Six Spirited Snowmen
Back in February of this year, Moultrie got some unusual weather. We had an inch of honest-to-goodness snow that stuck to the ground and hung around for most of the day. Even though it very, very rarely snows in South Georgia, snowmen are still a popular Christmas icon at Suzanne's Quilt Shop. Our Saturday Sampler group has been enjoying working on Shivery Snowmen. Another popular Christmas kit featuring snow people has been our wonderful Holiday Spirit Placemats.
Bring plenty of Holiday Spirit to your Christmas gatherings with these festive placemats! Each of them features a different scene of snowmen celebrating the season with their families - just like you do! Kit includes directions and fabric, including backing fabric, for making 6 place mats. Fabric on the reverse side is pretty too so these placemats are reversible. Finished place mats are 14" x 18". What a wonderful gift for your favorite hostess - or for yourself!
If you are a snowman collector, you won't want to miss our Holly Jolly Snowman Quilt Kit. It features some of the jolliest snowmen you've ever seen, hanging out with their best buds, the snow birds. The kit comes in a really cool little black felt tote bag that's as charming as the snowmen.
You can't have snowmen without Snowballs, and this gives you about five dozen rich crunchy cookies covered in powdered sugar snow. This old Southern recipe more than makes up for the absence of the cold, wet stuff!
Snowballs
2 sticks of butter (not margarine, not shortening)
6 tablespoons of powdered sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Cream the butter and the sugar until it is smooth and fluffy. Sift the flour and the salt together and add the mixture a half cup at a time to the butter/sugar. Add the vanilla and the pecans. Roll the dough into bite-sized balls, place on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for around thirty minutes or until they are light brown and the pecans are nicely toasted. Let them cool and dust them with more powdered sugar so they look like little snowballs. These cookies have a rich buttery, nutty taste that makes it impossible to eat just one. They are especially good with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
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Our next big adventure in Civil War reproduction fabrics has only just begun! This brand spankin' new line of Civil War reproduction fabrics was designed by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers. Designed to honor the upcoming 150th aniversary of the American Civil War in 2011, this block of the month project features sawtooth and star blocks which each represent a different battle fought during the Civil War. Blocks showcase both northern and southern points of view.
Our first month of blocks and patterns has already started shipping out, but you're not too late to get started. Any quilter who wants to join in can find more information about the quilt as well as sign up for the BOM project either in the shop or online here. In addition to the pattern, fabric, and instructions for each block, you will also receive historical references about the corresponding battle and how it affected the lives of those on the battlefield as well as those left at home. The quilt will be finished in time for the 150th aniversary in 2011.
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A while back through Facebook, Twitter, and here in the shop, we made a shout-out for all of our Jo Morton Little Women Club members to show off their finished quilts. We got a great response! There was a total of 8 different quilters who finished 15 quilts and brought them in for us to display as one giant Little Women Club quilt installation here at Suzanne's! We have to give credit to these eight lovely ladies, so in no particular order, we are displaying the quilts of Shirley Thomas, Pat Hall, Donna Hembree, Joyce Whaley Luke, Dee Motto, Karen Cross, Rae Giddens, and Jane Rogers.
Eight different Jo Morton designs are featured in an array of Jo Morton fabrics. Each lady selected whichever Jo Morton fabrics she wanted to use for each quilt, and we now have a countless number of options to show how remarkably beautiful these Civil War reproduction fabrics can truly be. While some may be subtle, neutral, and quaint in their combination of fabric color/pattern, others are more robust with bright reds, greens, pinks, black, and blues. The combination of these two translations of Jo Morton's fabrics is incredibly striking here on our white walls, and we couldn't be happier to display these beautiful quilts made by our loyal patrons. Thanks, ladies! We love looking at your quilts every day!!! (And you should hear all the compliments you're getting on a daily basis!)
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You may want to go ahead and start planning out your quilting projects for next year. While it's still 2009, it is December! We are now making our own preparations for 2010. We always look forward to the beginning of a new Block of the Month project.
Thimbleberries fabrics have always been popular for us. The brand new line, Village Green, just arrived in the shop last week and we've already started cutting kits! The Village Green fabric line, designed by
Lynette Jensen for RJR Fabrics, is separated into three separate groups: colors for the themes Dawn, Dusk, and Midnight. Choose the colorway you like best, and we'll send you the 12 blocks in bimonthly shipments throughout the year. As a member of this club, you will receive exclusive quilt options for your blocks to create a throw, queen, or custom size quilt. The pattern for each block also includes a bonus pattern to make anything from a tabe runner, tote bag, wall hanging, and more.
Dawn:
Dusk:
Midnight:
All of the sign-up information and details are listed on our
web site. Log on, call, or come in to sign up and join in!
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