To clear up any misconceptions

It has come to my attention the class I was supposed to teach at The Original Sewing and Quilting Expo in Pittsburgh, that I was told would be cancelled, is now being taught by someone else. I am very sorry but, for reasons that are beyond my control, I won't be teaching the class I proposed. I want to clarify this was not my choice as I offered to teach the class regardless of whatever else was going on in my life. I will probably offer MY class in a local shop at some point, in the not too distant future, so send me an email if you want to be notified when it is scheduled. larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Beaver Valley Piecemakers' 2012 Quilt Show

2012 Raffle Quilt

SCRAThisPPY

This beautiful quilt is The Beaver Valley Piecemakers' Raffle Quilt for 2012. The Beaver Valley Piecemakers is a 100 member guild north of Pittsburgh, PA. Their 18th Annual Quilt Show is Oct 12th, 13th, and 14th and their judge is a National Quilt Association judge. For more info visit The Beaver Valley Piecemakers' website at: http://www.bvpiecemakers.com/

I have been to this show quite a few times myself and am always amazed and inspired by all of the beautiful quilts its members produce! What a great way to spend a crisp fall day.

GRANNY'S STARS

Made BY

Shirley Loose

This beautiful quilt is the Beaver

If

If I published a pattern for this mermaid quilt, would you buy it?
If you were going to make a mermaid quilt, how big would you want it?
Is there anything you would change about my design?
Would you like a machine embroidery file of my mermaid?

I know there is quite a bit of interest in mermaids right now but there is a lot of work in publishing a pattern and I need to know if it would be worth my time. I would love to hear from you so I know whether or not to pursue this.

You can send me a private email if you don't want your comment published here. My email address is: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Thanks!!!

Library Quilt Update

I had the chance to work on the window for the quilt being made to raise funds for the Whitehall Public Library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so I decided to post a picture of my progress. The center of this quilt will be on display at the Whitehall Community Day on August 25th so you can see it up close and check out some of the details we are adding. We have had quite a number of books chosen so far but if you would like to have your favorite book featured on the quilt there is still time! What a wonderful way to share a favorite family story or commemorate a loved one. You can choose the book you've read a million times to your children or grandchildren or one that has special meaning to yourself. For more info visit the Whitehall Public Library's website http://www.whitehallpubliclibrary.org/ or contact me via email at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

My Designs

AND IN THE MEADOW
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THIS LITTLE PIGGIE
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CARTWHEELING CLAUS
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BUBBLE BATH
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NOVA
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A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
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GIFT BAG
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HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
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CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING
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CHRISTMAS ANGEL
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COUNTRY CLAUS
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STAR CROSSED
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LAKE VIEW
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LEXA'S ANGEL
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OH CHRISTMAS TREE
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PEPPERMINTS MUG RUG AND ORNAMENT
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SPRING SHOWERS
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My website is currently down while I am considering other options so I thought I'd post pictures of my patterns so I can give a link to see them all at the same time. If you have any questions about any of my designs please email me at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Abandoned Art

Have you heard of Art Abandonment yet? This is a group of artists who leave their artwork in public places to be found, enjoyed and taken home by whomever finds it. It is one more way to share our talents and bring joy to others by what we love to do! Come join the fun!http://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtAbandonment/165339420257702/

Sneak Peak of library quilt

. . If you are a regular reader of my blog you probably already know I am working on a quilt as a fundraiser for my local library. But in case you're a new reader I'll give you a little background. The Whitehall Public Library, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will be celebrating its 50th birthday in 2013. Alfie Chico had the original idea of making a raffle quilt to raise funds for the library but after meeting with Paula Kelly, the head librarian, the two decided the quilt should hang in the library upon completion. Debby Recker attended the meeting where the fundraiser was proposed and volunteered to help with the project. I was brought in to design the quilt and supervise the construction of it. People will have the opportunity to have a book of their choice represented on the quilt for a $100 donation. There will be 50 adult books and 50 childrens' books featured on the quilt as well as a window and window seat and a lot of special, little details. There will also be a companion book to the quilt in which all of the donors will have a page of their own to explain their reason for choosing their book or books. While we are waiting for all of the book titles to be chosen I have started to piece the window section of the quilt. The window is pieced using paper piecing, curved and traditional piecing but will probably also have some applique added later. The curved piecing was a little bit of a challenge for me since I haven't done much of it but I am very happy with the result and I will definitely do more of it! I am so grateful for the opportunity to work on this very important project. I feel so blessed that I can use my talents to help others and I can't wait to see it hanging in the library and show my children "their" book!

For more information or to have your favorite book featured on the quilt send me an email at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

*sigh*

My regular students, who know me well, know that I am very generous with my knowledge, my time, my talents and my tools. They know I put in a lot work when I get ready to teach a class for which there is no compensation. I don't get paid for the time I spend looking for or designing a suitable project or the gas I use to go shopping for supplies. I am not reimbursed for the supplies I need to purchase to make a sample. Yes, I usually get to keep the sample but since it needs to be kept looking like new I don't really get to use it. So it really bothers me when I get a complaint about someone having to purchase a pattern for a class.

This happened recently for a class I teach. These are new students to me so I guess it makes sense they might not understand that I am not trying to get them to spend as much money as possible but only trying to follow copyright laws. Usually, I use one of my own designs for this class and I give it to the students for free but since the summer session is 2 weeks shorter than the other sessions I had to find a simpler project to give them the best chance of finishing. The pattern in question retails for $9.95 and I give the students a 25% discount on it so they are paying less than $8 for the pattern. If I am teaching someone else's design it is illegal for me to teach a class without requiring each student to have their own copy of the pattern. I cannot photocopy it and hand it out and the students cannot share a copy or purchase one and make a copy of it themselves. To be perfectly blunt, that is STEALING, and if you do it, you are a THIEF.

Believe me, I understand wanting to get the most for your money but when the shop where you are taking a class is already letting you use one of their machines instead of making you bring your own or allowing you to use their tools and their classroom you are already on the plus side. There is no benefit to the shop to have additional wear and tear on their floor models, to have to replace needles that are broken due to the user not knowing how to use the machine properly or to have rotary cutter blades and mats wear out before they should.

The shop where I teach this class is not compensated for the use of their classroom either. The only thing they ever get out of it is an occasional machine sale or the wholesale price of a pattern or other supply. We are using their space that they pay for with their rent or mortgage payment that they could be using to teach their own class. We're also using their tools and their electricity.

Teachers that aren't nationally or internationally known aren't getting rich teaching. We do it because we love it. We love to share what we know and we love knowing that other people are enjoying learning a new skill and being successful in their creative endeavors because of our efforts.

I don't know if the right people will see this post but I hope that I have at least educated a few people out there who may be tempted to complain about having to pay for something they don't think they should. I would love to hear other peoples' thoughts on this subject, even opposing views.

Quilt still available!

I can hardly believe it, but this beautiful quilt is still available! My friend is looking for someone who will appreciate this handmade quilt and give it a good home. She is asking only $500 but is also open to entertaining other offers. This quilt measures 80" x 92" and is handquilted. Contact Kathy Hartman if you are interested.

 412-563-5871 or kathleenhartman@verizon.net.

Mermaids, again.

 I have a lot of people that find my blog because of the word "mermaid" so I thought I would post a picture of the project I was working on today. It is a jean jacket with a mermaid applique which I did a while ago but today I decided to get out my new Babylock Embellisher and add some yarn and wool roving in the background. There is still a lot of work to do but thought you might like to see the progress. I'd love to hear what you think about her!

Sewing and Quilting Expo coming to Pittsburgh!

In case you haven't heard, The Original Sewing and Quilting Expo is coming to Pittsburgh for the first time! The show is August 2, 3 and 4, 2012 and registration for classes has begun. Lots of big name teachers and wonderful classes! I even have the opportunity to teach my tips and tricks for paper piecing with directional fabrics!

Pictured above is my project. They are ornaments with a little pocket in the back where you can hide a gift card or other small gift for someone special. Both ornaments are made with the exact same fabric but used in different positions. If you've ever wanted to use a directional fabric in a paper piecing project but found it difficult to get it just right I can show you how!

Here is a link to the Pittsburgh show: http://sewingexpo.com/PittsburghPA.aspx

Quilt For Sale!

This beautiful quilt is completely hand-made. I was told it was hand-pieced and it is obviously hand quilted. It measures 80" X 92". The background is pink and the kaleidoscope blocks are fussy cut and pieced from the same fabric. If you are interested in purchasing this quilt contact Kathy Hartman at 412-563-5871 or kathleenhartman@verizon.net. Serious inquiries only please.

Beginning Quilting

I teach a beginning quilting community college course a couple of times a year. The project I teach has all of the elements of traditional quilting, including strip piecing, applique, adding borders, quilting, binding and adding a hanging sleeve. This is one version of that project. In the first class, I talk about choosing fabric and the supplies each student will need. I also show my first quilt and point out there are almost no points on any of my stars. In addition, I show some of my more recent quilts but I want to make sure they know I was a beginner once, too. In a recent session of this course, I met a lady who was as passionate as myself about quilting and she inspired this design. The project I usually teach has a simpler applique design but as soon as Nancy learned how to piece the background she began making more backgrounds in different fabrics. Each background had a different theme so it needed a different applique design. So far, between the 2 of us, we have created 4 other applique designs. Our idea is to do seasonal banners and this rose is the banner for February. We have also finished designs for December, March, April and October. I will post pictures of those soon. Did you take a beginning class or are you self taught? What was your first project?

Busy, Busy, Busy

I am working on so many projects right now its hard to keep them straight! The ones I am most excited about are the designs chosen for publication by Arbee Designs. I've got 3 more in the works for them and I feel like a 10 year old waiting for Christmas! I wish I could give you a preview but I have to wait until Arbee is ready to publish so it will be a little while.

I got to spend last Saturday with a group of ladies from the Hearts and Hands Guild in Scottdale, PA, teaching them paper piecing. What a great group! Most of the ladies worked on my design called, Bubble Bath, pictured below, but I had a couple doing some other projects, too. One was working on my design called Cartwheeling Claus, also pictured.