Vintage Butterflies

While I was at Quilt Market in May (a wholesale show for shop owners), I ran into Connie Cerdena of Jenny Creek Designs. We carry many of her patterns and I was anxious to see her newest quilt, Vintage Butterflies, which she had on display in her booth.

She told me that she had been in an antique shop one day and came across 30 butterflies that had been cut from 1930s-era fabric. After purchasing them, she said she appliqued and button-hole stitched the butterflies, then combined with them a striking strip-pieced scalloped border in blue. When I saw this quilt at Market, I was also impressed with Connie's exquisite quilting. The cool thing is that Connie let us borrow it and we currently have this totally gorgeous quilt on display in our shop. Come see it if you are in the area!

This really is one beautiful quilt. We carry the pattern, Vintage Butterflies, so that you can make one of your own! I'm going to start gathering some fabrics to make one myself! If you like 1930s style quilts and butterflies, you will really enjoy putting this quilt together. The blocks will show off your 1930s reproduction fabric collection, and you will also like learning how to put the border together. This spectacular quilt measures 73-1/2" x 84-1/2". I personally can't wait to start making the butterfly blocks!

Patriotic All-Stars Two! Block of the Month

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue! Summer is nearly here and we're getting excited about picnics in the park, vacation days, and of course, the upcoming celebration of America's Independence Day! We thought to ourselves, "what could be more appropriate for the summer than combining our popular First Ladies of America series with our Patriotic All-Stars Block of the Month Club to bring you our new (and improved) Block of the Month Club!" Therefore, we're proud to announce our new Block of the Month program: Patriotic All-Stars Two!

Each month, you receive all the fabric you need to construct a 12" star block, plus a redwork embroidery pattern of a featured First Lady, and a brief biography about her. As you stitch your block and embroider the redwork pattern, you can read about the trials and triumphs of each First Lady's residency in the White House, and how she influenced her country and the lives of female citizens. You're sure to be impressed and interested by each First Lady's life as she played her part helping to steer all Americans along the broad and diverse path of this nation.

When you've assembled all of your month's blocks and embroidered these influential ladies, you'll be sent a finishing kit detailing how to assemble all your blocks together into a final quilt. The final quilt is finished with beautiful flag fabric and will ultimately measure approximately 57" x 72". What a great fabric piece to add to your home's decor! It is the perfect project for the summer months and, of course, the upcoming election season. You're sure to love making it and owning a storied creation of your own handiwork.

Where Does the Time Go?

It's been AGES since we posted a message; however, we've had a very busy spring and wanted to tell you all about it. First, as you can see from the photo, our daughter Dannielle got married on June 7th. We haven't received the proofs back from the official photographer yet; however, here is a picture that Michael took of Dannielle and her husband Isaac with famiy members. We'll put "official" pictures up for everyone to see as soon as the proofs are back and we have more to share.

The wedding took place at a Lavender Farm near Mt. Shasta, California. The setting was breathtakingly beautiful and so were girls--as you can see in this picture that Michael took of Melissa and Dannielle just before the wedding.

After we got back from the wedding, we had time to work on our new shop remodel and to review all the items we picked up at Quilt Market in May. If you live close enough to visit Grandma's Attic, you'll want to come in and our shop make-over. We closed over Memorial Day weekend and took the shop apart--right down to the walls--then put it all back together again. The brick and mortar store seems so much more roomy now. We moved the cutting area up closer to the front and arranged things in a little more logical manner. We kept all the contemporary fabrics and items on one side of the shop, and the reproduction fabrics and goodies on the other side. You'll have to come and take a peek. And yes, pictures of the remodel will be posted soon too!

So now you know why we were silent for so long--Quilt Market, a shop remodel, and a wedding all in the space of a few weeks. It kept us more than busy. We'll start posting items from Quilt Market really soon!