Another Charming Thursday

Today we're looking back to one of my favorite collections - Seeds of Time - my 6th fabric line for Moda and the 5th quilt in the Quilters Journal series. Set in the mid-1800's, Lily and her family have been in Kansas for 20 years. The stage is set with a garden of beautiful flowers where her two oldest children will marry their loved ones in a double ceremomy under a new arbor built by their father. If you're interested in reading Lily's journal, all six of the Quilters Journal stories are available in a book (no quilt patterns) on sale now for just $9.95.

One of the challenges of this series was creating projects from the blocks in the quilt, too. The most popular has been a simple blue and white lap quilt called Bachelor Buttons. In the story, Lily pieced this quilt for her oldest son before he wed. This picture was taken in Kathy Haddock's yard - one of the most beautiful gardens I've seen.

This wool/cotton rolled sewing kit is also in Seeds of Time. It's one I carry with me on the road and holds everything I need. Call Robert for our weekly special - the Seeds of Time book for only $15! Both of these projects could be in single patterns soon, if my blogging test group votes positively. Let me know what you think and you'll be signed up for the Seeds of Time charm pack giveaway, too.

See you on the road this weekend!

A Budding Designer

Last week during Spring Break my grandson, Cooper (10), came to stay for a couple days. He spent alot of time on my iPad playing games (and showing me how to find new apps), but was intrigued when Lois and I started laying out Layer Cake and charm squares on the floor for a quilt top. After asking a few questions, he proceeded to arrange fabrics and colors as well as any experienced quilter out there. He was delighted to see the pattern come together as we sewed and pressed blocks and asked some very thoughtful questions about quilting in general and my raw edge applique technique. Before he left, he asked if there were any guys that quilted. I assured him that not only do men quilt, some make a living at it. He offered to accompany me on a few road trips over the summer "just to check things out". Hmmm...I hadn't imagined a second generation of KTQ. You just never know. Here's Cooper with his Justin Bieber "do", posing with another of the Piecing the Past quilts, Peppermint Dreams (his idea).

The pictures I took of the new project turned out really dark, so I'll try again tomorrow. Guess I should have let Cooper take them :).

The Winner

Lee says she love paisleys and dots, so she'll love playing with the Pressed Memories charm pack. Congrats to Lee and thanks to everyone who comments.

More tomorrow on a new project that Lois and I should finish up today.
LMH

A New Goose

While we're waiting for the UPS guy to bring the newest fabric for market, Lois and I decided to play with a new way to make flying geese. I love the dimension and primitive feel that the soft, frayed edges of raw edge applique lend to a quilt, so why not add that soft, "feathered" edge to our feathered friends? Instead of the more traditional method of piecing flying geese with a rectangle base and squares stitched diagonally, pressed and trimmed, we simply stitched a triangle on the rectangle. Our geese were flying in no time at all!

We sewed several geese together in dozens of rows then placed them "just so" to create stars in the intersections. I love the way the light geese pop against the dark background. My homework today is to figure out how to piece the star sections extending into the border. By Monday evening, it will be off to the quilter!

Have you tried raw edge applique? Do you like the easy application and prim results? I'd love to visit your guild and share the fun.

We're in for a few more days of gloomy, winter weather so I'm taking advantage of the time to work on some wool pincushion projects for workshops later this year. What better way to spend a cold, rainy day than stitching on wool, watching a Hallmark movie with a cup of hot cocoa. Have a warm, wonderful weekend.

Charming Thursday IV - Pressed Memories

We featured our studio in the book, Kansas Quarters, in 2002 using a variety of KT fabrics, mainly Pressed Memories. Shown here are some of my favorites. Since the book is now out of print, we're offering the Scrapbook 101 quilt (on the bed) as a single pattern soon.

By my fifth fabric line, Pressed Memories, I began to notice a pattern emerge - there was a dot print and a stripe in almost every line so far. It's interesting how we subconsciously gravitate toward certain types of prints - small, even geometrics, flowing vines or large florals.

Of course, the feature fabric is usually the starting point, but it's easier for me to gather piles of companion prints. I'm always on the lookout for a subtle stripe with a print over the top to place on the diagonal for visual movement. Small vine-y leaf prints are a favorite and are easy blenders. But the dots are my favorites - so simple, but they can be arranged in a mulititude of ways, make great backgrounds and in scattered in multiple colors can be the glue to pull a quilt together. What are your favorite prints? Do you start your quilt with a border or work your way there after finishing the blocks?

Stars over the Plains from Piecing the Past

I love old quilts - from crisp quilt tops that have never been finished to hand-pieced/quilted perfect examples to soft, worn everyday quilts that have been well-loved. Much like the imaginary playmates I had who helped me make Barbie clothes and host fashion shows, they all have a story. (Go ahead and laugh. I have friends who've told me I'm fairly normal.) I've purchased a few "investment" pieces over the years, but most of my finds are love at first sight. When a quilt calls to me, I notice the colors,fabrics and block chosen by the quilter, as well as the size and quality of workmanship - and then the story in my head begins. If there are a wide variety of fabrics, did she have a scrapbag handed down to her by a mentoring aunt or gramma? Did a group of friends come together to make a quilt for a family in need? If the quilt appears planned, was it meant for "good" or given as a gift?

In the quilt shown here, the large quantity of pink stripe in the setting blocks indicates it was either purchased or handed down and was the starting point for the quilt. Most of the stars are in blacks and indigos with a few reds scattered for interest. Were the half dozen pinky/browns added at the last minute to fill in the needed rows? Why are there several of these odd blocks clustered together instead of spread more evenly across the quilt? Had she hit that point in her quiltmaking that she just needed to finish it and go on? Her story? Let your imagination fly!

My New Look For Spring

My tulips are only a few inches high, but I'm really ready for a little bit of spring. The sunflowers will have to do until my garden offers up some more seasonal fare.

It's Monday once again, so it's time to announce the winner of the Quilt Connection charm pack for Charming Thursday - quiltpix (from the TNT Quilt Guild)! Really enjoyed your group of ladies. Hope you enjoy the "vintage" KT fabrics! Please email with your address.

Thanks to everyone who put their two cents worth in about the single patterns from A Year of Kansas Troubles. After tallying up the results, June, July and January were definitely the top three. I'm happy to say we're moving forward with that plan because of your enthusiasm and support. Watch for the new patterns (and a special deal) soon. (Just don't tell Robert - he already thinks we're a non-profit organization.)

See you tomorrow with another quilt from Piecing the Past. Til then, enjoy the arrival of springtime with sunny skies and the whole world turning a beautiful shade of green.