Buy the Bolt Sale

Buy the Bolt Sale

We're trying something new here and hope you'll love the bargains we've posted.

Sometimes we get a little over enthusiastic when we order fabric and end up with some extra bolts here and there.

Ruby Daisy Sherbet

M55034-14

Yardage Amount: 15 yards

Bolt Price:  $75.00

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Winners . . . Near and Far

Thanks to everyone that participated in our two giveaways this past week.

Jeanne from North Platte, Nebraska was the lucky winner of two charm packs of her choice from our giveaway celebrating our Moda Bake Shop post.

Jeanne chose the Hello Luscious charms from Basic Grey.

Our other giveaway this week was over at Wee Folk Art.  If you haven't visited their site, you need to rush right on over.  They are the most talented ladies and have a wealth of tutorials for all types of crafty creations.

We gave away a set of our Sugar Cookie Easter pattern, kit and floss pack.  Teryn from Sherman, Texas was the lucky recipient of this treat. 

Thanks to everyone that played along.  It is so much fun to read all your comments and find out what inspires you.

Class of '42 Reunion and a Little Contest

Hello to all of our PPJ fans.  We have exciting news today.

Our very own Julie Geiger has a tutorial posted on the Moda Bake Shop.

Hop on over to the Moda Bake Shop to check out a step-by-step tutorial to make this quick and easy lap sized quilt.  It takes just one Layer Cake, one Fat Quarter, two yards of sashing/binding, and five yards of backing.  We've made it up in the Reunion line by Sweetwater. 

It's such a versatile pattern.  Pick any layer cake that you love.  We've made up the quilt in Curio by Basic Grey and La Petite Ecole by French General. 

You can order kits for any three of the versions pictured if you head over to our site.

Those of you that follow our blog, know we always like to do things "the same, but different."  In other words, the original is always great  . . . . but what if we changed it up just a bit . . . .

So, just in case you are in the mood for a smaller project, Julie whipped up directions to make a Preschool Reunion quilt using two Charm Packs instead of Layer Cakes.  You can find the free pattern for this project over on our site too. 

The quilt is shown using the Grow With Me charm pack by Deb Strain.  This makes such an easy baby or toddler quilt.  Don't need a baby quilt?  At 41" x 47" this is a nice size for a table topper, wall quilt, or just one of those quilts for any little nook and cranny too. 

Now if that wasn't enough good news . . . .  How about a little contest so that you can win some fabric to get you started?  We'll give away any two charm packs of your choice from our site to get you started making your own Preschool Reunion quilt. 

How to Enter: (Must do ALL four things)

1. Visit our tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop.  Leave a comment on the Bake shop about our tutorial.
2. Check out the Charm Packs page our website.
3. Leave a comment here on our blog below telling us that you visited the Bake Shop and let us know what your favorite charm pack is.
4. Be sure that your e-mail address shows in your blogspot profile so that we can contact you if you are a winner.

We'll draw a winner from the comments below on February 20th.

Hey Peeps!

Not sure what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but eventually, spring will arrive.

Get ready to welcome flowers, bunnies, and peeps with these adorable wool applique patterns from Backyard Friends.  My favorite is this mini-runner with the one little chick popping out of the egg.  I can relate to that one  -  the little peep always doing her own thing.  Peep Parade is an appropriate name for this design.

Love this little group of friends wandering through the flowers in Tiptoe Through the Tulips.

I love the simplicity of this pattern.  Be Still and Know is the title.  It's one we've had before awhile back, but thought it was a nice fit to bring back once again.

Hope the promise of spring made your day today.



Sewing Day

Last weekend I had plans to sew with a couple of friends several hours away from home. Just a girls weekend.  Doesn't that sound like fun?

 Mother Nature had other plans.  We were supposed to get hammered with a foot of snow.  Turns out we had only about 4 inches, but my friend got slammed with about a foot.  Either way, we didn't get a chance to get together.  I was all prepared to sew, though, so I did a tackle the project I had cut out, just a little closer to home.

I've wanted to make something with a Ruby Jelly Roll for awhile now.  I just can't get enough of that line.  Isn't it delicious?

I started working on Strawberry Shortcake from Cluck Cluck Sew.  It just uses one jelly roll and some background fabric.  How smart is that?  (Want this pattern, you can order it HERE.)

To make the best use of my sewing time, I'd already cut all my jelly roll strips down to size for my blocks.  Everything was stacked all neatly in zip-top bags.  All I had to do was grab my piles and go.

What is your method to madness for preparing for retreats or sewing weekends?  Do you just grab and go, or do you pre-cut so that you can sew, sew sew? 

I find that I do too much talking in a group setting, that it's best if I do all the important cutting before hand, then I can mindlessly sew and talk all at the same time.  Love to multi-task.  How about you?

Here's my pile of blocks.  Not too bad for a day of power sewing.  Who knows when I'll get back to this project, but at least it's a good start.

Till next time . . .



Saturday Sampler 2012

Prairie Point Junction's newest Block of the Month series, A Day at the Fair, starts this Saturday (February 12th).  The pattern is an original design created by our very own Julie Geiger.   

The pattern includes twelve different 12" sampler blocks.  The setting uses an alternate filler block to create the diagonal movement across the quilt.  The blocks are easy enough for a beginner to tackle, but fun for an advanced quilter too.

Download a registration form and pricing information from our website here:

http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/kits.htm#blockofmonth

Kits are available in two color, evoking the fun at the food stand of a county fair:

Try Deep Fried Candy Bar  . . . .   Or Cotton Candy to trigger memories of days gone by.

Saturday Sampler Sessions meet at 10:00 on the 2nd Saturday of each month at our shop in Cozad, Nebraska.  We'll demonstrate how to sew that month's block as well as share tips, tricks, and the latest gadgets to make your quilting life easier.  Show and tell is also encouraged.

Don't live near?  We also offer options for mail patterns and/or kits too.  Just give us a call or visit our website.

We hope you'll join us on our journey.

Interview with Cath's Pennies

We've stumbled upon a new-to-us wool pattern designer that we've fallen in love with.  We think you will too. 

Cath from Cath's Pennies Designs was kind enough to participate in an interview to share with you a little bit of the behind the scenes details of her pattern company.  She has a fabulous blog with amazing tutorial to help you recreate her pattern designs.  Check out her interview then head on over to our site to snag some of her patterns.  We've got a special offer on her Stuffed Turkey pattern this week too.

Stuffed Turkey Pattern Regular Price:  $9.00
Deal of the Week Price:  $7.20
(Price Valid October 21st-27th, 2011)

Stuffed Turkeys

Tell us a little bit about you . . .


I don't really think I'm crazy, but both my daughters and my husband affectionately (I think) call me the crazy wool lady. I have wool pretty much all around the house with my main collection/stash taking over our spare bedroom. Jimmy, my husband and I have been married forever .. well, actually for 36 years. I have two daughters and one son-in-law and one almost 5 year old grandson.

I started designing and selling finished wool candle mats, penny rugs and pincushions about 12 years ago. Two years ago and after getting many requests for the patterns, I started selling patterns of my wool designs. I now have 32 pattern designs with many more to come! I love wool...it's an addiction that I'll never give up!

Christmas Sparkle

How did you get started working with wool?

I used to quilt, in fact, I took quilting classes at my local quilt shop and discovered that I loved hand-stitching, especially appliqued hand-stitching. At some point, I was searching the internet to get some craft ideas and came across something odd called a "penny rug". I loved the history and the look of those circle on circle wool designs. I decided to try it with some felt that I had laying around. That was the beginning of the addiction.

Regular acrylic felt just didn't give the look that I wanted so I went to my local thrift store, bought some 100% wool skirts, cut them up, washed and felted them and created my first penny rug.

I sold that first penny rug on Ebay for some crazy amount which completely astonished me. That response on Ebay is probably what really fed my addiction. I could actually easily make $$ by selling something that I loved to do!

Those Blasted Crows

What do you like best about working with wool for your projects?

Wool is so forgiving! If a mistake is made and threads have to be removed, with a little fluffing, the wool looks like new again with no needle marks from the previous threads.

Felted wool is so soft and light that it's like stitching through butter, and since it doesn't unravel, the edges don't have to be turned under before stitching.

Jingle Bell Candy Canes

Any great tips you'd like to share about working with wool?

After doing embroidery stitching on wool, like for instance, the center embroidered ring on a candle mat, the wool tends to pucker and looks stretched. To get it to lay flat again, just flip it to the backside and hit it with a steam iron. That's another example of how it's forgiving! The steams shrinks the wool right back to size and it will lay perfectly flat.

Also, if your wool seems a bit too bright, tone it down with coffee or tea. Simply simmer it in watered down coffee or tea for about 20-30 minutes. Rinse well and throw it in the dryer. You've overdyed it to a more subdued primitive color!

(She has a fabulous post on coffee-dyeing wool here)

Scarecrow Jack in the Pumpkin Patch

We're often asked for suggestions/project recommendations for begining crafters. Which of your patterns would be a good starting point for those that might want to give wool a try?

Good question! I get quite a few questions from beginners about this. I always keep the beginner in mind when I'm creating a new pattern. Not only is there a picture on the front of the pattern to refer to, my patterns all have the design drawn on a layout sheet which shows exactly where each and every pattern piece should be placed. I have online pictured step-by-step tutorials to go along with some of my patterns too. Those tutorials are immenesly helpful for beginners. I created the pattern "Just Pumpkins" especially for the beginner stitcher. The pattern is just simple basic pumpkins stitched onto a background. It's simple blanket stitches along with some backstitching on wool.

Several other patterns are super easy for anyone who is familiar with the basic embroidery stitches. I always recommend "Let It Snow", which has the online pictured tutorial to go with it.

Let It Snow

"Snow Faces" and "Oh Snowy Night" are two others that are quick and easy. "Scarecrow Jack in the Pumpkin Patch" looks detailed and complicated but it has an online tutorial which shows exactly how to make it. Besides all of that, I'm always available to help if questions or problems come up. I tell my customers that I'm just an email away!

Black Eyed Susans

Where are your favorite sources for design inspiration?

Gosh, I really don't have one particular website or place that I use for inspiration. I always have ideas in my head for designs. I get inspiring ideas everywhere I go. The chick shapes that I used for "It's Spring, Chicks!" came from background painting that was shown in a movie. I don't know what the painting was but the shape reminded me of a cute primitive chick! Another example.... I was sitting in church a few weeks ago and spotted a bundle of wheat which inspired me with a (future) fall design.

My fellow bloggers are immensely helpful with providing me inspirations. Their blogs show me that I'm not the only one obsessed with crafts and sewing and wool!


Anything else you'd like to share about you and your patterns?

I only use 100% wool in my designs but just about all of my pattern designs would look just as nice with wool felt. 100% wool is expensive and rather difficult to find in some areas so woolfelt is an excellent substitute which will give beautiful results.

(Side Note:  Cath has one of the best explanations of the difference between wool felt and felted wool that I've found.  Check out her blog post on the subject here)

I'm often asked to recommend the best place to buy wool. Go visit a quilt shop in your area! Support those small businesses and keep them in business.

Even if they don't carry wool, they will help you find the materials you need. They'll help you with any questions you might have and they will really appreciate your business!

I would not be doing what I'm doing today with my patterns if it were not for my local quilt shop that so long ago taught me how to make quilts.

Festive Snowmen

Thanks so much for all the fabulous info, Cath!  We've all learned a lot. 



How to Make Flying Geese Blocks

One of my favorite things about quilting is that there are so many different ways to accomplish the same thing. It's fun to experiment with different techniques to find a method that works best for you.

This post will show you one of the many techniques available to make a flying geese block. This method will yield four flying geese that measure 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" (1" x 2" finished size).

Step 1: Begin by cutting:

(4) 2 1/4" squares for the flying geese background

(1) 3 3/4" square for the flying geese

Step 2: Draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of the (4) 2 1/2" squares. My favorite method for speeding up this process, especially if I need to mark many squares, is to line up the points of the squares along a line on my cutting mat.

Now I position my acrylic ruler over the squares, lining up the edge of the ruler with the line running through the center of the squares. Draw a line with your favorite marking tool. Pictured is the Clover Chaco-Liner. The barrel is filled with powdered chalk that is dispensed as you roll the wheel of the pen along your fabric.

Step 3: Position one of the 2 1/4" squares right sides together on the corner of the 3 3/4" square.

Step 4: Position another 2 1/4" square on the opposite corner of the 3 1/4" square, overlapping the 2 1/4" squares in the center. Pin each square to hold it in place.

Step 5: Sew 1/4" from each side of the drawn lines.

Step 6: Cut block apart on the drawn line.

Step 7: Press the seams towards the small triangles. The unit will now look a little bit like a heart. I know this looks a little strange - but hang in there - it really works!

Step 8: Position a 2 1/4" square right sides together with the heart shaped units. Pay careful attention to the direction of the drawn line.

Step 9: Stitch on each side of the drawn line. (I've enhanced the stitching lines on my photo just so that you can see them better).

Step 10: Cut the units apart on the drawn line.

Step 11: Press towards the smaller triangle. Now your flying geese unit should look a little more familiar to you.

Step 12: Square up each flying geese unit to 1 1/2" x 2 1/2". Here is a video to show you how:

Watch it on You Tube HERE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_DHZpWpjVA

Step 13: Now you should have perfect flying geese! Alternate your light and dark placement for even more options.

Now, what to do with them . . .

Make a Sawtooth Star:

Make a Pinwheel Block:

Make a Tree Block:

Make a flying geese wall quilt:

Finished Size: 12" x 16"
The basic directions: Make a total of 36 flying geese blocks.

Cut (9) 3 3/4" squares of assorted fall prints.
Cut (36) 2 1/4" squares of cream background.
Cut (2) 1 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangles of tan for sashing.
Cut (4) 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangles of brown for borders.
Cut (2) 2 1/2" x 42" strips brown for binding.

Follow the steps above to make the 36 flying geese blocks.

Arrange flying geese in three rows of 12 flying geese each. Sew into rows.

Sew the cream sashing in between the rows of flying geese.

Add borders.

Quilt as desired, then bind.

The images and flying geese pattern directions are copyright Julie Geiger, Prairie Point Junction, 2011.

Quilts Around the Block 2011

Cozad was decked out in quilts this weekend for the Cozad Chamber of Commerce's Quilts Around the Block.  Quilts were on diplay at Chipper Hall, the 100th Meridian Museum as well as 14 other locations thru town.  Below is a little overview of some of the displays.

Antique Singer sewing machine on display at JM's Gifts.

Quilts on display at the Country Cookie from the family of Lisa Budd.

Lisa greets lunchtime guests.

Quilts on display in the window at First Bank and Trust.

The Strawberry Patch welcomes quilters.

Guests check out the quilts on display at the Strawberry Patch.

Val Geiger at the Strawberry Patch shows off a jacket made by her mother.

More quilts at the Strawberry Patch.

Downtown was a buzz with visitors.

Quilt on display at Riley's Hair Studio.

The caricature quilt was created by friends of Jean Riley (Kris' sister-in-law) from North Platte.

Quilts from the family of Ken Gerdes on display at Furniture Mart.

Patriotic quilts on display at Shelter Insurance.

Welcome to Chipper Hall.

Volunteers greet guests at Chipper Hall.

 A living 9-patch block on display from Natural Escapes.

Antique quilts from the family of Connie Moore and Kelly Schmeeckle.

Holiday quilts on display.

Quilts at Chipper Hall.

More quilts at Chipper Hall.

Shelly Burge talks about her antique toy sewing machine collection.

Quilts at the 100th Meridian Museum.

A variety of wool felt projects made by Kathy Anderson.

A Husker quilt made by Dianne Klein.

Vintage quilts from the museum collection.

More quilts at Chipper Hall.

A unique quilt made from golf towels.

Quilts made by, or collected by Shelly Burge.

What a great day in Cozad.