NOTES FROM NANCY

Quilt Market was in Kansas City this year and it was an awesome experience when the Top Ten Quilt Shops received their recognition from Jennifer Keltner, the editor of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. Each of us was introduced and then our quilt was paraded around the Better Homes and Gardens booth. We each received a framed plaque that we are a top ten shop and another that is a photograph of the staff. These are on display in the shop.

I found a lot of really nice patterns and came home with a suitcase full of which I finally got photos in a folder and will try to get them on the website really soon. There are about 50+ ones to enter. I have some great pictures of Stacy West’s Buttermilk Basin booth to post on the Gallery section of the website.

I hope all of you had a restful and nice Memorial Day week-end. I enjoyed having a 2 day mini vacation. It was fun to sit on the porch swing with my Dad who is visiting again for 3 weeks and do hand stitching.

Besides washing 10 windows yesterday, I finished a mini quilt I have been working on this week-end as a sample for the shop from one of the many patterns I brought back from Quilt Market. Debby and Linda are also working on a mini quilt and I have re-ordered more patterns because these are so darn cute.

The blocks were done on one of my hand crank machines during the Saturday Crankers this past Saturday. I continued on a hand crank at home to put the blocks together. However, when it came to putting the rows together I had to suffer the heat on third floor and use my Pfaff electric! I still have to pick a backing and do some hand or machine quilting. Rather than selling these patterns alone, I am making all of them into kits. The buttons make such cute flowers.

The June class schedule is posted and I am pleased to say Elise Banks will be back to do another internship the 2nd week of June and be here for the month I hope. Then we will really get lots of products on the website. Until next time, keep stitching and remember I really appreciate all of your business in the shop and the orders I am getting off the website–there will be a lot more for you to choose from, I promise.

Nancy

APRIL 2012 NOTES FROM NANCY

I have been really busy this week taking photo’s for the website of all the new fabric lines that have arrived—Alexandria (26) bolts by Jo Morton, Farmers Market by Brannock/Patek, and Collection Friendship by Howard Marcus. Recent collections are Heartstrings by Whimiscals, and Simple Charm by Jo Morton.

Recent books in the last week or two are Pretty Petals and Memories of Christmas Past along with Carol Hopkins Civil War Legacies. Two new patters by Jan Patek are also listed on the website so be sure and check out the Whats New.
Today (3/29/12) I re-stocked lots of Valdoni’s 3 strand embroidery floss balls. Numbers are on the website also.
The April Quilters Road Trip starts on Monday and the kits are ready. My specials for this Road Trip will be 20% off your purchase excluding wool, sale items, and kits. You may finish a bolt of sale fabric and get the fabric for half the sale price. These make great affordable backings. If you haven’t purchased your punch card for the Road Trip, I have a few left and they are only 5.00 for the 3 months.

I have the okay to start cutting the American Glory kits for the Quilt Sampler magazine which by the way they have re-named to Salute to Summer and I do think it has a nice ring to it! If you are picking up the kit which will include the magazine and be in my special bag, the cost is 75.00 plus tax. The cost is 89.95 if I mail them anywhere in the USA. They will be ready hopefully by the first of May. (I am suppose to get the magazines early. This is all so exciting and I want to thank you for making all this possible as it’s friends like you who support my shop and I love all of you.
My Dad has been here visiting again for the last two weeks. The wonderful weather last week was a god-send as he could sit outside and watch the traffic go by. My daughter thought I should have him holding a sign! Stop in and say Hi to him as he will be here till the Wednesday after Easter.

Keep Stitching and have a Blessed Easter.

Nancy

MARCH 2012 NOTES FROM NANCY

Well, where do I start to fill you in as so many new books and patterns and wool have found their way to The Hen House since last month. Mary Jane’s Farm is a new magazine I am now carrying. It is doing very well. Reading it you will learn tid-bits about a lot of subjects like collecting vintage hats, making organic pizza on a grill, upcycled wedding dresses and how to paint walls to look rustic plus lots of other articles all in this issue. I am sure I am going to have to order more.
Check out the Whats New and the Gallery on the website. Pictures are worth a 1000 words you know. Today the canvas bags came that I will use to hold the kits for the American Glory quilt kit. They have a zipper at the top and this bag is something I am sure all of you will want!

We have a great selection of classes for you during the month of March. Check them out and give us a call to sign up. Wednesday Woolies, no charge, is getting a lot of attention.

I am working on a new stitchery flag made with raw silk and wool. It is 31” long and fits in a picture frame. The stitchery is done and now I am ready to lace it to the backing before framing. I am sure you can find the pattern in the Whats New on the website.

Keep stitching and we will talk next month.

Nancy

Notes from Nancy

I just put pictures of Jo’s new Bridgeport line of fabric (28) bolts on the website under “Whats New”. Carolyn has ½ yard bundles, fat quarter bundles, and fat 1/8 bundles all cut, stacked and ready for you to add to your stash! This is a great line.

Jo’s Little Women Club and Prairie Women Sewing Circle will be starting Saturday, February 4th, Jo’s in the morning with Debby and Prairie Women in the afternoon with Carolyn.

Be sure and check out the Classes on the website for the variety offered and the dates and times.
I have the 3 small table toppers all stitched and ready for Linda to quilt. These toppers are for the Quilter’s Road Trip that will take place the months of April, May, and June. I have been selling the punch cards already so it’s never too early to purchase one for $5.00. You may visit each shop on the list once each month for special sales and a chance for a gift certificate at the end of each month. This is a great “ bang for your buck” as you can pick and choose which shops you want to visit as there is no special prize for visiting all the shops. Each shop has a small table topper they will kit and the pattern for the toppers are $3.50 each. I happened to make 3 different color ways from the same pattern. I have added wool to the center area of my toppers. So—I will have a different kit for each of the three months. You only buy the pattern once! I will have pictures of them on the website next month.

I want to remind you to get your name on the list if you have not already done so for the Quilt Sampler magazine for Spring which will be out in May. I am told I will have them late April. This will help me decide how many magazines to order. I’m also taking orders for the quilt, American Glory, and am really excited about the bags I have ordered to hold the kit. They are MADE IN THE U.S.A. and the business is owned by WOMEN. When I find out the final price of the bag I will know how much to charge for the quilt kit. If you missed the January Newsletter, I should let you know that The Hen House is one of the 10 top featured shops in the Spring Quilt Sampler. I also will be having a party in the shop when the magazine comes and the drawing for the free kit.

Our Journey to the Past will be happening again this year in July. We will be meeting soon to decide our quilt design and the week-end dates. More on that next month.

The new Spring issue of the Primitive Quilts magazine is for sale in the shop. I have made the quilt on the cover only I substituted wool baskets and flowers for the cotton used in the magazine. I hope to have it in kit form for you by the end of the week.

We had 14 ladies hand cranking at the shop today (Saturday,Jan. 28). It’s always so much fun and we had two new-bees with their first hand-crank machines. We crank the 4th Saturday of each month. I have some great pictures in the Gallery on the website.

Most of you have picked up the My Garden Quilt block of the month. If you wanted to do this and haven’t picked yours up, let me know. I realize this has been on-going for a long time and some of you have decided to not be a part of this block of the month. I have changed the colors so when you come to get your kit, it would be a good idea if you take a picture of the block. You can always get help on Wednesday Woolies (February 22). Keep Stitching————Nancy

NOTES FROM NANCY

Happy New Year to all of you and may it be the best ever. I know it’s going to start out very well for me. I have been selected to be in the Spring issue of the Quilt Sampler magazine in May. It was very hard to keep everything a secret since I first got the news on August 15th. Here is my quilt project for the magazine called American Glory. You may pre-order the kit and magazine and have your name in a drawing. First prize will be a free kit and magazine, 2nd prize will be ½ off the kit and magazine, and the 3rd prize will be a bundle of fat quarters. The kit price isn’t set in stone yet but somewhere around 69.00 plus 6.99 for the magazine. I have the quilt hanging in the shop and of coarse it has a wool flag in the center.

Debby will be starting Jo’s Little Women Club in February we hope. We are waiting for Jo to send out the instruction packet so Debby can get the first quilt sample done. We do have a poster in the shop but the real quilt always looks so much better.

Carolyn will be doing the Prairie Women Sewing Circle. The first quilt is a signature quilt and coming along very well. Below is the picture of the first quilt. Both these clubs will meet the first Saturday of February with Debby’s being in the morning 10:00 and Carolyn’s being in the afternoon probably around 1:30.

The “My Garden Quilt” block of the month will be ready for pick-up or shipping really soon. Some of the kits are ready except for one color of wool which is being dyed this week-end. The cost is 26.00 a month and includes the cost of the patterns. This is a 13 month block of the month as there are 12 blocks and the border and wool for the finishing kit. I am really pleased as to how it turned out and it will be spectacular when Linda gets it quilted. If you have forgotten what it looks like, check out the Whats New on the website and scroll down.

Carol Hopkins from the Civil War patterns I have in the shop that everyone loves has a book coming out I think in February or March from Martingale. I am taking pre-orders. Not sure of the cost at this time but I don’t need the money ahead of time as I just want to have an idea how many to order.

Our Harvest Shop Hop as you know it is not going to be this year. We have re-grouped, re-changed and made things better and more convenient for you. This is what we are doing: It will be called a “Quilter’s Road Trip”. There are going to be 16 shops participating. You will purchase a punch card for $5.00 and during April, May, and June you can visit the shops that you like. We each have chosen a small table quilt pattern and are using our own fabrics to make the project. Because this is a three month event, you may visit us three times, once each month to get our discounts and the pattern and kit for the project. I am making three versions of the table topper and you can purchase one each month if you wish. This will all be from the same pattern so you will only have to buy the pattern once. Of coarse I will be using wool for my center embellishment which I am in the process of designing.

My Dad and I had a great time in Indiana at an overnight New Year’s Eve party. Thanks, Judy, Harold, Joyce and Rich for the great memories.