.  I love the way it came out and the fabric kits were a hit at PIQF.  I only have a few kits left but I ordered more of the fabric yesterday so we should be good for awhile.  This picture shows it on a queen bed.  It only has about a 12" drop but my mattress is only 10" deep so it fits perfectly.  I do have extra border fabric if you want to make it a bit bigger.

I made a new Stars for My Table Runner in batiks and I'm crazy for these colors. This topper goes together quickly and is impressive.  I still have a few of these fabric kits available.  I'm thinking it would make a stunning runner in some Christmas fabrics.  If you wanted to make it longer, you could add a package of Jeremy Star Blocks and one of the six-inch Swirling Star Block packages.  

This Celestial Seasons Table Topper/Tree Skirt pattern is so much easier than it looks.  The one in the picture is a table topper but you would make it exactly the same but leave out the center piece and just not sew up one seam.  Fabric kits are available also.  Then bind all the way around and down both sides of the open seam and center.  I'm trying to get mine done between a few other things I have going on.  

And one last thing I'd like to show is the new Dutch Beauty we have.  Its made in batiks in one of my favorite color combinations.  We have the pattern available and it is probably the best pattern for beginners.  Whenever I am asked for a beginner pattern or class, this is the one I go to.  It starts with a simple block – a Courthouse Steps block.  This is a straight-forward, simple block and its perfect for learning the foundation piecing method.  By the time the three Courthouse Steps blocks are made, you should really have the method down.  Next, is the Dutchman's Puzzle Block.  They are an amazing way to get perfect Flying Geese units.  You will understand the method by now so when you see your perfect points and how easy they are to achieve, you will be excited to get to the New York Beauty Blocks.  I have tried many other ways of making this block but I think our foundations are the easiest and most accurate.  Don't be afraid of the curved piecing.  You sew on the line on the foundation to get a nice smooth curved seam and perfect point.

We also have a few of these batik Dutch Beauty fabric kits available.  

And with that, I need to get to the studio to see what kind of trouble I can get into. I hope this Covid business is on its way out.  Its still important that we stay vigilant, using good, common-sense in washing our hands, staying home when we are sick and just being good to ourselves.  HAPPY QUILTING!