Some News and Christmas Tradition

No news has been posted in the blog for some time - mainly because the main blogger (Brooke) has had another part time job besides helping at the Quilt Frame Company.  It became time to retire from that job about a month ago, so now I have more time to gather thoughts and get photos ready for blog posts.

This time of year, I am thinking about traditions and wanted to share one from John's family; baking honey cake.  This has been a fascinating process to watch over the years.  John's mother was a phenomenal cook.  She and her children, including John, made several special Christmas cookies, including honey cake.  The recipe, handed down from John's German great grandmother, was written in the style of a handful of this and a pinch of that and add flour until you can't stir the batter anymore, so it had to be translated into standard measurements; a trial and error process.  But the bakers succeeded!

John and his sisters continue to make honey cake early in December because it gets better with curing.  So two weekends ago, they made honey cake - it is an all day process with measuring and mixing, dough chilling, rolling out, baking and making the thin candied icing.  It is stored in stoneware crocks at our house and we haven't eaten too many of them, honest.  Here are some pictures!
Baking

 Another bit of news is that Kate and John are both teaching at the Road to California Show and Conference in Ontario California in January.  This is a great show and they will be vending also.  Here is a link to an interview with John and Kate about their working relationship; kinda funny!
Interview

Thanks for taking time to read this blog post and we all wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or however you celebrate this happy season!  Most of all we wish you Peace.

"Hope and Love" by John Flynn

Hello - this is a busy time of year for us; John and Kate have just wrapped up the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, California and are on their way back to Montana. Then they must pack and restock like mad so they can vend at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. John teaches two days right before the show opens; like I siad BUSY!

I wanted you to see the little video about John's "Celebrity Alzheimer's Quilt Auction", a fundraiser for Alzheimer's research. I can't remember for sure but I think this is the sixth time he has made a miniature quilt for the Celebrity Auction; in fact he was one of the original four who dreamt up the fundraiser. I believe a late night after a big dinner with other quilt teachers and some wine were part of the brainstorm. Anyway, bid on one of these wonderful miniatures if you can - this is the last year for the AAQI auction.




More news to come later this week - we have dates for the 2014 Quilt Retreat here in Montana!  It's not too early to plan...  Brooke

Hey, Watch This!

John and Kate can really piece fast.  I can't believe it, with all that was happening in the rest of her life, Kate got this cute Pinwheel pre-cut kit pieced this weekend!  Having it all cut out helps, but still that is a lot of sewing, pressing etc.  So hope you enjoy watch the kit come together; she has some good tips in there too!  This pre-cut kit is only $27 on our website .

Free slideshow design generated with Smilebox The other piece of news is that we now have the promotional information about the tour and quilt show in Ireland in June 2014.  Ireland Info   Please send your mailing address if you want the whole itinerary; it is about 3 pages long and I will mail you one.  We are so excited to head to the "old country".  I don't know if either one of us has all that much Irish ancestry, but when your last name is Flynn, you have somewhat of a claim, I think! That's all the news for now.  John and I are vending at a nice little show in Cody, Wyoming this weekend. We had fun last year; this is a beautiful time to travel in this part of the country.  Hope you enjoy your weekend!  Brooke

We Had a Quilt Retreat and Fire broke out...

All three of the Flynns (well, two Flynns and one Flynn Nichols) look forward to the Quilt Retreat here in beautiful Red Lodge, Montana.  We plan and plan and try to make the days that quilters are here special and hope that we can make their experience educational and relaxing and enjoyable in our little mountain corner of the world.  That is all fine until someone STARTS A FIRE right across the highway from the Resort where classes are being held.  

Alarms, fire trucks, firefighters, emergency vehicles, EVACUATION, NO you can't take your sewing machine with you, everyone meet at Flynns' house to regroup, off to dinner as planned, new hotels, no toothbrushes, nightgowns or clean undies, no place for class the next day - oh, wait, we find a nice place for class, go ahead and get your stuff out of your old room, and your machines and sewing supplies, peaceful new spot for class and quilters are so adaptable - isn't that part of quilting?  Making the best out of what you have and what you can find to add to it?  

We all survived and so appreciate the good nature and calm spirit of our quilter friends this year  Wow, what can we do to top it in 2014!

Here are some pictures from last week.  The first ones are from the team that is fighting the Rock Creek fire, aren't they great pictures?  I copied them from inciweb which is a really useful website if you live in wildfire prone areas.  The Rock Creek fire is not out and probably won't be until we have snow, but we are so grateful for the professionals here working the fire and that we don't have a huge and devastating fire like the one in Yosemite. 

 

Make a photo slideshow

Well, that's all the news for this week except John has been asked to teach at the International Quilting Festival of Ireland in June 2014.  Wouldn't you love to tour Ireland with John Flynn and take in a great quilt show?  We promise there won't be a forest fire!  

Take care, and don't throw anything that is burning out of your car window!  Brooke

MS Bike Ride 2013

It is that time of year; John has been faithfully churning his way up the hills to get in shape for the bike ride to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis research. He gets up really early in the morning to ride; shh, please don't make so much noise!

Anyway, he loves riding his bike, it is such good exercise, he gets to see wonderful scenery and he enjoys the other bikers and travelers up and down the Beartooth Highway. He had an interesting encounter with a cow moose a few days ago. She was ahead of him, running uphill, right in front of him. He was afraid to pass her because, even though she was moving slowly at the time, he was pretty sure he couldn't pedal faster than she could run. A car came by just in time and she veered off in to the trees.

To make it more interesting this year, John is offering a prize to a lucky contributor to his MS effort. If you contribute to John's effort, your name will go in a drawing and you could win a beautiful original John Flynn wallhanging. The quilt is about 32" in diameter and is heavily quilted with all kinds of Montana creatures and other wildlife. It is really a nice quilt!  Click here to contribute

Thank you for helping: this is such a worthwhile cause.  Hope your summer is going swell; we only have a few more days until the quilters come for our 2013 Quilt Retreat here in Montana.  Thanks again and take care!

Brooke

SALE Through Sunday 3/18

Just a quick note to remind you that the Multi-Frame with 48" rods is On Sale through March 18.  Here is the web address and use IRISH for the discount code.  The Frame which is normally $150 is $20 off with the discount code, good through March 18, 2013

I want to do a blog post with pictures of all the "big" quilts John, Kate and I have done on the Multi-Frame, but I didn't have time before this post needed to go out.  Some folks have the misconception about the Frame only being useful for small quilts.  On the contrary, it is the big quilts where it is the most useful.  If you haven't watched the DVD, you can find it on the front page of our website and there are plenty of "big" quilts there.  Some of them are mine!

So watch soon for a blog with pictures of our "big" quilts.  And maybe medium size ones too.

Oh, we have started posting more on Facebook; would you go to Flynn Quilt Frame Company's page and Like us?  Thanks!

I'm thinking of joining the St. Patrick's Day Parade down Main Street in Red Lodge on Sunday, are you planning something fun for St. Paddy's Day?
Brooke

SALE - LIMITED TIME!

Well, John is on his way to the American Quilters' Society Show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Now that's a far piece from Montana, let me tell you.  Kate leaves tomorrow to meet him to vend and demonstrate in the booth.  The shows are really close together this time of year, and they scrambled hard to get more frames ready and more pre-cut kits ready.  But the van was full and I hope the quilters at the AQS Show find just the pre-cut kit they are looking for, or give the frame a try and take one home with them!

The office is closed while Kate is gone, of course, but she wanted to have a Sale on the Flynn Multi-Frame with 48" rods while she was out of town.  So, go to the catalog, order a quilt frame and use IRISH for the discount code.  ($20 off)  She will be busy when she gets back, I guess she realizes that.

We still have banks of snow, but the days are longer and it is starting to feel a little like spring.  Click here for a look at what the folks in Red Lodge were doing for fun today.  I haven't been up to the Rodeo Grounds to watch the skijoring, but I watched it several times when it was just in a vacant lot beside the highway.  It is never boring in Red Lodge.

Why not plan a summer vacation to Montana; Yellowstone Park, Little Big Horn Battlefield, fishing on the Big Horn River or the Madison, backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains and combine it with 3 days of quilting with John Flynn!  Here is more information on the August 2013 Retreat.  John has chosen the classes and there will be lots of possibilities for students and curved triangles will never be a mystery to you again!

Take care and have a wonderful early spring (or early fall) wherever you are!  Brooke