It's beginning to look ........

This is what it looked like when the storm cleared late this morning.  And a very tired husband had gotten safely home from Kansas City.  So it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.......

                                       

But not quite yet - still some  wrapping and baking to do.  

And a great early Christmas present from Missouri Star Quilt Co. - 

                                       

our Needleturn Applique Tutorial is finally here.  This is Cedar Creek and if you click on the pictures to the left, you can watch the U-Tube videos Jenny and I made. ( I like the one where I have my glasses on best.  I don't have quite the vacant stare when I can see :).  I've had a lot of requests for teaching videos so I designed this little quilt to teach the basics.  Then Jenny from Missouri Star and I teamed up and her sons shot and edited the videos.  Really good job, boys.

And this is a "sneak peek" at the Mystery Quilt for next year.  I've been playing with colors.  Each month you will either get one large applique block or a smaller applique block and some pieced houses & trees.  It will be $27.50 a month and that does include shipping (except for the month we send the borders).  If you want in on the fun, email Tori at janpatekquilts@yahoo.com or call her at 816-632-7632.  (Do remember if it just rings and rings, it doesn't mean we're not there, it means were on the phone - crazy Century Link).  If you belonged to the Mystery Quilt Club this year you're automatically on the list next year unless you tell us you want off.  And since we're heading for the holidays and had a major snow storm, you may get the answering machine.  If so, leave your number and Tori will call and sign you up, probably after Christmas.

Time for wrapping and baking and merry making.  Children and grandchildren due.  We have 2 out of 3 vehicles stuck in the snow drifts at the moment and AAA can't get here until tomorrow.  

Ah well, guess that means I'll have time to stitch  :)

Merriest of Christmas to you and yours.

Tis the Season........

So a trip to see Santa was in order.. and the gentleman in question visited our local Walmart last Saturday.  Cullen was not at all sure about the whole thing but did stop eating the Rice Krispie Treat they gave him long enough to have his picture taken.  And it took a minute or two for either of them to remember anything that they wanted.

Then off towards the farm with pizza in tow, lunch, a nap for all (adults included) a good walk in the country and time to make cookies.  Then Grandma got to sit and stitch til dinner was done.  All in all a good day.

We are however, wondering about the weather.  It was in the 70's yesterday.  It doesn't bode well for a white Christmas.

To encourage things along we're offering Sue's Snowman Basket for 15% off.

And in honor of the jolly gentleman we'll leave the last 2 Santa wallhanging kits on sale this week.  It seems that before last week, it wasn't in the store.  Probably because I counted wrong (Me?)  and the store thought it was sold out when it really wasn't.  :)

  

Next week we're starting the 12 Days of Joy - from the 10th through the 21st - Winter Solstice.  We'll have all sorts of goodies on sale so be watching for it.  If you're not signed up for our emails you might want to sign up because Kelly will be sending out an email each day telling you what Joy is being spread when.

So .... Santa - Snow - Joy!  Tis the season.

Have a good week Ladies.

We're Celebrating!

The Girls Made It.  Deer Season is over.  Now, please understand, I am not against humane hunting (which is the only kind done on our property, believe me).  Especially after the horrible heat and lack of rain we had this summer.  Food for deer is going to be very scarce around here.

 

And the boys knew does were out of bounds around here.  But other people do come onto our land sometimes.  (The last few seasons Pep has hunted deer hunters to tell them to leave.)  And I wasn't sure that the girls just stuck around our house and land.

                                    It was a relief to see them at the feeders again yesterday.   So to celebrate - we're offering our Donder & Blitzen kit at $38.25 (regularly $45) for a week.

                                  And Up on the Rooftop is on sale for half price this week too.

As a side note, I was worried about Moda running out of my fabric for the borders for Coxcombs and Pomegranates.  Indeed they did.  Scroll down to my last post if your want to see the revisions made.  Ripping out borders is so much fun.

Pep has to work tonight and did last night so he'll sleep all day - hospitals don't close on holidays.  I'm going to KC for Thanksgiving Dinner with Max & Co. this afternoon and then will come home and Pep will grill steaks for Kelly & I (Jake & Zoie are at their dad's this year).  Then Saturday we'll have dinner with Brian and family.  

Holidays do get spread out when your kids grow up, don't they?  Lots more good food - but then it kind of makes me spread out too.  :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Angels ....... and Coxcombs

This is Seraphim - my favorite lap quilt.  It feels really good to sit and stitch covered with angels.

(If you look to closely at mine, I'm afraid that you will sometimes find a Spike hair or two.  He does so want to be a lap dog :)

Seraphim - 15% off this week

And I never put the Christmas pillows out until after Thanksgiving but Angels are welcome all year long.  In fact, the more the merrier.  :)  So it's time to get started stitching if you haven't already.

  Angel pillow - 15% off this week

We're shipping the Coxcombs and Pomegranates block this week.  I'm really looking forward to getting it done - maybe mine in time for Christmas - probably not until after the first of the year.  Well, I wanted a winter quilt.

We're also shipping the sashing and border fabric.  I wanted the burgundy spaced leaves fabric from the Fellowship line for the borders and decided I'd better order it now before Moda ran out.  When they're out - they're out - and it was just perfect for the quilt.  

And I was right.  The computer said they had enough for all of the borders but indeed they did not.  So - I ripped off my side borders and repaced them with the floral and I really like it better.  The good Lord does provide.

We're far enough into the blocks that it's time to be sewing them together anyway.  

Lots of good things to stitch as the nights get longer.  :)

Keep quilting ladies and have a good week.

Home Again

It was great to get to Market - see all my good friends, eat out for a change and have somebody else my bed every day.  Of course there was the Moda party - and no, I didn't ride the mechanical bull.  But it was a lot of fun watching everyone else.

Harvest Home.

And then the long ride back to Missouri - 2 hours the night Market closed and then 14 hours the next day.  

Spike was so happy to see us he couldn't stop wriggling - running from Pep to me and back again.  Apparently he spent most of the time under our bed, only going outside for potty breaks (mostly).

It was great to get away from all the plumbing (yada, yada, yada) problems and great to get back home again.

It's so nice to sleep in your own bed!

Dresden Turkey

Saturday was sunny and beautiful.  I spent it with Cullen and Quinn and Jake at Max's helping trim trees from the fence line and get the yard tidied for winter.  As if we didn't have enough yard work at the farm.  :)

And while I was in KC I picked up my new computer from the Apple Store.  (Just as a tip, never, never, never pick anything up on the day Apple brings out a new product.  Whew!)

Today is rainy and dreary - a great day to stay inside and blog and stitch and get the house ready for Thanksgiving.

So, both kits are 15% off this week.  

And first thing this morning we had visitors.  Look Ma - no spots!

Have a great week ladies and keep quilting.  :)

ON THE RUN.......

                              But just had to show you Me & My Sister's Mummy

And the cute little trailer in the Moda booth across from us

fish and all!

Pep wants to get one and just move in after all of the water and plumbing problems we've had.  Sounds good to me - at the moment.

Off to the convention center.

Keep quilting ladies.  

And there's a new line called "Glamping"  (Glamour camping, I think)  :)

On the Road Again

We're on the way to Houston.

Van's loaded as usual.......

 We always make it around Dallas the first day.  We go right past the Moda Warehouse on I-35  - I always wave when we go by :).  

Anyway we go about 20 miles past Dallas on Highway 45 to Ennis, Texas.

 

It makes things so much easier if you know where you're going and where you're staying so we always stay the same place.

The motel is right behind a Waffle House.  Pep said I should mention it because it sounds like something from a detective novel - "Sam Spade - in the alley behind the Waffle House".

And our room usually faces the pool.  Looks like a lot of fun doesn't it?  Relaxing and all - and the weather's really nice - in the 80's.

HOWEVER, I have a quilt or two to bind.  I guess I could sit in one of the chairs by the pool but I did mention that it was in the 80's.  Inside it's air conditioned.

I have found out that if I take my glasses off, I can sew binding on in the car.  So we're off again.  3 quilts to go.  No pool for now.

Keep quilting ladies.

After the Flood

When I last left you on October 8th, the plumber was coming back the next day to fix the last (we hoped) cut on our sewer lines.  

He did.  By Tuesday night we had water and everything drained.  We could take baths, do laundry and flush toilets.

What we could not do was talk on the house phone or use the internet.

It seems that the telephone line had been cut.  Sigh.

AND - there had been some major fiber cuts - whole towns around here were without phone or internet service so our little problem got shoved to the back of the repair tickets.  Whenever we called, the voicemail said a repair ticket was already scheduled and we would hear within 24 hours.

Wilhamina Witch

By Friday, however, we were getting impatient.  Luckily the telephone office in town used to be next to my beauty parlor so I knew who to call locally.  Hope finally got someone out here who said that they'd never gotten a repair ticket.  It took her about 45 minutes to locate the problem and fix it.

What this all means is that last week we could neither get nor ship orders.

In the midst of all of this, Friday Spike went lame - both back legs - and I had to take him to the vet.  He's on meds now,  feeling better - but he and Yoda can't run and tear around when Yoda visits.  They have to remain quiet and sedate - which means inside, believe me.

Today, things seem to be calming down. 

The Flood seems to be over.

This is Gabriels Ark.  It seemed like a good kit to put on special this week while we mop up.  If you ordered from the site last week, we're working on it.  :)

Have a good week ladies.

 janpatekquilts.goodsie.com/patterns/page/6

AND SHE'S STILL IN..........

My, oh My.  This just has not been my day- or my month so far.

The plumber was here today and fixed one big cut in the sewer lines........

only to find that there's another cut up closer to the house.

So..........

he'll be back with his backhoe tomorrow.

The Witch is In

And then when I sat down at my computer at the end of the day I find

that I've made a big error in the directions for the September block of the Collector Series Mystery Quilt.

The Two Trees block is supposed to be 14" x 8" not 4" x 8".  Really it's 8" x 14" - 8" wide and 14" tall.

I do apologize.  

If any of you have cut the background fabric incorrectly, email Tori at jpqinvoices@yahoo.com and let her know and we'll fix it. 

The Witch is definitely still in.  

The Witch is In!

Ever since I made this quilt I've said that it wasn't really a Halloween quilt  - it was a "statement" quilt.  Haven't we all felt like hanging it on our door sometimes to warn everyone.  Well - this is one of those days - or really one of those weeks.

Remember the horrid pictures of what it looked like out my kitchen window last spring when they were putting in our new water line.  Well, it seems that in the process they not only sliced the heat pump coils (we knew that one right away) - but they also nicked our sewer lines.  Said sewer lines have slowly been letting dirt seep in and finally they're mostly stopped up.

A visit from our new friendly plumber will culminate in things being dug up again next Monday.  Meantime we use things as little as possible.  And the grandkids are coming this weekend.  I'm not cancelling that.

Hence, I decided to leave "The Witch is In" on special for another week.  

And I added Dresden Turkey

In my crankiness I try to remember to give thanks for all of the things that are good about my life - my husband and kids - and grandkids,
good friends and family,
work that I love - (we're stitching on quilts with the new Audra's Iris Garden line that will show at Fall Market - awesome fabrics)
A home in the country that I love and last, but not least Spike.

I think we'll go for a walk.  Then I can come home and stitch.  I'm sewing on binding - one of my favorite parts.

Tori got me a button at the Kansas City Market.  It says "I quilt so I don't kill people".  

Keep quilting ladies.

We've been hopping all over the world .......

And back.  It was a fun trip with lots of great fabric and quilts to see.  No matter what kind of quilting you like, there was something for you.  And lots of great prizes to win.

So with no further ado - the winner of the collection of Mini Charms and book,  

a Fellowship Charm pack,

a Fellowship Turnover

and a set of all 7 of my Fellowship patterns

(to see the rest, click here)

Is  

(drum roll please)

RaedeneSeptember 9, 2012 7:35 AM

Happy Birthday! Nice shops in your area, especially the antique shop.

Raedene, if you'll send your snail mail address (phone # too please) to jpqinvoices@yahoo.com.  You should hear back from Tori Monday so if you don't please call us at 816-632-7632 between 10:00 & 2:00 CST.  And do remember off it rings and rings, we're here, just on the phone.

I loved reading all of your comments and thank you all for visiting and saying such nice things.  I wish you all could have won.

 

For those of you that didn't, I'll leave The Witch Is In and Pumpkins & Geese kits on sale all week.  The witch one is particularly appropriate in times like these.

Along with the kits we'll offer a Fat 1/4 Pack of the beloved homespuns on sale too.

And offer free shipping all week on orders over $25.00 if you type in the promo code "CONSOLATION".  

:)

There - that should help a little.

Thanks again to all of you for your thoughtful comments.

Day 10 - All Good Things

For those of you who don't go to Quilt Market, Carrie always says at the end of each Market "All good things must come to an end and so it is with Fall (or spring) Quilt Market."  So I couldn't resist using it on our Blog Hop.  

It really has been fun seeing the great variety of places where the designers come from and live.  I especially like the guy in the thong from Austin.  We don't see much of that in rural America.  :)

I only made 7 quilts out of Fellowship and I've showed you all of the patterns for them.  If you missed a day or want to see them again you can go here to see them all.

So since I don't have a new pattern to showcase today, I decided to put 2 kits on sale.  The first is Pumpkins & Geese.  It rained here all day yesterday and a cold front moved in.  The weather is decidedly and deliciously Pumpkins and Geese weather.  

We finished filming the Needleturn Applique tutorial at Missouri Star yesterday.  I think it's really going to be neat.  Can't wait to see what Jake (Jenni's son Jake not my grandson Jake) does with the editing.  We had to film the 3rd session twice because we didn't have my microphone turned on  ---- again.  (That happened back in May too!)  So I just got home and turned around to go back for our Girl Gang meeting.

I am one tired puppy today.

This is the 2nd kit we have on sale today.  I have always said that this is not a Halloween quilt - it's a "statement" quilt.

Don't forget to go comment on my post if you want a chance on the goodies.  The winner will be annnounced tomorrow so it's now or never.

And with no further comment lets go see what we saved till the end - the best I'm sure!

MINICK & SIMPSON
Jenn Ski 
and 
ZEN CHIC

Day 9 - Friday the 13th comes on Thursday this month

And considering the designers we're going to visit, it's a lucky 13th.  

The pattern for the Fellowship quilt I'm showcasing is Linda's Baskets by Brannock and Patek.  Linda handed me these basket blocks one day when I was at her house and said "here, do something with these."  So I shrunk a few, made some with flowers and some without, added a bunch of borders and went back to her house to do the color as only Linda can do it.  I like the quietness of this quilt.

The quilt kit that's on sale today is Autumn Kisses and Hugs.  

Enjoy!

I'm off to film.

But first let's visit

KATHY SCHMITZ
SWEETWATER 
and 
V AND CO.

Oh, and if you haven't gotten in the drawing for my goodies, click here to make a comment and have a chance at winning.

Day 8 - And I'm not sure what to say ....

I'm sure that by now all of you have heard about the sad happenings in Libya and Egypt yesterday.  Pep said that I should say the the more really crazy people there are in the world - the more we need our quilting.  I know it definitely gets me through the hard spots.

And while I am not a Muslim, I do know from the reading I've done that Mohammed would no more want things like that done than Jesus would have wanted the Inquisition or Witch burnings.

This is "Little Cabin in the Big Woods", my latest Fellowship pattern that I'm showcasing.  Right now I feel like staying in my house and cooking and quilting.  So that's what I'll probably do today.  That and get things ready for filming the last 2 sessions of the Needleturn Applique Tutorial with Jenny at Mo. Star.  We're filming again tomorrow.  I can't believe it.

For my quilt kit specials today, I decided to offer a couple of my more patriotic kits.

Jake's Eagles and Four Flags!

And dedicate them both to all the valiant men and women - in the military and out of it - who give their lives in service of their country.  Our prayers go out to the families.

That said, let's go see what our 3 Moda designers have in store for us.

KANSAS TROUBLES
MALKA DUBRAWSKY
and
LAUNDRY BASKET QUILTS

Day 7 - Lucky 7

And I hope it's a lucky day for all of you.  The weather here is stupendous - cool, crisp air but sunny and with just an edge of warmth to come this afternoon.

My "Snow Guys" would melt though.  Ah well, I'm sure they'll have their day, come December & January in Missouri.  For right now they'll have to settle for being my showcase Fellowship pattern.

My quilt kit on special today is "Happy Hollow".  Come Fall it is one of the two quilts I usually choose to hang in the foyer. (The other one is Country Paths but I'm out of kits for it.)  And I only have 2 kits left of Happy Hollow so first come, first served.

After you check things out here don't forget to hop over to 

LUCIE SUMMERS
and
COTTON WAY   

and see what goodies they have in store for you.