After receiving an apology and a promise to look into it further from the Publisher of McCall's Quick Quilts, I decided to remove the post concerning the copyright infringement. But I do want to say thanks to everyone for all of the support and understanding of a huge problem in this industry.

I mostly wanted to bring this to light and that's been done so, unless there are further issues regarding this, I'd like to just move on.

Thanks, everyone!! It's nice to see people in support of doing the right thing :)

Thank you

I got some great news from Quilting Celebrations publisher, Kristi Loeffelholz, today regarding initial reports on sales of the magazine and they are, as she put it, "GREAT"! In fact, they're right up there with Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting and Easy Quilts! Now that's some great company to be keeping :)

Thanks to all of you for your support and, if QC continues to do well, I'll be able to bring it to you on a regular basis. So, please tell all of your quilting and creative friends to get their copy before it's gone from their local retailer. It's also available on our website.

Quilting Celebrations is on newsstands through December 20th.

We'll be having a little celebration tonight at our Area 51/UFO night at the studio! Join us if you're a Phoenix local. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone, and I hope it includes some quilting and creating!

Cowboy Up!

Another friend stopped by on Saturday with a baby quilt of her own. Sharon made this quilt using an older collection of my fabric from Timeless Treasures featuring a little cowboy in a not-so-wild-west theme. I think she did a great job combining all of the prints of cowboy boots, ropes, horseshoes and branding irons with coordinating blenders and a great Satinesque Stripe binding. You can click the pic for a closer look.

Nice job, Sharon, and thanks for sharing your finished quilt with us. I love seeing what my fabric designs become later in life ;-)

Cheers!

A Walk in the Woods...baby-sized!

Look what our friend, Nora brought in for show and tell. She adapted my A Walk in the Woods quilt from Quilting Celebrations into a baby quilt for her great, great niece who will have a jungle-themed nursery! I think she did a beautiful job. I believe she said it only took a fat quarter of each color except for the black. Pretty economical, too :)))

Have you completed any of the projects offered in the magazine? We'd love to see your photos, too!

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Bit by bit...

Here are a couple of photos to give you an update on the studio move. There's still a long way to go but doesn't his look like an inviting place to go to a class or be on retreat? Of course, it will look better when I get some colorful quilts on the walls :)

I'm off to move some more stuff in and start unpacking boxes (my least favorite part). Our first Quilt Cafe should be right on schedule for Wednesday morning. If you're local and want to join us, be sure to call 623-414-9464 to reserve your spot.

Have a great Monday!

Save on Halloween and fat quarters -

Halloween patterns and hangers are 10% off and the 24 color fat quarter bundle of Satinesque Stripe is $10.00 off!

Picture the Quilting Celebrations projects, A Walk in the Woods and Star of Wonder in Satinesque Stripe...or Satinesque...or Dot-to-Dot ;-)

Take a look at it all at www.patricklose.net!

Hope you're having a great autumn weekend.

A true friend :-)

Can I just say how much fun it was to see this at the local Hobby Lobby last night? Prime real estate. They put it top and center of the rack in the FRONT of the store and it caught my eye, as though I had never seen it before, when I walked into the store!

Part of what is so fun about it is knowing that my friends who helped me put Quilting Celebrations together are getting to see it, too. I know it's just as much fun for them to see their names in print and show off their work to their families and friends and that the magazine is a great souvenir of the time we spent together cranking out the projects.

On that note, I have to say how upset I am by the fact that one of those names was left out, accidentally. If you read the article I wrote in QC titled Quilting and Camaraderie, you'll know that a very talented group of my friends in Boulder City, NV worked with me on the quilted pieces featured in the issue.

It takes a lot of work to round up all of those people and coordinate everything a few hundred miles away from my studio. We wouldn't have been able to efficiently do that if it wasn't for my great friend and creative talent, Jan Urioste. When I was writing that article, I asked Jan if she could email me a list of all of the "Boulder City Babes" who helped so that I could include them in thanks. When I got her response, I copied and pasted the list of names into my story, not thinking about the fact that she may not have included her own name.

A couple of rounds into the proofreading (including Jan's own) I realized her name was missing and changed the article in Word and sent it off with some other corrections. Somehow, it was overlooked. Jan's name didn't make it into the printed story and, when I found out, I was truly devastated. We spent hours and hours proofing and it still got by us. Jan spent hours and hours of her already limited spare time helping us to create something she should be so proud of and didn't get the same recognition as the rest of the gang.

So I had to write this and share it with you because I want you all to know how much this wonderful friend of mine means to me and how I could never have brought you Quilting Celebrations without her talents and assistance and, mostly, her friendship. There were many times that I turned to her for her thoughts and opinions on what I was creating and she was there for me, with her support and constructive criticism, every time I needed her. Friends joke about the fact that we must be twins who were separated at birth. All kidding aside, Jan and I know there's some bit of truth in that as we're well aware of the fact that we are kindred spirits of sorts.

And what I love most of all about working with Jan is her sense of humor. We laugh to the point of being ridiculous. Here's what she said when I called to apologize for the oversight and told her how upset I was...."Well, get over it!". That was it (that's fit to print, anyway). And that's just another reason why I love her :-)

Thank you SO much, Jan, for all of your help. I couldn't have done it without you - and wouldn't have wanted to.

Q: Why did the designer cross the road?

A: To move into a bigger and better Quilt & Create Studio :-)

It's hard enough to believe that we've only been in our current studio location since May and we're already moving into a bigger and better place. But it's even harder to believe that we only decided to move less than a month ago and have already found the perfect spot....just across the street! To top it off, the new landlord knew we wanted to get in right away and so they began work last week and will be ready for us to move in at the end of this week , after building a kitchenette, installing new tile and carpet, repainting, and some remodeling of the walls.

I don't want to give the whole thing away yet but I'm excited and confident that our current and new customers and friends will feel right at home in this new space. They'll have two and a half times the amount of space that's in our current location to hang out with us and quilt and create. And, because hanging out with friends is always better when it involves food, we'll have a kitchen in which to prepare and serve it instead of the lone microwave on top of the refrigerator in the back room ;-) Now, even our vertically challenged friends can make popcorn or heat up a snack!

The tile and carpet go in tomorrow and then there are just a few finishing touches to attend to before beginning the task of hauling all that we've accumulated since May to the other side of 32nd Street. Best of all, we'll still be close to Quiltz, the quilt shop we've had the pleasure of being next door to in our current location.

Until we get the place just the way we like it, I thought I'd share some pics here of the space as it was just this morning. The full reveal will come soon. I hope you have a chance to visit us here when it's all finished and ready to welcome you.

New pattern!

My latest pattern, "peace", is now available!

A cat and a cardinal celebrate the season, peacefully, in this 15 x 25" applique banner. It's the perfect welcome to your winter guests.

We also offer some great hangers for displaying it on the website, so take a look.

Check out my patterns and fabrics in your local shop and, if you can't find them there, visit www.patricklose.net.

I hope you like "peace" :)

Now available!

For those who've been waiting, Patrick Lose's Christmas Cheer is available a little earlier than we expected. It's a really fun collection of embroidery designs - great for whipping up some holiday-themed home decor or stitching out some gifts for those on your list this year. It's never to early to get started!

To get an up-close view of the collection or to place your order, click here :)

Party with Patrick embroidery

Last month, our Party with Patrick member shops got a surprise with their September party packets. We had the "Ghoulish Grins" project appliques digitized for machine embroidery applique. The embroidery files were offered to those who wanted them as a free sample and we heard great things about the quality of the digitizing and how much fun it was to let the machine do the hard part!

So, since you loved having the choice of doing machine embroidery applique, we will now be selling the digitized embroidery files for your Party with Patrick projects like the new embroidery applique (pictured here) for October's project. Of course, the party projects will be the same as always, but you now have the option of letting your machine do the embroidery and satin stitching. You're under no obligation to purchase the embroideries to be able to complete the project. This is just something new and fun that we've developed for you. And it opens up many more possibilities and the promise of a new Patrick Lose embroidery club in the future (like you didn't already see that coming...).

If you're a PWP member and you'd like to order your October embroidery file for 9.95 USD, email Gary (gary@patricklose.net) for more information. The files are delivered to you by email and it's very easy to get yours right away.

Let us know what you think of this new facet to the Party with Patrick club. I hope you're as excited about the possibilities as we are.

Cheers :-)

Keep those cards and letters coming ;-)

I've spent a good part of the morning reading your emails and comments here and on the Facebook pages about Quilting Celebrations. It's been a wonderful morning to hear how much fun you're having with it. Some of you have already finished projects from it (I'm impressed!). That's what I want to hear - that it's a magazine you'll actually read and USE! Has anyone out there made one of the recipes yet? I'd love to hear from you, too.

Please be sure to also copy your comments and make them known to Fons & Porter. After all, it's the tean there that needs to know if you want to see Quilting Celebrations become a regular thing. How would you like to have it come to you 4-6 times/year? I'd love to be able to bring it to you, and so would the great people who helped me with this issue.

So please contact F&P and post your comments here as well: http://www.facebook.com/FonsandPorter?v=wall&story_fbid=154124114618285#!/FonsandPorter.

Thanks so much for your support and interest in what I do. I have a blast and want to include you all in the fun!

Keep the comments coming as we celebrate quilting.

Cheers! :)

Christmas Cheer

Good news...I thought my holiday embroidery collection wasn't going to be available for a couple of weeks but I was wrong. Christmas Cheer is available now! See the post below for more info and, if you'd like to order, here's a link.

I hope you like it! :)

Christmas Cheer

Here's a peek at my upcoming machine embroidery collection, Patrick Lose's Christmas Cheer. I don't have all of the details yet but this one should ship in October. You've been asking for them and I'm really excited to be able to bring you some new embroideries for the holidays.

Check back for more details or watch the website. We'll post the info as soon as we have it.

Click here for a larger image of the designs included in the collection.

Come see us in Houston!

After several emails this morning from shop owners/customers asking why we wouldn't be attending Quilt Market in Houston we did some checking and, lo and behold, Patrick Lose Studios is not listed as an exhibitor. The fact is, we have taken a booth in the Robert Kaufman Fabrics grouping and, although we were assured we would still be listed separately as a vendor, it didn't happen.

I'm sorry for the confusion this has caused and, no doubt, will continue to cause but it's out of our control.

Not the best way to start a Monday..... :-(

Happy Friday :)

I can't believe what the FedEx guy just dropped off. I had no idea it was coming so soon but here's a little peek in the box. It's the sample yardage of my Scribbles "Meander" collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. What a GREAT surprise and a perfect end to the work week.

I thought you might enjoy a look at what's coming to your favorite quilt shop in the near future. Click on the photos for a more up-close-and-personal look.

More details to come. I hope your Friday is happy, too! :)

Party with Patrick at Sea

The first 3 Party with Patrick at Sea cruises have been announced and you can find preliminary information here. I hope you're able to join us as we take the quilting and camaraderie to the high seas.

The page will be updated with information as it becomes available so check back from time to time.

Cheers!

This just in...

Quilting Celebrations! Yep, I have the real thing in my hands and I'm awfully proud of it and the crew that helped me bring it to you. It's been a long time in the making but it was worth it. I hope you think so, too!

More to come....

A whole new Party venue!

How would you like to join us to Party with Patrick on the high seas? We're dreaming up a few cruises for 2011 and would love to know where you'd like to go with Gary and me and a whole bunch of other quilting friends, old and new. It's quilting and camaraderie taken to a whole new level.

As details become available, we'll be posting them here and on the website under "Party with Patrick!". Info will also be available on the PWP Facebook page and my personal fan page. Stay tuned for the latest on this exciting new endeavor for all of us. What could be better than a wonderful cruise vacation to exotic places? Including quilting and partying time on the agenda!

I hope you'll join us on one of our adventures :)

Vintage Notions

My good friend, Amy Barickman, has done it again. Her new book, Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions, was recently released and, as with everything she does, Amy has given her all to this project. I love what I've seen so far. My copy is on its way and I can't wait to get it. This is a book I'll actually read because I know Amy has gathered together a really wonderful collection of inspirations from the past, which always get my creative juices flowing.

Please take some time to visit Amy's blog and let her tell you all about the book as only she can. Her passion for it is infectious and I know you'll love hearing what she has to say. Be sure to pick up a copy for yourself. This is one of those books that will inspire generation after generation of creative folks like us!

Quilting Celebrations cover revealed!

I know I've been a tease - only showing you little bits of projects from Quilting Celebrations. But I was sworn to secrecy.

No more! I'm really happy to be able to finally show you the full cover of QC and let you see some of the projects that will be included and give you a taste of the "party" I hope to bring you.

So, here it is. You can click on the cover to get an enlarged view. I sure hope you like it and that it gets the creative juices flowing. There are 18 projects included and they offer something for everyone.

I hope you'll request it at your local quilt shop. Tell them they can get the ordering information on my blog, in the post below.

So, what do you think? Does it look like a celebration you'd like to be a part of? I hope so. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers!

More ordering info

I hear that some shop owners have had problems reaching someone at the number provided for ordering Quilting Celebrations. Here are some more names and numbers that might help:

LaRita Godfrey 801-816-8410

Claudia Mann 801-816-8366

Becky Cude 801-816-8393

LaRita assures me that, even though they are on the phone a lot, they will get back to you if you leave a message. From what she told us, Quilting Celebrations is already selling well (in her words it's HOT) and they're very excited about it. Thanks so much for your support of this new endeavor for me/US.

I just got the exciting news from my Art Director, Tony, that the magazine is on it's way to production and, for real, you'll see it in September! Now I can take a deep breath and move on to the next bit of fun. I hope you're along for the ride :)

Cheers~

Happy Halloween ships September 1st!

For those who have been asking, you can now place your orders for the September 1st shipping of my Happy Halloween embroidery collection. Do it soon and you'll receive a 10% discount off of the manufacturer's suggested retail price. This is a limited time offer.

Order now at www.patricklose.net or by calling 623-414-9464. Get those Halloween projects started!

Happy Halloween embroidery!

No more sneak peeks - I can finally show you the entire Happy Halloween embroidery collection and, within the next day or so, you'll be able to place your orders for September 1st shipping! Click on the photo to enlarge and then visit my website for more details.

I hope you like this one as much as I do. I can't wait to see what wonderful things you'll make using the designs. I'd love to hear what you think.

Cheers!

New kid on the block

We've been posting on the Facebook pages and tweeting about the fact that my 3 existing Scribbles prints for Robert Kaufman are going away (except for a select few of the colorways) to make room for my newest Scribbles print, Meander. Well, it's time I let the cat out of the bag and show you why I'm so excited to bring you this new "textural" print for discriminating quilters ;-)

Meander is scheduled for a mid-November release but you'll be seeing more of it well before then when I get my hands on some of the sample yardage to use in new projects. It has that same "shadowed line-work" effect as its predecessors and, in my opinion, the mottling of the ground and the shadows have really been perfected in this new print. I can't wait to see the sense of depth it will bring to quilted pieces. Best of all, there's a beautiful range of 23 colors to start. Here's a sampling of a summery spectrum. Keep your eyes out here and on Facebook for the latest info on it's upcoming release.

In addition, we're adding 9 new colors to each of the Fizz and Dot-to-Dot collections! I'm ecstatic about this because I've been missing some of the new colors when I go to pick fabrics for new projects. I've taken your suggestions into consideration when selecting the new palette so I hope you'll like what's coming in October.

That's all for now. It's Quilt Cafe at the studio this morning and I'm loving it. If you're in Phoenix, come join us!

Halloween embroidery

With all of the hustle and bustle going on around here over getting the Winter issue of Quilting Celebrations out the door, I keep forgetting to give you peeks of other things going on.

I'm really excited about my new embroidery collections coming soon from Amazing Designs. I've been getting the stitch-outs/proofs a little at a time and the quality of the digitizing is wonderful! There's going to be instructions for a bonus project on the CD and I wanted you to get the first look at it.

Here's a pic of the mini banner I designed using two of the designs from the collection (you can click the image to enlarge). It's a great little project to complete in an evening and its manageable size and a fun hanger make it easy to find a place for it to be displayed when you're finished making it.

The jack-o'-lantern is a motif from my "Boo to You!" pattern and is applique embroidery which is super popular right now. I chose my Satinesque Stripe, in orange, for the pumpkin and it worked perfectly. In black, the same print is great for the borders and binding. The candy corn motif is perfect for the corner blocks or for scattering all over your other embroidered Halloween pieces.

I'll have more to show you soon from this Halloween collection but there's also a Christmas collection coming. So, those of you who have been waiting so long for new designs from me will have lots of new embroideries to choose from. Be watching my website to get yours as soon as they're available! I believe the Halloween collection comes out at the end of this month :)

The drawing board is calling me so that's all for now. I hope all is well with you.

Cheers!

PWP Online!

Good news ~ Party with Patrick Online 1.0 (year one) is available to join on my website FINALLY! It took a long time to work out the bugs of setting up an online club but I know it will be worth it to bring the party to more of you.

The first quilter to join is John from Ohio and he gets a party gift for early arrival of a fat quarter pack of "Glitzmas" from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Congrats and thanks to you, John. I hope you like the fabric and the first "party packet" from Party with Patrick Online 1.0.

Thanks to everyone for your patience as we worked to get the club online. I really appreciate your support of what I do and I hope this is a long and FUN party for us all! I'm happy to say that everyone can join us now, even if you don't have a local quilt shop that's participating. If you do have a local partying shop, remember that you can join there also because they're on year two now. The projects are completely different!

So, if you haven't joined yet, click here, put on your party hat, and celebrate quilting and camaraderie with us and get a "monthly dose of Patrick Lose"! ;-)

Cheers, all ~

Boo to You now available

My new pattern, Boo to You! is now available. Take a look here if you'd like to see or order it and the hanger I designed to coordinate.

This pattern includes full size templates and easy-to-follow instructions for creating a 15 x 30" appliqued door banner or wall hanging and a 12" scalloped round candle mat.

It's not too early to be getting your Halloween and autumn quilting done!

I hope you like it :)

But, first, a peek at embroideries!

I thought I'd be able to give you the sneak preview of my new Scribbles print for Robert Kaufman Fabrics, first, but this just came in and I wanted to share it with you right away.

Remember the sneak peek I gave you on Facebook of the artwork in this photo? Well, this is the first actual stitch-out of the design. Pretty cool, huh? This one's an applique design and the background fabric is my Fizz! By the way, you can stop calling me a tease now because I'm showing you the entire design. I think it would be fun on something like a trick or treat bag or a kitchen towel or an apron but I'm sure all of you embroiders out there could find a bunch of inventive uses for it. I think the stitched design is actually about 7" wide (?) so it's not puny. I hope you like it and I promise I'll get that new print posted for you to take a look at, too.

We'll be spending the rest of the day putting the finishing touches on this year's Dam Christmas Party retreat at the Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City, NV. I can't wait to spend time on holiday quilting with old friends and new there later in the week. I'm sure it will be just as full of laughs and great memories as last year :)))

Have a great day, all!

Out with the old and in with the NEW

Be watching for a preview of my newest print for my Mixmasters Scribbles line for Robert Kaufman, soon. The existing Scribbles prints are being phased out to make room for the new so get 'em while you can here!

Another tease

I promised another peek at Quilting Celebrations and here's a little taste of autumn. Since it's July 4th weekend, though, it's just a little taste because it's time to celebrate SUMMER! If you want to see a bit more, take a look at the slide show on my website and you'll get another glimpse.

What I love about this piece is the quilting by uber-talented long arm quilter, Jessica Jones. She quilted several pieces in this premier issue and I can't wait for you to see more of her work.

I'm off to enjoy more of this beautiful Iowa summer. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather on this trip but the forecast calls for more rain and storms starting tomorrow and lasting a few days, at least. Sounds like July of 1993. That's worrisome considering the already flooding rivers. Having gone through the Great Floods of '93 here in Des Moines, I sure hope the rains are minimal here. We're back on the road on Monday so we shouldn't have to deal with too much of it.

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL holiday weekend!

Making memories

Here's another peek at a portion of one of the embroidery designs from my Christmas collection for Amazing Designs. Hint: If you have my book "A Patrick Lose Christmas" you can see the whole image :-) This will be an applique embroidery, I believe. It's also one of my personal favorite Christmastime illustrations.

I'm going to try to get another peek from Quilting Celebrations posted soon. I got print-outs of the page layouts Tony has designed so far and I couldn't be happier. It's like a "party on paper"! The colors and layouts are so full of life and I know you're gonna love the look of this new magazine.

We're still on the road with my daughter, Katie, and my granddaughters and the time with them has been wonderful. A highlight was our trip to the beautiful Winterset City Park in Winterset, Iowa (thanks for the suggestion Jeanne and Tony!). Lily and Lauryn had a blast going through the "hedge maze" and climbing the tower to look out over Madison County - home of the covered bridges. Another wonderful time was taking Lily to Toy Story 3. What a great movie! Lily was actually crying "No! No!" at the screen at one point but I won't say anything more so I don't spoil it if you haven't seen it yet. Go see it :)

Gotta run...more fun coming today with the girls. Talk to you soon and be on the lookout for the QC sneak peek coming soon ;-)

Cheers -

Another winner :)

Congratulations to Leslie McSorley who's won the pack of 4 fat quarters in our contest! If you're reading this, Leslie, please email Gary with your shipping address. His email is gary@patricklose.net. We've also sent you an email.

Thanks to all who visited the new website and commented and keep an eye out for future giveaways!

Summer Sun

The July/August issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting features my "Sunny Trio" wall hanging design with a sunflower theme on page 46. It's on newsstands now if you want to take a look!
With some easy-to-figure adjustments to the instructions, this design also makes a great table runner for your summer picnics...indoors or out! Just add as many of the blocks as you'd like to fit your table.

This is a great Party-with-Patrick-style project and very stash-friendly. Or there's even a kit available from F&P.

Hope you like it :)

Random sneak peek

Here's a portion of a design that I hope makes the cut in the new embroidery collection ;)

I had so many ideas for this one that I think I could do two or three Christmas collections!

Quilt Cafe

My good friend and art director of Quilting Celebrations, Tony, sent me an email today wondering if everything was okay because he hadn't heard from me for awhile. I've been so busy that friends wonder if I've slid off the face of the planet. No small wonder with everything that's going on. I'm still kicking, Tony :)

The first event at my new Quilt & Create Studio took place yesterday morning and it was a great success. We offered our first Quilt Cafe, mixing morning coffee, quilting, and camaraderie, and the ladies had so much fun that they've now put in a request to be there as a group every Wednesday. We're going to do it again tomorrow morning and maybe we'll have a new group come in for that. If you're in the Phoenix area and want to hang out and quilt with us in the studio, come on over! We'll be adding events often as we get the studio "up and running" full steam so check the calendar from time to time.

My entire collection of machine embroidery designs for Halloween is now off to the digitizer and I can't wait to start seeing them come to "life" in thread. Amazing Designs, who I've licensed the designs to, has also asked that I get a collection of Christmas designs to them as soon as possible. More specifically - by the end of June. But that really means that I have to have a whole collection of designs to them by the end of next week when we head out on another trip to Iowa. It looks like I won't have time for much breathing until we hit the road. But that's okay. It means I'm finally going to be getting you lots more of the embroidery designs you've been asking for!

I better get to the studio and my drawing board, huh? I hope you all have a wonderful day :)

A bit more

Here's another peek from the same project. I'm glad you're liking this one. I really enjoyed making it and I have a feeling you will, too.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Random sneak peeks :)

One of the questions I'm most often asked is "What are you working on now?" Sometimes I can't really answer without giving away something I shouldn't....for whatever reason.

So, I've decided to offer little random "sneak peeks" of projects that I'm either working on or are finished but not yet in print such as the photo to the left. Yep, I'm a tease. But it gives you an idea of the kinds of things going on in my head or in the studio.

This one's a little glimpse of a quilted and hand-stitched project from Quilting Celebrations, my magazine coming in September. As you can see, I'm still using my Satinesque collection from Robert Kaufman and I'm really getting into the warm and whimsical look of using perle cotton and hand embroidery to add even more interest to a piece. I'm sure you can tell that this will be a project for Christmas and it's okay for me to say that I think this is one of my all-time favorites.

That's the random sneak peek for today. Check back from time to time for more little bits of what's going on around here. Trust me when I say "It's been BUSY!"

Now...don't you have something you should be creating? ;-)

Cheers!

NEW WEBSITE and CONTEST!

Finally! The new website has launched and I'm hoping you'll stop by and take a look at www.patricklose.net :)

There's still a bit of work to do on it but it's there, for the most part. What's left is to add more of what we hope to offer you. I hope you'll let us know what you think by posting your comments here or on Facebook.

Of course, this would all be more fun if there were a contest involved, right? So here goes:

Those who visit the new site and post comments here or on Facebook before Saturday, June 19th, will be entered in a drawing to win 4 fat quarters from my fabric collections.

So...go visit the new site, make yourself at home there, and don't be a stranger :) Good luck.

Cheers!

A Busy Saturday

Still working on the studio - among so many other things. My brain is kinda mushy today from all of the things it's been expected to do lately.

Everyone who's stopped by to say "hello" says it's looking great and they want to come hang out with us for classes and sew days. I think we're going to open up in the next week or so and let the rest of the space "evolve". I want to see how things work and go from there. Maybe we don't need to be doing as much work on it as I think ...or all at once. So, if you're in the area, stay tuned for the class/event schedule.

The new website should be up and running (for the most part) sometime in the coming week (UPDATE: whenever the developers get around to it, I guess) so keep an eye out for that. I've been told this very thing for a couple of months now so I'll believe it when I see it with my own eyes. When it's finally up and running, it will be a lot easier to get my patterns and fabrics if your local quilt shop isn't carrying them!

I've posted a couple of sneak peek "teasers" on the fan pages of designs that will be included in my Halloween collection of machine embroidery designs. I can't give you the whole show, yet, but you'll get a taste if you take a look here: Patrick Lose fan page or Party with Patrick fan page. I'll post more from time to time so stay tuned.

I'm headed back to the drawing board for more designing and to choose fabrics for the applique embroideries from the collection that are being digitized. I'm hoping for a relaxing afternoon and I hope you have the same :)

Another busy day

I'm trying to catch up here, after the trip, with everything going on in my life! Unpacking and reorganizing after a two week absence and trying to get out new designs AND getting the studio ready has been quite a challenge.

First stop today will be IKEA (one of my favorite places in the world) for more inspiration and solutions for the studio space. We've got a very ecclectic mix going on with everything from primitive to artsy "whimsical" to contemporary...demonstrating that quilting and crafting is compatible with ALL styles. Something for everyone I hope :)

I'm also finishing up designs this weekend for my new Halloween- themed embroideries that will be available in August or September, new fabrics - including more yarn-dyes (woo-hoo!), and projects for a new book. Honestly...just the tip of the iceberg.

Yep...my head is spinning ;-)

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Party Time in Iowa

If you're not a member of Party with Patrick at your local participating quilt shop, this is the project you'll be missing out on at the May parties. Your local shop isn't a member shop? Let them know that you want to party with us!

Every month, there's a new quilted project for members to make at the parties, held at the shop. Shop owners and their hosts and hostesses have been very creative at coming up with their own monthly themes and offerings including snacks made from the recipes that come with your membership.

It's a lot of fun, at the very least, and I'm in Iowa right now visiting and teaching at four member shops! I'll be at Common Threads, Pine Needles Sewing Center, The Stitch and Quilting Connection and I can't wait to party with everyone there.

We're also spending the next two days getting all of the projects for Quilting Celebrations photographed and, although it's a challenging task, I'm really looking forward to it. I think you're gonna love the magazine.

On another note...what the heck happened to spring? It's stormy and cold here. I hope you're enjoying a more acceptable spring where you are ;-)

Cheers ~

New pattern!

Here's just one of the new patterns that will be available in June. This one is lots of fun to make and includes patterns and instructions for a 15 x 30" banner and a 12" scalloped edge candle mat. The bats' eyes are white buttons with black thread "pupils" and I designed the banner hanger to coordinate. It will also be available to order!


Keep an eye out here for the other new releases coming soon :)

Happy May Day!

Do you celebrate May Day or did you as a kid? If so, what was, or is, customary where you live?

I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and kids loved May Day. Each May 1st, we made baskets out of construction paper or "oak tag" (who else remembers the multi-use wonders of oak tag?) or attached pipe cleaner handles to custom-decorated plastic or paper cups and filled them with penny candy and maybe a few violets to deliver to the front doors of "unsuspecting" friends and neighbors.

One of the objects of this funny little custom was to get the task accomplished without being caught. It was fairly impossible. When I was a kid, it seemed the time between Easter Sunday and Independence Day was a barren, uneventful stretch of time on the calendar with no trees to decorate or feasts to celebrate or gifts to receive save for the the simple pleasures of a few baskets of candy bestowed by friends and playmates on May Day. So, we looked forward to the day and we waited by our doors and windows and hid in the shrubs outside hoping to catch the carriers of the candies in the act! Another part of the custom, if I remember it correctly, was that the basket-bringers were to be kissed, if caught. But we didn't partake in that aspect as kids...ick.

There were lots of kids in our small neighborhood. That's mostly because I'm the eldest of eight in my family alone. But what was so wonderful about the block we lived on was that the adults could be just as childlike as we were when it came to the holidays and celebrations throughout the year. I'll never forget catching one of our favorite neighbor ladies, Mattie (Mary), hiding in the bushes across the street from our house with an armload of eight of those green strawberry basket containers filled to the tops with candy as she waited to dart across the street to drop them on our front porch and run back home. What a great memory and what an impression her actions must have made that, 40 years or more later, I remember it like it was yesterday! Even though I don't celebrate May Day anymore, those kinds of childhood memories have become a part of what I think about every May 1st.

If you have memories of May Day or still celebrate it today, we'd love to hear about it. Judging from all of the fun submissions we got on the Halloween question last week, I'll bet you have some interesting thoughts to offer. So, let's have another contest; Answer the questions at the beginning of this blog post, as a comment here or on my personal Facebook fan page or the Party with Patrick fan page. We'll take submissions through Wednesday, May 5th and anyone who submits will be entered into a drawing for a Scribbles fat quarter pack of 11 pieces from the collection. Post as many times as you'd like but each name will only be entered into the drawing once.

And if you'd like to make a cute little construction paper or oak tag basket, there's a pattern offered here: http://www.patricklose.net/pwp/maybasket.html

Fill it with candy or little flowers and sneak off to make someone's day! Have fun :)

Lazy works for me

So, as I said before, I'm opening a small studio in Phoenix. Yesterday was another day of the usual...

The city was supposed to send an inspector on Monday to approve turning on the electricity (nothing better to do, I guess) Of course there's a hefty fee for this and I still can't tell why that's necessary because it took all of 5 minutes when he finally showed up yesterday (Monday wasn't good for him even though we had an appointment).

So once he gave his blessing on our having electricity, the power company sent out a guy to install a meter. Why? There's already a meter there. It was the only meter turned off for the building but he said it didn't have our suite number on it so he refused to turn on the power even though it was the right meter. Many phone calls and much wasted time later, another guy comes out and says it's no problem the number wasn't on it and turns it on. This is AFTER the carpet cleaner showed up...needing the electricity we should have had the day before.

The carpet cleaner is another story altogether. He didn't end up needing the electricity after all. He told us it would be more expensive to clean the carpet than to replace it. Unbelievable. How can that be? These guys didn't want to do their jobs. The carpet cleaner actually admitted that he tells his customers to schedule early in the day because if you're his last call, the job doesn't get done well...or at all in our case.

So Gary went on a rampage and ripped the carpet out of the place and we're going to have new carpet...it's a reward for what we've had to go through so far. Maybe I should hire some other lazy person so we can justify a 60" flat screen TV on the wall ;-)

Maybe today is when the fun starts? ;-) Hope you have a good one!

Cheers

Congratulations to our latest winner!

I love being able to start off the day by telling someone they've won a prize! Tina Romo submitted an answer to our question, "What's your favorite Halloween trick or treat?", and her name was drawn from all of the entrants. She's won a tower of 29 fat quarters from my Dot-to-Dot collection from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. That's more than 7 yards of fabric! Congratulations, Tina, and I hope you enjoy the prize. Of course, we'd love to see photos of anything you make using the fabrics ;-)

We had more responses to this contest than any other we've held and really enjoyed all of your submissions. I hope you had a chance to read through them and enjoy them, too. If so, maybe you've gotten some new ideas for your next Halloween celebration? I know I had some good laughs from some of the answers and was also reminded of lots of Halloweens past. Great fun and great memories!

I'll be spending the day, again, getting my studio ready to open. I decided I wanted to try out having a space to work in that I could share with fellow creative types and offer classes and open sewing/crafting sessions. I found while working with the Dam Quilters in Boulder City that I love having the instant feedback on my designs and that I'm more inspired to create when I'm in the midst of other creative people (especially when they like what I'm working on!). I'm sure we'll also be holding some fun retreats there and maybe you'll want to join us for those? If you're local to the Phoenix area, I hope you'll consider spending some time with us there. Keep an eye out here for details. You can also subscribe to my email list and join the local discussion here for updates.

Time for me to get to work....

Don't you have something creative you should be doing? ;-)

Cheers!

Good answers :)

Thanks for all of the great answers and comments on the Halloween question. Everyone who posted here, on my personal fan page and on the Party with Patrick fan page will be entered in the drawing for the tower of fat quarters. It's gonna take awhile to account for and enter all of the names so we hope to draw at the beginning of the week. Stay tuned...

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!