Winner of Candy Cane Lane

For the last few days, my e-mail access hasn't been very reliable. My internet service provider has been "improving" the system. I haven't responded to all the nice comments about Melinda's book, Candy Cane Lane, but I appreciate all of you stopping by. It won't be easy to send this one away!

The winning number is 18 -- Cornfield Quilter. If you'll send me your mailing address, I'll get the book to you really soon!

And if anyone needs help with machine quilting . . .

. . . he's willing to work for just a little food and water.

Kim

Candy Cane Lane

Thanks to the nice people at Martingale & Company, I have another wonderful book to share with you -- Candy Cane Lane by Melinda Bula (stop by and visit her blog -- she's an amazing artist). Candy Cane Lane is the sampler quilt on the cover. Melinda used needle-turn applique for this quilt, but she also includes instructions for fusible web applique, as well as instructions for embellishments and embroidery. This book really gets me in the mood for Christmas with its cheery, colorful projects.

Here is a picture of the full quilt from the cover. I wanted to show you the yo-yos along the edge. Aren't they fun?

In addition to complete instructions for the sampler quilt, there are smaller projects that you can make using the motifs from the lap quilt. Like these whimsical Christmas stockings.

And this wallhanging with removable pockets for treats for the little ones (and maybe the grown-ups, too!). Melinda shares a sweet Christmas memory about a wallhanging like this that her mom made.

The snowflake pillows are adorable, but my favorite is the Candy Cane Table Runner. There are those yo-yos again! They make such a nice decorative border along the edge.

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I have. Brent Kane is the photographer and he, too, is an amazing artist.

If you'd like to win a copy of Candy Cane Lane just in time for Christmas, leave a comment here. I'll choose the winner by drawing a random number on Monday. If you don't have enough time to finish a small project before Christmas, you'll have the whole year ahead of you to create something special for next Christmas.

Kim

Special Gift

A package arrived yesterday all the way from the U.K.! My friend Sue (Quilt Times) made this table runner with matching coasters, along with a matching chicken. I've never owned a chicken, and certainly not a matching chicken! She also sent some Yorkshire tea bags. The table runner is extra special because she used blocks from my book. How sweet is that?!


And isn't the quilting beautiful?

Check out this little dude. He's so cute. I'm going to have to think of a name for him. Any suggestions? He wants to live in my sewing room so the cats won't eat him.

Thank you so much, Sue, for such special gifts!

Kim

Thankful

With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it would be an appropriate time to let you know how thankful I am for the friendships that have developed as a result of this blog and others. Quilters around the world have been so generous and kind, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to know so many of you. Your talent and creativity always inspire me. Your stories enlighten me, make me laugh hysterically, and sometimes bring me to tears. So I just feel like telling you today that I appreciate all of you. For lots of different reasons.

One of my sweet friends, Mary (over at Quilt Hollow), recently sent me a little quilt that she knew I would enjoy. She told us about the quilt here, but I had no idea that she made the quilt for me. It was such a surprise to open the package and find this adorable little quilt with most perfect quilting! To give you an idea of how tiny the little blocks are, the entire quilt is 18" x 20". The broken dishes blocks are only 2 1/4 inches! And the buttons are microscopic!

Pardon the pins -- I'm still auditioning for the perfect place to put it. Right now I'm thinking it may be a wallhanging.

Isn't it adorable? I love the quilted flower motifs in the pieced blocks and background blocks. She always does such amazing work. If you haven't visited her blog, you'll definitely want to do that. She shares so many projects of her own, as well as a lot of her customers' quilts. You'll enjoy the inspirational pictures!

Thank you so much, Mary. I love the quilt and will always enjoy and treasure it.

I hope all of you have a special Thanksgiving.

Kim

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

Scrappy Saturday

Finishing Blocks

Auditioning Fabrics

Starting a New Project

Hope you’re having fun, too!

Kim

p.s. My friend over at Quilt Hollow is celebrating her first blogging anniversary, so hop on over and congratulate her! You may just win a special prize!

My First Quilt

Carrie and Camille have inspired me to share a picture of my first quilt. I began quilting in the late 1980s, but didn't finish my first quilt until 1998! I collected fabric, cut pieces from templates, pieced blocks -- all the stuff that quilters do. But when I met my friend Karen in 1996, I had never finished a quilt! We loved primitive applique’ quilts, and decided to make angel quilts together. We were co-workers at the time, and we’d work on our quilts together at lunch, sharing fabrics and “body parts.” We used a lot of Red Wagon’s angel patterns and created some of our own. Our friend Darcy was traumatized by the lack of faces and hair (and sometimes hands and feet) in our angels. I hand-quilted it to death, using a very thin cotton batting. I wish you could feel how soft it is! Over the years it has been used and laundered so much. When it begins to deteriorate, I’ll put it away. But for now, I really enjoy using it and remembering how much I enjoyed working on it with my dear friend.

And here are pictures of the most recent quilt I’ve finished that I can share right now. It’s a Christmas quilt made from a Sandy Gervais Christmas panel. I cut the panel into pieces and added blocks and strips to fill in the spaces.

I think I’ve learned more about combining fabrics over the years. The fabrics I used in my angel quilt are very random. Homespuns, metalics, and everything between.

Hope you’re all having a good week. Be sure to go over to Camille’s and Carrie’s to take a look at the other first quilts!

Kim