June 12, 2013

What a fun quilt!  Mary Baker just finished the “Wistful” lap quilt pattern using a Jelly Roll called “Simple Marks.” The instructions were excellent and it really went together easily and QUICKLY! The background is 1-1/2 yards of our special AGED MUSLIN (#Y138-142D).  Check it out HERE….the pattern is only $2.50!

May 21, 2013

What’s New?  A new KIT all about fun with the fabric!

The “In the Center Ring” quilt showcases a michael miller fabric called Tickets but the borders are what makes it SO fun.

The finished size of this quilt is 30″ x 40″, perfect for a baby’s quilt or a child’s playroom wall. The quilt KIT includes the pattern and fabric for the quilt top and the binding.  Click HERE to order this fun quilt KIT.

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May 14, 2013

New this week are 4 new books and a new lap quilt kit.

Super Quick Quilts by Martingale Publishing. There are 10 quilt patterns in this 32 page book for beginners as well as seasoned quilters looking for an easy project.  Martingale Publishing has collected fun, quick quilt patterns from several designers for lap to twin sized quilts. Click HERE to order at $12.99.

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Fast Fat-Quarter Quilts by Martingale Publishing.  The patterns in this assortment of 9 quilts invite you to use fat quarters beautifully and quickly. Martingale has gathered these designs from several different quilt designers for lap to twin sized quilts. Click HERE to order for $12.99.

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Fresh from the Prairies by Devon Lavigne and Sharon Smith. Included in this 88 page book are 12 quilt patterns for quilts from wall-hanging to queen size.  Devon Lavigne and Sharon Smith are the designers of these spirited quilts. Click HERE to order for $27.95.

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Simply Fat Quarters by It’s Sew Emma Patterns. Simply Fat Quarters features 10 exceptional quilts using fat quarters  All ten patterns are written with four size options from crib to king. 48 pages of quilt patterns designed by It’s Sew Emma Patterns.  Click HERE to order for $19.95.

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The new kit will look familiar; we showed you two other colorways on this page on May 1.  This lap quilt is a little more contemporary.  It’s called “Midtown” and is all black and white.

The Midtown Lap Quilt is fun, quick and easy.  Finished size is about 44″ x 56″.  Click HERE to order this new kit for $40.95.

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May 7, 2013

We have a BRAND NEW CLUB!

Inspired by Pinterest Club

will feature contemporary patterns and fabrics.  This club is unlike anything we’ve ever done.  Every other month, members will get a new pattern and a smattering of fabrics inspired by quilts we found on Pinterest.  The only rule for this club is that the charge will always be under $20.00 – meaning your packet might have something else included along with your pattern and fabrics.

Here’s a picture of “Urban Primitive”.  This quilt is a sample of the kind of quilt pattern that would be included in your “Inspired by Pinterest Club” mailing.

So in your bi-monthly mailing, for example, you would receive the pattern and picture for this quilt, 8 rectangles of contemporary fabric, and enough ThanglesTM to make one block – all for well under $20.00.  Your charge includes the shipping. To join the Inspired by Pinterest Club, CLICK HERE to read more about this exciting new plan and SIGN UP!

If you haven’t been in the shop, you will now find half of the shop filled to the rafters with these new, bright, contemporary fabrics and patterns that showcase them so well.  If you can’t stop in the shop, stop by our shopping cart, as we continually work to put these urban farmhouse/contemporary fabrics onto our website at http://shop.countrythreads.com

The Inspired by Pinterest Club will begin around the middle of June and continues with mailings arriving at your door every other month.

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May 1, 2013

Brand NEW quilt kits are available now.  These two lap quilts are nearly the same – same pattern but a totally different look.

Here’s “Dots and Daisies“

Click HERE to see details and order.

Here’s a picture of “Primitive Rustic“

This “Primitive Rustic” quilt is made with the beautiful new woven fabric from Diamond Textiles.  Click HERE to see details and order.

Either of these quilts is so quick and easy, you could conceivably have it done in time for Graduation.  What a great dorm quilt!

April 23, 2013

Do you remember last week we told you about the new Simple Marks Summer fabrics? They are ready to go home to you today! Part of the line was a panel that the shop staff loves. It’s perfect if you want something on your wall tomorrow. It’s just a panel! We used 1-1/2 yds. so the finished lap quilt measures approximately 44” x 54”.

Here is a picture of the quilting that our amazing quilters produced:

So…if you love it and want it the way it is above, you can order a panel online (order the quantity of 3 1/2yd increments to total 1-1/2 yds.) and have us quilt it right in the shop. Choose 1-1/2 yds. of backing from the same line and your choice of solid binding color. You’ll need ½ yd. for binding. Just make a note in the “Customer Notes” that you want us to quilt the panel like ours using your choice of cotton or poly batting. We’ll add it to the quilters’ “to do” list and charge your credit card when it’s all done and ready to send back to you. You’ll only pay shipping once.      Click HERE to see the entire line of Simple Marks Summer fabric.

April 17, 2013

For you primitive project lovers out there – the new Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine for Summer 2013 came this morning.  Click HERE to order your copy.

April 16, 2013

Wow! – Look at the fabric that came last Friday.

It’s called “Simple Marks Summer”.  We have 40 different skus, all delightfully bright and splashy.  Mandy is working on getting the entire line on our shopping cart. Carol from Rudd came in this afternoon and got 4 pieces and a solid to make a funky tablerunner for her daughter’s new cabin.  Her daughter had painted her kitchen cabinets gray, so this fabric worked really well for an accent on the table.  Check the fabric category on our shopping page in the next few days as the fabric gets added.  Maybe it’s time for a splash in your life!

April 9, 2013

IT’S HERE!

Our NEW book, The Blue and The Gray, published by Martingale, That Patchwork Place. came this morning.

Those of you who pre-ordered will get the first ones out of the box.  But there are plenty for those of you who have been waiting.  The book contains beautiful photos and full instructions for 18 traditional designs including wall hangings, table toppers, and doll quilts.  The quilts presented in the book came from our very own “Civil War/Reproduction Club” and are inspired by the fabrics of the Civil War period.  Showcase the reproduction fabrics that you love with these stunning quilts.

The Blue and the Gray book sells for $24.99 and is now available on our shopping cart.  Click HERE to order!

April 2, 2013

New Fabric! Just arrived and available on our shopping cart….

“Madison Manor” is Jo Morton’s newest line for Andover.  We have yardage of all 24 pieces in the collection and fat quarter bundles of this great Reproduction fabric.  Click HERE to see the entire line and pick your favorites or get a bundle of the complete collection.

“Spring House” is a totally different fabric from the other end of the shop – very contemporary, very vivid and splashy.  This bright fabric from Moda is designed by Stephanie Ryan.  We have yardage of the whole collection, charm packs and Fat Quarters available.  Click HERE to order.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars:

Urban Farmhouse Event, April 12 & 13, 9:00am to 5:00pm daily.

Come in and shop,then pop a balloon for a discount of up to 30%!

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March 27, 2013

A while back on the Country Threads Blog, we told you about a new Chicken Feed pattern coming out called “Color My World”.  It’s ready to go as a pattern and a kit.

Here’s what it looks like hanging in the shop.  It’s SO colorful and fun.  Our Color My World quilt is made with the “Marble Ombre Dots” Dessert Roll from Moda.  Each 5″ x 44″ strip is graduated in color value so, for example, the red strip goes from deep, dark red to a lighter, softer red.  That variation only adds to the color movement in this striking quilt.  The pattern is a real steal at only $5:00.  The KIT includes the pattern, the Dessert Roll and the additional fabric for the quilt top and binding.  Kit price is $55.95.  Click HERE to order.

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March 19, 2013

We’ve listened to what you want, so we’re bringing back two quilt kits.  Technically these aren’t “What’s New” – but they’re “Re-released”.

First is a striking couch quilt with bold fabrics surrounding a contemporary fabric panel:

Earth Tones Couch Quilt

The finished size of this quilt is 62″ x 84″ – so a pretty good size for a couch quilt.  That’s lots of snuggle room.  The kit is priced at $66.95 and includes the pattern and fabric for the quilt top and binding.  Click HERE to order.

The second quilt re-released is a classic Country Threads’ quilt,

Hot Buttered Rum

Finished size of this yummy dark quilt is 65″ x 91″.  The kit includes lots of different browns, golds, blacks, rusts and dark greens to create a really warm feeling.  This is made using the “quilt-as-you-go” method for quick piecing.  When you’re done with all the blocks, the quilt is quilted – all you have to do is put the quilted blocks together. The kit is priced at $125.95 and includes the pattern and fabric for the quilt top and the binding.                    Click HERE to order.

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March 14, 2013

Almost too much new stuff to keep up with!

Lori just finished a model of a Terry Atkinson pattern.  It’s called “Tortilla Strips”. 

She said it was really easy and QUICK! —  a weekend project at the most. Wow! Terry’s patterns are so easy to follow – excellent instructions and she includes the directions to make this quilt lap, twin, queen or king sized.  The pattern sells for $9.50.  Click HERE to order.

Mary E. made a fun, new quilt that showcases a novelty fabric full of cats.  We’re calling it

“I’m One Cat Shy Of A Hoarder”.

This one’s available as a kit with the pattern and fabric for the quilt top and binding.  Finished size: approx. 45″ x 60″.  Click HERE to order.

Connie just brought in a model using those cute little 2-1/2″ squares called “Moda Mini Charm Packs”.  This darling stacked pincushion pattern can be found in the “Moda Candy” booklet. The stacked pincushion is one of 18 different projects in the booklet using these pre-cuts.  Connie used the “Simple Marks – Summer” collection. The booklet is only $10.00; the Moda Mini Charm Pack pre-cuts are only $4.00.  How fun is that?

Click HERE to order the Moda Mini Charm Pack of  your choice.  Scroll down linked page to see all the Moda Mini Charm Packs available.

Click HERE to order the “Moda Candy” booklet.

Mary E. also took the 1600 quilt one step further.  She used TWO Jelly Rolls, “Comma” and “2wenty-thr3e” and made a REALLY long 1600 quilt.  Then she cut it apart and added borders to the quilt and created an oversized quilted pillow.

There’s a kit available for the Double Jelly Roll Quilt and Pillow. Click HERE to order.

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March 13, 2013

Jan just returned from her warm visit to Daulphin Island in the Gulf.  Poor girl returned to 13-1/2″ of snow and temperatures in the teens.  But more importantly, she finished the “Pie Birds” tablerunner from the cover of Kim Diehl’s Simple Charm book.

The tablerunner finishes 14-1/2″ x 43″, but Jan is quite pleased that she ended up with a “bonus” mini-quilt – all made from scraps from her stash.  So in the process of making the tablerunner,  she also organized her sewing room and packaged up some treasures to sell at our “Big Event” in July.

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March 12, 2013

Just in…Turning Twenty, Stained Glass & Scraps booklet by Tricia Cribbs.

This Turning Twenty booklet is #8 in a series.  If you’re a fan of the Stained Glass look, this is a great way to use scraps and themed fabrics to create quilts in Crib, Throw, Queen and King sizes.  Mary E. was just at a retreat in Southeast Minnesota and one of the gals was working on a quilt from this book.  Mary thought it was quite stunning. Click HERE to order the Turning Twenty, Stained Glass & Scraps booklet for just $12.95 plus shipping.

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February 26, 2013

Just in….

Blue Variety by Jo Morton

16 bolts of blue and cream fabric arrived this morning from Jo Morton’s new line, Blue Variety.  We’ll be offering yardage in 1/2 yd increments or fat quarters on our shopping cart.  Mandy will get a picture of each piece available up and running and ready to buy on Thursday this week.  Blue Variety fabric is priced at $10.49 per yard. If you just can’t wait to have the newest from Jo Morton, you can go to our website today and order a Fat Quarter bundle. Click HERE to order the Fat Quarter Bundle.

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February 20, 2013

Connie and Mary have been designing and creating at a phenomenal rate!  This is their latest, released as a new pattern:

Plaid Madness   Pattern #673

This pattern is available for $9.00 on our website.  Click HERE to order.   There will not be a fabric pack – the quilt requires 18 Fat Quarters of gorgeous brushed cottons.  If you need some, just go to our shopping cart and search through 90+ beautiful colors, stripes, plaids and checked brushed cottons.  Pick 18 fat quarters and you’re good to go! The fabrics are listed alphabetically on our shopping cart, so you’re looking for “brushed cotton”.

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The Indigo Crossing fabric by Minnick & Simpson for Moda is here and we have several options for you.  First, just look at how wonderful it is:

We have 43 skus of fabric on bolts that are available to you in fat quarters or in 1/2 yard increments if you want yardage. Check in the Fabric category on our shopping cart (fabrics are displayed alphabetically.)  Lori’s holding the “Shining Star” quilt that she just finished and Brandi just finished quilting.  She grabbed a Shining Star KIT, took it home on Friday and came back with the quilt top on the following Thursday.  It’s beautiful and we’re all jealous.  Click HERE to order the KIT.

We also have a fat quarter bundle available:

Click HERE to order the Fat Quarter Bundle of 43 Indigo Crossing fabrics.

…and Jelly Rolls:

Click HERE to order Indigo Crossing Jelly Roll of 42 strips, 2-1/2″ x 44″ each.

and Charm Packs:

Click HERE to order the Indigo Crossing Charm Pack,  42 fabrics, 5″ x 5″ each.

Don’t forget to check out our BLOG, Country-Threads-Chicken-Scratch.com so you can keep up on what’s happening at the shop and on the farm.

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We have so much new to tell you about today – new kits, new patterns, new fabric.  We’ve all decided that we just can’t sleep, there’s so much to do!  So we’ll just start at the beginning and list “WHAT’S NEW’ this week:

“Name That Baby” is a new Chicken Feed pattern by Country Threads.  What a perfect baby quilt!  Just fill in the name and date of birth of that new baby boy or girl with embroidery stitching on this quilt.

You can get the pattern only OR there are kits available in blue with cars and trucks or pink with flowers.  Click HERE to order.

And here’s another option for that little one:  Pinwheel Parade is quick and easy and is the perfect size for a baby, 30″ x 40″.  It’s all bundled up for you in a KIT for $44.95.  Click HERE to order the Pinwheel Parade Kit.

Here’s a timeless project for your table or a gift for a friend’s table.  The Blue and White Tablerunner kit makes a classic statement at 8-1/4″ x 32-1/2″.

The Blue and White Tablerunner kit includes the pattern and fabric for the tablerunner top AND the backing – all for just $13.95.  Click HERE to order.

Check back tomorrow to see more blue and white!  Moda’s “Indigo Crossing” fabric has arrived and we’ve already made two quilts!

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Remember to check out our Blog practically every day – Mary E. writes really often!

What’s new today in the shop is “History Repeated I” fabric by Julie Hendricksen for Windham.

We have the entire line of this wonderfully nostalgic fabric in blues, tans, creams and browns.  You can find all 30 pieces  in the “Fabric” section of our shopping cart.  Add Fat Quarters or yardage to your stash, ready to make your next Reproduction quilt. Good job, Julie…they’re beautiful!

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January 28, 2013

Have you bookmarked our blog yet?  Are you getting emails alerting you that a new blog has been posted?  Start today at Country-Threads-Chicken-Scratch.

We have all 20 skus of Jo Morton’s new fabric, Spice Market.  It’s wonderful.

You can order it three ways:

Bundle of Fat Quarters:$60.00

Individual Fat Quarters: $3.00 each (scroll down alphabetically to “Spice Market” to see each piece)

Yardage in 1/2 yard increments: $5.25 per 1/2 yd piece (scroll down alphabetically to “Spice Market to see each piece)  You can order a quantity of “4″ to get 2 yards, for example.

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Also just new in the shop is the Spring 2013 edition of the Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.  They’re going fast, but don’t miss getting your copy.

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Be sure to follow our blog at Country-Threads-Chicken-Scratch .  You can get emails alerting you that a new blog has been posted…that’s really slick!

Mary E. just finished a new VALENTINE Tablerunner.  It’s pink and red and cream and QUICK!

A kit for the tablerunner is available on our Shopping Cart.  Click here to order.  The backing is included in this kit, along with the pattern. Be ready for that romantic candlelight dinner on Valentine’s Day.  If you put the tablerunner on the table maybe he’ll set the table and cook the steaks.

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We hope you’ll keep up on what’s happening here at Country Threads by reading our blog at Country-Threads-Chicken-Scratch

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January 15, 2013
This is what’s new today – boxes of new fabric in our garage not even opened yet because we are moving back in to the newly painted shop.

I’m sure the new stuff is wonderful and just as soon as we can find a spot for it, we’ll open the boxes and tell you all about it. Clean white paint with gray accents and a bit of chalkboard paint has spruced up our space beyond our wildest imaginations.

We have cleaned, sorted, discarded, and organized the office area where our new motto is “When in doubt, throw it out!”

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January 8, 2013

We have great news.   We have a new book coming out called “The Blue and the Gray:  Quilt Patterns using Civil War Fabrics”.

The 80 page book is filled with a lot of great projects from wall hangings to lap quilts to table runners.

This log cabin is destined to be a favorite.

If you love Civil War reproduction fabric like we do, you are sure to find a project (or ten) to your liking.

If you want to be one of the first to receive your book, pre-order a copy today by following this link.  The books are expected to be in early April.  We will ship your book as soon as we get them from the publisher.

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December 28, 2012

Is that not the most gorgeous stack of fabric you’ve ever seen?  Mary E. is making a new Couch Quilt using brushed cottons so she asked us to cut 1/2 yard of every brushed cotton that we have.  Wow! Sometimes we may be guilty of taking that section of the shop for granted, but when you stack those fabrics up, they are nearly irresistible!  We don’t have the Kamla Brushed Cottons on the shopping cart quite yet, but Mandy is working on it.  They range in price from $9.98 to $10.98 per yard and we’ll be offering fat quarters and yardage in 1/2 yard increments.  Be patient….coming soon!

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December 18, 2012

Jo Morton’s new book, “For All Seasons”,  is in the shop and we are swooning.  Actually we are fighting over who is going to make which sample!

The book has 10 projects in it and is 48 pages long.  The projects vary in size from 16″ x 16″ to 52″ x 52″.

As the title suggests, the projects are seasonal.  Here’s one for Christmas.

Here’s a project for fall.

Here’s one for spring.

Can you see why we are jockeying to see who is making which sample?

The book is $25 and you can find in on our website by following this link.

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December 14, 2012

Today is our last day of the
12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:
two Reproduction patterns and kits. There is an entire room at Country Threads dedicated to Reproduction/Civil War fabrics, patterns and books. It only seems right to offer you something from that room for our 12 Days of Christmas. These are probably not quilts that you’d finish by Christmas (unless you have more hours in your days than any of us here!!) but January will follow the Christmas season and you’ll need something to do. Both of these patterns are by Carol Hopkins Designs. There are also kits available for both.

Melissa’s Locket by Carol Hopkins Designs

Connie made this fun quilt that she loved for the peppermint pinwheels in each block. Finished size is 42″ x 54″. The pattern is available for $8.50. The KIT includes the pattern and 66 different pieces of fabric for the quilt top and binding. What makes this quilt sparkle with life is the variety of colors, accented by red pinwheels. The KIT sells for $109.95. Click HERE to order either the pattern or KIT.

Parasol Stars by Carol Hopkins Designs

Jan put this stunning model together. It also has a huge variety of fabrics and colors and is set off by a border print. Finished size of the Parasol Stars quilt is 30″ x 35″. The pattern sells for $8.50. The kit includes the pattern and fabric for the quilt top and binding and sells for $87.95. Click HERE to order the pattern or the KIT.

SPECIAL OFFER: When you purchase either of these Reproduction KITS (Melissa’s Locket Kit or Parasol Stars Kit) your name will be entered into a drawing to win a Reproduction Roll of 24 Fat Eighths. The Roll contains 24 pieces, each 9″ x 22″, of Reproduction/Civil War fabrics. This is great way to build your stash of Reproduction fabrics. Retail value: $29.95.

Reproduction Roll of Fat Eigths.

Merry Christmas! This is the last day that we’ll be offering items especially chosen for our
12 Days of Christmas online event.

HOWEVER, we’ve decided to extend all of these offers and specials until 9:00 am on Tuesday, December 18. So you have all weekend and Monday to look over the 12 Days of Christmas offers and take advantage of items on sale and to qualify for the two special drawings. I
If you haven’t kept these emails and need to review what we’ve offered over the 12 days of this event, they’re all on our website under the “What’s New” tab on our home page. Click HERE to see the “What’s New” page.
Holiday Recipe
Mary E. made this fun snack. It’s just perfect for a Holiday gathering; the color is a soft, creamy white – just like new fallen snow. Oh, and it tastes good too!

Apricot Almond Bark
1 – 20 oz. pkg. almond bark
5-6 oz. dried apricots
1 small pkg sliced almonds
Melt almond bark in microwave according to directions on pkg.
Snip the apricots into small bites using a scissors.
Stir apricots and almonds into melted almond bark.
Spread on foil lined cookie sheet.
Cool and break into pieces.

Holiday Thought for Day 12 of the 12 Days of Christmas:

People who light up your life usually know where the switch is.

We hope our 12 Days of Christmas online event has brought a little light into your life. We want to thank you all for your loyalty to Country Threads Quilt Shop. We appreciate your business online, on the phone and in the shop here in Garner.
Have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season.
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December 13, 2012

It really is about time for some snow for Day 11 of our 12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:

SNOW wool and needle project by Buttermilk Basin.  This primitive design would look great as a pillow, framed or made into a wall hanging.  It’s actually intended as a Block of the Month from Buttermilk Basin.  Stacy has designed a foundation crazy wool mat pattern and then she offers monthly designs to fasten to that mat.  We took the SNOW design and made a wool pillow out of it.  It’s perfect for our winters in the upper midwest or for those of you in Florida that can only dream of cold and snow!

Snow Pattern Snow Pillow KIT

The pattern sells for $6.50 and includes the instructions for the Snow design only.  The Crazy Patch foundation pattern is sold separately. The Snow Pillow Kit sells for $31.95 and includes the Snow pattern and wool for the pillow front and back and all of the applique.  Click HERE to order.  We really only have a dusting of snow so far in North Iowa, but more is coming on Saturday so we might have a white Christmas.  We’ll be ready with our primitive SNOW pillow.

Holiday Recipe

Joan made this fabulous Christmas bread.  It’s so festive and melt in your mouth tender.  THE RECIPE MAKES TWO CINNAMON WREATHS.

Cinnamon Wreath

Sweet Bread Dough

2 Cups warm water

2/3 Cup sugar

2 pkg. yeast

6 to 7-1/2 Cups flour

1/2 Cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

Combine water, sugar & yeast.  Let rest for a few minutes.  Add 3-1/2 Cups flour, shortening, food coloring (optional) and salt.  Mix until smooth.  Add eggs and enough flour to make stiff dough.  Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth adding flour as necessary.  Place in greased bowl and turn once to grease top.  Cover and let rise until double.  Punch down &  shape as desired.  Joan made a beautiful Christmas Wreath.

Take 1/2 of the dough at a time.  Roll into a 9″ x 12″ rectangle.  Spread with soft butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Roll up starting with the long side and seal the edge.  Place the rolled dough in a circle on a cookie sheet.  Cut into the edges a little ways to expose the cinnamon.

Cover and let rise until double.

Bake at 325-350 degrees for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.

Frost with white frosting and garnish with red hots or candied cherries if desired.

NOTE:  Dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Holiday Thought for Day 11 of the 12 Days of Christmas:

Friendship is a cozy shelter from life’s rainy or snowy winter days.

Drop a note to your closest friend today and say “thank you” for being there.

Happy Holidays from Country Threads Quilt Shop
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December 12, 2012

Just 3 Days left of our
12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the tenth day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:

” 30 Stars for 30 Years” fabric pack and pattern. This quilt is one of our all time favorites. We’ve made 4 models for the shop and quilt shows. There are alot of little pieces, but the construction is not difficult at all. The colors are perfect for the Holiday season – it would be stunning on your wall or on your Christmas table.

Finished size of the “30 Stars for 30 Years” quilt is 42″ x 42″. The kit includes 59 different fabrics! Retail price: $124.95. Normally the pattern is sold separately but for the 12 Days of Christmas Event (through Friday, December 14), we’ll include the $10.00 pattern for free! Click HERE to order the kit and FREE pattern.

Holiday Recipe

Oh my, this is a great recipe. We tasted this the morning that Mandy brought it in just to confirm that it was good. (HA!) So then we just kept tasting and tasting till someone pointed out that it might not be good for us to eat all that bread in one sitting. Mary Baker made this recipe at home but changed it up a little. She used Danish Havarti cheese and fresh chives…also really good and worth eating the entire loaf in one sitting.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls

1 unsliced loaf (round is preferable) sourdough bread

8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits

1/2 Cup butter, melted

1 Tablespoon Ranch dressing mix

Using a sharp bread knife, cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together melted butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is crusty.

Holiday Thought for Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas

Focus the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.

Set realistic goals for yourself that will not sap you of energy this holiday season.

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December 11, 2012

Today is “Brunch” day for the

12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the ninth day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:

a Christmas Brunch Tablerunner KIT. This is the quickest tablerunner you’ll ever make!

Christmas Brunch Tablerunner Kit Click HERE to order.

The kit includes the pattern and fabric for the tablerunner top AND BACKING. All that for just $13.95.  It’s not bound, it’s just turned right-side-out!  The finished size is 8-1/4″ x 32-1/2″ so it’s the perfect splash of Christmas color for your table.

Mary E. made about 25 of these for the Christmas Brunch last Saturday at her church.  They adorned each of the banquet tables and then one guest at each table won a tablerunner.  Isn’t that a great idea?  We love this picture — what a quilter!

Remember you can order this item or any other item we have offered during our 12 Days of Christmas event while supplies last.  Items that are on SALE for this event will go back to regular price after December 14, 2012.

Holiday Recipe

Mary Baker made this Norwegian Dessert for the Scandinavian Bazaar at her church. The recipe came with the description: The “world’s best” cake.  Well, it is really good!  It looks complicated, but don’t fear – it goes together quite simply and melts in your mouth.

Norwegian Kvaefjord Cake

Step 1 – First Layer

5-1/2 oz. butter

3/4 Cup sugar

6 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 Tablespoons milk

1 Cup all purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Whisk the sugar and butter until smooth and pale.  Stir in the other ingredients.  Mix well.  Spread on a 14″ x 17″ baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Step 2 – Second Layer of Base (Meringue)

6 egg whites

1 Cup sugar

4 ounces sliced almonds

Beat egg whites and sugar on high until stiff peaks form (meringue.)  Spread evenly over the base batter made in the first step.  Sprinkle 4 ounces sliced almonds on top of the meringue.

Bake at 350 degrees in lower part of the oven for 25 – 30 minutes.  Remove and cool on wire rack.

Step 3 – Filling

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix (about 3 ounces)

1 Cup heavy cream

Make pudding as directed on package.  Whip cream.  Keep refrigerated and when ready to assemble, fold pudding and whipped cream together.

Step 4 – Finishing

Cut the cake into serving size pieces.  Assemble the cake on individual plates in the following order:

One layer of cake

Pudding mixture

Another layer of cake

A dollop of pudding mixture

Garnish with Cherry Pie filling, if desired.

Holiday Thought for Day 9 of the 12 Days of Christmas:

It isn’t what you know that counts; it’s what you think of in time!

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December 7, 2012

The days continue to count down in our 12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the eighth day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:
Kim Diehl fabric and books. Kim Diehl is one of our favorite designers and she has created a new line of fabric that is really stunning. The fabric just came in and we’ve bundled up a collection of fat quarters of all 24 pieces in the line.

Garden Grove fabric by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass

The Fat Quarter Bundle of 24 Garden Grove fabrics sells for $72.00.
During our 12 Days of Christmas, we’re offering a special price of 12% off – that makes the price $63.36.

Click HERE to order this great Fat Quarter Bundle.

But wait – there’s more!

During our 12 Days of Christmas if you also buy one of the 3 Kim Diehl books that we currently have in stock, we’ll take 24% off the price of the Garden Grove Fat Quarter Bundle. That makes the Bundle only $54.72.

You can choose from

Simple Comforts by Kim Diehl ($28.99) Click HERE to order.

Simple Charm by Kim Diehl ($28.99) Click HERE to order.

Homestyle Quilts by Kim Diehl ($26.99) Click HERE to order.

Order any of the three books pictured above and your price for the Garden Grove Fat Quarter Bundle is $54.72 , a 24% discount.
(That special discount will not be displayed on your order or your order confirmation email – please trust us to take that discount at this end when we ship your order. Joan and Mandy do a great job in the “shipping department” of keeping track of this stuff – if you order a Kim Diehl book and a Garden Grove Fat Quarter Bundle, you will get that special price on the fat quarters.)

Holiday Recipe
Jan made these great Holiday Pretzels – they’re pretzels with an attitude! Mike Baker made the recipe one day while Mary was at work and has decided that there should be a disclaimer – “IT MAKES A BUNCH!!” The other thing to know is that it will seem VERY oily, but just keep shaking the container. Eventually, the oil is absorbed and the pretzels are back to crispy and oh, so tasty.

Holiday Pretzels
2-20 oz. bags of pretzels
1 bottle Orville Redenbachers popping oil
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (dry)
2 Tablespoons dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Put pretzels in a LARGE bowl (Jan uses a large plastic mixing bowl with a tight lid.) Mix the oil and seasonings in a bowl – stir together and then pour over the pretzels while stirring. Put the lid on the bowl and shake it every 15 to 20 minutes.

Holiday Thought for Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas:
The happiest people are those who are too busy to notice whether they are happy or not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 6, 2012

We hope you’re enjoying our 12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the seventh day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:

the FAT QUARTER BUNDLE of Orchard House fabric by Jeanne Horton for Windham. The line has 38 skus. They are absolutely beautiful and easy to use together or combined with other  Reproduction fabrics.

If you’d like to see individual pieces, each piece is offered on our website in the fabric section.

Click HERE to see the fabric included in the Orchard House Collection. The fat quarter bundle includes all 38 pieces and regularly sells for $114. For the 12 Days of Christmas

order the Orchard House Fat Quarter Bundle for $100.00.
Mary E. made a lovely quilt from this fat quarter bundle. She used the “Wind Farm” pattern from Miss Rosie’s Quilt Co. She left off the 3 borders that the pattern called for and bound the quilt with what was left from piecing the blocks.

Wind Farm Quilt with Orchard House fabrics

The quilt finishes 56″ x 63″. It almost looks like an antique quilt because the colors are so soft and subtle. You can CLICK HERE to order the Wind Farm pattern and make a beautiful quilt just like Mary’s.

Holiday Recipe

Pam brought this little treat to the shop. You have to understand that Pam likes her food SPICY! So if you don’t want these quite as HOT, leave out the cayenne pepper…or at least be cautious with the amount. She doesn’t tell us how much to use, so maybe start with just a small sprinkle.

Frosted Nuts

3-1/2″ C. Whole Pecans, Walnut Halves, or Mixed Nuts

2 Egg Whites

1 C Sugar

1/2 C Butter

Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Place nuts in a large shallow baking pan. Toast in a 325 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

Fold cooled toasted nuts into egg white mixture.

Melt the butter in pan used to toast the nuts. Spoon and spread nut mixture over melted butter.

Bake in 325 degree oven until coating is golden and crisp and butter is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Stir nuts gently every 10 minutes. When done, sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Cool and store in an air tight container.

Holiday Thought for Day 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas

He who waits to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything.

Start with a very small good deed and then do it again and then do another one.

Happy Holidays from Country Threads Quilt Shop

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December 5, 2012

We’re at the half-way mark of the
12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the sixth day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:

Punchneedle KITS: Punchneedle continues to be very popular. We’re hearing from many of you, ordering punchneedle sets and lots of kits. We’re so glad you like to do this wonderful miniature art and that we have designs that you like. We continue to get new designs and we have a model for every one we offer – that keeps us all busy punching! Our kits come with the design stamped on the weavers’ cloth and the floss you’ll need to complete the project. Sometimes that floss is DMC, Gentle Arts, Weeks Dye or a combination of all three. The Cameo punchneedle (our favorite) and the Morgan No-Slip Hoop (an absolute must) are sold separately. Any supplies you need are sold on our website’s shopping cart. You can click HERE to order supplies.

2 of these winter punchneedles are brand new to us; the other is one of our most popular. So for this sixth day of our 12 Days of Christmas we’re highlighting

Patriotic Santa Punchneedle by Teresa Kogut

This punchneedle project finishes 3-1/5″ x 4″. Retail price is $26.00. Click HERE to order.

Let It Snow Punchneedle Kit by Teresa Kogut

These fun guys are all about winter; finished size: 4-1/2″ x 4-1/4″. Retail price is $28.00. Click HERE to order.

Man’s Best Friend by Country Threads

Finished size is 5-3/8″ x 5-3/8″. Retail price: $26.00. Click HERE to order.

Warning: Punchneedle Embroidery is addictive! To see all of the punchneedle designs we offer, click HERE.

Holiday Recipe
Connie has put this recipe in the Goat Gazette before but it’s worth repeating. We’ve enjoyed it in the lunchroom here at the quilt shop too. It has a kick so be prepared to spice up your holiday gathering.

Healthy Mexican Caviar
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup cider vinegar
Bring the above mixture to a boil and let cool while chopping vegetables.
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 jalapeno peppers OR 1 (4 oz.) jar diced jalapeno peppers
1 bunch green onions
2 cans shoe peg corn
1 can black eyed peas
1 can pinto beans
Rinse and drain beans and corn. Dice the vegetables into small pieces. Mix.
Pour dressing over vegetables and stir well. Chill. Serve with Tostitos “scoops” or eat as a cold salad.
Holiday Thought for Day 6 of the 12 Days of Christmas:

As your family gathers for the holiday season, don’t assume everyone in your family makes mistakes

but you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 4, 2012

The FUN continues with the

12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the fifth day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:

“Merry Medley Tablerunner” pattern and kit by Country Threads.  This kit features Merry Medley fabric by Sandy Gervais for Moda.  It’s fast and fun and a great way to dress up your holiday table.  The KIT includes the pattern and fabric for the quilt top and binding.  Finished size is 14″ x 32″. It’s a bargain too at $22.95.  You could buy two for a longer table!

Click HERE to order the Merry Medley Tablerunner…and when you do….

YOUR NAME WILL BE ENTERED IN A DRAWING TO WIN A VINTAGE CHRISTMAS KIT.

The Vintage Christmas KIT starts with a festive Santa/Christmas panel by Clothworks.  The panel is surrounded by borders of coordinating Vintage Christmas fabric with stars and trees.  Finished size is 42″ x 54″.  The kit for this Christmas quilt/wallhanging includes the pattern and the fabric for the quilt top and binding.  Retail price is $45.00.  One Vintage Christmas KIT will be awarded to a lucky winning shopper who orders the Merry Medley Tablerunner Kit. Don’t wait though — there is a limited supply of the Merry Medley Kits and you don’t want to miss your chance to win!

HOLIDAY RECIPE

Lori offered this appetizer recipe with spinach tortillas and we’ve all made them – they are so good and would make a cheerful presentation on your new Merry Medley tablerunner!

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

1 (170 gram) package dried sweetened cranberries

1 (250 grams) container cream cheese spread

1 Cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 Cup chopped green onions

4 large spinach tortillas

Combine all ingredients except tortillas, mix well. Divide and spread mixture evenly among tortillas.  Roll up each tortilla tightly, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.  To serve, cut into 12 slices.  (For variety, add thin slices of ham on top of the spread before rolling.)

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November 30, 2012

It’s time to decorate for the

12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the fourth day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me:

Christmas Ornaments and Willow Lighting! Today we’re offering Christmas ornaments while you’re still in the planning stage of holiday decorating.  These ornaments are really darling – and inexpensive.  They’ll give your tree, swag or roping a nostalgic look.

There are two styles to choose from and two colors for the stars…or mix and match. The stars are about 7″ across and adorned with green ribbon and holly. The Candy Canes are fluffy with glittery flakes to sparkle on your tree. The price is right: $1.89 – $2.69 each. Click HERE to order.

And for holiday lighting, our Lighted Willow Branches are perfect. These lighted twigs are just right in a dark corner, on the mantel, corner table or wherever you need a touch of magic. They come in two sizes: The 24″ size has 60 lights atop a brown wrapped twig; the 36″ size has 90 lights on 3 twigs along with a really long cord that plugs into any outlet.

This Christmas display has one 24″ and one 36″ set of twigs along with some festive picks to fill in. You could use live greenery too. Change out the stems for the different seasons and add that same magic all year long.

Here’s a little Christmas magic: We’ll take 12% off the price of any of the Lighted Willow Branches while quantities last or until December 14th during our 12 Days of Christmas.

Click HERE to order Lighted Willow Branches
Holiday Recipe

Morning Glory Muffins
2 C. flour
1-1/3 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. grated carrots
1/2 C. raisins
1/2 C. coconut
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1 – 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 C. vegetable oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in carrots, raisins, coconut and pecans. Make a well in the center of this mixture. Combine oil and remaining ingredients. Add to flour mixture and stir just until the mixture is moistened.
Bake in cupcake papers for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown.

Mary E. made these for the guys working on her house. Boy, did she make friends! These muffins are hearty, yet sweet and oh, so yummy. Make these ahead for Christmas morning breakfast.

Holiday Thought for Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas:

Don’t fret over what you’d do with your time if you could live it over again; get busy with what you have.

Think of your close friends, workmates and neighbors, remembering how you love and care for one another.

Happy Holidays from Country Threads Quilt Shop
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November 29, 2012

Welcome back to our countdown to the
12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the third day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me…….
Quilt Blocks from Olde America Antiques We’re featuring 2 Christmas sets today. Each set includes four 4″ x 6″ fabric blocks. The blocks are images of nostalgic Santas of yesteryear. The images are derived from vintage postcards from the early 1900s. There’s a pattern to sew the 4 blocks into a small wallhanging in each Quilt Block Set that sets the four quilt blocks between a thin sashing with 3-strip borders and 9 patches in the four corners.
Olde America Antiques Quilt Blocks Set 8 $18.49 (Click HERE to order.)

Olde America Antiques Quilt Blocks Set 21 $18.49 (Click HERE to order.)

The quilt blocks are printed on soft, 100% cotton sateen. They are ready to sew, easy to quilt and colorfast for handwashing. Mary E. got into the festive mood with triangle squares and set her quilt blocks into this little design. The possibilities are endless for sashings, cornerstones and borders. The quilts blocks can all be in one quilt or they could be used individually for a mini-quilt.

The elves at Country Threads have convinced Santa to get into the giving spirit on these two Quilt Block sets.
WHILE QUANTITIES LAST there will be a 12% discount on

Olde America Antiques Quilt Block set 8
and
Olde America Antiques Quilt Block set 21

So the price of each set will be $16.27! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HOLIDAY RECIPE

Ina made the Kringla. It’s a different recipe than the one we shared from Jan last year. We live in a highly Scandinavian populated part of the country! Ina says her recipe comes from Marvis Olsen – how’s that for Scandinavian?

Kringla

1-1/4 Cups sugar
1/2 Cup shortening (butter or other)
2 egg yolks
1 Cup buttermilk
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Cups flour
Cream shortening and sugar. Add yolks and continue creaming. Add vanilla to this. Add soda to buttermilk and mix with above. Add remaining ingredients as listed. Leave the dough set for 6 hours in the refrigerator. Shape to size of a lead pencil, about 5″ long. Make cross design as you like. Bake in 350 degree oven until brown on bottom. Finished product will be light in color.

Holiday Thought for Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas:
Kindness is like snow; it makes beautiful everything it covers.

A blanket of kindness could change any relationship to a peaceful one.
Happy Holidays from Country Threads Quilt Shop

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November 28, 2012

Brought to you AGAIN by all the elves at Country Threads Quilt Shop – it’s DAY 2 of

12 Days of Christmas – 2012

On the second day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me……….

“Cold Days” pattern and kit by Primitive Pieces by Lynda. This is a new wool project from one of our favorite designers.

The project size is 6-1/4″ x 35″. Lynda suggests the following decorating ideas if your space doesn’t allow for a long, narrow wall quilt like this one: “Let your project accommodate your needs. The snow heads can be put around the outside edge of a circular or square table rug with your favorite bowl or basket in the middle. You could hang them vertically in a row. They could be made into small mug rugs or even framed and added to your family portrait wall.” Santa’s elves think Lynda said it best when she said, “Whatever you make, I hope you smile when you are finished.”

Here’s a picture of Connie’s finished project. There are lots of different colored pieces of wool in this project, so we’ve put together a kit with everything you’ll need. You can order just the pattern or you can order the kit of wools. The kit includes the pattern and wools for the project front along with black brushed cotton for a binding. To order, click HERE.
If you have wool pieces and just need some more colors, don’t forget our Mary Flannagan hand-dyed woolens. The colors are beautiful and the pieces are small. We have nice collections of 10 different textures in each colorway. You can find the Mary Flannagan woolens on our website in the “Fabric” category. Just scroll down the alphabetical list till you get to “Mary Fannagan Woolens.” Each color is listed and pictured alphabetically too. Have fun!

Not that we’re looking forward to snow but we could be making real snowmen anytime, so this would be a great way to get started on Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas.

HOLIDAY RECIPE

Here’s Brandi’s recipe for Gingersnaps. They’re really great – soft and flavorful. They were a real hit in the shop the day she brought them for pictures. YUM!

Gingersnaps

3/4 Cup oleo
1 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup molasses
1 egg
2-1/2 Cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
In a mixing bowl,cream together the first 4 ingredients till fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients and add to bowl. Stir until dry ingredients are incorporated. Stir in molasses. Form into small balls. Roll the balls in sugar. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Holiday Thought for Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas:
If you want to put the world right — start with yourself!

Be patient with strangers today. We don’t know their frustrations and disappointments.

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November 27, 2012
Over the next 12 days we will be featuring great deal and goodies as part of our “12 Days of Christmas” sale.  Check back each day to get the best deals.

Brought to you by all the elves at Country Threads Quilt Shop – it’s the first day of our 12 Days of Christmas – 2012

For 12 days between today, November 27, 2012 and Friday, December 14, 2012 we’ll be sending you recipes, holiday thoughts and gift ideas from our Christmas patterns, kits and gifts here at Country Threads Quilt Shop.
While supplies last, the items offered will be available to purchase online or in the shop. Many of the items featured on our 12 Days of Christmas promotion are NEW. Be sure to check your email DAILY to see what we’re offering, but don’t wait to order – supplies are limited on many of the items. Santa’s sleigh can only hold so much at a time.

Here are some bookkeeping notes:
We’ll link each day’s offering to our website so you can get there quickly and order before the supply runs out. When you order online remember that, as always, the shipping charges listed on your order and on your email confirmation receipt are an estimate. You’ll be charged ACTUAL shipping when we ship your order.

Now on to the fun:
On the first day of Christmas, my quilt shop offered me………

“Lost Socks” Pattern and Kit by Black Mountain Quilts. Remember the line, “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care”? This quilt is more about the real world, the world where the washing machine eats at least 1 sock with every washing. The pattern is for a twin size quilt, 78″ x 94″.

Country Threads is offering a kit for a smaller version of the quilt. Our quilt is 38″ x 62″ and makes a wonderful wall hanging for a child’s room, the wall at Christmas or maybe the laundry room.

Isn’t it fun? Do you see a sock that you’ve been missing? The kit includes the full size pattern and fabric for the smaller quilt top and binding. To order the pattern or kit online CLICK HERE.

We’re off to a running start (with matching socks) to our 12 Days of Christmas!
HOLIDAY RECIPE:

We might as well get used to the fact that snow will come any day now and Connie has given us a recipe for her

BLIZZARD MIX

2 C. Corn Chex Cereal
2 C. Miniature Pretzels
1 C. Dry Roasted Peanuts
20 Caramels (chopped)
1 pkg (12 oz) Vanilla White Morsel Chips

Combine dry ingredients. Melt vanilla chips and immediately stir into dry ingredients. Spread onto wax paper. Allow to cool and break into servings.

Holiday Thought for Day 1 of the 12 Days of Christmas:

No matter what, no matter where, it’s always home if love is there.

(Splurge on a long distance phone call. Let someone know you’re thinking of him – even if it’s not a holiday!)

Happy Holidays from Country Threads Quilt Shop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 27, 2012

If you’re looking for a great deal, we have it for you: the new  “Quilt It” magazine.

This is the January/February issue.  Can you believe it’s only $3.99!  Fifteen projects for only $3.99 is one of the best deals we have seen in a long time.  There is a wide variety of projects from bags to quilts to mug rugs.

Buy several copies and give them to your quilting friends!  You can follow this link to order.
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Happy Thanksgiving!  Maybe after dinner on Thursday you can enjoy some quiet time in your sewing room. If the football games don’t fill your afternoon, then there must be time to sew.

Here’s a great new book to put on your “MUST HAVE” list:  Lissa Alexander of Moda Fabric/United Notions has compiled over 35 projects from the designers of Moda Bake Shop into a book titled, “Sweet Celebrations”.

There are instructions for quilts, runners, bags and gifts from 22 designers who have worked with pre-cuts (Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Fat Quarters, Charm Squares and more.)  The projects are themed for special occasions to inspire you to celebrate the occasions in your life with handmade gifts and decor.  You can order the book online or give us a call at 641-923-3893.

NOTE:  Our very own Jo Kramer  and her daughter Kelli are included in the book with their “Two Quilt Combo” design.

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Mary E. has just posted the cutest Christmas pillow made out of an old sweater!  Check it out on the blog.

Just this morning we received copies of Kim Diehl and Laurie Baker’s  newest book, homestyle quilts.

The book is 96 pages, with directions for 13 quilts AND 13 savory recipes!  Kim and Laurie say in the book that they share a love of delicious meals that can be made easily and recipes that don’t tear them away from their sewing rooms.  We love that philosophy.  The book includes the instructions for simple piecing and some applique.  The quilts range in size from small to bed size – there’s something for everyone.  The staff will be fighting over which models they can make out of this one. You can order the book on our website or give us a call at 641-923-3893.

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Have you been following our blog?

Country Threads Chicken Scratch

Jan just finished this wonderful Civil War Legacies quilt.  It’s called “Parasol Stars” and was designed by Carol Hopkins Designs.

Jan did a beautiful job making this model.  She fussy-cut a reproduction stripe for the borders – a really efficient and stunning use of the fabric.  We have a kit available for this detailed quilt which includes over 40 different fabrics.  That’s what makes this one so special is the variety of reproduction fabrics – and we’ve done all the fabric selection for you!  The kit includes the pattern and the fabric for the quilt top, the special border fabric and the binding.  Just click on the image to find the Parasol Stars Quilt pattern and kit.

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Come and check out our new blog!

Country Threads Chicken Scratch

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10/30/2012

Remember all the fun woolens we have at the shop?  Remember all those fun wool projects we have been featuring here on the “What’s New” page?  Well all of those projects have created a big pile of wool scraps that need to get used up.

We are guessing that you probably have wool scraps lying around looking for the perfect pattern, just like we do.  We think we found it!  This is “The Crazy Bunch” pattern by Primitive Pieces by Lynda.

As soon as the pattern came Connie got busy using up woolen scraps and made the 7″ circle Christmas pincushion.

Pattern cost: $12.50 Includes patterns for 6 pincushion projects including all of the full size templates and color suggestions for each piece. The pattern also includes sketches of the CRAZY stitches used in the projects. The projects can be rectangular, square or two different size circle pincushions.  If you are interested, you can find the pattern here.

Say so long to those wool scraps and stitch them into something special.

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10/22/2012

Our delivery men are always bringing us goodies to sell in the shop, fabrics, patterns, and goodies.  But, they only deliver one magazine that we sell in the shop.  That magazine is Primitive Quilts and Projects.  It is our favorite.  The Winter issue just arrived and it is a good one.

The cover quilt is great lap size throw, made of wool and tied.  It is classic.

There 16 projects in the book.

This hooked rug is great!

If you need a gift for Christmas for a man in your life, this lap sized throw could be made quickly.

Other gift ideas, how about this skinny little snowman?

We all loved this “Garden Star” quilt.

There’s are lots more projects hiding inside waiting for you to discover.  If you would like your own copy of the magazine you can purchase it by following this link.  We still have a few of the Fall issue left you can find that here.

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10/16/2012

Imagine a marching band.  Imagine a warm sunny day.  Imagine a parade coming your way.  Oh look there is a parade!  It’s the Country Threads girls treating you to a “parade” of all their great new punchneedle embroidery kits.

This punchneedle kit is “Binx”. It is approximately 4 1/2″ round and the kit cost is $20.

Next up is “Black Cat Society”.  This kit finishes at 4 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ and the cost is $26.00.

“Folk Art Crow” is our next kit.  It is 3 1/2″ x 5 1/4″.  Kit cost is $22.

Here is “Home Sweet Home”.  This kit is $27.00 and finishes at 8″ x 6 1/2″.

Several of the gals in the shop wanted to make this shop sample, “Horse on the Hill”.  It is 9 1/4″ x  6 3/4″ and costs $27.00.

This is “Oh My!!”.  It is 6 3/4″ x 7 ” and the cost is $25.00.

If you missed some of our other recent kits, we’ll do a little recap here.

This is “Smile”.

This $26.00 kit finishes at 4 1/4″ x 5 1/4″.   We finished this project by attaching it to a pillow.

Our other new kit is “Jesse”.

This $35.00 kit finishes at 6 1/4″ x 7″.   Jesse is so cute.

Please note that each kit comes with the directions, stamped weavers cloth and all the floss to complete the project.  Kits do not include the Morgan No-Slip Hoop or the Cameo Punchneedle.

Remember we have put together a tutorial that will help you complete all of your punchneedle projects.  You can find that here.

Thanks for joining us for our little parade.  See you next week!

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10/9/2012

‘Tis the season for fabric shipments.  We have recently gotten several new lines of fabric in.  Last week it was Orchard House by Jeanne Horton.  This week’s feature is Square in Square, inspired by a quilt from the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, designed by Kathy Hall with Jo Morton for Andover.

We have all 18 pieces from the collection cut into fat quarters, bundled up and ready for you for $54.00.  We also have yardage available at $10.50 per yard. All you Jo Morton fans are sure to love these:  blacks, chrome yellows, acid greens too!

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10/2/2012

Last week we told you about the tutorial Mary Baker put together showing all of you how to finish a punchneedle project.  Many of you asked about the wonderful project Mary was using as her model.  It’s was this:

July 4th, 1876 punchneedle kit.  The kit finishes at 8″ x 6 1/2″.  The kit includes the design stamped on weavers cloth and floss to finish the project.

Also new in the shop is a gorgeous new fabric collection by Jeanne Horton for Windham called “Orchard House”.  The fabrics are wonderful.  We have loved all her collections and were so excited to see a new collection come out.

After seeing it in person, we are even more excited about it.  We knew many of you would be wanting a fat quarter of each so we put together a bundle including exactly that, a fat quarter of each of the 38 prints, all for $114. If you are looking for individual pieces we have that too.  You can find all of the Orchard House fabrics here on our website.

As the gals were cutting the fat quarter bundles they were debating which samples to make from the collection first.  Watch for something fun to be coming.

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9/24/2012

When we were at the Country Living Fair, we had several people come up to us and say, “We were here last year and bought a punchneedle kit but we don’t know how to finish it.”  We answered their questions but then realized many of our online friends might have the same question.

Mary Baker was recently working on a shop sample and put together a tutorial showing how to finish a punchneedle project.  We put the tutorial on our website’s homepage under the “Punchneedle” tab.  You can also access the tutorial here.  You will see that finishing your punchneedle projects is actually very easy.   If you are looking for the glue Mary mentions in the tutorial we have that available here.

While we are on the topic of punchneedle, we thought we would give you a sneak peek at our latest kits.

This is “Smile”.

This $26.00 kit finishes at 4 1/4″ x 5 1/4″.  It includes, directions, floss and a stamped Weavers’ cloth.  We finished this project by attaching it to a pillow.

Our other new kit is “Jesse”.

This $35.00 kit finishes at 6 1/4″ x 7″.   It also includes the directions, floss and stamped Weavers’ cloth.  ”Jesse” was mounted onto a small paddles that we have available here.  The paddles have been one of our hottest selling punchneedle accessories.  If you are unsure of how you would like to mount your project, a paddle is a safe and appealing option.

Punchneedle is the perfect project to work on as you cuddle up in a quilt in your favorite chair to watch the new fall line up of shows on television.  If you are looking for supplies or a new kit, we are always updating the the punchneedle section of our website.

9/11/2012

So many of you have been telling us that you need help getting some of your stash fabric used up.  We have just the thing for you, great quilt books from scrappy quilt designer, Bonnie Hunter.

Mary just finished up one of the quilts, “Fair and Square”, from the book, “Scraps and Shirttails II”.  It was a great project to used up lots of scrap!

We loved that book so much that we decided to order Bonnie Hunter’s newest book, “String Fling”.  Here is a display of quilts from that book.

We loved those scrappy quilts so we ordered two more of her books, Scraps and Shirttails I,

and Adventures with Leaders and Enders.

Since reading “Adventures with Leaders and Enders”, Mary has been sewing up a storm using a new method of sewing two quilts at once.

Any books with great quilt patterns that help us use up our stash and help us sew more quilts has got to be a perfect quilt book, right?  We think so.  If you are looking for more information on any of the books just follow the links.

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Just in:  Leesburg Fabric by Jo Morton for Andover Fabrics.

There are 30 fabrics in the collection.  The price is $9.98 per yard.  You can order it online within the “fabric” category (click here).  Remember, you’re ordering in 1/2 yd. increments, so the price will appear as $4.99.  Because we love scrappy quilts with lots of little pieces, we’re also offering a collection of 27 of the 30 prints.  The border stripes pictured above are not included because they don’t work well in tiny pieces.  The collection of 27 prints are bundled as Fat 1/8s – that’s 9″ x 22″ each.  Click here to order the Fat Eighth Bundle of 27 prints of the Leesburg Collection.

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Come and check out our new blog!

Country Threads Chicken Scratch
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8/28/2012

We have a new pattern out.  Do you want to see?

This is “American Harvest Wall  Hanging”.   Don’t you just love the colors?  All of us here in shop give a great big thumbs up to any project Connie and Mary create that features stars and flags.

This project is one of our smaller projects finishing at 28″ x 30″.  The gals put together some Starter Packs for the project.   Starter Packs include most of the fabrics you’d need to complete the top plus the pattern, all for $54.95.  As with all of our starter packs, you may have to pull a few scraps from your stash to give the project your personal flare.

Want to use your own stash?  Great!  Patterns are available for $9.00.

Order quickly so you have time to finish the project before fall is behind us.

Before you go you’ll want to check out our blog.  We are giving away a pack of all 10 of our new Chicken Feed patterns.  You can also get a sneak peak on what Mary is working on for Charm School.

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8/21/2012

We aren’t ready for snow here yet but we are working on some snow and Christmas themed shop samples.

Brandi stitched up a storm and made our latest project, Frosty Mugs by Threads that Bind.  She used a beautiful selection of white woolens for the snowmen.

The original pattern buttonhole stitched the top to a wool backing, but we chose to treat it as a regular wall hanging by adding the border and binding the quilt with a matching binding making it versatile so it can be hung on the wall or displayed on a table as a runner.

We put together kits so you can get stitching right away and have it ready to showcase in your home by the time the snow flies.  Kit price is $58.95 which includes pattern, woolens to complete the top, border and binding.  If you have your own collection of wool, the pattern is available separately for $8.50.

As soon as we saw Brandi’s finished project, one of the gals who works here had a tape measures in hand measuring to see where she could hang this 11″ x 41″ project in her house.  The project is just that cute.

If you want to see a closer view of the pattern, follow this link to our website.  There you can see the details of the wool and stitching.

As fun as this project was, we aren’t ready for snow.  The heat that we had in early August has passed and we are enjoying some fall type temperatures.  We hope the weather is great where ever you are.

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8/14/2012

In the “limelight” on the “What’s New” page is Limelight a new pattern from Villa Rosa Designs.

We love  Villa Rosa Designs patterns and our customers have too.  Who can beat the $2.50 price for a pattern?

The project finishes at 53″ x 68″, perfect for a nice throw or lap quilt.

Our kit features Moda’s fabric line “California Girl”.  The kit is $73.95 which  includes pattern and fabric for quilt top and binding.

To jazz up this easy to sew design, we chose to make the edges of our quilt scalloped.  For instruction on how to make that scalloped edge, follow this link to the “Useful Information” part of our website.

If you’re looking to put this quilt in the “limelight” at your home, you can find the kit and/or pattern ordering information here.

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8/7/2012

Jan has been busy sewing up a new shop model.  The project, “857 Nine-Patch St.”, is from a book, Nine-Patch Gatherings by Lisa Bongean and Carole Charles.

You may not be able to tell from the picture that the quilt is small but it is.  It’s really small.  Can you believe the blocks finish at  1-1/2″ making the quilt only 17″ square?    A strip piecing method is given in the book for making these perfect mini positive and negative nine-patches.  Amazingly each nine patch block starts with a light and a dark 3 1/2″ square.

We fell in love with the book when we were at the Quilt Festival in Cincinnati and saw all the great projects from the book. Here’s a picture of the Primitive Gatherings booth in Cincinnati (April, 2012).  There is not one project that we wouldn’t love to make!

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7/31/2012

Looking for a quick project that looks much harder than it is?  Here is our new Earth Tones Couch Quilt.

It is so easy. The center is a panel.

Panel quilts are always quick.  The quilt finishes 62″ x 84″. It’s contemporary, but without bright colors-perfect for gift giving when you don’t know what colors to select.  The fabric collection is called “Earthtones” and it is from P & B Textiles.

If you would like Brandi to do interpretive quilting on your finished quilt top, like what’s shown in the picture, the quilting charge would be $169.   Contact us for more information.

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7/23/2012

The new Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine for Fall 2012 is out.  We have always loved the magazine but are especially excited about this issue as we have a project featured in it!

This is “Black Cat Tuesday”.   It finishes at 20″ x 33″.  We put together kits including all the fabric needed for the top and binding.  Kits are available for purchase here for $59.95.  It’s a perfect small fall project that would look great hanging from a quilt rack or decorating your coffee table.

There are lots of other projects in this issue of the  magazine.  Here’s a great log cabin quilt.

Here’s a perfectly primitive wool project.

There are fifteen projects in the magazine so there is something that is sure to please.  You can find the magazine here on our website.  Please note that the magazine and kit are sold separately.

6/19/2012

As pattern designers, sometimes we make something we love.  Sometimes we just make something we like and sometimes we make things we don’t like at all.  The things we don’t like we just toss aside and do nothing with them.  The things we like or love typically get turned into patterns.

Not too long ago Connie made a wall hanging that all the gals at the shop liked.  It was made into a pattern but every time Connie looked at it she just wasn’t in love with it.

The project nagged at her until Connie re-made the quilt in the new colors and gave it more of a “Country Threads” look.  Now, we all love it and think you will too.

The wall hanging finished at 24″ x 42″.  It’s perfect for a door banner or along a doorway.  It will also help you put a little dent in your scrap bucket.  If you’re interested, the pattern can be found here.

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6/19/2012

Are you a lover of scrap quilts?  If you are, we have a new book in the shop that you are sure to love, Bonnie Hunter’s Scraps and Shirttails II.  The book features 13 great scrappy quilts primarily made from 1 1/2″, 2″, 2 1/2″ and 3.5″ strips.

With so many great quilts in the book that it is hard for Mary to choose which one to make.  After some debate, she decided give the quilt “Fair and Square” a try.

As you can see, the quilt is made with lots and lots of small pieces.  There are checkerboards in the border and checkerboards around the blocks.   There are string blocks too.

Mary got out the shops scrap bin and started cutting strips.  Soon the strips were together.  Then it was time to cut the strip sets into segments-then sew the segments into four patches.  Using this technique made sewing those checkerboards a snap.

Mary has been using antique trays and bowls to try to stay organized between the cutting table, iron and sewing machine.

Then it was on to making string blocks.  Mary made great use of some old copies of the shops newsletter, The Goat Gazette, using the newspaper as foundation material when sewing the string blocks.

It’s has been fun watching the shop’s scrap bucket slowly diminish and the quilt slowly grow.  Mary is already looking through Scraps and Shirttails II to see which quilt she would like to make next.

Will the next quilt be “Bricks in the Barnyard”?

“Tumalo Trail”?

“Rectangle Wrangle”?

“Hawk’s Nest”?

or “Smith Mountain Morning”?

Oh- Isn’t it just like a quilter to be dreaming about making a quilt before the one they are working on is even finished?   If you are interested in purchasing the quilts book, you can find it here on our website.

Hopefully the quilt will be finished and in the store as a shop sample by the time our “Big Event” scheduled for July 12-14 rolls around.  We hope you can stop by and see it.

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6/19/2012

We are so excited about all the wool in the shop.  We are continuing to try out new patterns and make shop samples.  We like to test as many of the patterns as possible so that when customers come to shop, we can pass along advice so your sewing or stitching experience is the best it can be.

Connie just finished a wonderful new wool pillow from the pattern, “Penny’s Primitive Pillow” by Primitive Gatherings.

It was a quick project!

If you need wool we have a great selection of our Mary Flannigan Woolens available here or if there’s something specific you need to complete the project, call the shop.  We are always willing to help.

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6/13/2012

It’s been busy, busy here at the shop.  We’ve had several bus loads of quilters visiting as part of the All Iowa Shop Hop.  It’s been fun!

In between all the excitement, Mary Etherington and Mary Baker made 3 quilts inspired by the new book Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison.

The book not only has 16 fabulous, scrappy quilted projects involving piecing and applique, it also includes tips for effectively cutting, and efficiently storing and organizing your scraps. If you subscribe to the theory that “If you think your fabric is ugly, you haven’t cut it up into small enough scraps.” – then this is the book for you!

Mary B. and Mary E. both started with Jelly Rolls. The lap sized quilt in the back was inspired by the “Candy Coated” quilt in the book, starting with a “Trade Winds” Jelly Roll from Moda. Mary Baker made the “Checkerboard” lap quilt using the “Seasonal Little Gatherings” Jelly Roll and tea-dyed fabric – never underestimate the power of a square!  The “Gumdrops” quilt started with a jelly roll too. Mary Etherington used the”Welcome to Bear Country!” Jelly Roll and made the gumdrops in this darling child’s quilt. The Sunday Morning Quilts book is full of ideas like this and the Jelly Rolls are a great place to start because the fabrics all coordinate and the first cut of 2-1/2″ x 44″ is done already.

We have the book available in our on line store.  You can find it here.  If you’re looking for the jelly rolls we used to make the quilts, call the shop.  They are quickly selling out.

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6/5/2012

The gals in the shop have been busy making new shop samples with new wool from Mary Flannigan.

Check out all the bundles.

The wool comes in bundles of 10 – 4″ x 5″ pieces for $12.95.   There are great colors like Caramel, Coral Rose, Tomato, Holiday Red, Mexican Clay, Rico Green, Juniper Berry, Pine Forest, Deep  Teal, Straw, River Grass, Mason Jar, Black Cherry, Bright Pumpkin, Fire Brick, Gold Mine,  and Jax Black.

Jan just finished up this beautiful Noah’s Ark Wool Crazy project.

The alphabet sampler is a Primitive Gatherings pattern.

Mary Baker made this “Harvest Gold” pillow from Bits & Pieces by Joan.

Wool is a great travel project.  You can stitch in the car, at the ball game or waiting for swimming lessons to finish.

We were so excited to show you the great projects that we don’t even have everything up on the website yet so if a project caught your eye, just stop by or give us a call and we will set you up with an amazing new project.

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5/23/2012

Ladies.  Start your engines.  Ready, set~~~~~~~~~~don’t go, at least not quite yet, but soon!

The All Iowa Shop is only days away.  Are you coming?  We have the flag hanging from the play house, ready to greet you as you come.

The planters are planted and we are watering and watering trying to keep the plants all healthy and vibrant so they look beautiful for your arrival.

We are getting the shop all gussied up inside just for you too!   We have been rearranging in preparation for a big wool shipment that we are expecting any day.  We have new samples up.  The patriotic area is looking great.  All we need is you.  Are you coming?  We sure hope so.

We hear time and time again for visitors that they have always wanted to come by and visit.  Why not make the trip to Country Threads as part of your shop hop?

Here are the details.  The All Iowa Shop Hop is running June 1st through the 14th.  Ninety shops are participating.  You have a chance to sign up at each store for a $50 door prize.  There are all sorts of prizes for hopping along–retreats, fabric, and gas cards to name a few.  There are even prizes for kids who quilt.  You can learn about the shop hop on the website, www.alliowashophop.com. Oh, and if you’re running late trying to catch us, no big deal.  We have extended hours.  You will find us here ready to greet you from 9 am to 6 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.  Thursdays look for us from 9 am to 6pm and Sunday, yes Sunday too, from 11 am to 4 pm.

We hope to see you!

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5/15/2012

If you are looking for a quilt to give you a feeling of summer, check out our latest quilt, “Circles”.

This quilt would be a perfect picnic quilt with the bright cheery colors.  The fabrics are from Moda’s fabric line Salt Air.  We’ve put together a kit for you that includes the pattern, a layer cake, border and binding fabrics all for $83.95.  Click on the photo to learn more.

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5/8/2012

It’s a RETREAT week for 4 gals from around the Midwest! Cyndi, Joyce, Annette and Candy met here on Monday and will stay till Friday sewing, sewing, sewing. They’ve set up their sewing room in our Classroom.

They each brought projects that they’re just starting or finishing up. They sew and chat and sew and snack and sew and shop and sew. It sounds like a sweat-shop from downstairs, but they really are having fun. It’s amazing how much quilting a person can get done when there’s no laundry, no cooking, no vacuuming or dusting, no dishes to do etc.

We have the irons and ironing boards and some countertops for cutting (and holding snacks) so these gals just bring their machines and rotary equipment and anything special they like to use when sewing. It’s fun to go upstairs every now and again and see what they’ve accomplished. Then we all get jealous and feel like slugs because we don’t get as many quilt tops done in a week!

FYI: The classroom rents for $10.00 per day per person. You can sew from 9:00am daily, Monday through Saturday, until late at night every night except Saturday.

We run a “tab” if you need fabric or notions or a new quilt kit to start on. Candy bought the French General “Layer Upon Layer” kit and finished it Monday! Cyndi bought a Kansas City Jelly Roll to make her Log Cabin Blocks. She’s almost done with 20 blocks.

Annette, Cyndi, Joyce and Candy met at Country Threads Camp many years ago and get together here for their own retreat annually.

If you are interested in the “Layer Upon Layer” kit, I’m sorry to say, the French General version is sold out but we just released a version done with the fabric line “Battle Hymn 1862.”

It finishes at 45″ x 45″.   You can find it our website here.

Are you wanting to sew for a few days without interruption? We still have some openings left in our camps.  Why don’t you come and join us?

Marigold Camp (2 day Camp, $64.00) is June 21 and 22, 2012

Beginners’ Sweet Pea Camp (2 day Camp, $64.00) is June 21 and 22, 2012

Dog Days Camp (3-1/2 day Camp, $275.00) is August 7-10, 2012

Bittersweet Camp (3-1/2 day Camp, $275) is September 25-28, 2012

Sunflower Camp (3-1/2 day Camp, $275) is October 9-12, 2012

Send an email to info@countrythreads.com or call Mary Baker at the shop at
641-923-3893 and she’ll send you information about

Country Threads Camp

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

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5/2/2012
Happy May Day a day late!!  Yesterday we forgot to tell you about our May Day (week) special.  Remember our new Chicken Feed pattern line that are only $5 each?  Well we are launching a week long event featuring those very patterns.

Order anything online on our website between 12:00 am, Tuesday, May 1, 2012 and 11:59 pm Monday, May 7, 2012.
Your name will be put into a drawing to win
ALL 10 CHICKEN FEED PATTERNS
AND A FAT QUARTER COLLECTION

of 21 prints from the brand new “Seasonal Little Gatherings” collection by Primitive Gatherings.

Retail value: $113.00.

Here’s a sneak peak at the “Seasonal Little Gatherings” Collection. Aren’t they gorgeous?

If you want a peek at the Chicken Feed patterns you can win, follow this link.

Remember, order anything from the site to be entered.

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5/1/2012

We love when the delivery truck comes with boxes.  We never know what is coming.  It is so fun to open the boxes and see new goodies.  Our latest box in the shop contained the “Primitive Quilts and Projects” magazine.  This magazine is our favorite one on the market!  Have you seen it before.  The magazine has only been in circulation for year and this particular issue is their 1st anniversary issue.

This issue is filled with many great projects, 15 projects to be exact!!

We love the cover quilt.  The words around the edge say, “Family ties…are precious threads.”

The magazine has been very popular in the shop.  I think it’s because the magazine features so many different styles of projects.

Here’s a quilt that would be perfect for using up scraps.  The quilt is 70″ x 92″.

Next up is the Farmer’s Market Tote.  What a cute creation using flannels!

There are several appliqued quilt in the magazine.  Here is Antique Rose.  It’s a 82″ x 82″ beauty.

At Country Threads we are all crazy about wool.  In fact, we just put a huge order to restock our wool.  I’m sure some it will be used to make these cute Cottage Clutches.

When we said this magazine has lots of variety, we really meant it.  Here’s a little 30″ x 30″ quilt that would be great for a wall hanging of a table topper.

This next quilt, Wild Coxcomb, is 60″ x 60″.  We really love this one.  The quilting on it is amazing.

This next little antique reproduction quilt, Cheddar Cheese and Crackers is designed by Lori DeJarnatt.  Lori was one of the bloggers who reviewed our book, “Country Threads Goes Back to Charm School”.   With blocks that finish at 4″ x 4″, this one is a cutie.

The magazine has a rug hooking project and even an embroidery project!

This little journal cover is so cute too.

With so many projects, 15 in all, packed into one magazine, it’s hard to pick a favorite but the girls in the shop have all voted and this is our favorite.

It’s Liberty House.  It’s 18″ x 28″.  Perfect for a door or for a wall hanging.  It seems like flag projects always catch our eye.

If you’re looking to have your own copy of  ”Primitive Quilts and Projects”, follow this link.  Get your quickly.  It’s a magazine we usually sell out of.
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4/24/2012

While in Cincinnati, we debuted our new pattern line called, “Chicken Feed” patterns.  It features little patterns with easy designs and a big impact.  The best things is, they only cost $5 each. We have ten patterns in all and if they are a success, we plan to add more to the line.

This is Liberty Table Runner.

The runner measures 16″ x 40″.  You can purchase the fabric pack which includes the pattern for $41.95.

Next up in a wall hanging, Lydia, that measures, 22″ x 30″.

The fabric pack for this is $31.95.

This half square triangle quilt, Molly Gray, was a real hit in Cincinnati.  It measures 40″ x 56″.

The fabric pack is $42.95.  If you are looking for a bigger quilt, you could easily add a few treasured fabrics from your stash and make more blocks.  The pattern can easily be adjusted to make a quilt the size you need.

This little gem, My Sister’s House, is perfect for hanging outside.  It finishes at 14″ x 19″ and the kit is $19.95.

Who doesn’t love a quick easy project?

What’s a new line of patterns without a star quilt?  We couldn’t imagine it so we added, Opposites Attract.  As is, it measures, 35″ x 49″.

It is perfect for throwing over the back of a sofa.  One gal in Cincinnati bought two of the $84.95 kits to make a larger version.

We stepped out of usual line of quilts and wall hangings to bring you our 13″ x 17″ Paintbox Pillow.

The kit features our favorite solids and costs $37.95.  The blocks for the pillow are paper pieced.

After last week’s “What’s New” posting, we had lots of questions about our Raspberry Lemonade quilt.  Here are the details.  It measures, 34″ x 34″ and the fabric pack is $67.95.

The yellows and reds play so nicely together to make a cherry summer quilt.

We had lots of people ask about the blue floral fabric in our Pennsylvania Infant Throw.  It’s just a gorgeous fabric.

The throw measures 22″ x 34″.  For $29.95 it is a quick affordable project.

This is Stars on Track.  It measures 40″ x 56″  .   If you are wanting a bigger quilt, this is one that can easily be adjusted by purchasing two of our $67.95 kits.

This classic quilt is sure to appeal to many tastes.

Mary’s 4-Patch continues to the most popular of all of our Chicken Scratch patterns.  For $73.95, you can have your own kit to make this 60″ x 66″ beauty.

All of these are projects are available as pattern only or as kits. Each of the kits includes that pattern.  Just click on the photos to order.  We hope to create more Chicken Scratch patterns.  They are fun for us to design and fun for you to make.

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4/17/2012

We made it back from the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati.  We had a great time getting out and meeting so many of you.  We thought we would take some pictures so all of you could see our booth.

Here’s Mary Baker tending the cash register.  The quilt in front of her is one of our new Chicken Feed patterns, Raspberry Lemonade.

While at the show we did demonstrations of our favorite projects, rug twining and punchneedle.  Here is our Rugs from Rags area.

The throw rug on the frame was made using T-shirts!  Several gals bought the book hoping to make a rug using left overs from T-shirts quilts that they had made.  We had several art teachers purchase the book and frames in hopes of teaching their students to twine rugs.

Connie spent much of her time demonstrating and answering questions about punchneedle embroidery.

We brought some of our latest projects.

The pumpkin punchneedle kit that says, “Give Thanks”, was our most popular seller.

Here’s our Shephard’s Shade kit.

Our Homestead Sampler kit, was popular too.

We brought several wool patterns.  Punchneedle and wool projects are very popular with out customers this time of year as so many of our customers are looking for portable projects to take with vacationing or traveling over the summer.  Here are some of wool projects.

Gentle Life and Our Promise are shown here.

We brought many of our pincushion patterns and kits.  One of the favorites was this cute little dash hound pincushion.

Here are some the of projects from our books, Country Threads Goes to Charm School and Country Threads Goes Back to Charm School.  There are several new Charm School projects shown too.

The next photo shows our paper pieced projects and our new rescue dog inspired projects too.  Shown are Our “Very” Best to You, All Around Town, and Small Things.  Also shown is Don’t Shop, Adopt.

These little stitchery patterns were popular too.

The other popular item at the show was our new fairy garden goodies.  In fact, they were so popular that there were no goodies left to take a photo of.

While we were gone, the gals that stayed behind at the shop were busy cleaning, resorting, and making space for the new goodies that we ordered while we were gone.  Look for a new supply of wool, a few new kits and lots of fairy goodies.

Thanks to all of you stopped by our booth.  We hope to see you again  next year!

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4/9/2012
For the last few months, the girls in the shop have been B-U-S-Y, B-U-S-Y!!  They have been busy cutting kits while Connie and I have been busy designing and sewing fresh new things for you to see.  We have been stacking totes full of goodies in my garage for preparation to bring to Cincinnati, Ohio to the International Quilt Festival held at the Duke Energy Center.   What a mess!

The show is sponsored by Quilts, Inc. www.quilts.com.  You can follow the link to learn more.

The gals and I won’t need any more exercise today, because we have been going back and forth hauling the totes and loading them into the Penske truck.  Of course, the dogs have been “helping”.  Here’s Izzy inspecting the back of the truck.

Slowly but surely the truck will get filled.

Please come out and see us.  Country Threads has 4 booths: 229-231, 328-330.  We would love to get a chance to meet you all.  We will have demos going on so stop by and see us in action.

The show runs
April 12 (Preview Night) 5:00-9:00pm
April13 and 14: 10:00am – 7:00pm
April 15 – 10:00-3:00pm

See you there!

We’re offering a fabric roll of 26 Fat 1/6th of a yard cuts which will work perfectly with this pattern. The fabric in the roll is from the fabric line 1864 Battle Hymn designed by Barbara Brackman for Moda.

The pattern price is $2.50 and the fabric roll is $47.95.  Click on the picture to order and we will have it to you as soon as we can.

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2/20/2012

This week, February 20 – 25, is going to be a big week for Country Threads and we want all of you to join in what’s called a BLOG HOP.  We have contacted eleven bloggers who are going to review our book, “Back To Charm School”, on specific days this week.

We have included the blogger’s address and date she will write her review.  This is my first experience with a Blog Hop/Tour and I think it’s going to be great.  I’m pretty short on time and don’t read blogs every day but after being introduced to these gals via their blogs, I think it would be fun to sew with them on a regular basis.  I loved looking around their blogs and reading about them – such talented women!  This is a whole new world I know nothing about….but would like to learn.  Visit their blogs and tell them “Mary E. sent me”!

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2/14/2012

From our book “Back To Charm School” comes this spring tablerunner which measures 20″ x 48-1/2″.  Directions can be found on page 11 of the book.  Our kit with red/rose/pink and gray/brown fabrics is available for $31.95.  Book sells for $24.99.  Available by website (just click the picture) or by phone.

Today also starts our annual bolt sale featuring selected fabrics at $5 a yard!  Connie and I have spent the last few days picking and choosing bolts of fabric to put out at these great prices.  The sale will be running for a while but come early for the best selection.  1/2 yard minimum cuts are required.

Happy Valentines Day from the crew at Country Threads!
Mary E.

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2/7/2012
This winter Iowa is setting all kinds of records for high temperatures and lack of snow.  Most of our snow is gone and the forecasts for the upcoming week aren’t predicting snow.  Trust us, we aren’t complaining.  The mild weather has all of us in the shop thinking of spring.   The nice weather has us looking at seed catalogs, and planning our gardens.  It’s too early for gardening so let’s sew spring like instead.   What’s better than a bright spring like quilt?

This quilt kit was made with Moda’s line Fairy Tale Friends fabric by American Jane along with American Jane Pin Dots. The pattern was designed by American Jane Patterns. The quilt finishes at 75″ x 91″, the perfect size for a twin bed, a picnic throw or a snuggle by a spring time camp fire.  The fabric to complete the quilt top and the binding are included.  Click on the picture to purchase the kit or just the pattern.

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1/31/2012

It’s been a busy winter taking care of the chickens, a new puppy and all the other farm animals. You can read about in the Farm News section of our website.

The gals here at Country Threads have been busy cutting quilt kits for one of our shop favorites, Mary’s Four Patch.

This quilt has been such a shop favorite that we have made and kitted the quilt three different times.   The ease in piecing makes this quilt a great project for beginning quilters and seasoned quilters alike.  The kit includes the pattern and the fabric you need to make this 60″ x 66″ quilt top along with the binding.  We don’t anticipate these kits being in the shop for long so order your kit today.

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You can order these patterns online – just click on the image to order.  Civil War Log Cabin  #701

Union Star #702

Remember Me #703

Churn Dash Weave #704

Troops in Formation #705

Battlefield #706

Connie is designing 6 more Civil War era quilts for the 2012 Civil War/Reproduction Club at Country Threads.  If you like these quilts, you might consider joining!

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1/5/2012

Happy New Year! With the Holidays behind us, it’s time to SEW!  It’s been a long, long time since we’ve done a Block of Month Club but we found one we REALLY like.  Round Robin is a “sampler” quilt with blocks surrounding a center applique. The patterns come from Bits ‘n Pieces and the Block of the Month lasts 9 months.  Isn’t is stunning?

The finished size of the quilt is 65″ x 65″.  Cost for BOM membership is $107.95.  This price includes the pattern, 38 fat eighths of dark and medium fabrics and 10 fat quarters of light fabrics and postage. It does not include the sashing, setting triangles, border and binding fabric.  We will have several color options for the border, setting triangles and sashing for you to choose from.  No two quilts will end up looking the same – isn’t that fun?  Join the Round Robin Block of the Month today! We start in January 2012, but you can join anytime.

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11/22/2011

This month has flown by, just like the last few have.  Thanksgiving is on Thursday and everyone is gearing up for Turkey Day!  If you haven’t signed up for our email newsletter, you haven’t been in on our 12 Days of Christmas that include recipes, decorating ideas and of course some special discounts on kits.  To sign up for these newsletters go to our website and under our calendar at the left side of the page is where you sign up.  Don’t forget to reply to the email sent to you, or you won’t get these wonderful newsletters.

Something new in the shop is the Square within a Square Christmas Red and Gold Kit.  If you’ve been around the shop in the past you will recognize this pattern, another oldie but a goodie, but we just absolutely adored the colors that Connie chose to make this pattern into a Christmas wonder.

Order your today, before they run out!

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10/31/2011

It doesn’t feel like a month has gone by, but it has.  As I type this Mary E., Connie, and Mary B. are headed to International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX.  The walls look a little bare here, but later this week we plan on setting out the Christmas and Winter items to make the shop look like a Winter Wonderland, minus the snow!

We have put together a lot of new things in the shop in this past month to take to the Quilt Festival and you check them out on our Shopping Cart under the New Category.  Something that you will probably recognize but totally enjoy is the Red and Brown Star Quilt.  This wonderful quilt goes together lickety split and in these colors who wouldn’t want one.

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9/28/2011

Mary Baker and Connie have set up shop at the Des Moines AQS Show at the Iowa Event’s Center starting today! The show runs through October 1st, if you are close to the show you should stop in and say hi. You can also stop into the shop were Mary E. and the rest of us can show you around.

A new kit that was cut to take to the show is from the Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine, called Autumn Wools.

This 15″ x 16″ wall quilt from Quilts by Cheri is perfect for display in your home this Fall. Check it out on our New Page.

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9/14/2011

The truck has left for the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio with all of our new Fall patterns, kits and punch needle. Stop by the booth and say hi to Mary E., Connie, and Mary B. if you have the chance to be there. We have no doubt that the Fair will be wonderful and that we will be busy re-cutting kits as soon as they pull in with the empty truck. Have no fear, though, we still have plenty of great Fall and Halloween items in the shop.

A new kit cut as the truck was in the driveway, is the Country Threads’ version of Hallowe’en-1904 byBlackbird Designs. Our kit has fabric for 4 of the blocks, binding, and the pattern all included. Finished size is 58″ x 58″.

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8/31/2011

What a busy month! We’ve been cutting kits and getting new patterns ready for the Country Living Fair in September. Everyone in the shop is ready for Fall and to start those Fall/Halloween projects. This Halloween pattern, Happy Jacks, is from Need’l Love.

Finished size is 67-3/4″ x 76″ which makes it great for everyone to snuggle under on those chilly Fall nights. Kits are available that include the pumpkin face fabric (no applique!), the rest of the fabric to finish the quilt top and binding, and the ric-rak for the border. Order one now before they’re gone.

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7/29/2011

Now that the “Big Event” is finished the shop is getting back to normal. We still have some kits on sale that you can find on our shopping page under the Sale! category.

Just in this week is the Fall issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects Magazine. This is the perfect magazine for the primitive quilter! With 15 new projects you will have tons of fun.

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7/12/2011

The “Big Event” is on the horizon, don’t forget that the sale on-line starts Thursday, July 14th at 12:01 am, CST and goes until Saturday, July 16th at 3:00 pm, CST. This sales gives you 20% off of nearly everything in the store, excluding club memberships, machine quilting, and items already on sale. Your confirmation will not reflect your sale prices; the 20% will be taken off when your credit card is charged. If we don’t see you on the farm, we hope you can enjoy the sale on-line.

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New this week in the shop is “Our Promise“, an embroidery with wool applique pattern designed by Threads That Bind. This 7″ x 32″ wall quilt works well in any patriotic home.

The kit is available along with the option to get an unfinished frame to finish your project off. Get them now while supplies last, you never know what will be left in the shop after our “Big Event”.

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7/1/2011

We are revving everything up for the “Big Event” that is being held July 14th-July 16th. Most everything will be 20% off and there will be rummage and antiques. This week we have a model that Kay made that uses the American Spirit fabric by Jeanne Horton. Allegheny County is a Civil War Era quilt that finishes 27″ x 31″ and is designed by Carol Hopkins of Civil War Legacies Patterns.

Allegheny County by Carol Hopkins for Civil War Legacies Patterns

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6/23/2011

The Civil War Reproduction Club members are receiving another great antique-like quilt pattern this week. It’s called “Remember Me”. It’s an album quilt. Around the time of the Civil War album quilt inscriptions became shorter than the elaborate ink signatures and verses previously displayed. They probably boasted the signer’s name and maybe his hometown or date of signature. Still a classic quilt.

Remember Me Quilt available for Civil War Reproduction Club members

Members of the 2011 Civil War Reproduction Club receive an exclusive, complete quilt pattern and eight fat-eighths of current Civil War fabrics. We mail out packets every other month to members. Cost per mailing is $18.95 (includes shipping.) Join today at http://shop.countrythreads.com/product.php?productid=1521&cat=29&page=1

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6/13/2011

Flag Day is tomorrow and the shop is decked out in American flags and red, white and blue! We are right now cutting kits for the New Glory Itty Bitty. This 12″ x 10″ flag goes together lickety split and can be on your wall in no time flat.

Other Flag Day items that we have in the shop are handmade by Mary E. Red, White and Blue Star Pincushions, an adorable heart-shaped America Pillow designed by Maggie Bonanomi, and a wonderful pincushion pattern from Schnibble by Miss Rosie’s Quilt Co, Sweet Liberty~Tuffets.

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6/6/2011

What a scorcher it’s been lately, 96° out today! We are still getting new books in and are absolutely in love with Jo Morton’s new book Banner Day. It has 16 wonderful projects that include: applique and pieced quilts, pillowcases and a pincushion. Pick it up on the New page of our shopping cart.

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Also new in the shop is Jeanne Horton’s American Spirit fabric line from Windham Fabrics. This line includes 31 different prints and a panel. We have Fat Quarter Bundles and Fives Packs also for sale. Hurry, supplies are limited and with great fabric like this it won’t last long!

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5/25/2011

A shipment of new books has just arrived and we are inspired by the projects that we are seeing. One of the books is by Lynne Hagmeier, Kansas Troubles, and is wonderful. “Piecing the Past: Vintage Quilts Recreated by Kansas Troubles” book has 11 pieced quilt patterns and several projects, definitely worth picking up! You can find this book on our New page in the Shopping Cart.

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5/23/2011

A new pattern from Kim Diehl just arrived in the shop. Her “Country Whig Rose” pattern measures 42 1/2″ square and uses vibrantly colored appliques with soft backgrounds for a wall quilt with undeniable country charm.

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5/21/2011

While Mary and Connie were at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, UT they found these wonderful pincushion patterns and had to have them. These adorable animal pincushions are designed by Hatched & Patched.

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Another great item from Hatched and Patched is their book “Some Kind of Wonderful“.

Check out all of these great things on our New Page in the Shopping Cart.

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5/9/2011

We have been getting new fabric in the shop almost daily for a week! YEAH!! The fabric we are featuring this week is by Windham Fabrics and is called Hannah Wallis. These gorgeous reproduction fabrics are now available on our website, so check them out on our Fabric page or just type in Hannah Wallis in our search bar.

Here at the shop we are doing a new version of the twist as in twister ruler.  Have you tried “the twister” ruler yet? It’s so fun and easy.  Here’s our latest project “Twisted Strips”.

This lap quilt is from the Let’s Twist Again book by Country Schoolhouse.  It finishes at 55″ x 75″.  The book sells for $19.95.  It features this quilt along with 12 other great projects that use the Lil’ Twister Template that sells for $9.98.

We used a Starter Pack of 100 Charms, 2 each of 50 fabrics ($27.95) for the  pinwheels.  With the pre-cut squares, you can start sewing immediately.

This quilt looks difficult but it is so simple with the Twister Template. You will only be sewing squares and strips. The fun is all in the cutting with the template.

Using the twister templates is one of those sewing techniques that you’ll want to do again and again.

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3/27/2012

Extra!  Extra! Read all about it!  Country Threads is releasing three new kits from our Charm School Collection.

First up is our “Never Tilt Your Chair Back At the Table” kit.  This 24″ x 24″ project is made with a Primitive Gatherings Charm Pack along with red fabrics for the triangles, borders and bindings, which is all included in the kit.

Next up is “If An Invitation Says No Gifts, Don’t Bring One”.  This kit includes the pattern along with an Etchings Charm Pack and fabric to finish the top and binding.  This cutie finishes at 24 1/2″ x 24 1/2″.

The final kit being released is “It’s Not Good to call Your Boss ‘Dude’”.  This finishes at 23″ x 29″.  The kit includes the pattern, a Good Fortune Charm Pack, setting block, border fabric and binding fabrics.

If your are interested in ordering any these, just click on the photo.  If you are looking for other small projects, don’t forget out book, “Back to Charm School“.

I almost forgot to tell you.  Our winter hours have ended.  Starting next week, the shop will be open on Mondays.  As you are busy making summer travel plans we hope that your travels lead you to Country Threads.

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3/20/2012

The weather here in Iowa has been amazing and we are in spring cleaning mode!  We are cleaning out the flower beds, bringing out pots, and sprucing up the landscaping.

You can see the perennials sprouting along the shop.  With last night’s rain, the grass is even greening.  Before long we will have to add lawn mowing to the to-do list.

I am sure many of you are in spring spruce up mode too.  Why not add a Country Threads Barn Quilt to you outdoor decor?   Barn Quilts are great for adorning your barn, garage, or even the wall in your sewing room.  The two large Barn Quilts shown hanging on the shop are Feathered Star and Golden Corn.  To the left, we have four of the small barn quilts hanging together.

These barn quilts are unique in that each one of the fabric designs is replicated from fabric in our store, giving them a “true” Country Threads look. The colors come from lovely fabrics not just primary colors that are typical for barn quilts. They are made of Dibond (2 sided aluminum with foam core center) which is lighweight yet sturdy.

The barn quilts come in 13 different designs.  Here is our Diamond Star.

Here is our Lincoln Barn Quilt.

This one is Corn and Beans.

They are available in two sizes (24″ x 24″ and 48″ x 48″) with the option of predrilled holes in all four corners.  They are super easy to hang.   Here we are hanging the Barn Swallow Barn Quilt.  Really one person can do it themselves.  We  just opted for two of us as the ladder was on squishy ground and the dogs make every outdoor job around here just a little more interesting.

When purchasing a Barn Quilt, you can purchase them with pre-drilled holes or you can save a few dollars and drill the holes yourself.  You also have the option to pick up your barn quilt if coming to Country Threads and to have it unboxed, which saves on shipping and boxing.

View all thirteen blocks here on our website.  It will be hard to pick a favorite.  After a long debate, I put my favorite,  Barn Swallow on the barn here at Country Threads.