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April 2010

Some updates and such...

As you all well  know, the countdown til Quilt Market has officially started... and yes, that does mean a whole lot of work... I felt like blogging today to share everything with you.

So, what's been going on in the fabric department?

Well,  for starters UPS came to make my day this morning when they brought one of my new fabric collections, PARADISE! I must tell you, I was almost as surprised as I was pleased (was expecting for it to come this weekend); there is no better motivation to start sewing that having those beautiful rolls of fabric standing at my door... Hope you like them as much as I do!

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How would I describe it? Vintage sewing and modern quilting! I hope to make a more detailed presentation soon. Delivery will begin on August.

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And speaking of sewing motivation, I must introduce you to my latest lovely assistant: my industrial Pfaff machine.

Sewing_machine

Did you have had a chance to sew with one of them? Even though I own 4 sewing machines, this one is definitely the New Kid on the Block and is already looking at the others like her bigger sister! It's a totally new and different sewing experience... It's smooth, can sew through rocks, and it's FAST, REALLY FAST!!

Guess who else is a fabric lover around here? Daisy, my sweet little daughter... Her sewing style is definitely different than mine. She LOVES to chew fabric!!

Daisy_my_dog

On my home front...

Even tough I love to cook -- I took cooking and pastry lessons 4 years, this seems to be a luxury for me now days; I don't have the time to do it anymore. But today I felt a little nostalgic and I was remembering my Spanish grandma. I remembered that when I was at college studying for a final and was very tired, she used to tell me: "There is nothing better than a good homemade meal to make you feel as good as new again". I now associate that thought... it was because I was feeling the same fatigue... I said to myself: stop working and start cooking, you're gonna feel much better! How many of you have tried octopus? In Spain it's one of the most delicious seafood! It was waiting on the freezer for me. There. "Pulpo a la gallega = Galician octopus". So simple, so natural, so good.

Octopus 

Spanish_pimenton

Grandma, even you are not with me anymore... I LOVE YOU!

Love,

Pat

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Last Giveaway Tuesday...

Hey everyone!

As you well know by now, Tuesday = Giveaway, and I'm more than ready to announce our new winners!

Time to kiss my GIRLY GIRL PILLOWS goodbye... now they have a new lucky owner!

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Angie H, that's you! 

And now let's hear it for our TOYBOX PATTERNS winners: 

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Donna Swertel, Mimi, and Heather, the prize is yours! You know what to do now: get in touch with me and we'll arrange the shipment of your lovely new patterns.

As promised, Giveaway Tuesdays were running for four weeks... so this was my last one (for now!), so again, give a nice round of applause to yourselves, I looved to hear about you all, and congratulations to the winners! 

Aaaand to cheer you up a little, I have some new stuff to reveal sometime this week... anyone said PATTERNS? 

To be continued...

Love,

Pat.

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Tutorial: fabric flowers anyone???

Every tutorial I made has a story. Do you want to know about this one?

By popular demand, let me share with you a little bit of the "behind the scenes" of FABRIC FLOWERS:

After presenting my FIRENZE BAG pattern on Houston Quilt Market last October, the little fabric roses that come on the front of the bag became "I must have that flower". Sewers loved them! BTW - THANK YOU so much for all the compliments and comments I have received from all of you!!

Not so long ago, I reserved space for an ad on Quilt Magazine. It was a whole page... and I had so many ideas in mind. Obviously, the first thing that came through my mind were fabrics; to show new collections, or to make a graphic ad- the ones my adorable assistant Angie execute beautifully. Then... came to my mind the flowers!... and voila! The problem was solved.

This is how the ad appeared on the mag:

Quilt_mag_01

From the moment the ad reached newsstands, I couldn't believe the amount of emails asking for the pattern of the flowers!

So because you asked for it, I love to listen to you! Here is the tutorial -sorry for the delay...

Fabric Flowers 101 (please click on the link for the PDF file)

Fabric_flowers
I love to take pictures of all of them together. I feel so good when I see such and explosion of color.

Hope you like them and please make many. Flood your house and your wardrobe with them... Long live the spring!!

Love,

Pat

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Guess what day it is...

That's right. Another Tuesday... another Giveaway!

I want to thank you all for participating, it's always nice to read about everyone's funny stories, we all have one of those! 

Soooo... before introducing the new prizes, let's announce the winners:

The winner of the ready-made TRAVEL SET is...

Winnertravel1 

Rhonda! Congratulations! Next time you travel, I can't assure your ketchup won't land on people's ears again, but I can guarantee you'll travel in style! 

And now for the TRAVEL SET pattern winners, we have...

Winnertravel2 

and...

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Sarah M and Judy, hope you enjoy making your very own travel sets! 

Don't forget to get in touch with me for the shipment...

Well this is Week 3 of my Giveaways Tuesdays, so I'm raising the bar here a little bit...

1st Winner will be getting this beautiful set of three GIRLY GIRL PILLOWS!

 Pillowsgive
 

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Yes. They are READY-MADE! So they can go straight to your bed or that comfy couch of yours while you think about your next project...

And talking about projects... how about making a super cute toybox for your little one?

Excited? Great! Because I'm giving away THREE TOYBOX PATTERNS for our next lucky winners!

Toybox_COVER
 

No more toys all over the place!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post... You can share you thoughts, say how you're feeling today or well, just say Hi! 

Remember winners will be announced next Tuesday, I'd love to hear from all of you, and once again, good luck!

Love,

Pat.


My very own Palette...

And this time, I'm not talking about fabrics!

Let's give prints and patterns a little break for today, and let's talk about threads for a minute...Starting the last week of May, my very first THREAD COLLECTION for Signature will be available in stores! Think 16 tantalizing new colors to match every single sewing or quilting project you have in mind...   

Rack
 

As a fabric designer, quilter and sewer , I have found myself very limited as far as the variety of color threads available in the market. I have seen the need for newer and fresher colors to bring my fabrics designs to life. My new palette developed by Signature does exactly that!

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My sense of color is reflected in everything I do. I believe color plays a key role y every project, from choosing gorgeous fabrics to choosing the right hue of thread to match them.

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When I met with the company, I saw that we both have the same goal: "excellence in quality and color".

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THREAD-GARDEN 
 
 THREAD-THOMAS
 
Knowing that accuracy in color is essential to me, Signature provided the perfect dye hue for each color I chose in this palette. They definitely meet my expectations!

When I speak about high quality, a cotton thread has to pass 3 tests: it has to be smooth so it doesn't tangle on your machine, it has to be strong for high speed machine quilting, and it has to be virtually lint free. After countless hours of stitching at my studio and many quilts that my long arm quilter has finished for magazines, this is the only thread that greatly exceeded all these tests!

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And there is more... Signature cotton is perfectly suited for every project. Every time I sew my handbags, clothing or home decor projects, I choose them because the three-ply, long-staple fiber construction is essential for its superior strength.

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Machine washable and colorfast, the versatile colors in my palette will not only compliment my fabrics but will allow you to work with the latest trends in colors for fabrics.

Patri&threads

The threads come in 3,000 yard cones, and 500 yard spools, so you can choose what's more convenient for your personal project.

So, remember, "PAT' BRAVO'S PALETTE" for Signature will be available in stores after Market! (that's the last week of May).

I truly hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and expect to make your projects a lot easier, more durable, and of course, look gorgeous! 

Love, 

Pat.


Giveaway Tuesday!

Wow, is it Tuesday already?

I've been working sooo much (during Market season, sleeping doesn't seem to be a priority anymore!), and I'll let you guys take a little look at our work in progress here at Art Gallery Fabrics very very soon...

But first things first!

It's Giveaway Tuesday, and you know what that means, right? New winners and new prizes to be announced, right about... NOW!

The lucky winner of the QUILT FABRIC KIT from my Belle Epoque collection is...

Winner1 

Congratulations, Vicky!! You're this week's 1st prize winner!!

Sharing the podium with Vicky, is 2nd prize winner...

Winner2
Karen, congratulations! You now own a ASSORTED FABRIC BUNDLE, hope you have fun with it!

Please get in contact with me so we can arrange the shipment.

And THANK YOU all very much for participating... and don't give up! You all have a chance to become next Giveaway Tuesday's winner! And what will you be getting? 

One ready-made Travel Set,  including a laundry bag, a shoe bag (that can fit up to 2 pair of shoes) and a stylish tri-fold lingerie bag with many roomy pockets for all your intimates!

Travel_set
 2nd and 3rd winners will both get one Travel Set Sewing Pattern, which will explain in detail how to make the three bags... so now there's no excuse to have a messy suitcase!

Travel_cover
To enter, leave a comment telling me the most ridiculous, hilarious anecdote that ever happened to you while on a trip!

Can't wait to hear all your crazy stories, and good luck to you all!

Back to work now!

Love,

Pat.