Sewing Therapy

Good Morning!

For the first time in a month, we're home for the weekend. And, since we've barely been home all month, my "to do list" is pretty lengthy. Nothing exciting, just the usual accumulation of dirty laundry, unopened mail, and assorted piles of "stuff" to sort through and tidy up.

Our usual level of chaos is heightened by the realization that we fly to Pittsburgh for International Quilt Market in 10 days. So much to do before we leave, so little time.

Feeling overwhelmed yesterday, instead of doing everything I should be doing, I took the easy route: I did nearly nothing. Matthew and I snuggled, read stories, and watched a movie. Then, we opened the windows to the sounds and smells of spring, wrapped in quilts to warm us from the chilly air, and slept.

After supper, I finally felt able to "face the day". I retreated to the sewing room, intent on accomplishing something. This may sound crazy, but sometimes I use quilting as a reward for each "mental check-mark" on my to do list. Fold a load of laundry... check. Square up the blocks. Unload the dishwasher... check. Join blocks into rows. Tidy the kitchen... check. Join the rows together.

Bit by bit, seam by seam, task by task, I cross chores off the list, and piece my quilt tops.
Later on, with a tidy house and empty laundry basket, I rewarded myself with some "serious sewing time". Uninterrupted, focused, and organized, I made good headway on the "Apricot Morning Bars" quilt top. The hum of my sewing machine and the sound of my music woke Wesley around 2 am, and he wandered into the sewing room. Bleary eyed and tired, he volunteered to square up my blocks & press for me. A couple hours later, our top was done except for sashing & borders (photo left), and I fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of sharp points, and stubborn bias edges.

As I worked, I thought about quilters across the world, and wondered how many of them were also sewing. I'm certain many of our overseas customers were busy stitching. And, without a doubt, professional pattern designers and quilters working with the fabric companies are spending many late nights quilting. In a mad rush to get ready for quilt market, these stitchers are sewing day and night with the newest fabric collections to make sample quilts for market. They face a daunting deadline... they must design a stunning pattern, then piece, quilt, bind & ship their quilts to the show... sometimes with an incredibly fast turn around time.

But, I also thought about a mom with her young kids finally in bed for the night, stealing some quiet time. She's sewing at the kitchen table, careful not to wake anyone. A cup of coffee in her right hand, the pattern in her left, she studies it carefully. She doesn't want to make any mistakes now... it's late and she's tired, but she wants to get her blocks sewn together before she packs up for the night.

I imagined a grandma binding a quilt for a new baby, carefully folding her finished project before she goes to bed. She smooths it flat, and turns out the light. The quilt will be one of the first things the newborn will feel, soft and warm, every stitch sewn with love.

Quilting unites us. It offers us an escape from the chaos, the worries, and the stress of daily life. It gives us the chance to create, to build, and to express our love. For many, quilting is "our therapy"...soothing, healing, relaxing and inspiring.

Have you rewarded yourself with some "serious sewing time" lately?

If you haven't, I give you permission... you deserve it!

My "Reward Sewing" project was this sweet little quilt top, called the "Bye-Bye Baby" naptime quilt. The quilt uses a variety of Lakehouse prints from the "Cherry Baby" collection: a pretty mixture of pink, white, and robin blue. As we tidied up the Lakehouse collection for clearance, I was able to cut a number of "Bye-Bye Baby" quilt kits, and coordinating Diaper Bag kits. I also added backings to all of the other kits in this category, and the short bolts have been measured for 30% "All or None" clearance. With my "scrap pile" I'll plan to make a number of these little quilt tops... I pieced a couple of them last night (one for a store sample, one for a gift), and still have scraps left. Although the finished size is small (28" x 28"), the tops go together quickly, and the quilt will look great tucked into the matching diaper bag. To make a nice crib size quilt, consider purchasing two kits.

I mentioned last week that we keep Rose busy finishing our UFO's (unfinished objects). This week, she was at it again, as Wesley brought her his partially completed Fractions on a Roll quilt. This clever pattern by Mountainpeek Creations uses just two jelly rolls. Wesley's quilt uses the "Citrus Marble" roll, combined with an "Oreo" roll (just black), and the result is stunning. An eye-catching optical illusion occurs when you look at the quilt, as bright rectangles seem to jump off the dark background.



My "serious sewing project" was the "Apricot Morning Bars" quilt, using "Patisserie" turnovers from Moda. "Turnovers" are the newest Moda cut-good, and include (40) 6" squares cut in half, creating (80) precut triangles. If I could hug the clever person at Moda that came up with the "Turnover" idea, I would! I simply love the convenience of these perfectly coordinated pre-cut pieces of fabric. Not to mention, Joanna Figueroa's lovely "Patisserie" fabric collection, her "Pastry Shoppe" pattern book (exclusively featuring Turnovers), all designed in her trademark fresh vintage style.... It's just "Icing on the Cake!"

I made a mental note last night to be sure to mention Aurifil Thread in the newsletter today. In all honesty, this thread has changed my life. (Ok, laugh if you want to... but if you need verification you can ask my quilting friends... because it changed their lives too!) The 50 weight Aurifil is incredibly smooth and lint-free cotton thread. It fills a bobbin so full that you can sew for hours without rewinding. And, the standard 1300 m (1422 yard) spool seems to last "forever"... (Ok, not forever, but a really, really, long time).

The packet shown here is a "Aurifil Sewing and Hand Applique Thread Set", available in a variety of nice assortments. Each packet includes 12 spools of Cotton Mako 50wt 220 Yards each. These are the packets included in our "Aurifil Thread Pack of the Month" club, an auto-ship program that runs indefinitely. Click here to learn about the program.

A shopper recently mentioned that once she switched to sewing with good thread, she had to give away/throw away all of her dime store thread, because she couldn't stand to use it anymore. She said, "I'm hooked for life... there's no turning back!"

Have a great week! ~ Laura & the staff at Dakota Cabin Quilts

To Follow: Popular Essays from Older Newsletters

Thursday, June 25.

Our blog is officially open! I've spent most of the day learning to use the blogspot program, and adding the most recent editions of the newsletter in chronological order.

Sorry, I simply don't have the time to archive all of the previous newsletters on this blog. I'm so excited to get some new material on the blog... and we need to move forward. All future editions of the newsletter will be included in the blog.

I've faithfully written a newsletter every week for at least 5 years... that's over 250 essays... thousands of photos, and lots and lots of text.

But, as requested by many, I'll post the most popular essays in the archive. If you don't see one of your favorites, let us know and we'll add it.

~ Laura

From 1 to 20,000: We're Celebrating at DCQ!

Good morning!

This week, dakotacabinquilts.com will ship our 20,000th online order!

First, a little history. In the spring of 2002, while pregnant with Matthew, I decided I wanted to make a baby quilt for his nursery. My friend Kathleen helped me get started, and introduced me to rotary cutting. I made my first quilt, a checkerboard design, by piecing dozens of 2" squares. I carefully arranged and rearranged the little blue & white squares on a makeshift design wall in our kitchen. In retrospect, the quilt really should have been strip-pieced.

But, I finally completed the top, took it to a long-arm quilter for quilting. Amazingly, I had the quilt ready long before my baby was due, so I stitched bumper pads, a matching crib skirt, and other nursery accessories. Soon, I stitched a blue and yellow "yellow brick road" and made my first rag quilt. (Matthew & Aimee snuggle on these, in the top photo).

The quilting bug hit me hard. Within months, I had a substantial stash of fabric, books, patterns & tools. I had plenty of unfinished projects, and a few finished ones.

Wesley jokingly tells people I decided to open a quilt shop because I wanted to buy my fabric at cost. To be honest, that thought did cross my mind. But, it was more than that! I wanted to share my newfound passion for quilting with others, and we recognized the need for a quilt shop in our rural area. Local quilters were traveling great distances to quilt shops, and many were shopping online for their supplies.

In September 2003, we wrote a business plan, borrowed $5000, and hesitantly ordered some notions, patterns, a collection of Western flannel, and some fat quarter bundles. Wesley asked how many hours a week I thought I might need his help. I naively replied, "Oh, an hour or two at the most!"

Working out of our basement, we started to sell fabric & quilt kits on E-bay, and at local craft & quilt shows, then moved into a corner of the Fried Photography studio in November 2003. Thanks to Dawn and Duane Fried’s generosity and help, our customers could shop for quilt kits, books, patterns, thread, and notions. In May 2004, we purchased a beautiful 2700 square foot retail store-front from the City of Hettinger. Our dream of having a full-service quilt-shop was realized. Our website opened for business in July of that year.

I'll never forget the excitement we felt when the first internet order arrived. Friday, July 23rd, 2004: Invoice a100001, we shipped $56.00 in merchandise to a quilter in Wyoming.

At first, we had between one and three orders every day. Larissa worked day after day to add more items to the website, and when she returned to college at the summer we had about a thousand items in the catalog.

As of today, we have 7000 items online, and we're approaching Invoice a120000, confirmation of 20,000 online orders.

We sincerely appreciate your business, and look forward to our future together! ~ The Dakota Cabin Quilts Family.

A Magical Frost

The beauty of winter in the Dakotas continues to amaze and inspire me. We woke Monday morning to a dazzling hoarfrost. Coated in sparkling ice crystals, our little town sparkled like a magical winter wonderland.

According to Wikipedia,"hoarfrost (also called radiation frost or hoarfrost) refers to the white ice crystals, loosely deposited on the ground or exposed objects, that form on cold clear nights when heat losses into the open skies cause objects to become colder than the surrounding air."

Despite the clear meteorological explanation for the phenomenon, I can't help but imagine things differently. As I drove Matthew to school, we were dazzled by the beauty. We imagined a lovely wintertime fairy, fluttering from tree to tree, shrub to shrub, gently flicking her magic wand, creating the marvel we saw before us. No branch or bush was left untouched, and each creation was more beautiful than the last.

A little later, Wesley spent an hour or so exploring the outdoors, camera in hand, capturing the beauty of the morning. A bunny watched him with interest as he snapped her picture. He took these photos (and dozens more) just outside town.

Winter in the Dakotas can also be harsh and treacherous. Dangerously low wind chills and hazardous road conditions unfortunately result in many accidents and injuries during our long winter season. Countless broken bones result from slippery streets and sidewalks, and many homes face days without phone or electricity during blizzards and ice storms.

Ranchers work tirelessly to protect their herds from the elements. It is a constant task to keep water tanks from freezing, feed bunks full, and fences in place as winter snow drifts accumulate. In some places, the tall drifts are so hard packed that the cattle can walk right over the fence.

For most ranchers, it's also calving season! Gayla arrived at work a little late on Thursday morning... commenting that she had a "delivery" in the night. In the middle of the night, her husband Bob left the house to check their herd. Gayla knew there was a problem when she heard his pick-up return, but he left it running in the driveway. She quickly dressed and went out to help him. A little later, she helped him deliver a precious set of twin calves, and is happy to report that the babies are doing well.

Fortunately, Mother Nature graciously grants us frequent gifts to make up for the winter chill. Last week, I was treated to a glorious sunrise. This week, a dazzling hoarfrost. I can't wait to discover unexpected beauty in the weeks ahead. And, once we get through March, spring will be right around the corner!

A Dakota Sunrise

Good Morning.

Just before 7 am yesterday, I left the house in a rush. Extra strong coffee in my extra large mug, frazzled and hurried, too many things to do and not enough time to do them.

As I rounded a corner on our gravel road, I came face to face with a stunning winter scene. The gentle pink glow of early sunrise peeked through the clouds, just a hint of the the beauty to come.

At first, I had to fight the impulse to plow ahead with the plan for my morning... I had places to go and things to do!

But, calm prevailed. I stopped driving, and stepped out into the crisp, silent winter morning to take a picture. I sipped my coffee, warming my bare hands on the hot mug. I watched as the pink glow became soft orange.

Drawn into the beauty, I drove a little further to find a better vantage point for my pictures. I watched with wonder, as the sun rose above the snowy horizon, its rays illuminating the farms and pastures on the horizon. The orange glow intensified, and a fiery ball appeared for just a minute.

It happened too quickly. Before I knew it, the beautiful sunrise was over, and the scene became ordinary again. A pale yellow glow remained, and the sun was hidden behind the thick clouds.
I considered the difference between a sunrise and a sunset. A sunrise holds the promise of things to come. Like the first page of a new book, or the first stitch in a quilt, a sunrise is full of delight and hidden potential. A new beginning... a fresh start... a time of rebirth.

The sunrise reminded me of how fleeting some experiences can be. Some of the most precious gifts in life are very transient, and we don't always get a second chance to seize the moment. Each day, many blessings,opportunities and choices are available to us, but it is our choice whether we embrace or ignore them.

I was reminded of a happy childhood memory. My dad, a notorious "morning person", always rose long before dawn. When we made our occasional family shopping trip from Milk River, Alberta to Great Falls, Montana, he insisted we get an early start. This meant leaving in the dark. I'd start the trip grumpy, tired, cold, and hungry, and usually sleep the first hour or so. But, Dad always woke me up so I could watch the sunrise over the Sweetgrass Mountains. We'd watch in silence as we drove along, enjoying the beautiful sight.

Then, we'd stop in Conrad, Montana, at a bustling cafe for breakfast. I'd savor every bite of a homemade caramel roll, still warm from the oven, and a tall glass of icy cold milk. The place would be packed with farmers, ranchers, and the early "coffee crowd". I was always amazed at how many people were up and around at that early hour. Dad would remind me that many of the people had probably put in a few hours of work by that time, and jokingly say "for some of them, the day's half over by now".

I spent a few minutes reflecting and remembering, before I put the SUV in gear, and drove toward town. I noticed with surprise that I wasn't nearly as late as I thought I would be.
My sunrise experience had a lasting effect. I felt calm and collected the entire day, and accomplished everything on my "to do list" and more.

Welcome Baby New Year

Good morning!

As part of his Chamber of Commerce responsibilities, Wesley spent the day yesterday visiting local businesses, gathering presents for Hettinger's New Year's Baby. As he carefully assembled an overflowing basket of goodies, I wondered about the origin of this tradition, and did a little research.

I found this old image of a 19th century Father Time & Baby New Year on Wikipedia. I think the contrast between young and old is especially lovely.

Historians believe that the tradition of "Baby New Year" originated in Greece around 600 BC. In celebration of Dionysus, the god of wine, the ancient Greeks paraded a baby in a basket, to represent the annual rebirth of Dionysus as the spirit of fertility. Historically, Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.

Early Christians denounced this practice as pagan, but the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church eventually allowed Christians to celebrate the new year with a the image of a baby, but specified that it was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.

The Germans brought their traditional New Year's Banner adorned with the image of a baby to early America. This German tradition had been popular since the fourteenth century.
In modern times, Baby New Year symbolizes the young year ahead, and old Father Time reminds us of how the previous year has aged.

Due to the generosity of our local businesses, our Baby New Year and her parents should have a wonderful experience with this time honored tradition.

I'm glad I spent some time learning about the history behind the tradition. As I struggle to remember to write "2009" instead of "2008", and I try to stick to some of my pesky "New Year's Resolutions", I'll think of Father Time's clock ticking away, with Baby New Year snuggled in his arms. A new year is upon us, and is filled with joy, promise, hope, and rebirth!

Happy New Year from Dakota Cabin Quilts!

A Starry Night

Good morning!

Our week of Christmas celebrations continues, as we spend the weekend at the Cvach family ranch near Midland, SD. Despite our best intentions to arrive early yesterday, the sun was setting as we drove south of Faith toward the ranch. Like the branches on a tree, the road to the ranch became narrower and more winding, the further we drove from town. Already sparse, the traffic became nearly non-existent. As the road gently followed the prairie ridges you could see yard lights from distant ranches twinkling in the distance, a bit brighter than usual due to plentiful Christmas decorations.

A mile from Kim & Russel's house, Wesley stopped the car, so I could let Sox out for a little exercise across the prairie. Kim & Russel have a beautiful new home overlooking Indian Creek. They built the house themselves this past spring, working side by side with Wesley's mom Gaynold and her husband Tony. The home is located a mile or so, from the ranch Wesley grew up on. Wesley's great grandparents, the Miles family, homesteaded across the creek to the northeast on a hillside you can see from the house.

In wet weather, the road to the house gets too muddy for a car, and the family uses a four wheeler to get in and out. But, in cold weather like this, the road is just fine, gently winding its way across the prairie toward the welcoming house in the distance.

I stepped out of the car to let the dog out, and was stunned by the beauty of the prairie sky. The night was clear and crisp, with no hint of wind. In the inky blackness, the stars twinkled with an intensity I've seldom experienced. I felt like I could reach up and touch the heavens. The silence was overwhelming.

Climbing back into the car, I asked Wesley to open the sunroof. Matthew unbuckled from his car seat, and climbed up onto the armrest, stretching his head and shoulders through the roof up into the night. We sat in silence, soaking up the awesome sight.

Matthew asked, "Is that Heaven?".

"Yes, I think it is," I replied peacefully.