Anticipation

Anxiously waiting for something to come out of the oven.

Not sure which one of the twins this is, but love the pose!

This is my favorite photo of Grey and Micah from last year. just had to share it again!

Christmas is speeding into view! I love all the decorated houses in the neighborhood. We are in Arizona for Christmas and enjoying our home here. It is partially furnished by friends and family and we have the basics. I bought a tree at Target that had the lights already installed. We have never had an artificial tree before and it was so easy! Especially with all the lights already on it, which is my least favorite part. Seriously, I haven't decorated a tree in over ten years! We are always out of town with family. It was such fun to see all the old ornaments again. 
Remember  Joan Walsh Anglund and her darling little characters? Here are two cuties from the 1970's.

You can also see that I made lots of counted cross stitch ornaments when my kids were little.

This pic is of my daughter Jennie's tree in Atlanta. I was there recently. She still has a couple of Santa Bears from Dayton's dept store in Minneapolis from long ago. They made one each year for a long time. Classic!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!  

Friendship Sampler

I got a big surprise the other day when the mailman delivered this darling quilt to me from Mary Flynn at Quilt Hollow! For some reason Blogger decided that it should be shown vertically rather than horizontal.

 

 Luckily, it doesn't matter! Mary said she was following a pattern from Pam Buda, and she even used Pam's wonderful fabric line, Heart of the Prairie, from Marcus Fabrics. Would you believe this is my first sampler quilt? I have always meant to make one, and the blocks in this one are so adorable! Also you can see Mary's wonderful feathers quilted on this little quilt. Mary does wonderful work. She has quilted a few of my larger quilts and I know I can always count on her! Thanks Mary for this darling gift! You are the best! 

On other current events in our family, guess whose little grandson turned three years old! Yup, mine! This is our darling Isaac with the Curious George cake that his mom made for him. She is so clever!

More later!

 

Thanks to Cheri!

I know, I know. You don't hear from me for ages and then here I am two days in a row. I just wanted to show my little quilt that I made from a design that Cheri Payne shared on her blog. Cheri calls it Sew Thankful. I didn't quite have it ready for the Thanksgiving table, but I worked on it over the weekend.

Cheri's blog is HERE, and you can find the quilt  project HERE.  Cheri is a favorite designer among the primitive crowd. I am not as totally primitive as some, but I do have one foot in it, and I love Cheri's designs!

In order to make it easier for myself, I worked up Cheri's design in EQ. I lightened the background and then printed off the copy. It looks pretty cute in gold too! But after laying the blocks on various colors I decided to go with a really dark olive. I love it! It is made with one inch strips, making each square in each 9-patch a half inch. The 9-patch blocks measure 1-1/2 finished. Thanks so much to Cheri for her great designs and her generosity in sharing!

While Joan and I were at Quilt Market we ran into Cheri's sister, Barri Sue Gaudet of Bareroots fame. It's funny who you meet in hotel elevators! Barri Sue is as sweet as can be and invited us to a book signing where we were delighted to get a signed copy of her latest book! I have made several of her projects over the years, and a good many of you have too, I am sure!

 We also were happy to meet Joyce Weeks and Norma Whaley of Geoff's Mom Quilt Patterns. They were also at our hotel. I kind of wanted to just start knocking on doors to see who would answer! I have been so impressed with the work that these ladies do. Some of you may remember the Ancestor Quilt I made a couple years ago. That was Norma's design before she and Joyce were partners. It was fun to have Joyce recognize me because we follow each other on Pinterest! Isn't the world a funny place!

It wouldn't be market without a stop to see Anne Sutton at Bunny Hill. Her booth is always so sweet, as she is, with playful little characters flouncing around.

Now it is time for me to get to work on cleaning and packing and hopefully sneak in some sewing! Thanks for stopping to visit!

Snowy Stitches

I hope my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving! The weather is cooling down around the country and snow is once again falling in the northern climes. Quilters are nestled down in fabric and batting stitching up favorite designs. Some quilters, like Lisa Bongean, shown below, have the most adorable snowman quilts, along with other winter confectioneries.

 I had the pleasure of meeting up with Lisa at Quilt Market recently. Her booth, Primitive Gatherings, is always a hot spot at market. Does this not look like a winter wonderland? Follow the link to Lisa's shop and find all kinds of wonderful treasures and kits that you can order on line. I was excited to find my own newest patterns (page 8 and 9) on her link to NEW items. Yes, Lisa buys from me on the condition that I quit stalking her. It's not easy, but I try.

You may know Pat Wys from her darling Silver Thimble Quilt Co. Her designs are cheerful and colorful, often with lots of applique. Pat is lots of fun and shows everyone a good time! Visit her blog at Silver Thimble Talk.

Since we began with snowmen, this is such a darling snowman quilt designed by Pat! It's called Snowbound, and gives you a taste of what Pat does. I love it!

 Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robinson, co-owners of Red Crinoline Quilts (formerly Bonnie Blue Quilts) had a booth right close to mine. Paula's designs are fabulous! And Mary Ellen stitches them to perfection. What a team! I loved visiting with them and their booth was beautiful!

This is a pretty little corner of my booth where I framed one of Karen Mowery's Primitive Children. Doesn't it look sweet? You can see a better picture of it on her website Primitive Children. Karen is a dear friend of mine and her talent is amazing! You probably know Karen from her blog, Sew Primitive. And of course she is the now famous author of A Bountiful Life!
Hey, it has five stars at Amazon!!! But ask for it at your LQS first. We like to support shops!

More from Quilt Market 2012

I am back home in Virginia Beach for a few weeks. I haven't been on line much, and you may have seen tons of photos from Quilt Market already, but I have more to show, so check it out!

 Meet Becky Delsman of Plays with Wool Designs.
 I got to meet Becky and her partner Kim Schueffner at their booth at market. You may recognize the project she is holding, "the Great Pumpkin" from the Fall 2012 issue of this magazine below--Primitive Quilts and Projects. This is such a stunning wool project.You can order a kit at the Plays with Wool website. Order now and you will have it ready for next fall!

This magazine is, of course, everyone's favorite! I am excited to tell you that I have another project coming up in this magazine next year. Below is a photo of me with "the Prim Sisters", as Kimber likes to call them. Jeni, me, Judy and Gretchen! Their booth was close to mine and I ran into them every day. These sisters got the magazine going and it took off like a shot last year. If you can't find it in your LQS, look at Barnes and Noble, or even better, get a subscription! Be sure and tell them that I sent you! Follow the link: Primitive Quilts and Projects.

I love meeting people at market that I "know" but haven't had the pleasure of meeting. Above is Kathy from the Cottage at Cardiff Farms. I bet you have seen her work in magazines, etc. I was definitely a pleasure to meet Kathy. My friend Joan kept raving about her booth and so I went to see her. She is so nice and so full of talent. You have to check out her website and see the great projects she has available.

This is my dear friend Janna from Bloc-Loc Rulers. I met her and her husband Paul in Houston two years ago when their booth was close to mine. Now we are always so delighted to run into one another. Their business is going like crazy and I LOVE their products. If you go to their website you can see the nifty rulers they have created for trimming down small blocks. I use them all the time because I love perfection! And these rulers give you that. I wrote about them previously HERE.

This final photo for today is from the Marcus Fabrics booth. You know I love Marcus fabrics, and Judie Rothermel is at the top of my list. You can follow the link to their website and peruse the wonderful fabric lines that they have out. You can also download these fabrics to EQ7 if you have it and see what they look like in your quilt designs. Love that!

At Quilt Market-Houston 2012

I am rushing to get this posted as I am in Arizona and leave tomorrow to go home. It is always nice to be here. I came straight from Quilt Market where I picked up a nasty cold and so I have been coughing my guts out and haven't felt that well. Consequently, not much blogging going on. Now I am pressed for time, so this will be quick.

 Here are a few photos of my booth. Me above with Button Bandits to the left and Old Soul in the back. 

My buddy Joan went with me again and helped me set up and work the booth, etc. Don't know what I would do without Joan! We are surrounded here in our little 10' x 10' booth with padded walls! Very cozy, as one visitor commented!

It was exciting to me to have several people come to my booth and tell me that they read my blog! Thank you! And thanks for stopping by! It was also fun to see people that I have been meeting at different shows and they remember me. Alma Allen from Blackbird Designs, for example, remembered that I took a class from her and Barb Adams several years ago. That shocked me. Just goes to show you how special these ladies are. Or how gullible I am!

 This is Barb Adams from Blackbird Designs. Alma was busy at that moment so I didn't interrupt her. their booth is always so nice.

 I grabbed Jo Morton as she was walking past my booth. I introduced myself and she said, "You're Karen Mowery's friend". Yup, that's me! Don't we all love Jo? Yes!

 My neighbor in the booth next door was Mary Koval.I was so happy to get to know Mary. She has been doing this for many years and has a huge following all over the world. I often see her on Scandinavian blogs. She designs fabric, has a quilt shop, and also sells antique quilts. Her booth was full of antique quilts. Fabulous! Her husband Joe was with her working hard!

That's all for now. I have to pack to go home! More photos later.

 

GOT SOCKS?

 
Hi everyone, I am in Arizona this week. I came here right from market. The weather here could not be nicer. And of course it is great to be around family. I am anxious to share photos from Quilt Market, and will do that soon, I promise. 

While I am enjoying beautiful weather here, I am still  seeing scenes on TV of the horrible devastation on the east coast from Hurricane Sandy. Today I came across this blog, The Shed. This blog provides a name and address for someone who is there, on the front lines, so to speak, and she is willing to deliver clean clothes to those in need right now! Please follow the link and read Laura's message. Maybe you will feel inspired to send socks, or more. I know there are many ways to help, so follow your heart and choose one. 

 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.  (1 Cor 13:13)

Off to Houston

Well, here it is my friends. My bags are packed and I'm leaving in the morning for Houston. This is THE big event that I have been working towards for months. All the preparation for International Quilt Market is about to be implemented in booth #935. You have seen my newest quilts and given me great feedback on them. I hope the people shopping at market like my stuff. That's all I can say, I've done my best. Here is a funny little fact for you, my patterns seem to sell the best to Wisconsin and Texas shops. Now why do you think that is? 

 The above photo is one I got from Pinterest. I just love this display. I need to find a cute ladder that I can do this with. I have seen so many cute displays with ladders that I have a whole board on Pinterest with just ladders. Check it out!

 Since I don't have anything new to show you let me refer you to another blog who has a darling free pattern available. I would like to make this when I get a chance. This is from Joanne from Manitoba, Canada, and her blog is Thread Head. Many of you may have seen it already, in fact I saw that Karen at Log Cabin Quilter has made this project and posted it. You may need to scroll through some of Karen's beautiful work to find it on her blog. Thanks to Joanne for this darling project!

Another blog, Quilts by Cheri, has been posting free projects also. Cheri Payne designs darling primitive projects, and I am sure you all know her. Her last blog post shows a quilt she made from a pattern on Lori's blog, Humble Quilts. Lori has posted several darling little quilt-a-long patterns over the past few years. Bloggers are so generous with their time and talent. Sometimes I feel out of the loop because it takes me so long to accomplish my own projects and what I would love to do is just dive into one of these others. I really appreciate the great blogging community and am thankful for the friends I have made. I was explaining to my husband the other night that I have met so many bloggers over the years and even tho we may not keep up with one another on a regular basis, it is so nice to have someone that I met way back drop in to make a comment on my blog, or just to say hello. Such a nice circle of really nice people!

One more blog of note is that of my friend Karen at Sew Primitive. Karen has been making the Suffrage blocks that Barbara Brackman is providing on her blog. Barbara is amazing in what she offers us on her various blogs in terms of historical perspective and quilt blocks to commemorate events in history. Karen is one who follows along and actually keeps up with each block in real time! Check out Barbara's Grandmother's Choice blog, and then check out Karen's version of these blocks. Karen is amazing! If you are familiar with Karen you may know that she has been undergoing cancer treatment for the past year and has been really sick. All the more reason why her work is so amazing, as she just pushes though the pain to get things done that are important to her. Any prayers you send her way will be appreciated.

Thanks Blogging Buddies for all you contribute! More when I return from Quilt Market! And if you are going to market please come see me in booth #935! Patchalot Patterns!

 

New Friends, Old Elegance!

I had fun meeting new friends yesterday! I taught a class at Quilt Expo II at the Hampton Convention Center, sponsored by Bella Fabrics of Carrollton, VA. Nice new friends, and a few that I already knew. It was delightful!

This is the class I taught--Old Elegance. The picture on the left is the one on the pattern cover that you may have seen before. It is on my side bar. Saturday I made up a few blocks to show an alternate color way. I was aiming for fall colors and liked how it turned out. The great thing was that when I went to class and saw the fabric that each of the ladies had chosen they were all different. Not one of them went with the original blue and brown. It delighted me to see how each of them was turning out. Reds and browns, repros and florals and even batiks! I forgot my camera, but hopefully someone will send me photos to share. I sold a bunch of patterns also, which always makes me happy. My new pattern, Pinfeathers, was well received and a visiting shop ordered a bunch for their shop!

You saw the Pinfeathers cover in my previous post, here is a larger pic of the quilt.

 This is the block. It is a Double 9-Patch with feathers, hence the name, Pinfeathers! You can see how lovely my friend Marae Harris quilted it. It really turned out pretty! And yes, very scrappy. My friend Sue Cruthers, here in Virginia Beach, made the quilt using my design. Thanks ladies for all your help! This is the first time someone other than myself has been first to make one of my patterns. It was such a great help and I love the quilt!

On another note, my voice held up all day yesterday! I was surprised and so thrilled! I used a mic in the beginning, but for the one on one I was fine. A quilting friend, Chris, came into my class and told me that her sister in Atlanta reads my blog and told her about my voice problems. Chris, is having some of the same issues and is going to the same doctor that I am. Funny how news travels. Hi to Chris's sister!

Another week has begun and now the race is on in earnest to finish up all odds and ends before market. Remember, you can find my patterns at patchalotpatterns.com. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you stop and shop--hee hee.

 Later Quilt Buddies,

2012 Patterns

As each day passes things occur to me and I often think, "I should mention this in my next post". But then I forget and am on to something else. While others have posts filled with wonderful photos of their works in progress my life has been filled with a constant barrage of computer work. What on earth am I doing? A little of this and a little of that with a load of laundry in between. I am happy to say that I have almost all instructions completed, or almost completed, for new patterns. Plus the covers are printed. This is a huge relief! 

 Here are the three new pattern covers. So glad to have them ready for market and also for anyone who wishes to order them. They will be on my website soon! patchalotpatterns.com

Button Bandits will be available soon also. Didn't the cover turn out cute? I took it on the floor of the deck. I have magnets coming also, so if you order this pattern it will come with a magnet of the same picture. I try to remember to include a magnet in each online order that shows one of my patterns, tho I haven't ordered them for all patterns. They are so cute on the fridge or where ever!
Oh, and I had to raise my prices a bit, but I eliminated the shipping fee, so it comes out about the same. Ordering is very secure as it goes through Paypal, and even if you don't have a Paypal account you can click on to order and Paypal will process your credit card. It is all out of my hands. Awesome! Am I too old to use that term? I will go back to saying "cool"! 

I seem to focus a lot on aging. I guess it is because that is all my husband talks about. He says things like, "when I am gone you will have to learn to manage the money". The other night I said to him, "Just so you know, I am not in a hurry for you to be gone". He said, "I know, you just want me in the other room". I have to keep him around because he makes me laugh! Laughter has preserved our marriage for almost 45 years! See? I told you I was old. Not like I really care. Except for...

Remember that voice issue that I mentioned a while ago? Well I saw a new doctor (one that would put Dr. Dreamy on Grey's Anatomy out of the running!) and he is recommending surgery. So come November I will be having surgery to put a wedge in my throat to force my vocal fold into place to correct my speech. More on that as the date approaches, but meanwhile I have purchased a voice amplifier to use at market in an effort to be heard above my normal whisper. Here's hoping that will do it for the short term.

Feel free to visit me on Pinterest. I have so many quilt photos on my boards it will make your head spin, and with Halloween coming up maybe you were hoping to learn that trick. I try to be helpful where I can.

Later quilt buddies!