Happy Mother's Day!

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all of you. I had a lovely evening with my 3 sons and their families on Saturday. Smoked brisket, corn on the cob, Brian's famous potato salad and brownie sundaes with strawberries & fudge sauce were on the menu. I came home with 3 beautiful plants - funny how they all think alike even though they swear they weren't shopping together. Bets were taken on how long I can keep the orchid alive. It's not really fair since I'm leaving for market in a day or two. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I can. Any hints out there?

Cooper, 11, came out to spend the night Friday and "help" me get ready for market. Actually, he finished painting the glider, carried alot of stuff and provided entertainment. We explored the farm and found some cool yard art for a later project and hung out fishing. He caught a pretty good channel cat - about 2 pounds - with a squished snake he found in the road. His mother was none too happy with either of us when he came home with a snake head on a necklace. :) It's good to be the Gramma.

Congratulations to Marie for winning the Harvest Moon mini charm pack. I love that Moda is cutting the smaller charms, too. They've been fun to play with. Here's one of my new favorite blocks using a charm and mini charm with raw edge applique.

This is called Seasons of the Moon because it has a blank center with 4 different moon themed squares to change for the seasons. The block surrounding the center is a simple bias square with a mini charm square stitched on one side. Fast and easy.

This week, we'll be offering a dozen assorted fat 1/8's of Harvest Moon - after I get back from market. I'll try to blog while I'm gone, but several other Moda designers do a great job if you want to keep up with market happenings - Moda Lissa, Angela Yosten and Pat Sloan will all be blogging.

Have a great week,
Lynne

SWicker, you're the winner of the Dreamin' of Summer Pillow pattern, our KT Stash Society May project. I'll gather up some of my scraps for the appliques and send it all out soon. Please email your shipping address to ktquilts2@twinvalley.net.

I love receiving pictures of your KT Stash projects. Here's a few from Brenda at Country Fabrics in Brainerd, MN. She leads the Stash club there with 45 quilters who really put their own twist on the original - I love it!

Here are a few options for the February Hearts to You ...

and the March Bloomin' Pinwheels in everything from KT to pastels to brights to...

a very modern take with hand-dyed solids and machine embroidered leaves. How cool! It's so fun for me to see the creativity sparked by one little idea. Please share your projects. We'd love to see them.

It's just a little over a week until Spring International Quilt Market in Kansas City. We're lucky it's so close this year, but it's still alot of work to prepare and plan and pack. A designer friend of mine, Connie Huddleson of Starry Pines Designs (check out her new blog at wooleymoments.blogspot), is flying to market and asked me to bring a red chair for her booth. Once I got out the red spray paint, I couldn't stop! My old green peeling glider now has another layer of history over white, black, yellow and green. We left a spot on the bottom where you can see all the layers peeling just for fun.

 I think it will look great with a couple of quilts thrown over it in the booth at market. Shown here are New Moon, the Harvet Moon charm pattern featuring a charm pack and a mini charm pack, and one of the projects from a new Mini Table Treats pattern, S-p-e-l-l-i-t-o-u-t. This is the Happy Birthday option, but with a complete alpahbet in the pattern, the possibilities are endless! I have several more in the works including Christmas, Halloween and Fall themes, so watch for those next week.

And, of course, Gus has to try out any new chair/seat that shows up. Or maybe he's just a big ham!

Comment here by Sunday night for this week's giveaway of a Harvest Moon mini charm pack - just a little teaser before even the shop owners get a close look at it. I'll be posting on Monday next week due to the craziness of market, so watch for a chance to win the new MTT pattern, Spell It Out then.

A Day Late...

I've read on several other designer's blogs their frustration with the "new and improved" Blogger setup. I totally agree with the notion that if it ain't broke, don't 'improve" it. I hate learning how to navigate a new site every six months because a 20-something computer nerd had time on his hands. Geez! Anyway, after thinking I had posted all this yesterday - not. So here we go again....

Congrats to Crystal from MO - you're FINALLY a KT blog winner! Please send your mailing address and we'll send out your Holiday Medley mini charms right away (I actually have some of those already). Thanks for hanging in there and continuing to comment on my blog.

This week has been a whirlwind of activity here at KT. Lois and I pieced 2 lap quilts, 2 wall quilts, 4 pillow tops and a Mini Table Treats over the past week. Lap quilts are off to the quilter, small projects are being quilted, bound and embelllished with buttons. Seems we're in pretty good shape, but market is creeping up quickly. Still have lots to do - paint a glider and a chair, have pictures taken after quilts are returned and bound, create a brochure, gather the finishing touches for the booth..... The list is long but I thrive under pressure and love the challenge. Here's sneak peek at some of the parts to the projects we're working on. (Check out the new fabric line, Harvest Moon.)

In addition to market projects for Harvest Moon, we're working on quilts for a book, Loose Change, featuring 2 1/2", 5" and 10" precuts - 2 bits, nickels and dimes, or more commonly known as Moda Candy, Charm Packs and Layer Cakes. This is the beginning of one of the quilts using the new Harvest Moon fabric.  Just below that is our Mini Table Treats using the signature motif in the collection. The moon/acorn theme appears several times since they're favs of mine. Watch for more Harvest Moon stuff after market in June.

This week, I'd like to introduce the May KT Stash Society project, Dreamin' of Summer Pillow Sleeve.

I need a little extra support under my lower back when sitting for long periods of time binding or stitching in my favorite chair. A lumbar pillow is just right for me, but not always cute for my decor, so I created a pillow sleeve that simply slips over the pillow for a punch of color. Can't stop at just one, of course, so we'll have one for each season as the year goes on to change the look and feel of your room. Purchase a pillow about 12" x 20" or make one to your own personal specifications (I actually pulled some stuffing out of a very fluffy pillow I found on clearance at Target that was a bit too full). I covered it in a fabric that will work all year as a backgroud for my seasonal pillow covers. So simple for a big effect. Dreamin' of Summer is now available at all participating KT Stash Society quilt shops (check the list under our Stash link on the website) and at ktquilts.com. Our giveaway this week is the Dreamin' of Summer pattern and a few scraps to get you started on your own pillow sleeve.
Better get back to work. Definitely need to spend some time figuring out the new Blogger.
See you next week,
Lynne

Taking a day to play

Congratulations to Alicia! You're the winner of the Holiday Medley scrap strips. I'm up to my neck in new Harvest Moon fabric for market, so I'll have to wait until the weekend to make some sense of this pile. Thanks for commenting and for your patience :).

Robert and I took a rare day to play on Saturday even though I should have been chained to my sewing machine, making quilts for market. It was such a beautiful day we couldn't help but play hookie. AFter seeing an advertisement on TV, we headed to Wichita to the annual Cowtown Museum Civil War Reenactment. The North and South soldiers had camps there, with authentic (looking) tents, clothing, cooking utensils and guns. There are about a dozen homes from local politicians and town fathers that are furnished in the period. Very cool, but very small. The downtown boasts a dozen businesses including the blacksmith, forging hooks that were for sale at the General Store,

 and a dressmaker's shoppe with calicos for 8 1/2 cents a yard - oh my!

 The general store had a wonderful array of bottles and tins, dishes and dry goods. Many were reproductions, but well done and interesting.

 The tailor's shop had "Fine Men's suits for $12 each" and displayed some cool wooden templates...

 The funeral parlor boasted a "try-it-for-size coffin". I think Robert fits pretty well.

 A charming horsewoman dressed in red stopped to let her ride graze while she explained her role in the community of Mayor's wife. All the people in period dress were so knowledgeable and gracious. I kept wishing I'd brought a couple of the grankids that are studying American history. Maybe next year.

 After lunch at the saloon (a little disappointed in the hot dogs and chips, but the sasparilla was good), the reenactment of a civil war battle commenced in an open field next to a home set in the south. It was a bit disconcerting to me that the battle was won by the South. Hmmm.....

 Right next to us was a real live cowboy, cheering on the Southern soldiers and helping out with his own six-shooter. His parents kept asking him to sit down and be quiet, but he was half the entertainment!

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering thru garden stores and antique shops, inspired by all the wonderful vintage items in the living museum town. When we arrived back in Salina, we had about 2 hours to waste before going to see a movie (the last ones I saw were The Lorax and Kung Fu Panda II). We picked up some food at the drive thru and proceeded to the park to watch the geese and take a stroll. To our delight, it was prom night and dozens of young people were dressed in their finest, taking pictures at the gazebo and by the duck pond. We had a blast just watching them and remembering our own high school dances. Finally, we went to see The Hunger Games. I've been waiting for a free night since it came out weeks ago. I listened to the entire trilogy on my trip to WI last month and was totally and completely hooked. We seldom go to the theatre anymore, but I wanted to see if it lived up to the books. I liked it, but Robert was a bit lost in parts since he hadn't read it yet. I think that's just the nature of making books into movies. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but not if the character is thinking 2 pages worth of thoughts in one glance. All in all, a very nice day out with my best buddy.

Now back to business. This week's giveaway is (2) Holiday Medley Mini Charms (2 1/2" square). Comment here by Monday night and we'll see you next Tuesday.

More Christmas on the way

Brenda (Bjeanand@gmail.com) is our winner this week of the Holiday Medley charm pack & pattern. Please send your mailing address, then sit back and relax until the fabric actually ships in about 6 weeks. This week, we'll be rolling up the scrap strips of Holiday Medley from Moda - about 2 Jelly Roll's worth in each. Comment here for a shot at winning one! Wow, think of how many Twinkly stars you could get out of that!

I had a great time visiting with Pat Sloan yesterday afternoon on APQ radio. Still haven't gotten up the nerve to listen to myself (don't you just hate the sound of your own voice?) but felt pretty good about not sticking my foot in my mouth too badly. She definitely makes it easy for her guests. Looking forward to visiting with her at market and again in June at the Vermont Quilt Festival. I'll be teaching 5 classes in 4 days the last weekend in June. If you in the area, I'd love to meet you!

Tomorrow I'm headed to Creston, Iowa to teach a class and share my quilts at their guild meeting on Thursday evening. I love to show how easy and satifying my raw edge applique method is, turning intricate-looking piecing or curved seams into simply stitched pieces. Most quilters can't believe how quickly a block can go together. It's fun for those of us who love to see a project come together in a flash, especially for quilts you plan to use daily or give as gifts. No guilt, no worries. I'd love to come visit your local quilt guild and share my passion for quilts, too. Email or call me for more information.

Don't Forget!

Please join us Monday, April 16 for APQ's  radio talk show with host Pat Sloan. I'm a little nervous since I tend to say whatever comes to mind and you can't take back "Oh crap!" on the radio! Hope you'll all be listening, or at least saying a little prayer that I don't embarass myself too much. Thanks!

Stay tuned...

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. We celebrated 3 birthdays - my grandson, son-in-law and Dad's with food, games, egg hunts, alot of laughter and several cakes. I'm not stepping foot on the scales for a month!

Please join me next Monday afternoon on APQ radio with host Pat Sloan (4pm CST). Although the whole point is that she'll be interviewing me, Pat is joining Moda as a fabric designer this spring, so I'm excited to get to know her better. See you on the radio!

The winner of our new Merry, Wish, Joy pattern featuring the Holiday Medley KT fabric by Moda is.... Barbara (#62 comment). Congratulations and thanks for playing. I enjoyed reading all the comments about your personal Christmas decorating favorites - lots of snowmen in the mix plus Santas and homemade items. Since we only spend one day at the KT building for Christmas, usually Christmas Eve Eve (Dec. 23rd) or the weekend before, I've gotten away from decorating every square inch of the 2500 sq. ft. Instead of dozens of Santas, several Nativities and loads of ornaments on a 10' or taller tree, we hang/drape/throw Christmas quilts everywhere, set out a few special Santas, 1 Nativity and a couple of my kids favorites from their childhood - a papier mache Santa, a snow globe and a bell that plays Christmas music, to name a few. Our tree is a small 4' primitive one that stays decorated all year. We sit it up on a round coffee table with a tree skirt, heap on the presents and the grankids think it's 10 feet tall! At the cabin where we actually live day in and day out, I bring a few special Christmas items, but fill in alot with natural elements from the yard and everyday items like metal birds, vintage kitchen graters with candles and a Norfolk pine with a few paper ornaments from the kids. Very simple but it keeps me in the spirit without feeling overwhelmed about decorating.

Our giveaway this week is for the Holiday Medley charm pack & pattern, Twinkly Stars (you'll just need to wait a while until the precuts are delivered in late May). I love friendship stars but thought the tiny 1" finished squares might be a pain to piece and lay flat. By raw edge stitching a triangle on the end of 4 rectangles, then sewing them around the center square for each star, it eliminates alot of seams, adds a primitive touch of frayed edge dimension and simplifies the whole process.

Just one charm pack and a couple additional fabrics is all you need to add this bright spot to your holiday decorating scheme. It's easy enough to make several for gifts! Available on our website soon.

See you all next week,
Lynne