Darlene Zimmerman's Clothesline Club - The Jolly Jabber Quilting Blog

Darlene Zimmerman’s Clothesline Club

Today’s guest author needs no introduction, I should think. Darlene Zimmerman is the mastermind behind the Clothesline Club which she creates projects for ranging from quilts and aprons to shoe bags and table toppers using her fantastic 1930s-inspired fabrics, collections such as Girlfriends. We’ve just wrapped up our 2008 Clothesline Club and we’re ready to see what projects lie ahead in 2009. If you are a 30s enthusiast, then this is definitely the club for you. Read on as Darlene gives us a glimpse into the darling 1930s future of Clothesline Club!

Greetings!
I’m Darlene Zimmerman, the creator behind the Clothesline Prints and the Clothesline Club from Robert Kaufman, designer of tools with EZ Quilting, and author of books with Krause Publications. In addition to that I have been self-publishing patterns under my company’s name Needlings, Inc.

I’d like to share a little about me for those of you I haven’t met in person. I’m a mother of four kids, grandmother of 3 little ones (that’s so much fun!), I have a husband I’ve been married to forever, and a crazy cat called “Lucy” which is short for “Lucifer” (do I need to say more?). I live in a VERY small farming community in rural southwest Minnesota (home on the prairie), which is where I grew up, and I’m just a housewife most of the time. And like you, I never have enough time to sew!

I don’t have a store, only a website called Quilts & Quilting (www.feedsacklady.com) and I work at home. I create and sew all of my projects myself, and often quilt them myself on my Bernina. (Not that I’m a good quilter, but I don’t often have time to send them out to be quilted.) My oldest daughter Rachel does all the pattern layouts and graphics (and photos) for the Clothesline Club projects and my self-published patterns, and the graphics for my books. She is also a tool, fabric and quilt designer in her own right! As her babies grow up she may be able to be more involved in this industry.

In the last 2 months I have been busy creating the new Clothesline Club 2009 projects– all 19 of them! I think you’ll really love what’s coming next year. The overall theme is Family Traditions, so I have some holiday projects (yes! a Christmas collection!) and some adorable happy homemaker prints. I’ve also created some darling baby projects with nursery rhyme fabrics. You’ll love the easy baby quilts, and the full panel of a “tinted linen” baby quilt that you can embroider if you wish. Along with the projects you receive each month, I have also created 7 bonus projects! I was having so much fun with the new fabrics I just couldn’t stop sewing. I hope you sign up for another year of great new fabrics and fun projects to make!

Piecefully yours,
Darlene Zimmerman
Quilts & Quilting website

6 comments

  1. I’m a big fan of Darlene. In fact I’m giving a trunk show and class at a big retreat in the spring and Darlene’s items are something I talk about. I love the latest fabrics. They speak to me. I’ve kind of watched from the side lines on the clothesline club but I’m definately joining next year. And I can’t wait.

  2. I love these colors so much! I painted my walls that retro green, and I have a big red couch in the room. It’s so cheerful. I’ll be snapping up lots of these fabrics!

  3. I joined this club shortly after it opened last year and can’t wait for each project to arrive. It’s always a treat and suprise. I learn something new each time that I translate into my other sewing. I often will make the original and then another in a different color scheme to give away. This month’s shoe bags are given to my girls and then I made four more in different colors to give away to relatives for Christmas! Thanks so much!