Looks like I was a little tired I forgot to post the winner from yesterdays comments…marleneDecember 20, 2013 at 3:32 pm

I have been using these wonderful “see through” totes for my quilt blocks and smaller kits and now I can’t be without them. You can’t have too many if you’re like me and have several project in process all the time. One glance and you can grab and go…does it get any better then that? Thanks for sharing your Christmas Ball theme. Sounds fun – please take pic’s to share with us faithful readers!

Marlene…you have won 4 totes…one of each size or so….email us with your address…to primitivegatheringsquiltshop@yahoo.com

Now…for a few pics from the party last night…so you can get the idea of the party…it was again lots of fun and I already have a new idea for next year…

Each couple had their picture taken in front of my holly & berry arch… Mr & Mrs Harrmann

my new assistant Sheina with Kevin…their first real date… Sheina helped me prepare all of those appetizers…she especially loved the bacon wrapped jalapeños..

my little brother Mike and his wife Robin

another brother, Brad and his wife Tina..

The King and Queen of the Holly Ball!!! My cousin Scott and wife Jody..

Some group shots in front of the holly arch! My Neighbors…

If we mixed ourselves us we could find nice combinations of outfits…

seems like friend and neighbor Scott was the photo bomber?

this is weird shot of my kitchen were I cooked lots of those hot appetizers that I never took a picture of…

everyone had a turn on santa’s lap…

and some miracles happened!

Santa and Elf at work…Elf got some new duds from last year…

Jess…on Santa’s chair…

some of the food…

We are almost done!!! Today’s needful thing is also essential for any wool appliqué!  Chenille needles…now why do we need chenille needles?…I use the #24 for my Valdani #12 wt. threads for hand stitching my embroidery stitches…it has a sharp point, it is fine and strong with a big eye for threading the perle cotton…The #24 is little…it will not shred your wool…and you can control it to make tiny stitches too!  You will not be disappointed in this needle…but what about the #22?  I use the #22 with anything thicker than a #12 perle…so #8, #5 …When making larger stitches…I also might use a #22 when I double the #12 thread and/or when I am making colonial knots!  Do you know about a colonial knot?  I never make French knots ever…I am sure there are a few of you out there who have learned this knot from me…it is the best isn’t it!!!  So for the special on our Primitive Gathering needles I am offering a combo at a nice price…so its like getting more than one pack free!  3 of each size needle for $12.00!!! I never put these on sale because they more than a little labor intensive!  So stock up woolly ladies!

The winner from yesterday is marieDecember 22, 2013 at 9:09 am

Day 2…one more…believe it or not…after I write this post I have to finish my shopping!

Today’s Needful thing is a Quick Quarter for making flying geese…I have made this chart with finished sizes along with the cutting chart…Then attached with each chart is the quick quarter for marking the double stitching lines….In the photo I am showing both sides of the chart…and you can see the no waste method I use for making flying geese!!!…I have made these and have them priced at only $5…they will be on sale for $4…We only have 69 of them left  and they will be gone…so order one if you want to make sure you get one!  If you want to order here is the link:  Flying Geese

The winner from yesterday is:

Janet KayDecember 22, 2013 at 5:01 pm

I have had many requests to offer this special during the 12 days so here it is…..by popular demand

Day 1 Juki Sewing Machine 

Now I know we pretty much all have a sewing machine…or two or three or even more…But I just have to talk about the sewing machine I use 99% of the time…It is my #1 Needful thing…Most of you probably have never heard of Juki…so let me just say they are not new to the market…Juki is well known in the garment industry and are mostly industrial machines.  I think I have had a Juki for about 9 years now…I also own 2 Berninas, 1060 and a 1530, and a couple of featherweights…one black and one white. I confess this to you so you also know what I am comparing to and you all know I teach all across the country and have stitched on many machines.

I bought the Juki with the intention to use it as a second machine to have set up for machine quilting my little quilts, and also so I didn’t have to change the walking foot from my regular foot on my Bernina…that would have been nice, right?…Juki has entered the quilt world with a semi-industrial machine for quilters.  Here are a few of the features that the Juki machines have…all metal…no plastic bobbins, no plastic feet,  comes with all sorts of feet including 2 free motion feet and a walking foot, a larger 9″ opening between the body and the arm, so machine quilting would be easier to handle.  It has a nice extension table, this is nice for retreats, I have it embedded in my table usually.  The machine ONLY stitches straight.  Now this might be an issue for some, but I was only going to use this for machine quilting…The fact that it only stitches straight is actually a plus…nice tension all the time, single hole throat plate .  It holds large cones as well as regular thread…It has an automatic thread cutter, automatic needle threader , knee lift and stitches 1500 stitches per minute or something like that, in other words it is FAST.

After stitching on this machine and using it.  I did not want to stitch on anything else.  It “pieces” beautifully…I didn’t have to hang on to my threads at the start, the feed dogs are nice and close together and  fed my little pieces in nicely.  Having the single hole meant my piecing wasn’t sucked down into that oblong hole… and again…I could stitch, cut my thread with my foot(or there is a button, but I like my hands free to hold on to my patches) knee lift my presser foot and be on to the next thing…I especially love piecing triangle paper on the Juki for all the reasons I just stated…Now I know being fast really should not be an issue, right? We want to be accurate!  But let me tell you, if I am stitching strips, borders or you name it…fast is handy…I tried going back to my “regular” machine to piece on…it was almost painful!!! Just shoot me…I loan this machine at The Gathering, but it comes with a warning…if you stitch with it you WILL be going home with it!  I think only one person didn’t buy one after she stitched on it for a weekend…lol…They also have updated the Juki recently…I have a TL98Q, now they make a TL2010 Q1, they have updated to an LED light…they have added a Turtle and a Hare button, if you want to control how fast it can go…and they changed the foot pedal, a bit…I love my 98 and the features they added do not make a difference to me…so I am keeping my 98.

Here is the only con to my Juki…it is heavy…but it is all metal!  You can’t have metal parts and it be light!…I think of it like today’s featherweight-but it is not light.  Anyone can work on a Juki…it is a basic machine, it has no computer…it just needs to be oiled and used and it is happy!

So if you are ever in the market for a machine, please check out the Juki’s and you can read all the technical words I should have used to explain it.  They now have a presence at the larger quilt shows and will soon come out with a long arm, that will be most reasonably priced.  I do sell the Juki 2010Q1 at my store…I could sell other machines but remember what I said, I only sell what I use…therefore I sell the Juki’s.  I am placing the Juki 2010Qi on sale now until the end of the year at a special of $899-(yes…not a typo) including shipping.  This is a great deal.  We will order more for this same price as long as you order before the end of the year.  JUKI    In 2014 they will go back to $999.00 still a great price when you think about what you all get with this machine!  Please allow a few weeks for delivery…we will not charge your card until we are shipping it.

If you purchased a Juki from last years 12 days…PLEASE write a comment about it!  I will also pick more winners from the comments on this post…so please comment you have a good chance at winning something!

With my new studio almost complete…2014 will be an exciting year….videos, stitch-a-longs and more great projects from Primitive Gatherings…

The winner from yesterday is: Susan JDecember 23, 2013 at 11:22 pm

Hello everyone, I am writing this post on behalf of Lisa and Nick with a very heavy heart.  Lance, the eldest son of Lisa and Nick, passed away suddenly just before New Year’s.  Lance was 29 years old.  He was a sweet, kind, gentle soul.  Lisa is heartbroken beyond measure.  Please keep Lisa, Nick and their family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through this difficult time.

Linda

Lisa has been overwhelmed with emails, comments, texts and Facebook posts.  She wanted me to send out a post to THANK Everyone from the bottom of her heart for all of the support you have given her in her time of need.  You don’t know how much this means to her to have this many people care about her and her family.  If you want to learn more about Lance he has a Facebook page dedicated to him that allows everyone to gather and post about their memories of him. The account already has 300 members.  If you are on Facebook search  In Loving Memory of Lance Van Groll   ask to be member and view all of the posts of this special guy.  Lisa has even posted a few.

Here is Lance’s Obituary if you have not read it yet.  Lance’s Obituary

Again,

Thank you for being there for her.

Because of all your support, (my quilting family)… and the support from my husband, employees, family and friends, you all gave me the strength to stand up at Lance’s Memorial service and read this…

“Hello…I am Lisa…Lance’s Mom

I want to stand up here and tell you about my son Lance and how much he meant to me….but I know that is not possible without breaking down…so instead I want to share this with you…

As some of you know….. I am a Quiltmaker…and a lot of you think you know what quilts are…but maybe not like I am going to explain them…

Quilts are LOVE you can touch…it takes a lot of time to stitch a quilt…. and time is one of our most precious assets……giving a quilt is like giving a piece of yourself to that special person.  This is why quilt making is so popular and why our family can make a living doing this…we provide the means for quiltmakers to share their love with their families and friends.

Now the reason I am telling you about quilts is this…

Only last night while snuggling on the couch…I discovered that the one quilt I kept for myself from Lance’s house out of the three he had,  had a little poem on the back that I had attached on to the quilt when I had given it to him at Christmas time in the year 2000…13 years ago…Lance was 16

I am not the author….but here is what that poem read..

THIS QUILT WITH STITCHES STRONG AND TRUE.

HOLDS ALL THE LOVE I HAVE FOR YOU

NO ANTIQUE THREASURE OR WORK OF ART

JUST A SIMPLE GIFT OF A MOTHER HEART

BRIGHT PATCHES WITH SOME DARK MIXED IN

THE WAY MY LOVE FOR YOU HAS BEEN

JOY AND PRIDE AND WORRY TOO

EVENINGS WAITING UP FOR YOU

AS I PLACED EACH STITCH WITH PATIENT CARE

I THOUGHT OF YOU AND BREATHED A PRAYER

THAT GOD WOULD KEEP YOU SAFE TONIGHT

AND SHOW ME THE WAY TO GUIDE YOU RIGHT

NOW YOU ARE GROWN, MY JOB ALMOST THROUGH

AS THE QUILT IS BOUND AND FINISHED TOO.

IT HOLDS MY LOVE AND FAITH AND CARE

TO TRAVEL WITH YOU EVERYWHERE

IT MAY NOT BE IMPORTANT NOW

BUT KEEP IT SAFE ANYHOW

AND WHEN THERES NO ONE ELSE TO CARE

YOU’LL FIND MY LOVE STILL WAITING THERE.

TO HOLD YOU WARMLY FOR AWHILE

AND SEE YOU THROUGH TIMES OF TRIAL

NO ANTIQUE TREASURE OR WORK OF ART

JUST A SIMPLE GIFT FROM A MOTHERS HEART

I  LOVE YOU, LOVE  MOM

Christmas 2000

Lance worked for our family business and his job was to dye fabric. I used this fabric to design and make quilts that would become patterns and kits for someone to buy and make a quilt.  Our company sells these patterns and quilt kits everywhere, from here at our store in town on the corner, or over the internet shipped throughout the country and across the world….So him and his work will “live on” through us… the people he touched and quilters across the world still making quilts with something he made with his hands…

We welcome you to attend a  dinner tonight that his Grandma Teri has made in honor of him… for you his family and friends…and you will see some of the things we’ve made with his dyed wool fabrics.

Thank you all for coming tonight…and please promise not forget my son.  Keep him alive in your heart and talk about him and the good times.  Good Night…”

I am sharing this personal thing with you all because you shared your pain, your prayers and your advice with me at probably the most difficult time I will ever have in my life…and I am forever grateful to have you all  and to be apart of the quilting world.  All your blog comments, Facebook comments and texts, kept me going during sleepless nights and painful days…I know that the hardest days still lie ahead and I just ask to keep me in mind when you are praying for your family and friends…

There was great comfort in knowing my son had this flannel quilt with him when he went out on his own…and it was clearly worn and loved but the greatest gift that I have because of this quilt is that he always knew that I loved him and It feels good to snuggle with it when I need to feel close to him, I would not have this if I was not a quilt maker.

Again…thank you….Lisa

I just want to share some good news with you all…my quilt… made the cover of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine…Yay!!! My first one! It is an all wool quilt with 9 simple wool appliquéd folk flowers…Some of you probably just received this issue…and for those of you who do not subscribe you can buy it here…   Click Here for more information on ordering a kit also…this magazine always has bunch of great projects in it…

On another note…I am leaving today for CA, then on to NV and then to AZ…hope to see you all there…see the schedule on the shop front page to see where I am teaching!!! Now to finish packing for 22 days…yikes…my best…LB

I just wanted to share photos of one of my students project from last Saturdays workshop at olde world quilt shop in Cave Creek, AZ.
She brought me her project during the show so I didn’t get her name…hopefully someone can fill me in on that…but anyway…I was so enamored with it that I lost all my senses…all her appliqué was done and it was quilted! She used her new sashiko? Stitch sewing machine…it stitches like hand quilting…hmmmm maybe I need one of these, she said she loves it! Hopefully we will find out her name and I just wanted to share this with you all…
Today is the last show day here in Phoenix… I am ready to go home…and snuggle with Jeter and Presley…I don’t care how cold it is back there…I miss them so much…the weather has been great here but after 20 plus days away…there is no place like home…

Hey All…I want to give you a heads up on a new blog hop starting next week…You will not want to miss this…quilt patterns, giveaways, finished quilt ideas and more!!!

It feels so good to be home…just waiting for Nick to make it home now…

FEBRUARY 17…
American Jane - http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/
Aneela Hoey - http://comfortstitching.typepad.co.uk
Bunny Hill - http://bunnyhillblog.com/
Cotton Way - http://cottonway.blogspot.com/

FEBRUARY 18…
Piecing Directions - http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/
Deb Strain -  http://debstrain.blogspot.com/
Kathy Schmitz - http://kathyschmitzstudio.blogspot.com/
Fig Tree and Co. - http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/

FEBRUARY 19…
French General - http://frenchgeneral.blogspot.com/
Janet Clare - http://janetclare.co.uk/blog/
Basic Grey - http://blog.basicgrey.com/

FEBRUARY 20…
Lauren + Jessi Jung - http://laurenandjessiblog.com/
Kansas Troubles - http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/
Laundry Basket Quilts - http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/blog/index.php
Lily Ashbury - http://lilyashbury.com/blog/

FEBRUARY 21…
Me and My Sister Designs - http://meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/
Kate Spain - http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/
Jan Patek - http://janpatek.blogspot.com/
Pat Sloan - http://blog.patsloan.com/

FEBRUARY 24…
Primitive Gatherings - http://lisabongean.wordpress.com/
Minick and Simpson - http://minickandsimpson.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Ryan - http://www.stephanieryandesign.com/blog/

FEBRUARY 25…
Sweetwater - http://sweetwater.typepad.com/makelifesweet/
Thimbleblossoms - http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/
Sandy Gervais - http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/

FEBRUARY 26…
Vanessa Christenson - http://www.vanessachristenson.com/
Malka Dubrawski - http://stitchindye.blogspot.com/
Blackbird Designs - http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/

FEBRUARY 27…
Barbara Brackman - http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/
Zen Chic - http://www.farbstoff-bridge.blogspot.com
Gina Martin - http://www.patternandhue.com

FEBRUARY 28…
Setting Directions - http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/
Winners Announced on ALL Designer Blogs listed above

I would like to share these little heart quilts with you today!!! When I was in AZ at The Old World Quilt Shop…they had a little sample of a heart using our Itty Bitty pinwheel tool…I basically told Dee she had to quickly make kits for them because it was  way too cute!  So if you are near her shop,  go and get a fabric kit! Click here for info on this great shop..Olde Word Quilt Shoppe  The shop is very homey…a lot like mine.

I taught this little quilt on Wednesday night for my Stitch ‘n Bitch girls…who consist of my sisters in law Amy, Tina and her sisters, niece and a few girls from the warehouse and some girls from my hometown…now most of these girls are not diehard quilters and some are not at all…but they all had a blast and they think I am awesome, cause they didn’t think they could and I assured them it was easy!  Most stitch’n bitch nights are mostly bitchin and hardly any stitchin…

If you want to make one of these you need a few things…2 1/2″ squares, borders …and the tool( I know lots of you have them already)…If not, sold here Itty Bitty Pinwheel     This includes a pattern with the complete instructions on how to use the template $10…If you know how to use the templates already you can purchase just the template here…Template  for $8.  If you would like kits for $12 and $20 go here…Heart kits    Kits are for pre-cut squares, borders and binding and will not be exactly the same as shown here, some may, but I don’t know how many of you are going to want a kit from us…I know you all have enough fabric at home, but if I didn’t offer a kit, I would get 50 emails saying…where’s the kit!!!!!, so we are covered.  

From Cream with the red print, Cut 2-2″x 10 1/2″ &  2″x 14 1/2″ then 7- 2 1/2″ squares.  Cut 18- 2 1/2″ red squares from various red prints.

Stitch together as shown below.

Lower your stitch length…Do not use a light thread…I do not care to see white thread in the seams of my red heart.  Press seams open to distribute the bulk of the seams.

Place the template on the top left hand corner of the first red square….place the template face up and place the cross hairs on the seams as shown.  Cut using a small rotary cutter, cutting all four sides making sure not to cut into the next square.

Continue cutting until you have all the intersections cut.  Place the cut squares back in order.

Now stitch the squares into rows.  Then stitch the rows together.  Pressing seams open.  We then added another cream border back on…Cut 2- 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ and then 2- 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ Add side and then top and bottom borders.  You can now quilt or frame your little heart… It is 10″….OR…you can make a little quilt making a bunch of heart blocks..The Stitch n bitch girls did a great job…This little heart is a 5×5 grid…The big heart is done with a 7×7 gird…both are shown together on the top photo…The larger one is 14″ with the added 1 1/2″” cream and 3″ cut sized red borders.

Thanks for being there for me…I’m returning some love to you…have a great valentines day and make a little heart quilt….LB

Do you love french fries?  Dumb question, right?!!! We all love them…I have basically given them up because they just are way too fattening…so with that in mind I want to share with you my newest discovery…I am at the Lakehouse with Nick and I wanted to try out one of our Christmas presents…here it is…a Hot Air Fryer…have you seen this?  Hot Air…not dumped in oil!!!

You can make a bunch of things in it…I not only bought it for the fries but also for all the fish Nick catches…I like baked and  broiled fish but there is nothing like a good ol’ Wisconsin fish fry…but again…too many calories in that oil…so I can’t wait to fry fish too…I also got a new french fry cutter…Shown here, I have 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″ blades….then I had to soak my fresh cut potato fries in water for 30 min…pat them dry…toss in a tablespoon of oil and then place them in the air fryer…here is how they turned out!!!

Let me just say….they taste as good as any restaurant fries from all those good places we eat out at on the road…when I steal a few of Nick’s of coarse….The only downfall I can see is I may need another one so the fish and the fries can be finish at the same time!  I also can’t wait to try homemade onion rings and cheese curds…are you hungry yet?

I purchased all of this from William Sonoma in case you feel the same way I do about the sinking your fries and fish in the old “hot tub”method.  Plus all the gallons of oil we used…No guilt now…Thank You God for making people so smart that they can figure these things out so we all can enjoy  fries now…have a great Saturday…I am going to stitch now while enjoying the sunshine coming through the windows…LB

Please delete or disregard my last email… I am working on my Moda post that is not scheduled until the 24th… And I accidentally pressed publish instead of preview…I was running out the door to get my hair done and screwed it all up… So please forgive me for all this interuptions and just delete my draft…

Welcome to another great  MODA blog hop!!! Today Is my day…I’m Lisa Bongean from Primitive Gatherings.     My letter for the Blog Hop was P…and here is my block made with the instructions given here:  p_spellitwithfabric 

But as you know it is hard being a designer and only making one block when they give you the directions for all of them….so here is what we did at Primitive Gatherings with all the letters… Our sample is made by reducing the blocks in half…our whole little quilt is only 42″ I am showing the blocks next to a charm pack so you can judge the size…What a perfect quilt for a grandchild or for yourself!!! I have always wanted to make an alphabet quilt…also…we have kits!!!  The kits are made up using all of my ”Gathering” lines from Moda…The kits are priced at $75 and include the pattern.  If you want the pattern only they are $10 and include directions and full color picture of the finished quilt.  This can all be purchased here…Mini Alphabet Quilt

Moda has also given me some great prizes to give away…as well as a kit for our mini quilt from Primitive Gatherings…so please comment on this post and you will be entered to win….we will pick a winner March 5…I will be back from a teaching gig on the 3rd and need a day to get my stuff together and then we will post a winner…We have 5 prizes total…good luck!

I also want to take this time to talk about my new line…which our give-a-ways are from….Homestead Gatherings….Deep Reds, Blacks, Browns and Greens along with Tans paired with all the previous colors on them….I think  this line is my favorite so far…I love the little accent piece with the house..It comes  tan/red, tan/black and black/dk tan….

Look for this line of Moda fabric in your local quilt stores or order it on our website here  Homestead Gatherings.    Pre-cuts are available now and bolted yardage is coming in March/April 2014…We have three quilts made and the kits and patterns will be available soon after the fabric comes in also…Here is a peek at them…Christmas on the Prairie, Homestead and then Hospitality…which is just back from the quilter, Linda Hrcka…and is just fabulous as usual…here is close up…To pre order kits click here:  KITS

On this hop you get to learn a little more about us too…here are my questions…

My letter is P…..for Primitive Gatherings

What are your initials? LB

My favorite quilt block……….Nine Patch and all star blocks
My favorite memory about school….Playing sports
My favorite book, movie or television show starting with your letter……Phifty Shades of Grey…we all need to read a juicy book or three once in  awhile…I love quilting because…………of all the Patchwork

What if everyday was a holiday?…… I’d be really Pfat!!!
Is there an object, tool or anything that you cannot work without? Pins
Do you have a quote or motto you live ( or work) by?
Something I like……whatever you do…do it the best!!!
Somewhere I have been……I am teaching on a quilting cruise right now…I can’t think of a better place!!!
Somewhere I want to go….I love being HOME at our Lakehouse!!!

So I am trying to get all stuff together for a cruise, plus post so this will post while I am gone…so if I missed anything or if I have typos…I apologize now…

Schedule of Blog Hop Click Here:

Hey Everyone thanks for leaving a comment on my blog for a chance to win!  We had over 800 comments so I picked a few more prizes  from the last blog give-away that were unclaimed..…I have listed the winners below….make sure it is your post/comment and please send us your address to: sheina.primitivegatherings@yahoo.com

and Sheina will get them sent out to you…Please confirm your prize within one week…

We are mailing Mini Alphabet kits  and patterns out today and tomorrow thanks for all the orders!!!! We appreciate your support of Moda Fabrics and Primitive Gatherings patterns!

The winners and their prizes are stated below…Congratulations to the winners!

Floral Gatherings Charm Pack

DebbyFebruary 24, 2014 at 5:23 am

Just want to let you know of a few upcoming classes I am teaching and maybe you can join in on all the fun…

I had to move a class of mine to April 16th…10am -2pm…It is a wool appliqué class $40 includes class and kit and will be right here in Menasha!  I will be teaching Primitive Penny Mat…You will learn how to make a better blanket stitch as well as stitching the edges of your pennies and attaching them with a nice clean look to your mat. Please call the shop and sign up if You want to join us…920-722-7233

In June 11-14 I will be teaching at the Minnesota Quilt Show, in St Cloud MN at the River Edge Convention Center…..I am teaching a bunch of classes on wool appliqué!!! Click here to see if you can come!  MQ Quilt Show

These pics are from the Cruise…I met a bunch of new ladies and as always had a blast teaching them some wool appliqué and embroidery stitches…It was so fun!

My friend Mary Fons has a new book coming out….I am jealous of this marketing! See video

I have lost 4 close people in my life in the last 6 months…that is a LOT of people…and one was the worst one to lose….so being who I am and what I am like I decided it is time to do some things that maybe I have never done…or at least in the last 10 years…I am going on retreat…as a student!!! No planning, no shipping…no stressing that I forgot something…just pack up my threads and head off to Sunny Jacksonville FL…I am going to Tea & Stitches with Jan Vaine…isn’t she a pretty lady?

And look at her new book that has just come out! We are going to learn lots of crazy stitches…We are doing a block from this fan quilt!!! I am really excited….If you are looking to run away like I am maybe there is still room for you too! Click here Retreat …..  I bet you are wondering what else could I be doing…. I signed up for a BOM! I am making this quilt, designed by Maria from Pinwheels Click Here Pinwheels BOM…when I am home I  start piecing and I do not want to quit…tonight I will piece the first 49 little blocks together that form block 1…They are very putsy and I love it…just me and my sewing machine and no directions to write…free….for a little time once in awhile, a little treat…hope my next block comes soon!!! I also started piecing the MINI…Puddle Jumping…and I am finishing up my post on the APQ quilt along quilt….I will be posting one big post…I hope no one is mad that I didn’t (more like couldn’t) fulfill my obligation at the time I was supposed to…hopefully they will forgive me and I will get another chance.  My quilt is finished and I love it…It is called Stairway to Heaven…

First of all I want to thank all of you for allowing me to take however long I needed to finish this project.  I certainly never want to bow out of my obligations…but this was just not going to happen when it was supposed to….but I did want to finish this quilt because it is so awesome!!!

My last post was on cutting and sorting….Click Here to view that previous post.  

Now before I start stitching I clean, oil and load a new needle in my machine, as well as load a bunch of bobbins…Now lets talk a bit about thread choice… Only a few things REALLY bother me…and one of them is too LIGHT of thread used to piece with…I think it is nasty to see those little light stitches holding your patches together….Always use a darker thread…and lower your stitch length.  You should not see your stitching in your patchwork…it should be invisible…I stitch just a bit under the 2 setting.  I am using black thread to stitch this quilt…and if you are using scrappy fabrics with light and darks use a darker tan or my favorite Aurifil 1040 which is like a mocha brown…

Layout your cut patches and stitch in sections…this block is really a nine-patch…

If you noticed I scrapped up my chains and left my backgrounds the same for each block…

Do you notice how I pin my patches? I stick the pin in from the left side pointing in toward my seam but I keep the point right at about the 1/4″ seam line….this allows me to stitch without having to remove the pin…you do not want to hit pins while stitching…especially if you are sewing with your JUKI and hit them while you are stitching at warp speed…You can/could throw off the timing of your machine…

Chain piece when you can…as well as chain press…this is continuing to press one piece right after the other, staggering them just a bit…(no pic )

Pressing…I press my seams open a lot, but I did not press anything open except those last two seam when putting the rows together…These seams nicely nested with each other…it was a joy to stitch…not a lot of pinning…

I just loved making block after block of this quilt…it was fun seeing how different they all looked after they were stitched…

Now after spending a lot of time with these blocks it was obvious to me that I needed something to settle them down a bit…I am talking about sashing…the directions call for scrappy sashing….and well like I said I needed something to calm these blocks down a bit and make them work all together and to accomplish that it just needed a simple solid black sashing! It would have been distracting, no place for your eyes to rest, if I used all the prints so I am so happy how the solid looks…

For the cornerstones I decided to put a little gold in the center to repeat my gold in the center of the blocks…

Stitching and pressing the sashing…

When I was all done….I then made another decision…I wanted this quilt to be big! I want it on my bed…king size….so I added 10 1/2″ borders of a new print from my next line of fabric…I had just enough as you know this fabric is not on the bolt yet…It was so close…that it was meant to be!!!

Now look what that border did!!! It added a lot more interest with the sashing separating all the blocks and then from the border and now I have a huge quilt for my bed!  I will show you a picture after it has been quilted but I know a few of you are asking about this black quilt and wanted to know how it turned out…

While I was piecing this quilt it’s name came to me…Stairway to Heaven…

all for now…LB

I know some of you asked if I was going to kit this quilt…the answer is I can’t…I made if from my fabric collection…but we could pull together fabrics  from our reproduction fabrics at the shop….just let us know.

www.primitivegatherings.us

Just an update on some new things coming for Spring that I have been working on…some are already on the site to order…some will be within a couple of days…Hope you like them…I know some of you are waiting for the sunflower items I was stitching while on the road…

Vintage Sunflower Table Mat…30″ Kit and pattern is $95….pattern is $12.  We have lots of layouts in this pattern giving you half of the design….now this is a grand table mat…looks nice on a round table as well and a rectangle…or a big center coffee table…Sunflowers are my favorite…so you will be seeing a lot of them to come…(that was a hint)

Wild Sunflower Runner 15×48…again sunflowers what else can I say…This runner is an easy stitch…Kit and pattern $95  Pattern only $10.

Riding the Storm Out…63×82…quilted by Linda Hrcka, so you know what that means, quilting is a-maze-ing…this quilt is fun to stitch…I have decided to start putting the triangle papers in my patterns from this point on…you may pay a little bit more…but no more searching for what I used and we can custom lay them out in the groupings you need to stitch them in…and don’t worry…they were tested and approved by an expert…the Queen Mother Crow…she was very happy with them…and doesn’t it make sense to use them for accurate piecing?  But I do have to warn you…you cannot COPY these as they will not be correct…They have to be directly PRINTED to be spot on from computer to printer…not copied on the glass…so just to warn anyone ahead of time this would cause major headaches as nothing would fit together nicely as they are going to with the originals… Kit & Pattern $155   Pattern w/triangle papers $12.

Then there are the little quilts…Tiny Tears…is 15×18 and looks hard but was very easy to stitch, assemble and quilt.  120 blocks total…We have kitted it with 2 sizes of charms…Kit and Pattern w/triangle papers incl. $40  Pattern w/triangle papers $9

Four Dozen…this quilt is 14 1/2 x 17…Now I know some of you are “afraid” of those tiny quilts you see in the our shop/booths….this is the quilt to try your hand at it…I am 95% percent sure you can do this…(I have learned there is always the exceptions…lol)  This is a great gift quilt also…looks a lot more impressive than it is to make.  Kit and pattern w/triangle papers $25  Pattern w/triangle papers $8.

We also have had some inquiries for a kit for Stairway to Heaven…If you are SERIOUS about wanting us to put something together for you…you need to email us with want you wantf or yardages…like 1/2 yds of black…FQ of lights and so on for the golds…then you need to tell us how many you want of each…20?  I know some of you are calling and saying I want to make mine Queen.. I want enough for only 9 blocks…Again…we would appreciate an email with the exact number of colors, yardages and if you want a border too…thanks for your understanding…our e-mail is below: primitivegatheringsquiltshop@yahoo.com

Hi…I’m Lisa from Primitive Gatherings…I am so excited to be a part of this mystery event!

Welcome to this 2014Designer Mystery Blog Hop Hosted by Fat Quarter Shop.  This Mystery quilt is  made with fabric from Moda Fabrics designed by Edyta Sitar from Laundry Basket Quilts.  The collection is called  Snowbird…and it is so beautiful….you can see it and order it from Fat Quarter Shop at the link at the top, and also visit Edyta’s blog to see her inspiration and post about this beautiful fabric…I wish I could show you my block…but then it wouldn’t be a MYSTERY now would it…but you know it is going to be a gorgeous quilt with this fabric line and 12 different star blocks…that is a recipe for a successful quilt!

I was invited to design a star block for this mystery quilt.  The quilt consists of 12 star blocks made from this beautiful soft blue color palette…We were also asked to name this star after a STAR in our lives…My star is named Fast Eddie…after my Dad…I miss him and all the fun we had….growing up and as we got older.  I recently have been going through the family photo album and keepsakes and came across a few things…like this….I found a grade school graduation card…from JUST my Dad…I bet it had a big bill in it too! But the fact that he gave me a card from just him must have been very special to me…as I kept it and I am

not a “keeper of everything” kind of person.

My Dad was a very exciting person to be around…he was talented musically, he played the accordion, hum-strum(stump fiddle) beer bottle, the harmonica and the spoons…So you can kind of tell this was a make-do kind of guy….My Dad was a Body Mechanic and worked days at the local dealership and evenings to flip cars and resell them…He worked hard and enjoyed life…when he wasn’t working he was playing…He enjoyed saturday evenings out with mom for dinner and then out to the tavern where I’m sure at more than a  few of these outings they were partying to the music playing and  getting everyone to play “something”  including the

 jug…I could tell my parents had a lot of fun from the photos of their good times…

we also had a “mobile home ” parked year round at a “campground”

 where we did all kinds of year round things from Fishing, (see photo-remember those polaroids?) hunting, snowmobiling…to going to the band every Saturday night…I miss the excitement he brought to everything that was going on…I miss the stories he told…I guess the more I think about it…his “star” shined bright in my life and still does…

Now back to the HOP…If this if the first you have heard of the hop you may want to go and visit the other designers blog posts listed here below…and Don’t for get to go to FQ Shop website, comment to win a $75 Gift Card…and boy that sounds like a great idea…if you want a $75 Primitive Gathering Gift Card…Comment…tell me your Dads name and your best memory…most people won’t probably read this fine print, but if you do I bet you have a good chance claiming the Prize…

March 7th
Sweetwater - http://sweetwater.typepad.com/makelifesweet/
Cotton Way - http://cottonway.blogspot.com/
Sandy Gervais - http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/

March 14th
Minick and Simpson - http://minickandsimpson.blogspot.com/
Vanessa Christenson - http://www.vanessachristenson.com/
Fig Tree and Co. - http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Kate Spain - http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/

March 21st
Kansas Troubles - http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/
Bunny Hill - http://bunnyhillblog.com/
Me and My Sister Designs - http://meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/
Primitive Gatherings - http://lisabongean.wordpress.com/

March 28th
Prize Winners announced on the Jolly Jabber