Second Verse, Same as the First

I had hoped to be able to finish the quilt that I am working on now for the quilt festival, but if you want to know why it's not finished, check out the previous post!

So, here is my cuddle blankie!

 

This is my spring entry for the Bloggers Quilt Festival.  Yup, there is a button on the side bar.  For regular readers, I apologize, you've seen it before.  This quilt is named Summer Breeze, and happened to get me through the winter!  It is significant in my life for a couple reasons.  The first being that this is my first totally selfish crafting.  Making it kept me sane during the winter.  This is the only full sized quilt for me that has actually gotten finished!  Other people often come first around here!  Secondly, this quilt got me out of my reproduction rut and on to more cheerful and modern fabrics! 

Also went off the deep end and pieced my back.  Probably a forever change in my style!!!

Blessings,

KT

Momma Said There Would Be Days Like This....

I haven't gotten to work on this much.  Sunday Treasure decided to work on the lawn after church.  He discovered that the pipe for a spigot by the pump house had burst (read cha-ching).  It would have been a good thing to have just come in and taken an afternoon nap.  But he persevered and mowed the lawn.  I even got some weeding done!!!  When the front lawn was done, he parked the mower in the middle of the front yard and began trimming bushes.  (They look great!)  When he went to put the mower away, no starting!!!  (read cha-ching cha-ching).  So as he was pushing the mower to the garage, he noticed that the back window of our van had been shattered by a stone thrown by the mower (yup, cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching).  By the end of the day, I was saying, "Let's hurry and go to bed before something else breaks!"

So, little sewing, much time with repairmen!!  Chaos reigns The Lord reigns.  The flower bed is looking better.  Maybe I can get a picture soon.  Oh, and I won not one, but two giveaways during the Sew Mama Sew Spring giveaway!!!!!  YAY!!!!! 

The first is from The Quixotic Crafter.  (The music alone cheers you up!)

I won some bling for my little scissors in my quilting kit, and its purple!!!!  Perfect!!  Thanks so much!!

The second gift was overwhelming.

Vintage sheet fat quarters!!  (The crowd roars!!)

These too!  The great part is that I now have enough to make coordinating quilts for three sisters I know.  These will go with some others for a 15 year old.

(Yup!  These were part of the winnings too!)  These will be in the quilt for the lovely middle, who is 8 and loves flowers!

(Can you believe it?  These too!!!)  These will go in the lovely little 4 year old's quilt.  She loves pink, and strawberries!!!  Perfect!!!

I am going to coordinate them by adding the same greens to all the quilts.  I am so thankful for Brown Paper Packages for this very generous prize!!

Now all I have to do is not break anything more, finish the quilts I have started, and dig in to vintage yumminess!!

Blessings,

KT

Local Quilt Show: Part 2

I didn't mention that Dee was with me (That was the best part of the show!)

Purple!!!

More purple!!

The dimension was just lovely!!

A well named quilt!

Hope you enjoyed the eye candy!!

Blessings,

KT

Pins and Needles---(We Have a Winner!)

Congratulations Hilda!!!

A package is headed your way by the 24th.  Since I have a couple days, I might try finding a few more goodies to throw in!

Speaking of pins...

This is my Friday finish!!  Pin basted and ready for quilting.  There is only one problem, I'm not sure how I want to quilt it.  I have my walking foot on my machine, mostly because my FMQ stitches aren't quite where I would like them to be.  I have frozen because this is a quilt I would like to show...so I don't want to booger it up!!!  I vacuumed out Joy, gave her a new needle, and have soft silvery gray thread in her.  Cricket, cricket, cricket...  (Read suggestions welcome!)

Here Dee, this is the back.  Do you feel better now??  I wasn't going to show this until it was done, but she can be kinda pushy when she is impatient!!  Case in point, had anyone noticed how fast she got their family room together?  I don't have a room in my house that together!!!  LOL!!!  Come to think of it I am kinda hoping she shows us the room in a grand tour soon.  Okay, so I am pushy too!!

Hope  you all have a wonderful weekend, complete with a cup of something warm (or glass of something carbonated) and a little time to visit the other finishes.  Just click on the Sew & Tell button on my sidebar!!

Enjoy!

Blessings,

KT

Peek at a Local Quilt Show: Part 1

If you are looking for the giveaway, it is here.  I will close comments sometime late this evening.  Whenever life settles down for the night!!

I took pictures of my favorites, and as I lean to the lighter& brighter, some award winning quilts were left out.  Sorry!

See the Fairies quilted in?

Wowsers!!  All the border blocks were this detailed in the quilting!

Loved the motion the quilting gave to this one!

I went to the show to see if I could gauge how one of my quilts would be received...still don't know.  Mostly traditional quilting.  I think that I may have become...gasp...a modern quilter.  Whatever that means (I am not sure I know really).  I just know that nothing there looked remotely like mine.  Treasure assures me that they will either love my quilts, or hate them.  Hmph.  Still don't know what I am going to do.  Don't really have to decide until September.

Hoping to baste a quilt today, but I am still not sure how I am going to quilt it!!

Blessings,

KT

95 Posts, and May Giveaway!!

How nice of Sew Mama Sew! to have their great May Giveaway just in time to celebrate my hundredth post!!!  This one is 95 ladies!!!  Can you believe it? 

I have enjoyed getting to now some lovely ladies, and have been encouraged continually.  My favorite encouragement though, is when you all share the craziness that is life.  Whether Spiritual insight, struggles, tutorials, or just plain silliness, your willingness to share is amazing.

So, to celebrate this, I am giving away the above fabric!  Each cut is one yard from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley line.  I may find some fun little things to send along with it...

All you have to do is leave a comment here, sharing an encouraging or funny story about being a bloggy quilter has changed you for the better.  I will choose a winner randomly May 20th.  I will try to honor the spirit of the giveaway and have the prize shipped by May 24th, so please be sure that you have an email that I can reach you at associated with your blogger account, or in your post.  I will ship internationally!

Be sure to use the button on my side bar to sign up for all the other giveaways!!

Blessings,

KT

To Market, To Market......

One down, two to go.  In case you are interested, here is the tutorial I used.  I guess this one is loved, because it was worn the day it was finished, and is now ready for the laundry heap.  No sewing happening today, as I need to make up for neglect of my household!! 

My goals this weekend:  weed the flower bed (nope, still not done) and take in a local quilt show.  Hoping to finish a quilt soon, and maybe put it in a show this summer!!!  We will see...

Sew Mama Sew will be having their giveaway day Starting May 17th.  I plan to participate along with many others.  Last year, I didn't even have a blog!!

Be sure to click on the Sew and Tell button on the side bar.  There are some great finishes out there...much better than mine!!!  I have already been checking them out!!

Blessings,

KT

If I have told you once...

I have told you at least twice now, "I am a ding-bat!"

Recently I was tidying up my buttons on my side bar.  I accidentally deleted one, but couldn't remember which.  (Hold on, we aren't even to the ding-bat part yet!)  Later the same day I got a Quilt Home newsletter in my inbox.  Ding-dong!  That is the button!  Not only that, but there is a contest to win fabric from them if I have their button on my blog.  Did I ever sign up for that?  So I emailed them to ask.  Within a couple of hours (seriously) Carl emailed me back.  Not only was I signed up, but I was the winner February 17, 2010!!!!  Usually they only give you a couple of weeks to use the gift certificate.  They graciously gave this ding-bat a second chance!!!

My Paganelli pile no longer lacks yellow!  I now have all the henna garden currently available.  And they had the Farmer's Market Dahlia that I used up on skirts!!!  Ah...I may have spent more than my gift certificate!

Oh, and just so you know, the fabric was in my hands Friday!!  You can check out Quilt Home by clicking on the button, now safely replaced on my side bar!

Out of curiosity, I checked my blog to see what was going on in my life around that time that I would miss out so.  There you have it, She Sews and Scraps tried to tell me in the first comment!!

Blessings,

KT

Spinning Wheel...

got to go 'round.

Pinwheel party is caught up!!!

Do any of you use starch?  I am used to using super duper spray starch.  I use it with every seam.  By the time I am done with a block, it is quite stiff.  It always lies flat though!!!  It is awesome when working with bias, really decreases the stretch effect.  Recently someone posted about using Downy Wrinkle Releaser on wrinkled fabrics before you cut.  Love that too!!  Treasure is less than thrilled that I use aerosol starch almost every day.  (Please don't tell him about my hairspray!)  To honor him, I bought some starch alternative at my LQS.  I should have read the bottle better first!!!  Well girls, it leaves me...limp.  There is no shape preservation here!  It does do what it says on the bottle, which is the same stuff Downy Wrinkle Releaser does for half the price.  At over $7 a bottle, I had higher expectations I guess.  Oh, and they only had lavender scent, which I strongly dislike.  It makes me think of bug spray!!!

Does anyone have a non-aerosol solution to keep my blocks stiff and in shape?  Please share!!!

Edited to add---To prevent the spray starch from clogging my iron, I press the block, spray the back, then press the front!  Thanks Lesly!  And both Leslie and Lesly guessed it, I am not a fan of Mary Ellen's Best Press.

Blessings,

KT

Some sewing, but more telling!

Made a new skirt to replace the one that was too short.  I have a niece that the too short one might fit, so my only worry is that I don't have anymore of the pink Mat's Tux, Jennifer Paganelli fabric left.  The more I used it, the more I liked it!  I have ordered more of the Farmers Market Dahlia, by Sandi Henderson.  I know.....

Cut these with the scraps.  Didn't get around to sewing them...yet!

These are cut, marked and pinned.  They are waiting patiently to be sewn.  Then I will be caught up  with my Pinwheel Party blocks.

I have been saving this fabric for something special, and now I know what it is.  More skirts!!!!  I only have a yard of each print, so these skirts should be perfect.  I am making one for me even!!!!  (That bottom fabric is mine!)  Measurements are all figured.  If I like the skirt, I might make myself a couple more! (Think "Nicey Jane" and "Paganelli")

Don't forget to visit all the other Friday Finishes by clicking on the Sew & Tell button on my sidebar! 

Mother's Day Blessings!

KT

Wordless Wednesday

Paducah Pictures

Downtown shops were quilt shops from elsewhere had temporarily relocated.  You can also see the flood wall with beautiful murals that tell the history of Paducah.

This train was right there along the flood wall.  I believe there was a museum there too, but we didn't see it, had to leave something for next time! ;0)

Here is just one of the murals.  They were gorgeous!!

On the other side of the flood wall, the convergence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers. 

The other way down the street are antique shops, restaurants, and

shops.

This is the market house.  It currently holds a museum of Paducah history.

Here it is inside.

A block or two beyond the historic section is this beautiful theater.  Here we saw the Queen of Quilting,

Eleanor Burns!!!  She came down the isle right behind us!!  I couldn't bring myself to post the picture of her facing us, as it was unflattering to the lady behind us!!  Eleanor's show was titled "Strip Tzzzzzzz".  It was a riot!!  Poor Treasure got an earful of one huge girl party!!!  She was a hoot.

She showed us all the quilts she has made patterns for over the years that could be made using strips.  We were about halfway through the stack in the middle of the stage!!

Sorry I can't show you pictures from the AQS show, they asked us not to post them without the quilter's consent, and I am going to honor that.  The museum doesn't allow pictures, so no go there.  I will be posting some pictures of a smaller quilt show that was going on at the Rotary of WWII quilts.  (I think it was probably my favorite anyway!)

There were enough historical sites, more than I have listed here, to keep Treasure and I well entertained beyond quilting.  There was also Hancock's of Paducah and their back room with end cuts for $2.98 a yard.

Quilt-in-a-Day Shop, and their tents at Carson park, with their sales and fabric for $4.98 a yard.  That doesn't even mention all the vendors at the Expo.  Though they were full price, and didn't have much in the way of modern fabric.

Next week, I will show you all some of those WWII quilts!!

Blessings,

KT