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Thursday, July 27, 2023

Summer scrap elimination



It is that time of year to go through and use up some of those scraps.     I was so glad when Swan @ swanamity.com  invited me to join in on this.   I just went to a class last week where we talked about some scrap organizing, so I will be sharing some ideas with you.       






Every quilter ends up with scraps, right?   And it can be hard to throw them away, especially since you know what fabric costs.

A few years ago I came across a really good site for using scraps and this lady has a system set up called the scrap users system.  You can read more about it at www.quiltville.blogspot.com.  Bonnie has a wonderful system and she even has free patterns available that uses scraps.  Through following Bonnie she has taught me that it is okay to even have your background scrappy.

The project I am sharing with you today is a spider web block.   For this one I like to use scraps that are up to about 2 inches wide.   

 So, here is what you need:


A stack of 9 1/2" blocks.  I used whites on mine and I didn't worry about all of them matching.   

A pile of scraps.  You can go super scrappy or more controlled scrappy.   The blocks I am working with today, are a bit more matchy in that I have just 2 color families.  I use anywhere from 1 inch to 2 1/2" scraps for these. 


So, the first thing you are going to do is cut your 9 1/2" squares in half on the diagonal.



Then mark  3" in from the center of the top and right on the center of the bottom.



I don't necessarily measure my strips.  I just grab them and sew and trim after a few blocks are stitched.   


Next you will begin sewing your strips.   I usually do a few blocks at a time.  I stitch my first scrap strip to my marked lines, right side together, so that my seam is on my markings.    I use a 1/4" seam.   





 Then I go to the pressing mat and I press the strips so the right side shows. 



Next I stitch my next piece to the one I just stitched,  right sides together. 



 I press after I get each strip sewn on.    You could also finger press or use this handy tool.    I got this at a local retreat from a company called Westenskow and sons.  



After my first side of my triangle is done, then I repeat on the second side.  I then trim all of my pieces even.   



I then start sewing them together, so my tops of the triangles will point at the center.    I stitch 4 of these together.   



That makes one block.   



I hope you will try this.   It is a fun way to use up your scraps.   If you are interested in a class on how to make these, let me know.  We would do it online, maybe zoom, and there would be a nominal charge.   I would love to see your project if you do this so tag me on Instagram and Facebook at kathyskwiltsandmore.

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Twist and turn bloghop

 Hi readers,

Today is my day to share an exciting new book with you.    This book is all about circle designs.  




Twist & Turn Quilts by Cinzia White published by C&T Publishing is landing in stores this month. I have joined with a group of exciting original designers to bring you more ideas on how to meld different designs to make your own original quilt. These innovative designers are showing you a variety of their own circle designs using the latest fabrics to highlight the versatility of Cinzia’s Twist & Turn Quilts.

I have been working on a design, although I am not as far along as I would like to be.  



As I have read through a draft of the book, I have found some really fun designs.   





When Cinzia put out a call for this blog hop, she said a project could be made or a designer could recolor it in one of their fabric lines.  I don't have a fabric line, so I decided to start working on a project.   


This is the inspiration for the project I have been working on



I have a hand embroidery design that I will be putting in the circles.   


These are a couple of other fun designs in the book




So, how do you get a copy of this book? 

Check your local quilt shop, it is published by C&T publishing, or you can enter to win an ebook by leaving a comment on my blog or my Instagram  www.instagram.com/kathyskwiltsandmore or Facebook www.facebook.com/kathyskwiltsandmore.     I will close this giveaway on June 3 at midnight Mountain Time.  



You can see what the other bloggers have done as well.  

Thursday 25th   Monika Henry from https://www.pennyspoolquilts.com/blogs/blog/twist-turn-blog-hop 

Friday 26th Tammy Silvers of https://www.tamarinis.com/ 

Saturday 27th Swan Sheridan from https://www.swanamity.com/ 

Sunday 28th Laura Piland from https://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/2023/05/twist-turn.html 

Monday 29th Robin Koehler from https://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/ 

Tuesday 30th Terri Vanden Bosch from http://www.lizardcreekquilting.com/ 

Wednesday 31st Cinzia White from https://www.facebook.com/groups/cinziawhitedesigns/ 

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Say What??!!! Sew it - show it challengeBlog hop




 Today is my day to share on the Say What???!!!! Blog hop hosted by Joan @ Moosestashquilting.com


I wasn't sure what to share, but as I started looking through some photos I remembered some things that I had done.


  Some are with an embroidery machine that I used when I was working at a local quilt shop selling machines and I had to learn to use the different machines, so I could demonstrate them to customers.   That was the funnest part of the job.    I loved seeing what these machines could do. 






This quilt was done for a co workers little boy.   It was a baby gift and I had fun doing this.   This was fun to do and I did the applique by machine. 




This one I did while doing the quilting on my domestic machine. When I first started learning free motion quilting, I was told to try things like loops, name writing, basically things that were already muscle memory.    I tried that and it came fairly easy to me. 

 I also have done this on longarms, when I was selling those at the quilt shop.   I would show customers how they could do that.   As they tried, they were amazed that they really could do it.   This is shown in the 2nd picture. 





Have you tried quilting your name when you are free motion quilting? Or have you appliqued a name on a quilt?    Leave a comment and let me know?   


Be sure to follow the other bloggers this week.  They all have something fun.


Monday April 17

MooseStashQuilting

Selina Quilts

Quilt Schmilt

Patchouli Moon Studio

That Fabric Feeling

Scrapdash

 

Tuesday April 18

Inflorescence

Creatin' in the Sticks

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Just Because Quilts

BeaQuilter

Joyful Quilter

 

Wednesday April 19

 

Quilting Gail

Voormans Quilts

Quilted Delights

The Quilted Snail

Ms P Designs USA

Kathy's Kwilts and More

 

Thursday April 20

 

Just Let Me Quilt

Karrins Crazy World

crazy'boutquilts

Pinker n' Punkin Quilting

Songbird Designs

Days Filled With Joy


Monday, March 20, 2023

Little Green Apples blog hop






 Welcome to my blog.   First let me start with a big apology for being late.   I had it written in my planner to do my post over the weekend and have it go live at midnight.   I haven't looked at my planner all weekend, as I have had grandkids staying with me, while our daughter was having a baby.   So, forgive me for being late.   My mind wasn't on sewing or blogging. 


On to the blog post.  The challenge was to see something in green or an apple.  This blog hop is done by Carol of https://www.justletmequilt.com  





I had made this quilt a while ago, like a few years ago, and just go it quilted.   It is a pattern that I designed myself.   I am currently teaching it at retreats that I teach at, and am thinking I might publish the pattern.    This one is a very easy pattern to do.   My granddaughters who are twelve and ten are making one for their baby brother who was just born on the 19th.  

This is another version I have done.  It just needs quilted. 



Which of these is your favorite?   Would you like to see this pattern for sale? Please let me know.  


If you are in Utah, or plan to be or want to be, I am teaching this class at The Stitching Room in Richfield UT this Saturday, March 25 or in October at Quilt fest at the Davis Conference Center in Layton UT. 


 Check out  the bloggers for this week:



Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Monthly color challenge March 2023

 Welcome to my blog.   Today I am sharing my block from the Monthly color challenge by Jen at Patternsbyjen.blogspot.com.  Jenn has been doing this for quite sometime and I have participated  quite a few times.    This year, she is doing something a bit different.  Instead  of having quite a few bloggers each month, she has just 1. 

I chose this month for a couple of reasons.  I wanted to do early in the year, and I do like red.  Red is such a pretty vibrant color and every time I wear it I get loads of compliments.    You would think for those 2 reasons I would have lots of red in my stash.   Well, I didn't.  I had given some to a friend and forgot to replace it.    


I did find 2 pieces of red, and 1 of them is actually a very lightweight corduroy.   


This year the theme Jen chose for her monthly color challenge is Classic cars.   




My block for this month:





I just went and bought some red fabrics for a quilt I am making at a quilt retreat.    As soon as I make sure everything is cut, then I will make a few more blocks and quilt it and share it with you.    It will be sometime this month. 

Monthly colors for this year are:

January - pink

February- aqua

March - red

April - olive green

May - baby blue

June -  grey

July- purple

August - brown

September  - mustard

October- blue

November - green

December - orange


You can find the pattern for free this month on Jen's blog at Patternsbyjen.blogspot.com

I appreciate  Jen letting me join in on her monthly color challenge again this year.     What color is your favorite color of classic cars?  Leave a comment to let me know. 

Thanks for joining me.  I have some fun projects to share with you and will be participating in some blog hops. 


Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Sweet on you challenge blog hop

 


Today is my day on the Sweet on you blog hop.  Joan at Moosestashquilting.com, put this hop together.   So glad I am able to join in on this.   We were to create something that we are sweet on.   So, I am sharing this quilt that I just recently finished quilting.  I still need to bind it.   But, what I love about it is all the feathers I quilted on it.





I love quilting feathers.   When I first started quilting, feathers were one thing I wanted to master.   I practiced, practiced and practiced some more.  Eventually I got to the point that I felt good about my feathers.   One of the things that has really helped me to quilt my feathers is sketching them.   







Here are the other bloggers this week.   They all have something great to share so go visit their blogs. 

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Broken Glass blog hop

 





Today, I am sharing a table runner I made from some beautiful Batik fabrics from Island Batik that was designed by Kathy Engle for Swan Amity studios.  When Swan announced that she needed some projects made from her fabrics, I jumped at the chance.  Thank you Swan for sharing this opportunity  with me, and thank you for providing the fabrics.    





The line of fabrics is called Broken Glass and these are gorgeous fabrics.   I love being able to use Batik fabrics, they are great to work with.  I just love these gorgeous colors. 


Swan is having a giveaway for 2 fat quarter bundles, so be sure to visit her blog at https://www.swanamity.com/blog to get the details to enter. 


Broken Glass from Island Batik, designed for Kathy Engle for Swan Amity Sheridan of Swan Amity Studios is landing in stores this month!  To help launch this happy line of fabric, I have joined a group of innovative designers to bring you an exciting list of ideas for smaller projects that make use of this beautiful batik.


Please check out the following designers and bloggers to see what they have done with this beautiful batik fabric


https://www.swanamity.com/blog

https://www.quirkyb.com/blog

https://www.katiemaequilts.com/

https://www.trianglefrenzy.com/blogs/news

https://suepellanddesigns.com/category/blog/

https://www.purplemoosedesigns.com/2023/02/16/broken-glass/

https://katecollerandesigns.com/?p=16845&preview=true

https://tamarinis.typepad.com/tamarinis/2023/02/broken-glass-blog-hop.html

http://www.megschoicepatterns.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cinziawhitedesigns

http://kissedquilts.blogspot.com/2023/02/sintra-entrada-in-broken-glass.html

https://www.brownbirddesignsquilts.com/?p=10418


 I am excited to quilt this table runner.   I am not 100 percent sure how I will quilt it.    I did have issues when posting these pictures, as they didn't want to go where I told them to and I can't remember how to delete them.