You are going to love this! Connie has opened an Etsy store under sewitgoesbyconnie. Connie loves to make “stuff” and now she might just be making something you’d rather buy than make yourself. Here are her offerings so far:
The pumpkin mat and Halloween house pillow – sold separately.
Project Bag Buttons
Project bag She Who Sews
I believe she’ll be having some fabric packs for sale in the future. And the business side of this – Connie’s Etsy store is not connected to Country Threads (as you know it) which brings me to another point. Your checks to me should be made out to Mary Etherington NOT Country Threads. Since Country Threads is closed and there are new people working at the bank, I’ve had to prove that I am Country Threads. Ugh.
Closing our corporation is too complicated to even explain so just try to be aware of writing your check to Mary ETHERINGTON. Connie’s Etsy store is completely separate. For more information on her items for sale at Etsy I believe there is a way to contact her on the Etsy site.
Whew! Can we keep it all straight?
Reader photos
So check out sewitgoesbyconnie at Etsy – I bet she’ll be kept very busy! For those of you who asked about Betty, here she is – happy and healthy!
Have you ever seen such a shiny black dog?
P.S. A reader asked me about our address, 2345 Palm Ave. Palm???? That’s just what I said when the county supervisors changed our address from Rural Route 2 which I thought fit Country Threads perfectly to PALM AVE. PALM as in palm trees??? I visited the county supervisors in person to object and here’s what they said to me: we’ve never heard of Country Threads. And they wouldn’t consider my request to change it. So much for community support of which we’ve had virtually none in 45 years. I’d even venture to say Country Threads has brought in more out of state and out of town visitors than any other business in Garner! But sadly we’ve always been referred to as “that little craft store west of town”.
Love the quilting in the ice cream on the runner. We chose to have a post office box when we bought our house, rather than being on a Rural Route for a town 5 miles away. When 911 came into being we were told our 911 address would be …….Avenue, but the street sign went up with ……..Drive. Not a problem until I am asked for St, Dr, Ave etc for deliveries. I say it doesn’t matter. They will find us. Then there is the package that didn’t arrive and I found that they had canceled my order because they didn’t deliver to PO Boxes. I gave them my street address. The next week I had to pick up the package at the post office. Both Fed Ex and UPS can leave packages at the post office. Mary, I enjoy reading your blog.
Judy, This doesn’t surprise me at all.
Just played around with quilting stencils to make the ice cream flavors look different.
When I moved to the country I had RR and a Box # that I could not remember. So the 911 address came, it’s our area code and the year my sister was born. Last week at the post office in Oklahoma, my sister hadn’t gotten the whole street address on. The Clerk says there’s no such address on this street. So she thought a minute and realized what she had done. I got the box on Friday. Betty is a beautiful dog. Have a good day.
Oh Mary, I just have to put my two cents worth tonight! I always enjoy…. Good luck to Connie. She will be successful with those offerings. And then the comments—the miss-parked cars, the business poorly written, Palm Avenue, that little craft store west of town, and last but not least shiny Betty in her beautiful coat!
Warm weather is coming. Yay.
Don’t you get tired of all the red tape and goverment rules? Don’t know what happened to just plain old good sense?
My discovery for the day: my eyes are old and give me fits when working with black. Today I got an idea to sit by the counter in the sunlight coming in the window above the sink. I
could really see the black and it’s ‘shadows’ and got the rows matched and pinned without a problem — except I got hot sitting in the sun!! Now I’ve got just 2 cross seams and the quilt is done ready for pressing. And I’m so relieved.
Our days are beautiful. Perfect fall. And the nights are in the 50’s or lower. Perfect sewing weather. And the leaves are changing almost over night. Spearfish Canyon is absolutely beautiful.
Take care. Betty in Rapid City
Betty – I have never had such a terrible few months as I’ve had trying to close a corporation. I told somebody it was very easy to start it but ending it was another story. And if we didn’t end it correctly we would be required to file quarterly or yearly tax reports and pay our accountant to do it even though we hadnt taken in a penny. It infuriates me! In order to keep selling the old Country Threads patterns I had to set up a small business bank account with a new name – blah, blah, blah! Then on top of that our previous tech person didn’t set up our online store correctly and all those patterns are now gone anyway. Can you hear the frustration in my “voice”?????
You’re a better woman than I, Betty, if you can sew with black anything!
I’ve stayed clear of black like the plague for years as there are no shadows to help see the fabrics. It just happened Project Warmth is having a contest(?) called “Hip to be Square.” Anything made out of squares the only requirement. It should be very interesting to see the results as we have some very creative quilters with great imaginations. (Not me.) I’ll send pictures. The sun is just getting to the kitchen window about now, so I’ll get to finish the quilt top. Betty
i couldn’t find connie on etsy. someone else using that link. maybe i looked it up wrong. thanks. hope you are getting some rest now. patti in florida
yikes, i just found connie. it is SewitgoesByConnie . yes! patti in florida
Judy, I find it odd that the Post Offices charges for you to go to their building and pick up your mail. If they deliver it to you…it’s free!!!
It’s a good thing I have no idea how to purchase on Etsy. I could be in real trouble.
Yes, Mary, I’m sure your store brought more business to your community than anything else. We quilters are big spenders.
Today at jail, one of the inmates made an incredible quilt from last time’s demo. I wish I could take pictures. I’ll have to figure out how to get it displayed somewhere. It’s extraordinary.
Warm days, cool nights here in ole Wyoming.
Hey Jo! It’s really easy to purchase on Etsy—you go to item you want and put it in your cart. These are independent sellers sending directly to you, so read what it says on the order page. You do need to start an Etsy account, but that’s easy. I’ve ordered things for years and never had any problems, even with overseas sellers. And you can find out-of-print fabric and patterns, antiques, handmade jewelry, all kinds of craft supplies…I could go on and on. Etsy is great! Last year for Christmas I ordered pearl jewelry for gifts from a lady in Singapore. Not only was I very happy with the items, they arrived in about 10 days! I was amazed!
Hi Mary, Betty is looking beautiful, her teeth are so white! We have daylight saving this week, so l woke very early and now in bed 8pm! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Mary,
I am sure that your “little craft store in the country” did bring in more tourism dollars than Garner and Clear Lake would ever believe over the years you had the quilt store and quilt camps in the barn. One year you had a big sale on Flag Day and I don’t know how I heard about it but I always take my Mom on a weekend trip for her birthday and Mother’s Day so I thought she would love to go. So me (from Platteville, WI), my Aunt (from Blue River, WI) and my Mom (from Dubuque, IA) made the trip. We stayed in a hotel in Clear Lake for 2 nights. We came to your farm and loved it, spent lots at your sale. We also visited every thrift store, gift store and restaurant that we could fit in. I know between the 3 of us we spent a considerable amount of money at quite a few businesses just to come and visit “your little craft store in the country”. Not to mention that the money you earned also was spent by you back into the community for goods and services.
We have wonderful memories of visiting the farm and really loved Clear Lake (beautiful area). So glad we came when we did because Mom can’t walk or maneuver very good anymore.
Will have to check out Connie’s Etsy site, both you ladies are so talented and ambitious!
Melody – oh, I love stories like this! Brings back those good years on the farm although I was too busy at the time to appreciate it. Yes, the quilt camps were something to behold, weren’t they? What a memory! Thanks for starting my day on a sweet note.
Mary,
That is why we never got a chance to meet – you were so busy the day of the sale!
Mary — I am chuckling about your county workers — I have a sign in front of my house. Awhile back a car took the sign (and my post box) out. When the sheriff came, he looked at the sign and said, interesting – that’s a sign for bridges. I called the county, told the guy that when they replaced it put the correct sign. (It was for vehicle weight for a bridge, not a road). Basically he didn’t care and the same sign was put back up. Oh that someone would care about their jobs and do them!!! I’m a retired nurse and I often think of what would have happened if I did my job that poorly……. ugh…….. have a great day!!!!
Lynette – very sad that many workers have no integrity in their work. Why would you put up the same wrong sign???
Your story about the rural route reminded me of this. When I first met my husband I lived in a condo in Annandale, VA. It’s a suburb of Washington, DC. He lived in Nokesville, VA which is about 45 minutes further away from DC in the country. When we got married I moved from Annandale to Nokesville and the address in Nokesville was Rural Route 2, Box 720. The movers had me all packed up and were ready to leave and I gave them the address and one of them said you’re moving from this nice place to a box? LOL!!
Doesn’t really apply to what you were talking about, but it may make someone laugh today!
Love your blog!
It’s hard to explain that “Box 720” was actually a mailbox on Rural Route 2! Possibly not on your property, but on the road closest to the house. Nokesville, VA was such a fun place to live! I hope it still is. Our address was Bristow, VA, but our kids went to school in Nokesville, VA. The town parade each year, with booths set up along the route, the old fashioned tractors in the parade, the countryside – I miss it. I even have a sweatshirt with the Nokesville barn pigs dancing on it. We had to move to Maryland close to my husband’s new job.
Mary’s blog has so much about life in the countryside that a few more “country” comments will fit right in.
Ruth – I grew up 1/2 mile from the school line. Our mailing address was Britt, we lived close to Crystal Lake and went to Woden-Crystal Lake to school and you’ve described life as I grew up on a farm in North Iowa.
Susan – do you and Ruth know each other????
Short sighted? “That little craft store?” Honestly! I’m certain that the local officials didn’t mind the revenue generated by all the visitors who flocked to CT back in the day. Aren’t the streets there alphabetical? Any “P” would have worked, right? Pumpkin Ave might have been a better choice than Palm for your locale. Having a Grand Opening sale but failing to give a name or address for your business doesn’t bode well for the future! 🤦🏼♀️ Wishing much success to Connie with her Etsy venture! That ice cream cone runner is adorable!
Mrs. Goodneedle – here’s another tidbit – our copy machine was bigger than the one owned by the biggest manufacturer in town – according to our Xerox rep. Haha! I’ll never forget the Sunday morning in 2008 that our pastor held up the Country Living Magazine that we were included in as one of the 10 top entrepreneurs in the US. It was a sweet fleeting moment.
Country Living Magazine – that’s how I found out about a quilt shop in Iowa. I wish I could have made a trip there. Betty has such a sweet face. Wishing Connie luck with her new venture.
Lynne – I should write the Country Living story, shouldn’t I? I honestly think it was the most exciting thing that ever happened to me.
Mrs. Goodneedle – here’s another good one – in 1995 when we were on the cover of the first Quilt Sampler, the magazine supplier for our area put a sticker over our picture that said – Minnesota quilt shop featured! I bought a copy at the local grocery store.
The runner was fun to make. The prairie points were different to construct. I was going to make 3, but think I will keep it for this Great Grandma’s house.
Nancy – all the littles will love it!
Good for Connie to keep busy creating such lovely pieces for people to buy and use her stash. Project bags are great gifts for storing and heading out the door to a friends for chatting while stitching. Hard to believe next week is the first week of October and we will have 80 degree weather. Enjoy your porch too, Mary for as long as you can.
Love seeing others creations! The address thing, ours was changed from Rural Route, Box #… to a 911 address using the highway we live on. It used to be easy to figure out addresses because the box numbers were sequential, now you have to know latitude and longitude coordinates I think???? Check out Parking Pricks of the Midwest on Facebook!
Anne – I will definitely check out the parking!!!
Anne – oh my gosh!!! I could post some pictures on their site, couldn’t I?
Yes you could!!
Mary, I feel your pain! I’ve been a member of the board of directors of The Quilters’ Hall of Fame since Rosalind Webster Perry gave us her grandmother, Marie Webster’s, house to be renovated as the QHF Museum. We saved the house from demolition and restored it to its original glory. We are on FOUR historic registers! We are the ONLY historic building that recognizes a quilter! We’re incorporated as a business in Indiana. We’ve been up and running for nearly 30 years and many quilters have never heard of us, never mind the locals. The city does nothing for us, even though we’ve brought in thousands of visitors over the years, from all over the world. I get it…James Dean was born in Marion and raised in nearby Fairmount, and the James Dean festival is a much larger event than our Celebration. Marion also hosts the largest War of 1812 re-enactment in the country and thousands come for that. We’re the poor relations.
The post office issue is nuts—-we are three blocks from the courthouse downtown but they won’t deliver mail to us, we have to pay for a P.O. Box. But packages and freight MUST be delivered directly to the museum. It’s maddening! I recently took over running our gift shop and started stocking Fabric Cafe’s 3-yard quilt books. I can’t order online because the credit card address is the P.O. Box and the package can’t be delivered there—I have to call them.🙄 Their computer can’t reconcile 2 addresses and they can’t fix that. Not their fault.
Sue – oh, how I feel your pain! I have to admit I don’t know this quilter’s history but I’m going to look her up and read. I’d love to see pictures of the house. I recognize the description of poor relations.😟
I, too, faced the rural route/box number to street address change for my current home. Then a handful of years after that, the city changed our zip code as city growth required a change. I think of all those address change notifications I did. In Crystal Lake, Iowa, my parents had a box number. If I wanted something delivered to their place, I needed to use a street address. The first time that happened, I had to ask my parents if they had a street address. They did, but I never knew it until that time.
Best wishes to Connie on her Etsy site. Small projects seem to sell better than big ones. The examples you shared fit that to a “T”.
Yes people close to home are not appreciated.
And 45 years???? I remember when you opened and I attended one of your first all night classes IN the chicken coop 😀😀😀😀😀
Good for Connie to have an Etsy store. Does she need more buttons? I am giving a box away.
That is a funny story about Palm Avenue . I would say you are right about bringing more business to the area than any other store in Garner .
How does Etsy work? Anyone that orders one of Connie’s products she will make it for them????
Thanks for your input Mary about how we choose who we give our quilts to as gifts.
Rainy up here today in NE Wisconsin and the maple leaves are filling my backyard.
Rhoda – I’m going to write that essay about our things – Etsy takes the order and a fee that’s included in the price and Connie sends out the quilt/pillow/item. She has the items chosen and made as they’re put in her store – if demand is high, she needs to sew faster! It’s a great deal for someone who enjoys making multiples! She might be busier than she planned. Yes, 45 years – unbelievable, huh? I doubt she needs the buttons but if she does, she’ll leave a comment here. I couldn’t survive an all night class now, could you? That summer we had one almost every single Friday night! We tried most everything. Got your envelope – will read the article tonight.
Oh, Miss Betty is beautiful 😻! Loving Connie’s creations. I sent you some pictures of the girls 😻
Good luck to Connie.
Mary – I wish you would have shown the Pooh baby quilt pic I sent with the ice cream runner. The quilt is for my new great granddaughter born on Sept. 22.
We now have 6 girls and 1 boy. Lots of quilts to make!
Nancy – and I sure will – you know, honestly it didn’t come at the same time as the runner – what’s with that? I went back to look over emails with projects and then it was there – I absolutely will because it’s darling!
Nancy – I went back and looked again – 10 pictures arrived between the two of yours – don’t ask me why.
Like weird. They were in the same email. Can’ understand all this internet stuff! Thanks for looking.
Nancy – you and me both – ugh – I feel so old and incompetent when it comes to technology. I’ll hang in there if you will!
Thanks for posting the pictures of Betty. She is looking great; what a beauty!
Thanks for the update on Fluffy, Mary. You have done your best, and how could you do more? Apparently, she likes being a hermit.
Today, I have been to the chiropractor and had a mammogram. Since I have been both manipulated and smashed, I am in my recliner watching YouTube. I love all the pumpkin crafts-fabric, knitted and crocheted. They are so cute.
Thanks, Mary. 🥰
Jeanie – you’ve really had a day, haven’t you? To the rec. liner you shall stay! Haha
Closing a business is not easy I know. It took over a year to get everything straight for me. So stressful and it really should not be so!
Go figure on the street name! LOLOL Love the photos, as always. I hope Connie has success with her Etsy shop.
YAY for Connie! She must be doing well, I just checked out her store on Etsy and there is only 1 item listed. 😊 Love the ice cream cone runner. Betty is such a beautiful girl.