Cindy and Jina's Bias Binding

Watch this video from Cindy and Jina of Riley Blake Designs teach how to do a bias binding for your quilt.  I learned something new from this quick 5 minute video!

Christmastime in Wisconsin

Each year my husband and I go to visit our daughter in Wisconsin.  We have had such a great time with them.  From baking to sewing to shopping, it's always just a fun week to set aside everything else and play together.  Because they live so far away, it's nice to know that we'll get this time that is just us together.  

There is a cute little town just up the road from where they live.  Right by their city hall they had a Santa's Workshop, complete with Gingerbread men and candy pops all around. We had to stop and take a picture.  Randy and Jamie are just goof balls, so they were playing around the whole time.

I had never seen a blow up Christmas decoration like this one.  Loved it!  I also loved that Mary has a little air belly on her right now.  Jamie said she'll go back and check to see if the baby Jesus will be there after Christmas.

This was one of our favorite finds!  I've had people in the shop show me this cute "Little Wallet" that Valori Wells has designed.  We popped into the quilt shop in her town and found the pattern.  We thought it would be fun to do a small project together.  We had so much fun making the two reversed wallets, that we want to do more.  Stay tuned, because this pattern is coming to Quilt Patch Lane!!

Christmas...

I love Christmas.  From the perfect number of lights on the tree, the hand decorated cookies, driving around looking for the house with the most lights - it is all fun.  I love how traditions that we started as a young family 30 years ago have shifted to my children.  We always got new jammies for the kids to open on Christmas Eve.  It's been fun to watch my three children do the same for their children.  We also purchased a new ornament each year while the kids were growing up.  They have these ornaments on their trees now, and do the same for their kiddos.  It is hard to not all be together on Christmas each year, but I love waking up on Christmas morning knowing that some of these traditions carry on.

May you have a blessed Christmas and remember the true reason we celebrate is because of the Savior that was born that night.  

Friends...Fabric...Food

Quilt Patch Lane's Annual Open House!!

Friday, December 2nd 10am - 4pm 

and 

Saturday, December 3rd 10am - 4pm

Stop in and see us while you are out and about this weekend. We'll have refreshments, demonstrations on new techniques and be showing off our new fabric lines. 

We'll also have some great deals on your favorite things!

Can't wait to see you!

New Line Coming...

We are so excited to be offering a new line by Lotta Jansdotter through Windham Fabrics.  Lotta Jansdotter is known for her work with Rowenta iron and Martha Stewart.  She was born in 1971 on Aland, which is a small group of islands between Sweden and Finland.

Her designs are fresh and have an urban feel to them. We can't wait to get this fabric in the shop for you to see.  If you would like to learn more about her, please visit her website at www.jansdotter.com.

Pumpkin Cake

I have been thinking about all the wonderful food that we have at the holidays.  Many things have changed over the years from the "staples" that were always on the table to what we have now.  A new recipe that I have discovered over the past few years is a quick a simple recipe when you have an event, a potluck, a family gathering to attend and need something quick.

1 box yellow cake mix
3 whole eggs
1 can pureed pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning

Mix everything together.  Pour into a prepared Bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes until done.

One variation my daughter has tried when she is preparing the pan is to lightly sugar the pan before pouring the cake mix in.  This creates a sweet crust on the cake.  Delightful!
Another variation would be to try a different shape for a pan other than the traditional.  There are so many out there - the one pictured is a castle!

This is one simple recipe!  Enjoy!!

Quilting Community

I started thinking about the question: why do I quilt?  Of all the hobbies that are out there, why did I start quilting.  Then I realized I love how social it is.  My girlfriend, who had been a quilter for years, invited me to come along to a quilter's group with her.  I fell in love with the fabric and the amazing tops that were being created.  Although my first block wasn't perfect, I loved the time I got to spend with the people around the room.  Learning the stories of the women and about their families was so much fun.  The community of quilters is amazing.  Besides the learning that happens about each other, techniques are taught and "tricks of the trade".

I asked my daughter, who was moving away, if she would like to attend a beginner quilting class.  She and her husband were moving to another state so he could go to school and I wanted her to have a hobby; something to help keep her entertained while he was studying.  Little did I realize this hobby would aid in the creation of a community for her.  After a few months she had made friends and they were coming to her house to sew together.

Thank you all for being a part of that in my life...whether you are local or in another country, you are part of my Quilting Community.