Down to the Wire

I can check off "Load the Van" on my to do list.

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There's that funny stuff again.
This is the chair I always take so I can work on my next project. With applique there is always a next project. I'm taking blocks for the 2010 KC Star BOM Edie and I are doing for Fall Market. We also have Needleturn Applique demonstrations twice a day. I'll show you the projects in a sec.
And I made sure to lean my seat all the way back when we packed the van. Max is planning to drive way into the night on the way down and I will need to sleep. It's easier leaning back than sitting up straight.



At Spring Market Sandy Gervais had a quilt on the floor for a rug. She said she always uses a quilt as a rug at Christmas and pointed out that they're easier to wash than rugs. Soooo.......as they are also quite a bit lighter than the jute rugs I usually haul back and forth I made two of these. This is 95" x 95" and is 2 1/2 Layer Cakes. Cherie gave me the idea to use polyester batting instead of my usual cotton as that would make them even lighter. This was pieced by Tara's Grandma Carol Debault and quilted by Marie at Country Expressions. I think it's awesome. Now I want one for the Grandkids bed - with cotton batting, of course.



Here are the two little blocks I use for the Needleturn Applique Demonstrations I give at Festival - a star and a bird. If you can get down points (obviously the star, bird beak and tail) and inside curves (the bird) there really isn't much you can't applique. They get those 2 little blocks free - I don't charge for the demonstration. And then if they want to use them, there's a kit for this little wallhanging.




I posted the picture of the little quilt in the column on the left. This isn't a Mini Quilt Club offering because that would throw me over the limit for the year, but if anyone in the club wants to order it, we'll give them their 15% discount. It looks like a Mini Quilt. It's not on the website yet but if you want to reserve one email Tara at info@janpatekquilts.com. She is mightily glad this week is over and she's back to her normal routine.
Well - I have to finish packing, do the layout for the kit cover for Summer Nights, make one more stop at the storage unit, make up Pep's list, yada, yada, yada. Max has a Seminar until 5:00 when I'll pick him up in KC and we will head for Knoxville, Tn. Come see us in booth 1024 at the AQS Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee
July 22nd-25th.

Snowbound published by Red Wagon in 1989

And the winner is Juliann who said "I still have my copy. In fact I have most of the early Red Wagon books including Snowbound, published a Red Wagon book from 1989. It was the beginning of a new perspective on quilting for me.'
Juliann, please email Tara at info@janpatekquilts.com and give her your mailing information. Congrats and have fun with the Jelly Roll.



Everyone that commented got the year and publisher right so we wrote the names on slips of paper and Tara drew one. Thanks to everyone that entered. I'm going to have to think of another contest that takes us into the past like these 2 have. It's so much fun to read all of the comments.

Thanks to Patti of Quilting is my Passion who sent me the information on a website that tells you how to get 3 columns on your blog. And lots of thanks to my son Max's significant other, Michelle, who could follow the website directions. Now I have a 3 column blog. Wahoo! I hope to do a lot of fun things with it when I get back from Knoxville and the AQS Expo.

For right now - back to work.

Crazy Stars

I am definitely blog challenged. Lately every time I upload a picture when I'm doing a new post, instead of the jpg I get funny talk. It mostly turns out OK when I tell it to publish but I do get some of the funny talk posted.
OK a new contest. Years and years ago - back when the dinosaurs roamed - I made Snowbound. While I was making it I needed a rectangular shape to get things to fit. Surprise, surprise - a star came to mind. And of course, with me doing it, it couldn't be straight and neat and tidy, it had to be lopsided. As far as I know, that was the origin of the crazy star. Years later, it was really funny to open a magazine and read articles on how to draft a "crazy star". Anyway, the contest is this. What year was Snowbound published and what company published it. If you have an old book you're in luck. I assume I'll have multiple right answers - a lot of us save those old books - and Zoie is in Atlanta, GA for the summer with her dad. So I'll have Tara.org draw from the right answers to see who wins the Blessings Jelly Roll. Deadline for guesses is Wednesday, 15th. Good luck all of you collectors.

1st & 2nd

Reproduction of block from 1st quilt - made for Kelly out of muslin. seafoam green and pink floral fabrics. Had sashing and outer border of the pink foral with a muslin stop border. The original quilt is now in quilt heaven having been well loved and well used.

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Somewhere in here I found a "Quilter's Newsletter" that featured Micheal James and I started making "art quilts". I even went so far as to get a quilt into Quilt National and was firmly headed in that direction. Then we adopted Brian, Kelly wanted a Christmas Quilt and I started designing quilts for books and patterns. Here then is my 2nd "quilt" quilt. Quite different from my first one, don't you think. See what happens when you let me loose with fabric and color? Linda and my line that will show at Fall Market is going to be "Looking Back". If the colors that are picked are anywhere near right I want to kit Snowbound. It's such a fun quilt. The 3 kids on the taboggan are Brian, Kelly and Max. Pep and I of course are by our house and My sister Nancy and Mark and Matthew are in town. To see one of my latest quilts, go down one post for Zoie's Baskets or look at the blocks on the right.
And if you haven't already gone to Sandy blog http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/, go to it for a walk down memory lane if you have any age on you at all.

Happy 5th of July

Hope you had an awesome 4th of July. 7 of 8 grandchildren and all but one child were here. Good food, good family - luckily we celebrated on the 3rd because the weather was OK until
after we finished with the fireworks and cake and ice cream - then it really stormed but we were all safe and sound inside in bed.
The 2 weeks before however, were a very different story. If you follow the Minick/Simpson blog you've seen Laurie's house with all of the photographers, etc for the photoshoot for American Patchwork & Quilting. Well - I had that many people in and out of my house and my bedroom for over a week trying to fix my DSL connection so I could work. And so Tara could work. My computer is in the corner of my bedroom. I work here - then email things to Tara up in the office. We couldn't charge, we couldn't ship. I couldn't work at the computer because there were people on it trying to fix things. It was not fun! Hours and hours on the phone - my IT lady - my son - days later - still no wireless connection. We couldn't really do much of anything - yada, yada, yada. After a week they finally sent a technician out and it took him over 8 hours to get it done. Still don't know why it happened. If you want to know what I do when I'm stressed out - I have a pretty clean house and office.
And the binding is on Zoie's Baskets. It's ready to go to Knoxville for the booth at the AQS Expo. Come see us there.