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Friday, April 30, 2010

Sunshine Lotto Blocks


Sunshine - that's the name of the Yahoo Group that this little flimsy top is for. The Sunshine Yahoo Group runs a monthly block lotto, and I won last month - these nine blocks are part of my 'booty'... I arranged them and added a little border - now it needs to be quilted, and then it will be a charity quilt...
What fun this quilting adventure is!!!
Kate

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I Need Encouragement


Well - this UFO has started to hang on the 'in progress' rack so long it's started needing to be dusted.... I really really enjoyed the piecing, and then decided to hand quilt it, and I am about - oh, halfway through... and ..... well, you know the rest... got interested in ten other things...
So - help me - how do you find the discipline to get back to a project that still needs lots of work but for which you just have lost the excitement? Do tell, do tell.... and thanks
Kate

Sunday, April 25, 2010

GIVEAWAY WINNER !!!

Congratulations to Arlette from Costa Rica who won the Book Giveaway!

(And thanks to the Random Number Generator for picking the winner... i would show you the screen shot if I knew how, but I don't :) )

And thanks to all who stopped by, who entered, or who blogged about the giveaway... it was great to meet you all... and I am still cleaning out my bookshelves, so keep watching for another giveaway soon!

Happy Sunday to all...

Kate

Saturday, April 24, 2010

ITS TULIP TIME IN MY STUDIO !!!

I'm having such fun making these cute tulip blocks for a couple of group projects:

6 of them will go to the tulip swap of sewfarsewgoodquiltshop, in Raleigh , NC... thanks, Stacey, for the swap! It's too late to join the swap, but stop by their website--- sewfarsewgoodquiltshop.com.

The others will go to a block lotto run by the Yahoo Sunshine Quilt Group, a group that makes quilts for Wrap-A Smile, an organization that sends quilts along for kids undergoing cleft palate and other disfugurement surgeries...

I hope my tulips travel safely through the mail and make someone happy at their destination!

........ and I just love the online community of quilters...

Kate

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

George is Having a Bad Day !!!



Now, before you get upset - this is George, and he is not being harmed in any way...

If you look closely, you can see that my hubby is pulling the cat's whiskers down - gently, I promise...

Well, when we do that, he lifts up his lip, and makes this very very nasty but FUNNY face!!!

It just makes me laugh hysterically... we call him the vampire kitty when he makes this face!!!

I hope it makes you laugh , too... I've had a bad day, and need a laugh... so here's one to share, from me, and from George... Big Bad George..

Kate

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Montana !!!!







Montana sure is beautiful - I was there for a business meeting this week - not about quilting...

But there was some time for exploring - went to a Buffalo reserve, which was fun...


..... boy, he could use a good brushing, couldn't he???



but my favorite was a little Country Store that was WAAAY off the beaten path... turns out it was a delightful little Amish store - with the most beautiful produce and lovely rows of beans, rice, and other nuts and spices...











But best of all - QUILTING STUFF!








There it was, tucked in between the dairy and the dishes - and the big bags of bulk dog food - there were fabrics and Mettler thread... it was sooo much fun to see it there!!!


Alas, no quilting was accomplished during these travels... But another weekend is on its way. I can't wait.


Kate

Monday, April 12, 2010

Thank You, Mrs. Chappell


Hi - I should warn you I am feeling nostalgic today... And in keeping with that, I share a photo of this lovely quilt that was a wedding gift to my special friends John and Marlene last year... they are not "quilty" people, so I knew I needed something more contemporary for them, and I am just so happy that they have this bit of special warmth and care in their home somewhere.
A couple of weeks ago I visited my mom, who is now 86, and as I always do, I took along the most interesting quilt in progress for her to see. Right now it's an applique quilt that she saw about 6 months ago when it was just blocks - now it's all sewn together and I am working on the borders and finishing touches... Probably next year she will see it quilted!
We got to talking about how I started quilting - and I learned some things.... and will share the story with you...
I grew up on a farm, and down the street was a small business, probably we would call it a bar... they sold beer and wine, and had some pinball machines... sometimes in the afternoon I would walk there, and if I was lucky, the owner would put the magic tool in the pinball machine and I would get to play without paying...
The bar was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Chappell, and in the summer Mrs. Chappell would put her sewing machine up on a table in the corner and sew together squares to make a quilt top... and I found it fascinating, so she let me sew a few - and can I tell you I was hooked!!
That winter, she took me over to her house and we went in the attic, where she had a quilt frame built from boards propped on the ladder-back chairs... and she showed me how she quilted that same quilt in the winter, when the attic was cool enough for use.
I loved going to the bar - but my mother did NOT like me going there ..... and as we talked, I learned why... I had always assumed it was because they sold beer there, and that made it an unfit place for a child... well this visit I learned there was MORE TO THE STORY. It turned out that Mrs. Chappell wasn't Mrs. at all - that she and Mr. Chappell had never tied the proverbial knot... and that was scandalous back then...
Somehow it reminds me of Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke... have you always assumed that the sheriff and Miss Kitty were lovers???? Leave a comment and let me know... unless you're too young to remember Gunsmoke.............grrr..
I will close this too-long post by saying thank you, Mrs. Chappell... you gave me a wonderful gift.
Kate
IF YOU'RE HERE FOR THE GIVEAWAY, SCROLL DOWN, IT'S THERE....

Friday, April 9, 2010

Another Member of My Family


Allow me to introduce you to the Lady Juliet. She is the "flora" member of our family. She is a Jade, and is around 20 years old, I think. She has been with us when we lived in Louisiana, Colorado, North Carolina and New York...
Moving with her is a REAL challenge.
This photo was actually taken three years ago, so she is now even bigger than this, and I need to take a new photo...
SCROLL DOWN TWO POSTS - DON'T MISS THE BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!! i'm cleaning out some shelves, i swear i am...
Happy Weekend everyone.
Kate

Thursday, April 8, 2010


I LOVE NEEDLETURN APPLIQUE!
and I am finally getting decent at it!!!!! yippee
Soon I will have a lovely top of applique blocks to share with you... but right now I am working on the applique borders..
Be Patient!!
MEANTIME - DON'T MISS THE GIVEAWAY BELOW..... free books!!!!
Kate

Sunday, April 4, 2010

BOOK GIVEAWAY


In Honor of Spring - a Book Giveaway!!
These three lovely books are available to a lucky reader of my blog...

Jenni Dobson's "Quick and Easy Quilts";
The New Applique Sampler, by Goldsmith and Jenkins;and
Kim Shaefer's Flowering Quilts

Here's how to win:

  • Leave a comment below, and you'll be entered One time;

  • Join up as a Follower of my blog ( to the right) , tell me you did it in your COMMENT BELOW, and you'll be entered Five times...
  • Blog about my Giveaway (and mention it in your comment) and you'll be entered Ten times!

The Winner will be chosen on April 25; be sure to leave contact information so I can reach you!Hoping someone enjoys these books...

BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE WORD COMMENTS BELOW... THANKS

Kate




Friday, April 2, 2010

Sunshine Quilting Group and Wrap A Smile



I just love this little charity quilt, which will go to the Wrap A Smile Foundation through the Sunshine Quilting Group on Yahoo! This is so fun - it's just 5 inch charms sewn into HST's, with a little sashing and binding...
Can you find the mistake?????????????
Keep looking...........
Keep looking............
Yep, you found it - there's no little sashing block on one side...

oh well - the old quilters used to believe one should never make a perfect quilt... well I guess I followed their directions!
Happy Friday everyone
Kate
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