Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Winner

I forgot to tell you that if you don't win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, you can find it at the newsstands on November 17, maybe even earlier. Be sure to visit Quiltmaker's blog, Quilty Pleasures, daily until November 13 for more information, inspiration, and fun stuff! Of course, you can visit after November 13, too -- there's always something interesting going on over there.

Thank you so much for playing along and for leaving such nice comments. I haven't been able to respond to all of them yet, but I'm working on it!

My husband has been relieved of his duties as random number generator. When I asked him for a number from 1 to 72, he offered 96! An online random number generator gave me a reasonable number without the attitude. It's 24. If I've counted properly, Stephanie is the winner of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Collector's Edition! (Stephanie, please send me your mailing address and you'll have it in your hands very soon.)

Don't forget to visit Quilty Pleasures tomorrow!

Kim

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour

When I was asked to submit a block for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, I knew it had to be a block made from 2 1/2" strips. What else? I had just bought several pieces of Holly Taylor's fabric collection, Frosted Memories, and couldn't wait to use it. I decided to use it for my sample block. You'll find my block, along with 99 others, in this single publication!

To celebrate its release, Quiltmaker is hosting the 100 Blocks Blog Tour. Follow it daily November 9-13 at Quiltmaker's blog, Quilty Pleasures, for inspiration, ideas and daily give-aways. They're even giving away the blocks featured in the magazine! Different blogs will be listed every day, so be sure to visit them all -- there may be a special prize at the end of the week.

Some lucky person will win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks here, too! Just leave a comment. I'll announce the winner tomorrow around 8:00 p.m. CDT.

Don't forgot to look for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at quiltmaker.com/100blocks.

Happy touring!

Kim

Who's the Winner?

Thank you all for leaving a comment about Lesley Chaisson's book, "Charmed, I'm Sure." To determine the winner, my husband served as the random number generator. I asked him to think of a number between 1 and 29. His choice may sound a little predictable, but since he didn't know why he was choosing the number, I'm going with it!

If you'll come back tomorrow, I'll tell you about this.

And I'll give you the scoop on an exciting blog tour where you can find lots of ideas and inspiration, and win some really cool prizes!

Are you wondering if I forgot about the winning number? It's 7! Congratulations, Terry! If you'll send me an e-mail with your mailing address, your book will be on its way soon.

Thanks for visiting!

Kim

Charmed, I'm Sure

The very nice people at Martingale & Company sent me a copy of this book to share with you. Charmed, I'm Sure, by Lesley Chaisson. This book is full of ideas for using all those 5" charm squares we can't seem to get enough of. Some of the projects use full 5" squares, so there's no trimming! The projects range in size from table runners and wall hangings to bed-size quilts, the largest measuring 81 1/2" x 105 1/2". The quilts are made from a wide range of fabrics, so you'll find lots of inspiration for choosing charm packs.
There are several applique' projects, including this lovely table runner. Lesley has provided full-size templates, and was even thoughtful enough to reverse the templates for fusible web applique'. I love this quilt!

Even the sun rays in this sweet little bag are made from charms!

Lesley has used many different styles of charms for her quilts, including seasonal and holiday prints, but encourages the reader to try different fabric combinations. It wouldn't be difficult to think of ten different fabric styles and colors to use for this quilt.
Some of Lesley's instructions provide special cutting techniques for odd-shaped pieces. I'm fascinated by the pieced blocks in her Muddy Waters Table Runner (not shown).

Another beauty.

There are lots more projects in the book including one of my favorites, "Acorn Dance," which features an acorn motif and a twisted ribbon-like border.

If you'd like to win a copy of Lesley's book, just leave a comment about it here by Friday. I'll announce the winner on Saturday, around 6:00 p.m. CDT.

Thank you, Martingale & Company, for sharing the book!

It's True!

As some of you have already guessed, I'm working on a new book. What gave it away? Was it the hundreds of 2 1/2" strips stacked up and ready to sew? The pictures of the divine Jelly Rolls? Like Scrap-Basket Surprises, all of the quilts are made with 2 1/2" strips. I'll be sure to give you the details soon and let you know when it will be available so you'll have plenty of time to collect a gazillion strips!

In the meantime, I'll be showing you little sneak peeks of the projects. Like this one:

A sea of red half-square triangle units waiting to be sewn together.

Stop by again Tuesday -- I have something fun to share with you!

Happy Stitching!
Kim

Kudzu Blossom Quilt Shop

While visiting my mom recently, I had the opportunity to visit Kudzu Blossom Quilt Shop in Montgomery, Alabama. I snapped a few pictures to share.

Great selection Civil War reproduction fabrics.

It's a shame I'm not better at photography. These sample quilts are amazing. I guess you'll just have to go there yourself to see them in person!

They have their own little Schnibbles parade going on. Schnibbles quilts are hanging all over the store. They stock tons of the patterns and have a huge slection of charm packs. And really nice batik fabrics.

The store is like Moda Heaven. You'll find so many pre-cut fabrics and kits.

If you're anywhere close to Montgomery, do stop by and visit the shop. The ladies there are so sweet and helpful, and I'll bet you can find something you just can't live without.

Happy Saturday!
Kim

Binding Tip

Has anyone seen my Easy Angle ruler? My play room (studio sounds too much like work) looks like a tornado came through, and I can't find anything. But I did find a Fons & Porter triangle trimmer. The pink one is perfect for trimming the ends of binding strips.

Stack three or four strips together, right sides up, and trim the ends like this. Trim the opposite ends the same way.
Pin two strips together.

Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.

Press the seam open to reduce bulk.

Don't you wish everything could be this easy?

Kim

Saturday Stuff

Just taking a break to give you a peek of what I'm working on today -- a new project using a Portobello Market Jelly Roll. Chain-piecing like crazy!

Have you seen the new That Patchwork Place 2010 calendar? It was released in August and I forgot to tell you. Oops. It features 12 quilts from different books published by That Patchwork Place, and includes the instructions for each. And my quilt, Past and Present, appears in September!

You'll probably recognize at least some of the quilts on the back cover. Wouldn't it be fun to make one of these every month?

Okay, back to work now. Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!

Kim

Still Cutting

There hasn't been a lot of sewing going on around here, but my rotary cutter and I have been doing some serious work. I'm cutting 2 1/2" strips for several new projects. These are 1930s reproduction prints (and a few look-alikes) that I'll be using for a sweet, happy little quilt.
These fabrics came from Randi's Etsy shop, Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics. If you haven't been there, hop over and take a look. She has some very interesting and colorful fabrics. My quilts were beginning to look alike, so I decided to work with something radically different from my usual fabrics. These prints are so much fun!

And these would be my "usual" fabrics. These are a few of my all-time absolute favorites. What do you know? Turns out that my favorite color really IS brown!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Kim

Working Hard

No sewing for me this weekend. I've been organizing a closet. You'd think it wouldn't take all weekend, but those who know me (and love me anyway) won't be surprised. Among other things, I had to stop for a while and enjoy some of my quilts as I re-folded them. I snapped pictures of a few of them to share with you.

The basket quilt is one of the first quilts I designed when my husband bought me EQ5 software. I'm ashamed to say that I forgot to add a label to the back, and I can't remember how long ago I worked on it. 2003?

The Carpenter's Wheel was given to me by my Aunt Bobbie, who found it at an estate sale. I love the Baptist Fan quilting all over it. It only has a couple of places that need to be repaired. As soon as I gain enough confidence to do it properly, I plan to repair it and let it live with her for a while. Maybe. :)

And this is a quilt I've been working on (in small doses) for a few years. The pattern is from Glad Creations (Mix 'n Match Stars). I used a little of all the Folk Art Christmas lines from Moda. These are still some of my favorite Christmas fabrics. The quilt is huge, but not quite bed-size. I'm not sure why, but I decided to hand-quilt it. In the ditch. Now you know why I'm still working on it. I've considered ripping out the stitching and machine quilting it. Still thinking.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Gotta get back to work now.

Kim