April Activities

The Month of April has been full of fun activities! Our granddaughter Mary's wedding was the big event that we planned everything around.  Mary and her husband Mike were married in the LDS Oakland Temple on April 4th. We were so delighted to be able to be there with them! My husband Mike is on the left, and I hope Mary and her Mike are blessed with many years of happiness as my husband and I have enjoyed. The newly weds are now on their honeymoon in Hawaii! 

Here is a little selfie of me and the bride's younger sister. Some of you may remember Kathryn when she was a baby eight years ago.  I called her Plumpkin back then. She is not that anymore! I think she has my teeth, what do you think? Seriously, where did I put them? (No, not seriously, I still have my own teeth, thank heavens.)

I think my husband figured we drove about 2200 miles on our trip this month. Before the wedding we drove from Mesa, AZ to San Diego. We stayed with one of my oldest and bestest friends. We had so much fun, mostly just talking! I should have taken more photos of her house because it is charming and happy and colorful. She collects all kinds of fun things, including old quilts. She gave me a darling little ladder that I will show at a later date when I find the perfect little quilts to display on it.

I was delighted to visit two quilts shops in San Diego. I know there are lots of them, but time and money limited my visits. The first one I went to was the Fat Quarters Quilt Shop in Vista, CA.  This shop has long been a favorite and the owner, Michelle Joyner,  buys my patterns! On top of that, Michelle is the most friendly and the sweetest person ever. Her energy keeps that shop running at top speed and it is full of wonderful things. While I was there Barbara Brackman, Ladie's Album line was delivered and as Michelle was unpacking, I was buying! It is beautiful! Also, pictured below you will see our wonderful blogging friend LIBBY! From Plain and Simple blog. We met up at the shop and after that we went to a cute Mexican place for lunch and then to Libby's house. That will be the subject for another post--with photos! It was a delight, and so is Libby! what fun!

I wrote the above yesterday, but as today falls on Easter Sunday, let me wish you a beautiful day with thoughts of the Resurrection and our Savior who, through his sacrifice, provided the way for us to live again. Live each day in gratitude!

Lincoln's Promise

 My life has taken a dramatic shift and therefore so has my attention to blogging, quiltmaking, etc. Here is the deal. My 90 year old dad became quite ill in September and my siblings and I felt he should not be living alone any longer. The most logical solution was for him to move in with me and my husband in our Arizona home. So I flew to Arizona earlier than I intended, and my brother came from Minnesota with his two sons and they moved Dad and his belongings into my house. Dad's health has greatly improved, I am happy to say. His strength has increased and so has his desire to get back behind the wheel. That is our only bone of contention. Aside from that, things are going well. He is hooked on Netflix and watches lots of TV, and I am attending to his needs. I am happy I can be here to help him. Don't expect lots of new patterns from me however. That department has taken a back seat to Dad. Life changes, doesn't it? 

Before I came back to AZ I had the pleasure of designing a quilt with some fabric that Marcus sent me. The fabric is from a new line by Pam Buda of Prairie Women's Sewing Circle fame. Her quilts are wonderful and so is her fabric. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Pam as we email back and forth. Her new fabric line is called American Gothic and if you follow the link you can take a look at it. It is all wonderful little black and cream prints. I combined just a small amount of red with those beautiful prints and came up with this design that I call Lincoln's Promise. Somehow all the black prints made me think of Abraham Lincoln as he was always seen in his black suit and tall black hat. Lincoln has been called Honest Abe for his reputation of honesty. A promise made was a promise kept. Here is a man to whom all politicians refer, but few actually emulate.  So here is my small tribute to a great American President. May he long be remembered and cherished as one of our greatest!


 

 

 By the way, if you are going to Quilt Market in Houston the quilt above will be hanging in the Marcus Fabrics booth, and the quilt below will be hanging in the American Patchwork and Quilting booth.

I hope you have seen this quilt in the Dec. 2013 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. I had lots of fun making this quilt and yes, it took a while! But this is what I love, playing with little pieces of colorful scraps and seeing what comes of it. I love traditional designs, and I have fun making them a little unique to give them my signature. 
 “Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2013 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

I have to show this additional quilt as well. It is designed by Pam Buda and is made from the American Gothic fabric line. It is just gorgeous! Check it out at Homespun Quilts, Pam's website. I just noticed that Fat Quarter Shop has it kitted, if you are interested. 

On a totally different vein, I HAVE A NEW GRANDDAUGHTER!   

 

 Her name is Olivia Ann Patch, 7 lbs. 7 oz.

Isn't she the sweetest? I am now blessed with 9 grandchildren. Three boys and six potential quilters! Plus Micah and Grey--my great-grands! 

All is well with the Patch family! Thanks for stopping by!

Button Bandits

This is a little project that I made a while back and never showed, but now I am working on directions so I thought I would give you a peek. It is called Button Bandits. Did you know that crows love to find little objects and hide them away? Especially shiny objects. So Button Bandits seemed like the perfect name for this. Hopefully I will have a pattern all packaged up soon.

When I showed this quilt, Primrose Hill, last time I forgot to mention that my friend Mary Flynn from Quilt Hollow did the quilting for me. As usual, she did a fabulous job. The design is a beautiful overall pattern with flowers and swirls. It looks lovely. Mary always knows just what a quilt needs. It is a nice talent for a machine quilter to have, and one that I truly appreciate because I want my quilts to look their best. With Mary I never worry, and I have never been disappointed. Thanks Mary!

I was emailing with Libby today and we were talking about mis-matched things and how sometimes it is charming and sometimes it isn't. It made me think of my darling granddaughter, Becky. She doesn't want a set of anything. She loves everything mis-matched. She loves drinking out of canning jars, and no plates that match, etc. She cracks me up. The funny thing is that her kids match perfectly--she has twins! Ironic!

Here she is, the mother of twin boys. Sometimes when I look at their pictures I can't decide who is the cutest, Becky or the boys!

I am pretty sure that Micah is in the red and Grey in the gray. Don't quote me. They are 18 months old now, and wearing skinny jeans. Well what else? They are the coolest! Tho that is an ancient expression and I have no idea what the current term would be.

Later quilt buddies!

Picks from the Past

Remember this quilt? I showed it way back when. This month it is showing up in the Feb. 2012 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting! I am so pleased to be published in this great magazine. It has long been one of my favorites!

 

I don't have this magazine, but have seen that some of you have received your issue. Since I am not at home to receive mine in the mail, I need to go on a search today to try and find it. 

This is what the cover looks like, depending on where you live. It seems they couldn't decide which quilt they wanted on the cover. I would have been happy to help them make that decision. No brainer, right? LOL!

Anyway, I am thrilled with the photos of my quilt in this magazine. They really know what they are doing at APandQ.

By the way, the quilt was made primarily of Marcus Fabrics Civil War Chronicles by Judie Rothermel. Such a fabulous line of fabric! I previously called it Celebration Stars in honor of Marcus Fabrics 100 years in business.

Just so you know, Christmas music is filling the house here in Arizona. But since the most influential person here is 15 year old Danielle, we are listening to Justin Bieber's Christmas album. If only I could get it out of my head!

Marcie

A New Baby and a Quilt, of course

When I was in Utah last month (yes, it was only last month!) I mentioned to my son that the quilt hanging on the wall was looking wrinkled at the top and the rod appeared to be bent. He jumped up and said, "well, this is why!"

Isaac loves to hide behind it and then surprise everyone!

And now look who came home and surprised Isaac! A new little sister! She was born Friday, June 24, and named Eleanor Louise Patch, after my husband's mother, Eleanor, and my mother, Louise. Quite a handle for one so small.

 As you might imagine, I have been working on a baby quilt for her. The above photo shows my favorite spot for pressing pieces as I go. It is right outside my sewing room and very handy.

 And this is the finished top! It would have been nice to have finished it BEFORE little Eleanor was born, but there were too many other things that jumped to the head of the line. I think it turned out sweet tho. I love pink, and already had several pink FQs set aside from a Blue Hill Fabric line called Little Pink Stars. Plus I added another one or two from my stash. Quilt delivery is scheduled for mid-July, after it gets quilted!.

A Garden Patch

 Once upon a time there were the two little Patch Granddaughters. They loved to visit Grandmother Patch's garden and dress up in old-fashioned clothes that their grandmother made for their Aunt Jennie Patch, and their mother, Polly Patch back in the 1970's. They held their little fingers in peace signs, a remnant symbol of years gone by.

 

As the years passed, these darling little granddaughters grew up and moved far away. They went off to college and live in different states, but still manage to remain close and see each other almost everyday through the magic of the Internet and a program called Skype. Amazing! Mary, our blond beauty, just turned 19 and is a sophomore at BYU-Idaho. Becky is at BYU in Provo, married to the love of her life, and oh! Look at the next picture, she is bringing on the next generation of Patch descendants!

 

I think she is rather pleased about this, what do you think? 

Grandmother Patch is so proud of these darling girls and what fine young women they have grown into.

It is, however, Grandmother Patch's dream that someday the children will return to her garden.

It won't be long!

 

The Season of Fun

These two cute girls have been with us for the past couple weeks, my granddaughter, Danielle, and her friend Mabry. It has been rather busy around here. Along with the girls, my son and his wife were here and also my dad. We had a great time together. Fun at the beach, riding bikes, reading, and food from the grill. After a week all the adults went home.

And then we took the girls to New York City for the weekend. Pictures of them are on my family blog, but this one is about ME! So we were walking down Broadway in the Fashion District and I had to have my picture taken with this guy at the sewing machine.

We took the girls to Soho shopping. There are some really great shops there for teens, young adults, and for those who need to be trendy (not me). The shop I loved the most was All Saints Clothing, and it was not because of the cloths. I loved the decor.

All Saints Clothing had walls of old Singer sewing machines! 

And huge spools!

I just basked in the environment that I love. And you know it is not trendy clothes!

MIXED NUTS

This little granddaughter of mine always keeps us laughing. I have to share her latest remarks. I was talking to her mother on the phone the other day and she commented that there was a deer lying under the tree in her backyard, and then she saw a couple more lying there. She said to me, "I wonder where the babies are? We usually see babies by now". My little Plumpkin pipes up and says, "Maybe they grabbed their stomach and said, ugh, I have to lay down".  Plumpkin just turned five years old. Many of you have seen little bits of her on my blog over the years. Thank Heavens God invented children! They bring such joy into our lives!

After meeting so many big designers in the business, I have to say that this may have been my biggest thrill! This is Monica Patch and her mother, Karen Bennett, of Nellie's Needle. They design patterns and had a lovely booth at Market. Monica handed me a brochure as I passed her booth on the last day of market. When I saw the name Monica Patch on the flier I did a double take! When I saw her 801 area code (Utah) I knew we were related. We had a wonderful visit. Our husbands are first cousins and I have always loved her husband who is the same age as my kids. She and her mom came over to my SIL's where Joan and I were staying, and we got to know them a little. Great people, great patterns! Check them out!   

This is one of Monica's darling quilts. You have to take a close-up look at it. It has yo-yos all around the inner border! She shared her secret construction methods with me, but you need to buy her pattern for all the info. What a clever girl! (I just looked at their website and couldn't find the pattern!--Sorry. Hopefully it will be out soon).

This booth was so adorable! Riley Blake is a fabric company out of Salt Lake City. If their booth is any indication, I would say that they will be a noticeable force in the market very soon. 

If you read all the way to the bottom of this post, you deserve to know that I plan to have a give-away very soon! Come back again!

AMERICAN DREAMER

My darling granddaughters sent me this photo of themselves with the McCall's Quick Quilts magazine that my quilt is in. They must have taken the photo on the laptop because the cover is reversed, as in a mirror image. They are very proud of me, and apparently the youngest stuck stickers on the magazine that said, "Good job!", "WOW!". and "You did it!"  Usually it is me who is proud of them, so this is a very nice reversal of roles! Thanks girls!

Here am I, all wrapped up in my American Dreamer quilt and the McCall's Quick Quilts magazine. Do you have your copy yet?  

Tomorrow I am off to Minneapolis to Quilt Market. I have never been before, but it is in Minneapolis this time, and since I lived there for many years and have family there, I figured it was the time to go. I will be in familiar surroundings and get to see family as well. I don't have a booth or any of that, I am just going to check it all out. Next week I will be back and let you know what all the fuss is about!

MY SUNDAY EVENING

Here I am at the computer while my husband watches football and reads a book. He is not really immersed in football, but he doesn't want to miss the good parts, so he reads until he hears the crowd cheer, then he looks up to see what happened. Meanwhile, the TV with the DVR and all my programs are held hostage. Last night I woke up at 3:00AM and came down and watched Castle. Am I really that desperate? No, I just couldn't go back to sleep for a while. 

Castle, by the way, has a great cast, and my favorite is Susan Sullivan. I couldn't place her at first with the red hair, but she is sensational in this role. You may remember her from Dharma and Greg a few years ago, plus a million other things.This role is great for her, as was the Dharma and Greg roll. Plus she looks fabulous!

 

So back to quilts, here  is what I am teaching at the shop this session. Feathered Friends is a 21" table topper. The center is fairly plain, waiting for a centerpiece. As you can see, it is surrounded by pretty birds. I have to say it was inspired by Corry at Dutch Blue who seems to always have pretty birds mingling with the darling things she creates. Please check out her blog. You will love it!

This is a quilt that I made a few years ago and it was a great success as a class, so I thought I would try it again. The classic four-patch on point! I took this quilt off the wall at my son's house when we were there at Christmas with a promise of sending him a replacement while I borrow this back. Yesterday he sent me a photo of a bare wall. He is so impatient!

This final quilt I did not make. Mary Brandt of St. Michael, MN made it for Becky and Travis, pictured above. Becky is our granddaughter--both of us! And we are both quilters. Isn't that great! So the kids got two beautiful quilts from their grandmothers when they got married in October 2009. Aren't they adorable!

That's all for now. I gotta go see if the football game is over and I can catch up on my programs and do some hand stitching.

Later friends...

SMALL BLESSINGS

Regular readers probably recognize my youngest granddaughter, the one I call Plumpkin. She is four years old and quite the entertainer. When her older sister got married last month this little girl kept approaching the microphone at the family dinner. She wanted to share a story like everyone else. She never did get the nerve to say anything, but she was so tempted!

Yesterday I got an e-mail from her. She composed it and her daddy typed it out. It said:

Dear Grandma Marcie,
I have missed you for a really long time. I wish I could be with you.

I really want you to come visit. I wish you could be with me, so I decided to visit you. And now I decided when I get there, I should surprise you and sneak in as a mouse in the morning.
In the morning I might surprise Grandpa too!

Love, Kathryn

I think that is the cutest, sweetest e-mail I have ever received! She lives in Montana, so I am not likely to see her for quite a while.

Thanksgiving is all about family traditions at our house. Even when our house is empty and devoid of our children, the traditional foods must be prepared. Here is what we will be having. Seriously, we have the exact same thing every Thanksgiving:

Turkey, of course!

Chestnut dressing --a favorite from my side of the family

Mashed potatoes and gravy

Scalloped corn --a Patch family favorite
Cinnamon rolls --Patch family

Green jello with pears and cream cheese --Patch family

Stuffed mushrooms --my family

Apple pie --American family favorite!

The chestnuts, pictured above, have been coming to us for the past several years from Spangler, PA, where my daughter-in-law's parents live. They have chestnut trees. For years my mother bought chestnuts and my dad cleaned them for our Thanksgiving dinner. (Not horse chestnuts, mind you. Those are different!) Now we look forward to the package we receive from Pennsylvania with the wonderful chestnuts that we love.

In the photo you can see what the chestnuts look like. They are not as big as those that you find in the grocery stores for $3.99 a pound. Those come from Italy, and you never know what you will get in terms of quality. Sometimes they are wonderful and sometimes not so much. The PA chestnuts are small and sweet. This year's crop cleaned up beautifully!

First you take a sharp knife and cut an X in the shell. Then put a small amount of water in the bottom of a pyrex dish and add 6 to 8 chestnuts. Place in the microwave for 45 seconds. When they come out the shell is partly opened where it was X-ed. Peel back the rest of the shell and the brown skin. Chop the nuts. At this point I put them in the freezer for later, then get them out for Thanksgiving. Saute them in a skillet with chopped onions and celery with a stick of butter. Add about a loaf of cubed bread and stir it together to soak up the butter. Salt this mixture as well. Try not to eat too much as you stuff the bird. All the ingredients are based on personal preference. One and a half to two pounds of chestnuts is usually about right for the stuffing. Well, that is the way we do it at our house!

With grateful hearts and helpful hands, have a wonderful, peaceful Thanksgiving!

GOLDILOCKS AND HER QUILT

Once upon a time Grandma Mousie made a little quilt. And actually, the center was created using a Little Quilts pattern for the Sunbonnet Sue. This little quilt went to live with Granddaughter Danielle, to hang on her bedroom wall. Years passed and Danielle grew up to the age of 13. Little girl quilts were no longer of interest to her. Recently this little quilt surfaced again while packing up the closet in Danielle's bedroom. Grandma Mousie thought that it would look cute in Goldilocks' bedroom, with her 1930's repro quilt that she just finished for her bed. So she mailed it off to Goldilocks' house.  Above is Goldilocks, pretending to sleep.
Goldilocks likes her new little quilt, and wraps up in it while watching TV, reading a book, or riding in the car! She even took it camping!
"Oh no!" Says Goldilocks! "Don't hang it on the wall, I want to snuggle with it. I love it!" This makes Grandma Mousie very happy! 
Above, the photo shows the little quilt sitting on top of the 1930's repro quilt on Goldilocks' bed.  When asked how she likes her big quilt, she says she likes it, but not as much as the little one! She hardly lets that one out of her sight. Someday Goldilocks will grow up and prefer a bigger quilt. Grandma Mousie will happily make her another one, because Goldilocks knows how to show appreciation for a quilt! No doubt she will live happily ever after!