Last year for the "Linn County Mystery Challenge" we had fun highlighting some of our favorite historic mysteries that have taken place in Linn County.  This year, the goal is to offer some fun quilting tips that will be associated with the blocks your making, but so far, we have not met that goal!

   Some changes to the program have caused some confusion, and we would like the chance to make some things a little more clear.  This year, everyone is "buying" (for free!)  the clues ( AKA, Patterns) directly from our website as a PDF that is then e-mailed to you. You have 48 hours to make the purchase for free-  but you still have to go through the purchasing process.    The pattern is then e-mailed immediately.

   We have chosen to run the program this way in order to better track how many people are potentially doing the project, and because we hope it will also help drive people to our website.

   Should you want a paper copy of any of the patterns, they can be purchased directly at our store, but for $4.99 for each months "Clues".  Give us a heads up if your wanting to do that.

   To make this a little more fun for all of us,  we have decided to do the following.

   Bring in your made "Clues" sometime between December 5-9, and receive a 15% discount off your purchase of notions, fabrics, threads, books and patterns.


   Additionally, we are going to be offering discounts for Long Arm Quilting for this projects to anyone who brings it in to us by April 15th, AND we'll guarantee it'll be done by June 30th!


And because we do so hate to have a boring blog, we will put a joke on here:
What do you call a gathering of Quilters?

A block party!

As always, click on the product below and  purchase it to receive this months "Clues" (aka blocks. And yes, there will be more than six clues. Its a six month program, but not a six block program.)

Now that we've spent the last few days being unusually sweet, lets go back to our normal snarky selves- and tell you about 12 things we've learned about small towns, and business over these last 12 years.

1.Even though you swear you won't turn into your parents.. you will.  Not only did I inherit my dads chin, but also his love of history and research- which we've luckily been able to use for progressive quilt club! As a kid, I swore I would move out of the area when I grew up. Well- just like my dad, grandparents, and great grandparents... I'm still living in the same area (granted- I haven't really grown up...)

2.Running a business in a small town is hard- because... less people! Running a business in a small town is great- because most people want you to succeed! It makes lean times less overwhelming when you know people are actively rooting for you to succeed.

3.People are just as crazy in small towns, as they are in big towns. The difference? You know who they are. We used to have a local guy who was suffering from hallucinations (as well as other issues). His caregiver went around town and explained to everyone that if he was causing trouble to just tell him "Go home, Sissy is making pancakes." I actually tried it once when we we're having a rather strange conversation (it worked). When we see someone having an event, its nice to know who to call (besides 911).

4.Some people want to shop local- but they always want to buy the stuff we don't carry. They also usually spend about 40 minutes telling me about how they shop local before they leave (without buying anything). Thankfully we cater to quilters, who believe in supporting ALL local quilt shops.

5. If you're the mayor of a small town, everyone will notice when you speed, ride your bike on the sidewalk, or walk your dog without a leash. Same thing when you own a business in a small town.

6.After twelve years in business, we still can't figure out what will sell or bomb. So one of us (out of our six crew) has to like it if we're gonna order it.

7. Some people would bitch if you hung them with a new rope. Let 'em bitch... they don't pay the bills, and they will never understand the thrill of operating a business. Sad for them.

8. The UPS deliveries are always scheduled for the days you're closed. Always.

9. Google maps will take people to very strange locations instead of to our store. We don't know if this happens in larger towns or not, but its interesting. One time it took people to the car wash.

10. As a business, we try not to discuss politics. Our town is 50/50, so if we state an opinion- someone's gonna be offended. That said, ALL quilters are welcome- so long as they adhere to the one commandment of quilting: Use a quarter inch seam allowance. And of course, we would like it noted that we celebrate ALL fabric colors. Even the ones that hurt my eyes.

11. If you're in business for more than five years in a small town- you're considered stable. It just feels odd.

12.People think that if your can quilt, you can hem their pants, alter their wedding dress, or sew patches on their baseball caps. We can't.

 Pieced Flying Geese:

Sew the Pieced triangles together into four rows of two.
​

​ They will finish at…

​Sew the funky squares to each side of the pieced flying geese.  Press seams. 

​Sew the pieced flying geese to the sides of the double variable star.

​Now sew all the rows together.
Voila!
 
 
You’re done!  Except for quilting & Binding.  Or, if your making it bigger, borders and quilting & binding.  Minor little chores like that.
 
Thank you for helping us celebrate 12 years in business, getting by with help from our friends!

The best thing about working full time in a quilt store is the friends you make.

We have a team of four now (Five and six if we count a couple of our kids who would prefer not to be named) that have spent the past few years celebrating each other’s wins or holding each other up when things are getting rough.

We said goodbye to our parents with each other,  we have celebrated when new babies entered our families!

 They are a strong foundation for the store, and we truly could not do this without them.  They help us hurry up and get samples done, set up quilt shows, fold and assemble patterns. You name it, they have done it.

More importantly, they help us keep business concerns in perspective.

We would not be where we are without them, and we know it!

So today we are raising our glass (ok, it’s a strong cup of coffee) to that group of quilters  we have nick named the Quilting Aunties.  

Piecing:

Half Square Triangles: A/F Combination: Make Sixteen

On the wrong sides of the squares from A, draw a line from corner to corner.  Pair up, RST, with the squares from F.  Sew a quarter inch seam on each side of the line.  Cut on the line, flip triangles back, and press. Trim/Square to required size.

Sew the Half square triangles into four rows of two.  Press seams.   

​ They will measure…….                               

​Row’s One & Three: (they are the same thing, so make a total of two)

 Order of Piecing.  Bow tie, flying geese, Bow tie.  Press seams. 

​They will finish at…

Order of piecing: Flying geese, variable star, flying geese.  Press seams.

​Finishes at….

Star Assembly: 
Sew rows one and three to the top and bottom of row two.  Press seams.
 Finishes at...

​That’s it for today!  Tomorrow we will do the grand reveal! 

Since we have so much going on right now (did you hear its our 12th anniversary?) we'll keep this post short and sweet! Its worth noting that this month we'll have not just one- but THREE clues available! Don't worry though- there all on the same product/PDF so you only have one thing to download.

We've also decided that we'd like to see your progress! SEW come on in to the shop at any point during the third week of the month for the duration of this program (the next dates are November 14th-18th)- and show us your progress (AKA bring in your blocks- pictures don't count) and get 20% off any purchase you make that day!

Hopefully we'll see you then- but for now- click the product below to download this month's clues!

After a couple of  year in our original location, we moved from the main highway to Spaulding Avenue.  That was a great move, because it has given us a better opportunity to take advantage of town events.
 
Then… enter the year of 2020. The year of germs and smoke.
 
First comes Covid.  In Oregon, our governor pretty much mandated everyone to shut down for two weeks (at first). At the start, I did so with great delight.  The last time my husband and I had that much time together was because we had new babies.  So two weeks off with some sleep?  I was in!
 
But the shutdown was extended. (for months!)   By now, I was in a little bit of a snit. We had the worry of making sure we didn’t give any of our germs to the elder people in our lives, and I felt selfish for being concerned about the store.   But I was!
 
Our bacon was saved for two reasons.
Thing Number One (oldest “kid”) had joined the team and had created our website. Previously, we had received business advice that pretty much told us to ignore creating a website, and just concentrate on enhancing customer experience.  Boy, were we glad we ignored that advice!  It’s the only time in history that our webstore has had more sales than our physical store.
 
The other thing we were able to do was allow customers to make “appointments” to come shop. This is the part where we got by with help from our friends.  So many people chose to do just that!  They made a concentrated effort not just to help our store, but so many other stores in the Willamette Valley.  They all stated the same mantra.  “When this is over, we want you to still be here to come back to.”
 
And we are!

Eventually, we were allowed to be open normally, but with class size restrictions, always masked, and keeping people six feet apart, and other guidelines I have chosen to block from my memory.   But we were still open, and grateful for that.
 
Then the ring of fire occurred.

Several fires happened all at once all over Oregon, creating a perfect ring of smoke all around our town of Brownsville.  We were officially at “level one”, which is when you’re supposed to maybe pack a go bag, along with your bank information and bills ( let the bills burn!) and be ready to leave town.
 
So, we had to close the store.  Five people volunteered to come in and help us pack up all our fabric in their horse trailers.  We didn’t end up having to do that, but having people offer this to us made our day.
​
Eventually 2020 ended, and three years later life is closer to normal.  But we know that we would not have survived 2020 without…help from our friends.  

​On the wrong sides of the squares from E, draw a line from corner to corner.  Pair up, RST, with the squares from D.  Sew a quarter inch seam on each side of the line.  Cut on the line, flip triangles back, and press. Trim/Square to required size. 

Now you're going to be making some bowties.
​
Bow Tie D/E combination: 

​Sew the squares from D to the right sides of the sixteen HST.  Press seams.  Now you will be sewing those units into eight bowtie units. 

They Will Measure

Grab fourof the sixteen A/D HST.  To the right of them, sew the squares from A.  Press seams.
 
Grab the four Bow ties to the right of them, sew A/D HST.  Press seams.

You will have four.

Now repeat the above instructions- but mirrored- so they resemble the image to the right.

​You will have four.

​They will Measure...

​That’s enough sewing for today.  See you tomorrow! 

 Once we got the ball rolling and got to start the store…of course we recruited volunteer help.  They both volunteered themselves, and we were delighted to take them up on it.
 
Julie went to work for Bolts to Blocks after a couple of years, and Mary Lou (the energizer bunny) is now caring for family member’s full time.  But for the first few years they were a crucial part of getting samples for Progressive Quilt Club out on time, folding fat quarters, creating samples, purchasing fabrics, and helping me stay on track.
 
After a couple of years, another one of my friends helped us find the funds to purchase the first Long Arm Quilting Machine.  Owing your friends money is not fun, but we got it paid off, and it has been a great way to supplement the business. I owe this woman big time, and I know it!
 
Enter year eight, and a friend who was downsizing for retirement sold me her Long Arm. 
 
Occasionally, we start to doubt whether this is really something we should be doing or not. The quilting business is kind of weird (fun, but weird) compared to other businesses, and occasionally we find ourselves backed into one big corner of tired.
 
But then those moments come, like the ones above, where we are offered a lift. And it affirms we are where God wants us to be. Getting by…with help from our friends! 

Today you will be creating four funky units, using a combination of HST and rectangles.  Let’s get started! 
 
Half Square Triangle: B/C version. Make Sixteen

On the wrong sides of the squares from B, draw a line from corner to corner.  Pair up, RST, with the squares from C.  Sew a quarter inch seam on each side of the line.  Cut on the line, flip triangles back, and press. Trim/Square to required size. 

​​Grab the B/C HST.  Sew them to the squares from B.  Press seams. You will have sixteen.   

​ You will now sew them together into a “Bow Tie” unit.  Press seams.   Your going to use four of them now, save the other four for later.  

They will Measure.

​​ Sew a square from A to the left side of the bowtie.  Press seams.  To the top sew the rectangle from A.   Press seams.  

​ They will measure...

​You’re done for today.  Go take a break.  You have earned it! 

We are so pleased to have reached 12 years in business.  The average quilt store has a twelve year life span..so we have been having a blast patting ourselves on the back for being above average.
However, we really need to give credit to where it’s due.  Because we would not be here without…help from our friends.

 Getting Started…
We have told this story before, but it bears repeating.  I had worked at another quilt store in Brownsville, that unhappily went out of business after three years. My two years stint there revealed a couple of important things.
 A.  I love this business!
 B. Quilt Stores are expensive businesses to start and run.
 
So, while I had always dreamed of being able to open one someday, I had kind of put that dream on the back burner for a “Some day when I retire” project.
 
One day I’m walking down the street, saw one of my Brownsville Peeps, and made a gesture to an empty store front and said, “I think that would make a great Fabric Store” and sauntered on down my way.
 
My husband had a job interview in Astoria later than week, and I went along for the ride.  On the way up I said, “Let’s pray about this” and I prayed that IF he didn’t get the job, somehow the path would be cleared for us to open a quilt store in Brownsville.
 
Two days after we found out he didn’t get the job, That same Brownsville Peep offered an unsolicited loan to help us get started.  They wanted to see a store open for business in downtown Brownsville vs. the trend of offices and thought they should do something about it.
 
Considering my recent prayer, I thought I would be an idiot to turn that down.  So, we went with it!
 
If any future quilt store owners are reading this, please be aware it has not been all sunshine and roses.  Paying that loan back was incredibly hard work, and my recommendation would be to not start this kind of business with a loan if you can avoid it.  But I didn’t know any better, and boy am I glad I didn’t! 
 
So, that’s day one of celebrating getting by …with help from our friends.  A huge thank you to the anonymous friend who helped us get this going!
 
SEW, now that you got stuck reading an unusually  non sarcastic post from me,  you can help us get our thirteen year celebration started! 

Right now we have kits on sale in two stunning colorways to make this quilt. Mari's colorway is "War of 18TWELVE". Katie's colorway is "TWELFTH night". (we're having fun with the twelve puns...). The kits are currently on sale for $44.99, but only until Wednesday- so don't wait! (kits linked below.) Since this is a mystery quilt the images are blurred out- just to torment you guys :) 

This pattern is written to give you guys two sizes, kits are for the 48" versions, but if you want the bigger one- call the store! 
​
Fabrics needed.
A: Background one: Mari is using a light background. Katie is using Black.
B: Background two: Mari is using a "medium" background shade. Katie is using dark green.
C: Background Three: Mari is using a "Dark" (aka tan) background. Katie is using green.
D: Your color: Mari is using dark blue. Katie is using seafoam.
E: Your other color: Mari is using a medium blue. Katie is using a slightly different seafoam.
F:Your accent color: Mari is using red. Since Katie hates red, she's using white.

Fabric A:
-Two 7” x W.O.F strips
          Sub-cut twelve 7” squares
 -Four 6 ½” x W.O.F strips
     From the first strip sub-cut three 6 ½” x 12 ½” rectangles
     From the second, sub-cut one rectangle and Four 6 1/2” Squares
     From the third strip cut six 6 ½” squares
     From the fourth strip cut four 6 ½” squares
​Fabric B:
-Two 4” x W.O.F strips
     Strip one, cut four 4” x 7” rectangles, and two 4” squares.
     Strip two: Cut six 4” squares, for a total of eight 4” squares.
-Two 3 ½” x W.O.F strips
     Sub-cut twenty 3 ½” squares
​Fabric C:
-One 4” x W.O.F strip
     Sub-cut eight 4” squares
Fabric D:
-Two 7” x W.O.F strips
    Sub-cut eight 7” squares
-One 4" x W.O.F. strip
     Sub-cut eight 4" squares
-Three 3 1/2" x W.O.F. strips.
     sub-cut sixteen 3 1/2" squares.
Fabric E:
-One 4” x W.O.F Strip
     Sub-cut ten 4” squares
Fabric F:
-One 7” strip
    Sub-cut Four 7” squares,  one 4 ¾” square 

Fabric A:
-Four 13 x W.O.F strips
          Sub-cut twelve 13” squares
 -One 24 ½” x W.O.F strips=
     Sub-cut three 12 ½” x 24 ½” strips
-Two 12 ½” x W.O.F strip
     Cut one 12 ½” x 24 ½” rectangle, and four 12 ½” squares.
Fabric B:
-Three 7 x W.O.F strips
     Sub-cut four 7” x 13” rectangles and eight 7” squares
-Four 6 ½” strips
     sub cut twenty 6 ½” squares
​Fabric C:
-Two 7” x W.O.F strips
     Sub-cut Eight 7” squares
Fabric D:
-Three 13” x W.O.F strips
     Sub-cut Eight 13” squares
-Two 7” x W.O.F strips
     Sub-cut Twelve 7” squares
-Three 6 ½” strips
     Sub-cut sixteen 6 ½” squares
Fabric E:
-Two 7” x W.O.F strips
     Sub-cut Ten 7” squares 
Fabric F:
-Two 13” x W.O.F strips
     Sub cut four 13” squares, and one 9” square.

One Little block:
What your piecing: Flying geese- make four.
You will be using…

Draw a line on the wrong side of the squares.  Place one square, RST, on the left side of the rectangle.  Sew On the line.  Trim ¼” away, flip triangle back, and press.  

​Repeat for the right side. 
Trim/Square to the following sizes. 

 Square on point:

​Take the squares from Fabric E, and cut them in half once diagonally (corner to corner)  Sew a triangles to the top and bottom of the square from f.  Press seams.  Sew the other two triangles to the sides.  Press seams.  Trim/Square to the required following size.

​Grab two of the flying geese and sew the squares to each end.  Press.
 They will finish at……..

​​Sew the flying geese to each side of the square on point.  Press seams.
This unit finishes at……

​


​Star Assembly:
Sew rows one and three to the top and bottom of row two.   Press seams.
They will finish at….

That's enough for today- go take a break and we'll give you the next step tomorrow!

YES for those of you who've asked, we are running this program again. But... we're making some changes to it...

The biggest change? Instead of uploading each months "clue" directly to the blog, we'll be uploading it as a pattern for you to "buy". The pattern will be uploaded the fourth Wednesdays* of the next six months, and will be FREE for 48 hours- after that you can buy the pattern for $3.99 at any point afterword's. We'll be announcing each months block, and linking it on the blog so don't stress about finding it on our website.

Since this is the first month- and this is a big change to the program- this months "clue" will be free for the next two weeks. 

Why are we making this particular change? A big part of it, is to allow us to track how may people are participating in the program. Another part of it... Frankly- it's an attempt to communicate with you guys that we put time and effort into this program, and even though its free- it does have value! 

The next change? This years quilt will be pictorial! Because of that you'll notice our suggested colors are in "groups" of several shades of the same color- we promise we have a plan and though it might sound strange it WILL work in the end. The suggested yardages include a generous cushion for mistakes (its good luck!), but this will be a good quilt to buy as you go (or pull from your stash if you like scrappy). Because many of the units will be traditional blocks, you are also welcome to ignore all of our fabric suggestions, and just make things how you will like it.  You would just probably need to change the final layout.

Before we move on to yardage requirement and such, lets clarify the guidelines for this program?
-We are sponsoring this program in conjunction with the Linn County Fair Quilt Show. Eligible quilts can be entered and displayed at this fair- and we send in a judge (not one of us... we pick someone unrelated to the program) who picks their favorite. The winner receives a $100 gift certificate to Yankee Dutch Quilting!
- What changes can you make to the pattern to be eligible? Most anything! you can re-size, rearrange,  embellish, and add to it. So long as we can recognize the pattern itself- its eligible!
-The pattern/clue will be uploaded the fourth Wednesday of each month (through February 2024) and available free for 48 hours. After that each clue is available for $3.99.

All that being said, here is the recommended yardage for this year’s Linn County Mystery Quilt.  We have written it up for two colorways, but please feel free to use your imagination and tweak it!  ( think 70’s reproduction, cottage core , sweet homestead) For those where the degrees of shades matter, we listed how they would be read in the block (primary, accent, background) to help you choose your fabrics.
Group A:  below you'll see the fabrics WE would pick... for a "prairie" look, or a "modern farmhouse" look.
Dark: 1 1/4 yards
Medium: 1 1/4yards
Light: 1 1/4 yard
We've picked three reds for the "prairie" look- and three grays for  "modern farmhouse"!

Group B:
- Dark Gray: 1/4 yard
-Medium Gray: 1/4 yard
For this color group you'll definetly want to stay in the gray color range... no matter chosen color scheme! (remember this is a pictorial quilt!)
​
Group C:
-Dark Green: 1/2 yard
-Light/Medium Green: 1/2 yard
For this color group it's best to stick with greens- below we've got some suggestions for our color schemes!

Group D:
-Dark Yellow/Gold: 1/4 yard
-Medium Yellow/Gold: 1/4 yard
-Light Yellow/Gold: 1/4 yard
For this color group its best to stick to yellows/gold/oranges!

Group E: Background
Background 1: 1 1/2 yards
Background 2: 1 1/2 yards
Background 3: 1 1/2 yards
We've got some suggestion below for our chosen colorways but get as creative as you want with this one!

The quilt is going to be 54” inches when finished. When your purchasing your fabric, think about the size you might want to expand it to, and buy some more of the fabric you really love to include for any borders you may decide to add on!


​*Unless there's an emergency on our part... 

Click the item below to download your first clue!
You'll have to click the item (either the 'title' or the 'shop' button), add it to your cart, and follow the prompts to "buy" the clue. At that point you'll receive an email containing a PDF of the clue (aka pattern)

If you can't see it... click on the blog post itself and make sure you have a full view!