Lazy, Hazy days of summer - My Eye!

I've been a bad blogger lately. Well, I have grabbed time to stop and read the blogs I follow but otherwise have been pretty focused on design.
When I got back from Knoxville, the scans for our new line were waiting. That's always so exciting. The line is called "Looking Back" and will start showing to shops September 1st and then at Market. When I get the scans, ideas form and evolve and pretty well take over my life. It's almost obsessive - I just have to see what things will look like. (My husband would probably say I could take out the word "almost"). He becomes a fabric widower during the time I design. It's what I do when I get up - I stop at the computer on the way to the coffeepot half of the time - and it's what I do while he's getting ready for work and I'm getting ready for bed. And most of the time in between. I do try to take an hour or so to stop and sit with him around dinnertime BUT of course, I'm stitching if I'm not eating.



Then back to the design process. (And for those of you who are not familiar with the process, anything that ends up in a quilt has to first be drawn, then scanned into the computer, then drawn into the computer with my mouse.)
The fabrics here are our "Blessings" line. (It shows here a little lighter than it really is because of the flash.) Blessings is due in your shops in September. I'm sewing with Blessings" and designing with "Looking Back". It sometimes feels somewhat schizophrenic.



I sent the patterns from the Blessings line to Shannon today to put up on the website so you can look for them there and at your local quilt shop.



And then there's the garden. Tomatoes are ready for eating and canning, peppers for pickling & freezing, squash for shredding and freezing - to say nothing of okra, green beans, yada, yada, yada.



My favorite recipe for muffins for the grandkids. We shred the summer squash and freeze it in 2 cup packages and make muffins all winter long. Eat your veggies, kids. I took the muffins and the recipe to my Girl Gang last Saturday and took them all enough Summer Squash to make the recipe. And we still had some left over.

SUMMER SQUASH MUFFINS

3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups shredded summer squash


1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. in a large bowl, use mixer to beat the eggs until fluffy. Beat in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold in the squash. Scoop into prepared muffin tins.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

I should be finished with the initial part of the design/pattern process by the end of August. Talk to you then.

Knoxville Expo

Max (my youngest son) and I had a really nice time in Knoxville at the AQS Expo - after we got things set up, that is. When we arrived late the first set-up day, we found that somehow we had been cancelled out and our booth had been given to someone else.



But - they did have another double booth we could have because someone had cancelled.
There was only one problem with it - it had a huge pillar in the center. If you look, you can see it, at the top of the picture above my name sign. And, of course, it came into the booth, not just behind it. So, instead of having two 10' x 10' booths, I had one that was about 10' x 14' and one that about 10' x 6' with a walkway in front of the pillar in between. They were very helpful, though and said they would do anything we needed in the way of steel, drapes and tables.



Since the configuration of the booth was different than anything I had had before, set up the 2nd day was interesting to say the least. Max was awesome as we moved things and moved things until we got it just right. And the people at the convention center were very helpful as we exhanged table to get different sizes to aid the trafficflow through the booth. Actually, it worked out pretty well, as I usually set up a closet at one end to keep all of the totes with kits in. I set it up to one side of the pillar and put the table where I do the Needleturn Demonstrations at the front of that end. Then we had the other end and in front of the pillar for tables and baskets with kits.



I only go to one Festival or Expo a year. With Wholesale Markets, fabric and pattern designing and overseeing the business part, to say nothing of the farm, I'm pretty pressed for time. But I do really enjoy getting out once a year and showing people how simple and relaxing needleturn can be with just a few simple tips. I give 2 demonstrations each day and can usually handle about 6 people at a time - with lots of onlookers. And I always have people say "This really is fun and pretty easy." I never have figured out how to tell people in a book - it's a real hands-on thing. And that's also why I don't like the bigger classes either. I need to sit down with people, show them how to do inside and outside points on a star, curves on a bird, etc. and then watch what they do and fix it if it's wrong. And most people - even if they have never done applique before, leave with a newfound skill. And that makes me feel warm inside.

It takes me about a week after I get home before things are in place again and I'm ready to work on any scale. And this last week has also been spent proofing my next KC Star book. "Flags of the American Revolution" . I should say, our book. You will not believe the amount of research and writing my editor Edie McGinnis has done on the history part. Where I had a paragraph on most of the flags, she has researched and written a page of history on each one. I tried to get her to have her name on the cover too but she wouldn't, said she was happy with her name on the writing pages. And I have learned not to argue with Edie. Anyway - her work has made an awesome addition to the book and I really think it's one you will want for the history alone. Of course, I do like the quilts too.
I'd better get back to proofing - it's what I'm supposed to be doing today. Just thought I'd take a break and say "hi". "Hi!"

Down to the Wire

I can check off "Load the Van" on my to do list.

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There's that funny stuff again.
This is the chair I always take so I can work on my next project. With applique there is always a next project. I'm taking blocks for the 2010 KC Star BOM Edie and I are doing for Fall Market. We also have Needleturn Applique demonstrations twice a day. I'll show you the projects in a sec.
And I made sure to lean my seat all the way back when we packed the van. Max is planning to drive way into the night on the way down and I will need to sleep. It's easier leaning back than sitting up straight.



At Spring Market Sandy Gervais had a quilt on the floor for a rug. She said she always uses a quilt as a rug at Christmas and pointed out that they're easier to wash than rugs. Soooo.......as they are also quite a bit lighter than the jute rugs I usually haul back and forth I made two of these. This is 95" x 95" and is 2 1/2 Layer Cakes. Cherie gave me the idea to use polyester batting instead of my usual cotton as that would make them even lighter. This was pieced by Tara's Grandma Carol Debault and quilted by Marie at Country Expressions. I think it's awesome. Now I want one for the Grandkids bed - with cotton batting, of course.



Here are the two little blocks I use for the Needleturn Applique Demonstrations I give at Festival - a star and a bird. If you can get down points (obviously the star, bird beak and tail) and inside curves (the bird) there really isn't much you can't applique. They get those 2 little blocks free - I don't charge for the demonstration. And then if they want to use them, there's a kit for this little wallhanging.




I posted the picture of the little quilt in the column on the left. This isn't a Mini Quilt Club offering because that would throw me over the limit for the year, but if anyone in the club wants to order it, we'll give them their 15% discount. It looks like a Mini Quilt. It's not on the website yet but if you want to reserve one email Tara at info@janpatekquilts.com. She is mightily glad this week is over and she's back to her normal routine.
Well - I have to finish packing, do the layout for the kit cover for Summer Nights, make one more stop at the storage unit, make up Pep's list, yada, yada, yada. Max has a Seminar until 5:00 when I'll pick him up in KC and we will head for Knoxville, Tn. Come see us in booth 1024 at the AQS Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee
July 22nd-25th.

Snowbound published by Red Wagon in 1989

And the winner is Juliann who said "I still have my copy. In fact I have most of the early Red Wagon books including Snowbound, published a Red Wagon book from 1989. It was the beginning of a new perspective on quilting for me.'
Juliann, please email Tara at info@janpatekquilts.com and give her your mailing information. Congrats and have fun with the Jelly Roll.



Everyone that commented got the year and publisher right so we wrote the names on slips of paper and Tara drew one. Thanks to everyone that entered. I'm going to have to think of another contest that takes us into the past like these 2 have. It's so much fun to read all of the comments.

Thanks to Patti of Quilting is my Passion who sent me the information on a website that tells you how to get 3 columns on your blog. And lots of thanks to my son Max's significant other, Michelle, who could follow the website directions. Now I have a 3 column blog. Wahoo! I hope to do a lot of fun things with it when I get back from Knoxville and the AQS Expo.

For right now - back to work.

Crazy Stars

I am definitely blog challenged. Lately every time I upload a picture when I'm doing a new post, instead of the jpg I get funny talk. It mostly turns out OK when I tell it to publish but I do get some of the funny talk posted.
OK a new contest. Years and years ago - back when the dinosaurs roamed - I made Snowbound. While I was making it I needed a rectangular shape to get things to fit. Surprise, surprise - a star came to mind. And of course, with me doing it, it couldn't be straight and neat and tidy, it had to be lopsided. As far as I know, that was the origin of the crazy star. Years later, it was really funny to open a magazine and read articles on how to draft a "crazy star". Anyway, the contest is this. What year was Snowbound published and what company published it. If you have an old book you're in luck. I assume I'll have multiple right answers - a lot of us save those old books - and Zoie is in Atlanta, GA for the summer with her dad. So I'll have Tara.org draw from the right answers to see who wins the Blessings Jelly Roll. Deadline for guesses is Wednesday, 15th. Good luck all of you collectors.

1st & 2nd

Reproduction of block from 1st quilt - made for Kelly out of muslin. seafoam green and pink floral fabrics. Had sashing and outer border of the pink foral with a muslin stop border. The original quilt is now in quilt heaven having been well loved and well used.

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Somewhere in here I found a "Quilter's Newsletter" that featured Micheal James and I started making "art quilts". I even went so far as to get a quilt into Quilt National and was firmly headed in that direction. Then we adopted Brian, Kelly wanted a Christmas Quilt and I started designing quilts for books and patterns. Here then is my 2nd "quilt" quilt. Quite different from my first one, don't you think. See what happens when you let me loose with fabric and color? Linda and my line that will show at Fall Market is going to be "Looking Back". If the colors that are picked are anywhere near right I want to kit Snowbound. It's such a fun quilt. The 3 kids on the taboggan are Brian, Kelly and Max. Pep and I of course are by our house and My sister Nancy and Mark and Matthew are in town. To see one of my latest quilts, go down one post for Zoie's Baskets or look at the blocks on the right.
And if you haven't already gone to Sandy blog http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/, go to it for a walk down memory lane if you have any age on you at all.

Happy 5th of July

Hope you had an awesome 4th of July. 7 of 8 grandchildren and all but one child were here. Good food, good family - luckily we celebrated on the 3rd because the weather was OK until
after we finished with the fireworks and cake and ice cream - then it really stormed but we were all safe and sound inside in bed.
The 2 weeks before however, were a very different story. If you follow the Minick/Simpson blog you've seen Laurie's house with all of the photographers, etc for the photoshoot for American Patchwork & Quilting. Well - I had that many people in and out of my house and my bedroom for over a week trying to fix my DSL connection so I could work. And so Tara could work. My computer is in the corner of my bedroom. I work here - then email things to Tara up in the office. We couldn't charge, we couldn't ship. I couldn't work at the computer because there were people on it trying to fix things. It was not fun! Hours and hours on the phone - my IT lady - my son - days later - still no wireless connection. We couldn't really do much of anything - yada, yada, yada. After a week they finally sent a technician out and it took him over 8 hours to get it done. Still don't know why it happened. If you want to know what I do when I'm stressed out - I have a pretty clean house and office.
And the binding is on Zoie's Baskets. It's ready to go to Knoxville for the booth at the AQS Expo. Come see us there.