Sampler Spree - Week 2

Happy Blockheads Wednesday :) 

 I'm assuming that by now you all

have your book.  If not, be sure to go to 

"Shop Martingale.com, do a search for 

Sampler Spree and get your copy asap.

As I said last week I'm going my QAL a little bit

differently.    Each week we'll do 6 of Susan's pieced blocks

and one appliqué block.  Carrie Nelson of Moda fame

is fixing the appliqué block so it can be downloaded

and we're sharing it with the Facebook group too.

The pieced blocks for this week are

Top Row:  Block 68, Block 99, Block 5,

Row 2:  Block 91, Applique block (Bird on a Branch),

Block 12.

If you want to use my purples, we're selling fabric packs in our store.

Hopefully the blog will go smoothly and there are a couple of

complications that could interfere.

I had Cataract surgery on one eye at the beginning of the

week so one eye still sees things in a blur and one eye is

perfectly clear.  

I'm scheduled to get the other eye done this week so

that should balance me out.

And my neurosurgeon is due back on June 28th to deal with the

hydrocephalous again.

I could use lots of prayers that the silly shunt stays

where he puts it this time instead of working it's way

to the surface.  

Getting older certainly seems to have a lot of complications lately.

Have a good week ladies and Keep On Quilting.

Its Flag Day

 And we all know how much I love our Flag.

Tablestand Front

    

and back

The table stand kit is on sale TODAY ONLY.  :) 

To order email Tammy at janpatekquiltsinc@gmail.com.

Happy Memorial Day and more info on Sampler Spree Fabric Packs

We went to Chillicothe yesterday to

take care of the graves of Byron, Eunice,  

and Keith (Pep's side of the family) and took care of 

Daddy's monument when we got

back home.

Today we'll go to Mom's grave and Nancy's 

son Mathew after we take care of the 

chickens.  

There was a treat when we went to the chicken yard.

Our pretty gold hen had hatched out 2 babies.

They're 1 day old here 

but before we know it they will be as big as 

their cousins the Orpingtons.

Everything is growing so quickly- radishes, 

beans and all sorts of veggies.

Inside we're getting ready to start the Sampler Spree QAL.

If you can't find the book at your favorite quilt shop

simply go to shopMartingale.com and type Sampler Spree

 in the  search bar.  

Both the Ebook and the print book should come up.

We're going to be selling fabric packs of the fabrics I'll be

using for my quilt but the supplies are very limited.  A 4 week 

bundle will be $40.00 and will be packaged in a Jan Patek Quilts

Homespun sack.  You can put in the order for yours today from Tammy 

at janpatekquiltsinc@gmail.com.  I've devided the QAL up somewhat

differently so there will be 17 weeks in all 

or 4 bundles of 4 weeks and 

1 bundle of 5 weeks..  Each week there will have 

fabric for 6 of Susan's pieced block and 1 of my appliqué blocks.

Have a good day ladies.  Say a little prayer for Tammy and me.

She needs prayers to get over her cold and I need prayers not to get it.  :)

Happy Memorial Day! and Sampler Spree Fabric Packs

Happy Memorial Day.  

My sister Nancy and I had a busy one.

Pep's parents are buried at Resthaven Memorial Gardens

in Chillicothe, Mo.  Pep's brother Keith has been taking care 

of things in Chillicothe but he passed this year and

his son, Jewell Patek lives down near Springfield, Mo.

Since Springfield is 4 hours away and we're only about 1

hour away, we took over this year.

This is the Urn that some of the graves have.

 I'll see if we can get one for next year.

I think it looks better than just laying the silks on

the ground. We tried to secure the flowers but 

I like the urn better and it seems a lot

more secure.

I knew my father-in-law had earned a bronze star

for sweeping mines in the Sea of Japan during a

typhoon because it sits in a case on my dresser.

I think it's to late to get that on his tombstone but 

I wish I had.  He was a good, good man.

My father (Major Glover Wilson Laird)

died when I was 8.  He was

buried in his parents plot in Harper, Ks.

Since Harper is 4 hours away we made a

"touchstone" in our garden  years ago

and remember him on Memorial Day.

He also was a good man.

They both were always very supportive.

This seems like a good month to make 

Oceans Aweigh our vintage book.

It not only has lots of quilts about the sea

but it also has a quilt I made about

Pep and my song "Storms Never Last"

by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter.

Lots of memories this month.

And we're in the process of making new ones.

This is the book and some of the fabric I'll use

in the QAL (Quilt Along) we're doing with Moda

and Martingale.  

And we're giving away 2 books.  An Ebook for

our Jan Patek Galore ladies and a print book for

our ladies on this side of the pond.

 

I'm sorry but my computer seems to have it's own mind to day.

                                            It has taken me 2 hours to get this much on the page.

But - we are finally moving along a little.  Be sure to go to  shopMartingale.com 

and get your book, either a print book or an Ebook and 

do a search for Sampler Spree so you can sew along

or Quilt Along (QAL) with us.  If the computer will let you, please leave

a comment and we'll try to do a drawing for a free book.  

Also we'll be selling the Scrap Packs for about $22.50 and 

hopefully you can order one in the store tomorrow.

Have a good evening.   I'm going to get

off of the computer and stitch a little.  Whew!!!!

                                    

Fabric packs for Sampler Spree QAL

            

Sampler Spree starts soon

We're getting ready for a fun Quilt Along  

called Sampler Spree by Susan Ache

To follow along you'll need a book - and it 

can be either a hard copy or an Ebook.

You can order your hard copy or Ebook 

by clicking here.  I you belong to Jan Patek Galore 

and live on the other side of the pond, you can 

order an Ebook and there's no shipping.  Or if you live 

in the US and order an Ebook there's

no shipping.

The "make these blocks" posts begin Wednesday, June 16.  

Do you have to make/post every block each week?  No.  Can you mix up your colors - or create your own color schedule?  Yes.  Two-color quilt?  Yes.   - That from Susan & Carrie.

And here's where I  (Jan) start changing things around.

 To begin with I've wanted a purple and white (read cream) 

quilt for quite awhile.  And here's my chance.

Secondly, a lot of us work full time (or work and live on a farm) 

and wouldn't be able to sew that many blocks in a week.  

And of course, I need to add at least one 6" appliqué

block each week.

Soooooo......

If you're getting the lavender & purple Sampler Spree Scrap packs - and we do only have a limited number, we'll try to mail them at the end of the previous month so that  you can cut out the blocks for the week on Sunday and the sew one each evening or sew them all during the week when you have time.  There will be 6 of Susan's pieced blocks each week and 1 on my appliqué blocks.

I'll stop here for now because I always blog the day before and have it post early for our ladies across the pond and I want to wait and have Tammy double check things before I finalize it.  If there are corrections I will have them posted by Wednesday evening.  

I'll also have the cost of the fabric packs.  If I've figured it right there will be 11 weeks in all.

Be sure and order your books as soon as possible, either a printed book or an E-book.

To order the book go to  and type Sampler Spree in the Search Window.

I will be giving away a free book this week.  

To enter, make a comment, any old comment and I'll have the random number generator pick a winner and announce it next Wednesday.

Gardens N Quilts -

On the deck - 

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

all doing well.

In fact we've added some lemon grass

& a tomato plant.

Out in the garden proper

a little light rain has popped

up rows of veggies.

--

Aunt Odell's Oriental poppies

are blooming and the salmon poppies are

getting ready to burst.

And since it FINALLY got a little

warmer, Grandma Laird's Iris

have started to bloom.

The sign above the fish barrel

says "Swim at your own risk-

"no lifeguard on duty".

And. since the iris are blooming

this seemed to be a good time to

put Audra's Iris Garden on sale.

You can go to the website to get 

your copy block clicking here

Next week I need to get my 

cataract fixed.

And I'm also going to be working

on my Samper Spree quilt

by Susan Ache.

Tammy is back from the funeral of Jesse's wife's

mother and I should be able to see out of

both eyes until Friday so next 

Blockheads Wednesday we'll blog about

how we're going to do it.

I never could do things exactly

like everybody else  :{

See you then.

 

Busy, busy, busy

 

Happy Blockheads Wednesday

(I'll always call Wednesday "Blockheads Wednesday)

This, however, is the maple tree out front.

Those little things in clusters on the branches are what

we call "Helicopter babies" because they're shaped 

like the rotor blades on helicopters.

Here they are on the front porch.

They are also all over the sidewalks and back decks.

I usually sweep in front of the doors to keep 

the dogs and people from tracking them in. 

That usually starts off my day. and sometimes the

middle and end of my day.

Here are some of my latest babies - 

25 Straight Run chickens (that means both

sexes) and 3 turkeys.

The turkeys are pets.  One for Zoie, one for

me and one for Max.

Pep keeps trying to name them Thanksgiving

and Christmas but no dice.  I'm sure Zoie will

name hers Turkey Surkey II.  She loved Turkey Surkey

and it would come running when it saw her.

The card she made it one Thanksgiving 

still hangs on the playroom door. 

I'm working away on my Sampler blocks 

and really enjoying it.  I'm using Susan's

general layout but taking much longer to do 

the quilt.  I'm adapting it for people who work

(or live on a farm) and don't have time to

sew 10 to 12 blocks a day.

I'm also including some 6" appliqué blocks

for me and my appliqué ladies.

Carrie Nelson of Moda is working with me so 

you can download the appliqué blocks and we're 

sharing them with the Facebook group too.

So .............

I'd better stop chatting and get to work.

And the last of the staples is out of my head, 

I never was in pain and hopefully I'm through 

driving to doctor's appointments for awhile.  :)

Spring quilts celebrated

Starting the Day with 

Spring Applique

I know I said that I would show

you the back of the table stand quilt

this week but I decided to change the

front instead.  I know most baskets are

brown but this one isn't now.

And while I was changing the fabric on

the basket, Mill Creek Hearts and Stars

came back from the quilters.

I am truly blessed.

For years Lori Kukuk worked her

magic on my quilts.  Unfortunately she

cannot do custom quilting at the

moment.  Instead she needs to take 

care of herself and her hands.

Thank you so much Lori for all of the 

beauty you added to my quilts and be 

sure to take care.

And we have found a stupendous quilter

named Jan Yamamoto who lives close

and does equally awesome work.

Here's a couple of close ups of her work

on Mill Creek.

Our vintage book this month is

Festival of Life and

this is the quilt of the same name.

The Garden Basket pillow from

the book is on my couch as we speak.

Be sure to grab one of the these books

at half price if you don't already have it.

You can get one by clicking here.

This is Beeskep and Violets and we're finally

getting it out as our Easter present to you -

at 40% off.  Just click at the same place here 

to get yours.

And this is Patchwork Garden by Janice Black.

If I remember correctly she made it for her

daughter.  Lovely work.  Thanks you.

I've been playing with the blocks for 

the Sew Along that we'll start in June 

and having lots of purple fun. 

 As I said earlier, I've been

wanting to do a purple and cream quilt

and this seems to fit the bill.

Thanks Susan for this great book.

Meanwhile, however, I have to take

a small break.  A CAT scan last week

showed a subdural hematoma.  Tomorrow 

morning my excellent neurosurgeon will remove

the hematoma and drain some fluid that's

pressing on my brain.

Sooooo.....I won't be blogging for probably

the next couple of weeks.

I did, however, get the four 6" blocks for

the back of my Tablestand ready to take

with me to give me something to

stitch.  :)

Be sure and send me pictures,

See you in a couple of weeks ladies

and

Keep Quilting.

 

Spring into Spring

Starting the day with appliqué 

I'm working on the front of the 

May Basket Tablestand.

Done - now on to the back.  

Tablestands are some of my favorite little quilts,

especially the backs as they are usually

four 6" squares.  I started doing them just 

because of the 6" squares on the back.  

I should be able to show them to you next week.

I hope everyone had a good Easter weekend.

We decided to leave the coconut off of the

bunny cake this year for a change.

The weather was warm enough that 

he didn't need it to keep warm. :).

Gardening on the deck has begun in Ernest.

This year I cheated a little and got some lettuce 

plants at the greenhouse.  I planted a row of 

zinnias (small ones) behind then and they've already 

started sprouting.

And besides my herbs and succulents

I planted a few more zinnia seeds 

in the teapot for a splash of color.

This is Hovering Hawks and Peonies by

Denise French and the design of this

quilt has a little story.

I originally saw a picture of a full size quilt with

this border and these blocks.  It was in a book about

quilts of the Mormon migration.

I decided to make a wallhanging using the designs from

the picture so I drafted the blocks and drew out the borders.

And let me tell you those Hovering Hawks blocks 

weren't easy to draft - at least not for me.

Somewhere in this process a quilt magazine asked me

for quilt designs and I submitted this one, telling them

that it was an adaptation of an antique quilt.

They published the quilt but somehow forgot

to say it was an adaptation of an antique quilt.

Luckily after an outcry a different magazine author

wrote an article defending people who went to the

trouble to work out patterns from antiques so we all

could enjoy them.

But I made double sure after that when I sent patterns

from antique quilts that the publisher would verify

that it originally came from an antique.

I still really like this little wallhanging and thank you 

Denise for doing such a beautiful job on it.

   And if you're not on our email list,

get in touch with /Tammie to see how to join.

We're having a really special Easter sale kit this week.

See you next week ladies.

 

And It's Officially Spring!!!!!!

 

Starting the Day with Appliqué 

Still working on the center block 

of the Blockheads 3 Quilt

And doing a little multitasking --

for July, no less --

"Eagles and Stars."

As soon as I get the eagle appliquéd 

in place, I'll do the arrows and

olive branch.  This eagle is a 

star print from my stash - 

the second eagle is a dark

blue grunge fabric.  

The two large Circle/Star blocks

have the same background with

multiple squares of stash fabrics 

and Holly Taylor fabrics 

from her Violet Hill line.

The Little Lavender Chicken Bird is finished 

and both the pattern and kit are 

available in the store.

You can get to the store by clicking

here.

And I was sent this awesome little

chick quilt but I've lost the piece of paper

that I wrote the quilters name on.

She saw my little quilt on Instagram 

and made her own.

If you see this dear, would you please

send another picture and your name and I'll

try to remember to post it next week.

Speaking of next week - it will be April.

In fact tomorrow will be April.

Our vintage book for April is going to be

Festival of Life.

Meanwhile you might want to 

find a copy of

Tiny Treasures by my friend

Kathy Schmitz for Martingale..  It is awesome 

and just chock full of pictures, drawings and

embroidery information.

You need a copy.  You can get

one by clicking here.

One last thing and then I have to 

get back to sewing.

I decided to do a summer sew along with 

Moda and Martingale using Susan Ache's 

book Sampler Spree..  It starts in June, 2021.

I've wanted to make a purple and cream quilt

for a long time and I think this will be it.

Come join me as I fulfill a bucket list. 

I suppose I should warn everyone 

that I may sneak in an appliqué block or 2

if there aren't any in the book.

:)

 

Keep Quilting.  

If you'd like me to show your quilts on the blog, 

send jpgs to janpatekquiltsinc@gmail.com.

Thank you and

see you next week ladies.