250. Meadowland


 I have never made the pattern, Meadowland, by Then Came June, although it has been wildly popular. Since I have been trying to sew my stash in 2023, I decided this was the year. I had a stack of fabric that I've held on to for years: Quilter's Tweed by Robert Kaufman (poor photo...)

I added a solid gold and started making blocks.

When I posted a progress photo on Instagram/Facebook, our friend, Mike, made this comment, I knew that this quilt was destined to belong to him.

He's a large guy, so the quilt needed a border. I have long eyed a stripe fabric by a company called Fableism, and knew it would be perfect for the other fabrics in the quilt.

I had some fabric that looked like postal service cancellations and since it was going from California to Kansas, and I had yards of it, it seemed like a great choice for backing.

Quilting was done by Darby Myers.




I always enjoy making a quilt even more when I can think about the person who will receive it. Mike is a special guy and I hope he enjoys this one. 

Quilt Name: Meadowland
Pattern: Meghan Buchanan (Then Came June)
Made by: Cindy Wiens
Quilted by: Darby Myers
Completed: December 2024
Size: 62" x 79"
Gifted to Mike Klaassen

249. Peppermint Village

For years, I have collected peppermint fabric with the goal of someday using as much as possible in a Christmas quilt. Also, years ago, I purchased a pattern called My Kinda Town by Peggy Larsen, and 2023 was the year when the two came together. As I completed each block and posted them on Instagram, I also wrote a little story, which I will share here.

The Van Winkle House.

For the longest time I've wanted to live in Peppermint Village, so when the old Van Winkle House came on the market, I grabbed it. Of course, repairs needed to be made. The first story gingerbread was crumbling and the striped trim needed to be repainted. But now it's nice and cozy, with garlands in the windows and a tree upstairs.




Amelia's House

My next door neighbor is Amelia. Her house is a lot larger than mine, with a room she added, where she makes custom Christmas stockings on her vintage sewing machine. Also, she has plenty of room for her parents to live with her. Her dad loves Christmas, so he is decorating the tree, while she is grabbing a kiss under the mistletoe. Ooh-la-la.


The Village Church

When the villagers decided to build a new church, they opted for a more subtle design, with ivy growing on the sides and tiny peppermints here and there. But then there was a sale on green peppermint stick roofing and they couldn't resist. Although what they really wanted everyone to notice were the beautiful stained glass windows.


Locust Street Rowhouses

The Locust Street Rowhouses are in the fancy part of town. Of course that means HOA rules--red doors and a wreath at all times. Candy lives in Peppermint Stripe, the cute aqua house. She makes custom candy canes. Her favorite is the traditional red and white ones, but she will make any colors you choose. In the middle are three sisters who call themselves the Jingle Belles. They are professional Christmas carolers. If you want them for your holidays party you better call them now--their schedule fills up quickly. And next is Rudy. He decorates ALL the places in town with his business S'Noel. He can do it all--from decorating inside and out to just hanging the wreath on your door. He especially loves snow, which is why he keeps a snow globe upstairs at all times.





Peggy Sue's Place.

Peggy Sue's Place is where everyone goes for event catering. Peggy Sue is one of the best cooks in the village. Her daughter, Sandy, runs the diner. My favorite thing on the menu right now is the turkey sandwich with homemade bread, Brie and cranberry sauce. But make sure you order a cinnamon roll with browned butter frosting--they are out of this world.




Avenue D Elementary School

A few years ago, the village built a new elementary school. A nice young couple purchased the old Avenue D elementary school and turned it into a charming bed and breakfast called the Fa La La Inn. There are only two rooms, Boughs of Holly and Yule Log, and they are decorated all year long. It's gotten great reviews on Yelp so book a room the next time you visit.


The Corner Stores

Just in time for your Black Friday shopping, The Corner Stores are fully stocked and ready to help with all your gift-giving needs. Take a break at The Daily Grind for a peppermint mocha, and when you are all done shopping, stop for some ice cream at The Scoop.



Welcoming Arms

The last building in our village is Welcoming Arms, which houses the chamber of commerce and post office. It is aptly named as the people who work there will always make you feel more than welcome. 


I was able to use up more peppermint fabric on the back, and of course, a peppermint striped binding.




I hope you've enjoyed the tour of our sweet village. Please come visit us sometime soon!

Quilt Name: Peppermint Village
Quilt Pattern: My Kinda Town by Peggy Larsen for Fiberworks
Made by: Cindy Wiens
Quilted by Darby Myers
Completed: December 2023
Size: 45" x 58"

102 (addendum): My Granny Loves Amish


 We found this mural in the Tower District of Fresno by accident. I think it warrants a photo all by itself. 

Quilt Name: My Granny is Amish

Completed in 2012

248. Friendly Faces 3.0

 Here we are again with a third iteration of Friendly Faces. When I made the Bound quilt, I trimmed off large triangles from the roof of each house. They were large enough that I knew I had to find a use for them. I still had some of a favorite background fabric (by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, sadly no longer available--but I used it in three quilts so I figure I got very good use from it). 

After using it with the triangles, I used the remaining scraps to surround more Friendly Faces. When I finally ran out of the background print, I made the rest of the squares using solid white in the center, surrounded by colorful solids.

It was definitely a "use it up" kind of project, which made me super happy. It needed a fun border and I found these colorful dots in my stash (I'm having the best time using what I already have rather than purchasing anything new).


I used this quilting design on Friendly Faces 2, and really liked it, so here it is again.

Another fun find for the backing. 
I'm so happy with this quilt. 

Quilt Name: Friendly Faces 3.0
Quilt Pattern: Original
Made by: Cindy Wiens
Quilted by: Darby Myers
Completed 2023
Size: 46" x 52"
Gifted to Brittany Daddino, NP

247. Bound

 Our very dear friend, Jessie, got married in January 2023 to a really wonderful guy, Timothy. They are both Disney fans. In fact, their ceremony took place at the Disney Grand Californian Hotel. It was a very small ceremony (Mark and I would love to have crashed it, but we did not.) They even had their wedding photos taken inside the park. 


For their wedding quilt, I used a pattern (Quilt Fort) by Laura Loewen, and used a stack of beautiful fabrics I had hoarded for a long time (Modern Solids by Alissa Haight Carlton--I wish they were still available).

I made the entire quilt top at our annual quilting retreat at my friend's cabin near Yosemite. We always drape completed quilt tops over the railing, and I can tell you that it has been years since I have had a finished quilt top to hang on the railing!



Darby used a Mickey/Minnie design. So perfect. And cute!




How cute is this fabric (waiting in my stash for the perfect project)!
I'm particularly pleased with the name of the quilt, Bound, and the symbolism it represents. Jessie and Timothy are now bound together in love. 
Also, as they frequently go to Disneyland, they do something called Disney Bounding. So the quilt name serves a dual purpose. It is also why I used a Disney font. What is Disney Bounding, you ask? You are not allowed to wear a costume into the park if you are over 14 years of age. So fans emulate a character with regular clothing. See how cute they are as Rex and Hamm from Toy Story. 

We took the quilt downtown and photographed it in front of these cool metal sculptures called Acero Picado by Gordon Huether. They have long been on my list.





Jessie and Timothy were scheduled to have lunch with us on their way to the mountains for the weekend, but Timothy had to stay home due to illness. But it was so much fun giving Jessie the quilt in person. (I think she likes it...)


We are so happy for the two of them. 

Quilt Name: Bound
Quilt Pattern: Quilt Fort by Laura Loewen
Made by: Cindy Wiens
Quilted by: Darby Myers
Size: 60" x 65"