New England Cruise

AHOY QUILTERS!

Love Quilting? Love the changing leaves in autumn? Want to hang out for a week at sea quilting and cruising from port to port with my buddy, Pam Buda and me? It's not too late to grab a girlfriend and come along! 

We'll each teach a 1/2 day class and share a mini trunk show of our quilts, plus another workshop one evening to make a pincushion, pillow top or other fun project. All supplies/kits are included in the cruise fee. 

My class will be this easy version of a churn dash block featuring my unique layered patchwork technique. So fun & you'll be done in no time!

Pam's project is a delightful quartet of Little Blue Schoolhouses, just perfect for September back-to-school stitching. Grab a girlfriend - or two - and sign up today!

Day 6 of Moda Designer Friendship Quilt-Along

Today is Day 6 of the Moda Friendship Quilt-Along. 

I've already collected more than a dozen great blocks to start a sampler (in my free time) and there are many more to come! Today, stop by Kathy Schmitz, Edyta at Laundry Basket Quilts and Lauren & Jessi Jung to see their cool blocks.

 Check out all the Moda Designers and their blocks by going to Moda Friendship Quilt-Along for a day by day listing. 

Watch for a special announcement here on March 2nd!

Day 5 of Moda's Designer Friendship Quilt-along

Welcome to Day 5 with KTQ, French General and Kate Spain.

Bowtie Block

My quilt-along block is a traditional bowtie block made with connector corners. Great method, but I prefer to make it even easier and add a little dimension to my blocks. Check it out:

Step #1 - Cut squares for 4-patches as stated. Sew light/dark squares together; press toward dark. So far, everything is just like the traditional block. Here's where we make it fun & easy.

Step #2 - Cut a matching 3/4" square on the bias for the center of the bowtie. Turn edges of a square ruler so the sides are at a 45 degree angle to the selvedge edges. By cutting this square on the bias, we can layer it on top of our pieced block and the edges won't ravel when the quilt is washed.

Step #3 - Positon the 3/4" square on the center of the 4-patch as shown; stitch about an 1/8" from the bias edges with matching or coordinating cotton thread. How easy is that?

Make the traditional block - or try my layered patchwork technique - for a simply charming addition to your quilt-along sampler.

Giveaway

Tell me what your favorite traditional - or not-so-traditional - block is for 3 chances to win -
1.Pheasant Hill fat quarter bundle
2. Dessert Roll
3. charm/mini charm combo - courtesy of Moda/KTQ.
Comments close at the end of the Blog Hop on March 4th.

I'd love to see pictures of your bowtie block. Send them to me at lynne@ktquilts.com. Now let's go see what Barbara and Basic Grey are up to today.

Don't Miss Exciting News from KTQ on March 2nd!

Day 3 of Moda's Designer Friendship Quilt-Along

It's here! Moda's Friendship Quilt-Along. Hang out with 3 different Moda designers each day - now thru March 4th - and collect a unique block from each designer. Gather your favorite scraps and quilt along to make a delightful sampler of your own creation. There are a total of (28) 9" blocks just for you!

Today's designers are Thimbleblossoms, Deb Strain and Cosmo Cricket.  Meet me back here on Friday, March 22nd for my block and a wonderful giveaway from Moda.

Don't miss the Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery Blog Hop also hopping along this month. Check out the blog entry below for a chance to win a KT Loose Change book. Comments close Thursday at noon.

BIG NEWS! Thursday's big announcement, coming soon!

Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery BOM

Hello Blog Hoppers!
I'm delighted to be one of the designers for Fat Quarter Shops' newest  Designer-Mystery-Block-of-the-Month featuring Fig Tree Quilt's Avalon fabric collection. It was so much fun to play with Joanna's lovely prints in bright shades of reds, greens and creams with navy accents to create a house block for a row along with fellow Moda designers Minick & Simpson and Primitive Gatherings.



Fat Quarter Shop's question to us was "Where is your dream house?" I am blessed to say I wouldn't want to live anywhere but in my little cabin by the pond.

My husband, Robert, and my sons built our 1200 sq. ft. getaway just 4 years ago. When we first bought the 2-story building for command central for Kansas Troubles in my hometown of Bennington, Kansas, we lived in a studio apartment in the back while hosting quilting retreats. Every year, we made plans to buy/build a real home, but our busy life kept getting in the way. After 7 years, we finally got our quiet escape a few miles from town on the edge of wheat fields and cow pastures, just up the hill from my favorite spot on earth, our family's pond. Many happy days were spent sunbathing, catching tadpoles and fishing in the pond when I was a kid, with picnics and fireworks, exploring and campfires throughout the year. It truly is my Happy Place.

Now, from my studio window (on the left), I look out onto the colors of the changing seasons and the assorted wildlife and birds that make their homes in our yard. It's a peaceful, inspiring place to work & live and I love every minute of it!  I hope all of you have a Happy Place to rejuvenate and recharge each day to make your life as wonderful as it can be.

Giveaway
Please visit my co-designers' blogs for stories about their dream homes and more on the Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery Blog Hop. Comment here about your Happy Place for a chance to win a Loose Change book filled with pictures of the cabin and surrounding outdoor spaces.

Blog Hops

Fat Quarter Shop Blog Hop

Tis' the season for blog hops with so many new fabric collections and projects for spring just around the corner. Beginning in February, Fat Quarter Shop will be featuring a different row each week of their new 2013 Designer Mystery Block-of-the-Month Quilt. I am honored to be included with fellow designers Primitive Gatherings and Minnick & Simpson. Watch for our day on Monday, February 18th.

Moda Blog Hop

Moda's Friendship Quilt Along Blog Hop runs February 18-March 1st with 3 designers posting a block each day. You can visit each and every designers blog to get a total of (28) 9" unique blocks to make a wonderfully scrappy sampler quilt. Check back here on Feb. 22 for my day along with French General and Kate Spain. There will be lots of interesting tidbits about each designer and giveaways galore! Don't miss a day!

Giveaway

The winner of last week's Whirlygig pattern/scraps is Ranae who visits the Iowa State Fair each year. Congratulations! Please send your mailing address and we'll send out your goodies right away.

Cruisin'

Pam and I are so looking forward to our New England cruise and hope you and your girlfriends can us. We'l be enjoying the beauty of the changing colors in half a dozen ports along the eastern coast and quilting at sea. My workshop is the 25 Yard Dash quilt featuring my layered patchwork technique.

 Pam Buda's Little Blue Schoolhouse is adorable and a snap to make with her special techniques. We'll each teach a half day class at sea, share our quilts at a mini trunk show and offer another evening mini class such as a pincushion and wool scissor holder. How fun is that? All kits are included in the cruise price and sewing machines are provided.

Think about joining us, but don't wait too long. Time is quickly running out. April 1st is the deadline for deposits. 

Back to work, Lots to do.

Florida Memories
Robert & I are finally back in the swing of work again after our lovely trip to Florida. We thoroughly enjoyed the delightful weather and warm hospitality of the local quilters in Fort Myers and Jacksonville. I picked up a few finds along the way. On my first cruise, I brought home a bag of sand and a few shells from each beach we visited. Now, I'm on a mission to collect native shells from our trips. Of course, the large starfish isn't a Florida native, but the little one in resin in the bottom of a hand-woven pine needle basket by Yvonne Wielhouwer is a treasure. She happened to be at a Arts/Craft Show in the Keys as we were driving. So many cool things. The adorable bird on the strawberry was a gift from my buddy, Pam Buda, from one of our mutual favorite folk artist, Ginny Henson. Love it! And, the quilt in the background is one of Pam's patterns made with my fabric by Lois Sprecker (my piecer extraordinaire) for Christmas. What a collection of special memories!

 This little dish caught my eye at Mallory Square at sunset when the local artists and vendors set up by the sea while the local entertainers vie for attention. It's a bit brighter than I normally go for, but the work involved and the saying spoke to me: "Near the sea, we forget to count the days." Maybe it's because I'm a Cancer, or maybe it's because I've lived in Kansas most of my life and am land-locked, but I'm drawn to water. I've found relaxing by the ocean, listening to the rhythym of the waves with a warm breeze blowing over my skin, are some of the best days/naps of my life.

Moda Designer Blog Hop
Don't miss Moda's Friendship Quilt-a-Long beginning Feb.18 thru Mar. 1st. Three designers a day will share their upcoming fabric lines, a pattern and giveaways. It's always fun to see what's new with everyone and the blog hop is a terrific way to follow. Go to Moda Friendship Quilt-a-long to see a complete list of designers/dates. I'll be blogging on Feb.22nd along with French General & Kate Spain. See you then!

Giveaway
 This month's KT Stash project is Whirlygig. Start with large triangles cut for a basic quarter square; place a small gold triangle on one corner of each large triangle using our Layered Patchwork technique; stitch. Piece the quarter squares as you would normally.

How easy is that? Win the Whirlygig pattern and a handfull of our new Pheasant Hill collection to start your project by commenting on your favorite vacation spot - why you love it, cool finds, good eats. We'll draw next Monday. See you later this week. Lynne