Shared joys make friendships...
-Samuel Johnson

Summer is such a sweet time of year! I've been thinking about all there is to do this summer but my mind goes directly to one event! SUMMER STITCH IN. The memories of past Winter and Summer Stitch Ins make me smile in anticipation of the event. Everyone I meet at the shop is getting geared up. Sewing for 7 days, 12 hours each day...laughing, talking, eating, playing left right center games, prizes, massages, facials, crying, counting finished projects, empty bobbins, getting your name on the board (oops), time out! and some kind of massive sewing!!!! The event is a sell out every year. Who will win the coveted JUGS this year. Who wouldn't want to win a Jug full of fabric shavings??? Well I simply can't wait. I heard someone explaining what the Stitch In was to another person who had never attended, "Don't tell my husband but it is the best vacation I have ever had!" I'm so grateful to coordinate this event and thankful to Stitch 'N Quilt for hosting. The fun, friendships and memories last forever! LET THE GAMES BEGIN THIRD WEEK IN JULY!!

I am commitment free until Monday! What does that mean?? I am putting the pedal to the metal and sewing my brains out. I have three major designs I want to finish so that I can write the patterns. Finding long stretches of good studio time is often difficult for me. It seems to come in spurts which is not particularly a good thing. Try as I may to maintain a "schedule" I'm like everyone else on the planet and get interrupted/side tracked. So this is me.......signing out off to swim and then I'll be locked up inside my WONDERFUL STUDIO, ipod loaded with books and music....DH has golf scheduled Saturday and Sunday... (don't feel sorry for me it's a great place to spend time). I'll take pictures.

Have a quilty day,
Pat

Ah! There's nothing like staying home for real comfort.

-Jane Austen

I'm basically a home body at heart. That is why I'm so happy to be here today updating my blog! Thanks to all who read my blog it has become another sweet blessing in my life!

Ok! so I asked last week if you sew shoes on or off. I got the most hilarious answer this weekend to my question. Anne W. my friend and club member showed me what she thought about my question. So I snapped a picture. She has a start/stop button on her Janome and she demonstrated its most effective use. What do you think??? I think I peed in my pants when she did this in class.

Then there is Suzanne...one shoe on, one shoe off! I love it.! Perhaps I should take a poll on the type of clothing worn while sewing. HMMMM.

I was teaching all weekend and I decided to ask my friends Kristie and Sue a question, oh and Anne the one with the foot in the picture above got in on this as well.. I hoped they might shed some light on a block/quilt I have been working on lately which is giving me FITS! I actually had asked Debbie and Kathy the same question so I wanted to see what these two friends view would be on my mystery block. (this is me doing some investigating!) WELLLLL, did I open a can of worms! To make a long story short I started to DROOL when Sue tried to explain to me that the problem was the Square Root x 2 of the Hypotenuse of the triangles. She has got to be kidding! Meanwhile, Kristie was quietly making a new road map of the block with graph paper... It was hysterical. Of course I said "All I want to do is make a flag/patriotic pattern! Square Root of the Hypotenuse"...which one of those lines is the hypotenuse anyway, I'm a first grade teacher!!!

Well, we had a ball and I'm off to make yet 4 more prototype blocks to see if we figured out how to fix the problem. Once again I love my friends Kathy, Deb, Kristie and Sue and Anne, you guys are the best. They are proof that having friends that have the LEFT SIDE OF THEIR BRAINS FULLY ENGAGED IS A GOOD THING. ( Speaking as a primarily right brainer myself.)

On a personal note. The DH decided that we could "clean our new home better than anyone else" and we should have a cleaning party TOGETHER...once a week. This big event will begin this afternoon at 4 pm. I CAN'T WAIT. I have contacted a lawyer and a marriage counselor. Think of me as we have this lovely marriage/bonding experiment today. I'll probably be shoving the swiffer....well you know............use your imaginations.

More later,
Pat

"I cannot count my day complete 'Til needle, thread
and fabric meet" -author unknown

WELL I'm nothing if not determined! Did I mention that I hate my glasses! So here I go again off to the doctor to attempt to wear contact lenses. We tried this little effort two years ago. I tested out no less than 7 different kinds of contacts and either I couldn't wear them comfortably or the vision was off...So two years later and I'm going to try again! I should do a U TUBE video of me sticking the little suckers in my eyes every morning. It's quite the process. Not very pretty I assure you! I HATE HATE HATE wearing glasses. (I think I made that clear already)

I spent all afternoon yesterday in my sewing room working on a new design. Lookin' good maybe I can post a picture soon. I have also been thinking about my scraps. They are such an issue! I'm purging my sewing room of a lot of patterns, books etc etc that I just don't need... and I'm thinking of getting rid of the scraps. I may have a little sewing room sale or something! It's all great stuff , I just need to eliminate a good bit of it. If I were to go to the "great quilting bee in the sky" I'm sure anyone who would look through all my sewing stuff would be convinced I was sicker than they thought. It could even be used in a court of law as evidence of insanity! What do you think? Are scraps an issue for you?

This weekend is Sisters weekend at the shop...Can't wait! I have a Friday day class 10-3 a Friday night class 6-11pm and Sunday 1-6pm. It's always a fun weekend. My classes are usually packed on the third weekend of the month so we should be ROCKIN' THE HOUSE tomorrow! I'll take some pictures and post them next week.

I guess I better go to the sewing room for a couple of hours because I won't have any vision later on in the day! Monovision which eye do I sew with and which eye do I drive with? If you live in Georgia you might want to get your affairs in order as I will be out there driving with my new eye balls.

Happiness is not a station to arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
-Margaret Lee Runbeck

Gonin' on a road trip and I'm so honored and excited! I will be doing a workshop and lecture in Panama City Florida in January at the "Quilting By the Bay Retreat." I love to do this (I think I mentioned that in a past blog). Now how exciting is this?? A retreat with an Ocean Front Room!!! I'll suffer through this I'm sure. Wanna come with me?? Contact Quilting By the Bay and they can fix you right up. Oh and this shop will be featured in the Fall Quilt Sampler as one of the top 10 shops in the good ol' USA ! Congrats to them! I guess I better take my checkbook with me on this trip. huh?

I'm back in the studio again this afternoon. I'm sewing my brains out on and lovin it. I'm also going to put a project together that has spoken to me for a long time. I want to make the House quilt that is in the book Home Sweet Home by Blackbird designs. I'm going to needle turn it (I've lost my mind) so I'm going to fix it up as a project I can work on when I'm away from home on the go. This means of course that it will be done sometime in the next decade. My goal is 2020..........I don't want to put to much pressure on my self.

This blog thing with the pictures is makin me nuts. I put the pictures in and preview the posting and it looks fabulous. Then when I send the posting to the universe it comes back all WONKY! I'm thinkin that this blog posting is similar to quilting. Just when you think its perfect.............surprise! I wonder if the definition of Wonky is commonly understood and used by the computer geeks??? What do you think?

More later......Have a Quilty Day
Pat

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Ok! so I said I would update on Monday and Thursday. Well you know about those best laid plans. Yesterday I was in the studio sewing all day and just couldn't stop!

Meet Licorice she is a very close friend of mine! I love her dearly because she is so strong and loyal..very dependable. She is easy to travel with! I keep her bags packed and take her with me frequently. She loves Aurifil thread which keeps her slim, tidy and in shape! Do you have names for your quilting friends/tools?

I have been sewing in the studio the past two days and have had some time to reflect on my business, and the vision for what I am working so hard to achieve. If you have a romantic vision that owning a quilt design company is all play and strips of fabric flying everywhere.. let me help you put those visions aside. The technology and business end of starting a company like mine has a steep learning curve. Then there is the design element with the sewing and changing and experimenting...(I love that part no kidding.) There is the writing, editing, proofreading, publishing, marketing end..this is the most exhausting and scary part of my work and I am learning more and more everyday. Here is the big one, the quilt industry is full of quilt designers, it is competitive and I have learned you better have your "A" game on at all times. Make no mistake about it I AM WORKING! I remember my Dad saying "Anytime your hobby becomes a business it ceases to be an activity you do just for pleasure." For the most part that is right but the flip side of that is... how blessed am I to be working in a field that I love? How many people can really say that?? It is a wonderful gift! I have had a few rough days in the past week that make me wonder if I have what it takes or better yet...Have I lost my mind. I am surrounded with wonderful friends and family who cheer me on so I get over those yucky thoughts in a hurry and just go back to work. I love the new designs I have in the pipeline so much I can't wait to get them out of the studio and into pattern and production form. Wow! I am going on and on...Thanks for listening... Back to the studio!

Why not learn to enjoy the little things-there are so many of them -Anon

What a weekend! Teaching club program at the shop Friday night and Saturday! BIG FUN!! Loads of talk about the upcoming Stitch In which is in July. I can't wait. This is a week of non stop sewing, laughing...and of course there is eating. I will talk more about it as the time gets closer. Everyone was enjoying the sewing and fellowship. I'm tellin you this club is the best! So much great fellowship and soooo many great show and tells! Wheww. I loved having some new quilters in class and helping them with their quilts. I sooo enjoy the teaching process I can't even explain how much!

I have so much work to do today! I'm trying to get a design finished to submit to American Patchwork Magazine. I'm very excited about it and I am in the middle of redrafting a quilt that needs some work. Silver Thimble Quilt Co. keeps me very busy in the office as well. After having been off my feet for 6 weeks, I'm behind in my design/production work. I've been thinking about keeping my schedule and maintaining good organization. So I've decided that I will update my blog each Monday and Thursday. I'm hoping that will be enough to start. If I need to post more often I'll add another day or two.

Here is another picture from the lecture last week. I know that I posted Strawberry Pie earlier but this picture shows how wonderful it is using different fabrics. I'm on a mission to get people to think about patterns like that. So often quilters like their quilts to look "just like the picture" . Come now lets all think outside the box!

I have a bloggy fun question? Do you sew with your shoes on or off? Do you sew with your whole foot on the foot pedal or just a toe??? Comments please??? tee hee

I was listening to the radio this morning and I heard 3 rules for living a successful happy fulfilled life I thought they were very good. It went something like this (hope I get this right)

Rule #1: Celebrate your uniqueness because we are ALL UNIQUE!
Rule #2: THINK carefully about EVERY choice you make because we are all a product of our choices.
Rule #3: Give 100% to everything you do!
WOW THOSE ARE PRETTY POWERFUL WORDS AREN'T THEY?

Here is another picture from my Chattahoochee Evening Star Guild lecture Monday Night. It is of my Twinkle Twinkle pattern GONE FALL. I just love it! The ric rack makes it extra easy and Friendship Star blocks are one of my favorites to make.

Tonight is Sisters...so I'm teaching tonight and tomorrow. WOO HOO it is always a good day when I'm going to my club peeps (my daughter is now embarrassed at my choice of the word peeps.) The 5 hour classes enable everyone to visit and get loads of sewing time in. I'll take my camera.
OK so the manicure and pedicure didn't happen yesterday so today is the day! WOO HOO. Then I'm going to hit the sewing room for the remainder of the afternoon until I have to leave for the shop. This day just keep gettin better and better.

Becky tagged me with this questionaire SEVERAL days ago...sorry Beck! I'm just getting around to playing the game.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I had made the decision to leave public school teaching to be a full time mom at home with my children. It was a difficult decision as I loved teaching young children very much. I ended up tutoring children in my home a year or so after I left school. I loved working with kids in academic touble and helping them feel good about their school studies. Working one on one with children was very rewarding as well.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

1. Go get some special fabric for the "bride". I am working on some secret stuff...
2. I have a neutral Bloomin Nine Patch quilt on my bed, which is King Size and the quilt is as big as the HOUSE...it needs to be washed so I'm going to find a laundry mat (YUK!) and wash it in one of those giant washers they usually have.
3. Redraft a quilt block for a new design I'm working on...Love the design but the #'s for the cutting need some work. Will post the quilt when it is all worked out.
4. Get myself to the Y and swim and ride the recumbant bike...still working on the new bionic knee.
5. Get a pedicure (probably won't happen). Read the current book I'm into "When Crickets Cry" Hey maybe I could take the book and read while getting the pedi...(probably won't happen either!)

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Without a doubt POPCORN....not microwave either..Popped in peanut oil ! YUMMMMMY. Debbie says we have Popcorn elbow not tennis elbow. I think she is right.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Well first I would say that I really am a billionaire. At the risk of sounding sappy. I have everything I NEED and a WHOLE LOT OF WHAT I WANT. I am married to the best guy on the planet and I have two fantastic daughters. I am blessed beyond what I could possibly describe here...that being said I will answer the question:
1. Make sure my children were financially secure for the rest of their lives.
2. Give a ton of $$$ to Ovarian Cancer and Lung Cancer which took both my parents.
3. I would have lasik surgery (teehee)
4. Find someone in real need and donate some $$$ anonymously
5. Let my husband who has ALWAYS put me and the girls above himself and his own personal wish list decide what to do with the rest.

5. Peeps I want to know more about:
Anyone who takes time to read this blog!

Please do not feel that you have to play, it is just for fun

So Much Fun!

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be" -Grandma Moses

My day with Rosalyn was so much fun on Saturday. We chose fabrics for our secret gift quilts we are making (hint we both have daughters getting married soon!) We did our part for economic recovery smiled and laughed all day. Little Quilts was PACKED it was end of bolt day (yes we took advantage of that). I don't usually quilt shop on Saturdays.......zowieeeee. My sister in law came and she was buyin it up too! She is another wonderful quilter. I enjoyed playin' with the fabbies at Little Quilts with them both.
Monday night I was honored to give lecture at the Chatahoochee Evening Star Guild........What a fantastic group of quilters. I had so much fun with them. They were so interactive! I love to play with the quilters in the crowd and they enjoyed laughing along with me! I will post some pictures of my quilts over the next few blogs. Thank you so much ladies (and gentleman) for a lovely evening. Quilt boy aka husband enjoyed the trip as well (he shelps the quilts and patterns around and he is terrific.) I hope to see this group again sometime. Here is a picture of my latest "Peace In the Valley" quilt made from Civil War Reproduction fabrics. I just love it. The second photo is of the original "Peace in the Valley" in Green and Gold. I love it as a scrappy quilt as well as a two color option. Fun quilt huh? I think I'm going to leave off the applique' on the Civil War version. It's off to Peggy B. to be quilted very soon.
I love quotes, I have collected them for many years so I'm including them in my blog. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.