New Year

So it's 2010.
I was at my book club meeting last night- we just read a very interesting book called The Blue Tatoo- the Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin...

Anyway, we were talking and some were hoping that this would be a better year. Start of the new decade they felt. Of course there is the discussion that the decade does not start until 2011 but lets not go there!

2010 sounds so much different than 2009. I think it sounds so different to me because I said "two thousand and nine" and now I say "twenty ten". Much more futuristic, or sci fi! To me anyway!

So, 2010. Welcome. Bring it on.

On a good note, we just finished last week our first pattern of 2010. It's called little Blits of Love. A couple of months ago I posted some pictures of the design in progress; now it's been tweaked, and written and tested and off it went! It's very first stop was Yankee Quilter in Oxford CT and hopefully it will make the rounds!

Visit the web site and check it out!

On a personal note, 2010 is trying to throw us a loop this year. Elizabeth's husband is having knee surgery next week and I am having knee surgery next month! I am just going with the idea that this just means we will both be new and improved! I read something recently that applies- rather than get down about having to do this... "take the hit as a gift." So I will take this as an opportunity to slow down for a few weeks, read, relax and recharge.

Take the hit as a gift.

I like it.
Happy quilting!
Kate

Kitty

So I was gathering some quilt tops and tote bags to bring to Yankee Quilter for their Holiday Gift Bazaar tomorrow (Sunday Nov. 22) and look who found the quilts mere moments after they were dropped on the chair?

Lily of course. there has not been a quilt made that Lily does not think is hers. She just climbs right up, snuggles in and purrs.

Too cute!

The Holiday Gift Bazaar sounds like fun. Because I am bringing them some patterns and totes, quilt tops... I get in early! It's like legal cheating!
This is one of the tops I am bringing in- it's so pretty! It is made from our Floral Fandango pattern.


If it doesn't sell, I may have to finish it myself- It will look great in my kitchen next spring!

Happy quilting!
Kate

Hearts

So, I am working on a new pattern. One with hearts.

I figure the best way to start is to just start cutting. I had already drawn the design and wrote the directions, so now I just needed to go to my stash and try it out. See how it looked in fabric.

Found some cute white and pink fabric in my stash that would make a nice background. Then on to the pinks. I am going to try this one in several pink variations- one with pinks and orange; one with pink and green and one more with reds. See which one really thrills me.

Here are the first 2 heart blocks. I would have made another one, but I am out of fusible stuff! But that is
easy to fix. I like the stitching on the striped one- that was fun.

Happy quilting

Kate

Quilt Guild

This weekend Elizabeth's quilt guild- Candlelight Quilt Guild in Baldwinsville, NY is hosting their biannual quilt show. And we are vending at it. It is a lot of fun chatting with fellow quilters and seeing all the quilts their guild has done.

McCalls Quick Quilts

Yea! We just saw that our quilt, Belle Noelle, is on the cover of the latest McCalls Quick Quilts! Check it out!

http://www.quickquilts.com/issues/index.html?current_issue

We never thought when we sent it in to that it would make the cover. I had a lot of fun designing that quilt. When we first were given the task of designing a holiday quilt, I had no idea off what I wanted to do.

Elizabeth and I talked about a bunch of different ideas until the bells were born. I must have drawn those bells a million times! Okay, a million is an exaggeration, but it seemed like it! I just kept playing until they felt right. I love how it came out!

Our friends at Yankee Quilter will be offering the kit for the project and Ackfeld Manufacturing took a small version of one of their quilt hangers and tweaked it for us! What a great collaboration!

Go to McCalls Quick Quilts and check out our cute little quilt and all the other great quilts in the magazine!

http://www.quickquilts.com/articles/Belle_Noelle

Happy quilting,

Kate

Quilt Market

Well this weekend is the annual Fall Quilt Market in Houston Texas. And we should be there. But we are not. There are good reasons why we are not, and these things happen, but still, I am bummed. But I had a pretty good weekend so I thought I would share with you.

On Saturday, my friends at the Southford Falls Quilt Guild had their first quilt show. What fun! They did a great job- there seemed to be lots of people there, there was a beautiful raffle quilt and lots of fun baskets to win. the only problem I can see is that I have yet to get a call about which basket I won! Oh well, I tried.

I also made a baby quilt. I cut it out on Sat morning and then made all the blocks on Saturday afternoon after the show. I used our pattern "Mosaic Medley". I love using that one for baby quilts. I don't make tiny baby quilts. And, it came out so cute! I can't stand it! I used some fabric from the "Safari so Good" fabric line by P&B Textiles- it has these really cute monkeys. It was so funny; a month or so ago I was in PA for work and I stopped to see my daughter. On the way to see her, I stopped at a really nice fabric shop called Piece by Piece Quit Shop in Ephrata, PA. And that's where I saw the monkey fabric. Now I am not a huge monkey fan, but these guys were cute and the dad of the baby -to -be loves monkeys!

Today I put the quilt together. Isn't it too darn cute! I guess it is a little hard to see the fabric...

Here's a close up of the monkeys! And the back is going to be a yellow flannel. So soft!


I also made a bean bag chair for my daughter's dorm room at college. I'd take a picture, but until she fills it with beans, it looks like a lump of fabric!



I also worked on a quilt pattern we are designing for a shop hop in NY. We are going to call it "Pinpoint". I am trying out various colorways- my first one was in fall colors. Yesterday I was adding flower Yo-yo's made with the clover Yo-yo tool on the way to the guild show. What do you think? Aren't they cute?

I am also working on a more Christmas version of the runner. But I will save posting a picture of that one until it is quilted. I basted it today so it is ready for the next step. Off to take a break (and maybe sew a binding on a quilt while I veg in front of the "tube")!

Until another day...

Happy Quilting!

Kate

September

Is it really possible that September is over? When did it start? It feels like I have just missed this month. So much is going on, that maybe I did not miss it, but instead, just couldn't keep up with it!

The CT Shop Hop was a lot of fun. I was not able to make it to all 18 shops, but I was able to see a bunch of them. Everyone was great! And I loved seeing the quilts made by some of the shops using the pattern we designed for the shop hop, Crossroads thru Connecticut.

A couple of the shops will be donating their quilts after a while- isn't that great? I have an extra top for Crossroads and I think, once I get it quilted, I will do the same. I'll keep you posted on that.

We have been busy working on 2 new patterns- Newspaper and one for a shop hop in NY. That one is a cute table runner pattern- simple but fun. Just need to decide on a name. I'll post a picture soon.

Until then...
happy quilting!
Kate