I like this simple sprig. The leaves are almost like little hearts.

Our quilters got ambitious with this big layered flower and polka dot leaves.

Simple yet perfect!

We’ve seen this circle filled flower before.

More polka dot leaves, flowers and cherry berries.

A closer look………

And the grand finale at the bottom right hand corner of the quilt.

If you haven’t looked at the entire quilt in a while you can see what a stunner it is. I know I’m sorry to see the project begin to wind down. We only have one more block and the two remaining borders. That got me to thinking that Cyber Monday would be the perfect time to put the past block patterns on sale for the first time ever! As my thank you for following along with this quilt you can purchase any of the blocks you missed or get the digital download patterns to start your own Beyond The Cherry Trees quilt for

The quilt is housed at the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. It’s on display each year during September and October as part of their rotating display.

A few years ago Windham Fabrics produced a fabric collection – Dear Jane, c. 1863 based on the quilt. It was so wildly popular they convinced Brenda to do Dear Jane II

Jane’s Baskets Free Pattern

As sometimes happens with fabric collections, many of the prints were sold out as soon as they came in from the mill making them difficult to find so I’m sharing a little secret with you. I know where you can find them!


That’s my Fat Quarter Bundle sitting pretty on top of my Baby Jane quilt top. I’ve been working on my quilt for years and years but have vowed to have it completed in time for the European Dear Jane Club Exposition 2013 in Belgium.


I wish the camera could capture the beautiful colors and detail in the fabric prints. They are just wonderful and authentic to the period of Civil War fabrics.


This is just one of the fabrics I bought yards of. I love the way it works with double pink prints and stripes are so much fun to work with. They’re great for sashing and borders.


Another print is a faux patchwork of blocks from the Dear Jane quilts. These cute little babies are just 3″!


There’s a faux patchwork for the triangle border too. It’s perfectly scaled to match those little blocks.


I’ve been working on a Baby, Baby Jane lap quilt. There are 11 little blocks across the width of the fabric so I’ll use 14 for my length and then add the triangle border. I planned to take the completed top with me to the Dear Jane Retreat in November and get some Cuddle Cloth for backing but after putting together the Cuddle Quilt last week I may not be able to wait that long. It’s a good thing Lolly’s is so good at shipping things to their out of town customers.


I bought yardage of several pieces for a scrap quilt I want to make using my fat quarter bundle but when I looked at these three fat quarters I couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty they were together. I’ve got to head over to the Dear Jane web site and order yardage of these three too. It’s the only place you can be sure of getting some of every print in the collection and the price is the best I’ve seen anywhere. If you live in the United States the fabric is only $9.00 a yard and outside of the US it’s $11.00. Don’t wait too long because even Brenda will run out soon and she said they are not reprinting any of the fabrics. I don’t know what pattern I want to use yet for the blue, brown and cream prints but I’m not taking any chances by waiting to place my order. They’ll look beautiful on my fabric shelves until I decide.

Clutch and I are expecting family at the cottage this weekend so I’m off to bake cookies and tidy up a bit. The leaves are really beginning to change colors and the heat has been on at night, both a sure sign that Fall is almost here. Good weather for snuggling under a quilt.

If you’re a quilt maker looking at the corner of this quilt wondering how the borders were added you notice the seam running parallel to the edge of the quilt and immediately conclude the borders weren’t mitered. Not seeing a second seam indicating the addition of a corner square you’d surmise border strips sewn to each side and then to the top and bottom of the quilt.

Surprise, surprise, not with the Cherry Trees quilt! This quilter never ceases to amaze me. I haven’t seen applique borders on an antique quilt like this before. Have you? – Please share the story.


The borders were sewn to the center blocks counter clockwise in a log cabin fashion.



Fabric requirements and cutting instructions are given for adding the borders in a traditional way with the side borders added first and then the top and the bottom. If you want to work with the partial seams you’d need to construct the borders like the original quilt don’t forget to adjust your cutting measurements to allow for this in the length of the border strips you cut. I will admit this method might give you a bit more freedom for design because you could complete the applique on the strips before sewing them to the center and just cut off the ends without regard for how the design stops at the end of each side. I have trouble with circles that aren’t perfectly round so I’m going to need a bit more structure to my method.

This month’s pattern is for the Right Side Border Strip. It was such fun to follow along the vine and find all the hidden treasures quilted in the peaks and valleys of the vine.

Today’s block is called Indiana Puzzle. What does that bring to mind? Shipshewana of course! When I was there in April I had the opportunity to have not one, but two quilts machine quilted at A Stitch in Time in the Davis Mercantile.

I had brought this quilt top with me to look for backing and decided on a fantastic raspberry color piece of Cuddle fabric from the Cuddle Corner. I went down the hall to A Stitch in Time to see what their wait time was for machine quilting. It would take about two weeks before they’d reach my name on the list but I Jesse took pity on me and said he’d work something in for me while I was at the retreat. “Thank you Jesse”, it was greatly appreciated.

I was also working on a quilt for Kevin and decided I’d try to get it finished and have Jesse quilt that one too before I went home.

I wanted a flannel backing for Kevin’s quilt. Did you know using Cuddle fabric or flannel on the back of your quilts will keep them from sliding off the bed?

A decision was made and I got things ready to take in for quilting. One of the things I really appreciated at A Stitch in Time was the quilted samples I could look at next to my own project to help in deciding how I wanted the quilt to be quilted.

Wow! This is just a small sample of the choices for quilting plus they can do custom quilting and add special designs to your projects too. While I was there I filmed a little bit of the quilting process for you to see.

Needless to say, I was thrilled with my quilts and the care and attention to detail I experienced. You can bet I’ll be bringing more quilt tops with me when I am in Shipshewana in November and shipping some to them in between. If you’d like more information on having a quilt machine quilted at A Stitch in Time you can download a copy of their brochure and price list or contact them at:

A Stitch in Time
PO Box 1095
Shipshewana IN 46565
(260) 768-4703 Extension 108

This is the Indiana Puzzle block from the Week by Week Sampler quilt.

Here’s my red and white block. There’s lots of small pieces in this one and even though it’s constructed with squares and triangles I chose to foundation piece the block. When you get the sections pieced and are ready to sew the four vertical rows of foundation, place the pieced strip against the feed dogs on your machine. They’ll do the work of getting it to line up with the single unit strip.

My favorite paper for foundation piecing!

Midget Block 121

Until then enjoy ………..

Quilts at The Home Store in Shipshewana

Until then here’s a little fabric eye candy from Lolly’s

I’m glad it was still early in the day so I could stop by Rise N Roll bakery and pick up…………………

just a few of these yummy Cinnamon Caramel donuts. I’ve never had anything like them. They are just wonderful.

I’ve already seen some fabric I think Kevin would like for a either a lap quilt or one for his bed.

This might just be the pattern to use. I saw both the fabric and pattern at Lolly’s.

I couldn’t pass by JoJo’s and The Kitchen Cupboard without stopping for a pretzel and a latte. I have to have a pretzel each day while I’m here and the latte? Two or three a day does a body good!

My first video visit after I arrived was at Rebecca Haarer Arts & Antiques. Tried something a little different and learned a great deal. 3rd attempt at uploading is going on in the background while I work on this – say a prayer! I met LuAnn and Pam for dinner at The Blue Gate. I had my first dinner of Liver and Onions. I don’t even think of ordering it anywhere else.

Aren’t these little cuties adorable. They have some darling gift items that tempt me coming and going.

Just before dinner I realized I’d forgotten the desktop mouse I use with my laptop. Never did get the hang of the mouse pad and I’m too old to add that to my bucket list so a Google search came up with a KMart in Sturgis, MI which is about 15 miles away so after dinner I decided to make a mouse run. The KMart was supposed to be on the left side of the street but just before I got there I noticed a Walmart on the right side. Whipped in there and 10 minutes later I was back in the car with a shiny new mouse. I installed the software and it seems to be working fine.

I spent quite a while trying to piece together the video clips I’d taken at Rebecca’s and started uploading them. The high speed internet I’m used to in Grand Rapids doesn’t live in Shipshewana. I watched television, ate the big piece of chocolate cake I’d brought back from dinner for dessert and started writing this post but finally fell asleep before the first video was finished. It must have fallen asleep too because this morning it was still trying to upload which isn’t a good sign. I stopped that failed attempt and started over.

The morning is off to a rocky start; the alarm clock in my room didn’t work and I slept until 8am. The breakfast room was out of bananas, muffins and milk and you’re supposed to be able to get breakfast until 9am. I think I’ll plan my own breakfast tomorrow just in case. Video #1 uploaded – yippee! Started #2 – keep praying

This is one of the beautiful crochet rugs you’ll see at Rebecca’s. It looks just like spring.

Here’s a picture of the folded kit quilt I talked about in the videos. I’m in love with these quilts but then again, I grew up with them so they’re like family to me.

Here’s a closeup of the quilt hangers like I have. They really are a fantastic way to display your quilts without having to worry if you’re going to damage them.

Woo hoo !!! Here they are……………….the video from Rebecca’s

I’m out the door for today’s adventures.

Almost every manufacturer offers the fabric used in these quilts, each with their own name, but it’s all basically the same. I’ve bought pieces here and there over the last several years using them in different ways.

Clutch’s boutique blanket was just scrap cuts of baby colors sewn together to make about a 40″ squares. I backed it with a piece of just one color.

He has quite a few cuddle quilts that are cotton fabric on one side and cuddle fabric on the other.

How many is quite a few? There’s four that I can think of. This is Christmas morning and we’re laying on one and covered up with another.

I think his favorite right now is his mint chocolate chip cuddle.

It matches his mint chocolate chip donut bed. From the minute I finished making it he’s called it home. His love for the green and brown is what prompted me to choose this that color combination when I bought my kit at Lolly’s to make an adult size cuddle quilt. They are 60″ x 72″.

Aside from this kit there really isn’t much you need. I purchased soft Warm and Natural quilt batting. It was available by the yard so I could buy just what I needed for my quilt. You’ll need a can of 505 Basting Spray too.

The first think you need to do is cut the wide strips in your kit in half.

Stack them up and gently carry them outside. Yes, outdoors is best, hopefully it isn’t a rainy day. You can tell my the lack of green grass that spring isn’t quite here yet but the sun is shining today.

Shake those babies out good and pile them back up. Remember, once you shake them, they won’t let off fuzz again so your quilt studio will stay nice and clean.
As I was writing directions I got curious about how others were making cuddle quilts and did an online search. There’s lots of great information out there! So much in fact that I came across a set of video tutorials that matched almost exactly the way I make my cuddle quilts. With all the quilting we want to do there didn’t seem any point in me trying to reinvent the wheel so instead I’m going to direct you the wonderful series of videos from portersonline. Each one takes you step by step through the process. I’ve added notes on things I wanted to be sure you knew about.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 1
This first video talks about your supplies and things that will make your cuddle quilt easier to sew.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 2
The second video talks about attaching the backing to the batting. In the video they spray the 505 adhesive on the batting. I prefer to spray my fabric instead. I think it adheres better and the spray doesn’t get lost down in the batting fibers.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 3
The third video talks about marking the center of your quilt and attaching the first row. Marking the center is important especially if you’re using a stripe backing like I am. Make sure to use either a washout marking pen or a permanent pigma marker on your batting. You don’t want anything to bleed color when you wash your quilt.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 4
The fourth video talks about sewing the rows. You can see how you’ll need to roll up the excess part of the quilt just like you do when machine quilting in order to maneuver it through the machine.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 5
The fifth video talks about adding more rows.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 6
The sixth video talks about trimming. When she talks about trimming off 1/4″ of the seam allowance, she’s actually trimming away 1/4″ of the selvage edge on the backing along the sides of the quilt.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 7
The seventh video is Part One of binding with minkee cuddle fabric. There are some wonderful tips for binding your cuddle quilt using the minkee cuddle fabric. Trust me, watch before you cut your binding!

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 8
The eighth video is Part Two of binding with minkee cuddle fabric. Sew your binding around the all edges of your quilt before you stop and finish any of the corners.

Cuddle Quilt Tutorial – Part 9
The ninth video is Part Three of binding with minkee cuddle fabric.

I hope you have lots of fun making cuddle quilts. My only word or warning is they’re addictive! I know you won’t be able to stop at just one.

It’s no secret to anyone who attends the retreat with me that I love, love, love to go shopping. It’s an art my Mother was careful to cultivate in me from an early age and I took to it like a duck to water. The photo above was taken inside Rebecca Haarer Arts & Antiques. I’ve taken quite a few pictures over the years but it’s one of my goals to feature Rebecca’s store in a video similar to what I’m sharing today. Official information for her store lists - Wide variety of antiques, American and locally Amish made quilts, rugs, dolls and furniture. Misc. antiques. Christmas ornaments. Quality handmade artisan goods. Those of us who shop there know it’s so much more! You also have Rebecca herself who is a treasure trove of information when it comes to antique quilts and the wonderful community she lives in. Be sure to watch next week for her video. Until then, if you have any questions about the shop you can call (260) 768-4787.

I filmed these videos of some of my favorite shopping places at the retreat in November. I planned to edit and upload them as soon as I finished cooking Thanksgiving dinner so they’d be online for the holiday shopping season. I didn’t plan on Mom falling out of bed, breaking a bone in her face. That took me right to Christmas and was followed by her passing away in January. Needless to say, the videos stayed tucked away on my iPhone until a couple of weeks ago.

Guess what? I need video lessons or practice or both! I have major notes to self for next week’s trip.

• Turn your phone sideways or leave it upright (I’ll figure that out) so we don’t have to watch skinny videos
• Don’t smack your lips when you talk (didn’t my Mother tell me that?).
• Learn to glide when you walk.
• If you get winded, stop talking.
• If you stop and have a conversation with someone it’s going to be on the video.
• Learn how to edit a video or pay a child to do it!

What can I say? I’d rather make quilts so what you see is me learning as I go along. Truth is – I do this because I love it. I adore Shipshewana. It’s my Traverse City to the south. I’m not asked to do this. I don’t get paid and I don’t have a financial stake in any of the places I tell you about except to say these folks are my friends and I want to honor the great job they’re doing while sharing what I think is some pretty cool stuff with all of you so……………

Our first stop is all about the quilter’s heaven we call Lolly’s

A quick trip to the lower level finds us at the Cuddle Corner where Lolly’s is “making the world a softer place”. If you don’t have a cuddle quilt trust me, you’re missing out on something just wonderful. Join Clutch and I for a tutorial on Friday.

Lolly’s has an entire store devoted to their sale items. We all love to go fat quarter fishing in the boat at the front of the store. Take a look inside A Little Bit of Lollys -

A new addition on the last trip was A Stitch In Time. Do you knit? Do you have a quilt top you’d like to have machine quilted? This is for you.

Our last stop is at Sarah Davis Ltd. I’ve watched this wonderful shop evolve over the last few years into a must stop shop for not only the fashionista but the fashionista wanna-be too. Joanna and her staff have done their homework and brought the best trends in fashion to Shipshewana!

Clutch and I are working on a tutorial for the cuddle quilts. It should be available on Friday so if you want to quilt along, give Lolly’s a call and have them send you a kit. I’m working on one of the 60″ x 72″ quilts made of horizontal strips.