New Year's Resolutions...bah humbug!

I had the perfect start to the new year spending time with family and friends so that makes it even harder to buckle down and get back to the "business" of my work (which is my least favorite part).

It's a good thing I love what I do because I really do work all the time. From the time I get up in the morning til the time I go to bed at night, the day is pretty much centered around my work. I love the design aspect of my job and making the projects I design. But, eventually, I have to deal with the emails and the phone messages et cetera, et cetera. I could do without that part. But only because it keeps me away from the good stuff...designing.

I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions because I think they're made with the romantic notion that, because it's a new year, the resolutions will be accomplished more easily or maybe even stand for something more profound. (I purposely quit smoking a few years ago at Thanksgiving rather than waiting until January 1st so that I would be reminded at that time, every year, that I had something else to be really thankful for.) But I do believe in taking the time to think about and to consciously resolve to make changes for the better in life. I try to do that but I fall short sometimes...whether it's a new year or not.

I am resolving to make more time for the things I feel passionately about in my life. My daughter, Katie, and I could always use more time together. And that means time with her whole family, too. It's not always available since we all have busy schedules. But I'm going to look for more time in mine. Spending time with everyone that makes my life better just by being around them is something I'm going to strive for.

What may be of more interest to you is that I'm going to spend more time on designing and less time on the business of it. I'll either get "people" to help deal with that end of it or I'll do like everyone else seems to be doing lately...not taking the time to reply to what they deem to be unessential emails or phone messages. It's all about priorities ;-)

Just a reminder, I hope you'll make it a priority to sign up for a subscription to receive email news and special offers from Patrick Lose Studios. A lot of people have already done so and have taken advantage of their first coupon for 25% off in my online shop. You'll be glad you joined when you're the first to hear about all of the new patterns and books and fabrics coming!

Cheers and thanks for looking in on me :-)

More on the way....

Thanks very much for the response to "Happy Haunting!" I love to hear what you think of my new designs. That's the main reason I post them here; so I can get your take on the things I have in the works. I try to offer what you ask for or what I see missing in the marketplace. For those of you who don't have my email address, it's patricklose@gmail.com.

Starting out this entry is another "teaser" photo of the next pattern coming. Give it a click to see the pattern cover. It's not quite ready to ship but should be by next week along with a couple of others. I'm still really excited about all of the new things I've been doing. I have project designs that are already quilted and piled up waiting for me to get the instructions written. It's hard to shift gears when I'm in "design mode" and go from the sewing machine to the computer. I'm gonna have to find some good quilters to make some of the samples for me.

Of course, I'll keep you posted on what's going on. Keep in mind that, if you don't hear from me for a few days, I'm at the sewing machine instead of the computer. And that's good! You can also keep in touch or just keep up by visiting my website here.

Oh...and thanks for all of the questions and comments about Lily! She and Grandpa are back to work together now that Mom has started back to school. Besides being here lots already, she'll be here with me a couple of days a week while Mom and Dad are at work and "Sissy" is at school. They're on an alternative calendar at the school where Katie teaches and Lauryn is in 4th grade now. Lauryn was really excited to get back to school (back to friends!) but it made for an awfully short summer . Still, I'm glad to have Lily here to help me-as only...she...can. Let's just say that I love her with all my heart but I'm glad that there's only one of her. She's a bundle of energy and commotion. But she's also my biggest inspiration. I wish you could see the way she runs up to the Santa Under The Stars table runner and kisses Santa! Here are a couple of recent pics.

Thanks for looking in on me (us) :-)

A New Pattern!

Here's the cover for the first of several new patterns I'll be introducing in the next month or so. You asked for more Halloween designs and I love doing them. This one is now shipping and you can be one of the first to get your copy. Be sure to visit my website to order. I think there's going to be a contest involved with this new release so check back often for details!

"Happy Haunting!" includes the pattern and detailed instructions for creating the two 20x28" (please ignore the wrong measurement on the front cover) Poster Quilts shown in satin-stitched and raw edge appliqué (click on the photo for a closer look). The main quilt features two of my favorite characters I've ever designed for Halloween. They first appeared on one of my most successful collections of Halloween fabric. "Frank" and "Drac" make a great pair of beggars night greeters on your front door in this fast and easy-to-make quilt.

The second quilt is even easier featuring all raw edge appliqué and free motion quilting over the surface. Make one for yourself and one for a fiend...er, friend!

If you'd like to take a look at my other patterns and books that are available click here.

I'll get back to the machine and finish up some of the new designs. Wait til you see how many Holiday/winter ones I have coming :) It's been awfully busy around here and you'll see why soon.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think of this one. It's your feedback that drives me on to the next design.

Thanks for looking in on me :)

Brrrrr.....

A cold front must have passed through. A really weak cold front moving really fast. It actually dropped below 110 a couple of days this past week but the water in the pool is still 90 degrees. How refreshing! (Yes, the sarcasm is intended to be as subtle as a jackhammer tapping.) But, you know what? It's not bothering me. The short periods I've spent outdoors in the last few days were with my granddaughters in the pool and it was a lot of fun. The girls have been with me since Friday night because Mom and Dad needed some vacation time (and so did Grandpa). We had a great weekend.

I even managed to get some work done because I've really enjoyed working on the new patterns I'm adding to my line. I'm anxious to show you all a sneak peek but I have to wait until they're all photographed so give me a little time. I think you'll like them too. I need to break down and hire some quilters so I can produce new designs for you more quickly. I have to keep my hands on everything, though, and hate losing control of my designs. I'll find a happy middle ground soon and start bombarding you with new projects to make and fabrics to use!

I've got some instructions to write and then I'm going to spend the rest of the night finishing one of the new projects. So, that's all for now. Thanks for looking in on me.

The photo, above, was taken by Everett W. Gibson of Tucson, AZ. Although I joke about the weather here, it can be beautiful sometimes.

"A Patrick Lose Christmas" is in.

I'm happy to say it's arrived a little early! If you'd like to be among the first to order click here. I'll be happy to sign yours if you email me with the specifics (who to sign it to, etc.) after you've ordered.

:)

Busy, busy, busy...

...and I've come to realize that I thrive on it! The past few weeks have been really energizing for me and I have a lot of new designs to show for it.

I'm back to work on my latest book for C&T Publishing and cranked out almost 3 of the 10 projects over the weekend. That's a great testimonial to the fact that the projects for this book are truly fast and easy to create (which is what I wanted to offer in this one).

It's less than 2 weeks now until the release of A Patrick Lose Christmas. I hope you'll consider it as an addition to your personal quilting and crafting library...just in time to start on the projects for the 2008 holiday season. If you plan to order from me, please be sure to email me now and I will hold a copy for you!

Spring Quilt Market took place in Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago. I was surprised that even though attendance was low I've been filling lots of pattern orders! I'm glad to have a Canadian distributor now. On top of that, I got some great news yesterday from my friends at Robert Kaufman Fabrics. I was worried that the low attendance would mean low sales of my new fabrics but everyone was surprised at how well they sold despite the attendance! The samples for my Kona Colorworks yarn dyed fabrics didn't arrive in time to make sample folders for presentation so they weren't even really shown at market yet they still managed to sell thousands of yards by showing bits and pieces to several customers! If you visit the page by clicking above, please note that the color stories are grouped by name (Garden, Bermuda, etc.). RK is working on adding an option to view all of the fabrics by color families.

Satinesque sales are off to a great start also. You can see the entire introductory color range here. I can't wait to see photos of the things you make using it. Please be sure to email your photos to me and, with your permission, I'll post them on my website! One of the projects I made over the weekend is a July 4th banner and I wish I could show you how great it turned out using the Red, Ivory, and Navy Satinesque colors. You'll have to wait until we're closer to the release date of the next book though :( I'll be sure to show you the newest version of my "Merry" pattern that I'm making entirely from Satinesque when I get it finished.

I better get back to working on the book projects as the deadline for finshing them is getting close. I know I'm forgetting things that I wanted to tell you here but check back often and I'll post as I think of things. I'd love to hear what you think of the new fabrics!

Bye for now...