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Cool off FREE! We’re Having a Heat Wave!!

We’re having a heatwave!    “95°”   That’s a respectable heat wave.  So let’s price all the desert-y hot patterns in the 95s.   

$10.00 $8.95, $14.00 $11.95, $16.00 $13.95, $20.00 $17.95 

I grew up in southern California.  I thought I knew what it meant to be hot!!  But I remember the first time I really got a handle on the thing – heat that is.  Our family was on vacation and staying in a little motel at Lake Mead.  When we walked out of the door it felt like stepping into an oven.  After we got out onto the lake where my dad was fishing. I jumped in the water to cool off.  It was like a bathtub!!

Years later, my son living in nearby Las Vegas actually cooked an egg on the sidewalk.  Yes, he did!  It can really happen.

But a heat wave seems never-ending.  The long-hot summer!  Maybe you can picture it – maybe you’re living in it.    I’ve collected up all my MeadowLyon Pantographs and Pictograms that made me think about hot weather – like “Modern Southwest” pictured over a free-style, mock quilt.

My Dad and brothers built a desert cabin just outside the town of Joshua Tree, near 29 Palms, CA.  It was rugged with only one room, but it did have two sets of French doors across the back and a gasoline powered generator mounted on an old lawn mower chassis that Dad could fire up when we wanted electricity at night.  Before that we used a lantern. 

I loved hiking up Rattlesnake Hill right behind our house.  After I got to the top I could see out over the valley and into the National Monument Park where they used to “shoot” westerns.  I used to dress up in my little cowgirl outfit and run around trying to “rope” our Cocker Spaniel Rusty.

Ropin’ Horseshoes Rodeo Kids  Mustang Stampede.  Snakeskin

Oh, Yes!  Did you notice that straight rope twist and corner on the Rodeo Kids layout?  It’s FREE right now. So put “Rope Twist” in your cart.   
While you’re at it, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for our NEWSLETTER so you’ll know when we have special offers, new patterns and sales!

When my friend Helen in Las Vegas asked me to draw a pattern with southwest images for her I remembered so many things I had seen and loved in my childhood.  I drew them into “Southwest Vistas.”   

Oh yes! Cactus!  My mom was a crafty sort and she just had to have some of that decorative Cholla Cactus wood.  I can remember her with a handerkerchief tied around her face like a mask and wielding a big butcher knife held by big heavy gloves – scraping the “stickers” off the cactus!!  Those stickers are terrors!! They are the enemy!

I know that from experience.  But, Cactus Flower that was another thing!  They were friendly and had the brightest colors!! 

 I’ve rounded up all the “hot weather patterns and put them on sale for you – just for memory’s sake. Titles like: Southwest Vistas, Spiral Suns (an all time favorite!), Spinning Kokopeli, Modern Southwest, Mosaic, Laguna de Cancun, Great Plains on the Move, Mustangs, Rodeo Kids, Ropin’ Horseshoes w Knotty Pine, Snakeskin, Cactus FlowerEl DoradoPueblo Pottery (see a special tutorial below!) , Barnyard Dreams,  Sunflowers, Giant Sunflowers, Chicken Feathers,  MooCow,  Illusion, Tornado, Mayan Glyphs, Portico Blooms, & Bengali Mosaic.  Whew!  is it hot in all those places???

 

  But don’t worry –  YOU’LL NEED TO COOL OFF with FREE SODA FOUNTAIN BLOCKS SET.      The first 20 orders will get a PDF set emailed to them FREE within 24 hours!  Just wrap your lips around them straws!  On the Soda Fountain page you’ll see ideas for using them!

 

Now back to the longest of the hot days.  They make me think of eating MEXICAN! I’ve attached a couple of favorite recipes for you down below.  That reminds me – Do you know about EPAZOTE?  It is the quintessential Mexican herb.  Add it to your favorite chili recipe and you will be transported south of the border!  Yep, but it’s hard to find out here in Kansas. I finally asked the guy at Acapulco and he gave me some sprigs.  “Where did you buy this?” I asked.  “I grow it myself!”  

But now a little more quilt talk.  I’ve got a new pattern to celebrate the heat – “Pueblo Pottery.” It’s a fun interlocking panto with all the flavor of the southwest.

 I have an idea for you to use it on a quilt  Remember the “Southwest Vistas” Pictogram (that’s a non-repeating panto) up above?  I made a Southwest Pueblo quilt to showcase it. I used some simple improv piecing in desert colors to suggest the plateaus and native pueblo style houses.  The round oven, the round beams, the ladders and drying racks all added a bit of interest, color and nostalgia.  All this supported the amazing stitching of the “Pictogram” or vice-versa, the pictogram accented the strong southwest feel of the quilt.

I added more color to surround the main body of the quilt and have loved the

 

 

border ever since. So I’ve combined the blocks from that border into a quilt layout.

Here’s how you can put it together. And how it will look in a different colorway with the Pueblo Pottery design quilted over it.

So crank up that Air Cond and have fun sipping your sodas and putting together this fun desert quilt!  Oh and don’t forget the recipes below.

      

 

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Celebrate our Founding Fathers at Home and in History with Love, Honor and a FREE patriotic pattern set!

Celebrate our Founding Fathers at Home and in History with Love, Honor and a FREE Patriotic pattern!

At this time of year we remember our “Founding Fathers,” both family and nation.  Some founding fathers of our family are John Lyon, William A. Redd, Hans Ulrich Bryner, Lucius Franklin Snyder.  Bryner, seated with a beard, was an immigrant to the US from Switzerland. In large measure he was the founder of the Bryner clan in America.  Before coming he was blinded in an accident, but didn’t let that stop him. Traveling by ship and then covered wagon across the US he held onto the back of the wagon, giving up his seat inside for an elderly woman who needed a place.  I designed a quilting Pictogram, Westward Ho, around his story and pictured him holding the wagon.

  Just as you honor your fathers, we honor ours by telling them we love them, by giving them gifts, and by cooking their favorite treats. Our Dad loves tunnel of fudge cake – the old recipe with pudding. Yumm…. The kids all love making him treats each year!  It’s no wonder in Sunday School we sing, “I’m So Glad when Daddy comes Home.” Now he’s a grand father and sooo good at reading stories.  I get jealous – they want him!  See his picture?  Grandpas make us smile, don’t they?  (I had fun overlaying the pix with an image from our America’s Pride Blocks- FREE PDF June 2019 only.)

This time of year, climaxing with the 4th of July, is full of Patriotism. Because we live near an Army Post the boy scouts place flags on all the graves in the cemetery for Memorial day.  That is the beginning.  Memorial Day, D-day, Father’s Day and July 4th make a grand month of remembrance.

Patriotic service and red, white and blue décor and stories of valor are part of the fabric of our lives. In such ways we honor the Founding Fathers of our country.  We obey the laws, we vote, we celebrate the birth of our nation. We enjoy the land through vacations and song – “Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies…”   I even decorate a 4th of July tree!  (I’m also reminded of a Canadian hymn, “In days of yore from Britain’s shore, Wolfe, the dauntless hero came…”  My mother grew up in Canada and I learned this song as a child right along with The Star Spangled Banner.)

Every year on the 4th of July, we watch the movie “1776.   Our kids have the dialogue memorized. We love lines such as “He plays the violin…” and “Pins!” – “Saltpeter!”  What, you don’t know those lines?  Pull out that old movie this year and find them.  You’ll have to sing the words with Ben Franklin! I can see and hear it in my mind’s eye.

Another tradition has been to have a BBQ and Swim party in the back yard.  Ribs and sweet potato salad are always on the menu.  I’ll include my favorite ribs recipe for your 4th of July feast this year.  It’s actually an oven recipe but we put it on the grill for that special smokiness I love.  Homemade ice cream was also a favorite, Root Beer flavor as well as chocolate. Strawberry pretzel dessert was embellished with blueberries.  We’d have a yard full of friends, family  and neighbors and sit around until dusk while the kids played in the pool. Later we often drove onto the military post for a fireworks display.   I miss those days now that the kids are grown.   WHY DO WE DO ALL THIS? To honor the birth of our nation and the founding fathers who built us this heritage.  To honor the birth of our families and our own beloved Founding Fathers.

What are your favorite Father’s Day or 4th of Judy (oops July!) traditions?  Happy Father’s 4th of July!

This year I’ve had fun planning out some Patriotic quilt designs. “Patriotic Snail’s Trails and More!  They’re not full-fledged patterns, just my plans – but enjoy!

 

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T-Shirt Quilts: Pantos That Work Great! + Best Quilting tips for T-Shirt Success.

Upstairs in my walk-in attic I have a box of T-shirts meant for a quilt or two.  I thought how fun it would be to have a t-shirt quilt for the grandkids to use when they visit.  They’d be sleeping under all the memories of their Mom or Dad.  In particular I have a number of Hawaiian T-shirts and Hawaiian shirts and/or muumuus that he children wore when we lived in Hawaii.   Here’s my plan for those great memory pieces. I’m showing it “virtually” stitched with my “Hawaiian Hibiscus” pantograph.  (I’m including the titles of the Pantographs on the pictures simply for reference.)

Not sure about piecing circles?  I’ve posted a tutorial for adding them.  Don’t worry, it’s not hard!  Making Circular Insets for T-shirt Quilts.     

Another box is filled with old cub scouts t-shirts.  They’d be great and I plan to include some of the neckerchiefs and patches in the piecing (see my mock-up example).  I’m showing how I would stitch it with my 8-inch double “Jitterbug 15 interlocking “ panto.  (You could also use the -one row at a time- “Jitterbug 11 interlocking” panto.)  Doesn’t it look great!  It reminds me of boys at that age, JITTERY!

  

There are many  standard blocks which sport a square in the middle, so get out your pile of magazines and find a block, or do like I did and open up Quilt-Pro and find a block you like that’s not too time consuming.  Here’s a simple star stitched with one of my favorties, “Maori Moko”.  It’s a 15″ pattern so if you want a smaller one that’s similar choose the 9-inch “Maori Moko Border” and use it as an E2E.  Knit is stretchy anyway, so there’s no problem placing some of the pieces on the diagonal.  Another option would be to include the star points only on the outer corners and fill the center with rows of T-shirts.  However, I like the tilted squares because it adds so much interest!

.   Here’s another idea for a little girls t-shirt quilt.  One is straight placement with colorful sashing on which I over-layed our “Oh so popular”  Flowerburst pattern.  It comes in 2 sizes. “Flowerburst 15” and “Flowerburst 10”  Another is a version of a star block using Drunkard’s Path inserts to give a flower effect. You can actually place your t-shirts in some or all of the squares available.  I over-layed that one with “Dolly’s Tea Party.”

 “Zebra Stripes”   seems perfect stitched over this flaming black quilt.

Just in case you’re making a T-shirt quilt for a guy who’s into cars, like Joe.   FREE -I’m giving you my new “Tire Treads” borders PDF for a limited time.  I didn’t quite finish the “Hub Caps” block but hope to get it done this week.  Oh, gosh! That attic is so full!  “Car Classics”  and Tire Treads are both on this image.  See Sportscars at the end of the blog.

 This is a “Real” quilt.  Finally!  Connie Zwego quilted it in red with the “Snakeskin” Panto.

 Here’s a great T-shirt quilt with Car Classics stitched on it, by Deb Rolek.  I saw her a few weeks ago at the Quilters Musical.

  Or simplify with straight sashing, but make it lively!  “Sports Nut” looks great over all these team shirts!

Okay now, I’ve shown a variety of examples to get you going.  But I do have some real meat to this Blog.  Here are some super “Tips” I’ve gleaned and used over the years to help you along your way.  

Copy and print this section for your files.           Also, see below a list of patterns well suited to T-shirt quilts.   25 are on SALE THIS MONTH. Continue reading T-Shirt Quilts: Pantos That Work Great! + Best Quilting tips for T-Shirt Success.

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Chinese New Year Celebration Sale Feb. 1 to 19

“Gong Hey Fat Choy”  

Happy Chinese New Year! 

February 19th 2015

Chinese Symbol for Happy Chinese New Year (恭禧發財)

brown tree chinese

The most common Chinese ways of saying Happy New Year are Gong Xi Fa Cai(Mandarin) and Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese). Even though the pronunciations are a little different, both are written the same.

Ever since I was young I have been fascinated by the Far East.  I used to go with my Mother to visit “artsy” Lila L.  She had her hair bound up with chopsticks and black lacquered furniture inlaid with Mother of Pearl.  Chinatown was my favorite place to eat and I loved getting those prize balls at the gift shop and unwrapping yards of paper strips to find the tiny toys inside.

Little did I know I would “marry” into the army and live in the Orient. This amazing experience has increased my delight in all those memories and many new ones; like the Chinese Lion dance (always thought I’d draw this but haven’t yet!) , Sizzling Rice Soup and playing the Kayagum (like Koto).  Subsequently I’ve drawn a number of popular Chinese inspired patterns. I’ll include Japan and Indonesia too! So for the New Year I’m passing along the celebration to you!

Get a copy of the CHINESE MEDALLION SET – FREE with purchase of any Oriental pattern.

Chinese MedallionChinese Medallion - CornerChinese Medallion Set adjustable 12-15″ Sq. w 10″+ 12″ Tri

CHINA

Chinese_AppliqueChinese Applique Pattern adjustable 12″-15″

Chinese Mums PatternChinese Mums  3.5″+4.5″ BdrChinese Scroll BorderChinese Scroll 4.5″+2.5″ Bdr

Chinese_Porcelain-snippetChinese Porcelain 12″ E2E – Border and Corner w 1.5″ Chinese Beading 

Ming Sea - Border CloseupMing Sea w/Mandarin Wind 6″+ 4″  Borders w 2 Corner variations

Panda-Monium - CloseupPanda-Monium 11″ Horizontal w 4″ Panda Play border

Panda Bamboo - Layout ExamplePanda Bamboo 11″ w 6″ Bamboo Border Vertical pattern

FREE download to Celebrate!  3 Samurai samurai 2 cropped resizedSamurai PDF title page

JAPAN – 

Geisha Garden snippetGeisha Garden 10″Kimono Stripe snippetKimono Stripe 11″

Japonica Blooms cropped Japonica Blooms 10″Flowerburst Flowerburst 10″ or 15″

INDIA

chintz pasteup resizedChintz 11″   chintz + india borders Chintz/India Borders 6″& 8″

INDONESIA

Inspired by famous Indonesian Batiks
Inspired by famous Indonesian Batiks

Java Batik Floral 10″ Edge 2 Edge

a delightful Indonesian Batik border
a delightful Indonesian Batik border

Java Batik Border 5″ w Jungle flower 4″

Indonesian Puppets - CloseupIndonesian Puppets Quilt closeup showing Jungle Foliage between rowsIndonesian Puppets 15″