Quilting on the Oregon Trail

KT Winner

Congratulations to Janie! You're the winner of last week's blog giveaway - 3 Mini Table Treats patterns. Enjoy! Now you'll have a few more seasonal quilts for the seasons.

 

 Janie - I hang up different colored quilts to represent the seasons. I also change out runners and wall hangings.

California/Oregon Trail Center, Montpelier, Idaho

I joined my designer buddy, Pam Buda, Heartspun Quilts, in Montpelier, ID for a 3-day quilting event last weekend (hence, no blog post lately). The center sits on the historic site of Clover Creek campgrounds where brave and sturdy souls traditionally camped on the trail for 3 days. After trekking for 1000 miles from Independence, MO, they rested their weary animals before venturing on another 900 miles to Oregon City, OR where they would discover the location of their "free land" - sometimes back down the road to Idaho!

I shared my quilts in a trunk show with most unique backdrop ever - a reproduction 1852 General Store and covered wagon. So cool! The actual dirt from the Oregon Trail was on the stage!

Pam and I each taught 2 days of classes with a group of most hospitable quilters.Incredibly, several of the ladies had just returned from a trip to Missouri Star Quilt Co. and had stopped in Bennington at our shop to visit - too crazy! But not for quilters!

I always like to have some proof that I was working and not sight-seeing the whole time to prove to Robert and Jamie my trips are more than just fun. Here's Debbie who came to class with her Mom and sister and finished her Fresh-Picked Runner from Clara's Garden in blues. Lovely.

Saturday evening, Pam and I headed back Jackson Hole, WY to fly home and get a bite to eat at the Silver Dollar Saloon. I just had to get a picture of this sign. You don't see this in Kansas!

Heartfelt coming soon

When I returned home, a couple of quilting elves (Lois and Joy) had a pile of new Christmas quilts awaiting my arrival. The new Heartfelt collection is due in quilt shops next month so I was busy finishing up the patterns. Here's a sneak peek at Heart of the Home (89"sq. lap quilt). The booklet also includes a queen version, runner and pillow topper. Stay tuned for those and the charm pattern next time.

Off to Indiana

I better finish packing for my trip to Appleseed Quilt Guild in Fort Wayne, IN, Back Door Quilts in Greenwood, IN and Hancock Co. Piecemakers in Golden, IL this week. There's still time to come to the trunk shows and workshops. Hope to see you there!

March so far...

KT Winner

Congrats to Kristy! You've won the Primitive Quilts & Projects Spring issue in anticipation of the Summer issue with Moda's Collections for a Cause quilt featured. Look for it at quilts shops or subscribe online. Don't miss a single issue!

Antiques and More

It's been a busy March so far with a couple of teaching trips, a fun antique weekend and spring break with the grankids. On top of all that, we FINALLY got our remodeling project done on our house - ok, almost done. Just a few minor paint touch-ups, window washing and lots of cleaning, but we're on the way. I love it! I found a few treasures to decorate our new space while in Arthur, IL at the antique shows. Here's a peek...

Robert questioned my sanity when I snapped up the mini windmill to hang in the peak over a window in the new living room. Who doesn't love a windmill in the country? He's warming up to it.

A primitive bird on an oil can and a cast iron foot feed with a star - looks like a towel rack to me!

One of the few old quilts I found this year. I can see the possibilities for future fabric lines in the lovely prints in this gem.

Love, love, love the red basket!

This is some kind of metal rake/grader to drag and scratch the surface of the ground before planting seeds. I see it hung on the wall with a wreath over it to change for the seasons. I love the rusty patina and it has a great wooden frame. Farm implements as wall decor? Welcome to my home!

 To Omaha and beyond

To prove it hasn't been all play and no work, Robert and I spent a couple days sharing quilts and teaching workshops in Omaha, NE. Several of the ladies had most of their pinwheel blocks in rows, but this industrious quilter made a wall quilt in one day!

 

Then on to Sioux Falls, SD where we met a bevy of delightful ladies all ready to whip up some Mini Table Treats. In just 3 hours, this was the result - what a fun group!

 In honor of the quilting ladies of South Dakota, we're offering a  trio of MTT patterns for giveaway this week - Springtime, Tic Tac Stars and Gathering Basket. Comment here about your favorite springtime ritual for decorating, cleaning or gardening. I'd love to hear your tips & tricks.

Collections for a Cause Quilt

KT Winner

Congratulations this week to: TanyaQuiltsinCO

You're the winner of V & Co's Color Theory charm pack & Jr. Jelly Roll. Vanessa is coming out with a line of basics that are all color graded solids. Her pattern designs featuring them are amazing! 

Primitive Quilts

Do you subscribe to Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine? If not, it might be a good time to sign up! Coming soon in their Summer 2015 issue (available early April) is a lovely quilt with blocks contributed by several Moda designers featuring Mr. Dunn's Collections for a Cause fabric. Blackbird Designs, Laundry Basket Quilts, Kathy Schmitz and others all made applique blocks for this stunning quilt. (Mine is the basket of poseys in the bottom right corner.) The simple pinwheel blocks set off the appliques perfectly and echo quilts from the past with a make-do attitude. Although I'm not much of an applique-er, this one is going on my bucket list!

Comment here to win the current issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects magazine - Spring 2015 - while you're waiting for the Summer issue to hit the newsstand. Want to catch up with back issues? Many of the previous issues of Primitive Quilts are sold out, but we have a few of Summer, Fall & Winter 2014 at KT Bernina Quilt Shop. Call Jamie at 785-488-2120 to check availability.

Mod Quilt Con Review

KT Winner

I'm a couple days late after being iced in at the Dallas airport, but the blog goes on!
Congratulations this week to :
Aggiequilter - Just goes to show that your patterns look great in all colors ! Would love to win Loose Change. Enjoy Austin and QuiltCon, wish I was going but life intervenes ... 

 Mod Quilt Con

What an eye opener! So many intriguing designs and ideas and colors - Oh my! After spending 3 days with quilters from all over the country with a variety of tastes and talents, it was obvious that no matter the fabric or technique, quilters are quilters wherever you go. I met so many delightful ladies and shared my layered patchwork technique. Whether it's KT or brights or anything in between, it all works beautifully. Many of the ladies knew KT, some were even big fans, some had never heard of us. No matter, the passion for creating and joy of quilting bonds us together. I was expecting a younger crowd, but was pleasantly surprised by the many mother/daughter duos roaming the show floor looking for new ideas. Also, alot of quilters who loved brights, but lived with KT colors. I'd say that's a great compromise! Here are a few highlights from my trip to Austin.

Jen Kingwell, Moda designer, hanging out in the Moda booth playing games (literally!). Love her scrappy, eclectic look!

Here are a couple of pictures proving I really was working while at Mod Quilt Con. I demonstrated our new KT Wedge and Melon Templates in the Modern Cotton booth (Quilt Haus owner & designer, Deanne Moore). Shown here - Clara's Garden in KT fabrics and Seedlings Runner started in V & Co's Color Theory by Moda. I love her new graded color Jr. Jelly Roll strips - too fun! It's the perfect partner for her bright prints.

Our trip was full of new sights and smells as we ate and shopped our way through Austin. One evening, Robert and I enjoyed live music at Bangar's brew pub and sausage house. Their menu boasted over 50 beers and 30 sausages. Really. I had chicken, spinach & sun-dried tomato sausage that was soooo yummy!

And of course, we had to spend some quality time with our friends, Jenny & Ron Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Co. Jenny was in Austin promoting MSQC and their cool new Mod Block magazine. I wonder how many photos were taken of her with quilters??? We're plotting and planning lots of fun on the two cruises we're teaching together next year in January and April. Go to Cruisin' with Jenny & Lynne for more information. 

For this week's giveaway, a Color Theory charm pack and Jr. Jelly Roll (20 strips). It's a whole lot of spring cheer in a little package. Comment here to win!

Off to Quilt Con

KT Winner

Congratulations to : 

Kathy ... aka Nana

I'm in a local quilt guild, but unfortunately our group doesn't do any challenges ... I wish they did. Perhaps I need to suggest that, eh? ;-)

You're the winner of the KT Barn Raising pattern and Five & Dime ruler this week. Hope you enjoy our process of layered patchwork using precuts. Let us see what you create!

Mod Quilt Con

I know, you hear the name Kansas Troubles and immediately think of hot pinks, bright blues and lots of white background - NOT! Then why, you ask, would I be attending the Mod Quilt Con in Austin, TX this week? Because it's so cool! I was delighted to be asked by Deanne Moore of Quilt Haus in New Braunfels, TX to demonstrate my layered patchwork technique and rulers/templates in her booth at this showcase of modern quilts. I enjoy using brights for the grankids' quilts and try to make a couple of alternate colorways of some of my projects just for fun and to show the versatility of the technique. Here are a couple of my favorite bright versions.

 

2 Bits, 4 Bits from Loose Change. A Layer Cake, charm and mini charm plus binding are all you need make a delightful drag-around-and-love-it-to-pieces 57" sq. quilt for your favorite little one. 

Me and My Sister fabric collections.

 

Delainey's Twirls & Swirls from Layers of Love. Our light-hearted pinwheels are made with just one charm pack and our layered patchwork technique for big results for your small fry. 72" sq. quilt. Sandy Gervais Pieces From my Heart fabric collection.

 Watch next week for more KT bright quilts and lots of cool stuff from Mod Quilt Con. For now, comment here to win a Loose Change book.

KT Barn Raising Mini

KT Winner

Thanks to Charlotte from California for sharing her comment this week. You're the winner of our Seedlings pattern & KT Melon Template. Please email your shipping address to Jamie at lynne@ktquilts.com. She'll send it right out!

 

Kurt Schindler February 4, 2015 at 9:49 AM

Even though I live in So. CA, I still decorate with snowmen and a few Valentine decorations. And then it is time for Easter/spring decorations. Sorry but nothing original.  Charlotte

Thanks to everyone for their decorating advice. I'm in awe of those of you who redecorate monthly for all the holidays. I'm lucky to add a few seasonal touches quarterly! Most of my "look" changes with a switch of quilts or adding a few gathered items from the yard to a crock or jar. One of my decluttering strategies is to find natural elements, use them for a couple months indoors, then return them to the yard. The ultimate in recycling!

KT Barn Raising & Mini by Cheri Branca

Thanks so much to Cheri for sending me a picture of her mini version of my KT Barn Raising quilt. Instead of using a Layer Cake and Charm pack for 9" blocks, Cheri used a couple charm and mini charm packs to make smaller 4" blocks into this wonderful little lap quilt (42" x 58").  Doesn't it look perfectly at home on her earth tone sofa?? Please share your photos of variations on KT projects whether it's miniaturized, like Cheri's, or in batiks or black/white. I'd love to show them here.

 

 The original KT Barn Raising quilt features a KT Favorites Layer Cake and Charm pack (72" square lap quilt). Centering the charm squares to make these simple blocks is a breeze with our KT five & Dime ruler. Layer a dark charm on tan LC and tan charm on dark LC; stitch 1/8" from pinked edges.  Place right sides together to create a layered bias square.

 This basic block is graphic and visually appealing in the Barn Raising setting, but also works in any setting where a light/dark block shines. Like this furrows version, or a classic pinwheel.

By using LC/charm blocks in the center and charm/mini blocks in the border, you can make a great queen/king sized quilt for your bed in very little time. KT Barn Raising includes all options shown.

Cheri also shared one of her small group's (M&M Quilters, Victor, NY) fun exchanges based on the Fold it - Snip it - Rip it - Drop it - Pass it guidelines (click for more information). Basically, your group decides on a colorway, then each member buys 1 yard of fabric. Cut your yard in half, keep half and pass it on. Each quilter takes half of whatever she's passed until it's made it's way around the circle. You'll have your own 1/2 yard piece plus 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc. Your challenge is make something from the pieces you end up with. Here's the swap piles for Cheri's group using KT fabrics. Can't wait to see what they can imagine!

Are you in a quilting small group? Do you have group projects, swaps or other interesting challenges for yourselves to challenge your quilting skills? I'd love to hear about them. Comment to sign up for this week's giveaway - a KT Barn Raising pattern and KT Five & Dime ruler to make your own version.

More at KT Bernina Quilt Shop

KT Winner

Congrats to Kathy E from Iowa. You're the winner of the Clara's Garden booklet and KT Wedge Template. Thanks to everyone who commented and/or stopped by this week.

A Few More Pics

When I asked Robert to take a couple pictures of the store after moving everything around, he went just a tad overboard and sent dozens! So here are a few more to share...

 The Bee's Knees quilt above, featuring Moda's precut Honeycomb hexagons, is one of my favorite precut quilts so far - and one of the easiest.  Simply cut a Honeycomb into quarters and stitch onto the corners of a square. When you sew the squares together into rows, the hexagons magically appear. So cool! Our KT Honeycomb ruler makes it even faster!

 30-Something from the Layers of Love book looks way more difficult to piece than it is. Using our layered patchwork technique, it all breaks down into a 9-patch with squares & triangles stitched on top. Impressive results! The mini Charming Stars quilt on the bench starts with a charm and mini charm. It's all precut for you.

An oldie but a goodie is this quilt from Piecing the Past, a collection of a dozen vintage quilts from my collection remade in KT fabrics. All but a bowtie runner are made with traditional piecing methods. This stunning quilt is made from just 100 light/dark 9-patch blocks. Really!

We also handcut our own 10" and 5" squares of my woven brushed plaids - or we have fat 1/8 bundles, too. I think plaids add a great linear dimension and "man up" just about any quilt.

Need mini charms? We've got them in several KT fabric lines. What a great way to have a little piece of every KT collection, or a great beginning for a delightful postage stamp quilt.

KT Giveaway

This week, I'm sharing our newest charm pattern, Seedlings, and the KT Melon Template to make the appliques. Go to for the pattern, melon template and kit for a spring-y addition to your home decor. Comment here about your transitional home decorating - what do you do between Christmas and Spring? I'm trying to figure out something other than snowmen. Help!