Family room "sweat shop"...

The first wave of folding, organizing, and stuffing is finally coming to an end...there is light at the end of the sweat shop tunnel!  

Thanks to my cat's Ziploc baggie addiction, once the patterns are stuffed they have to be locked away from his razor sharp little teeth.

He likes to "staple" Ziploc bags and sheet pocket protectors...he repeatedly bites and punctures the plastic.  I guess you would call that the Weasley seal-of-approval.

Some of my quilt cave stash has been temporarily relocated to laundry baskets so that I could use my containers with lids to discourage the little beast.

Seventeen patterns are finished and ready to go, the 18th will be ready in about an hour, and the last one is at the printer...again.  I had to have it reprinted.  

As I started to stuff the French horn patterns I realized that I didn't use the FINAL draft of the block.  (I am one, tough, quality control cookie.)  I should have caught it when I used the pattern to trace my background for the crayoned and embroidered version.  Here's the embroidered one in progress...

...and here is the appliqued one.  Can you see the differences?

It is subtle, but it would have been frustrating for the user to find that the pattern did not exactly match the color reference picture.  (I would have been disappointed, and I am my best customer, ha-ha!)  

I am almost through drafting the last thing that needs to be done and printed before starting to sell the patterns.  This will be the finishing directions for making the large 16-block quilt like mine.  I will include it for free for people buying 16 blocks.

At some point I will design and adapt settings and borders for quilts made from 1, 4, 6, 9 and 12 of the blocks.  I have dreams in my head and just have to make them come true in fabric (I wish I didn't have to waste time sleeping, LOL!).

So, for those of you who are so patiently waiting for me to get my act together and start selling patterns on my related web site, here is the scoop:

• As soon as we are ready, there will be an announcement post, a give-away, and a link on this blog to our web site to purchase patterns.

• The "Baltimore Rhapsody" patterns will be available individually, or in 4-, 9-, 12-, or 16-block bundles (with a little price break per pattern for the bundles).  You will be able to choose the blocks you want in your bundle.

• So far, there are patterns for 19 blocks.  The sixteen blocks in my current quilt are the symphonic blocks.  More instruments will be added soon - instruments from church, folk, country, and jazz music, plus a few surprises.

• I am trying to learn about foreign shipping rules and rates...so far I am a little freaked out.  Every country has different rules concerning customs, packaging, etc.  I may have to "quarter" the large format pattern and sell the patterns as electronic downloads (the user would have to tape 4 pages together to get the full size pattern).  Our web site is set up for this possibility, either for this pattern or future offerings. 

• If you are from somewhere other than USA and think you are    interested in purchasing patterns, let me know so I can start figuring your country's rules out first!

• Visa and Mastercard will be securely accepted on the site.

In addition to all the excitement about this launch, family is visiting and my daughter and husband are having birthdays...Riley - sweet 16, Steve - 59 and holding!

And...I will get a quilt show "mini break" in Shipshewana, Indiana this weekend as I had two quilts accepted to that show.  Yahoo!  My hands and eyes need a break from all the folding and stuffing! 

Maybe I will see you there!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

Good help is hard to find...

Yes indeed, good help is hard to find.  My minions spend their spare time either snoozing or studying for end-of-the-school-year finals.

Meanwhile, I spend my time either folding 1900 pattern covers or hand quilting "Baltimore Rhapsody."

Tomorrow after helping with the school picnic, I start folding the big block patterns.  Sometimes the wheel of progress moves slowly, but it is moving.

But there is no moving these guys...

shhh...in stitches,
Teresa  :o)

It's really happening...

Between spurts of hand quilting on "Baltimore Rhapsody," the publishing of the patterns and the launch of Fabric Therapy Online is inching closer as well!

The covers are being printed today and the over-sized pattern sheets later this week.  I'm almost through writing the last of the pattern content, which will print quickly on regular-sized paper.

We set up STRIPE yesterday (to be able to accept credit cards for payment).  My husband has been loading stuff on the web site he is creating.  Back when my parents married, the advice was to marry someone who could fix your car.  Now, I think it's good to find someone who can work on your computer...

For all who have been waiting so patiently to make blocks, we should be up and going with the first 19 blocks by the end of the month, hopefully sooner!  It all hinges on how fast 'me and my minions' (me, my daughter, my husband) can fold and stuff (evil overlord laugh inserted here).

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)