Quilting Celebrations Fall/Winter 2011!

Here it is - the cover you'll want to be looking for at your favorite shop or newsstand beginning September 27th! Just look at the variety of projects offered in the Fall/Winter issue of Quilting Celebrations (click the photo for a larger view). If you'd like to see a few more sneak peeks of some of the projects, watch the slideshow on our website. And several of them have begun to be featured on Quilting Celebrations with Patrick Lose at QNNtv.com.

I hope you like what you see so far. I guarantee that you're gonna be busy quilting beginning at the end of September. What a great way to welcome autumn. :)

If your local shop isn't going to carry QC, you can pre-order here. Your copy will be shipped promptly on September 27th.

Cheers!
Patrick

Satinesque Stripe

I admit, that last post was a bit of an outburst because I couldn't even wait to tell you about getting Satinesque Stripe in my hands (click on the photo for a closer look). Only a true fabric addict would know what I'm talking about. Don't act like you don't know what I mean.

It's one thing to see a cool piece of fabric in a shop and know that you NEED a sizable chunk of it in your stash. But it's something altogether different to be the designer of the print and to have waited 8 months from the time the artwork was created to see that artwork on fabric!

You're probably thinking that I've been doing this long enough that the novelty should have worn off by now...? I know artists like that. I'm glad I'm not one of them. I still get excited to see the latest thing I've done turned into something that others will get excited about with me. And, especially, to know that they'll take that piece of my artwork and incorporate it in their own artwork. Wow! That's really cool to me...still.

So, how would you like to be among the first to get some of this in your own hands to use in your artwork? Here's the deal: Anyone who has signed up to follow my blog (there's a link in the right margin) by the end of the day on Monday, December 7th, will be entered into another drawing to receive 2 yards of Satinesque Stripe. The prize package will be four half yard cuts in Christmas colors! Seriously, when they're put together, they remind me of old-fashioned Christmas ribbon candy. Very cool.

Be sure that you have an email address in your profile so that you can be notified if you win. It only takes a few seconds to sign up and I really appreciate your support as I try to grow my blog's audience.

That's all for now. As busy as it is around here lately, I'm sure I'll have more news soon. In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying the season.

Cheers!

P.S. I'll be doing lots of bindings with this stripe, especially bias-cut!

Who needs fruitcake?

I've been thinking about starting my yearly tradition of making my Caramel Christmas Mix by the boat load today. I'm wondering if I even want to open that can of worms after last season. If you didn't read about it, here's a link to the post I wrote after hearing from shop owners who tried the recipe that's included in my A Patrick Lose Christmas book.

Call me a pusher, but you really need this recipe so you can start another holiday tradition, too.

You can order your copy by calling us at 623-414-9464 or by emailing gary@patricklose.net. You can also order online here. And if you're looking for single holiday patterns, you've come to the right place.

Here's to a good sugar buzz!

Patrick

Lips zipped...for now, anyway

Hi Everyone. Yes, I meant it when I tweeted that something exciting is going on and, yes, I really am sworn to secrecy....for the time being. You'll be the first to know...trust me.

In the meantime, I just introduced a new pattern called Christmas Compass and I hope you'll take a look at it and all of the other new ones that have been recently released. I have lots to offer for Fall, Halloween, and Christmas. Just visit www.patricklose.net to see everything.

For an up-close look at Christmas Compass made with my Satinesque collection from Robert Kaufman Fabrics, click on the photo of the pattern cover. We're adding lots of beautiful new colors to the line very soon! Brand new in the way of fabric is my Dot-to-Dot collection, also from RK. Dots are always HOT and I think you'll love the color range.

'Tis the season for getting into that seasonal quilting and gift-making. Let the fun and games begin!

More soon,
Patrick ;-)

Another Kind of Party

I can't wait for my first retreat, That Dam Christmas Party, next month. The group of quilters that has signed on so far is a bunch of nuts and that's just what we need for this Christmas fruitcake.

The retreat is going to be a Christmas-in-July event unlike any others you may have attended. We're going to be "holed up" in the 1930's era Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City, Nevada from Friday, July 17th until Sunday the 19th. You gotta see this place. It's just oozing with history! There's even a Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) museum in the place.

We'll be working night and day in the open-all-night "Santa's Workshop" on holiday U.F.O.s and Christmas presents and I'll be offering classes in two NEW holiday/winter patterns that will be introduced for the first time at the retreat. There's going to be lots of fun and silliness and a stray Christmas carol here and there, I'm sure. Oh, did I forget to mention that the hotel has a very nice bar? 'nuff said.

Check out the details at:
http://www.patricklose.net/online/dcpintro.html.
More will be available as we get closer to the date.

If you'd like to join us, there are still a few spots available for more fun-loving, somnambulilstic, quilter types! For more information or to sign up for the madness, contact Gary at 623-414-9464 or gary@patricklose.net.

Like I said in my last post, I love my job! ;-)

Project Linus and Patrick Lose (PL & PL)

As I said in my entry yesterday, I have lots of news that I'll have to report a little at a time. I've been working on something for awhile now that I'm finally able to announce "out loud".

At the end of last year, Project Linus National President, Carol Babbitt came to me and asked if I would design a collection of fabrics especially for Project Linus to be produced by Avlyn. I was thrilled to be asked and I'm really happy to say that my work on the collection is completed and the process of promoting it to independent quilt and fabric shops has begun. If you'd like to see what I came up with for them, click here. You can also download a PDF document that features many of these designs all on one page. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

While you're on the Project Linus website, take a look around and read about the wonderful work they continue to do to provide a sense of security through blankets to children in need. I'm happy to do what I can for them and I hope you'll do the same. Look for Project Linus Chapters in your area and ask what you can do to help.

Don't forget to take a look at the wonderful Boulder Dam Hotel where we'll be holding our "Christmas in July" retreat, That Dam Christmas Party, in July. We're working out all of the fun and crazy details now and will provide information as it becomes available.

More to come... :-)

Let it Snow!

I had the pleasure of going to Cleveland as a representative of The Warm Company last week to tape a segment on America Sews with Sue Hausmann and it was a great time. This was my second appearance on the show and even more fun than the first. We displayed a lot of my quilt projects and newest patterns using their products and talked about them in Sue’s sewing studio. Then I demonstrated how to make a placemat project geared toward children. Sue and the entire crew were great hosts and made the entire experience completely painless.

But I have to say that my favorite part of the trip was that I got to see snow! Everyone on the crew thought I was crazy when they saw how happy I was when the snow started falling but I truly miss it (see the disclaimer below). I’m from Des Moines, IA, originally, and have lived in the Phoenix area for the past 8 years so I don’t get to see it too often. I especially miss it at this time of year and it wasn’t easy putting up my Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago in 80 degree temps. I’m sure many of you think I’m nuts, too, but Christmastime always seemed to be snowy when I was a kid in Iowa. Memories of sledding and snowball fights and building snowmen and snow forts are what I try to bring to mind when I’m designing for the holidays and winter. Of course, snow has its ugly, dark side, and I’ve been witness to that also. I simply choose to repress those memories.

Whether you’re working on a wintertime or holiday project or not, this is the perfect time of year to shift your quilting into high gear. If your world is snowy and cold right now, use it as your inspiration to catch up on all of your quilting projects in the works! And, this is the perfect time to resolve to make more time for quilting in 2009.

Disclaimer: Snowfall must be in small, aesthetically pleasing amounts, during the holiday season, not accompanied by bitter cold, and gone, for the rest of the season, by the time I wake up in the morning on January 2nd.

Dedicated to grandmas everywhere

Here's my latest to hit the marketplace. Sugar & Spice is a table runner and coordinating placemats pattern in a warm, more "country" home look. I designed these to be made from some of my yarn-dyed Kona Colorworks by Patrick Lose for Robert Kaufman Fabrics but you could even make it in bright contemporary Christmas colors. If you have kids or grandkids around your house during the holiday season, this will put a twinkle in their eyes (similar to the one brought on by a kick-ass sugar buzz but without all of the fallout).

My inspiration for this one came from memories of my grandma's kitchen during the week before the holidays. Our entire huge family would get together on Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house and those times are my fondest childhood memories of Christmas. During the week before, my grandma and anyone who cared to help would bake cookies or make candies until there wasn't a place left to store them. (The only difference is that it was her famous molasses cookies, not gingerbread, that I remember and miss the most.) All of the cookies would be stacked in brand new shirt boxes layered in wax paper, and hidden where we couldn't get into them. Either Grandma wasn't very good at finding hiding spots or she intentionally put them where we could sneak one now and then in between the ones she gave us. She was the perfect grandma and, even though she's been gone for two decades, I still miss her and the things she would bake. So this one is dedicated to Grandma :)

I've got another one ready to show you, too, but I have other things I need to accomplish today so check back, maybe tomorrow, to see the next in line! It's one of my favorites to date.

Thanks for looking in on me :)

Another busy weekend

Although the weekend was filled with work, I still enjoyed it because I started one of the projects for my next book from C&T Publishing. I can't tell you what kind of projects will be included in this one yet but it will be a bunch of very practical and useful pieces that are fun and easy to make. I know...that pretty much sounds like most of what I design but I can't think of a better way to describe them.

Some of the gang at Cotton Fields Quilt and Knit here in the Phoenix area will be getting together with me for another Project Party like the last one we had with the ladies from Quiltz. I'm sure this one will be as fun as the last and I'm really looking forward to working with some more talented quilters from the area on this next book.

A Patrick Lose Christmas is selling very well so it sounds like a lot of you are gearing up for the holidays already. That's great news and now you'll be able to find even more Christmas designs in the quilt shops or on my website. For those of you who aren't quite ready to start Christmas quilting just yet, check out my Halloween designs.

There are still quite a few more holiday and winter designs coming so stay tuned! Thanks for looking in on me :)

Introducing "Wintry Welcome"

I designed Wintry Welcome during one of the hottest weeks here in Phoenix recently...temps around 115 every day. It's not hard to figure out why I had snow on my mind.

This new pattern is a great one for anyone new to satin stitch appliqué. There are a lot of straight lines but enough curves for "turning" practice. Satin stitching in black rayon embroidery thread from Robison-Anton gives this guy a "cartoony" look. I used an opalescent white thread to quilt the entire piece in a loopy meandering path that gives the impression of the snow blowing around. It makes a great door banner for all of the winter season...not only the holidays.

I hope you like him!

A sneak peek

My knowledge of blogging is limited to this: If I type what I want to appear in a post in the little box that comes up when I click "New Post" it just magically shows up here. I can even post a pic, color the type, and create a link to another page. It's not that I'm stupid...just too busy to spend the time on learning much beyond that. (Sometimes I'm stupid, too.)

I know my friend Jami, back in Iowa, has tried to post a comment to the blog and it wouldn't allow her to. I had no answers because I'm oblivious. But I decided to look around my settings and, lo and behold, it was set to only receive comments from members. I hadn't even paid attention to whether or not there were comments because I was getting emails and that was fine with me.

I've changed the settings and, if you'd like, you can now make posts to this blog and maybe we can get a little interaction going among us. Of course, if the spammers start bombarding me, the settings will be changed back. But, in the meantime, feel free to be the first to comment.

I also found out that I could create a link to allow you to email posts to your friends. So, if you know someone who might be interested in what I have going on here, please send them a link to join us. The more the merrier.

Here's a bit of a tease. The guy in the opening photo is coming soon. Check back later for the whole picture! :)

Thanks for checking in on me and for being patient with the "oblivious guy".

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) :-)

The July 4th weekend was wonderful but, even though it was a long weekend, it was way too short for me! It was great to get the family together for the old-fashioned barbecue and to take the kids to the fireworks display. I actually spent a lot of the remainder of the weekend working but, when you enjoy what you do as much as I do, it's not unusual to work nights and weekends.

I've actually completed 5 new projects for patterns and I'm in the process of getting them photographed for the pattern covers. Then, I'll design the covers so they can be sent off to the printer and the process of writing the instructions continues. I can't show you the projects just yet but, so far, there are two Halloween projects (both included in one pattern!) and 3 new Christmas projects. That's a teaser photo at the beginning of this entry :) I'm hoping to have them all available early to mid August. I hope you'll check back for the release date!

I've been using my new fabrics in a lot in these projects and I've also used some of Robert Kaufman's Kona Cottons. I have to say, these cottons are beautiful and a pleasure to work with! They're so crisp and full of body. Back in my fashion days, I would have grabbed yards and yards of it in different colors to make shirts for myself! They're beautiful and durable for quilt bindings and I love the perfect crease you get when pressing the binding fold. Be sure to get your hands on some..especially the Jet Black.

Speaking of bindings, I have one that's all ready to be sewn onto a holiday table runner so I better get to it. I hope all is well with everyone and that you're enjoying your summer. Cheers!

Forging ahead

It's not easy to be working on Christmas and Halloween designs when it's 115 degrees. Period. I may have to blast the air conditioning and put on some Christmas music. Despite that, the designs I'm working on are some of my favorite holiday designs I've ever done. Hopefully, I'll have something to show you soon. But the more than 10 days streak of temps over 110 degrees is pretty stifling. I can't believe it's only June!

"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.

:)