The Story of Sylvia's at Glad Creations

In the spring of 2009, we received a new quilt pattern book at Glad Creations. The title of the book was Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. The author, Jennifer Chiaverini, is also the author of the "Elm Creek Quilts" series of fictional stories featuring a quilting guild in central Pennsylvania. In the sixth book of this fictional series, the members of the quilt guild make a wedding quilt using 6" x 6" quilt blocks for their founder, Sylvia. This led to the book we were looking at, Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, which features patterns for the 140 6" quilt blocks that the guild used in Sylvia's quilt.





Susan and Nancy, owners of Glad Creations Quilt Block in Minneapolis, looked at this book and thought it would be fun to make all these blocks. We talked about how long it would take to actually complete this project. We started wondering if anyone else would want to do it with us. As we talked to our quilting friends around the shop we found out that quite a few people were interested in this project.

So, we decided to start a club. We planned on 2 ½ years to complete the project. We sorted the blocks out by technique and planned club meetings, about 4 times each year, each of which focused on a particular technique. Imagine our surprise when almost 100 people signed up to participate in the club! Our group ranged from fairly new quilters to very experienced quilters and included quilters from all around the Twin Cities Metro area. We shared ideas on techniques and everyone learned and improved their skills.

So here's the result. We have about 40 completed quilts to display. They will be shown in two exhibits. The first will hang January 1 – 10, 2012. The second exhibit, with a completely different group of quilts will be shown January 11 – 21, 2012. Not everyone completed all of the blocks but put together the blocks they did complete into a variety of interesting sets.

What an exciting week it is as folks are dropping off their Sylvia's quilts at the shop, getting ready for the display. What an accomplishment! Congratulations to all who have worked on this project!

Watch our blog for a slide show of the first group of quilts on January 1, 2012. We'll post a slide show of the second group on January 12, 2012. www.gladcreationsquilts.blogspot.com.

A special card!

Need a special card for someone? Carol Doak's new book, 50 Little Paper-Pieced Blocks may be just the ticket. Have some fun making one of the 3" paper-pieced blocks in her book, then insert it into one of her Keepsake Frame Cards. The book contains basic steps for paper-piecing, including sizes of pieces to cut. The small block is set into the card opening with the included double stick tape. Pretty easy! And it really does make for a very special card.

What's on your wish list?

This is the time of year we often have non-quilters coming into the shop and hunting for the perfect gift for a quilter. We usually come up with some good ideas--hopefully something you don't already own, but wish that we knew what you were really wishing for.
Did you know we have a gift registry at Glad Creations? It's easy! Come in and list all your sewing, quilting, crafting items you'd like to receive. We'll keep that list at the shop and revise it as needed. You know that your family and friends would really be happy knowing exactly what you are wishing for. You can even give them a reminder card with our address, phone number and hours. To make it even easier for shoppers, we will gift wrap those presents for them. What could be easier?
We also have gift certificates which can be used for anything you wish. If you are like most of the quilters we know, a gift certificate can make for hours of fun!
So, come in and fill out your personalized wish list and may all your wishes come true.

Quick Gift Idea Demo

Here's a list of some of the things we'll be showing at the Quick Gift Demo on Saturday, November 26. The demo will run from 10:00 - 1:00. Hope to see you there.

Quick and Easy Gift Ideas from Glad Creations ~ November 2011

La Todera patterns

· The Kafflower—just some hand gathering, glue and accessories

· The Slipper Orchid Brooch—hand gathering, glue and accessories. Our sample is the full size. Smaller flowers could be made by reducing the size of the template on a copy machine.

· The Poinsettia Brooch—hand gathering, glue and accessories. Our sample used 3 layers of petals. A smaller flower could be made using 2 layers of petals.

· The Kanzashi Flower Fascinator—uses the Clover Large Pointed Petal Maker

Clover Kanzashi Flower Makers

3 styles—2 sizes of each---Hand gathering by following the numbers on the template. The large flowers are smaller than those made with the La Todera patterns.

Reader Wrap by Atkinson Designs—for the Nook or E-reader

Composition Covers by Indigo Junction

Take 4 Placemats by Something So Fine Quilt Design

Lollipop Bag by Atkinson Designs

Waffle Time by Atkinson Designs

Amazingly Simple Coasters & Hot Pads by Tiger Lily Press

Candice by Lazy Girl Designs

Kids Aprons by Cotton Ginny ~ Farm Friends, Fun Friends and Jungle Friends.

Kanzashi Flowers

I've been playing around with the Kanzashi Flowers and the Clover Flower makers today. What fun! And great quick gifts to make. We have 4 different flowers patterns by La Todera. The poinsettia, the orchid and the Kafflower in the picture are all made without any special tools. Stitches are done by hand and are easy handwork to do. Clover has come out with some plastic flower makers. The smaller flowers in the picture are made with the Pointed Petal flower maker. I'm planning on pinning one of them onto the Lollipop bag by Atkinson Designs. I think they will be great for decorating bags, hats etc. Think of all the possibilities!
The hardest part on all of the flower brooches was figuring out how to use my hot glue gun without burning my fingers. The flowers could also be made with any kind of quick setting glue.
We'll be showing how to make these at our Quick Gift Demo on Saturday, November 26. The demo will run from 10:00-1:00. Need a quick gift? Stop in and take a look.

Mystery Weekend 48

All four sessions of Mystery Weekend 48 are done. We can't show the Mystery Quilts yet because some folks are still working on the quilt via Mystery by Mail. But, we can share all the fun "show & tell" that we saw during the Mystery Weekend sessions. We saw lots of quilts from past Mystery Weekends and many other fun projects that participants have been working on recently.
We snapped some photos during "show & tell" so we could share all the fun in a slide show. We've labeled quilts that use Glad Creations patterns plus some that were made in other classes at Glad Creations. It's so fun to see our Glad Creations designs come back made up in so many different color combinations! You'll also see a preview of some of the quilts that are in the works for our Sylvia's Bridal Sampler show that we'll be hanging in January.

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Market finds

Back from market and now I'm trying to sort out all of the new items and ideas in my brain. So much to see and to choose. So much stimulation. We'll be showing you some of our new finds as they come into the shop.

Some of the new patterns that I think you will love are the Kanzashi flower pins from La Todera. What fun gift ideas. We ordered 3 different flowers and are working up samples so you can see them. The patterns will be arriving any day. These are easy and fast to make. We'll be showing these at the Quick Gift Demo on Saturday, November 26 along with other quick gift ideas. The demo will run from 10:00 - 1:00. Hope you can make it.

South Minneapolis Quilters

We had a fun time last night at the South Minneapolis Quilter's meeting. What a nice bunch of quilters. The focus of our talk was about Glad and all of the wonderful quilts that she has made. Many of those quilts have been prize winners. I think the group was most surprised that she hadn't started quilting until nearly 60 years of age. She's 93 now, so all of the quilts we showed and many, many, many more had been made within about 35 years. We told a little about Glad, her other interests and were able to show about 35 of her quilts. She was able to come to the meeting and I know she enjoyed visiting with all of the quilters and seeing old friends. This is a photo of Glad in her favorite applique chair.


It was also fun to show some of her other craft projects she had been involved in while we were growing up. Did you know she use to make Panorama Sugar Easter Eggs and decorate sugar cubes to sell at a candy store? And some of the quilters at the meeting told us they use to buy her handmade purses back in the 70s--before we opened the shop.

She's just starting her next applique quilt. I think she has a couple blocks done. So it won't be long until we have it on display. We always have a few of her appliqued quilts displayed at the shop. Stop in and see them. You will be amazed.

Sew Many Stars

The newest Glad Creations pattern,"Sew Many Stars", is now available! We put Susan's Jewel Tone quilt on the pattern cover but if you stop in the shop you can also see Nancy's "Jo Morton" combo. The pattern includes instructions for the quilt in two sizes - 78" x 90" or 90" x 102". Our quilts shown in the photos are the smaller quilt. The larger size adds a strippy border. We'll have kits for both quilts up on the web site soon.
Keep an eye on Nathan's blog. He has his quilt top done and will be posting a photo soon. I saw it a couple days ago and it's fantastic!

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler

When we started our Sylvia's Bridal Sampler club a year and a half ago, it seemed that a quilt show in January 2012 was a long time away. Now it's just around the corner. We're having our last sessions of the club this coming Monday and Tuesday. The members have really stuck with it--although some of those blocks were really hard! If you don't know about the Sylvia's blocks, they are from the book Sylvia's Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini. There are 140 six inch blocks using a variety of techniques. I think we will have enough quilts in our show to put up 2 quilt displays. Our only criteria for displaying your quilt was that it had to be completely finished--quilted and bound. I think some of the members made all of the blocks and will have a bed sized quilt--some will be lap quilts or wallhangings. We'll have all the specifics for entering your quilt ready by next week. If anyone else has finished a Sylvia's Bridal Sampler Quilt or if you are not coming to the final club meeting, let us know so we can send you the entry information.

Several of the club members have used the classrooms to lay out their blocks and make their final decisions. It's been really fun to see the blocks in different fabrics. Both Nathan and Dee have posted photos on their blogs. Check them out--we have links to their blogs on this page.

I've made all of the 140 blocks--I guess that's the pressure of being in charge of the club. I might not use all of them in my quilt. Now to make the final decision--how to lay out the blocks. One bed-size quilt or 2 lap size? I've been playing with some different layouts. Should I use a straight setting with sashing?




















Or set my blocks on point? Maybe I should use alternating squares. Time to make those decisions. I have a quilting date set in December, so it's time to sew blocks together.










I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the quilts. I know it will be an amazing show--or maybe 2 shows. Watch for information on the dates of the show. We will have all the specifics in our next class schedule and in our E-mail update. We hope you will come!

Fall Fun

The next session of quilting classes will be starting this month. We have some fun ones in the lineup. Whether you want a traditional quilting class taught by Pat Cox, a beginning machine piecing class taught by Annemarie Yohnk, a Lone Star class taught by Cheri Merritt or a once a month club we have something for you. Check out the class schedule on our website to see the complete list of fall classes.
Cheri teaches our Lone Star Class. She has made many Lone Star Quilts. She won a ribbon on one of them at the Minnesota Quilt show in June. You can see a photo of that quilt and another one that she has in progress on her blog. And don't let the Lone Star Quilt scare you! The small quilt you make in the class will teach you the techniques needed for perfectly matched points, perfect set-in corners and a star with a flat center. Your friends will really be impressed!
And if you want a monthly club, there are still a few openings in the 1:00 session of Scrap Tamers Plus From Marti and Me Club. We're excited to get a new year going.

Don't forget to enter our September Anniversary Drawing. Enter you name every time you come into the shop during September. We're giving away a really fun quilt called Northwoods.

Scrap Tamers Signup Day

Why the crowd in front of the shop? It was Scrap Tamer Plus Marti and Me signup day. Word has it that the line started at 7 AM. Sign up started at 9:30. Fun to see all the quilters with their chairs, coffee, donuts etc. Scrap Tamers Club Plus meets the 3rd Saturday of each month. The first meeting will be Saturday, September 17. We have 3 sessions scheduled--there are still a few openings in the 1:00 session. I think it will be a lot of fun this year as we're combining the From Marti and Me club with our traditional Scrap Tamers club--2 clubs for the price one ! I'm all about learning as many things about quilting as you can! And the Marti and Me club offers some fun new techniques and information about using her well designed tools and rulers.

If you're interested, call the shop or come in to get more information. We have sample bundles made for the Mystery Quilt we will be doing in the club. Order one or you can work from your stash--after all, this is Scrap Tamers. We also have a sample of the 1st project for the From Marti and Me Club. It's a really fun table runner called Bali Breezes. Each of the Marti Michell patterns will feature one of her rulers. This time it is the Small Full Diagonal Set Triangle Ruler.

So, come join in the fun--next year you may be out in front of the shop--anxious to sign up again.

35 Years!

With this being our 35th anniversary year, I thought it might be fun to do a little reminiscing. A few of you have known us from our beginning in 1976. But most of you have become friends later on and may not know our history. So the story begins: Gladys and Nancy (mother and daughter) opened Glad Creations Inc. in 1976. It was the bicentennial year and there was a new interest in quilting. Nancy had just graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Economics and had become interested in quilting. Gladys ran a busy business out of her home called "Glad Creations". She made purses from denim and vinyl with appliqued flaps. They were made to order--customers would choose their own fabrics and applique design and 2 weeks later come in and pick up their purse.

In 1976, they decided to combine their 2 interests and open a quilt shop which also took orders for and sold Glad's purses. They purchased a corner grocery store on the corner of Bloomington and 34th street in south Minneapolis. The building had a grocery store on the 1st floor and an apartment upstairs. We are still, after 35 years, in the same location. We have expanded the shop to include classroom, display and office space on the 2nd floor. As the quilting business grew, Glad sold her purse business and began working at the shop full time.

It has been great to be part of a family business. Our dad worked there after his retirement, doing the bookwork. Our sister, Carol, does our long-arm quilting and has made many samples for us. I began working at the shop in about 1978 after my kids were a little older. A lot has changed in our 35 years! Look for another blog talking about some of the changes that have taken place.

And don't forget--to celebrate our 35th anniversary, we will be having a drawing each month through the end of the year. All you need to do is come in to the shop and enter the drawing. Enter as many times during the month as you wish. We will draw the winner at the end of the month. In September, someone will win our Northwoods Quilt. It's from a Glad Creations pattern that we designed especially for the Moda Booth at Quilt Market. I love this quilt! So--good luck to all of your who enter our September drawing. I wish you all could win!
Susan

Class Signup

Thursday, August 11, is the first day to sign up for Fall classes. There are some great ones coming up. We have some new ones in the plan so be sure to check on the website to see what looks like fun. Cheri will be teaching a color class. Dee has scheduled a machine quilting refresher class if you'd like a little more hands on help with planning or quilting. I'll be teaching a Lemoyne Star class using the new Rapid Fire Ruler by Deb Tucker. Nancy and I are working on the next Mystery Weekend quilt. And of course, all the basics are also in the schedule.

We'll be starting a new Scrap Tamers this fall. We're calling it Scrap Tamers Plus From Marti & Me Club. (What a long name). After some input from last year's group, we decided to combine the 2 clubs into one club. Signup for Scrap Tamers Plus Club is on Saturday August 27. We have the signup sheets ready and you can pick them up early if you'd like. We will be doing a mystery quilt like we've done in Scrap Tamers before, but also doing projects each month from the Marti & Me Club. We put together some sample bundles for both the mystery quilt and the September Marti & Me project for those of you who do not want to choose your own fabrics. There is also a poster of the Sept. project at the shop. After reading the Marti & Me pattern, I feel like I've already learned some new techniques. This should be fun!

Be sure and ask if you have any questions about upcoming classes.

Our busy neighborhood

This weekend is the Powderhorn Art Fair. It runs on Saturday from 10:00 - 6:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 - 5:00 and is just down the street from us. It's a great art fair with 184 artists this year. It runs in conjunction with the Uptown Art Fair and the Loring Park Art Festival. It's a nice venue for the art fair, with all the artist's tents surrounding Powderhorn lake. It does make our parking situation a little tough. If you are coming for class, you'll want to drop off your machine at the door and then go to park. We'll be there to help however we can. If you are shop hopping, hopefully you might be lucky and find a spot that another hopper or art fair lover has just left. The art fair crowds usually thin out later in the day. Keep in mind that we will be open until 8:30 on both Monday and Tuesday of the coming week. The parking will be super easy both of those days. Or come and enjoy the Powderhorn Art Fair while you're in the neighborhood!

Rapid Fire LeMoyne Star

Most of the year I complain because my basement sewing room is so cold. Not the last few days. With the temperature at close to 100 degrees and the humidity just about as close, I've really been lucky to get to spend extra time in my "cold" sewing room. I just finished a sample of the Rapid Fire LeMoyne Star. It will be a new class in the soon to be coming Fall class schedule. It uses the square-up tool by Deb Tucker which makes all of those stars go together perfectly. We'll be demonstrating some of her square up rulers on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30. That's the first weekend of the Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. If you can't make it to the demos, we do have some demo boards set up at the shop so you can see how her tools work. They're pretty slick!

Hope you are planning on "hopping" during the Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. Pick up a passport at your first shop to get yourself started. There are 10 shops in the Central East Section. Each will be giving away a pattern for a 9" block, a charm square of the shop hop fabric, a card listing a "Step toward better quilting" and a charm with a $10 purchase. If you get to all 10 shops, you will receive a bag pattern designed by Terri Atkinson especially for our section. I think it would be really cute with all of the charms sewn on it. We have made several small samples using the Shop Hop fabric. The ideas keep coming, but the time is getting close. The joint buses between the Central East and the Central Section will all be running, and there is still time to sign up for one.

So, what project can I work on next that takes me into my "cold" sewing room? Maybe I'll get started on the Scrap Tamers Mystery Quilt. That sounds like fun!

Lazy Days of Summer!

Whatever happened to the lazy days of summer? We are busier than ever at the shop! The Minnesota Quilters show in St. Paul was wonderful. It's always one of the highlights of the year. It's so much fun for us to reconnect with all of our quilting friends. And the quilt display was great.
But that's not all! Today Nancy and I are the speakers at the St. Cloud Heritage Quilters guild meeting. We'll be heading up to St. Cloud this afternoon with about 25 quilts, some older, some newer, some rarely seen from our own collections. It's always fun to show the quilts and talk about our shop history. Did you know we will have been in business for 35 years in August? Things have certainly changed in the quilting world.
The class schedule is in the works. New classes for the fall and a new plan for Scrap Tamers. Watch for it to come in the mail in early August. And you should be getting a postcard about our pre-inventory sale coming up July 14-16.
We are also busy getting ready for the Quilt Minnesota Shop hop which begins on July 29th. Our fabric has arrived, so we are busy getting some samples made. Shelly and Pat made a fun display of the fabrics so come in and get a sneak peek! I took a photo, but it is much better to see it in person! If you were thinking of taking one of the convenience buses, give us or one of the other shops a call. Sign ups have been a little slow--so decisions will be made soon on whether all of the buses will run.

Quilt Comfort

We have a fantastic group of quilters that meet at the shop each month making quilts, primarily for children. The quilts are all donated to organizations that can use them. It's amazing how many quilts they produce! Not only do they get a lot done but they have loads of fun doing it.

Wanda, a group member was recently contacted by a physician friend, who is also a quilter, about the possibility of the group donating quilts to kids displaced by the tornado that devastated parts of north Minneapolis on May 22. The group participants were notified, and all who responded agreed it was a perfect opportunity to help in a timely way.

Wanda made contacts through the emergency resource numbers and learned that the Red Cross would be an appropriate recipient for distributing the quilts where they were most needed. On May 22 she delivered 30 kid-themed quilts to the Red Cross. They were happy to get a variety of sizes and put them right in the next truck headed to the north location.

These busy quilters have done much more than this! So far this year they have delivered quilts to the following organizations:
Children's Hospital - 66 quilts plus 105 small quilts for a special event
St. Joseph's Home - 5 children's quilts & 5 wall quilts
Veteran's Home - 6 quilts
Red Cross - 30 quilts

What a generous group of quilters. They share so much of their time to make all of this happen.

Minnesota Quilters Show

We're ready! Our setup time was Wednesday at 8:00 AM. Does it look like we'll ever be ready? By 3:00 we were pretty much set up with just a few final touches to go. Time to even look at the wonderful quilt exhibit. Today the show hours at 9:00 - 5:00. Three fun filled days of seeing friends, meeting new friends and enjoying the company of lots of quilters.

Glad Creations Totes

The new Glad Creations sunny yellow Tote bags are in! Get yours with a $25.00 purchase in the shop or in our booth at the Minnesota Quilter's Show next week.
We're looking forward to the show at the St. Paul RiverCentre June 16 - 18. You'll find us in booth 310-312. We're packing up loads of fun things to display in our booth. Did you see the photo of Glad with her most recent quilt that we posted a couple weeks ago? It's all quilted and bound so we'll be featuring it in our booth at the show.

Lazy Angle Ruler

I got to play with another new ruler this weekend. I made a demo board for the Creative Grids Lazy Angle ruler. It is designed by Joan Hawley of Lazy Girl Designs. Cut 2 simple shapes in any of 6 different sizes and you can make hundreds of block variations. Joan Hawley also has written a book called Lazy and Lovin' It as a companion to the ruler. The book includes step by step instructions to make 250 different Lazy Angle blocks! It also includes companion blocks that will work well with the Lazy Angle blocks. We carry a couple simple patterns designed by her called Littles. They are both "Charm Square" friendly.
I cut a few extra pieces to go along with the demo board so you can try out your own variations and see how this works. We'll show you how to use this ruler at our "New From Market Demo" on Wednesday, June 8. The demo will run from 1:00 - 4:00. Come to the demo or if you can't make it, come in to see the demo board. It looks like a fun new tool.

Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star

I finally had some time yesterday to play with the new Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star Ruler by Deb Tucker of Studio 180. How fun! Made a 4" Lemoyne Star that turned out perfectly. The ruler makes stars in 10 sizes ranging from 3" up to 12". Pieces are cut oversized and then trimmed. Blocks are made with split corners--so no Y-seams! I made a demo board to show the steps. The instructions with the ruler are great. I plan to make the wallhanging that comes with the ruler. It has all 10 sizes of stars in it and is really fun. I will be demonstrating the Deb Tucker rulers at the upcoming Minnesota Quilters Show in St. Paul. We also have a demo day coming up at the shop on Wednesday, June 8th. It will run from 1:00-4:00. I'll be showing lots of the new things we picked up at Spring Market.
Susan

Scrap Tamers Spring Surprise

Look at all the quilters that made the Spring Surprise Mystery Project in Scrap Tamers. They were all entered into a drawing for 1 of 4 gift certificates at Glad Creations. The table runners and toppers are great! Thanks to all of you for participating in Scrap Tamers this year. We will be working on the plans for next year soon. Signup day is August 27th with the first session starting on the 3rd Saturday of September. We've got some new ideas in our heads so watch for more information coming soon.
Susan

What's Glad Been Up To?

We had a staff get together at the shop last night with lots of fun show & tell. Here's Glad - she just completed the applique on her latest project. All I can say is WOW! The pattern is "Roseville Album" by Kim McLean. It has loads of whimsical flowers and fun birds and animals on it. I think most of the cats are grey so they must be Gracie (Glad's cat) although she included one or two orange cats (Milo). Glad is a big fan of Kim McLean's applique patterns and has done several of them. I think this is by far the most intricate. Now it's off to be quilted. We'll have it on display in the shop when it's all done. I can hardly wait!
Nancy

Quilt Market

Home from Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. What a great time. It's always a time of inspiration, planning, shopping and fun. The first day Nancy and I always go to the Schoolhouse Sessions. We each go to about fifteen 15 minute to 30 minute sessions, each on a different topic. These are put on by fabric companies, pattern designers, publishers and notion companies. It's always great fun to go through the list of sessions and plan which to go to. By the end of the day our minds are so full of ideas they are just spinning. After schoolhouse, we go back to our room and share the things we have seen and learned. This time we each must have walked more than our 10,000 steps!
The next day the market starts. Row after row of vendors--each showcasing their specialties. We always spend the first day just walking through the market, writing down ideas and picking up brochures. This year we couldn't even make it through the whole thing on the 1st day! So many rows and so many booths! Then back to our room to make some decisions.
The 3rd and 4th days are spent re-evaluating and shopping. We found some great new items and lots of new ideas. So now the fun will begin for all of you! We brought back a few of the new things--many will be coming in the next couple weeks. We'll keep you posted as things come in.
Susan

Twin Cities Shop Hop

Thanks to all of you quilters who made the shop hop a fun event. It was fun to see so many friends coming in and having a good time. Hope you enjoyed the special exhibit of Annemarie's Quilts Remembered miniature quilts. The quilts will be on display until May 9 so if you missed it, there is still time to come see them.
The shop owners will all be gathering tonight to pick the winners of the drawings. We wish the best luck to all of you. Too bad you can't all win!

Quilt Shop "Til You Drop 2011

We had our final shop owner's meeting today to finalize all the details about the Twin Cities shop hop. That always makes us aware of how soon it is coming. It's always a fun event and this year I think it will be extra fun. The dates are April 28-30. Hours are 9am-9pm on Thursday and Friday, 9am-5pm on Saturday. You will receive a free quilt block pattern at each of the 11 shops along the way. Each shop has designed it's own quilt pattern, using those blocks, available for purchase. We've added a Treasure Hunt this year as part of the event. You will receive a list of 11 unusual things to find along the way, one at each shop. Find them all and get entered into a drawing for a bundle of gift certificates--one from each shop! But that's not all! We will have a Trunk show of Annemarie Yohnk's miniature quilts on display. Both Annemarie and Susan will be doing demos during the shop hop, titles and times are listed in the class schedule and on the website. And of course there are some wonderful prizes you may win. Go to all the 11 shops and get your passport stamped to be entered into the drawings for these great prizes. Hope you can make it! It's going to be great fun!

Mystery Weekend 47 Show & Tell

We've just completed a fun series of workshops for Mystery Weekend 47. Participants came with great fabric selections and had a loads of fun working on their mystery quilts. We can't show you this Mystery Quilt yet because we still have folks working on their Mystery by Mail 47 quilts.
We can show you the fantastic Show and Tell that we saw each weekend. I've put together a slide shop of photos we snapped during the show and tell. I've also added quilt names to the quilts that were made from Glad Creations patterns. It was sure fun to see all the Birds in the Air quilts that came back completed from last fall's Mystery Weekend! That pattern is in the final stages of getting ready to go the the printers so it should be available in just a couple weeks.
Enjoy the slide show!
Nancy

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Suzi Purse Insert and More

I just finished making a couple Suzi Purse Inserts. The pattern is from Lazy Girl Designs and as always her pattern is well written and easy to put together. Use these anywhere you need some pockets. There are pockets on both the inside and outside. Move the inserts from purse to purse or use them to organize things at your desk or craft area. The pattern includes instructions for 2 sizes. She has planned the sizes to fit into many of the Lazy Girl Designs bags. Maybe next I'll make a Suzi Insert and a matching bag! I wonder which one to make?

Mystery Weekend

Just finished our first session of Mystery Weekend #47. What fun! The group loved the quilt and got lots and lots of sewing done. Wonderful show and tell, lots of chatting and plenty of goodies to munch on. Thanks, ladies! We have 2 more sessions scheduled for the end of this week--and a final session on March 26 and 27. If you are not coming to one of our mystery weekends, you can still have fun with this quilt by signing up for mystery by mail #47. Same quilt! Check out the 2 kit choices on our website at www.gladcreationsquilts.com. The members of the first mystery weekend are sworn to secrecy--so don't try to get any tips from them.

Free Motion Machine Quilting

Looking for a new book about machine quilting? The book Free Motion Machine Quilting by Don Linn is excellent. It focuses on free motion quilting on your home machine. It would be great for either the quilter who wants to refine her skills or for those of you new to free motion quilting. It includes a series of machine quilting exercises for you to learn to master a variety of skills. It also includes visual troubleshooting guides to solve common machine quilting problems. It's written in a fun way and really radiates a you can do it approach. This may be a book you would like to add to your quilt library.

Tea Leaf Tote

I just finished making the Tea Leaf Tote sample for the free demo on February 9. The pattern by Poorhouse Quilt Designs includes both this large tote (18" x 18" x 5") and a small mini bag. I think this technique gives the look of a cathedral window with much less work. The best part is the technique could be used in a number of different projects. Imagine this as a strip on a table runner or on place mats. Or you could add a pocket or strip on a different purse or tote bag. The demo will run from 1:00 - 4:00 on Wednesday, February 9. Hope you can come.

Civil War Sewing Circle

We just received a new book from Martingale that you quilting history buffs will love. The Civil War Sewing Circle by Kathleen Tracy is a fun book. It is sub-titled Quilts and Sewing Accessories Inspired by the Era. It has 16 easy projects including small and large quilts reminiscent of those made during the Civil War and patterns for a pincushion, sewing box and needle case. Along with the projects, learn a little history about women's efforts during that time. There are also photos and excerpts from letters written to and from soldiers during the Civil War and some interesting historical tidbits. Come in and check it out.

The Show Goes On!

Folks have been enjoying the our staff quilt show of Lone Star Quilts as they've come through the shop this week. Our staff had a great time selecting challenging patterns and planning their quilts. If you haven't gotten in to see the show, we are extending it for a few more days. We'll keep it hanging through the day on Wednesday January 12.
Take a peek at the slide show to see the quilts!
Nancy

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