New Years Giveaway

Wow! The holidays are almost over! Hope you all had a great holiday season filled with family, friends, good food...
Things here were a little busy; even the kittens were worn out!



Originally I had wanted to do a Christmas giveaway but I did not get around to it; just too much going on. So now it is a New Years giveaway! That's OK- it's still a giveaway!

So what am I giving away? Well... for the holidays I made a bunch of Martini bags for friends and relatives. So I made an extra one for the giveaway. Isn't it cute?


The bag itself is a patterned black satin and the inside is the beautiful blue satin print.



My cousin is addicted to making these bags- she's made even more than me! They are so much fun to make and even more to fun to give away!

But wait, there's more! I figured I couldn't just have on thing- not enough winners. So I have two more goodies to give away.
Next there is this great book using two blocks called "Pairing Up" by Nancy Mahoney.Lots of fun quilts in there!



And last, but not least, is a copy of our pattern called Crossroads thru Connecticut.

Most of us have a jelly roll hanging around that we have not figured out what we will use it for- but it was so nice we just had to get it! So here is an option for you.



The pattern uses a jelly roll, a background fabric and then something for the inner border. I made the cover quilt using a Bali Pop and purple solids but it is great in any colorway!

So leave a comment and tell me which one you would like to win. If you want to be in the running for each one, leave three comments! If you become a friend of this blog, you get an extra chance (or tell me if you are already a friend, and you get the extra chance!). If you post a blurb about this on your blog, leave me another comment to let me know and you will get another chance.

Oh- and if you Like us on Facebook, I'll give you another chance as well!

Leave a comment before the end of the day on Saturday, January 8th and I will post the winners after that (I will try for Sunday but you never know!). Be sure I have your email so I can leave you a message if you win!

Happy New Year!
Happy quilting!
Kate

CVQ Giveaway

Jackie over at Canton Village Quiltworks is doing another fun giveaway. She always has such great stuff! She is giving away fat quarter bundles from Sarah Fielke's line "From Little Things" by Lecien. Really cute fabric.

What did you do today? It was so rainy here- yuck. So I spent the day indoors sewing. Nice! I made a few more of my cute little Martini Bags. I am on a roll! And I decided I am going to do a giveaway next week- becuase giveaways are fun and becuase it is the holidays.

A few years ago a very nice lady gave me an unexpected gift at Christmas. I was so touvhed and surprised by her generosity that each year since then I have done something a little extra for someone. So this year it will be someone who visits my blog!



So check back next week for more information and in the meantime go visit Jackies' blog... she always has something going on over there!

Happy Quilting
Kate

Martini Bag

So, I promised to show you what I have been working on.
One of our new patterns is called Girls Day Out. it has two bag patterns in it, one of which is this cute little Martini Bag.



Aren't they great! I am making a few of the black ones for gifts- I brought one to show a few people and they tried to take it!

And it is pretty easy to make too. I am teaching my cousin to make them and she hasn't been sewing for very long. So... if she can do it...




I just love the black one. I did some fancy stitching between the blocks to give it a little extra bling.
Fun!
Off to sew some more bags!

Happy quilting!
Kate

Black and White

I have been so busy since returning from Quilt Market that I have neglected this little blog! I feel bad! So later this weekend I am going to post what I have been working on... some Christmas presents using one of my new patterns- so much fun!

But right now, I thought I would share that Jackie over at Canton Village Quiltworks is having a sale on black and white fabrics. And some of them are the fabrics we used in one of our quilts- Newspaper.




Can you guess why it is called Newspaper?

The fabrics are from Studio e and they were really fun to work with. We included with our directions whci fabrics we used. They way we put the quilt together really emphaized the black square, but just by rearranging where the fabrics are, you can create a totally different look for the quilt. Maybe I will post some options from EQ later. That would be fun!

Until later...
Happy quilting!
Kate

Pre Market Pictures

12 days to Quilt Market!
It sure has been busy around here- sewing, writing, printing... Even busier for Elizabeth- she moves into her new house tomorrow- at least, the movers come tomorrow. In the midst of all this pre-market craziness, Elizabeth has moved from Syracuse NY to Annapolis MD. Wow! What a busy time for her.

I thought I would share a couple of photos of what I have been working on- we are trying to finish off 8 new patterns for Quilt Market. Another- WOW!

So here is a quick glance at one of the newest patterns- Girls go Shopping. It is an adorable wallet with a matching coin purse. Both have a vinyl pocket, so you can see exactly what you have! And the vinyl pocket of the wallet is inside the wallet- so nothing will fall out accidentally!


Aren't' they cute? And they stitch up so fast- even with the zippers. We designed another pattern, Girls Day Out, which has a cute shoulder bag called the "Highball" and the a second bag in the pattern is called the "Martini" bag.

And the wallet fits inside either of the Girls Day Out bags. Such fun.

Off to make more bags... or maybe get some sleep!

Happy quilting
Kate

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It's October- and that means more than just beautiful leaves and crips fall air! It's breast cancer awareness month and there are activities happening all around. The local hair salon where I get my hair cut (and that is all I will admit to!)sponsors a raffle every year to raise money for breast cancer.

For their raffle this at Flair for Hair in North Haven, CT, I donated a quilt. It is lovely. It was made from a pink and white jelly roll using my pattern, Jelly Roll Jumble. It is actually on the cover of the pattern. I never got around to quilting the quilt so I asked Deb D'Angelo of Quilted Basket to quilt it for me. What a beautiful job she did! It made my pretty quilt top look spectacular!


Don't you agree? Here's a close up of the quilting.


So if you get a chance, contact or visit Flair for Hair, buy some raffle tickets and support breast cancer awareness month.

Happy quilting
Kate

Fall

I love fall. How can you not? The weather is gorgeous- the days are warm, the nights are cool. The apples are crisp and it just seems to put a spring in my step.
And the colors- changing daily; it just is spectacular.

This weekend I spent most of it sewing- again!- trying to get ready for Quilt Market. 18 days and counting! I did get to take a drive though, to one of my favorite quilt shops- Yankee Quilter. I love the drive there this time of year- I pass lovely wooded areas full of colorful trees; a lake with hills behind it turning every shade of yellow, orange and red. I was so upset that I forgot my camera!

Fall also is a great time for quilting. You can use such rich, deep colors in your quilts. And who doesn't love a quilt with pumpkins on it? or witches? or a scary black cat? I may not be a Halloween lover, but I do love the colors and the decorations for the season!

One of our favorite quilts is Stack O'Jacks. It was featured in McCalls Quilting last year and is a lot of fun to make. The pattern is available and my friends at Yankee Quilter even have kits to make it easy for you to whip one up! It's just what you need to decorate for the season!


Another one of my favorite quilts is Blustery Day. We keep meaning to put this pattern out, but we haven't yet. maybe we will get it ready for next year with some updated fabrics. If anyone knows of a good fabric line for this, let me know.

Back to work- I really got so much done today. So keep watching for a post about our new patterns!

Happy quilting- enjoy my favorite season!
Kate

Everything Old is New Again!

26 days to Quilt Market! Not only are we working on new patterns, but we are also working on updating some of our oldies but goodies! And that is what I worked on today.

First Alyssa and I went to a quilt store to get a few necessities. We decided to go to a new store. Well, not really a new store. Lisa's Clover Hill Quilts moved this past week- not far from their old store, just across the street actually. But what a great new space! Big, bright and full of lots of fun fabrics, tools, patterns... just wonderful. With a big kitchen, an even bigger classroom, I could see how easy it would be to just stay for a while. And we did!

We picked up fabric to finish a redo of one of our patterns, Gifts Galore. The other day I went into my stash to see if I had some fun fabrics to update the birthday version of Gifts. I found this great fabric, but I only had a scrap left- not quite enough to use in the quilt. So it became the jumping off point for my palate. Have you ever done that? Use a fabric for the color scheme but never actually use it in the quilt?

Here's the fabric that inspired the fabric choices in the quilt:

So fun! I wanted bright, happy colors, but not too crazy. So I was able to come up with this version from my stash.


Then I realized that I had enough of most of the fabrics to make another one for Sample Spree at Market. So we shopped for a few fabrics to finish off the second gifts. And then we saw the cutest fabrics - a holiday line from Studio e. So cute! We just had to have it! We added a pretty white tone on tone and a lavender Marble dot. We got enough to make a Christmas version of Gifts- and an extra one for Sample Spree.


Then we got some fabric for one of the new patterns (more on that next time!). Then I came home and cut and sewed, and cut some more... and sewed some more. And I made all 4 tops for Gifts today! Wow! And I put the border on another table runner. I feel good!


And soon, our old pattern Gifts Galore, will have a new cover. What's old is new again! And congrats to Lisa at Clover Hill on a great new space for her shop. I know we will be back!

Happy quilting
Kate

Another Giveaway

Pop on over to Millie's Quilting- she is having a giveaway- for an AccuQuilt Go! cutter! How fun is that! I hear great things about them and I often think it would be so much fun to have another tool (toy???) in my sewing room.

Quilt Market-
Elizabeth and I have been working like crazy to get ready. Add to that, Elizabeth is moving in a couple of weeks from Syracuse NY to Annapolis MD. What timing!
So it's been a busy weekend: piecing, quilting, printing... This weekend I have quilted 3 small banners and a table runner. Now I am getting the bindings on. They are so cute!
I'll post a picture next time.

Happy quilting
Kate

Happy Days

I have two giveaways to tell you about! What fun! First is on Wendy's blog Why Knot?. She is giving away some really cute fall fabric so hop on over before next Thursday, Sept 23.

The other fun giveaway is happening on It Seams to be Sew- what a cute name by the way- and Lana is giving away a very sweet Honey Bun from Moda. The fabric is from Blackbird designs called Beach House. Head over that way soon- her giveaway is until Sept 26 and she will draw a winner Sept 27th.

Wow. What's next??

Well, I have been working on a lot of new designs. Elizabeth and I are going to the Fall Quilt Market in Houston in October so there is a lot to do! We are very excited-we are doing a schoolhouse about some of our new designs. So I guess another sneak peek is in order. Hmmmm... what to post?

After all, we are working on at least 6 patterns all at once! Silliness!

So here is peek number one: a test block from a new pattern called Lighter than Air.


What I like about it is that the little green triangles are floppy!

And peek number two: a new bag pattern called Girls Day Out. Really cute!


The countdown begins: 41 days to Market
Happy quilting
Kate

New things

New kittens. New fabric to play with. New patterns. Don't you just love new stuff?


The kittens invaded the sewing room the other day. Huey was looking for attention. This little guy is an attention hog! He just wants to be cuddled. And maybe nibble a little on your arm. or face. He is quite the talker!





And Daisy is just looking for trouble. She is a little more cautious around people, but she is the explorer. She climbs onto shelves, into cabinets, on top of tables. I am waiting for her to scale walls next! She climbed into a fabric basket on a sehlf in my sewing room. She seemed quite content to hang out but I knew that wouldn't last long!





She soon dicovered the hanging tags and thought they were so much fun!



The big girl, Lily, was not to be left out. She won't get near the kittens yet- except to hiss at them, but she found a way to be involved in the sewing as well! Funny how the two girls look for their little cozy spot- they both like boxes, baskets, etc to curl up in. Huey just wants a lap!



And while the kittens were exploring, I was trying to sew! I just finsihed up part of a new pattern- I posted a little peak a few weeks ago of one piece... here are the little mini quilts in the pattern. Aren't they cute?



The pattern should be out in the next couple of weeks. These little quilts are 6" x 12" and designed to hang on a small hanger from Akfeld. I am just waiting to get the hanger so I can take a picture with it for the pattern cover. I just love them!

Happy quilting
Kate

Go!

Jackie over at Canton Village Quiltworks is having a great giveaway- a GO! cutter! Wouldn't it be great to win that? Head on over to her blog and check it out.

On a fun note...
We have new babies at our house- 2 little kittens we adopted. Huey and Daisy. They are so much fun- and now they are passed on on the couch after a very busy afternoon!

Huey is the black one- a little boy who is just a bundle of energy! Daisy is his sister and she is a little more reserved, but feisty! They are 14 weeks old and just so cute.

Let's see if I still think they are cute later tonite!

Happy quilting!
Kate
p.s. I have been very busy in the design studio lately... many projects started but none ready for posting yet. soon!

I didn't do it!

So, I didn't do it. My daughter did! She made the cutest apron from fabrics by Art Gallery and Amy Butler's pattern Domestic Goddess Aprons!
As Alyssa would say- "Too stinking cute"!


With some of the extra fabric, she even made herself a headband!

I have been wanting to post something, but I have not been doing anything post-worthy! Just writing patterns... organizing... the not as much fun part of a quilt business, but a necessary part!
The one post worthy thing I have done is take a mini vacation with Alyssa-
we just got back from 2 days of mom-daughter time in Newport, RI. And it was so much fun!

We had beautiful weather and we just wandered, spent time at the beach, shopped (of course!) and took a boat ride around the bay. And on the way home, we stopped at a friend's place and had a picnic on the beach at sunset. Perfect ending to a relaxing mini vaca!

Happy quilting!
Kate

Fun in upstate NY

So what are your plans for the weekend? If you are around upstate NY- there is a fun quilt shop celebration happening. The ladies at Calico Gals are having a Grand Opening Celebration this weekend to celebrate their new store- Calico Gals Harborview in Oswego NY. Shop at either one of their stores this weekend, spend $20 and get one of our QLTR bumper stickers free! How fun is that?

I have some sewing plans... have to finish my Charming Friends quilt and catch back upwith the group! Then I have to finish the cover bag for Sweet Pea and then... who knows! There are so many projects and so little time!

Whatever you do this weekend, have fun.
Happy quilting
Kate

What's new?

What a beautiful day here in the northest! Seems less humid unless I am just dreaming.

Spent a very fun day yesterday with a friend of mine Charmion- we went to 2 of our favorite shops: Yankee Quilter in Oxford and Quilting by the Yard in Vernon. Too much fun! Too much stuff! Not that I need any more stuff, but who can resist?

Right now I am working on a few new pattens- and I think I am getting nowhere fast!

It's the old problem I have: started too many projects and none are completed. I don't know where to turn next! And of course, what I want to do is start the next one!


But today I am going to try to be good. I have to finish writing a pattern so Elizabeth can test it. Then I am going to finish the cover bag for Sweet Pea. Last weekend I made another Sweet Pea bag with fabrics I got from Canton Village- lovely fabrics from Art Gallery. Aren't they pretty?


I think this bag is going to go to the Quiltfest of Jacksonville. They put on a great quilt show every September and we usually donate something for a door prize or for their Quilters Walk baskets.


So, why am I in such a dither with too much to do? Elizabeth and I are going to Quilt Market in Houston this fall! And that means we need to get going and get all these new designs completed, written and samples made to display in our booth! I love going to Quilt Market! There is so much to see- not that we get to see much since we are in our booth all day! But we do try to take turns and walk around a little and see what is out there and what is new in the quilting world. And visit a few friends we have made at other markets.

And then we get to go to dinner! There are lots of fun places to eat- one of our favorites is the Houston Aquarium! You get to eat sitting all around a huge tank full of beautiful fishies! Of course , sometimes I feel a guilty that maybe I am eating some little fishies brother but... I get over it quickly! The food is fabulous and the atmosphere is fun. Sometimes we walk thru the aquarium too.


Enough procrastinating! There are patterns to write, a beautiful day to enjoy.

Happy quilting
Kate

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday!

And the winners are...

This is the first giveaway we have done on line and it's so much fun! I am so glad we are giving away three bags- I always feel bad for everyone who doesn't win.

Winner of the Sweet Alyssum bag is RannyJean!
Winner of the Four Star Tote is Wendy!
Winner of the Sweet Pea bag is JayTee!

If you can send me your snail mail address, I will put the bags in the mail to you!
Email: seamslikeadreamquilts@yahoo.com

What's next to do? Oh, I know! Back to working on those patterns so you can make your own soon!

Thank you again to everyone who entered...
Happy quilting
Kate

Giveaway Over

Ok- it's July 1st! Wow! Where did June go???

The giveaway is closed and tomorrow I will post the winners. Thanks you to everyone who posted and everyone who visited us during the Quilt Dash- we are so glad you choose to stop here on your journey!

It is beautiful today here in the Northeast- I hope it's nice wherever you are. Enjoy the day!

Happy quilting
Kate

Oh so Charming!

The top is done! I just love it.
This has been a lot of fun.

I did the corner blocks for the borders a little differently than the directions. When I started to play with the borders, I decided to put the strips in a structured colorway. Once I did that, I decided that I wanted something other than the 9 patch for the corners. I played with having the corners just be more straight patches, or maybe be strips in a wedge radiating out from the inner corner... so I went with a variation of both of those. Keeping to the colorway, I cut 4 cuts, pieced them and cut the square on an angle.
Easier than the wedge, a little more fun than just more strips.


So I ended up with a pink corner, a peach corner, a green one and a blue one. fun!

Happy quilting
Kate

Next Step Between Charming Friends

Yea! My blocks are done. And they were really easy to put together- a lot of cutting and sewing but easy.

Here they are all lined up ready to sew.


I love how they turned out.
What do you think?

When I was cutting the charm squares, I just couldn't throw out the little scraps- they were so cute!



So I saved them and put them in a glass and now I have scrap art!
The glass is from the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant- I got it the one time I was in California! Had to get the glass and now it has a use!


Off to the next project.
I am working on another new design- here is a sneak peak...


Have a great day!
Happy quilting
Kate

p.s. Jackie at Canton Village Quiltworks is having a fun giveaway- check it out here

Between Charming Friends

First, thanks to everyone who has commented so far on the last post! What fun! Good luck to everyone who has entered the giveaway. Like some of you, I do think making bags has become an addiction for me! I like designing them, making them, making other designer's bags... Of course, I need all those bags so I can go shopping for more fabric to make more bags!

I always seem to havea lot of projects going at once. A little fabric ADD! Can we call it FADD??? But really, there are so many wonderful fabrics out there- how can anyone resist? I go into a fabric shop and walk around saying "Oh that is so pretty! Oh, look at that! That is so pretty! Oh wait, look over there...." and on it goes.

In that spirit, I have found another fun group making a quilt and I thought, why not? So I grabbed a couple of Robert Kaufman charm packs and some lovely purple Moda fabric from my stash and off I go!

My version of an Amish quilt I guess!

Now this group started a couple of weeks ago, so I am really behind, but I hope to catch up over the next couple of weeks. You cazn check out what the group is doing at Charming Chatter.

Off to go do a little cutting (when I should be in bed!)
Happy quilting
Kate

Summer Vacation Giveaway

Hi to the Quilt Dashers!
So.... we are doing a giveaway! We have been working on a couple of bag patterns (you may have seen them in an earlier post) and we were hoping to have the patterns completed for the Quilt Dash. But, we don't like to release patterns until they have been tested and approved.

Since they are not quite ready, we are giving away three bags! The first one is one of our classic patterns- the Four Star Tote.

The next one is the pink and black Sweet Pea.


And the other is the Sweet Alyssum made from a charm pack.

Aren't they sweet!

To enter the giveaway, post a comment on this post only. If you become a follower of this blog, you get 2 entries! The contest will close on June 30th - the end of the shop hop. You can check back here on July 2 to see who the winners are!

Have fun on your quilt dash!

And check back to see when the patterns are ready! They are a lot of fun to make. And Sweet Pea only needs 2 FQs and 1/2 yard for the inside fabric! I bet you have that in your stash!

Happy quilting
Kate and Elizabeth
Giveaway is now closed! Thanks to all who posted!

Block 9

I mentioned before I was doing a block of the month thru 3 Creative Studios. This month was our last block... and as usual, I got it done just before the deadline! But it's done, I like it and that's what counts. Yea! Next month, they plan to post some finishing suggestions- it will be fun to see how everyone finishes their quilt.

Off to work on some more quilts for the new collection Elizabeth and I are planning...It's the BOMB! Keep checking for a few sneak peaks!

Happy quilting
Kate