A Halloween contest in April?

Yep, you're right, it's the middle of April. But I have a question for you about Halloween and I need your answers soon if you'd like the chance to have them published in Quilting Celebrations and to win a great prize!

The question is - What's your favorite Halloween Trick or Treat?

Don't blurt out your answer right away. Give it some thought and think like this:

- A "trick" might mean a harmless prank you pull on friends or co-workers. It could be a tip or suggestion you have for giving a ghoulish gift, creating a creepy costume, or staging a spooky soiree.

- A "treat" could be your favorite beggars' night swag when you were a kid or what you like to give the goblins at your door nowadays. Or it might be something as simple as the feeling you get when you see your kids or grandkids in their costumes (perhaps the ones you made for them).

Whatever your thoughts on the subject are, I want to hear them and I think our readers will love to hear what you have to say, too. Tell me - in a single word, a sentence or a paragraph - what your favorite Halloween trick or treat is.

You can post your answer here as a comment. You can also post on my personal Facebook fan page or the Party with Patrick fan page. But please do it on or before Friday, April 23. If you do, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a fat quarter tower of 29 cuts from my Dot-to-Dot collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. That's one of each color offered and over 7 yards of fabric! Any person who submits an answer to the question, whether it's published or not, will be entered in the drawing for the fabric. But be sure your answer is posted here or on one of the fan pages to be qualified. You may also submit as many answers as you'd like but your name will only be entered into the drawing once.

So, get your thoughts in gear and jot down your favorites to submit. I'll be anxious to hear - and share - what you have to say.

Go to it!

Chained to the drawing board...

It's a love/hate thing I have for this feeling that there are so many new designs in my head that I can't get them out fast enough. I love the feeling that there isn't a creative block anywhere on the horizon but I hate that I can't realize all of the ideas faster! In any case, I couldn't be happier with my latest round of designs :)

I've got a plethora of ideas for my pattern line, a book, a venture into hand embroidery patterns and also for digitized machine embroidery. We have an online membership club in the works and hope to launch as soon as our new website is up and running in a month or so. The projects for my magazine, Quilting Celebrations, are almost finished and ready to photograph and I love them. I hope you will, too. So, there's a lot going on here, as usual, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

My latest fabric design, Fizz, is going gangbusters and Robert Kaufman Fabrics is doing their best to keep up with the orders. Hopefully, it will arrive at an independent quilt shop near you soon. There are a few more designs coming from RK in the near future so there will be no shortage of fun fabrics to play with.

As happens each year, sales have started to pick up for the fall and holiday offerings in my pattern line. It seems you're all starting earlier each year on your holiday quilting and doing more of it! I have lots of fall, holiday and winter designs so you can get going.

Please stop by my fan page on Facebook and also the Party with Patrick fan page for up to the minute info on all that's going on here.

Even with all of this new stuff, it's back to the drawing board for me. I don't use the word "plethora" unless I really mean it.

Don't you have some quilting you should be doing...? ;-)

FREE pattern!

I've offered this before but, in case you missed it, here's a link to a free pattern for a great kids' project for you from my appearance on "America Sews". This could be a fun Easter weekend project to entertain the kids or grandkids.

Click here for the free pattern!

I hope you like it and that you're having a wonderful weekend!

Party with Patrick ONLINE!

Party with Patrick is entering its second year in many quilt shops and, if you're not partying with us, here's what you'll be missing out on in April :(

But, if you're one of the many who have been asking and hoping for an online version of Party with Patrick, you're about to get your wish.

We realize many of you don't have a shop in your area that is a participating member of the club so we've been developing an online party for you. We still have a few details to iron out but it's looking as though the club will operate much like Party with Patrick operates in quilt shops.

If you choose to party with us, you'll get a new project each month along with a couple of recipes, blank recipe cards for your personal use, and stationery designed to coordinate with the month's theme. We'll even be offering kits you can purchase to complete the projects using my personal fabric choices!

That's the bare bones of it but I just wanted those of you who are anxious to know that we're not ignoring you. There's a lot going on and we're just figuring out the logistics on our end. Please speak up and let us know if you want to be on the invitation list here.

So, check back here from time to time or, if you want to be involved with a fun group of partiers right from the start, join in the conversation here and on the Party with Patrick fan page.

Back to the drawing board.....

:)

AWOL

If it's a little quiet it's because I'm taking some much needed time for designing and instruction writing and doing it away from home at the lake where there aren't as many distractions.

I'll add a real post (and get rid of the St. Pat's Day theme) soon :)

Cheers!

Talent all over the place

If you've been following my posts here and on Facebook, you already know that I'm really excited about my new project, Quilting Celebrations, which will be on newsstands in September. We've been working on the projects and enjoying the entire process (which, just for the record, is a process!). Much of the reason for that is the group of people who have become a part of it by spending time with us quilting up a storm to complete the projects I've designed.

I could make and quilt them myself or enlist the talents of quilting peers all over the world to help me finish them in time for the deadline but that's not what Quilting Celebrations is about. What we've chosen to do is get together with quilting friends and, as we do every month with Party with Patrick, work on the projects together. One of my favorite quilting clans is in Boulder City, NV, and we spend "work weekends" at the Boulder Dam Hotel there cranking out my latest designs.

If you're a quilter and go to retreats or day classes, you know how much fun it is to have the company of fellow creative-types and spend the time quilting, grazing on snacks and laughing. These friends have become very dear to me and I feel privileged to have their help. Groups of like-minded quilters exist everywhere and you're missing out if you're not a part of one. I have some photos of the gang I wanted to post here but realized that the projects show up in most of them and I can't show those to you yet :(

Just when I was counting my blessings over these friends, I had the good fortune to meet another extremely talented quilter. I had a great time this past Tuesday night speaking to the Night Owls Chapter of the Arizona Quilter's Guild. What a fun bunch of people. I took a trunk show of my stuff and we played show-n-tell and I told them bits and pieces about what it's like to do what I do for a living.

One of the quilters who attended is an extremely talented girl named Jessica who I had attempted to contact in the past about her work. I think fate brought us together because I really wanted her to do the longarm quilting on some of my larger quilts. This young dynamo has actually quilted over 4000 quilts! Well, long story short, I brought a pile of my tops to her last night and she's getting started on them. A couple of them will be featured in Quilting Celebrations but I'm not going to make you wait for the magazine to come out to see her work. This stuff is too good to wait that long for. Jessica's website and tons of photos of her beautiful quilting accomplishments can be seen here: http://www.jessicasquiltingstudio.com/ Be sure to click on the small "Customer Quilts" button in the yellow box to see all of the photos.

You're probably off to Jessica's page anyway so I'll end here and get back to some hand embroidery on a holiday project for the magazine. Have a great Friday, everyone, and spend some time this weekend with your quilting and creative friends if you have the chance.

And if you're in the Phoenix area and would like to become involved with Night Owls, here's their info:

Night Owls - Phoenix
St. Paul's Church
330 W. Coral Gables Dr.
2nd Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Guaranteed fun :)

Cheers!

Quilting Celebrations!

As I said in my blog post last week (see below), quilters and otherwise creative people know how to celebrate. We also enjoy incorporating quilting and creativity into our celebrations of holidays, seasons, and life events throughout the year. Those of you who entered the contest told wonderful stories of how quilting is an integral part of your celebrating and gift-giving.

When I began developing Party with Patrick over a year and a half ago, I wanted to turn my love for designing seasonal and “celebratory” quilting and crafting projects, along with your love for making them, into a monthly club that quilt shop owners could offer to their customers. We’re coming up on the one year anniversary of the club and I couldn’t be happier with its success and with the number of new friends I’ve made because of it.

As quilters, there’s another thing that’s pretty universal about us; we have hearty appetites for the things that get our creative juices flowing. So, with that said, I’m about to offer a lot more of those things to whet your appetite.

I told you all I’ve been working on a big project and guess what? You’ll be able to grab it off the newsstands this September! It’s my magazine, Quilting Celebrations and it’s like Party with Patrick on steroids. I can’t give a lot of the details here but if Party with Patrick is “a monthly dose of Patrick Lose”, then Quilting Celebrations is an overdose!

You’ve shown me that you love to have projects to quilt that are just the right size and won’t end up being the next UFO in your heap. You’ve told me that you’re making multiples of the Party with Patrick projects and proudly giving them to everyone you know. You’re showing me, more and more as the club grows, that you really enjoy the “monthly celebration of quilting and camaraderie”. You might say that Quilting Celebrations will be “party central”.

If you’re a Party with Patrick member, you’ll still have your exclusive projects each month and the parties and get-togethers that go along with it. But, if you embrace my new magazine the way you’ve welcomed my club, you’re going to have even more to create and celebrate throughout the year!

So I hope you’ll look forward to Quilting Celebrations as much as I’m looking forward to bringing it to you. Now you know what’s going on and we can talk about it. I hope you’ll be among the first to join the new Patrick Lose fan page on Facebook where most of the discussions about the magazine and all of the new things I’m doing will take place. There’s also a Party with Patrick fan page specifically for the club. I’d love to hear what you think so speak up!

Cheers :)

A Reason to Celebrate

As I said a couple of posts ago, I've been working on a SUPER exciting project lately and I can't wait to tell you all about it. There's going to be an announcement here and on Facebook soon so I wanted to give you a heads-up so you can keep an eye out for it. I want you guys to be the first to know!

Here's a hint: if you like to Party with Patrick and if you've been enjoying the projects I've designed for the club and all the other stuff I design, you're gonna have LOTS more of it.

I'm anxious to let you in on the secret so keep your eyeballs peeled and your ears to the ground and we'll have something to CELEBRATE, together, very soon :)

Cheers!

Become a fan on Facebook

You don't have to be a member of the Party with Patrick club at your local quilt shop to be a fan of it on Facebook. By becoming a fan, you're the first to know what's new around here and what I've been designing lately. You also get to interact with other quilters and make friends all over the world. We also have lots of contests and you could be the next winner of my fabrics, books, or patterns!

So go to the Party with Patrick Facebook fan page and join us today to see what it's all about. We'd love to see you there :)

Cheers!

This could be the start of something BIG :)

Quilters know how to celebrate. That's how I came up with the idea for Party with Patrick. They also know how to bring their creativity as well as their creations into the events and holidays they celebrate throughout the year.

I'm in the midst of a very exciting project that you'll be hearing more about soon. Believe it or not, quilters like you have been involved in it from its inception because I've been slowly creating it based on what I know about quilters' love of life and love for celebrating the events of life - big and small alike. But I'd like to have your input, even more, as I continue to develop this project.

So, how about another contest?

Tell us how you incorporate quilting and creativity into your celebrations of holidays and life events throughout the year and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a 12 pack of fat quarters from my Marble Mania collection for Timeless Treasures.

Let us know the big and small ways you use your creative energy to spice up a holiday party or welcome a baby or create an heirloom for a couple of newlyweds. Maybe you've quilted a birthday or graduation gift or a runner for the Thanksgiving table? I want to hear about it and share your ideas with other quilters who love celebrating life as much as you do!

Comment on this post by 5 p.m. Monday for your chance to win. And be sure to check back to see what others have to say. If your idea is something really special, you may be contacted to be a part of my project, if you'd like. The name of the winner will be drawn on Tuesday.

You can also post your comment on the Party with Patrick fan page here.

Let's hear what you have to say.

Cheers!

More winners!

Congratulations to Joann Linden and Susan Klinkhammer who each won an 8 pack of fat quarters in the drawing from yesterday's contest! Ladies, your fabric is on it's way with your orders.

Be on the lookout for more contests right here and on the Party with Patrick Facebook fan page :)

Cheers!

Another chance to win fabric!

How about another contest? Order two or more patterns today and be entered for a chance to win one of two 8 packs of a variety of fat quarters from my collections for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Visit www.patricklose.net and shop online or call 623-414-9464 or email gary@patricklose.net to order. Good luck and Happy Quilting!

More retreat photos

Thankfully, Nancy didn't really feel this way about the past weekend at the Party with Patrick in Phoenix retreat :) She just doesn't like having her picture taken, either. We love you anyway, Nancy and hope to see you and the rest of the gang again SOON!

But for now, I've posted a few more snapshots from the retreat on the Party with Patrick Facebook fan page. I'm looking forward to getting more photos posted from everyone who took them. And, yes, that is a not-so-subtle hint to the aforementioned to get them posted :) I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Party with Patrick is about to enter it's second year as the most fabulous and FUN membership club operating in quilt shops. Each month, our member shops offer a great party where a new project is introduced to their members and they work together on the project in the month's theme sharing food, friendship and fun.

If you're a PWP member shop and haven't renewed your membership, you have til the end of the month to do so to keep your Charter Member status and get the discount on the 2010 membership fee.

If you haven't joined the party yet, what are you waiting for? We're having a blast!

PWP fun in Phoenix!

Here's my first photo of the gang from the "Party with Patrick in Phoenix" retreat. Good times and FUN and talented people!! Pictured, L-R; Ken, Claudia, Roberta, Gary, Liat, Nancy, Mary, Betty, me, and Pat. Old and new friends :)

You really should ask your local quilt shop owner or quilt guild to organize a Party with Patrick event in your area. We had a blast and this retreat was actually put together as somewhat of a last-minute gathering because we wanted to have one in the Phoenix area before the heat hits us. No doubt, there will be another one planned here very soon and I hope everyone in the photo will be there to make it a reunion as well (This is a reminder for you guys to send me your photos from the weekend to post here, too!).

Our Dam Christmas Party retreat is filling up fast. I believe we only have 7 spots left so, if you want to do some Christmas-in-July partying with other Party with Patrick cohorts, contact Gary as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

Contest/Win a pack of 8 fat quarters: Place an order before 10 p.m. CST today totaling 10.00 or more (before shipping) and be entered to win a fat quarter pack of my newest fabrics!

More to come...

In need of a particular fabric?

Many of you contact us looking for your favorite print from my fabric collections when you can't find them at your local quilt shop. Now we can help. All you have to do is contact us to order any of my available prints.

Call us at 623-414-9464 or email gary@patricklose.net to place your order!

You can also order any of my patterns and books this way if your local shop doesn't carry them.

The Party with Patrick in Phoenix retreat this past weekend was a blast and we'll have photos to post soon so you can see what you missed.

Hope you had a great quilting-filled weekend :)

Now available online

"Luck o' the Irish" and "Upwardly Mobile" have now been added to our secure online shopping cart for immediate ordering on the website!(www.patricklose.net)

Just wanted you to know in case your local shop isn't carrying them.

We're off to another retreat today and really looking forward to it. I hope you have a great quilting-filled weekend as well.

Cheers :)

Congratulations to Marilynn DeHoney who is the winner of the February Party with Patrick prize of 29 fat quarters from my Dot-to-Dot collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

I couldn't stop with one prize, so I added a second prize of 8 fat quarters from various collections of fabrics I've done for RK and Jill Pesti won that prize. Congrats to you, too, Jill!

We're getting ready for our second retreat of the year coming up this weekend at the Dobson Ranch Inn right here in the Phoenix metro area. There are still spots available if you'd like to join us for a weekend of Party with Patrick-style quilting and camaraderie. This one's a small retreat but I bet with a group this size we have even more opportunity to get to know one another. If you'd like to join us, contact Gary at 623-414-9464 or gary@patricklose.net.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day and that winter is waning wherever you are!

Here comes another new pattern...

"Upwardly Mobile", featuring patterns and instructions for creating a 15 x 25" banner and a 12 x 12" mini quilt, is the newest pattern to be added to my line and will be shipping the first week in March.

This lady bug is movin' on up a brightly flowered vine that's made using lots of colors from my new Fizz collection from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Fizz will be available in quilt shops beginning in March. Click here to see all of my patterns and click here to see the entire Fizz collection.

Hopefully, this will give those of you who are still dealing with winter's worst a glimmer of hope for spring.

I hope you like this new pattern and Fizz :)

Cheers!

"I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it."

Yes, Gary, Jan, Tony, and all of my friends who try to keep me focused - I'm off task again with good reason; Here's my new grandbaby! As I said on the Party with Patrick fan page, comments about the little bean looking just like me are cheap and unimaginative so you don't need to go there ;-)

My daughter, Katie, wondered if it was going to be twins this time because of the way she's been feeling but this ultrasound image put those "worries" to rest. Just one. Just WONDERFUL!

Back to work before I get scolded. I have lots to do. I'll be appearing/speaking at the Quilting in the Desert banquet tonight in Phoenix. If you'll be there, make sure you say "hi".

Cheers!

An Irish Welcome

I've been busy for the past few days on lots of new designs and I already have one of them quilted. Luck o' the Irish is a 15 x 30" applique door banner or wall hanging that's perfect for St. Patrick's Day but fun, anytime, for those of us that are Irish every day of the year ;-)

The one I made uses fabrics from my own collections but you can use a wide variety of festive greens from your stash on this one. I love how the Lime from my new Fizz collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics works for the background - it reminds me of green beer! Satinesque Stripe, also for RKF, is perfect for the binding.

I hope you like this new pattern which will be ready to ship the first week in February. Be sure to tell your local quilt shop owner that you saw it here and that you'd like them to carry it and all of the patterns from my line.

This is my offering of a "wee little bit o' springtime" to those of you that are still dealing with ice, snow, and cold. I hope it lifts your spirits! :-)

More Fizz

Hope everyone's having a great weekend. I thought I'd post another color from my new Fizz Collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. This one's called Raspberry.

I'm off to a book signing soon. Then it will be back to the drawing board later this afternoon to work on new patterns and embroidery designs. I'm really looking forward to both.

If you're in the Phoenix area, stop by 3 Dudes Quilting between 1 and 3 this afternoon and say "hi".

Cheers!

-------------------
Update: As always, we had a wonderful time at 3 Dudes Quilting. Thanks to the Dudes and their great customers!!

It's unanimous. Winter s*cks! ;-)

Congratulations to Vicci Conway who's the winner of my Tropical Table Toppers pattern! Thanks to everyone who offered their "sentiments" on winter where they are. I feel for all of you and I hope there's a big thaw coming.

We'll have another contest soon but, to the Party with Patrick members, get your January (LOVE) projects done and post photos and comments on the PWP fan page on Facebook. You'll be entered to win the fat quarter tower giveaway of my Dot-to-Dot collection. See your Party with Patrick host or Hostess or click here for details! You MUST be a fan on the FB fan page and post there to be entered.

It's super busy here with lots of designing and quilting going on. The paperwork, instruction writing, and day-to-day grind of business has been put on hold for the weekend. I don't mind working weekends if its all creative stuff. I'm also looking forward to spending a few hours at 3 Dudes Quilting tomorrow afternoon signing books. If you're local, please stop by and visit!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Effervescent!

Here's my latest print from my Mixmasters Collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. It's called FIZZ and I think you'll agree that it's got a bubbly personality. This one's so new that most shop owners and buyers haven't even seen it yet. In fact, I just realized that I can't tell you how many colors we ended up with in this line but it's quite a few. I'll find out how many and get back to you.

I wanted it to look like fizzy drinks and the colors even have fun, soda-fountain-type names like Cranberry, Blueberry, Cider, Vanilla, and Champagne, to name a few. The one pictured is Ice. It's useful in more than "bubbly" applications, too. I'm using Root Beer (colored as the name suggests) for the center of a sunflower and it looks great.

I just wanted to give you a sneak peek so you'll be on the lookout when it hits quilt shops. When? Hmmm....I can't answer that off the top of my head, either, but it's SOON, I swear. Don't you love getting to see it so early that even I can't give you all of the details? ;-)

Let me know what you think of it here or on the Party with Patrick Facebook page!

Have a great evening.

Do I hear teeth chattering?

From what I hear on the news, it's most likely cold where you are. I heard last night that there were 5 U.S. states where the temperature wouldn't be above zero overnight. Please don't hate me for living in the Phoenix area. I spent 40 winters in Iowa before I moved here. But I also have to say I STILL miss winter in Iowa. Yeah, the cold and wind gets old fast but I love the snow.

So, if you're over the winter already and can't just drop everything and go off on a warm-weather getaway, maybe you'd like to work on a quilting project that helps to take your mind off of the sound of bitter cold winds whistling at the windows and doors and warms you up a little on the inside. My Tropical Table Toppers pattern may be just the ticket to that balmy place in your dreams.

Anyone who is a fan on my Party with Patrick Facebook fan page and comments there by the end of the work day on Tuesday, January 11th, will be entered for a chance to win the pattern. Click here, become a fan and add a quick comment telling us how you're feeling about winter where you are (no profanity, please). That enters you in the drawing. We'll draw for the prize on Wednesday and you could have a Tropical Table Toppers pattern by next weekend!

Just doing our part for shivering quilters everywhere.

Stay warm! I'm back to the drawing board :-)

Another Booming Party!

It's happened again....another Party with Patrick has outgrown its venue! I just posted a couple of days ago how Fiddlesticks had to move the Party out of the shop and into the Boulder Dam Hotel conference room across the street. Today I got this email announcement to her customers from Peg at Common Threads in North Liberty, Iowa:

"For those of you who have not been able to join us for a Party with Patrick, now is the time! Patrick Lose, designer and quilter, hosts parties at Common Threads the last Thursday of every month. He sends a design exclusive to the party, a party theme and recipes to share. Common Threads has only been able to accommodate ten people at these parties until now. Thursday, January 27th, we will open it up to all. Please join us at the South Slope Community Center for Party with Patrick!"

Peg is blatantly trying to overtake a couple of other shops for the position of biggest PWP (most members). I'll root for any of you that take this on - knowing that, as with any party, the MORE the merrier! I think a lot of participating shops have realized this, too.

So, CONGRATULATIONS to Peg and the gang at Common Threads. We miss you guys and I wish I could be there for your "expansion". I know you won't let the cold and ever-accumulating white stuff spoil a good party.

Don't forget about our Party with Patrick retreat in Coralville, Iowa at the beautiful Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Be sure to take the photo tour on their website (Iowa is beautiful). We're starting to get sign-ups for the retreats so reserve your spot now before they fill up!

That's all for now. Yesterday's "day-of-designing" didn't quite pan out so I'm gonna try again today. You want new stuff, right?

Have a happy Friday :-)

Hello to the newbies

Just wanted to take a minute to say "thanks" to all of the new blog followers here. I appreciate your interest in my work. It will be a little quiet today here and on Facebook and Twitter. I'm going to try to spend the rest of the day designing because the day-to-day stuff has kept me from the drawing board recently. But I have another new fabric collection to show you...soon!

Have a great day :)

The Party Keeps Getting Bigger

I want to congratulate Fiddlesticks Quilts in Boulder City, NV for being yet another Party with Patrick member shop that has to take its monthly events to a larger, off-site location because the parties are getting too BIG! If this doesn't tell you how successful PWP can be for your shop, then I give up! ;-) Fiddlesticks held the very first Party with Patrick back in March 2009. Congratulations to Merry, Jan and the gang for being such hardcore partiers :) You ROCK!

If your local quilt shop isn't a participating shop, and you want to PARTY with us, speak with the shop owner and let them know what they're missing. They can join at any time for a successful year full of fun and friendship and you can have your "monthly dose of Patrick Lose". It's a win-win situation for you both :)

More soon....

Party and Win!

Do you Party with Patrick at your local quilt shop? If so, you have another chance to win a tower of 29 fat quarters from my Dot-to-Dot Collection from Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

Party with Patrick projects are manageable-sized quilted pieces that are easy enough to complete in a short time but a few of you partiers are still finding ways to turn them in to UFOs (UnFinished Objects).

This is a new year, people! Let's at least start the year with the resolve to not send any more projects into UFO limbo, okay? I'll help you out by offering some incentive to finish the January party project which you can see here.

If you're a member and complete the January project, go to the PWP fan page on Facebook. If you're not a fan, become one and post a photo of your finished piece and a few words about your PWP experience. Your name will be entered in the Valentine's Day drawing to win the fat quarter tower. It's that easy.

The Party keeps getting bigger and the fan page community grows larger every day. Join us and get to know some of your fellow quilters from across the United States and Canada. That's what Party with Patrick is all about...quilting and camaraderie!

Looking ahead

The year has hardly begun and we're already gearing up and planning for our 2010 events. The one you all keep asking about is our Dam Christmas Party at The Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City, NV. The dates are set and we're working on the details. Bookmark this page and you can check back for updates: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=236997203253

If you're interested in attending the Dam Christmas Party or any of our other retreats being planned for 2010, RSVP while you're there and we'll be sure to get info to you as it becomes available. You can also email us at gary@patricklose.net for more information.

We've got another contest coming up to ring in the new year so stay tuned!

Cheers and Happy 2010!!
Patrick

Another Winner!

CONGRATULATIONS, Mary O'Net! You've won the fat quarter "tower" of my Dot-to-Dot Collection!!! :-) We just announced it on the Party with Patrick fan page on Facebook. Won't it be great to start the new year with a bunch of new fabrics?

Please contact us at gary@patricklose.net with your contact and mailing info and we'll get the fabrics shipped out.

Stay tuned here and on the fan page because there may just be an announcement for another giveaway soon ;-) And, believe it or not, I have ANOTHER fun new fabric print to show you and you'll be among the very first to see it...even before many quilt shop owners! Cool, huh?

Hope you're having a fabulous ending to 2009.

Party with Patrick and build your stash!

This is just a little peek at part of the prize for my new contest and when you see the whole photo, I'm sure you'll agree, this would be a wonderful prize to win.

In case you haven't heard, Party with Patrick! is my club that's been up and running in independent quilt shops since February of this year. We've been having a blast and I want the party to get even bigger. So I created a fan page for PWP on Facebook as a place for partiers and wannabes to get together and share all the fun. The page is starting to gather some fans but we need more. Here's where you come in.

There are just a few rules for this contest. They're simple but they must be followed to the letter to make you eligible to win:

1) Go to the Party with Patrick fan page (click here) and sign up to be a fan before 5:00 CST on Tuesday, December 22. You don't have to be a PWP member to join.
2) Add a comment to the page that tells us:
a) What you enjoy about the club if you're a member, or
b) Why you'd like to become a member at your local quilt shop
3) PWP is currently only operating in the United States and Canada so you must be a resident of either to be eligible.

That's all you need to do but feel free to add photos or stories from your PWP events if you're already a member. We'd also love to see photos of your finished party projects. That's what the fan page is all about. It's like a scrapbook of the parties and the partiers.

I hope lots of shop owners will enter this contest, too!

If you're not a member, I hope you'll join at your local shop. If they don't offer the club, be sure to let them know you want to PARTY!

Oh...yeah...you probably want to know who won the last contest. Drumroll, please.......

The winner of the 4 fat quarters of Satinesque Stripe is Leslie Stamp! CONGRATULATIONS, Leslie :) Thanks to all who subscribed to my email news list.

I suppose you also want to know what this FABULOUS new prize is? Well, take a look here.

So what do you think of that? Doesn't that make you want to Party with Patrick?

Ho ho ho ;-)

BIG giveaway :)

I'm getting ready to announce another contest and a WAY bigger prize :) Let me know when you're ready!

Check back here at 6:05 CST for the winner and next contest details!

Win 4 fat quarters of Satinesque Stripe!

Subscribe to my email list and be the first to see all of the fun stuff I'm designing for YOU! On top of that, if you sign up as a new subscriber by Tuesday, December 15th, your name will be entered in a drawing to win 4 fat quarters of my new Satinesque Stripe in holiday colors. I'm having a great time using it in my newest projects and I know you will, too.

Take a look here for all of the patterns and books available for those quilters on your gift list. And, because we're in the holiday spirit around here, any orders over $50.00 placed between now and December 20th will get free Priority Mail shipping! That means you could have your order within 2-3 days.

No purchase is necessary to be entered in the drawing, but your subscription information must include your first and last name and the mailing address where you'd like us to ship the fabric, if you're the winner. So, sign up and good luck!

I have Christmas shopping to do :)

STAY TUNED because you won't believe what the prize for the next contest will be. Some lucky quilter is going to have an awful lot of new fabrics to choose from in their stash!

Check out this new cookbook...

Michele at The Quilting Gallery has compiled a new cookbook, titled Quilter's Cookbook, and I think you should take a look.

"The first-ever Quilter's Cookbook, with recipes submitted by more than 100 quilters from nine countries around the world, is now available. There never seems to be enough time to quilt. That's why the theme for this Cookbook is "Quick and easy recipes, so we can get back to quilting!" There are 119 recipes, most with heart-warming family stories..."

It features photos of beautiful quilts and serves up the stories behind them, as well. You can also click on the button ad in the lower right margin for more information on this downloadable collection of recipes and stories from quilters all over the world.

Have a great day!

Fabric giveaway

Thanks to everyone who signed up to follow my blog! You were all entered in our drawing for the half yard cuts of my new Satinesque Stripe.

Because we're in the holiday spirit around here, we decided to give two prizes this time. The first prize is the 4 half yard cuts and the second prize is 4 fat quarters of the same Christmas colors.

The winner of the fat quarters is Debbie (WoolenSails) and the winner of the half yard cuts is Jean (Rannyjean)! Congratulations, Ladies :) Please email your mailing addresses to Gary (gary@patricklose.net) and we'll get these out to you right away.

Thanks, again, everyone and I hope you'll be checking back for more contests. I'll have a post soon about what's going on around here so stay tuned.

Ho ho ho!

We have a winner!

A big "Thank you" to all of you who entered our contest for a chance to win my two newest patterns, Christmas Card Caddy and Merry & Bright. We enjoyed reading about your gift ideas for the quilting friends and family members on your gift list this year.

We're happy to say that Gini Howard's entry was drawn and we'll be sending her the patterns by Priority Mail today. If you're reading this here first, Gini, CONGRATULATIONS! We sent you an email earlier and need your mailing address:)

Now, that's a fun way to start off the week. If you haven't signed up to follow my blog, take a look at my December 4th post. You could win two yards of my newest fabric, if you sign up by the end of the day, today. Wouldn't that come in handy, Gini?

Take a look at the Party with Patrick fan page on Facebook for some new photos from Cheryl and Barbara at The Yankee Quilter and Linda and Rick at Little Stitches Sewing of their recent Party with Patrick events. Both shops always have such great parties! :) While you're there, sign up to be a fan and stay up to date on what's happening with PWP.

Happy Christmastime

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!

Packages filled with treasures!

I only have time for a quick post but I just opened my first shipment of my Satinesque Stripe fabric collection that I designed for Robert Kaufman Fabrics: http://bit.ly/56jq43 . It's WONDERFUL and I hope you love it as much as I do. I can't wait to cut it up into pieces and sew it back together again :)

I'll share more soon.

Who's on your G(ift)-list?

How many quilters are on your Christmas gift list this year? What's your favorite gift to give a quilting friend or family member?

If you'd like your name to be entered into a drawing to win my two newest patterns, Christmas Card Caddy and Merry & Bright (shown in the margins of this blog), email your answers to BOTH questions to gary@patricklose.net before midnight CST on Saturday. The two patterns will be sent out on Monday by Priority Mail giving you plenty of time to make them up for yourself or for gift-giving. Or you might just give the patterns to one of those quilters on your holiday gift list. You decide. But get your answers emailed to Gary before the end of the day on Saturday, okay?

Ho ho ho!

FREE Holiday Handiwork pattern!

Sometimes you just want a quick-and-simple "something to quilt". Y' know? You don't want to haul out an old UFO that needs attention or to start on another UFO wannabe. At least that's how I am. If I have a spare 20 minutes at the end of the day or need to unwind in front of the TV, I might want something for my hands to do that won't make them bother my brain for guidance.

Here's a free project pattern that I'm offering to help kick off December and give us something to do in those last few minutes at the end of the day before we keel over from all of the holiday "spirit". These little raw-edge applique "thingies" make great Christmas ornaments for the tree or for creative package wrapping but they're also perfect for coasters to have around during the holiday/winter season. You can make a set of six with a fat quarter, a little batting, and some perle cotton....probably all stuff you have around, anyway. And what a great little "Secret Santa" gift that someone might actually appreciate because you took the time to make it with your own two elf-like hands :)

So, here's a little holiday handiwork "gift" from me that I hope you'll enjoy making for yourself, your tree, or someone on your list this season.

Don't forget to check out all of my new patterns and my new book that's now shipping! They're perfect gifts for quilters, too!

'Tis the season! ;-)

Terrific Tree Trimming :)

Well, despite Lily's preferred tree-trimming technique (see my last post, below), I think we were successful at decorating the tree again this year. We had a lot of fun, mostly because we didn't try to do it all in one day. The 2500 lights went on a few days ago and that makes for a much less stressful day of decorating. Here's a pic of Lauryn and Lily as we started out...first draping gold and red strings of faceted beads and then hanging simple red and gold ball ornaments for rich Christmas color.

At 10 years old, Lauryn is now an old pro from helping me the last few years. Usually she's "over it" by an hour into the process but I think she enjoyed it more this year...paying more attention to the ornaments and the memories attached to certain ones. Lily liked the Santa and snowman ornaments best and I caught her taking a close look at one of the Santas. Then, cute as can be, she gave him a kiss.

The Christmas season is going to be extra fun this year with her. It's always better with little ones around and, at 2-1/2, it's the wonder and awe in their eyes that I love the most.

I took a pic last year that I love of Lauryn helping me with the tree and, when we were all finished last night, the moment presented itself for me to get one just like it of Lily.

This is photographic evidence that the tedious (and sometimes nerve-wracking) process is well worth it.

Deck the halls! ;-)

Break Time

I hope you're all enjoying the long weekend. We spent the better part of today decorating the Christmas tree but Lily needed a nap break so we'll wait for her to finish it. She was in awe of the entire process but has little patience for neatly hanging the ornaments. She'd rather toss them into the tree and hope they stick somewhere. I'll have some photos for a post later on.

In the meantime, I've started a Facebook fan page for Party with Patrick and wanted to let you know. (What's Party with Patrick?) If you have photos or stories to share, that will be the place. You can become a fan even if you're not a member at a local quilt shop. Stop by as the page grows to see how much fun we're having with the club. If your local shop isn't a member shop, you can direct them to the page to see what they're missing. Knowing this bunch, there will soon be lots of silly stories and photos posted soon. Shop owners can use the space to share their success stories with those who are new to the club and swap ideas for future events.

That's all for now. I'll be back soon with an update on the status of the tree trimming. The last time I counted all of the ornaments, which has been a few years now, there were over 500.

That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving

I have to re-post this from last year because, as I said then, Charles Schulz always knew how to say it. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Creating for a Cause

Quilters and crafters are some of the most generously giving people I know. What's really great is when a company with an articulate voice gets behind them and offers resources and materials to help magnify the scope of their giving.

If you take a look at the new website, http://www.weallsew.com/, you'll see that's exactly what Bernina USA is doing. I just got an email that directed me to the site and spent enough time there to know that this is something you need to take a look at as well.

At this time of year and in this economic climate, "need" is all around just waiting for someone like you to use your talents to help lessen it. Why don't you visit the new We All Sew site and learn about all of the ways you can help? You'll be glad you did. I am :-)

What a great way and a great time to express how thankful we are for what we have!

Cheers,
Patrick

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

Party with Patrick™ for the holidays!

If you were a Party with Patrick member at your local quilt shop, this is the project you'd be making at the November party. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Your local shop isn't a member shop yet? Tell them you want to Party with Patrick every month and have them contact us to sign up! For more information, take a look here.

It's time to welcome in the holiday season with a PARTY!

Website facelift

With winter and the holidays fast approaching, it was time for the website to get a bit of a facelift. Take a look here to see why I love this time of year so much. Fat lot of good it does me living in the desert! ;-)

Thankfully, I have a vivid imagination.

Wherever you are, I hope you like what winter will bring.

How about another?

The gang at the retreat really liked this one, too. I hope you do, as well. Click the cover for a larger view and you can see the rest of my holiday offering here and here.

I'm sure you've noticed that I love to use type/text in my designs. When I finished the rough sketch for this one, the words popped into my head immediately...merry & bright. I had to include them in the design. It didn't include the snowflakes until I was almost finished placing the appliqués for the festive tree and its twinkling stars. Then it dawned on me that the only thing that would be more merry & bright would be if it started to snow. That made the picture perfect, to me.

I completed this project in no time at all with a raw-edge appliqué technique and lots of free-motion "scribble" quilting over the tree in gold metallic thread that makes it look like it's covered in spun sugar. Because it's so easy, you plenty of time to have it done for your holiday decorating or gift-giving.

Let me know what you think and have a great day!

Cheers,
Patrick ;-)

Brand Spankin' New Pattern!

Honestly...There's so much new and exciting stuff going on around here that I feel like I'm meeting myself coming and going. I'm getting used to it, though ;-)

On top of the release of my new book, Terrific Table Toppers with Patrick Lose, I have a new pattern that's ready to ship tomorrow! I shared this one with everyone that came to my retreat in Boulder City, NV this past weekend and they all loved it and made some really cute versions of it for themselves as well. Click on the photo for a larger view.

It's a 12 x 18" quilted snow guy with a cheery, striped scarf that doubles as a pocket to hold the holiday greetings you receive in the mail. I call it a Christmas Card Caddy. To order, just give Gary a call at 623-414-9464. He'll be happy to help and I'm sure you can talk him into having me autograph your books for you! This one won't be posted to the website right away so call to get it in time to make for this holiday season.

To see more of my patterns, click here or visit: http://www.patricklose.net/online/new_092109r.html

I'll be back in touch soon with more info on all of the new things coming and maybe even another new holiday pattern!

Check back often!

Cheers,

Patrick

New Fabric Collection!

I also have a new fabric collection to show you. It's a companion print to Satinesque called Satinesque Stripe that comes in a beautiful range of colors. Click the link to take a look. This should be arriving at your local quilt shop in early December! Judging by the popularity of Satinesque, you'll want some of this collection as well. We've also added 14 new colors to freshen up Satinesque. Here's a look at a bundle of the vibrant new colors.

Don't forget my fairly new and VERY popular Dot-to-Dot collection and Scribbles (which may be getting a couple more coordinates added to the line soon :-)

I've been having lots of fun designing new projects with these fun-to-use fabrics.

Hope all's well with you.

Terrific Table Toppers with Patrick Lose ships soon!

My new book, Terrific Table Toppers with Patrick Lose, begins shipping in two weeks! It's time to pre-order your signed copies now for your holiday gift-giving.

As the title suggests, this book is full of table runner and placemat projects for everyday, holidays, and special celebrations. There are 10 projects in all and the price tag on this one will help you stick with your gift list budget. Want a sneak peek? Click here. The arrows at the top right allow you to skim through the pages for a preview. I'd love to hear what you think of it!

Order at your local quilt shop or call Gary at 623-414-9464 to order a signed copy that will ship to you in a couple of weeks. You can also reach him at gary@patricklose.net.

Halloween may be over but Autumn is in full swing. Celebrate it by making a new table runner and/or place mats from my Fall Finery pattern now available. It's super easy to make and a wonderful way to display the colors of the season. Check it out here.

Cheers,
Patrick

P.S. Be on the lookout for a new Christmas pattern coming next week as well. More on that later ;-)

Catalina Quilting

Catalina Quilting in Tucson, AZ celebrated their Grand Opening this past weekend and invited us to come for a trunk show Saturday afternoon. What a great bunch. The shop is wonderful and bright and the owner, Betty, and her crew were so gracious to us and we really enjoyed our time there. All of her customers seem like loyal old friends...the way it should be in a quilt shop. We wish Betty and Catalina Quilting the best of luck and success in the future!

One of Betty's customers, KathyAnne, shared a photo with me of the birthday banner from my Poster Quilts with Patrick Lose book. I love what she did to personalize it. She quilted mini "name plates" to hang below the banner for the birthdays in her family. Thanks for a GREAT idea, KathyAnne. She was more than happy to share her idea with other quilters so here's the photo in case you'd like to do the same.

It's about 90 degrees here but the designing for Christmas of 2010 can't be held up by the desert heat. So...back to the drawing board (and to lower the thermostat) for now. Hope you're all well and happy!

Thanks for looking in on me ;-)

Updated look

I finally got around to updating the look of the blog by adding a fall-ish background from my Dot-to-Dot collection from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. I also posted my newest patterns and my NEW BOOK, Terrific Table Toppers with Patrick Lose, from C&T Publishing (shipping November 16th!), in the margins. All of these were big hits at Quilt Market in Houston so, if you don't have them, you can order now!

I'll have more to post soon so stay tuned ;-)

Party with Patrick for Halloween!

This looks like a fun bunch, huh? Here's what Karen, owner of the Quilter's haven in Ontario, Canada, had to say about her first Party with Patrick:

Here is the first photo of my very first ever "Party with Patrick". I had all the ladies (13) come dressed in orange and black and if they participated there was a chance at winning a door prize!! We had bug punch and Halloween treats for our refreshments. At this time I was hosting 2 parties and am now up to 3 sessions with a possible 4th one available if more ladies sign up!!! We got a lot accomplished and had a great time!!! Thanks Patrick for your great projects. They are already gearing up for the next party!!!!

Karen

Way to go, Karen. And welcome to the party :-) We have lots of new member shops that will be joining us in November.

Cheers,
Patrick

Cloud 9

Hi All!

I'm completely overwhelmed by the events and happenings at market in Houston and I can't even get it sorted out enough at the moment to tell you all about it. It will have to come in bits and pieces because it's just TMI! In the meantime, take a little video "tour" of our booth at market.

I just had to tell you that I am also really excited about the November Party with Patrick club project and everyone who got a sneak peak at market was thrilled as well. It's really cool and something a little unexpected. I'll be working on getting it out to you very soon if you're a member shop.

Give me some "decompression" time and I'll be in touch about all of the new and wonderful things coming soon (and some that are in the works!)

I hope you're all well and happy!
Patrick

Running around like a chicken...well, you know.

We're in the home stretch in getting everything finished for Quilt Market in Houston this weekend. Gary and I will be hitching up the trailer (that's now full of all of the stuff it takes to put together an exhibit booth there) and making the drive to Texas starting tomorrow morning. Quilt Market is where quilting professionals of all types gather to see, buy, and sell all there is to offer in the quilting industry. I'll be showing my latest designs and samples to quilt shop owners and companies interested in licensing my work from around the world. It's my favorite show of the year and, because it's where I started in this industry 15 years ago, it's kind of like coming home.

Market is also special because, in a busy world, it's sometimes the only chance we get to see our friends and acquaintances we've met through this love we share for quilting and creating. And that's what I look forward to most. I have a long list of people I'll be looking for in all of the hustle and bustle and, even though there's usually only enough time for a few sentences to catch up on each others' lives, it will be great to see them, once again.

Keep your eyes on my blog over the next week because I have an announcement to make about a great new project I'll be involved with! I'm really excited to share it with you all but I need to wait until the formal announcement has been made at Quilt Market. Hopefully, I'll have a post about it, right here, on Friday :-)

Thanks for all of your support and good wishes for Market and I'll be in touch soon!

Cheers,
Patrick