The Hollyhock Quilts Blog Has Moved!

If you haven't visited for the last few days, you may not know that the Hollyhock Quilts blog has a new address!  Visit us now at the NEW Hollyhock Quilts Blog!  We've started out with a BIG Giveaway and a LOT of fun!  For more info about the move, go to this post.  Can't wait to see you there!

Day 5 Giveaway Posted!

Good Morning! The Giveaway for Day 5 is posted here.

PLEASE NOTE: If you haven't already entered for the giveaway, please go to the Oct. 4th post of my NEW BLOG to find out all the ways you can enter. I don't want you to miss out on anything! If you have already entered, you're covered. Thanks so much!

Day 4 Giveaway Posted!

Good Morning!  The Giveaway for Day 4 is posted here.

PLEASE NOTE: If you haven't already entered for the giveaway, please go to the Oct. 4th post of my NEW BLOG to find out all the ways you can enter. I don't want you to miss out on anything! If you have already entered, you're covered. Thanks so much!

Day 3 Giveaway Posted!

Good Morning!  The Giveaway for Day 3 is posted here.

PLEASE NOTE: If you haven't already entered for the giveaway, please go to the Oct. 4th post of my NEW BLOG to find out all the ways you can enter. I don't want you to miss out on anything! If you have already entered, you're covered. Thanks so much!

Day 2 Giveaway Posted!

Good Morning!  The Giveaway for Day 2 is posted here!  Be sure to enter today to be eligible for all 5 giveaways!

BIG Changes and BIG Giveaway!!

Hello everyone!  As you probably know, I have taken a Sabbatical for a couple of years since my Mom got so sick and passed away.  It has been a well needed rest, but it's time for me to get back to work!  So...  the Tulip Quilt is off to APQ and I'm busy at work here on the computer.

We are making a few changes here at Hollyhock Quilts.  First of all, I am moving my blog!  It is now under the name of Hollyhock Quilts instead of Glenna's Gabfest.  But I need your help!  In order to kick off the new website, I am having a huge 5 DAY GIVEAWAY!  You'll have several ways to enter so be sure to check it out.   

Secondly, I am closing my regular website. I only have my book and patterns there anyway and I am in the process of moving all my patterns to my eBay and Etsy stores to sell as PDF Downloads. I can sell them cheaper and of course, there's no shipping fees!  A good deal for all and it frees Bill from having to keep the website up to date.

You'll see some other changes coming on the new blog, too, but we'll talk more about that after the giveaway.  Thanks for including me in your lives here on Glenna's Gabfest and I can't wait to see you on the Hollyhock Quilts Blog!

STAMPEDE!! (And Other Stuff)

Funny thing happened while we were in Michigan.  The RV park where we were staying was right next to an Equestrian Club, so we were accustomed to hearing horses whinny occasionally.  But one morning Bill and I looked at each other and said, "Did you just hear a cow moo?"  We looked out the front window of our motorhome and here's what we saw!

A whole herd of cows was headed straight for the pond in front of our RV!  They watered for a minute then turned around and some headed back home. 

One little guy stopped to nibble at a little tree right by our rig before ambling off!

Some of them headed for the highway, so I encouraged Bill to use his "cow wranglin'" experience (he grew up on a farm with cows) so off he and another guy went to round up the errant cows successfully.  Should have had a pic of him waving his arms and yelling "HEEYAH!!" at the cows! 

Needless to say, it was a very exciting morning!

Also wanted to tell you--  I had a couple of nice surprises while we were gone.  Went to an Arts and Crafts show and a vendor there was selling aprons she'd made out of my Hydrangea fabric!  She used rickrack (which I LOVED, of course) and they were SO cute! 

A few days later we were at an Antique & Craft Mall and saw these made out of some Rise N Shine fabric!  Again, so CUTE and I loved that they had made little girls aprons, too!

I was a real treat to see these!  So that's it for now, kids.  Blessings~

Let's Talk About Solids!

I found it rather interesting and surprising that so many of you who entered the last give-away did not have any or had very few solids in your stash.  So I thought I'd just talk a bit about my relationship with them!

I started quilting almost 30 years ago and Amish quilts were huge at that time.  I fell in love with the look and, of course, solids are all they use.  So my collecting began.  As I became enamored with Vintage Quilts, I noticed that they also used a lot of solids.  It became apparent that the solids were what made those wonderful old prints really stand out!  So on I went collecting them!  Then when I began using feedsacks, I noticed the same thing.  Although the colors were bolder than the 30s prints, the solids are what really set them off!  AND they even made feedsacks in solid colors!  This is a little piece that I did with English Paper Piecing and feedsacks.

If you have my book, look closely at the quilts to see how the solids play a part.  In an excerpt from my book (Sugar Sack Quilts) on page 30, I say the following when talking about sewing with feedsacks:  "The first thing that comes to mind is solids, solids, solids.  The solid fabrics are what really make the feedsack prints sing.  You need those areas of solid colors to rest your eye and make the quilt patterns pop."

And now I see that even Modern Quilters (which I absolutely LOVE) are using solids to give their quilts a punch!  Tallgrass Studio is a perfect example.  Below are a couple of groups of Amy Butler fabrics that I recently purchased.  Can't wait to use them!  I found it interesting that the solids in her group are very similar to many of those repro colors I've got.

So all this to say...  If you haven't tried working with solids, go for it!  I dare say when you see how they work with the fabrics you love, you'll enjoy the results.

Blessings~

WINNER and TULIP QUILT NEWS!!

Good Monday Morning!  The Random Number Generator picked #22 as the winner of the Quilters Dozen Bundle.  Congratulations, Colleen!  And thanks to all of you for entering.  I'll be doing that more often in the future so keep in touch!  And thanks for all the purchases you've made!  Lots of fabric has left the building, but there's lots more to sell.  I'll be adding Bundles of 10 Half Yard Cuts this week.  So keep checking! 

In other news---  

You know that Tulip quilt that I have been working on FOREVER??  Well, I just got word that it has been picked up for publication in one of your favorite magazines!  I'll let you know the details as soon as I get them.....

Have a great week!  Blessings~

SALE and GIVEAWAY!

When we were doing shows, I sold a LOT of Reproduction Solids and really stocked up.  And, of course, when we quit, I still had TONS of solids in my inventory!  So I have them all listed for $2.95/yd in both my Etsy and eBay Stores and I wanted you to know while there is still a good selection.  I've got over 20 colors listed!

I'm going to be selling Quilter's Dozen (13) Fat 1/4 Bundles as well so I thought I'd give one away to get started!  Leave me a comment by midnight, Sunday, Sept. 12th.  The drawing will be Monday.  Good Luck!

Have a great week!  Blessings~

Michigan Quilt Barns!

So... when I left you last, I was on a Shop Hop and overheard something that put me back on the road for a new adventure! Just as I began looking at the next shop, I overheard one employee telling another that she didn't know there were Quilt Barns on the Old Mission Peninsula. Well, that's all I had to hear! So we grabbed the map and headed for the Peninsula.



I saw there was a historic lighthouse at the point so we went there first. Fascinating! They were out of brochures telling us where the barns were, so we decided to wing it. I think we found about half of them, but it's a good representation for you to see. I absolutely loved every one of these! Some of the pics are not great due to the angle of the sun, etc. (and most probably the picture taker and her $40 camera), but you'll get the idea.

This last one (my favorite) was at an Antique Store which of course, I had to check out. Did a little bit of damage to my cash flow, yessiree!

While we were driving around, I saw a strange looking bird in the middle of the road. I told Bill to get closer and look what we saw!

I was hoping he'd open his tail, but no such luck...

The Old Mission Peninsula is very agricultural and we saw lots of wineries and produce stands. They are famous for their Northern Michingan cherries and when Bill wondered if this next picture depicted an applique block, I knew it was time to leave. So we leisurely drove back to Petoskey with lots of great images in our minds for the day.

I've got some more fun things to show you on this trip. Until next time....

Blessings~

Quilting in Northern Michigan ~ Part 1

Can you believe it? When I went to the first quilt shop in this area I found out that a Shop Hop was going on! How lucky is that?? This darling quilt shop, Hearts to Holly, is in Charlevoix, one of the most charming towns I've ever seen. It is owned by Sue (2nd from left) and her daughters, sweet granddaughter and a good friend were there helping out on that busy day.




Sue carries TONS of great fabrics and everything else a quilter needs, all arranged beautifully throughout several rooms. Instead of having 'door' prizes, she gave away 'FLOOR' prizes! They tell everyone to stand on a number and then have a drawing to see who wins. It looked like great fun!




















Now, get this..... I'm browsing the books, and lo and behold! My eyes land on 'Sugar Sack Quilts'!! Well, being the dork that I am, I shout out, "Oh! You have my book!!". Immediately, several people look at me thinking that I am awfully weird to get so excited to see a book that I have already purchased, available in another quilt shop! Then of course, I have to explain. They were very nice to Miss Blabbermouth and sisters Sharon and Judy even bought themselves a copy since I was there to sign it. Maybe that made up for my outburst.

Anyhow, everyone was delightful and the experience was a perfect way to start my day. After bidding Adieu, I was off to the next shop. A few miles down the road to Bellaire and I entered another wonderful shop, Cousins Quilt Shop.

I found very little in common with the 2 shops which is what you hope for. This shop carried LOTS of Batiks and Wool. I especially liked the vintage pieces that were used for display.

So after a good amount of time, I was off to the next shop to look for more treasures. Shortly after I arrived, though, I heard something that made me abandon the Shop Hop altogether and head for parts unknown! Stay tuned for the next installment to see what it was that got me back on the road.....

Blessings~

Greetings from Petoskey, MI!!

Well, when they tell me that we're going to have a string of 100-105 degree days, I say it's time to get the heck out of Dodge! So we hopped in the motorhome and took off for Michigan! I've never been here before and it is wonderful! I thought you might enjoy some photos of where we are and what we've seen. If any of you are familiar with this area and have ideas for food or things to see, please leave a comment and let me know!

We're in a gorgeous RV Resort. Here's our front view [Pardon the SUPER BLUE HUE on these photos!!-- Don't know where that's coming from.... Ummm--Do ya think it could be because I forgot my camera and had to buy a $40 cheapo???] :-(

These Lake Michigan towns are some of the most charming I've ever seen. I had no idea. You almost feel like you're back in the 50's with the laid back and carefree attitude of the area. Of course, many of these folks are summer only and will head back to real life when the fall comes, I'm sure. Here's a view of Lake Charlevoix. There are some amazing boats to be seen around here!

Also in Charlevoix is an area of homes that were built by a famous architect named Earl Young. I guess people come from all over to see them. They are referred to as "mushroom houses". Very charming! Here's a pic of one of them:

Yesterday we took a 20 mile trip along Lake Michigan through the Tunnel of Trees....

We got to an area called Good Hart absolutely in the middle of nothing, but you could buy crepes from a trailer if you wanted to! How cool is that??

Then we went to a Polish restaurant that has been around for over 80 years! Again, in the middle of nowhere and with people standing in lines to get in! It's called Legs because the entire top of the roof is lined with old kitchen stove legs! We ate in the garden...

Across the street was this wonderful old Presbyterian Church:

Then returning home, this was our view of the sunset.....

It has been great to see things we've never seen before. I've never spent time this far east and it is such a wonderful part of the country. Tuesday we're off to Mackinac Island for the day. I'm hoping to see some quilt shops in Northern Michigan and give you an idea of what's going on around here quilt-wise. I find it interesting that there have been no quilt artists in the galleries we've been in. Any thought as to why?

Blessings~

How Nice!

If you haven't visited the Quilt Inspirations blog, take a minute and check it out. They feature several quilts by theme in their posts. Not long ago they talked a bit about my Rickrack Baskets pattern which is now part of "Sugar Sack Quilts".

This week they're featuring Nautical Quilts and included my Sailing Sailing quilt that I recently told you about in a blog post. I think they do a great job. Enjoy!

Hope you're having a great week! Blessings~

Took a Little Break!

Happy belated 4th of July!! We just got back from a month in Santa Fe. Decided to head out there and enjoy some cooler, drier weather at the end of May. Well, the air was drier for sure, but we were there to witness Santa Fe's FIRST EVER 100 degree day! Great!! At least it felt like 100 instead of 112 with Tulsa's humidity!

We had a wonderful time visiting old friends and making new ones in the RV park. That's the greatest thing about RVing. You make instant friends and keep some of them forever! I don't know about you, but I've never stayed in a motel and made friends with someone who I went to dinner with later that day! It is a nice lifestyle for sure.....

I actually did a little sewing while there. Believe me, LITTLE is the operative word! I wanted to show you my set up, though. I had bought one of those little portable tables that has a cutout for your machine some time ago. We also purchased a couple of small adjustable chairs on rollers from IKEA to use instead of the regular dining chairs. It all worked out great! I guess I don't need all that space upstairs after all :-) Please excuse the mess in the pictures---

So back to work for me at least until next trip! Have a great week---

Blessings~