Makin' Honey from Bees 'n Blooms

KT Winner

Congrats to Carol Feye, you're the winner of a Bees 'n Blooms booklet. Please email your mailing address to Jamie at lynne@ktquilts.com. She'll send it out as soon as they're done in late Feb/early March. I'd love to see a picture of your hanging ornaments! Sounds very cool.

Vintage Hexs Made Easy

My love affair with quilts began many years ago when I slept under my Gramma's quilts. She only made three, as was the custom (and her Mother's requirement) for her hope chest. Her real love was rug hooking. I was lucky enough to receive one of the quilts she made as a young woman when I married. I loved that quilt - a double wedding ring with cheddar yellow background and scrappy 30's prints. We used it on our bed, washed it and loved it practically to death over the years. I took my first quilting class to reproduce the vintage quilts I was drawn to, but couldn't afford to purchase as a new wife/mom/student. My mission was to make new quilts that looked and felt like Gramma's. I was fortunate to take quilting classes from a shop owner that collected vintage quilts and totally got it. The traditional patterns and earthy fabrics she chose recreated the look I adored. Over the years, I've adapted and simplified those traditional blocks with my Layered Patchwork technique so I can make more vintage inspired quilts for everyone in my family. One of the latest challenges was this elongated hexagon quilt that I found at an antique show a couple years ago. It's been hanging in my studio ever since, whispering to me that there has to be a way....

After many unsuccessful attempts, the light bulb finally went on and I saw this design in it's simplest form - rectangles and triangles. The revelation was this isn't made as a single block, but in parts laid out in horizontal rows. By layering/topstitching triangles over the corners of large rectangles for one row and sewing matching skinny rectangles together in the alternating row, it creates the elongated hex I was craving. No inset seams and no raveling since the triangles are cut with the bias edge exposed. Hallelujah!

 The finished quilt made with a Layer CakeTM is modeled below by my grandaughter, Aleece. I'm totally in love with BOTH of them!

The mini version featuring a charm pack...

The pattern is called Makin' Honey because that's what bees do in their honeycomb. Both of these sizes plus a runner are included in the Bees 'n Blooms booklet (retail $15.95, available March 2016). My next project is to cut pieces from over 400 different KT fabrics to have a true charm hex quilt.

To receive a Bees 'n Blooms scrap bundle, comment here. Would you like to try this layered patchwork technique?

More Bees 'n Blooms

I'm stuffed full of turkey and pecan pie and ready to get back to some serious stitching. Want to join me in my KT Stitch with Me 4-week series in January/February 2016? We'll be making a sampler quilt with the different blocks used in projects featured in my new book, Crazy for Minis. Watch for more details on kits, etc in the coming weeks. 

KT Winner

First of all, Congratulations to Paula! You're the winner of the Bees 'n Blooms bag of scraps. I realized the girls have brought back all the parts and pieces from the quilts they've made for this collection but some are at the store, some in my studio and some at the cabin. Please be patient while I fill up your goodie box.

For everyone else, watch for specials on Bees 'n Blooms later in March 2016 when it arrives. So fun!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas....

Robert and I spent a quiet Thanksgiving Day cooking turkey and decorating the cabin for Christmas. With limited floor space, we opted for a non-traditional "tree" this year. We spend alot of time in the evenings watching TV or listening to music in our living room with our electric fireplace glowing. So it only seemed logical to have our Christmas decorations where we spend the most time. Here's a look at one of my favorite windows. The snowy backdrop certainly helps with the mood!

Green garland, pine cones, tiny lights, tin stars and red berries are the base for (L to R) a crescent moon windmill weight, a pair of wooden deer and a handmade burl bowl full of pinecones. I try to use as many everyday objects as possible so there's less seasonal decor to store from year to year. I think I like my vertical tree!

More Bees 'n Blooms

The second project in the Bees 'n Blooms booklet is our Queen Bee lap quilt and pillow. The KT Melon Template is featured for the fusible applique making this traditional Honey Bee block even easier. Next week I'll share the secret to making the Honeycomb quilt on the glider with just 2 elements!

This week's giveaway is the Bees 'n Blooms booklet ($15.95 retail). You'll have to be patient as it won't be ready until late February, but you'll be first on the list to receive one.

Introducing Bees 'n Blooms

KT Winner

Congratulations to Sally Hurst -

November 11, 2015 at 10:48 AM

I must make one of these for my daughter--she always says my quilts are too stiff for cuddling up.

You're the winner of our new Huggable Quilts book available later this month. Please email Jamie at lynne@ktquilts.com with your mailing address. You'll be one of the first to receive our book full of cozy, cuddly flannel quilts.

Market Introductions

I've been as patient as possible, waiting to show you my newest fabric collection, Bees 'n Blooms. In my humble opinion, it's one of the best ever! The mill did a fabulous job with the color. We opted for lighter, brighter tans in a range of tones along with my classic KT reds, navys, golds, purples, greens and black for a gorgeous spring group. This line was inspired by a beautiful floral print and a tiny bee print. Together with a diagonal stripe, tiny dots, floral vine and a swirly tone-on-tone worthy of any background, these lovely prints come together to create some delightful projects in our Bees 'n Blooms book.

There are three unique ideas in the Bees 'n Blooms book featuring precuts, layered patchwork and raw edge applique projects. The first is our Bees 'n Blooms quilt, inspired by the prints in the fabric. A background pieced from Jelly Roll strips is embellished with a garden of floral delights. All of the flowers are made with just one template - our KT Melon Template - for easy cutting and stitching. A few busy bees are buzzing around the blooms for good measure.

 Some of my favorite elements come together in a sweet Mini Table Treat. Just a few fabrics and appliques make an adorable 17" round table topper to coordinate with our Bees 'n Blooms lap quilt.

 I'll introduce more of the projects in our Bees 'n Blooms book over the next few weeks. For now, comment here to win a bag of Bees 'n Blooms scraps - leftover JR strips, etc. How fun is that!

Cozy Cottage Flannels

KT Winner

"What?" you ask? Was there a giveaway last week? Not really, because I forgot to say that whatever name I chose for the unnamed quilt would win one of the Crazy for Minis book when it comes out in January. Soooo, congrats to Diane who named it "Fair & Square". So simple, so perfect! Thanks, Diane. Please email Jamie at lynne@ktquilts.com with your mailing address. As soon as the books are printed, you'll be one of the first to have one.

Thanks to everyone for submitting names for the quilt. You guys are really good at this! My brain goes to mush when I have a dozen things to name at once, so I appreciate the help. No doubt I'll be asking for name submissions in the future.

Cozy Cottage Flannels

I've spent the last week petting and fondling my latest fabric collection, Cozy Cottage Flannels. This group has the softest, yummiest flannels ever! I used my layered patchwork technique to create simple throws with no batting and no additional machine quilting. You start with 2 Layer Cakes and charms, plus borders or a few tan fat quarters for each. With no quilting expense, these comfy throws are about $100-$150 each - front, back, binding, done! I made something similar several years ago, cutting all my own squares, called Frayed Edges. They're my kids' and grankids' go-to snugglers for TV watching and cuddling. These easy quilts were a breeze to name since they're all so huggable.  Can you guess their names?

Huggable 68x68

Snuggle Me 57x57

Cuddle Up 57x57

  The basic technique is - 1. Place 2 Layer Cake squares wrong sides together.
                                         2. Add 5" charm or 2 1/2" squares to front LC; topstitch.
                                         3. Quilt the blocks a little more for fun.
                                         4. Sew blocks together with seams on the back.
                                         5. Bind.
                                         6. Enjoy! They only get softer each time you wash them.

Here's the one I've been working on, Cuddle Up, front and back with exposed seams. (Not a great pic out on the porch, but you get the idea.) Since we started with a pinked precut there's no unraveling, just soft fraying on the back. It took me about 5 hours to put it together; now to add the binding. I think I'll do it by machine, too, so it'll be even faster. After all, these are the ultimate in "use them up, make some more" quilts your family will love. Oooooh, how about a smaller version in baby flannels?

Want to win the Huggble book with these three projects in it? Comment here to win!

Quilt Festival Gallery of Quilts

Carrie Nelson's blog (click here)If you weren't able to attend Quilt Festival in Houston, Carrie Nelson, Miss Rosie pattern designer and Moda blogger extraordinaire, posted some great pictures. Check out all the fabulous quilts from Moda owner Mark Dunn's collection, plus the special quilts made just for Moda's 40th Anniversary. I'm so blessed to be part of this great company. Can you find the Kansas Troubles strip in the selvedge quilt? Just wanted to share. Enjoy!

I love automatically receiving Carrie's blog post. Sign up to keep up to the minute on all the latest Moda happenings, too!

What's New for Market

KT Winner

Congratulations to Angelia Lanouette! You're the winner of the not-yet-available-to-anyone-else-on-the-planet Bees 'n Blooms mini charms! Email Jamie at lynne@ktquilts.com and she'll send them right out. What to do with those mini charms? Gee, I might just have an idea....

Crazy for Minis

We had so much fun with our Crazy for Pillows book we're offering the next book full of little quilts made with mini charms! It's the perfect way to taste test my layered patchwork technique on a small project - or make little quilts totally fast for any occasion. Most of these were made in 3-4 hours!

Autumn Sky - our easy layered patchwork technique makes for perfect star points every time. Done up in dreamy blues and fall tones, it's a perfect accent for your fall decor.

Spring Fling - Tiny pinwheels spin effortlessly made with mini charm triangles all buttoned up in red.

Holiday Goose - So fast & easy - 1 Christmas Mini Charm (or 2 for variety) plus  tan and black and about 2 hours to piece tops! Make one for everyone on your holiday list!

Assorted dark Mini Charm squares are layered with tan MC cut into triangles with a green wool square stitched in the center of each block. What's in a name? This little guy doesn't have a name yet. Help! Submit your suggestions to win this week's giveaway of a Sunflower Song scrap bundle.

 I'm planning a little party to celebrate Crazy for Minis in the form of a quilt-a-long. My designer friend, Pam Buda, of Heartspun Quilts is a master of quilt-a-longs and has convinced me I need to join in the fun. Are you interested? Let me know and I'll put together a mini sampler using a few different blocks to create a unique mini quilt available to you only thru the quilt-a-long.

Fall Birthday Bash

KT Winner

Congratulations to Julie Scott. You're the winner of our new Sunflower Song charm pack. Please email your address to lynne@ktquilts.com. Jamie will send it out right away.

Pumpkins and Other Stuff...

We had our traditional OctoberBirthdayFest Saturday with all the kids & grankids. There are more than a dozen birthdays in our family from Oct. 12-Nov. 30, so we try to have a big celebration for everyone at the cabin while the weather is still nice and before the holidays take over our lives. Saturday night was perfect. Cool, crisp, no wind - just right for a blazing fire and roasting marshmellows for s'mores. Lots of sticky little hands, but so worth it.

Sooooo, that meant I spent much of my free time this past week decor-ing (Robert's term) the house and porch with fall stuff. The Mumpkin from last week's post turned mushy, unfortunately, so more mums, stacks of pumpkins and assorted fall items came out of storage to spruce up the house. It was time, after all, to put away the red/white/blue.  :)

Here's a look out my front door with a pumpkin wind chime that kept us up half the night until I remembered what could be making all that racket.

 

Below, the living room wall with pumpkins galore! I love the pumpkin wreath on the grate with boxes of gourds and things hanging close by. I have several wreaths to change out over the year and can make the boxes into little shelves with the addition of a book on top. Fill or stack with seasonal things and it's easy to decor for the seasons. Even with the best of intentions, though, I never quite finish up all my projects. The glass panel on the left side is an old wooden side light for a front door. It's been propped up there for a while. I don't want to hang it until I've scruffed up the finish a bit, maybe over-painted it and have the grankids pictures in it. Maybe by Christmas???

More clusters of pumpkins and acorn trees. Oh, I can't wait until next year's fall fabric line. It's very hush-hush now, but if you love acorns and leaves, stay tuned.

Right now with market just a week and a half away, I'm designing the last little project for Bees 'n Blooms, piecing just one more pillow and binding my fingers to the bone. Pictures are later this week, so there's no time to spare.

One of my favorite projects from the new collection for spring, Bees 'n Blooms? This long hex quilt based on a vintage find that was hand-pieced out of necessity (bottom of ladder). My version (on chair) features our Layered Patchwork method and uses only rectangles and triangles to create the look of vintage with fast & easy results. So fun! This lap size quilt utilizes a couple of Layer Cakes, but it's also available in pint size using a charm pack.

Watch for more Bees 'n Blooms projects in the next few weeks as we give you a sneak peek at all the new market offerings. Our giveaway this week is a pair of the so-new-it-doesn't-hit-quilt-shops-until-March-2016 Bees 'n Blooms mini charm packs. You'll be the first on your block to have one - and one to share. You won't want to miss the next few weeks!