Support your local quilt shops whenever possible!

 My angel design has gotten a lot of notice lately and is now in several quilt shops so I thought I'd publish a list of the shops where it's available. Support your local quilt shops!

The Quilted Thimble,12628 Chillicothe Rd., Chesterland Ohio 44026. 440-729-2259

Amy Baughman Sew and Quilt, Creekside Commons,100 Perry Hwy, Suite 120, Harmony Pennsylvania 16037. 724-779-1390

Sew Special, 688 W. Main St., Uniontown Pennsylvania, 15401. 724-438-1765

Pine Tree Quilt Shop, 175 Wade St., Waynesburg Pennsylvania, 15370 724-833-9147

M & E Quilt Shop, 279 E. Market St., Sandusky Ohio, 44870. 419-502-9123

I hope to add more in the future for this pattern and my other ones but if you have any suggestions please let me know!

If these shops are out of stock or too far away from you you can always get a pdf copy of the pattern directly from me by emailing me at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

The Trials and Tribulations of being a "Stepmom" RANT FORTHCOMING

 This has absolutely nothing to do with quilting except that it's keeping me from doing it so keep reading at your own risk.

I am a 58 year old woman who was married for almost 20 years. I have 2 grown children, an almost 24 year old and a 21 year old. They are both living on their own now. My nearly 24 year old daughter, found herself a job in New York City and moved herself there about a year and a half ago and although she struggles sometimes she is pretty self sufficient and I am extremely proud of her.

Her younger brother lives in a rented house not far from where he grew up with his dog and works a full time job and I'm very proud of him as well.

After being on my own for about 5 years, I am now engaged and living with a man and his 2 teenage sons, 14 and almost 18. The boys are here 3 or 4 nights a week and with their mom the other nights.

They are both good kids most of the time although I have gotten the "You're not my mom and I don't have to listen to you" either to my face or implied from each of them at least once. But, I do all the mom things and even more for them so that really makes me angry to hear it.

I don't put the clothes into the washer and dryer but I fold and put away everything that comes out. Also, I am not the main cook in the house, although occasionally I do prepare the whole meal, and when I'm not cooking on my own I always participate in preparing it with my fiance or his younger son. 

Rather than asking for help and being ignored or argued with, I will often empty and fill the dishwasher sometimes twice a day when the boys are here. The younger son is much more helpful around the house and is extremely responsible. Don't get me wrong, he has his moments, as I'm sure I do. But if I ask him to help with dinner or bring wood in for the fireplace he usually does it without much fuss.

The older son usually arrives here after school and heads straight to his room. I won't see him again until dinner is ready. When he is called for dinner, sometimes he will join us. When he doesn't sit down to eat with us, he will eat his dinner later and will often leave his dirty dishes in his room for weeks at a time.

I have cooked for him, taken care of his laundry, brought firewood into the house and stoked the fire to keep it warm, driven him places, picked him up from places, taught him how to drive using my car. When his dad calls his name the first word out of his mouth is most often "NO" without even knowing why he's being called.

I have had enough. I refuse to be at his beck and call and told him in no uncertain terms that unless he starts to contribute to the upkeep of the household in some way I will no longer do anything extra for him. He asked me twice the night before last if I would give him a ride somewhere and both times I told him no and explained why. His response was to tell me he didn't care and headed back to his room.

Today his younger brother asked me for a ride into the village. I said I was working on dinner but if he did some vaccuuming for me I would be happy to give him a ride. He did the vaccuuming, then went to his brother's room and told him I was giving him a ride into town. The younger then came downstairs and told me that the older was coming, too. My response was, "No he isn't." The younger asked why not and I told him that I had set my boundaries and if the older can't be bothered to make changes I won't be doing any favors for him. It would have been easier for me to drop both of them off and have some time to myself but then I'm not teaching anyone anything except that I don't keep my word.

If you've gotten all the way through this and you have any advice I am all ears!

Locked out but I'm back in now!!!

 Wow, I have been locked out of this blog for over 5 years! I finally figured out how to get back in.

I want to give you an updated picture of my angel pattern that has received over 5000 likes and hundreds of comments and shares on Facebook over the last 4 days.

There is a pattern for my design available from me. I charge $10 for the pattern and I am able to email it directly to you after I receive payment via Paypal. I can also accept a payment through Facebook and I am setting up a Venmo account.

This is a copyrighted design and is one of the ways that I am able to earn my living so I really appreciate that you respect my copyright!

You can reach me at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com to purchase the pattern or ask any questions you might have.

I also wholesale this design to quilt shops so all you have to do is ask!

Christmas Angel on Craftsy!!!

My Christmas Angel pattern is now available for immediate download on Craftsy! The pattern is $10 and is ready for you to turn into wonderful gifts or holiday decorations. Follow this link to purchase the pattern: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/christmas-angel-too/34062?rceId=1443697389730~5su6wwx6

Lexa's Angel on Craftsy

This is my design called Lexa's Angel. The pattern is available on Craftsy. It is an elegant, quick and simple project you still have time to make for Christmas! The pattern sells for $10 and you can download it immediately and get started.  http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/lexas-angel/33816

Angel Pattern available

I haven't posted in a long time for a number of reasons, but with Christmas coming up my Christmas Angel pattern has been receiving a lot of attention so I wanted to post some information about it. The pattern is available directly from me via email or regular mail. It costs $10 and I can take payment by check or Paypal. The version with the blue border is called Lexa's Angel and is available on Craftsy.com. http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/lexas-angel/33816 It is a little smaller than the Christmas Angel pattern.

By changing your fabric choices you can modify the pattern to work for any season or almost any occasion. I have done a spring version as well as a version with orange as an accent color, which I'm told is the color for leukemia.

Feel free to leave a comment or contact me via email at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

I Need Help!

I know its been awhile since I posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working!

This is a picture of my latest design. I still have 3 more blocks to make and decide on borders. I am so happy with the results, so far, but I'm having trouble naming it.

Any suggestions?

Right Place, Right Time

I had the most amazing experience yesterday that I just have to share!

I've been helping a friend at an ice cream place and happened to be working alone yesterday when a family came to the window. There was a young woman who looked to be about 18 or 19, her younger brother, and her mom and dad. I remember thinking that this young girl could be my own daughter, but not because she looked like me or even like my own daughter. I'm not sure why I felt that way but the feeling was so strong I actually had to stop myself from saying it out loud to her.

After waiting on the girl, her brother and her mom, the three of them headed back to the car. Now, after turning my attention to the dad, I realized he looked familiar to me. When I told him I thought I knew him, he told me his name, and sure enough, I did know him. About 20 years ago, I was dating a guy that worked with the man standing in front of me. I had met him and his wife and became friends with them through my then boyfriend. After getting to know them, I found out they had been trying to have a child and had gone through a couple rounds of fertility treatments that were very expensive but unsuccessful.

It was at this time one of my best friends discovered she was pregnant. She knew she didn't have the ability or desire to care for another child on her own, so she decided adoption was the best solution. I got my friend in touch with this couple and after they worked out the details, they adopted my friend's baby. That "baby" was the young woman I had felt so drawn to yesterday!

A few minutes after I had finished talking with the dad and he rejoined his family in the car, the mom and young girl came back to the window. The mom told me she wanted to introduce her daughter to the woman that was the reason she came to be part of their family. I was honored to know that's how she felt about me, but realize my role was very small and it truly was a case of being in the right place at the right time.

When I told my Monday quilting group about my experience, they told me it was a Christmas miracle. I don't know about that but I felt it was something I needed to write down and share, so here it is!

New Pattern from Larkspur Lane Designs!

DEAR SANTA, I'VE BEEN NAUTICAL

My newest design is called DEAR SANTA, I'VE BEEN NAUTICAL, and the pattern is finally ready! The signal flags spell out Merry Christmas and the included embellishments add to the Christmas theme. This design is perfect for anyone that lives near the water or wishes they did! The design is mainly paper pieced but there is a little bit of applique as well. The pattern is only available from me right now and I can be reached via email or by commenting on this post. My email is larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Wonderful Winter Weekend

The view from Margo's living room

Friends are the family you choose. I'm not sure if I chose them or they chose me but I have a wonderful friend family! 

I just came back from the most wonderful weekend with 2 of my friends. They are supportive, kind, generous and truly amazing people. The 3 of us stayed at a B & B in Mayville, NY, owned by my newest friend family member, Margo Stuart. I was fortunate to meet Margo earlier this year when I was asked to teach at a quilt retreat in February. I am so lucky to own a little cottage not far from Margo's place but we close it up for the winter and it isn't big enough for more than one or two quilters to sew in at a time, so it has never been  an option for a quilt retreat. And I am so glad it isn't because I may have missed out on meeting Margo!

Ariel's Bed and Breakfast is a magical place to stay at any time of the year. Margo is an amazing cook with a wicked sense of humor and I love being around her. She is also a quilter, so we always have a lot to talk about. She is very well-traveled and has a million wonderful stories to tell so if you can get her to sit for more than a minute you are in for a treat!

I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

Here is a link to her website if you're planning a trip to Western New York and looking for a great place to stay:

http://arielsbb.com/

Not many things can drag me away from home at this time of the year but the reason I was in the area is that I was invited by Joy Reich, who owns Calico Patch Quilt Shop in North East, PA, to do a pattern signing on Sunday, December 8th, as part of North East's Sugar Plum Weekend. It was very well attended and I got to see some old friends and meet some people I've only known through Facebook. What a great time!

Finally Finished!

This quilt might look familiar to you if you use Pinterest. Its my original design but it has been pinned hundreds of times. Which is really cool! The picture that was first pinned was a picture of just the angel block and I thought people might be interested in seeing it FINALLY finished, so here it is!

This quilt measures about 17" wide by 19" high and is paper pieced. The pattern is ready and sells for $10. Send me an email if you're interested in purchasing a copy.
larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Country Claus Door Hanger

This is Lynn Rossey's (from Super Stitch in Warren, PA) version of my design Country Claus Door Hanger. She purchased a kit at Quilting Around Chautauqua in September and put her own spin on my design by adding the beard detail. She is planning on teaching this pattern as a class.

I think I need to make another one!

Detail Pictures of the Whitehall Public Library Quilt

The Making of the Whitehall Public Library Quilt-Part 1

The first step in making this quilt was measuring the space that was available to me for display when the quilt was finished. We had a large wall that is visible from the door as you walk into the library. It is an interior wall away from the windows and direct sunlight. The quilt measures approximately 98" wide by 67" high.

Once I knew how much room I had I began designing the quilt. After looking at other bookshelf quilts on the internet and discussing the options with Alfie Chico, whose idea it was to make the quilt, and Debby Recker, we decided we wanted a window or fireplace in the center of the quilt.

I use a computer program called QuiltPro when designing my quilts but could also have drawn the design on graph paper instead. The program made it much faster to make changes and check sizes.

I have always enjoyed making things look 3D or as realistic as possible so making the window was probably my favorite part of constructing the quilt. Once I knew how big I wanted the window to be I added the detail of the beveled window frames in my design program. To make the beveled pieces I sewed together 1 strip each of white and gray fabric. My strips measured 1" wide by the width of my fabric so they would finish as 1/2". I set these aside until I had my window background ready. I paper pieced the intersections of the window frames so I could be very accurate. This is what the intersections look like in my design:

To make the background I took a piece of green fabric and placed it wrong side up on a piece of the sky fabric. I cut a gentle curve through both pieces of fabric. The reason I placed the green fabric wrong side up is because I wanted the far hill to look "grayed" out and farther away than the closer hill. Both hills are made from the same fabric. After cutting the curve, I removed the extra sky fabric and the extra grass fabric and sewed the two remaining pieces together along the curve. If you've never done curved piecing make sure you practice on scrap fabric first. After sewing the first curve, I layered this piece of fabric with more of the grass fabric, right side up this time, and cut another gentle curve. If you're afraid of curved piecing this could also have been appliqued.

Once I had the 2 hills sewn, I cut this piece of fabric apart to fit in the window panes. Next, I cut my white/gray strips into segments to fit in between the windows and sewed them together in rows. I made 3 rows. After I paper pieced 4 window intersections, I sewed them together with the white/gray strips to make the horizontal parts of the window panes paying close attention to the positioning of the strips to create a shadow on the underside of the mullions. I sewed these strips in between the window rows, added the outside pieces of my window frame and my window was complete. I'm not giving measurements here because my measurements are unique to this quilt and may not work for another quilt.


It may be easier to see how the window was constructed in my computer drawing shown below:

Well, that's all for today! I have other things I need to do but if you want to make a quilt like mine this should help you get started.

Good luck!

Curious about this quilt?

A recent comment about my library quilt got me thinking. Rob, the commenter, wanted to know if there was a pattern for this quilt. Unfortunately, there isn't and there won't be one because it was commissioned to fit a large wall at my local library, but I'm considering writing a series of posts about how I designed and how, with the help of friends and the use of a wonderful sewing machine, we were able to make this quilt. I'll probably cover the purpose of this quilt and how it was used to raise funds for the library, as well. Is there anyone else out there who's interested in the process?

Did you miss me? No? You might get another chance!

Summer is winding down, and soon, my kids will both be back in school. When I have a day off, I will REALLY have a day off. I'm looking forward to having a couple of hours strung together to work on my quilting and/or designing instead of a few minutes here and there. I'm hoping the extra time will inspire me to really get back to work.

I've been designing and publishing my patterns for ten years now. I've had some success, made some money, been published in a dozen different magazines, taught hundreds of classes, made lots of friends and enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I've been disappointed and taken advantage of, too, but for the most part it has been a wonderful experience.

But....I have had some new doors open up recently, opportunities I think I want to explore and see where they take me, so now I have to decide where my heart is. How do you know when the time is right to make a change?

Fortunately, if I decide to focus on something besides quilt designing I'll still be doing something creative and sewing related. I've got a lot to think about, I guess. If you've ever made a big change in your life I would love to hear about your experience.

Working on fall projects!

Anyone else working on fall projects yet? I sketched this out yesterday and stitched it out last evening. Its not really finished, but I wanted to audition the beautiful fall leaves fabric I chose for my border and just laid the stained glass block on top of it. I think I like it! I love quick and easy projects like this one. Fusible web applique with fusible bias tape as the leading makes this project go together very quickly. The bias tape is sewn on with a double needle and takes almost no time at all.

Making Progress

I'm amazed by those people that can start a project and work their way all the through to the end without getting distracted. That isn't a skill I possess. I tend to work on several projects at the same time taking lots of breaks and eventually getting around to finishing them. If this angel looks familiar it might be because its been pinned and re-pinned numerous times on Pinterest since I first blogged about it in December 2012. http://larkspurlanedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/just-finished-another-christmas-angel.html

I finally got around to adding borders and quilting it yesterday. Now, it just needs a sleeve, label and binding. With any luck, it won't be another 7 months before it is truly finished!

I recently pulled out a box of UFOs that I started years ago when I was a new quilter. They are all projects that I either lost interest in or put aside because I didn't, yet, have the skills necessary to finish them. My goal is to finish all of them or pass them on to someone else who will. Hopefully, I will get to post lots of pictures as I complete my projects!

New Design Available!

This is my newest pattern now available! Its called Country Claus Door Hanger and measures 18" square. Included with the pattern are all of the embellishments pictured. The pattern retails for $12.50 and is also available to shops at a wholesale price. Feel free to contact me at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com with any questions or orders

What Inspires You?

Do you keep a file of projects you would like to make? Do you save all of your old magazines? Have you tried Pinterest?

I take a lot of pictures that I think might inspire me to something creative "someday". Someday has arrived for a picture I took almost 26 years ago. This is that picture:

This is a stained glass window that was in a duplex I shared with my best friend a long time ago. It was one of two matching windows that flanked the non-working fireplace in a shabby rental in Pittsburgh. The duplex was old then and not in great shape but we fell in love with the windows, wooden banister and built in hutch and decided this was our place. When we left about 2 years later, we joked about taking the windows with us but had to settle for a photo instead.

My plan was to have the window copied and given to Lizzie as a gift in remembrance of our time spent in that place. We are still best friends now even though I haven't seen her since 2007. We've been trying to plan a class in her home in Georgia so I can afford to take off work and make the trip but something always comes up to prevent it. Its still on my to-do list but will have to wait.

In the meantime, I have decided to make a stained glass quilt of this design since that will fit into my budget easily. Here is a drawing of my quilt design:

I'm certain she will recognize it without me telling her what it is!

So what inspires you?