Quilt Retreat Fun

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I have the BEST customers!! It’s funny how God puts just the right people in your life but I’m sure glad he does. Those of you that know me, know I am social inside the store, but prefer to stay on my corner of the world. Let me explain. My husband, Tom, and I own two weekly newspapers (that’s our real job). In the past it was my job to go to ballgames and meetings about 4/5 nights per week. When I started the quilt store (so I would have something to do when I ‘retire’) it exploded must quicker than I expected. So he has taken over all the ballgames and meetings, leaving me to do what I love…sew and longarm. (I am a very lucky woman). That means I really don’t have to go in public and I have kind of gotten used to being what my kids call a recluse. Don’t get me wrong, I go to all my grandkids ballgames but that is about the extent of my social calendar these days (except for taking my mom to doctor’s visits).

To make a long story short, some ladies from the Stitches in Times Quilt Guild in Ulysses have invited me to their quilt retreat for 3 years. First as a vendor, which I quickly noted is not something I would be comfortable with. Setting up a booth just seems like a lot of work and then I would have to just watch all those ladies sew…pure torture. Every year my grandson has had a sporting event, until this year. To their surprise I accepted their gracious invitation and quickly started planning projects. Keep in mind – I have NEVER been to a quilt retreat. I am however an avid and very focused quilter. With that in mind I decided that maybe I should just assemble some quilts so I got a couple of quilts worth of blocks ready to go and designed a third quilt.

The retreat started bright and early at 8 am and I arrived and was set up and ready to sew by 8:30 am. I finished the first two quilts the first day. I obviously didn’t spend enough time visiting and checking out all the other project. I slowed down a bit the second day and finished the quilt I designed. Also got some much needed help from Terrie Hiner on machine embroidery and appliqué. She does amazing work and is so patient with my newbie questions.

I also got to meet some very nice ladies, have some great BBQ, and play some fun games. It’s been awhile since I ‘let down my hair’. The OCD in me just doesn’t let that happen very often. Thank you so much to the Stitches in Time Quilt Guild and specifically Pat Baker, Gayle Archuleta and Becky Schloemer. Special thank you to Gayle and Jesse for being such gracious hosts and allowing me to stay at their home. Sorry it didn’t come with a KU win 🙂

It doesn’t get any better than this!!

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My mom has had kind of a rough year health wise and to boot her birthday is December 24th. Her birthday just kind of gets worked in with Christmas. At the last possible second, my daughter and I had an idea to make her a quilt with a panel I had found that says “I Love you to the Moon and Back”. My mom says this to all the grandkids and great grands. To top it off we thought it would be nice if it was a joint effort and still be able to accomplish it in 6 days. You know….no pressure.

My granddaughter, Hannah, is 7 years old and loves to sew. She does a great job of making HST so we decided to make some starts for cornerstones. She also sewed on part of the borders. She was soooo excited to give it to Grandma Darlene for her birthday.

Hannah was so cautious, making sure her seams were straight. I should maybe take lessons from her on slowing down and making sure things are precise. I just realized while admiring the next generation of quilters the she didn’t even take the time to take off her coat. That’s true dedication.

It took a couple of sewing days but that smiles says it all. The best part was it was a surprise for her Great Grandma and my mom.

This picture says it all! Here’s to a new year with lots of quilting and the people that go with it.

 

 

2024 is FLYING!!

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I can’t believe we are 122 days from CHRISTMAS! I haven’t caught up from Valentine’s Day. LOL. I have made a couple of winter quilts, one flannel and one sparkly. I’m not usually a glitter lover but All That Glitters from Northcott is gorgeous. I tried my hand at quilting on my domestic machine. My longarms are busy with customer quilts and the church panel was too tempting not to get it  on the wall. I finished it in a Midnight Blue tonal (Toscana) binding by hand, and happily did not end with glitter all over me. So much progress has been made since I started quilting. I can’t wait to make a quilt from the line…but that will wait for another weekend.

Every year I try to make a snowman quilt. My house is overflowing with them during the winter. This year it is Snow Much Fun – the softest flannel quilt. It was a fun pattern and is available in kits at the store.

My daughter and I took a weekend to relax at the Lake and I got a quilt designed and made. It is Dear Santa from Moda. I am not a great colorer but I tried my hand at coloring the faux redwork panel from Primitive Gatherings. I love the vintage Santa print, colored or not. It features Ohio stars in prints from the line. I quilted the store sample with ivory minky on the back, but that’s not unusual for me. Over 50% of my samples have minky on the back.

I still can’t fathom that this year is more than half over. It feels like yesterday I had 2 grands running around the store and now they are in 1st and 3rd grade. We have also added a 3rd and she is the cutest 1 year old. She loves to sew and has already put it together that the foot pedal moves the needle. Hope Hannah and Ellie always have a love for sewing (and maybe longarming in the future).

I truly love my longarming. The “making it a quilt” feeling of longarming never gets old. It’s been a trying year with lots of demands for all of us but I am so blessed to get to work on all my customers treasures and be a part of their labors of love.

Thank you and keep sharing your finished photos of projects.

Denice

Welcome 2024

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What a whirlwind of an end to 2023 and beginning of 2024. I planned so many projects for Christmas break and ended up coming down with Covid. Praise the Lord it was manageable and my family didn’t catch it. I banned myself to my sewing room, not that I felt like working on projects much.

Now we are recovering from a blizzard, the first in many, many years in southwest Kansas. Yesterday visibility was less than 100 yards with snow coming down horizontal. I have to admit I didn’t really think it would come. The weather has predicted many large snows for our area and we end up with less than an inch but they proved me wrong this time. The sun is shining today but it will take a bit to get everything back open and deal with the frigid temps.

I did get a few projects completed…WooHoo! We completing our new classroom this month so we will feature a Simply Sampler Block of the Month beginning in February. It is a 9-month program where classes are optional but always filled with laughter, food and sewing. The pattern was designed by my mom, Darlene Anderson, so it’s a special one for me. It was our very first block of the month years ago. We edited it down to 9 blocks as it has a fall feel with rusts, greys and creams. Sign up is going on now and space is very limited. This is perfect for those beginner quilters but fun for all.

My second project is a quilt from a Thomas Kincaid panel…also reminds me of my mom. The panel features cabin scenes so after many designs I landed on bear paws to feature the prints. It finishes 68″x80″ and is such a warm and cozy quilt. I love the muted greens, lavenders and corals with the woodsy brown accent.

I also designed a wall hanging from the Thomas Kincaid at the sea panel but made it a few weeks back.

I finally got to feeling well enough to brave enough to tackle a Coach House Design pattern. I have a love/hate relationship with them but this one went smoothly. I reduced the size as I don’t have room in the store for a lot of large quilts but it is bees and I LOVE it. The pattern is called Honeycomb (appropriate, right?). The pattern finishes 85″ x 101″. I made about half and reduced it down to a throw. It is made from Deb Strain’s Honey and Lavender line by Moda.

Now to get them on the longarm and on the wall.

I want to thank all those who shop Honeycomb Quilts. We appreciate each and every one and consider you all family. Sometimes I feel I know more about my customers than my actual neighbors…and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We thank God for all he has given us and provide the best customer service we can. I kind of dropped the ball the last few weeks with some family matters, being sick and now the storm. Thank you to all who have been patient. Here’s a great 2024 with lots of friends, fabric and fun!

Happy 2024 – Denice

BOM Coming Soon!

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It is no secret that teaching classes is not my love. I get nervous in groups and just feel so inadequate but the request for classes is large. Solution…Daniel Minde. Daniel is a a teacher at a middle school and is so excited to share his love of quilting. He is fun, energetic and an amazing individual. His enthusiasm is contagious and he challenges himself to learn new skills constantly. I wish I had half his energy.

Daniel has graciously agreed to teach a block of the month from Whirligig Designs. The pattern is Greystone and is done in batiks from Island Batiks.

The program will include all the fabric for the top, binding, pattern and the foundation pieces required to complete the quilt. Classes will be held once a month for 6-7 month (depending on progress) and begin on April 15th. They will also be available online for remote classes.

The quilt finishes 58″ x 74″ and is sure to please.

A little about Daniel:

Daniel’s mom was an avid quilter, making quilts for friends and family. When a new grandchild was announced and with the loss of his mother to cancer, Daniel was determined to carry on her legacy and promptly taught himself to quilt. He made an adorable baby quilt, followed by a second Oklahoma State quilt for a friend. That was just the beginning. He continually tries to methods and challenges himself to complete more and more complex quilts…his latest challenge being Judy Niemeyer quilts. He has shared his love of the craft with students at his school, taking his planning period to do so. His enthusiasm is infectious and you won’t find a more friendly and fun teacher.

You will not regret joining this class. The laughter will be abundant with a ‘little’ quilting in between.

Our family legacy

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So many of you know my mom from various quilt groups and stores. She is an amazing, giving and very talented person. She blessed me with my love to sew early in life, teaching me to create clothes in mid to late grade school. It is a skill I used when my kids were little but as they got older and busier it didn’t fit. I even got rid of my sewing machine and all my notions.

My mom, however, didn’t let go that easily. When a quilt store opened in Cimarron she quickly picked up quilting. So much so in fact that she made quilts for every member of our family for years. Some years that would be 12+ quilts and more. When it got to be too much she didn’t stop. She just rotated between the various ages. Kids one year, grandkids one year. Then it switched to daughter/daughter-in-law one year, sons/son-in-law one year and then granddaughters and grandsons. When the greats started coming she made them quilts before they were born and every Christmas until she had a heart attack followed by a stroke.

Then out of the blue my daughter asked my mom to teach her to quilt, so one Christmas break years ago we spent the time making matching flannel snowmen quilts. It was my very first quilt and I was hooked. I remember clearly telling my mom, “I’m working on and purchasing fabric for one quilt at a time.” She laughed and said “We’ll see” (with her twinkle in her eye). I was adamant that I meant what I was saying but my mom knew and she was right as always. That lasted for one quilt and the stash collecting began.

I credit my mom for giving me the love of creating and am so thankful she taught me to have a giving heart that loves God. I also have a bit of my dad in me so having something I can work at as long as I wish is very important. That’s when I turned a hobby into a job and opened Honeycomb Quilts in late July 2016. The store was a place my mom and I spent a lot of time together. I can’t count the number of texts, calls and visits over quilts, fabric and patterns we have had. Time spent at the lake was spent sewing together, sometimes just her and I but sometimes three generations with my daughter joining in. Now my mom is helping her great granddaughter learn to sew and quilt.

What a legacy for our family. I have lost count on how many quilts my mom has made and given away but if you ask my dad their house if ‘taken over’ by quilts. Hahaha…probably the same thing every quilters spouse can say.

I’ve recently taken some time away from the store to be with my mom during a stay in the hospital and not surprisingly some of that time was spent designing a quilt and looking at various patterns and fabric. I love to see her eyes light up and hear her memories of quilts she has made. She has slowed down a bit but still has a quilt on the design wall that she is working on. It will be a treasured quilt from an amazing grandma that will be handed down for generations to come.

 

Makeover…Quilt Store Style

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I was looking back through photos on my phone and I can’t believe the changes we have made in Honeycomb Quilts in the past 6 years. What a blessing God has provided my family. Just so you have a peek at what was behind the scenes…here are a few photos of the original walls.

Let me explain…I thought the racks my son built would be there FOREVER. I know, I know. Never in my world is anything permanent…as much as my construction guys (husband and son) prefer it would.

So Spring Break brought a new member to the family (we added Arizona to our Gammill computerized longarm family – joining Colorado and Illinois) as well as a major renovation to make room for the new addition. It took longer than we thought (doesn’t it always?”) but it has been soooo worth the long days. Here’s a sneak peek of the new space…

Meet Colorado (first picture left and in second picture back left), Arizona (first picture right and in second picture back right) and Illinois (second picture in front).

We also created a waiting area, complete with complimentary coffee and water (to keep those spouses and non-quilting friends occupied 🙂

Driving through? Live in the area? Stop in and check us out. We love getting to know new people and hearing about all the places far and wide.

Have a blessed week…

Denice

Back to quilting

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Does it get any better than hearing your granddaughter say, “Let’s sew grandma”? It’s like music to my ears hearing her little plea and this week we started a ‘real’ project. She has been sewing on my lap since she was born but this is her project. She is making a quilt for herself that we are going to put fluffy fabric (cuddle) on the back of.

I did the cutting as my granddaughter is only 4. Yes, I said 4. Maybe too young, but desire beyond her years. Our school colors are purple and white but they have added black to the uniform mix so we did too. I cut 6-1/2″ square of the 3 colors and let Hannah help me design the quilt on the wall. She quickly picked up on the pattern, explaining to me that the white squares go under the black, the white go under the purple and black squares go under the white. She beamed with enthusiasm as she placed each square.

As I started to pull her little sewing machine out of the box I caught a glimpse of a Janome on the shelf. I just upgraded and my smaller model was just sitting. I asked Hannah if she would like to use it? She very quickly responded that “It’s my sewing machine now. I have a real sewing machine!” Once again beaming from ear to ear. I explained where all the buttons are – the presser foot release, the start/stop, the speed, and of course the scissors. She drank it all in and asked if it was time to sew. We gathered up the first row and she proudly, but cautiously, sewed each seam. I pressed the row (but next time we will do it together.

Being 4, that was the extent of her attention span. So next time she comes we will work on another row, and another until it is ready for the longer machine. What a treasure spending time sharing and teaching a love of mine to the sweetest little girl in the world.

And then….her 5 year old brother entered the room. He quickly informed me that he wanted to make a real quilt too. So he went to the stash and picked his fabric and layer out his plan. A little evening up the edges by grandma and he was off and sewing. He decided he only needed 1 block so he is  “finished” with his project..

Oh the joys of being a grandma. I pray they will always love being creative and spending time with me.

Have a blessed week!

Back to the Basics

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It’s been years since I have done any type of sewing but quilting. Going back to the basics was not as easy as I thought it would be. My grandson is in Kindergarten and he is part of a basketball team for our community. They get to play games on six Saturday’s. My granddaughter is 18 months younger and is too young to participate so I decided I would make her a cheerleading outfit – I mean how hard could it be?? I had my mom’s old pattern from when she made one for my daughter, making it a bit nostalgic for me to do.

Only one problem…sizes have changed in the past 30 years. Of course I waited until the last minute to get going on it…but I work much better under pressure. Hahaha. I measured Hannah on Wednesday and needed the completed outfit by Saturday. I got it cut out and sewn that night, but it looked a bit plain.

I had ordered some trim that I thought would make good striping but decided I would create it into an “M”.

It looked decent but needed a little bling. What little girls doesn’t want bling? So I had also purchased some rhinestone trim and decided it would make a nice finish to the outfit.

It needs a bit of fine tuning – the neck is just too deep. I need to take it up a couple inches at the shoulders but here is the finished beaming little girl with her friend at the game.

That little smile makes everything worth it!! Happy sewing 🙂

I Can’t Believe It’s 2022

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With all that has gone on in the world the last couple of years they seem to have just flown by. I can’t be the only one that feels like I never have enough time in my day to complete all my projects. I told my husband I feel like I am a juggler with 6-7 balls in the air. I am really good at keeping 5 in play but those last 1 or 2 just seem to slide. They vary on which I drop but I always seem to drop something. So my theme for 2022 is “Be Realistic”. I always take a couple weeks around Christmas. It is usually so cold that running the heater in our large store just doesn’t pay and I get to take some down time and set goals and get excited for the new year. This year I barely left my sewing room. It was a glorious two weeks of creating and letting go of all “have to’s”.

I started the time off with a t-shirt project for a Marine. I was going to say previous, but my husband is a Marine and “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” It required some creative blocks to complete and turned out being one of my favorite projects so far.

Second was to finish a project I started while having to take time off for gall bladder surgery. I was dreading all the tree blocks but decided to wing it and not go with the template and it turned out beautifully. It sparkles and shines and will be kitted this week for the store.

After such a detailed project with the trees I needed a little “mindless sewing” as my daughter calls it. I used a Pocket Pattern (we have an exclusive contract with the company) that utilizes strip piecing. It was fun, fast and made an adorable quilt.

Being the owner of a quilt store takes a lot of creating. Every time I get boxes from Moda, Riley Blake, Robert Kaufman and all the other companies it means it’s time to sew. I received the line Grace from Moda around Christmas so I took a charm pack and made a soft and sweet, quick baby quilt.

I also received the line “A Little Dr. Seuss” so I made a sample for my store. It is now available as kits in the store.

My final project of the week took some creating thinking. I love old hymns. I listen to them in my store every day on either piano or old country singers. They just bless my soul and make me happy. I have the line Songbook from Moda that features old hymns in pianos. I have been stumped over what to do with it but I finally came up with a design. I am doing my least favorite part now…writing the pattern so I can kit it. Here is a sneak preview of the design…watch for it this week in the store.

Now it’s Monday morning and I’m back to work. That means it’s longarming time on my two Gammills. Enjoy your week and I would love to see what all of you have been creating.