The Drawing Board

Perfect Timing

2012-01-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

It hardly ever happens that the stars and planets align to bring two new items to stores at the very same time and in the same season. But on a rare occasion, this serendipitous intersection does occur —like now! Fabric and plates. Coincidence or a little Good Fortune? Hmm. Either way, i'm so happy to let you know these colorful Chase porcelain plates are now available at Crate and Barrel online and in stores. Yippee!

photo © Crate and Barrel

They feature the Pagoda pattern from my Good Fortune collection and have been interpreted beautifully in glazes of green, yellow and blue. I thought the green set would look vibrant and spring-ie with a placemat made out of Pagoda in the colorway Waterfall *reaching for my "to do" list and dreaming of spring now!*

As i mentioned in the previous post, Good Fortune yardage has been hitting the stores this week and in addition to here, it recently landed here and here!

And since it is Friday...you know what that means! A little fur to end this post. It's short, but so darned sweet.

Hope you have a great weekend!

xo,

kate

Happy News Will Come To You

2012-01-18T16:02:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to share that Good Fortune should be landing on the shelves any day now! If you can't wait...you don't have to! It's already available at Fat Quarter Shop (shameless, i know).

Julie from Cosmo Cricket was so thoughtful to send me this adorable tutorial link she found for making fabric fortune cookies. It's from Staci's crafty blog, and i thought it was so cute. A couple days later, Martha's eNewsletter came in and lo' and behold...another tutorial for making felt fortune cookies for Valentine's Day! Isn't that a great idea? Love it. I read through both tutorials and realized i didn't have felt, floral wire, or glue on-hand — which was pretty much everything you'd need — so with a little resourcefulness, i came up with a hybrid version. This project literally takes about 10 minutes to make.

For materials:

• Two 4" circles of any fabric print (i used...no surprise...Good Fortune)

• One 4" circle of double-sided fusible interfacing (i used Thermoweb Heat'n Bond Heavy®)

• Garbage bag twistie ties

1. Iron Heat'n Bond to wrong side of one fabric circle #1

2. Fold circle #2 in half, then open it back up and place it on work surface with wrong side facing up.

3. Place one twistie tie across the centerline of fabric circle #2 using the folded line as a guide.

4. Peel off paper backing of Heat'n Bond from circle #1 and iron circle #1 to circle #2 (the twistie tie will be sandwiched between the layers).

5. While still somewhat hot (you might need gloves), determine which fabric you would like to appear on the outside of your fortune cookie and fold in half so that fabric is on the outside. Then fold the sides together to form a fortune cookie shape (step 3 of Martha's instructions has a good diagram, and Staci has some good pictures that show this step as well). Here's what it looks like on the underside:

6. Staci pins hers to let it cool, i just held the points together and fanned the cookie in the air for a couple minutes.

7. Write a fortune on a piece of paper, slip it into the cookie and that's it. Need fortune ideas? Here's a fun place to start.

Happy New Year (of the Dragon)!

I hope it's filled with Good Fortune — of all kinds.

It's A Mystery

2012-01-11T10:14:00.000-05:00

A little before Christmas, i got an email from Kimberly Jolly at the

Fat Quarter Shop inviting me to be one of the designers for their

2012 Designer Mystery Block of the Month Club. I barely finished reading her note when i replied with an emphatic YES! I'm so honored and excited to be participating — especially to be included among this list of amazing Moda designers who

have also joined the fun:

Aneela Hoey

Blackbird Designs

Bonnie and Camille

Bunny Hill Designs

Cosmo Cricket

Fig Tree Quilts

Me and My Sister Designs

ME!

Minick and Simpson

Pieces from My Heart

Primitive Gatherings

Sweetwater

What this also means is that i've already been lucky enough to work with Bonnie and Camille's beautiful new fabric collection, Vintage Modern. I love Bonnie and Camille and they've done it again with a line you're sure to Swoon over (don't you just love that pattern?!). Vintage Modern ships in May and if it's not yet on your list of fabric to covet, it should be. As i was playing around with some block design ideas, i quickly discovered that no matter which prints/colors you combine, they all look beautiful together. I'm dying to see what the finished quilt looks like, but...it's a mystery!

Kimberly also made us this cutie little button that i've added right over there on the right sidebar. Just click on it if you'd like to learn more or sign up to join the mysterious fun!

Furry Friday

2012-01-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

On January 1st of each year we (usually) do lots of cleaning around here to start the New Year off sparkling and dust-free. Now to see how long we can keep it this way! One of the other things we do is our rotate our mattress. Does anyone else actually do this? I have no idea whether it really helps, but we do it anyway. We leaned the mattress up against the wall so i could vacuum the bed frame and i turned around a few minutes later to find:

They spent much of the day napping atop Mt. Mattress and occasionally peering out from their slumber to take in the landscape of their empire (including their house servants..ahem) from this new point of view.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

kate

New Goodies

2012-01-05T12:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, i was thinking i should probably get a blog post ready to let you know about some fun new stationery items that will be arriving in Michaels Craft Stores® any day now. I'm really excited to share that the items feature some of the prints from Central Park. Fun!

So i started to snap some photos when...ding...an email came in from facebook® alerting me to a new photo someone had posted on my page. When i clicked to have a peek, i was surprised and tickled to see that Jodie of Simply Kids Ocala had beaten me to it! She spotted the goodies at her Michaels store the other day. Thanks for letting me know, Jodie. So, without further ado..here's a sampling of what you might find:

Spiral notepads, magnetic list pads, chubby pens, cute epoxy clothespins, mini paper clipboards with notepads and rubber stamps. They can be found in the big tower baskets so you might have to dig around a bit, but no matter what you'll come up with a handful of bright color and the promise of an early spring!

Meteors and Colored Pencils

2012-01-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Well, we did it. We set the alarm clock for 3 a.m. When it went off at that godforsaken hour, i could tell that we were both clinging to the blankets as long as we possibly could. But we pried ourselves out of the warm comfort, bundled up and took a very freezing cold walk into our back yard. It was windy and only about 6 degrees and didn't take long before my eyes started to water. It felt like the smeared tears were freezing to my cheeks, but i kept wiping them away with mittened fingers so i wouldn't miss any of the celestial display that we were craning our necks to see (and hoping we were looking in the right direction). The winter sky is so big...and our ability to identify constellations was, well, questionable.

Here's a picture i took just for you:

What did you expect?? It was 3AM!

But then...whooosh! A bright streaming white meteor whizzed across the Little Dipper in a flash. Or was it the Big Dipper? It was so fast and beautiful — but so so cold. We waited. And waited. They said the meteors from the Quadrantid constellation would fall at about one per minute, but we kept waiting and looking in all directions. I was sure that whichever way my head was facing, the meteors would be showering down by the hundreds right behind me. I'll never know. Pete went back to bed and i stayed outside for another 20 minutes. Just before 4 a.m. i saw two more meteors before losing all feeling in my chin, fingers and feet. So i went back to bed, too. And then the alarm clock went off again...way too soon and my feet were still freezing. I think we will do what some wise commenters have suggested: wait for the Perseids in August!

Staying inside with the colored pencils today, and thought you might enjoy this stellar starburst of creativity and color. Grab a cup of hot tea and enjoy!

PS: if you're interested, here's a behind the scenes peek at some of went into making this short video! amazing how creative people are.

Fresh

2012-01-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Hope everyone is off to a wonderful beginning to 2012. I've cleared off my bulletin boards, erased my memo boards, filed paperwork, cleaned off my desk, sharpened my colored pencils and am ready to start designing. It feels so good especially because 2011 ended in a splashing bellyflop when all efforts to maintain balance between work and everything else...in a word...flopped. But without rehashing all that was, let's look forward to all the possibilities for making this a fulfilling year. I know i've got some new plans, new goals, new things to learn and another chance to strive for balance. So far, so good.

I always love to begin the year with a bouquet of fresh flowers to brighten the first days of January with their beauty and sweet fragrance. Apparently Franny seems to like this tradition as well.

How do you begin your year?

Oh! And for any brave souls who are so inclined to face the winter chill...there is going to be a spectacular (or so they say) meteor shower early early tomorrow morning. To read more about it and to know when to set your alarm clocks, click here. We might just be kookoo enough to try to catch a glimpse. Hoping for clear skies!

Furry Wishes

2011-12-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

Wishing you an abundance of love and joy throughout the holiday season — and a very happy, healthy New Year too!

With love from,

kate, pete, franny and lou

Just In Time For (Next) Christmas

2011-12-19T15:27:00.001-05:00

With a little less than a week until Christmas, i'm about knee-deep in gift wrap and tissue paper...and there is hardly a day where i don't find packing tape stuck to my shoe or sleeve (or worse). The other day i was on line at the post office and the woman in front of me was kind enough to point out that i was dragging a trail of red curly ribbon around my ankle. After removing it, i looked up to thank her and saw that the front of her coat was covered in glitter! Ah, the signs of good cheer are hard to miss...and there certainly has been a lot of it around here lately. I hope the same for you, no matter how you celebrate the season.

If you didn't get around to making everything you'd hoped to this year (like me), i definitely had you in mind when i designed my next Christmas fabric collection for Moda! It's called "Joy" and will be touring around with the Moda sales reps in the beginning of January. Among an assortment of festive patterns, the collection also includes a fabric panel that has all the pre-designed pieces to make

two cute stockings!

I sewed them together in no time, and this photo shows only one of many options for embellishment. But please refrain from throwing candy canes at me when i tell you that this collection won't be available for sale until June 2012. The good news is that will give you plenty of time to get a *big* head start on next year's projects.

So please excuse me...i'm heading back to the post office in a couple minutes, but this time, i'm going to do a head-to-toe "ribbon check" first.

Good Omen

2011-12-13T12:10:00.000-05:00

I'm going to take it as a good omen that a bright yellow balloon landed in our tree today.

There was no note attached, which i admit was a little disappointing.

So i am going to attach this note to 12 balloons...

and send them off to the stocking stuffer winners!

And i just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing your sweet, funny, touching and heart-warming holiday-ish memories. I can't tell you how happy it made me to join you in remembering fun details from the past, but also in the idea of making new traditions. It's this kind of exchange that is really the best gift of the season. Thank you for making it so merry.
xo,
kate

Furry Friday

2011-12-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

have a super weekend!

xo,

kate

ps: don't forget to enter for a chance to win a surprise stocking stuffer!

to do so, please leave a comment on the previous post. for everyone who has already entered, i have loved to read about your holiday memories and family traditions! thank you for sharing them.

Merry Moda Blog Hop!

2011-12-07T18:08:00.000-05:00

Or it could also be called the "Moda Jingleblog Hop"? Nah, that might turn into "Jingleblop" which just doesn't have the festive ring to it that Head Elf Lissa was probably hoping for when she came up with this sweet idea. Hmm, how about "Moda Claus Is Coming to Town"? Anyway, no matter what you're calling it, i hope you're having fun visiting everyone and collecting all the block patterns and yummy recipes that have been shared. The blocks would make a really cute sampler quilt (i can say that now that i actually know what one is), or pick a few and make a wall hanging, table runner, pot holders, pillows...the list goes on.

The block i designed for you is called Parfait and you can download it here along with a recipe that was given to me many years ago from a very dear friend. She called the recipe The Perfect Cupcake and it definitely lives up to its name — especially if you pile on the ganache frosting. But if you do that, you might want to change the name to The Disappearing Cupcake. Hope you enjoy them both! Here is what the quilt block looks like in

some prints from Terrain.

sorry for the poor-quality after-midnight-up-too-late photo

I would like to thank Super Elf Lisa Christensen of Three Kids Designs for her help in writing up my block design instructions. As much as i try to take this step, she always makes it look so much easier than i can imagine — and in fewer steps, too! I would also like to thank you for making my world so much happier and brighter by sharing your amazing handmade creations with me. It is a joy and blessing that lasts all year long.

And since not many opportunities come along where you can segue into a chat about parfaits, i just have to share this with you now. I was on Etsy recently and came across a shop called SouZou Creations. You have to see it to believe it! I am dying over some of their jewelry. Sofia gave me permission to show off this adorable parfait ring:

how cute is that?

And these strawberry jam filled cookie earrings:

love!

Ok, moving right along...

Around here, we're starting to have a merry little Christmas. It started with this merry little tree that we put up last weekend.

It has filled our living room with the sweet smell of pine, and brightened the evenings with its soft twinkling lights. I probably don't even need to tell you how happy Franny and Lou were that we brought a tree into our home...just for them of course. And then once we started decorating it, they were so excited to have a whole tree covered in new cat toys! One of my favorites happens to be one of their favorites too: the fuzzy puffball snowman head.

I should have guessed.

But luckily, we were smart enough to put our very special ornaments close to the top and out of paws'-reach. This is one of our most treasured. It was hand-painted by our dear friend Melissa. Not sure if you can see it, but there is a clothesline circling the ball and on one side are Santa's coat, pants and mittens...

art is ©Melissa McNamara

...and on the other side are his socks and undies!

Speaking of Santa...when my sister and i were kids, my Mom and Dad...er...i mean Santa really got creative with the whole stocking tradition. They would find zany things that looked like they might be from other countries — like a book written in Japanese, or tiny ceramic painted clogs from Denmark, or candy from Germany — and my sister and i delighted in imagining how Santa must surely have picked these things up and tossed them into his giant sack as he travelled the globe in his sleigh. It was a magical adventure to sort through the trinket-ie treasures and a memory i will keep forever.

**Update: My Dad just emailed me to say, "What about how Santa would knock over the firescreen and then leave his footprints in fireplace ashes all over the rug?" I guess that must have been his favorite part! See? Memories for everyone. Thanks for reminding me about that, Dad. Love you.**

So in honor of this tradition, i'd like to give away some fun surprise stocking stuffers! I don't think you'll want to miss out on this...cough, cough Good Fortune...cough Terrain. Please just leave a comment below and I'll pick a few winners over the weekend. (Some of you were so quick and left comments before i revised this part! So if you renamed the blog hop, or told me your favorite holiday tradition, don't worry...you'll still be entered in the giveaway!)

Please remember to visit these designers who are also posting today:

Thimbleblossoms

Kathy Schmitz Studios

Laundry Basket Quilts

Primitive Gatherings

And if you've missed anyone along the way, you can go back this post for a complete list of designers to visit. Thank you for stopping by!

xo,

kate

Hoppy Holidays

2011-12-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

It's time for another Moda Blog Hop! This one is a little different because it has no name. I read the designers' blog posts for today and got a laugh that no one really knows what to call it. But in the spirit of the season, it's about giving, sharing and just having a little plain ol' fun at this time of year. Each designer will have a recipe and quilt block design to give you, so pop in at these blogs over the next few days to download (or win) some extra holiday cheer!

December 5th

December 6th

December 7th:

December 8th

Kathy Schmitz Studios

Laundry Basket Quilts

Me! :)

December 9th

Cyberiffic Sales

2011-11-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

If you happen to be cyber Monday shopping, this fun Twelve Days dishtowel is now available at Crate and Barrel (in stores, too). Today only, save 15% on your purchase by using promotion code SAVE15

at checkout.

Also, if you're looking for holiday greeting cards to send, have a peek at my collection on Cardstore.com. I added a bunch of new designs for you to personalize including these:

Or maybe you're way ahead of everything (unlike me) and are already looking to wrap your gifts. The Gift Wrap Company has made some beautiful quality wrapping paper with a few designs you might recognize. This one is called Flurry of Lace:

Amazon.com sold out already, but i found that it is still available online at Broadway Paper. This design is also available as a take-out container (perfect for cookie gifts) at The Container Store.

This one is called Joy Cardinal:

It's also available online at Amazon.com and Broadway Paper. There is a large gift bag and smaller vogue bag with this design as well.

And this one is called Valencia:

It can also be found on Amazon.com, and is available as a gift bag on Broadway Paper.

Broadway Paper is offering free shipping on orders over $50 until December 9th. Use promo code hohoho at checkout.

For larger quantity orders of these designs and others, please visit the Kate Spain Collection offered by The Gift Wrap Company online.

Happy Shopping!

Oh Thank Cuteness

2011-11-25T14:33:00.001-05:00

If you celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, i hope you enjoyed sharing some time with family, friends and loved ones. Around here, there was lots of baking, stirring, simmering, chopping, chatting, cooking, eating...and remembering. I find it hard not to feel the gentle pull of memory as this particular meal is prepared with such love and care, as it always has been. It's rarely the food i remember from year-to-year, but rather the people who brought the food and gathered with good spirits to laugh, to catch up, and to give solemn thanks for all that we are so fortunate to have in our lives. Health. Happiness. Friendship. Love. And there is always an extra place set in our hearts for those we have lost, as there was this year for Pete's Dad. We missed him dearly. He would have loved Pete's apple pie.

There were some new additions to our table this year — er, i mean "on" the table. If you read my blog, you already know that every Friday is a celebration of our two adored kittens, Franny and Lou. So when Scott, Melissa and Jake of Generation Q invited bloggers to join in and give thanks for the "cute" in our lives, how could i possibly turn that down!?

I am so thankful to my friend Molly who gave us these two:

They have made our lives better by reminding us to snuggle more,

to stretch ourselves in new directions,

to smile as often as possible,

to be curious and look at things upside-down when necessary,

to play a little every day,

to find joy in the simple things,

and to stand on someone's shoulders while they're brushing their teeth to get a new perspective!

I'm thankful for Pete in infinite ways, and so deeply happy to share our love and life (and love of life) together.

To me, Thanksgiving is a state of mind and the sentiments of this holiday can be brought into focus no matter what day it is, or meal you're eating, or country you live in. So why not pause to add a little side dish of thanks to each of your days. I'm very thankful for all of you. Keep creating beautiful things with your hands and hearts.

xo,

kate

PS: if you'd like to share some of the cuteness in your life, please linkup over at Jake's post.

thankful for YOU

2011-11-24T12:28:00.001-05:00

"Gratitude is the open door to abundance."

~this morning's yogi tea bag

May your day be filled with both.

With love from,

kate, pete, franny and lou

Furry Friday And A Couple Other Things

2011-11-18T09:56:00.001-05:00

It's been a little quiet on here lately and when that happens it can only mean one thing; it's deadline time in my studio...dum de dum dum. And i've been battling a terrible cold — not the best combo for trying to be productive. Luckily, this mug sample arrived in time for bottomless cups of hot tea and soup.

This is a pattern that fell out of my holiday fabric line Flurry, but fell right into the hands of the lovely people at Crate and Barrel. They did such a beautiful job rendering the pattern on to the gently arcing surface of the porcelain, and even extended the print onto the handle. One of the things i have the hardest time with (for any pattern or collection of designs) is coming up with a name, so it's a fun surprise to find out what the team at Crate finally decides on. Someday i would love to be a fly on the wall when they're in the board room discussing it! This one is called "Norwegian Chalet Latte Mug". Chalet Latte just rolls off your tongue like a little tune. So if you would like to have one for yourself or are looking for a nice gift to warm the winter months ahead, this mug is available online and in stores now.

Another something i almost forgot to share with you is that i finally sewed the binding onto my zig-zag quilt! Since so many of you suggested a scrappy binding to pull all the colors from the zigs and zags, that's just what i did. I used 5" x 2 1/2" strips of a few of the prints (heavier on the orange to balance the colors) and it made all the difference. So glad i listened to you. Thank you!

Btw, i have so much respect (awe/amazement//admiration) for those of you who hand sew your bindings on. I thought i would try it for this quilt, but got maybe 10 stitches in and called it quits. Back to the machine for me. How do you do it?!

Finally, some fur. These two continue to find new napping spots around here:

FYI: they had to climb up the ironing board to get all the way up there! I wonder whose idea that was?

Have a great weekend.

xo,

kate

Winners, Finally

2011-11-16T08:09:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone for joining in the fortune fun! I loved reading all of them, wise or supersilly. Congratulations to all the winners! Please email me your mailing address so i can send some

Good Fortune your way :)

Fortune-ately Furry Friday

2011-11-04T10:13:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks before Quilt Market, i received a giant, filled-to-the-top, sixty pound box of Good Fortune scraps from Moda. I only used an itty bit of it to make the quilt i showed at market, but have all of this left over:

Want some?? If so, just leave a wise or silly fortune below. I'll pick a bunch of winners some time next week. Good luck!

And here's a little fur...

Have a great weekend!

xo,

kate
PS: There's a terrain giveaway going on over at the Fat Quarterly blog ;)

A Flurry of Ornaments

2011-11-03T12:21:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled to announce that a flurry of beautiful ornaments are now available at Crate and Barrel! The creative team at Crate has outdone themselves yet again by selecting just the right application for the design assortments we collaborated on. I'm always amazed by the time and care involved in getting everything just right — which is why i am so happy and excited to finally be able to share these with you!

First up, these intricately carved wooden snowflakes come in sets of twenty-four and are packaged in a gift-ready holiday red plywood box. They're the perfect size to decorate everything from holiday centerpieces and wreaths to swags and mantel arrangements...

...or to add some snow-kissed winter wonder to your Christmas tree!

photo courtesy of Crate and Barrel

Next up, this set of delicate glass ball ornaments are made in the Czech Republic and are sold in sets of four. They're embellished with circular sprays of glittery pine and each is a little different to bring a lovely variety of style and elegance to your holiday decor.

Place them in a glass bowl to decorate an entryway or side table...

Photo courtesy of Crate and Barrel

...or mix them with other ornaments of different sizes and shapes with similar coloring to create a merry and festive look!

photo courtesy of Crate and Barrel

And finally, these adorable holiday glitter pals are dressed for the season with some sparkly flair! They come in a set of three — a reindeer, snowman and penguin — and are ready to hang with a loop of red satin ribbon.

I have to say it was so much giggly fun to see my artwork jump right off the page and into the 3rd dimension.

It's not too early to start decking the halls, is it? Don't know how much longer i can wait! How about you?

Home Again

2011-11-02T17:52:00.000-04:00

Quilt Market was a whirlywind of fabric, friends and (too much) fun and i always leave with a wonderful feeling of knowing that we are creatively connected in our pursuits of happiness. Now wouldn't it be nice if this world were just a teenie bit smaller so we could visit with each other more often? Or better yet, maybe we should petition for our own state! Sewists and crafters welcome. Hey, the southwest is pretty and sprawling and we could take a little chunk from here and there and claim it for our own!

As usual, i didn't take enough photos at Market, so i'm going to sift through what i have and will post them once i finish digging out from my inbox. In the meantime, hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween! Franny went as a possessed feral cat. Spooky!

Furry Friday And Another Peek

2011-10-28T07:18:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again and i'm headed off to Quilt Market today, but wanted to leave you with another lovey, snuggly, warm, and fuzzly picture of Franny and Lou.

Oh! And Lou wanted me to show you a little more Good Fortune before i leave. I had been working on a quilt (that you can see if you're coming to Market!) and had removed just enough fabric so Lou could wedge his cute little self right onto that pile of blue and purple. Irresistible!

If you'll be coming to Houston, please stop by the Moda booth to say hi! It's in the back right corner booth #356. I'll be there all day tomorrow and Sunday morning. Hope to meet you there!

Have a great weekend.

xo,

kate

Furry Friday

2011-10-21T07:07:00.001-04:00

Wow Lou, your design is really coming along! Keep up the good work...i'll be in the other room taking a nap.

(have a great weekend! xok)

Cookie Prediction

2011-10-20T10:59:00.000-04:00

(Almost) Speechless

2011-10-19T16:41:00.001-04:00

This amazingness really speaks for itself. I'm only jumping in to let you know that it was made by Tina of Seaside Stitches. She's planning on finishing it by Christmas (to send to me, right Tina?) so head over to her blog to cheer her on!

Drop the Feed Dogs...

2011-10-17T09:39:00.000-04:00

...i'm quilting today! wheeee

Furry Friday

2011-10-14T14:31:00.003-04:00

With the { i'm not really ready to admit it } winter months coming up, i thought it might be nice to give Franny and Lou an early Christmas present. Or i should say another early present. You know, some kitty-sized, warm and extremely cushie oasis to curl up in for a cozy nap. Well, the more searching i did online for a simple "cat bed", the more i wished they made these things in people sizes!

There is every style imaginable including modern...

designer trendy...

Eames-ish chic...

eco-luxe...

recycled...

up-cycled...

clever...

...and so creative!

yes, that's an old computer monitor

And then there's the one i picked. This style-less, simple, in-our-price-range, super soft, and super blah thing showed up on our door the other day. It's ok, because i have some plans for it *wink*

I ripped open the box, fluffed up the new cat hideaway, put it in my studio and imagined that in any minute Franny or Lou would dart in to discover their dreamy new bed. Annnny minute. Anyminutenow.

Instead (i should have known), they discovered the box it came in and hopped right in!

First Lou...

...then Franny...

But later that evening, it was all too quiet and i wondered what kind of mischief the little furballs were getting into. So i went to look for them and found them here:

Melt my heart!!

Have a great weekend.

xo,

kate

Surprise in the Aisle

2011-10-13T10:34:00.002-04:00

Last night, i realized we were out of milk. No milk = no cereal in the morning, which = not a good start to the day, so off to the grocery store i went. No matter what time of day it is, it's always crowded in our local store...so over the years, i've drawn a mental map of the place for just these times when all i want to do is zip in and check out. You too? Even so, it's quite an obstacle course to get to the far back corner where the milk is, and i couldn't find a clear aisle to zip down! Canned goods aisle: full. Baking aisle: not even going to attempt it (plus, i wouldn't get passed the chocolate chips without buying them). Pet food aisle: what? did everyone run out of pet food at the same time? skip.

Then finally, the seasonal aisle (i think that's what they call it) where books, movies, magazines, patio furniture, balloons, wrapping paper, and halloween candy can be found...was empty. Smooth sailing! As i zipped by, I quickly glanced over at the magazines and continued on my way then stopped in my tracks. Did i see what i thought i saw? It was definitely the colors that registered in my mind, delayed by about 8 feet. Back up. Nope, i didn't imagine it! So i grabbed this off the shelf...

...and felt a Flurry of excitement (duh, sorry) to see that beautiful giant snowflake quilt on the cover! I flipped through and found the pattern instructions on p. 36. It's called "Snow-Kissed Star" and is made by none other than Konda Luckau of Moose on the Porch Quilts!

How weird that i just linked to her blog yesterday but didn't even notice her post about it! Anyway, i love this pattern and the instructions look really simple. The center snowflake uses only 1/2 a jelly roll (plus white for the background), so you could actually make two cute n' quilt-ie christmas gifts!

I continued to flip through the issue before plunking it in my basket, when what what to my wondering eyes should appear but...

...these a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. elfen stockings made by Vanessa of Lella Boutique! (btw Vanessa, i still can't wipe the dopey grin off my face either *wink*)

Congratulations, Konda and Vanessa! And thank you for making my trip to the grocery store so memorable. Except i was so excited after finding the magazine that not only did i get milk, i went back for the chocolate chips too.

Wowie Wednesday

2011-10-12T14:29:00.001-04:00

Some people have "Wordless Wednesdays", but i can't keep quiet about these! So excuse me for a minute while i climb up onto the rooftop and do a little shouting about some amazing Terrain projects that have recently popped up...

Shawn of Dolls from the Loft made this beautiful pinwheel razzle dazzler from only two Terrain charm packs. Two!

And Cindy of Hyacinth Quilt Designs made this color
ka-powie wower:

This one is from Emma in Australia who blogs over at Sampaguita Quilts. She made this beauty from a bag of Terrain scraps i sent to her. Yes, scraps!

The ever-so-talented Chris of AnA Quilting made this knockout. Her blog is fairly new, so why not pop over and wish her a warm welcome to bloggieland! Chris also has quite a lovely photostream over on flickr if you'd like to have a peek (like i did!).

Lee of Freshly Pieced made this gorgeous quilt called Cross Terrain that is offered as a free tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop
(lucky us!):

Michelle of Island Life Quilts made this cute and colorful hexie using a Schnibble pattern called Honeycomb:

And i am definitely going to keep my eye on Sara over at My Sewing Room who is participating in the Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along. If this is how beautiful Sara's first star is, i can't wait to see the rest!

If you're looking for something to make with Terrain, there are lots of patterns out there! A couple of my favorites are this one from Carrie, the Schnibble Queen:

You can purchase it here or here

And Summer Lovin' (or Taffy...i couldn't decide which i love more) by Julie of Jaybird Quilts:

You can purchase this as a kit here or as a pattern from
a bunch of places listed on julie's blog

And you are welcome to download my Stepping Stones free project sheet here or here

If you happen to make anything using Terrain, please don't forget to knock our socks off by posting a photo in my Terrain flickr group. Can't wait to see!

Oh, woah...getting up on the rooftop is a lot easier than getting down (and back to work).

Sewing With the Underdogs

2011-10-11T13:26:00.000-04:00

There comes a time in my designing life when i have to face the cold hard fact that some things eventually end up in the sale bin. But i learn a lot from digging around in there...like which colors didn't do as well as others, which patterns might not have resonated as i'd hoped, etc. etc. And it's really only because i try to improve what i do that i even go through the pain and agony of wanting to know about the flops and flounderers by taking a peek at what's been marked down, reduced, sniff sniff, or even slashed.

But there's a silver lining. You know how sometimes you're determined that the best things in a sale bin must be at the bottom of the pile, so you have to dig down deep to find them? That's what happened when i discovered the misfits from Fandango and made these...

Yes, i'm a little obsessed with zig zags these days. I can't help it — especially after stumbling across this clever tutorial for how to make a chevron pillow from regular ol' striped fabric. But then i thought...hmmm, why not make my own stripes first? So i did. And followed the rest of the directions as written. Well, amost...except that i made them as envelope-style pillow covers and modified the size to fit my pillow forms. As you can probably see, i made the stripes in varying widths and kinda wish i'd have made some really thick ones and really thin ones for more of a noticeable contrast — something for you to consider if you want to make any. I also pinned every zig and zag so the points lined up, which was a little time consuming but worth it in the end!

The sashing are strips from a Snow Bella Solids jelly roll (9900JR-11) that alternate with these prints:

Gold:

Castanet 27047-15

Simpatico 27050-15

Canto 27048-15

Celadon:

Seville 27052-22

Sand/Celadon:

Portico 27049-22

And here are a few online retailers that still have these prints available:

Material Lane

Be Sew Happy

Quilt Home

Hooray for the underdogs!

Furry Friday

2011-10-07T09:39:00.000-04:00

So a little confession here, i had some help making my zig zag quilt...

Yes, Franny helped to make the quilt sandwich (hmmm, and i wonder what that big lump is under there...?)

And Lou helped me with the quilting.

Oh i feel so much better getting that off my chest...

Have a great weekend!
xo,

kate

...

2011-10-06T09:47:00.000-04:00

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

~ Steve Jobs

Country Fair Winners!

2011-10-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone (again and again) for your fantastic suggestions on picking the binding fabric for my quilt! Once i finish it off, i'll be sure to show you how it all turned out. So for Part One of the giveaway, and our random winner of the Terrain fat-eighth bundle...

Hooray to you! We sent out your bundle yesterday and it's already on its way to your front door!

Onto Part Two of our giveaway...

Sunday was a big day here in Fairfield...and i mean BIG! Giant pumpkins were trucked in from all over Connecticut and neighboring Rhode Island for the annual CT Giant Squash and Pumpkin Grower's Association weigh-off. That's the CTGSPGA for short. You've heard of it, right? Me neither. And like me, did you also not know that there's an International Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC)? Yep, we've been missing out! The growers and farmers we met on Sunday were such an enthusiastic bunch and i could have talked pumpkin with them all day long. As it was, Pete and i learned many interesting facts about these...fruits!

Some of you were wondering how the pumpkins are transported. As far as we could understand, they're lifted from their patch using a pulley system and harnesses that are specially configured around a big metal ring to ensure the weight is as evenly distributed as possible. Here's a picture i found that matched the description one of the farmers had given to me:

Then they're lowered into the back of a truck and onto a wooden palette that's been covered with a soft, cushie material like foam insulation panels or blankets. This one is being unloaded here in Fairfield, but you get the idea:

dropping off

All i could think of is what these must have looked like driving down the interstate in the back of a pick up truck!! Over the course of the morning, more pumpkins continued to appear — including Dr. Garrell's — the one you were asked to guess the weight of. Hooray! Well, until the one to the right of his showed up.

We had a chance to talk with Dr. Garrell and found out that he lost his entire patch during hurricane Irene...except this one pumpkin that he found floating in the flood waters. He explained how heartbroken he was after hand-pollinating the pumpkins and nurturing them through what was unanimously a very challenging growing season. Apparently his dreams of record-making-victory were dashed when his contender stopped growing over a month ago. I asked how he knew that it stopped growing? The answer blew me away. He told me that once a pumpkin of the giant variety reaches beach ball size, it will grow somewhere between 30 and 50 pounds a day, A DAY!! Is that crazy or what?! And they do much of their growing at night. Here's a cool time-lapse clip that shows a giant pumpkin growing from 40 to 225 pounds. The photos were taken every 4 hours and only during daylight hours, but it still gives you a sense of the rate at which these things grow:

Back to our escalating competition...after a pumpkin was dropped off, a swat team of contest officials would swoop in and take measurements...

measuring at widest point

...and then they'd go around to each one and perform a "tap test" which would help them determine what kind of density the walls of the pumpkin has. The variety of sounds each one made was remarkable (i tagged along). Some were more hollow, some more thunkie, some more...i don't know...clunkie? As you can tell, my pumpkin vocabulary is limited.

Tap test

Don't they look like someone let the air out?

The pumpkins were then lifted (again with that metal ring and harnesses) and placed on a flat scale — sorry no pictures...camera battery was on-the-blink! But i managed to save just enough battery juice for one last photo of the BIG results:

Wow! As you can see, Dr. Garrell's pumpkin came in 6th place and weighed a whopping 836 pounds! Sooo...aren't you dying to know who guessed closest?! We were too! Won't you please join me in congratulating

We were so surprised that anyone guessed it exactly, but Jodi hit it smack on the bullseye! Way to go, Jodi! Your jelly roll was sent off yesterday so be on the lookout for it any day now.

Several of you were only off by a pound or two — impressive! And so all 15 of our additional winners guessed within a mere 10 pounds of the correct weight (without going over). If your name appears below, congratulations! Please send your mailing address to pete@katespain.com and we'll send your mini charm pack of Terrain off right away!

Thank you all so much for playing along!! GPC weigh-offs are happening all over the country around this time of year, and if you're curious (like me) you can check the standings here. However, the world-record (not listed, but shown here) was broken this year by a pumpkin weighing-in at 1810.5 pounds. That's a lotta pie!

I wanted to leave you with these two pictures because it is beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Halloween around here...

our resident Charlotte (or Charlie?) just outside our garage

xo,

kate

Furry Friday

2011-09-30T07:42:00.000-04:00

First off, i just want to say thank you to everyone who has very thoughtfully weighed-in (haha) on how i should bind my zig zag quilt! Wow, you've given me many ideas that i had not even considered. I'm glad i asked you! If you have not entered the giveaway for some Terrain goodies, you can still do so on this post. Tomorrow (Saturday October 1st — October??) will be the last day to enter.

Today we have a video installment for Furry Friday!

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

kate

Moda Country Fair

2011-09-27T07:47:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my stop on the Moda Country Fair Blog Hop! Did you happen to visit Julie and Eric over at Cosmo Cricket yesterday? What a laugh (and cute cute free project)!

So hello! I'm Kate and it's such a pleasure to have you stop by. If you're new here, feel free to poke around. You can browse some of the amazing projects people (maybe even you) have posted to my flickr groups, share photos of your own, visit my website or some of my favorite blogs, or if you'd like, sign up for my monthly newsletter to find out what's happening here in my studio. Plenty of ways to find out much more than you ever wanted to know!

I've had the privilege of designing fabric for Moda for almost three years now. Whew, time sure does fly when you're having fun, especially the Lissa Alexander kind of fun! Lissa is the infinitely imaginative marketing director at Moda...who continues to broaden the spectrum of the word "creative". A big thanks to Lissa for keeping things so colorful and entertaining!

So without further ado, come join me here in "Fair"field, Connecticut!

Believe it or not, Connecticut and New England have a tradition of country fairs – although on a smaller scale than the mega-state fairs in the heartland. The largest fair when I was a girl was the Danbury Fair. Here's an old post card from its heyday:

We would pass the grounds whenever we'd visit my grandparents in New Milford, and from the backseat of the car, i'd press my nose against the window to catch glimpses of the larger-than-life sized statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. In this picture, you can kind of see Paul near the ferris wheel in the way back, the large farmer in the middle of the crowd, and the carousel horse in the foreground:

When the fairgrounds had to make way for a shopping mall in 1981, the statues adorning the fairgrounds were sold off – including this one — a 38-ft., 4,500-lb. towering Uncle Sam! Today it can be found standing in an amusement park near Lake George, New York.

Other area fairs that we went to were in Goshen, NY and Bridgewater, CT. Both continue to this day. The biggest fair in New England today is the “Big E” in Springfield, MA.

What's your favorite thing to see or do at a fair?

Even better than the rides (and almost better than the cotton candy) at the fairs, for me, were the hay bale-lined tents and booths where the most outstanding produce, animals, and kitchen confections from the region were on display for judging. Some years we’d even get to see the judges wandering around with their clipboards and keen eye in search of the blue-ribbon-winning pie, peppers, piglet, or to watch the official weigh-in of the giant whatever!

Speaking of which...

Our fellow townsman, Dr. David Garrel, enters his giant pumpkin in an annual contest here in Fairfield. It's called the "Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off" (i mean what else would you call it?!), and the other day Pete and i decided to have a peek at how this year's contestant was coming along. WOW! (and yes, it's surrounded by caution tape):

Can you believe the size of that thing?? Impressive. Not only because it's a gardening achievement of the highest degree, but especially because it somehow survived Hurricane Irene. Just a quarter mile down the road from this pumpkin, the hurricane tore a house right off its foundation and swept it into Long Island Sound. Crazy.

Pete and i were trying to guess how much the pumpkin weighs — which gave me the brilliant idea to have Pete take a picture that looks like i'm holding it. But we were caught in the act by a passerby who shouted a little pumpkin humor our way...

...which of course cracked me up. Who doesn't love a little pumpkin humor?!

What's your favorite fair food?
That's easy. Hot dogs. It's also my guilty pleasure. Though i have never eaten more than two in one sitting, i am flattered (and flabbergasted!) that so many people entertained the idea that i could have won a hot dog eating contest when i was in high school (see 2 truths and a lie section--and i'll tell you more about the Smurf thing in another post)! But hot dogs are partially why we moved to "Fair"field in the first place. You see, on one side of town is this place:

that both Martha and i love for their deep fried hot dogs. It's extra dangerous because we can walk to here from our house. And on the other side of town, thankfully a car ride away, is this place:

My favorite is the New Yorker Dog and i can say so with certainty because oh yes, i've tried them all.

What's on your bucket list?

Well, i spotted this on the wall of Super Duper Weenie, so i guess i can cross that one off!

What else is on your bucket list?

Learning how to make hot dogs? Just kidding! I'm sad to say i've never been to the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls or Yosemite, so i would really love to travel more here in the U.S. to see the natural beauty of this country. Actually, if Pete and i could visit every National Park in the U.S. together that would be even better. We went to Olympic National Park in Washington this summer and it was wild and beautiful. Or wildly beautiful.

I'd also love to venture to faraway places like Thailand, India and Japan. And to set up a small pottery studio so i can work with clay again. And to volunteer in an animal shelter. And to grow a lemon tree. And to learn how to actually use each of the nozzles on a cake decorating set. And so many more!

What inspires your work?

Our garden is always an immediate source of inspiration for me. When i was a student at RISD, there was a place called the "Nature Lab" where many of my drawing classes were held. In the lab, there were drawers and cabinets filled from floor to ceiling with specimens of butterflies, shells, seed pods, dried flowers, coral (and more), as well as a number of plants, live birds, turtles and even a bunny! The purpose of the place was to connect elements from our natural surroundings to the art and designs we created...and it worked, and the idea stuck with me. I learned that you never have to look or go too far to find creative inspiration. Just look around.

How many quilts have you made?

Four actually finished, and two quilt tops (yup, there's a UFO in the middle of the pile).

The other quilt top:

is being finished by Teresa Coates of Fab Shop Network to whom i owe a triple-exclamation point thank you!!! She will be donating it to survivors of the Texas wildfires as part of the 100 Quilts for Kids sewing event. And thank you to everyone who emailed me and graciously offered your time and help to finish this project for such a worthwhile cause.

Tell us about your pet(s)...picture?

I'm not sure you really want to ask me that question! You can search my blog using the word "fur" and will quickly find out how crazy i am about these two:

Their names are Lou (left) and Franny (right) and we adopted them from a friend of mine in late June of this year, and fell in love instantly. I started a blog series called "Furry Friday" and post pictures of them each week. It's verging on embarrassing, but i just can't stop!

What movie do you watch again and again?

I'm a hopeless romantic and four of my favorites are: Sense and Sensibility, Notting Hill, Sleepless in Seattle and Before Sunrise. Oh, and recently added one more...Midnight in Paris.

If you could be any age again for one week, what age and why?

I would be whatever age i am in this picture (5? 6?) so i could wear a hat like that, mix plaids and a jean jacket, eat an apple and reconnect with the feeling of dancing like no one's watching..

If you've read this far, then you deserve a Blue Ribbon!!! So this blue ribbon key ring is a super simple and fun project i came up with just for you (because you're all winners to me...awww...) You can download the project sheet here! I used two of the blue prints from my latest fabric collection, Terrain.

Annnnd, i am thrilled to give away some Terrain to a bunch of you. I've got a fat eighth bundle, a jelly roll, 15 mini charms and a few other surprises...thank you Moda!

The giveaway portion of this extravaganza will be in two parts, but please only enter once in the comment section.

Part One

For this part, i need your help. You see, from the very first moment i saw these ziggy zaggy quilts popping up on blogs and all over the place, i knew i wanted to make one. Then one day, i came across this tutorial that showed how to make said zig zag quilt with strips instead of triangles! Woohoo! So i added a couple extra rows to make the quilt slightly larger and made this using some of the prints from Terrain...

I am so happy with how it turned out and was surprised at how quickly it went together (even for me)! Now here's where you come in...i need your help to pick the binding fabric! I just couldn't decide on which color/print to use. Here's a better look at the whole thing:

and the back:

So...which would you pick?

I'll go with whatever the majority decides and randomly pick one winner for the fat eighth bundle...and a few others for the surprisey things. Fun and easy, right?!

Part Two
This part is a little trickier. Scroll back up and take a good hard look at that giant pumpkin. I mean a really good look. Now take a wild guess about what you think that thing weighs. The "weigh off" contest for Dr. Garrel's pumpkin will be this coming Sunday Oct. 2nd at which time i'll get to find out the correct answer. The person who guesses closest to the actual weight of the pumpkin without going over (just like the "showcase showdown" on the Price Is Right) will win a Terrain jelly roll and the 15 people who are the next closest will each win a mini charm pack!

So just to review, please leave only one comment that addresses both Part One (binding selection) and Part Two (guess the pumpkin weight). Entries will be accepted until this Friday September 30th, and i'll announce winners for all prizes on Tuesday October 4th.
Good luck everyone!

**Comments are closed for this giveaway, and the pumpkin has been weighed!! Stay tuned tomorrow to find out who the winners are! Thanks to everyone for playing along.**

Thank you so much for spending some time with me, and i hope you'll come back again soon. The fair festivities continue tomorrow with Karla, Susan and Lisa from Sweetwater! Love those ladies and their free project is as sweet as they are.

Happy sewing!
xo,
kate

Furry Friday and a Fortune

2011-09-23T10:00:00.001-04:00

*wink*

And now for some fur...have i shared this one with you yet?

Also, don't forget to visit the Jolly Jabber to enter to win a Designer Select Bundle of Terrain! The giveaway ends on Monday the 26th.

One last thing...isn't this Moda Country Fair Blog Hop fun!? I've been reading along each day and enjoying all the creative projects everyone has come up with. If you need to get caught up, you can always click back to this post and follow the popcorn trail of fun!

Enjoy your weekend.

xo,

kate

Designer Select Bundle...giveaway!

2011-09-22T10:34:00.001-04:00

Don't you just love the Fat Quarter Shop? I do — and not just because they happen to carry a lovely assortment of my fabric *wink* (though i love them for that too) but because they know how to make things fun! They've recently started a Q&A series on their blog, the Jolly Jabber, called Designer Tidbits. It's such a lively and personal way to introduce you to new and upcoming fabric lines...straight from the designer! If you want to find out about what inspired a collection, or get a sneak peek at upcoming lines, or learn some silly facts about favorite snack foods or what's in the fridge, then you definitely need to check it out. Plus, they do lots and lots of awesome and generous giveaways :)

They've also started another series called Designer Select, and i was thrilled when they asked me to participate. Basically, each designer is asked to select an assortment of 12 prints and 3 solids of their current fabric collection. For me, that would be Terrain. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just 12 skus! But i had so much fun playing around with grouping different color combinations, and finally settled on a cool palette with some of my favorite prints and colors in the collection:

When i saw the beautiful Bella solids that Moda made to match the deep iris-blue-purple and moss green in Terrain, i knew i wanted to coordinate with those since they would give me the chance to highlight the periwinkle, navy and teal range. For some reason, i'm naturally drawn to cool colors — with the exception of orange, that to me is in a whole category of its own. I hope you love this assortment as much as i do and that it gets your creative

wheels spinning!

Oh yeah, i mentioned a giveaway, didn't i? Another part of the Designer Select series is that the Fat Quarter Shop is giving away one of these bundles to a lucky winner! In addition to giving some background on inspiration, i was asked to give three facts about myself...two true facts and one fib. All you have to do is pick which one is the fib and you could win! So click on over to enter your guess while there's still time. The giveaway ends on Monday Sept. 26th.

Good luck and thank you Fat Quarter Shop!

Delilah in...Red!

2011-09-19T11:34:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to share with you that the newest addition to my Delilah plate collection at Crate and Barrel has arrived! These porcelain plates have a beautiful red textured relief glaze and are here just in time for some festive autumn and holiday entertaining. They're available online and in stores now. Yippee!

Franny Friday

2011-09-16T10:05:00.001-04:00

It's Franny's turn in the spotlight today!

This little kitty loves Terrain...

...and sewing...

...and works in progress...

...and climbing up the screen to the top of the front door!?

Hanging On to Summer

2011-09-15T14:19:00.000-04:00

The day before Hurricane Irene was predicted to arrive here in CT, we were supposed to leave for vacation. This seems to be a recurring theme for us because the last vacation we took was postponed due to a blizzard! So the next time we plan to go away, we're going to pick the travel dates, and then leave the week before (or after).

But we finally did get away to Block Island, the birthplace of Franny and Lou! It's a small island just 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. It's a little slice of heaven with long stretches of beautiful beaches and picturesque landscapes of rolling hills, stone walls, bluffs, and the vast Atlantic Ocean.

I was so lucky to spend family vacations there each summer when i was a child and the place is filled with many wonderful memories. When i was sixteen, i started working on the Island every summer and continued to do so throughout high school and college. I worked here at the Spring House Hotel for several years...cleaning rooms!

Know what else i had to do? Laundry for the entire hotel! Must be why i'm so good at it now (yeah, right). This is how i feel about laundry:

On our recent trip, it was really fun to walk through town and to remember some of the many other jobs i had — renting bicycles to tourists, scooping ice cream, working at a retail shop, waitressing, and babysitting. In fact, when Pete and i went to the real estate office to pick up the keys for the cottage we rented, i looked from the name plate on the young woman's desk to her bright eyes and sure enough, it was one of the little girls i used to babysit for...all grown up.

We visited with my dear friend Molly who owns a cute little shop in town called The Scarlet Begonia. She was the person who gave us our beloved furballs, Franny and Lou!

Something i always like to do when we're on vacation is take pictures that will work as desktop images on my computer. I like to keep them simple and uncluttered so they don't camouflage all my folders and files. It sounds dorky, but when i get back to work, i don't have to look too far to be reminded of the peace, beauty and fun of our adventures away from home. If you'd like to, you can download this one (rocks in a row) or this one (weathered shingles) for your personal use. The rocks were untouched and positioned just as the tide had delivered them to shore (i have this on my desktop right now). The weathered shingles were on the cottage we rented.

Here are a bunch of pictures from our lovely little escape, as we try to savor summer for as long as we can...

There is something magical about visiting the same place over the span of many years. Time becomes like an accordion and compresses the past and present into a vivid, harmonious snapshot of what remains constant in your life and what is ever-changing. As i stood at the top of the stairs —in the bottom right photo above — and looked down to the beach, i could see my 8 year old self running to the water's edge and filling bucket after bucket of sea water to replenish the moat around her sandcastle. Part of me knew that she would then dash up the stairs counting each one as she went, to meet me at the top and look out together at the waves and memories as they rolled in one after the next.

Sewing for a Cause

2011-09-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, i was approached by Kate of Swim, Bike, Quilt who asked if i would help to sponsor the DC Modern Quilt Guild's second annual charity sewing event called

Count me in! Their mission is to encourage quilters to donate baby or toddler sized quilts to children at organizations in your own communities — so you get to decide where your quilts will go. You could donate to a local children's hospital, foster care program, domestic violence center, homeless shelter, or military family support organization. Though i am not affiliated with any of these, there are also organizations such as Project Linus , AmeriCares , Save the Children or Ronald McDonald House that you might consider.

There was a great turnout for this event last year when 130 quilts were donated— wow! This year Kate and her guild hope to continue to expand their efforts by inviting quilt bloggers and guilds from all over the globe to participate. Please click here to read more about the details and dates. If you need some arm-twisting then let me also mention that there are some awesome prizes from Fat Quarter Shop, Denyse Schmidt Quilts, Fresh Squeezed Fabrics, Elizabeth Hartman, Oliver + S, Vand Co., Fabric Shoppe, Cluck Cluck Sew, me and many others! Also, if you are interested in sponsoring the event/donating a fabric or quilting related prize, please email Kate: swimbikequilt at gmail dot com (before October 10th).

If you don't have time to start a quilt from scratch, one suggestion was to finish a WIP if you had one lying around. That got me thinking. I have this quilt top that i made for the GoBaby giveaway last month:

Would anyone want to finish it and donate it to an organization in your community?? I would be happy to send it off to someone, but please DO NOT LOOK TOO CAREFULLY (or at all) at the sloppy seams on the back, ok?!

I hope you'll join this wonderful cause, and if you know of other charities you'd like to suggest, please note them in the comments for everyone to see. The more children whose lives can be brightened in some small way, the better.

Fortune

2011-09-14T10:03:00.001-04:00

Hop on over to the Oliver + S blog to see what Liesl has dreamed up for your visit to the Moda Country Fair!
(sorry for the lame-o, cheesy segue)

Remembering

2011-09-11T09:32:00.000-04:00

The Names

Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name --
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on storefront windows
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner --
Kelly and Lee,
Medina, Nardella, and O'Connor.
When I peer into the woods,
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening -- weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds --
Vanacore and Wallace,
(let X stand, if it can, for the ones unfound)
Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in a green field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart.

--Billy Collins (Copyright 2002, All Rights Reserved)

Billy Collins was appointed the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003 and was asked by the Librarian of Congress to write a poem to remember the victims of September 11th. This poignant poem is what he wrote, and if you'd like to hear him read it aloud and listen to an interesting interview with Collins conducted by Jeffrey Brown of PBS, please click here.

Today, we will solemnly observe the 10th anniversary of September 11th and reflect on that sad day — especially on the people who lost their lives that morning, who had gotten up and gone to work or to travel — with a spouse, child, parent, friend, colleague, or alone — to somewhere ... to connect with others and to propel the goodness in life. We will also remember the brave rescue workers, police, firemen and citizens whose actions and efforts to help others that day revealed the tireless strength of the human spirit.

Put Your Walking Shoes On!

2011-09-10T09:38:00.002-04:00

It should be landing on the shelves soon...maybe even at your LQS! You can also find it here (available now) along with some great patterns by Jaybird Quilts, Sweet Jane's Quilting and Design, and the Schnibble Queen...Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.. If you'd like, you can download the free pattern i designed as the project sheet to go with the collection. It's a quilt called "Stepping Stones" and i was floored when it popped up in the Terrain flickr group! Suzanne made it even better by making it bigger and adding that cute border.

Have fun exploring the bright saturated colors of Terrain, and please don't forget to share here so we can all see what you've created!

xo,

kate

Fortune, Fair, and Some Fur

2011-09-09T12:58:00.000-04:00

Hmm...so i was planning on posting clever clues and curious hints about a certain something that is going to be shown at a certain market in a certain upcoming month. But then yesterday, i started to get email after email letting me know that the person/people had already seen that certain something on a certain website (or two)! If you don't know what i'm talking about and haven't seen or heard anything yet, just pretend you didn't read this.

are you pretending hard enough?

ok, keep trying...

maybe this will distract you...

It's Camille's day of the Moda Country Fair blog hop and her free project is adorable! If you haven't already joined in the fun, you can catch up by following the links in this post. If you have been reading along (like me), did you laugh yourself silly at Barb and Mary's post y'day? I did. It should have come with a warning! In addition to learning more about your favorite Moda designers, there are also many chances to win some awesome fabric from these talented designers.

By now you should have forgotten about that thing i mentioned before. What thing, right?

In case there are still remnants of recollection, here is some furry distraction. Lou will take the spotlight today and Franny's turn will come next week.

Have a great weekend!

xo,

kate

Join Us at the Fair!

2011-09-06T17:47:00.002-04:00

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? If you haven't already started to celebrate, you're in for a treat! All of the Moda designers have been busy setting up the tents, piling up the hay bales, and cooking up some fun just for you. Today is opening day at the Moda Country Fair and Sandy helps us kick off this 27-day whirlwind of sewing projects, fabric giveaways, recipes and lots of other surprises you won't want to miss. Welcome!

Get your tickets ready...here's the line-up (rain or shine):

September 6th Sandy Gervais of Pieces from My Heart
September 7th Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs

September 8th Barb and Mary from Me and My Sister Designs

September 9th Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms

September 10th Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts

September 11th Basic Grey

September 12th Polly and Laurie from Minick and Simpson

September 13th Sandy Klop (Post will be on Moda's blog)

September 14th Liesl from Oliver + S

September 15th Joanna from Fig Tree and Co.

September 16th Lynne from Kansas Troubles

September 17th Barb and Alma from Blackbird Designs

September 18th Aneela Hoey from Comfortstitching.com

September 19th Barbara Brackman from Barbara Brackman

September 20th Bonnie from Cotton Way

September 21st Christina from Cabbages and Roses

September 22nd Deb Strain

September 23rd Jan Patek of Brannock and Patek

September 24th Lauren and Jessi Jung

September 25th Stephanie from Lily Ashbury

September 26th Julie from Cosmo Cricket

September 27th Me!

September 28th Karla, Susan and Lisa from Sweetwater

September 29th Kaari from French General

September 30th Lisa from Primitive Gatherings

October 1st Kathy from Kathy Schmitz Studio

October 2nd Liz from Liz Scott Designs

See you back here on the 27th when you'll have a chance to try your luck at winning some fun fabric-ie prizes!

Furry Friday

2011-08-26T11:38:00.004-04:00

So it turns out that Franny and Lou also look forward to Moda deliveries from the UPS guy. But they just like the empty box, whereas i happen to like what's in the box...

which i will be showing you...soon!

In the meantime, i had to catch my breath this morning when i saw Kathy Mack's beautiful project using Flurry! She is one of the participants for the "Fat Quarterly Basic Grey Designer's Challenge", and her project is dazzling. You won't want to miss it, so click on over! Kathy gives a wonderfully detailed "how to" on the Fat Quarterly blog as well.

Be on the Lookout...

2011-08-24T17:38:00.001-04:00

It's nearing the beginning of September which means that Terrain will be shipping soon! Woohoo! This is just a quick post to let you know that if you'd like to learn a little about the inspiration for this collection, i'm guest blogging over at Quilting Arts! I was so happy when Lindsey invited me back and want to thank QA for hosting me. Annnd Lindsey has upped the ante of excitement by adding a Terrain giveaway to the post!

I also got an email this morning from Melanie, who won the GO!baby giveaway. You will all be happy she won when you read her blog post about it. You see, Melanie was so thankful for her good fortune that she would like to pass some of it on to you in the form of...that's right...a Terrain giveaway! It's Melanie's first ever giveaway, so please head over and show her some love!

Oh, Baby! We Have a Winner

2011-08-16T10:35:00.006-04:00

"We" were supposed to pick a winner for the big giveaway last night, but it's so hard to get these two to sit still when you need them to!

Thanks to help from some kitten treats and random.org, Franny and Lou have picked a winner!

Congratulations, Melanie! You were lucky number 170. I hope your new GO!baby will give you just the courage you need to try out a Dresdan block. Happy quilting adventures to you and have fun!

Thank you to everyone who entered, and thank you AccuQuilt for offerring such a generous prize!

Flurry, Furry Zucchini Saturday

2011-08-12T11:47:00.015-04:00

First up, Flurry..

Didn't have a chance to post Furry Friday y'day, but it worked out because now there is another giveaway you can enter! Ryan Walsh (aka: I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts) was so kind and invited me to have a chat about my newest holiday fabric collection, Flurry. You can read it on his blog. He is also giving away three charm packs of Flurry that you could win — if you enter that is —so don't forget to hop on over. Thank you, Ryan! It's always fun to catch up with you.

Next up, Furry..

Franny and Lou have discovered water! It's like turning on the television for these two. They sit and watch water droplets slide down the side of the tub and stare into the drain when they disappear.

Too cute!

They're getting so big! And one more...

Last up, Zucchini...

Pete made a bunch of these delectable zucchini muffins (cupcakes, really) and of course since there's a vegetable in there, they have to be good for you, right?

Here is a link to the recipe incase you'd like to try them out (you won't be sorry). For our oven, he adjusted the temperature to 325 degrees and cooked them for 25 minutes instead of the recommended settings. Yum!

Hope your weekend is off to a great start. And don't forget, if you haven't entered the AccuQuilt GO!baby fabric cutter giveaway in my last post, there's time! Franny and Lou won't be picking a winner until Monday. And i have to say i am learning so much from everyone about all kinds of different quilt blocks i've never even heard of! Thanks for the educational fun and good luck!

GO! baby Giveaway

2011-08-11T15:30:00.010-04:00

AccuQuilt just told me they'd like to give away one of their amazing GO!baby fabric cutters to one lucky person! How generous are they?! Not only that, you'll be able to pick three dies of your choice! If you'd like to enter to win, please leave a comment here letting me know your favorite block pattern — traditional or modern, it doesn't matter. Links to images are welcome!

I'll have Franny and Lou randomly pick a winner on Monday.

Good luck!

*** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, BUT KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR FUTURE CONTESTS, GIVEAWAYS, NEWS AND OTHER FUN STUFF!***

Discovering Traditional the Modern Way

2011-08-11T13:43:00.007-04:00

I suppose you could also discover modern the traditional way. Or discover modern the modern way. Or...well, you get it. But what am i talking about anyway? In this case, it's a beginner quilter (me) exploring the inherent possibilities of the half square triangle. This will make sense by the time you finish reading, i promise.

If you read my blog (thank you), you know how i feel about sewing triangles. I mean there's a bias edge on these things! That alone sends chills down my spine. But fears can be overcome by facing them head-on and that's just what i did when the fabulous people at AccuQuilt asked if i would like to try out their GO!baby fabric cutter. Sorry if that sounded a little infomercial-ish, but this wonder machine is going to have a permanent spot on my cutting table, literally —because it's so cute and compact (and yes, it slices and dices...fabric).

This thing will cut fabric into many shapes depending on which die you use, so i was asked to pick three that i would like to try out. Hmm...i decided to pick ones that would stretch my sewing abilities and confront aforementioned fears. First one into the basket: 4" half square triangle. Gulp. But what could be more intimidating than sewing a hexagon?? Into the basket it went. Panic. And what about a tumbler block?? Done. Time to checkout. When everything arrived, it was obvious that i had been possessed by a daredevil sewist.

But Lou was ready. And if he was, i was. We could take this on together.

For fabric, i decided to use a majority of the prints from the Terrain Designer Select bundle i picked out for the Fat Quarter Shop. Thought it might be fun to play around with — Ooo, and it was! Have you seen it?

The deep iris blues, periwinkles and teals are some of my favorite colors. I don't know why it took me so long to include them in a fabric collection!

So here's the lo-down on using the GO!baby. Pay close attention, it's quick.

First, you cut 5 1/2" strips the width of the fabric. I kept it folded in half and then placed it on the foam die like so:

Then you put the cutting mat on top of the fabric...

...and position the cutting mat/fabric sandwich on the flat surface so the front edge is between the rollers — you may have to turn the handle until the rollers grip the cutting mat. Then simply (and really easily) turn the handle to move the whole thing through:

Did i mention you don't need to plug this in? No cord, no motor, and you don't even need muscles. The first time i did it, i really didn't think there was any way it could have done its cutting thing. But after lifting off the cutting mat...voila! Eight half square triangles. Or are they triangles ready to become half-squares? Either way, they were cut to perfection and ready to sew:

I found that on some passes, you might need to snip single threads that did not get cut through completely — mostly in the 90 degree corners. A small thing to contend with when you think of how long it would take to cut everything out by hand. Otherwise, i love that the bias edge is squared off which makes sewing that 1/4" seam allowance really easy. Not to mention there are no dog ears to snip off when it's pressed open. And ok, it was also really fun and yes, i got carried away. In no time, my work table was covered with piles of triangles. I need to write that again so it sinks in. TRIANGLES!

Now what to make. I guess it's a better idea to know what you're going to make ahead of time, but i did not. Instead, i really wanted to play around with these triangles and see what was possible. It's one thing to design a quilt with the help of a computer, but quite another to handle the fabric and watch things unfold by moving the shapes and colors around. I had never really done this (sad, i know), and especially not with triangles.

So first i started off with keeping the colors and prints together, turn turn turn..and poof! A zig zag. This seems to be quite the trend right now...in quilting, apparel, home décor, you name it. The zig zag is having its time in the spotlight (what's old is new and will be old again). Now if Lou would've moved, i could have kept going...

Next one, i still kept the prints/colors together, but turned the triangles and alternated lights and darks in diagonal rows. I put all the darks on top and lights on the bottom and came up with this:

Then after mixing everything up and turning the triangles to my heart's content, something familiar started to come into view. I moved things around a little more and AHA! This traditional quilt block came together with the same excitement as finding two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly and with the surprise/disbelief in knowing they were right under my nose the whole time. It made me think, "So that's how this block is made". I'd seen it so many times, but never known how to actually make it. Franny liked it so much she curled up and took a nap:

Does anyone know what this block is called?

I know i'm not inventing anything new here, but as a beginner quilter, i enjoy discovering the traditional aspects of this craft. It helps me look with modern eyes (through modern technologies) into the past wherein the foundation lies. I like to think that we are all laying bricks (or blocks) of our own atop this historic art form with the awareness that there is much to be learned, celebrated, discovered, reinterpreted...and sewn! So let's get on to that part...

Enter Franny and Lou.

With little to no help from them (as you can see), i sewed five blocks together using that block design.

Some were better than others. I really need to make a design wall (of some sort) because once i stepped back from these...eh hem...completed blocks, i realized that the block "works" better if you position the dark print on the bottom part of the pinwheel. It adds a beveled dimensional appearance to the design. I'm sure someone waaaaay back in the 1800's had already figured this out, but when you learn it the hard way, it sticks. Lou didn't agree. He liked it just the way it was (anywhere it was).

I combined that block with this one because i wanted to contrast the busy-ness with something simpler. The measurements shown are the cutting dimensions for each piece:

AccuQuilt also makes a strip die that would be perfect for a block like this.

I used Moda bella bleached white (9900 97) in the block above as well as for the 2 1/2"sashing. The border is 3 1/2" wide (measurements noted include seam allowances). The lap-sized quilt finishes around 58" x 58" (if my math is correct. That's a big IF). When it's all sewn together it looks like this:

Past meets present, traditional meets modern, i meet half square triangles...and you know what? They're not so scary after all. But now i'm having tumbling hexagonal nightmares. Fortunately, there are techie sewing pioneers of our time who have made some extremely helpful YouTube tutorial videos. I have watched this one over and over and am working up the courage to try it out.

It also occurred to me that the 4" finished half square triangle die would be perfect for the Stepping Stones quilt i designed as a project sheet for Terrain! You can download it free from Fat Quarter Shop, or purchase it if you prefer the printed version. This quilt was on display in the Moda booth last Quilt Market. It was pieced by Sherri and quilted by Judi. Two amazing people who i am very lucky to know.

Thank you AccuQuilt for making such an amazing cutting machine! Oh hey, if you want to sign up for their e-mailing list (and get 22 free patterns) there's a button to click on the right sidebar just for you!

Furry Friday

2011-08-05T08:22:00.002-04:00

No words for this one:

Just another average work day for Pete (and Lou):

Oh, and if anyone is going to be in NYC at the "Quilters Take Manhattan" event sponsored by The Alliance for American Quilts, i hope to see you there tomorrow!

You can still purchase tickets online, here.

Have a great weekend!

Zucchini Addendum #1

2011-08-03T00:38:00.000-04:00

I have loved reading all your ideas for zucchini meals. Thank you! Can't wait to try some of them out. Right around that same time, the August issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine showed up in my mailbox. Lo and behold, it's loaded with zucchini recipes. Just in time, too...we're running out of counter space! So last weekend, i decided to try one out. Zucchini bundt cake. It was delicious (notice the past tense there?). It's only Wednesday and this whole thing is already gone.

If you can believe it, that's crystallized zucchini on top. Did you know you could do that? I didn't! Never even had the thought cross my mind. And i have to admit, it was the zucchini on top that compelled me to make this in the first place! I love the ribbon-like appearance of it and the way the dark edge of the zucchini skin creates a kind of scribbly look. One night, we ate it with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, and the next with yogurt and some sliced peaches...and then it was all a blur until we were staring at crumbs on the plate.

Next up, what to do with all these potatoes?!

This year, we tried a new variety called Russian Peanut Fingerlings and decided to experiment by planting some in the ground and some in two giant flower pots. The ones in the ground are not quite ready yet — probably because the ground stays a little cooler and wetter than the pots did — but one of the potted batch was ready to be harvested over the weekend. I had only planted 4 small seed potatoes in one pot and got THREE AND A HALF POUNDS from them!! That's a lot of french fries! or potato salad? or...? heeelp (again)!

Furry Friday

2011-07-29T07:45:00.003-04:00

Ever since these two arrived, there have been some changes around here. Now i do all my work with a camera hanging around my neck to capture moments like this:

and this:

The cuteness is almost unbearable!

Which means there's a folder on my desktop with hundreds of pictures in it. Welcome to Furry Friday.

Dog lovers, you've been warned.

Have a great weekend!

P.S.: i love dogs too.

Surprises

2011-07-28T12:51:00.004-04:00

In the July newletter, i let subscribers in on a little secret about a new collaboration and told everyone to keep their eyes peeled for new products this August at...

Yippee!! I'm so excited to be working with my fabulous partners at International Greetings to bring some colorful stationery and organization items to Michaels craft stores.

But guess what? I found out from one of my wonderful newsletter readers that they were already in her local store about two weeks ago! Maybe they're in your store too? If so, and if you want to roll your sleeves up and dig through the giant overflowing baskets of fun, you may come up with some of these goodies:

Notecards, magnetic notepads, pocket notepads, file folders, list pads, chunky pens, luggage tags and even emory boards! Great for back-to-school, party favors, or just to toss in your bag, keep by the phone, stick to the fridge...whatever!

And if there are any Fandango fabric lovers reading this..Michaels is also carrying these supercute desk items in the home office aisle:

Know what else shipped early? Precuts for Terrain! Exciting!

I found out from someone on Twitter. The bright side of not knowing when things are going to happen (exactly) is that it's a surprise for me too (and i love surprises)! So thank you for keeping me in the loop :)

Back From France

2011-07-26T05:48:00.003-04:00

Did you think i meant me? I wish!

But if i close my eyes and squeeze them tightly shut, i can conjure a short slideshow tour of Paris on the back side of my eyelids. A panoramic view of the city from atop the Eiffel Tower comes into focus with its spoke-like streets radiating from the Arc de Triomphe at the hub of the Champs-Élysée. The winding Seine splits around the Ile de la Cité where the Cathedral of Notre Dame's flying buttresses anchor it to its small island. Then flashes of Titian, Monet's bright orange poppy field and Leonardo's great works come into view. Inhale and i can smell the sweet buttery aromas of fruity pastries and fresh-baked breads...

...but then...i open my eyes and *poof* i'm back in our little kitchen with this book in-hand:

covered in flour and trying to re-create the crusty, chewy baguette here at home. Le sighhh...

Meanwhile outside the dream bubble, my quilt and pillow just returned from France yesterday! As in the real France, and on a real airplane. I've been living vicariously through them since they left last November right after Quilt Market. But they brought back a souvenir of their trip that i'd like to share with you!

If you were at Quilt Market, you might remember seeing that quilt on the...cover!? (total surprise*faint*) hanging in my booth:

It's called "Great Lawn" and i loosely based the narrative design on the landscape of Central Park with its surrounding city skyline, tree-lined cobblestone paths, bricks and gardens. I pieced it and quilted it myself, which was probably why i missed it so much while it was away.

Some people had asked me if it was going to be a pattern and i'm so happy to say that it is now! You can find it in the Special Summer Issue of the amazing Quiltmania magazine, available online here. Also in that same issue (again, *faint*) is my "Bouquet" pillow from the Moda pillow talk:

You may have read about it here, and now you can make your own! To personalize it, you can put something unique to you under the peek-a-boo door (you don't have to put Hello Kitty under there). There are 11 other fun summer-themed sewing projects you might also enjoy in the issue. Quiltmania is such a treat to look through and the sewing instructions are very clearly written with lots of diagrams so it's perfect for a beginner or experienced sewist.

This is a first for me...having a quilt i designed in a magazine. I sure didn't expect it and up until yesterday when i finally held the issue in my hands, i had doubts that it was really going to happen. But here it is, and even so i still can't believe it! I'm thrilled and honored to be included in such a wonderful publication.

My friend Sherri will be sharing some fun news about her gorgeous "Carousel" quilt too:

It may have a little jet lag right now, but i'm sure you'll hear about it very soon!

P.S: Thought i'd also share with you another interesting and perhaps lesser-known stop on the tour of Paris (we have only been there once, but dream of returning someday). In the square in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame is a brass compass star set into the ground. It's called "Point Zero" and as the French tour guide told us, it marks the alleged birthplace and official center of the city of Paris. She described it to us as "not only the heart of Paris, but the heart of all of France" because it is from this point that all distances of roads and highways are measured throughout the country and to other major cities in Europe. She added that some people think it's good luck to rub the star with your foot and make a wish. I would say lots of people think that, because it was shining as though someone had polished it that very day!

P.S.S: As a random act of quiltie-ness, Melanie over at Above All Fabric is helping me give away a charm pack of Flurry! Not sure when she'll pick a winner, so you may want to head over and leave a comment on her blog. I'll be sending the prize out to the winner :)

Inbox

2011-07-22T08:49:00.001-04:00

Checking my inbox to see what's on the schedule for today...

...looks like it'll be a busy one!

Sewing and Zucchini

2011-07-21T13:22:00.006-04:00

Those are only two of the things i'm having a hard time keeping up with lately! Another you may have noticed is my poor ol' neglected blog. But you didn't come here to read about excuses, so let's just sweep that little fact under the proverbial rug, ok? ok. *wink*

My friend Kathy over at Pink Chalk Fabrics has been hosting "Where I Sew" month on her blog. Maybe you've been following along? The idea is simply to share some peeks of our sewing spaces — that means you, too! There is a "Where I Sew" button down there on the right sidebar that looks like this:

Click and it will take you to a page where you can add a picture of your own sewing room to the mix. It's been such fun (in a droolie kind of way) to see the variety of creative spaces that people have made for themselves. I've certainly picked up lots of great ideas for storage and shelving — you can never have too much of either. Kathy invited me to participate in the feature part, and today is my day! Go on and have a peek, but i have some confessions to make about the photo:

• My work table usually has piles of well, work on it. So yes, i admit it, i cleaned up before snapping the picture.

• I pieced the Fandango quilt top on my sewing table last December and have not gotten around to finishing it yet. It's my first UFO! I have to say it's kind of driving me nutso to see it folded and just sitting there on the shelf. But as you can see, i moved it closer to my sewing machine. Maybe that will do the trick?? Am i in denial?

• My entire work space, including where i sew and run my entire business is 11 feet 3 inches by 11 feet 2 inches. When a space is that small, believe me, every inch matters.

Kathy's online fabric shop is wonderful and her blog is informative and fun with great sewing tips/tutorials and info on trends in the fabric industry. In fact, i knew her blog long before ever meeting her in person and once we finally met at Quilt Market last fall, i felt i had known her forever! She's just that kind of person. Thank you, Kathy, for putting together this fun event and i can't wait to see where you sew!

And i leave you with...zucchini!

Those shades of green and the bright yellow blossoms are so beautiful, aren't they? But seriously, how do these things grow so fast?! It's gotten out of control around here. We're picking them by the armfuls and the situation has quickly gone from a gardener's delight to a cooking conundrum in a matter of days. All of these are sitting on our counter right this very minute:

Any ideas? I need your heeelp!

Furry Love

2011-07-09T09:47:00.003-04:00

Around here, life is just not complete without a little fur. So a couple weeks ago, we adopted these two from a friend of mine. They're a brother and sister and they have managed to effortlessly wiggle their way into our hearts. Without further ado, i'd like to introduce you to:

I'm going to try not to make every post about them (i said i'd try), but if they keep snuggling together like this...

or this:

...it's going to be really really hard!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T12:03:00.005-04:00

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your caring thoughts, compassionate emails, and generous outpouring of support. We appreciate your kindness so very much.

Today we will not only celebrate the 235th year since signing the Declaration of Independence, we will also celebrate you — our fellow citizens and friends — who strive to make this country better each day.

So while we are out waving our flags, hopping along in three-legged races, sipping lemonade and enjoying time with our friends and families, let's also try to be mindful of the sacrifices so many men and women have made throughout history and today, to uphold our democracy.

It is a privilege to have only ever known freedom.

Celebrate it!

Absence

2011-06-28T14:15:00.001-04:00

I realize it's been some time since my last post or tweet or newsletter. And if you've emailed me recently and have not heard back yet, there is a reason.

Pete and I went on a little trip to the beautiful Northwest – which included some visits with quilter/designer friends and to fabric stores in Portland and Seattle (future post, i hope). On the last day of our trip, we learned that Pete's father had been diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. We got an earlier flight home and went straight from the airport to the hospital to be by John's side.

The two weeks following were very hard and filled with a pendulum of emotions that swung between hope and sadness, disbelief and awareness, but eventually came to rest in an oasis and sanctuary of love. Sadly, John died last week in the arms of his three children and his oldest, dearest friend. It was just two days before his 72nd birthday.

I will remember John with great fondness, always – not only as Pete's kind and loving father, but also as a witty, generous, eloquent and dear friend and fellow curious mind. He was a vibrant conversationalist, and it seemed that John and i could talk about anything – from quilting, baseball, travel and history to art, music, and cuisine (including our mutual favorite food group: hot dogs). No matter what the topic, we'd end up improving each other's appreciation for things and deepening our connection to each other. And sometimes we'd hit on something that would make each other laugh to tears. Oh how i will miss John so deeply, but am grateful for the time i got to know and love him.

If you will be spending the 4th of July with your family, hug them a little tighter and a little longer.

My best wishes to you all.

xo,

kate

Table Talk and Scrap Bag Winners!

2011-05-31T00:01:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Gudrun, for such a fun Blog Hop and for sharing your creativity with all of us. I'm heading to the kitchen to make a Hot Fudge Pudding Cake now. Oh yes! But before i do, here are the winners:You are just going to love this fabulous book. Have a wonderful time sewing and cooking your way from cover to cover. I'm also going to help get your sewing off to a colorful start *wink, wink* So please email me your mailing address.

And wow, due to the overwhelming interest in the other part of the giveaway, i decided to pick 10 winners to make (some of) your scrap-happy dreams come true. You will be amazed at how much fabric we were able to smush into our mailing envelopes. No joke. They're so stuffed i couldn't even include a note! But i really have to thank Pete for helping me get all the packages together. He actually dumped out the entire 48 pound box, separated the scraps by pattern, and then gathered 10 assortments that include every print in the entire collection. Are you ever lucky he had the day off yesterday (and that it rained)!

So without further ado,

The comment number is listed in the right column. Please email us with your mailing address so we can get these goodies off to you.

Congrats to everyone!

Table Talk Blog Tour and Giveaway!

2011-05-26T00:45:00.011-04:00

Welcome to Day Four of the Table Talk Blog Tour!

Dont' forget to visit Gudrun, our hostess-with-the-mostest. She's blogging every day along with us. If you've missed the other posts so far, here is the line up:

Monday May 23rd: Kimberly Jolly - The Jolly Jabber

Tuesday May 24th: Sandy Gervais - Pieces From My Heart

Wednesday May 25th: Monique Dillard - Open Gate Quilts

Thursday May 26th: Me!

Friday May 27th: Kansas City Star - Diane McLendon

I was so happy and excited when Gudrun asked me to be a part of this because it's always so fun to see what she's got cooking (pun intended in this case). Just before Market, Gudrun was kind enough to send me a copy of her book to take a peek. I started to flip through it and by the time i reached the back cover, i was so hungry! You see she did quite a tantalizing and subliminally sneaky thing; she combined recipes with sewing projects. Beware!

Gudrun grew up in a small town in Iceland and her book focuses around the dining table where her family would gather to nourish their spirits with lively conversation, laughter and special family treats. Add fabric to the food and fun, and voilà...Table Talk. There are numerous projects for table runners and toppers that span all seasons and the instructions are really simple with well-drawn diagrams accompanying each step. I love diagrams!

One of my favorite projects in the book is the "Jolly Woods" runner.

I've been looking for a small something to make using my fabric collection Flurry and i think this would be perfect! Even though there are lots of triangles (which usually scare me), it's whimsical and too cute not to at least try. Like the buffalo chicken dip! Not that the dip is cute, but i do want to try it.

I almost thought about making the "City Square" topper using Terrain, but then i got to the last few critical assembly steps in the instructions and realized there is NO POSSIBLE WAY i could ever finish this project when the facing page has a recipe for "Hot Fudge Pudding Cake". Nope, no way.

So the project Gudrun made with my fabric is called "Jelly Jar" and it's a sweet and scrappy table runner that uses leftover strips from any jelly roll project — or really almost any project that leaves you with a bunch of 2 1/2" strips. I love projects like this that help to put those scraps to good use. I also love that she used Verna.

Aww, remember her?

The jelly jar theme reminded me of a few things:

1. My grandfather Jack who made homemade jelly and jam from blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries that he grew himself. I remember going out to his garden and getting tangled in the miles of netting he would use to protect the precious berries from sneaky birds. Also, he would put jelly on...well, everything. I was fascinated by this as a child. A dollop would go on his oatmeal in the morning, or in his cereal, or smeared across toast, or on his ice cream or in some yogurt. Pete and i grow blueberries and raspberries in our back yard and i now know what Jack went through to get even a very small jar. We savor the berries too, as much and as often as possible.

2. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Always have. And as if it couldn't have gotten better, you can now buy peanut butter with toasted flax seeds added — sublime.

3. Jars are really useful! Last summer, my Dad gave me a simple recipe for making basil-infused olive oil from the basil plants that were left in our garden at the end of the season. It was a wonderful way to use up the plants, and we froze some of the oil to use throughout the winter. Can you believe we just defrosted the last jar this week? Perfect timing because we also just planted this summer's seeds that will eventually yield a fresh supply of liquid gold..

***I'm afraid that just to be on the safe side, i've removed the recipe for the basil oil. Sorry! I don't want to be responsible for inadvertently poisoning anyone with botulism! Yikes! So if you've already copied the recipe down, please do read up on how to make and store

herb-infused oils.***

Ok, i think i've Table Talked enough for now! The book is great and will keep you busy in the kitchen and at the sewing table. Plus, someone is going to be very lucky because Gudrun has generously offered to let me give away one of her beautiful books! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Nothing specific, just a comment. I'll draw a winner on Tuesday, May 31st. You can also buy the book here and here if you can't wait :) Good luck!

Oohh, woah...waitaminute....don't leave yet...almost forgot...

The fun and zany people at Moda sent me this giant, 48 pound box crammed to the tippy top with totally usable 2" - 5" fabric strips and scraps from my newest line, Terrain. Lookie!

So i was wondering if mayyybe any of you were sorta interested in possibly kinda helping to take some of it off my hands? If so, please include that in your comment. I'll pick a couple winners for some of this as well — good luck times two!

Gaffer Tape, Tassels, and Table Talk

2011-05-24T17:05:00.009-04:00

Coming up for some air, finally (and mostly thanks to Tylenol). Last week after Surtex ended, i was completely knocked out, down-for-the-count — laryngitis, fever, head cold. All the work, long days and late nights, lack of sleep, planning, preparation etc. really caught up with me. But it was all worth it because we had a really great and productive show. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and spent so much time talking with us, even with wet feet and soaked jackets! Yup, it rained the whole time.

A little recap...

This year we brought enough 3M command strips so Pete didn't have to run all over the city like last year. Uh, except that i decided on some changes and went for a new look for my booth, and "new" always means there's a certain degree of improvisation and a little extra not-sure-if-this-will-actually-work-sweat required to make the leap from a plan on a piece of paper to the actual hard wall space. That being said, it was a shortage of gaffer tape that sent Pete on a mini goose chase this year. All i can say is i did use a calculator and came really really close, but i just plain forgot to measure a couple spots. It was a good thing we were in NY..a city that has everything, if you can find it. And Pete did.

The result:

I really couldn't have been happier with how everything came together when it finally did...14 hours later. Change is good. Change is rewarding. And when you make changes, you can't help but learn something new (like bring more gaffer tape than you think you need)!

Speaking of change, it was fun to see some people from the fabric world with their own booths at Surtex. Like Patty (and her un-photographed, but equally amazing husband Jon):

and Liz who was brave enough to exhibit on her own while her partner-in-crime Beth covered their booth at Quilt Market:

I'm not 100% sure how it happened, but i didn't get pictures of Sandy, Erin, or Melody's booths. Or any pictures of Joanna, Liesl, and Charlotte who walked the show. Or of Kelle who surprised me by hand-delivering a copy of Taffy sent straight from Market by Julie (thank you julie!) So you get the gist, it was like Quilt Market, The Sequel! Such fun to see so many familiar faces there.

This was another fun little surprise. The National Stationery Show runs at the same time as Surtex. This year, they teamed up with Kate's Paperie and held a contest a la Project Runway where students at LIM College were challenged to make dresses out of paper. One morning, Pete and i arrived a little early and took a stroll down the hall where all the dresses were on display.

This one was simple and elegant..

...and this one was sweet and beautiful...

...and this one stopped me in my tracks because that gold allium print on the bodice is gift wrap i designed for the Gift Wrap Company! How funny.

The winner of the contest was one i didn't photograph (boo me!), but it will be on display in the window of Kate's Paperie in NYC during Fashion Week. Pretty cool!

So now the work begins and we're following-up with many of the companies we spoke with at the Show. We met so many new people this year and are excited to explore some new product areas. Hopefully i'll be able to share more as things progress.

Speaking of progress...

I don't know if i've ever mentioned that Pete has been in graduate school for the past two years. Up at dawn, off on his bike, onto the train, through rain, snow and heat waves with a pile of books and a passion for learning. He has been so hard at work earning his Masters of Public Health degree. And just yesterday, he graduated! Hooray! To say that i am proud of all that he has accomplished is quite a giant understatement.

On Sunday we went to the Class Day hooplah at which Tom Hanks addressed the graduating class with a mix of humor and provocative commentaries about the the time we live in. It's uplifting, engaging, and entertaining, but certainly not without its efforts to summon the spirit of the occasion by urging for action from the crowd of future leaders. I don't know about you, but i love graduation addresses. I love the optimistic and hope-filled way they speak to the potential each person possesses to go forward and use the knowledge they've acquired to do something good. Maybe even really good. Here's the video if you have a few minutes (or 22):

Part of the Old Campus:

Statue of Nathan Hale (he lived in the brick dorm shown in this picture):

Pete and me:

Pete is now working at Yale with several of his (former) professors. Back on the bike this morning and off he went!

The last bit of news for now is that i am soo happy to have been asked to be part of a blog hop that features Gudrun Erla's new book called Table Talk!

I'm a little late to the party because it actually started yesterday over on the Jolly Jabber and continues today on Sandy's blog. So hop around to read more about the book and maybe even win one! My day is this Thursday. Gudrun will be posting each day of the hop as well, so don't forget to visit her too!

Here's the line up:

Monday May 23rd: Kimberly Jolly - The Jolly Jabber

Tuesday May 24th: Sandy Gervais - Pieces From My Heart

Wednesday May 25th: Monique Dillard - Open Gate Quilts

Thursday May 26th: Me!

Friday May 27th: Kansas City Star - Diane McLendon

Whew, that's all for now! Nice to be back.

xo,

kate

Show Time!

2011-05-13T21:38:00.002-04:00

We're soo excited to be heading off to NY for Surtex for the next 4 days! Everything was packed up and ready to go this morning, and despite it being Friday the 13th and all, we had a relatively painless set up today. Still lots to do, and i might not have time to blog until we get back home next week. So, while we're away, you can try to imagine what's in all these boxes and how on earth we crammed all this stuff into an 8' x 10' space!

Here's a "before" shot just after we unloaded everything — and before my afternoon hair cut!

As you can see...we have lots of work to do!

While we're away, if you're looking for some good reads, not sure if you saw the latest issue of Delish magazine online? Please check it out if you have a chance! There are some great articles and i was so fortunate to have been featured in their "Woman of the Cloth" article. That's fabric, not clergy :)

See you again...soon!

Need A Sweet Treat?

2011-05-09T09:38:00.002-04:00

Head over to Julie's blog for a little bite of Taffy. It's yummy, believe me ;) Julie is one amazingly talented quiltdesingerextraordinaire, and she has done it again with her latest quilt pattern. I'm beside-myself-thrilled that Julie chose to use Terrain for her quilt and think it turned out beeeutifully! Here's just one savory morsel:

If you'll be going to Quilt Market, you can see Taffy in person. Wish i could be there too so i could snatch this quilt when Julie isn't looking and take it home with me. Julie's booth is #2644 so don't forget to drop by and say hi to her! She'll be so happy to meet you.

Surtex Prep-a-thon

2011-05-03T12:44:00.007-04:00

Wow, it's been a while since i hit the "new post" button on blogger. Wanna know why? Have a look! (click here to enlarge, but let me warn you..it's not pretty. And this is only half of it.)

But only a week to go! Now where did i put those scissors?

The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly on the...

2011-04-22T02:06:00.006-04:00

It's sneak peek season and fabric is popping up all over. I don't know why, but i always love to make a giant pile of the whole collection once it arrives. It gives me a chance to see the range of colors — and i guess it doesn't hurt that i get to handle each of the prints (with maybe a teensy-weensy bit of oogling) and smooth my hand over them while stacking it up. More peeks to come soon, but in the meantime, you can see a little more here and here. Terrain will be at Quilt Market (without me, sniff, sniff), and is due to ship this September. Two prints will come in double-sided pre-quilted fabric and three prints will come in coated fabric. Lots of possibilities!

Annnd,

We try to reuse and recycle as much as possible and sometimes that includes using a bit of ingenuity and a lot of creativity. For instance: do you buy lettuce in the grocery store that comes with one of these green velcro bands?

We do! And some other veggies (like broccoli and asparagus) come with thick rubber bands that we can't get ourselves to throw away! We keep them in the drawer with our aluminum foil and saran wrap:

Ok, we eat a lot of lettuce...and yes, it's a little out of control. But those velcro strips are so useful for storing open bags of things like this:

or this:

or for training a rose bush like this:

or trellising a vine like this:

Pete uses them to cinch around his pant leg so it doesn't get caught in the chain while riding his bike. And in the summer, we use them to fasten our tomato plants to the cages. Got any other ideas for these thingies?? How about any recycling tips you use around your home? Would love to hear them!

The "P" Word

2011-04-15T09:30:00.004-04:00

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

-Mark Twain

It's Friday. Yay! But my "to do" list keeps getting longer and looks more like something you'd prefer to see on a Monday with a full week ahead to get stuff done. And it's sunny and warm outside today, and i've really been wanting to plant some potatoes. (Can you see where this is going?) So i started the day off with an unexpected wave of good ol' procrastination. Oh yes, it happens. And that endorsement by Mr. Twain didn't really help. So while i was procrastinating, i found this fun animation about procrastination:

The thing about procrastination is that it doesn't last too long, and i know that This Too Shall Pass...oooh! which reminds me of that amazing video by OK Go. These guys have made procrastination into an inventive and creative art form.

Now to get back to that list...or...

Theme Song

2011-04-14T12:42:00.003-04:00

I saw this card on Pinterest the other day, and it tickled my funny bone:

It was made by Richele Silva and is available in her Etsy shop, richiedesign.

It got me thinking. Do you sometimes have theme songs for the kind of day you're having? Maybe one that emerges as the day's events unfold? Could be because of what you're working on, or laughing at, or debating over, or juggling, or all the things you should be doing but can't because of all the other things that might have a certain degree of red-flag priority? I do! Especially with all the prep-work that has been in full-swing for Surtex next month. For the past couple weeks, my theme song has been this (not the intro, the main part). Today it's already been some of this and then after a measuring challenge went awry, it turned into this. It has developed overtones of this (thanks to you-know-who) and the afternoon seems to be kicking off with a little of this. Thankfully, somewhere waaay in the very very distant background is this.

What's your theme song today?

April Showers

2011-04-05T07:33:00.000-04:00

(but we know what they bring, so we're ok with this)

It's A Good Thing (or two)

2011-04-04T12:29:00.008-04:00

How did i forget to tell you about my recent encounter(s) with Martha!? I guess i had tweeted about it, but hadn't done a blog post. And then the other day something else happened and i was reminded to share this fun stuff with you..

Like so many, i'm a huge fan of Martha and her whole beautiful world. I subscribe to her magazine and email newsletter, watch her show, read her blog, follow her tweets, own her cookbooks, and her Encyclopedia (of Sewing and Fabric Crafts). I even painted our pie safe with Martha paint from Home Depot! Her recipes, projects, and tips are tried-and-true and tested to perfection. She sets you up for success, and i love that! Yep, a huge fan.

Back in February, when i heard that Martha was going to be doing a book signing just a couple towns away, i immediately signed us up for our spot in line. I think we were #317 and #318. The signing was to promote a new cookbook, Power Foods, that was written by the editors of Whole Living magazine. Martha wrote the foreword, and her seal of approval was quite enough for us. After such a long winter, Pete and i had gotten into a bit of a food rut, so we were excited (and desperate) for some new foodie ideas.

Before we hopped into the car to head to Fairway Market, Pete suggested i bring one of my Delilah plates from Crate and Barrel to give to Martha. I wasn't so sure about that because seriously, i was a bundle of nerves just thinking about actually meeting her, and thought it might be too self-promotey of me and not my style. But i listened to him, and put one of the plates in my bag. Yes, i'm sure you can guess this is some not-so-obscure foreshadowing.

We got to Fairway, bought our cookbooks and stood on line while Martha had a tour of the grocery store. Here she is at the deli counter (i was really trying not to stalk her):

And perusing the olive oil selection (ok, maybe i was stalking her just a little):

But just look at that beautiful scarf she was wearing! So stylish:

And then we finally had our chance to meet her and have her sign the cookbooks. I got up the nerve and handed her The Plate, figuring this was one of those times to seize the moment:

(please forgive the blurry photos. And let me add that i'm so happy Pete didn't know how to work the video on my phone...otherwise you'd be laughing right now at how nervous i was. trust me, you would be) She looked The Plate over very carefully, examined the details, and i think she liked it. I think...

While she was doing that, i was fixated on how her bright turquoise watch band matched her earrings perfectly. She's amazing. Then i quickly changed the topic to gardening. Pete and i were getting ready to turn the dirt in our raised beds and think about what veggies to plant this year. So i asked Martha if she had a favorite heirloom tomato she might recommend. She told me she plants over 30 varieties, but prefers a "good slicing tomato" and suggested either "Better Boy" or "Big Boy" hybrids. Here's Martha sharing this wonderful info with me:

In case you might be interested, she added that for heirloom varieties, Seed Savers is the best place to buy seeds. That sure made our choice an easy one.

I wonder how many books Martha signed that day?! Btw, it's a wonderful cookbook, and uses very simple, healthful ingredients. The Banana Bread with Walnuts and Flaxseed on p. 78 is a pretty yummy way to start the day (or end the day, or snack on in-between). Anyway, it was a thrill to meet Martha in person. I sure won't forget that anytime soon (or ever).

And then...

...last week...

...my friend Stefanie tweeted that she thought she spied some of my Central Park fabric on the Martha Stewart Show. Well, it was April 1st and i thought for sure she was April-fooling me. I usually fall for every prank/trick in the book, but not this time. OhHo no. Try again, Little Lady Patchwork :) Even in doubt, i waited for the previous day's show to air online, and sure enough there it was in Martha's hands! My little ol' Zoo animal print was featured in a segment about framing fabric. Wanna see? The whole project is such a wonderful idea (and i wish i had designed the beautiful Ikat prints in the beginning, but those were made by Dedar in Milan). My Zoo print comes in toward the end. So fun and exciting! Let me include the link in here quickly before i *faint* again.

Clunk.

ps: thankyouthankyou to everyone who has been voting in the march madness madness. i can't believe Central Park made it into the final four! yippee!

Clunk, again.

No Ordinary Rose

2011-04-03T12:24:00.005-04:00

Joanna S. Rose turned eighty this year. Her husband asked her what she wanted for her birthday. Her reply? "Something I've not seen before and something that would be a gift for New York City." Her birthday gift turned into a gift for all of us.

You may have read about this magical, awe-inspiring, astounding, breathtaking, exquisite quilt marvel and spectacle called "Infinite Variety" that was held at the Park Avenue Armory in NY last week. It was a display of Mrs. Rose's 650 red and white quilts that she has collected for 30 years. Although Mrs. Rose considers herself as having the "instincts of a treasure hunter, not a collector." Either way, her acquiring of these quilts was about the fun of the discovery, but also the pleasure it gave Mrs. Rose to know that the nineteenth-century women whose busy hands made the quilts, were letting their imaginations soar. And to see them displayed as they were gave a powerful suggestion that these quilts were indeed works of art.

Not only was the show mapped out in spirals, rings, and arcs, i found myself turning in circles as well—jaw hanging open in amazement. It was dark in the hall, but the quilts were lit up like stars in the night sky; twinkling and spiraling up in celestial beauty. One of the first quilts you set your eyes on when walking in the entry was this one:

Hypnotic, right? It pulls you right in. Into the center of the giant spiral where a circle of chairs were draped with quilts. This was to bring us back to the idea of a quilting bee or sewing circle where women would gather, talk, sew, talk some more and connect with each other through their common interest. Not unlike what is going on today in guilds and retreats and across great distances with the help of technology. I thought this was such a tender way to connect the past and present, and though the women who sat in those chairs are no longer here, their quilts and spirits are.

I think about this same kind of thing whenever i stand in front of a painting by Van Gogh or Matisse or any of my favorites. There is a magical thing that happens when you look for the artist's hand in their work and can see the energy in the stroke when their paintbrush was whisked over the canvas, or if the marks were made with care and precision. I like to get up close to look for these kinds of details. Not to mention that when standing there, looking at the colors or composition it's impossible not to think that Van Gogh probably stood in right around the same spot and proximity to the painting when he was creating it. So plant your feet and enjoy knowing that.

This kind of evidence and energy was palpable in these quilts as well. Though their creators are largely anonymous, doesn't matter. There were 125 quilts selected to be seen at eye-level...many for their incredible hand stitch-work. I looked at the quilt, but thought of the needle, the hands, and the intent for where the next stitch would come up or go down. Have i used the word "breathtaking" yet? Hmm..how about "astonishing"? You get the idea.

I had the pleasure and joy of walking through this show with Lissa, and together we stopped within earshot of a volunteer who was answering questions about the show. One of the most interesting things we learned is that red is the first color on the spectrum that a baby sees. Isn't that fascinating? Also, the popularity of red and white quilts was largely due to the colorfastness of Turkey red dyes. Most other color dyes used in the early 1800's would fade or run when washed. The red dye was made from the root of a plant called "madder" (its scientific name is Rubia Tinctorum, go figure! Rubia...ruby...red).

Other tidbits, i had a brief but happy little visit with Sandy Klop (American Jane) just before she and her sister hailed a cab to the airport. Get this! She was #37 on the list and already has her brand new iPad2!! Lucky lady. I also had a delightful lunch with Liesl and Lissa, and finally got to meet the Schnibble Queen, Carrie Nelson! She is such fun and if you're not familiar with her patterns, treat yourself and take a peek at Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

It was a memorable day for so many reasons. If you're interested, there is an app you can download from iTunes that gives an overview of the whole exhibit. The information is provided by the American Folk Art Museum. Apparently research is underway to learn more about the specific quilts and a catalog is due to be published in the next year and a half. And the good news is that we heard that this show is supposed to go on tour! So it might end up somewhere near you. If it does, don't think twice. Just go.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Rose!

(and thank you for sharing your gift)

There you are...

2011-03-27T08:42:00.003-04:00

...we've been waiting so long to see you again.

I have to say, you look better than ever.

Golden Quilter Awards

2011-03-21T00:03:00.008-04:00

Have you heard about the Golden Quilter Award giveaway bonanza happening over at Sew Cal Gal's blog? There are some amazing prizes from some wonderful sponsors including Fat Quarter Shop, C&T Publishing, The Electric Quilt Co. and many others. If you haven't entered, you might want to head on over to vote for the "Best Designer", "Best Quilt Store", "Best Author" and many other categories. Voting closes on March 31st.

But wait! Before you head over, there's a funny little something i'd like to share with you about this...

I was on Twitter last week and Kimberly from Fat Quarter Shop tweeted to ask me if i knew i was nominated for a "Lifetime Achievement Award". I had no idea what she was talking about, so i clicked on the link she sent (to the Golden Quilter Award nominations) and saw that sure enough, my name was listed as a nominee under #9 which reads: "Most influential person in the world of quilting to-date, aka "Lifetime Achievement". I tweeted back to Kimberly that it must have been a typo! I mean just read that list of people; Pat Sloan, Alex Anderson, Eleanor Burns, Fons and Porter, Bonnie Hunter, Lynette Jensen...and me?? Helloooo!? It would take me another lifetime to achieve what any of these people

already have. It's true.

So first, i would like to thank the sweet and generous person who nominated little ol' newbie me for this category. It is truly an honor beyond-the-beyond that you have afforded me the chance to see my name printed in a list among these amazing people. Their contributions to the quilting world and their dedication to teaching, innovation, and creativity are things that i have immense respect for and someday aspire to, but have by no means achieved. If anything, it reminded me of how far i have yet to go in order to be remotely comfortable with this kind of recognition. In all honesty, i felt really awkward about it (even though it's all in good fun) and just wanted to share my thoughts with you in case you've already seen it and were scratching your head too!

Which is why rather than asking you to vote for me, here are 5 reasons NOT to vote for me:

1. i just learned to use my walking foot!

2. the only quilt blocks i know by name are "nine-patch" and "disappearing nine-patch"

3. if sewing feet didn't come with letters imprinted on them, the only one i would be able to identify for sure is the button-hole maker (i'm not even sure that's what you call it and i definitely don't know how to use it!)

4. when i do sew, i use my seam ripper almost as much as my sewing machine

5. half-square triangles are currently the outer-limits of my piecing skills

These are definitely not the traits of a lifetime achiever! Ok, i feel a little better now. And thanks to all of you who have already not voted for me.

xo,

kate

Silence

2011-03-18T18:26:00.002-04:00