Monday, July 20, 2015

Still Hot, Hot, Hot

KT Winner

Congrats to ljeanne - you're the winner of the KT scrap bag. Please email Jamie at lynne@ktquilts.com to claim your goodies.

Summer Musings

Why is it we say "Baby, it's cold outside" in the winter, but "Man, it hot" in the summer? Are baby's cold and men hot? Maybe a few. I know my husband sweats profusely the instant he walks out the door. Maybe that's not the kind of hot they mean? Oh well, it's one of the top 10 hottest summers on record here in Kansas. The 100+ heat started in June and is running our little A/C to the brink trying to keep up. We traveled to Estes Park, CO over the 4th of July with family to cool off a bit in the mountains. It was a pleasant respite, but coming home to the heat was almost worse after relishing delightfully chilly evenings.

My plan was to do some major re-organizing in my studio and catch up on some "want to" instead of "have to" sewing this summer. In reality, every time I try to organize I have more piles and very little play sewing done between work, vacation and grankids coming and going. I guess I'll move that little chore to my winter to-do list.

Sunflower Song Coming Soon

September may seem a long way off during the heat of July, but it will be here before we know it. I'm finalizing the patterns for the Sunflower Song projects, having pictures taken and patiently awaiting fabric so we can start cutting kits for our 6-month BOM. Would you like to make the Sunflower Song (96" x 110") queen quilt along with me this fall/winter? KT is offering this beautiful quilt as a 6-month project. In addition to your monthly kit, receive an exclusive email from me each month featuring tips and tricks for making the blocks with our layered patchwork method. Six-month Sunflower Song program includes all fabric for quilt top & binding, Sunflower Song booklet, KT Melon Template & buttons. $45.95/per for 6 months, shipping included. Coordinating thread pack optional. You may also purchase the quilt kit all at once. Begins November 2015. Don't wait to sign up! Kits are limited (only a few spaces left!). Call Jamie today at 785-488-2120.  


KT Giveaway

I kinda have a thing for sunflowers and incorporate them into my summer decorating scheme when I can. Here are a few ways I enjoy sunflowers in our home.


A vintage architectural piece re-imagined into a window box corrals a display of sunflower plates, a bouquet in an old jar and some favorite old books. I like that items can be easily changed for the seasons but the entire display is also quickly moved when guests come for dinner.
  
This 40" square canvas print hangs in my studio year 'round. I love the sepia tones. It brightens up a dark corner and provides inspiration.

 

To bring some sunflowers into your home, the giveaway this week is a bundle of Sunflower Song scraps and the new Sunny Trio charm pattern. Comment here by next Tuesday (I'm really going to try to get back on schedule) on your summer decorating favorites.

 

87 comments:

  1. I love your table display! I don't think it's been as hot in Missouri as you've been having it, but we've been getting so much rain over and over again. I guess there's always something!

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  2. Sunflower Song is a beautiful name. It has just started getting hot here in Michigan and I sure hope it doesn't last long.

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  3. I love your sunflowers on the quilt. We have had rain and rain and rain. I am ready for sunshine and rainbows.

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  4. It's been pretty wet for us lately, but we're loving it as just before it gets to crazy hot it rains again and cools things off. I love sunflowers too. They're always so cheery.

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  5. I have been trying to "reorganize" and it got much, much worse before it got better. Love that little sunflower mini quilt. Stay cool if you ca.

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  6. Not been too bad here in No. Ohio. More rain than sun. Every thing is so green it hurts your eyes.

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  7. I love sunflowers too. Your table setting is sweet.
    Here on the Central coast of California, we got some surprising rain, thunder and lightening along with heat. A mild taste of the southeast.

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  8. I tend to use red, white and blue decorations during the summer.

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  9. Sunflower song is a stunning quilt. Sunflowers are my favourite flowers. I scatter seeds through my gardens every spring to ensure I have lots of cut flowers for the house in summer

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  10. I use an Americana theme for decorating nearly all summer long, and it's fun to add a splash of yellow sunflowers in August!

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  11. I love sunflowers as well and use them a lot in my fall decorating. For summer, I tend to use more daisies..another favorite.

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  12. Sunflower Song is a gorgeous quilt! I don't really decorate for the summer but come early September I will start decorating for fall with lots of sunflowers. Keep cool!!

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  13. I use sunflowers too! I'm also going to do the BOM. It's been hot here in SE Missouri too. Love the give away this week!!! Thanks for the chance. Bev Eckert

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  14. Sunflowers are just so happy. I love Sunflower Song. It would make a great wall hanging by my front door :-)

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  15. I usually end up with red, white & blue for summer decorating, but I have a couple sunflower pieces I use, too. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  16. Never have I seen anything I don't love on your blog! But summer just came on my radar! You can have it, I'm a winter lovin' gal! But that doesn't mean I wouldn't love your summery fabric and pattern offerings :-)

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  17. I love sunflowers and this is the cutest sunflower quilt I have seen.. Would love to win the scraps and the pattern..
    Tina@brainer.com

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  18. I love the sunflowers outside my window where I can see the goldfinches hanging to get the seeds.

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  19. Well no wonder, you live in the sunflower state. I did too in the mid 80's, and had a great time.
    Greetings, and thank you for the giveaway,
    Sylvia

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  20. I LOVE SUNFLOWERS! Thanks for another great pattern to inspire me!

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  21. living in Georgia, i am always cutting magnolias and floating them in water, love the lemon scent. I change my colors (drapes, throws, etc) from ruby and emerald to linens in teal and light blue makes it so much cooler!

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  22. The sunny trio would look great in my Kansas room in my home in Maryland

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  23. Sunflowers are my favorite also! They must be our "primitive" style flower.. Love your style quilts, have a great day!

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  25. Love the sunflowers, too! Thanks for a chance to win!

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  26. Very cute!! Would love to get this!

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  27. Sunflower song is a simply stunning project. I love sunflowers as well. Your wall hanging is beautiful. Thank you for the giveaway.

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  28. While you are having one of your hottest summers, I think we're having one of the wettest summers on record. It seems to rain every other day at least. The temperatures haven't been up to normal highs and it just hasn't seemed like summer. It does make it hard to garden, but that means there's more time for quilting.

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  29. We have a huge sunflower field and I love to fill vases with bunches of them. They are so summery and beautiful!

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  30. I too love sunflowers! Nothing says Kansas like sunflowers!

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  31. Our sunflowers are abloom here in WI - such a happy face they have! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  32. It is hot in Memphis too! Sunflowers remind me of growing up in Texas.

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  33. I can't wait for this line to come out. I absolutely love the Sunflower quilt!

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  34. Love the name of your next line. Right now I'm into the soft beach colors for decorating for summer.

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  35. Sunflowers I love! My living room has sunflower accents. I always plant a row of sunflowers in my garden for me to enjoy their beauty and then for the birds to enjoy the seeds in the fall.🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

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  36. Flags and flowers! My summer go to.... And now, for personal reasons, I throw in some butterflies...purple butterflies <3 Stay cool....

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  37. Always flowers, flags, food and friends. I never thought before about this being my Four F's. I guess f's are good sometimes.
    Stay cool and dry! All except our California friends and families. Another F.

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  38. Sunflowers make me smile anytime of the year. Autumn is my big decorating time for summer it's fresh flowers from the garden to brighten up the place.

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  39. I love American flags. From Memorial Day until past Labor Day flags are flying in my garden and rippling through my stash. Red, white and blue are made to go together, don't you think? I have "a thing" for Quilts of Valor because no one questions why I chose those colors--again.

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  40. I love sunflowers - but then I'm from and live in Kansas too!

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  41. Pretty fabric. Pretty pattern.

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  42. Thanx for the chance to win - Sunflowers are a big favorite of mine, as are Kansas Troubles fabrics. Would love to win this - and hope I do!!

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  43. Thanks for the chance to win some Sunflower Song. Your pattern is so cute!

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  44. Sunflowers are so beautiful. There is something about them, that just makes me smile. The sunflower quilt is so cute.

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  45. Oh, Sunflowers! Nothing is as cheery as a sunflower. I love them!

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  46. Since I was born and raised in Kansas and Kansas being the sunflower state, you can see why that is. Sunflowers blowin in the wind is a happy sight to see and has such a homey feeling for décor. They have many purposes beside being something pleasing to look at, as they also provide food for humans and birds and bees and I'm sure others. Your patterns using sunflowers are adorable and give me that ahhhh moment. Love all your fabric and patterns. Thank you for your wonderful talent.

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  47. I love your sunflowers. I think I might like to try them. Its something I haven't done yet.

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  48. I love how you decorate with sunflowers. Your new line looks amazing, I can't wait for it to come out so I can buy some. I plant rows of sunflowers in my vegetable garden, then leave them outside for the birds to enjoy their seeds. They are so pretty! Have a great day! Lisa
    traditionalquilter@gmail.com

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  49. I tried an idea on Pinterest this year of magnolias and pine cones in an antique 19th century wooden bowl.

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  50. We started growing sunflowers in our garden for our boys as they were growing up. They would measure their height, harvest the seeds, draw pictures of them and make art projects with their seeds. We love them!

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  51. We live in central Kansas and I'm not liking this HOT weather. My husband offered a trip to Colorado, but with having our granddaughter here for the summer there was just to much going on. Also as a Kansan I love to decorate in Sunflowers and would love to be in your drawing. Thanks.

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  52. Oh, I haven't had any new KT scraps in a long time. Right now I'm making 4-patches with my smallest KT scraps, some are from your very first line! I love them all!

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  53. We have chipmunks that plant sunflower seeds from the bird feeders all over--you never know where a sunflower will pop up--love them! I seem to have a lot of birds in my decorating along with bird houses and cages.

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  54. We feed black oil sunflower seeds to the birds in our yard and almost from the beginning we have had volunteer sunflowers in our vegetable garden. One morning I looked out the window and there was a tiny mouse nestled atop a leaf where it met the stem of the sunflower. Snoozing I think after a meal of seeds!

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  55. When we were adding an addition on to our home, I place the bird feeders by our driveway so that my mother could see them when eating. Later in the summer I thought that I had a horrible weed problem but did nothing about it due to the builders. What a surprise when I had a field of sunflowers pop up! We were able to get several pictures with 3 of our grandchildren surrounded by the sunflowers. They are one of my favorite flowers. Love your sunflower pattern!

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  56. I LOVE sunflowers! I wish the sunflower plants I planted lived, not even the marigolds survived. Sunflower Song, great name. ;-> To I Anne

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  57. I like to put out my patriotic table runners and items for summer decorating. I love the Sunny Trio charm pattern project.

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  58. My mom planted sunflower last year and got about a gallon jar of seeds and planted them all in her yard. She loves to watch the heads move with the sun. I don't know if the neighbor likes them because they are giant variety. Personally I am allergic to the actual plant but love to look from a far or putting them in quilts.

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  59. I like to decorate with Sunflowers or with any of the flowers blooming at this time. Also, a beach themed decor is happening right now, because of a very successful Hilton Head family vacation earlier this summer.

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  60. I love sunflowers too and collect sunflower fabric! Being a Kansas country girl I love to decorate with native wildflowers and grasses!

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  61. I love sunflowers too but I tend to gravitate towards patriotic themes in the summer. Flags are big for me this time of year.

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  62. We grow sunflowers and this year we let the grand kids plant the seeds so they could watch them grow. I would love that pattern and the fabric you are offering. Thank you for the chance.

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  63. I love sunflowers too. The new Sunflower Trio pattern is adorable!

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  64. I pray you all get a respite from the heat. And like you, I try to incorporate sunflowers somehow into my home. Our family (my hubby, son and I) simply cherish sunflowers so much, and I'm over-the-moon excited to sew along with you and make a sunflower-themed quilt!

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  65. I love fresh flowers so I'm always cutting flowers from my garden--roses, daisies, echinaceas. They don't last long but they're beautiful while they last.

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  66. Love the sunflowers. I like to use flowers seasonally. Most of mine are fabric since I don't have a green thumb. Would love to incorporate some sunflowers in a quilt.

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  67. I would LOVE to have the new fabric line! I was so lucky the other day that I found a Pheasant Hill Layer Cake. The colors & the designs are wonderful in all the Kansas Troubles & you are now adding a simple delight of sunflowers! How lucky are we??

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  68. Sunflowers just make me smile, they bring the sunshine into the house. Can't have too many.

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  69. I love Sunflowers. My kitchen is decorated with Sunflowers. I hope I win.

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  70. I love sunflowers but my favorite summer flower is red geraniums. My mother always planted them and I have carried on her tradition .

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  71. more of a winter decorator but always love to have some flowers in the house-

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  72. I decorate with red, white and blue until the middle of July and then I get out my sunflower wall hanging for the rest of the summer.

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  73. Love all the sunflowers. Have some planted in the back but also a lot of red & white geraniums

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  74. I love sunflowers! I have two fresh ones from my garden on my breakfast table now. My wild bunnie rabbits in my yard (I live in the country) politely nibble me a few down each day. These bunnies must have beaver teeth! Each morning they have cut down a few stalks. Thats OK with me though, I love my bunies too!
    Seriously, I would never get a tatoo, but if I did, it would be a small sunflower down by my ankle. I really do love them and would love to win this new pattern!
    Will Sunflower Song fabric collection have any wide backing fabrics?

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  75. I love your table display...simple yet charming. The sunflower pattern is really cute!

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  76. I just adore sunflowers. Thank you for the chance.

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  77. I really don't decorate for summer because I just want it over with and for fall to be here BUT I don't think there's anything prettier than a field of sunflowers. I love your sunflower canvas and the table decoration just makes you happy when you look at it. The sunflower pattern is so darn cute it would be perfect for a summer wall hanging. Rina

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  78. I love sunflowers and have very little to decorate for summer. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  79. My favorite decorating during the summer months are cutting fresh flowers and hosta leaves from my gardens and bringing them indoors to enjoy throughout my home.

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  80. Love sunflowers and how their "faces" follow the turning sun. I usually decorate red/white/blue and a few sunflowers anchors the patriotic theme. Having a wonderful summer ... hope you are as well! Linda at Canends@Hotmail.com

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  81. Sunflowers are a garden must for me. So cheery to see in the morning sun and a great feeding station for the birds. I love to watch the birds' "gymnastics" as they bend for the seeds from the top of the flower. Thanks for a chance in the giveaway. Kansas Troubles fabrics are a favorite of mine.

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  82. I love sunflowers. I remember making my daughter a sunflower dress about 25 years ago and I have a sunflower runner on my table right now.

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  83. Darling sunflower quilt! Seems like you are pretty busy these days. Thanks for sharing your scraps. Always fun to have someone else's scraps to start new projects. K- lkw2x6-apq@yahoo.com

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  84. Love everything "Sunflowers". Being a native Kansan and missing that flat land, my home is filled with sunflower decor. Such a cheerful color and making sure my hubby knows I AM FROM KANSAS ! :)

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  85. Sunflowers are my favorite. This quilt is so cute.

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  86. I enjoy sunflowers, too. I like them wherever the birds plant them! I don't do much summer seasonal decorating, except changing the wreath on the front porch and I try to keep a bouquet of fresh flowers from the garden.

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