Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

 Hello Everyone,

Using the magic of EQ software, I updated my Country Charmer pattern which I wrote in 2011.  This version uses Cozy Christmas fabric designed by Katie Solberg for Marcus Fabrics.

Here is a close up of the corner.

I love this fabric line so much because I'm crazy about the plaid.

This quilt pattern has been around for quite some time.  I was contacted by Robert Kaufman as they wanted to showcase one of their lines using my pattern.  Of course, I said "Yes", and their beautiful version was on the cover of Keepsake Quilting a decade ago. I literally sold thousands of patterns from their recreation of my pattern.

I've made Country Charmer three times, and I love them all, just as I love all three of my children equally. (Although that love is on a rotating basis depending on what mischief or good trouble they are up to at the time!)😘  Love you kids!

I also hosted a Country Charmer quilt-a-long in 2013 and have an extensive tutorial on my blog for this pattern located HERE. I used up so many scraps when I made this version.  I find I can put together many different colors if I separate them with black in the sashing. 

I've gone back and forth on whether to write this post, but it’s time to address something that’s been coming up and quite frankly has been bothering me. Several quilters have reached out, asking if a pattern they saw in an email from a well-known online quilt shop is my Country Charmer. The answer? Yes—and no.

The design they’re offering is strikingly similar. The block construction looks the same, but their squares are larger and the borders have been changed. By industry standards, a design typically needs to be at least 20% different from the original to be considered distinct. How that percentage is calculated is anyone’s guess, so I’ll leave it to you to decide where you think the line falls.

Now I'm trying to decide whether or not to purchase more bolts of Cozy Christmas fabrics and make kits for MY version and re-do the pattern with the new fabric line. I would be very interested to read your feedback. Time is the big issue as I'm entering the busiest time of the year with three more retreats and I'm vending at one quilt show.

You know the old phrase, 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'.  

Soon,

Lynn in a quandary

P.S. I'm offering my Country Charmer pattern at a discount as my pattern of the week in my Etsy shop HERE.    

 

It's Kit Time!

 Hello Everyone,

The cabin’s been bustling with activity as I ready myself for the last three retreats and one final quilt show of the season. Each week, the UPS truck rumbles up and unloads bolt after bolt of Marcus fabrics. The kits are just waiting to be stitched into something beautiful...my Cozy Country Christmas pattern.

I’ve been up to my elbows in fabric—cutting yards and yards to make Cozy Country Christmas kits. They turned out downright adorable, and I have a good feeling they’ll be a hit at the Independence Hall Quilt Show this October. With everyone starting to think about holiday projects, the timing feels just right. I went through nearly every bolt I had, and I’m seriously thinking about ordering more as once it's gone.....it's gone for good and I can't get enough of that plaid! The line was designed by Katie Solberg for Marcus Fabrics.

I finished making all of the tree blocks.

Just three more star blocks to go. The design wall is full, sashing in place, and I’ve begun stitching the rows together, though I’ll admit it’s my least favorite part of the quilting process. It feels more mechanical than creative. Still, there’s something deeply satisfying about stepping back and seeing it all come together.

When I have time, I've been writing the pattern and making my signature block layout sheets.  I call my block layout sheets the map to your success. 

When I’m not cutting kits or writing patterns, I’m deep into my Packhorse Librarian story and preparing the monthly directions for the Laurel Ridge quilt in two colorways for The Quilt Show. I’m just wrapping up Month #10 now—October’s installment—and it’s been quite the production! My granddaughter’s been handling the video edits beautifully. She sends them my way for review, and once I give the thumbs-up, they’re off to The Quilt Show. It’s a true team effort, and I’m so proud of how it’s all coming together.

I’m giving serious thought to combining the monthly chapters and pattern directions into a book which will be something fresh and new to release next year, once I regain the rights to the Laurel Ridge pattern. It would be a whole new adventure for me, stepping into the world of publishing and the idea feels exciting.

I was playing around with AI and it created this image. I imported the image of the quilt into AI, gave it some parameters of what I wanted it to include, and voila!  You have to image the saddlebags are full of books to be delivered into the Kentucky hollers. 

It's not too late to sign up for The Quilt Show and have access to my Packhorse Librarian story, monthly tutorial videos by Barbara Black and me, and pattern directions HERE.  I always look at the reviews in my Etsy shop and I received the following in June.

Jun 20, 2025

5 out of 5 stars    

In a time when there is so much emphasis on get-it-done-quick quilts, I’ve been especially happy to find Lynn Wilder’s exquisite traditional designs. These are quilts to nourish the soul! It has been a special joy to get acquainted with Lynn and experience her gifted teaching through the 2025 QuiltShow.com BOM. Her Laurel Ridge pattern and instructional videos are worth many times the very nominal membership cost, and the opportunity to join in is open through year end.

In a crowded marketplace, my Etsy shop truly lives and breathes by the kindness of customer reviews. Every bit of feedback shapes my shop’s standing, and even a single negative review can affect my rating for months. That’s why thoughtful words like this mean so much, they’re not only encouraging, but they also help keep my little corner of the quilting world thriving. This is one of the nicest reviews I’ve ever received, and I’m deeply grateful.

On a side note, I have to share this: I received a one-star review from a quilter who felt my Patchwork Math book had—wait for it—too much math. I mean, it’s literally a math book! Sometimes you just have to shake your head and beat it against a hard surface.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! My sister’s coming up to the cabin, and we’re heading to the Bear Valley Music Festival to listen to the Queen tribute band. It promises to be a fun-filled time with good music, good company, and a little mountain magic. 

Soon,

Lynn 

COUNTRY COURTHOUSE - Pattern of the Week

 Hello Everyone,

If it's Sunday, it must be the unveiling of my Pattern of the Week!  This week the featured pattern is Country Courthouse. 

This is the perfect stash-busting quilt if you have a lot of scraps in your stash.

I cut hundreds, no thousands of 1" strips for this quilt.

Years ago, Mr. Joe was making and selling these handy dandy Strip'n Sews. I had been using a pasta dryer to display all of my 1" fabric strips.  He decided he could make something much more substantial, and he gave it 'stadium seating' so I could easily see all of my strips.  He wanted to name it Strip Seach which I immediately had to veto as president of the company!

Having an assortment of fabric strips at my fingertips, makes quick work of making all of the little 9 patches and Courthouse Steps blocks.

This quilt started out as the smaller Cute as a Button pattern.  A few years ago, we had so much snow that it made for rough travel whenever we left the cabin.  So, I just stayed inside and kept making block after block and ended up making a queen-sized Country Courthouse. 

I love this alternative colorway too.

Whenever I finish a quilt, I put it on display on my old sled a do a photoshoot.

I machine quilted around every single 'log' in the quilt.  Tedious but so worth the effort.

If you do your own machine quilting, then this one is for you.  Stitch in the ditch and stipple is in the entire body of the quilt.  I also added a feathered border.

The pattern is available and on sale in my Etsy shop HERE and it is offered at 15% off the regular price.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Soon,

Lynn    

Gentry's Mill Month #5 Tutorial

 Hello Everyone, 

I'm a couple of days late posting the tutorial for Gentry's Mill for this block. You can download the tutorial HERE from Google Drive. 

I put the files in Google Drive to make them easier for you to print. 

Here are some things to remember:

1. Starch your fabrics first

2. Use Aurifil 50wt thread

3. Cut accurately

4. Check to make sure you have an accurate 1/4" seam

5. Follow the pressing directions

6. This is not a race

You will be finished with the blocks soon and then you can move on to the sashing.

If you are having a hard time finding all of the tutorials, put the words Gentry's Mill Tutorial in the search box on the left-hand side of the blog.

I'm still cutting kits and writing the pattern for Cozy Country Christmas. I have three more star blocks to make.  

Marcus Fabrics is sending me the material to make a version using Franklin House fabrics.  Not sure when I will get around to making this one.....which I truly LOVE! It is so elegant and would look so good on display in the cabin for the entire Winter. 

So many fun things to make and so little time.....sigh.

We still have a lot of summer people here in the mountains, but my community isn't as impacted today as it was over the weekend. I do feel fortunate to live in an area where so many people like to vacation.  I feel very privileged to live here year-round. 

Soon,

Lynn

STARDANCE - My Pattern of the Week

 Hello Everyone,

This week, I'm shining a spotlight on Stardance—a wonderfully scrappy quilt pattern designed to make the most of your treasured fabric stash. With clear, detailed instructions and step-by-step illustrations using fabrics from my Hearthstone and Gentry's Mill lines by Marcus Fabrics, Stardance guides you every stitch of the way. You can find the discounted pattern HERE.

One thoughtful touch: each direction page includes space to attach your own chosen fabric scraps, making organization effortless as you sew. I loved to be organized.....but you'd never know it if you saw my sewing room!

And of course, the pattern features my signature block layout sheet—the true map to your success. If you love turning scraps into stars, Stardance is the perfect way to let your creativity dance across the quilt top. The block layout sheet includes the measurements and graphic of the exact size the components need to be.  If the piece doesn't fit, you'll know it immediately and can adjust accordingly.  The block layout sheet also includes the pressing directions. If your block goes together seamlessly, you are more likely to finish the quilt.

After a full and bustling week down in the Bay Area, it was a breath of fresh mountain air to come home and unwind. We spent a beautiful evening enjoying tri-tip sandwiches expertly grilled by our local firefighters, all while tapping our toes to the live music. The band, fittingly named Burn Permit, played for the fundraiser—clever name.

I’ve been up to my elbows in fabric, cutting yard after yard for the Cozy Country Christmas kits. One day alone I sliced through 90 yards, and followed that with another 60 the next—my back had a few choice words about all the standing and bending! The upside? I’ve cleared out bolts and bolts of fabric, which means the hallway is no longer lined like a fabric fortress. It’s starting to look like a normal hallway again!

Mr. Joe took command of the smoker this Fourth of July with an 8-pound pork butt, and let’s just say—I haven’t needed to set foot in the kitchen since. The mouthwatering aroma wafted through the neighborhood all day long. The real twist? He found a recipe that called for basting the pork every 45 minutes with cherry-flavored Dr. Pepper. It was bold, a little quirky, and absolutely delicious. 

The summer crowd has poured in this week, bringing a surge of traffic and energy to our quiet mountain street and community. Sadly, with it came heartbreak—one of the three bear cubs we've been watching was struck and killed by a speeding car right on our street about five cabins down the road. It’s been a tough reminder of how quickly things can change. We mountain folks tend to drive with a watchful eye, knowing that wildlife can appear in a flash. But the faster pace and unfamiliarity with these roads are taking a toll.  A couple of years ago, a large bear ran right in front of my sister's car as she was driving up the hill.  Her vigilance paid off and the bear scampered off into the woods unscathed.

I have a Zoom meeting with Marcus Fabrics this week to discuss two more fabric lines.  It is so exciting to see my ideas come to life!

Here's a toast to 'to-do' lists! I have a full to-do list this week.  I find I have to 'write it down' to keep me on task.

Soon,

Lynn 

  

 

Happy July 4th

 Hello Everyone,

This quilt, “Zinnie’s Choice,” carries the legacy of our Golden Retriever, Zinnie. While I was piecing it together, she would snatch a quilt block and parade around proudly—like a rodeo queen in full gallop, waving her prize like the American flag in a victory lap. Her playful mischief turned the quilt into a celebration of joy, love, and a dog with undeniable flair.

To celebrate the 4th of July holiday, Zinnie's Choice is on sale in my Etsy shop HERE.  Here are closeups of the blocks 9" x 9" blocks.  The quilt measure 36" x 54".  I have free video classes on The Quilt Show HERE which will help you with this quilt.

Sadly, Zinnie passed away at the age of five and we were devastated. The story about Zinnie's passing is HERE.  I still cry and get emotional when I read it.

After years of having a dog by our side, the house felt incomplete without one—so we welcomed Mazey into our lives as a puppy, showering her with all the love we had to give. This past April, Mazey marked her 11th birthday, and through the years, the bond between us has grown deep and unshakable. She's become part of our hearts, just as we've become part of hers.

We've had a very busy week.  We traveled to Livermore to celebrate our youngest grandson's 17th birthday on Monday.  He is such a great kid and so much fun to be with. Kade is our lacrosse and football playing grandson.  We had the opportunity to meet his sweet girlfriend who was at his party.

On Tuesday I had my long-awaited cataract surgery.  I was on the waiting list for 7 months.  During that time, the quality of my vision diminished significantly in my right eye.  Hopefully my points will be totally aligned in my quilts from now on!

On Wednesday, we headed to the Alameda County Fair to spend time with our other grandson and say goodbye to his pigs before they were loaded onto the big red truck this Sunday. This marks his final year in FFA—a program we deeply admire for the skills, responsibility, and character it fosters. I have nothing but praise for the opportunities it has given him. He is a member of the welding team and has traveled to competitions around the state.  It has given him a skill which he loves.  He's not too fond of the pigs!

Wishing you a joyful and safe 4th of July! We'll be spending it quietly at the cabin—at least, that’s the hope. The sound of fireworks echoing through the mountains is truly unnerving, especially since they’re banned around here. Yet, some folks just can’t resist breaking the rules. And don’t even get me started on the ones who think it’s a good idea to fire guns… that kind of recklessness makes me crazy!

Soon,

Lynn