Fellow Quilters,

The past couple of months at Northcott have been a blur, as we prepared for quilt Market, our semi-annual trade show.  As a result, I have not had much spare time to blog.  I must say I’ve missed you!  Well, today I am back on the blog bandwagon participating in another Quiltmaker’s “100 Blocks” Blog Tour.  Editor June Dudley told me about the tour last week while we chatted at Market, and I got right to work whipping up a few blocks for you to comment on.

Perusing the latest issue of “100 Blocks” (Volume 6 already!), I noticed that there are several blocks that either use Northcott fabric or are designed by some of Northcott’s favorite pattern designers.  It just so happens that Northcott is advertising a new cuddly soft flannel collection called Reptile Rumpus in this issue, so I thought I would recreate the blocks and, by extension, some quilts using Reptile Rumpus.  Of course, if you have participated in this blog tour before, you know that I want your opinion on which block and which quilt is your favorite.  Please leave a comment by 11:59pm today Nov. 7^th and I will randomly choose one name to win your very own copy of “100 Blocks Volume 6”.

Block #559 uses Baby Safari, a collection designed by Carina Gardner.

Here is my version using Reptile Rumpus.

While the block looked good, the resulting 3 x 3 block quilt failed to inspire me.

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Block #563 is designed by Laura Blanchard of Plum Tree Quilts.

In Reptile Rumpus, both the block and the resulting quilt look interesting.

Block #577 is designed by Chris Hoover of Whirligig Designs.

Chris’ block is a big more detailed, but both the block and the quilt turned out well.

Block #589 by Scott Murkin is shown as a quilt on page 89 using Stonehenge Ginko ebony.

Here’s how the quilt and block look in Reptile Rumpus.

Block #593

I was pleased with how the quilt and block turned out.

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Of course, I also did a bit of mixing and matching.

Here is the Chris/Celine quilt #577/#593.

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I also combined #559 & #589.

Okay, it’s your turn to voice your opinion.  Please send me a comment with your favorite block and quilt, and I’ll post the votes in the next couple of weeks.  Good luck!

I’ll also try to work on another post this week – I am travelling to 8 quilt shops and 3 guilds in Virginia and Maryland from Nov. 6 – 12.  If you are at any of the participating shops or guilds, please come and say hi.  Today I am at Quilters by the Bay Guild (Lexington Park, MD), Quilt & Sewing Center (Fredericksburg, VA) and Bonnie’s Sewing Center (Alexandria, VA).  On Nov. 8^th, I am at Sew Refreshing (Mechanicsville, VA), Bernina of Richmond (VA) and Sew EZ (Portsmouth, VA).  Then on Nov. 9^th, I’m going to Nancy’s Calico Patch in Newport News, then the Tidewater Quilt Guild on Nov 10^th, then Tomorrow’s Treasures (Crofton, MD) and Pax River Guild (Lexington Park, MD) on Monday.  Stay tuned for photos!

Cheers,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

                Today I am participating in a blog tour for the One Million Pillowcase Challenge.  What is the One Million Pillowcase Challenge, you ask?  The creative folks at American Patchwork & Quilting magazine and Quilts & More magazine, through their allpeoplequilt.com website, have challenged you and me to make a million pillowcases.  We register our pillowcases on the website, and donate them to a charity of our choice.  How are we doing?  Well, we’re up to 430,300 – that’s a lot of comforting pillowcases!  Give yourself a pat on the back if you have added any pillowcases to the tally.

Today I shall add 4 pillowcases to the count, because Susanne, my oh-so-talented piecer, and I made 4 pillowcases from a very special fabric collection coming to quilt shops next Spring.  Northcott has designed our first collection in support of Quilts for Kids Inc., a charitable foundation creating quilts for children with life-threatening illnesses or those who have suffered from abuse.  Quilts for Kids is one of the charities listed on allpeoplequilt.com for pillowcase donations, so the pillowcases that Susanne and I made will do double-duty – they will help raise funds for Quilts for Kids, and they will help allpeoplequilt.com reach their goal of one million pillowcases.

I chose 4 of the free patterns on the allpeoplequilt.com website, and matched up colors from Stonehenge Team Spirit to the main print from Old MacDonald.  Let’s take a look at them: I used Pattern 5, with the prairie point band, using red prairie points on a green band.  Prairie points and farm fields are made for each other, don’t you think?  Then I chose orange geese in a dark blue sky (Pattern 10 Flying Geese band) for the second one, pulling out the bright colors in the Old MacDonald print. 

For the third pillowcase, I chose shades of gold and Pattern 16 Piano Key band – it reminds me of rows of hay or wheat ready to be harvested.

And what else but Pattern 27 Churn Dash for the fourth band in pretty pastel shades against a black ground?  For this band, we used 4 Freckles textures on a solid black ColorWorks ground.  You will be able to see the Old MacDonald collection at www.northcott.com next month, and the fun quilt patterns that feature the collection.  Please leave a comment on my blog by 11:59 tonight Thursday September 6^th for a chance to win a kit for these 4 pillowcases.

Along with supporting Quilts for Kids, and breast cancer research through our Quest for a Cure program, Northcott is proud to sponsor and support the One Million Pillowcase Challenge.  A colorful pillowcase is really a small investment in time and fabric, but can make a world of difference to someone in need.  Please consider making a pillowcase (or 2 or 3) this month during the One Million Pillowcase Blog Tour, and add yours to the tally.  Let’s see how far we grow!  There are some wonderful stops on the blog tour – see if you can visit all of them!

Schedule:

1. Welcome from American Patchwork & Quilting (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
2. Rashida Coleman-Hale (http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com/)
3. Olivia and Alayna’s Pillowcase Project (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
4. Morgan’s Smile Factory (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
5. Pat Sloan (http://blog.patsloan.com/)
6. Northcott (http://pattispatchwork.com/)
7. Betsy Chutchian (http://betsysbestquiltsandmore.blogspot.com/)
8. Vanessa Christenson (http://www.vanessachristenson.com/)
9. Andover Fabrics (http://blog.andoverfabrics.com/)
10. Laurie Simpson (http://minickandsimpson.blogspot.com/)
11. Oak Hill, Ohio (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
12. Robert Kaufman Fabrics (http://www.swatchandstitch.com/)
13. Pam Buda (http://www.heartspunquilts.blogspot.com/)
14. Indygo Junction (http://www.indygojunction.com/blog/)
15. 4-H (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
16. Katie Hennagir (http://baywindowquiltshop.wordpress.com/)
17. Anni Downs (http://hatchedandpatched.typepad.com/)
18. FreeSpirit Fabrics (http://www.freespiritfabric.blogspot.com/)
19. American Patchwork & Quilting Staff (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
20. Patty Young (http://modkidboutique.blogspot.com/)
21. Moda Fabrics (http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/)
22. Monica Solorio-Snow (http://thehappyzombie.com/blog/)
23. Moda Bake Shop (http://www.modabakeshop.com/)
24. Andover Fabrics (http://blog.andoverfabrics.com/)
25. Roseann Kermes from Rosebud’s Cottage (http://rosebudscottage.typepad.com/)
26. Ann Kelle for Shannon Fabrics (http://www.annkelle.com/category/blog/)
27. Therm O Web (http://blog.thermoweb.com/)
28. Edyta Sitar (http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/blog/)
29. Fabri-Quilt (http://inspiredbyfabric.blogspot.com/)
30. Cherri House (www.cherryhousequilts.com)

Cheers,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

                Today I am participating in a blog tour for Quilters Newsletter’s Best Christmas Quilts 2012, so for all visitors from the blog tour, a big Welcome!  I hope you enjoy your visit to my blog, and even choose to subscribe.  I don’t post often, but when I do post, I try to make the posts interesting, giving a glimpse into what I am working on, and what is happening at Northcott.

                Today’s post is about my Golden Gifts quilt featured in Best Christmas Quilts, and it is classic Patti.  What do I mean by this?  Well, for years I have been designing and making quilts that showcase fabrics most quilters shy away from – panels, border stripes, large scenic prints, etc.  I have been with Northcott for 25 years (I started when I was 4 – haha), and have made it a personal goal to use these “interesting” fabrics in projects, to encourage other quilters to use them as well.  After all, if quilters don’t buy them, Northcott will stop designing them.  This would be a shame, as they are so much fun to work with – they allow me to make difficult-looking quilts with very little effort.

Golden Gifts is a perfect example of this.  After I designed this queen-size quilt, Susanne, my talented dynamo of a piecer, sewed the quilt top in one day – it’s that fast!  Imagine – a queen-size quilt in one day!!  You see, this quilt incorporates a panel (or 6 of them, actually) from Northcott’s Stonehenge Christmas Traditions collection.  The panel itself makes a super-quick wall quilt or small lap quilt – simply add a border or 2 to make it a bit bigger (go to http://www.northcott.com – Stonehenge Christmas Traditions to see 2 terrific bed-size quilts that use the complete panel).  Not content to use the panel as-is, I wondered what else I could do with it, so I cut it up into large segments and used them as appliquéd “blocks” in my quilt.  The patchwork-printed border of the panel became my “pieced” sashing.  Add a couple of nice wide borders to frame the center, and you’re done!  The trick to making the printed blocks look like they are appliquéd or pieced is to quilt on the lines separating the motifs or patches.  The Christmas Traditions panel has metallic gold outlines dividing the motifs and patches, so I used Superior Threads’ Metallic gold thread to quilt this gem.  I took this quilt on a whirlwind tour of Massachusetts in June, and it received rave reviews.  Quilters and shop owners alike had to inspect the quilt up-close to see that the blocks weren’t actually appliquéd or pieced.  Numerous shops are kitting this project, including several in Massachusetts, and Fat Quarter Shop is kitting it for Quilters Newsletter readers.

The magazine hit the newsstands Tuesday, and is chock-full of fabulous holiday projects of all sizes.  I am rather partial to Diane Nagle’s Holly & Ivy tree skirt and Tanesha Nurse’s Selvage Christmas Tree mug rugs – how clever!  Christmas quilts are near and dear to my heart – I cover every bed in my home with a holiday/winter quilt December 1st.  Please tell me what your favorite holiday fabric projects are – do you make bed quilts, lap quilts, wall hangings or placemats?  Leave a comment on my blog post before 11:59 p.m. MDT tonight (August 24, 2012) for a chance to win a bundle of Stonehenge Christmas Traditions & White Christmas and a copy of Best Christmas Quilts. I will draw one name at random. One comment per person, please. Open to those who haven’t won something from Quilters Newsletter in the last 90 days.  And stay tuned for a few more holiday quilts that Susanne and I have whipped up using Stonehenge, coming next week!

Thanks for visiting,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

                I am finally able to share with you some of the pictures I took on my Massachusetts road trip a few weeks ago.   Technology and I don’t always get along, and I needed the assistance of Jennifer, Northcott’s Marketing Specialist, to get the photos to a size that I could use.

The trip was a delightful whirlwind of fabric – a veritable smorgasbord of eye candy!  It’s a good thing that I was the only person on this 5-day shop hop, because my suitcase would be much heavier if I had company encouraging me to buy.   All of the shop-owners were very welcoming, some even encouraging me to pull a few quilts out of my suitcase for impromptu trunk shows.

My first stop on Monday was Quilts & Treasures in East Longmeadow. 

 Valerie, Sue, Taylor and the rest of the staff overhauled the shop on Sunday, displaying as many of their panels as they could, since my trunk show has many quilts that start with panels.  What a variety!  They cleared the back of the shop and set up chairs for the 71 attendees – here is a picture of the group waving.  The ladies were great, and with some encouragement from Valerie, loaded up on panels for upcoming projects.

My next stop was Sew Inspired in Simsbury, CT, where I met shop-owner Viv Lazich. 

Viv showed me around her dee-lightful shop, including the super-sized classrooms and quilting room.  Her wall of batiks made me salivate.

Then I headed east to Appletree Fabrics in Auburn, MA, and shop-owner Lois gave me the cook’s tour.
 
 
 She even had some of the new Stonehenge Ginko in stock.  An evening class was setting up in the shop, and when I showed my favorite Stonehenge Christmas quilt, the customers convinced Lois to offer a class and kits for the quilt.

Tuesday I headed north, stopping at Southhampton Quilts, a charming shop with a wide range of fabrics, including snowboarding fabric that is now in my stash.
 
 I also picked up some hot pepper fabric to make son Chris an apron.

Then I stopped in at Country Treasures in Chester, VT.  Wow!  Shop-owner Susanne Ashe knows each of the 9000 bolts of fabric and where they are in her store. 
 
The shop is in a century home, and every nook and cranny has bolts of fabric peaking out.  I went through room after room of fabric, and added a couple more pieces to my apron list, including cupcakes for my son’s girlfriend.

I came back into MA and headed to Textile Co. in Greenfield.  This shop is housed in an old mill, complete with wooden floors.
 
Shop-owner Nancy was most helpful, and helped me add another apron fabric to my growing stash – stacks of waffles with whipped cream and strawberries for son Alex.  Textile Co. has a huge selection of children’s and novelty fabrics, and I spotted Cheri Strole’s Jungle Buzz on the shelves.

Then it was off to present my trunk show at A Notion to Quilt, Becki Straton’s shop.  Becki and her hubby had just returned from a quilting trip to Ireland!  We put out well over 60 chairs and still ran out of seats for the eager crowd.  My quilting bud Kate Mitchell, a favorite at Becki’s shop, was even there, as was Northcott’s sales rep Mike, who volunteered to hold up the quilts.  Good thing, ‘cause he’s much taller than Kate.  In all of the excitement, I forgot to take pictures.

On Wednesday I headed east to Candlelite Quilts, a charming little shop in Chelmsford, and met shop-owner Cathy Ruggiero.
 
Cathy showed me her line of patterns, most of which use 8 half-yards, and demonstrated her new embroidery technique that will be the basis of her next batch of patterns.

My next stop was Quilters Common in Wakefield, where owners Antoinette and Collette were my hosts for my PowerPoint presentation to a small but enthusiastic audience.  This shop is only 1½years old, but it is chock full of fabulous fabrics, including several Northcott collections.
 
It was a visual delight!  After a quick dinner, we headed over to the North Parish Quilt Guild in N. Reading for my trunk show and an ice cream social – yum!  The guild has roughly 130 members, and the room was full!

My first stop on Thursday was the Button Box in Wellesley.
  
The wall behind the cash register is filled with tubes and boxes of buttons of all shapes and sizes!  There was a fabulous sale starting Thursday, so I added to my stash.  Carole and the staff were most accommodating as I finished up some sewing in the unused classroom.  It was delightful to hear the chitchat and buzz in the shop as I sat working on my sewing.

I popped in to Ann’s Fabrics in Canton, where a sewing day was going on in the back.
 
Manager Cheryl coaxed me into bringing my suitcase in for a quick trunk show to the quilters.  It was great, and they were so appreciative.  So was I, as I sampled some of the homemade cakes brought in for the sewing day.

Then I scooted over to Emma’s Quilt Shop in Franklin and had a visit with shop-owner Cyndi Rich.
 
She focuses on basics, and the rainbows of bolts against the white shelving in her shop looked so enticing.  She also has an extensive range of flannels.

My final stop on Thursday was Quilter’s Stash in North Attleboro, where I presented my trunk show to shop-owner Sue Kassler and her customers, who were celebrating the 20^th anniversary of Quilter’s Stash.
 
What a party!  Sue’s shop is fresh and bright, and deceptively large, with comfy chairs up front for spouses.  She has the most extensive display of Stonehenge fabrics that I saw on my trip.

My last excursion was to Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, NH.  It was a delightfully scenic 2-hour drive from Boston, through the Lake District.  Or at least it would have been a 2-hour drive if there hadn’t been a biker convention going on in the small town just before Center Harbor!  There were thousands of bikers on their hogs for miles around.  I eventually got to Keepsake for a quick tour around this iconic shop – aisle after aisle of fabrics.
 
 
The batik section was big enough to be a shop on its own.  There were 2 complete aisles of green fabrics!  Of course they had a fabulous selection of novelties (a.k.a. apron fabrics) and I purchased one with rainbow chip cookies and one with chefs to round out my collection.  I even took a peek at the selection of kits and saw my Freckles Frenzy kit and Oh Christmas Tree kit – how thrilling! 

All in all, it was a great trip – lots of exciting shops, welcoming staff, and fellow quilt-aholics!  I am planning a few more trips for the upcoming months – who knows?  I may be in the neighborhood!

Cheers,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,
Another month, or more, has come and gone since my last post.  Susanne (my piecing sidekick) and I spent a good deal of it preparing for Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City.  Creative Director Deborah worked very hard with the mills to get fabric of the newest collections to us so that Susanne and I could create an impressive and effective display for our booth, and have enough quilts to show in our Schoolhouse presentation.  With all of the quilts from Stonehenge Ginko, Stonehenge Woodland, Stonehenge Stars & Stripes, Stonehenge White Christmas, and finally Geisha, Susanne and I whipped up 24 quilted items in 6 weeks.  Hats off to Susanne and Deborah for all of their effort!  Our Schoolhouse session was standing-room-only – a sea of faces from the front of the room, and attendees busily snapped pictures of the quilts.  Jennifer, our Marketing Specialist, spoke briefly about our new e-community website, www.northcottfabriccircle.com,  that she has been building over the past few months. It officially launched a week or so ago, and is the perfect spot for quilters, crafters, quilt shops and pattern designers to share their projects made with Northcott fabrics.  It’s so easy to join – simply log on and set up your profile.  There is even an amazing prize that you are eligible for if you join soon.  I’m already on, and will be posting some projects and patterns shortly.  Web/blogmaster Aaron has even put the Northcott Fabric Circle logo on my blog, to the right.
At Quilt Market, I met with the editors of several quilting magazines and, as a result, have 4 projects booked for 3 upcoming issues –  McCall’s Quilting, The Quilter’s Quilting for Christmas, and Quilt Trends – all due between end June and end July.  No rest for the wicked!  I will post pictures as we get them done.
So what does any of this have to do with Massachusetts?  I am in Massachusetts right now actually.  I am visiting 16 quilt shops in 5 days, and doing my trunk show or presentation at 6 of them.  This afternoon I was at Heartbeat Quilts in Hyannis, out on the Cape.  This is a fabulous shop!!  After quickly breezing through the shop with owner Helen Weinman, I was wishing that I had booked an earlier flight into Boston today.  By the time my trunk show was over, the shop was closing.  I will have to find a reason to return to this area, as I know I could really do some damage to my credit card in Helen’s shop. If you are in Massachusetts, please join me at one of the following shops/guilds:
Quilts & Treasures in East Longmeadow Monday morning from 10-12
A Notion to Quilt in Shelbourne Falls Tuesday evening
Quilter’s Common in Wakefield on Wednesday afternoon from 2-4
North Parish Quilt Guild in North Reading Wednesday evening
Quilter’s Stash in North Attleboro on Thursday evening

Jennifer made me promise to take pictures of my visits and post them on my blog, so I shall endeavour to do a couple of posts this week to share the shops with you.

In my last post, I asked you to help me decide which of the Stonehenge Stars & Stripes quilts that I made up was your favorite.  Thank you for posting your comments.  I have tabulated the results, and the winner is…. Chris Hoover’s (#4).  Not far behind was the Celine-Theresa combination (#3).  A copy of the magazine is boing out to Binks, and fabric packs are going out to Patti (with an “i”), Debbie St. Germain and Lori S.  Congrats!  The Stars & Stripes fabric and Oh Canada fabrics are just getting to quilt shops now.  Check out the Where to Buy at www.northcott.com to find a shop who has received their shipment already.

Cheers,
Patti

Fellow Quilters,
Just about a year ago, an invitation to participate in Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 3 is what got me into the blogosphere!  How time flies!  While I don’t have a block in the latest issue,Volume 5 , I know several quilters who do.  I want to send a shout-out to Laura Blanchard of Plum Tree Quilts (block #449), Beth Ferrier of Applewood Farm (block #430), Chris Hoover of Whirligig Designs (block #470), and Celine Perkins of Perkins Dry Goods (block #491).  These talented quilters are part of Northcott’s quilt pattern design team.
I also see some lovely Northcott fabrics used in block #462 by former Quiltmaker graphic designer Theresa Eisinger and block #497 by Quiltmaker graphic designer Denise Stark, and in gallery quilts #2 (Jane Spolar’s Bollywood Bliss is used in Oh, The Places We Go by Nikki Rainey) and #8 (Lakeside Cottage is used in Sample This by Carol Streif).
Now, being a quilter, and working with Northcott’s beautiful fabrics, I couldn’t help but wonder how some of these blocks would look in Northcott’s new Stonehenge Stars & Stripes fabrics.  So of course I had to play.  Here’s what I came up with:

Celine Perkins’ block as a quilt

Celine-Laura combo

Celine-Theresa combo

Chris Hoover’s block as a quilt

Laura Blanchard’s block as a quilt

Theresa Eisinger’s block as a quilt

Theresa-Laura combo

I can’t decide which one I like the best, so I need your help. For your chance to win a copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 5, post a comment on which one is your favorite by 11:59pm Thursday May 3, and we’ll see what the results are.  I will also throw in a couple of Stars & Stripes fabric prize packs for additional chances. Canadian visitors can receive a pack of Oh Canada fabrics instead if they win. Good luck!

Cheers, Patti

Fellow Quilters,

14 batches of Xmas baking

It’s December 23rd, and for those of us celebrating Christmas, we are heading down the home stretch.  If you have finished all of your shopping, baking and wrapping, you are likely sitting back with your feet up, eggnog in hand.  If you are like me, you have a list that seems to be getting longer instead of shorter, just like the line-ups in the stores.  In fact, you probably have 2 lists – the things that you still need to do, and the things that you still need to buy.  The to-do list might even include last-minute sewing!!  Well, take comfort knowing that I’m sitting in my little corner of the world doing the same thing.  It wouldn’t be Christmas if my sister didn’t get a “potential” gift – a partly-knit sweater or partly-sewn jacket.  Some of the past gifts were not even partly done – a pile of fabric and a pattern.  Where are Cinderella’s mice when I really need them?

All of the baking is done, thanks to my 2 sons who helped me make 14 batches of cookies, squares, tarts etc. a couple of weekends ago. Many of them have been sent off as gifts, but we still have tins chock full, waiting to be consumed. Thanks to Barb for sharing her recipe for Apricot Horns.  I will give them a try, when I remember to add cream cheese to my shopping list.

I managed to get a lovely set of Christmas placemats and table runner made for my family’s new-to-us ski cabin.  I still have 2 tablecloths to make.  I am asking Santa for snow, because it’s looking like a green Christmas right now, and a green week after Christmas.  My family is planning on spending the week skiing, but I may end up sewing and quilting instead if there is no snow.  That’s not all bad either.

featured in Fabric Trends Spring 2012

Fellow Quilters,
It seems like only a month ago that I wrote my last post, but I see that it was way back in September!  Where does the time go?!?  And now Christmas is just around the corner!!!  The panic is starting to set in…
     In my last post, I asked you to add a comment on your favourite quilting holiday, real or imaginary, for the chance to win a pack of Girlfriends at Sea fabrics.  Northcott receptionist Jessica randomly selected Glenda from the list of commentors.  Now, I personally know Glenda, and the last thing she needs is fabric.  She owns Stone Cottage Crafts quilt shop for heaven’s sake!  So, Fellow Quilters, let’s challenge Glenda to make something and send in the picture.  Not only is Glenda a shopowner, she is also a pattern designer, and has a couple of patterns in the Northcott line-up.  Her Pinwheel Magic pattern uses the Stone Chips (5″ squares of Stonehenge).  The way that she makes the pinwheels is brilliant!  You can see the Pinwheel Magic pattern on Northcott’s website, or ask for it in your favourite (or Glenda’s) quilt shop.
    September was a very busy month for me.  I visited 4 guilds with my trunk show of Interesting Quilts from Unusual Fabrics. 

Poppy Love queen-size quilt in Fall 2011 Fabric Trends

One of my new interesting quilts is currently featured in Fabric Trends – I use Northcott’s Poppy Love collection including the panel in a unique way.  It made for a super-quick queen-size quilt. After local visits to the Oxford Quilt Guild in Ingersoll, the Pieceful Nights guild in Toronto and the Kempenfelt Quilt Guild in Barrie, I flew to Spokane to talk to the Washington State Quilters Guild.  While in Spokane,

Patti sewing on Becky's hand-crank 1915 Singer

I stopped at 2 local shops: The Quilting Bee (absolutely irresistible) and Cozy Quilt (fresh & bright). I taught 2 full-day workshops at the guild, and demo’d my  Simplified Double Wedding Ring on student Becky’s 1915 hand-crank Singer machine nicknamed Tiffany. What a hoot!  Becky took a photo of me sewing with trepidation.  The ladies were all great, and I had a wonderful time sharing my passion for quilting.

I have several photos that I want to share with you. 

Back cover of Linda Causee's book "100 Any-Size Applique Blocks"

Fellow quilting “bud” Linda Causee has a new book called “100 Any Size Applique Blocks” published by Leisure Arts. It contains a CD so that you can make any of the blocks whatever size your heart desires!  I was really impressed with the back cover – as all 4 quilts shown are made with Northcott fabrics.

A while back I mentioned

Beth Ferrier's My Happy Place quilt in Best Fat Quarter Quilts

that my Hawaiian Punch quilt was featured in Quilter’s Newsletter’s Best Fat Quarter Quilts, on newsstands now. Well, when I read my issue, I saw that fellow quilting “bud” Beth Ferrier of Applewood Farm does as well.  Isn’t it delightful?  Beth is the goddess of easy applique, and has several books to teach you how to be one too (visit www.applewood farmquilts.com).  Even better, her quilt is made with Northcott’s Freckles textures. 

As if that weren’t enough, I see that Beth also has a fabulous holiday table runner project in the

Beth's Deck the Holly runner in Dec/Jan Quilter's Newsletter

December/ January issue of Quilter’s Newsletter AND it is made with Stonehenge Celestial/ Celebration.  I think I shall put this on my to-do list for next year, using the new Stonehenge White Christmas.  Divine!!

Speaking of Christmas, my piecer Susanne

Frosted Stars featured on the cover of Dec/Jan The Quilter

and I were elated to see our Frosted Stars quilt featured on the cover, no less, of the January issue of The Quilter magazine. I just loved this deep violet colourway of Snow Queen right from the get-go.  Snow Queen is more winter than Christmas, so you can enjoy a quilt made with it long after New Years.

We also have a quilt featured in the Winter 2011 issue of Fons & Porter’s Easy Quilts.

Ice Castles (Wonders of Winter) featured in Easy Quilts

 I really like this one – the Wonders of Winter fabric collection includes a lengthwise border stripe, and I used it in the Card Trick blocks.  I will definitely include this one in my future trunk shows.  Kits are available for a limited time from www.shopfons andporter.com.

In my last post, I mentioned that Northcott was doing a Block-of-the-Month program featuring Stonehenge fabrics. 

Stonehenge Meets Jamestown Block-of-the-Month - neutral and bright

I contacted Susan Meyer of Susie Q Quilting in Eureka, MO, who used a tried-and-tested pattern by Marti Michell for the stunning Stonehenge Meets Jamestown sampler quilt.  It is available in 2 gorgeous colour combinations: Colorado neutral, and Jeweltone bright. My personal favourite is the bright one.  Our shops have been asking us for a Stonehenge BOM program for quite some time, and we were so pleased that Marti Michell agreed to partner with us.  Her BOM programs are so well-designed and well-written, they are virtually fool-proof.  Northcott is suggesting a start date of April 2012 for this program, and shops will have samples and sign-up lists up shortly.  We are sew excited about this! 

At lunch today, I helped fellow staffer Lisa make her very first batch of tart pastry for butter tarts that she is making for her boyfriend’s birthday.  She is taking the pastry-filled muffin tins home to bake the tarts tonight, and says that she will bring in the leftovers for us.  Ha!  I have never seen butter tart leftovers!  Here is my mom’s recipe for Butter Tarts.

Butter Tarts

Fellow Quilters,
   I have been meaning to write this post for weeks!  Where has the time gone?!?  Summer is officially over – Kid #1 is starting a new program at university, and Kid #2 is now in his last year at high school.  Last weekend, we brough in the raft at the family cottage, signalling an end to swimming for the year.  The mornings are getting cooler, which is great for my morning power walk.  They’re also getting darker, as the days get shorter.  Well, hopefully Mother Nature will grace us with lots of sunny weather so that we can enjoy her glorious display of gold, red and yellow as the leaves turn.

Jody Houghton and Patti in Glacier Bay

   In my last post, I shared some photos of the 2 quilt projects that I was going to be teaching on the Alaskan Quilt Camp at Sea cruise.  Now I can share some photos from the cruise.  I took 5 pictures – yes, only 5. 

I seemed to forget my camera every time we went ashore.  I think I was caught up in the

Jody in front of Margerie Glacier

excitement of visiting the quilt shops at each stop.  No matter – fellow Quilt Camper Kate, apparently a photographer extraordinaire, has shared her wonderful photos.
     We had amazing weather – only the 3rd week of good weather this cruising season according to the cruiseship staff.  When we pulled into Glacier Bay, it was foggy and overcast, but the skies soon cleared and we were blessed with sunshine while viewing the glaciers.  I was so glad, because the scenery is spectacular, and I wanted our first-time Quilt

My Girlfriends At Sea vest

Campers to experience the incredible beauty of the glaceirs.  In my first photo, cabin-mate (and Northcott designer) Jody Houghton is sporting a jacket made with her Girlfriends at Sea collection.  I am wearing a vest made from her original Girlfriends fabric. I also made a vest with the Girlfriends at Sea fabrics – isn’t it fun?  Girlfriends at Sea is shipping to stores this month, so in celebration, I am giving away a packet of Girlfriends at Sea fabrics.  For your chance to win, simply post a comment on my blog about a trip that you and a quilting buddy went on, or would like to go on.  Please post by midnight Thursday September 15.
     Our first stop was in Juneau, home

Whale tails in Juneau

of Jan Nardone’s Changing Tides quilt shop.  Jan brought Alaskan artist Barbara Lavalle in for us – Barbara is a blast!  In Jan’s shop I purchased some children’s books illustrated by Barbara, and Barbara autographed them – one-of-a-kind!  I also added to my collection of fish and Alaskan-batik fabrics.
     Then we stopped in Sitka, home of Abby’s Reflections quilt shop.  You guessed it – more additions to my stash.

Three sibling coastal brown cubs in Sitka

  We also visited the studio of fellow teacher Lisa Moore and stopped at Fortress of the Bears, an “early retirement home” for nuisance bears, along the route.  Kate took some amazing pictures – here’s one of them showing 3 sibling Coastal Brown Bear cubs.  I have acquired a taste for Native art, and Lisa Moore has many terrific quilt patterns featuring the art of Aboriginals.  I picked up Lisa’s totem wall-hanging pattern to make for my new ski chalet.
     Next stop was Ketchikan, where Betty and the staff at Silver Thimble were most helpful in assisting me with my search for appropriate Alaskan batiks for the totem quilt, along with fish fabric.  Jody and I also took in the famous lumberjack show.  Even though I was on the American side of the audience, I still cheered for the Canadian team.
     Our final stop was beautiful Victoria, where Brenda Stengal put on quite a spread for us, including demostrations by local pattern designer Ursula Reigel of Designs to Share With You (Ursula is one of my favourite designers), serenades by Cathy Miller a.k.a The Singing Quilter, and trays of Nanaimo bars.  Nanaimo bars are like brownies, only better.  We burned all of the calories consumed by walking back to the ship after our visit.  As promised to my fellow Quilt Campers, here is my mom’s recipe for Nanaimo Bars (we call them Butter Dominos):

Mix 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 egg, 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs, 1 cup shredded coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.  Press into a 9″ square cake pan.
Mix 1/4 cup softened butter, 2 tbsp. vanilla instant pudding mix or Burd’s Custard, 3 tbsp. milk and 2 cups icing sugar.  Spread over crumb mixture and chill.
Melt 3 oz. (3 squares) semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tbsp. butter.  Spread on chilled mixture.  Chill and cut into bars.

   My lone star group, consisting of Peggy, Kathy, Vicki, Gloria and Judy, made great strides with their projects, and Kathy pretty much finished hers – way to go Kathy!!
     Kathy and Yavonne in my Double Wedding Ring groupExceeded my

Fiestive Wedding

expectations, and did an amazing job with their projects.  Hats off to them!  I am teaching the Double Wedding Ring on the Mexican Riviera cruise next March 10-17th – here is a picture of my class sample.   I understand that there are a few spaces still available, so if you are interested in joining the 2012 Quilt Camp at Sea group next March, visit www.quiltcampatsea.com and talk to Pat or Kathy.  I am also teaching a Mystery quilt class, but I can’t show you the project, of course (it’s a mystery!)  It has something to do with Beach Babes, another of Jody Houghton’s fun collections, and perfect for the Mexican cruise.
    

Laurel Burch Xmas fabric with Stonehenge metallics - yum!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Needle and I’s on-board quilt shop run by Georgia and Debbie.  A bundle of Laurel Burch Christmas fabric, among other things, jumped off the shop table and into my hands.  Ohmygosh!  It was sooo delicious!  I discovered, much to my delight when I got home, that it co-ordinates extremely well with Northcott’s Stonehenge Celebration and Celestial fabrics (doesn’t everything co-ordinate with Stonehenge?)
     Speaking of Stonehenge Celebration,  Denise Green of Pinwheels and Posies in Dickenson, TX  sent me this photo of a quilt she made in Judy Niemeyer’s teaching workshop.  Isn’t it fabulous?  Kits are available from the shop, and their website is www.pinwheelsandposies.com .
     And also speaking of Stonehenge, I am working to put the finishing touches on a Stonehenge Block-of-the-Month program to be available in shops next Spring.  Hopefully I will have final images for my next blog post.
    So, send me a comment for your chance to win, make a batch of Nanaimo bars, and we’ll see you next time!
Cheers,
Patti