Hey, everyone! I’m coming to you once again from hot and sunny Texas where the annual Moda Designer’s Retreat is starting to wind down for another year. Darci and I have been having a blast soaking up the endless inspiration and creativity at this event, and we have really enjoyed catching up with my Moda family throughout the week. Of course, we’ve also made plenty of time to get out and explore as many local shops and restaurants that we can find — it’s been a great trip!

You know what they say — all good things must come to an end, and my retreat week in Texas is no different! Shenanigans aside, it’s always nice to get home after time away and definitely nice to sleep in your own bed after a long trip — I can’t say I’m not looking forward to that! And though you would think that since I was way down south in Texas I’d be coming home to a break in the heat, think again! Wisconsin is currently sporting a cozy heat index in the mid 90s and full sun, which isn’t exactly unusual for this time of year, but also not something you can bet on. Wisconsin weather can always go either way… If you know, you know!

Speaking of sweltering temps and hot summer weather, let’s switch gears to something a little cooler — the holidays! You may have noticed that despite the hot weather outside, we’ve already started advertising for our biggest event of the year — Primitive Christmas! This yearly Primitive Gatherings tradition will start Thursday, November 20th and run through Sunday, November 23rd, 2025 both in-store and online. PLEASE NOTE: Our retail store will be CLOSED on Sunday, November 23rd, but we are open online 24/7!

For those of you who’ve never participated in our Primitive Christmas holiday kickoff, let me tell you what to expect:

EVENT FREEBIES – BOTH IN-STORE and ONLINE!:

As if you needed another reason to shop at Primitive Gatherings… Customers who make a minimum purchase of $40.00 or more during the event will receive FOUR FREE PATTERNS and ONE FREE KIT! Customers who spend $200.00 or more during the event will also receive an additional FREE PATTERN (tax and shipping do not count toward order total)!

THE PRIMITIVE GATHERINGS SCRAPPY QUILT SHOW at THE GATHERING:

Come see this spectacular display of scrappy quilts from all over the U.S.A. and prepare to be amazed! Not only will you be immersed in eye candy, your $5.00 admission at the door will go toward the United States Honor Flight Program — a nonprofit dedicated to transporting veterans (especially those who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War) to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials honoring their service, all at no cost to the veterans themselves.

MAKE-and-TAKE PROJECTS:

MAKE-and-TAKE projects will be available at The Gathering from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (we are CLOSED Sunday). Select MAKE-and-TAKE projects will also be available on our website for online participants. Projects are TBD at this time but we’ll have more information on what they’ll be soon!

LUNCH IS AVAILABLE:

Lunch tickets are available for purchase Thursday, November 20th, through Saturday, November 22nd, 2025. Tickets are $12.00 per person if purchased ahead of time, and $15.00 per person at the door. The menu includes a potato bar on Thursday, hot beef on Friday, and tacos on Saturday. Yes, please!

In case you missed it, Primitive Christmas is an event for BOTH our online community and our local shoppers, so don’t worry if you can’t make it to the shop in person. Just remember that if you do plan to come to our retail store, be sure to do it between Thursday, November 20th, and Saturday, November 22nd, 2025 because it will be CLOSED on Sunday, November 23rd to give my staff a well-deserved break! The hours for the shop during the Primitive Christmas event will be: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CST Thursday & Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, and CLOSED Sunday.

It’s obviously a bit early to be thinking about the holidays, but they’ll be here before we know it and so will Primitive Christmas! In the meantime, there’s plenty of sunshine, warm evenings, and lazy days to soak up before the summer is over. I know for a fact that I’ll be enjoying every last bit of it until I can’t anymore. After that — bring on the cozy season! I’ll be ready for it. See you next week! ~Lisa