Country Charmer Kits

 Hello Everyone,

Yesterday afternoon I was able to cobble together enough plaid to make ten Country Charmer kits for the Independence Hall Quilt Show this weekend at the fairgrounds in Angels Camp.

Three more bolts of plaid are in transit to me as we speak so I can make more kits for my November retreat.  If there are any kits leftover, I'll post them for sale in my Etsy shop.

I’ve refreshed the Country Charmer pattern with a full-color update and newly added flange instructions. The Block Layout Sheet now includes pressing arrows for smoother piecing. Country Charmer was one of my very first designs and revisiting it has reminded me just how much my pattern writing style has grown and evolved over the years.

It was an enjoyable, stormy day up here under the pines.  While cutting the kits, I listened to a book on Audible while the wind blew and the rain came down outside.  It was the perfect day!  Luckily the rains will be gone before the quilt show begins.

I’ve been deep in show prep lately—pricing, packing, sorting, inventorying… all the non-glamorous behind-the-scenes work that has to get done before a show. And as for Halloween decorating? Let’s just say—hard pass! While working at my desk in the great room the other day, I glanced up at the snowman display on top of the TV armoire. The sunlight hit it just right, and oh my—what a sight! I debated whether to share this moment, because it’s a clear sign my housekeeping has taken a back seat. In my defense, we do have plenty of spiders up here in the woods!  Just keeping my life real!

I stumbled upon this display case in an antique shop years ago. It was originally used to carry canaries down into coal mines. That’s where the phrase “canary in a coal mine” comes from; the birds served as an early warning system for toxic gases, showing signs of distress before humans were affected. Judging by the state of my display, I think my own environment might be sending up a warning! Time to grab the step ladder and tackle some long-overdue dusting.

Soon,

Lynn

New Country Charmer

 Hello Everyone,

It took me a few days to recover and regroup after the retreat in Tahoe.  There's a lot of unpacking to do and invoicing for the product sold.  Now, I'm totally focused on the Independence Hall Quilt Show beginning on October 17th in Angels Camp. Part of that focus was getting Country Charmer 2.0 together for the show. 

I did it—finally! It nearly wore me out yesterday, and I missed most of the football games in the process, but every border is now attached, flange and all. That little gold flange, fabric from my Hearthstone line adds just the right spark to the design. It plays beautifully between the plaid and the red.

My plan is to have the kits at the quilt show, but I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of 65 yards of plaid which I ordered back in July.  This kit wouldn't be complete without the plaid.

On a completely different note, our final night at the Tahoe retreat took an unexpected turn around 10:30 p.m. One of the quilters was chatting with her husband on her phone in the lobby when a bear rounded the corner… just six feet away! She stayed remarkably calm, even noting that the bear had an adorable face. With quiet composure, she slipped into the workroom, slammed the door behind her, and alerted another quilter who hadn’t noticed a thing—thanks to her ear pods. Word is, that same bear may have visited the workroom the week before and helped himself/herself to the snack table a little too enthusiastically.

I heard a commotion and the slamming of a door, but I didn't get up to investigate.  Which was probably a good thing as the bear most likely walked or ran by my door to get to the exit.

The next morning, a freshly printed sign appeared on the door—management suspects it was the bear’s chosen entry point into the building.

On a personal note, it’s probably time I retire the nickname “T-Rex arms” for Mr. Joe. He saw a spine specialist recently, and while his spine shows the usual wear and tear of age, the real culprits seem to be tendinitis, arthritis, and inflammation in both rotator cuffs. Physical therapy has been ordered. The trouble started back in mid-June when he was helping at the Flea Market, and he’s spent the past four months mostly recliner-bound, alternating between ice packs and the heating pad. Cortisone shots didn’t help, and prednisone only worked while he was on it—plus it kept him wide awake for days while he grazed his way through the refrigerator. Low doses of Gabapentin are easing the pain a bit, thankfully.

Soon,

Mrs. T-Rex (I have to stop that....this is the last time!)

Safe for Now

 Hello Everyone,

I'm deeply relieved and grateful to share that our mountain community was spared from the lightning-sparked fires. Instead of spending the day packing up everything dear to us, I found myself back at the sewing machine, stitching peace and calm into fabric and myself.

I was deeply touched to hear from so many of you—from Nova Scotia to Italy—who reached out after seeing news of the fires on international broadcasts. Your concern and care meant the world to us.

This block is from my Country Charmer pattern, one of my earliest designs and still close to my heart. I’ve paired it with Cozy Christmas fabric by Katie Solberg for Marcus Fabrics—a festive, nostalgic choice that brings the whole piece to life. Over the years, my approach to pattern writing has evolved, so I’ve been revisiting and rewriting this one to reflect the clarity and style I strive for. I’ve stocked up on fabric to create kits, though the beautiful plaid backing is currently on backorder and expected to arrive in October.

Yesterday brought a delightful surprise—our UPS driver delivered paper copies of my upcoming fabric line, and I could hardly contain my excitement! I wish I could show you every detail right now. It’s a reproduction-inspired collection with a fresh, brighter twist, and I’m itching to dive into the design process. The line will make its debut in Houston this October, and I’ll be creating a quilt design to showcase it. Even more thrilling: I’ll also be designing a special quilt for Hobby House Needleworks in Pittsford, NY, where I’ll be teaching next May. So many beautiful things in motion—it’s all incredibly exciting!

Thank you again for expressing your concern about the fires. We are well into fire season and it's always a worry.

Soon,

Lynn

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.    

 

An Italian Country Charmer

Hello Everyone,

I love to receive pictures and feedback when a quilter finishes one on my designs.  Isabella from Italy sent me pictures of her beautiful Country Charmer quilt which she made for her daughter.

Isabella incorporated a beautiful color palette in her quilt which she has given to her daughter.

Her piecing is so precise!

The quilting is perfect for the design.

It makes me so happy to know that my designs are being created around the world.  I shipped patterns to 17 different countries just last year.  If you are interested in making a Country Charmer quilt, the pattern is available on my Etsy site HERE.

Thank you, Isabella, for making my pattern and sending me pictures.  Bravo!

Soon,

Lynn

 

Eye Candy Day

 Hello Everyone,

I love, love, LOVE to see variations of my quilt designs.  This is my Heritage pattern made by my friend Kate.  Her color combination of red, white and blue is spectacular.  The machine quilting just puts this one over the top on the gorgeous scale.

The quilt started like this at a class I taught at Friends Around the Block in Colusa, CA.  Every quilt has a beginning and a beautiful ending.  Kate created an heirloom to enjoy for years and years to come.  Well done YOU!

Then I received this image of my Country Charmer design made by Patricia.  This is a fabulous finish too!  This is what Patricia said about it.

I want to thank you for the Country Charmer pattern. I found a Christmas quilt made with this pattern on Pinterest and fell in love. The pattern was easy to follow, and I am thrilled with the results.

I am thrilled with your result too!  Please send me a picture after it's quilted so I can enjoy looking at it all over again.

Fran, from Village Dry Goods in Brigham City, UT sent me a picture of my A Ribbon Runs Through It on display behind their counter in the shop.  This actually is the quilt I made, and I haven't seen it in months since it's been traveling the country to different shops.  To my understanding, the quilt is back in California and should now be at Cloth and Quilts in Hilmar, CA.  I should take the 2-hour drive down and visit her.

On a personal note, I have now completed my jury duty for the rest of my life!  I was officially excused yesterday from the pool of jurors as the final jury and alternates were selected.  I swear some of the jurors in the "pool" where swimming at the shallow end of the gene pool.  If I hadn't been on camera the entire time, I would have been banging my head on the nearest piece of wood.  I spent four days, 6 hours each day, wading through jury selection, and listened to every personal problem and issue known to man.  I'm done!  I'm so done DONE!  Can you feel my frustration?  

Today I get to return to my normal life and schedule.  Oh, it feels so good!  You have no idea how good it feels to tackle my to-do list that grew while I was doing my civic duty.  

Soon,

Lynn

Classes in Colusa

Hello Everyone,

 

I just returned from my 5-day road trip beginning with a workshop in Stockton, CA, and ending with two classes at Friends Around the Block quilt shop in Colusa, CA.  I taught Country Charmer and Cute as a Button in Colusa.

 

Cute as a Button was first up on Friday.  There are lots of little 9-patch sections to this little quilt. It all begins with cutting strips......lots of strips.

There were many 9-patch blocks born during class.

Then they started coming together.

The classroom at Friends Around the Block is very large, and the lighting is wonderful.

Saturday, was Country Charmer day.  Some of the girls worked on their Gold Rush blocks for my Romancing Alaska pattern, and some worked on the same block for Country Charmer.  I include a block layout sheet for my patterns that have a lot of pieces.  I call it the map to your success.  You begin by laying all of the pieces on the sheet, then take the sheet next to your machine and start stitching.

 

Mary came into the shop to show me her Country Sunshine quilt.  I taught this quilt in November in Colusa.  The fabrics she used were very directional.....and she has everyone going in the correct direction.  Well done!

My sister Gail was determined to get her Zinnie's Choice quilt together and into flimsy status.....and she did!  She had all of the parts and pieces made, she just needed to stitch them together.

Great attention to detail.  No "points" were lost in the making of this quilt.

Tomorrow I'm teaching an applique class at Quail's Nest in Sonora.  This is the block that we are going to work on from my Party In The Garden pattern.  If the class doesn't want to make the entire quilt, they can turn this block into a small wall hanging or a pillow just in time for summer. 

It feels good to be home with my dog and husband.  I think Mazey missed me the most.  She just about turned herself inside out when I walked through the front door.  Mr. Joe was a bit more reserved.  If he jumped around as much as Mazey did, he would now be in traction.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S. All of the patterns that are featured in this post are located in my Etsy shop.  Just click on the word ETSY toward the top of the blog post to enter my shop.

Weekly Update

Hello Everyone,

 

She's a flimsy!  Country Courthouse now has a flange and borders and she's ready to be quilted.  I wanted to do something to separate the setting triangles from the borders, so a 1/2" flange was just the ticket.

 



The quilt is 81" x 81", so it's hard to get a good picture of the entire quilt.  The flange is very subtle and adds a nice little touch.  It's all about the details.

Each corner looks like this.  Adding the flange was the equivalent of doing the border twice......but so worth the effort.

 

Here's a heads up for quilters living in the Sacramento Valley.  I'm teaching both the big sister Country Courthouse, and little sister Cute as a Button in Colusa at Friends Around the Block on Friday, April 26th.  Click HERE to check out the shop and see the class schedule.  The shop has something for everyone.  The staff is so friendly and helpful too.

 

I'll be teaching Country Charmer on Saturday, April 27th, also at Friends Around the Block, a destination quilt shop. 



This is my most popular pattern.

 

This pattern was picked up by Robert Kaufman fabrics a couple of years ago.  They remade it in one of their Christmas lines, and it was in a Keepsake Quilting catalog.

 My friend Jean made her version and added a beautiful border.

You can see an extensive tutorial on this block by clicking HERE. 

 

The next couple days I have to update my teaching notes for each of the quilts. Then I will turn full attention to Easter preparations. I always make and decorate sugar cookies for Easter.....BUT....my bunny and carrot cookies cutters are at the city house.  Shopping in my small, mountain community is pretty sparse....not a bunny cookie cutter to be found.  I could drive an hour to civilization, but why do that? I have a squirrel cookie cutter, so this year is going to be the year of the Easter squirrel! 

 

We are all meeting up at my eldest son's house for Easter brunch.  My daughter-in-law called last night and said we are up to 18.  The family circle is growing to include a boyfriend and his family.  The more the merrier.  We also have 4 April birthdays to celebrate.  This is an expensive month for the Wilder family!

 

Speaking of birthdays, Mazey turned 5 earlier this month. She wasn't crazy about wearing her birthday necklace.  She puts up with our nonsense.

 

She got to spend time playing in puddles while we went for our afternoon walk at the school.  She is just like a little kid.

 

 

Soon,

Lynn