My Hearthstone Room

 Hello Everyone,

Today was the day I decided it was time to remove the flannel sheets.  Before I knew it, one thing led to another, and the entire bedroom was cleaned and the quilts changed around.  I'm calling it my Hearthstone room as everything you see has been made using my Hearthstone fabric line.   

SPRING FROLIC is at the foot of the bed.  LAUREL RIDGE, the 2025 BOM for The Quilt Show is on the wall along with the little DOUBLE DUTCH TREAT table topper.  EMILIE ELIZABETH is over the bed, made and gifted to me by my dear, dear friend Deborah from Michigan. BRIDLE PATH is on the bed.  

This is the first time I've had them all in the same room together and they are getting along nicely!

When I first started quilting which seems as though it was back in the Stone Age, I wanted to learn how to make quilts so I could decorate my home in beautiful quilts. After all of these years, I making my dream come alive.

Every room in the cabin is filled with quilts which I rotate on a regular basis. I wanted our bedroom to be more 'Spring-like' so that started this entire cleaning process today.  I wish I could say it feels like Spring, but it's a bit chilly and dripping outside and we have a fire going in the great room to take the chill off.  

Speaking of fabric lines, I just sent off a presentation for a new line to Marcus Fabrics this morning.  Will it work in my Heathstone room......inquiring minds want to know?  Stay tuned and find out.

Soon,

Lynn

Laurel Ridge Center Star

 Hello Everyone,

I've been working in my sewing room on the tutorials for Laurel Ridge during our very snowy days.

This is the 'Spring' center star for Laurel Ridge.  The tutorial is done for this along with three other tutorials.  The two quilts are going to look entirely different once I get it completed.

We put on our snow clothes when Mazey needs to go out to the powder room.  She is just like a little kid in the snow and runs from one end of the lot to the other.  She actually bounds through the snow like the Loch Ness Monster.

You can just barely make one of the windows in my sewing room underneath the branch of the oak tree.

All of the pine and spruce trees looks like collapsed umbrellas. 

Each branch on the dogwood is covered with snow.  

The snow is supposed to continue all day long.  We will be out clearing the driveway this morning just in case we need to get out on the road......but that doesn't mean we will be out driving any time soon as the roads just aren't safe.

In honor of National Quilting Day, I will be offering a 20% discount in my Etsy shop beginning today.  Click HERE to go to the shop.  Happy shopping while I'm shoveling!

Soon,

Lynn    

A Snapshot of My Days

 Hello Everyone,

For those of you working on Laurel Ridge BOM for The Quilt Show, I have a story for you.  The quilt is my tribute to the Packhorse Librarian WPA program from the 1930's.

I'm currently working on preparing more tutorials for my granddaughter to film at the end of the month.  The tutorials cover the blocks in the quilt as shown below.   

I love how this image captures the dark, star blocks around the center of the quilt.  I refer to this as the community of quilters.

This week I've been working on the applique tutorial.  The quilt is being offered in two different colorways, the Spring and the Autumn version.  This is the Spring applique.

This is the Spring version of the quilt.

While working on the tutorials, I'm also writing the story to accompany the monthly pattern release for The Quilt Show.  I'm always researching ideas to incorporate into the story, and last week I stumbled upon a good idea which was a recipe called Poor Man's Cookies from a radio show in the 1930's.  The recipe didn't use any eggs, and I thought that was perfect for the egg situation we are in today. 

Well, here is a picture of my first tray of cookies!  I wouldn't put a big FAIL across this recipe just yet as they amazingly taste really good! We started calling it 'cookie brittle'.

I was able to salvage some of the cookies for a picture for the story.  My friends gave me this wonderful egg scale a few years ago which was perfect for the picture.

Poor Man's Cookies

1 cup shortening (I used butter.....big mistake)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups rolled oaks

1/4 cup walnuts (my addition)

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in water and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Fold in the oats and walnuts.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to stand 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

I would use shortening next time (if there is a next time) and chill the dough prior to baking.

So, this is what I do during my days......test recipes for the story and work on tutorials.  At least the cabin smelled good. Follow me for more good ideas!

Soon,

Lynn

P.S. You can still sign up for the BOM at https://thequiltshow.com/

My Quilt Show Episode

Hello Everyone,

Sunday, December 29th is the premier of my episode #3601 on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.  You can watch it for free HERE! You can sign up for a trial membership and you have a week to view everything The Quilt Show has to offer. There's a lot to see and so many opportunities to learn!

The first part of the show started off upstairs in a beautifully restored mission church located in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

We were just chit chatting before the cameras were turned on. 

Then we moved downstairs for the rest of the filming.

I was going over Patchwork Math with Ricky.  My Patchwork Math book is available for sale in my Etsy shop HERE. 

Many of the principles in the Laurel Ridge 2025 BOM quilt are covered in my book and are thoroughly addressed in the pattern which you can get for free if you are a Star member of The Quilt Show.

I discussed the starch method of applique in addition to raw edge applique with Alex.  All of my monthly tutorials for Laurel Ridge will be available to Star Members for all of 2025! 

The quilt on the table is called Country Sampler.  It is an excellent learning pattern which includes nine block layout sheets for each of the blocks.  The pattern also includes the formulas to make the components any size you want them to be. The pattern is available HERE in my Etsy shop.

I had to sit on a stool the entire show because I couldn't stand for any length of time.

The filming took place on a Wednesday.  The night before the filming, my left leg doubled in size and turned very red. I was having an extremely difficult time walking and was in a great deal of pain. As soon as the filming was finished, Mr. Joe packed me up and immediately drove me to the hospital where I was admitted and in surgery to remove a 12" blood clot in my left leg. 

This picture was taken on Saturday when I was released from the hospital.  We drove back to the church so I could pick up all of my quilts and material that I used during the filming before we headed for our 3-day road trip back to California. 

Everyone at The Quilt Show was so supportive and genuinely glad to see that I was on the road to recovery before we hit the road.  We had to stop every hour and a half so I could get out and walk.  We know the location of every Starbucks from Denver to California.  Let me tell you there aren't too many in southern Wyoming!  

Filming for The Quilt Show was a very positive experience even with the hospital visit.  I was so lucky that everything turned out in my favor, and I was in the right place at the right time at a teaching hospital with nine vascular surgeons taking extremely good care of me. 

Enjoy watching the show.  I know I will be tuning in to see it and I'll be cringing when I say something questionable! You just never know what I'm going to say next!

This is the trailer for the show. You can also watch the next YouTube video from Barbara Black who goes into great detail with information about the 2025 BOM.

Soon,

Lynn

 

Little Laurel Free Pattern

 Hello Everyone,

I finished writing the FREE pattern for Little Laurel. The fabrics I used are from my Laurel Ridge fabric line by Marcus Fabrics.

The pattern is now posted for you to download on the Marcus Fabrics website HERE.  I think this would also look great in reproduction or Christmas-themed fabrics.

The blocks finish at 9" x 9" and the entire quilt finishes at 55" x 55". This is the fabric line which is on sale now at Hancocks of Paducah HERE.

They will be making kits for this quilt that will be available on their website soon.

This is the same fabric line which Marcus Fabrics recolored from my Hearthstone fabric line for me to use in the making of the Laurel Ridge quilt for The Quilt Show.  Kits are available for this quilt HERE and you can purchase them if you are a member of The Quilt Show.  If you become a member, you will receive the pattern for free.  You will also have access to all of my tutorials for the quilt.

I'm sure you are just as busy getting ready for Christmas as I am.  Christmas Eve is just one week away!  Yikes!

Soon,

Lynn

Laurel Ridge Fabric

 Hello Everyone,

The past week has been filled with quilty goodness arriving at my door!  My Laurel Ridge fabric line was posted on the Marcus Fabrics website, so now I can show you the entire line in all her glory. 

I've been working on a new project with this line.  I don't consider myself a 'bright' person, intelligent maybe, but not a person who uses bright fabrics.  Surprise, surprise, I've enjoyed working with this line.  This is my Hearthstone line which has been re-colored in a bright colorway.  You can see it up-close by clicking HERE.

The following is a sample of some new blocks using this new line.

This block is my favorite and I would like to make an entire quilt of varied basket blocks.

The blocks are all 5".

I've also been experimenting with raw edge applique. I have to cover up the raw edge, as I'm not a fan of the unfinished look.  I got out my wool applique tools and applied the concepts to the unfinished edge of the cotton. Why not?  I love doing hand work and this is very fulfilling to my soul.

I'm having just way too much fun here!  I've been watching the Olympics and stitching my day away.

Ask for Laurel Ridge at your local quilt shop.  The sales literature is now being distributed to the sales reps who are taking it around the country.  I have absolutely no idea where I'm going to store the bolts of fabric when they arrive.  I have my eye on Mr. Joe's closet.....

Soon,

Lynn

A Tisket A Tasket

 Hello Everyone,

I've been making twenty of this little cutie pie 5" finished blocks this week.

My sister has been making thirty-two of these 5" finished little cutie pie blocks this week.

They are going to be so cute together in my secret project.  Marcus Fabrics recolored my Hearthstone fabric line into a bright colorway, and I have enjoyed working with this new line.  Over fifty yards arrived from South Korea last week and I was blown away when I opened the box.  I LOVED what I saw!  What do you think about that plaid? The new line is called Laurel Ridge, and it will be in shops in the Fall.  

I want to thank the talented graphic artists at Marcus Fabrics who make me look good and bring my ideas to life!  Now if they could just photoshop my picture and make me look twenty years younger!

This has been an emotional week which deserves its own post at another time.  We lost two friends and went to one Celebration of Life, with another Celebration of Life soon. Also, my cousin went to heaven this week.  That's three and that's enough.  I'm almost afraid to answer the phone.

Appreciate this day that we've been given to enjoy.

Soon,

Lynn