The Whole Country Caboodle And Then Some!

We still have some more Quilt Market photos to show you. We have a long list of talented designers, don't we!

Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle had a lovely booth. That ruffle bag on the right is very cute! Here's Leanne with her wonderful helpers!

Right after Quilt Market, one of our Design Directors, Lisa, had a great adventure with Leanne and she is going to share it with us in the next few posts on the blog.

Lisa's Iowa Adventure ...


Many, many thanks to Leanne Anderson and the entire Anderson Family for their truly wonderful hospitality.  It was my good fortune to have the opportunity to spend a few days after the Kansas City Quilt Market with the Andersons in Iowa ... my husband, Randy in tow. Our trip started out Sunday evening in Suburban packed to the ceiling with Leanne's market booth. The 5 hour road trip back to their place flew by as we never ran out of stories to share. We arrived late in the night or should I say early i the morning.

We sleepy travelers, settled in for the night to recharge our batteries for our adventures the next day. Those of you who are familiar with Leanne's fabric lines, may get a kick out of the fact that we did stay in a Cabin by the Lake! The Andersons have a cute as a button cozy guest cabin on the edge of their property overlooking beautiful Cedar Lake. We woke up to the sound of honking geese and a fantastic sunrise each morning. The weather was perfect!

[Leanne, Lisa and Kaytlyn]

We packed as much fun and adventure as we could in each day. We visited several quilt shops in the area, spoke with the individual shop owners for a bet and searched the shops for treasures and inspiration. Each shop had so much to offer. A special thanks to Mary Etherington and Connie Tesene, owners of Country Threads Pattern Comapny & Quilt Shop, Denise, owner of Quilter's Window and Heidi Kaisand, owner of Hen & Chicks Studio for taking the time to chat a little with us and for allowing us to explore their shops. What fun! Everyone was gearing up for the All Iowa Shop Hop! So there was a flurry of activity everywhere.

[Lisa and Toby]

[Toby]

We saved enough time to visit and get a glimpse of Leanne's world. She enjoys a lovely studio space with large sliding glass door with a gorgeous view of the lake below. Here she creates her clever characteristics and runs her kit and pattern business. Leanne surrounds herself with her favorite fabrics, many of her own, and it is wall to wall bolts of fabulous fabric! Leanne and her daughter, Kaytlyn share in the day-to-day operations of The Whole Country Caboodle. Kaytlyn Webb has branched out with her own patterns in Kansas City under the brand "Caboodle" Kay-T-Dids! She's off to a great start ... market was profitable for Caboodle Kay-T-Dids as well! Leanne shares another business with both her daughters, Kaytlyn and Shelby. It is a retail shop called Patchwork & Primitives. This clever occasion shop opens twice a month on the first and third Thursday of each month. Make time for a visit and you won't be sorry! There are many treasures to be found inside.


We enjoyed a wonderful meal alfresco and shared some great stories by the fireside at the lake. Leanne, her husband Ed, Kaytlyn, Toby [the Anderson's 2-year old grandson] and Shelby shared a meal and wonderful lively visit with us. Toby stole the show and our hearts. Thanks to Shelby for sharing him with us. We feel that we made some great friends on Iowa and hope to get back to see them again soon! Thanks, Anderson family! It's your turn to come visit us in NYC!


Wow, what a great trip that Lisa had. Come back to get a look at the shops that she visited!
-hg