Patter from Patti

Having fun with family

The past month has been jam packed with activities.  After Heidi and I arrived back in San Diego we started looking for wedding gowns, planning the engagement party and showing Raphael San Diego when he arrived.
One of the places we took Raphael was ComicCon.  This is a San Diego home grown event that has grown each year until it has become the largest convention held here.  The day we attended Hugh Jackman was there helping promote his new movie based on his character - Wolverine - from the X-Men.  We didn't get to see him, but heard the screams as he entered the autograph area.

If you are ever in San Diego around the 3rd week in July check it out.  Although, you do have to purchase tickets in advance.  The event sold out this year in June.

Heidi is holding a wee doll that is in a traveling doll round-robin I'm in.  This particular doll is made by Mary Hurlburt of Connecticut.  I'll be sending the doll to Indiana next.

While Tess (the doll) visited me she went to Albuquerque, NM for the Enchanted Doll Artist Conference. 
Here she is hanging out with Barbara Willis, Sally Lampi and elinor peace bailey.  The 4 of us shared a room and had a fabulous time.  EDAC is so fun.  I had to leave early because of Heidi and Raphael's engagement party but the two days I was there I loved it.

Back to ComicCon.  People dress up like you wouldn't believe.  Heidi and I love all things Star Wars.  Even the bad guys.

There are heaps of fairies in attendance.  I especially loved this gals costume.  And, traveling Tess had to be in the picture.  We were at ComicCon on Thursday but next year I hope to go on Saturday.  That is the masquerade day.  I can't imagine what that would be like as so many people dress up on other days. 

I've added a new blog link on the side bar.  My publisher Rockport/Quarry has started a wonderful blog.  There are excellent tutorials on projects from many of their books.  Plus, they feature projects readers have made from the books.  Do check it out.  It is the Craftside blog. 

Natania pattern

It works!!!!  Don't ask me what I did originally, but the link now works for the free pattern.  Boy!  What fun.  I've checked it in Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer.  All work.  Firefox requires Adobe Reader, but Internet Explorer and Safari do not.

Have fun making Natania.  Now that I know, kind of, how to add free patterns more will be uploaded over the next few months.

Thanks for your patience.

Free pattern

As soon as I get a response from TypePad I'll let everyone know.  The "free" pattern I posted didn't work.  I did everything the way I was suppose to, but when you try to download the pattern it doesn't come up.  And, someone has hacked into my blog and is asking for your social security number, etc.  Please do not respond to that message.  It is not from me, nor TypePad.

As soon as all is fixed, I'll be posting here.  It should be within the next few days.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of my recent visit to Wisconsin and Illinois.  I met our daughter, Heidi, in Chicago and we spent a week visiting relatives.  Heidi lives in Brussels, Belgium and flew home for a visit.

This picture is Heidi with our god-children Andrew and Katie.  We are at Allerton Park in central Illinois near my hometown of Bement.  The Sun Singer is a statue Mr. Allerton purchased for his estate grounds in the mid-twenties.  It is a bronze statue that has recently been restored.  He faces the rising sun. 

The photo on the right is the Dying Centaur bronze sculpture.  He's not been restored and we hope they keep him as is.  Allerton Park was created by Mr. Allerton as his home in a wooded area.  He cleared paths to various pieces of art.  He collected art from all over the world, including Rodin's Adam.  It is a favorite place for those of us who grew up in the area.

One of the favorite "Medaris" pastimes is putting together jigsaw puzzles.  Heidi helped my Dad and Uncle Duane put together a Thomas Kinkaid puzzle.  His puzzles are beautiful, but difficult.  The two brothers were very happy Heidi came to help finish this one.

The upside of flying on to San Diego is Heidi's fiance, Raphael, was soon to arrive from Brussels.  Those pictures will be posted here soon.

Free pattern

In my first website I had the ability to have a newsletter in which I included free patterns.  Blogs have pretty much taken the place of those newsletters and websites seem to have become more complicated.  Not sure why.
What I'm going to start doing here is adding some of my older free patterns, plus creating new ones.  Recently I've had requests for Natania, a Name Tag Doll. 

She's only 4-inches high, not including her hair!.  The name tag can be beaded, or make a fabric name tag.  Meaning, the part she's holding with your name on it.

The doll herself is quite easy.  You'll find the instructions and pattern pieces on the link in the Sidebar.  It's in .pdf format so you can easily download the pattern.

As with all my patterns you can make as many of these as you want.  Sell them, give them away, keep them.  Most importantly, have fun.

Do send me photo's as I'd love to see what you come up with.