July 2011 Update (Children, Grandchildren, Day Trips, and Friends)

Monday, August 1st, 2011

First of all I’m not sure where July has gone; but I do know that I have been very busy and have had a good time. This is what’s been happening in my world this month.

Jarred is my oldest child and he has always loved to fish. So when he found out there were some flathead fish that were dying in a dried up lake bed; Jarred went to their rescue. He kayaked through mud and then when he got to shore he carried them on his shoulders a long way to the truck then put them in a private lake and revived them. As far as we know they have survived.

Then there’s Angie my middle child; who is the Mother of both of my grandchildren. She has been keeping busy just being a Mother and a wife. I have been so thankful that I was able to help her out by taking Ava home with me several times just to let Angie rest. Both of my Grandbabies are so much fun and I enjoy every minute that I get to spend with them.



Emilee is my youngest and she is kept busy by working two jobs. My husband and I have enjoyed visiting Emilee at Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, and here she is behind the register.

We were invited to attend a beer tasting party at Emilee’s friend’s house.

I could hold Truman like this all day.

Then I’ve also been able to take my parents to their doctors’ appointments and also take them on a couple of day trips. One day we went to Zenda, Kansas and I didn’t even mind when we got lost along the way.

Another day we went to Greensburg, Kansas and learned a lot about how the town is rebuilding “green” from the EF5 Tornado that ripped through their town in May of 2007. This was the storm shelter that is made from an old propane bottle. It’s been fun spending some quality time with both of them as I know that their time is limited.
Another day I took a short trip to Newton with my sister and we stopped by Charlotte’s Sew Natural to pick up some fabric for a Cute-as-a-Button baby jacket. Charlotte has the sweetest young lady working for her and her name is Brecken. We even got to take her with us to see Melinda Hutton’s studio, you can check out Melinda’s fun projects here.

I always love seeing all the neat things that Melinda is working on. 

I couldn’t resist taking a picture with Brecken and her Volkswagen.

I even was able to spend the day with my small quilting group and catch up on all the projects that they were working on.
There are some new projects on the table here at JCD too and I’ll be able to share them with all of you real soon, so stay tuned. I hope you had a fun July like me.

I love surprises!

Friday, October 1st, 2010

I picked up the Better Homes and Gardens Fall/Winter 2010 Quilt Sampler, excited to see

the Shop Hop Top stores.. I love to see how shops display and decorate.

As I flipped through the pages, I saw my patterns made into beautiful models on display in one of the featured shops!  It’s kind of like flipping through a favorite magazine and seeing a picture of one of your kids, and you didn’t know they were going to be photographed and pictured in one of the articles.  I was so thrilled and delighted Maetha Elliott, owner of Tiny Stitches quilt shop created models of  our patterns Cute as a Button Baby Jacket and Britches & Bloomers for their beautiful children’s section.

Sew smart that she has listed the products featured in the article on her website and has linked them for online purchase!  Love that easy button!  Congrats, Maetha, your store looks lovely in the magazine.

Quilt Sampler is available through January, so pick it up to enjoy

the beautiful shops.. maybe you will find a surprise, too, but at the very least, some really good ideas!

In search of the complete shopping experience..

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Stephanie, Beverly and myself (from right to left) went a-hunting for “the complete shopping experience” here in our home town, Wichita, KS.  From curb to cash register, we wanted to feel that, as customers, we were inspired, encouraged and excited about the shop we were in.

Often when traveling, we have those experiences, but sometimes forget about our own backyard.  Delano District of Wichita is a delightful place to shop and so we spent the afternoon visiting this area.  For lunch, we ate at a lovely cafe, called The Palette Bistro, at 613 Douglas.  We loved the painted chalkboard and chalk art!

The food was fresh, the salad crisp, the fruit sweet and the dessert was delicious.  We all loved the presentation of the food, the atmosphere of the cafe and the special care of the menu.

Every shop has a “feeling”, an attitude, if you will.  We asked the independent business women how they would describe their business in one word, as we informed them we were blogging about our experience.  Cindy, owner of Sew Much (shown in the shop window with me) describes her shop as “the unique fabric boutique”.  Each time I have visited, she is working on an new display or checking in new product!

Sew Much carries silk, wool, cotton, linen, knits, patterns, notions and more.  The shop has a young, vibe, with a wonderful selection of Amy Butler decorator fabrics.

There is a wonderful variety of fabrics for making garments of all types and Sew Much also offers garment sewing classes.  I couldn’t get over the pom-pom fringe and oversized rick rack in every color!

Cindy carries my Cute as a Button Baby Jacket pattern.. I like seeing how it looks made in a variety of fabrics.  Here she shows it in corduroy.

Visit Cindy at 535 W. Douglas Ste. 130 or online at www.sewmuchonline.com.  There are two entrances for convenient access, as additional parking is behind the building.

Just steps away you will find Material Girls Quilt Shoppe at 535 w. Douglas, Ste. 140 (where you can also enter from the front or the back door)!

Owners, Jo & Jan will have a grand opening Sept. 10 & 11th with refreshments and door prizes.  The shop has a fresh, modern feel, with fabrics to suit any taste.   I encourage you to visit!

Very well done, ladies!

Material Girls describes their shop as “a unique quilting experience”.

Visit their website to find out about fall classes.

We found our way to Twist Yarn Shop at 607 W. Douglas where I ran into Diane Moos, who is a wonderful crochet artist.  She and several of the employees were refreshing displays and were hard at work.  You can visit Diane on Ravelry.com by looking up GracePlease to see the wonderful crochet dolls she has made.

Twist is full of fantastic selections of yarn, patterns and notions for knitters and crocheters.  Shelly has been getting in inventory daily!  If you love fiber, this is the place for you!

Here you will also find classes for all skill levels and clubs that meet regularly in the comfortable work area Shelly has set up.  KS My Stitch Crochet Guild , a guild my sister, Stephanie and I are all members of meets the third Monday of every month at Twist for programs, show-n-share and refreshments.

Bungalow 26 shop owner, Kelsey Metzinger visited with us about her weakness for “products”.  She carries wonderful candles, soaps, lotions.. all the spa goodies we like to spoil ourselves with.

Kelsey describes her shop as eclectic, with a Soho downtown vibe!

Each of the shop owners has done a wonderful job with their displays, store windows and had a unique selection of products to chose from.  We were impressed with the cleanliness, the friendly smiles, the helpful inquiries.  Each of the shopowners should know the appreciation we have for the hard work well done!  Retail therapy accomplished!

Beautiful Baby Jacket

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

One of the many wonderful things about going to Quilt Market is having women tell me about the project they are working on.  Connie Huddleston of The Little Wool Shoppe brought a project she was working on with her to show me.

She was working on the Baby Jacket pattern and made it from an old quilt, some beautiful hankies and embroidered them.

Her project was not complete, but the work is lovely!  So happy to see all the talent!  Thanks for sharing, Connie!