Merry Christmas!

DOWN AT THE QUILT SHOP

Down to the quilt shop quilters go,
Out comes the MasterCard all aglow.
Out through the checkout with lots of stuff,
All for the quilts and the tools and such.

CHORUS
Sew-sew-sew, Who wouldn't sew? Go-go-go, who wouldn't go...
Down to the quilt shop Click-click-click. Out through the checkout with lots to snip!!!

First are the UFO's that fill the drawers,
So many there that we can't ignore.
Finish them all, do them one by one.
Finish them all then we'll have some fun.

CHORUS

Next come the quilts that are in our heads,
All that we've planned for all our beds.
One for the master room and one for the guest,
We'll stitch them all and do our best.

CHORUS

Last we'll make gifts for all our friends,
Quilts and placemats without end.
Coasters and bookmarks, ornaments - so much!
Wrap them up in ribbons and bows and such.

CHORUS

-Author Unknown

Ho Ho, Yo-yo Project!

Every time I go to a fabric store I see the "Yo-yo makers" by Clover on the shelves. I am fascinated with this clever little gadget and always wonder what I could make with them.

http://www.clover-usa.com/project_img/CT0039.pdf

The provided link is for an adorable Christmas ornament using the Clover Yo-yo maker! Take out your Christmas-themed fabric scraps and get crafty! This project would be perfect for teacher gifts, holiday party favors, or to stick on top of a Christmas present instead of a bow!

Happy Friday!

“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”

--Zora Neale Hurston (American folklorist and writer, 1903-1960)

Custom longarming by Jenni using....

Custom Quilt Templates (CQT)as discussed in an earlier post!

The templates are available in 9 different sizes (3”, 3.5”, 4”, 5”, 6”, 7”, 8”, 9” & 10”). They are available for purchase on Custom Quilting Template’s website (http://www.customqt.com/).

Jenni did an amazing job with the longarming on this quilt!

A Sneak Peek!

Here's a sneak peek at Andover's fabric inspired by the children's book Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle.

It's so cute! I just love the animals! I'm going crazy waiting for this line of fabric to hit the shelves!

http://www.andoverfabrics.com/OurCatalog/OurCatalog.asp

Sir Knight Nicholas

Nicholas was a knight in shining armor for Halloween! So adorable!

Quilt Retreat

What a great time at the Ladies of the Lake Quilt Retreat! The retreat was held at Lake Panorama near Panora, Iowa! Each of the girls finished a couple quilts and really enjoyed spending time together.

Jenni sewed together a bright and fun Charming Trails quilt top using Moda "Wee Play" fabric. (The Charming Trails pattern is by Whistlepig Creek Productions in Arvada, CO. http://www.wpcreek.com/. ) She also pieced together another quilt top using "Peace on Earth" fabric by Moda. She used a new pattern by Open Gate called Cranberry Garland that utilizes charm packs and jelly rolls. She is planning on creating a custom border. It should be interesting to see the final result!http://www.opengatequilts.com/catalog/c12_p2.html

Jill used some "Jitterbug" fabric in muted shades of green, pink, cream, and brown for a Cheaper by the Dozen quilt top (Legacy pattern). http://www.makingalegacy.com/
Jill also used some Moda "Garden Inspiration" charm packs to stitch up a Charming Trails quilt top. It turned out really nice!

Lisa sewed together a quilt using leftover Moda "Fresh Air" scraps. She also sewed an adorable holiday quilt using the fun "Five and Dime" pattern by All Washed Up. Lisa had time to work on a Charming Trails quilt top using Moda "Apron Strings" reproduction fabrics too.

.

Amy worked on a Moda University quilt top using Moda "Faded Memories" fabric. She also sewed together another quilt top using Andover's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" fabric. The pattern she used was Bits and Pieces by Mountainpeek Creations, a Colorado-based design company. http://www.mountainpeekcreations.com/index.asp Jenni also helped Amy make a large throw pillow cover (using a custom quilted fabric panel) to match the Hungry Caterpillar quilt. Nicholas will love the Hungry Caterpillar quilt and pillow set!

Now Jenni has even more quilts to longarm!!!! We'll post her beautiful work at a later date!

How lucky to have a award-winning longarm designer to work on and finish our quilts!

Simply Chic Pattern....FREE download!

Simply Chic, Michele D’Amore’s latest creation for Marcus Fabrics, brings a true “shabby chic” sense of fashion. These vintage roses, checks, and stripes feature a comfortable, weathered patina. They’ll be right at home from the very start! Download the pattern for FREE at Hancock's of Paducah's website!
http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/ItemFiles/PDF/MBCHICQP.pdf (download takes a few minutes)

http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/ItemList--PDF-Project-Center--m-637 (other patterns--many patterns can be downloaded for free)

Freebie!

Moda has a free Christmas pattern on their website...

http://www.unitednotions.com/fp_isnt-christmas-jolly.pdf

This quilt is made with fabrics from Mary Engelbreit's Isn't Christmas Jolly? line!

Enjoy!

Jack-O-Lantern Juice!

Here's a great recipe for a Halloween brew---Jack-O-Lantern Juice!

Ingredients
1 quart pineapple juice, chilled
1 quart orange juice, chilled
1 1/2 quarts cranberry cocktail juice, chilled
2 liters ginger ale, chilled
2 cups of your favorite fruity vodka--orange-flavored vodka is yummy! (optional)
Ice cubes or an ice ring made of frozen distilled water with gummy worms or bugs

Directions

In a large punch bowl combine pineapple, orange, cranberry juices and ginger ale.

Add ice or ice ring.

Serve chilled.

Happy Birthday Jenni!

Happy birthday wishes to Jenni on October 2nd!

You deserve the best birthday ever!

Love,

Amy

Lisa's "mini quilt retreat" in Colorado

Lisa drove to Colorado to visit Amy this past weekend. While she was there, she worked on a fall quilt project. Here is a picture of her "Cheaper by the Dozen" quilt top using Moda's Acorn Hollow fabric. Love it!

Circus Tent

Jenni made Nicholas a circus tent for his playroom. It was a present for his 4th birthday. The main fabric is an adorable circus design by Nancy Wolff. I just love her novelty prints for children! The tent turned out super cute. The tent pattern can be found in the book Covered With Love by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins.

Custom Quilting Templates

For all of the machine quilters out there… this is for you!

Michele Pettorini of Custom Quilt Templates (CQT) has created a product called a tabbed template that will aid you in creating those long arm patterns you never thought were possible! The templates are amazingly easy to master.

Below are just a few of the designs you can make with the help of the CQT tabbed template!

Here is a picture taken from the CQT website of the template.

They are really easy to use, and below is a step by step guide on how to use the CQT tabbed template: (Please note the block dot is your hopping foot.)

Pretty easy, huh? Well, if you won’t take my word from it at least trust Jenni Ackerman of Taloulabelle’s Design Co. who purchase the ENTIRE SET of tabbed templates. She took a class of Michele’s and immediately after the class called me to rave about the class and the templates. She said once you get the hang of it and get into the “quilting groove” it takes no time at all to finish a quit with these!

The templates are available is 9 different sizes (3”, 3.5”, 4”, 5”, 6”, 7”, 8”, 9” & 10”) for purchase on Custom Quilting Template’s website (http://www.customqt.com/) or you make contact Michele by email service@customqt.com or phone (515)274-8877.

Also, another great option available is custom orders!! CQT will customize templates specifically for you or your store, but you will want to contact CQT for more information!!

Michele is also willing to come to you for one on one instruction and guidance. Her fee is very reasonable!

Flickr Photostream!

CHECK OUT TALOULABELLE'S DESIGN CO. FLICKR ACCOUNT!!!

We have all of our recently quilting projects out there along with some examples of Jenni Krohn's machine quilting! She has some mad skills let me tell you; I just can't believe she has only been machine quilting for 3 years!

Here's the Link! Check us out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taloulabellesdesignco/

Pop Garden by Heather Bailey

Free Spirit came out with a new line of fabric called Pop Garden by Heather Bailey. the line reminds me of Amy Butler's style!! The line has a retro feel with the large flower prints!! As always I have added a sneak peak of what you will see when you go to Free Spirit's website.

Click on the picture below to be directed to Free Spirit's website.

Henry!

Meet Henry!! He is Jill's little guy; he is sweet as can be!

Ernie Sandwich Recipe

Ernie Sandwich

10+ yards of coordinating fabric

2 quilt patterns

3 spools of thread

8 yards of batting

1 Ernie

Sew quilts all described in the quilt patterns; have them long armed by Jenni Krohn of Taloulabelle's Design Company.

Fold quilts very neatly

Place Ernie between both quilts.

FREE PATTERN FRIDAY!! Amy Bulter- Hourglass Pillow

The pattern of the week comes from Amy Butler's website you can check her out at http://www.amybulterdesign.com/ Also always you should check out her site!! She is an amazing artist!

Click on the picture below for pattern directions

Swiffer Baby Come Back!

This commercial is hilarious!! Hope everyone enjoys it!

Chocolate Peanute Butter Ribbon Dessert

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

Prep Time:15 min

Total Time:4 hr 15 min
Makes:12 servings

12 NUTTER BUTTER Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, divided
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (12 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

CRUSH 8 of the cookies in resealable plastic bag with rolling pin. Mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of foil-lined 9x5-inch loaf pan.

MIX cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in 3 cups of the whipped topping. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture into small bowl. Stir in melted chocolate until well blended; set aside. Spoon half of the remaining cream cheese mixture over crust. Top evenly with chocolate mixture; cover with remaining cream cheese mixture.

FREEZE 4 hours or overnight until firm. Invert onto plate. Remove foil, then re-invert onto serving platter so that crumb layer is on bottom. Coarsely break the remaining 4 cookies. Top dessert with remaining whipping topping and cookies.

This Recipe is taken from Kraft Foods website. To view more recipes like the one above please go to www.kraftfoods.com you will not be disappointed

Nest by Tula Pink & FREE PATTERN

Today is a very special day... I am introducing a new line of fabric from MODA designed by Tula Pink AND making everyone aware of a FREE PATTERN!! Below you will see a picture of the free pattern quilt click on the picture of the quilt to be redirected to the pattern.

Tula Pink has designed an AMAZING line of fabric called Nest. This qoute is taken directly from MODA's website.



"Tula Pink has looked deep into the forest and even checked the bottom of her shoes for inspiration. Now she looks to the sky to bring us Nest. A blooming branch reveals a perched bird, a cascade of falling feathers become a simple paisley and tiny birds peek out from their cube shaped condominiums. Nest is as much about the freedom of the open sky as it is about the security of your own surroundings."

Click on the picture to the right to see the free pattern and the entire line of NEST fabric by Tula Pink!



Enjoy and happy quilting!

Quilting Weekend

I decided to spend the weekend with my mother(Jenni) and I THOUGHT I would be quilting all weekend, but I was WRONG. We sent the weekend laughing, rearranging the house, and having a GREAT time.

We couldn't stop laughing about this commerical! Baby Come Back...



Needless to say I had a great weekend!! Hope everyone got more quilting done than I did!

1974 by Urban Chiks

Moda has just introduced a new line of fabric called 1974 designed by Urban Chiks. It is a great mix of bold & delicate fabrics. It has a boheimian feel to it.
Here is a link to the entire line on Moda's website.


http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_1974.pdf


As always... here is a little sneak peak!!



This is an exerpt from Moda's website about the line of fabric:

"It’s time for a road trip, with nothing but a backpack, four wheels and a working motor. 1974 is about the wind in your hair and the crunching of gravel under foot. With patterns alternately bold and delicate, this collection is a journey weaving the past, present and future into a delicate network of cotton threads. Fresh and modern with vintage roots,1974 is everything you have come to love about the Chiks."

Recipe- Angel Lush Cake

Angel Lush Cake

Prep Time:15 min
Total Time:1 hr 15 min
Makes:10 servings

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Reduced Calorie Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP LITE or COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping
1 pkg. (10 oz.) round angel food cake
10 fresh strawberries

MIX pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping.

CUT cake horizontally into three layers. Place bottom cake layer, cut-side up, on serving plate; top with one-third of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers two times.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour. Top with berries just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.


Nutritional Information
Calories 140 Total fat 1 g Saturated fat 1 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 340 mg Carbohydrate 31 g Dietary fiber 1 g Sugars 26 g Protein 2 g

This Recipe is from http://www.kraftfoods.com/ They have a lot of great recipes of people on the go!

George, Daphne, & Sloan

This is Mr. George, he was my husband and my first dog! He is the sweetest guy ever. I couldn't ask for a better dog! His favorite thing to do is sleep on a pillow that Jenni helped me make!

The pillow is made from a table runner pattern called Orange Peel, and Moda's Fall Back in Time fabric.

This is Sloan he is my 1 1/2 year old Labradoodle that I foster with a Golden Retriever rescued called RAGOM (Retrieve A Golden of Minnesota) http://www.ragom.org/ He is the such a sweet boy. We call him our goldfish because he forgets everything in three seconds. I think he might have ADHD. He loves when you call him Sloany Bologna Goldfishy Alpaca. You might be wondering... Alpaca??? When you hold his ears above his head he looks like an Alpaca.

His favorite thing to do is lay in front of our oven while we are cooking... I think he likes it because it is warm.

Ms. Daphne is our baby. She is also 1 1/2 years old, but she acts like a little baby. Daphne is also a Golden Retriever but she only weighs 35lbs vs. George's whopping 85lbs. Her favorite thing to do is chew on EVERYTHING!

George, Daphne & Sloan love sleeping on quilts. Jenni made George his first quilt when he was 3 months old, and still to this day he sleeps on his quilt!

Gertie & Ernie

I would like to introduce Ms. Taloulabelle A.K.A. Gertie, Gert, Gertrude Elizabeth, Bert, Bertie... the list could go on forever. Taloulabelle Design Co. is named after Ms. Gertie. Jenni always calls Gertie by Little Ms. Taloulabelle and one day we were trying to name our new business and Taloulabelle Design Co. just stuck!

Here is a picture of Gertie posing on a quilt pieced and long armed by Jenni Ackerman. The pattern is called Charmed, and the fabric is Peas & Carrots by Moda designed by Sara Tuttle.

Jenni entered this quilt in the Iowa State Fair 2008 and took 2nd Place. It was entered as a last minute quilt!! Great Job Jenni!

This is Ernie; he is a very photogenic!! He absolutely loves having his picture taken; if you pose him he will stay that way until you have taken a picture of it. The quilt the he is "posing" on is pieced and long armed by Jenni Ackerman.

Photography is done by Abby Sisk of Abigail G. Sisk Photography & Graphic Design.

FREE PATTERN- Amy's Mid Mod Quilt

Amy Butler offers free patterns on her website http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/ It's a must visit website if you have not visited it before!

Click on the picture below for the fee Amy Bulter Pattern!!!

The quilt is called Amy's Mid Mod quilt and it looks like a quilt that you could probably finish in a weekend!! So... since it's Friday you should go pick up some Amy Bulter fabric and start quilting!!

Have a GREAT weekend!!

Woodland Bloom by Lila Tueller

Moda just came out with a new line of fabric called Woodland Bloom designed by Lila Tueller. The colors are very shabby chic, with lots of flourishes and poka dots!!! I have attached a link to the entire line of fabric designed by Lila.


http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_woodland_bloom.pdf



Here is a little sneak peek!!!





I have already purchased a charm pack of this fabric and can't wait until the shops around here get the full line in!!

Taloulabelle's

I have decided to create a blog about everything creative!!

On our blog you will see anything from new lines of fabric that have come out, free patterns, new samples we have created and long arm quilting done by Jenni Krohn! Basically you will see a little bit of everything!

My name is Abby and I live in Ankeny, Iowa and have three four legged hairy babies!! George, Daphne, and Sloan. George(2 yr.) and Daphne(1 1/2 yr.) are Golden Retrievers, and Sloan(1 1/2 yr.) is a Labradoole. I am married to a wonderful man named Jeremy and he supports all my crazy hobbies whatever they may be. I am a photographer and graphic designer and I just LOVE every minute of it! My mother is Jenni (the long arm quilter) and she got me exposed to quilting at a very young age! I think my favorite thing about quilting is the fabric and all the bright colors. Amy Bulter is my favorite fabric designer!! She uses such bright colors, and bold prints that just screams ABBY!!!

Jenni lives in Redfield, Iowa and has two of her own four legged hair babies Gertie and Ernie! They are named after Seasame Street's Bert & Ernie! They are both Mini Schnauzers and they may be getting older, but they will always be 2 years old in my mind!

Jenni have been quilting for as long as I can remember, and within the last three years started long arm quilting. Her work is absolutely amazing. If you would ever like to get on her client list please feel free to comment this post and she will get back to you ASAP! You will see her work posted on her in the coming weeks!

Enjoy!