Jan 2012

Mon-Fri  10-5 Sat: 10-2  or until the last customer leaves!
We are also open by appointment anytime - not a problem to open earlier or stay later - just call and let me know what day and time.

February – the month of CHOCOLATE!!  What a warm winter we are having – no excuse for not being able to get to our shop.  Spring fabrics are coming in and I’ve even ordered more because it feels like spring!  As everyone else is saying “I hope we don’t have to pay for this in June.”  Let’s be optimistic and say that the rest of the winter will be mild and we will get some snow so all can go skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. 

Directions to the Country School House Quilt Shop 

My shop is at the corner of 21^st Ave. E. and East 5^th Street.  I’m in the DeSmet Agency building.  They have a big sign in parking lot and my little sign is on building next to door.

Directions to the shop: (I am only 3 blocks from the Lake, so when you get to the lake, drive 3 blocks away from it and that is E. 5^th St.)   (1) Driving N on Hwy 2/53.  When you see McDonald’s on the right & Culver’s on the left, turn left and go 3 blocks to stop sign,  is  E. 5^th St.  The DeSmet Agency building is diagonally across the street.  (2) From Mn – take Blatnik Bridge and follow the Hwy 53 S. signs which will take you under the bridge and along the lake, past Perkins and Fairlawn Museum.  At Culver’s, turn right and  go 3 blocks to stop sign which is E. 5^th St.  The DeSmet Agency building is diagonally across the street.  (3) Coming from the N on Hwy 35 (Tower Ave).  Turn right on N 28^th St. (Mall Drive) – go past mall and over railroad tracks.  Turn right at the stop lights onto E. 5^th St.  Go 3 blocks to 21^st Ave E. The DeSmet Agency building is on the right. 

Important News: 

More than 19,000 women last month developed invasive breast cancer.  Did you know one of them?  I am willing to be that this year you will know someone who develops it – maybe even yourself!  That’s why we need all our quilters to step up and help our friends, sisters, mothers, daughters, daughter-in-laws, and relatives who will be battling this nasty disease by making and donating a lap size quilt that will be donated to our 2 local Breast Cancer Centers.  You can either do it with the Challenge part where you make it with 1/2yd of challenge fabric or the no challenge where you make it from any fabric.  You can use any pattern for both these ways.  Get your friends together and make one together or your quilting group can put one together.  All will be shown at the Spring Fling Quilt Show in April.  Come in and get the information and start it today.  The woman who gets your quilt will know that P.S. We love you….. and someone cares about her. 

Christmas All Year Long –you asked for it and we are doing it.  Starting in February – actually tomorrow, we will feature a free pattern a month included with our kit that is something fast, easy, and makes a great gift.  We will do this from Feb. – October.  If you do this each month, come November you will have 9 gifts to be wrapped up.  Some of these projects will be so much fun that you will make more than one!  Kits will range from $40 for a quilt to $5 for smaller projects.  How do you join?  It will cost you $10 to join and that guarantees you a kit (as we will only make so many each month and when they are gone they are gone), a free class to do it in, if you wish, a show n’ tell on the 2^nd Sat. of the month with goodies so you can see what everyone else is doing and get ideas from them also.  I will also present the next months kit and go over the pattern with you.  Kits can be picked up each month on the 15^th or after.  We will need at least 15 people to run this successfully so sign up today.  We will have the first project, which is a quilt, hanging for you to see.  This quilt is the fastest one to do and only takes a jelly roll and we have great jelly rolls in the newest spring prints!  Come see this and register for the program…or call….or e-mail me.

What's New

Groovy Women Clubs-don’t forget to bring 3 fat quarters to the club meeting this month for our game!  Write this down on our calendar so you remember.  Meetings are Thursday, Feb. 9^th (my grandson’s birthday) at 1:00 p.m.; Sat. Feb. 25^th at 9:00 a.m. and Tues. Feb 28^th at 5 p.m.

New Spring Fabrics are coming in…our goal is to make a project from each line!  That might prove to be a bit difficult, but we’re up to it!  We have some new kits ready: The Rose is a beautiful quilt made from this gorgeous fabric.  You fussy cut the large rose squares.  It goes together quickly but makes a show-stopping quilt.  We also have the top done from a quilt shown in the new Quilts and More for Feb. which hasn’t even come out yet.  A darling kid’s quilt made from some farm fabric.  We will have kits ready if you want one.  That magazine has my Lil’ Twister featured in their What’s Hot column this time.  I think we’ll order more magazines than usual!  We now have snowmobile fabric for making great pillow cases and some cute bright funky flowers and a geometric with bright colors, charm packs from Moda in prints and in a batik that are for fabrics to come and for some that have arrived….stop in and get a whiff of Spring!

The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini has arrived and I think this is on the top of my favorite book by her in the Elm Creek Series and this might be the one I stop at – we’ll see.  It is a great story and I won’t tell you more or I will spoil it for you…it will make you feel angry, sad, and happy is the only hint I will give.  It is in hardcover.