It's a Problem

I have been inundated with emails and calls this week from subscribers who could not open their free block of the month in the August Newsletter.

Let me just say for the record, I feel your pain.  Now, go read this post.

Yup, there are those who come back and say, "it's still not working, what should I do?"

I gotta tell you this really gets me frustrated (RANT BEGINS HERE) because I take each of these calls and letter seriously and try to help them troubleshoot the problem.  Sometime I even revert to sending the file cuz I am so tired of typing the same thing over and over.  But that has burned me to, because i get countless requests to send files and I don't have the time to do that.  Plus, My work is copyright protected and it gets passed around from friend to friend when it is free and easy to get.

 I get ripped off every day by otherwise good people who ignore my copyright and share my patterns with friends, or shops that copy a pattern and sell it without paying me for it. Good hearted people just like you.  Of course YOU don't ever share my patterns with others.  You tell friends to go and download their own free copy!

But I am not a computer geek and I cannot troubleshoot your computer.  I am a pattern designer that provides a free service for my subscribers.  I am constantly on the phone with my web site tech people trying to find out why things go wrong at times and beg them to fix it fast.

For example I just found out yesterday that when people write to me from the CONTACT REEZE page on my website that the emails do not come to me!!!!  I get angry customers on the phone who ask why I did not respond to their email, and I dumbly respond, "What email?"  Sheesh, I finally went on the website and found out how to locate those email in the site archive and there 156 of them!!!!  LET ME REPEAT. . . .156 emails to me with questions and problems, and even some store orders that I never got!  I was sick. As in wanna puke sick because that was 156 people I have let down.

I was on the phone with my website faster than you can say WTF, and asked them to fix it ASAP.  In the meantime I tried to trouble shoot the form myself and it all looked good and was pointing to the right email!!!

So if you have written me from my contact form on my website, and I have not responded, I am sorry.  I did not blow you off.  I just never got your email.  All 156 of them.   &%($%#*&^&)*&^.

END RANT.

Now, I know it is NOT YOUR fault and I should not vent my frustration on you, my faithful and loyal subscriber.  So if I have managed to not piss you off yet, I want to tell you what I have done to try and fix at least one of the problems you are experiencing.

I set up a page on my site with a "secret link" for subscribers only to click on and download my free blocks.  How do I get the "secret link" you ask???

I will put it in every newsletter rather than the current blue buttons which go through my email service.  It is nice to get the stats showing how many people clicked on each button but it is nicer to have happy customers!

Thanks!

Reeze

New Patterns for August

I have been designing patterns for Northcott Fabrics for the past 2 years and love getting to see the new fabric lines as they come out.  This month I have completed three new patterns for their beautiful new line of Poppy themed fabric called In Full Bloom by Deborah Edwards.

The first pattern uses running yardage of poppy flower blocks surrounded by a funky border.  I call it Poppy Picture Window.

This is a smaller throw or lap size quilt, 38" x 44". It is an easy pattern for a confident beginner since the only pieced part is the border. You could put any panel or large scale print inside the border.  The In Full Bloom fabric will be shipping to your local quilt shop this fall.  Ask for the fabric and pattern at your LQS, or buy the pattern on my website.

Starlight Poppies is a larger lap quilt, 52" x 52" which is appropriate for an intermediate quilter, although I think a confident beginner could do it if they can do set-in seams.

Yup, there a few set-in seams in this pattern, so you may want to brush up on that technique before you tackle this one.  But the vivid colors and poppy prints make it worth the effort.

The last one is called Amazing Poppies and is an intermediate level pattern, although it is all just squares and rectangles with quick corners. The challenge is making sure you have the fabric oriented with the stripe in the correct direction.  The pattern provides complete instructions and illustrations for assembling the quilt.

This pattern uses just two fabrics in the quilt center.  A poppy flower strip and solid white.  It was fun to design and make.  At 48" x 56" it is a bit too big for a wall quilt but great for a throw or sofa.  All three patterns are on my website, or ask for them at your local quilt shop.

Thanks for taking a look!

August Block of the Month

The August BOM block is going up on the website today.

I have been traveling and got home Tuesday, August 1.  Wednesday was Bruce's birthday, but today Thursday, after a morning of physical therapy and Dr. appointments, I am determined to get my block up on my blog and website. PHEW!  Mission accomplished.

I love being retired.  I come, I go, and I enjoy the slower pace of doing things at my own speed.  Most of all I love having time to design and quilt. And spending time with my grandchildren.  It is a dream come true for me.  My knee is getting stronger every day and I will be done with physical therapy very soon.  I am so thankful to the patient and skillful physical therapists who have been helping me work through this amazing time.

Amidst all this craziness, I got the August Block pattern written and here it is.

It is Block #8, checkered star, and it is free for the month of August (or until I get the September block posted.)  You can download it for free by clicking on the 2017 BOM tab on my blog, or on my Website.

If you haven't joined my BOM Facebook Group come on over and join.  It is free, of course, and you will get to see some amazing pictures of completed blocks.  It will please, delight, and hopefully motivate you to work on your own set of blocks.

Click Here to have a look at the BOM Facebook Group Page.

The bonus block for August is a fun one to make.  If you want it for free it will come in my newsletter which will go out Friday August 4 and again on August 15.

Click here to subscribe to my newsletter if you want to get the bonus block for free.

Thanks for stopping by to visit. I would love the hear from you, and see pictures of what you are working on.  And as always, I love to hear your suggestions for the next Block of the Month for 2018.

Reeze