birthdays and coffee

Oh, how I love the summer months! I was born on the first day of summer and really come to life when the sun comes out and warms my heart. I love hot and humid weather and can't get enough of it. I lived in the "South" (North Carolina) for many years and remember lots of years where we had heat waves of 100+ °F! It was fantastic! We didn't always have air conditioning in the house either, so we really had to suffer! ;-) Sometimes I wish Germany weather was like that, but those days are few and far between. We have a joke around here...."I loved summer, but hated it when the week was over!"

I don't make a big deal out of my birthdays and let them slide right by. My husband loves to surprise and comes up with some exciting ideas for presents to flatter me. He loves to extend the gift giving throughout the day to make it last even longer. I love him for that! He REALLY surprised me this year with a Tassimo machine and a pair of matching coffee cups! I don't like kitchen machines cluttering up my counter space, but I have been asking for one of these for about six years (maybe just as a joke, but partly, because I wanted specialized coffee too!)

But the mugs aren't any old coffee cups, they are a very special Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 11 with all of the Designers Blocks and mine twice...once at the beginning, since they were listed alphabetically and once right at the logo, so I could see it every time I drink my coffee! He even considered the fact that I would be always drinking with the mug in my right hand. (I have come to be more aware of "lefties" - left handed people, because I have three at home. I am the exception!) These mugs are mine alone! Can you spot the Gristmill Star? And the retro orange is killer! (Retro-Orange ist der Hammer!)

He was/is just amazing to organize the whole thing! He wrote the editors of Quiltmakers; he hijacked their email address from my email folder and wrote them about how he wanted to surprise me! They were understanding and very kind to send him an image of the blocks to fulfill my wish. He broke the image apart, reorganized so it would wrap around the coffee mug and added my block a second time! I love him! (smoochy). This is a ONE-OF-A-KIND Quiltmakers Mug designed and made by my very own husband!

If you were a designer for Quiltmakers in the past publications, you probably received one of these as gratitude for your efforts. Unfortunately, they are no longer distributed starting with vol. 11. My husband was really proud of me for getting my first block published in Quiltmakers and saw my disappointment when they announced the no longer gift the cups. He so warmed my heard with this powerful act! This post is for you, Sweetie! Now I can drink my coffee with my new extra special tab coffee machine and sip from my new Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Designers and design more quilts and blocks!! Thank you so very much, Quiltmaker Editors! And a special thank you, Hubby!

a practical envelope

I have seen that one of my free patterns, easypatchwork Love Letters, has been downloaded many, many times on Craftsy, lately. I am totally psyched about it too! One reader/downloader told me she was having problems with the download and didn't understand the pattern; half of the directions were missing! It is true, I had a template located on my website and the directions on Craftsy. I did this, because I wanted you to visit both sites. I cannot see who and how often my patterns are downloaded on my website, but I can see that information on Craftsy.

I took another look at my pattern and made some changes. I added both the paper pieced foundation for the envelope as well as the template for making the side pockets to the original pattern directions at the end of the file. Now there are eight pages of information, pattern, and templates.

There are plenty of pictures telling you how to make the envelope pockets. I hope everything is now clear and concise.

The once free pattern is now at an exploding amount of $1. That sounds like a lot of money doesn't it? You probably don't want to download something you have to pay for do you? I know there are lots of patterns out there, but I think this is justified. I see it this way....I offer many free patterns, and the only thank you I really want for the download is to see a picture of YOUR finished product. I do have some very good patchwork friends who upload pictures to Craftsy or send me a picture of their creations, but not too many. Nor, do I get a thanks for the effort in making the pattern. ;-( I am sorry if you see it differently.

So, I posting about my new and improved Love Letters pattern sold for $1 on Craftsy! If you decide to use my pattern, I would still really love to see what you make from it! You can even upload to the ALL THINGS EASYPATCHWORK GROUP on Flickr!

Thanks for dropping by. And if you have ever downloaded a pattern of mine, wether free or bought, I would love to hear from you to know if it was worth it or not. Thanks!