Welcome to Ma's Got'a Notion
Here at Ma's, I have your back...quilt back, that is!!!

They say April showers bring May flowers...showers and storms were all around us this April, so those May flowers better be awesome! I hope you did not receive any damage to your property, and you spent the rainy days sewing up a storm in your own right! I usually do not put flowers in the boxes hanging on the front of the shop until after Mother's Day. They are shaded most of the day, and I am always a bit fearful of a late frost. I usually go to Hodson's in Kilbourn to get my flowers. You might want to schedule a stop by there when you visit Ma's this week. They have a beautiful selection!

Mother's Day is less than a week away, and I know you all will be spending the day with those whom you call mom or your own children! If you or they are looking for a gift to give to a mom, remind them that a gift certificate from "Ma's Got'a Notion" is a gift that you enjoy getting, using, sewing up, quilting up and then giving away, because that is what we quilters do, we give away our work because that is the real pleasure of being a quilter, as each of you know, it must be the mom in all of us! To make it easy for them, they can purchase a Gift Certificate on my website, stop by the shop, or call the shop at 309-543-6613.

You know the old sayings, things come in 3's, that's only one of the sayings. Others are: three cheers for a jolly good fella. The power of 3 can conquer anything. The best things in life come in 3's. The rule of 3. Third time's a charm. 3 strikes and you're out. It is also often said that the number 3 represents creativity and self-expression, which is what this email is about. You #1 may or may not realize it, but you express yourself in your quilts. #2 the one you are making the quilt for, and #3 the friend or family member you take along for their opinion about the fabric you purchase or pull from your stash to make the top, for giving, and yes, sometimes for keeping too, but...the number 3 is often involved, just like the Three Muskateers they are often the villiage it often takes to make a quilt!

SOsewso...I got to thinking, let's have some fun with the number 3 this week at Ma's.

Tuesday, May 5th - through Saturday, May 9th, 2026, when you buy THREE Yards of THREE different wide backings, you will get 30% off. Just so you understand, you must buy 3 wide backings, each with a minimum of 3 yards, to receive the 30% off on all 3 pieces.

I am calling it the 3 & 3 for 30% off sale. 

I know many of you have quilt tops hanging or folded up in a designated place in your home, just waiting for this sale! You will not see a better opportunity to choose from over 2000+ wide backings and get them at 30% off again anytime soon, so take advantage of this great sale and cover 3 tops... with 3 quilt backs you purchased all at once at a 30% savings! I do hope that you will respect my small business enough not to pair with a friend or family member to get the discount on the 3 backings. Small quilt shops close right and left because customers' loyalty to small businesses has wavered. I hope I can count on you to treat me fairly, as I intend to continue serving your quilting needs fairly and for years to come.

Now, I know my out-of-state customers and those who live a distance away who order on my website will want to know how they can get in on this sale, too. If you want to use the 30% discount, you will need to place your order by phone at 309-543-6613. Please provide the item numbers for all 3 quilt backings, your address, and your credit card information. We will calculate 30% off the 3-wide backings - 3-yard min. of each of the 3. You will be charged sales tax and shipping. Please note: if we are busy, we may ask for your name and phone number and call you back later in the day when things slow down.

I want all tops that need backing to take advantage of these 5 days of savings. Be sure to tell your 3 best quilting buddies or 33 of your quilting friends about this savings, too!

I had thought about only having it for 3 days, but I wanted to give everyone time to open their emails, and to spread the word to their 333 quilting friends, so I decided to have it for 5 days, and also, with Mother's Day approaching soon, I knew many would be busy with family. This gives everyone plenty of time to hear about the sale through the quilter's grapevine!

Biology is not what makes a mother; often, we are blessed with a non-biological child. To those who have lost a child, as mothers, we know that the loss of the smallest thing takes up the most space in our hearts; your loss is felt by all who know you. Motherhood can often be not only the best job we have ever had, but also the hardest and most rewarding. Those of us who now have adult children know our job is never really complete, but if we raised a child who is self-sufficient and has built a life outside our bubble, that is a job well done; now we can enjoy their success and our newfound freedom...They know we are just a phone call away, if needed, and now that they are adults, we count on them for many things that they counted on us when they were little. I know many of you are like me, we have found in our adult children, a very wise friend. As I age, I have found that the wisdom of an adult child is most welcome and makes me so very proud of the people they have become! Mothers are always thought of every day, whether they are still with us or not; no one can be more present in someone's life than a mother. On that note, I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful Mother's Day.

I know that some of you have either called me at the shop to inquire or heard a rumor that I am closing. I have even had phone calls from other quilt shops asking. As an FYI, I AM NOT CLOSING. IF AND WHEN I DO, IT WILL BE MY STORY TO TELL, not the idle gossip that seems to come around at least once a year and always about this time of the year. I guess winter gives gossip a time to fester, or folks have nothing better to do. It does get tiresome to repeat that I am NOT planning to close anytime soon! Do I send out a ton of newsletters? NO, am I still doing the quilt shows, NO. Am I participating in shop hops? NO. I have my own very valid reasons for not doing any of them. #1 I will be turning 74 years old this year. Physical age has a way of slowing our pace, even when we think we can do it; our physical age is built in for good reason. Doing shows takes a lot of packing, carrying, and climbing during setup and teardown. #2 It is only Deb and I in the shop; this is a small town, and finding qualified staff is slim and none. To do shows, I need to close the shop. I don't like to do that because I have many customers who travel long distances, even from other states, to shop with me. I would hate it if they came and had not heard or read before they made the trip that I was closing for a day or two to do a show. Not a great way to treat a traveling or local customer! #3 sending out newsletters is time-consuming, by the time I tend to my website, mail out orders, make kits, and see to it that the samples either we have made in the shop or I have made at home or that I have commissioned to be pieced, and then I quilt and bind them all...I have no extra time to commit to all the shop hops, be it local or state-wide. I spend a lot of time bringing in new products, meeting with suppliers, and changing out or rearranging samples on the walls and banisters throughout the shop. And, quilting for some of my longtime customers and a few new ones, as time permits. One of the biggest reasons I have decided not to participate in all of the above is that my husband's care is also almost another full-time job for me; the hours I have each day to work on shop details have been cut significantly. A little update on him, we went to his kidney doctor a couple of weeks ago, and he goes back again in a couple of weeks. We were informed that his kidney function has really taken a nosedive. As I have told you before, his heart only functions at 35%, and now we have been told his kidneys are around 30 - 35% functioning. Is that because his heart function is low, or because his kidneys are wearing out? Who knows, a change in his meds may or may not make a difference if it is a kidney issue, if it is because of his heart not pumping like it should, that we will find out at his next appointment. All I know is that it's hard to watch him struggle for his breath at times and hear him moaning in his restless sleep at night or when he dozes in his chair. Unless someone has been the full-time caretaker of a loved one, they have no idea how many hours it takes up each day. I have also needed new knees for more than 15 years. I tried to control the pain through shots and over-the-counter meds, which worked until they didn't, but that no longer works for me, and now it's time to have replacements. The time has come when I can no longer put it off; my many hats will not function if my knees do not bend at will. The soonest this can be accomplished is the end of July, that is, when the first knee will be done, and the other one in a few months. I will be glad to have free movement in my knees once again. I not only enjoy what I do physically, but I also enjoy my customers. The whole reason I committed to opening a quilt shop is that I love playing with and choosing fabric that complements each other, and I enjoy watching others purchase fabric to create with, then seeing what they have created. I have been at it in my own shop for almost 23 years, and I have worked hard to offer a great variety of quilt shop-quality fabrics and an awesome selection of wide backings. Why would I close at this bend in the road? Please, when you hear this gossip, take it for what it is; someone is rattling off the head because they have nothing else better to entertain themselves. I would venture to guess they spend their time going from shop to shop and my shop included, to make themselves feel important, being the pigeon spreading the let's just call it what it is...(crap) that's what pigeons seem to do, a stool pigeon be they close to a person or a self procalaimed enemy they love to gather one on one and wisper among themselves just letting enough be overheardto be passed on. DISREGARD the rumors; they are just that, idle rumors by low talkers you and I both know them...they whisper to those standing near, knowing that just enough can be overheard to mention to someone in a later conversation! I have learned that when people gossip about me or others, they are broken; it's a flaw that can't be mended, and I, for one, would just as soon they leave it at the door when they come in; there are always ears that pick it up and tongues that spread the smear campaign.

ALL that being said, if someone wants to come along and pay me for the business I've built over 23 years... let's talk!!! ????

We are dealt the hand we are handed, and if you can't make yourself happy, nobody else can.  Staying strong... staying well, both physically and mentally. Every mother knows: it's our job to be strong. We are caretakers, makers, and our strength...there is no yardstick with enough yards to measure it by, or a tape measure long enough to measure it either! 

Spring is in the air, gardens to tend, yards to mow, and flowers to water, but don't forget to take care of yourself. If no one tells you so, just know "YOU are worth it", so take time each day to piece. Piecing gives me great joy and puts me at peace!