New Holiday Block of the Month

Holy Smokes it has been a long time since I posted  on my blog.  I need to get my act in gear!  My excuse. . . . ?  None.  I have taken most of July and August off to rest up for my busy Fall travel season and working on new designs and writing patterns.  Lonely work at times, but so often rewarding.

Today I am posting a new Block of the Month for the rest of 2019.  It is a project I have been tossing around for a while now, and finally buckled down and finalized the design.  It is a fun and challenging pieced and appliqued holiday wall hanging featuring blocks I love and a few new techniques.

It is called Season of Lights and yes, there are a few bright objects in it.  I am offering it in two colorways:  Day Lights and Night Lights.  Kits are available in both light and dark HERE.

Each month I will offer a large 12" block for free and companion bonus block (available free with a coupon code from my newsletter).  There are 4 rows beginning in August, and each month a new set will become available for free.  After 30 days the block and bonus block will be available as a set for purchase on my website.  The last month I will provide instructions for the setting and border.

The first block is a 12" finished Feather Star block.  I have always loved this block and think it is so appropriate for the holidays.  The center is 4" square and would be perfect for some hand embroidery, a small 4" friendship star, or some pretty quilting.  I leave it to you to decide what you want to put in the middle.

The pattern is paper pieced.  It does not include instructions on paper piecing, so if you are a novice I hope you will view some of the many great YouTube videos on how to paper piece before starting on this block.   It is not a difficult block, it just has a lot of sections.

You can download it for free from my Website:  www.morningglorydesigns.com

If you subscribe to my newsletter you already got the code to the bonus blocks this morning.  Not a subscriber?  Pop over to the 2019 BOM page (tab at the top of the page) and subscribe.  I send out my newsletter twice a month and my subscribers list is a private list, shared with no one!  And it is easy to unsub if you don't want to get it anymore.  One click on the bottom of the newsletter does it.

Now for a short personal rant.  I don't do this very often, but thought I would run this by you.

This is the 12th Free Block of the Month I have given away. Next year I am thinking about charging a subscription for my block of the month.  I have given away thousands of dollars worth of patterns and am now thinking perhaps I may have been too generous. I am more grateful than I can say to the wonderful quilters who write and thank me for the free patterns. I received such a nice note from Deborah L. this morning acknowledging how much work it is to write these patterns and thanking me for doing it.  I was touched and grateful, and frankly, it made my day.   

Since posting my new BOM in my newsletter at 10 am this morning, more than 300 people have downloaded more than 1000 (yup, that is 1,000+) free patterns from my website.  I received one thank you note, and 3 notes from people complaining because they had trouble finding where to put the coupon code to get the bonus blocks for free.  I write a personal note back to each person, responding to their concern with instructions, suggestions, and a thank you.  

Then I started thinking about what it costs me to give away these patterns.  All of my expenses have gone up this year.  

• My web hosting service raised my rate by $10 more a month.  
• My credit card processor tacked on a $25 month fee in addition to the 2.9% + .15 per transaction fee.  That is in addition to the $100 annual fee I pay every September.  
• Pay pal costs 2.9% plus .30 per transaction, but at least they don't charge an additional monthly or annual fee.  
• Then there is the monthly cost for my internet service (which just went up another $10 month) and
• the printing supplies I need to print and mail out patterns which don't go out as digital downloads.  For example, I pay $75 for a box of 10 reams of high quality 24# paper for printing and $600 to replace ink in three printers (one color laser, one inkjet, and one large format) about 2-3 times a year.  I send large runs out to a commercial printer but most block of the month patterns are printed on my equipment because they are too expensive to print commercially in color.  
• Finally, I have lost count how many times the post office has raised postage costs this year.  I just know that everyone, including me, wants free shipping, but it costs me  $3.60 to mail a regular sized pattern first class mail, and nearly $8 to mail a block of the month pattern priority flat rate.

Ok, you get the picture.  My hope is that my free stuff is an incentive to purchase patterns, and I work hard to create beautiful patterns that people will want to pay for.  So far *today* after giving away an estimated $1,740 worth of patterns I have had $10.25 in sales.

So I would deeply value your feedback on offering a subscription block of the month next year.

Thanks for listening to my rant, and your continued patronage of Morning Glory Designs.  Time to clam up.

 

New Block of the Month Announced

My favorite time of the year. . . . when a new Block of the Month is finally ready.  And here it is.

The Button Basket Block of the Month

Click on over to the 2019  BOM tab for all the details.  The first installment will be available on February 1, 2019, so bookmark the page so you can come back and pick up the pattern each month.

September BOM and Discount Patterns

The September free block of the month is ready and available to download from the 2017 BOM tab on my blog. It is an easy paper pieced block this month.  I would love to see pictures of your progress on these blocks.

Join my Facebook Fair Isle Winter Group to post pictures and get inspired by others.

The Free September block is Urban Star.

September Free Block of the Month
#9

Here is the sample block made by my intrepid pattern tester Sue Fyfe.  She does an amazing job each month interpreting the block in her own fabric choices.

Sample block by Sue Fyfe

The Bonus Block this month is super easy also.  Just two templates and three fabrics (if you count the background fabric).  It looks so fussy but it is really very easy to make.  You can purchase it on my website or get it free by subscribing to my newsletter.

I can never decide if I prefer the blue on a white background. . . . .

or the white on a blue background.  Both would go great as alternate blocks in a 4-block or 9-block quilt.  Maybe like this?

Does this quilt look skewed to you?  Its a funky optical illusion based on the directional properties of the blocks. . . .or something!  Or is it just me?

One of my favorite quilt patterns is on sale for half price this month.  September's flower(s) of the month is Morning Glories and Asters.  I try not to have favorites, because I don't want my quilty children to know I love one more than the others, but I kinda LOVE this table runner.

Two other favorite patterns are half price this month as well.  Black and Gray Reflections is a great man-quilt, and so is the bold colors of Twisted Argyle.  These would make great man quilt Christmas gifts and you could get either of these done easily by December.

Black and Gray Reflections

Buster really liked this quilt.  He thinks I made it just for him and was laying on it to try and blend in.  Anything that big and furry is not going to "blend in" no matter what!!!!

Twisted Argyle

You can shop all these half price patterns on my website at Morning Glory Designs

A few newsy notes:

Tomorrow the grandkids are coming for a week.  I love those babies like crazy.  How I wish I was 35 again and could keep up with them.  Even if I can't go back in time, they make me feel young just being around them.

Next weekend I start a marathon of vending at local quilt shows.  If you are in the area I hope you stop by to see my booth and say hello.

September 15-16 I will be at the North Kansas City Quilt Guild show at the Salvation Army in North KC.  This is always a great show with fabulous quilts and LOTS of vendors.

September 22-23 I will be vending at the Town & Country Quilters Guild show in Joplin, MO.  This is a new venue for me and I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people down in the Joplin area in south-western Missouri and south-eastern Kansas.

September 30-October 1 I will be at the Quilt Show in Marshall, MO.  Another new venue for me I am excited to see some old friends and meet new ones out in north-central Missouri.

Stop in and see me to pick up a pattern or two, or just to say hi!  If I am still alive by October send a get well card.

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

June Free BOM Block now available

It is time to download your free BOM block for June.  Click on the 2017 BOM tab on my blog navigation bar to get the link.  Yup it is free for the whole month of June.  This is block 6 Swirly Star.

If you subscribe to my newsletter you can get the free bonus block.

                      

 


The link to the bonus block is in the newsletter, which is sent to subscribers on the 1st and 15th of each month.

If you want to get it there is still time to subscribe and get the link in the June 15th newsletter.

Plus there are some 1/2 price patterns and a new deco garden block.

Bonus Block 54 Big Blue Rose

Did I Mention it was Free? . . . . . . .

I love my Newsletter Subscribers.  They send me such lovely notes wishing me a speedy recovery on my recent surgery, showing their appreciation for the Free Block of the Month I offer every month, and for the bonus blocks I give to my subscribers just as a small thank you gift for hanging out with me. 

Occasionally I get a note from someone who had trouble getting the free blocks.  Over the years I have tried lots of ways to make this easier for my subscribers.  

1. First I used BOX.net (free) until it became very glitchy.  
   
2. Then I got DROPBOX.com, ($$) which worked really well for most people but some people had trouble with it.  I pay $100/year to upgrade Dropbox to the Pro version to be sure that my free pattern files get priority access when requested by my subscribers.  I want you to have an easy and pleasant experience when you go to get your free block. Still I got a lot of complaints. At the same time I had a new website developed ($$$) for Word Press to upgrade my look and improve the reliability of my shopping cart.
   
3. In January, I went to a whole new website Host and Software system ($$$$) to make my website easier to navigate, make my shopping cart more problem free, and to insure I had a trouble free file download service to make sure those free blocks got to you without any problems.  I thought I had finally found a goof proof delivery system after 8 years of supplying free BOM patterns. In an attempt at full disclosure, I pay A LOT more for this new website!  In addition to several thousands dollars set up fee I now also pay a monthly fee, nearly as much as Dropbox cost me for a year! (Ok, do I have you feeling all sympathetic and oooey goooey yet?)

Despite the trouble and cost involved, I occasionally get a subscriber who either can't get the block, or, as in the case below, can't open the block.  I have sent literally hundreds of emails to subscribers to help them troubleshoot the problem and get that FREE block delivered. 

The problem is, this takes time.  And I don't have much of that left after I design the BOM blocks, write patterns for each of them, upload the FREE block patterns to my website, and write out a newsletter which delivers links to those FREE block patterns twice each month to over 3,500 subscribers!  WOW  

Oddly, I spend the rest of my time writing patterns, designing, yes, and occasionally I get to sew!  So in an attempt at reducing my problem-solving time, and increasing my revenue-producing time,  I offer the following advice if you are having trouble getting the FREE block each month.  (Did I mention it was free?)

Since two people this week mentioned they could not open the pdf files, here is what I suggested they do.  I am sharing it with all of you and hope it helps.

1.     Download and save the file to your computer first.  Then open and print the file.

2.     The files are big (2 mg) and may take longer to download than you are giving them.

3.     Use a different browser.  Not all browsers like PDF files equally.

4.     If you are on a mobile device, wait until you have access to a computer and then try to download the files again.  (see items 1, 2, and 3 above).

5.     Monthly blocks can also be downloaded from my blog and my website.  The link is in the block description on my website, and on the 2017 BOM tab on my blog.  

Unfortunately the bonus blocks can only be accessed from the newsletter. That is how I keep those blocks exclusively for subscribers.

6.  Call your spouse, son, daughter, grandson, great granddaughter, neighbor, milk man, UPS driver, or other tech savvy individual to help you.

7.  Kick something.  It never helps but I usually feel better after 1-6 don’t work.

Before you give up and call or email me,  try 1-7 again. 

If you still have a problem please be aware that . . . .it is possible. . . not in your case of course,. . . . but for others. . . . . .that it could possibly be. . . . .dare I say it. . . . .USER ERROR?????  

When you can unconditionally rule that out. . . .then consider that you could always purchase the block and the bonus block on my website.  

WHAT!???😭😣

I know, I know, you want to get it for free, you need to get it for free, you deserve to get it for free,  you count on getting it free every month, you got all the other ones for free so you should be able to get this one too!  Yes, and I also know that you are on a fixed income, receiving disability, under collections and chapter 11, just lost your dog and your best friend, your computer crashed and you lost all your free blocks, you are undergoing treatment for an unpronounceable disease and look forward to your free block as your only solace in an otherwise bleak world.

So if everything else fails and you decide to call me

or shoot me an email,  just remember,  I like chocolate. 😎

(and I might be in the tub.)

Thanks!

May is Slip Slidin' Away. . . .

I missed the whole month of May!  And it is one of my most favorite months of the year.  I recall glimpses of things here and there, but for the most part it is gone, fogged by a groggy brain, turtle-like reflexes, and lots and lots of sharp pain emanating from the new titanium joint in my knee.  Yup I have been totally out of it.  Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the pain medication that made it all possible, but I had not expected how much it would knock me out.  Can you spell dysfunctional?

After losing May I am more determined than ever that I am not going to lose June!  I am up and walking without assistance now -- both cane and walker have been shelved along with the commode, depends, and pillow-lined hall way.  I still have another knee to go so I am not getting rid of the sick room gear just yet.

Buster and Buffy have been my constant companions through the dark times.  They take turns sitting on my lap, drinking out of my water glass, and meowing at me if I attempt to sleep.  They have both learned to dodge the cane when it comes toward them.  They are more nimble than I am at this point so they have to get out of the way or get mowed over.  Max is very protective of me and is my constant shadow, tucking himself under my recliner whenever I sit there making it impossible to put the feet down without smashing the dog in the chair.

And Bruce has been my driver, nurse, cook, laundry dude, and all around go and fetch it for me guy.  He has been great through all of this craziness.  I am especially impressed by his cooking!  He is a fast food kind of guy, but he has been fixing me nice meals with veggies, homemade meat balls, and salads.  Not fancy, but tasty and filling.  If it can be made from hamburger, he can make it.  He has graduated to frozen chicken breasts, and is attempting the occasional soup.  What a guy.

Now 6 weeks post op I am finally coming out of the fog, working on patterns and quilts, preparing teaching notes for classes at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival June 14-17 in Overland Park, KS.  The following week I go to Reno, NV to teach 6 classes at the Sew and Quilt Expo.  I am putting together kits, class supplies and ordering replacements for everything I sold out of earlier this year.

It feels good to be working again, although at a much slower pace, after a month of indolence, incomprehension, and incontinence.

So  with all that as an introduction, check out this month's free block of the month on my 2017 BOM tab on my blog.  Yup, its free, and is available as a digital download only.  It is called Swirling Star and I just love the little applique swirls in the corners.

And this month's bonus block, free to my newsletter subscribers, is called Swish N Swirl. I think it is a beauty, and in a way sort of tells the story of me and the month of May.

Thanks for hanging out with me in June.  I missed you.



PS.  The knee surgery went well, it is healing fine, and I am back on my feet.  Thanks for all the good thoughts, wishes and prayers.  It really helped.  HUGS