KatyQuilts

Finish It Up Friday ~ Improv Stripes QAL

Posted on August 4, 2017 by katyquilts

Sometimes a quick project is just what you need. The Improv Stripes QAL hosted by Debbie at A Quilter’s Table fit the bill for me this week.

I always get questions when I show a quilt that I have quilted in what I call a random grid. I don’t measure, use rulers, or any type of channel locks. I just randomly place lines going one direction.

Then I take the quilt off the long arm frame and reload it the other direction and quilt random lines that way, forming a grid.

Random can be harder to achieve than you might imagine!

I decided to finish this quilt with a facing instead of a binding.

This is what the back looks like.

The quilting lines here are about a half inch apart. I love the texture! I used Glide thread in Celery for the quilting. This quilt measures about 18 by 33 inches.

I didn’t really know what I was making when I started, but I’ve decided to use this for a table runner.

I could hang it, but that begs the question, which way is up?

Have a great day!

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

Posted in Art Quilts, Finishes, Long Arm Quilting, Longarm Quilting, Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Shenandoah Stars Progress

Posted on August 3, 2017 by katyquilts

I finally have this on the frame. This is another top where I had intended to add borders. But I’ve decided to donate it to a place that really doesn’t need anything bigger than twin size.

I haven’t used this panto in a while.

This is the thread I’m using.

This top is so busy, it is hard to see the quilting.

Have a good one!

Posted in Long Arm Quilting, Longarm Quilting, Pantographs, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Improv Stripes QAL

Posted on August 2, 2017 by katyquilts

Debbie from A Quilter’s Table is hosting a QAL on her blog and Instagram this week. It is called the Improv Stripes QAL. I’ve done quite a bit of work like this in years past and thought it would be fun to play along. I grabbed this little bundle of scraps out of a bin to use. These are from the Marcus Aged Muslin collection.

Then I started making panels of strips.

Time to play a little!

Nope, maybe this?

Closer, ugh not there yet.

Hmmmm…..maybe if you come back on Friday I’ll have it done then! In the mean time, it sure is fun to play!

Have a great day!

Linking up with Quilt Fabrication, Sew Fresh Quilts

Posted in Art Quilts, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Something New….

Posted on August 1, 2017 by katyquilts

I’ve been blogging for years now and for the last several years, almost daily. I use WordPress and have been very happy with it. A few years back, I reached the point where I exceeded the storage space allowed for a free blog. That means that I now pay a yearly fee, but I also get my own domain name, http://www.katyquilts.net. I don’t mind, it is well worth it for the enjoyment I get from doing this. I have met so many wonderful people this way!

I have never profited financially in anyway from my blog. But last week, I was presented with a way to possibly make it pay for itself. I was contacted by Accuquilt and asked if I would be interested in becoming an affiliate for them. What that means is that from time to time I will share links and coupon codes for them here. You may also see a banner ad for Accuquilt here soon. In exchange, I will receive a small commission on any purchases made through those links. It does not increase the price you would pay if you choose to purchase through any links I provide.

This is not the first time I have been approached about becoming an affiliate for a company. But I would not do this for any product that I am not totally sold on myself. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know how much I love my Accuquilt Studio Cutter and dies. I can also say that I’ve had fabulous service and response from them when I have called with questions.

I will also let you know when they have free patterns that you can “purchase” through their site, check it out here. They are downloadable so there is no waiting. And you don’t necessarily need to have an Accuquilt GO! to use them.

The quilts in this post were all cut out using my studio cutter and either studio or GO! dies. I love using them to chop up my scraps and to kit up quilts.

I promise this won’t become a commercial blog. Just wanted to let you in on this new venture I am trying out. And if you do decide to purchase anything from Accuquilt, I would really appreciate it if you would click through from my blog. And if you do, click here for free shipping!

Thanks so much!

Have a wonderful day!

Posted in Accuquilt, Accuquilt Studio Cutter | 17 Comments

Goals July/August

Posted on July 31, 2017 by katyquilts

I only set three goals for myself and I was able to accomplish two of them. I’m gonna call that a win!

Here were the goals I set for July.

1. Finish Vintage Star quilt. Done!

2. Finish the Vintage Daisy top. Not done.

3. Finish the solid tumbler quilt. Done! I’m calling this, Let There Be Light.

What else did I get done?

I finished this Ohio Star quilt.

And I refolded all of my fabric. That was the biggest job of all!

On to August. I would like to:

1. Finish the little quilt that I am currently had quilting.

2. Finish my Shenandoah Stars quilt.

3. Quilt some QOVs.

4. Finish this top.

As you can see, I’m still finishing projects that I started in Arizona last winter.

And I have one more Arizona treat coming this month……my dear friend Zenia from A Quilted Passion is coming to visit me in Michigan! Woo hoo! Who knows what kind of shenanigans we will get up to?

Have a great day!

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Cooking Up Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt

Posted in Finishes, Goals | 12 Comments

Slow Stitching Sunday ~ Vintage Indigo

Posted on July 30, 2017 by katyquilts

This is what I plan on working on today.

I used vintage feedsacks for the backing. This is what it looks like after basting on my longarm.

Yep, back to Baptist Fans again!

This time, I’m using a smaller stencil. I’m also adding a line of stitching in between each of the stencil lines. I had an old package of Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon batting that I’m using.

Have a great day!

Linking up with Kathy’s Quilts

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

A Polyester Beauty

Posted on July 29, 2017 by katyquilts

My friend, Zenia, asked me to quilt this crazy quilt for her. It was given to her. It is made mostly from polyester double knits, with a few odd pieces of courduroy and other bits.

It was foundation pieced onto some type of fabric, not sure what. See that “patchwork” bit below? My sister and I had tops made from this when we were little!

I kept the quilting very simiple with just a large meander. It was my first time quilting a top like this!

The print in the next photo shows the backing fabric.

Have a great day!

Posted in Long Arm Quilting, Longarm Quilting, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Finish It Up Friday ~ Vintage Stars

Posted on July 28, 2017 by katyquilts

It’s done! I’m so pleased with this. It is my third hand quilted finish this year. If you recall, I purchased this top at an antique fair in May.

It was a perfect stress reliever project to drag around the country, sitting in hospitals, caring for ill loved ones, traveling to funerals. This quilt has kept me company through it all.

I kept the quilting simple so I didn’t have to mark anything. It is pretty wonky, but I’m okay with that. We’ve become old friends, comfortable with each other’s flaws.

The stars were all hand pieced and they were put together with the sashing by machine. This leads me to believe that I am the third person to work on this. What joys and sorrows might they have experienced during their stint?

As soon as I put the last stitch into the binding, I took a nap under this quilt. It was peaceful sleep indeed.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Celtic Thistle Stitches

Posted in Bed Quilts, Finishes, Hand quilting, Uncategorized, Vintage Quilts | 27 Comments

Vintage Scrap Project

Posted on July 27, 2017 by katyquilts

I got a bit sidetracked during my sorting yesterday. I found this small bin of vintage scraps and started digging through it.

I fount these little rectangles and set them aside. I think they’d make a nice little Chinese Coins mini.

I also found these rather tatty 4 patches. Hmmm…..

I decided to trim them down to 3 inches. I used my die cutter to do this.

I didn’t try to center them, although I could have easily done that if I had marked my die before hand.

As you can see here, they were a bit wonky to begin with anyway.

Once they were trimmed, I laid them out and arranged them.

I quickly quilted a crosshatch with my Singer 301. I found a bit of leftover binding that fit perfectly.

Not done yet….I wanted to try to clean it up a bit. So I got this out. I ordered this online somewhere ages ago. Google it if you are interested. I don’t remember where I bought it.

I mixed a few scoops into some warm water and left it to soak while I ran errands.

After soaking and rinsing, I dried it in the dryer.

And…..ta daaa!

The stains are much better, though not completely gone. Here is the back.

One word of caution, test your fabrics before using this product! I didn’t because the whole thing was an experiment. The vintage fabrics were fine. However, check out this next photo to see how the contemporary blue binding fabric changed color.