Pat Bravo Q&A - Ask me anything! My career, my life...

Hello my lovely people!

Not so long ago, I posted on Instagram a Q&A post where people could ask me anything they want. I have many new followers and maybe they didn't get to know me very well since they are new to my SM channels... Kind of a re-introduction of myself and what I do. I know that here in my blog may happen the same to some of you too!

I promised that all those questions will be also answered on a YouTube video with much more detail. It's very difficult to write long and elaborated answers on comments on Instagram! 😀 And I talk about everything: the journey of my career, what motivates me to design a fabric collection, and the challenges I'm facing on my physical and emotional health.

So... do you have some time to watch it now? I finally finished editing and it's ready with everything you want to know from me!! If you are ready, click on the following link: https://youtu.be/JFEtcDPE7vk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFEtcDPE7vk&t=2s

If you are new to my YouTube channel go there and after watching the video, I invite you to subscribe hitting the "subscribe" button and also the bell on the lower right side of the video, to be notified of each new video from me. I'm planning to load you with lots of new content about quilting, sewing and things that interest me the most in the upcoming months.

Thank you for always being with me, you are the best!! 
xoxoxo, P

Tutorial Time! Rosemary's ♥ Quilt

Hello, hello everyone! 

I had been working so hard on my upcoming videos that I almost forgot to share this quick blog post! I must admit, I am having a blast filming and viewing the final result of my videos. Specially, I am so happy that I can connect with my lovely followers in another social platform, so excited for the upcoming videos! On today's post, I want to share this stunning Wall Art tutorial, isn't gorgeous? The Rosemary's ♥ quilt would be a perfect Vanlentine's Day project! So boho, so stylish, I love it and the best part is that it is a FREE pattern that you can download here!

The Rosemary's Heart Quilt is so fun to make, you guys are going to enjoy every minute sewing this beauty. So everyone, get those weekly calendars out and add this project on your to do list!

I hope you enjoy making this wall art, and place this stunner center staged on your home which will be a perfect conversation starter! 

So...get ready...sew!

xoxo

Pat B. 

Quilt Block of the Month "Eight Hands Around"

Hello lovelies! 

January is almost over but I did not forget about our "Quilt Block of The Month". I am having so much fun creating new content in my YouTube Chanel as well as my blog, it is really fun and relaxing to make them. This time around, I decided to create an "Eight Hands Around Quilt Block" in Youtube and think it's one of my favorites so far. I want to show you how simple and fun it is! Just click on the picture below to watch how to make it:

Did you like the "giveaway surprise" I have at the end of the video? Yaaayyy! Last month, I had some little technical issues with the software I use for the giveaways. But fear not everyone, this time around all you need to enter is to leave a comment in the comment section on the YouTube video after watching to enter and that's it! You can write about the video, the fabrics, or anything you want to tell me! Preview of the giveaway down below:

Giveaway closed:
Congratulations Linda Williamson, you are the lucky winner!

I will announce a winner next Monday!

Good luck everyone!

xoxo

Pat

ETNO Flying Geese Table Runner

Hi! How was your Christmas Holiday super looong weekend? I hope you have had lots of happy family gatherings with your loved ones. Christmas is always so full of a magical spirit, don't you think? Our celebration was so good! We were 6 at the table and my mother was the queen! My husband, son, my sister and me felt this holiday very special for having her, at her 87 years of age, strong and so happy! 

I was working lots these days spent at home... I didn't go to work last Friday, so this holiday felt almost as a vacation! Since I had more time to sew, my priority was to finish the runner made with the new flying geese method I shared with you on a previous post here. 

My new ETNO collection ships to stores late January and I think this table runner can be the first sample for you to see my fabrics in action!

I had the top ready sewn days ago, so the only thing was to decide how to quilt it. The order of the day at my sewing room was to relax and have fun with straight line quilting! 

First I thought about straight vertical quilting, but looking at the triangles I had the impulse to do straight lines in angle that will replicate the geese. I love how it came out! Working with my Bernina walking foot and the marking it has, I went for 1/2" seams.

There was a moment that I was so excited to see how it was looking that I did a small section in the center of the runner reducing the spacing to 1/4" apart that I'm showing on the pic below. 

Oh... the magic of quilting... These are the moments that I enjoy the most!!

Because I'm only working with strike offs (the first sample the mill sends me to correct the final production) I'm using all the scraps left from the top cutting; so I decided to put them to good use on the back, combining them with stripes of the AGF "Square Elements" in Lemon and my beloved "Wanderlust" in Luna from the INDIE collection I've designed some time ago. Scrappy scrappy!

On the binding, I've combined a creamy grey with small sections of teal from the AGF "Pure Elements" line of solids. I love the pop and modern effect of these kind of combinations!

Hope you liked it! I'm crazy in love with this runner, and can't wait until my new ETNO line gets shipped to stores late January so you can put your hands on it! What's going to be the order of the day at your sewing room?

Thanks for stopping by today! Xo, Pat

10 Different Ways To Cut A Fat Quarter

Hi fat quarter friends... I'm sure many of us can find several ways to give a fat quarter a good use. Look at all the different squares you can cut from it! Amazing, right? Hope you like it and... feel free to share it with your friends!

XO, Pat

50 Things You Don't Know About Me

*As I am trying to update this new blog of mine, I'm bringing over a content I wrote previously on the Art Gallery Fabrics' blog. This post was written on December 30th, 2011. I think this post is interesting because it will give you bit of information about me. Hope you enjoy it! and I promise more new post later on. 

xoxo  

Pat

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 my son Alex
18. He 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 printed 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

Color Inspiration

Rapture is here!

Hello lovelies!

First I want to take the time to thank you for all your amazing comments and all the love you show for me and for my work. I put great effort in creating fabric collections that will bring joy to all your projects. And it makes me truly happy to see you welcome them into your lives. This week I am also grateful because since I showed my newest collection at Quilt Market (recap here) with butterflies in my stomach. Yet, I have received such great feedback! So today I'm thrilled to announce that the  RAPTURE collection is now available!

The fabrics are inspired by one of my favorite designers, KENZO, and the watercolor style that has currently become the latest trend. The color palette has soft pastels, but yet it's bright and happy too! I'm so happy right now in my professional and personal life, so I wanted Rapture to be a reflection of this joyous time!

I designed this collection with a woman in mind. She is fearless and sophisticated. She dares to wear bold prints with bright hues of lemon, red, and blue. She loves to be raptured by the beauty in everything she sees and she wears her heart on her sleeve. 

Step into her world with my new Rapture Lookbook:

Her happy and serene world is surrounded by bright yet harmonious colors. She loves to dream in watercolor and she shares her vision through her paint brush. 

Rapture comes in two sophisticated color ways: Citric Happiness & Subtle Joy.

Citric Happiness, as the name describes, is full of citric yellows and happy corals with hints of teal, berry, and tender green.

Subtle Joy focuses on the soft sides of blue and peach, with hints of cream and mint. Both color ways embrace traces of crystal pink and black.

One of my favorite prints in this collection is Wild Beauty (in both color ways). It embodies the mood of this collection perfectly with its painted flowers, watercolor brush traces, with both bright and subtle tones and the boldness of a black. I love its versatility being great to work in all quilts, fashion, and home decor.

I haven't stopped sewing with Rapture. A lot of the projects will be FREE patterns available to you in the coming months! You can start making my FREE quilt pattern, Blissful quilt, now! You'll love making this quilt. It is easy to make and will sure bring bliss to your home (or for a loved one since the holidays are right around the corner).

Rapture is perfect for combining with all the Elements that AGF has to offer! If you want to throw in some solids to the mix, here is a list of Pure Elements that go great with Rapture:
 
PE-448 Canary, PE-435 Banana Cream, PE-444 Peach Sherbet, PE-426 Apricot Crepe. PE-450 Grapefruit, PE-438 Coral Reef, PE-405 Cherry Lipgloss, PE-446 Honeydew, PE-408 White Linen, PE-412 Tender Green, PE-424 Mirage Blue, PE-452 Spruce, PE-431 Mystic Grey, PE-413 Caviar.

And here is a list of Squared Elements that are just waiting to be combined with Rapture:

CST-3108 King's Road Turquoise, SE-613 Teal, SE-604 Seafoam, SE-609 Citrine, CST-3201 King's Road Lemon, CST-3101 King's Road Fuchsia, SE-600 Watermelon, SE-601 Rosewater, SE-614 Almondette, SE-607 Noir.

And what's even better is that I have matching threads to go along with Rapture! I've had the pleasure of working with Aurifil and coming out with my own thread collection!

The Eye Candy  Box is the perfect match when working with the soft tones of Subtle Joy!
 
The Quilting Heart Box is great to combine with the bright hues of the Citric Happiness palette. Great for quilting (of course) and sewing. So start filling your canvases with joyful projects made with Rapture!

I really hope you like my new line as much as I do, and that all these images inspire you to get stitching and create pieces you treasure and are grateful for. Stay tuned for more inspirational posts featuring Rapture! 

Love,

Aurifil Block of the Month with Rock 'n Romance

Hello everyone! I just can't believe that it's December and the very last Aurifil Rock 'n Romance quilt block has been sewn.

Here are the last four blocks of the year!

If you missed it, here is the 1st group of blocks and the 2nd group. All 12 blocks are just amazing! Thank you 2013 Auriful Design team for your gifted sewing talents and making wonderful blocks with Rock 'n Romance. I cannot wait to see the finished quilt! For a sneak peek of the quilt, go to the AURIbuzz blog to see that layout, by Pat Sloan.

You can also stop by the AURIbuzz blog to to read the lovely interview Pat Sloan did about me :)

Also, you have until Monday to enter my Rapture fat quarter bundle giveaway. Good luck!

Happy sewing and have a great weekend :)

From me with eLove! December 2013

Hello and seasons greetings!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was quite relaxing with family and friends. I'm in the holiday spirit, so I already have the December free digital backgrounds all ready for you to enjoy the entire month of December!

My Modernology line screamed Christmas to me. Here is a frosty winter wonderland, and a merry Christmas red floral digital backgrounds from you to choose from.

Christmas tree
with calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad

without calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad | iPhone | iPhone5 | Droid

Happy Holidays
with calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad

without calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad | iPhone | iPhone5 | Droid

I hope you enjoy December's digital backgrounds! Please Instagram me a pic of your computer, iPad or phone with your Pat Bravo background. I'd love to see them in festive holiday action!

Happy holidays to you!

From me with eLove

Hello, and happy November lovelies! I was so  busy with Quilt Market that I almost forgot a new digital background for you!

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is only weeks away. I thought the perfect colors for this month would come from my Indie collection. Golds and browns mixed with deep navy and maroon are stars in Indies' eclectic palette.

Wonderlust Soleil
with calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad

without calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad | iPhone | iPhone5 | Droid

Marqueterie Berry
with calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad

without calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad | iPhone | iPhone5 | Droid

I hope you enjoy November's digital backgrounds! Please Instagram me a pic of your computer, iPad or phone with your Pat Bravo background. I'd love to see them in action!

I'll be back soon with a Quilt Market recap!

xoxo,

Aurifil Block of the Month with Rock 'n Romance

Hey everyone!

I'm am so honored and excited that my fabric line, Rock 'n Romance, is being used for the 2013 Aurifil Design Team! Twelve lovely designers are creating awesome blocks. Each month there will be a new quilt block by one of the designers. I already shared with you the first four designers in a previous blog post. Now here are designers five through eight!

Designers 5-8 are:

Jackie Kunkel
Jill Finley
Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson
Wenche Wolff Hatling

Each block is unique and they are all so great! There are four designers left. I can't wait until December to see all of the blocks!

Happy sewing!

Love,

The Boho Dress Pattern

Hello! How has everyone been?

I want to share with you my very first CLOTHING PATTERN! It's called the Boho Dress and I couldn't be more thrilled about it.

There is a sewing trend that I perceive is growing bigger and bigger, and it's definitely planning to stay for a while... I also have been noticing that there are so many quilters that didn't sew at all in their lives but want to start now. The emails with requests I receive are more or less like these: Can you make a pattern that is simple to follow? Or... Can you do an easy and forgiving dress pattern? What about a nice skirt that I can complete in an afternoon... without knowing how to sew!  WOW!! These are exciting requests!

So I sat down to think. I went through fashion magazines. I teared pages from those magazines. I put them up on my inspiration board. I sketched. And then sat down to think a little bit more. My desire was a dress that could be both functional and easy to sew, without losing its style. The Boho Dress is the result!

As you can see, there are two options to this dress: option A is a short, sleeveless sundress to wear alone or with leggings.

And option B has a longer hemline and features long tulip sleeves.

See? Totally different styles but all in one pattern!

But this is not all.

Lately I've been seeing this sewing trend specially among the younger crowd; it's really amazing to see how young these girls are, and I think it's great that they are dusting off their mom's sewing machines and learning how to make their own stuff. They want to learn. They want to do it. They want cool, quick and stylish. It is also exciting that quilt shops are really happy to see a newer generation visiting their stores and shopping!

So I thought, what would be the best way for them to learn? We all know there's nothing better than a class; having a real person by our side teaching us step by step how to follow the instructions and such is priceless! But not everyone has the time to attend classes; specially college students or young mommys, with their fast-paced lifestyle and crazy schedules, there's really little time to fit a sewing class in there.

Plus, we're talking about girls who didn't have the chance to take home economic classes like a lot of us did, so they might find themselves in the situation of buying a pattern, getting home, start reading, and be like... "WHAT??!! I don't understand!!"

Some of you may be reading this and nodding your head and be like"YES! THAT'S ME!" So I have great news for you: I'll be your teacher! I'll be with you step by step, explaining you all the basic terminology, telling and showing what to do (and what not to do), so you'll end up with a fabulous, error-free dress in no time!

Now some of you might be thinking... "Okay... so... exactly how are you planning to do that?"

Well the answer is: DVD! Yes, the Boho Dress pattern comes in a DVD format, in which you'll be able to follow me by playing it on your TV or computer, and watching me making both options of the dress, step by step, in real time.

How does that sound?

All throughout the DVD there are super detailed graphics, definitions, and close-ups to help you truly understand and learn how to make the dresses; plus, the DVD comes with the one sided, printed real size paper templates, so you just basically have to pop in the DVD, have your fabric, thread and sewing machine ready and you're good to go!

But enough about me talking about it! Here's a little preview of the video so you can get the feel of it.

Are you ready to make your Boho Dress? You can visit your local quilt shop or order online.

See you in my sewing room!

Love,