1,000th Post Celebration

This post is number 1,000 for Fleur de Lis Quilts!  I can barely believe it!  Not quite five years ago I began blogging with one intent: to write about my quilting and have a way of documenting my growth as a quilter, teacher and human.  At 50 it became important to me to look back on my life and see what kind of difference I was making in the world.  

At first I was uncomfortable with telling the world about myself. I'm not a shy person, but it took a bit of humility to convince myself that my truth could be shared.  I read many, many other blogs and just jumped in.  Eventually, I became comfortable with more than just blogging about my quilting, teaching, and life.  I've even begun writing about my family.  I've sense taken on another purpose: that of sharing our beautiful state and our traditions.  

Just as I've grown into blogging, I've grown in quilting.  As a writer I've had several tutorials posted on Totally Tutorials and a couple of quilt patterns published in The Quilt Pattern Magazine. 

As a quilter I've seen "Reflections in Grey" juried into QuiltCon 2014, several of my small quilts were sold to raise money for Alzheimer's through AAQI.  (It is now over, but you can read an article about AAQI here.)  Finally, I received a request from American Made Brand to create the Louisiana license plate block for their quilt representing all 50 states.  The finished quilt was shown in Houston in 2014.  In these almost five years, I have grown as a quilter, a teacher, and a writer/blogger.  But there are others to thank for this, my husband Richard, especially. Knowing that he is the butt of oh, so many remarks, he takes it all in stride and turns much of it around on me.  I sometimes even deserve it.

Richard and I cannot take any credit, though.  Since I occasionally write about my Catholic beliefs, you have likely already figured that I give God credit for all that's been accomplished. Preaching to come later, however.  

Tonight is about celebrating all that He has allowed and given: growth, learning, and YOU!  My readers are a great inspiration. Your views and comments encourage, inspire, and reassure.  So a huge part of this celebration is saying thank you.  Thank you for coming back again and again.  Thank you for reading my silliness and not calling me goofy on a daily basis. Thank you for everything you offer in suggestions, comments, and questions.  Thank you for including me at guild meetings, in blog hops, in online quilt bees and so much more. Thank you for writing your own blogs, for having blog parties, for the giveaways, for everything you do as a quilter and blogger. 

TQPM News

Here's some good news!  I submitted two tips to The Quilt Pattern Magazine last summer and both were picked up for a bonus article on sewing room organization which was recently posted on their website.  Anyone who is a subscriber of TQPM has access to the article.   

I can't share the entire article since that would breach copyright laws, but I can tell you that the seven page article includes info on organizing small spaces, fabric storage, repurposing other objects, pegboard uses, storing fabric scraps, sewing process, and lighting and furniture.  I can also share my own tips:

Safety Tip

Here's my safety tip for those of you who store rarely-used items up high: I keep a small stepstool in my sewing room near the highest items.  I'm less tempted to reach or climb on anything that just happens to be nearby.  (I call it "monkey reach" because only a monkey could really pull it off."  I've probably saved my neck a few times.  Mary Marcotte

Don't forget to go low!  Under my work table there's a nice shelf, but under that, plastic bins of fabric!  Since my hubby built the table, we were able to measure to make sure the bins slide under the shelf.  It's a bit of a bother to get to them, so I store garment-making fabrics there.  I now quilt more frequently, but still make things for the grandchildren.  

Mary Marcotte

And more good news on the TQPM front: I have a four part pattern coming out in January.  I'm pretty excited to see it in print!  I am not supposed to share the actual picture until I'm told it's okay to do so, but I can tell you that the pattern is for a stained glass quilt with a beach motif.  There are lots and lots of photos to make sure the directions are easy to understand.  

Of course, TQPM made sure it was tested by a quilter who seemed to think that the directions are easy enough to follow.  Since my subscription to TQPM was going to end in January, I made sure to re-subscribe a few weeks ago so that I can get all four of the issues that include my pattern.  

If you're not a subscriber to The Quilt Pattern Magazine, you should consider subscribing now!  I'd be thrilled to tell you how--the website is http://www.quiltpatternmagazine.com

Finally, the photos on this post all come from TQPM's annual Kitty Photo Contest.  Check out the quilts under the kitties!

Happy Quilting,
Mary

TQPM News

I got great news today!  The Quilt Pattern Magazine is an online quilt magazine started by Cindy McCoy as a way to "bring you high-quality, tested, patterns from designers, plus unique quilting articles from writers around the globe."  Carol, TQPM editor, sent me an email with information about an article I wrote for the magazine.  


The first installment of my stained glass workshop will appear in January, and they've extended it from three to four installments!  I was hoping for two, possibly three installments.


Carol also sent a copy of the work in progress so that I could see what it looks like.  I must say, I'm impressed!  Not having the programs that would allow me to create patterns, I scanned and sent my hand-drawn patterns.  Imagine my joy at seeing them turned into professional-looking patterns almost ready for publication.  


The article will first go to editors, then it goes to testers.  The testers will follow my directions to make a quilt that, hopefully, will look just like my original.  After their changes or corrections, the article will go through it last change.  Copywriters will finalize the format, photos and drawings.  Since this is July and the first article will appear in January, TQPM has six months to get all that done.  


If you have considered getting TQPM, now is a great time to do so, since they are offering a free pattern for anyone who signs up to receive their newsletter.  Click here to go to the sign up page. 


The "About" page of the website says this about the magazine:  

"We are dedicated to showcasing designers' patterns while preserving their styles, their methodologies, and their individual voices. This includes their regional spellings and local color. You won't see patterns shoehorned into a particular format, nor unique techniques superseded by truncated "standard practices". Instead, we faithfully reproduce the designers' techniques and methods as closely as possible. After all, with respect to their designs, they are the experts!"

I can say from my own experience that working with the editors has been great so far.  I look forward to seeing my work in the pages of the magazine.  If you subscribe to TQPM, leave a comment letting the rest of us know how you like it.  Of course, I do subscribe and really enjoy the magazine, but I'd like other opinions as well.