KatyQuilts

Good News and Bad News

Posted on May 17, 2018 by katyquilts

First the bad, my tracks arrived for the long arm. But they looked like this:

Ummm…. that’s not okay. After more phone calls, I’m hoping the fifth time is the charm and that I will soon have a perfect set of track supports.

I’m so beyond frustrated that I couldn’t even get mad anymore. This whole fiasco has been beyond absurd. The last set of track supports were crushed in shipping and looked like this.

That might not look like a lot of damage, but even a thread on the tracks can cause problems. I sent pictures of the damage and the packaging and they are not picking these up. So I decided last night to put them on the frame anyway. I have 8 usable feet on my 12 foot frame. But The good news is, I was finally able to play a bit!

And I had enough room to load my jelly roll quilt. I hope to get it quilted today.

Wish me luck! Have a great day!

Posted in Long Arm Quilting, Longarm Quilting | 15 Comments

Working Small

Posted on May 16, 2018 by katyquilts

Wow! So many comments on my jelly roll top yesterday! Cutting the strips into smaller bits really makes a huge difference. Hope this helps you all out!

I love making big bed quilts. But every now and again, I enjoy working tiny.

I came across these little four patches when I was looking for pieces for my little Flying Geese quilt.

They begged to be made into something, so who was I to say no?

The tiny squares in the four patches finish at one half inch. I kept the quilting really simple. Again, I turned the backing to the front to create the binding. This time I stitched it down by hand.

This tiny binding took much longer than it should have. But it turned out much better than the machine binding I did on the little Flying Geese.

Have a great day!

Posted in Doll Quilts, Finishes, Uncategorized, Vintage Fabrics | 10 Comments

Jelly Roll Race

Posted on May 15, 2018 by katyquilts

I have had a bin of jelly roll strips from Connecting Threads for ages. I finally decided to do something with them. I like the concept of jelly roll race quilts, but I’m not always thrilled with the results.

I saw a tip on Pinterest to cut your strips into halves and thirds to make your jelly roll race quilt look more scrappy. I decided to try it. I think I started with over 50 strips. If you don’t know what a jelly roll race quilt is, give it a Google. It’s a pretty neat idea.

I set up at the kitchen counter to sew the ends of my strips together because I was waiting for a package that I had to sign for.

i did go back to my Juki for sewing the long strips together because that machine just flies! I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I think it ended up being about 64 by 72 inches.

I think it will be a fun top to quilt.

Have a great day!

Posted in Jelly Rolls, Uncategorized | 21 Comments

DWMonday ~ Flight

Posted on May 14, 2018 by katyquilts

I got a couple layer cakes of this line ages ago.

You may remember that I was using this “recipe” to make blocks at the Stitching Sisters sew days.

While waiting for the rest of the parts for my new long arm, I decided to pull this out and work on it a bit. I have half the blocks done and all of the HSTs sewn.

I’d really like to finish this for a Quilt of Valor this month. I want to have it ready to load as soon as the long arm is ready to go.

Have a great day!

Linking up with Small Quilts And Doll Quilts , Love Laugh Quilt

Posted in Design Wall Monday, Quilt of Valor, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Sunday

Posted on May 13, 2018 by katyquilts

Happy Mother’s Day! Here are my four amazing kids.

Spring has finally arrived in Michigan!

I love the flowering trees. I just wished the blossoms lasted longer.

Have a beautiful day!

Notice how the flowers grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass in the field that grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? As for you, do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not worry anymore. All the nations of the world seek for these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides. ~ Luke 12:27-31

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

This and That

Posted on May 12, 2018 by katyquilts

I finished piecing the top for the wedding quilt.

And I added a border to this Puss in the Corner top.

I even got the bindings made for both of these as well as the binding for a QOV that I’m working on.

I should have three quilts ready to go whenever my long arm is finally up and running.

I came across these vintage blocks while rummaging around and put them up on the design wall to ponder. They are about five inches. They might go back into storage.

The redecorating continued this week with the arrival of my new sofa. I love it!

And the weather was nice enough to have open windows all week. Not sure what Winnie was up to here….silly girl!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Finish It Up Friday ~ Miniature Flying Geese

Posted on May 11, 2018 by katyquilts

Thanks for all your kind comments on my rocker yesterday! I’m really glad it is done.

I was admittedly in a bit of a funk the other night when I received the damaged parts for my long arm. So I decided I needed to find a little project to take my mind off of it. I decided to dip into my vintage stash for a little piece.

I was inspired by this Pinterest pin.

I used these two dies to cut the pieces for my flying geese. I have an adaptor so that I’m able to use GO! dies in my Studio Cutter from Accuquilt .

I have no idea what size the original was, but my flying geese blocks finish at 1 inch by 2 inches.

I quilted this little piece on my Juki TL2000. I just used the regular foot and quilted an irregular grid.

Here’s the back. I pulled the backing around to the front to create the binding. It’s a bit rough!

It was a fun little quilt and I think it looks good with this vintage Mueller toy sewing machine.

Have a great day!

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

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Posted in Doll Quilts, Finishes, Vintage Fabrics | 9 Comments

A Different Sort of Fabric Project

Posted on May 10, 2018 by katyquilts

I recently picked up this vintage rocker at a yard sale. Yesterday was the day to tackle reupholstering it.

The first thing I did was remove that backing. Wow! Loved what I found underneath!

The seat was another story. Yuck!

I forged ahead until I was left with this. The springs and ties were actually in good shape.

This is the fabric I picked up for it.

Upholstering is definitely not my strong suit. The oak is very hard and I struggled with bending and breaking tacks. But it’s done and it is surprisingly comfortable.

I’m still on the fence about the fabric I chose. Maybe it will grow on me.

Have a great day!

Posted in Home projects | 14 Comments

Progress

Posted on May 9, 2018 by katyquilts

I’ve been working on blocks for the wedding quilt for my niece.

The small squares finish at 2 inches. I’m trying to decide if a 6 inch sashing is too wide.

I wanted lots of white space for quilting fun.

Maybe I’ll put a few blocks together and see. I plan to have a wide outer white border to fill with feathers. Hmmm…..

I’ll have plenty of time to work on this top today. My long arm parts finally arrived, but they were damaged. So I’m waiting again. Sigh.

Have a great day!

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Den Haan and Wagenmakers Part Two

Posted on May 8, 2018 by katyquilts

Sunday I drove over to the western part of the state to visit Daughter#3 and SIL for the day. It was such a great day! We went out to lunch and did a little shopping. They gave me some wonderful gifts from their trip as well.