Well, not literally! In fact, the dog has come to me! My grand dog, Floppy, is in the house!

dWhile she has been visiting, I have begun to make another happy village and what dog village would not be happy? Thank you to Karen Eckmeier again for her inspiration in making yet another "happy village" using her technique outlined in her book of the same title. I have shared other villages that I have created but I think that this one may be my favorite! (of course, I think I always say that!) This is an early picture in the process. I have been collecting dog themed fabrics for a long time. I wanted to stay in the same color family and I found so many. Dogs are a favorite of fabric designers too! I had a vision of dogs swimming in their own pool with the houses sporting doggie house doors. There would have to be lots of fire hydrants and treat stores and balls to play with in and out of the pool. So I started with the houses and the pool and added as I went along.

Many people ask me if there is a pattern for these villages. There is so specific theme patterns. Karen gives you the building block templates in her book. But you are free to create from your own imagination. She gives you the spark with the ideas and templates and then you can take it as far as you want. 

dIn this photo you can see that I have added some more details. I made small slits in the pool water to slip the doggies into the pool so they appear to be floating. I found beach fabric for beach balls. I even put floaties around some of the dogs. I did do something that Karen does not mention in her directions. When I fussy cut something very small and liable to fray, I put some light weight fusible behind it before cutting. I find that it helps to stop the threads from coming apart on tiny pieces.  

After I am happy that it seems complete, I leave it for a day. When I come back, I can see what is missing or needs to be rearranged. For example, I eventually removed those pink hearts in the middle because my eye landed there too much. I will add some decorative buttons that are dog themed after quilting. Bones, toys and such. The complete village before quilting is below. If you look carefully, you will even see an intruder in the neighborhood. HINT: just northeast of the pool. There is no clock in my dog village because anytime is dinnertime or playtime or naptime! :)

Below is a picture of a fabric recreation of a water color that was painted by my son's father in law, Phil. He is an incredibly talented artist of many mediums.
For their wedding, he and my daughter in law, Alison, welded a gorgeous sculpture that stood next to the altar. It now resides in their backyard. The other piece is at her parents' house. Such a memory. 

Every year he also makes a watercolor for the holidays. The watercolor is photographed for adding to the holiday cards. This year the picture told me to make a fabric version. I received permission to recreate the drawing. This is my start. I am going to use Karen's techniques in terms of laying out and then using the tulle to cover and quilt. The original photograph is on the piece in progress. I tried to keep to his original themes. I cut the buildings freehand so they may be a bit bigger than the originals. 

I have added the snowmen who are guiding the floating balloon but no details as of yet. I used satin for the snowmen with light weight fusible to keep fraying to a minimum. I am looking forward to finishing this. Karen's technique can be used in many different ways. 

On his site, he has this quote: 

“To an engineer, good enough means perfect. With an artist, there’s no such thing as perfect.”
– Alexander Calder

I will leave all of you artists with that thought. 

Piecefully, 

Trisha

I know that it has been too long since I have posted! Doesn't life have a way of intervening some days? I am sure that you all experience that too. 

Since I last posted I have some wonderful things to share. Victoria Findlay Wolfe has a new book being released in the fall called The Quilting Experience that relates stories from the quilting community all over. About a year ago, she put a call out for quilters to submit stories from their own experiences in the craft. I decided to submit a story never really believing that mine would be chosen from the hundreds of stories that she would receive. But it was! My husband is often asked how he was able to do the many things that he has done in his lifetime. His answer is simple: someone asked and I said yes! So I said yes, too!

I am so proud to be a part of this fabulous project. It is important to preserve our stories. Are you telling your quilt stories to someone? Consider starting a journal to relate your stories about your favorite quilts that you have made. Why you made it? For whom did you make it? When? How did you do it? What did it mean to you? I am sure that our families will want to know about what we did when we're gone. 

Be sure to look for Victoria's book at your local quilt shop or book shop. It will be an enjoyable,  uplifting read. 

So, after that excitement, a friend from my modern guild posted that she had done an interview with Paula Chamberlain at the QuiltCon in Raleigh, NC last February. She told us that anyone may participate simply by contacting Paula at her website to sign up. Paula is looking for stories from all types of quilters! She enjoys listening to the journeys of her fellow quilters. So, I signed up and I had so much fun remembering tidbits to be able to answer her questions. I have added her website link below. If you right click on it, you can go there directly. There is information about signing up. 

https://aquilterslife.com/

She has been doing these interviews for her podcast for a couple of years and there are more than 240 episodes and it's growing! These are quilters just like you and me sharing their journey to quilting from the beginning to today. Consider doing one yourself. We all have something to share with others in the craft. It's so easy. Paula will send you a list of prompting questions BEFORE your interview so you have an opportunity to think about them. She also edits the interview afterwards so you will be able to listen before it goes live. I was super impressed with her editing skills. Smooth! Thanks, Paula for a great experience. The link to my interview is below if you would care to listen.

https://aquilterslife.com/episodes/patricia-moller

What am I working on now? Well, of course I am doing another village! I am finishing a piece for a charity auction at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. I will share the link to bid on quilts when it is available. 

This challenge used only Cherrywood dyed fabrics. We could add any colors we chose but only those fabrics. I was happy that I could add embellishments. It also could only be 24 inches square. I cannot wait to see all of the quilts that others have made for this most worthy cause. 
I just started my dog village but it is not ready for primetime. If you would like to learn the village technique, Karen Eckmeier is offering zoom classes at her website. She is a wonderful teacher and a first class encourager!

http://www.quilted-lizard.com/

I just got back from the Mid Appalachian Quilt Guild retreat in Gettysburg, PA. More on that later as I have to dash to the quilt shop to work. It is SHOP HOP time! If you live in DE, PA, NJ, MD, WV or VA, I hope that you grab some quilting buddies and head to a few shops!

Until next time, thanks for reading! Keep quilting and crafting! Consider just saying YES!

Piecefully, 
Trisha

Well, I know that it has been a long time between posts and so much has happened! I am sure that the same is true for all of you. I found out that I will be a first time grandmother next March to a beautiful little girl. I will also be a new mother in law to a lovely woman as my older son will be married next fall. So many exciting things ahead. One son a new husband and the other a new daddy. We also will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary next summer ! How time flies!

I have also begun working in a local quilt shop with some lovely women. It was such a surprise to be asked to work there as I was not job seeking. Thanks to Nancy and the crew for adding me to the staff and for making me feel so welcome at Church Street Fabrics. 

I have been doing some sewing and designing in the midst of all the news and excitement. I took classes at the Mid Appalachian Quilt Retreat in Gettysburg, PA with Karen Eckmeier. She is known for her Happy Villages which are small wall pieces using 6 1/2 inch squares to begin. They are cut with her template and then arranged to make villages. By adding rooftops, trees, people, etc, it becomes a real village. It was tricky at first because I kept wanting to rearrange but she encouraged us to just run with it. Here are a series of pictures of how my Christmas village came to be. 

Left to Right: The shapes that suggest buildings are arranged on a background. I used a variety of colors and included blues as well as green and red. Then I added a frozen river with trees and some dachshunds around the trees instead of deer. I really looked at my fabric differently in order to see what would accent the village. I used baby rick rack along the river and snow fabric for a wintry scene. And of course my last addition was the caroling Peanuts characters. I really look at fabric in a new way when shopping. I look for landscapes, skies and water, etc. 

I just finished another Christmas village for a dear friend that has another friend that loves Christmas. I am still waiting for it to arrive so I can see how his friend feels about it!

So, now that I am working small, I LOVE it! I have so many ideas for other villages that I could work for years! Here are several others that I have done:
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For Bethlehem,  or Silent Night as I have named it, I used very muted colors and stone landscape fabrics. I tried to imagine what would be on doorsteps and added plants and pitchers, etc. I chose to put the silhouette figures of the holy family in the right corner. I think that the silhouette figures are more powerful than an attempt to make the faces which I would have found difficult.

Next up? A dog village with a cat or two. Valentine's Village. Dia de los Muertos. The sky is the limit. Karen is also so encouraging to me. She has given me tremendous feedback and I cannot thank her enough. I have also been given the green light by her to teach this which I really look forward to doing. 

Thanks for reading and spending time looking at my creations. Hope that you are having a lovely creative holiday season whichever holiday is yours to celebrate. I promise not to be so long in posting next time! Lots more to share! If you would like to try one of these, I would be happy to help in any way possible. 

Until later, 

Piecefully yours, 
Trisha

I know that it has been a while since I posted last. It has been a busy summer and I have been taking classes at several places. I have learned so much! 

The big news is that I am getting a new quilting and sewing studio! We have decided to close in our garage and create a new space for me! I will have to share it a bit with a sleeper sofa for guests but it is a very large space. The work begins next week and I am very excited. The company is owned by a man who takes piano lessons from the same teacher that I use. As an aside, he is also a burgeoning musician and singer. As he is from Mexico, his songs are in Spanish and I translate his lyrics to English. That is really a fun job. And now he is going to give me a dream studio!

As we are cleaning out the garage, I have found some memories in the boxes and drawers. I found an envelope full of pictures of my quilts that have been made and gifted over the years. I began in 1994 so it has been quite a journey. As I look at some of the photos I can see how many things that I could have done better. Isn't it strange how we always look at the flaws rather than the delights? So I have "re looked" at some of the pictures and would like to share them here. Do you keep a photo record of your work? I have tried over the years but I am sure that I have missed some. I know that I should but I have been lax sometimes.

The three pictures at the top represent some of my 1990's work. I had completely forgotten about the pink and blue courthouse steps. This was a baby quilt for the sixth grade band teacher's first child. I just adored that tie dye giraffe batik. I still have a small piece in my stash. I remember using the Eleanor Burns book for that pattern. I was so excited to finish it and gift it. That baby is already in her late twenties! Yikes! Time has flown!

The middle wall hanging is a fabric interpretation of my nephew's painting. It was probably the first time that I did anything like that. I think that it was my entry into realizing that you can "paint" with fabric. I love to do this now.

The quilt on the right is one that I made for a raffle for a fundraiser for heart disease for kids. My friend's daughter passed away at nine months from ventricular failure so they wanted to have an event. She asked me to make something and I made butterflies. Quilts are not always for the happiest occasions but they are comforting in all times in my opinion. She was gifted the quilt in the end by the winner. 

On the left is Hearts of Gold that was made for a scholarship fundraiser in memory of my husband's colleague who left us too soon. Her name was Gail Gold so I had to make hearts of gold! They raised $1100 from the quilt sales and the winner gifted it back to her husband. People really are generous!

The last two pictures are of quilts made for my kids. The Broncos quilt was for my son, Kevin, who adores the Broncos to this day. I learned so much from that piece as I made so many different sampler blocks. Steve is standing in front of his green quilt. He chose those green fabrics and I pieced it. It was one of those stack and shift patterns with black in between. I learned a big fabric lesson from this quilt. Buy the absolute best fabric that you can afford. I got the black at a discount store and it shredded after washing several times. But he loved it for a long time.  

​Here is Kevin (well part of him anyway) with a wall hanging that I made for the holidays. I did it using a reverse applique technique but wow! I have learned so much since then. I would never have done it that way now. There is this marvelous thing called CLOVER fusible bias tape! I did learn a lot about batting too. I used the wrong batting as it was too lofty and should have been flatter. Lessons learned!

So, what is the quilt that you want to make but have never actually gotten around to? This is the center of the Lily of the Valley/ Rose of Sharon quilt that is very common in Amish and Mennonite quilts. I saw it at the Kutztown Folk Festival circa 1998. I just think that the simplicity of the design is beautiful. It is still on my list but I intend to modernize it some with color and shapes. 

I am excited to keep digging in those boxes as I clean out the garage. Who knows what else I will come across? What do you have lying around that speaks to your quilting journey? Perhaps you will take a stroll down that path soon too!

Piecefully,
Trisha

It has been a while since I have added anything here. The last six weeks have brought some sadness to our house as we said goodbye to our beloved greyhound, Bugsy. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you have seen countless pictures of her and some videos too. She was as bright as a button still but suffering in pain from arthritis. My dad used to say that the "ritis" brothers were bad but Art was the worst! LOL It certainly was for her. She was almost 13 years old which is a long greyhound life and we had her for almost 11 1/2 years of that time. We were blessed. Miss her so much and I wanted to do something to remember as I had our grey, Fonzi. It has taken this long to get there. 

I don't know about you but I like to draw and sketch some of my own designs. I am not a trained artist but I play. Hope you do too! :) So I had an idea for Bugsy's World. I was a passenger in a car and I always have a pad of paper with me. I started to draw a whimsical Bugsy which I had done before. And I added all of her favorite things!

I like to keep a pad with me whenever I travel in a car so that I can keep ideas from escaping. This was pretty sketchy but it captured her love of food, car trips, walks, bones, etc. 

​When I found the perfect paw print background fabric, I started to bring her favs to life. 

​I believe all dogs love to walk so  a leash was easy. I used some folded grosgrain pink ribbon to mimic her pink leash. My husband contributed the hook for her leash from his tackle box. It is some kind of swivel for a fishing rod. Tennis balls that squeaked were her all time favorite toy. A bit of thick pearl cotton created the lines on the tennis balls. The dog bone got a bit of extra batting to give it some texture. Now on to the Chick Fil A bubble.

Some dogs learn to give paw, sit, beg, speak, etc. but our greyhound learned to eat her favorite snack, grilled Chick Fil A nuggets, from a fork! She could smell that restaurant as we pulled into the drive thru and she knew what treat was on its way. She gladly ate more chicken! This sign came from a mini stuffed Chick Fil A toy cow that I have had for years. You never know what you have in your closet!

From sketch to fabric! Her name and dates will be added. I am going to use big stitch quilting when I am done appliqueing the pieces. For my applique I like to use silk thread as it simply melts into the fabric. I use light or medium to dark grey if I do not have a particular color and it never shows (if I am careful, of course). I also like to use thread in a Super Bob donut from Superior Thread. The bobbin holds a rainbow of colors in brights or pastels, whichever you wish. Click here for the website link. You will almost always have the right color at your fingertips. They also make Microquilter polyester that works like the silk thread. It is your preference that is most important.

A final note about Bugsy is her collar. I had made a pink collar to represent her own  and my husband brought me her real collar. He wanted me to add it to the tribute to her. I took the ribbon off the heavy webbing on the piece that I cut but left the piece underneath in front so that it would have some dimension. He was right. It is hers forever. 

This project has helped me to focus on the happier moments spent with her. It has been very therapeutic. I think that any creative activity that allows you to immerse yourself in those creative flows will ease whatever needs to be eased. My piano teacher says that music will heal you if you allow it. Perhaps quilting and crafting and gardening and cooking and whatever you love will do the same. 


Would you share any tribute quilts with me? I love to see what ideas others use to remember someone or some event, etc. I am @mollerpatricia at Instagram or Patricia Moller at Facebook. 

Until next time, 
Trisha

  A few weeks ago my husband and I took a trip to the towns where my nana and pop pop grew up in western Pennsylvania. During Covid time, I had been researching my nana's teaching background. She was a student in a normal school in Marklesburg, PA in the summer of 1905. (Although why they were called normal schools, I have no idea?) While there,  the students in that term were asked to sign a pillow top and someone embroidered all of the names on to the pillow top. In the photo I had found on the internet, I could only see Flora which was her first name. I was sure it was her. So I called the museum and the young lady was kind enough to go photograph the whole pillow and text it text it to me and sure enough it was my nana, Flora M. Cramer. I was determined to see this 118 year old pillow in person. I finally got there this month. 

Turned out that the young lady with whom I had spoken was our tour guide that day. She remembered me. Who else but a crazy sewist would chase down a 118 year old pillow? When we finally got to the section that was set up as a school room I saw it. She said that I could even pick it up to photograph it. I found another surprise on that pillow top. There was another signature of a name that I recognized. The signature belonged to my pop pop's sister who was in her class. Her future sister in law was a fellow student. My nana's signature is the bottom photograph.

I was overwhelmed to be holding something that was so precious. When I read the marker with the pillow, I learned that it has been donated in memory of a lady whose maiden name was Morningstar. We also have that name running through my maternal side. Perhaps another link to the past!

After the museum, we did some graveyard "tours" and I found descendants that fought for the Union in the Civil war. I have always felt a strong link to my past and it has strengthened as I have gotten older. Guess that is normal?

As we stopped to  grab drinks at a mini market, we talked to local people. One young woman asked what I was doing in the area and I explained. She had some of my family names in her tree. Six degrees of separation perhaps?
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Here is a photograph of my grandparents just after their wedding on December 24, 1912 in the parsonage. My nana's hat just slays me! It reminds me of the famous farmer and wife photo with the pitchfork. So solemn. They definitely had another side as we all do. 

So this is my next project. I am going to transfer this photograph to fabric. With the help of the fabulous artist and teacher, Leni Wiener, I have the pattern to design this piece. 

I have learned so much from her about this process and I am anxious to get started. I have been delaying it but now I am ready to start. Leni's great magic pattern maker gives me the tool to start. If you have not seen her work, I strongly suggest that you check out her site: leniwiener.com She is an amazing artist and person. She is a wonderful teacher. There are online classes that you can take. Her page will have information.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this message. We quilters, textile artists and all crafters have links to the past. I have had so much enjoyment chasing this bit of my family history. Perhaps you can find your own path to pursue soon.

Piecefully yours, 
​Trisha

So, I stepped WAY outside my comfort zone to try this technique from Karen Eckmeier. When I lived in NY, she used to teach but I never seemed to be able to get into her classes since they were and still are very popular. I got the book, Happy Villages, at a second time around sale at my guild. It sat on my night table and I would keep looking and thinking about it. In January 2023, I took the plunge at my modern guild retreat. I really wanted to make a Christmas themed village but decided to follow the pattern she created in order to familiarize myself better with the technique. The above photo shows my completed village. 

I decided to add some extra embellishments to my village that Karen did not add. I did it mostly because I do like to add something to make it more mine. Buttons and bells to add a small touch. I covered it in royal blue tulle after auditioning some other colors such as grey and cream. The blue adds a bit of shimmer that the camera does not allow the viewer to see. I used a variegated thread in primary colors to stitch on top of the tulle.

The pictures below show my process for the project. I loved being able to set my machine aside for a bit and concentrate on scissors and fabric only with a spot of glue. Karen gives you a blueprint to follow for cutting and if you wish to make a template for it, you may. Or just cut with measured abandon. It became more and more liberating as I went along. I did start by trying a makeshift template, but then I just used the picture to roughly cut the pieces. I did use more colors and squares to begin because I wanted more variety in the piece. I also cut pieces to my own liking as I added them.

The pictures below show the process that I used from left to right on both rows.
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I could have gone on and on adding, subtracting and changing pieces of fabrics. It is similar to a collage type of quilting. I experimented with different shapes and colors in different places. I learned a lot from this experiment too. The next time, I would add a sky. I added stars but my husband asked why they were on the buildings. Fair question, I had to admit. I think that some skinny rick rack would be a great addition under some of the rooflines. Perhaps some other kinds of trim in small quantities around the quilt. What would you add?

I am very excited because I have the opportunity to finally take that class with Karen this summer at the Mid-Appalachian Quilt retreat in July in Gettysburg, PA. This is a wonderful place to take classes from what I have heard and this will be my first time attending. If you are interested, there may some classes still open for you. Click the link here.

There are so many amazing teachers out there and I was able to meet one of my favorites in person at QUILTCON this February in Atlanta. I was able to spend a few minutes speaking with Sarah Goer as we were crossing paths in the Westin hotel attached to the Atlanta Conference Center. She gave a Zoom class during COVID on her design All About Angles. What a fun idea and a great class. She is one of the best Zoom teachers that I have come across. As a teacher myself, I know firsthand how difficult it is to be remote from your students. Sarah was just one of the many talented people teaching at QUILTCON this year. I love how her hair matches her top!

iIf you would like to see the wonderful quilts at the show, there will be a magazine released with some of the quilts that were displayed. There will also be a book made of all of the quilts. If you are Modern Quilt Guild member, there is a digital link for all of the quilts. If you are not a member, I highly recommend it even if you are not particularly a modern quilter. So many resources, class opportunities, connections to be made, etc. 

I will leave you with a photograph taken of some members of our modern guild where I live. We are standing in front of the community quilt made by our guild members. We had a choice of cool or warm colors and the challenge was color shift. We chose the warm pink ranges. It was designed by a member in her computer quilt program and then many hands took part in the cutting, sewing, sandwiching, quilting and binding. Sadly, there is no photo of the back of the quilt, but one member pieced it from the leftovers. It is as beautiful as the front. 

Well, that is all for now. I hope that you are enjoying whatever you are working on right now. I am working on a modern rose quilt for a class that I will be teaching in June. Enjoy the time change and the promise of spring around the corner!

Piecefully,
Trisha

I hope that you are having a lovely Valentine's Day however you choose to spend it! Hopefully there will be a few stitching or crafting moments. This day was almost my birthday but I did not make my arrival until the 15th in a snowstorm. Just as well though. Two gifts to one! 

I think that one of the most favorite patterns in any crafting method is the heart. I have always wondered how we came upon this traditional shape considering the one that keeps us all living and breathing is anything but that shape. So as we all tend to do these days, I went to Google. I don't have an Alexa in my house. 

According to artandobject.com, the heart shape may originate from the ivy, fig or water lily leaves. These were all used in heraldry on family crests, shields, tapestries. etc. The ivy leaf was often used as a symbol of fidelity. It is possible that the shape of the leaf came around to our modern shape and the faithful at heart. There are a variety of other theories that range from the more erotic to the mundane, but I like the connection between that ivy leaf's fidelity symbol. 

In the French tradition, there is a 1250's manuscript in which a man is holding up a vaguely pine coned shape heart to his lady love. In the 14th century, the heart was shown upside down from today. By the 15th century, the shape was changed to resemble what our playing cards have today. And currently,  it is the most used emoji on our handheld devices. It has definitely had staying power. 

As far as quilting goes, I have seen so many different designs every year and never two the same. I just opened a package for a Valentine's swap on Instagram. My partner made me the most lovely scrappy heart placemats. I was so happy to see them as I have made a lot of placemats but I always make them for others.  

As it is Valentine's Day and my birthday tomorrow, I am adding a gift to you. There is a link below to a pattern that I designed to "stack" hearts. If you would like to make them, please share a picture of them at my email [email protected]. I have taught this as a table runner class and I love to see all the different fabrics used to make hearts. 

The above pattern is in a power point format with color photos. I hope you like it!

So, have a lovely hearts day and may you find joy in your crafting as winter comes to a close and another spring begins. 

Until next time,
Trisha