Oh my! oh my!

Most of you know by now that I have a bulldog named Spike.  He is the apple of my eye except when he tries to eat cars.  :) 

The 2nd picture is an Easter card that I got from my friend Jenny Doan.  I have never seen anything quite so hilarious in my life.  She said she just couldn't resist getting it.
Thanks Jenny.
I don't know whether Spike was amused or not but we certainly were.

And this is Jan and Jenny's Garden.  We designed it together before she started traveling all over the world - or at least most of the United States.

It's still one of favorite spring wallhangings.

Her card reminded me of it so I'm putting it on special - 15% off the pattern - for the rest of the week.

And I think you get a free scrap bag with any order this week.

Pretty good deal.

A chuckle to help with the rain and grey days and a bargain to boot.

Thanks Jenny.

Happy Easter

From the Patek house

to yours.

Hope the Easter Bunny was good to you.  :)

Busy, busy, busy .............Tutorials and phones & kids & chickens & stuff.

We had a new tutorial go live on You Tube on the 10th.  

The Table Stand block is April Showers

and the quilt is Parasol Princess and the tutorial will of course, cover both of them.

To see the tutorial click here.

To order kits or patterns click here or on the name.

Below is a picture of our phone at the office.  (I love my little antique primitive stand).  

Anyway, this phone has been a source of many problems in the past BUT WE HOPE THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED.

Ever since we moved the office to the barn years ago, if Tori (or whoever) was on the phone and someone called it would just ring on their end - it didn't go to voicemail, it would just ring.   They wouldn't get a busy signal so they would naturally think no one was in the office.  I have gotten lots of nasty comments about no one ever answering the phone during business hours.

We just discovered recently that it was doing that because we had call waiting.  WOW!.  So all we have to do is take the call waiting off of the line and people would get a busy signal if we were on the phone.

It took 7 days, people - 7 days of phone calls 

but finally - at last - if you call during business hours and Tori's on the phone you will indeed get a busy signal.  

We are here Monday-Friday from 10:00-2:00 CST, God willing and the creek don't rise.

Besides talking to the telephone company 

new baby chicks and grandchildren came.

We've been playing in the garden - lettuce and broccoli, cauliflower, kale & swiss chard.

And Grandma Laird's iris are starting to shoot up.  I can't wait until they bloom.

Jake had his Junior Prom.  He and Madison looked as awesome as they are.

Grandchildren are great.

And of course, taxes are paid!

Now I think we all need a little something for ourselves.   So we're having a sale - today only - Promo Code TAXBREAK.

Snow's over - we hope - and it's time for flowers and soft days.

Keep quilting ladies.

Freezer Paper Templates for pieced blocks - latest tutorial

Stars and houses and trees - and even snowman heads sometimes.

While my first love is appliqué, all applique can sometimes need a counterpoint.  A pieced block or two in an appliqué quilt can make all the difference in the world.

And I am particularly fond of pieced stars ( and trees and house and, and, and)  :)

To see my tutorial on Freezer Paper Templates click here.

This is one of 8 pieced star blocks in Little Houses so the kit will be 15 % off until midnight on April 4th.

I am so ready for real, live stems and leaves :)