Ten days until Christmas.

Ten days until Christmas.  I’m almost done with the shopping and am near the end of sewing for Christmas.  This is the year of the Pillowcase…for family, friends, co-workers, and as Secret Santa.  It’s a fun way to choose fabric you think the recipient will like, and then do what you love to do… SEW!  Dee, Nancy, and I had a pillowcase marathon on Sunday night.  The TV was tuned to “Santa Clause”, hot apple cider was brewing on the stovetop, and the iron was constantly in use.  We wrapped our pillowcases with care, trimming the packages with ribbon, bows, and labels. Ah…don’t you love those wrapped presents, ready to go, tucked in your closet?  Now about the baking …I think I’ll just make a quick trip to the bakery.

 

We moved our shop into the new addition last week.  So pardon our mess as we reorganize.  I love the space…and the natural light is perfect for checking the colors of fabric.  Our classroom will be in the former location of the fabric and the lighting is great. So join us for a class or “Sewing with Jude”.  We will have open sew on Sunday afternoons after the New Year.  Check our website for details.

We have some great Christmas stocking stuffers for the sewist and quilter including “Fuse and Gather”,   a Nancy Zieman product that makes gathering a breeze;  Clover’s “Wonder Clips”, a great alternative to pins when sewing binding to a quilt; and Frixion markers,  a bold marking ink  that removes completely with heat.  The markers come in a variety of colors.  

No one panic. There are still ten more days before Christmas…plenty of time.

Marcia

A change in weather........

A change in weather…cloudy, blustery, and snow in the forecast… a prelude to winter.   The next few weeks will fly by for everyone.  Shopping, holiday parties, and baking will fill our schedules.  Some of us will be quilting into the wee hours in hopes of having our gifts wrapped before Christmas.  And although I complain about the lack of time, I really do my best work under pressure.  So I have high hopes for Christmas. 

I love to sew flannels in winter.  The fabrics feel “good” and I think I smell crispness of winter when sewing with them. Add some hot apple cider and a cookie and all is right with the world.

New flannels and some spring fabrics have arrived to our store.  Our home page looks great featuring “Dear Stella” fabric.  Dee and I are so happy with our website thanks to Courtney.  Many of you met Courtney last year.  She was married in August and moved  to Springfield, Missouri but still manages our website.

This Saturday, December 3, from 10 am – 4pm Jude is instructing us on making “The Oh Henry Quilt” by   Creative Solutions.  It’s a great pattern for large focus prints.  And the quilt can be made quickly for a Christmas present.

TGIF is next Friday, December 9 from 5-9 pm.  Join us for food, conversation, and sewing.  We will be making  the “Catalina Swing” bag from Pink Sand Beach Design.  More information is on our website. www.ilovesewingonline.com

“Make and Take” weekend is from Friday, December 9 through Sunday, December 11.  Projects include the Shannon Cowl, Cell phone bag, bread basket liners, draw string bags, and eye glass case.  Check our calendar for times.   These projects are under $15.00 and make great gifts. {http://www.ilovesewingonline.com/module/class.htm?classId=12620 }


Marcia

Thanksgiving is in sight...

Veteran’s Day has past and Thanksgiving is in sight.  For many of us, Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday.  Maybe it’s the great food but more likely it’s time spent with family and friends.   We start on the pies first thing in the morning watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Are there bands or cloggers from Nebraska in the parade?  After the feast, there is the walk around the neighborhood, the card game, left over turkey sandwiches, and a car ride in the evening to see the first Christmas lights. 

It’s a Beck tradition to save Friday after Thanksgiving for Nebraska football.  The Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes will meet in Lincoln for the first Heroes Rivalry game.  Even though I’m both a University of Nebraska graduate and a University of Iowa graduate, I’ll be pulling for the Cornhuskers.   Other staff members of I Love Sewing, LLC spend Friday shopping and shopping and shopping…so we will be closed on both Thursday, November 24^th and Friday, November 25^th.   We will reopen with regular hours (9am – 5pm) on Saturday, November 26^th. 

If you need a break away from home and from shopping, join us on Sunday, November 27^th from 1 – 4pm for the “Screen Play” Tote bag class.    Check our website or call our store for additional information. www.ilovesewingonline.com

New fabrics, patterns, and projects were ordered at the Houston Quilt Market and are now starting to arrive to the store.  On the horizon is our move into the new addition. We hope to be settled in by the end of the year.  Come in for a sneak peak.

Have a safe Thanksgiving.

Marcia and Dee

It’s happening again…we go from Halloween to Christmas with minimal thought of Thanksgiving.  Already the retail stores are in full Christmas mode…trees and trim, layaway plans, and “coupons” to use at the store every weekend.  This year I’m going to continue to celebrate fall, harvest, and Thanksgiving.  It’s to beautiful to stop appreciating the tall colorful grasses, the leaf colors, and the crispness of the morning and evening.  And Nebraska football keeps us grounded into fall.  Each football Saturday is an opportunity to share some chili, hotdogs, salsa, caramel apples any fall favorite food of choice. 

Dee and I rode Amtrak to Denver last weekend to celebrate the grand opening of La Momo Mae’s Bakery in Longmont, Colorado.  The bakery is owned by a high school classmate of Dee’s.  She was truly surprised to see us.  The trip to Longmont resulted in an excursion to the YMCA Camp of the Rockies in Estes Park, home of many family vacations in the Beck Family.  And of course, we visited many quilt shops in the Denver area.  We left Omaha on Amtrak at 12:30 am and arrived into Denver at about 8:00 am.  Both Dee and I slept fairly well in the coach area where the seats stretched into recliners.  We returned from Denver at 9:00 pm and arrived into Omaha around 7:00 am.  We slept in a “roomette” where the chairs turned into beds.  It was a great weekend!

I Love Sewing’s November and December classes and events are posted on our website.  http://www.ilovesewingonline.com/

We hope to see you soon.
Marcia

{Nebraska Memorial Stadium}

Thanksgiving Table Runner

{La Momo Maes}

Fall Joy

It’s been a while since our last blog but Dee and I are still sewing and quilting. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers over the last few months.  We miss our mother but know her life continues with God.

Every October I’m reminded why fall is my favorite time of year.  And that seems especially true this October.  The Colors are brilliant and intense.  Who doesn’t like stomping on leaves?  We have sedum in our backyard and butterflies have been congregating on the plants for the past few weeks.  Our New England Asters are reaching new heights but blooming beautifully.  Penny, our dog, loves the butterflies and the bees.  A big pumpkin is at the top of my shopping list.  It’s handy to have template material around for carving the pumpkin!

If you have stopped by our shop you have noticed our building project.  We plan to move into the additional space in December.  Dee and I have been very happy with the quality of work on the building.  All of the craftsmen have been extremely careful in keeping the premises clean and respecting everyone who have come through our doors.

Take Care, Marcia

I don’t know about your dog, but our dog Penny, is so happy to hear the end of the fireworks.  Our neighborhood was really into the Independence Day activities, lighting the sky for a 10 night period.  Penny finally retreated to the closet, occasionally peaking her head outside.   But then, I can’t feel too sorry for her, considering her wonderful life.  She loves her fenced in backyard with a flower garden to traipse through, an occasional rabbit to chase, squirrels who constantly tease her,  and an abundance of birds.  

More and more fabrics are being labeled “organic”.  But what does “organic” fabric mean?  Organic cotton is derived from non-genetically modified plants and grown without any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides.  The National Organic Program, a division of the USDA, determines the practices allowed by the farmer, certifying the label.  Also the fabrics are certified by GTOS, Global Organic Textile Standard, requiring low – impact dyes and a functional waste water treatment plan.  Dee and I think Organic Cotton feels and sews great...especially for children.   

Check out our new Organic Cottons by Timeless Treasures and Robert Kaufman.

http://www.ilovesewingonline.com/shop/Fabric/Organic-Cotton.htm

 

It’s been a year since I Love Sewing, LLC has opened its doors to anyone who loves fabric.  WE have been overwhelmed with all of the community support for our store.  Thank you… Thank you.

College World Series is in full swing, kids are at sports camps, and 4-H Country Fairs are on our calendars.  Bring in 4-H identification until July 18^th and receive 10% all items in our store.  We just saw a great quilt made by a 4-H’er ready for the fair.  Youth equates to creativity!  And genetics is a big factor too.  Thank you to all grandmothers and mothers who help the children sew and quilt.

TGIF is on Friday, July 8, 2011 from 5-9pm.  It’s a lot of fun to paper piece so join us for “Christmas Star” wall hanging from Kate Mitchell Quilts.  We will precut this 36”x36” quilt with Stonehenge Holiday fabrics.

Hope to see you soon,

Dee and Marcia

"Christmas Star" Paper piecing by Kate Mitchell Quilts

Boyscout Quilt

Baseball Fabric

Spring has slipped by and Summer is coming in with thunderstorms, humidity and some heat.  Dee and I spent Memorial Day in Minden, Nebraska just like all of our Memorial Days.  The story of honoring all of the armed force veterans is never old and all of us are truly grateful for the servicemen and women who guard and protect our freedoms.  The U.S Flag waved proudly in the various cemeteries and on the city streets!!!

New fabrics and patterns are arriving into our shop.  The May Spring Market was a treasure chest of great ideas.  Creativity has no limits…maybe only a shortage of time.  It is difficult to determine a trend but there is definitely a return to solids in quilts.

We are having a BARN BURNER event next week.  We hope to see you soon!

Wow…we had a great shop hop!  Because it was our first year we definitely had the jitters.  But quiltists seem to always be of the friendly and nice persuasion as proven again at the shop hop.  We hope to see you on April 30, 2011 with your NIFS bag for the fifth Saturday.  We will be starting our Beginner Quilt of the Month block that day.  It consists of twelve 12 inch classic quilt blocks with templates that can be cut with the rotary cutter or scissors.  The cost for the each block is $6.50.  A sashing, outer border, and binding kit will be available for purchase after January 1, 2012.

“Three Little Pigs” Huff and Puff fabric from Timeless Treasures has arrived into our shop. So now it’s a decision between, Seuss, Spot, Hungry Dinosaur, and Three Little Pigs?  See you soon!