The November Cat Club Winner , News About 'Eden'

The Winner of the November Cat Club Giveaway is...Denise Pearsey

CONGRATULATIONS

Denise said

"What an amazing surprise – I cannot tell you how thrilled I am, thank you so much.   I thought you might like to know that I am planning to make the pattern I downloaded recently with my two granddaughters when they come to stay over the New Year.  They both would love to have a cat of their own, but unfortunately this is not possible, so I thought this would be the next best thing."

Well I am thrilled to report that my third range of fabric for Freespirit, Katharine's Wheel has done REALLY WELL, doing a small dance now, good job you can't see me! So a huge thank you, to all of you for your support, it means a great deal. Also I would just like to say another big thank you, (I promise this won't  turn into the Oscars!) to all of you who I have met at the Festival of Quilts and/or at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London and Harrogate, it was lovely to see so many of you again and meet others for the first time. Every time I go to the shows I learn more about sewing and quilting and also see so many inspiring things.
What's new? Well Eden my next collection has arrived yeh!

Which means I am busily making things with it as it comes out in February in the States and March in the UK. I'm doing lots of new projects some of which will be on the website and others will be going into my first book.

 

I have been sent a Sissix machine, which is such a revelation, as if you're like me and know you'd like to make a quilt but the thought of cutting out all those pieces of fabric very accurately is ging to be virtually impossible, then you will LOVVVVVE having a Sissix. I'm just a bit of a jazz sewer really. I love sewing but always want it to be fun and am not so keen on the boring bits. So I am making my first quilt!! Perhaps I shouldn't have admitted to that!
Oh well everyone has to start somewhere  and previously what with painting, designing fabric and sewing samples for each collection I haven't had the time. So I will share my first efforts with you probably a little later. No laughing allowed! For now, thanks again for joining the Cat Club and do feel free to share things and let me know what you're using my fabric for, I would love to hear or see pictures. Just send them to nelwhatmore@tiscali.co.uk

Love Nel
http://www.nelpatterns.com/patterns/quilts/

SEPTEMBER THE CAT CLUB FREE GIVEAWAY ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT HURRY!!

 Hi All,
Well it seems as though my computer is playing up a little as this is the third time I have written this! Third time lucky hopefully if not it's going out the window or I shall go in search of chocolate, actually may do that anyway.
Well October is shaping up to being very very busy, if anyone thinks they could paint a picture or two for me or has discovered how to clone themselves then please shout out now as there just needs to be more time or more of me! Our son Dave has gone off to Univeristy last week. I managed not to howl like a lost soul on the way home, mainly because Polly our daughter was doing that anyway. Anyway so far so good, he's been to four parties and isn't getting enough sleep so fairly normal student first week really.

For those of you who haven't already seen it here is the lovely The Cat Club September Giveaway. It includes a table runner using my first collection for Freespirit " Happy Go Lucky", and then the other items are from a french company we have been working with who produce very high quality bags and stationery items. I think who ever wins it will love it. For those that haven't already joined all you need to do is join The Cat Club, which is entirely free and then we pick one lucky winner a month and I let you know when the next cat pattern is uploaded, as I do one per collection.

 Just to let you know Katharine's Wheel is proving extremely popular and it looks as though it is going to sell out very quickly so if you want to order any I would suggest you do it sooner rather than later.

Paintingwise what's coming up? Well I am working towards my next originals show which is at Chantry House Gallery, Ripley North Yorks starting on Nov 3-18th. I will be there every saturday. I am working on atmospheric landscapes as a bit of a change , although there will be the usual eclectic mix of other things too. So look forward to seeing you there.

How to make these nice funky frames will be on  Nelpatterns.com
by monday. You can make them into mirrors too or photo frames.

Still loving the Katharine's Wheel quilts so much it's the best selling download on nelpatterns.com

WINNER OF AUGUST CAT CLUB GIVEAWAY!

Well thank you to all of you who have already visited www.nelpatterns.com/ and joined /The Cat Club. Every month there is a free giveaway to a lucky member. 
This is our first prize winner and it is ....drum roll...

Barbara Paul from Devon! CONGRATULATIONS! 
Your goodies will be on their way to you tomorrow.

She says 'she never wins anything' so I am really glad she has this time! If you want to join The Cat Club it's Free and you get the Happy Cat Pattern FREE when you become a member. You will then just be told what the giveaway is each month and what the next cat pattern is. It's as simple as that! Don't worry you won't be flooded with emails as I haven't got time to do that. I just want to share what I am up to and giveaway nice things!

September's Giveaway 
I will post tomorrow as I will be away over the weekend. It's going to be really lovely and include some Beautiful French products  I have designed. So watch out for that. Currently the Katharine's Wheel Quilt is the most downloaded item on nelpatterns , and Cottonpatch have all the fabric in stock and have a great kit of it.

 Well it's definitely crawling into Autumn isn't it, the socks are back on and the leggings are out.


I have also finished my new collection which had to be delivered for the 1st of September. So I rushed like a nutter to get it finished, only to come home this afternoon to find that Fedex had failed to pick it up...sigh! It's been rather a juggling act as usual trying to sort what needs sorting in every day life as well as working and preparing for our son leaving home to go to University. It's a whole mixture of emotions isn't it. Glad they got in, going to miss them so much it hurts, less washing and picking things up off the floor, fewer people to carry large heavy pictures to the car! Hey ho life and it's ever rolling wheel! 

Talking of which those of you who don't follow me on facebook may not know, and quite frankly may also not be interested but I have painted my 30 year old bike and stuck it on our garden wall, as I have such fond memories of it, the places I went, the miles I road , that I just couldn't take it to the tip, when eventually the bike shop couldn't fix it any more. So it is now immortalised like ET'S bike upon our wall, where I intend to grow things from the basket on the back. Even when it rained today I took my cup of tea to have another look at it. Thanks to Mike and Dawn Sim by the way for helping fix it to the wall so beautifully!

Well I must go as I have too much to do before bedtime. As promised the Platted Knitting Basket that I showed at the Festival of Quilts will be up available soon . So many people tried to pick it apart to work out how I'd made it but it survived. As usual it will be back to more painting after next week as I always seem to paint most between Sept and April when the kids go back to school. 

NELPATTERNS.COM IS NOW LIVE AND FREE GIVE AWAYS EVERY MONTH!

Very excited to say that MY NEW dedicated pattern and fabric site is now up and running at www.nelpatterns.com! I'm so excited about the quilt as it turned out exactly how I wanted it too.

There's a pattern on the site. Thanks to all of you who have already ordered the fabric or downloaded patterns.
I'll be leaving for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham tomorrow, where I will be on the Cottonpatch stand until Sunday so come and say hi. I'm looking forward to the designers supper and meeting Tula Pink and seeing Katharine's Wheel on the stand

There are great downloadable patterns  and the lovely Katharine's Wheel Quilt which at the Festival of Quilts as we speak!

JOIN THE CAT CLUB!

Every month there will be a FREE GIVEAWAY when you join the Cat Club it's free to join and you get news of all the collectable Cat Patterns as soon as they come out as well as the chance to win the monthly giveaway. This month it is everything in this picture...

I've been watching the Olympics ( who hasn't and making things for the launch of Katharine's Wheel as well as finishing off all the patterns so it will be nice to see it all finished at the show. Here are some of the things you can see at www.nelpatterns.com

This is the Purple Paddy Shopper

I've Been a Busy Bee! lots of pics of Exhibition, Chelsea and my NEW fabric range Katharine's Wheel has now arrived HURRAY!

Well there has been so much going on from my big 25th Show to Chelsea Flower Show and now Ripley Grand Sale just north of Harrogate starting tomorrow. I have hardly drawn breath! But I did take a week off and took great delight in painting my shed purple and plan to spray paint my very old bike and attach it to the shed as I just couldn't part with it having had so many happy memories cycling all over the place. I bought it when I was 18 and just couldn't take it to the tip. So not it is to be imortalised and stuck to the shed! Will post a picture. As I should now be in bed as I have to be up early. I am just going to post a few pics and then do more at the weekend.

 I am so excited that Katharine's Wheel has arrived and we have had such a gorgeous quilt made. A big thank you to Sally Ablett for making it, it's turned out just how I designed and it's my favourite quilt yet. I will doing a Katharine's Wheel Fat Qtr giveaway on the Sewing Directory so more about that soon! For now must get some sleep. Let me know if you would be interested in making something with Katharine's Wheel bye for now xx

Then there was Chelsea ..and it was SO HOT!!

25Th Year Celebration Art Exhibition Of Paintings By Nel Whatmore at The Priory, Syningthwaite, Home Farm,Wighill, North Yorkshire, - www.digyorkshire.com

25Th Year Celebration Art Exhibition Of Paintings By Nel Whatmore at The Priory, Syningthwaite, Home Farm,Wighill, North Yorkshire, - www.digyorkshire.com

Nel 25th Year Celebration Exhibition 'Life is a Minestrone"

Well January has been very very busy, as things build up towards my big show in April. I have been painting like a woman possessed! Feeling no pressure at all, as it's my 25th year! There will also been an exhibition of work from when I was a child up to present day. Cue terrible hairdoos and pictures of giraffe's, gorilla's and all sorts. It's always interesting to look back as well as forward. I often find it invaluable to see the progression of work and also as a reminder that there has been improvement when normally when you are only looking at current work it seems as though you are not going forward at all. If any of you would like to be sent an invitation for the show please email me your address and I will make sure you receive an invite. They will be going out the first week in March.

In the midst of all this painting, the 2nd strike offs of Katharine's Wheel, my next range of fabrics for Freespririt, have arrived. So there is a lot to do. I can't resist taking a picture for you to see them! There are just a few tweaks that need doing but then can't wait to start making bags and quilts and things.

 Our kids are in the middle of exams, both of them, so it's hard at times to concentrate as there is always someone needing something. Such are the joys of juggling family. Anyway I just wanted to say hi and post something in January, which we are nearly at the end of . I am going to do another give away shortly so let me know who would be interested in winning some Sleeping Beauty Fabric. Here are some reminders of the range.