Winter 2017 Rusty Crow Blog

I hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving and is taking the upcoming Christmas with Joy.  We came home from Houston Market and Festival with a pile of stuff to dig out from under.  It is all good stuff, but work that needed to be done.

Mike and I brought a new puppy named, Jango into our home to keep JuJu happier.  Our son, Jared moved out with his dog and JuJu went into a depression.  So we now have 2 Bernese Mountain dogs and life couldn't be better.

Houston has rebounded from Harvey.  The downtown area of Houston you couldn't tell

anything had happened.  The People were awesome and Happy.  Winning the world series while we were there, probably helped the spirit. 

JuJu and Jango

Rusty Crow is growing and expanding it's product line.  We have at the exclusive distribution of the Yazzii Roll-Up Bags.  We offered them at Market for the first time and they were very well received.  

We were so grateful.  It's fun to see how people are decorating them. 

I have added some Patterns from Joan at Bits and Pieces, but her stuff is small enough to fit perfectly on the Roll-Ups. 

Three Wise Owls 

Her stuff is super reasonable as well. Her patterns are only $6.00 and so cute.   

This is just a quick Hello, I'll post more later.  Thanks all your business and friendship through out the year.  Shawn

Mystery Blog Hop From Farmhouse Threads and the Other 11 of Us. 2017 Patriotic Theme!!!!

It's that time of year again.  Ok, so we bounce around the calendar a bit. But there is a reason this time.  Since it's a Patriotic theme, Rhonda thought that maybe, you would like to have the quilt done by 4th of July.  So that is why we are getting a jump of the Blog Hop this year.   
I'm week #2.  I thought I was being smart, getting it done a bit early so I have more time to get ready for Spring Market.  I'm kinda known for not looking at the calendar too close sometimes.  If I had, I would be later down the batting order, since I'm going to be up here in Washington when the blog is released.  Doesn't really matter as far as downloading the pattern, they have internet here in the Great Northwest. 
The kits are all done.  We did those before I left on my trek north.  Please be nice, my husband of 31 years, will be home navigating the computer and printing out shipping labels.  Computers in NOT his first language, :) But he is much better than even a year ago.  

Rhonda told me awhile ago what the theme would be.  So I my head my design looked like this. 

Orignial Layout

Then Rhonda says,"Oh by the way, I'm setting the Blocks on Point." 

So back to the drawing board.  

There's more than one way to get 2 crows, a flag and USA on a quilt Block. 

Crows On Point

So with a bit of maneuvering, the job got done.  I hope you enjoy it. 

We have Block kits along with thread Kits as well.  
The Block kit contains all the Diamond Textile fabric and wool used to make my block. $11.95
The Valdani Wool Floss kit is $12.00  You get all four colors.  Wool floss is regular priced @$3.75,  I'm saving you a bit to give the new floss a try.  I love it.  But you must remember not to yank on it like you can Pearl Cotton, just pull and let the wool sink into the wool.  
Click to Purchase the 2 Crows & A Flag block

I hope you have fun with the Rest of the Designers over the next 10 weeks. If you don't have the list here you go. 

Join Us For
Farmhouse Threads and Friends
Summer Mystery Quilt Blog Hop
It’s time for another Blog Hop!!!
For 13 weeks beginning March 10th, we will share with you free patterns from some of our favorite designers to complete a Summer Mystery Quilt. Each week, one designer will post the pattern to make a patriotic themed quilt block using wool applique on cotton fabric. The patterns are free for you to download and print. Check the schedule below—each pattern will be available at the website or blog provided on the date scheduled (not before). Some of the designers have a place on their website or blog where you can sign up to receive their emails.
All of the designers will offer kits for sale on their website and there will also be a finishing kit for sale at the end of the hop.
Please share our Blog Hop with your friends so they can follow along too!!!

MARCH 10 - Rhonda McCray, Farmhouse Threads farmhousethreads.com
MARCH 17 - Shawn York, Rusty Crow Quilt Shop shawn-rustycrow.blogspot.com
MARCH 24 - Lisa Bongean, Primitive Gatherings lisabongean.com
MARCH 31 - Jeni Gaston, Woolen Willow Designs jenifromthewillow.blogspot.com
APRIL 7TH - Debbie Busby, Wooden Spool Designs woodenspooldesigns.blogspot.com
APRIL 14 - Joyce Weeks, Geoffs Mom Pattern Co. geoffsmom.blogspot.com
APRIL 21 - Kathy Campbell, Heart to Hand hearttohand.com
APRIL 28 - Linda and Donna, My Red Door Designs myreddoordesignsblog.blogspot.com
MAY 5 - Joan Grenke, Bits and Pieces by Joan bitsandpiecesbyjoan.com
MAY 12 - Gloria, Vicky and Heather, Old Green Cupboard Designs oldegreencupboard.blogspot.com
MAY 19 - Laural Arestad , Simply Put  http://simplyputplus.blogspot.com
MAY 26 - Kathi and Taylor, The Cottage at Cardiff Farms thecottageatcardifffarms.com/blog
JUNE 2 - FINISHING Farmhouse Threads farmhousethreads.com 

I had a week in between Quilt Shows Up in Washington State.

Having a week between shows is not always a luxury I have.  Last year, when I was looking at the shows in the Western Washington area I found the Monroe, WA show.  It was 2 weeks after the Sewing Expo 2017 Puyallup.  So I'm forced to slow down, especially since I'm at friend's house in Olympia and don't have the usual list of chores that I always do when I get home from a show. 

Sleeping in, Check.  Watching a lot of rain, Check.  Spending lots of great time with my friends, check, check.  I even took a drive into the little town of Tenino, WA that my parents and family lived it.  I didn't spend much time there, Junior College and working all the time kept me very busy, then I went to WSU over in Pullman, WA and they moved back to Southern CA my Junior year.   

Tenino, WA is pretty much how I remember it.  I actually had to call my younger sister to ask her where buildings were.  The horse Ranch T9O is gone.  I used to work there.  Now it sells Alpacas, not quite the beautiful horses that I got to work with every summer. 

T9O Ranch, minus the Arched sign or the Horses, sad. 

My sister, Monday's school. I never went there.


I was fun walking around.  It was very wet as I walked around the town.  Little shops, lots of empty spaces as well.  

I think the old adage, you can never go home again is probably true.  You aren't the same person you were then.  Time, experience, life and the people that have come into and out of our lives forms us into a different shape that doesn't fit into that time from before.  I know that I'm better for it.  I know that I can find happiness in many places.
I leave here on Wednesday to go pick up my sister, Monday at the SeaTac Airport.  We are setting up the next show.  I hope we see some of you there.  

Quilters Anonymous 36th Annual Quilt Show

"All Quilts Wild and Wonderful"

March 17-19, 2017

Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, WA

Sewing & Stitchery Expo, Puyallup, WA

I gotta say, I love coming up to Washington for this quilt show.  I have very dear friends who live in Olympia, WA and I get to bunk with them and catch up with our lives.

The show is not a typical quilt show, actually there are no quilts hanging at all, except in the booths of the vendors.

There are garment makers, yarn and thread vendors, lots of things I don't always see at a regular quilt show.

They also have the Fisher Scones.  Those alone are worth the drive to the Northwest.
They are baked every morning, warm and yummy and filled with butter and Raspberry Jam

Breakfast

Lunch

I saw lots of old friends and made some new ones.  Like most vendors, we spend a lot of time and money getting our booths loaded with treasures for everyone to enjoy.

The Sewing Expo this year was the worst case of shoplifting that I have ever experienced as a vendor.  Almost every vendor I know lost something.   The first day, my husband, Mike watched a lady look around and take 2 Half yard packages of fabric.  She was 2 booths away when, he stepped in front of her and pulled our fabric from her hands.  Wide-eyed, she start babbling about, "I'll pay double, I'll pay double"  He told her just to stay out of our booth.  I was shocked, I know it happens but I want to believe the best in people. 

By day 2, one booth had lost 3 quilts and a small table topper, another had lost a sample bag that was zip-tied to her grid, a roll of batting, 2 scarfs and who knows what else were all stolen from various vendors.  

Then Karma came to town.  We may not have gotten all of them, but they did catch two of them.  It was a Mother-Daughter team on scooters.  The mother dumped a drink on a table in a booth to cause a distraction and the daughter went to work filling up with goodies.  The cops came and arrested them.  The next day, they brought the stolen goods back to find out the retail value and return them to their owners. 

Here is what thieves look like.  

Ma Thief is in Purple and Daughter Thief is in Red

They don't look too happy do they?  Well, that's ok, because neither were we when you steal from us.

Right in the Center is one of my Pink Cell Phone Purses they had stolen.

Look at all that loot!!! Do they realize how much time and money goes into creating those quilts?

Happy Vendors getting their stuff back

The Police taking reports. 

I heard that there was enough recovered, that the Scooter Bandits were being charged with Grand Larceny.  The last day of the show, there was visible Security walking around the show.  Too late for many, but still nice to see.  I hope next year, the Security will be there front and center.  I guess, just because you have gray hair doesn't make you honest.  A young thief will grow into an old thief.

If you are ever at a show, and see something. Say something.  

Moving on......Yahoo the 3rd Annual Blog Hop is about to start.  Rhonda from Farmhouse Threads kicks off the blog hop next week.  I can't tell you the theme, but I know you will love it.  

MARCH 10 - Rhonda McCray, Farmhouse Threads   farmhousethreads.com MARCH 17 - Shawn York, Rusty Crow Quilt Shop   shawn-rustycrow.blogspot.com MARCH 24 - Lisa Bongean, Primitive Gatherings   lisabongean.com MARCH 31 - Jeni Gaston, Woolen Willow Designs  jenifromthewillow.blogspot.com APRIL 7TH - Debbie Busby, Wooden Spool Designs   woodenspooldesigns.blogspot.com APRIL 14 - Joyce Weeks, Geoffs Mom Pattern Co.   geoffsmom.blogspot.com APRIL 21 - Kathi Campbell, Heart to Hand hearttohand.com/ APRIL 28 - Linda and Donna, My Red Door Designs   myreddoordesignsblog.blogspot.com MAY 5 - Joan Grenke, Bits and Pieces by Joan   bitsandpiecesbyjoan.com MAY 12 - Gloria, Vicky and Heather, Old Green Cupboard Designs   oldegreencupboard.com MAY 19 -  Laural Arestad, Simply Put Plus simplyputplus.blogspot.com MAY 26 - Kathy and Taylor, The Cottage at Cardiff Farms  thecottageatcardifffarms.com/blog JUNE 2 - FINISHING Farmhouse Threads    farmhousethreads.com

Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.

2017 Wow, I'm so glad we have a new year!!!

I hope everyone has shaken off the dust and or mud from 2016.  I have been super busy trying to get Rusty Crow ready for the new Quilt Show season.  We are packing today for the Road to California Show that starts this Thursday Jan 19, 2017.  

We have lots of new fabric, so many new lines from Moda and Marcus Fabrics.  Snail Pincushions, oh yes we have them. 
Also Rusty Crow has been picked up by Quilt Dots. So our designs are now on jewelry. 

We have Layer Cakes of Wools, Brights and Primitive.  We are bringing as much Valdani Thread that we can carry, Bring you lists we have a secret stash. 

I hope to see you all this weekend.  Please come and say hi, we are in Booths 534/536/635/637 

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Week 7 of the Harvest Blog Hop

So today is August 5, 2016 and it's my turn to post my block for the 2016 Harvest Blog Hop.......
As you can see by the list below I'm swimming in the deep in with these super talented ladies.  Thank You, Rhonda for letting me play on the Varsity team.

My block is an Apple Basket.  Living in San Diego, we don't really have a fall like the rest of the county.  But what we do have, about 2 hours from my house, is a community called Julian.  It's a mountain town, well as far as San Diego Mountains that is.  But I digress,,,,, anyway.  Brown leaves, Julian, harvest and apples, those are all synonyms of autumn for me.  The one thing that will make me take a 2 hour car trip up the hill to Julian is for the Apple Pie.  So Julian apples are my inspiration for my block.  I hope you enjoy it.

This year, Jan 1, 2016  I became a Valdani distributor.  I'm like a cow in clover.  Nothing makes me happier than walking in that room and seeing all those rows of beautiful colors.  Last market,  Valdani came out with Wool Floss.  The Wool Floss comes in 2 sizes, 8 & 15, there is about 100 colors so far, but I'm sure that number will grow.  I haven't had much of an opportunity to work with it, but I made a point of using it with this block.

I love how it sinks into the wool.  I used size 8's to give it a bit more primitive look.



I used Diamond Textile fabrics as my two backgrounds.  I thought the checks reminded me of a table cloth.
Here is a Picture of my Block called "Apples for Sale"

My process is on the messy side.  I have to hand draw things
out. Get the idea out of my head and onto something that others can see.  Makes me believe it a bit more too, to tell you the truth.  We have 3 different colored apples, I did 3 cross stitch rows across the basket.  I did a simple whip stitch on everything else.


Here was my original sketch:

Not pretty, but like I said, "Got it out of my Head"



Then I start playing (working, working, working, I know I'm lucky) with fabrics and wools.  I have to figure out spacing and colors.












Then if I have done my job right, you may want what I have done.  So then it's on to kit making and making sure all the pieces are there!!!! And that they fit on the wool I'm putting in the kits!!!!



Thank God for Friends and JuJu, because that make the work is so much more fun.  That and listening to "My Favorite Murder" Podcast, if you love true crime, you will love it.  I remember my Great Grandmother and Grandma reading those true crime magazines when I was a kid.  My mother loves to roam around old cemeteries, so it must be in my blood.  My husband is sure I'm plotting the perfect murder. Again I digress....

Ok, ladies here is the link for the free Block.
If you want my kit, fabric and ready to go wool, the price is 11.95 includes shipping.
Also if you want to try the Wool Floss from Valdani.  I have a special kit for the 4 colors that I used. Each 10 yard skien sells for 3.75, but for all 4, I'm pricing it at $12.00 Link to kits here.

I hope you have enjoyed the blog.  I really need to do more of this...I think.  What do you guys think? I'm heading to Grand Rapids, MI for the AQS show next week.  First time there, first time at an AQS show.  Lots of deep water treading for this girl.  Then I hop back into the truck and drive the trailer to Manchester, NH for the World Quilt New England Show.  If you know of any shops I should hit on my way home, I would love to know.  I'm going to take my time, and enjoy my podcasts.  As the girls say on the MFM podcast, "Stay Sexy and Don't get Murdered"
Love you all, Shawn
Here is a complete list so you can follow along each week.