Helios Stitches N Stuff

01/03/2026

10/21/2025

Chery Busch, Helios' very own longarm specialist, is taking in new long arm projects right now just in time for the Holidays! You can reach her in Anamosa, IA at 319-310-5521 to set up a drop-off time. I've included a picture of the incredible quilting that she did for us at Helios. Of course we had her quilt our Sunrise quilt with suns!

If you have a picture of a quilt that Chery has completed for you, include it in the comments below. Let us know about an interaction that you had with Chery at Helios that led an amazing quilt.

10/19/2025

Leland and I had a great time Saturday at the "Colors in Motion" quilt show hosted by Cable Car Quilters Guild in Dubuque. We loved connecting with everyone there! I have to say that taking our retirement tour to quilt shows has been a lot of fun!

And yes, Leland made each of us one of his signature shirts just for this event.

Click on the pictures to see more information about each of the quilts in this post.

10/14/2025

Leland and I are going to the Colors in Motion Quilt show at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds on Saturday (Oct. 18), so of course Leland wanted to make a colorful shirt for each of us to wear. You'll see mine when we take a pic at the show this weekend. We bought the fabrics for the shirts at The Fabric Stasher in Tipton, IA: https://thefabricstasher.com

The Colors in Motion quilt show is being hosted in Dubuque by the Cable Car Quilt Guild on October 17th (Noon-7pm) and the 18th (9am-4pm).

Just to keep the posts interesting, I've decided to move the pictures I'm taking to various rooms in the house. Seamus, our Corgi, decided to photo bomb this pic!

The red oil painting of the rooster over Leland's shoulder is named "Who Knew Roosters Could Dance?" Can you see the hidden image in the painting that refers to dancing? We had the picture for over a decade before someone visiting us pointed it out. It's a fascinating visual illusion that you can't unsee once you see it.

10/12/2025

Another example of fabric art from our living room. This piece is a Don Dixson/Janell Peters collaboration from before COVID. Don provided the background and Janell added the pieced applique on top.

What is your favorite part of this canvas?

10/12/2025

Leland and I took our retirement tour on the road to West Branch, IA today. We've enjoyed working with Tami & Tara over the years, and it was great to connect with them this afternoon! I added a pic of our fabric haul to this post.

You can visit Cotton Creek Mill in person or online at https://cottoncreekmill.com

Cotton Creek Mill is located on the north side of the main street in West Branch. When you visit, take a moment and walk the two blocks to President Herbert Hoover's childhood home. It's an incredible house because it's so small!

While we were in West Branch, we had lunch at The Serving Cafe. Make sure you go early as they are open 6:30am to 2:30pm Tuesday -Saturday. Click here to look over their menu:
https://www.theservingcafe.com

Leland had an Adult Grilled Cheese, and I had the Pastrami on Rye sandwich. We topped it off with a Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte (tis the season!) that was incredible. Cotton Creek Mill quilt shop + The Serving Cafe for lunch--Now that's a fun day trip!

Post a comment about your adventures to West Branch!

10/01/2025

Every month Leland switches our living room up to add themed pillows, pillow shams, and quilts.
We usually put the regular pillows in our chairs. The super luxurious down pillows are from Czech Feather & Down (a family-owned local business). Leland uses a great method to sew the narrow strip down on both sides so the strip doesn't pucker when the pillow case is washed.
Leland regularly makes envelope-style pillow shams for the couch cushions (they are so easy to make!). I hate the pillows that come with a couch; they are so uncomfortable to put your head on. The addition of quilting fabric turns them from drab to fab. And you can change them out every month!
The embroidered pillow in the middle is a gift from Leland's sister Ann. I love it!
And of course the three quilts in the room were pieced by Leland. The quilting is by Mount Vernon's Kelli Wolfe, and the binding is by Sandy Pape. Leland loves Halloween, so there is no shortage of Halloween quilts in our house.
It will be interesting to see what Leland does with November!
What's your favorite thing in either of these pictures?

09/27/2025

The retirement tour continues! Leland and I went to the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild quilt show today at the Iowa State Fairgrounds 4-H building. The show will continue through tomorrow (Sat. 9/27) from 9am until 5pm. We saw some amazing quilts and ran into a lot of people that we knew. It's worth the trip to Des Moines tomorrow.

We started our journey at PF Chang's in West Des Moines. Leland and I have loved PF Changs since our days in the Bay Area, and we loved our lunch meal today!

Next we went across the street to The Cheesecake Factory to buy their low carb cheesecake. This is another place we went to all the time in San Francisco.

We also made a quick stop at Hurt's Donuts down the street. Their Old-Fashioned donuts are the best and a rare treat for us (you can also find them in Coralville).

Our only issue with the quilt show was finding the building. We knew where it was, but there was no signage directing us around the chain link fence that surrounds the 4-H building. Once we found out how to get around the fence, the rest of the experience was great.

Leland, of course, bought some great fabric! See the comments next to the pictures for more detail. Then it was time to put on an audio book and soon we were back in Mount Vernon. We took Highway 30 the entire way (4 lanes now from Mount Vernon to Des Moines) and avoided the traffic on Interstate 80.

09/22/2025

Leland is starting my shirt with the fabric we got at The Fabric Stasher in Tipton! And all of you get to see a slice of Leland's Creative room. What's your favorite thing that's in the background detail of this picture (other than a hatless Leland!)?

09/18/2025

Kevin and Leland's Retirement Quilt Shop Tour Continues!
Today is Leland's birthday, so we got in our car and went to visit Red-Roxy Quilt Co. in Decorah, IA. We had a blast with owner Jess (Pictured Below). You can visit her shop online at:
https://www.redroxyquiltco.com/iishop

Look at that amazing blender wall behind Jess!
Jess is cutting Leland's next shirt fabric (New Seth Apter print) that Jess and Leland matched to a Moda Grunge print (see the bolt to the left of the print). I'm hoping he will use the leftover fabric in a future quilt!

Red-Roxy does it all: fabric, Bernina sales & service, and classes!

We also had a great time in Decorah:
Lunch was at La Rana where we had a great pasta & meatball dish along with carrot cake for dessert ( see pic). The meal was pricy but worth every penny.

We then walked a block up to the Agora Arts & Gifts shop. Wow. There is something for everyone in this shop. We left with a large bag of fun stuff.

We finished our stay in the Decorah area by going to the Homestead Dairy in Waukon (16 miles to the East) to buy their specialty ice creams and fresh cheese curds and cheese.

On the way home, our GPS sent us way too far East, and we ended up taking the scenic route down Highway 76 along the Mississippi river. What a fun day trip! Stay tuned for our next adventure to a quilt shop in Iowa.

09/07/2025

Kevin and Leland at The Fabric Stasher in Tipton, IA with owner Kerri Smith on 9/6.
Leland and I started our retirement tour of local quilt shops this week. Of course we started at The Fabric Stasher in Tipton, IA because we love Kerri! Her fabrics are similar to the ones we stocked at Helios, and it's no surprise Leland found two prints that he is going to make into shirts: one for me and one for him! Keep watching our page as we make our way to all of our favorite quilt shops in Iowa!

08/31/2025

Check Out All Of The Great Deals At The Link Below.
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Click here to browse our current furnishings selection:
https://heliosstitchesnstuff.com/t/helios-furnishings-sale

* All items will need to be picked up at Helios either on the designated dates or by appointment. Pick up times will be Saturday, 2-4, or Sunday 2-4.
* We will only be selling these items online. Therefore, the first person to order the item and pay for it online will receive that item.
* You will need to provide transportation for the item (many of them are big and will need a pickup to transport them).
* You will need to provide people to carry the item from Helios to your vehicle.
* You will need to provide ID when you pick up your item.
* All Items are "As is."