Am I The Chicken or The Hamster?

So many ideas, so little time.
    I feel like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off....I have all these ideas and plans but I don't know which one to tackle first.  How do you prioritize multiple tasks that all hold the same importance and value? I'm losing sleep at night because the hamster in my brain won't jump off the wheel!
     I continue to teach quilting at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, which is probably the most rewarding thing I've done since launching my quilting career in 2004.  I have no words to explain the joy I feel when a brand new quilter tells me they are addicted.  They are so excited to share the projects they want to do next or the fabric they just bought at their new favorite quilt shop.  They come in to class and show off what they did at home since last week with a huge grin on their face.  The experienced quilters warm my heart when they say they want to sign up for a class and "I hope you're teaching it!".  I look forward to teaching like an adrenalin junkie looks forward to their next bungee jump.  LOL!
     Pattern designing has also lit a flame in my heart.  Some of my patterns evolve from class requests.  Some are inspired by blocks found when playing in my EQ (Electric Quilt) Software.  Some evolve from old favorites into new variations and new favorites.  The pattern designing process is not a quick one and I get impatient when I don't have time for taking the pictures and writing out the instructions or sewing the cover sample and testing the pattern.  My patterns are here:  www.craftsy.com/user/629411
     I'm also selling some of my quilts on Etsy but that's going slow.  I need to get some new listings up and breathe new life into my Etsy store.  It's not like I don't have stacks of quilt tops to finish and sell.  ;)
My Etsy shop is here:  www.piecinlovequilting.etsy.com
     And there's this blog I want to grow.  I've updated it a little bit but sitting in front of the computer also takes time. I want to add a tab for free patterns and tutorials.  I want to add a photo gallery or something like that.  I want to develop a block of the month and post it here.  I want, I want, I want to.....
     Side note:  I have a few client quilts on my longarm schedule to finish but after that, I have decided to take a break from longarm quilting for others.  It will allow me more time to do all of the above things and will allow me to have better control of my work schedule.  Better control of my work schedule will provide relief from a repetitive motion issue in my neck.  I love my longarm clients and will miss them but I won't miss deadline stress.  :)
     I know that I'll get my business to where I want it to be.  I just need more hours in the day....or a housekeeper and a cook.  Unfortunately, my hubby isn't going for the hired help.  Sigh.

Piecin' Love,
Terri

Toss And Turn

And here is another one!
It's called "Toss and Turn" and it's Fat Quarter friendly!

Jellybeans

I've posted a new pattern on Craftsy.
It's called Jellybeans and it's Jelly Roll friendly!

I am addicted to precuts like jelly rolls, charm squares, fat quarters, etc.
I also love fast and easy patterns that make complicated looking quilts.
Nothing makes me happier than being able to combine the two!
Happy quilting!

piecin' love,
Terri

A New Adventure and Clearing The Air

In the last couple of days, I have opened up a pattern store at Craftsy.com.
I am so excited.  To top it off, Craftsy's Facebook page, facebook.com/quiltingclub, posted my pattern on their wall and got me off to a great start!  I am over the moon!

There have been a few comments and posts which imply I have stolen or copied the pattern from another designer.  I feel that I need to address this to clear the air:

• I admit that I used a block known as "disappearing nine patch", "split nine patch", "tossed nine patch" and some other names.  This technique can be found for free on multiple websites if you simply type in the block name on a Google search.  
• This block pattern is considered a technique.  Patterns are copyrighted, not techniques.
• My quilt pattern was not copied from anyone and cannot be found anywhere else that I know of.  I realize it is similar to an Eleanor Burns pattern but it is not the same.  
• I designed my pattern in 2009 on EQ6 without ever having seen Eleanor's pattern.  And, as I said above, it IS different from Eleanor's design.  Eleanor's quilt is bigger than mine and uses different instructions. 
• I am unable to even find who originated the block technique.

You can find a little bit of history here:  Cookie-Cutter-Nine-Patch-Quilt-Pattern
"The technique appears to have developed from the work of many quilters, so I feel comfortable writing my own version of the pattern -- instructions are copyrighted, not techniques. However, I do not feel comfortable calling the pattern disappearing nine patch, since the phrase was used in (at least) two books. So I'll join the ranks of writers who coin a new phrase for designs that ultimately become traditional:"
You can see more discussion here:  Pirate's Forum Post

I am not the first designer to use this block in a book or pattern and I won't be the last.  It is timeless and unbelievably easy.  And no two quilts are alike, even if you use the same charm pack in more than one quilt.
I am happy that so many people like my pattern and equally happy that others are paying attention and defending copyright.  Thank you all.
Piecin' Love,
Terri

I promised you a picture....

....of this quilt.  Borders are finished, binding is done and it's on the wall at The Quilter's Escape in Oconto Falls, WI.  Kits are available.

Have a great day!

Terri

In like a lion, out like a lamb.....

In like a lion, out like a lamb.  So the saying goes......it was 40 yesterday but today it's only getting up to 21.  I think my lamb is freezing it's behind off!  Anyway.....
I belong to the Town 'n Country Quilt Guild of Pulaski, WI.  We are having our bi-annual quilt show and I will have seven, possibly eight quilts in it.
The show will be at the Middle School in Pulaski from 9 to 4 on Saturday, April 2nd.  Our theme is "Civil War Tribute" which is right up my alley.
I believe the entrance fee is $4.00 and everyone who buys a ticket will be entered to win prizes, including our grand prize quilts.
Please come and say hi!
Happy Quilting,
Terri

It's All My Fault

My head feels like a bowling ball, my nose feels like it's gonna fall off my face, my chest feels like someone is sitting on it, and boy oh boy am I crabby....uugghh. It's that time of year again. When the crud starts getting passed around. And I've got it. Yay, me.
My hubby says it's my fault because I don't dress appropriately for the weather. But this is WISCONSIN. FALL in Wisconsin. When the weather changes every five minutes.
Warm, cold...wet, dry....windy, calm...
Add to that the fact that I am peri-menopausal. Can you say "Hot Flashes"? My idea of dressing for cold weather is two pairs of socks. Yea....my feet get cold. The rest of me....NOT. Well, when I do get cold, it lasts about 15 minutes. I keep an overshirt handy to throw on. 15 minutes later, it's off again. At night, I'm outside the covers more than I am under them....and hubby thinks I'm crazy. He doesn't understand the concept of hot flashes. He just doesn't get it.
So where am I going with this? I have no clue. LOL
Oh yea.....it's my fault I'm sick because I don't dress for cold weather. Sigh. Whatever.

Have a wonderful day! Stay healthy!
piecin' love,
Terri

Back From Retreat....and ready for the next one!

Hi there! I went on retreat this past weekend. There is a group of five of us who go on retreat together once a year (except this year. We enjoyed it so much we went twice. LOL) We rented a cottage in Poynette, WI on a river with incredible scenery and lots of sewing room. I got back Sunday night, and my hubby took me out to dinner right away. What a blessing, cuz I did NOT feel like cooking!
What a great weekend! I finally got my "Women's Voices" BOM quilt finished. It is a BOM from the Keepsake Quilting catalog and I've been working on it off and on for about three years. It's a Civil War Quilt and the patterns were done using templates in the "old way". Trying to avoid the templates, I converted to rotary cutting technique as much as possible and I used Thangles when I could, but some of them I HAD to use the templates, so of course I saved the hardest blocks for last. My bad. But it's finally done and all my retreat buddies celebrated with me because they've been watching me struggle with it at the last three retreats. I will post a picture as soon as I get a chance. Right now, I am knee deep in quilting. Got three quilts to longarm by the end of the week.
We were near an Amish community this weekend so we took one afternoon and visited a few Amish businesses...a bakery (Yumm), a grocery store, and a quilt shop. The owner had one shelf of 100% cotton, one shelf of flannel and the rest was cotton/poly blend. She had maybe 3 or 4 prints of Christmas fabric (very curious) and all the rest were solids, no bright colors. It was very interesting to see the shop and talk to an Amish quilter. She asked us what types of fabrics we like and made such a funny face when one of our group said "Brights. The ones that are so bright they make your eyes hurt". We all agreed that if she developed a pattern and kit for an Amish style quilt, she would sell lots of her fabric. We also visited a furniture and basket shop. ALL the shops were so interesting. The furniture shop had the most gorgeous handmade furniture! Too bad I didn't have a U-haul along. Then again, my husband is probably glad I didn't. :o)
We watched lots of movies, ate lots of good food (and chocolate LOL), had a bonfire one night, and just had an all-around great time. I feel refreshed and anxious to do some more sewing. Looking ahead for the next retreat already.
Well, back to the studio. I'll post a picture soon. Have a great day, ladies!
piecin' love,
Terri

Fall has Arrived!

Well, I think summer is finally over in Wisconsin. The fall colors are at peak and we had (I think) our last warm spell last week. Leslie is back in school, enjoying her senior year (and hating all the paperwork involved with applying for scholarships) and it sure is quiet around my house!

News: A new quilt shop opened here in my little home town of Oconto Falls, WI. It's called "Quilter's Escape" and is the cutest little place! I just love it. I'm going to be teaching classes there for the first time ever. My first class is called "Crazy Eights" using a pattern by Bits & Pieces. Here's a picture of my shop sample:The basic pattern calls for eight fat quarters. I added 8" squares to make it a bit bigger.I quilted it with a pantograph called "Cutie Patootie" by Miki & Diane Designs. Here's a closeup:

I'm a little nervous because I've never taught before but excited because it's a new adventure.

I've been busy quilting and helping hubby get caught up on the paperwork for his painting business in preparation for my upcoming quilting retreat weekend after next. I am so pumped! And so READY for some girl/sewing time! WooHoo! (Can you say.....MARGARITA?)

We spent last weekend helping my son move his STUFF out of our house and into his new apartment. He was storing it here in between living arrangements and it was overflowing into the room I want to turn into an extension of my quilting studio. Now....if I can just corral hubby into painting it for me. LOL Yea...ain't gonna happen til the snow flies, I'm sure, because he is busy painting houses in a hurry for people who want it done before winter hits. I'm not gonna complain because I know how slow it gets for him once it snows. He'll be here "keeping me company" before I know it.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

piecin' love,
Terri

Where Does The Time Go?

Holy Cow. Time is just flying by. Seems like yesterday that I last posted and here it's been over a month. It's cooled off and the colors are changing already here in Wisconsin. Mark and I picked the last of our garden last night before the frost comes tonight. Checked the furnace, replaced the filters and we're trying hard not to turn it on yet. Soon, all too soon.

First up...here are some pics of the black & white star quilt from my last post. The customer loved it. The only thing she said was she wished she had asked for a contrasting thread on the back so the quilting shows up. She wanted something "curly" or "circular" in the star blocks. This is what I came up with, and then used the curly theme in the borders. It's hard to see, but the outside border has a feather-like vine with curls instead of feathers.

I tried getting pictures of the whole quilt, but you can't really see the quilting.

I love this quilt.

My daughter and I went on a trip in August. A combination birthday trip for me and a little vacation for Leslie before she entered her senior year of high school. We went to see my parents, who live in Clarksville, TN. On the way we stopped and spent the night in Tuscola, IL and shopped at the outlet mall there. The next day we stopped for a few hours in Paducah to visit the Quilt Museum and Hancock's of Paducah. Wish we had had more time but it was just as well, since the temps were around 105 and Leslie was anxious to get to Grandma's house.
Anyway, both places were absolutely awesome. The museum took our breath away. They had a wonderful display called "Oh, Wow... Miniature Quilts" that was just awesome! And the antique quilts! Oh, my.
My credit cards screamed in terror when we walked into Hancock's. Unbelievable. Half an hour after walking in, Leslie tells me "I can't believe we've been here half an hour and you only have three things in the cart" (drapery fabric to make a valance for her orange bedroom, a yard of chocolate colored fabric with pink flamingos on it and the large rotating Olfa cutting mat which was my birthday present to myself). I said "but I don't even know where to start. If I buy everything I like, I'll need a second mortgage and a U-haul to get us home!". So, I asked her to pick out a pattern that she would like to make (in my undying hope to get her interested in quilting). She picked out a cute wallhanging pattern with appliqued purses and high heel shoes on it and we were off. This girl loves picking out fabrics! We're talking stacks.
A good sign, right?
We got to my mom's without spending all our gas money to get home. The next day we went to Nashville for the AQS Quilt Show. This is the second time I have been. Beautiful quilts, (I especially enjoy the guild challenges) but to me it seems to be mostly a vendor show. We picked out more fabric for the wallhanging. I actually caught Les petting fabric in one booth. I had to laugh out loud. And if you could have seen the sheepish look on her face. She also found a pattern for the most adorable flip flop quilt. We both love flip flops. Old Navy flip flops. It's the only shoes we wear in the summer.
I bought the pattern, but told her I refused to buy fabric for it until the wallhanging was made. Now if I can just get her to help me put that wallhanging together. I also told her that it wouldn't get made unless she helped me. She said "I hate sewing", basing her opinion on the short experience of her 6th grade class. I said, "you don't have to sew, you can learn how to cut and press". I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can make the process of quilting more enjoyable for her than that stupid pillow she had to make. LOL.

She's a senior this year and a classic "girly girl" who is into clothes and music. (Disregard the "convict number" on her forehead. LOL It's a preview from the photographer.
Gotta love those dimples.

As for me, I also got the set of patterns by Amy Bradley for the "Seasonal Quilter", which is a calendar type quilt with little quilts that you interchange on it for holidays, assorted fat quarters to feed my addiction, a handquilting hoop, thread, and some "quilting" T-shirts. I also decided while there that I definitely want to learn needlepunch. I just need to let my wallet gain some weight. It's a little skinny now. LOL
Oh, I also got to test drive my "dream machine", the APQS Millenium, at the show. Sigh. Someday. And I realized after we left the show and I looked in the packet of APQS info, that I had actually been talking to Marilyn Badger, master quilter. What a nice lady.

I guess that's it for today. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day! As for me, I'm off to the studio. Harry Potter is waiting for me to put my headphones back on.

piecin' love,
Terri

Monday Morning

It's Monday morning. Sigh. I hate Mondays. It's so hard to get motivated after the weekend.

I have a quilt on my machine that is challenging me and now, here I sit at the computer when I should be in my studio. Here's a picture of it:

It's a gorgeous quilt. I'm not sure what the block pattern is called but the quilt is so striking with the black and white and a spot of color in the center of each block. The owner wants something "swirly" or "circular" in each block. I have a good idea of what I'm going to do but whenever I am challenged to step outside my box I tend to be slow in starting. And does it have to happen on a Monday? I'll post pictures of the finished quilt when it's done.

Here are a couple of pictures of a quilt I did last week. I love the happiness of this quilt. Scrappy quilts really do it for me. :o) This quilt was made by Gerda's (see my previous post) daughter. I used mostly "line dancing" technique and I had so much fun doing this one. And best of all, the owner loved the finished quilt.

There are more photos in my Webshots.

On Aug. 21, my daughter and I are going on a "girls" vacation. She's not a quilter, but she's a good sport. LOL We are going to Tennessee, via Paducah, to see my parents in Clarksville, and to go to the quilt show in Nashville. She will be a high school senior this year and I figure my opportunities such as this are numbered. Actually, I was surprised she wanted to go but I am not about to question it. I've promised her shopping in Nashville while we are there to make up for dragging her through quilt shops and the quilt show. :o))

SO......I guess if I want to go on vacation, I better head to the studio and get going on that quilt.

piecin' love,

Happy Monday, Bluebirds, and Prayer Request

Another Monday morning. The cable guy came and went on Friday. Turns out he was up here from Missouri, on loan to the local company, and wasn't familiar with Wisconsin roads. Got my new DVR player, however we found out later that he messed something up when replacing the new with the old. (We had our satellite wired into our stereo system along with our DVD player.) Now the only way we can switch between TV and DVD player is to disconnect the cable and move it to the output we want to use. :o( Called the company and they are sending someone out on Wednesday to fix the problem. Sigh.

Here are a couple pictures of the bluebirds I mentioned in an earlier post. One of them was guarding the nest while the other went and found nesting materials.


The knothole is covered by leaves now and a robin has built her nest right above it.

We visited friends after church yesterday and they have a suet feeder hanging next to their deck. They have little downy woodpeckers that come right up to the deck and aren't afraid of humans at all. The daddy was coming for food and taking it to the baby who hung onto the tree trunk about 10 inches away but was afraid to come to the feeder. It was so neat to watch. I tried to take pictures with my cellphone but I kept messing it up.

Off to the studio now. Have lots of catching up to do.

Prayers would be appreciated for my FIL as he begins his chemotherapy!
Thanks in advance.

Hope everyone has a great day!
Piecin' Love, Terri

Waiting for the Cable Guy

I'm sitting here waiting for the satellite man to come. I'm upgrading my satellite receiver to a DVR. This past Monday, hubby and I went to Milwaukee with his brother and wife for a Brewers baseball game and I was going to miss the season premier of "The Closer". I love that show! Lo and behold, Andy, hubby's brother, has a DVR receiver and was able to record it for me and then have his daughter put it on a DVD for me. "How cool is that?", I thought. So, I called DirectTV and, since I am such a "Great Customer", they are upgrading my system for free. Well, not so free, after all. I had to commit to keeping my dish subscription for two years. Since we live out in the country, otherwise known as "cable wasteland", there is no fear of not wanting satellite TV anytime soon. However, they said the guy would be here between 8 and noon. It is now 11:45 and where the heck is he?!? I have quilting to do! Didn't want to head for the studio because I am home alone with noone to hear him knock over the sound of the machine running.

Speaking of quilting, I am so seriously behind. Mark's parents were both diagnosed with colon cancer in the last month. We've been through three surgeries between the two of them and my father-in-law is about to start chemotherapy. Fortunately, I have loving, and very patient customers. If you are a customer and you are reading this, let me just say that you are wonderful and I so much appreciate your patience and understanding as I play "catch-up".

SO....thanks for "listening". It's 11:55 and I am heading for the studio. Guess my DVR will show up when it feels like it. Have a GREAT DAY!!!!!

Piecin' Love,

Terri

Happy Spring! Quilt! Quilt! Quilt!

It's spring in Wisconsin and I have quilting fever. Now that taxes are done, I am ready to spend some time catching up on quilting while I listen to audiobooks and look out the windows at the bluebird couple who have found their way back to us for the third year in a row.
I hope everyone is having a great day!

Terri

Piecin' Love

Just a quick introduction to begin.

My name is Terri and I own a longarm quilting business called Piecin' Love.
My website: www.piecinlove.com.
Photos of my work: http://community.webshots.com/user/terripetasek

I bought my longarm machine in January 2004. I made the plunge and went full-time into the quilting business in November 2004, leaving behind a high-paying but incredibly stressful job with a local paper mill. It has been a roller coaster ride ever since but I can honestly say it is the best (and scariest) thing I have ever done from a career standpoint!
I love quilting and I love all the neat people I meet in the course of my work. Quilters are truly wonderful people.

I grew up in Alabama. I met my husband while in the Air Force and we moved to Wisconsin in 1990 after both serving nine+ years with Uncle Sam. I have been married to Mark for 20 years. We have two wonderful kids, Matt (20) and Leslie (17).

My quilting studio is pet-free and smoke-free. I offer very affordable rates, as you will see on my website. More blogposts to come. For now, I wish you all a wonderful year in 2007!

piecin' love,
Terri