Merry Christmas to all!

Here are Quinn & Cullen with their brand new Red Ryder BB guns.  They're supposed to be posing for a poster and weren't supposed to smile or laugh - which of course made them want too.

They were given the guns by Grandpa and a detailed lecture on gun safety starting with "Thou shalt not shoot thy brother, no matter how much he annoys thee!"

The guns are, of course, locked up unless there is an adult with them.

And I just had to take a picture of their dad, Max, in his awesome Dr. Who scarf that his soon to be stepdaughter, Kylie (red Mrs. Santa suit) knit for him.

Kelly, Jake and Zoie were here too as well as my sister Nancy.

Brian and Shannon and their 4 come tomorrow.

What a great Christmas!

Now for a little nap and then some quiet stitching.

Wishing you and your the best of holidays.

Big House tutorial -

This is Block # 1 of Pine Tree Ridge.  

As most of you know by now, I really like House Blocks  - and quite often I use large house blocks.

This tutorial focuses on making the pattern pieces, windows and doors and then getting the block to lay flat without any wrinkles in the background.

Usually we offer a discount on the pattern or kit only the day the tutorial is posted but we had trouble with the link in our email so it went out late.  (Have we mentioned that we're a lot better with quilts than with computers?)  

Anyway, since the email went out late yesterday we extended the sale on Pine Tree Ridge through today.

Hope you enjoy the tutorial and the sale.  :)

Mark Dunn - the Father of our company

and a general all around wonderful  person.

It has been an honor and privilege to work with and for him all of these years.

To read more about him click here.

Happy Holidays….

It was a busy, busy weekend.

First, due to the weather, Cullen and Quinn were here for 3 days instead of their usual 2 - that always makes it exciting.  Max brought them up Thursday night after he got off of work so I wouldn't have to try to drive to Liberty in the sleet and snow Friday.

We were going to go cut our tree (we grow our own Charlie Brown Christmas Trees just for us - here at the farm) on Saturday but it was simply too cold.

We decided to wait until after our trip to Uncle Brian's on Sunday.  If you wonder why the tree only has lights on it (and no decorations) and Cullen and Quinn, Jake and Zoie aren't in the picture, it's because Grandma was a bit tired and she forgot to take pictures.  Aah well.  But the boys definitely stated they wanted to be here to help get the tree and lots of memories were made.

The decorations will go on slowly this week.

This is my 3 Cabins Quilt.  It's part of my Happy Holidays You Tube thingy - not a tutorial - just a message.

From our House to Yours - Happy Holidays.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like ………..

Christmas -----

Outside . . .

and inside.

I decided to hang Folk Art Favorites in the foyer this year.  It's not strictly a Christmas quilt but it's rich colors and imagery just said Christmas to me right now.  It was designed by me and my friend Sandy Klop, now known as Moda's American Jane.  And the books are on special this month.   

And Jake's Rudolph quilt is on the back of my quilting chair.  It's in the book Up on the Rooftop.

(And for some reason the book pages come up really slowly - but they do come up.) 

So slowly but surely the house starts looking like Christmas and winter.

Only about a week and a half ago, this is what the living room looked like - not for long - but periodically through the day.

(Need I say it was deer season and the girls made it safely through again this year.)

Which made me think of showing you this.  This is Block #1 of the 2014 Mystery Quilt in progress - parts still missing.  I don't think showing you just this will spoil the Mystery.  The quilt is called "Fall Festival" so that and the pumpkin should give you a hint.  

If you're in the club now, you're automatically signed up for next year so you don't miss a single block. If you don't have time right now to do another BOM, please email Tori at janpatekquilts@yahoo.com and let her know so we can open your slot for someone else.  We usually have a waiting list.

Tori has asked me to say that if anyone is missing a block to please let her know now.  We're shipping out the end of 2013 and would like to get everyone caught up.

We also filmed another tutorial last Friday so it should be going up sometime in the near future.  

Busy, busy, busy.

Saturday we go cut a Christmas tree - it's coming!

Black Friday

Since it is Friday (and not Thanksgiving evening when you need to be sitting around with family and friends digesting dinner - or maybe having another piece of pie), we're having a 

Black Friday Sale.

15% off of all my favorite notions.  

(Everything except the Dovo scissors.  It just costs too much to ship them here from Germany :). 

15% off of

my favorite Clover Thimble - 

the glue I use all of the time

the quilt labels I use on the back of my quilts, 

the linen thread I quilt and do a lot of my embroidery with,

and my favorite sandpaper board …….

and my marking pencils, and …….and……and.  

You can see them all by clicking here.

Plus you get a free pattern (excluding the BOMs) with every order over $25.00.  Just write the name of the pattern in the comments section when you pay with PayPal at the store.  If you can't find the comments section just email Tori at janpatekquilts@yahoo.com and tell her.

And there's FREE SHIPPING ALL DAY!.

So just type in Promo Codes BLACK FRIDAY and NOTIONS.

Let the sale begin - ends Friday night at midnight.

Happy Thanksgiving

From our House to Yours.

This is Pumpkins, Turkeys and Geese made by Janet Crenshaw

 from the KC Star book We Gather Together.

Thanks Janet, you did an awesome job - I always love seeing what other people do with my ideas.

 I hope all of you have a Thanksgiving full of 

Family, Food and Friends.

We are having a little Black Friday sale but we'll talk about it tomorrow.  Today is for Family & Friends - which to me always includes quilts.

Now, off the computer and onto making pies,  cake and cranberry sauce.  Pep does the turkey and dressing, thank God.
God Bless.

New Tutorial - Berries, Stems and Inside curves

Jake and Misty Doan - (talented filming and editing people)

 uploaded my latest tutorial at the end of the week.

This time we're focusing on the Snowman Basket block from my Snow Day BOM.

To see the tutorial click Here.

And I've decided that each month when the tutorial is uploaded I'll have a "special" on the pattern and kit for 2-3 days only.  Oh and in case you're on my email list and already know about this, the sale is through Sunday, not "to" Sunday.

So be watching my blog or Facebook (or I guess subscribe to my You Tube channel) because the sale will be really short since the patterns are new.

To get to the store, click here.

And I thought we were going to have a Snow Day yesterday - or really and "Ice Day" but luckily we didn't.  I'm not quite ready for them yet.

We need to have Thanksgiving first.

But it is great weather to stay inside and make a quilt  :)

Thank You Veterans - One and All!

 Long May She Wave

Today Only - 20% off

4 Flags

and

Jake's Eagles

Quilt Kits.

Back in Stock - "Show Me The Moda!"

Carol and her Quiltmania ladies came to Market in Houston as usual and they brought me my cases of 

Country Quilts for Your Soul.

So it's back in stock and you can get your signed copy by clicking

here

That will also take you to the same place where you can buy our latest

Donder and Blitzen kit.  Tis the season, ladies.  It's coming on quickly but there's still time to make a few wallhangings and small quilts before it gets here.

We're still recovering from the trip (it takes a little longer each year)

but got to chuckle a little at Josh Dunn's video.  To see it click here.

Thanks Josh - what fun!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween.  

This is the first time in quite a few years that I didn't have my little witch hanging above my chair at Market but she was off visiting a quiltshop.

And while she is also a "statement" quilt, she's also a Halloween Quilt.

And this week, both The Witch Is In

and Pumpkin Man kits are 15%.  It's never too soon to get ready for next year.

Back on the Market scene, the Fat Quarter shop filmed our Schoolhouse.

Thanks Fat Quarter shop.

Hashtag Moda.

To see the  YouTube video of the Moda Designers Schoolhouse click Here.

Fall Market, 2013

We've started leaving a day early for Markets. 

I really like it - we don't start the booth process worn out and exhausted.  We got to the convention center around 10:00 on Thursday and set about setting up.  

And I'm really glad we were so early this time because we got to see the Moda booth go together.

Moda's theme this year is 

"Make a Splash with Moda"

And these guys sit atop the booth structures where they hang the quilts.

The whale blows bubbles.  :)

I'll take you on a fast tour - have to get dressed and get going but I have a minute to take you half way around the Moda booth.

Barb & Alma from Blackbird Designs -

Basic Grey and Deb Strain -

Brigette of Zen Chic (all the way from Germany) -

Kathy Schmitz (all the way from Portland :)

Edytka and Micheal of Laundry Basket ( the picture is blurred because she never sits still - just teasing, - I think)

Polly Minnick & Laurie Simpson -

And then, my booth.  I always take some of the older quilts as well as the new quilts.  My line for next  spring is called Front Porch and will ship in January. Those quilts are in the back and on the right. There's one outside too but I forgot to take a picture.  I also will have a pattern for the little "Snow Friend" wallhanging this fall as well as a kit.

Anyway, that took us half way around the Moda booth.   I'll try to get the other side today.

Happy quilting. 

Off to Houston for Market - but first - a new tutorial.........

It's officially FALL - and Fall in this house pretty well means Houston and Fall Market.

If you're able come see us at Booth 1938 - just find Moda and we'll be around somewhere.  :)

We're packed - 

well....... mostly

and ready.

There's always a bittersweet element to everything.  I probably need to say goodbye to my flowers for this year.  Cameron is due for a hard freeze shortly after we leave.  

Kelly and Tori will bring in all of the houseplants but the others will be gone when we get back.

Time to rest and wait for the new growing season next spring.

Meanwhile Misty and Jake have gotten the newest tutorial edited and uploaded.  It's on Inside points - like stars and snowman arms.  To see it click here.

While you're watching it, I'd better go pack.

Beautiful weather, stupendous grandchildren and a couple of really neat quilts

What a great start to Fall.  

It officially was Fall on September 22nd but the weather didn't get around to changing until this week. 

Days in the 70's - just right for walks down to the treeline and back.  And then cool nights so it's crisp when I open the door to let the dogs out each morning. 

Cullen and Quinn were up last weekend and made us some great Pumpkin cupcakes.  Usually we cook from scratch but I'm a sucker for saying yes when they find a mix at the store.

I must admit the pictures on the box made the cupcakes look almost as good as they were.

After gathering the eggs they got to work.  Pops ran the big mixer but they pretty well did everything else except the oven part.  

Gabriel didn't get here in time to help make the cupcakes but he and Pops had a good time eating them and reading the big dinosaur book

and carving the pumpkins (I forgot my camera - aargh!)

Oh well, Brooke and Lilly weren't there and Jake and Zoie will come over and we'll all carve pumpkins.  I'd better remember my camera for that!

This guys all ready for Fall - and Sunflowers and Scarecrows is on special this week.  You can get a kit by clicking here.

And with the holidays looming you might want to get started on our Snow Friend Wallhanging, 32" x 48".

I'd better get off of the computer and get back to getting things ready for Market.  

Keep quilting ladies.