Its Beginning to Look ......

A Lot Like

Christmas

I'm not sure about "Every where you Go"

But around here at least  :)

Our latest Table Stand quilt - 2015 Holly Tree Lane is sitting on the desk behind my chair and the tutorial on the Ornaments is up and live.  You can watch it by clicking here 

and buy the tree header for your table stand and the kit or pattern by clicking here.  
It's 15% off today and tomorrow only because of the tutorial.

Jake's busy with finals this week and next but Zoie is coming over tomorrow afternoon to help Pops find our Christmas tree in the front pasture

and the Angel Tree Skirt is ready and waiting.

Color is so hard to show sometimes.  The background for the angels is a dark teal print but it looks dark brown or black in the jpg.

Anyway, you can get a kit or pattern for it by clicking here.

The tree skirt was originally a pattern in The Winter Book but it is out of print so I did it over as a pattern when we got a few requests for it.

I also worked up The Winter Quilt as a pattern for the same reason and it's on the website as a pattern also.  

Coxcombs and Pomegranates, the mother of Hawthorn Ridge is on the bed

and Sleigh Bells is hanging in the foyer.

Now for the tree and some grandchildren ---

We're getting there :)

(The patterns for all of  the quilts are on the website - just click one of the "here's")

And of course there's shopping, wrapping and baking still to do.  

And more stitching.......

It's About Time & Happy Thanksgiving

It's been a minute or two since I last blogged (I was getting ready for Market then)

so there's some catching up to do.

This is my little booth in Moda's Designer's Row with Sandy Gervais' booth on the left in the picture and Kansas Troubles' booth on the right.

It was Moda's 40th Anniversary - 40 years with Notions, books and patterns and 25 years of Fabric Design.

Here is the esteemed Mark Dunn with Sandy Gervais and me - his 2 longest running designers.

You notice I didn't say "oldest".  Mark and Cheryl picked Sandy up to design and then 6 months later picked up Linda Brannock and I - Brannock/Patek.

Linda is no longer with us, having passed away earlier this year, but her impact on the quilt world will be with us always.

Moda had an awesome display of quilts for both Market and Festival called "The Making of Moda"

showcasing Marks collection of Antique Quilts used to make the "Collections for a Cause" fabrics.

And this gorgeous quilt made by 3 sisters displayed fabrics from many of the Moda lines.

Embroidered in the Stop Borders were the names of designers and on the back (sorry I didn't get a picture) were embroidered the names of all the different fabric lines.

Here we all are with Mark and Cheryl Freydberg (on my left), the head of the Fabric Department.

They also had a section in the Quilt Display for some of the early quilts from designers and I was honored to have "Cockscombs & Stars" and "Brian's Quilt" hung in that section.

The patterns for both quilts were featured in Country Quilts for Your Soul by Quiltmania but that book is out of print.

When I get a minute I'll try to release them as patterns on my website.

Back in Missouri after Market, routine life resumes

and with it - Deer Season.

Here grandson Jake proudly shows off his deer

and the Thanksgiving quilt was hung in the foyer - "Pumpkins, Turkeys & Geese" from the book

We Gather Together - still in print.

 And a special thanks to the person who sent this.  I just had to pass it on ..................

And keep on quilting  :)

A couple of New Clubs and Market Looms.................

But First lets back up a little.

September just went by in a whiz.

First I went up to Iowa and filmed a PBS Fons and Porter segment hosted by my friend Patrick Lose.

It was really interesting to go through the filming process - working with Patrick who knows what he's doing made it easy.
The show will air sometime in late December or early January.

Then on to Illinois for a lecture and workshop with The Pride of the Prairie Quilt Guild.

Here I am with Cheryl Barkdoll and Sharon Zabransky, the program co-chairs.

All in all a very nice group of ladies and advanced quilters- lots of fun to work with.

Then back at home we played with our latest Mini Quilt Club offering

3 Pumpkins, 2 Windmills and a Cat.

You can order it by clicking here.

And  we've revised a few of our clubs (for more information click here) and started a new one

 - the Table Stand Quilt Club.

This is our first Table Stand Club offering - two sided as usual - 2015 Acorn Lane.

 Each little quilt is 12" x 25" and folds over the table stand so that you can put the stand on a coffee table or any table where both sides can be seen.  Or just put it on a desk or regular table and turn it around for two different little quilts.

And if you join the club, you'll not only get 15% off of the kits but 15% off the Table Stands and any additional headers you order all year.

There will be 4 to 6  quilts each year and will run around $25-$35 depending on whether Weeks hand dyed floss is included.

The quilt is on sale today because it's the first day of the tutorial.  To watch the tutorial, click here.

The order a kit, click here

To join the club, email Tammie at janpatekquilts@centurylink.net and get an additional 15%off. Don't buy the kit online if you're going to join the club.  Tammie will have to invoice you at the extra 15% off price.

And in the midst of everything we're getting ready for Market.

These are the Garden House fabrics that will show at Market.

My quilts showcasing these fabrics should be back from Lori's tomorrow or the next day.  So I get to spend my weekend sewing on bindings - one of my favorite parts of quilting.

Have a good one ladies.

Leaving again...... And a winner

First - the winner part.

There were so many awesome suggestions that I may have to design something else with oak leaves and acorns just to use a few of the names.

 It was really hard to choose

but choose we must.

This is 2015 Acorn Lane named by Glenna Davis and she left her comment on the September 2nd post.

Glenna, if you will send your snail mail address to Tammie at janpatekquilts@centurylink.net she'll get your kit out to you.  And congratulations.

Meanwhile I'm leaving for Illinois where I'll be giving a lecture and teaching a workshop for the Pride of the Prairie Quilt Guild and of course taking a lot of my appliqué with me - Market looms.

Ladies, would you please remind me to have someone take pictures with my camera.

Keep quilting.

9-11

A Name, A Name, my Kingdom for a Name

Well, really only a quilt kit.

I'm off to Iowa for a couple of days, taking my little tablestand quilt along, 

hopefully to finish the quilting.  One of my favorite things about these little quilts is that I have time to quilt them.

But.............it still doesn't have a name

so we're still taking entries.  

You can give us your choice of name either here in the comments section or a couple of posts down.

We'll take them all into consideration when it's quilted and bound.   Then I'll have Tammie and Brittany chose one each and the winners will get a free kit.

If you've already entered you don't have to enter again - unless of course, you're thought of another name.  :)

Thought I'd leave on a pleasant note.

Keep quilting ladies.

Whew!

It's been a very hard day, especially after yesterday.  Last week the girls told me that a lady(a shop owner) from New Zealand had called about a Mystery Quilt BOM from a couple of years ago.  She wanted a refund of her moms money - all 12 months because she had returned some of the blocks.  Tammie looked into it and we only have a record of receiving payment for 3 months.  This was when Tori was here and she kept lousy records and didn't send things.  PayPal, however, keeps excellent records.   We can't find a record.  

She called again today before Tammie could call her back.  The long and short of it is that I told her we would refund the 3 months immediately and would be glad to return the rest as soon as we had some type of proof of payment.  She may have payed it - it really is possible that Tori got payments for months and didn't send the blocks but you'd think there would be some record on Paypal.   I just don't think asking for some sort of verification is unreasonable when we can't find a record.

Apparently I had replied to a Facebook message in 2013 saying that Tori had said it was all her fault and she didn't know why she had missed it.  I don't know why she missed it either but Tammie and Brittany can't find the payments either.  The woman's manner is bullying and abusive and Tori may have just been caving in since she kept such lousy records.  She has threatened to put things out of context on Facebook and report me to Moda.

To give every dog her due she has been replying to the email address on the last email Tori sent which has been defunct since Tori left.  So I'm sure she's very frustrated.  But I have a website and a blog with the current email address.   And yelling at me has never been a good way to get a positive response.  That's why I design instead of owning a shop.  

I have a very short tolerance for rude, bullying people.

As of right now, I'm going to return the money to her mother.  It's probably not a good idea to cave in - Like Chamberlain to Hitler - but I'm going to do it anyway just so I don't have to deal with her again.

Anyway, all of this is not simply to whine :) about lousy customers but to say "please don't message me on Facebook if you really need to get in touch with me."  I enjoy Facebook when I have time but I quite often don't have much time so I won't see your message.  My current email is always on my website and my blog.

On a much more pleasant note, this is the pillow Pep gave me for my birthday.  Isn't it awesome?  

I took a picture and sent it to all of the kids and my sister on my phone.

Nancy thought for awhile that it was a real bulldog sitting in front of a flag on the chair and wondered why he gave me another bulldog.

It does look real doesn't it.

And Spike is more than enough bulldog for now :)

Keep quilting ladies.

Another busy month!

Wow!

First, Hawthorn Ridge is shipping to your local quilt shop as we speak.

It may already be there.

Lots of yummy rich, dark colors for Fall and the holidays.

This is the Hawthorne Ridge BOM.  

You can buy the pattern for the BOM and all the new Hawthorn Ridge patterns from us now by clicking here.

And watch the Craftsy Website for the kit.

This is Wednesday Witch, one of my favorite little Halloween witches.  You can buy a pattern or a kit to make Wednesday by clicking here

This is Punkin Heads (our special this week) so hop on over to the store and pick up your kit or pattern.  Halloween is just around the corner.

I don't usually show works in progress but I am this time because I'm stumped.

This is my Fall Table Stand quilt in progress - just the bird left to appliqué -

with a house, tree, bird and pumpkin on the front

and 4 acorns on the back.

I don't have a name for it yet and I'm busy, busy, busy.  (I'm giving a lecture and workshop this month at the Pride of the Prairie Quilt Guild in Illinois as well as taping a show for PBS in Iowa.)

Anyway, I don't have time to think up a name for the little quilt.

Sooooooo.

If you will put a name in the comments section, I'll have Tammie and Brittany pick one at the end of the month and we'll give a kit away to the winner.  Maybe two if they just can't agree.

Happy quilting ladies.

Meeting myself coming and going

A lecture and workshop in Edmond,Oklahoma for their guild in August.  A wonderful group of quilters in a very active guild.  

And since I have been doing either "Jan's Notes" on my website or later a Jan's Blogspot for just about as long as there has been internet you would think I would remember to have pictures taken.

 Really!

But no - I didn't!

And thank you ladies for a very nice time.

Then back at home to put the finishing touches on the patterns for fabric line (Garden House) that will show at Fall Market

AND

come up with a fabrics, colors and a name (Fern Hill) for the line going to the mill.

And of course, there's still the husband and house, grandchildren, chickens, dogs, cats, bunnies and a visitor Pot Belly Pig named PeeWee Piggleston to be dealt with.

Life certainly is full and interesting.

 "Circle/Star Candlemats" or Table Stand Quilts

On that note, we do have a new tutorial on "Squares within a Square" that went live this week.

"Cityscape"

Straight Squares and Squares on Point.  To Watch the Tutorial click here. 

We sent out an email but I think the link got put in wrong or something.  We are quilters not computer geeks and that happens occasionally.

Anyway there is a sale on both the kits and patterns this week.  To get to the sale click here.

This very neat quilt is by Susanne Steil.  She made it incorporating patterns from "And Kitty Makes 3" and the Circle/Star Candlemats.

Isn't it awesome.

Thanks Susanne.

And now, off to Kansas City to get contacts for grandson Jake and pick up munchkins Quinn and Cullen for the weekend.

I'll try to show you a picture of PeeWee Piggleston next time.

Any bets on whether small, cute pigs start showing up in my quilts?

Calendar Quilt - latest tutorial........

This little (well, 70" x 70") quilt has been a year in the making.

It's really been a fun quilt to make.  

It's really my favorite kind of quilt to make because the deadlines are so easy.

Each month we would make two appliqué blocks and two log cabin blocks.

One of each would go into the large quilt

Wings of Freedom 

and one of each would go to make a Table Stand Quilt.

The tutorial on the last block went up this week.  You can watch the tutorial by clicking here.    

Watermelon Days 

The kit for the whole quilt and a few of the Table Stand blocks are on sale for today only.  

I picked our Summer and early Fall Table Stand patterns and kits. 

 Back to School

They're are just great for summer sewing - small enough to take to all your summer outings with you - kids or grandkids ball games for instance  :)

Home Sweet Home

You can get to the store by clicking here

Keep quilting ladies.

Its been awhile..................

First there was Market - May 15-17th

and we left a day early to get home for

Jake's high school graduation on May 17th.

Here he is with friends Jeremy and Daniel at their graduation party.

The day after we cleaned the house all day (Jake was batching it while we were gone at Market - and he really did a pretty good job) but I'm a little OCD with company coming

and Marie-Claud from Quilt Country in France came on the 18th.

We spent two days going through all of my quilts in the loft

and then another day after Marie Claud left refolding quilts

and putting them back in the cupboards.

Whew!

Some of you have "known" Jake a long time.  

Here he is on the inside cover of Linda and my book Together Again.

And while all of this was going on my friend Linda passed away.  

Since we lived an hour and a half away from each other, our relationship was mainly built on quilting and designing.  Since she retired we had lost touch so I didn't really even know she was sick.

I'm sorry but I really haven't felt like blogging much - didn't mean to worry some of you and thanks for emailing.

I'm fine - just sad.

After we both left Red Wagon, we decided to have our own companies and occasionally do books together.

When I designed "Coming Home Again" I told Pep that if I was going to do this thing, I needed to go to Market.  He said ,"OK, tell me when it is and I'll take off and do the driving and heavy lifting :)"

I told Linda, she and Bob did the same thing and we had booths next to each other in Houston.

That's where we were asked to design fabric for Moda.

Quilts and fabric were woven into the texture of our lives and our friendship for many years.

She was a neat lady and a great designer.

I have a few Home for the Holidays books left and put them on special this month in memory of her.