New Seasons in Patches Patterns

Well...it's about time! I have had these in my thoughts and sketchbooks for ages it seems.  I love spring.  I love the smell of the first rain after a hard winter, the buzzing of the bees, a few colorful blossoms (I live in Wyoming, that's about all we get) and stepping outside each day to water all my pretty flowers and trees.  And that season has been out the door for a few months and there is that feeling of fall in the air.  We have already had a frosty morning that wilted some of my too few flowers. Darn! So before I started on Christmas projects I thought I would revisit that short sweet season of spring.

 HNH41 Umbrella

 HNH42 Honey Bee

 HNH43 Blossom

 HNH44 Watering Can

And a closeup! Many times my pattern covers don't quite show the cute buttons.  

All patterns available on my website, etsy or ebay!

{Fall}

Fall....absolutely my most favorite time of the year and definitely the season that always fly by the quickest.  Possibly due to the fact we don't have much of a fall in Wyoming.  I grew up in New Jersey and loved the changing leaves.  Here we go from green leaves to no leaves in about a week...with a small chance of a bit of yellow before they go brown in between.  This fall I was able to go back east...
Some of my most favorite places to visit happen to be in Pennsylvania...Longwood Gardens and Amish Country.  Longwood Gardens always takes my breath away, regardless of the time of year or season.  The foliage and flowers are always absolutely stunning. Such a peaceful place even while visiting with my 8 and 10 year old!

 Chenille tree...I want one of these at my house!!  

And then there is Amish country...

There are lots of great reasons why I love Amish country but the number one reason is because every time I have gone it is with my Mom.  I love the well kept homes, the clotheslines, the lush green fields, the vibrant quilts, the pumpkin patches, the buggies and the sound of the horses clipping along and the people. Such peaceful happy people.

{Well, Hello!}

I actually have a good excuse for not writing for a while.  I was so motivated to work on my patterns and projects and then disaster struck.  I was finishing up one of my new Seasons in Patches patterns and my sewing machine died with about 2 inches left to quilt.  The screen just blinked a bit and then nothing.  I have had my Bernina for 16 years and this machine has gotten me through so many things...I felt like I lost my right hand.  I had gotten my machine when I was first married.  We had two incomes, no children, small little house payment and not many bills so I decided I could afford a nice expensive machine.  My husband agreed just because he was eyeing a 4 wheeler and knew I would be more likely to agree to it if I was busy and happy sewing on my machine.  Anyways...my sewing machine was part of me.  I sewed when I was happy, when I was sad, to make money, when I was grieving, to make my daughters first outfits...basically sewing is an everyday part of my life. So when it died, I cried. After I pulled myself together, I called my sewing machine repair guy and said it could be fixed but might be a little expensive...No worries!
Well, long story short...it's fixed and I am back sewing.  And playing catch up!  I did have another sewing machine to use while my Bernina was out, but basically all I could do was piece on it...so I have been busy sewing and quilting and getting caught up.  I don't have any patterns debuting at this quilt market and so I am hoping I can be ready to go for the next!
I have a little ebay store that I sell my patterns. I also sell fabric (mostly Moda)  and one of my favorite things is to put together kits from my own patterns!  I loved the Snowbird Prints and batiks from laundry Basket quilts...such beautiful florals and wintery batiks!  I thought the fabric would be awesome to use when making up my Snowflake Kisses tablerunner.

I love sewing this little quilt together, so fast and easy.  My favorite part of the quilt making process is the actual quilting...because I feel like that is where the quilt comes alive.  I am branching out from just meandering, but for this project...that was all I did.

I used the Heat N Bond Featherweight Fusible Web.  You don't need a lot of heat to attach and the bond isn't too extreme, but enough to sew around the edges of the snowflake.  I wanted the edges to lift a bit and ravel when washed for a more vintage/shabby chic look.  After I was done quilting and binding, I added a little bling and sparkle to each snowflake.

I am a Jersey girl from the 80's...I think I bedazzled and rhinestoned everything back then...and haven't quite stopped that habit.

Done!....and kits put together!

So, if your interested in a quick and fun wintery project (Christmas is just around the corner!), stop on by my Ebay Store or my Etsy Store!

{Oops!}

Every time I work on a new pattern, I usually make up two unless I am in sort of a time crunch.  Being my first patterns, I made two, three and even four to make sure I had the patterns right.  I double checked and triple checked and thought I had everything right and spell checked.  Well, like in my previous posts, I have been reworking my patterns.  Last month I started on Spring and thought I would go with more of a solid color.  I had done that many times before and out of the dozens of times I made this little quilt, I found I liked solid one color scheme a bit better.  Normally when I would put together the quilt, I very rarely looked at the picture...but since this was going to be on the pattern cover I wanted to make sure it was perfect.  So, as I was putting the petals in place I noticed for the FIRST time that I have used the wrong picture on my covers for almost 8 years!  The first time I made the pattern up I used 7 petals instead of 6.  I thought it looked a little busy, so I went with 6.  Well, when I first put the pattern together long ago, I grabbed, I thought, the right picture and didn't realize I grabbed the wrong one...yikes!  I guess all that double checking I did should of applied to the pattern cover as well!  So...out with the old and in with the new!

...And I can't use the excuse I was tired.  I had only one little one who slept through the night!

{Monthly Tablerunners}

I started a monthly tablerunner series a few years back and stalled at March.  Last year I finished April and this year they will be finished!  Since I am updating pattern covers, I thought I would do these at the same time! So...here is January!

The first time I published this pattern, it just had the tablerunner made up in the blue batiks on the cover.  I love working with batiks...no fraying and so user friendly when you are cutting small pieces out for applique.  It is hard to see in the pictures, but I added some hotfix crystals to add a little bling.  It looked so wintery and sparkly like fresh fallen snow...in which I have lots of opportunities to experience since I live in Wyoming.   I needed a Christmas tablerunner and had the reds, grays and greens from Basic Grey's Blitzen line and thought I would try those colors out and I LOVED IT!  It is way even cuter in real life!  So, of course I had to put both on the pattern cover, since I couldn't quite decide.

Watch out for February's pattern next month!

{Oldie...but a Goodie}

 Sometimes I can't believe how fast time flies!  How can it be almost 10 years since I started designing my Seasons in Patches series!  I first got the idea to use patches when I was working on a pattern using applique and I didn't have enough material...so I sewed some similar fabrics together to make up a big enough piece and I loved the outcome.  So I thought, why not develop patterns around that idea...but  the birth of our first daughter put things on hold.  I had talked to a friend about my pattern idea and when she was putting on a quilt show for MS she asked if I would like to be a vendor and sell my patterns there.  That got me motivated and I designed my first ever series, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.  I printed up my patterns and put together kits and they ALL sold!  I totally did the happy dance when I got home that evening.  Then our second daughter was born...just 16 months after the first and I didn't do much designing for a bit.  I was busy with formula, diapers and 2 very busy little girls!  After a few years I thought about revisiting my patches ideas and sent my patterns to a pattern distributor and the rest is history!  In the past 10 or so years, I have had multiple logos and pattern covers but the pictures have always stayed the same and I felt it was time to update the those pictures...so I decided to start with my very first pattern, Winter.

Original 2004 Version

I tried two different colorways...a brighter version and a darker version.  I loved the brighter version the best and chose that one for my new pattern cover. 

{New Year, New Things}

Every new year I have a list of things I want to accomplish.  Some are a little far fetched and some are pretty easy.  But every year I seem to add certain goals that never change, but ones that I never accomplish.  So this year I have decided to work on those...my pattern business and getting healthy.
If you could see the notebooks and graph papers full of quilt pattern ideas, started quilts and almost finished quilts and finished quilts just needing patterns, you may be shocked.  I am every time I walk into my room! So this year I am going to work on finishing...finishing patterns, finishing quilts and yes, starting new patterns and quilts!  I divided my projects into bins and I am taking a bin and am going to empty it out.
I also am going to keep up with my blog...mainly for me.  I have made so many quilts and projects and I really don't have a record of them.  So this will probably be the best way to keep track of all I have done and plan to do...plus, just maybe it will make me more accountable.
My other goal is getting healthy...one goal I have had at the top of my list for 15 years but one that I have not been able to attain. So this is the year!!  Plus, I have a sister's wedding possibly this summer, which mean pictures.
So those are the things I am going to really work on this year, plus a few other small goals to get me more organized...lets see how I do!