CALLING ALL PATTERNLET USERS!

Do you have any pictures of things you have made using my patternlets that are different than the ideas I've provided? I'd love to see them and share them with others! I was at the AQS Des Moines Quilt Show recently and Nancy Mason of The Rivers Edge Fabric Company (Shelbyville, Indiana, www.riversedgefabric.com) was selling some of my patterns and she had many models hanging. Her husband enjoyed the "Udder Pattern" that is one of the free additional ideas from my website (it uses the P12 Cow Patternlet and you can print off the pattern piece for the udders that hang from the towel- it gets lots of laughs!) He said they were at a show recently and a customer bought the patternlet and came back the next day wearing a sweatshirt she had made with the cow and the udders hanging off the back of the sweatshirt (if you're reading this, I HAVE to see that!) So if any of you have other uses, and you don't mind sharing with all of us, please send a pic!

November 2, 2008
Wooden Bear Fabrics!

I got my first paper proof of the "Master Panel" for my new fabric line. I can't wait to get it and start playing with it and creating some new designs! But that will be a while :-( Patience, patience, patience. But I am really looking forward to seeing how they all come out and to see them on actual fabrics.

It's a long process. I spent about one and a half months STRAIGHT designing the original graphics. Once Red Rooster got them, they tweak things here and there- they ended up infusing quite a bit of color to my "color-phobic, primitive style." Then they send a master panel copy to me on paper. The master panel is kind of like focal point of the whole fabric line- the fabric from which color, characters, etc. are pulled from to make the coordinating fabrics. A lot of times the master panel will be something like one, large picture that you can cut out and use as a small wallhanging or as the center of a very large quilt. Sometimes it's several graphics that you can cut up to use as blocks on a large quilt. Mine kind of follows this format. There will be seven good size "blocks" that can be cut up and used as their own little wallhanging, or as blocks to be placed on a larger quilt.

So after I approved the master panel, they began working on all of the coordinating fabrics I had sent them. I got that package about a week ago and I have to narrow it down from 40 fabrics to around 22 or 24 for the full line. Not an easy task! I worked on some large quilt designs over the weekend hoping that it would help me picture what fabrics would work best. I got some good designs done, but I'm still unsure of my final choices. EEK!

So, once I approve the final fabrics, Red Rooster Fabrics will send them to the company that prints the designs onto actual fabric and the two companies will do the same back-and-forth process until all colors, sizes,etc. are approved.

I'll keep you updated on the next step- it might be a while!

November 2, 2008

Thinking about Kits

I'm toying with the idea of "kitting" some of my future designs. I would package the pattern(let), fabric, buttons etc. needed to complete the top and put it into a cute, little package. Any opinions? I have to look into cost, materials, time to package, etc, but I think it could be a fun, new venture.

I have so many quilt shops (like my local shop) who hang my quilts in their shop and tell me everyone always comes in and they want EXACTLY the materials, buttons, etc. I used on my quilt. And of course, many of them are older designs and they probably couldn't get the materials even if they wanted to.

Hopefully the cost will be feasible. You'll be the first to know if we plan to move ahead!

May 27, 2009
Well, it's been a while since I've updated by "blog." I probably shouldn't even call it that because I don't update it like a true blog should be updated.

Anyway, I finally got my fabrics and I love them! It was so neat to get them in my hands- actual fabric, not paper- and start working with them. I made some projects for the Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, PA in May and I am working on getting those written up into patterns now. Here's a picture of the FREE project quilt. Red Rooster gives out a free project with all fabrics. You can go to redroosterfabrics.com and go through their fabric collections or their quilt gallery, and just scroll to the bottom of page until you see "Download Pattern." There are all kinds of FREE projects like this one! You won't see my fabrics on the website until closer to August/September when the fabrics start shipping to the stores. Then you will be able to download the pattern!

Make Life Fun- Give a Little Giggle

"I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process."
-Vincent van Gogh

Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.

When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.