Fellow Quilters,

I’m not much of a pre-planner, and my co-workers will certainly attest to this!  My brother thinks I procrastinate, but that’s not true.  I do a lot of last-minute stuff, however – maybe my name should be Last-minute Lucy.  When I have a quilt to make for a show, display or magazine, the first question I ask is “When is it due?”  Then I work back from that date, allocating time to the quilt project, and fill in other necessary activities/commitments around that.  Problem is, I sometimes (okay, usually) don’t allocate enough time – to any of the commitments.  The end result is that I still get the projects done, and in the time allotted, but I have to work much faster as the time runs out.  I get so much done in that “11^th hour”.  A deadline is a real motivator!  Just ask any quilter who has committed to having a quilt ready for an upcoming show – he or she is working on it daily, right up to the day before the show.  Quilts always seem to take 10 or 20 hours longer than we plan, don’t they?  Some of you are saying “No”, but a lot of you are saying “I’m with you, sister!”

That’s why, when I make a holiday or seasonal quilt, I like to make something that is really quick and easy – I want to get the quilt done and on the bed long before the holiday is over.  Take my Hootin’ Holidays quilt that is in the 2014 issue of Quilter’s Newsletter’s Best Christmas Quilts, on newsstands now.  I used Northcott’s Holiday Hoot flannel collection, with its adorable owl border stripe.

Best Christmas Quilts 2014 cover

This stripe is doing most of the work in the quilt.  I used it in the border, of course – great big 9” wide strips – and it makes a very interesting border. The effect is that it looks like I sewed lots of strips together, when in fact it is just the fabric. Then I also used the stripe in the blocks, cutting upper and lower triangles, and piecing them with bright flannel textures to create sashed square-in-a-square blocks.  The flannel textures are from the Stonehenge Kids flannel coordinates, and I pulled colors from the border stripe – golden yellow, orange, chartreuse, turquoise, red, royal and dark green – not exactly Christmas colors!  The end result is a cozy twin/double quilt that is cute and fun – just perfect for a kid’s bed.

Holiday Hoot flat shot

Northcott also designed a sew-easy advent calendar to coordinate with the Holiday Hoot fabrics, and it is the easiest advent calendar ever!  You simply fold the panel along the lines indicated to make rows of pockets, and then stitch vertical lines between the columns to create the individual pockets for treats.  My boys are 22 & 20 and they still look for their advent calendar every year, as they count down the days till Christmas.

Holiday Hoot advent calendar

Each December 1, I pull out the Christmas stuff and decorate my home for the holidays.  This includes putting a special Christmas quilt on each bed.  I started making these quilts several years ago, and have made one almost every year since.  They usually include a panel or lengthwise border stripe, as the Hootin’ Holidays one does, so they really do go together quickly.  I also have 5 holiday wall quilts that hang in place of pictures for the month of December.  One of them was made by my Nana – hand-quilted, it is my first quilt, and I love it!

How about you?  Do you decorate your home with holiday quilts?  Is there one that is extra-special?  Please post a comment on my blog, sharing your thoughts, for a chance to win a complimentary copy of Best Christmas Quilts.  I will include some fabrics from one of Northcott’s Christmas collections – Holiday Hoot, Christmas Traditions, Old Time Christmas, Stonehenge Starry Night – or winter collections – Winter Wonderland, Alpine Getaway – if you tell me which collection is your favorite.  See the collections on www.northcott.com.  Comments received by midnight tonight are eligible.  I will choose 1 winner for the magazine and fabric, and 2 more winners for just fabric.  And enjoy this year’s Best Christmas Quilts – there are some fabulous projects in it.

Cheers,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

My awesome piecer Susanne and I have been busy this week with a fun project.  I was invited to participate in a blog tour with the folks at American Patchwork & Quilting and their One Million Pillowcase Challenge, and today is the tour day.  Northcott has been a proud sponsor of the One Million Pillowcase Challenge for a few years, and this is my 3^rd time participating in a blog tour about it.  Last year we made a pillowcase using the popular train pattern.  This year, we got to choose our own pattern from the extensive library of patterns on the AllPeopleQuilt website (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/freepatterns/index.html). But which one to choose – that was the question!

For inspiration, I looked in the Northcott warehouse at the newest fabric collections that had come in, and found 2 that I really wanted to use: Stonehenge Prehistoric by Linda Ludovico, and Bella Ballerina by Diane Knott. I couldn’t decide, so Susanne and I used both collections. I scanned through the free patterns, and chose Pattern 38 Diamond Band for the Prehistoric pillowcase. The fabric collection includes a lengthwise border stripe that is printed sideways on the fabric, and this type of print is perfect for the body of the pillowcase. I used some of the Stonehenge coordinates for the 4-patch units and a delicious dark marble-looking coordinate for the setting triangles.

The Bella Ballerina collection features ballerinas in ruffle-y dresses, so of course Pattern 1 Ruffle Trim was perfect. This collection has a fabric that has pre-printed blocks of the ballerinas, and is printed sideways, so it became the body of the pillowcase. The width of 3 blocks was a bit smaller than the 26½” piece required for the pattern, so we made the band a bit wider to compensate. It still turned out great!

Last year, I donated the pillowcase to a charity supported by my quilt guild – Yellow Brick House, a shelter for abused women and their children. Along with the pillowcase, I donated a backpack of school supplies, because this was one of the things listed on their website as being greatly needed at this time of year. This year is no exception, and they provided me with a list of supplies. Since Susanne and I made 2 pillowcases, we filled 2 backpacks – one for a boy and one for a girl, to match the pillowcases. I was thinking, as Susanne was sewing, how fun these 2 fabric collections were, and how easy it would be to make a matching cuddle quilt to accompany each pillowcase. The Stonehenge Prehistoric collection includes a 24” x 42” panel that would be a great center to a cuddle quilt – simply add a border (or 4, as it turned out), and you’re done. The pre-printed blocks from Bella Ballerina also made a great quilt center, so we added 4 borders, and voila! In less than 2 hours, Susanne and I had those quilt tops done. I quickly quilted them on my longarm, and Susanne added the speedy machine binding. Two kids will now head back to school knowing that people care about them, and their mom will have a couple less things to worry about.

Susanne and I with our pillowcases, cuddle quilts and backpacks of school supplies

My final step was to go to the One Million Pillowcase Challenge website and add our 2 pillowcases to the count. (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases) Wow, it’s up to 568,688! How awesome is that?!? I know that total will increase on September 19 & 20^th when American Patchwork & Quilting hosts their 24-hour sew-a-thon. If you can’t make it to Des Moines (me neither), you can go to one of the many participating shops across the USA and Canada (for a list of shops go to http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines-more/24-hour-sew-thon-shops).  If there isn’t a shop in your area, don’t despair!  You can still make a pillowcase or 2, maybe with a quilting friend, and donate it locally.  That’s what the Challenge is all about – spreading the love and comfort.  Don’t forget to add yours to the count on the One Million Pillowcase website.

I’m proud to be part of the awesome list of bloggers below that are participating in the blog tour. Please visit as many as you can, as we share our stories with you.

•     Alison Glass (http://alisonglass.com/blog)
•    American Patchwork & Quilting (www.allpeoplequilt.com/blog)
•    Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs (http://www.meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/)
•    The Benartex Design Team: Sew in Love with Fabric (http://www.sewinlovewithfabric.blogspot.com)
•    Debby Kratovil (http://debbykratovilquilts.blogspot.com/)
•    Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts (http://www.laundrybasketquilts.net/blog/)
•    Heidi Pridemore (http://heidipridemore.blogspot.com)
•    How To Sew (www.howtosew.com)
•    Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom (http://www.sisboom.com/blog/)
•    Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts (http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/)
•    Karrie Winters of Freckled Whimsy (http://www.freckledwhimsy.com/)
•    Kelle Boyd of Ann Kelle (http://www.annkelle.com/category/blog/)
•    Linda Carlson (www.lindacarlsonquilts.com)
•    Lori Mason (http://www.lorimasondesign.com/news/)
•    Modern Quilt Studio (http://craftnectar.com/)
•    Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft (http://modernhandcraft.com/)
•    Shannon Fabrics: My Cuddle Corner (http://shannonfabrics.com/blog/index/)
•    Tammy Silvers (http://www.tamarinis.typepad.com)
•    Timeless Treasures: Sew Timeless (http://www.ttfabrics.com/blog/)
•    Valori Wells (http://www.valoriwells.com/blog/)
•    Verna Mosquera of The Vintage Spool (http://freespiritfabric.blogspot.com/)
•    Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring (http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/)

It’s no secret that I like to give stuff away.  For a chance to win a packet of yummy Northcott fabrics, please post a comment on my blog, telling me which current Northcott collection (in the drop-down on the Fabrics tab) you would most like to use for a pillowcase (http://www.northcott.com/).  I’ll give away 3 packets.

Thanks for visiting, and keep those pillowcases coming!

Cheers,

Patti

My dad passed away August 3 – he was 78, and had battled prostate cancer for several years.  His funeral was a week ago, and it was an honour to deliver the eulogy:

Dad & I at my wedding

Who was my Dad? He was the son of Mabel and Jim O’Rourke, his namesake.  He was the oldest brother to Peter, Sandy and Bill.  Family was very important to Dad.  As a kid, I recall weekly visits to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on Sunday after church. We were often joined by Peter’s, Sandy’s and Bill’s families, or some of Dad’s many cousins. Great debates would ensue, and the verbal sparring could be heard throughout the house.  It was always a great time – Peter was the loudest, youngest brother Bill would join in, quickly followed by Sandy’s husband Bob, while Dad tried to be the voice of reason.  He would listen to the arguments, weigh the evidence, and consider the options before he voiced his opinion.  The siblings became great friends in later years, and not a Christmas went by that they didn’t get together to celebrate.

Mom’s family was equally important to Dad.  For many years, we got together regularly with Mom’s brothers Al’s and Ken’s families.  Dad got along especially well with Ken, and enjoyed teasing his daughters Kathy and Karen.  Kathy commented to me that Dad had such a great laugh.  Dad loved my Nana, Mom’s mom, and she adored him.  He would make her special cocktails, and he always took care of her (she was widowed long before Dad met Mom).  He called her Mother, and I thought that was so fitting that I call my mother-in-law Mom too.  I sometimes think Dad called Nana that because she cooked much better than his own mom!

His other family was his Northcott family, where he worked for 30 years, and eventually became president.  He was willing to give almost anyone a chance, and some even got a 2^nd chance.  He treated the staff like family, and they appreciated that and respected him for it.  They would do just about anything for my dad.  He offered kind words of encouragement, and handled every situation with diplomacy – he found the right way to say difficult things.  He retired 13 years ago, and the staff still speaks of him with great fondness.

Dad formed fast friendships with school chums Serge, Reg and Harold – a friendship still going strong 60 years later. Together with the 4 wives, they called themselves the POPS – Pig Out Pals- because they would have weekend get-togethers also known as eat-ins.  Dad so enjoyed the camaraderie of these friends, and aging gracefully with them.

Friendships were also forged on Lake of Bays. In the early years, our family rented a cottage next to the Whartons and Callbecks, and Ross Wharton was an even bigger jokester than Dad. For 3 solid weeks each summer, we played hard – waterskiing, horseshoes, BBQing, and epic water fights.  When the lake water got too warm, we used ice-cold well water.  During one such fight, Laurel Wharton snuck up on Dad.  At the last second he stepped aside, and the bucket of well water she had thrown cascaded down Nana’s back as she sat quietly in a lawn chair minding her own business.  In her email to me the other day, Laurel referred to Dad as “your beloved dad”, a sentiment that has been shared with us many times in the past week by numerous friends, colleagues and family members.

In recent years, more friendships formed in the golf communities at the lake and in Venice FL. Mom and Dad loved to entertain, and their door was always open.  Dad thoroughly enjoyed golfing, and didn’t let a bad hip or failing eyesight from a couple of minor strokes deter him.  His desire to golf got him back into shape after his hip replacement, and he simply found ways to get around obstacles like not being able to see the golf ball very well.  When his failing eyesight prevented him from renewing his driver’s licence, he took it in stride with grace – always that positive outlook! He had a quiet determination that saw him through a range of health issues over the years.  When my colleague Susanne was battling cancer, he encouraged her not to give up hope, to stay positive, as he had done.

Dad with my boys Chris & Alex

One of his greatest pleasures was spending time with his grandsons Christopher, Alex and Dillon.  In every photo with them, he is positively beaming. He enjoyed spoiling them to no end, and particularly enjoyed their visits in Florida and the cottage.  At the end of each and every visit, he would say to them “Papa loves you”.

He even let them drive his boat! When my colleague Hania announced 3 years ago that she was going to be a grandma, he told her that grandchildren are life’s greatest joy.

Dad gave my brother, sister and I many things, but the best ones were intangible.  He instilled in us his terrific work ethic – work hard and smart, think outside of the box, value and encourage the contribution of others, but save time for family and fun, for they come first.  Debbie and I have his eyes.  Brian has his hairline.  He liked working in the garden, whether it was growing vegetables, or tending to the perennial flowerbeds.  Every time I putter in the garden, I think of him, and wish he was there, advising me on whether the particular plant in question is a weed or a flower.  When it came to decorating, he was right there beside Mom, choosing fabrics, wallpaper, style of furniture, etc.  He had a great eye for colour and design.  Most of all, he showed us how to be good partners, good parents and good human beings – be patient, loving and kind, and sometimes eat humble pie.

His greatest love of course was Mom, and it showed in all that he said and did for her.  From the jewellery trinkets each Christmas to stylish outfits, he loved to shop for Mom and make her feel special.  When he retired, he took on several household chores to lighten her load, including operating the g.d. vacuum.  I don’t know what brand that is, but it doesn’t work very well.  He liked dressing up in his tux for special occasions, and they made a handsome couple on the dance floor.  She was his honey, his darling, and his blue eyes sparkled when he spoke of her.  They made a perfect couple – he knew when to step in, and when to defer to her. They were soul mates.

Dad had an easy smile that showed his warm heart, and an infectious laugh that could spark a room full of laughter.  He was a proud man – proud of his family and his friends.  He was thoughtful and wise. He was kind and gentle.  The past few weeks have been tough, as we watched Dad slowly slip away, but every cloud has a silver lining.  We rarely get the opportunity to tell the special people in our lives how much they mean to us. I am grateful that we were given that opportunity with Dad.  He is gone, and we are going to miss him, but he will live on in our cherished memories of him.  They are his gift to us.