KatyQuilts

Gwennie Inspired Medallion QAL Finale!

Posted on October 3, 2016 by katyquilts

Today is the big day! Time for all of us to link up and reveal our final round for the Gwennie Inspired Medallion Quilt Along! If you recall, Wendy from The Constant Quilter had the honor of choosing the theme for the final round. And being from Maine, she chose FISH! Fish? Yes, fish!

I scratched my head for a long time over this one! I tried to figure out how I could use these pumpkin seed blocks that I made a few years ago.

Nothing very fishy about that! So I decided to try diamonds….

Maybe both together? Nope.

Okay, now I’ve got it! Do you see my fish?

Does this help? LOL

Okay, that is the best I could do. So here is where things stood after the final round:

Yeah, I know, You really have to use your imagination here! But I will NEVER forget what it represents! Thanks Wendy for making me think outside the box!

It didn’t feel done to me at this point. So I added another round of scrappy borders.

I still had that pile of pumpkin seed blocks so I added those too!

Eventually, I will add one narrow solid border and one wider one to bring this up to about 96 inches square. I’m really pleased with how this has turned out. I never would have made this without the prompting and motivation provided by this QAL.

Please visit the other bloggers who were part of the team organized by Lori at Humble Quilts.

Wendy –http://theconstantquilter.blogspot.com/
Cynthia-http://wabisabiquilts.blogspot.com/
Cathy- http://wwwbiglakequilter.blogspot.com/
Katy- https://katyquilts.wordpress.com/
Lori- http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/

Thanks to my fellow partners in crime, this quilt along has been a blast! And thanks to all of you that played along.

Also please add your project, finished or not to the link up on Lori’s page.

Have a great day!

Also linking up with Cooking Up Quilts, Em’s Scrapbag, Love Laugh Quilt

September/October Goals

Posted on October 1, 2016 by katyquilts

Time is flying by! But you knew that already. Time to look at my goals for last month and do some planning for the next one!

Finish the last round of the Gwennie Inspired medallion QAL. Done! We will be revealing the final round on Monday, October 3rd.
I want to get working on this UFO: Almost Done! I’ll share the completed quilt next week, but here is the top. I just have to finish the hand sewing on the binding.
I want to start piecing this quilt. Not done. This might be a good project to take.
Finish my swap blocks. Done! And mailed!
Finish my 16 patch top. Done! And the quilt is finished too!
Bind the Twist quilt. Done!
Finish the applique on the vintage daisy blocks. Done!

Now, what else did I finish this month? I made this pillow with a test block, Star Thistle, from Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.

And I finished my Parson Gray quilt for a friend.

Time to think about October. Hmmm….leaves changing color, campfires, pumpkin farms….and quilting! But wait a minute……it will also include traveling, palm trees and cacti!

I have some Quilts of Valor to quilt and they are at the top of my list! I will get those finished and back to their toppers ASAP.
I’d like to finish my Gee’s Geese quilt before I go.
I need to get all my projects and tools packed for AZ. I should think about a few clothes as well.

So much to do, so little time! Have a great day!

Posted in Goals, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Finish It Up Friday ~ Parson Gray

Posted on September 30, 2016 by katyquilts

This quilt has been finished and gifted and now I can share it. Ever have a quilt where all the pieces just fall into place? That happened with this one. I had a totally different plan for this Parson Gray layer cake, but while perusing blogs one day, I saw something that caught my eye. My finished quilt bears no resemblance to the quilt I saw on the Fat Quarter shop blog, but I love it! Sometimes, it just takes a spark and some play for a good idea to come about.

These first pictures were taken before washing.

The background fabric is Aged Muslin by Marcus and I purchased it at the yard sale of a fellow guild member. Can you believe she sold a 4 1/2 yard piece of this? I also bought the lovely flannel for the back from her.

I used a pantograph called African Samba from Urban Elementz for the quilting. Here are after washing shots. I love how this crinkled up! It is so soft and snuggly!

The binding is also Aged Muslin from Marcus. I purchased that bit when I was in Phoenix last month. This next picture is more representative of the true color of the backing fabric. It is SO soft.

I made this quilt for a friend who is experiencing some health issues. He loved it! I hope it brings much comfort in the days to come.

Have a great day!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Crazy Mom Quilts, Fort Worth Fabric Studio, Sew Can She, Busy Hands

Posted in Finishes, Uncategorized | 20 Comments

Blogger’s Quilt Festival! ~ Voting is open!

Posted on September 29, 2016 by katyquilts

Wow! My QR Code quilt was nominated for Viewer’s Choice in the Blogger’s Quilt Fest! Thank you to whoever nominated my quilt! I’m so excited! The other nominees are just wonderful.

If you would like to vote for Viewer’s Choice, you can do that here by clicking on the little heart in the corner of the thumbnail photo.

Voting is open in the categories as well. You can vote for Original Design here (my QR Code quilt is entered there) and for Scrappy Quilts here. My Scrappy Rectangle quilt is entered in the Scrappy Quilts category.

You don’t have to vote for my quilts. But the eye candy over there is worth a look for sure! I have discovered many wonderful blogs through the BQF, I am sure you will too.

Have a great day!

Posted in BQF | 3 Comments

WIP Wednesday ~ Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Posted on September 28, 2016 by katyquilts

Life is often surprising and changes can occur in a moment. I have been reminded of this once again. As many of you know, Daughter #2 is currently deployed to an undisclosed location. She found out last weekend that her house/dog sitter will soon be moving out. Not a lot she can do about this from the other side of the globe! So, I am moving to Arizona to take over until she returns. I have about three weeks to wrap things up here at home and expect to be out there 3-4 months.

I am trying to figure out what sewing projects I will work on while I am gone. I already have a few things cut out that I can take with me. Like this tumbler project:

And my log cabin project:

Maybe I should take those darn sawtooth stars and finally get them together!

I have a Featherweight sewing machine already at her house. But I would really like to use one of my Singer 301s. I’m trying to decide if it is worth it to ship one out there. Obviously, I won’t have access to my long arm, so I will mostly be piecing, but if I had a 301, I could do some quilting as well. I have a small cutting mat there already that I gave to Daughter #2 to use. And if I need a really big one, I think I know someone that would let me come over and borrow hers! (I’m looking at you, Zenia!)

I am actually considering taking a vintage top and hand quilting it. Is that crazy?

Help me out here. If you were moving away for 3-4 months, how many projects would you take and what tools would you feel were essential to take with you?

I predict the next few weeks will be a bit crazy as I prepare for this adventure. So responding to comments may be a bit sporadic and posting may be as well.

Have a great day!

Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts, Quilt Fabrication

Posted in Uncategorized | 35 Comments

Machine Quilting ~ Lemoyne Stars

Posted on September 27, 2016 by katyquilts

I got this small quilt loaded into the frame before we left town for the weekend. I got the quilting started and need to get back and finish it now. I used a tutorial from Kathy at Tamarack Shack to figure out the border design.

I’m using freehand continuous curves in the star blocks.

And a simple curved design in the sashing. I’m using templates from The Quilted Pineapple. I toyed with the idea of using an extra layer of batting, but decided I wanted it to have more of an old fashioned feel with these 30s reproduction fabrics. I better get moving if I want to get this finished up today!

Have a good one!

Linking up with The Quilting Room with Mel, Free Motion by the River

Posted in HQ Avante, Machine quilting, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

DWM ~ Gee’s Geese

Posted on September 26, 2016 by katyquilts

I finished making all the geese for my Gee’s Geese quilt last week.

I had to take them all off the big design wall so I could make room to work on my Gwennie Inspired Medallion quilt. So I started sewing groups of like geese together and throwing them up on the small design wall.

I’m running out of room! I can say that I am loving this so far! I can’t wait to get back to work on this. But I better get back to work on the medallion instead. The big reveal is coming up on October 3rd.

Have a great day!

Linking up with Em’s Scrap Bag, Love Laugh Quilt, Cooking Up Quilts, Patchwork Times

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments

MSQC Birthday Bash!

Posted on September 25, 2016 by katyquilts

Today I’m heading home after a wonderful weekend visiting Mr. Wonderful’s parents in Missouri. We did take a side trip to Hamilton. It just so happened that last week was the 8th birthday of the Missouri Star Quilt Company! I even got my picture with the duck!

And who is that behind me?

Why yes, it was Jenny Doan herself! And while I was totally star struck, hubby asked her for a photo. And she graciously agreed. I was rendered pretty much speechless. He talked to her more than I did!

They had stars on the sidewalk highlighting sew-lebrities.

At one point, while walking through town, hubby asks, quite loudly, “Isn’t your star down by the Penney’s store?” Such a kidder!

Mr. Wonderful definitely got into the spirit of things! I think he had as much fun as I did.

Many husbands took advantage of the man cave and park benches. Not my guy! He can shop the fat quarters like none other! See?

Yeah, they had 88 cent fat quarters the day we were there! I also got a new mug.

And a birthday bash t-shirt.

And some charm packs for good measure.

It was such a fun day! Gotta love a guy that plans something like this! I think I’ll keep him.

Have a great day!

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Singer Tins

Posted on September 24, 2016 by katyquilts

I fell in love with vintage Singer sewing machines long ago. Once you get interested in something, you begin to collect all things pertaining to it! Here is a subset of my Singer Sewing collection, my tins. I don’t remember where I got most (any?) of these or if any of them are available anywhere. But they are fun and I thought I would share them with you today.

The wheels really turn on this one and the top opens for storage.

There is also a little secret compartment in the front!

This repro oil tin was made for Singer’s 150th anniversary.

It looks like an oil can from the top, but the whole thing lifts off for storage.

I have Singer 101, so I had to have this tin with one on the lid!

Here are pictures of the side graphics.

I have a couple tan 301s and black 15s just like those pictured on the lid of this tin!

The next one most likely held attachments originally. It was empty when I bought it.

The last two seem to be pretty common. I purchased mine from Joann’s or some place like that a long time ago.

Mine are not pristine because I have used them a lot over the years!

Have a great day!

Posted in Sewing Colectibles, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Finish It Up Friday ~ 16 patch!

Posted on September 23, 2016 by katyquilts

I finished my 16 patch quilt last week, but saved the finish for today. This quilt turned out exactly as I had envisioned. How often does that happen? LOL! The first two pictures were taken before washing.

I used my Baptist fan pattern boards to machine quilt this. It felt like the perfect quilting design for this old fashioned pattern. And I love, love, love the texture it gave after washing!