Quilts by Kate

Mug Rug Swap

2011-02-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

The latest swap that I participated in is this Mug Rug Swap. I have never heard of a Mug Rug until I read through the tutorial!! These are a bit on the larger size so I think they should have been called Snack Mats!

Here are the two that I made for my partner. She lives in Argentina and loves fall colors. I hope she enjoys these! I sent them out to her last week Friday and haven't heard from her yet. I hope they arrive to her soon and that she enjoys using them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Winter Mini Quilt Swap

2010-03-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

This is the second swap I have participated in and I am really enjoying them.

This swap's theme was winter. You had to make a mini quilt that could be anywhere in size ranging from 12X12 to 24X24. It had to have a "winter" theme. I hand-appliqued all the shapes onto the background. I also quilted it but forgot to take pictures of that! :-) This was sent off yesterday to a fellow quilt swapper, Ellyn, in Texas. I hope she enjoys it!

Inchie Swap - Christmas 2009

2010-01-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

I participated in my first swap this Christmas. It was an Inchie Ornament Swap. They were difficult at first but after the first six, they weren't too bad! I made mine for a fellow quilter/crafter in Washington state. I received two ornaments from another fellow quilter/crafter in Australia.

I had some help with the bead work from my sister and mother-in-law. I had a lot of fun doing it and hope to participate in another swap soon!

Candy Jars

2009-10-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

I made these adorable candy jars for my daughter's preschool classmates. They will be having a Halloween party next Thursday and she will be handing these out to all her friends.

I found the tutorial here.

Real Leaf Wreath

2009-10-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

What a strange week! I suddenly decided to embark on a new project that did not involve my sewing machine but it did involve my two little loves, who just don't seem that little anymore!

Our area of the country had a bit of cold and rainy weather (and too early in the season for it too, if you ask me!), which seemed to keep us indoors. By day four we could not stand it another minute!

We bundled up and headed into the rain-driven wind to collect beautiful fall foliage from our neighbors tree (they were not home at the time so we could not ask permission but most of the leaves had fallen into our yard...I promise)!

Once we had enough for the job, we headed back indoors to dry them. This is the quickest way to do it: Place a few leaves, of similar size, on a sheet of paper towel; cover with another sheet of paper towel and place in microwave. Heat on 50% power for 30-45 seconds, depending on the amount/size of leaves. You will know they are done when they are a bit stiff to the touch but not curling at the edges. DO NOT OVERHEAT; you can start a fire if you are careless!

Spray both sides of the leaves with this finishing spray by Design Master. You can find it at just about any craft store for about $4.99 or even ask your local florist; it is the perfect sealer for dried flowers! Lay out on newspaper to dry completely. I covered my entire counter top where I was working, just to be safe!

Purchase (or make) a grapevine wreath, or even a Styrofoam wreath, to the size you desire. I purchased an 18" grapevine wreath for about $3.99.

I did not plan my attack with this kind of project; you will drive yourself crazy! I just started in one spot and started hot-gluing! Some might not like the gluing part but I felt it was the right choice for this project that would be outside.

And here is the end design!! I have to say, I love it! My daughter was just amazed how we took things off the ground outside and turned them into something "so beautiful", as she claimed.

I am not sure if it will store well once the fall season is over but the grapevine wreath can be re-used. And for the whole $9 spent on the entire project, we can make another next year!

Happy Autumn! Enjoy!

Sassafras Wedding Quilt

2009-09-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is a quilt that I made for my cousin as a wedding gift. I saw the pattern here and just fell in love with it! Not only did I love the pattern but I loved the colors and fabrics that were used for it. It just screamed for my cousin! The flowers were appliqued on by hand and I did the quilting with my trusty Pfaff using the simple stitch-in-the-ditch method.

Her wedding was last weekend and when she and her groom returned home to Colorado, she emailed me to say it was just wonderful; Everything she could have asked for in her first handmade quilt! Nothing else could have made me happier at that moment!

Crayon Rolls

2009-06-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

I see it has been a very long time since I have posted and it's not that I haven't been doing anything; it's that I have been too lazy to post and have forgotten to take pictures of my projects! I do apologize for that!!

I am making 10 of these for my daughter's preschool classmates as an end-of-the-school-year gift. I found the tutorial here. It is very simple and, if you have a large enough supply, you can use scraps!

New Tree Skirt

2008-11-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here is my new Christmas Tree Skirt that I just finished last week. It was a little challenging and I might have rushed it a bit but I just LOVE how it turned out! And I am happy to say that I will probably not have to make another tree skirt for our Christmas tree for a good 20 years! If you like this tree skirt, you can buy the pattern here.

"Crafty" Birthday Gifts

2008-10-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few "crafty" things I made for one of my closest friends for her birthday. I found all the patterns on various blogs.

These are vinyl front zipper pouches and here is where I found the tutorial.

This checkbook cover turned out so cute and it was super simple. Here is the tutorial.

Here is the tutorial for this great notebook cover. I had never made a journal/notebook cover like this before and it was a lot of fun!

Scrappy Log Cabin

2008-10-21T11:42:00.001-07:00

This smaller quilt was made from scraps from my Buggy Barn Star Quilt. (Anyone who has made the stars designed by Buggy Barn knows there is always a lot of scraps!)

I got the idea from this tutorial and it turned out great! I only wish I had more scraps so I could make it bigger! The only fabric I had to buy for this quilt was the border fabric and the backing.

Buggy Barn Star Quilt

2008-10-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

It is finally done!! Well, it has been done for a while now but I finally took the pictures out of my camera!

Here is my version of Buggy Barn's "Ross' Star" quilt. I used Civil War reporduction fabric in beautiful reds, browns and creams! This is my favorite quilt, so far! My daughter loves this quilt too. She lays it out on the living room floor to either count all the stars or jump from star to star!

This quilting was done by a quilt store; I wish I had a machine that could quilt as beautifully as this!

My Bee Bag

2008-09-28T18:43:00.001-07:00

Here is my "Bee Bag"! I was looking through my mother-in-law's stash of fabric and found this cute bumble bee patterned fabric. She didn't want to part with it at first (she only had about 1/2 yard of it and had been holding on to it for about 15 years) but I convinced her to let me have about a 5" strip.

I couldn't decide how I wanted to quilt the bag so I decided not to quilt it and just use heavy-duty interfacing. The rolled flowers attached to the bag I made using a pattern from another blog. I did not have enough of the bee fabric to make three flowers like I orignally wanted so I made one out of the black fabric...

...and you can not even tell that it is there!! I might have to beg for another strip of the bee fabric for the third flower before I can call this bag complete!

New Baby Egnoski

2008-09-03T14:49:00.001-07:00

Here is a small baby quilt I am making for my cousin, Kevin and his wife Kristin. They are expecting their first child at the end of November. They are not revealing the sex of the baby but are decorating the nursery in bright, bold primary colors. I had purchased this great line of fabric months ago called, "The Cow Says Moo" designed by Amy Schimler for Robert Kaufman. I made up the pattern and made it small enough to only need one yard of fabric for the backing. I have yet to get it quilted and put the binding on before her baby shower on the 14th of this month!! :) Anyone have any suggestions for a quilting pattern?!?

(My wonderful daughter assisted me in holding it up so I could take these quick photos! Sweet girl!)

In Memory of Cpl. Adam T. McKiski

2008-09-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here is another Turning Twenty quilt that I have made for a good friend's father. I just love the turning twenty...mainly because it goes together to easily! I have yet to finish the binding but once I do, I am going to present to my friend's father.

A good friend of mine, Emily, just recently lost her brother in Iraq. He had been in the Marine Corp for three years, married for two years and only 21 years old. I made this quilt for her father, in memory of his son. I have a brother, myself, who served six years in the Marine Corp and can relate, in a way, to what they are going through. Please keep their family in your prayers as they mourn the death of their loved one.

A simple "loops and stars" quilt pattern, done free-handed on a longarm machine.

More Fabric; More Projects!!

2008-08-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some new fabrics I just odered a few nights ago. The line is called "Gardenia" by Linda Lum DeBono. I downloaded a pattern of her's off of the Henry Glass website months ago and just found it last week. I had been searching ever since to find the fabric and finally did at this great website: http://www.sweetpeasandangels.com/

I am going to try here to post the link to the free pattern...hope it works!

http://www.henryglassfabrics.com/images/projectlibrary/pdf/12358/gardenia_combined1_1194533091_1.pdf

I have won an award!!

2008-08-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Katie (http://andsometimesiquilt.blogspot.com/) for choosing me for this award!!

The rules are as follows:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog
2. Link to the person you received your award from
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs for an award
4. Put links to those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

And my winners are:
http://thestitchingsahm.blogspot.com/

http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/

http://diaryofamadquilter.blogspot.com/

http://starry-night-quilter.blogspot.com/

Fall Back in Time

2008-08-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

This quilt I just finished as a gift for my good friend Desiree. We became friends about two years ago when we were both pregnant. She was having her first and I was having my second. We both had boys and the were born nine days apart, mine being the oldest. We have been great friends ever since! She has recently decided to take up quilting and sewing. We had our first lesson not that long ago; she did a great job!

Anyway, this quilt is a called "Homeward Bound", according to the pattern, but I have herad others call it "Hopscotch". It is designed for 2 1/2" strips by Bloom Creek (www.bloomcreek.com). I chose a Moda line of fabric called, "Fall Back in Time". The quilting pattern is raindrops which was done on a long arm machine, not by me. I think it turned out great and I hope Desiree likes it too!

I am not lazy...just really bad at taking pictures!!

2008-07-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

I would like to take a moment to apologize to all for not posting anything for the past few months. I have been working on things, it's just that sometimes I forget to take pictures of them and the pictures I do have haven't gotten posted because...well...ok I am probably just lazy!! :) But don't give up on me; more pictures will be coming in the near future. Just be patient with me; I really appreciate it!!
Thank you!!

The 9-Patch

2008-04-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is the lastest quilt I have been working on. It is a gift for a dear friend of mine but I cannot say who it is for, in case they look at this blog! I sent it off to be quilted but should get it back within four weeks. The pattern is called 9-patch and it only requires a jellyroll to make the entire top except for the two outside borders. The backing is a cream-colored homespun. I hope they like it once it is complete!

Lexi's Slideshow

2008-03-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

Here is my version of Slideshow by Atkinson Designs.

I am making this for my daughter. It will the largest quilt I have ever made to date. It will be a twin-sized quilt. This is only the first two rows (11 more to go) but it looks so neat that I had to share it with everyone! My daughter really seems to like it too...so far!

Brian's Quilt

2008-02-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

So, my loving husband was feeling a little left out since everyone in our family had gotten a quilt from me except him. I made this Yellow Brick Road by Atkinson Designs out of scrap flannels and homespuns. Brian's mom let me go shopping in her scrap stash too. The backing a black velour fabric. I followed the instructions exactly but had enough fabric left over so I added an extra row at the bottom. Brian seems to like it! :)

Welcome Home - Turning Twenty

2008-02-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is a "Turning Twenty" pattern. I first saw this quilt pattern done at a quilt store in Rhinlander. Even though it is just squares and rectangles, I thought it looked beautiful!

I made this using Moda fabrics, the designer is Brannock & Patek and the line of fabric is called Renewal.

This one I made for by brother, Tim, for when he finally came home from serving almost six years in the Marine Corps. His discharge date was December 14, 2007 and I had this quilt to him by the end January 2008.

Welcome Home, Sergeant Egnoski!!

Pinwheel Puzzle

2008-02-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

This pattern is called, "Pinwheel Puzzle" and it is an Atkinson Designs pattern. I used scrap fabric for the entire thing. It is a table runner but, as you can see, I have it hanging on display by my front door. It is a very time-consuming pattern. I called it "my thinker pattern" because you really have to stop and think every row through before you piece it together to make sure everything lines up correctly. A lot of work for something so small but it's so beautiful to look at!

United States Marine Corps. Donation Quilt

2008-02-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

This quilt I made as a donation to my brother's unit in the Marine Corps.

My brother was on a 6-month fleet when they were called up for service in Iraq. It was my brother's 3rd trip over there.

There was a "Welcome Home" committee assigned to his unit and a few months prior to their return to the United States, they asked family members to donate a blanket. One blanket, along with a "Welcome Home" gift basket, would be given to each and every Marine (Approximately 500 Marines).

I am sure they would have taken anything store bought and they did have instructions if someone wanted to make something quick but I wanted to do more than that so I made this one.

Wedding Gifts

2008-02-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

When Brian and I got married I decided to make quilts for my parents and his as a thank you gift for all the help with the wedding.

This particular pattern is called "The Four-Hour Quilt Top". It pieces together very easily and quickly.

This one I made for my mom.

This one I made for Brian's parents.

I made one of these quilts for my Father as a wedding thank-you gift but forgot to take a picture of it! The first quilt I made from this pattern was a beautiful flannel lap-sized quilt. I gave it to my grandfather and he just loved it! He had it with him every time he sat in his chair by the front window and when he became ill, he had on the davenport with him. When he passed on, it only seemed right to keep his quilt on his davenport and it is still there today.

My First Time!

2008-02-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

This was the very first quilt I ever made! I intended for it to be for Alexis but didn't really like the way it turned out so I donated to a Women's Shelter. Not bad pattern but the colors are terrible! :) Anyway, it was very fun regardless of the colors!

What I am all about...

2008-02-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

I began sewing when my daughter was four months old. I wanted something creative to do with my time while she was napping, since I was a "stay-at-home mom". Brian's mom has been a quilter for many years and creates such beautiful quilts that I wanted her to teach me everything she knows...and I still have a lot to learn! My daughter is now three years old and I have a one year old son. I still stay at home with my children but "spare time" has become some what of a luxury! I still enjoy quilting and creating when I have the time. I created my personal blog to show off my own creations to my friends and family. I also wanted to view how I am improving with the more pratice I get from different projects. Please take a look around and leave as many comments as you wish; as long as they are positive ones! Keep in mind that I am a newbie when it comes to creating!