Mystery Weekend 52 Show & Tell

We've had so much fun with our fall sessions of Mystery Weekend #52.  Participants had a great time sewing on our brand new mystery quilt pattern.  So many fun fabric combinations!

We can't show you the new mystery quilt yet but we can share the wonderful show & tell that our Mystery Quilters brought along to share.  We snapped photos of all of the fun quilts we saw.  We've noted names of the quilts that are Glad Creations patterns.  We saw quite a few versions of the Mystery Quilt from last spring - Little Trips.

So many beautiful quilts!  Thanks to everyone for sharing their creations with us!
Enjoy our slide show.
Nancy

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Scrap Tamers 2013-2014

Wow!  What a fun signup day.  The lines were as long as ever, but moved quickly.  We completely filled our 3 sessions in the 1st hour!  That's never happened before.  So, what happens now?  If you didn't come or call on Saturday to get a spot and still would like to be a member of Scrap Tamers, we will see if we can fill one more session.  Right now we are taking a waiting list to see if we have enough interest to schedule a 2:30 session.  If you are interested, call the shop and get your name on the waiting list.  We'll see what we can do.
So what makes this club so popular that some quilters showed up at 5:45 to register at 9:30?  I think it must be all about having fun, being the first to know what's new at the shop, sharing with a group of quilters and learning to make quilts more efficiently and accurately.  Maybe something about using up your stash too! 

This is going to be a fun year.  We're working from a program called Stash Pot Pie. This is a fun program with monthly quilt patterns that work really well for scraps. We'll offer tips for piecing these fun quilts.

 We'll also offer a mystery quilt as part of the Scrap Tamers Club.  This lap size quilt will also be scrappy.  You can either use your stash or pre-order one of our specially chosen bundles.  If you weren't at signup to see the 2 bundles we picked, we took photos on Saturday. 
                                            

The first is the Black and white bundle with a red accent.  The second is the batik bundle with dark and medium batiks and a soft turquoise accent. 

 








You can look at the signup sheet with all the information on our website at www.gladcreationsquilts.com.  So let us know if you are interested in a 2:30 session and we'll see what happens.
Susan

Quilt Retreats

After 35 years of never going on a quilt retreat, Nancy and I finally understand the wonder and fun that all of you discovered early on.    All the sharing, the community, the fun, the quilting time, the escape from the troubles of one's life--all are a part of a quilting retreat.  Five of us from Glad Creations attended the summer retreat planned by Carole Wilder.  It was held at the Eagle Bluff Environmental Center in Lanesboro.  We chatted, laughed, pieced, shared, had S'mores and more.  What a sharing, caring group of quilters.

A few of us, not Nancy nor I, were brave enough to do the Ropes Course!  I think it may have been on a few bucket lists.  As we watched, we were amazed at the bravery of our group. I remember when my kids went to an environmental center as part of their middle school experience.  I don't think I ever knew what they went through.   Watching them from the ground was amazing. And I think they are all proud that they did this.  Cheri, Nathan and Amy took on this challenge and succeeded!  Good for them.

If you have never gone on a quilting retreat, give it a try.  But it's up to you whether you challenge yourself with something as challenging as a rope's course. It's plenty fun just to piece, quilt, talk, share and chat!
Happy Quilting, Susan

More Quilt Photos

Greetings from rain soaked Minnesota.  The spigot has turned on and won't seem to turn off. I think our drought is officially over!  This seemed like a good day to post another blog. So, more photos for you to enjoy. We wanted as part of our special "Quilter of the Year Exhibit" to display some quilts from our own collections.  It was fun to choose a variety of quilts, some of which you may not have seen before.

 Nancy chose a couple favorites. Her fish quilt really drew quilters in.  I think a lot of Minnesotans  are attracted by fish!  It is especially fun with its three dimensional fins!  She made it for a show at the shop called "Fur, Fins and Feathers".  The design is a variation of a pattern by Ruth McDowell from the book Symmetry.

She also chose her Pickle Dish Quilt.  The idea came from the book Material Obsession 2 by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke.  It is foundation pieced.  How fun to select all of those prints and then decide how to combine them.

I chose to put in the Oh, My Stars Quilt.  This is one of my very favorites.  The pattern is by American Jane.  I love to piece lone stars and I got plenty of practice!  I was able to use the Wing Clipper by Studio 180 to make the piecing of all the sawtooth stars easier!  I wonder how many prints are in this quilt?  Do you ever count? 

I also chose the Autumn Trails Quilt.  This is from a pattern by Lori Smith of From my heart to your hands.  I do love all the "Northwoods" prints that are available and have been collecting them to use in a quilt.  I think I have the perfect spot in my house to hang this one.  Almost as good as having a cabin.

In the next blog, we'll show you some of the Glad Creations quilts we chose. 
Until then, keep dry! and keep quilting!
Susan

2013 Minnesota Quilters Show

Nancy and I are still coming down from the high that we’ve been on since being chosen as "Quilters of the Year" by Minnesota Quilters.   This is such a great honor!  As part of this we were able to have a special exhibit at the Minnesota Quilters Show in Duluth.  We want to thank all the members of Minnesota Quilters for making this such a special event.  Each year we are absolutely amazed that such a huge event can be put on by volunteers.  We can’t even imagine the work and time that goes into planning the annual quilt show.  And you may all have been exhausted, but you all still looked like you are having a wonderful time!  So first of all “Thank You”!

It was fun to set up our special exhibit.  We were able to include some Glad Creation patterns and also some of our favorite quilts from our personal collections.  We had 16 quilts on display—plus a bunch more in our vendor booth.  It was fun to run between the 2 booths and greet so many of our friends.  We got more hugs than we’ve ever had before and it was great to chat with quilters who have made our patterns, taken classes from us or just visited our shop.  We heard so many fun stories about their experiences.  

Just to give you a glimpse , I’ll include a few photos from our exhibit.   I’ll add more photos in the next blog posting.  

We tried to get an overview of quilts we have made during the 37 years we’ve had our shop.  This first quilt is called Harvest Medallion.  Nancy made it in 1981 and it appeared on the cover of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine in 1982.   It was made using traditional template techniques, hand appliqué and hand piecing.

We also included our family quilt that we made for our parents 50^th Wedding Anniversary.  We had collected family photos and sun-printed them on a specially treated fabric.  We followed the techniques in a book call One of a Kind Quilts by Judy Hopkins.

Our Sylvia’s Quilts were a fun addition to the display.  They were made as part of a club we had at the shop based on the book Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini.  This club lasted  2-1/2 years and ended with an exhibit of about 40 quilts at the shop.  We were pleased to be able to share this exhibit at the 2012 Minnesota Quilters Show in Rochester.

The other paired quilts we put in were our Total Eclipse Quilts from the Judy Neimeyer pattern.  We made these for a staff show called Companion Quilts.  These were both made using the same pattern, even some of the same prints, but how different they came out.

So--thank you Minnesota Quilters!  We really appreciate all the work you do in supporting quilting in our state. If you missed the Quilt Show in Duluth, the next one will be in St. Cloud next June.  And if you want to be part of this great group, you can check it out on their website at http://www.mnquilt.org/meetings.html.
 
Watch for more photos in our next blog posting.  
Susan

Reminiscing

Back in 1976, what would make a person think they could open a quilt shop?  And who would have thought that in 2013 it would still  be a growing business with new quilters all the time?  Nancy and Glad had a vision, although I’m sure they never expected all of the changes that have happened in the quilting industry.

For Nancy and I the honor of being selected Minnesota Quilters “Quilters of the Year for 2013” has led us to do some major reminiscing!    It’s been fun to remember some of the classes we used to teach, the projects we worked on and the changes in the quilting industry.  Some of those were really fun, from today’s point of view, some were a little strange, some were industry changing!  Every now and then, one of these projects seems to reappear as something completely new!

 Some of you have been our friends since Glad Creations opened in 1976.  You have gone through many of the changes along with us.  Others of you are newer friends and may have missed some of the fun changes that have happened. We thank all of you for being a part of our lives. You have really enriched our lives and we hope we have enriched yours.

So here’s a little trip down memory lane!    Which of these things do you remember? 

• Templates and hand piecing, fabric at $3.25/yard, Quilt as you go Sampler Quilts.

• Folded Stars in 14” hoops.  Oh no!  We just got some new patterns in for Folded Star Pot Holders!

• Basket making classes and supplies—luckily we had a bathtub for soaking the reed.

• Shadow appliqué—thick yarn showing through voile

• Sherenschnitte—paper cutting with tiny scissors

• Fabric Dying classes with Jan Meyers and Debra Lunn, both of whom became world famous!

• Teddy Bear classes—yes, we sold fur, eyes and joints!

• Wrap around skirts with machine appliquéd apples, strawberries, flowers around the bottom edge and puffy appliqués on chambray shirts

• Quillows—a quilt that folded up into its own attached pillow.  We got sore muscles demonstrating this at one of the Minnesota Quilt shows.

• The Quilt Show at Gustavus College in St. Peter when the temperature must have hit 105 degrees in the vendor mall.

 

• Ginghers scissors—what an amazing new product—we no longer had to rip strips for log cabins—we could cut through  8 layers of fabric at a time.

• The invention of Rotary Cutters and mats—a huge change! 

• The 1^st time a machine quilted quilt won Best of Show at Padukah and the outrage it caused.

• Acceptance of machine quilting and the growth of the Long Arm Machine Business.

This could go on and on………

We’d love to hear comments, stories, memories, favorite projects from Glad Creations.  Feel free to comment.  And be sure to stop and visit us at the Minnesota Quilt Show in Duluth.

Any Which Way!

Our Scrap Tamers 2012-2013 Club has ended for the year.  We always include a mystery quilt as part of the club and have club members show their quilt tops at the last session.  We named this quilt "Any Which Way".  Everyone made the same blocks,  but look at the many setting ideas that members used.  We had a great group of members this year and are looking forward to a new club starting in September.  Watch for more information about it this summer.

Love the new Pineapple Trim Tool

 I got to spend some time playing with the new Pineapple Trim Tool by Creative Grid.  It's a special ruler designed to help you make accurate Pineapple blocks.  Make 6", 8" or 10" blocks.
 

Blocks are squared up after each round of strips is added.  Use the white markings and trim with the diagonal side of the ruler for the odd numbered rounds.  Square up with the black center squares and the 90 degree corner for the even numbered rounds.

 

Add oversized corners and square up the block.  Works beautifully.  It comes with super easy to follow instructions or come in and see our demo boards.  They will show you how easy this is.

Now what fabrics from my stash should I use to make a new Pineapple Quilt?

Show and Tell at Mystery Weekend #51

It's time for another fun slide show! We've had an great time teaching our Mystery Weekend #51 quilt this month. We had about 60 participants for this round of Mystery. Everyone got lots done and loved the quilt. We won't be showing you the new mystery quilt yet because folks who are doing the pattern as Mystery by Mail are just getting started.

Our Mystery Weekends are one of the highlights of the year for us. We love getting together with long-time friends as well as getting to know new friends. One of the best parts of each weekend is the great show and tell that we see. We love seeing the completed quilts from past Mystery Weekends. We're also amazed by all the other inspiring quilts that participants bring to share. It's so fun to see what everyone has been working on.  Thanks to everyone who shared their creations with us!

As you watch the slide show you'll see that quite a few people finished their Mystery #50 quilt from last fall. That quilt is called Fabulous Fifty. We'll have it ready as a pattern later this spring.

So, here's our slide show of the photos we snapped. We added names to the photos that are Glad Creations patterns. Also noted are quilts made in classes at the shop.

 Enjoy!

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Vintage Glad's Quilts

January 1 – 11, 2013

Every year or two the staff at Glad Creations plan a "staff quilt show".  We choose a theme and spend a year (or more) working on quilts of that theme.  It's always a fun process as we select our fabrics and chat about our plans.  This time we decided to each choose one of the early Glad Creations patterns and make it in current fabrics.  Everyone selected a favorite from among the first 24 Glad Creations patterns.  It's been fun to get out the original quilts and see how our fabric selections have changed over the years.  

There are a few days left to stop in the shop to see the quilts.  If you can't come in - enjoy our slide show.

Check out our web site to see our entire line of Glad Creations patterns.

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A special honor!

Nancy and I are excited to share some wonderful news! 
 We have been named the 2013 Quilters of the Year by the  Minnesota Quilters Organization.  This is really a special honor--sort of like getting an academy award within the Minnesota quilting community.  Quilters of the Year are chosen by a vote of  members, which makes this award really special.  Minnesota Quilters is a non-profit statewide organization made up of quilters and quilt lovers.   Its mission is to honor the past, celebrate the present and nurture the future of quilting.  We will be honored at the Minnesota Quilt Show in Duluth in June with  a special display of our quilts and will be looking forward to chatting with show-goers.  Do you think we should still wear our New Year's tiara and feathers?

  We have been blessed to have been in a business that has been something we have loved, a business where we could be creative and enjoy the creativity of others.  We have been blessed to be part of a community of creative, caring friends.  We have been blessed to be able to work with family and with great staff.  We have been blessed to be able to share our knowledge and learn from others.   Who could wish for more?

Now just a little history!

Nancy and Gladys opened Glad Creations in 1976.  That was the bicentennial year when quilting had a resurgence of interest.  Glad, our mother, had a thriving purse-making business in her home.  Nancy was right out of college with a degree in Economics and a new love of quilting.  They combined the 2 interests and opened the shop in a former corner grocery store in South Minneapolis.  We are still in that same location after 36 years!   For the 1^st couple years, Nancy ran the shop and Glad continued working from home, making her purses.  We sold her purses in the shop.  When Glad sold her purse business, she began working in the shop along with Nancy.   I started working there in 1980 and have truly enjoyed being part of this business.
 

Nancy and I have been designing our line of Glad Creations patterns for the last 17 years, since 1995.  We now have  80 different patterns that are sold in shops all over the country.  As many of you know, our line of patterns have some common elements.  They are bed size or lap size scrap style quilts using many different prints.  They have a lot of piecing and many different units, but that is what I think makes them unique.  We pride ourselves on having such complete instructions, that even a quilting novice can be successful.  If you would like to see our line of patterns, go to our website at www.gladcreationsquilts.com.  You can see the whole line of patterns.

We have seen many changes in the quilting industry throughout the 36 years we have been in business  and I think these changes have really made our industry grow.   We have loved to embrace the new ideas, but also respect and teach traditional quilting methods.

We want to thank the members of Minnesota Quilters who gave us this honor.  We are looking forward to the Quilt Show in June. You can find out more information about the Minnesota Quilters 35th Annual Quilt Show & Conference on their website.   It's always a magnificent show.  Hope to see you there!

Susan