The Quilted Sunflower: A Virtual Visit

Greetings friends - I have a very special treat for you today...come take a walk with me through my local quilt shop - The Quilted Sunflower! 

As my regular readers know, moving to Kansas was not easy for this born and raised Iowa girl...and I definitely have struggled to find my way. One of the things I was most concerned about, was finding a welcoming local quilt shop (I was spoiled in Iowa!). A month before we made the move to Kansas, I found out there was actually a quilt shop in the small town where our new home would be located. I decided to reach out to the owner via a direct message on Instagram...her response was extremely heartwarming. Leslie wrote back to me almost immediately, welcoming me to Spring Hill...and this will tell you how wonderful she is...she gave me her cell phone number...yes, you heard me correctly, her cell phone number...and told me to reach out to her if I needed anything. That one message gave me so much comfort and peace of mind...and I just knew I had found a new quilting home. Once we were settled and I made my first trip to The Quilted Sunflower, I found the shop to be just as charming and delightful as I expected. 

There are so many things I adore about this small town shop located on Historic Main Street in Spring Hill, KS. First of all, the customer service is top notch...you feel important and welcomed the second you walk in the door...these ladies are truly THE BEST. Next - the inventory is incredible - the latest fabrics, notions and books/patterns...a little bit of everything...even embroidery floss! Every time I need something special for one of my projects or a certain fabric for a customer order, I have been able to find exactly what I need. However, what speaks to me the most, is the passion - in this past year of challenges, this small business rose to the occasion and found extra ways to take care of their customers - like scheduled shopping times, curbside delivery, mail order, and BOTM/BOTD with videos to help you with the project(s) at home...and my personal favorite, the Facebook Live events every week, showcasing new items, "deal of the day", "skinny bolts", "one and done" and "Quilter's Showcase." This is a small business that truly appreciates the customer and it is notably evident on a daily basis. Of course, The Quilted Sunflower has an incredible selection of sunflower fabrics and gift items...and more quilt panels than I have ever seen in one shop. They also support other small business in the area, by selling handmade greeting cards from a local artist and seasoning packets with recipes from another Main Street establishment. Plus, as you read in my last post - Leslie has not one, but TWO longarm quilting machines that are always humming along, finishing quilts for her customers (she did the adorable quilting on my Good for the Goose quilt!).

I hope if you are in the KC area...or simply traveling through, you will make a trip to Spring Hill and visit the ladies at The Quilted Sunflower. You can also order through the user-friendly website or give them a call...and if you are looking for a longarm quilter, she would be happy to assist you (in person or you can ship). Plus, don't miss the Facebook Live every Monday at 2:00 PM. This happy, small town quilt shop - filled with creative inspiration - is a big part of the reason I have "found my joy" in Kansas!

The Quilted Sunflower
111 S Main St
Spring Hill, KS  66083
913-592-0100
www.thequiltedsunflower.com
thequiltedsunflower@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quiltedsunflower
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thequiltedsunflower
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thequiltedsunfl

I hope you have enjoyed this virtual visit to my local quilt shop and are inspired to create! Thank you for visiting with me...

Life in Kansas...

Greetings friends - happy Tuesday! I needed a little break from the studio this afternoon and thought I would stop by for a visit. I am starting to feel a little more settled in Kansas and I thought I would share just a bit of what I have been up to the last few weeks.

Creatively - I have been sewing daily - working on customer orders and items for my Etsy shop (all of the bags you see have been listed and some are still available), client finishing (photos will be in a future post) and model stitching new cross stitch designs in the evenings. The creativity is keeping me in my happy place while I adjust to the move.

The sewing room is unpacked and mostly organized - still a work in progress - I have a sewing studio upstairs and a warehouse, cutting room, supply storage and shipping area in the basement. My new sewing room has a nice walk-in closet, of which I am taking full advantage - the shelving is great for supplies and bolts of fabrics/fusibles/stabilizers/batting (I also have additional shelving for these in the basement)...and I found a great new way to store my abundance of zippers by utilizing the clothing bars, loose leaf rings and binder clips - it works wonderfully! Plus, we now live near an IKEA (bonus!) and I finally have my first RÅSKOG Utility Cart, which I adore - I only *need* a few dozen more (a girl can dream).

I also made a trip to the local quilt shop in our new small town of Spring Hill called The Quilted Sunflower - and what a wonderful trip it was! The LQS is located on historic Main Street, which has a nice assortment of quaint shops (reminds me of a smaller Valley Junction). The owner is incredibly friendly and upbeat and made me feel at home immediately...and the shop has a lovely assortment of current fabrics, projects and ideas - it is definitely a positive and inspiring environment. I can't wait until things are a bit more settled here, so I can spend more time there - right now, I am still trying to find a balance.

Quite a few things have happened on the new house front...

We FINALLY have Internet service - who knew how much we would miss it...and it will make my job so much easier!

The new shades (upstairs) and shutter blinds (main floor) have at long last arrived and been installed - wow...having window treatments sure makes a difference - I am so happy with our choices - the shutter blinds are fabulous. I wanted classic window treatments without cords or cables that would be easy to operate and let in tons of light...and they are PERFECT.

I just *had to* to spruce up the front of the house, so I built a couple black rockers and added a couple of my quilted pillows...got a small matching table...and potted a bunch of geraniums (my favorite potted flower). I also planted quite a few perennials in the front flower beds - including: Lavender (my favorite perennial), Sedum, Bee Balm, Astilbe, and Carex - these are a great addition to what was already there - sorry - I don't have a photo to share in this post (look for one in the future).

Our backyard fence has been installed - and although a water leak in the new construction next door currently has our backyard a swamp (complete with frogs!) 😒, the dogs did get to enjoy it for a few weeks (the leak was fixed a couple days ago and hopefully it will start to dry out soon - fingers crossed)...the dogs can't run back there for a few more days, but the baby birds are sure enjoying the fence while they learn to fly...

Shutter blinds in the dining room....

House before porch decoration...

Happy kids after running in the backyard...

Stepping out of my comfort zone, I also decided to take an adult cooking class put on by the Spring Hill Recreation Commission. I enjoy cooking and really didn't need to take a class, but I thought it might help me meet a few people in the area. It was a Cajun cooking class - perfect for me - and we made Shrimp Étouffée. It was a full class of fifteen students, but only six work stations, so it wasn't everything I wanted it to be...but the dish turned out wonderful, I enjoyed a good dinner, and I got out of the house - so, I consider it a win. I may or may not take another class in the future (they teach one a month)...we'll see...

That's just a glimpse of what has been going on here...I'm starting to adjust to Kansas and find my way around. We did make a trip back to Iowa last weekend for a good friend's 50th birthday party - and that helped with my homesickness - I miss "my people" so much...but I know in time I will build some relationships here.

After months of craziness, we are finally taking a long overdue beach vacation next week...and I need it desperately! I am hoping a week out of the country in the sun and sand without an itinerary or cell phone service will refresh and replenish my spirit...

Greetings from Kansas

Hello from Kansas! Just a quick update while the garage door openers are being professionally installed...and then I am off to pick-up Schatzi and Garin from the kennel.

MOVING UPDATE: We left West Des Moines early Monday morning, once we knew everything was good for the closing and headed to Kansas. Although we put the majority of our belongings in storage PODS that will be arriving tomorrow and Monday, we had our Jeeps loaded up with necessities, along with a U-Haul trailer - Travis had the trailer and I had both dogs...it was quite the trip! We dropped off the dogs for boarding and spent Monday night in a hotel getting everything in line with our new house and closing Tuesday morning. All of the documentation was taken care of yesterday and we arrived to our new home in the early afternoon. I was able to go to the local post office and get everything set-up for receiving mail - thank goodness for Google Maps - then I spent the afternoon/evening getting the necessities unloaded and unpacked. With the majority of our belongings arriving over the next week, we are trying to get as many odds and ends done before the craziness starts...

BLUE RIBBON DESIGNS UPDATE: I have my business license in Kansas and paperwork has all been filed. YAY! Next Monday, the storage POD with all of my studio and warehouse items will arrive and I will do my best to get everything put away and be somewhat ready for shipping/receiving orders late next week. It is going to be quite the job to build all the warehouse shelving and get things organized, but once that is complete, I will get the website and Etsy shop turned back on. My goal is to ship distributor and shop orders sometime next week. If you are a current client - I will be sending an e-mail to you with details regarding sewing/finishing/quilting orders. Please be patient just a little while longer while I unpack everything and I hope to be up and running by April 22nd (well that is my plan, barring any complications). Thank you again for your patience during this transition - Wifi may not be available in our area for possibly a couple months, so my response time may delayed...I will do my best to keep in touch!

Leaving our Iowa home...bittersweet....

Arriving at our new home in Spring Hill, KS...beautiful day and
green grass (the sod is taking well)....

New front door - the personalized welcome mat was gift from
our realtor (the first personal touch)....

Our backyard backs up to a farmer's fence and field...this is the first
cow to walk up and say hello to me...yep, this is now what I see
out my back windows...we'll see how the dogs like the cows!

Another lovely gift from our realtor - we will have to find a place for it...
and yes, it is laying on my beautiful new hardwood floors...

I want to thank everyone from our old neighborhood that helped with the move (heavy lifting and therapy sessions across the street). I also want to thank everyone who has sent us words of encouragement and kindness - I truly appreciate it. Finally, to those who placed an order for my first Norwex show - THANK YOU SO MUCH! - I had a great show and I appreciate you.

For now - I'm off to pick-up the dogs and get them acclimated to the new house/yard...plus I have a million errands to run - Google Maps is going to be busy today.

Sunflower Serenade

I'm back to share more Blue Ribbon Designs news with you. Yesterday I shared my big announcement that I have designed a mystery sampler for the Norden Crafts Mystery Sampler Club (thank you all for the very positive feedback!)...and today I am sharing the first of two new releases with you!

I have two new designs ready to start shipping within the next week (Sunflower Serenade and Berries, Birds, and Blooms)...today we will talk about BRD-107 "Sunflower Serenade". This is a Midwest/Kansas-inspired design - it features a few of the Kansas state symbols: the state flower (Sunflower), the state bird (Western Meadowlark), and the state insect (Honeybee). This piece was actually designed for a special class I taught for the Heart's Desire Cross Stitch Camp...but I had so much wonderful feedback, I decided to release it in my regular line. As winter continues to arrive, I thought I would release a couple pieces with a springtime feel to keep your stitching rotation bright and cheerful! This design chart contains charting for the sampler and two needlework smalls - a scissor fob and a pin pillow with a place to attach your scissors....it also includes stitching instructions, stitch diagrams, complete finishing instructions for both the needlework smalls (including a paper template to help you cut the hexagons for the pin pillow), and an alphabet/numbers for personalization. The models were stitched on 28-count Jobelan Bone fabric - but I also suggest a linen: 30 or 35-count Baby's Breath by Weeks Dye Works....and for threads, I used Weeks Dye Works cotton floss - but a DMC conversion is also provided.

You can find all the details and a complete materials list on my website:
www.blueribbondesigns.com/BRD107%20Specifics.html 
...and additional photos can be found here:
www.blueribbondesigns.com/Sunflower%20Serenade.html

Automatic shop orders start shipping tomorrow and distributor orders will be shipping next week - so look for this new design to arrive at your favorite needlework shop (or online at your favorite webshop) very soon!
(NOTE: before you comment/post "I don't have a local needlework shop" - contact the shop where you purchase your stitching stash (charts and supplies)...it can be a local shop OR an online needlework shop...OR visit the "Locate" page on my website for a list of shops that will be able to assist you.)

Tomorrow, I will return with all sorts of information about "Berries, Birds, and Blooms"....