It's time for "Retreat"!!

The leaves are falling, there's a chill in the air and

the shop is full of shoppers heading to "Quilt Camp".

I'm happy to say.....we are too! I have packed

more projects than I could finish if I planned to

be gone for weeks...but as all retreaters know you

don't want to come up short. The weather report looks fabulous so walking along the country road and down by the lake will definitely be on my list. Don and Deb host us with a casualness that encourages relaxation and Melissa takes care of all the decisions.

October was filled here at the shop with events, not the least of which was the "Holiday Extravaganza". The photo shows the winner of the "Seams Like Home Quilt Shop" prize basket. She hales from Cloquet and was thrilled to be notified. The basket was filled with fabric from the new "Bliss" line from Moda and I would have been thrilled to walk away with it too.

Looking ahead, we have the new "Groovy Girls" club starting on the 25th. If you are interested there is still time to call the shop and get signed up.

The class "Getting to know your sewing machine" is scheduled for Thursday Oct. 28. November brings the "Fat Quarter Scramble" on the 17th. and classes are:

Re-cycled t-shirt scarf on the 4th.

English Paper piecing on the 8th.

Painted Moon on the 18th.

Measuring party on the 22nd.

Recycled sweater mittens on the 29th.

Seams Like Home will be closed in honor of Thanksgiving day on the 25th and will have reduced hours Friday the 26th(open 10-2) and Saturday the 27th (open 10-2).

The photos at the top of the blog are from a trip that my husband and I along with my parents took to the "Buffalo Round-up" in Custer State Park. We traveled west with our RVs and spent 5 beautiful days in the prairies of the Black Hills. The buffalo round-up was proceeded by an Art Festival of local and Native American art. Fantastic! The round-up itself was on Monday. Cowboys and Cowgirls from all over "Apply" to ride for this event. 14,000 people line the ridges of the canyons to watch the event unfold. The buffalo came over the rise at a dead run, herded by some of the best riders in the west. One cowboy was carrying the American flag. It was a moment straight out of the "old west" and we enjoyed every minute of it. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the park staff, sort, vaccinate and check the herd. The cabin in the photo would be my dream home for next years summer season. It is the Badger Clark cabin located in the park limits. It is secluded and beautiful. Imagine the sewing I could get done!

And then there's this: The final photo shows Nolan and Uncle Greg, sitting side by side on their "Quad Racers". They have a bond that includes 4-wheelers, John Deere, tools and all things "boy". Greg lives in a house of women so time spent with Nolan and doing things with Nolan is precious. On Saturday Nolan spent the afternoon riding the battery powered 4-wheeler Greg found for him. He wore his helmet and rode around the yard for hours. The rest of us burned calories running alongside.

This is what I know: For that afternoon, Nolan was thinking, this just might be the best day of my life.

Till next time!

Holiday Extravaganza

Join us for three days of holiday inspiration!
Visit one shop or all, the choice is yours. The more shops you visit, the more prizes you have the chance to win…

Thurs., Oct. 7^th: 9am-5pm
Fri., Oct. 8^th: 9am-7pm
Sat., Oct. 9^th: 9am-5pm

Shop for holiday gift giving ideas and decorating ideas, along with the chance to win prizes, collect free patterns, and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow quilters!

Participating shops:
* Country Caboose Quilts, Wahkon
* Fabric, Fashions & More, Rush City
* Seams Like Home Quilt Shop, Sturgeon Lake
* Timeless Treasures of McGregor

At each shop receive a different,
* Free Customer Appreciation Kit and
* A Free Pattern for a Holiday Project
* Opportunity to win a gift basket valued at $200. Register at each shop, total of 4 given away!

Welcome Fall Quilting!

WOW! I let the whole entire summer get by me with the intent to blog and no time to do it. So.....here goes.

I am hoping that you have received your newsletter. It is packed with all the new events, classes, clubs, shop hours and upcoming challenges and events.

Class registration days will be Saturday, Sept. 18Th for the October classes and Saturday Oct. 16Th for the November and December classes. Early sign-up rewards you with a 10% discount on class registration fee and a free fat-quarter.

2010-2011 Block of the Month kicks off in November. We will be doing "Quilt Blocks on American Barns" by Eleanor Burns. I have been looking forward to this since first seeing the book. As you can see in the photos, my personal quilting space is a barn. This project(my barn) my husband and my Dad worked most of the summer getting ready for me. I am so grateful.

"Groovy Girls" sewing club begins Monday, October 25Th. Join us for laughter, learning, sewing and exclusive patterns and ideas, new techniques etc. all from Atkinson Designs. Fee is $6.00 per session plus materials and supplies.

If school has started, and it has, it is time for the "Beginners Sewing Series." Join instructor Chris George as she guides you through the steps towards accurate and precise piecing techniques.

September classes include "A bag for Andrea", Sept. 23rd and "Patchwork Ironing Board covers", Sept. 30Th.

The "Quilters Yard Sale" has come and gone and it was a huge success. The tent photo shows our vendors setting up. The wind was our worst enemy, but the "tent crew" got it set up and the wind helped Marty, Melissa and I take it down. Mark your day planner for next August, this event has become much anticipated and our vendor numbers keep growing. This year the tent filled up, so early sign-up is key.

The photo of my grand-daughters shows their first project in Nannie's new sewing studio AKA "The Quilt Shack". They both made pillowcases with fabric they picked, on their very own Janome sewing machine. Fun day!

The final photo shows Poppa and Nolan taking Labor day very seriously. When the John Deere breaks down, the tools come out.

Well gotta sign off and sew.

Questions?? Call us here at the shop.

Till next time.

Quilters' Yard Sale

Join us for the 5th Annual Quilters' Yard Sale

this Saturday, August 28th from 9am-1pm

at Seams Like Home Quilt Shop in Sturgeon Lake!

Under the big tent outside you will find all kinds of great deals on fabrics,

notions, patterns, books, UFOs, etc.

Inside the shop we will be having specials too.

Come join the fun!

Lots to tell you!

OK so I have posted what amounts to a photo album but there is so much that I want to tell you about. The summer is so busy for all of us and as the saying goes..."the livin" is easy".

Here at Seams Like Home Quilt Shop we have been sewing,arranging and preparing for the shops biggest summer event, "The Quilt Minnesota 2010 Shop-Hop". This event kicks off this Friday the 30th and for the next two weeks and weekends ending August 15th you will know exactly where to find both of us. The shop is open for this event 7 days a week. We have a store display that features a dog sled, cross-country skis, skates, snowshoes and all things winter. In the other corner of the shop is a Christmas tree, stockings and all things Christmas. With the air-conditioning running sometimes I need to look out the window and remind myself it's high summer.

The next event of late summer is the "Quilter's Yard-sale" on August 28. This will be our biggest sale yet and we hope you will make plans to attend. If you are interested there is still space available but I believe we are out of tables, so you would need to provide your own. There will be deep discounts in the shop and clearance fabric outside with the yard-sale's. The event kicks off at 9am sharp and will continue until 1pm.
I want to tell you about some of the posted photos. The children sitting together are some of my grand-children and my niece. We enjoyed a family camping weekend together at our place in the Grand Rapids area. We kayaked, swam, rode 4-wheelers, stayed up too late and ate too much. We tried to pack as much as we could into 3 days and the photo of Boomer my youngest daughters dog probably speaks for all of us when I say we were tired by the weekends end. No one does vacations better than a dog. They spend most of the time napping, they might just be on to something.
The scenery photos are shot from the patio of a hotel I stayed in when I traveled to Park City Utah with my sister. My sister travels extensively for business and occasionally she brings along a guest. I was the lucky traveler on this trip and what a treat it was. We stayed in a 5 star resort, Park City's newest, we were wined, we were dined, we were pampered and gifted. We enjoyed an under the stars acoustic performance by John Oates of the band Hall and Oates. We rode chair lifts to 9500 feet. We drank wine from a wine list that had prices like mortgage payments and I tried very hard to use the right forks and my best manners. I talked to wonderful people, heard alot of good stories, left some cash at the shops downtown and loved every minute of a chance to spend time with one of the top women in my life. I was so proud to watch her in the role that has earned her many achievements and awards. She is a business women of the highest caliber. Of course would it be a vacation without flight snafus and a side trip to urgent care? I don't think so. That is a story for another time.

The photo of the runners are my youngest daughter Heidi and two( and one little friend) of her friends. They have just finished running the five mile race that is an event for our local Willow River Days. This race is community sponsored and extremely well run, there is a corresponding walking event and every year they pull good numbers of local runners and visitors in town for one of the states friendliest and fun small town fairs.

Finally, lets talk quilting. The fall fabrics are here and they are fabulous. Fall is my favorite season to sew for. There is just something about those rich oranges, deep golds and browns, hints of metallic with some black thrown in that just makes me want to plan a new project. The shop sample is a "five-yard quilt" called "Race Track" by Mary Danielson of Easy Quilter.Com pattern comes in wall and twin size. If you haven't done a five yard quilt, you must. I went alittle crazy last winter and cracked off several. They were addicting once I got started. The two small quilts hanging one over the other are from the "Villa Rosa Designs" pattern company. We brought these patterns back from Quilt Market this spring and we just keep re-ordering. Most are either fat sixth friendly or fat-quarter friendly and we all know how much fun it is to choose those. The final photo shows our "Wine Country" fabric by South Sea Imports. Beautiful shades of plum, forest green and tan/browns.

And then there's this: My grandson Nolan has entered the season of "why". He uses it as a verb, a noun, an adjective, virtually every grammatical way you can. Every comment is answered with why, every question is answered why, it has taken the place of yes and no in his vocabulary and he accompanies it with a facial expression where his head is tipped sideways, his eyes are slightly closed and he is looking at you for answers. There is no end to conversations that have why in them and he can continue to ask with a patience that amazes me.

This is what I know: When you are two the world is big... many things surprise you, many things shock you. Nolan is just now trying to find answers to things he may have never questioned before. When you turn 50, the same is true. The world is big....many things surprise me, many things shock me and I spend much of my time trying to find answers to things I never questioned before. I'm gonna hang tight with Nolan and follow his line of reasoning. I'll turn my head sideways, slightly close my eyes and ask "why" as often as I can.

Till next time!