Seeing the World with a Quilter's Eyes

Heard a rumor that you finished all of your quilting projects. True? Or just a belated April Fool's joke? Whether you really are at the finish line, or you're still struggling to finish that same-old-same-old, why not take a break and enjoy this week's photos.

No matter where you go, you're bound to run into an idea or two that remind you of quilting. Saturday morning was the First Presbyterian Church's Spring Fling and where I discovered a good new/old idea. See what I mean?


Adults helped students reuse and recycle much-loved quilts into artful creations to be sold at the spring event. It was a great idea for resurrecting old quilts and helped raise over $5,000 for local missions. Wahoo!

Maybe you have a tattered quilt or two sitting around. Use your pinking shears to cut out a simple shape, mount the shape on a fabric background, then place in a colorful frame. Presto! New/old art to grace your home, and a perpetual reminder of a quilt that was loved to pieces.

For those of you who love to piece, where do you get your best ideas? The next time you're struggling for inspiration you might try looking high...




and low...


during a visit to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

The Basilica contains a multitude of mosaics (created using over 41 million pieces of glass) throughout the domes and archways. Pair those designs with the amazing floor patterns and soon you'll be thinking . . .

. . . about vines and circles . .


. . . merging border designs . . .


. . . intricate piecing to complement a large motif . . .



. . . and before you know it, you'll be drafting a pattern for a six-pointed star with a tumbling block center.




Once your imagination takes wing, who knows what will happen?


Exchange feathers for something more musical? Or a continuing celebration of looking at the world through a quilter's eyes as you piece your way to simpler times.

Spring Cleaning

Raise your right hand if you've been thinking about starting your spring cleaning. Raise your left hand if you're working on your spring cleaning. Raise both hands if you've finished your spring cleaning. Congratulations! Way to go!

Now, before you lower those hands and pat yourself on the back, let's do a quick check to see if you're telling the truth. Spring cleaning is finished for 2012 if you've done the following:

• Windows cleaned
• Snow boots put away
• Cobwebs removed from the ceiling
• Fabric scrap jungle tamed

What? You forgot about your scrap piles? Maybe your spring cleaning isn't as finished as you thought.

After all of your winter sewing, you're bound to have created a mountain (or molehill) of scraps. All of those special pieces were too pretty, too large, or too precious to throw away. But now that you have saved them, what are you going to do with them? Rather than shove them in a box, might we make a few suggestions?

Why not start a Spring Cleaning Quilt? This Scrappy Hourglass quilt makes a good choice if you have bunches and bunches of scraps you need to use.

Create your own version by ordering the magazine here:

http://www.homesteadhearth.com/scrappy-hourglass-monthly-program.htm

Not sure you'll have enough scraps to finish a project? No worries! Try our Grab Bags. Each one contains a pound of 100% cotton fabric (equivalent to 2.5-3 yards total) for only $6.00.

No two bags are alike, so don't hesitate to order multiples:

http://www.homesteadhearth.com/shop/An-Online-Blowout/Remnant-Bags/p/Grab-Bag-of-fabric.htm

Not sure you'll have time to start something new because you are headed out on spring break? Scraps can still lend a hand--or at least catch your eye. Just tie a strip of your favorite color around the handle, and you'll have no worries finding your luggage.

Wherever spring takes you, comment on this post and share your Scraps of Wisdom for using up scraps. We'd love to give your ideas a try as we stitch our way to simpler times.

Spring Has Sprung

Whatever the weather is like where you are, here in mid-Missouri we're getting a taste of spring. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, breezes are blowing, and quilters are hitting the road.

A few days ago a trio of quilters visited our shop as part of their yearly jaunt. As they browsed the fabric and patterns, they had a few minutes to chat.

"We go somewhere different every year, but we've had to make rules," one of them told us. "We can buy as much as we want on each trip, but we have to finish one of the projects we buy before the next year's trip."

One project? That sounded doable.

"And, since some of us are forgetful," explained her friend, "we've had to appoint a secretary."

Ah...now the truth comes out!

If you had to choose one project to finish before next March, what would it be? If you love scrappy quilts--Kansas Trouble style especially--you may want to sign up for our Collection of Scraps BOM.

Starting in April, this easy piecing beauty finishes 114" square. Find more details at http://www.homesteadhearth.com/a-collection-of-scraps.htm


Not comfortable with letting someone else choose your fabrics? Then why not pick a project of your own?




If you like variety--plus recipes to keep your crew fed while you stitch--A Year of Cozy Comforts may be just the book for you. Like to piece? Prefer to applique? Like to mix it up with cotton one time and wool the next? Check out Dawn's projects for every season.

You'll find our newest books listed here:
http://www.homesteadhearth.com/shop/Amazing-New-Arrivals/Books.htm

As you welcome spring, we hope you'll make us a part of your celebration. Come see us in person or visit online. It's always a joy to find others who appreciate simpler times.

P.S. You can always make a commitment to a "Finish by Next Year at This Time" project by commenting on this blog. If you don't finish on time, we won't tell. And if you do? We'll be happy dancing right along with you.

Anti-Procrastination Month or Sit-N-Snooze? You Choose!

Someone told me March is anti-procrastination month. Whether or not their information is true, anti-procrastination sounded like a good excuse to start blogging again. And today seemed as good a day as any--much better than Saturday evening when we all lose an hour of sleep. Well, maybe all of us except Ollie.

If you happen to have trouble sleeping, you may want to ask Ollie for advice. As you can see, he's perfected the skill of sleeping sitting up. Maybe if you could find a shelf about chin height with a comfy curtain stretched across it you'd also be ready for a Sit-n-Snooze. Just watch the snoring so you don't get caught!

Nancy Gault of St. Louis, Missouri, hasn't been doing much snoozing. By the looks of her Show-and-Tell she's been spending many hours sewing. The result? Nancy has cleaned out some of her favorite stash fabrics to complete her version of McCall's 2011 series quilt, America the Beautiful.


Don't you love the way she turned the church windows into stained glass?

We had fun "oohing" and "ahhing" over Nancy's beautiful work and can hardly wait to see her again.

If you're having trouble keeping your eyes open to finish your quilt projects, you may need a jolt of caffeine--and we have just the thing! Our Chavin Coffees are now available online! Order whole bean or ground,decaf or fully caffeinated in your choice of flavors.

http://www.homesteadhearth.com/shop/CoffeesTeasCocoa/Chauvin-Coffees.htm

Whether you plan to use March to Sit-N-Snooze like Ollie, or seriously stitch like Nancy, we wish you a happy Anti-Procrastination month. Take time to come see us. Don't put it off! We'd love to have you join us for simpler times.