Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year…

"Happy, 
happy 
Christmas, 
that 
can 
win 
us 
back 
to 
the 
delusions 
of 
our 
childish
 days; 
that 
can
 recall to 
the 
old 
man 
the pleasures 
of 
his 
youth; 
that 
can 
transport
 the 
sailor 
and
 the 
traveler, 
thousands 
of 
miles 
away,
back 
to 
his 
own 
fireside 
and 
his quiet 
home!" 

~Charles
 Dickens,
 The Pickwick 
Papers,
 1836

We 
wish 
you 
a 
healthy, happy,
 joyous 
holiday.  

Despite 
the 
hectic pace 
and 
rampant 
commercialism,  
I'm
 always 
inspired 
by countless 
acts 
of 
generosity, 
smiles 
from 
the 
soul…
and 
a 
quiet,
 warm 
understanding 
that 
when 
you 
get 
right 
down 
to 
it,
 all is 
right in 
the 
world.



Merry
Christmas!

And the Winner Is!!!!!!!!!

And the winner is.....................Ranae! Congratulations! If you will email us at homespunmedia@aol.com with your address we will mail you the little Christmas quilt!!!! Have fun making it!  Merry Christmas!


We will have a new free pattern for a Christmas ornament to download  in the newsletter!  Look for a Free Block of the Month soon!!! 

Thanks everyone for commenting and entering the give-a-way!  Jeni

Kathy Schmitz' Quilt for the April Magazine is Here!!!

The first completed project for our debut issue has arrived!  You’ll have to wait for the magazine to see it…but we will tell you it’s from Kathy Schmitz and it is wonderful!!!!  Can’t wait to make it!   Be sure to visit Kathy’s website and blog—her work is unbelievable.  Thank you so much, Kathy!

Sneak previews of some of the other projects for the magazine...  Lori Brechlin, Lisa Bongean, Dawne Heese, Cheri Ralston, Lynda Hall, and Rita Briner have sent photos of the projects they’ll contribute—you are in for a real treat!

The first issue with these fantastic projects will ship in early April.  Subscribe now!

Another Giveaway.... Small Christmas Quilt Kit

It’s time for a giveaway… this little Christmas quilt is a $24 kit designed by Jeni Gaston.  Any follower who posts a comment will be eligible for the drawing—we’ll draw the winner Wednesday afternoon.

Connecting With the Past (from last week's newsletter)

We're so excited, we had to repeat last week's newsletter article in our blog...

A dilapidated log cabin… a decrepit barn…reconstructed…now a house, studio, or office.  Posts and beams from trees born hundreds of years ago in the Ohio Valley… when you lay your hand on one of the oak beams you somehow transcend centuries and connect with hard-working people who fell the trees, hewed the logs, and raised the barns…. people in small communities working together for more than survival—but for love, joy, beauty, family, and community.

We are humbled and thrilled to tell you that some of our first-issue photography will take place in old-made-new buildings, in and around Williamstown, West Virginia.  How fitting to showcase the magazine's first projects this way.  Our "primitive" art began long ago when those same hard-working people lovingly repurposed used or leftover fabrics and fibers into functional-yet beautiful quilts, rugs, totes, table mats, and the like.  Why do I suddenly want to curl up on a sofa in front of a fire and do some wool appliqué?

These structures are the amazing work of good friend and local business man, Chip Pickering.  Now here is a man who takes recycling seriously!  Several times Chip has disassembled old barns and cabins, transported them to his property, and then reconstructed them.  A few are now beautiful homes (he lives in one), another is the home of Pickering Associates, Chip's engineering firm.  The log cabin sits next to the office and serves as the firm's library.

We'll try to get more information and photographs of Chip's buildings and post them on our blog and in future newsletters.  So check back from time to time.

Drum Roll Please!

And the winner is...... and yes, I did make the drum roll sound while I drew the winner in my kitchen large Tupperware yellow plastic bowl all alone! LOL!...... Angela from Bedfore IN, CountryCellar!!!! Congratulations Angela!  Please email us at homespunmedia@aol.com  attn: Jeni, and give us your address, we will mail it right out tomorrow!!! I hope you enjoy it!!

I'm thinking of another give away, so I'll let you all know soon!  The new newsletter should be up on the http://www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/  there is a new ornament pattern to download!
    Have a great weekend!
            Jeni

Drawing on the give-a-way tomorrow!! Free ornament pattern!

Tomorrow we will post the winner of the Give-a-Way!! I'm really excited! It has been so fun to see all the great comments!  Also, if you go over to the magazine website...www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com you can download free ornament projects! So far, there are three of them! We will have a new little project pattern each week on the newsletter, and on my (jeni) other blog, I post projects that I'm working on for the Woolen Willow shop!  There is a lot going on, so join in on our fun and take some of the polls! Last week it was about if you have a sewing room or not! This week the poll is about why you buy quilting magazines and what you enjoy about them!  Thanks again!  Jeni

Give away!!!!!

Okay!  Here is another give away for you!!  This is a Mini Sampler I designed for The Woolen Willow as a block of the week this summer! It is great to have out all year long! Each block is a 4" square of a cotton print, and the applique is wool!  I aged each square before adding the wool applique with a strong instant coffee solution!  Very fun and addictive project! You can do a couple of blocks each evening and you are done before you know it!  The kit is a $30.00 retail value and we will give it away!!! Be a follower and post a comment, and your name will go in the hat and be drawn on Friday of this week!!!  Thanks a bunch and good luck!!!
       Jeni

Newsletter, Free Ornament, Ask Mom, etc.

Visit our website, for a newsletter highlighting our free "Santa Bell" ornament project, and offers an "Ask Mom" Q&A.

And the Winners are.......

The winners for the drawing are:  Donna Joy, Iluvffmn, Olde Crow, Dgill3, and Alicia Nagy!!! We just need for you to email the website, homespunmedia@aol.com with your name and address and we can ship your Calendar out right away!!! Congratulations!! 

Free Ornament Project

http://www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/projects/GingerbreadmanOrnament.pdf

Great Holiday Music for the Young (and not-so-young) at Heart!

For a musical Christmas treat on Pandora Radio, type in "Vince Guaraldi Trio."  Oh yeah... and we're up to 50 followers....10 more and we'll draw names for free calendars!

Turkey Day Giveaway - 5 Free Calendars!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! At the time of this posting we have 30 followers.  As soon as we have 60 followers (that's just 30 new people) we will throw all 60 names in a hat and draw five names for the calendar giveaway.  Tell your primitive friends to join us!  You can see the calendar (and learn about the upcoming "Primitive Quilts and Projects" magazine) at: http://www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/.

Let the Holiday Giving Begin.... Free Calendars!

We have some beautiful 2011 Woolen Willow calendars featuring original designs by Jeni Gaston:  quilts, hooked rugs, and a penny rug.  They retail for $14.95 and can be purchased from our website at http://www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/index.html.  But we decided to offer some giveaways between now and Christmas.  For starters, the next two followers who post a comment on this blog will receive a free calendar.  And.... we are open to ideas for other ways to do a giveaway.  So feel free to offer your ideas!

Thanks!
Judy, Jeni, and Gretchen

A fun Christmas Quilt!

Hello!  I just wanted to share a fun Christmas Quilt I designed that we made in our Small Quilts Club at The Woolen Willow Today!

I love Primitive Projects!  I would love to see some projects out there from some of you!!! Email us some pictures at Homespunmedia@aol.com  We will post them in a gallery!

Jeni

Reliving the Excitement of Market!

This is just a short message.... we've been going through the business cards and brochures from the exhibitors we saw or met at the Market.  WOW!!!!


There sure is a lot of amazing talent out there!


Thank you for being so wonderful!!!!!

How do you define the primitive style?

When did you first learn that there was such a style as “primitive?”  My introduction was several years ago at my sisters’ new quilt shop—they had a Jan Patek trunk show with a sample quilt:  “Morning Has Broken.”  Oh my!  I almost cried when I saw it.  I had never made a quilt in my life, but it was love at first sight—I just had to make it!  Mom helped me.  She taught me paper piecing, needle-turn applique, measuring, rotary cutting, squaring off, and eventually binding and quilting.    Through all of this I didn’t realize this was primitive style—or that there was such a thing.   I just loved the style and didn’t know why.   As I spent more time browsing the quilt shop I began to realize so many of the projects shared this unique, rich, warm, comforting style.  I took note of the projects:  hooked rugs, penny rugs, braided rugs, punch needle, stitchery…yippee!!!  I realized that I’m crazy about applique… wool…warm, earthy tones…mmmm…who needs Calgon when you can be totally immersed in a comfort project?   What really grabs me is the realization that for ages, women have been taking simple function up a few notches to create not only useful items, but beautiful works of art!

Our Calendars are Here!!!

After lots of support from wonderful people,  our 2011 Woolen Willow Calendars are in.  We are super happy with them.  We shipped a bunch today.    To order one or more, visit:  Primitive Quilts and Projects

Jeni from the Willow

If you want to see what Jeni's up to from the Woolen Willow....http://jenifromthewillow.blogspot.com/

Howdy!

Welcome to the Primitive Quilts and Projects blog.  The folks at Homespun media will take turns blogging here--should become pretty colorful.  I've convinced Dad that he can join--he lit up at topics such as "A man in a quilter's world," "How can you tell which room is the sewing room when they all look like sewing rooms," "Interesting ways to pass time in a quilt shop while your wife is shopping," and so on.  Maybe he can even sneak in an occassional review of the latest "Cheyenne" rerun on the Western Channel.

We're excited to hear from you.  Please let us know what's on your mind.