Summer, Daisies, and a Fairy

Throwing rocks in the water can keep kids entertained for a long time! 

Does she or does she not love to pose for the camera!

Look close to see a little summer fairy!

Hope you're enjoying YOUR summer!

Susan

Wild Flower Field

When taking a walk recently near my daughter's house, we were amazed at the field of wild flowers that had sprung up so quickly. A large area of forested clearing was covered in bright yellow Arrowleaf Balsamroot wild flowers. My granddaughter, Anne, loved them too!

Great lighting really shows off the beautiful color of these trees with their new spring green leaves. 

We've had so much rain here in NW Montana that everything is extremely green. Just right for taking some beautiful photos.

Enjoy!

Susan

Dude!

I had the chance to visit a nearby Northwest Montana dude ranch lately to take some photos for upcoming projects. I thought you might enjoy some shots of cowboys, cowgirls, and cattle.

A cowboy hangout.

A beautiful ranch house and barn.

Loved this DIY lawn ornament!

The guests were there learning to rope and round up cattle. Although, I think it was more for the fun of  spending a day outdoors riding horses with friends!

I'm adding some beautiful shots of Canada Geese on the Kootenai River.

Enjoy!

Susan

Springier

Little by little the green is beginning to show through. So, it is time to admit that spring is here!

Is springier a word?

Happy spring!

Susan & Sally

Still Winter

We are so excited that our fabric collection, 'Chalk It Up to Winter', hit stores in March! We released 4 new patterns in March that feature the fabric as well. We told you about 2 of them in our last post. So as not to keep you waiting any longer, here are the details of our remaining 2. The first one, 'Chalk It Up to Winter' Linens, is a great pattern for a basic table runner, place mats, and napkins. Of course, we used our fabric for the pattern cover, but because it is such an easy, simple design you can substitute nearly any fabric of your choice to make them.

With our second pattern, 'Chalk It Up to Winter' Kitchen, you can make a wonderful butcher's apron. Our pattern makes an extra long version with an adjustable neck strap. Also, included is a handy oven mitt and cute kitchen towel. Made with our fabrics, you will be decked out in Christmas apparel for the kitchen!

Our pattern fronts were fun to put together because of the 'chalk-look' of our fabrics. We hope you have fun thinking of all the possibilities for the fabrics and for the patterns. Email us with pictures of your finished projects - we would love to see them!

By the way, it really seems like it is still winter here in our neck of the woods - snow on Saturday, April 12th and 16 degrees Sunday morning, April 13th! 

Happy sewing!

Susan and Sally 

Christmas in March?

I know, no sane person wants to think about Christmas yet, but we quilters are always looking for ideas for Christmas gifts or Christmas decor for our home. Does that mean we're insane? No, it just means we need to have plenty of time to make that special gift or to make a new quilt for our bed or just to cuddle up in. Even if we don't need to start on the projects this early in the year, we love to start thinking about and planning those projects. So to help all of you out, we have released some new patterns to coincide with the release of our debut fabric line, 'Chalk It Up to Winter', with Marcus Fabrics. Our Christmas quilt, 'Chalk It Up to Christmas' Quilt is 66''x 90'' with 7'' blocks consisting of ornaments, presents, trees, and stars. Make it using our beautiful, soft, flannel fabrics as featured on our pattern cover.

Our home decor pattern 'Chalk It Up to Winter' Christmas matches the quilt and features a fun and easy patchwork Christmas tree skirt pattern and Christmas stockings with tiny bells attached to felted wool triangle trim. Our fun fabrics are again featured.

Scroll down to check out our previous post about our new fabric line. We love the look and feel of the cozy flannel with the 'chalkboard' effect we created.

Look for our fabric and patterns at your local quilt store soon. Come back again to see 2 more pattern releases.

Happy quilting,

Susan and Sally

A Supplement!

Sally's design is a supplement to the April issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine!
It's called Flirty Flower Baskets. This table runner looks great from any spot in the room with the fun and flirty patchwork flower baskets filled with yo-yos and buttons to create an interesting texture. The editors decided to include it as an 8 page insert to their special interest publication.
She forgot to take any photos before she sent it off to the magazine, so we're using the cover of the supplement to show it off to you.

Here's a close-up of the yo-yos. The instructions include some great tips for making yo-yos.

The editors did such a wonderful job of showcasing our fun project and have included a number of tips for the aspiring sewer/crafter to make the table runner so that the result will turn out amazing. This is a great project to use up all those little fabric scraps that you've been saving. 

Another fun idea that is included is their "Color Option" where the table runner is made with an entirely different fabric selection in different colors to show the reader another option.

Look for the April issue of the American Patchwork and Quilting at stores now!

Happy sewing!

Susan and Sally