Hey, everyone – happy hump day!

After months of nothing but cold temps, ice, sleet, and snow, it was certainly a change of pace waking up to heavy rain and thunderstorms yesterday — how exciting! Winter isn’t quite done yet though. If the reports are accurate we’ll be seeing a literal ice storm come through over the next couple days. Par for the course, I suppose. Spring in Wisconsin is always a mess so we’re pretty used to it. I figure… if I’m stuck inside, so be it! I’m always working on a bunch of projects anyway, whether it be finalizing designs I’ve been working on over the winter, or dreaming up new stuff to keep us all busy for the rest of the year — there’s plenty to do!

Speaking of new projects, one of the things the girls and I have spent a considerable amount of time on is continuing to develop our Primitive Gatherings swag collection. As you probably know, we already have a nice variety of PG apparel available to order on our website (click HERE to shop PG Apparel!), but I also wanted to step outside the box and come up with some new things you’re not used to seeing in the shop.

Finding inspiration for new design motifs actually turned out to be easier than I thought it would be — all we had to do was look around! If you’ve visited our retail store recently, you’ve probably noticed the giant hand painted barn quilts we’ve added to the outside of the building — they’ve become a real landmark for us! And since they’re practically part of our shop’s identity at this point, it only made sense to bring them off the wall and onto our swag — starting with stickers, of course!

Do you have a boring laptop or water bottle that could use a bit of quilty décor? Check out our Primitive Gatherings Barn Quilt Stickers! Each sheet of these high quality stickers includes the Primitive Gatherings logo plus three geometrical designs that are exact replicas of our original three barn quilts, so you can represent your favorite quilt shop everywhere you go!

Want to show off your PG pride and support our nation’s veterans at the same time? We also offer a second set of barn quilt stickers done up in red, white, and blue in support of Missions of Honor, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit dedicated to honoring our local veterans through meaningful trips to memorials built in their honor. Six dollars from every red, white, and blue set sold goes directly to support their cause!

Not a sticker fan? Then how about a little red, white, and blue swag for your bags? Our Red, White, and Blue Barn Quilt Luggage Tags are made of flexible plastic, and measure 2¾” round. They feature a PG barn quilt design on the front and a designated area on the back to write your name and contact information — you’ll never lose your bag at baggage claim again! And the best part? Five dollars from each tag sold will also go to support the Missions of Honor program. Win-win!

Have you ever had a brilliant idea strike at the most inconvenient time, only to have it slip away before you had a chance to write it down? That used to happen to me all the time — until now… all thanks to our Primitive Gatherings Vintage Quilt Journals! Each cover features a photo from my personal vintage quilt collection, making them as much a PG collector’s item as they are a functional tool.

PG Vintage Quilt Journals are the perfect size at 8.5″ x 6″ and come in four designs — 6 Pointed Star with graph paper pages, Pineapple with lined pages, Baskets with dotted pages, and Pieced Star with blank pages. They’re slim enough to toss in your bag or purse and have on hand whenever inspiration strikes. And guess what else — they’re available individually or as a boxed set that includes all four journals plus two 5.5″ x 3.5″ mini journals!

With quilt journals that pretty, is it any wonder we decided to take the vintage quilt idea a step further with our very own collection of vintage quilt-themed notecards? Featuring even more stunning photos from my personal vintage quilt collection, these unique notecards are like tiny works of art you can actually send to someone you love.

Don’t you just love them? There are three sets to choose from — Set One is a Mixed Variety featuring eight cards with one of each design, Set Two is Circa ’30s & ’40s also featuring eight cards with one of each design, and Set Three is Vintage Sewing Machines featuring two copies of four stunning watercolor designs. Each card measures 5.5″ x 4.25″, is blank inside for your own personal message, and comes with white envelopes — a creative and thoughtful way to stay in touch with all of your stitching friends!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever pulled a nail file out of your purse and had someone ask where you got it — probably not something that happens very often, but our Primitive Gatherings nail files might just change that! These high quality foam core nail files feature your choice of four stunning quilt-inspired designs with the Primitive Gatherings tagline, “Every Stitch Tells a Story” on the back.

Measuring 7″ long, just under an inch wide, and 3mm thick, these sturdy beauty tools are the perfect size to toss in your purse or sewing bag so you always have one in case of a pesky broken nail — not to mention, they make pretty fantastic retreat favors too! Design motifs include my famous Fresh Cut Garden quilt, Antique Stars from my personal vintage quilt collection, PG Barn Stars, or my Blue Hawaii quilt.

Keeping your projects organized has never looked so good! Our clear vinyl zipper bags come printed with the Primitive Gatherings logo, making them equal parts practical and proudly on brand.

Whether you’re heading to a retreat, organizing your sewing room, or just trying to keep a project together, there’s a size for every situation — just ask Heidi… she uses our zipper bags for everything! You can get them in 8″ x 10″, 10″ x 13″, 13″ x 14″, 17″ x 18″, and 15″ x 16″. Made with high quality clear vinyl and a zipper you can actually trust, everything stays visible and protected.

Alright, be honest — when was the last time you actually cleaned your sewing machine aside from blowing it off? Our Primitive Gatherings Sewing Machine Dusting Brush makes it so easy to do daily cleans that you’ll have no excuse not to (plus, it’s kind of fun)!

With its ultra-soft synthetic bristles and a tapered dome-shaped head, this brush has no problem getting into all those tight little spots — feed dogs, bobbin cases, tension discs — sweeping away lint, thread fragments, and dust without scratching or damaging a thing. I have one at every machine… and in my car, and several at home… I love them!

Last but not least (for this post, anyway) — another winner: lip balm. Not the waxy garbage that lives at the bottom of your purse forever, either — actual good lip balm. Our logo-engraved Bee Bella tubes are made in the USA from sustainable bamboo and loaded with beeswax, coconut oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and cocoa butter.

They’re bigger than your standard lip balm (.18oz vs. the usual .15oz), last up to eight hours, and part of every sale funds honey bee research, which I think is super cool. To make it even better, you’ve got five different scents to pick from — Door County Cherry, Peppermint, Vanilla Bean, Pomegranate Mango, and Cranberry Orange — or just grab a 3-Pack and be done with it. Personally, I have one of each scattered around because I still can’t decide which one’s my favorite… what a problem to have!!!

Swag is fun, isn’t it? I love seeing the Primitive Gatherings logo everywhere I look around here… on sewing machines, on water bottles, on computers, on project bags, on all sorts of things — and just think… we’ve barely scratched the surface on what this collection could become! Want to help it grow? I’d love to know what YOU’D like to see the Primitive Gatherings logo on next! Let me know in the comments and I’ll send a prize to the idea I like the best!

Well folks, it’s been a long day and it’s time for me to head home for the evening. Just a reminder, I’ll be back in the studio LIVE with Jess, Heidi, and Kali tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. CST on my YouTube channel, STITCH with Lisa Bongean. We have a bunch of things to talk about so I hope you’ll join us by clicking the STITCH button below. Have a wonderful night and I’ll see you there! ~Lisa