Show and tell from the Chaska Quilt Show…

I recently taught at the Fall Splendor of Quilts show in Chaska, MN, where I got to award a Speaker’s Choice ribbon. The quilt I fell in love with is this one, made by Joan Goetteman (with me, below) and Audree Sells.

The quilt is named “Carnival” because of the nine traditional “Carousel” blocks in the quilt. The blocks were made using the paper-piecing method and assembled by the late Audree Sells, my best friend, mentor, and unofficial adopted mother (her idea). Her biological daughter Suzanne Thiesfeld suggested the name. 

Audree made the top. Joan repaired missed stitches from removal of paper and yo-yos, stitched “broderie perse” floral pieces at some of the intersections of blocks that had only been basted, and she heavily hand-quilted the quilt. Joan is now the owner of this lovely quilt. 

Joan wrote: As a charter member of the Chaska Area Quilt Club that began in 1988, co-founded by exceptional quilters Audree Sells and her cousin Phyll Eder, I have learned so much from these two women. Namely how to make tiny, even quilt stitches and with adages “just do it, get it done” and “it will quilt out”!! 
I miss them both dearly. 
This award is in honor of Audree. R.I.P.

JOan Goetteman, Carver, MN

I really do love this quilt. It makes me smile :-). The picture does not do it justice.

Carnival by Audree Sells and Joan Goetteman

The show ribbons were lovely, hand-beaded by a few members of the guild. In a nice coincidence, Joan made the speakers choice ribbon using a design from one of our books. And, yes, she did ask permission for that :-).

There were many lovely quilts in the show and I enjoyed seeing them all. I encourage each of you to get out to some local shows, in addition to the big shows. Big shows have big quilts but not always the extra-fun, quirky quilts that I love the most.

Thank you, Joan, for sharing your quilt! Well done!

Wednesday Giveaway!

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This week’s winner, Annebett44, will receive a pack of Colonial’s Leather ThimblePads, one of several thimble products we carry in our store. (Click here to view all the options.)

This leather pad sticks to your fingers with a strong adhesive. You can reuse it many times. It is thick enough to protect your finger but is somewhat flexible.

I use a thimble pad on the fingertip of my needle-holding hand.

I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!

Sharlene Ferrin Embraces Adventure for our Wednesday Giveaway!

The design of the Embrace Adventure Silk Scarf is based on my book, Hand Sewing Adventure. Made of 100% silk, it is soft and smooth. Light, but tightly woven enough not to snag on your earrings. Dimensions are 35″ by 35″.

This week’s winner is Sharlene Ferrin. Congrats!

I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!

Finally, it’s Fall!

The temperatures are actually dropping bit by bit here in North Texas and we are ready to get in the Fall mood. Lorna and I got our Halloween decorations up because it made us both happy!

We are pulling together Autumn items in the shop, and enjoying every minute. Here are a few…

This orange and purple mug is just begging for your coffee and pumpkin spice creamer. My granddaughter, Elanor (in college), already claimed hers—the gnome is so cute!

And for full on Halloween fun, these paper chains from eeBoo. Judy and Bear put one together and it is even more impressive in person. It makes a really long chain, which is awesome, or you can use fewer and make several smaller chains.

Halloween Paper Chain Kit—fun for all ages, but especially kids!

The paper strips have slots that fit together. Judy did say that small hands might struggle a little, so it’s nice to have an older helper. Work fine motor skills and hand eye coordination, plus Judy says it made them both happy. You could staple them if you really wanted to. But if you don’t, they are easy to disassembled and save for next year. The patterns are magical, and the quality is 100%, like we’ve come to expect from eeBoo.

And new from eeBoo is this 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that is both spooky and beautiful. It has everything + ghosts! The Alchemist’s Home is not just for Halloween, but it sure does fit the theme. These puzzles from eeBoo are so detailed, they add layers of fun as you hunt for pieces and make those satisfying connections.

The Alchemist’s Home Puzzle

The 100-piece Love of Bats puzzle is on point for Fall and Halloween, too. Click here to look back at the blog post —it’s glow in the dark!

And Halloween scissor charms! Just tell us in the comments when you place your order: Purple Skull, Candycorn, Black Cats, or Owls. (If you need a witch or a pumpkin we can special order for you.)

Last, but definitely not least, if you’re working on a Fall wool project and looking for oranges and other Fall colors, Piece O’ Cake has you covered. I carry Tracy Trevethan wool, the best quality wool and colors I’ve found. Her’s are the most consistent as well, especially for hand dyed wool. Really vibrant.

For her Coordinating Solids, Sweet Rolls, and Felted Stacks, just click, or click All Things Wool. I have really extensive thread collections to match: shop Wool Threads and Perle Cotton Threads.

I hope this has put you in the mood to enjoy the seasonal changes as they come this Fall, and to make yourself happy!

Show and tell Hexie Garden…

Mary Ann Karpinski shared her quilt with us—thank you Mary Ann! She combined the flowers from my book, Hexie Garden Quilt, with Toes in the Sand by Julie Herman from Jaybird Quilts. What a great idea!!!

Mary Ann says that she got a little carried away with the hand quilting. I don’t think she did, do you?

Well done, Mary Ann, and thank you so much for sharing your quilt with us :-).

Wednesday Giveaway – Magic for Angie!

We can all use a little magic in our lives, so this week our winner, Angie, will receive two packs of small Magic Clips from Taylor Seville. (This is the clip you can sew over!)

I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!