Countdown

  The week is counting down until Christmas.  Are you ready?  I am one of those last minute people.  I have almost finished my gift making.  Talen said that he will help me making the dinner fixin's.  He is such good help.  He wants to make sure that we make apple pie (his favorite).
  Until then, here is today's block--Jefferson City.  There is not anything new in this block just squares and triangles.

Jefferson City

Cutting
  Light fabric
    one  3 1/4" sq.  cut diagonally twice
    four  1 7/8" sq.
    one  2 1/2" sq.

  Medium fabric
    one  3 1/4" sq.  cut diagonally twice
    four  1 7/8" sq.

  Dark fabric
    two  3 1/4" sq.  cut diagonally twice

  Relax and enjoy a hot chocolate,
    Terry
    

Snowball

  Wind, wind and more wind, with all the wind I don't know if we will have a white Christmas or just wind.  Either way I am a little closer to being ready.  Just about have all my gifts made and wrapped.  
  This weekend my oldest son, Ryan will be receiving his doctorate in engineering.  A must to attend.  We are very proud of him.  Also, another Christmas program with Christopher's children.  Looking forward to see them perform.
  Snowball is today's block.  Use the stitch n flip method when sewing the squares in each corner.  Stitch n flip is when you place the smaller square in the corner and sew diagonally across the small square.  Cut off the corner and press.

Snowball

Cutting
  Light fabric
    four  2 1/2" sq.

  Medium or Dark fabric
    one  6 1/2" sq.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
  Terry

One More

  I can't believe that November is half over.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming fast.  My Grandmother always told me that as you get older, the years seem to go faster so enjoy every moment.  I feel that she may be right.  

  Buckwheat is the next block.  To sew this one, I did the four-patch in the center first.  Then, cut the large squares twice to make the HST.  Lastly, matching the triangle in the corners.  I sewed this block in 3 sections at an angle.  Normally, we sew in horizontal rows.

Buckwheat

  

Cutting

  Light fabric

    two  3 1/4" sq. cut diagonally twice for HST

    two  1 7/8" sq. for center 4-patch

  Medium fabric

    three  3 1/4" sq. cut diagonally twice for HST

  Dark fabric

    two  3 1/4" sq.  cut diagonally twice for HST

    two  1 7/8" sq. for center 4-patch

Terry       

Planning Ahead

I might be a planner.  I really don't like to fly by the seat of my pants.  I don't accomplish much and I usually get a hole in my pants.  Having children has altered my plan making abilities a little, but it still makes me uncomfortable.  

Terry is the same way.  She loves to plan ahead.  And she loves to help you plan ahead.  If you're that kinda person.  That's why she has taken on our new Block of the Month.  In November, it's hard to think about summer.  Or at least next summer.  I'm still thinking about last summer. <sigh>  But by getting this BOM started now, you will have a beautiful, patriotic quilt done just in time for the 4th of July.

To help you out, Terry has started her YouTube video tutorials for this project.  The first month is right here:

You are welcome to join us every month.  We can ship right to your door so that you can follow along.  Here's the sign-up:

Marcus Fabrics Star Spangled Liberty Sign-Up

Our holiday sale is getting better and better.  Don't forget to look at our sale page for cute fabrics and panels.  Or sophisticated.  Whichever side you lean towards.  We have fabrics for everything from quilts to wall hangings to table runners to placemats.  And we have the videos to help you make them.  If you make a mistake, we have tools to help you with that, too.  We just got in new scissors, snips and tweezers by Famore Cutlery.  Take a look on our Notions page.  We're hoping you might want some.  If not, maybe a sewer in your family needs a stocking stuffer.

Thanks for following along.  We really appreciate everyone who reads our blog, views our YouTube channel, and surfs our website.  Feel free to comment, call or email us if you have any questions, need some supplies, or want to provide feedback.  Have a great week!

September Happenings

Labor Day is over.  The kids are back in school.  And we are getting ready for our inaugural sewing classes for kids.

Over Labor Day Weekend, Sturgis has become the home of a different kind of rally.  The Sturgis Mustang Rally celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.  Over 1,000 Mustangs showed up to barrel race, burn out, and drag race their way through the holiday weekend.  Here's a picture of the group photo from two years ago.  It has only grown since then.  This is a great event that provides a chance for families to see Sturgis and the surrounding areas in a safe and fun environment.

Living in Sturgis, we get plenty of use out of our city snow plows.  One of the activities our school kids get to do in the fall is called Paint the Plows.  The city partners up with our Middle School to freshen up the snow plows that will be used all winter.  I think this is a fantastic way for kids and adults to work together to beautify the community.

Another activity that we are offering the community is sewing lessons for kids.  Starting in a week, we will be instructing 8-13 year olds on basic sewing machine knowledge, embroidery, and sewing.  We have had so much interest that we will soon be adding adult classes.  We are so excited to see 4-Hers, homeschoolers, and Girl Scouts (and more) come in and learn our craft!

Terry has created another YouTube video tutorial.  This one is our last Block of the Month from Marcus Fabrics.  You can watch it HERE. She will soon post a video showing you how to make a quilt using all the scraps from the entire 9 month project.  We are excited to start our next Block of the Month in October.  You can see the project and sign up HERE.  

We hope you had a meaningful Labor Day weekend.  We look forward to seeing all the creative projects you have going on right now.