News from The Old Country Store & Museum in PA

The Old Country Store in Intercourse, PA

I'm delighted to report that the KT event at The Old Country Store & Museum was a huge hit among attendees. So wish I could have been there to meet everyone. New KT fabrics were unveiled and treats inspired by my Butterfly Garden quilt were enjoyed by all.

Jan Mast shared with me that the KT Quilt Contest is still open to anyone wishing to participate. Do you have a quilt made exclusively of KT fabrics or a stash full of KT fabrics just begging to be stitched into a quilt? Now is the time to cash in!

The deadline for entering is October 15, 2013, so there’s still time!

The entry must be made exclusively of KT goods (from their stash, from their local fabric store, from us…any KT collection or mix of KT goods is fine!)

        
Entries may NOT exceed 60” x 60” (think small wall quilts, not bed-size quilts!)

       
Entries must be submitted online at www.KansasTroubles.com (contest rules can also be found there).

       
There are two terrific prizes!  ($500 cash, 50-yard Moda shopping spree, autographed KT books)  Prizes are awarded to the People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice winners.  (Smaller prizes for the ten finalists.)

 The two winning quilts (People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice) will hang in the 2014 Quilt Museum exhibit! How cool is that!?!

I can't wait to see all the quilts submitted! Best of luck to all of you!

In honor of The Old Country Store & Museum's display of KT quilts this year, we're giving away a selection of some of the patterns - 

Butterfly Garden

Snow

Hearts to You

Comment here by Monday, Aug. 12th for a chance to win all 3! 


Mark your calendar now for Moda's Designer Blog Hop beginning Sept. 4.

Catching Up

KT Winner

Congrats to Karen in Breezy Point - you're the winner of the Just For You gift bag pattern. Hope you're staying cool up there in Minnesota!

A Long Week

Right after the last blog post, Robert's Dad was transfered to Hospice for his final days. After a very long struggle with heart disease and kidney failure, he passed last weekend. The days following were full of family decisions for Robert. I took over the store so he could focus on what he needed to do. Today, everyone has gone back to work and their normal lives and we're trying to catch up with the business at hand. It's always sad to lose a loved one, but also a relief that he's no longer suffering. Keep Robert in your prayers. Thanks.

The Old Country Store & Museum

Because of all the uncertainty of the past couple weeks, I felt I needed to cancel my trip to The Old Country Store Quilt Museum on Tuesday, July 30th. I hope all of you still attend this fabulous event and enjoy it for me. Jan Mast and her staff have put together a day of fun and surprises that are worth the drive to Intercourse, PA. There's still time to enter their Kansas Troubles quilt contest. Send pictures!

Material Rewards

The other half of my trip east was to Material Rewards Quilt Shop in Danville, NY. Marty & Teri agreed to move my program and workshops to September 26-28th. I'll be teaching Icicle Stars, Pheasant Feathers and a couple of projects out of Loose Change. I understand there's a waiting list for the workshops, but I'd love for you to join us Friday night for a trunk show of all the latest KT quilts and yummy desserts!

See you all on Monday for another KT giveaway!

Great Girlfriend Getaway to Florida

St. Augustine Florida Retreat

It's hot, hot, hot here in Kansas and I'm already looking forward to the cooler days to come this winter. Partly because this January will bring another opportunity for my buddy, Pam Buda, Heartspun Quilts, and I to spend a week together, sharing our love of quilts with fellow quilters. Join us as we experience a bit of fun in the sun this winter in historic St. Augustine, Florida. In addition to a lovely motel on the beach and workshops with Pam and me, St. Augustine is a delightful destination for shopping and sight-seeing. Bring your girlfriends and have a quilting party with us!

Chasing Grankids

It's a busy week with grankids coming and going - Aleece is staying all week, Rowan is here Monday thru Wednesday, then Delainey comes Friday & Saturday as we take Aleece home to KC and visit the American Girl Store. Having one grankid at a time makes for leisurely quiet conversations and cuddling in front of the TV, but when there are two or more together, the laughter never stops. I love listening in on their late night whisperings about their friends, parents, and life in general. It's a unique perspective as a granparent - one I cherish. So, all week, I'm trying to work early and play all afternoon, but there's a long list of to-do's at the shop. The kids have volunteered to carry boxes upstairs to earn some money for snacks at the swimming pool this afternoon. They better go early as it's supposed to hit 105 here today. I can't send them home scorched! 

KT Winner

Congrats to deblong of Ulysses, KS. You're the winner of our trilogy of patriotic patterns. Please send your mailing address to lynne@ktquilts.com to claim your prize. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions of fabulous fireworks displays. I'm making my list...

KT Web Store

I'm adding new kits to the webstore every day - Icicle Stars, Skipping Stones, Signs of Fall and several Mini Table Treats to name a few. Go to ktquilts.com to see all of our books, patterns, precuts and kits. I'm learning more about our website this summer and will be introducing new features as I can. What would you like to see on our website?

Just For You Gift Bag

Our new pattern this month for KT Stash Society is a gift bag for the holidays. How special to "wrap" a present in a quilted bag that can be used all year through. It's a great size (12"x14"x2") for carrying all your necessities - a tablet, books, magazines, paperwork. Adjustable tie straps make it very versatile. Our layered patchwork technique makes it fast & easier enough to make several!

Comment this week about oneof your favorite KT projects - past, present or future - to win a Just For You Gift Bag pattern.  Talk to you soon!

Happy Birthday America!

KT Winner

Congratulations to Kathy in GA - you're the winner of last week's KT giveaway. I really appreciate all your help in suggesting themes for new Mini Table Treats. Watch this fall for a few new designs.

Sweet Pea

Thanks for all the positive comments on the Through the Year wall quilt with button-ons. I've had several emails inquiring about when the fabric & pattern would be ready. Ship date for fabric is October, so I guess I better have the pattern done before then, as well.  Watch here for giveaways. To be the first on your block to have a piece of Sweet Pea - or any KT collection - sign up for our KT Collector's Club. You'll receive (6) fat quarters, a mini charm and a pattern from our KT Stash Society series about a month before the fabric hits the shops for just $25 - including shipping! Email me at the shop at lynne@ktquilts.com to sign up.

Fireworks

Ok, if you've known me very long, I'm sure you've heard the story of my birth day on July 5th. My Dad tells that during the family's fireworks display on the 4th, my Mom went into labor and he had to quit shooting off fireworks to take her to the hospital. Such a sacrifice! For years I heard that the whole town was lighting up the sky just to celebrate my birthday. Finding out that wasn't the case was like finding out about Santa. Oh well, I still LOVE fireworks. I have a bucket list started on some of the best fireworks displays in the country that I want to experience before I've had too many more birthdays. Any suggestions? Comment here and win a few of my favorite red/tan/blue patterns.

A Wave to Old Glory  features layered patchwork for easy wavy stripes.

Picnic Plaid is simply pieced 9-patches with a red plaid bias strip  stitched
on as you quilt through all the layers.  Fast & easy for picnic fun.

One of 3 seasonal variations in our Frayed Edges, Too booklet that's all plaids cut on the bias
with no batting for the softest, cuddliest throw ever!

Exciting week at KT Bernina Quilt Shop & Emporium

Last week was an exciting time at at KT Bernina.  I crashed Lynne's quilt program,  welcomed a busload of 52 enthusiastic quilters from Grand Island, NE, and ten more from Wakefield, KS.  In my spare time I was able to service a serger and a couple sewing machines and set up some new displays for the store.

Silver Needles Quilt Guild

Lynne was invited by Silver Needles to do her quilt presentation and, of course, I was needed to hold up the quilts for all to see.  Since I had a captive audience I jumped at the chance to promote KT Bernina Quilt Shop and Emporium.  I brought along the Bernina 550 QE sewing machine and showcased the 710 sewing machine with the Bernina Stitch Regulator.  It was fun watching thequilter's try out freemotion BSR quilting.  

A flock of wool bird pincushons landed at the store.

Harvest table with needful things

Welcoming the Grand Island Quilters

Bernina University

Looking forward to an entertaining and educational conference attending Bernina U in San Francisco,CA this weekend.  Planning to take advantage of the many classes and presentations showcasing what's new and exciting with Bernina. Stay tuned for a recap of my adventure!

Sneak Peek

KT Winner

Congratulations to Laurie from TX. You're the winner of the Icicle Stars booklet. Thanks to you and everyone for commenting. I enjoyed hearing about all of your favorite summer adventures - at home and travelling. I love anywhere near the water where it's cooler than Kansas. No vacation for me this summer, though. The store is keeping us busy and the grankids are coming and going over the next few weeks. At least it's a good excuse to go to the pool and eat ice cream!

Sneak Peek

KT's newest fabric line, Sweet Pea, debuted at Spring Market in Portland. Here's a first look. For our fall collection, we have rich shades of green, pumpkin, brown, navy, red, gold & tan. The tan with multi-colored dots is my absolute favorite print in this line - I'll be using that as a background ALOT! Really like the navy medium print - it also comes in red, green and tan tone-on-tones.

The project for Sweet Pea is Through the Year. It continues our theme from the Changing Seasons HB runner that offers 14" quilted squares to button on for the seasons. Mix and match any of our toppers to button on a pillow, the runner or our new wall quilt. With the double churn dash background, it's great on it's own, too!

44" sq. wall quilt with buttons

Fall Harvest Topper 14" sq.

Happy Birthday America topper 14" sq.

Joy of the Season topper 14" sq.

Bloomin' Basket topper 14" sq.

I'm always looking for suggestions for additonal toppers for pillows, the runner and wall quilt. What motif would you like to decorate your home? Comment here to win a bag full of scrap strips & squares leftover from these projects. Be the first on your block to own some Sweet Pea!