by Terry

     I hope that the new year has been good to each of you!  It is very hard to believe that the first month of the new year is already at an end.  Where did January go?  My mother always said that the older you get, the faster time passes by... but let us not really go down that spooky train-of-thought path.

     So much has happened since the last newsletter that I hardly know where to begin! 

     First, I have been on vacation; my first in three years!  I have been out of the office since December 21st and it has been so wonderful, but alas, I am beginning to get the urge to get out and about and back to business.  The first thing on the agenda?  I am relocating once again!  I have decided to relocate to the east coast (CT) and will be moving within a few days.    I'm excited, yet dreading the move.  So, if you don't hear anything from me for several days, you know why!

     Second, I am beginning the process of building a new home in Oklahoma; it is where my family is and where I hope to retire in a couple of years.  It is so hard to oversee the progress when I'm out of state.  My dad is supervising it, but some of the time we don't agree on what we both like!

     As you can see, life has been terribly hectic for me, but the excitement keeps me motivated... and motivation inspires my creative juices in the quilting arena.  So, it's a good thing.

     I hope that the first thing you notice is the new look of this month's issue!  Let me know what you think!

     It is also with great satisfaction that I announce the grand opening of the new Quilting Passion Web site, located at http://quiltingpassion.com.  I have owned the Web site for almost a year now, and simply had it pointing to the old site (sregora.com/quilting), but a couple of weeks ago, the server that sregora.com resides on suddenly took a nose-dive and corrupted all of the passwords on it.  What did that mean to me?  It meant two things:  First, I could not access my e-mail and second, I could not update the Web site, even though it was up.  So, the opening of the new site was born from frustration from the old.  It has been a monumental task transferring the site over, because I have made many changes and improvements.  I would certainly appreciate you dropping me an e-mail if you find a dead link or an error!

     Need a new wallpaper for your desktop?  Try the new February wallpaper located on the Web!

     A few months ago, the Quilter's Newsletter Magazine reviewed my Web site; specifically an article that I had written regarding documenting quilts.  One of the main features of that article is the fact that I freely provide QuiltSheets^TM, which help quilters track quilting projects in a diary.  The latest version, 3.6, of these QuiltSheets^TM was released on January 13th, so if you would like to have it, please e-mail me with QuiltSheets in the Subject area.  For more information about this diary, please refer to the article, A Quilter's Diary.  Note:  This article has been reprinted with my permission in numerous guild newsletters around the country.  If you are interested in reprinting it, please contact me.

     Watch for the grand opening of the Quilting Passion eMarket in February, too.  My first item up for sale?  My very first published book, A Quilter's Diary.  It is approximately 40 pages and is full of space to document your projects (version 4.0 of the QuiltSheets^TM , which will never be released into the public domain), add photos, notes, and swatches.  These are inexpensive and make fabulous gifts.  Either watch the Web for the opening or contact me if you're interested!  

by Terry

     Free patterns are a wonderful thing to have!

     But, sad to say, I have not have had the time nor the means to add many new patterns this past month.  Between being on vacation (out of state) and no access to the Web server, it was a sparse month.  I plan to try to make up for it next month, however.  :)

     Despite the time of the year, down-time, and vacation, there are approximately 65 new patterns on the Web site.   Of those, several are heart-related patterns (paper-pieced), since Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  I hope that you find time to browse through them!

     Click here to begin the exciting  journey of pattern surfing!

by Terry

     My pick for pattern of the month is one of the new ones that I added in the paper-piecing category.  It is a delightful heart pattern by Ula Lenz, called "Flaming Heart".  This would make a great wallhanging for someone truly special in your life.  Please make sure to abide by the copyright notice on Ula's site, if you decide to use the pattern.

     Need Valentine's Day clipart?  If so, be sure to check out Dawn's clipart.  It's awesome!

by Terry

     In anticipation of the month of March, and in combination with the Block Party, I designed a block that is great when used as an alternating block.  The name of the block is the 25-Patch Alternate.  It fits in perfectly with the shamrock/four-leaf clover blocks that I designed a couple of weeks ago for the Block Party.  I hope you find time to glance at this block, along with the quilt.  It looks fabulous, even if I do say so myself.  Of course, I am very partial to purple and green...

by Terry

     Let me give you a brief update on all of the current MQs!  And if you would like to see the latest photographs, be sure to check out the Subscriber's Gallery!

• MQ1 - Although it is closed and no longer available on the Web, pictures are still coming in.  I am still in awe at the fabulous quilts that all of you have made from this one very simple pattern!  This pattern goes on sale in the QP eMarket during February.

• MQ2 - It's finished, and I know I have some pictures laying around somewhere.  Now, if I can just find them and upload them!

• MQ3 - Boo!  No new additions to the gallery for this one, but there are some spooky wallhangings already there for you to see.

• MQ4 - I loved this pattern!  At the time of this article, there are three new additions of some absolutely fantastic quilts to the gallery!  You will just have to see them to truly appreciate them!

• MQ5 - This was the MQ that was done as a quickie, over New Year's Eve/Day, using a panel.  We had great fun with it and I've added 10 pictures from around the world to the Web!

• MQ6 - This was a totally unplanned, spur of the moment quilt that I designed in honor of Valentine's Day.  It was a blast!  Be sure to check out the four quilts that were finished last week.

by Terry

     Spectacular, spectacular!  The Gallery has been busy this past month!  There have been numerous new additions, so when you get a chance, take a look at all of the fabulous quilts made from our readers over the past few weeks.

by Terry

     The forum continues to grow; filling daily with even more friendly, knowledgeable quilters!  A few new quilters have joined the ranks, too, and it is so wonderful to see everyone step forward to help out when questions are asked.  That's the good thing about the forum; when someone asks a question, someone else quickly provides the answer!  I am thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful group of people.

     There are so many activities going on right now, such as, block swaps, fabric swaps, round robins, row by row swaps, secret quilting siblings (both male and female!), etc.  And with the start of the new quilting school, many are participating in the first class, too.  More about that in the next section, though!

     Are you feeling lucky?  Well, one of the many activities going on at the forum is something called a Block Party.  Each month, a new pattern is chosen, along with a theme and colors.  Anyone wanting to participate can send blocks (can make as many or as few as you want!) to GR8DAME and then, around the 16th, a drawing is held and the blocks are given to the lucky winner(s)!  This activity has proved to be exciting and very rewarding for some.  Check it out!  You could be the next winner!

     Along the same line as the Block Party is a new activity that is going to debut soon.  It's a Fat Quarter Party, hosted by Peggy.  Stay tuned on the forum for details!

     For those of you that are members of this very special forum (which is my home on the Internet!), thank you.  For those of you that haven't visited yet, please do so by clicking here.  Remember, membership is free!

by Terry

     There are currently three (3) quilting classes open for enrollment:

1. #101, 12-Month Sampler

2. #201, Strip-Pieced Heart

3. #401, Color Wheel Jewels

     These classes are 100% free; no tuition!  Click here for more information on them, and continue reading to hear a few words from one of the teachers!

by Elsie

     This class is a simple exercise in hand dyeing for any level of expertise.  

     In this class, we will be using three primaries to dye 18 fat quarters of fabric in a color wheel progression, using a low-water method, which results in fabric with a lot of texture, rather than a solid look.  The picture above is a good example of this technique.  Click on the image to expand it to a larger size.

     The supply list can be found on the forum at 1024.1.

     An informational page will be posted on January 30th (message 942.4), describing the ingredients used in dyeing, along with their functions.  Over a two-week span, beginning February 8th, the actual instructions for dyeing will be posted in the same thread as given above.

     There are currently 20 people signed up to take the class, but there is no limit on the number, as this will be done in your own space.  You are welcome to come join us and learn the basics of dyeing, see what happens when colors are mixed, or just plain have fun and end up with some wonderful fabrics.

by Terry

     I am hoping to add several hundred more free patterns to the site this coming month, as well as release block 2 of the 12-Month Sampler class I'm teaching on the forum.  Add to those the idea of me getting the online shopping cart for the site done and I think I have a full plate for the month of February!  Oh, and I'm going to be moving to a new location, too.

     My personal motto is very true right now:  So much to do, so little time to do it, and very few brain cells left with which to work.

by Terry

     There have been quite a few changes lately, so I would love to hear some feedback from you.  Do you like the new format?  If not, how could it be changed?

by Terry

     Another month has come and gone.  I have so many quilting projects that I would like to get off the ground this year, but wonder where in the world I'm going to find the time to do them all.  How about you?

     Time to close, once again, but I would like to thank each of you for your patience over the past few days.  I realize how hard it's been to get to the Web site, and even harder to contact me via e-mail.  So, thank you!

     Have a great February and I hope to talk to you soon!

Happy quilting,
Terry