Welcome to #stayathomeandhop

Fellow Quilters,

Woo-hoo!  Today is Day 1 of the Stay at Home and Hop virtual tour of 40 uber-talented pattern designer’s blogs/websites.  Over the course of the next 10 days I’ll be posting 4 times and providing you with a list of 9-10 other designers to check out.  You’ll get a new list in each post, and 3 days to go through the list at your leisure for a dose of inspiration – these are savvy designers and you may know some of them already!

Today’s post includes:

Lone Star Pattern Works https://www.lonestarpatternworks.com

Powered by Quilting https://www.poweredbyquilting.com

Cottage Rose Quilt Patterns https://www.cottagerosequiltshop.com

The Cloth Parcel https://www.theclothparcel.com

Faith and Fabric https://www.faithandfabricdesign.com

Linen Closet Designs http://www.linenclosetdesigns.com

Designs by Sarah J https://www.designsbysarahj.com

Rona the Ribbiter Quilts https://www.ronatheribbiter.com

Quilt Fox Designs https://www.quiltfox-design.com

Seam to Be Sew https://www.seamstobesew.com

You may want to go back and visit their blogs/websites again during the Hop to see what else they’ve posted.  You might even subscribe to their blog/newsletter or follow them on Facebook.  While you’re at it, if you’re not already following my Patti’s Patchwork Facebook page, you can hop over to do that, and subscribe to my blog here or newsletter here (scroll down to the bottom).

Here’s what you can expect from my 4 blog posts:           – a bit of newsy stuff on what I’ve been up to lately, mostly quilt-related

– a quilting tip or trick.  I’ve been quilting for almost 30 years now (I started when I was 3 – hahaha) and teaching quilting for about 20 years so I’ve gleaned a few nuggets during that time.

-a tasty comfort-food recipe to tide you through these stay-at-home times.  I like cooking almost as much as I like quilting, and I must admit I’m pretty good at it.  These are recipes I make regularly that have become family favorites.  I’m sharing them with you ‘cause you’re my quilting family 😊.

– free stuff!  As if free recipes and free quilting tips aren’t enough, I’ve got free fabric up for grabs. Not just any fabric, no, it’s Northcott fabric!  The good stuff!! You’re going to have to work for it though.  I’m looking for feedback on something and you’re going to post your feedback comment on my blog.  I’ll randomly select 1 (or 2 if I get a lot of responses) to receive free fabric.  Shall we get started?  Yes, let’s do it!

I am super-thrilled to have my E-Z Miter and lone star tool featured in the May/June issue of McCall’s Quilting, on newsstands March 27.  Let me give you a bit of background on this mini tool with mighty benefits. On the way home from a Borders & Binding workshop I taught to the Sarnia guild last April I was pondering how I could make mitered borders easier to mark – the students really got the concept of pre-cutting the mitered angles prior to sewing them on the quilt.  They struggled, however, with marking the spots to start and stop sewing them.  I came up with the idea of a small angled template with precisely drilled holes, and that is how the E-Z Miter tool came to be.  It includes detailed instructions on fool-proof mitered borders as well as instructions on using the tool for lone star/Lemoyne star blocks/quilts as well.  Simply place the tool in the inner angled corner of your mitered border to mark the exact spot to start and stop sewing.  Use the square corner to mark the quilt or block, then connect the two dots for perfect foolproof mitered corners.  Easy peasy!  I even have a how-to YouTube video here. I demonstrated the tool to McCall’s editor Lori Baker last Fall at Quilt Market and gave her one to try at her leisure.  Word on the street is that she now uses it regularly – yay Lori – and asked that it be featured in the Fresh Picks section of nifty new quilty stuff.

So, how do get your hands on one of these awesome gadgets?  So glad you asked!  You can find them at select shops or through my website here. They retail for $10.50 Canadian (roughly $8 US, though with the plummeting Canadian dollar they’re getting cheaper by the minute ☹).  Now, Canada Post (I’m Canadian eh) does not let me ship these to the US for less than a parcel rate of $9 (ack!).  However, for the next 2 months I have arranged a special shipping rate for my American quilty friends – enter the code EZMcCalls at checkout for $5 off.  A shout-out to my friend Sara of Ladeebug Design for helping me with this.  To entice you further, I’ve written a free pattern just for you that uses the E-Z Miter tool for the mitered border and the star.  The Botanica Lone Star quilt is 41” square and features Northcott’s new Botanica collection including a gorgeous lengthwise floral stripe, used in the border of the quilt.  Enjoy!

Now we get to the quilt tip part of my post.  When I am piecing a quilt such as the Botanica Lone Star, I press my background seams toward the star – what?!?!?!  Yes, because I am already thinking how I want to quilt this beauty.  I have meticulously pieced that star and I want it to pop, so I am going to stitch in the ditch around the star, in the background if I have pressed the seams toward the star.  My favorite pressing tool is the Clover Hera Marker and I have a quick video on Northcott’s site of how I use this uber-handy gadget.  That’s two tips!

Now for the recipe – it’s a dessert because my motto is “Eat dessert first” or at least scope out what dessert is so I can save room for it.

Chocolate Orange Mousse

Melt…..                                            4oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Remove from heat and add…     3 egg yolks

Beat until thickened then add… 6tbsp softened butter

1tbsp orange liqueur (Gran Marnier or Cointreau)

½tsp vanilla

Separately, beat until stiff…        3 egg whites
Fold ¼ of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold the chocolate mixture into the rest of the egg whites.  Spoon into 4 dishes and chill for 30 minutes.

Now for the giveaway.  I’ve got a bundle of Botanica waiting to be made into a Botanica Lone Star quilt.  For your chance to win it, visit the Workshops tab on my website and post a comment below telling me which workshop you’d like to take.

Thanks for stopping by, have fun and please stay safe and healthy.

Cheers,

Patti