The Pattern Place has a new look

Well, with some toil and a little struggle the renovations to
The Pattern Place web presence are complete, mostly. We are still working a few little bugs out - so if you see any please let me know :) I am now re-focused and excited about new patterns and maybe some new pattern example projects, we will have to see.
I have been invited to join a wonderful quilting group and I am absolutely loving it. It is a real joy to be with other quilters and breathe in their energy and creativity. Thank you ladies, I look forward to the next few months and some great afternoons.
My three year old and I decided that we need a St. Patrick's Day decoration for our house. Love that. So, if the day goes as planned she and I will have a shamrock banner to show for our efforts. So fun. No pictures yet but maybe tomorrow?
Happy Quilting


We had such a great day making our shamrock banner, follow the link to see a picture of it nearly finished. We added and green 3" border and tried a new to me binding/backing technique. It all worked out quite well. Love you big girl.

Applique Quilting Fun

Well things are slowing down just a little around my house, so I thought I would get back to my sewing. The baby has turned one, daddy even had a birthday, so we are full from the cake still. Things have been hectic and uncomfortable at times but we are moving forward.

I have broken my only rule of quilting, again, "don't buy another project until you're finished this one." So yep, I bought the kit for the "Joy to the World" applique quilt by Nancy Halvorsen - LOVE IT!!

I am two blocks away from having her 'Be Attitudes" blanket completed, not that bad I guess. Here are some quick pictures that don't include my toes ;) It needs a press after taking it to quilt group the other day, can't wait to have it COMPLETELY finished. Well enough of my guilty pleasures.



My grandmother's flower garden is coming together and I am looking forward to a hefty road trip in August to get some more put together. But for now here are the results.


I have decided to sew the quilt in strips and then sew the strips together, something about a huge big quilt on my lap in August makes me overheat! Thank you for the comments, I am putting a template basting tutorial on my to do list. I would also love to know how you can reuse your templates when you stitch them to your fabric? The things I didn't know I didn't know :)

Well I am off to sew or rest or clean, not sure it will be the later - Happy Quilting

Machine Quilting and Flower Garden Fun

So many fun things to talk about. I have been busy and not because I have been doing laundry ;)

Machine quilting is so much fun, especially when your tension is good, your bobbin doesn't run out AND your thread doesn't break. I have several smaller projects completed, a baby quilt for my niece and and few other recipient unknowns. So far they are all panel tops, no pieced projects but I do have an applique quilt to finish before my first nephew comes for a visit. I am still learning to know when and where and how to make the quilting the best I can. I am going to put a few more pantograph patterns together and really figure out the scale of the quilting design. I have had a little thread battle but I think I have that figured out, all in all, all is good.

This week I have been taken completely over by my Grandmother's Flower Garden project. I am hooked, those little flowers can keep me up way past my bedtime. Things are progressing and I love the lay out design, thanks to the internet, I have found. I also found a great tutorial on-line for basting the fabric to the cardboard template. The only thing I do different then in the photos is that I don't pin my template and fabric together, oh and I knot my thread to start and finish. I don't want the basting to come out if I leave it for a while before assembling a block. Okay so I will try to be kind but I just don't understand why you sew your fabric to the cardboard - now you can't use the template again and you have to take out the stitches. So to anyone who has sewn their templates to their fabric, I am sorry and to anyone considering a Grandma's Flower Garden Quilt using an English Paper Piecing method baste your fabric to your templates. Please send me an email if you have any questions :)

My family is great, my little ones are getting bigger. Dad is away this week, so we should get lots of sewing done... we hope.