Tag: #ModaFabric

The 2023 Moda Charm Pack Challenge Starts Tomorrow!

Hey again! As promised I’m back to tell you about the latest quilt challenge that’s been causing some buzz around the studio lately – The 2023 Moda Charm Pack Challenge! This challenge was designed by Moda to celebrate one of their most popular pre-cuts – the Charm Pack! All you have to do to join the Moda Charm Pack Challenge is start working on a Moda Charm Pack quilt and then share your progress on social media between January 14th and 16th, 2023 using the hashtags #CharmPackChallenge and #CharmPackChallenge2023 . Simple as that! Here’s what the project looks like…Finished, this quilt will be 32″ x 32″ and take one charm pack to complete (or 42 5″ squares). According to the folks at Moda, the “challenge” part of this is just to get you to push yourself to sew through the weekend while using your favorite charm packs to make this fun and easy quilt along side Moda, and all your online quilting buddies. They will not be voting on the “best” quilt, or picking a number one favorite – this is just for fun. It’s more about being creative and and virtually hanging out with other like-minded creative people for the weekend. Oh, and did I mention the pattern is FREE? Yeppo! The FREE pattern we will be using is the Moda Love Pattern in the CHARM pack size. All you have to do to download it is click the button below!Since I’m not at home right now I’ll have to miss this challenge, but I know Jess was in the middle of figuring her fabric out when I called the studio to check in. She decided to go with Nantucket Summer, the first solo collection by Camille Roskelley of Moda’s first mother-daughter design team Bonnie & Camille. As you can see, Nantucket Summer is a gorgeous collection of earthy greens, blues and whites. I think it’s a great choice for this challenge – what do you think?

I mentioned earlier that today’s Sewcialites 2 designer and fellow Moda sister Lissa Alexander of ModaLissa.com will be participating in this challenge as well, but she decided to go in a little bit of a different direction with her’s. Lissa and a few other designers at Moda made the executive decision to make four of the Moda Love squares resulting in a larger size quilt than the original 32″ x 32″. Great idea! I also really happen to love her fabric choice…
If you don’t recognize it, Lissa is using my Red & White Gatherings line for her blocks and WOW – what a stunner! You know I’m a sucker for a good Red and White quilt, so much so that we just got done having our first ever Red and White Quilt Challenge here at Primitive Gatherings. I really love the way this collection has a variety of light and dark reds and creams along with a nice mix of large and small prints. It really creates some nice contrast and POP, don’t you think? We plan to do another Red and White Challenge in the future so why not kill two birds with one stone? Enjoy a FREE pattern and quilt challenge from Moda, and then end up with a nice little piece you could easily enter into the challenge. Sounds like a plan! Click the button below to order your Red & White Gatherings Charm Packs now!
FINALLY, let’s talk prizes. To say thanks for participating, Moda plans to randomly choose a charm pack prize winner from the #CharmPackChallenge and #CharmPackChallenge2023 tags/entries. You do not have to finish your project or make it to any kind of finish line to be eligible for the prize, you just have to participate and tag your progress. In other words you can take as long as you want to finish the quilt – they just want to see your progress over the next couple of days. The lucky charm winner will be chosen and announced by Moda on Tuesday morning.​​​​​​​​
Our second order of business in the prize department is prizes for commenting here on my blog last week! I want to say thank you and congratulations to Lori Q. and Gloria W. – you are my lucky prize winners this time around! Please remember that I do not post last names or email addresses for your privacy, so if you think you’re one of the lucky winners please be sure to check your email. You can also contact Heidi at heidin@primitivegatherings.us if you have not already received a prize confirmation letter from her. She will use your email address to confirm that you are in fact the winner (if you think you are a winner but have not received a prize confirmation email, please be sure to check your spam folder – it’s not often but our emails occasionally will end up there)!
Well everyone, I sure hope you enjoy your weekend – especially now that you have a charm challenge to get done. Like I mentioned, don’t worry about finishing the whole quilt this weekend – you have as much time as you need to get it done. Just make sure to tag your progress in the next two days to be eligible for the prize. I will be back in WI by Tuesday next week and will see you all Thursday on STITCH with Lisa Bongean at 1:00 CST. Click the STITCH button below to watch… I’ll fill you in on my trip! Until then, take care! ~Lisa
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Sewcialites 2 – Block 11 “Nurture”

Hey everyone, and welcome to the weekend! Friday is upon us yet again and you know what that means – it’s time for another Sewcialites 2 block release! This week’s block designer is one of my fellow Moda sisters and friends, Lissa Alexander of ModaLissa.com. Lissa is best known for being a talented quilt maker, savvy businesswoman, and Jill of many trades. One of her main roles is that of Marketing Manager for Moda Fabrics where she has not only worked behind the scenes with other talented Moda designers on their book projects, but has also written and co-written several excellent quilting and creative books herself. Her latest, Oh, Scrap! is available now in stores and online for purchase – I highly recommend it. Oh, Scrap! features a dozen unique scrap quilts bursting with colors, prints, and textures – all sure to dazzle your eye. I love a good scrap buster which is why I love this book! If you’d like to order a copy of Oh, Scrap! for your sewing room library I’d be happy to help – just hit the button below!

With over 40 years of quilting experience under her belt, Lissa describes herself as a lover of both scrappy and two-color quilts. She is a firm believer in the idea of including as many fabrics and designers into a project as she can. Her attitude is, “the more, the better” because that way she has a “good” reason to use more fabric, and then in-turn BUY more fabric to replenish her stash. LOL! Sounds reasonable to me… 

Lissa’s block, “Nurture“ is fairly simple but may pose some challenges for newer quilters. The layout is basic, consisting of four 2-patch blocks and five square in a square blocks, all the same size. While the 2-patch blocks are beginner level, the square in a square blocks are mostly likely the reason “Nurture“ was given the “Intermediate” rating on the skills level scale.

As you know, there are a lot of things that can go wrong when making square in a square units, which often times means wonky looking blocks with inadequate seam allowance at your points as a result. During her tutorial on this block, Kim Jolly of Fat Quarter Shop recommends using square in a square papers to help keep things neat and tidy during this process. Feeling apprehensive? Don’t. For step-by-step help and guidance through it all you can watch Kim’s full tutorial on Block #11 by clicking HERE! For the full pattern and instructions for “Nurture“ click the link below.

If you’ve been following along with my progress so far, you know that I’ve decided to use my Garden Gatherings fabric line for this quilt-along, leaving out the five tans. For the background I’m using a selection from the Garden Gathering Shirtings Collection, #49176 15 – a cream fabric with an adorable tiny mustard/orange floral print. Want to do yours just like mine? Click the button below to shop Garden Gatherings fabric while it’s still in stock!

In case you are still trying to decide whether or not to participate in Sewcialites 2, don’t worry about being behind. One of the best parts of this quilt-along is that you can do it on your time, however your schedule allows – you can join us at any time! Previously released blocks are posted on the Sewcialites 2 Landing Page along with my blog in the Sewcialites 2 Block Archive, which is listed in the main menu of links at the top of the page.

Newly released blocks can always be found on Kim’s blog The Jolly Jabber, along with a video tutorial on her YouTube Livestream the same day. Each designer will also post their own block to either their blog or their website on that day as well. I will also be posting each block release here on MY blog every Friday for your convenience. Fabric requirements and all block patterns will be posted on the Sewcialites 2 Landing Page, which you can access by clicking the link below. If you’d like to get automatic updates on Sewcialites 2 you can subscribe to the blog by signing up in the Email subscription box by visiting the Landing Page, or by subscribing to the YouTube channel by clicking HERE.Are you having fun yet? I am! You know how I love my sew and quilt-alongs. In fact, I’m a little jealous of Jess right now… If you got a change to watch our LIVE show this week, she mentioned the 2023 Moda Charm Pack Challenge that she was getting ready to start. If you’re not familiar with it, Moda is hosting a virtual #CharmPackChallenge sew along over this weekend – January 14th and 15th – where participants will make the Moda Love Star block using charm packs. Fun right!? I would usually be joining Jess in this fun little game but since I’m still traveling out west, it’s going to have to be all her this year. Then again, coincidentally enough, the famous Lissa Alexander just so happens to also be doing this challenge and come to find out, she’s a full quilt version in my Red & White Gatherings line! I’m sure it looks stunning. She promised me a photo so I will post it later with the rest of the challenge details. If this fun challenge sounds like something you’d like to participate in hang tight. I am going to put together a post later on today explaining all the details, so keep an eye out for that.

Well everyone, I’m being paged by the girls to step away from the work and get back to all the play… I’m sure you’re surprised to hear that Val, Darcie, and I are having a blast doing all the things we do when we’re on the loose on a quilting rampage and away from our husbands. Yesterday after a pampering at the spa we kept the fun going when we visited a new “Sew Yeah” quilt shop location in Las Vegas. It was huge, and awesome and…. it only took me a matter of minutes to find  something that felt awfully familiar out on display, so that was pretty cool (that’s Starlight Gatherings!).

We’re hoping to get some hiking and other adventures in before heading to UT to visit another friend so it should be great. Time to get back to it! I will see you all back here later this evening when I post the details on the Moda Charm Pack Challenge and announce this week’s comment prize winners. Don’t miss it – it could be you! See you then. ~Lisa

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Out With the Old…

Hey there! How was your weekend? I’m happy to report that things are finally starting to feel more “normal” for me after the holidays, even though I’m definitely not all the way there yet. I don’t know about you, but last week everything felt totally off. I kept thinking it was Friday… up until it actually was. It didn’t help that Heidi and I took off early Friday afternoon so I could finally make the trip up to the shop in Wausau to get my ski equipment squared away. Nick was sweet enough to think of making the arrangements to buy me a whole new set of skis for Christmas, but I had to go make the final selections of boots, a new helmet, mitts, and goggles for myself. Let’s just say it wasn’t the cheapest afternoon, but it sure was fun! Plus, I should be all set on new equipment for the next several years now, so it was worth it.

Skipping out of work early is always fun in the moment, but also almost always proves stressful at the same time. In order to make it happen I either have to work a couple of days ahead, or scramble later to make up for it. I’m not sure which is better. Either way, I am glad to have that part of the process out of the way. Now I just have to wait for it all to be mounted and fitted to my new boots. We should be skiing by next week – I’ll keep you posted! After the ski shop we went to dinner at a cozy little 50’s style diner called, “The Mint“ that has been on North 3rd street in Wausau for as long as I can remember. It’s super cute and hasn’t changed a bit in many years. It’s definitely the place I’d send anyone looking for a good breakfast, lunch, or dinner – and homemade pie for dessert, of course. They have a full menu with a variety of choices. We kept it light and each had the Pesto Portabella sandwich. Devine! I highly recommend. We will definitely have to go there again soon.

Is it just me, or does it actually feel like we didn’t even have a weekend? That seems to happen to me a lot these days. People will ask me how my weekend was and I usually have to stop and think back like… wait – what DID I do??? – because it’s already a thing of the past. As you know, the answer is often times work, or stitch – or work and stitch – and this weekend proved to be no different. I spend a considerable amount of time locked away in my sewing room working on some things I’ve told you about, and some things that are yet to come. In fact, I had some fun goals set for myself like – I wasn’t allowed to take down Christmas decorations, do laundry, or pack for my Utah trip until I finished at least 24 blocks… You know, to make absolutely sure that I made some actual progress. Speaking of progress, this is what mine looked like half-way through that 24 block goal on Sunday… Not too shabby!

Not only did I have a lot of stitching to get done over the weekend, I also had – and still have – a lot of brainstorming to do. I have so many great ideas for upcoming projects, retreats, quilt-alongs – you name it! My brain never seems to want to shut off… which really isn’t the issue. It’s keeping everything organized and in order so that I don’t lose any of the details along the way that tends to be the challenge. But that’s ok! I love a good challenge, and you should too! After all, along with practice, challenging ourselves is what makes us better quilters in the long run.

If you can believe it, part of my prepping and brainstorming this weekend had a lot to do with next Christmas already. I know that seems crazy but it’s really not considering I’m anticipating not one, but two new fabric lines to come out this summer, both heavily geared toward the winter and Christmas seasons. The first line release that I anticipate seeing will be, “Joyful Gatherings,” scheduled to come out in June, 2023 – and man, I cannot wait! Not only is this line 1,000% yummy, I also have a quilt-along planned to go with it, so that’s always a bit of extra added excitement. After that I hope to see my latest flannel collection, “Lakeside Gatherings“ hit the warehouse shelves sometime in August. This line is soft flannels in an assemblage of blues and creams that are sure to be just the fabric you need for winter projects. If you don’t have any in mind quite yet, hang tight. I have several in the works and plan to release a book in the future as well, all designed with “Lakeside Gatherings“ in mind.

Have I piqued your interest yet? Whether you’ve already decided to join the upcoming “Joyful Gatherings” Quilt-Along or “Lakeside Gatherings” is more your style, now is the time to stock up on these hot new fabrics! Though neither line is available in stores at this time, they are now both available to PRE-ORDER by clicking the links below!If you watched me LIVE last Thursday you got to see a bit of a sneak peek of the “Lakeside Gatherings“ collection. While I was showing it, I mentioned another idea I have that I really hope to do a lot with this year. It has to do with our environment, planet awareness, and reducing our carbon footprint where we can. For instance, I think there are plenty of disposable products that could easily be made as reusable products. Things like makeup removal pads, paper towels, reusable dryer sheets, etc., could all easily be made from your scrap stash. I have a whole bunch of these types of projects in mind, so if that sounds like something you’d like to try I highly recommend stocking up on this light and airy flannel line while it’s still on sale.Don’t you just love new releases? I do… I love it once they’re actually here even more. But you know as well as I do that patience is a virtue – especially when waiting for fabric to arrive. You know what they say… Absence makes the heart grow fonder! Indeed. Indeed. Aright everyone, time for dinner! Have a great night and I will see you back here on the blog soon. Oh! And just a friendly reminder that due to scheduling conflicts and just a heck-of-a lot going on, we’ve decided to discontinue Shop Talk until further notice. You can still catch me LIVE every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. CST on my YouTube channel, STITCH with Lisa Bongean. Tune in by clicking the link below. See you there! ~Lisa

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Happy Holidays!

Hey! Nice to see you back here. Clearly, you survived at least the first round of holiday festivities this last weekend. Not that I doubted you, but we all know how stressful, crazy, (am I allowed to say annoying at times?), and out of control the holidays can be, especially when you have a whole lot of related people crammed in what is probably not enough space. In my case, however, things were just perfect this Christmas. I didn’t go anywhere or make a big fuss out of much. I simply focused on being home and spending quality time with the people I love the most. We ate, we drank, we baked, and of course, exchanged gifts. I could not have asked for a time better well spent.

I certainly hope that your Christmas holiday was just as joyful as mine. Unfortunately, time off never seems to last long enough. I’ll be back to work tomorrow for at least most of the week, but will certainly revert to party mode by Friday. Bring on the new year! I’m ready, are you? I have a ton of new ideas for 2023 and I’m chomping at the bit to get started. Do you have any big project goals in mind for the new year? How about small project goals? Let me know in the comments what your aspirations for this new quilting year are. I’d love to hear your ideas – I might even find some inspiration, you never know!

Speaking of new projects, have you had a chance to stock up on everything and anything you might need for any creative adventures you plan to start? Don’t forget that today is your last chance to get 25% OFF store/site-wide (new items are not included and have been removed from the website until after the sale is over). It’s a great time to stock up on your favorite Primitive Gatherings fabrics, threads, needles, patterns, kits, notions, and more! Click the button below to shop til your heart’s content!

As I mentioned above, there are several items we were not able to include in the sale because they are so new, so if you can’t find something on the website you know was just there last week, that’s most likely the reason why (for example, sewing machines and subscription boxes are also not included in the sale). Don’t forget – even though the retail shop is not open today due to the holiday, you can still shop! The sale includes both in-store and online merchandise.

I’d also like to take a second to remind everyone that the shop will also be closed on New Year’s day Sunday 1/1/23, Monday 1/2/23, and Tuesday 1/3/23 (we are open during our regular winter business hours on New Year’s Eve – Saturday 12/31/22). Here are our current holiday hours:….annnnd since we’re on the topic of store hours, please also keep in mind that our winter hours are now in effect and will be until April, 2023. They are as follows:For whatever reason, it seems that we can post these hours on all our social media outlets so many times it’s to the point of feeling obnoxious, yet somehow we always manage to miss someone. That being said, please remember to either call ahead or check the facebook pages for modified hours due to holidays, weather, etc. If you are planning a visit, we’d love to have you! But please make sure we are open before you make a long trip to see us. I can tell you the parking lot is extra big, and extra lonely when you’re the only one in it!

Ok everyone – enough working for today. The sun is shining and the birds are even singing. We’re sitting at a balmy 17º right now and it feels like we’re havin’ a heat wave after enduring sub-zero temps for the last several days. Our “real feel” temps were in the negative 40’s for a bit there, so now all of a sudden it feels like shorts weather. One of the perks of a cold snap like that I guess. You won’t hear me complaining about anything under 15º until maybe… next fall. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you all soon. Happy shopping…and stitching! ~Lisa

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Last Chance to SAVE 30% on Urban Farmhouse Gatherings II!

Hey everyone! Staying warm out there? If you’re anywhere near the midwest you are definitely experiencing some frigid temps this afternoon. I woke up to a big fat 0º goose egg on the thermometer this morning and it really hasn’t moved. Perfect stitching weather to say the least! If you haven’t already heard, today is your last chance to get 30% OFF Urban Farmhouse Gatherings II pre-cuts and select pillow kits! Click below to SHOP! Sale ends at midnight (remember that FLASH Sale details are also posted daily by 6:30 a.m. on both the public PG Facebook page and my STITCH Facebook group. If you are not already a member of the STITCH group, you must request to join in order to see the posts. It’s easy! Just answer the admin questions, wait for approval, and you’re in!).

Next on the agenda for today is some scheduling details I’d like to go over. Thank you to everyone who’s been paying attention and taking note that our holiday hours over Christmas and New Years will be different than normal. As you’ve probably seen, we have been posting those hours on a regular basis to our Primitive Gatherings Facebook page, my STITCH with Lisa Facebook page, here on the blog, as well as announcing it during our LIVE shows. Unfortunately, after the excellent job my social media department did distributing that information, of course we now need to make a slight change to it. Murphy’s law!

Originally we planned for the launch of our new website to be January 6th, 2023, but due to unforeseen circumstances we have run into a bit of a…snafu, if you will – with how it’s running. In other words, we just need a bit more time to smooth things out so that when we do finally launch, it will be working like a well-oiled machine. We have our fingers crossed that will be happening sometime this coming February. So what does that mean for you? PLEASE BE AWARE that we will be CLOSED December 24th – December 26th, 2022. We will also be CLOSED January 1st through January 3rd, 2023. We will reopen for regular business hours on January 4th, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. CST. The website will NOT be going down during this time and will remain up and running as usual until further notice. We will announce upcoming “website under construction” times closer to that date, hopefully in February.

If you didn’t already hear, you should also know that our winter hours are now in effect, and will be until April 2nd, 2023. Our regular winter hours are as follows:

Next up, due to some scheduling conflicts, we’ve also had some changes happen to our upcoming events calendar at The Gathering. Quilting for Beginners is CANCELED until further notice. We are hoping to add more classes in later winter or spring so please stay tuned for those details. If you have any questions, please call Gloria or Lori at The Gathering at 920.778.8031 for more information.

Unfortunately we also need to cancel our next Sit & Stitch session, which was scheduled for this Tuesday, December 27th, 2022. Our next available session will be January 10th, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The cost is $25.00 per person with lunch included. As usual, seating is limited so if you’d like to sign up or need more information, call The Gathering at 920.778.8031.Hopefully that will be it for a while, but as always if there are any other changes or announcements you can find those here on my blog and on our Primitive Gatherings Facebook page, my STITCH with Lisa Facebook page, and here on my blog. We also make important announcements during our LIVE show, so be sure to tune in for those, which you can do by clicking the STITCH button below! Speaking of LIVE, my next “STITCH with Lisa Bongean“ broadcast will be at 1:00 p.m. CST on my YouTube channel and I can tell you right now that you reallllly don’t want to miss this one!

As you know we’ve had daily flash sales going on pretty much daily all month as a way to say thanks for being such great customers and loyal fans – and of course to say happy holidays from me and my crew here at Primitive Gatherings! Going forward, there will not be a FLASH sale tomorrow, but I will be giving a special announcement about what the rest of the month will entail tomorrow during “STITCH with Lisa Bongean,” so don’t miss it! All you have to do to tune in is hit the STITCH button below!

Well friends, as I’m looking out my studio window I can definitely tell that winter storm Elliott is starting to approach. We started out so sunny and clear but now the cloud cover is starting thicken and the air seems balmy compared to what it was just a couple of hours ago. According to my weather app it might actually hit 10º by bed time tonight as the clouds continue to roll in and thicken. I’ve seen some pretty impressive snow total predictions throughout the day between all the different weather resources I use so it will be interesting to see if we actually get any. There have been a few too many times in recent winters where we’re promised a “doozy” of a storm and barely see a flurry, so I’m really hoping this isn’t one of those times. After all, there is something extra special about a blizzard over Christmas. It’s like magic!

Before we wrap it up for the day, in the true spirit of the giving season I think we should give away DOUBLE prizes this week! Judy D., Jenny M., Helen L., and Diane M. – Congratulations, Christmas just came early for you. You are the lucky winners! Like always I did not post last names or email addresses for your privacy, so if you made a comment here on the blog last week and think you’re one of the lucky winners, please be sure to check your email. You can also contact Heidi at heidin@primitivegatherings.us if you have not already received a prize confirmation letter from her. She will use your email address to confirm that you are in fact the winner (if you think you are a winner but have not received a prize confirmation email, please be sure to check your spam folder – it’s not often but our emails occasionally will end up there)! Want to be considered for a prize? You know the drill! Leave me a comment for your chance to win. You can also win by commenting during “STITCH with Lisa Bongean,” as well so be sure tomorrow when I spill the beans on what I have in store for you for the remainder of the year. Click below to watch. See you there ~Lisa

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Are you Crazy for Garden Gatherings? Today is your day!

Happy Tuesday to you! We started out with more snow early this morning but the sun is shining now – even if only for a minute. Apparently, our pal Mother Nature isn’t done yet, since we are supposed to see up to another 15″ of the white stuff in the next couple of days. Plus, it’s COLD! We’re sitting at about 15º right now with windchills at -2º. Tonight we’ll see actual temps dip below zero for the second time already this year, with blizzard conditions heading our way for the rest of the week. I’m not worried though, as I keep saying – bring on the snow! My new skis are officially on order and will take at least a week to be ready to go. It’s actually perfect timing. By next week, temps are supposed to be back in the upper 20s, which is perfect weather for winter sports. I’m really looking forward to getting out there!

December is really whizzing by, isn’t it? I’ve been having a lot of fun with our daily FLASH Sales and really hope you have been able to take advantage. If you missed out on a the awesome deal we had a couple weeks back on my Garden Gatherings fabric line and have been kicking yourself ever since, it’s your lucky day! Due to popular demand I decide to put it on SALE again! Today only take 30% OFF Garden Gatherings pre-cuts and select quilt kits! Quantities of Garden Gatherings Kits are extremely low at this time, so if you see one you really like don’t wait! It’s probably not going to be there for long. Click the button above to see what’s available! You’ll also find the complete selection of available Garden Gatherings pre-cuts along with a few other random specials we decided to throw in as a little bonus for shopping with us. Remember – FLASH Sale details are also posted daily by 6:30 a.m. on both the PG Facebook page and my STITCH Facebook group. You can also find them by visiting our website. Click “NEW ITEMS” and then “FLASH Sale“ to see the daily deal!!!

Well everyone, they’re telling me it’s lunch time so I better go eat before I miss the boat. Have a great day and I will see you LIVE Thursday at 1:00 p.m. CST on my STITCH with Lisa Bongean YouTube channel. I’ll be talking about some end of the year details you don’t want to miss. Click the STITCH button below to watch, and I will see you there! ~Lisa

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