The Quilt Patch

Quilting Cruise??

2012-03-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

Can you believe people are using those 2 words in the same sentence these days?!

Jeanne and I recently stumbled upon this topic while chatting with Pauline from Hamel's fabrics!
Pauline told us she'd offered an Alaskan Cruise in the past and it was very well received by her customers, so after many glasses of wine (in her trailer, AFTER she turned the heat back on!) we decided we'd have a little look into this. And why go somewhere cold when you could go somewhere warm? (unlike Pauline's trailer!)

See....in trailer....Jeanne, Pauline....wine....cold.....

We questioned a few customers and discovered, that amazingly enough, this is something people are itching to try!! So we delved a little deeper...and with the help of a travel agent, have been making some plans for February of 2013!! Now, I'm going to give you a sneak peek at the itinerary, but remember - we don't have everything hammered out just yet so therefore have no prices to quote you just yet!

Ummm....HELLO.....who doesn't want to travel to these
warm places the first week in February!?

So looking closely (while you check your calendar!) you will notice Feb 3 and 4th are fun days at sea - replace that with - "Taking an exclusive quilting class taught by Shelley and Jeanne"!! We plan to design something that will be especially for this cruise!
Oh girls, think about it.....quilting, shopping, eating, drinking, dancing, eating, talking, beaches, shopping, all with a bunch of like minded woman!! How much fun could this be??! Honestly, I can hardly contain myself! This could be the best holiday EVER!!!

And not only that, but listen to this!!! This Carnival Cruise ship is still being built!!! Oh my goodness, a brand new ship!!! Woo hoo!

So give Jeanne, Pauline and myself a little time to work with our travel agent, crunch numbers, and get more info out to you, but in the meantime.....if this IS something you think you'd like to embark on with us, let us know!!! We'd love your feedback!!

Where the Magic Happens!

2012-02-23T08:36:00.001-08:00

I really wanted this blog to be about the 'behind the scenes' stuff at The Quilt Patch, so I decided to take a few pics and show you a little bit of my sewing room in my home. No....I don't call it a studio....it's far too small for that!

My old cupboard that houses odds and ends and part of my S collection!

This cabinet houses odds and bits, treasures, buttons and thread, fusible webbings and interfacings. Below is where I keep books and patterns. And as you can see.....I collect 'S''s! This is just a small portion of my S collection. One day I plan to actually get my S collection up on the wall! For now, there's always something else that requires my attention!

I have a gorgeous system in my closet! The wire baskets are from Superstore, and the shelving was custom installed according the the height of my baskets! Most people imagine I have tons and tons of fabric, but in reality, I am a 'project specific' purchaser! I do have some stash as you can see, but not as much as you might think!

I do love my polka dot sewing stool!

I have an ingenious system of baskets in which to store un finished
projects and odds and ends!

Another S!

And this next picture is purely for your entertainment and amusement.........

My daughter brought her mending over......hahahahaha!

I wish my room was glamorous and amazing....but it's not! It's simple, unfinished, not that large....and kinda messy! Watch for a blog involving Jeanne's sewing room coming one day!! She's way tidier than I am!!

Sewing Struggles

2012-02-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

Well I had to have a good laugh at myself last night...for someone who is supposed to be a
'quilting professional' earning her living in the quilting industry.....I totally struggled to sew together a simple checkerboard last night! Remember that the next time you have to rip something out!!
Anything that could go wrong....did!
I'd like to say I read the instructions, but I didn't because there were none! We're working on a new pattern and what I had was Jeanne's scribbles on a piece of paper - not that that is any excuse!
Who struggles to sew squares together?! Me apparently!

How can sewing this simple checkerboard
be so difficult?

These stars actually finish at 30" x 30"....so it's not even like I can blame it on their tiny little size!!
Watch for this quilt to be completed and turned into a pattern very soon! It'll be debuting at our Spring shows! Made out of flannel! I guarantee you will love it! (and it's really easy too! I promise!)

The birth of a new pattern!

Quick Quirky Facts!

2012-02-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

Did you know:

The building that houses The Quilt Patch was built in 1911 and was originally a bank? And that it features the original tin ceilings and wood floors?

That our first book Tis the Season is in its 6th printing and is considered a best seller?

The dog that appears in Tis the Season is owned by Mary Burns from Martingale? All the photos were shot in here home!

A UK book review on Urban Country Quilts talks about how 'happy' we look in our author photo? If only she knew, we're actually a little tipsy!

We are currently working on our 3rd book and second fabric collection?

Why we take our Office Manager, Jo, to Quilt Market with us? Cause by May, she's the only one of us that knows which way is up!

Radio Podcast

2012-02-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

So we did a LIVE internet radio interview with Mark Lipinski yesterday! And lived to tell about it!
For those of you that know Mark, he's funny, energetic, inviting....and a bit of a loose cannon! As in, you're just not sure what he might say next! We love Mark, we've had him here at The Quilt Patch to teach, but an uncensored radio interview with Mark?! Sheesh! Anything could happen! Alas, he didn't give away all of our secrets!

Mark Lipinksi

As it turned out, he was very gentle with us! His questions were great and we had a very good time with him! It would have been much easier if we were all sitting in the same room and not on phones!
Mark's internet radio show is a 2 hour show he host every week on toginet.com. It's a wonderful show and I highly recommend you listen to the archived podcasts! Especially the one dated 02/01/2012!

Click here to go to Mark's internet radio show!

Quilt Patch adventures!

2012-01-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

Ya so....have you been wondering where I've been and why the blog has been so quiet?

Laying on a beach in Mexico!

That's right...I took an actual honest to goodness holiday!! Although I have to be completely honest...I only lasted 3 days without internet before I was sneaking off feeding my dirty little addiction, purchasing wi fi!
So as soon as I deplaned from Mexico, I had a little nap, one full day at work, unpacked, repacked and Jeanne and I were off to Chilliwack, BC to teach at Hamels fabrics!

Hamels Fabrics, Chilliwack, BC

What an adventure! We started setting up the display of our quilts in her warehouse area on Thursday, but first we had to pick up some pipe and drape from the Trade Centre hosting a Home show just up the street from Hamels. Now, I gotta tell you, I couldn't help myself, I knew this was way too funny to just chuckle about and walk away - I had to share this.......

Sign on the bathroom door at the Chilliwack Trade Centre!!

We had a leisurely set up day on Thursday, enjoyed the gorgeous scenery outside of Paulines shop, which by the way is right next door to her home! Her commute is a killer!

Paulines commute - house on the right - shop on the left!
Gorgeous scenery all the way to work!

Jeanne doing what she does best!

Our display in Hamels warehouse area!

We stayed in Pauline's super amazing 5th wheel in her driveway! It's absolutely gorgeous! It had all the perks and amenities one could ask for...except....HEAT AT 6AM! Well we actually figure the propane ran out much sooner than that, but that's about what time we were so cold we could no longer sleep! We waited until 7 to text Pauline and tell her the heat was gone! She ran over in her pjs and set us up with space heaters and turned on the fireplace (now why didn't we think of that?)

Jeanne shivering in fron of the space heater and fireplace!

So once we were feeling warm enough to go ahead and take showers, I volunteered to go first while Jeanne made another pot of coffee. At that point our heat was short lived - we blew the breaker! So not only did we have no more coffee, we showered and dressed in the cold, then ran into Pauline's house with wet hair for a blow dry! Ahhhh adventures! It could only get better as the day went on right? Not so much! So after the dreadfully cold and inconvenient start to our morning, we made our commute to Hamels (across the driveway, over the porch and through the gate!) only to discover that the Hydro Sub Station was on fire! Now for the first little while I have to admit....that meant nothing to me....until I realized the Hydro Sub Station is right next door to Hamels Fabrics and Pauline's home!!!

The back of Paulines' house with the view of the Substation on fire!

A close up view!

We scrambled like crazy women lighting candles and finding flashlights so the customers could still see the display we had set up the say before.....only to find out....there would be no customers! The fire department had shut down both roads leading in and out of the area! Sheesh! To make a long story short, no power until 4:30ish pm, no customers, and again....NO HEAT!

Not to worry, the next day was much better! We decided to continue with the display and hold the class in another area of the store. I taught the Market Fresh class and Jeanne manned our display! It was a great day! I had a wonderful group of ladies who all enjoyed the class very much!

Spending the weekend with us was Pauline's very very good friend Cindy Pierce! She's such a pleasure to be around, and it was very fun to see her again! Both her and Pauline helped us take down our display and pack it up!

Pauline and Cindy

I think we wore Pauline out!!

Then we retired to the trailer for a little wine and a lot of yakking! It was a fabulous weekend!

Thanks so much to Pauline for having us out to her shop, Hamels Fabrics!

Guess what we got today?

2012-01-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

Look at what came in the door today!!

Shasta by The Quilt Patch for Clothworks

It's amazing! It looks way better then the strike offs we received before Quilt Market!!

It's all so vibrant and rich!

This is our Air Ship Yardage. When the fabric, which is printed in Korea, is ready to ship to Clothworks in Seattle, they take some of it and send it by air so that we (the designers) can whip up something amazing with it before the actual bolts come in the door, which should be in the next three weeks or so!

Shasta air ship yardage

Back at 'er!

2012-01-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well it's 2012 and we are back in the saddle! After admittedly slacking off the month of December, we are back designing, creating, sewing, scheming and generally getting done what we've been procrastinating over!
Jeanne and I have started working on a new fabric collection! Even though our first fabric collection, 'Shasta' doesn't ship until February, it's a long process from beginning to end so we are back to the drawing board....literally! We design in a bit of an archaic method, but it works for us!
We've also got the go ahead from Martingale and Co for another book! Yep, working on book #3! This book will release in 2013. Again, a long process from beginning to end! While I can't show you the actual projects from the book, I can give you a few hints as to what you might see!

A book #3 project waiting to be sewn!

You will see the dark rich colours we favour! The photo above will be a completed project soon! I think it's might be my favourite project yet and it's not even made! So excited for this one!

You will see applique!

Oh yes, always applique! You will see flowers in book 3! This is just a small peek at an unfinished project for the book!

Simple piecing

We like to make sure the projects in our books have a really good mixture that appeals to a wide variety of quilters, so you will see some simple pieced projects. The scrunched up quilt in the photo above is another actual unfinished project from the book, however, it would give it away of you could see the block, and it has to be a surprise!!! I'm excited about this quilt! It's a simple 2 colour quilt with a unique block design. The type of pattern that lends itself to a huge variety of colours and fabrics! I think the choice are going to be endless with this one! And it makes me want to whip up many colour versions!

Rick Rack and Buttons

It doesn't come as a surprise that you might see rick rack and buttons does it? If you know us well, this shouldn't surprise you!

Jeanne's Inbox!

So right now, this is what book #3 actually looks like! Yep, random papers, scribbles and notes. Fabric for projects waiting to be completed, calculations and ideas!
So if everything goes according to plan....and sometimes our plans change mid stride....you should see everything I've just showed you, plus a fabulous scrappy fully pieced quilt with an amazing border, some flying geese will make an appearance, a sunflower or two, big chunky applique, wool, and much more!

"working" Dec 23!

2011-12-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

It's hard to be diligent when it's December 23rd! And so we had 'day off' at work today! Jeanne and I had planned something a little extra for Jo and Yvonne, our two full time girls, who keep us on track! We had secretly made an appointment for the two of them to get pedicures this morning! We thought this would be a most excellent way to greet Christmas morning, and a little perk for these two hardworking ladies! Unfortunately, Jo ruined all of our best laid plans by having a pedicure the day before!! And how could we send Yvonne my herself? That's no fun! So we decided to give Yvonne a pedicure ourselves!

Jeanne giving Yvonne and pedicure!

Bright and Festive!

As for Jo, she's been feeling a bit overwhelmed, with working full time, having border guys at her home, getting ready for Christmas.....she was sure she'd be up until 4 am wrapping gifts, so Jeanne kindly offered her services to help Jo wrap! You didn't have to ask Jo twice! She came to work with an assortment of wrap and laundry baskets full of gifts!

Now my wrapping skills seriously lack, and if my gifts looking like this under my tree, my family would instantly know, I didn't do this!! Jeanne made Jo's gifts (and one of mine!) look absolutely amazing!!

It wouldn't be the Christmas season here if I didn't mention Jo's poppycock! OH MY GOD!! It is the most divine stuff ever!! I start nagging Jo fairly early in the season for her poppycock, and she rations me....but today she brought a bucket! Yum!

Thanks Jo!!

To make the day even more complete, we ordered lunch for the girls, chicken strips and sweet potato fries! Nothing but the best for our staff!

Jo and Yvonne and their trashy lunch!

And no, we didn't MAKE them wear the reindeer antlers and the jingle bell Santa hat....that was their choice! You wouldn't catch me wearing one of those! It might mess my hair.......

Jo and Jeanne wrapping gifts!

After seeing that last picture, you've gotten a glimpse at the organized chaos of our main floor office! Behind Jeanne are pics of her grandchildren, behind Jo, notes to herself about what needs to be done!
Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of our day so far! Don't kid yourself, our girls work incredibly hard throughout the year, and we like to give them days like this (and the 24th off!) to let them know how much we appreciate them working for us, because frankly, the pay sucks! We can't pay these two girls, or the rest of our staff, what they are truly worth to us!
From our families to yours, have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Staff Christmas party!

2011-12-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Each year at The Quilt Patch we have a staff Christmas party, and we alternate every year. One year we invite the spouses / dates, and the alternate year we have just 'the girls'! This year was a husband year!
Jeanne and I hosted the event at Jeanne's house.
We started with food cooked by Jeanne and I (ok, well, mostly by Costco and Jeanne's oven!)

There was a ton of food! And it was all very yummy! The picture of the table was taken before all the food was actually on the table!!
There was lots of visiting! And even though we see each other at work, it's always fun to visit in a social setting! We even had a party crasher! The lovely Nikki, who left us for a 'real' job, brought chocolates and bribed her way in!

Nikki the party crasher!

Everyone had a great time visiting and mingling!

Jeanne and I planned to wear the same skirt that night to give our staff a good laugh! And to single us out as the hostesses! One of us looked voluptuous and the other like a telephone pole!

The leopard print skirts!

We even managed to get a great staff photo, which we made the party crasher take!

from left to right, Janice, Colleen, Yvonne, Jo, Jeanne, Shelley
Flo and Jeri.
Missing - Charlene!

After we all gorged ourselves on the amazing food, we had cheesecake! We issued a "Cheesecake Challenge" to our staff! They all had to bring a cheesecake to the staff party that was to be judged by everyone! Some of the girls took this very seriously, others, not so much! 2 of the cheesecakes were bought, 2 made by the actual staff, 1 by someone's Mother, and 1 by someone's husband!!
As for the boughten cakes, one tried to disguise hers by fancying it up on her own tray! The other just whipped off the plastic lid!

This was the winning cheesecake!

The cheesecake judging was simple, presentation, taste and apparent effort! Most people took the judging VERY seriously, sampling every cake sometimes more than once!
Flo took the trophy, yes, we had a trophy....nothing but the best for the staff at The Quilt Patch!
She did tell us the secret ingredient......lots of booze!

Jeanne and I like to make sure each of our staff and their guests leaves the party with a gift, so we spend a great amount of time choosing just the right gifts to wrap and have fun with! We do a gift exchange that consists of stealing other peoples opened gifts! Its always fun to enjoy this game with a large group!
Some of the gifts included, a gift basket with nachos, chips, salsa and napkins. Coffee mugs and hot chocolate, a case of beer, a bottle of wine, a book on the history of Rock and Roll, portable coolers, popcorn bowls filled with popcorn and napkins, and much more! The gift Jeanne and I were really waiting to see opened was the framed picture of us! The picture that is in the back of our Urban Country Quilts book! It was quite funny, cause really, who wants a framed picture of their bosses in their home?? Well in the end Flo ended up with it, and after all the stealing was done and our guests were admiring everyones gifts, we revealed that the framed picture was in fact a most fabulous gift with a gift card to Boston Pizza taped to the back of the frame! It certainly was Flo's night!

Flo's winnings!

It was a very fun night, and every year we wonder how we'll top the previous year! If any of you heard about last years staff Christmas party....whew! The girls are still talking about it! And the year we sent our staff and their husbands on a scavenger hunt....fun! One of our most fun events was the year we gave each of our staff money in an envelope, drove them to the mall (after a few glasses of wine of course!) took away their purses, and set them loose to buy something for themselves! There were prizes for the first one back, the biggest bang for their buck, and more! Jeanne and I are nothing if not creative!
However if any of you happen to have any great ideas for next year.....let us know!!

Merry Christmas!

Tattooed Quilters?

2011-12-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

Ok, so not your typical quilt shop blog post, but I did say this was the behind the scenes stuff!!

Tattoos and quilters, it does seem an unlikely combination doesn't it? Well, times are turning, and I think you either like tattoos, or you don't. Here at The Quilt Patch you may or may not know that many of our staff have tattoos! Does that surprise you?

If you've come in to the store on a warm day, you have seen one or more of these tattoos displayed! Yvonne sports 6 tattoos now! Some represent her family, while others are simply because she liked them! Her most recent is an Asian symbol for sisters! Her and her two sisters now have matching tattoos in the same spots on their legs!

This tattoo represents Yvonne's children

Yvonne and her husband got
matching tattoos for their
35th wedding anniversary!

Yvonne and her sisters
have matching 'sister' tattoos

Our newest staff member, Jeri looks the sweetest most innocent little thing! Don't let her fool you! She's smart as a whip, knows her quilting like a pro, sports 2 tattoos and is just 19 years old!

Meet Jeri!

Sneaky kinda hidden tattoo!

Jeri's leg!

I can't possibly leave out our princess Nikki! Although she recently left us for a 'real' job, she stops in for visits, continues to participate in our staff functions and will no doubt crash the staff Christmas party!

Nikki has four tattoos, buttons on her wrist
to signify her and her two sisters, each of her sisters has the same tattoos!
She has a star on her other arm, a beautiful purple pirate ship on her leg and flowers on her back!

Nikki's back

As for Jeanne, no tattoos, but most of her children have tattoos. She's not opposed, just not for her.
Flo - no tattoos although both her daughters do!
Jo - not yet.......we think if she can overcome her pain threshold she'll do it! Her children all have them!

As for me, I have 2 tattoos.

This tattoo has my children's names
and cherries blossom flowers that match one of my daughters tattoos

Does it surprise you that I have this large tattoo?
I am a rebel at heart!

My daughter and I enjoyed that bee so much we recently went back to get matching bee tattoos! I had mine added to my back, and my daughter sports hers on her forearm!

Mom and daughter matching bee tattoos!

Now my daughter Sarah isn't a 'regular' quilt all the time kinda girl, but she does enjoy making baby quilts for friends, and the most recent quilt she's whipping up has a pink background with old school tattoo appliques on top! Her and tattooed friend are making it together for a pregnant tattooed friend.
When it's complete I'll post the pic!

Just one of Sarah's many tattoos

So while it may not be for everyone, we certainly aren't your typical 'Quilting Grannies'!!

Christmas at The Quilt Patch

2011-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today is our annual Christmas Open House! It's the day we hand out our 2012 coupon books! To get ready, Jeanne has been very busy decorating, hanging quilts and generally making everything festive!

Hot cider and goodies!

Looking very festive!

Through out the shop we have beautiful wintery displays, all the projects just ready for you to take home!

Our Tis the Season display

I will be completely truthful and upfront here....I have absolutely nothing to do with these beautiful displays!! Jeanne really does all this work, making our store as beautiful as it is!

Lots of great holiday ideas!

There is no shortage here of great holiday quilt ideas!

Stocking stuffer ideas and Block of the Month programs!

Now these pics are NOTHING, wait until you see the pics of our staff Christmas party!!

The wholesale area!

2011-11-29T11:23:00.000-08:00

As promised....more behind the scenes!
As most of you know, we do wholesale our pattern line internationally. We sell to a few major distributors as well, and when they order, they order LOTS!!! So we do like to keep a bit of stock for ourselves here at the store and for any orders we do get, so we can ship them our asap!

This is actually two areas, right outside of my office, which means....that's right...basement! And just in case you are starting to think my job is glamourous......

That's right.....a big old boiler! Right outside my office door, in what we call...."the wholesale area"!!

In our "wholesale area" the patterns are all alphabetized, to make it easy to find what we are looking for! Here's a little trivia for you...we have over 100 active patterns! We have plenty we have retired. Some we have pulled and put in our books, and some are on their way out. We wholesale approx. 40 of our patterns with distributors including our Block of the Month programs. Our top selling pattern this season has been the Snow Wish Pillow:

Snow Wish Pillow

Hope you enjoyed that little tour! Until next time.....

Retro Style!

2011-11-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

So this is REALLY behind the scenes stuff now people!!

Jeanne and I went into Regina yesterday to 'go to Gayles' warehouse' to pick up a few things. (Notice how that's highlighted!?) Well truly, Gayles would ship us the bags we need, etc. But that's just code word for "take the day off and shop in Regina"!! Yes, we did the token Gayles run, which is always interesting and fun. We did the Winners and Costco (free sample lunch!) tour. Don't laugh, that really was my lunch!! With a Costco hot dog for dessert!! We wanted to squeeze in a trip down 13th Ave in Regina, and stopping for lunch was not going to be in our schedule!!

We bought a few Christmas gifts for our families, and our staff, but the best part was finding this cute little vintage inspired store called Retrovise. I've been following it on Facebook, but was very excited to actually have a look at the clothing line she carries!

Well, both Jeanne and I bought clothes! I bought a dress that makes me look like a bombshell!! Vintage clothing is all about curvy, and I have that in spades!!

Bombshell Dress!!

Doris Top

I bought the black dress!! I'm not sure what it's really called, but I'm calling it the Bombshell dress, cause I look amazing in it!!! I also bought the Doris top in black, very cleavalicious, but girls, my theory on that is use what God gave you, cause one day soon enough.....God will take it away!!

What i didn't buy, but Jeanne did, was the leopard print skirt.......

Leopard print skirt

What the skirt looks like on ME!!

Now, I know I'm not the only person in the world to NOT buy something and have it eat away at them!! No worries ladies, I emailed the lovely woman at Retrovise today and gave her my credit card number so she can ship me the skirt!!! Sigh.......

Now as most of you know, Jeanne and I spend A LOT of time together. We work together, we travel together, and we shop together. Which means that sometimes we buy the same stuff! Like the skirt!! So if you come into The Quilt Patch and see us wearing the same thing.....go ahead and laugh, it doesn't happen very often!! Oh, and ladies......I look WAY better in the skirt than Jeanne!

(just don't tell her I said that)

Shasta!

2011-11-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

Our very first fabric collection will be shipping in February! Yay us!

Shasta!

It was definitely a learning curve, but working with the team at Clothworks has been so amazing! Clothworks Textiles has such a tight knit family atmosphere that has just been so supportive and encouraging! We are very lucky to be working with such an great company!
We designed a free pattern that you can download already, so do check it out!

I'm finally blogging!

2011-11-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

So here it is, my very first post!!

So when I asked the girls here, 'what should I write about?' the response was.....'really?! Shelley, YOU are stumped for something to say??' Oh hahahaha girls!

But I wanted to tell you about something you DON'T know! If you comes into the store, you know we are fully decorated for Christmas. If you follow our website, you know what's new. If you follow us on Facebook, you may have even seen the pics from Fall Quilt Market in Houston.

But most of you don't know where the magic happens!! Thats right, the special place where I answer your emails, write our patterns and books, send out the e-newsletters, print the patterns, and most important....where I spend most every day!

My most glamourous office!

Now, don't cringe, I happen to like my space!! I have pics of my kids and grandchildren randomly
pinned to the walls! I'm fully willing to admit I'm not the tidiest worker bee, and this keeps me far from the public eye (until now!)

Yvonne, one of our full time staff members made me this cute sign to 'pretty up' my office! My youngest son, wrote notes to me on the wall! And I'm able to pin very important items....cause goodness knows, if it hits my desk, I might never find it again!

This beast is our printer! We print all of our patterns in house, as well as all of our labels, newsletters, signage and anything else you happen to see in our store!

See those calendars behind it, that's our year at a glance!

So that's your very first peek into some behind the scenes workings of The Quilt Patch!

Stay tuned for more! Maybe I'll show you our wholesale pattern area!!