I looked at the blog today and hung my head in shame. I went an entire year and didn't manage even one blog post. I am so sorry. I guess I've gotten so used to sharing news in the weekly emails that I neglected this space terribly. I'm going to try to do better in 2025! It's going to be a challenge because the format I was used to has changed which means I have to learn something foreign and new.
We're well underway in making Little Blocks 2025. Registration closed last week but if you'd like to join us, email me and I'll find a way to get you in and caught up. It's an easy quilt to keep up with this year with only a block or two a week.
I'm anxious for spring to arrive. I keep watch over the lake on our Nest cameras and can't believe how much snow they've gotten. They're almost 30 inches above normal right now. That ought to bring up the lake levels this summer. I was kind of hoping they would stay down a little. I liked having a beach again. The winter season isn't over and there can be lots of evaporation if we don't get spring rains so I'll have to wait and see how things turn out.
If you've read My Life in Stitches here on the blog you can probably guess I'm always on the lookout for vintage Wurzburg Company quilts made from their kits. In the last two weeks, I was lucky enough to come across two of the very old ones. The one above is the Swiss Quilt and I purchased it on eBay. I won't tell you who the seller was because I've already let them know that you don't ship a vintage quilt by smashing it down to the size of a small dog, stuffing it in a trash bag, and wrapping packing tape around it to within an inch of its life. I suggest they do better in the future.
This beauty I purchased from Vintage Blessings through Instagram. It's a very old one and I like it much better without the applique gridwork that was originally included in the kit. I'm always amazed after all these years that I can look at a quilt and know right away if it's a Wurzburg design or not. Jane Wurzburg had certain design elements she favored in her floral applique and also in the faces of her children's designs. My heart aches each time I think of such a talented, wealthy, and prominent lady taking her own life. I've been asked if these will be patterns and to be honest, I don't have an answer. I seem to be so busy with other things I don't know how I'd manage it. I wish I could convince someone like Riley Blake who has beautiful solid color fabrics to produce some of these kits. There are 120 patterns sitting in the storage unit - yes, a climate-controlled unit to keep them safe and thousands of individual applique and embroidery designs that could be used. Maybe I'll take some to the lake with me this year...... maybe.
Lily and Gracie are as tired of winter as I am and seek out the sun whenever possible. It's been cold here but we haven't had as much snow as at the lake. I think they've gotten over my being gone in February but little do they know I'll be heading to Shipshewana, Indiana again at the beginning of April and then we'll start planning for summer.
If you haven't visited the Online Shop recently I encourage you to do that. I appreciate your support more than you can imagine. New things are added at least twice a week and many of the past quilt-alongs are available as complete patterns if you missed participating in one. You can sign up for the email list in the right sidebar. I only send emails on Wednesday and Saturday so I won't be flooding your inbox.
I guess that's it for today - I wish you all lots of happy stitches!
Gayle
