Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

50 things you don't know about me...

Today I'm joining the 50's club and I have a strange mix of feelings. I don't know what to think: if I am already old, if I'm still young --this thing they say that "these days 50's are the old 40's". You may have experienced it already.

Going over my life in my mind as a film rolls at the movies, I could see how many things I went through and how happy and grateful I am about everything I've achieved!

For this occasion thought that a blog post had to have something different about me. Told myself: "Pat, you better come out with something special to share"!

Hope you like it.

1. I was born in Argentina, this same day 50 years ago
2. I still feel like 25
3. My parents divorced 26 years ago. I never saw my father again, so I don't know if he's still alive 
4. My mother taught me how important is to love your family and your sewing machine. As I grew up I realized how right she was. She is 84 and lives with me as well as my only sister, the best one a person can have
5. My father taught me how important is to love dogs. He also taught me to hunt. These days I love dogs but I hate hunting
6. I moved to the US 22 years ago
7. Never knew what a quilt was until I came to live here
8. My original hair color is dark blond and now white hair is rampant, so I use extra light brown to color it
9. I met my husband Walter when we were both 20 and we fell in love immediately
10. Since then we are together for the good and the bad
11. Always thought that I could not have found a better husband than him
12. We got married at 23
13. I still drool over him :-0
14. My only son Alex is the best son a mother can have
15. I suffer from Endometriosis
16. So I had to have four years of treatments before I became pregnant 
17. I lost one pregnancy before and another one after him
18. Alex came to this world through C-section, because I didn't dilate more than 3 cm
19. He had Wilms tumor when he was 9. After a year of chemotherapy the cancer disappeared
20. I think I was born with a special gene in my body. The "sewing" gene. I sew since I can remember
21. Also love to cook since I can remember. My first cooking book was a present from my mom for my 7th birthday
22. My first year married I cooked 365 different meals for Walter. Bad thing. He gained 45 pounds
23. I lived in 3 countries during a same year
24. I am 5'4" tall and weight 138 pounds
25. OK... I confess: I am a procrastinator! This thing of "Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today" doesn't go with me. I prefer to wait till tomorrow
26. My family call me the handywoman of the house. I can paint walls as well as installing an entire tile floor on the kitchen or bathroom
27. Many years ago I learned that for the chinese people roosters symbolize harmony in the family. I love them. That's why I began collecting many in all sizes and materials 
28. Because I'm so fortunate in life, every day I wake up thinking how much good I can make to the people around me
29. HATE to exercise. I'm a couch potato at heart 
30. LOVE to read. I can lay down an entire day reading and having Dulce de Leche Häagen-Dazs 
31. I am a perfume compulsive buyer. Never use the same fragrance everyday. For me, it's a mood thing
32. My favorite color is... of course... PINK!!
33. And my favorite flower a peony
34. I am a history junkie. Favorite readings: royal biographies. More than 300 books on the subject are sitting on shelves at my house
35. Still can't speak and write 100% perfect english; people say I do it very good. I don't know why but I feel embarrassed by that. I would love to speak more slang
36. All my life I was an admirer of Coco Chanel, but if I have to confess, the designer that inspired me the most was and still is Kenzo. He changed my vision of fashion and print fabrics forever...
37. I could never get up early. It's a great effort to do it. It seems that my body clock did not come well set from the factory. My ideal day would begin if I wake up at 12 noon. At night I feel is the best time of the day. That's why I design complete collections at night. My senses awaken and the best of me comes alive --or this is what I think, 'cause everybody is sleeping and can't see it :)
38. The first time I made a quilt 20 years ago I didn't have an absolute idea of what I was doing. Hell no! Everything I know today I learned myself. Trial and error were my friends
39. Should I introduce you other friends I have: quilting books!. I learned so much from them
40. I LOVE quilting, but never thought that would be that much and that I would become so obsessive about perfect piecing 
41. I came to this industry hand painting fabric panels during my period of landscape quilter. Because I couldn't find specific colors in stores I decided to paint my own. All my quilting friends told me they would love to buy them at quilt shows. The first panel I sold at a quilt show in Dallas was "a moment I'd never forget". Selling panels to award-winner quilter David Tailor made me feel like I was in heaven
42. Years ago, never thought that I was gonna design fabrics. Now I can't imagine my life without designing
43. Neither that I was gonna work with my husband as my partner
44. I have cried after working a lot of time on a collection and didn't come out the way I wanted
45. I have pulled out the hair of my head too. Well... almost
46. Is there a color freak? That's me! Thanks Pantone :)
47. When I start designing, a color palette always comes first. That triggers a mood and... the name of the collection draws in my mind very vividly 
48. For me, drawing was a long journey of personal evolution. Designing fabrics walk the same path
49. One of the best designers and master of color for me is Kaffe Fassett. The first time I met Kaffe I couldn't believe my eyes! He came to my booth to shake my hand and congratulate me on my designs; I was sooo excited but he didn't realize that my knees were shaking too... 
50. I LOVE to be connected with you in here. Many people say that a blog shouldn't be written only to expect comments. I don't think so. Every time I write a post I wait with excitement to read yours!

 

All my love, 

Pat

The AGF experience at Quilt Market.

Hello hello!

I'm glad you enjoyed our pics from Market, it was soo much work but oh so rewarding in the end!

So you know how they say "a picture is worth a thousand words"? Well that might be true, but because nothing tells the story like a VIDEO, the video-editing genius and graphic design extraordinaire Kat (part of our awesome AGF team lol) made this cool video about our experience at Market.

As you'll be able to tell, it was insanely rolling-on-the-floor-laughing fun and we had the best time ever, I honestly can't complain.

So if you never attended Market you'll be able to see a little bit of what really goes on in there (plus you'll get to see the AGF team making a fool out of ourselves in public lol) 

I still laugh everytime I watch it ha! What do you think, is this what you would expect to see at Market? What do you imagine it's like? Do share!

Happy long weekend everyone!

Love,

Pat. 

 

ps. Can't watch it on YouTube? Watch it on Vimeo or Facebook! 

And the family gets bigger...

Last June I went through one of the toughest, most painful moments I ever had to go through in my entire life. My baby Sheebo had to part. I felt like I would never be able to smile again, at least for a long time. The mere thought of bringing another dog to the family was unconceivable...

But along came Lucas.

(here modeling a fabric bow made with the Coquette collection)

Don't you just wanna grab him and squeeze him? 

The unbelievable part of the story is that, when I went to the shelter (trying to not fall in love with the impossibly cute faces staring from their cages), the lady that worked there told me somebody had left Lucas ON THE ROAD!!!! She said that a car stopped at a traffic light. Inside the car were a woman with two kids. This woman came out of the car and went back to open the trunk. She took a puppy and left him on the street. As soon as it turned out green again, she accelerated. The car behind her almost hit him! 

Can you believe that? I mean, who would actually be capable of taking this and dumping it on the side of the road like a garbage bag??

He's a gorgeous American Cocker Spaniel and he's here to stay. (It's been quite a long time since I last had to decorate the house with puppy diapers but I don't mind)

Welcome to the family Lucas! You're in for a ride =)

 

Love,

Pat

A moment of love

They have just come back from Asia and brought me many, and I mean MANY pictures. From the Mills, of the fabric's production process, about the coloring, inks, new styles; but I decided to have these as the most important to me. They talk about the love of father and son, the joy of being together, their rapport. They also talk about the pride of a father because his son wants to follow his steps in the business, and the pride of a son because his father wants to teach these steps to him.
This is a moment that speaks about Love and a special relation, and I wanted to share it with you.
This is what my family and what Art Gallery Fabrics are made of. A lot of Love.

Want to see some pics on how our fabrics are produced? Wait for me until I share them on the next post...

 

Love,

Pat

New pics and such...

Hey everyone!

How is your week doing? Have you sewn something nice? New hair cut? Very busy with kiddos coming back to school? My son Alex is going to take three classes this semester: Microeconomics, Calculus III and Macroeconomics. Did I tell you that he switched majors? He moved from Statistics to Business... and he's also working for Apple part time. Here is a proud mama talking!! :)

I'm glad to say I'm having super productive days! I've worked on my new collections, came up with new pattern ideas, and created a new facebook page to share with everybody... and still managed to save a little time for a manicure and a nice Italian dinner with the family last weekend!

Speaking of eating with the family, on Saturday my mum had this unbearable craving for a McDonald's apple pie and she wouldn't take NO for and answer! Even as I tried to explain to her that 130 for glucose that morning was no joke... she said to me "Please, just one...!" I look at her, and I said to myself: How can I say no to her 82 years of love and dedication?

Coming back to my projects, I've been working on my collections so hard lately, I don't even have that much time to sew anymore... What would I do without my awesome sewing team, Priscila and Vicky? Today I raided the sewing studio to take some shots:

New pattern in the making. Did you guess? It's a dress!!

Priscila working on the first samples made with Dreaming in French... I'm so excited!

Vicky doing her magic on the machine! 

I wanna thank the girls for making my life a lot easier, haha! And the things they make are just as I imagine them in my head!

I was reading all your comments from last post on "Dreaming in French" and I feel.... so flattered!! Thank you so much, and I promise to share some pics of new products soon!

I'll keep you posted with everything my amazing team is up to... until next time, gotta go back to the office!

Love,

Pat.

Weekend adventures + Fabric Giveaway!

Oops! Remember there was a lovely post here?

Well... it magically disappeared for reasons I'm yet to discover!

Even though the post disappeared, the GIVEAWAY didn't go anywhere, hahah! I didn't know what happened but all the comments are still there, 324!

Check out the lucky winner in my new post!

Thanks to all of you for participating!

Love, 

Pat.

The best reason to be happy...

You may be thinking... because I have a great company, because I feel fulfilled with my job; or maybe because I have a good standard of living.

No, absolutely not. The best reason to be happy is because:

I LOVE BEING A MOM AND I HAVE THE BEST SON A MOTHER COULD EVER ASK. Period.

Let me tell you that his card made me cry of happiness! He gave me a beautiful blouse and a flower...

He was always the sun who woke me up, the little one that with just coming into this world and without telling me one word, told me to be a better person for him. I loved to teach him everything that I have learned from my parents and more along the way... I nurtured him, feed his soul and brain love, love and more love. And what do I have in return? Lots of love back for me and my husband; I see an honest man, so dedicated and truthful to his ideals of love and peace like he always says. He taught me to be strong when at 9 years old told me "everything is going to OK mom, I'm going to come out of this", when he saw my eyes so red of crying because he had cancer in one kidney... That is exactly what I dreamed of him!

 

This is so funny because this post looks like a post about my son, and it is! I am swollen with pride for being his mom. He always gave me SO MUCH that I wanted to give him a little back. I am supposed to do a post about my mother... I couldn't celebrate with her because she's in Argentina. But this post is about her too, because I could not have been a good mom without my mom. She is THE BEST MOM A PERSON COULD ASK FOR...

Alex with my mom at her 82nd birthday

I want to share with you (thank you for being always with me) how happy I am for having such a good son and wish all of you the same happiness for Mother's Day. Having children is to be blessed to a level that only moms can imagine. How was your day yesterday? Did you have a good time with them? Let me know how you celebrated!

I feel that my dreams are totally fulfilled... and my mission accomplished.

Love,

Pat

Some updates and such...

As you all well  know, the countdown til Quilt Market has officially started... and yes, that does mean a whole lot of work... I felt like blogging today to share everything with you.

So, what's been going on in the fabric department?

Well,  for starters UPS came to make my day this morning when they brought one of my new fabric collections, PARADISE! I must tell you, I was almost as surprised as I was pleased (was expecting for it to come this weekend); there is no better motivation to start sewing that having those beautiful rolls of fabric standing at my door... Hope you like them as much as I do!

How would I describe it? Vintage sewing and modern quilting! I hope to make a more detailed presentation soon. Delivery will begin on August.

And speaking of sewing motivation, I must introduce you to my latest lovely assistant: my industrial Pfaff machine.

Did you have had a chance to sew with one of them? Even though I own 4 sewing machines, this one is definitely the New Kid on the Block and is already looking at the others like her bigger sister! It's a totally new and different sewing experience... It's smooth, can sew through rocks, and it's FAST, REALLY FAST!!

Guess who else is a fabric lover around here? Daisy, my sweet little daughter... Her sewing style is definitely different than mine. She LOVES to chew fabric!!

On my home front...

Even tough I love to cook -- I took cooking and pastry lessons 4 years, this seems to be a luxury for me now days; I don't have the time to do it anymore. But today I felt a little nostalgic and I was remembering my Spanish grandma. I remembered that when I was at college studying for a final and was very tired, she used to tell me: "There is nothing better than a good homemade meal to make you feel as good as new again". I now associate that thought... it was because I was feeling the same fatigue... I said to myself: stop working and start cooking, you're gonna feel much better! How many of you have tried octopus? In Spain it's one of the most delicious seafood! It was waiting on the freezer for me. There. "Pulpo a la gallega = Galician octopus". So simple, so natural, so good.

 

Grandma, even you are not with me anymore... I LOVE YOU!

Love,

Pat

25 years and counting...!

I think that everyone that's been married for 25 years deserves a weekend on a cruise.

Just kidding! I couldn't ask for the ONLY and better company than the two loves of my life: my husband Walter and my lovely son Alex.

The boat "Carnival Liberty" took us to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios, where I was stunned by its blue, blue skies and crystal clear, turquoise waters. 

 

This was a cute little gift shop in Cozumel, I couldn't resist to take a picture of these amazing colors! 

 

Other thing I could not resist: hand- painted pottery! I could not come back home without some gorgeous pieces.

 

There was this irresistible spa that offered full body massages for couples... how could I say no? They gave us this fabulous massage (I can't tell you the exact name because I don't remember, but I do remember it was exquisite!), followed by a seaweed wrap, nothing ever felt so soothing!

Isn't every woman's dream to have his husband get a facial? You had to be there to believe it, the look on his face was priceless! Wish I had a picture!

This is how 25 years of complete and utter happiness look like: 

  

A heart-warming hug from my dear Alex is always more than welcome!

 

 

I know, I know, I was on vacation... but with this gorgeous flowers, inspiration shots are a must! 

  

A little secret about this picture: it's not "casual"! I actually put my producer skills into action and asked the bartender to make some drinks (virgin, that is) just for the shot! And then I arranged them to look all pretty.  He must have thought I was a bit crazy, but it was worth it, right?

 

I had the most wonderful time, and I believe this picture says it all: 25 years of Paradise on Earth.

 

Love,

Pat.
  
 
 

 

  

MEET MY DAISY

Since my old German Shepherd SCOTT died last January, I could not recover from a feeling of emptiness and sadness. He was 13; an amazing dog, perfect in any sense for his breed. My 12 years old Chocolate Lab SHEEBO still misses him.

Walter and I immediately knew that we needed a new dog, and Sheebo would not feel lonely again. But we were undecided between buying a pure breed or adopting one. Walt told me to wait a little because we have to work all day and the task to train a new puppy is not an easy one.

After many months and everything going on at the new studio, I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to bring a pup home to start raising him. We are also re-arranging the house: rooms, furniture, etc. I said to Walt: "it's now or never"!

So, we went to the North Miami Beach Humane Society, and one sweet and timid puppy among many gained our hearts... here is my new daughter DAISY!

Isn't she the sweetest thing on earth? She is half Chinese Shar-Pei and I don't know what other half, but I couldn't care less. It was love at first sight!

 

She is so sweet, that we thought the name would fit perfect... my DAISY..

Our house is back to life again --well, HELLLLPP with the pi-pis and poo-poos!--; everything is happiness, new tricks, new pranks... We still miss our beautiful SCOTT, but the pain is a bit less.

One thing, though: because I have to keep an eye on her all day, she has to watch me quilting and sewing at my new studio in her new corner. She seems delighted...

Love,

Patricia