Market Recap

Happy Halloween!

In our little burg, the entire grade school visits the downtown merchants on Halloween morning dressed in their spooky attire. We love it! Instead of candy, we gave out orange and black friendship bracelets, rubber jump-y spiders and googly-eyes stickers. Too fun!

Tokens of Friendship

We're home again after Fall Quilt Market in Houston. Moda showed our new Token of Friendship fabric collection and we displayed the projects made from that line - a sweet little autograph quilt called Best Friends (on the end of the table) and a large king quilt with a handful of options named Tokens of Friendship (on the left wall).

From this angle, you can see our ktquilts.com sign embellished with buttons, buckles, safety pins and
a zipper that I made for Moda's Schoolhouse, Spell it Out. Watch for the spring designer blog hop
 for lots of free patterns and giveaways. 

To the right is the Eye of the Storm, Windmills on the Plains and KT Shining Stars, all made with precuts from the
KT Favorites II collection, due in quilt shops in December. On the take are the 2 Honeycomb lap quilt featuring a
Layer Cake and Honeycomb using our layered patchwork method and our new KT Honeycomb ruler. 

Here are the Fat Quarter Shop girls visitng about the new tutorial video we shot at market showing my layered patchwork technique. Watch for it at fatquartershop.com. The quilt behind me is the Tokens of Friendship
king quilt. The basket wall quilt and star runner plus 2 pillow toppers, a lap quilt and more are included in
this booklet. Available in March 2014. 

Workshops in Illinois

I'm unpacking and repacking for a week in IL visiting the Hands All Around Quilt Guild in Normal, IL next week on Wednesday & Thursday, Nov. 6 & 7th, then on to Canton, IL to the Piecers of the Heartland Quilt Guild for workshops on Sunday/Monday, Nov. 10 & 11th, and their guild meeting on Monday night. If you're in the area, please join us!

Giveaway

I have a KT Favorites Layer Cake & Eye of the Storm pattern to share this week if you comment on your Halloween fun. Winner will be announced on Nov. 13th.

Let the frantic piecing begin!

Weekend in Dansville, NY

I just returned from a 3-day teaching event at Material Rewards Quilt Shop in Dansville, NY. I arrived Thursday late afternoon to gorgeous weather and owner, Marti Wilson's, smiling face. We lugged suitcases full of quilts back to the shop for a Pheasant Feathers workshop during the day and a trunk show/lecture with a fabulous dessert bar on Friday night. (I always eat salad for about a week before going to Material Rewards because of the dessert buffet. It's legendary!) Saturday was a full day of class piecing Icicle Stars and on Sunday, the ladies whipped up 3 small projects from my Loose Change book. I sampled fresh-out-of-the-garden fare from the Wilson garden including a delicious, savory kale pie - who knew? Thanks to Terri & Marti and their staff and all the quilters who attended the classes who made me feel so very welcome in NY. 

Market Madness

In less than 3 weeks, we need to piece a king & lap quilt, runner, 2 pillow toppers, wall quilt & charm quilt using the just received Tokens of Friendship fabric collection. Here's a sneak peek of my new favorite fabrics.

Token of Friendship - available in your local quilt shop March 2014

I'm so excited to play with some applique on some of these pieces. Watch over the next few weeks to see how it all comes out.

Blog Blowout

Robert says it's time to make room for all the new patterns coming out this fall so we're offering another huge discount on a KT pattern, Starry Moon. The runner is a spin-off of the Harvest Moon quilt project from last fall's fabric line of the same name. Simple construction with our layered patchwork technique means you can sew it up in an afternoon and decorate with it this fall.

The pattern is bargain priced at $1.85 + $3.15 standard postage for a total of $5.00! Order it before next Tuesday, October 15th before this deal blows away. 

See you next week!

Lynne

Size Matters Blog Hop Winners

Size Matters Blog Hop Winners

Thanks to everyone who commented over the past couple days. It's been great fun to follow all of the Moda designers and see what they're up to now. I can't wait to see what you'll do with all the great blocks!

The KT Winners are:

Sweet Pea Fat Quarter Bundle - 

LZ commented, "I have one of your quilt designs on one of my beds upstairs. Cozy and durable and a pleasure to make using your raw-edge applique technique. I agree, precuts are a great way to make a wonderful scrap quilt.

Sweet Pea Layer Cake, Charm, Mini Charm - 

Shannon commented, "Oh yes, I agree that precuts have become my favorite for sure. :) Through the Year is on my list! I have some (not enough, though--LOL) KT stashed that I want to use, and I could use it with Loose Change and with Through the Year. Bye for now!"

Sweet Pea Jelly Roll - 

Beverly Stigge (a fellow Kansas quilter!) commented, "Always adding interesting techniques...layered patchwork! I too love the Fall colors...rust and pumpkin comes to my mind's eye. Looking forward to adding your lovey vines to my borders."

Please email your shipping address to lynne@ktquilts.com and we'll send your goodies right out!

Hope to see you all Wednesday for my regularly scheduled blog post. 

Size Matters Moda Blog Hop

KT Winner

First of all, congratulations to andsewon who commented last week to win a huge pile of Icicle Stars scraps. Please send your mailing address and we'll box it up right away. Thanks to everyone who stops by my blog and comments. I'd love to visit with each of you! Our KT Retreat schedule for 2014 is on the website now at ktquilts.com. Gather a bunch of friends and come see us!

Size Matters

It was perfect timing this week when UPS dropped off several boxes of my newest fabric precuts for Sweet Pea. I always enjoy sewing with the rich, warm browns, pumpkins, golds, greens, reds and blues of autumn groups. There are already a couple of favorites on my hoarding list. Can you pick them out?

The first thing that hit me when I heard the theme of the blog hop was PRECUTS - I admit I'm slightly addicted. What better way to start a project than with a perfectly coordinated group of prints cut into the exact sizes you need? Is bigger better? With a Layer Cake and a charm pack, you can have a lap size quilt in a day - really! Love a smaller project? A charm and mini charm whip up into a wall quilt or table topper in half the time. What a quick and easy way to stitch for everyone on your list for the holidays! Need a juvenile or novelty print quilt? Pick precuts and you'll have no unblendable leftovers in your stash. I've actually expanded my precut shopping to include several other designers now since I don't have to decide how much fabric to buy. Just a couple precuts and yardage for borders and I'm good to go! Check out our Loose Change book and rulers for over a dozen ideas to see just how Size Matters.

When our marketing genuis, Lissa & crew, at Moda unveiled the theme of this fall's blog hop, I wanted to select a traditional block that could be transformed with my layered patchwork technique. (If I couldn't use precuts, I could certainly make it simpler.) The rules required us to begin with 3", 6" and 12" blocks so they all play nicely together. Once I took the work out of piecing the little triangles, it was all play! I began with (4) 6" blocks in the center. Simply piece a traditional bias square (or half square triangle), then layer a square that's been cut on the bias on the tan corner; stitch about 1/8" from the bias edges and shazam! Your block is done! The squares that are layered on top are cut on the bias so the edges will gently fray but not unravel. Precuts work perfectly for this technique since the pinked edges prevent raveling.  (This would be the perfect fit for a mini charm square using a finished 5" bias square as the background.)

Simply piece a bias square, layer a square on top & stitch!

Create (4) 6" blocks for the center and surround them with (20) 3" blocks for a zigzag-gy border. It's a great way to use leftover scraps from a quilt project for a coordinating moment in your home decor.

Size Matters Pillow featuring Sweet Pea fabric collection. Double Take Stars, behind the pillow, is a new KT Stash pattern for October usng a Sweet Pea charm pack and mini charm.
Go to Size Matters Pillow to download the free pattern for this project.
Instructions for traditional piecing are also included.

My 18" block would also be very cool multiplied in a lap quilt. An assortment of fat quarters - or a pile of scraps - would make an awesome guy quilt for the holidays. Add a couple borders to make this 54" x 72" quilt even snugglier.

Comment here by Monday, Sept. 16th for a chance to win one of three Sweet Pea prizes - a fat quarter bundle, Layer Cake/charm/mini charm trio or a Jelly Roll. We might even throw in one of the new patterns for Sweet Pea - Through the Year featuring a Jelly Roll, or the Lil' Sweet Pea Charm pattern.

Jelly Roll project with 4 seasonal button-on toppers to change through the year.
Through the Year at ktquilts.com 

Whimsical floral is surrounded by a "charm"-ing layered patchwork border.
Lil' Sweet Pea at kquilts.com 

Visit  Cosmo Cricket and Comfort Stitching today for more bloggin' goodies!

Get Ready to Hop!

Moda Designer's Size Matters Blog Hop

September 4th is the first day of Moda's Size Matters Blog Hop. Start with Laundry Basket Quilts, French General, and Zen Chic tomorrow, then hop on over to Bunny Hill, Basic Grey, and Sweetwater on Thursday, Sept. 5th. Friday features more awesome Moda designers - Jan Patek, Pat Sloan and Pieces From My Heart.  Take a break over the weekend, then come on hoppin' back to another week of designers blocks, new fabric collections and patterns and great prizes! Watch for KTQ on Sat. Sept. 14th.

Another Wednesday Blog Blowout!

Thanks to everyone who took advantage of our first ever Blog Blowout special last week - Red Hots. Congrats to Deb from CO (comment #2) - you're the winner of the red/tan scraps. Comment before Wed. Sept. 11th to win this pile of leftover squares from Icicle Kisses - there's a ton!

Cattails Runner

This week's special pattern will have you wishing for cooler weather and ready for fall - Cattail Runner. I love it through Thanksgiving as a backdrop for bouquets of sunflowers, gourds and mini pumpkins. Order before Wed. Sept 11th. The pattern is only $1.85 + $3.15 postage for a total of only $5.00!!! Now's the time to order that KT pattern you've had your eye on - the shipping is paid for up to 3 patterns.
See you at the Hop!

It's a Red Hot August!

Welcome to KT's first ever Blog Blowout!

Stop by our blog site monthly - or more often if the mood strikes - for once-in-a-blue-moon blowout specials on KT books, patterns & more! To celebrate the end of a long, hot summer, our Red Hots pattern is the perfect choice. My layered patchwork technique makes a traditional quilt block fast & easy in any color combo you choose.

We simply layer a small red triangle on each large tan triangle, and a small tan triangle on each large red triangle, then stitch 1/8" away from the bias edge. Sew a red and tan layered triangle together to create a basic half square triangle unit, then piece 4 units together to create the pinwheel block. Easy peasy!

Go to Red Hots to purchase this pattern for only $1.85 plus $3.15 shipping for a total of $5.00! Today thru Monday, September 2 at 10pm. Comment here by Wednesday, Sept. 4th to win a scrap bag of KT reds & tans to get you started.

Don't forget Moda's Designer Blog Hop Sept. 4 thru 16! Check out KTQ on Sept. 14th for a look at the new Sweet Pea collection coming to your favorite quilt shop soon.

KT Winner

Congratulations to knitnoid - you're the winner of the Sweet Pea fabric scraps. Robert is pretty sure he can stuff it all into a priority envelope, so send us your address and be on the lookout! Thanks to everyone who commented about their grankids. Glad I'm not the only one out there who feels like a "bad" gramma revelling in the quiet after they leave. We'll have a couple of them for Labor Day weekend, then miss'em like crazy until the holidays.

Trip to Texas

I spent last weekend in the lovely town of Fredericksburg, TX, a couple hours west of Austin. Their downtown is delightful with shops, restaurants, beer gardens and more fun for tourists. There are loads of winerys -32, if that's your drink -and peaches galore. What a yummy stop! The ladies of the Veriens Quilt Guild were so welcoming - we had a great time at the Icicle Stars class.

My historic accommodations - an 1800's log cabin. So cool! The local quilt shop, One Quilt Place, has moved right down the road from Bev's stone house (across the driveway) and their lovely guest log home. Thanks so much for the most comfortable night's sleep ever on the road!

The original structure housed the bedroom/sitting room with stairs to a loft bedroom.
A small kitchen and spa-like bathroom were added for 21st century comfort. 

On Monday, I travelled down the road to Kerrville, Tx for the Hill Country Quilt Guild program and a Mini Table Treats workshop. (The only picture I took didn't come out well, so unfortunately, no proof that I was working.) The ladies there are represented grandly in Houston this year by several outstanding quilting groups and individuals that have been juried into the show. Congratulations to all of you! I loved seeing the quilts. 

KT Bernina Quilt Shop

Seems Robert is rearranging and expanding the store every time I go in. I think he's got it the way he wants it for now - otherwise, all of my good junk will be shoved right out the back door! I'll have him post a picture soon. 

Check back on Wednesday for our first super special deal!