KatyQuilts

Sunday

Posted on July 7, 2013 by katyquilts

Bless the Lord, all his works: in every place of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. (Psalm 102:22 CPDV)

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On your mark, get set, sew!

Posted on July 6, 2013 by katyquilts

And so it begins….

I cut just under a million strips from batiks last week for my MILs king sized quilt. She has called to inquire about my progress so I decided I could put it off no longer. It is time to ~~peace out~~ I mean piece out.

I am using one of my fave machines for piecing this behemoth, my 1955 Singer 201. She is smooth as silk.

For this quilt, I am piecing a “background” of rail fence type blocks. After I decide on the layout of these blocks, I will go back and add a scattering of stars.

I have 22 blocks pieced…..only about 100 to go….

Posted in Bed Quilts, Modern Quilts | 3 Comments

Sewing on the 4th

Posted on July 5, 2013 by katyquilts

Yesterday, I HAD to sew! I started out using the Old Glory mini charm pack to make this little quilt.

I loved this Repro print for the back!
I also put together a quick top to go with the backing I loaded on the frame last weekend. This is an set line of fabric from Connecting Threads.

I put on the ruler base and used a 7″ circle template to make the curves in the small blocks. I used the same template to create the spine for the feathered wreathes. I free handed the feathers. This was my first time using these techniques.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I want to freehand am all over feather but haven’t gotten that brave yet!

Posted in Baby Quilts, Doll Quilts, HQ Avante, Machine quilting | 8 Comments

Yarn and Yarn Bombing and the 4th of July

Posted on July 4, 2013 by katyquilts

While DH and I were up in Traverse City, we found a lovely yarn shop. Sadly, I cannot remember what it is called! The color in there was luscious. And what did I buy?

Um….yeah…… But fear not! I saw this yarn as a opportunity to play twice! I always wanted to try dyeing yarn and now I will. I love dyeing fabric so why not yarn? Can’t wait to make my own self-striping yarn. Outside the store, we found evidence of yarn bombing.

How fun is that? I did a little bit of knitting on the trip. I finished the foot on one sock. Yep, that is all folks! Too much to look at while driving and finding this set of books along the way didn’t help my productivity.

We got home last night. Today is the 4th of July, a time to celebrate the US of A and to once again give thanks to God and our servicemen and women who keep us safe and free.

Posted in Knitting | 2 Comments

Sneak peak at a great find!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by katyquilts

We are still up north and having a great time! Only a minute this morning but wanted to show a sneak peak of a quilt I bought. More pics to come!

Posted in Vintage Quilts | 3 Comments

Good Morning from Up North!

Posted on July 2, 2013 by katyquilts

Hubby and I decided to take a little jaunt up north for a few days. He is so good at finding quilt shops! We stopped at The Icehouse in Grayling but I didn’t buy a thing. The we stopped at QuiltBiz.com. As their name implies, they are an online shop but they also have a storefront. Here are my treasures:

The best part of Michigan has to be the Great Lakes.

And the rocks.

I wonder what we will discover today!

Posted in Fabric | 4 Comments

An Experiment of Sorts

Posted on July 1, 2013 by katyquilts

I have been researching some of the available systems for faster loading of quilts on my machine quilting frame. Some people love Red Snappers and some swear by Leader Grips. I have seen tutorials for Mondo Clips and magnets. I have not wanted to spend the $ because for every good review, there is one not so good. I saw one note somewhere using flexible plumbing tubing and rope light tracks. Friday evening we were driving by Home Depot and Stopped on a whim to see if you could even find rope light track. Wow! Under $4 for a 6′ length. $10 for a 20′ length of tubing. For a total of $22, I decided to try it.

It is hard to get a good pic of the track. The red strip is a self adhesive strip that I will leave on. My leaders already had a casing for the 3/8″ tubing.

I only bought enough for three rollers since I generally float my tops.

Once the tube is inserted into the casing, the track clamps the backing fabric to the leader. It is hard to describe but not hard to do.

So now I have a backing and batting loaded.

I guess I better get working on a top!

Until next time…

Posted in HQ Avante, Machine quilting | 13 Comments

Super Saturday!

Posted on June 29, 2013 by katyquilts

Spending the day bumming around with my hubby. He is great at finding quilt shops!

He knows the way to my heart!

Posted in Fabric | 3 Comments

Frame Friday

Posted on June 28, 2013 by katyquilts

Okay, today really IS Friday! And this is what went on the frame last.

I’ve had this top hanging around for a while because I couldn’t decide how to quilt it. I decided to do my random grid with occasional loops design. It requires turning the quilt after quilting all the lines one way.

I don’t measure anything or worry about straight lines. Here it is after the lines one way are complete.

And here it is after the second pass.

Here is the back. I hand dyed this piece a couple years ago.

And the front after binding.

And here is the added texture after washing.

I am linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for “Can I get a Whoop Whoop?” for finally finishing this UFO!

Until next time…

Posted in Hand Dyed Fabric, HQ Avante, Machine quilting, Modern Quilts, Solids | 17 Comments

Friday Finish

Posted on June 27, 2013 by katyquilts

ETA: Yes, I realized, sadly, that this is NOT Friday. Did I mention it had been a long week? LOL! At least I got a finish in and I even have stuff all ready to work on as soon as I get off work today. Then I can have Frame Friday tomorrow!

Here is my finish for the week, Quilt of Valor #14:

I still have to make a label and presentation case but the quilt itself is done. For some reason, I really don’t enjoy making the cases and usually wait until I have a couple quilts ready to ship before I make them.
Anyway, I am thankful that my God never quits working on me. I love this verse, especially in The Voice translation.
I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our liberating king, returns to redeem the world. Phil. 4:6
It has been a tough week at work and this encourages me.
Until next time…

Posted in Quilt of Valor | 6 Comments