Happy 2013

Happy New Year!
 May 2013 bring you happiness and lots of creative time.
I finished my Star and Sprigs top; but I cannot show the pictures yet, due to computer problems. But hopefully, I will post a photo soon.

There is a new Kim McLean pattern in the works. Here is a peek.

Pine Trees quilt in " Quilt & Zo" magazine

Hi Everyone,

There is a quilt that I made not long ago, it's a pieced one with appliqué in the side triangles, titled "Pine Trees" which has been published in " Quilt & Zo" magazine. It is in Dutch though!  However, from the photos and templates, it would be pretty easy to follow. I don't have a photo that I can show here. Perhaps one of the Dutch ladies who has a copy of the magazine can post? K

It's done!

It's taken me far too long to finish this block, but it's done, and I'm pretty happy with the result. I used a combination of Kaffe Fassett, batiks and the bowl is a fabric I got from EQuilter.com. There are some things I would have done differently, so I will with the next block. Kim, thank you for such a wonderful pattern!

My RA top which I now call Wichita Album is finished

Wow, almost two years in the making.  Today I am sandwiching the top.  Just finished the last stitch of applique......I love this quilt.....I am so excited.

it's so large, hard forme to get a picture of it

Last week I was in Houston for the International Quilt Market (open to shop owners and designers only) and Quilt Festival (open to consumers).  On the first day, I showed my finished Lollypop Trees to an audience of shop owners. Here is a bad photo of their reaction

Flower Garden

 Thought I would take a minute and post my progress on my Flower Garden quilt.  Love this quilt!!

The stitching on all the blocks is complete but they still need to be trimmed up and I haven’t started on the sashing squares yet so that is still left to do. 

I have both of the side borders completed and the bottom border is ready to stitch except for all the small circles over the center vase.  I have also decided to change the center vase fabric because this one seems to fade in with the background a little too much.  I think it needs to pop more.

This has really been a fun quilt and I never seem to tire of looking at all the beautiful Kaffe fabrics.

Now I’m ready

SUSANNASQUILTS

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Now I’m ready

to post some photos of my Flower Garden blocks. I didn’t want to post after the first one, as, knowing me, I may not have gotten any more made for a while. They are so nice to make, but I definitely need good light. Pip and I compared blocks on our recent get together and she reminded me to get them posted. The funny thing is we were working on the same block, at the same time.   

Thanks Sue

My Quilt Was Chosen!!

Hello fellow appliquers.  My quilt called "Sueville Album" (posted previously) has been accepted into an exhibit of quilts made from Kaffe Fassett fabrics at Portsmouth Fabric Company in Portsmouth, NH.  The exhibit will run from Sept. 28 through Oct. 28, 2012.   The exhibit coincides with a lecture, book signing, and workshop that he will conduct in conjunction with Portsmouth Fabric Company and Quilter's Connection the weekend of Sept. 29-30.  For more info see the PFC website   http://www.portsmouthfabric.com/     Sueville is a combination of parts of Kim McClean's Roseville Album and Stars and Sprigs patterns.  I couldn't decide which quilt to make so I used my favorite parts of both and combined them into an original design which includes a few Sunbonnet Sues here and there!!  I am so excited that the designer of the fabric I LOVE SO MUCH will be able to see it.  The only thing that would be better is if Kim herself would be there.

Feeling "centered"

Finally managed to piece all the center blocks of my Stars and Sprigs. And, as careful as I was and as much as I heeded Kelli's warnings, I still have one fabric that bled a bit in one block. I'll be trying to get that out but if I can't, I can live with it. (More thoughts on the best way to erase that?) I did the Sprigs blocks, all hand appliqued, in autumn colors with the stars representing the blue fall sky (lighter blocks nearer the center). Thanks, Kim, for a beautiful pattern that I still love working on after all this time. Now if I can just keep going on the borders so I finish before another year goes by....

What was that you just said?

“prewash your fabric”

I am sorry, I just can’t hear you

“prewash your fabric”

Sorry, let me just turn the tv down

“prewash your fabric”

Look, I still can’t hear you, let me go and wash these blocks, then I will come 

closer and you can tell me what you just said

POOP !!!

Never fear, dye catching washing sheets to the rescue!!!

PHEW !!!

Now that disaster is over, here are some pics of my gorgeous 

stars and sprigs blocks, all nicely washed and bleeding dye debacle averted

Now, what was that you said??

CIAO - Kelli xx

Happy Kelli

 Two rows of happiness!

A strangely angled, but happy Kelli

 Pure bliss

 'insert gooey witty comment here'

Have I told you lately how much I love this quilt? I could probably count the ways, but don't want to bore you too much with my words of woo.  These babies are all basted down, ready for the sewing machine. I love this fabric, you can fussy cut it, or not, and it still looks good.  You might think I spend all my time quilting, well I don't :) I love variety, I have made a start on Pandamonium, I am using the freezerpaper/starch method for this one, why? I think the big shapes will work just fine with this method, and I can't possibly do a mix of methods, my brain won't let me, maybe there is a method in my madness?? Hang on, madness in my method?? Here is one of my other loves.....Crochet

I just finished this sweetness, the colour gives me goosebumps! I was trying for a type of colour wheel wash, but it is kind of rainbow, aren't rainbows a colour wheel? Dunno, I think I will stop thinking about it and go crosseyed from looking at this psychedelic fire and ice wave...till next time quilting fans....... xx Kelli

A Few More Flowers

My Flower Garden's been growing......slowly.  (Just realized I haven't posted any photos since last October--whoops!)

Pandemonium animals

A guest post by quilter 501

I finished these blocks about a month ago and now am "gloriously" working on some of the geometric blocks and the house block. What a journey!

I see Stars!

and stars, and stars

 

Oh so gorgeous!  I enjoyed piecing these babies, well, ok, I did curse a little :)

Only because I am impatient and a perfectionist, two traits that do not mix well.

 

Ahhhhh, these gorgeous colours, brightens anyones day, well, at least mine.  Only glued down at the moment, waiting for some sewing, I have another border scribbled over, waiting for gluing.

I have been reading the pattern for Pandamonium, oh boy, what an apt name for this quilt, and I read that it was hand pieced?!?! Hey Kim, how many decades did that take you LOL, I love to handpiece, but I would have to live until I am at least 140 to finish the projects on my list, and I am sure new ones would pop up that I just HAD to do.  I did a bit of gardening with my husband today (I would rather 'garden' in my sewing room, 41 sprig blocks that is!) now I have a sweet little garden beside my driveway (new house, don't have anything outside yet)   now, husband happy, watching the olympics, I am watching Dante's Peak, and working on my masterpiece :) Chat soon ladies xx Kelli

Back to the Flower Garden

I finally got back to working on my Flower Garden quilt after many months and managed to finish two blocks this past weekend.  That brings me from four to six!  There is still a long way (and many little inside curves) to go but just working on these bright and cheery flowers makes me happy.

What is a girl to do

Look what my lovely postman brought me today....

So wonderful! I am in heaven. Now, I have to stick at Stars and Sprigs until it's finished before I start on this baby, but I can have two of these going at once don't you think?  :) Ok, ok, back to my stars I go, I haven't pieced in a while, but I think I am getting the hang of it

Cheers...Kelli

Lollypop Cushion in Quiltmania Magazine

This is the summer edition of Quiltmania, thank you to Quiltmania for supplying me the photos!

                                        
And in it, is a Lollypop Cushion, as well as other gorgeous projects.

A good little project if you are new to doing applique! It is a new Lollypop block.  Really easy ....
But, if you are like me, when I do applique, the background fabric somehow shrinks when all the elements are stitched down, might be a good idea to start with a 20" x 20" background fabric and then trim down to the size indicated in the magazine. When I started quilting years and years ago, I bought a pattern and there was applique in triangles, unfortunately because I didn't know any better, I cut the triangles exactly as per template with 1/4" seam allowance, anyway to cut the story short, my applique background shrank after completing the applique and the triangles were a lot smalller than what it should be. I can't remember what happened to that project, but the lesson was learnt though, now I tend to add a decent seam allowance to applique background fabrics!
I used the KF Spots in Apple Green and at the back, I used the KF Marquee fabric, really enjoyed making the cushion, first time ever. K                    

Update from Kelli

Hey there fellow applique admirers, I have some pics to show you!  I am doing the Stars and Sprigs quilt by machine applique.  I am tracing the shapes onto Floriani stitch and wash, then fusing to the fabric, cut around the shape with about a one eighth allowance, then, I use Elmers glue stick (the purple one) around the shape, then, using a finger pressing tool, shape the seam allowance over the edge of the stitch and wash, this is such a delightful process for me, I love this part more than the sewing :)  I have all the shapes made, I have some gluing to do though, I have used Roxannes baste it glue to tack down my applique.

 Cut out, ready to go yumminess!

  I am starting to sew up the stars now, I just have to look up how :)

Watch this space.................

My friend Julie did this glorious Lolly using a brass color fabric as background. 

First outside border

first border finished and sewn on.  Yeah, I have the second marked and fabric chosen.

Hi, my name is Kelli, and I am a sewaholic

Hi everyone, I am so happy to be here, I haven't known about Kim's quilts until recently.  As you can appreciate, I fell in love!  I decided to start by making Stars and Sprigs, and I am waiting for Pandamonium and it's accompanying fabric pack any day now.  I haven't taken pics of my progress yet, (I just moved, bad time for a sewer) but I do have a pic of the fabrics I ordered from Glorious Color (so cheap to buy it from her, but the wait is almost unbearable!)

Aren't they delicious?? I bought half meters for this project, and believe it or not, it was an awesome guess!  I have a nice amount left over after cutting all the stars and all the applique, astounding how some things just work well, I have enough to take care of any errors I might make (I hope!) I can't wait to show you pics of my progress,  busy time for me at the moment, you know, end of business year.  Oh, a little about me, I am 43, married for 21 of them, my son Benny is 20 (Autistic, barely verbal) my gorgeous daughter Caitlyn,19 , pianist and sometime pizza maker, and the little guy, Curtis, 14, aren't the teenage years a joy?  I hope this post goes down well, tell me if I said too much LOL, I work alone and I am a people person.

 Chat soon, xx Kelli

I haven't posted my progress here for a LONG time,  but I've been working it,  in the midst of many other projects.   I have one border,  the top with the horses nearly done,  but the blocks were all scattered.   A few days ago I decided to trim them up and assemble,  and just see how it would look.   Much brighter than I thought it would!  

Thanks to Liza for suggesting this black/white spot for the background,  after trying out several other choices.  I'm loving it and am now psyched to keep it going.  I was a little bogged down.

It's all machine done,  blind hem stitch with invisible thread,  with turned under edges.    The nice smooth shapes lend itself to this technique.  

I don't have a place to take a good photo so it's outside in BLINDING bright sunlight, on a little hill.  I'll do better once it's all done.    There really is a lot of contrast in it.  

Bobbi

finally top squares together , now for the border