Finish It Up Friday ~ Dinosaurs!

Posted on November 30, 2018 by katyquilts

Done and dusted! This was a really quick, fun project. With large pieces, this top came together in just two days. It would have been less, but I was debating those last borders.

This center panel has E2’s favorite dinosaurs, T-Wreck and Tri ser tots. 😄

I wanted this to be the coziest blanket ever so I used a fleece blanket that Mr. Wonderful picked up at Sam’s Club for the back.

It quilted up beautifully with a thin layer of poly batting.

It’s a perfect fit for a twin bed. I cannot wait until the party on Sunday to give this to my little guy!

Oh, almost forgot , someone asked where these fabrics came from. I found them at Hancock’s of Paducah. Just search for dinosaurs on their site and they will come up.

Have a great day!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict , Busy Hands Quilts , Summer Lee Quilts

Posted in Bed Quilts, Finishes, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Batting

Posted on November 29, 2018 by katyquilts

I get asked all the time about what batting I use. My standard answer is, it all depends. Helpful, right?

But it’s true!

For hand quilting, I like Quilter’s Dream Cotton Request. It is 100% cotton and easy to needle, but it also feels sturdy and it gives vintage tops the look I like.

When I do use poly batting, I want something lightweight. I prefer Fairfield Poly Featherweight. It is great for t shirt quilts and quilts with a minky type of backing. It adds loft, but not weight.

For Quilts of Valor, and most of my own quilts, I use a cotton/poly blend. The poly adds a bit more loft which can be more forgiving than 100% cotton if a top is not perfectly flat to begin with. I most often buy Pellon Legacy 80/20. I like this batting a lot, partly because it is reasonably priced and I go through a lot. I also like Hobbs 80/20.

It shrinks up a bit when washing to give the crinkle I love, but thanks to the poly, it retains the texture.

For my tiniest quilts, I love using Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% Cotton batting. It has to be quilted 1/4 inch apart of it will fall apart. Sadly, it is no longer produced. I’ve snagged a few rolls at estate sales.

I hope this is helpful. Have a great day!

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

And the winners are…..

Posted on November 29, 2018 by katyquilts

Many thanks again for all of your kind comments on my blog. Some literally brought me to tears.

I have drawn the winners and without further ado (drumroll please!), here they are!

Aby Dolinger, who wrote:

Congratulations for running your blog for ten years. That is a lot of projects made, photographed and explained. The Scripture verses you print are a blessing as well!

Lizzie, who wrote:

Love your quilts. Either way is fine by me…I make both. If I had the choice it would be traditional from you as I love your vintage fabrics.

Black Eyed Susan, who wrote:

What fun! Who doesn’t love a give-a-way although I’m never the winner. I just sponsored a new quilter for one of my guilds & she has been winning EVERYTHING since she joined (including the mother-lode of FQ’s at the show!) 1 way to get everyone to know your name LOL so will sign MINE & not hers! Susan R

Carolyn, who wrote:

Goodness, I don’t know how you find time to do all your quilts, let alone blog about them! Congrats and thanks so much for sharing your quilting and family. You are very generous to give away your treasures. I always love traditional!

Doris, who wrote:

Congrats on your 10 year anniversary. What a great giveaway! Modern is my choice.

Eileen Emerson, who wrote:

Happy 10th Anniversary Katy! Love stalking you and your creations from my neck of the world (Northern NY State). lol I find that both Modern and Traditional both have their charms with my heart. I really love that ladder modern one, reminds me to reach for the moon, and even if I miss I’ll land amongst the stars.
Congratulations and please know you are an inspiration.

Linda West, who wrote:

Congratulations on 10 years! I read your blog every morning. I prefer contemporary but like traditional also.

Cathy Buel, who wrote:

Happy Blogiversary. I love your little quilts. I have always been a traditional quilter but now I am loving modern. Hugs

Sara Wright, who wrote:

Traditional that’s what drew me to your blog!

Donna Gross, who wrote:

Happy blogiversery, Katy. Thank you for your inspiration and instruction on your blog and in person. Here is to many more years. I love traditional.

Please send your mailing addresses to me at Sew4given AT aol DOT com and I will mail them out ASAP.

Thanks so much for playing along! Have a great day!

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Modern Progress

Posted on November 28, 2018 by katyquilts

I want to begin this post by telling you all how overwhelmed I was with all of your sweet comments on my blogiversary post yesterday. You are all so very kind. There is still time to leave a comment on yesterday’s post if you would like to enter the giveaway. I will be drawing winners at midnight tonight and announcing on Thursday. On to today’s business.

I finally got this top done for Daughter #3. She wanted me to quilt a random grid on it. This is how I do it. I load the top and using my channel lock, I quilt several straight ones across the top. I don’t mark of measure anything.

Then I remove the channel locks and add freehand lens in between until the density’s about what I’m looking for. I’m not looking for perfection and my spacing varies from an inch down to about half of an inch.

Here’s a look at the back so far.

And the front.

After I’ve done the entire quilt, I remove it from the frame, turn it 90 degrees and load it again.

This is a bit trickier than it sounds! Then I repeat the same process until the entire top is filled in.

Looks pretty good so far!

It is like quilting the whole thing twice, but the results are so worth it.

Have a great day!

Posted in Long Arm Quilting | 3 Comments

One More….

Posted on November 28, 2018 by katyquilts

…..I know, I know, I said I wouldn’t do this again so soon. But it’s too good to not pass along. This is my Accuquilt Studio Die Cutter.

It is my favorite quilting tool. Here is a quick little demonstration of how it works. I’m using this die.

I lay scraps on my die, making sure the blades are covered. I have TEN layers here.

I place a cutting mat on top and crank the handle to run it through.

Quick as a wink, I have ten perfectly cut rectangles ready to piece.

I really love using the triangle dies. They have the dog ears trimmed so lining up pieces is a breeze. They cut accurately so I never end up trimming to size after piecing. Also, I can layer my pieces right sides together when cutting and then they are all lined up to run through the sewing machine.

People often comment on how much sewing I get done. This is how. I love cutting for projects and when I have pieces cut and ready to sew, I can get a lot done in a few minutes here and there.

I’m not going to lie, this is not an inexpensive system. But I’ve had my die cutter for six years now and I can honestly say it has been worth every penny to me.

So, I’ve already mentioned that Accuquilt has free shipping on any size order until the end of November, but now they’ve sweetened the deal further. The big Studio Cutter is now $200 off and all Studio dies and die bundles are 50% off! They have a lot of GO! Deals as well, but the Studio sales excite me. 😄 This is their Cyber Monday sale, but it is continuing all week. You can find details here.

I’m going to grab a few items from my die wish list. I love a deal!

Have a great day!

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Posted in Accuquilt, Accuquilt Studio Cutter, Affiliates, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

10 Year Blogiversary Giveaway!

Posted on November 27, 2018 by katyquilts

Ten years ago I wrote my first blog post. I had no idea then how many friends I would make! I appreciate every reader, every comment. I would love to give each one of you a gift for all the encouragement and kindness you have shown me. Since I am unable to do that, I decided to have a little giveaway instead.

I chose ten small quilts that I have made over the last decade to give away. To win, leave a comment below and let me know if you prefer traditional or modern. I have each quilt placed in an envelope, marked only with a T or M. As I draw names, I will grab an envelope matching your style choice. None of us will know who gets what! This is open to all readers anywhere in the world.

Here is a closer look at each quilt.

This giveaway will close at midnight Wednesday and winners will be announced on Thursday. Thanks for sticking with me. Here’s to another ten years! Have a good one.

Posted in Give Away, Uncategorized | 99 Comments

Cyber Monday Deals!

Posted on November 26, 2018 by katyquilts

Just in case you were too busy to shop this weekend, it isn’t too late. Fat Quarter Shop is at it again. Here are the details:

All precuts are up to 30% OFF! Plus orders over $50 will receive a Measure-It Bee Cute Ribbon Card as a FREE gift! And orders over $100 will also receive a Ruby Limited Edition Stash ‘n Store! This sparkling organizer is limited in quantity, so act fast! Be sure to check out our amazing 24-hour Mega Flash Sales! We’re got 6 awesome deals on products we love up to 85% off! The sale ends Tuesday, November 27th at midnight CST .

This is an affiliate link and I promise, the last commercial for a while! I’m off to shop the flash sales!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

DWMonday ~ Dinosaurs

Posted on November 26, 2018 by katyquilts

E2 has a birthday coming up soon. He is pretty much obsessed with dinosaurs. So I ordered a few fabrics and got to work. Isn’t this panel awesome?

I also ordered a yard of this.

And a yard of this.

The border print had four stripes across it so I had to piece and match. I’ve shown before how I do this, but here it is again.

First, I press under one edge and then lay it on top of the second piece to match.

Then I gently pull back the top layer and add a line of school glue.

I lay it back down and set the glue with my iron.

What I haven’t shown, is that I open it up and stitch in the ironed fold line and then trim away the excess seam allowance. I added this border print to the top and bottom. I need to add a border strip along the top and bottom also to get it to length. I’m trying to decide between the two blues I’ve shown below.

It’s a pretty simple quilt, bug I think little E will love it.

Have a great day!

Posted in Design Wall Monday, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Next Hand Quilting Project

Posted on November 25, 2018 by katyquilts

I’m ready to start thinking about my next hand quilting project. I purchased this top at an estate sale about five years ago.

It had been basted with a very thick polyester batting.

I brought it home and took it apart. Poly batting would be so wrong for a quilt of this vintage.

At that time, I said it deserve to be hand quilted, but that wouldn’t happen by my hand.

Never say never!

Have a great day!

Posted in Hand quilting, Vintage Fabrics, Vintage Quilts | 8 Comments

Where does the time go?

Posted on November 24, 2018 by katyquilts

I will be hitting a bit of a milestone soon. It seems that I wrote my first blog post on November 27th, 2008. TEN YEARS AGO! Crazy. I did take off about a year and a half in there, but still.

Anyway, I decided I would share some of my first blog photos with you.

This was the first photo I shared.

Photo quality is really bad!

I was mostly doing improv work when I started blogging. I need to get back to that one of these days.

Anyway, I feel like I should celebrate this milestone.

Check back on Tuesday, November 27th to see what I’ve got up my sleeve…..

Have a good one!

Posted in Art Quilts | 9 Comments