Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Kit Giveaway + Sew Mama Sew!

Sew Mama Sew is helping me and Andie kick off the release of our brand spankin' new book, Modern Designs for Classic Quilts!


Andie has put together kits to make this project, and I'm giving one away today!

TO ENTER, follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget in the sidebar. Each task you complete earns you another chance to win. Do as many or as few of the tasks as you like. I will select one winner on Monday, November 5th to kick off our blog hop!

One winner will win this beautiful kit!!!
Over at Sew Mama Sew is a free download of this awesome pillow project from the book. Everyone can grab a copy of the pattern, and one of y'all will win the kit to make it (in the fabrics shown above).

The pillow project, download at Sew Mama Sew.


Be sure to head over to Andie Johnson Sews for the chance to win another kit, and to Sew Mama Sew for a chance to win a copy of Modern Designs for Classic Quilts.

Happy Stitching!

Kelly

Kit includes:
{8} Paper hexagon templates
{8} 5" pieces of coordinated fabric for the hexagons*
20x20 inch piece of premium white muslin for front background
20x20 inch piece of plum floral Joel Dewberry fabric for backing
14 inch zipper
 
*{includes fabric from Denyse Schmidt, Art Gallery, Joel Dewberry, Anna Griffin and Lizzy House}



Monday, October 29, 2012

Dear Jane Quilt, Week 2

Woohoo! I'm up to 10 blocks - there's no stopping me now!

My mom has started one of these bad boys, too, so we're encouraging each other as we go, helping each other when we get stuck. It's a good way to keep sewing "together," even though I live far away now.  :-(   Thank goodness for Skype! I'll show you Mom's blocks periodically when she sends me photos.

Without further ado, Week 2 of the Dear Jane Challenge:

block A2

block A5

block A6

block C6

block D1

The progress thus far:


What have y'all been working on?

Happy stitching!

Kelly

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

My very first quilt

I made my very first quilt when I was in first grade for a school project - - 20-coughcough years ago. I hand stitched the squares and the rows together, my mom carefully showing me how to measure, mark, pin, sew and press. Looking back, I'm sure I had a little help from Mom, especially on the binding.

I was (and am) a big fan of rainbows, so I liked everything in "rainbow order."



And, so it began. Twenty-coughcough years later, I'm still quilting, loving every minute (except for the pinning), and still getting help from my mom on the binding.

I know it's sappy, but thanks Mom, for teaching me how to quilt, bind, pin, press and fabric shop!

Happy stitching,

Kelly



Monday, October 22, 2012

Dear Jane Quilt, Week 1

I have officially lost my mind and started a Dear Jane Quilt. I have been lusting after this quilt for years, and even started one once, but kind of lost my mojo. I totally got the bug again, and have set a semi-reasonable goal of 5 blocks a week. Which is totally doable, until I get to the appliqué blocks which will probably take at least a month each. I may be re-conceiving the goal at that point.

But for now, the results of Week 1!!!!  I have to say, I'm in love with my first 5 Dear Jane blocks. They're certainly not perfect, but I'm having fun and learning a lot as I go. Plus, they're just kind of delicious, so that's a bonus.



block A1

block A9

block A11

block B4

block B10


 Charting the progress . .  .  (man, this is a little daunting!)



Any words of encouragement, Interwebs?



Happy stitching!

Kelly

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Under the needle . . .

I have been drooling over this fabric on the Interwebs for, oh, AGES! And now it's here, sitting in my apartment, luring me away from everything else I should be doing.

Michael Miller, Ta Dot

I wish I could report that I was able to resist the siren song of starting a new project when there are UFOs to be finished, but alas and alack, I cannot.




Do I know what I'm going to make with this delicious pile?

Sure do. Look familiar? (Any guesses?)



What're you working on?

Happy stitching!

Kelly

Monday, October 8, 2012

Modern Designs for Classic Quilts


I am so completely thrilled and excited to announce that the book I wrote with Andrea Johnson is finally here! Modern Designs for Classic Quilts was a total labor of love, and I'm just so stinkin' proud that we did it, and grateful that we had the opportunity.

I want to tell you about the book, but I also want to tell you about what I love about this art form and why I do what I do.  I'm going to start with that stuff first.

I have been quilting since I was 7 years old. My lovely and sweet mom, Alice, taught me to sew when I was an itty bitty for a class project. I can't remember what the parameters of the assignment were, but I remember wanting to learn to sew like my mom. I remember using a ruler to draw a 1/4" seam on each square, and then carefully hand stitching on the pencil marks. I also remember getting bored from time to time but, hey, I was 7.


I learned how to sew using patterns - mostly very traditional because that's what was available. I used the fabric that was in local shops and in my mom's stash - lots of Civil Wars, repros, florals. The Modern Quilt Guild didn't exist, and I didn't know a single person within 10 years of my own age that enjoyed quilting. Not a one.

When the Modern Quilt Guild started up, I couldn't have been more thrilled. I attended the first meeting of the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild and was hooked. There were people my age who enjoyed quilting, liked the fabrics I did, and most importantly needed COMMUNITY like I did. And that's been the most amazing thing for me - the community of friends that have assembled around this art form, both in person and virtually. It's just . . . inspiring.


When I think about the MQG, blogging, writing a book, and all of the other amazing opportunities that I've had and the many more that are at all of our fingertips, the things that I always come back to as the most important are Community and Quilting. Being part of a group that loves what they do and supports each others' creative ability is phenomenal, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. And I want to do anything I can to make sure this wonderful group continues to grow and thrive over the years.
And here we are - 23 years after I made that first quilt, I've written a book about quilting. WHA...?

And I really do love the book. Andie and I, in my opinion, formed a really great team to write a book that tries to merge all of the things we love about quilting into one book: traditional blocks in modern settings and fabrics. There are 12 quilts, 6 small projects, and a whole bunch of techniques that are a little different from what you might normally see.
I do hope you will enjoy the book, and if you think it's something your friends might like, please share with your own communities. Andie and I are just two gals who like quilting, and our quilting empires are, well, in progress. We thank you in advance for any help you can give us in getting the word out there!

Lastly, thank you. I am extremely lucky to be part of such a fun, feisty group of people! Being part of this community means more than I can possibly say.

As always, happy stitching,

Kelly


Thursday, October 4, 2012

Under the needle . . .

Here's what's under the needle this week, inspired by this post . . .
(but just a tiny sneak peak because it's a Christmas gift):



What are you working on this week?

Happy stitching!

Kelly