Today I worked on the third quilt in our fourth Doll Quilt Series. This one is called "Mary". Carol informs me that we still have some memberships left.

It was the first day that I got to spend some time in my sewing room in two weeks. I'm not sure I've ever gone that long before. Sure felt good.

I have to apologize for no blog the last week. We awoke on Wednesday morning to half an inch of ice on everything and no electricity. When you live in the country that means not heat, no water. The power outage was widespread in Western Iowa. We spent the last six days at the motel in Elk Horn. I at least thought I could be at the shop and get some things done but power also went out in Elk Horn several different days for six and eight hours at a time. When that happened we had no phone, no credit card machine, no internet. Business was almost nonexistent for most of last week and the first part of this week. We also had a blizzard yesterday.
We were thrilled to get our power back at home this morning. We had taken precautions so our pipes wouldn't freeze but we lost everything in the deep freeze and refrigerator. We have lots of tree branches down.
I'm sure many of you have similar stories. Hopefully we're moving on to better days.

Today's a day at home. I had a phone appointment with my web designer yesterday and now I have homework to do on my new site. I think it will be much more user friendly for both you and me. I plan to play around with it most of the day today.

I've also resolved to use Twitter more often (I just have not used it since I signed up). Are many of you members?

I know this is going to be hard to see, but this is the cutest baby quilt. What looks like a striped fabric is actually tiny ruffles of different pastels. Don't worry you won't have to make these - the fabric comes this way with the ruffles sewn on a background. You just cut them into squares and piece them together with the pink polka dot flannel. We're calling it "Pretty Baby" and of course there is a kit.

Our 19th Annual Runaway Quilters Retreat is history and once again we all had a great time.

Shar and Pam have been working to create to samples for this workshop (they'll be a surprise until that day). Shar's is in flannel and Pam's is in Reproduction. This is one of those workshops that usually fills up fast.

Our Runaway Quilters Retreat starts this evening (some participants will be here all day today getting in a little extra stitching time in the retreat center). This is our 19th Annual Retreat. We have always held it about this same weekend. Iowa weather seems to partially cooperate every year. In all those years we have never had to cancel for bad weather, although once in a while it's been super cold or a little icy.

Yesterday I got to see my fabric for the first time on a sales rep's sample cards (only photo copies). That was fun. I also received some samples with my final changes. Still no work on the exact delivery date. I'm getting anxious to start sewing with it.

It warmed up enough on Saturday for Lori and Carol to show you our mountain of snow (the Retreat Center is in the background). Wonder if it will be gone by May? Seriously! I'm sure most of you feel like we do - enough already.

Our repair work is coming along. I hope to start getting some thins back together tomorrow at the shop because we have our retreat at the end of this week.

I'm sorry if any of you tried to call us today. None of us was able to get to the shop. Charlie and I spent most of the time trying just to get out of our driveway. It's a really long one that drifts in easily. Even though we have a big tractor with a loader, it has to be dug out of the shed before we can use it to move snow. We finally got the pickup out after lunch and Charlie went out on the roads to see how far he could get. He could not get to the highway in either direction. Finally towads evening the county plow made a single trip through. If the wind does not blow like crazy tonight and drift everything closed again, I will be at the shop tomorrow.

I know anyone who lives in the Midwest with us has a story like this or worse but I thought I should explain to some of you who are far away.

I sure hope things can get back to normal soon.

Looking for a unique, non-fattening Valentine's Day gift? Moda's little Sampler box is just perfect. There are 12 little 40 piece bundles of 2 1/2" squares from new, upcoming lines. They should sell for $39.95 but while they last you can have them at 25% off (29.95).

I thought we should think ahead to Valentine's Day. Carol (she's our go-to gal for holiday samples) just completed these two little quilts. Each kit is $18.95.

The top one is made from the With Love fabric by In the Beginning. The Valentine print really takes me back. Any one who went to grade school in the 50's and 60's probably made decorated shoe boxes for Valentine's Day mailboxes. My Mom loved making things and I always thought I had the prettiest shoe box in the whole class.

The other sample is made from a charm pack of Lamour by Sandy Gervais for Moda. Did you know that Sandy is an Iowa girl? She has a really neat studio in an old library building in Algona. We also have six or seven bolts from this collection.

If you don't want to get out in this cold weather, just give us a call 712-764-7012 and we will be happy to send you one or both kits.

They started our repair work in earnest today. As of right now I think we should be able to work around the carpenters and stay open.

Shar, Pam and I started cutting kits for our Super Bowl Sunday workshop today. This year Super Bowl is Sunday February 7. On that day, we have a really good sale in the shop. We also do a free workshop in the retreat center. The only requirement is thtat you buy a kit for the class (price of the kit is $69.95). We always design a quilt which can be cut and pieced pretty much completely the day of the workshop. It's always a mystery but you do get a choice of two or three fabric selections. We start at 9 am. After cutting instructions are given we break so that class members can go to the shop for the sale which starts at 10 am. We make soup for lunch and everyone brings snacks. We always have a great time and the workshop fills up fast. Even if you don't attend the workshop, you can come to the sale.

In our family we no longer purchase gifts for every adult (some years we do draw names). We can make things for one another. This year Mom and I made runners for each other (we didn't plan this). I made the appliqued holly for her. I thought it was interesting to use the linen toile from Rouennaries for a background. The leaves are needle turn, but the stem and berries are wool felt.

Mom made the crazy quilt runner for me. She just loves dooing crazy quilts and puts a lot of work into them. I had picked up some crushed velvet for her at quilt market and she has been collecting old ties for the rest. Some of these came from groups of old ties that some of you generously shared with me to give to her. She is also putting them into throw sized quilts that she hopes to complete for all the girls in our family.

We were happy to have Mom and my brother and his wife here yesterday. We considered it our Christmas get together as weather got in the way before. Mom spent Christmas in Louisiana with my sister (Jan, who does the embroidery and wool felt patterns for us) and her family. My brother Tom and his wife Barb have been living in Germany for seven months for his job. They really had some wonderful experiences traveling all over Europe. Most of the time they live in Michigan.

I cannot believe it has been ten years since everyone was worried about what would happen with the Millennium.

Last night we had dinner with friends and watched a couple of movies. It was the first New Year's Eve in several years that I was awake at 12:00.

We'll have a quiet day today. Tomorrow my Mom and my brother and his wife will be here. It will be our Christmas celebration.