Running a little behind

If you stopped in looking for the Month in Review or the Week #3 clue, I'm sorry, it's going to be an extra day or 2, as I am still in Thanksgiving mode, at my Mom's family's home, celebrating with card playing, large vats of soup and homemade cinnamon rolls....and dishes, did I mention dishes for 36? Lots of dishes....

Until Tuesday....

Catherine

Stormy Seas Week #2

Well, we're done with week 1....

Did you get your blocks made?

Yay!!!

All of mine match, they have the same green print for the spikes and the same background....these were the only two pieces in my Kansas Troubles stash that had real yardage, so I used them for these. You may have done these totally scrappy and they will still look great! See the ones is the original, they are totally scrappy.....

Or, you could have done them semi-scrappy, where the pieces in each of the blocks match, but they don't match across the whole project....Similar to what I did in A Touch of Spring....in the pic below you can see that I had multiple backgrounds, and multiple spike fabrics, but each arc matched throughout.

So many options!!!!!!

How are you doing yours?

And now, we are moving on to Bag #2 - making the center spikes. I'm traveling this week, so I went ahead and made mine. You can see that mine "travel", that all of the blocks have different fabrics for the spikes. In my case, I had 4 fabrics, and 12 of each, for a total of 48 spikes. Since there are only 3 spikes in each block, I redistributes the spikes, so that they did not appear twice in each block....you will notice that the backgrounds are scrappy as well. I had 9 fat quarters, so there are a few repeats....

So, that was my weekend....

I'm heading out tomorrow morning for a trip to see my family. I can't wait! Now, I just need to finish packing.

I'll see you back here next week to see your spikes! 

Happy sewing and happy thanksgiving!

See you in December!

Catherine

A Big Announcement - in Montana

I will be hosting a retreat at Judy's Training Center in Somers Montana next August!!!

We will be working on the Paradise in Bloom pattern, which is scheduled for release just after the new year...here's a sneak peak at Judy's version....

Class will start on the 17th, and go through the 21st, and Judy will join us for a presentation and trunk show on the evening of the 21st. All meals and snacks are provided. Lodging is double occupancy at the Training Center, with a maximum of 10. Machines are available for rent. Total cost for the retreat including food and lodging (travel to and from NOT included) : $1050.

We will be staying at the Training Center, just across the breezeway from the Quiltworx office, and just down the road from Flathead Lake.

If you are interested in attending or just getting additional information, please contact me via email at catherine@queeniequilts.com  and I will send you the registration interest packet.

A Big Announcement - in San Diego

SO, I mentioned in a previous post that Judy was going to be in San Diego -- did you notice that I just kinda slid it in there??? I wasn't being evasive, I was just couldn't announce it!!!!

Judy will be here on Tuesday, December 9th, hosting a color workshop at Cozy Quilt's new Creative Space in El Cajon from 6-9pm. It is a ticketed event, and there are limited seats, so make sure that you call the shop and reserve your spot!!! If you are a San Diegan, you know that Cozy is moving this week, so if you can't reach them immediately, don't worry, just call one day next week.

Judy's Color Workshop and Trunk Show

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

6 p.m.

Cozy Creative Center

756 Jamacha Blvd

El Cajon, CA

For reservations please call 619-670-0652

Did I mention I was excited??? I've been keeping this secret for the last 10 days, and I feel like the pregnant girl who wan't far enough along to tell anyone!!! And this is just the beginning of the big plans.....

See you soon!
Catherine

Stormy Seas Week #1

Stormy Seas QAL is here!!!!!

So, over the weekend, you should have picked out your fabrics.....and gotten started on cutting it out and bagging it. If you didn't have a chance to do that, or are joining us late, no worries, you can join us at any time, just start where you are!

So, here's the schedule :

Week 1 : This week ! November 17 - November 23 - Bag # 1 Assembly

Week 2 : November 24 - November 30 - Bag #2 Assembly

Week 3 : December 1 - December 7 - Bag #3 Assembly

Week 4 : December 8 - December 15 - Bag #4 Assembly

Week 5 : December 16 - December 22 - Sewing Curves

Week 6 : December 23 - December 29 - Final Assembly

So, since we are on day 2 of Week 1, let's get started.

1. Set bags 2, 3, and 4 aside for next week.

2. Take everything out of bag 1, and lay it out on your cutting table.

3. Number your papers 1-16, to keep it organized....

4. Use a fold template and fold along each solid line in order......in this case, I used a fedex card, but any thin fold template will do. I do this to help me figure out what the piece looks like, and how to place  the pieces.

5, now, stack your fabrics, starting at the back, with the largest numbers. Make sure that you put the sew side to the top.

6. Time to sew! Meet me back here tomorrow to see how it goes!

Happy Sewing!

Catherine

Make a List Monday.....

It's still Monday, but barely. I delayed today's make a list Monday to participate in the the Timeless Treasures : Reclaim West Edition Blog Hop....if you missed that post, scroll to the bottom, and read it, because there are prizes!!! And who doesn't love prizes???

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming....Make a List Monday...

Poor make a list Monday is feeling overwhelmed today....Next Monday, we leave for Thanksgiving!!! Yes, Turkey Day is quickly approaching, and with it the rush of last minute things, and planning for 2015 and all of the associated activities....so make a list Monday is having list overload. Luckily, I had a super busy and productive day today, so while the list is long, a lot is getting checked off..

1. Finish the Flyers for our big Friday announcement!!! Yes, a big announcement is coming on Friday regarding a certain place in the North where I will be teaching next Summer......just finishing up the final pieces of info for the flyer....

2. Finish flyers for 2015 Q1 classes and class lists. The boring office stuff that must be done when you run your own business.

3. Update the website with all of the associated yummies #1 and #2 above....again more boring office work....

4. Make a tree skirt. A last minute, we are leaving on Monday, and it needs to be pieced, quilted and bound before I get on the plane kind of tree skirt. Oh yeah, I need to design it too. No pressure.

5. Figure out how rafflecopter works....so if anyone has any advice on that one, let me know....I definitely need it!!!

6. Bag #1 and #2 of my Stormy Seas Quilt Along.....because I scheduled that OVER VACATION....what was I thinking??? I wasn't, way to go Project Manager!

7. Work on my Paradise in Blooms quilt...I want it finished before Judy gets here on December 9th. Which leaves me with oh, 8 sewing days between now and then. It's doable, but only if I strap myself to the machine. Good thing I own a ball and chain....

So, if you need me this week, I'll be at the sewing machine. Sewing my little heart out. Literally.

I'll be back tomorrow with the Week 1 of the Stormy Seas Quilt Along Info and assignments...until then. Sew On!!!

Catherine

Reclaimed West !!!!

Welcome to the :

This is one of those days that we have been waiting for!!! I mentioned in August that while I was at retreat in Montana, I had a chance to see the Reclaimed West fabric line that was designed by Judy and Judel for Timeless Treasures. It is FINALLY shipping to stores, and I can finally share the quilt that I made. Plus there are prizes!!! And who doesn't love prizes???

So,  first off,  welcome to the Blog Hop for the new fabric line -- Reclaimed West. Make sure that you check out the bottom of this post to see all of the other participants, and follow along throughout the week to enter various giveaways on each blog, and the Timeless Treasures Giveaway (details below).

Here's a sneak peak at the entire line......

Can you guess which one is my favorite???? Of course it is the Thistle (i.e. the purple one)....it's a great print, and the color is simply luscious....

As part of the preparation for Market, several of the Certified Instructors and Certified Shops remade existing patterns out of Reclaimed West, while Judy and her team worked on the new patterns. I'm going to introduce a couple of those today. The first one is Prairie Pinwheels, which I pieced in August. This quilt was quilted by Carrie Barone of Lakeside Montana, and the quilt is AMAZING!!! Seriously, it's amazing!!! It's barbed wire!!! This quilt was super easy and super quick to make. It uses a new strip technique that I think will revolutionize the way we look at paper piecing!!!

At Market, Judy released a number of new patterns, including my new favorite - Weathered Windmill. Here it is hanging in the Timeless Treasures Booth at Market. 

Stay tuned throughout the week to see the following people, and their impressions on Reclaimed West. Make sure that you enter all the giveaways, using the details at the end of this blog.

November 17

Carla Klop, Kits by Carla - http://www.kitsbycarla.com/blog

Catherine Wilson, Queenie Quilts - http://queeniequiltsblogs.blogspot.com

Lisa McCarthy, Compass Point Quilts - www.compasspointquilts.com

November 18

Deborah Brizendine, Just Stitchin with Deborah - http://juststitchinwithdeborah.blogspot.com/

Denise Green, HollyDee Quilts - http://hollydeequilts.net

Sandy Lueth, Totes by Sandy - http://www.totes-by-sandy.com

November 19

Cathy McKillip, Wish Upon A Quilt - http://wishuponaquilt.com/blog

Marcia Nagel/Megan Bohr, Pine Needles Quilt & Sew - http://thepineconepress.blogspot.com/

Stacey Day, Stacey in Stitches - http://staceyinstitches.wordpress.com

November 20

Barb Linares, Crafty Threads - http://craftyquilts.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Eubank, Archipelago Quilting - http://jennifersewing.wordpress.com/

Konda Luckau, Moose on the Porch Quilts - http://www.moosequilts.com/blog

Susan Nelson, Prairie Sky Quilts - http://blog.prairieskyquilting.com

November 21

Jackie Kunkel, Canton Village Quilt Works - http://cvquiltworks.com/blogs/blog

Lauren Rogers, Backdoor Quilt Shoppe - www.backdoorquiltshoppe.wordpress.com

Osie Lebowitz, From Needle and Thread - http://www.fromneedleandthread.com/

Timeless Treasures, SewTimeless (Giveaways!) - http://www.ttfabrics.com/blog/

Prizes!!!! Prizes !!!!! Prizes!!!!

And now, for the reasons you are here.....Enter the giveaway HERE at SewTimeless starting Nov 17 – it will be open for entries throughout the blog tour. THREE WINNERS will be selected on Monday, November 24th at NOON EASTERN. The link to the giveaway will be http://www.ttfabrics.com/reclaimed-west-blog-tour/ (link will be active Nov 17). **EACH OF THE THREE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE: one fat eighth bundle of the entire Reclaimed West collection (24 pcs), one 52-pc charm pack of the Reclaimed West collection, one Braided Table Runner pattern by Quiltworx/Judy Niemeyer, one Geese in the West pattern by Cindi McCracken, one Reclaimed West bookmark & bag tag set from Quilt Dots, one spool of coordinating thread from the Reclaimed West designer thread set available from Aurifil. 

And from me....simply follow my blog, and comment below with which fabric from the collection is your favorite, and I will choose 3 random winners to receive a copy of the Prairie Pinwheels pattern, so that you can make your own.

Have a great week!!! 

Happy Quilting!!!

Catherine 

Stormy Seas QAL

Today's the day!

It's time to start on our Stormy Seas Tablerunner!!!!

I picked my fabrics last week....a collection of scraps from several different Kansas Troubles lines. I had a layer cake of Holly Wishes, a couple of fat quarters from Paisley Park, and some backgrounds that were in my deep stash....thanks to Moda, and their designers, I can usually mix various "years" worth of fabrics easily....

Here's some in process shots....

I spend a couple of hours today cutting all of my bags....

It's pretty straight forward, just make sure that you read through the fabric options before you start cutting so that your darks are organized the way you want....I am going with Option 1, which is totally scrappy darks, and a single background. I think Mom will love it!

So, get started, and I will meet you back here on Tuesday to get started on piecing bag 1!

Happy Sewing!

Catherine

Make a List Monday Returns

Welcome back to make a list Monday....my place for listing out all of the things that I plan on working on during the week and attempt to be accountable for last weeks shenanigans....

This week is busy, busy, busy....

See?

I'm out teaching three days this week, so I am not sure how much will get done, but we're going to try and get a lot done on Paradise in Bloom. I really want mine finished before Thanksgiving break, since I really want to do the appliqué while I am in Nebraska for the week.for that to be remotely possible, I need to get the border units made this week, and assembled. So, here's to getting to the machine and parking there for the next few days.

Wednesday and Thursday I will be at the Santa Barbara Guild, teaching Winter Wonderland, as always , I am super excited to see what color combos everyone does for this one....i am always amazed at what students put together....more on that on Thursday....

We also have the Stormy Seas quilt along starting this week (on Saturday). I have already pulled my fabrics since this is for a gift, it is totally outside of my box....it's a combination of lines from Kansas Troubles, some of it is new, and some is eons old. The nice thing about KT, is that they all go together, and the differences in blues, plums, and greens will only enhance the scrappiness....

I'll be teaching on Sunday at Cozy. We will be working on Fire Island Hosta...

Will I see you this week?

Happy quilting!

Catherine

October Month End Update

Well, it is mid-November, almost. I can't quite believe that it is already the 8th of November....I like these posts to be completed by the 2nd or 3rd AT THE LATEST.... And yet, we are firmly on the 8th, and I am just sitting down to get my thoughts together to get started....

In terms of sewing and quilting, I haven't gotten much done this month, with the travel and prep for Market and Festival, there wasn't a lot of time to sew, other than market sewing. I spent the early part of October doing market prep, aka super secret sewing. The patterns were released on the 21st, and available for shipping now. They made their official debut in Houston on the 25th. As a result, there was very little Judy sewing completed this month....though I did get some quilts back from Montana...

So, on that note, back to the project list....

The goals as stated at the new year are in black, amendments (changes/additions, etc) are in blue, and status is red....

Piecing
1. Captain's Wheel complete and sent to the quilter in February.
2. Celtic Wave (Queen) - Piece Along to start in mid-February! complete and sent to the quilter in July.
3. Flower's for My Wedding Ring - Didn't make much progress on this one this month. October - did nothing on this one, no one single thing.
4. Scrappy Trip Layout completed and labeled, just need some time to sew. October - Bonnie was here and spoke at my guild this month, so I did at least pull it out and prep borders.
5. Osprey's Nest Done. Closed.
6. Hawaiian/Prairie Star - Added in April, I have cut it all out. and I will be taking it on retreat this weekend. So fingers crossed a lot will get accomplished. Got nothing accomplished on this one.....
7. Fire Island Hosta Queen - Added in April. I have cut this one out as well. I should take it to retreat, but that might mean I get neither done...so we'll have to see. Done. Hanging at Cozy Quilt Shop in San Diego for a class that starts in September.

Quilting
1. Winter Wonderland - I got it back and I love it. I posted some pics, and did a blog post.
2. Glacier Star - Handed over to the quilter while I was in Montana. Headed back my way.
3. Mariner's Compass done. Quilted and bound.
4. Compass Rose - done. and blogged. 
5. Meandering Star - done. 
6. Captain's Wheel - at the quilter
7. Celtic Wave Queen - sent to Montana for quilting
8. Flower's for My Wedding Ring - 
9. Scrappy Trip
10. Osprey's Nest - Done.
11. Feathered Star Queen - sent to Montana

Pattern Writing
1. 2014 Block of the Month - starts on January 13th! - Done. started February 13th. whole year worth of patterns have been scheduled!!! We found an issue with these....all of the posts that had been scheduled before the July 1 blogger update were corrupted, so once I get back from Market (or maybe while I am there), I will get these reposted!!! Sorry folks!!!
2. 5 new patterns for spring market - all done!!! 
3. 5 new patterns for fall market - all done!!!

Other projects :
1. Amazon Star finished
2. Pepperdish finished - no change
3. Crackers finished - complete
4. Feathered Star Queen finished - complete
5. Project Destash - current total is --57.25. October - I should be happy that I didn't buy an fabric this month, but I must admit that I also didn't really burn through as much as I wanted to either. 48 fat quarters were used in the making on my market quilts, along with 12 1/2 yards of backs, and 3 3/4 yards of bindings. Several of my quilts were made with fabric that was gifted from Hoffman Fabrics, but I used all of it, so I haven't counted it here....total of October -29 1/2 yards. Total yards used : -88 3/4. Not bad.... Maybe I can get to -100 by the end of the year. That's only -6 yards for November and December, of course it is mid-November, and I have some as of yet unreported November buys....


November Sewing Plan
Due to all of the travel plans this month, and the prep for a super secret visit in December, I am not sure how much sewing will get accomplished, but I do have some things I want to get done, including  an IG Swap, and a Disney Swap....so maybe there are some things that will happen, and maybe not....

How are your quilty goals going this year???

Have you started thinking about next year????

Happy Quilting!!!

Catherine

Quilt Along Quilt Along - Here we come

It's that time again, to work on a new Quilt Along. For those of you who haven't done one of these, it's really simple....we pick a project, I put together a schedule, and then we work on it.....it's an accountability and completion strategy for me as much as a teaching opportunity. I walk you through any questions on the pattern, and give pointers on specific topics..and take lots of in process pictures, and you work on it, and send me any questions....

So, this quarter, we are working on Stormy Seas by Judy Niemeyer. It's a great classic setting, and whether you use it as a table runner or Bedrunner, it will be amazing.

The original is done is Edyta Sitar's new line from Moda, a combination of batiks and cotton prints is shades of cream, caramel and blue. I will be making mine from a combination of Kansas Troubles prints, since it will be a gift for a friend....but I'm jumping ahead....

Here's the schedule :

November 15th - official start of Week 1 : fabric selection and preparation, since this is a smaller quilt, we have left less time than normal for this piece. So, please start early if you can...since you only have the weekend according to the official schedule.

November 17th - 23rd - Week 2 : Bag 1 Sewing

November 24th - 30th - Week 3 : Bag 2 Sewing

December 1st - 7th - Week 4 : Bag 3 Sewing

December 8th - December 14th : Bag 4 Sewing

December 15th - December 22nd : Assembly : Curves and S Curves

And that's it. Of course, in there is that pesky Thanksgiving holiday, and all of the Christmas shopping and preparations that are going on, so I know this May be a bit to commit to for some of you. If it's not the right time of year, or just not the right project right now, just keep sewing on whatever you are working on. Enjoy it. It's your time for your hobby, so make the most of it! You can always refer back to the posts next year....

So, until I see you again, happy fabric selecting!

Catherine