New Quilts!!!

One of the things that makes Holloway's unique is that we still sell American made hand quilted quilts.  Maria has 40 quilters that work on these masterpieces.  One quilter per quilt hand meticulously hand stitches thousands of stitches.

On any given day the staff will give a show of the 40+ quilts on the bed in the center of the shop.

Quilters and quilt lovers alike enjoy the treat of this show.

Today was an extra special treat for these ladies who came to the shop for Row By Row.  Maria just returned from a short vacation with her daughter and two grandsons.  While she was traveling, she made stops at some of our quilters to pick up some finished quilts.  These new quilts were put on the bed this morning just as the ladies entered the shop.

It's always a thrill to see people loving and appreciating the quilts as much as we do.

Next time you are in East TN stop by and ask for a bed turning.  We will be glad to share our treasures with you.

Winner of the Gabby Kit

First we must apologize for the lateness of this post.  It was promised that the winner would be announced by 10:00 AM EST today, but we have had a rather busy morning here at the shop.

 But James is ready to announce the winner of Gabby Quilts for Friends book and kit.

Thanks again for all the wonderful stories about the special quilts in your lives.

Now we were going to use the a computerized random generator to do this drawing but have decided that sometimes it is good to do things a little old school.  

Here are the names we are drawing from:

Folded into equal, anonymous squares:

Placed into our pretty little basket:

And a random customer's hand drawing the name:

And the winner is.....

Julie, I have sent you an email to notify you and get shipping information.

Thanks for playing!

Photo Shoot with James & Gabby

When you look at the pictures we post and use for our advertisements quite often you will see a member of the Holloway clan in the picture.  So when we began to do a photo shoot to feature the Gabby book and our new companion kit there was no question as to who the model should be.

Meet James, Maria's great-grandson

James loves books and being part of this quilting family the Gabby book is a perfect addition to his library.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of this book and our companion kit to make the quilt shown make sure you visit this post.

The contest ends tonight (Thursday, July 24, 2014 at midnight).

Look for more pictures and stories of James and his family in the coming weeks.

CONTEST!!!!! (Contest closed July 24, 2014)

If you have been admiring the fantastic new book Gabby Quilts for Friends then this contest is for you!

Holloway's has created an adorable quilt to go along with the book.  We are giving away one copy of the book with a kit to make the quilt!

So how do you win?  Here's how.....Gabby makes a very special quilt for her friends.  In the comments below please tell us about a special quilt you have made or received.  Who was it for and why was it special?

RULES:

1) In order to enter the contest you must comment below (Comments on our Facebook page and/or emails do not count.)

2) Entries will be open until Midnight EST Thursday night (July 24, 2014)

3) Winner will be selected at random from the comments and will be announced by 10:00 AM EST Friday (July 25, 2014).

Thanks for your participation and good luck!!!!!

Sneak Peek of Gabby

This little story book has captured our hearts here at Holloway's.  What is more precious than a resourceful young girl deciding to make a quilt?

And like every quilter she has advice from all her friends....

She takes it in stride and completes a beautiful work of art....

Isn't this artwork fantastic?!?  

Stay tuned for more exciting news about Gabby and a contest to win a book and kit for yourself!

Meet Gabby!!!!

Have you met Gabby?

Gabby is a truly dedicated quilter....she adds to her quilt with the suggestions of all her friends.

This book is such a cute addition to your library.  

Look for more info on Gabby coming soon!!!!

(Currently we have Gabby's book in stock and also have kits available to make Gabby's quilt.)

UPS and A Walk in the Woods

The sound of a horn blasts through the country air as a brown panel truck pulls through the gravel lot and to the back door!  Inside the log cabin the two ladies sitting down to finally eat their lunch jump to their feet and unlock the door.

YES!!!! It's a UPS delivery!  We get excited over the simple things here!  UPS coming by usually means new fabric or notions to play with.  And today was no exception.

We got in this fun fabric and pattern from In the Beginning fabrics.

A Walk in the Woods by Jennifer Heymen

This great little book is full of whimsical patterns for all kinds of Woodland Creatures.  Create a baby quilt, placemats, a table runner, or even napkins and napkin rings.  I can't wait to dig into these patterns!

But UPS didn't just bring the great quilting inspiration!

We also got in a new shipment of the Solmate socks!  These are great socks to cuddle up with by the fire with your new creations from the A Walk in the Woods book. (Yes, I know it's July but I'm always looking forward to a brisk fall evening.)

And as the Solmate Socks labels read: Life is too short to match socks!

Tennessee Row by Row

Have you caught on to the Row by Row experience yet?

It's a neat way to do a shop hop as you travel on your summer vacation.  There are 34 states involved so far and we at Holloway's are excited to be part of Tennessee's first year of participation. 

We often get customers in our shop from around the world.  That's just part of being located near a high tourism area like the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

But not all customers are like the sweet one pictured below....

She came in and asked for Row By Row and just spread joy and enthusiasm all through the shop!

It was a great way to liven up our afternoon (we tend to get a bit sleepy after lunch, must be all that good cooking located near the shop).

Check out Row By Row to see how you can participate in the fun across the nation.

And come by and see us soon!

Wildlife and a Log Cabin

Beautiful picture of a carpenter bee and flowers, isn't it?  Have you ever experienced the incessant buzzing of these creatures?  I know, I know.   They are "harmless".  They don't sting.  They just buzz around, flitting here and flitting there.  If you are a bee lover, I apologize in advance for my next statement.

One of the frequent spring and summer pastimes at Holloway's is to sit on the front porch swatting these buzzing nuisances with a racket.  On an average day, you can sit on the porch in one of our comfortable rockers and watch the sawdust drift down from the overhang like snow. 

The oldest part of our building dates back to 1761 so I guess the wood must be like a fine wine vintage, only getting better with age.  It feels like each year there are more and more of these little buzzers.  We are constantly plugging the holes where they have bored into the wood.  But such is life in a log cabin.

However, do you know why carpenter bees bore into the wood?

It is to lay their eggs in a protected environment.  Okay, I guess we can handle that.

But..........

Do you know these wonderful bee larvae actually are?

They are the favorite delicacy of a certain bird, namely this Downy Woodpecker.

Yes, that's right.  We have been invaded by a woodpecker.  One day last month I was walking behind the building (to scare off the woodpecker) when it dive-bombed at me.  I guess I interrupted its afternoon snack.

The past month has been spent plugging holes and repairing damage left by these visitors from nature. I'm thinking.....maybe Maria needs to design her next quilt telling the story of the Carpenter Bees and the Woodpecker.  

What do you think?

Hello!

I call my business Holloway's Country Home for a very specific reason. I'm Maria Holloway and my husband John and I have owned and operated Holloway's Country Home for over 20 years. What's a Yankee Portuguese lady like me doing making quilts in the beautiful mountains of Tennessee? Well, one day 32 years ago, I was on my way to Florida and passed through east Tennessee. It wasn't long until I came back and made my home here. Holloway's Country Home is located in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 20 miles outside of Gatlinburg, TN.

All of our products are handmade, originating in centuries of rural tradition. Color, cut, pattern, fabric... all this and much more goes into the making of our quilts. But the most important element is time. In addition to our large number of original and vintage quilts, we have quilt kits and supplies for you to invest the time in making your own. Most importantly, this is our home and all of our products are about making your home more comfortable and inviting.

Come on in and take a look around...