After Hours!

So Jeanne and I just returned from Winnipeg where we worked at our booth during their amazing three day show! The hours are long after you factor in setting up and standing on those cement floors for so long, but we enjoy what we do! We also enjoy seeing good friends that we get to catch up with during show season! Friends like Pauline, from Hamels Fabric out in Chilliwack, BC.  We went out for dinner after the show closed on Saturday.....however because she didn't have a vehicle there and we had only a cargo van.....seats being limited, Jeanne offered to sit on an empty rubbermaid tub, and Pauline offered to drive!

As you can see, it was quite an adventure for Jeanne - and I was laughing so hard I could barely take the picture....which explains the blurriness!
After dinner we had another destination in mind......

Unh huh, that's right....

We went shopping!

Now as luck would have it - Pauline's hotel room was right next to ours! However....she got this ginormous African themed suite, with....

And......

In case you are wondering....it's carpet!! Not kidding - told you...African themed.
So after lots of great visiting, much wine, we all ended up:

So, I could have blogged about our booth. I could have blogged about the show. I could have blogged about lots of things....but I wanted to give you another 'behind the scenes' look at The Quilt Patch life!

It's Official!!

So finally after much back and forth with our AMAZING travel agent, it's all official!
We are cruising baby!

We are SOOOO excited!!! We'd be thrilled if you could join us!
Now just as an FYI - Neither Jeanne nor myself has cruised before!! So don't be shy! You either are in the same boat...pardon the pun! Or you can be our expert chaperones! Either way - we are sure to have a wonderful time!

Dirty Little Secret!

Ok, I'm feeling a little remiss in my blogging skills!
Jeanne and I recently attended our first engagement of the Spring season, out in Bonnyville, AB. It was a fabulous time! Both Jeanne and I taught classes on the Saturday, after a Friday evening of AMAZING food....oh ya and we did a trunk show also!! But the food....wow!

So for the past few weeks on Wednesday's, I've had a standing date with my granddaughter for a few hours each evening! I have been sneaking away from work early to pick her up, make her dinner, play, then relinquish her back to her mom! I'm going to miss those Wednesdays when she goes back to her regular sitter! It's WAY more fun being a grandma than a parent!!

Only a Grandma would let her dip her strawberries in sugar!

But how could you not??

Ok, now on to my dirty little secret.
Are you ready for this......
I COLLECT MENS NECKTIES.
There. I said it out loud.
And not just any old kind of necktie....but old, used neckties! I have never bought a new necktie. Why do I do this when I have a perfectly good STORE full of brand new fabric? I don't really know. It's like an addiction. I have bins and bins of ties. Under beds, in closets. And right now....all over my sewing room floor!

Messy ties littering my sewing room floor!

I do use the ties! I make quilts with them. I don't have a lot of time to play in my ties. I'm usually sewing something that is for the shop. The next sample we need or the next book project, or the next something new. But I do try to make one project a year with them - not a lot, I know, but it's something I do for ME.
So the project I'm working on now is called Eclectic Pickle. It is a Quilt Patch Pattern Co pattern!
It's a paper piecing project, but I use a fusible interfacing! (I'd be happy to share any tips - just drop me an email!)

Eclectic Pickle hanging in my house

As you can see - this won't be my first Eclectic Pickle quilt! I have this one hanging in my basement. It's 60" x 60" and I think it's one of my all time favourite quilts I've made with ties.
So back to my sewing room....when I use the ties in a quilt, I sometimes mix in silks with the ties. Yes...another thing I collect!

I love the process of choosing a specific tie and pairing it up with either another tie, or the perfect color of silk to complement the tie! I could spend hours doing just that! I have little piles all over my sewing room! It's soooo incredibly messy when I drag out the ties! Not just the random piles all over - but taking the ties apart creates little threads that linger everywhere. Paper piecing creates random bits of garbage, silk frays quite a lot, and well...in general, I'd be the first to admit - I'm a messy sewer!

Ties pairs with silk

Ties paired with ties

So did you notice how I sometimes substituted a few piece here and there? That's because with a tie....you only get so much fabric! And if you don't have enough - it's not like you can run out and buy some more!

Close up of Eclectic Pickle

So that's it my friends.....as you can see, what I do for myself, is a little different from what you see Jeanne and I do the store and in our books. If you'd like to donate to my addiction, please feel free, I appreciate each one! If you'd like a tip or two on how to use ties you may have - leave me a comment, drop me an email or come in to the store! I'm always happy to share! (Just not my ties!)

Fridays at The Quilt Patch

Fridays here at The Quilt Patch are pretty fun! We host a 'Sew With Flo' day each Friday from 10 - 4. For $15, you can spend the day sewing your little heart out!

FLO!!

The idea behind our Sew with Flo days is that sometimes people need a little help finishing a project, and there's no class for that, or they just need a helping hand getting started on a kit they bought. Or they just want to come out learn a new technique or spend the day laughing and enjoying some companionship!
And because Flo is such an amazing quilter, and you just can't possibly stump her, she is our Friday leader! And she is here to help you in any way you might require. Periodically we have theme days for our Fridays and today was paper piecing day!

Which means you can either bring a paper piecing project you require help with, or just come and get a lesson on how to do the technique. Or you can choose to just sew on whatever you like!
No pressure!

Even Jeanne was up there sewing away today! Quilting a brand new baby quilt we'll be offering! The quilt is called Bunny Hugs and we've whipped up a boy version and a girl version! Jeanne was quilting the boy one!

Jeanne quilting

Bunny Hugs boy version

Bunny Hugs girl version

I ALWAYS go upstairs on Fridays, to say hello to all the ladies who come - some are regular Friday gals, others come and go depending on their time constraints....but the one consistent on Fridays.....THE FOOD!!! Oh my goodness! Look at todays treat!!

I know!! Sooooo delicious! There's always a huge amount of laughing going on up in the classroom, and these ladies are managing to get a lot of quilting done and able to move onto other projects. Our Sew With Flo Fridays have proven so popular that starting in the next session (watch for the newsletter around the end of the month) we will be holding some Sew With Flo Saturdays!

FREE fabric?!

 Here's your chance to get some FREE Shasta fabric!!

Win this 12 piece Shasta fat quarter bundle!

Get onto Facebook - if you're not already on Facebook....sign up - its not difficult, and it's a great way to find out if you look better than your old classmates or your ex boyfriend is a fat shlump and you may have dodged a bullet!

Besides those things, Facebook offers a chance to keep in touch with the things you enjoy, such as
The Quilt Patch!!

Are you on Facebook now? Go on, I'll wait.......now go to the Creativ Festival page (HINT - click on the words, it'll take you there!) ( I am making this WAY too easy for you!)
Now, LIKE the Creativ Festival page. Done that? Ok, now keep watching cause they are going to be offering you a chance to win this 12 piece Shasta bundle...tomorrow!! And don't worry girlfriends, I will pop this bundle of joy in the mail if you win!! AND....if you win, we will also toss in one of our super popular Hopscotch patterns so you can whip something up as soon as that bundle crosses your doorstep!

But wait! There's more! Heee heee, just kidding, I just couldn't resist!

Have any of you been to the Creativ Festival show in Mississauga in the Spring or Toronto in the Fall?
I adore that show!! It's so packed full of amazing booths, it's one of my favourite shows!
The Spring show will be:

April 27-28, 2012 (Friday & Saturday)
International Centre, Halls 1 & 2
6900 Airport Rd.
Mississauga ON

And The Quilt Patch will be there with a huge booth full of all the latest and greatest we have to offer!

Shasta has arrived!!

  So our fabric FINALLY arrived! Yay! Shasta is in the House!

So we've been busy cutting fat quarters, which has been a huge job! We're getting them all packaged up so we can get them shipped out to all who pre ordered! It's very exciting to see our name on the selvedge!

Ok....I gotta get back to fat quarter folding!!

Sneak Peek at what's NEW for Spring!!

As most of you know, we make a whole new collection of quilts every Spring, and every Fall. And here we are just weeks away from heading into the Spring show season, working like crazy women!!
The latest items we whipped up using our Shasta fabric (which STILL HASN'T arrived!! It's like giving birth and we haven't gone into labour yet! Although as of this morning we do know the baby ....er fabric....is in Calgary!) Is Midnight Picnic and Floppy Daisy Runner!

Floppy Daisy Runner

Midnight Picnic

If you collected our long seasonal wallhangings, you'll be very excited to know that we now have the matching seasonal table runners! Well....most of them....keep watching for the Dreams runner! It's coming soon!

Hopes Runner

Blessings Runner

Wishes Runner

Still on smaller items - Flossy is brand new as of yesterday! Its a cute wool applique project that you can frame or finish as a pillow. The kit is $12.95, which I thought was pretty fabulous considering we've put the pattern in there as well!

Flossy

Onto larger quilts, Trolley Square came about because we have such a delicious selection of flannels in stock right now! Don't let those stars fool you - Trolley Square is 67" x 81"

Trolley Square

The patterns are ready for all of the above, but this one......this one is very fresh! As you can see - it's kinda Fall - ish looking! We were trying for a Spring look, honestly, but we seem to do dark very well! Hopefully our customers will love it as much as we do, whatever the season! Pattern and kit coming soon!

Plum Pudding

Now this one.....is very fresh.....this is really a sneak peek!

Scribbles!

Checkerboard...taking shape!

Flowers...stay tuned!

Keep watching for the finished results in this one! We have even more new items in store, and if you see us at a show this Spring - you'll see it all!
Until next time!!