Happy.

Happy.

HappiestDays.

what makes you happy?

what are the happiest moments of your life?

my very best sister-girlfriend lives on Kauai, in Hawaii

if you've followed the news this week, you'll know what that means

she and her husband closed the windows (as advised)

and sat down to enjoy their coffee

it's her story to tell, but I'll tell you just that much

the moment I heard it was a false alarm, I called her

because, well, she is my happy place - just sitting with her makes me happy

as she picked up the phone

I couldn't get the words out fast enough

"it's a false alarm!!! it's a false alarm - it's not truuuuuuueeeeee...."

I could see her smile through the phone

'we know'

what types of moments fill your happiest days?

what is on your list?

when I examined my list, I was surprised

(my list was done in time order)

1.  that time in 1st grade when the teacher let me skip nap time and just talk with her

2.   weekends spent building a church in baja

3.  being a summer camp counselor and a part of the guitar team

4.  sunrise service, singing in the choir, side by side with my mom

5.  sitting in the garden, spending the whole day knitting with a friend

6.  time spent on the Ranch and helping to birth a cow

7.  seeing my very own fabric in other peoples' quilts

(and of course, every time I ever met my very own dog...including Stitch)

8.  Quilters Affair, Sisters Oregon, and just talking with the other teachers

walking home in the rain with my roommate

and much much more

but the one thing that I noticed

was that happiness was about the people in my life

(dogs included)

  

do you have a list of those life moments?

are you focusing on those happiest days or are you caught up on the "muck"

and what patterns will you discover

once you take the time to write down each happy moment

in your life

your first child - your first grandchild - your wedding

the first quilt that hung in a show

the first guild member friend you ever made

the first retreat you ever attended

a garden

a smile

a beautiful place

a moment so sweet it brought tears to your eyes

see?

there are plenty of them

capture them

or repeat as many of them as you can

and visit your list often

please share just one quilting related happy moment with us

in the comments below

HappiestDays.

Natalie

be.do.create

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

who is your hero?

www.airportk9.org

who is your hero

this last week

I shed tears for the loss of one of my biggest heroes

Piper.

Piper was, as Brian himself would say, the better half of a team

including Brian Edwards, at Cherry Capital Airport

performing multiple duties at the airport

but for me, performing only one duty

chief inspiration officer

sure.

Piper probably didn't write the posts.

Didn't research the inspirational quotes.

But I am sure that Piper did provide all of the inspiration

for every positive post that was ever written.

which brings me to my point.

who is your hero?

who inspires you?

and why?

today I had the pleasure of sitting in a room of quilters

from

Long Beach Modern Quilt Guild

working on blocks

for

#quiltsfromtheashes

and like watching Piper work with joy and commitment

each and every day

I watched each person in that room

work selfishly on Thomas Fire Quilt Relief quilt blocks

with a smile on their face, and the joy in their hearts

being stitched into each seam

who is your hero?

who inspires you?

and.

more importantly.

who will you inspire?

natalie.

beyondthereefpatterns.com

be.do.create

for donations to airportk9, please visit their fb or instagram page

job well done, Piper.

rest easy now.

all photographs (and post) credit airportk9.org

What will you do with the gifts you have received?

It's a new year....

the theme for the 129th Rose Parade is

Making a Difference

(it's California - the Rose Parade is a pretty big deal around here

and since I was born in Pasadena, well....you know....)

“The 2018 theme, ‘Making a Difference,’ is a way to honor and celebrate all of the people in our communities, who quietly and without desire for reward or recognition, act in selfless, generous and kind ways to aid or benefit others.” shared Tibbet. “It’s about the human acts of kindness that enrich the lives of others and are the source of inspiration, hope, joy and optimism for all of us.”

time

and

memories

quite often

the most important gift we can give is our time

and in doing so

we create

memories

that will last much longer than any other material gift we can give

you know,

we each have something

that one unique thing

that we "do"

someone took the time to teach us something

and we have those memories that will last us a lifetime

so

for this New Year

I ask you

what will you do with the gifts you have received?

please leave in the comments below

a service or organization that you support

with that special gift that you have received

and for those of you that are looking for a way to use your own special gift,

take a look at some of these organizations

and

Make a Difference

in

2018!

HappiestNewYear

natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

be.do.create

hint:  January 7 - Sew Vac, Long Beach, CA

LBMQG Philanthropy sew

for

Thomas Fire Relief Quilts

www.projectlinus.org

www.quiltsforkids.org

"Where have you BEEN???!?"

"Where have you BEEN???!?"

(confessions of a quilt + pattern + fabric designer)

This is the one single most asked question of all of my neighbors.

They don't think I live here any more.

(or they think I have a very full travel calendar)

in the past, it seemed like there were two very big looming deadlines

Spring Market

Fall Market

you know the hash tag

#marketprep

or 

#springmarketprep + #fallmarketprep

or

#internationalquiltmarket

but these days they all seem to have run together

(hombre version of Hang Ten pattern by beyond the reef in Maker's Home fabrics)

and I couldn't be happier

presenting new quilting fabric by Windham Fabrics

is the most honored

the most humbling

the most

FUN

Spring Market

Maker's Home

by Natalie Barnes

for Windham Fabrics

has a nice ring to it

(blush)

so please forgive me for not having posted in the last three months

(gasp)

let's do a giveaway

of

Hand Maker Fabrics

I have four five inch square bundles of Hand Maker Fabrics

for four lucky posting friends

hope you'll leave a note to say "welcome back"

the same way my neighbors greet me

whether I have been gone or just home working on quilts and patterns

...and fabrics....

(yaaaaaaay!)

let me know - do you like the "fabric previews"

and "market" posts? 

HappiestDays

Natalie

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

be.do.create

(Maker's Home fabrics by Windham Fabrics available October 2017)

Latifah Saafir !! one of "my nine"....

Hand Maker giveaway

Latifah Saafir Studio post is here....

okay.

maybe you've already heard this story

but I want to tell it again

Latifah tells it best, so I will try to do it justice

Latifah and Natalie

have been getting to know each other at the quilt shows

always with a smile, a hug, a "how you doing"

and one day

Natalie

says

"I'm looking for a roommate for Houston Market and Festival

do you know anyone?"

and Latifah answers,

"I might...."

little does Natalie know, it is Latifah!!!!

This is where Latifah usually inserts into the story,

"Well.  You know......

it could have either gone really well, or incredibly bad....."

and then she pauses.

Then she smiles.  THAT smile.

and then she lets me off the hook by saying

".....and it went incredibly......well."

fast forward past the slumber party style late nite talks

and the family gumbo recipe share moments

to fabric

well, of COURSE

I was going to ask her to be one of my nine.

and she said yes.

and because she is who she is

she hand delivers not one

but two

quilts to me

"I'm just not pleased with how this one came out

so I finished this other one."

thank you

Latifah

for being one of my nine

as you have heard from others on the tour,

it wouldn't be a blog tour without some info about

the fabric

so.....

please leave a comment about

LATIFAH SAAFIR'S SMILE

(just that, please, just that)

here, on this post

to be entered to win a complete set of

Hand Maker Fabrics

by Natalie Barnes

(that's me)

for

Windham Fabrics

be.do.create

Natalie.

(I will announce the winner of the fabrics, here, on December 15 Wednesday)

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

Hand Maker fabrics!

Hand Maker fabrics

blog tour

it's true!

Hand Maker fabrics for Windham Fabrics

is arriving in stores as we speak

at Spring Market

Windham Fabrics invited the fabric designers to be a part of
the Windham Fabrics booth

it was important to me to show the work

of all of the people in my quilting life that have been an inspiration

been supportive
"we all get there together"

and so after nine quilting friends said yes
the grid wall became a reality
these are my nine

 

as life would have it, the other thing that happened 

was that during a file transfer from camera to computer

all photos from May through end of July

became corrupted

so I send my apologies to Angela Walters whose quilt

is behind the fabrics at the bottom right

each of "my nine"

agreed to post on the specific date

to tell you about their project - their pattern - their product - their design

while this blog tour kicks off the Hand Maker fabric

it's really all about "my nine"

and how thankful I am to have each and every one of them in my life

so please

head on over to their blog and leave a comment

click on their Facebook and instagram pages and like or follow them

(and me)

I'll post a reminder each day on my Facebook and Instagram feed

let's show these nine

how much we appreciate their creative spirit

and willingness to be a part of the

community!

Saturday 03 December 

Natalie Barnes + beyondthereefpatterns.com

facebook.com/beyondthereefpatterns

instagram.com/beyondthereefpatterns

Ann Shaw + annshawquilting.com

facebook.com/annshawquilting

Sunday 04 December

Angela Walters - quiltingismytherapy.com

facebook.com/angelafmq

instagram.com/angelafmq

Monday 05 December

Amy Ellis + amyscreativeside.com

facebook.com/amyscreativeside

instagram.com/amyscreativeside

Tuesday 06 December

Julie Herman + jaybirdquilts.com

facebook.com/jaybirdquilts

instagram.com/jaybirdquilts

Wednesday 07 December

John Q. Adams + quiltdad.com

facebook.com/john q. adams

instagram.com/j_q_adams

Thursday 08 December

Latifah Saafir + latifahsaafirstudios.com

facebook.com/latifahsaafirstudiosllc

instagram.com/latifahsaafirstudios

Friday 09 December

Rose Hughes + rosehughes.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/Rose-Hughes-Quilt-Artist-396022645477/?fref=ts

instagram.com/ravenspeak

Saturday 10 December

Jenny Pedigo + sewkindofwonderful.com

facebook.com/sewkindofwonderful

instagram.com/sewkindofwonderfuljenny

Sunday 11 December

Cheri Leffler + cherilefflerdesigns.com

https://www.facebook.com/Cheri-Leffler-Designs-Quilt-Patterns-183588505051845/?hc_ref=SEARCH

instagram.com/cherileffler

Scott Hansen + bluenickelstudios.com

facebook.com/bluenickelstudios

isntagram.com/bluenickelstudios

in addition to "my nine"

there were quilts by many people at Spring Market

and I want to thank each and every one of them

please visit these designers' sites, too

May Chappell

by Annie

Bloc Loc

Abbey Lane

Sassafras Lane

Ann Shaw added a quilt after Market

and Scott Hansen + Blue Nickel Designs added a quilt after Market too

f a b r i c    g i v e a w a y

it wouldn't be a tour without the fabric, now, would it?
so each blog post host will randomly select a comment contributor
to receive
a Hand Maker fat quarter bundle 

we.are.makers.
so let's live up to it

please show "my nine" how much you appreciate
how they inspire you
too

and if you make something
post something
#handmakerfabrics
we want to be inspired by you
too

be.do.create
natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

   

                           

This, That.....and the other Thing.

This.That....and the other Thing.

#marketprep.   it's that time of year again.

it's "new quilt season".

 

International Quilt Market

and all I can see in my minds eye

are hundreds of designers

across the nation

stitching binding

(because the international designers are done, and ready to board a plane!)

 it happens two times a year

spring

and

fall

these shows are "industry only" events

and very big events, at that

every single person in that convention center

is there to show goods to shop owners and buyers

asking them to take their brochure

and hope upon hope

that the owners and buyers will order their goods

 Twilight by Whistler Studios for Windham Fabrics

pattern:  faith.hope.love

Lilla by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics

pattern:  48 peaks

 

Grunge by Moda Fabrics 

pattern:  faith.hope.love

Black and White by Jennifer Sampou for Robert Kaufman Fabrics

pattern:  morning star + evening star

 designers sketch and draw and stitch and sew and quilt

and then the time comes when we lay in bed, and just before falling asleep

we play in our minds, over and over again

how we'll lay out the booth, and what we'll say every single day

and suddenly it hits us.

we forgot to order.....

...the other Thing.

so we ask friends to pitch in

while we check, double check and confirm

and finally arrange for

...the other Thing.

all the while, with hope upon hope

that you'll stop by

Booth 525

and chat for a while

HappiestDays.

Natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com