Lisa Bongean's Weblog

Wow, the summer is going fast…I wish it wasn’t but we are already on week 8 of our summer adventure.  I hope you are all stitching away…you probably need more steam-a-seam 2 light, by now!  Remember to use the light steam-a-seam now.  I am loving it.  It does not separate like the regular SAS2 does.  Here is the next basket block…Are you just loving these free blocks!   Ok…I was just checking to see if anyone really looks at these blocks…here is the real #8.  I am home from Long Beach…it was a great show…talk about it soon…LB

I am on a plane headed to Long Beach CA, when this will be published, but I wanted you to see the great new wool projects we have along with us that we will be displaying in Long Beach.  Jules has made some simple but darling mats, she is a school teacher and is spending her summer sewing projects for the shop and gets tons done for us.  THANKS JULIE!  We publish her patterns for her under our Primitive Gatherings line….here they are:

PS. Judi will have them on the website soon…

Blue Hydrangea Tablemat 14x16 Kit/pattern $25 Pattern only $7

Multi-flowered tablemat 14" Kit/pattern $25 Pattern only $7

WOW! Time really flies fast.  It has been over a week since I last blogged.  The weekly feebie blogs don’t count as I sometimes do a few at a time and schedule their release for Mondays…isn’t that cool…but now I actually feel like I can take some time and let you all know what is going on.  First-we are packed and Nick is on his way to California for Long Beach.  Second- Saturday our garden was a host garden for the Fox Valley Emergency Shelter’s Garden Walk .  It was a beautiful day, and Third–”The Gathering” has had a lot going on.  I will blog about all this later…                                                                                                                                                                              So I have a few today, and tomorrow to get my sewing stuff together for the trip to Long Beach and hopefully time to get some much needed personal pampering done, like hair and toes and nails…before the plane takes off with Carole and I on Wednesday at 6am.

I was still buying flowers on Friday before the walk and stopped in a new little shop on Racine St. Downtown right before the bridge.  It is called Inspiring Interiors.  I found some hand made dishcloths for the Gathering and a few other things.  They have new, old and hand made items for sale. I think you also could sell your projects there if you are looking to do so.   Check it out if you are in town visiting Primitive Gatherings.  A mother daughter team owns it!  Ok….there is that hotel card I was supposed to give Nick before he left!!!Tomorrow I will blog the garden walk… and oh, one more thing…here is a peak at the rest of  freebies ( i hope this doesn’t ruin the surprise-maybe it will help motivate you all to keep up with sewing them and to come in and collect them all!…notice all my nine patch blocks are  done…those are the last 4 weeks..so all I have to sew are the freebies and I can start putting them all together…one of my favorite parts…my table is always a mess of stuff…but it is a “pretty” mess to look at anyway…

Look what is next for this week!  I think they are actually getting better each week.  I know we all have our favorite flowers so that might decide which we like best but I am loving all these basket blocks.  Threads used are: #12 Valdani 1645, o519.  3 Strand Floss- (remember to use one strand only) O519, P4 and O154.  You can see close detail of how they are sewn in these pictures…

Here are some little sunflowers….Threads used #12 Valdani:1, O548 &1645–3SF-O154.  Notice the long blanket stitches using the O154 on the sunflowers.  Stitch right to the center  brown ovals.

Here is another great basket block….threads used are Valdani #12-P12 & O575 AND 3SF-O575 & O775.  I hope you love these blocks as much as I love designing them!

Nick & I spent the weekend on the boat.  We got some sun, grilled out a lot and I actually got a lot of sewing done.  There is one downside to sewing on a boat and that is I lost one of my 3″ blocks, of course it was one that was all sewn.  The 20-30 mph winds might have had something to do with it, but I thought I was being careful.  I re-sewed it this morning and now it will probably show up!  I am sure I am not the only one out there with this kind of problems.

Stacy's booth at Minnesota Quilt Show...busy, busy!

I just want to give a shout out about Stacy from Buttermilk Basin.  She has become a good friend of mine and Nick’s (she texts Nick when she’s bored and needs to have me call her, because I don’t like my cell very much)and she was next to us during Quilt Market and this last Minnesota show.  She is starting to do some retail shows and sell some kits to her great designs so look for here website to be updated soon with here new offerings.  She is a blast and just crazy…she called me before market and said that she is getting her hair done before she goes, and that Market is the only time she wears makeup…she was talking about how if customers only knew how we really were they wouldn’t be so “in awe” when they meet us.  I totally agree…but anyway we are going to plan some dates when she can come and do some workshops and you can hang out with her as well!  If you can get here that is…