Hey everyone! I’m currently making my way back to WI from FL, where I hear unseasonably cold temperatures are waiting to welcome me home. LOL, why am I not surprised? I just wanted to pop in for a second with a couple of quick announcements to start off the week. First on my list is our spring and summer retail shop hours at Primitive Gatherings. Great news! Starting April 3rd, 2022, we are extending hours until 6 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Even though “springing forward” for daylight savings time is kind of a pain, try to look at it on the bright side… More daylight means more time to shop!
If you have any questions about our new hours, please give Shelley a call in the shop at 920-722-7233 and she’ll be happy to help! Also, please be aware that in order to allow our staff to spend time with family and friends over the Easter holiday, we will be CLOSED Easter Sunday – April 17th, 2022. We will re-open Monday April 18th, 2022 for our regular business hours. We apologize for any inconvenience!
Speaking of Shelley and the shop, just a friendly reminder that our new YouTube LIVE show, “Primitive Gatherings Shop Talk with Shelley” will be starting as a weekly broadcast on Tuesday, April 5th at 9AM CST. This will be a separate YouTube LIVE show in addition to, “Stitch with Lisa Bongean,” which airs every Thursday at 1PM CST. She’ll be covering any shop announcements, new inventory, popular items, fabric releases, tutorials, and more! Keep an eye on the blog in April for a link to watch!
Next up, as you know Moda Blockheads 4 Sew-Along is in full swing! Block 1 “Square Wheel“ by Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles Quilters kicked off this years BH4 Stitch-Along last Wednesday. The full pattern and details for “Square Wheel“ can be found by visiting Lynne’s blog!
BH4 Block-2, “Cooee” was designed by Jenelle Kent of Pieces to Treasure in MacMasters Beach, Australia. Jenelle is a former school teacher gone patchwork instructor, who eventually started a business based on her passions. Her shop, Pieces to Treasure focuses on a variety of projects including quilts, bags, table runners, pillows, and sewing accessories. She is also a toweling fabric designer for Moda!
I was wondering what “Cooee” actually means and how to pronounce it, so of course we looked it up. Turns out, it is a loud and shrill shout that originated in Australia to attract attention, find missing people, or to indicate your own location. When you do it right, the “cooee” call can carry over a considerable distance, which is why it’s also known as a call of help. Interesting! It’s pronounced, “Kuu-eey” and meant to be yelled at the top of your lungs. It’s kind of fun – give it a try! We did… LOL!
If you missed my blog post last week on how to get involved with Moda Blockheads 4 Sew-Along, you can revisit that information by clicking HERE. I will also be posting a link on my blog every week for each new block that’s released. Bonus blocks can be found on Moda’s Inspiration+Resources Center every four weeks on Fridays. Remember, you can also sign-up to receive Moda’s weekly Blockheads blog posts via e-mail, or by following the link below. 
Well, I have to say even though this week has been nothing but good times and great fun with Jace, I think I might need a vacation from vacation by the time I get home. Even though I had Darci as my travel partner and fellow grandma with me (she brought her 8 year old grandson), let me tell you – taking a couple of young boys to Disney is no easy task! The idea of a relaxing vacation still sounds so nice considering that is pretty much the opposite of what I just experienced. LOL! Oh to be young again! By the end of every day mine and Darci’s feet were so sore, they were throbbing like they do in the cartoons! I probably should have started a work-out plan a couple of weeks prior to my trip just to prepare for all that walking. I don’t know how people take their entire families at once – I never would have made it! Two adults and two kids was the perfect mix.
As you can imagine, the boys had a ton of fun. Darci and I were right along side them (most of the time) as they enjoyed all the rides. I love old-time carousels and the one at Magic Kingdom did not disappoint! Look at those smiles!
So many rides… I didn’t get on them all but trust me, I got my fill! As crazy as it sounds, I even let Jace be the driver on the go-cart track. Am I not grandma of the year or what!?
Thankfully the whole trip wasn’t all rides and craziness. Disney has a ton of attractions and activities for all ages that allow you to keep your feet on the ground – which Darci and I were thankful for. One of Jace’s favorites was, “Savi’s Secret Workshop,” where he was able to build his very own custom lightsaber to go forth and, “continue the way of the Force” with.
First he “traveled” to Black Spire Outpost, where a group known as the “Gatherers” took the boys into the secret workshop. There, they found a supply of unusual parts, whimsical pieces and miscellaneous memorabilia – all collected from the far reaches of the galaxy. Once he got his lightsaber put together it was brought to life through the power of something called Kyber crystals. I’m not exactly sure what all of this means, but it sure did look cool!
Needless to say, they boys are totally thrilled with their finished products. They can’t wait to get their new toys home where they’ll be ready to embark on incredible new adventures together! I’d say they’re ready for anything the Galaxy puts in their path!
Of course, I couldn’t come back to WI without a little pink on my nose. When we weren’t running our tails off at Disney, we made sure to make time for the beach! I had almost forgotten how good it feels to have the sun on my skin and the warmth of the sand between my toes. We have a couple of months yet to wait for that kind of bliss around here, but at least I got a good head start on my, “tan.”
Oh hey! The pilot just came on and told everyone to put away their electronics so we can take off, so I better close up my computer before I get scolded. I am within minutes of officially being on my way back to WI! It’s hard to believe that I’ll be back in the frozen tundra I call home by tonight, and back at PG by tomorrow morning. In fact, since I’ve missed you all so much, we’re going to do a special, “Stitch with Lisa Bongean“ LIVE broadcast tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1PM CST so I can say hello! I’ll also be talking more about my Monthly Mystery Stitch-Along that I’ve decided to call, “Oh Say Can You Sew.” Don’t miss it! You can tune in by hitting the link below. See you there! ~Lisa
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