Lucy Boston week 104…grand finale

good afternoon! we are nearing the end of the day over here…hopefully i can squeeze in enough time to finish up some machine quilting…we’ll see what happens with that.

if you have not already heard…or seen over on instagram or facebook…Lucy’s Summer Cottage is officially finished. I quilted, bound, and washed her…had her all ready for a photo shoot outside, but it has been raining. So we’ve put her up in the shoppe and maybe in late July we’ll get a chance to take some pictures.

i do have a few for you though…this was fresh out of the dryer. it shrank up to be simply cozy…truly perfect for a summer cottage!

Lucy’s Summer Cottage

She is up in the shoppe if you are in the area…she’s always up for a visit…as is her civil war sister!

Lucy’s Summer Cottage…and Hexie Stones

Lucy’s Summer Cottage…close-up

Civil War Lucy Boston…Patchwork of the Crosses

Both Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses are on display in the shoppe…we do also have some of the block kits still available…but they are selling out fast.

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i have other projects in the works…and about 15 minutes ago…thought of another project that i’m going to add to the list…never a dull moment…however, the next few i think will be framed pieces….far more doable and who doesn’t love a little quilty piece framed?

so…this will be the final Lucy Tuesday post…if you would like to start from the beginner 100+ posts ago…they have their own category…be sure to check it out below.

otherwise, i’ll be back later this week with my frothy yoyos…(they are so scrumptious…i just LOVE ’em!)…it is framed (of course!) and uses shirtings (of course!) and each shirting is different (of course! cuz you know i love low volume!) and i’ll have it kitted so you can frame it or stuff it or whatever…

(i also finally got my birthday present at the MN Quilt Show…a CRAZY QUILT! and you guessed it…it is here at the shoppe…to inspire you to get started on your own. it has the perfect-est feather stitching along with some ribbon embroidery, basic embroidery, and fun motifs. i’m hoping to put together crazy quilt packs with some fancy fabrics, threads, ribbons, lace, buttons, embellishments, beads, and other little fun things…all in good time. we do have a selection of the most amazing stitch books…like, literally, WOW!)

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okay…i’d better get back to my machine quilting. hope you have a wonderful afternoon! i’ll be back with some pictures of Minnie (the crazy quilt has the name “Minnie” stitched on it) along with in-progress shots of a few of my on-going projects.

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Now before i say good-bye to Lucy Tuesdays, i would like to thank everyone who has been following along…it has been so much fun seeing the progress made from week to week (or month to month depending upon life) and chatting with you when you’ve popped into the shoppe or seen us at a show. We’ll be sure she comes along with us this fall…so if you can’t get into the shoppe…you can catch us at a show.

happy stitching…i’ll be back soon with some new goodies!

—–april&mickey {sweetwater}

lucy boston week 103

we are back from Omaha and are changing gears to get ready for Quilt Minnesota and our fall shows…(how is 2019 about half over…and how is it already the end of june?)

Quilt Minnesota fabric is in-store and ready for your preorders…just pop in and we’ll get you set up! mom and i haven’t had a chance to even untape some of the bolts…too much going on…and now mom and dad are going on a mini vacation starting tomorrow thru sunday! i’ll be around though…whipping up some kits, machine quilting, posting online and placing orders for fun, new things!

lucy’s summer cottage is nearing the finish line! i have 7+ rows on…(can you believe it!) the pic below shows 7 and Lola-Bear.

Lucy’s Summer Cottage 7 rows

i think i only have 4-5 blocks left to stitch on row 8 then i’m all done…hopefully tonight…if i hunker down and stitch till the wee hours! i’m seeing lots of coffee in my evening!

i’d better get stitching! have a wonderful evening!

—april&mickey

Lucy week 102…and a new baby (finally!)

i know it is a little late today for my weekly blog post…lots happened since last tuesday.

we vendored at the Minnesota Quilters quilt show in rochester. we had a blast…catching up with faraway friends, meeting new friends, and sharing our love of quilting. (a quick shout-out to all the lovely quilters that stopped by, said hi, and made it a very wonderful show! we’ll see you in st. cloud in june 2020.)

Minnesota Quilters quilt show…rochester, mn

Then on Sunday, June 16 at 10:47pm, Braxton Xavier Zimmer-Hoff joined the family. 7lbs 11oz, 20 1/2 inches long…blue eyes and blond hair.

braxton

baby punk

me and b…a little blurry, but cute as pie…10 hours old

Lastly…lucy update…i have all the sashing and cornerstone pieces stitched on…just have to have a spare few hours to get some stitching done. I have row 7 block 1 stitched on…and am currently in the middle of row 7 block 2…but remembered that i had not gotten the blog post out yet.

hopefully next week i’ll be able to show you a pic of lucy rows 1-7…fingers crossed!

have a wonderful evening! mom and i are packing for Omaha tomorrow then back on the road again on Thursday…then we can settle in for a couple months…work on some projects, fluff the website and the shop!

————-sweet christmas kits featuring the vintage style frosty have arrived…and is first on mom’s list! we have some kits that are available here.——-

sweet christmas 60 x 72 inches

i’d better get back to my coffee, perry mason, and row 7…

happy stitching!
—–april & mickey

Lucy week 101…6 rows

good afternoon! Mom and i are about to start loading for the Minnesota Quilt Show this weekend…but i thought i would pop in for a quick minute and give you an update.

I’ve gotten row 6 stitched on.

lucy boston 6 rows

just 2 more rows to go…i’ve gotten the sashing and cornerstones stitched to the row 7 blocks and decided to go ahead and do the same with the row 8 blocks…so once i get started i can get everything stitched on and be done…i have such a long list of little projects i want to stitch that getting this big one out of the way would be really nice.

–no worries in regards to Mrs. Billings…she’s on the agenda…just a slow process because i am loving working with so many different prints.–

**some of you probably know that Melany (my sister) is having a baby…which was due June 7th…so far no baby…but it’s looking like he will arrive early next week. we are so excited…every time her or Ty call…we are like…”anything happening?” hopefully lucy week 102 is the week i become an auntie!!**

anyways…Lucy 6 rows on…2 left. it is so much fun seeing the blocks come together. i just finished up block 47 after many weeks of talking about it. i ended up switching out the white on white for a grey stripe (i lost a white on white honeycomb and could not find any more of the fabric).

and as always…here is a link to the Lucy Boston goodies over on the website…keep in mind that some blocks are already sold out…and with 2 back to back big show weekends…the Lucy Block department may look a little skinny come end of June…so if there is a block you can’t live without…hopefully we still have one of you. Here is the link to anything Lucy Boston on the website…Lucy Boston.

well, it looks like mom is getting started on packing…so i’d best get going.

have a wonderful weekend! if you are down in the rochester area…be sure to stop by the Minnesota Quilt Show and check it out…be sure to stop by our booth and say hi!

happy stitching and have a wonderful June Weekend!

—april&mickey

***Sweet Christmas Frosty kits are arriving on Friday…so if you’re on the hunt for one, we’ll have them! Tina will be here on Friday so she’ll be unpacking and getting them out on the floor for us***

Lucy week 100

as we get our 2nd round of storms this afternoon i thought i would take a moment and pop in and give you a Lucy update.

I have finished putting on row 5 and have started stitching the sashing and cornerstones onto row 6.

Lucy’s Summer Cottage…5 rows

Mom and Tina are heading down to Sioux Falls for the Siouxland Ren Fest…so i’ll have all weekend to this hard…maybe get row 6 on….maybe! or maybe i’ll switch over to some embroidery or the frothy yoyos…hmmm…

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Quilt Minnesota Fabric has arrived…we’ve been so busy with family stuff over this last weekend…saturday was a grad party on dad’s side and a wedding on mom’s and sunday was the day to finish up the fence at mel and ty’s before the baby comes…so we’ve been doing a lot of running around like crazy ladies. Be sure to pop in and get your order placed and cut and set aside…so you won’t have to wait in line during the hop! More on our incentive and the dollar ditty info coming later this week!

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New Christmas fabrics are arriving…yes…i know…Christmas already…but it is super sweet…

Merry Merry Snow Days by Bunny Hill is of course delightful. Her signature style of tiny delicate prints and fun colors make this a must! We’ve ordered in extra mini charms so we can whip up a Confetti and have lots of kits for you. It also blends wonderfully with Swell Christmas, Good Tidings, and Sweet Christmas…it is a perfect combination if you are looking for the retro, classic Christmas feel.

Merry Merry Snow Days…mini charms

Merry Merry Snow Days features a combination of pink, snow white, grey, taupe, spearmint, evergreen, and red. our cherry-picked yardage is arriving thursday, and i’ve gotten them online already…i’m actually ahead of things for a hot minute!

i thought i had already posted info on holiday lodge but a look through the blog posts shows i have not…so here it is…lots of charcoal, red, white, and green…perfect for a quick sleigh ride throw…Mom has a project planned, so be on the lookout…yardage, panel, and curated bundles are online and ready to ship…here.

our holiday lodge curated bundles include the panel and 7 fat quarters

looks like it’s almost time to hit the road…i’m having dinner with my longest friend…25+ years…we are getting some Chinese in Cold Spring (if you are looking for some good Chinese food…the Phoenix Too in Cold Spring is yummy…we’ve been a loyal customer since they were in the Crossroads Mall.)

have a wonderful evening! ———april & mickey

PS here is the link to the Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch *though it is more of a crumble…even with the oatmeal.

Lucy Boston Week 98 & 99

good afternoon! the day is almost over, but i couldn’t take off for dinner with monica before popping on here and sharing some progress…yes…some progress!

first off…here is all my stuff! i am not very organized usually but i when it comes to working on something like this i strive to have everything in its place. the quilt top is always folded in as to not get dirty…plus i love the back…i can see all the work that has gone into it. I have been using a Simplicity vintage collection tin as a place to keep all my threads, extra paper, (final block that i need to piece), a smaller tin is full of the squares as i pull them out. I’m pretty sure i have all the sashings, cornerstones, border sashings, and border cornerstones pieced…just need to be putting them on. I only have the corners to finish since i wasn’t going to crack open another bag of 100 honeys for 8.

Lucy Boston organization

Row 5…i have the first row 5 block ready to stitch onto rows 1-4 but i’ve found that if i get all the sashings and cornerstones on first then in a couple days i can get the row on…

Lucy Boston row 5

Sashings…all stitched together and ready to rock.

Lucy Boston sashings in a bag by themselves

The cornerstones and border pieces are in a bag together.

Lucy Boston border pieces and cornerstones all organized.

one lonely honeycomb…found it on the front seat of the car…

Lucy Boston

and as always…we’ve been selling out of some Lucy Blocks…you can take a look at what’s left along with lovely prints that would be wonderful fussy cut for Lucy’s…here.

So hopefully i’ll be back with more progress next week! We also have other fun things on the horizon…frothy yoyos, Christmas goodies, EdMar Brazilian Embroidery, and Quilt Minnesota fabrics arrive tomorrow!

happy stitching! have a wonderful afternoon! –april&mickey

(a bit of trivia…today marks 20 years since i graduated high school! how can that possibly be???!!!)

Lucy Tuesdays week 97

happy tuesday! it has been a whirlwind since last week…we spent the weekend at the Festival of Quilts in Fergus Falls…we had a wonderful time! the quilters were wonderful and i haven’t really been up in Fergus since i graduated from FFCC in 2001.

Now we can relax for about a month…then off to Rochester then Omaha…i’m still pinning down our June so be on the lookout for our hours.

Mom and i have been dreaming up new projects, cutting up new bundles, and loving the new fun little things that have been arriving.

today i had a chance to cut up some new Jo’s Shirting bundles…right now though i only have 3 bundle of all 16 prints.

Jo’s Shirtings

these are the prints we still have in stock right now…

jo’s shirtings

we’ve added a couple, and i’ve finished off a few bolts cutting up some bundles…

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Lucy Boston progress…still working on getting those sashings and cornerstones finished up…hopefully tomorrow on my day off i can really get going on those…

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looks like it is time to go…

happy stitching!

—-april&mickey

Lucy Tuesday week 94 & 95

I’m halfway! i had originally planned on having it done by my birthday (today) but that didn’t really work out…however, i do have all the pink around all the 4-patch cornerstones and 18 or so sashings stitched. I’m getting impatient now when it comes to the sashings and cornerstones so i think i’m going to go through and piece all those so i can just go to town on stitching on the blocks.

Hopefully you’ve been stitching on yours! i’d love to see pics…if you’d like to see my progress…i try and post to instagram at least once a week…or check my instagram Lucy highlights for more pics.

Lucy’s Summer Cottage…halfway

and as always we still have some block kits left…you can check out what’s left here.

happy tuesday! –april&mickey

Lucy Tuesdays week 93…+ some geese in the garden

good evening! i know it is a little late, but the day got away from me then dinner with Monica then back to the shop for a little gather up, trim up, and pack up.

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Lucy is coming along wonderfully…i’m just about to start putting on row 4…all the sashings and cornerstones are done…plus a few extras as seed for the next row…now just need to start stitching them on. hopefully tomorrow i’ll be able to get a couple blocks on…it is my day off…so here’s hoping.

we’ve finally finished up Geese in the Garden featuring Garden Variety by Lella Boutique. Her fabrics are just the sweetest…they look so pretty mixed with white…her newest collection came in late last week…Lollipop Garden…they 2 collections look wonderful in the cupboard by the bed.

geese in the garden…on the bed in the window for Easter.

geese in the garden

geese in the garden…i just love those blocks with the white…yum!

delectable lollipop garden variety…the pinks are at the head of the bed…i’m planning a combo bundle of the entire grouping of both.

we have the geese in the garden kits ready to go…link is here if you fancy a gander.

–keep an eye out … we have a few more Treehouse Textiles pattern, acrylic, and paper packs to share with you along with some new chunky threads, embroidery threads, and DMC thread tins…all in good time!

happy stitching!
–april&mickey

Lucy Tuesdays week 92

good afternoon! hopefully everyone has had a wonderful weekend and Monday. i had an impromptu monday at home due to a morning migraine…too busy of a weekend getting ready for Melany’s baby shower on Sunday. But now that is over and we had a wonderful time and have lots of candy from the candy bar left…and are now eagerly awaiting his arrival in June.

i did get a little bit of stitching in yesterday afternoon and evening! i even had a chance to use my new pink coffee mug…which i kinda love a lot.

mom and i are getting ready for our next 2 shows…Fargo and Fergus Falls…which are on back to back weekends–the first 2 weekends of May.

i finally had a moment to get Sweet Violet bundles listed online…you can grab one here if you like!

we have some new goodies on the way!

Susanna’s Scraps fat quarter and fat 8th bundles shipped yesterday and will be here thursday (hopefully the storm will blow by us so we can be here to greet UPS)!

Lollipop Garden by Lella Boutique…our cherry-picked collection of prints will be arriving on Friday. lovely orchid, pinkberry, raspberry, sky and apple colored summery prints…scrumptious!

have a wonderful evening!

happy stitching! –april & mickey