Last day of business

Hey there all you sweet birds!  Today was our last day of business. I want you all to know that I am going to miss you! You, my dear customers and friends, have absolutely, without a doubt, been the best part of having the shop. I have been richly blessed. Many of you have asked what mom and I are going to do after closing the shop...

What's Amy going to do?
The first thing I'm going to do is take some time off! I'm going to work in my garden, visit with friends and family, and just relax. I'm going to finish up some of my WIP's (Works In Process!) and get back to some hobbies I've been neglecting. I'm excited to get back to making jewelry- I'm working on a new line of jewelry that will be available in my etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/louieandbella. Yep, that's right, Louie & Bella is the name of my jewelry business, and the name of my new blog as well. I don't have anything posted yet, but hope to have a blog post, and some new jewelry up on etsy, next week. Come visit me and see what I'm up to at http://www.louieandbella.blogspot.com/.

What's Angela going to do?
Angela and George are currently trying to sell their gorgeous home in the country, outside of New Albin, IA. It's a wonderful farm (not a working farm though) in a valley with 2 spring fed ponds and it is so incredibly beautiful. I grew up there, so I may be a teensy biased, but if you look at the pictures on their website, you'll find that I'm right. :) Check it out at http://www.2861blairroad.com/. They've already found their new home- a little dream of a house in New Albin, IA, so they're waiting for for the right person to come along and fall in love with the farm in the valley.

And, as you read in the previous post, Angela is also very excited about her new little venture, Summer Kitchen Quilts. There is a lovely little summer kitchen at their new home in New Albin, which will be finished off once their country house sells, and will house her new little shop. However, she's going to begin teaching some classes out at the country house starting Saturday, June 5. Her first class is a small crazy quilt evening bag of her own design. The class fee is inclusive, so food, drinks and every thing needed to make the project is included. Check out Angela's blog at http://www.summerkitchenquilts.blogspot.com/.

I also want to put in a good word for our longarm quilter, former Yellow Bird, and dear friend... Sue Elsbernd would be happy to use her longarm quilting skills to add the perfect finishing touch to your quilts. Her quilting service is called The Nimble Needle and her phone number is 563-737-2360. Many of you had seen her gorgeous quilting on our shop samples. She is a talented and conscientious quilter and she comes highly recommended from us.

Please support your local shops- quilt shops and others. Stop in, say hello, and pick a little something up. That's how they stay around. Sure, sometimes you can find great deals on the internet, but don't forget about the positive contribution local businesses make to your community- they employ local people, pay local taxes, and allow you to go shopping just down the street from your home. It's hard to have a girl's day out shopping on the internet, right? :)

Thank you for all of your support and love. It's been an honor and a privilege to know you, sew with you, and share in your projects, creative plans, and dreams, over the last 4 years.
xoxo,
Amy

It's a New Day!

As Amy and the Birds have been wrapping up the closing of Yellow Bird Art, Amy and I have been asked about a gazillion times, "What are you doing to be doing?"  And believe me, that question has been going through our minds almost constantly.  I know Amy has several great options and some real nice job offers, but she's just focusing on closing YBA for the time being.  I'm sure Amy will let ya'll know what's next in her life once Yellow Bird is closed.

At times I've felt that just continuing to remain upright and mobile was a good goal for myself.  But I really, really love fabric and quilting, and sewing, and yarns and knitting, and crafting, and art and creating - and, oh yes, the customers.  So after much discussion and soul searching, I'm beginning a new - very small - (emphasis on small) business.  

Ta-Dah!!

Summer Kitchen Quilts 

Jennie and Tammy at Old Drawing Board are busy creating a new graphic package for me and a new web site with a shopping cart.  We probably won't be ready to open until mid summer, but I'll keep you updated

I'll be selling wonderful fabrics at prices you're going to just flip over!  I will be primarily a web based business, but once we move to our new "old" house in New Albin, Iowa, I'll probably be open one day a week for those of you who must touch fabric.  Now, I want to make sure you all understand, this isn't going to be a big fancy quilt shop.  There won't be samples, or thousands of patterns or books or notions.  I'm going to focus on small collections of high quality fabrics at low prices.  I'll carry some basic threads, some sewing machine needles, my own collection of patterns (I'm going to be designing!) and some books IF I can find some great bargains for you.  

But for right now, I'm going to offer some classes at my home out in the country.  Our home is two restored log cabins (1860 & 1880), and a huge addition we built in 2000. I'll be offering a variety of creative classes in the next couple of months.  To begin with, I'll be teaching a class for my Little Bag, pictured below.

 This design is one of a collection of boutique bags I designed and made several years ago.  The Little Bag retailed at $185.00 to $250.00 depending on the fabrics customers wanted and the amount and kinds of embellishments used.  People have begged me to make the patterns public, and I've decided that now is a great time to do just that!

Now, you need to hop on over to my new blog:  www.SummerKitchenQuilts.blogspot.com to get all the details on the classes I'll be offering and all the other information you need to sign up!

P.S.  I'm about 40 minutes from Decorah, 90 minutes from Rochester, 50 minutes from LaCrosse, 15 minutes from New Albin, and 30 minutes from Waukon or Lansing.

posted by Angela