New quilt

Here's the new quilt I started this morning.  I'm already thought with the panel and on to the border.  Just a small one.  Click on the photo and maybe you can see the stitching.  I stitched in the stripes on the tiger and around the leaves and some of the veins in the leaves.  When doing panels, you have to decide how close together you want your stitching and then really stick to your decision because you can get tempted to start stitching on every line and pretty soon you've stitched for days and have completed half his face.  I did that once on a parrot quilt for a friend.  It was really pretty, very stiff, but really pretty.

Happy quilting

This is interesting

I got an email from K's quilting studio in El Reno, OK this am stating they're changing from being a a retail shop to a private studio.  Don't know exactly what that means but here's what it said:


August 28th, 2010

Kaye has decided to change the status of K's Quilting Studio from a retail shop back to a private studio remaining in the current location of 107 S. Bickford so we are having a HUGE sale!



Sale starts Tuesday, Sept. 7th and ends Saturday, Sept. 25th



Store hours 10 am to 5 pm Tues-Sat.

Inventory Reduction Sale!

Sale Starts Tuesday, September 7th at 10 AM.



All fabrics on sale! 25%-50% OFF

1 yard minimum cut at these super low prices!



Fat quarters are $2.00!



Kits are 30%-50% OFF!



And 40% OFF Pre-cuts, Books, Notions, and Patterns!



Pay by check or cash and recieve an additional 5% off!

We regret to inform you..

That all our fall classes have been cancelled. But store credit will be issued for those who have prepaid, and gift certificates will be honored.

Sorry, no reward cards or coupons will be accepted at these low, low sale prices.



Selected Shop quilt displays and store fixtures for sale! No phone orders or preorders.



We will be closed for inventory August 31st - September 4th.







Have a blessed day and practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Til next time.......





Kaye, Jan, Lois, Billie and Rachel

K's Quilting Studio

107 S Bickford Avenue

El Reno, OK 73036

405-422-2707

http://www.ksquiltingstudio.com/



Happy Quilting

Swimming

Thought I better get at least one picture before summer's end to document that I really was in the pool treading water!  My tan speaks for itself but of course without a picture you can't see it.  I pretty much stay away from cameras (thus the profile pix from 1994!)

Started really getting ready for my sister's visit.  So much to do before she gets here a week from tomorrow.  I'm still in disarray from getting a new sewing table in May when I had to rearrange my space behind my couch to accommodate for the bigger table.

 I realized yesterday that the reason I have had so much difficulty doing anything besides quilting in the "new" space in because everything in my nest in now backwards and all my tools organized (crammed) in my corner at my finger tips are now spread out and not so easily available.  I'm still trying to organize that area, but needed to live and work in my space a while to define it and figure out exactly how to feather it. A  lot of my old space remains "exploded " out on to the dining room table., and that has to get transfered somewhere by next Monday.  Oh yeah,  I still have  some quilting to do. 

Happy quilting

Old Dog; New Trick

Gadget Girl Pattern
by Whistlepig Cteek Productions

I Finally finished it!! and boy is it cute!!!  It has really neat pockets on the inside for all your gadgets and magnetic snaps on the sides so it will open up wide.  I guess you CAN  teach an old dog new tricks if you do it really, really  slow.

Going swimming.

Happy quilting

Confusion

It seems like all the sewing I do these days that does not involve free motion quilting is beyond me.  I'm still trying to make the purses and I can't seem to get them cut out and made.  It is much too complicated.  I've got one of them partially constructed and decided I didn't like the straps and I'd just get the nylon webbing.  Found it at Hobby Lobby for 69 cents a yard wow that was easy.  I'm going to get back to  it now and see if I can't finish at least one of them.

Still swimming.  Water a little warmer today but still pretty chilly.  Probably just one more week then the pool will close.

Basted 2 more quilts today.

What a cutie

Finished the cute cat quilt for one of the sisters.  Will get to the other one soon, but first I'm going to take a break today and work on purses I'm making for me and and my sister.  She'll be here in about a week and a half so I better get that done if I'm going to get it done.   Yesterday  the talking heads    waited until 2pm to do our swimming because it's so much cooler than it has been.  Let me tell you, 20 degrees makes a big difference.  Well, I guess, the wind probably had a lot to do with it to.  Every time you bobbed above the water a little and then went back down, the water felt very warm, Only to  cool back off immediately.  I've really gotten addicted to the swimming pool this summer.  Usually I go a few times in the beginning of the year and then it gets too hot for me to go out and I quit going. But this year I have continued to go because I've have had friends to keep me going long enough to get me really loving the feeling of being in the water and the freedom of being able to move unencumbered.  Years ago when I first got sick, I had to just tread water right next to the side of the pool right next to the oxygen bottle.  I was lucky if I could do it for 15 minutes.  On dry land I cannot move that much so I'm really going to miss the pool when it closes in a few weeks.

Happy quilting

Quick Note

Just a quick note today.  I started on a really cute quilt yesterday.  Actually there are 2 quilts made off the same panel by 2 crazy sisters.  I'll try and get the entire quilt photographed when finished so you can see them both.  They are both adorable.  Got to get ready to go to another class to learn more about my sewing machine today.

Cold front coming in today and it's supposed to be 76 and raining by the time I'll be coming home this afternoon.  Yippee!

Happy quilting

Finished Slide Show

Finished The Slide Show yesterday.  Those big quilts, this one was 90 x 100, always seem to grow before they're done.  I've got another one basted and ready to go and a couple of very small quilts I'll work on today. 

I've been struggling to learn how to use my new embroidery software and I'm finally getting somewhere with that.  Yesterday I  designed a label for a quilt I made a couple of years ago for myself  and this morning I designed a label for a friend.  Ooops!!  As I look at it here I realize I left out the most important part.  "Made and quilted by Mary Ann Tate".  Back to the design board.  (The quilting on the label is a design by Diane Gaudinsky, not me.)

Happy quilting.

Slide Show

What I said the other day about being almost halfway done?  Well, it was a gross underestimation.  I worked about 4 hours yesterday and when I started this morning I was shocked to see I was at the halfway point.  After the 4 hours yesterday and then the hour of treading water in the pool I was all shaky and had to spend the afternoon in the bed sleeping.  Haven't built up my strength yet.

Will be going to Bernina later today to get help with  updating the software.  It was just a little to complicated for me.  but then I think I'll feel like I can use it because every thing I have seen demonstrating it has been with the update.

The Picture today is a studio picture of Dusty.  I cropped out the 2 old people!  Oh,  that's his rubber chicken and pink ball to the right.

Happy quilting

New Day

Had doctor's appointment this am with my respiratory guy.  I'm doin' okay for the next 6 months unless some creeping crude stuff comes up.  Went swimming afterwards.  The pool was wonderful.  Will probably quilt some this afternoon.  Yesterday, I got one quilt basted at Sew'n Go before I pooped out.  Since I've been so weak for the past 2 weeks, I'll have to build back up to being up on my feet.  But I did get the outside of my purse cut out before I had to leave to go to my embroidery club meeting.  I need to sign up to take the class, but I like to go at software slowly at my own speed.  I'm catching on a little.  Had a few 'aha' moments yesterday.  One thing I learned is that I need to update my software so it works the same as there's does but it is becoming clearer to me how it operates.  I am going to try and design a label for one of my quilts.
Happy quilting

Back of Slide Show

I'm not quite halfway done with the Slide show quilt.  I knew it would go fast because I;m very comfortable with this design. I've done all the elements of the design many, many times so all I had to decide was where to put the flowers, the leaves and the poinsettias and then my path was determined and off I went.  Often times the deciding what to do is the hardest part of the quilting process.  

I'll be going to my Sew'n Go today with the Mid-Del Stitchin Sisters Quilt Guild.  Haven't been able to go last couple of time because it's been so hot.  Low nineties today. (you have to live in OK to understand low nineties as not so hot)  If you have never gone to sew with a group of people, you are missing out on an opportunity to have a lot of fun ans also to learn a whole lot.  If all you do is sew by yourself,  you do things the same way over and over.  You may have learned it the hard way.  If you sew with others you may find out secret ways of doing things easier.  And of course there is always the laughing.  There is always. the laughing. 

Happy quilting.

Back to Quilting

I feel like I've been let out of jail.  Even though it's 97 by my thermometer this afternoon at 3pm, it was in the 70's when I set out this am to the dentist, 2 grocery stores, Office depot, the vet (food for doggie) and the bank.  I haven't done that much activity in at least 2 weeks!!   "And now I started quilting a quilt I've been trying to get to for at least that long. 

This one is a "slide show" and I'm doing a poinsettia sort of design in the big square and flowers and leaves in the borders.  If you click on the picture you can see it get bigger and see the quilting better.  It's queen size, but shouldn't take too long to get done.  This particular design is one that I can do fairly quickly.

Happy quilting

Cool front almost here

The very first flowers of my Egyptian sweet peas are setting on the vines over my windows.  They always finally cover my windows and put on the flowers in August and I really needed them this year.  We're supposed to get a cool front later this evening and highs will be 10 - 15 degrees cooler the next couple of days. Yippee!!

My classes went well.  All the students did the turtle.  I think the feather swath must be intimidating.  My student yesterday went out and got us lunch and then loaded my sewing machine in the car and started my car to get it cooled off for me afterward.  Thanks Lisa!

Picked out fabrics for a new purse pattern I got last week at the Laughing Quilters group.  I'm hoping to get it made for both me and my sister before she gets here on Labor day.  Guess I better cut down on bejeweled twist and cut out the bags.

Happy quilting

Bags are bags with straps

Well, here they are.  Still have to trim some threads, but they are complete, and I think they are pretty cute.  I'm sure that other reunion attendees are going to say, "I want one!"  I have told my sister that she and her friends have the only ones.  On to the next project...


Which today and tomorrow is teaching classes in trapunto at Quilters Corner in Midwest City, OK.  I'll be teaching either a trapunto turtle or a beautiful feather swath.--students choice.  This of course means that I will be out this after noon in 100 + temperatures.  Not good.  I'll probably get someone to start my car to get it cooed off before I get in it to cut down a little on the incredible high heat exposure.  They say we will get a cool front on Sunday afternoon that will cool us down to lower 90's upper 80's.  That will be wonderful.

Bag update

The bags are made.  As soon as the straps are on, (They are made).  I'll take pix and they will be done.

Still blazingly hot here, and I'm still wiped out.

Happy quilting

It's still hot here

Well, Here is some of the embroidery I've been doing since I last wrote.  I'm making the bags for my sister's 45th reunion.  This is on one side of the bag and the other side has the collage of words and phrases.  they are looking pretty cool  but seem to be taking way longer than they should.  It is soo hot outside, every time I have to take Dusty out even for 2 minutes it seems like I have to lie down for an hour to recuperate.  I still get to the pool in the morning.  But as soon as I'm out of the water, I'm back in the apartment. 

Had our Mid-Del Stitchin' Sisters Quilt Guild Meeting last night and our program was on machine maintenance.  The main thing on machine maintenance in . Don't use cheap thread!!  Change your needle often.   And keep your machine clean and lubricated.

Be proud of your quilting.  You worked hard, you did your best, your deserve the complements!

Happy quilting.

Pool Closed Today

The Pool is always closed on Mondays for cleaning but I'm ready to jump in right now!!  Don't you wish it looked like that right now?  It might as well.  We can't hardly go outside because so hot!!  Triple digits all week.

I'm hot right now because I just spent about an hour in the laundry room preparing fabric for embroidery and then making into 3 bags for my sister.  She is attending her 45th High School Reunion soon (her first) and will be reuniting with 2 friends that she wants to give personalizedd bags.  I've designed Some pretty cool stuff on my embroidery machine including favorite clubs and teams and activities and places in the school and town.  They will be cooool.  Pic when the are done.

Happy quilting

Finished

Finished the String quilt and listening to The Valley of Horses by Jean Auel at exactly the same time just before time to stop for swimming this morning.Perfect timing.  Listening to books and quilting at the same time is a great marriage of activities.  I recommend  using headphones because the sewing machine is loud and makes it hard to hear the book if listening to speakers.  I have read the Jean Auel books before, but love them.  I have a hard time reading a book again, but I can listen over and over.  These days, I have a hard time finding time to actually read a book,  most of the "reading" I get done is listening. 

It's hot here again.  We had a few days last week of mid 90's instead of  100's but it's already 101 and it's not even noon.  Prisoner already.  I don't do well in heat, so I don't go out much unless it's extremely important.

Happy quilting

String Quilt Front

Okay here it is.  This string quilt is made by marking a triangle on the muslin foundation and sewing the strings on either side of the muslin triangle.  I have seen these quilts made with solid color fabric instead of muslin and they have been extremely beautiful!!

Happy quilting

String Quilt

This is the back of a string quilt I'm quilting.  It is a star design and I uploaded the front but it didn't show up.  May be it will show up when I post.  String quilts are a great way to clean out your scraps or to make your very first quilt with somebody elses scraps.  I'm going to go ahead and post and see if it shows up.  If not I'll do another post to show the front
Happy quilting

Sunrise In Placitas, NM

No I'm not in New Mexico, but I have a friend there and she sent this to me.  Thought I'd share it.  It is beautiful there.  It's beautiful here too, but I have to really look hard in my concrete jungle to find the beauty.

I went to the doctor yesterday and found out that the new medicine I started taking last month that has that horrible side effect of weight loss is actually causing me to lose weight!  I've lost 11 pounds!!!  Last year I was put on a medicine that cause me to gain 20 pounds in about 5 minutes.  I'm still dragging around the 70 pounds I gained from steroids in 1996.  I hope this continues.  Food really tasted kind of funny with this.  Diet Coke tastes blue.  I talked to another friend who takes it and she says diet coke tastes metally.  I can agree with blue metal.  Vanilla milk shake tastes black.  Eating colors is weird.  I'd rather not eat much.

I'm on to another quilt.  My camera is charging. pix tomorrow.

Happy quilting

Boomer Sooner

I'm soooo looking forward to football season.  I love, love, love watching OU football.  Dusty doesn't quite understand the yelling, but as you can see he is supportive.

Almost finished with the latest quilt.  About 10 more minutes and will be done.  Had to stop.  For lunch and All My Children (oh yeah been a AMC junkie since college in the 70's).

Happy quilting

I shoulda done it My Way

I always spray baste quilts with Sullivans basting spray and then pin around the sides just to make sure the back doesn't accidentally fold back while you are manipulating it during quilting.  (Ask me how I know that can happen.)  Sometimes people bring me quilts that they have pin basted and I have learned that if I go ahead and quilt them, I usually get the dreaded wrinkle in the back.
Well the quilt I am working on was brought to me pinbasted.  It looked like it was pin basted very well.  And it is.  I considered taking the time to take out the pins (about an hour) and spray basting and be on my way, but nooooooo.  I was lazy and decided to save that hour.  Well,  it has taken me almost twice as long to quilt it, stopping to take the pins out.  That doesn't seem like it would take that long but I've been working on it for 4 1/2 days and I should have been done in 3. 
Just thought I'd share.

Happy quilting

He's back

He's soooo cute. He's looking at the beloved pink ball in the above picture.  He loves the pink ball soooo much my husband bought a dozen on line when we were unable to find them locally so he would always have one.  Now that's love.

Back to quilting.  This is the back of a quilt I'm working on.  It's a Turning Twenty pattern and what I did was decide what kind of pattern I would do in the different shapes.  The great big square gets the butterflies around the flowers.  A long skinny rectangle gets 2 interlocking wavy lines.  A series of skinny rectangles get a swirl going one way then a swirl going the other way.  That's the way I build the quilting and you end up with quilting that looks very even and equally dense.

Happy quilting

Already Lonely

Dusty has been at the groomer less than an hour and I already miss him.  I'm hopeless.  He's a hairy, hairy dog and with 100+ temps had to get it zipped off again.  When we cut it off in April it was dragging the ground.  Well check out the length of his legs.  Pretty short.  Sometimes we use his Royal name "Your Shortness".  I'll post more pics when he comes home all butch looking.  He's a very stout little doggie.  Little ha!

Weighs nearly 40 pounds.  Bassett/Aussie mix. Adorable and soft and beautiful eyes!! Not very photogenic. Great companion.  That's why I already miss him.  I was quilting and he wasn't sitting next to me poking me in the butt with his nose.

Happy quilting

It's such a pretty blue ribbon.  It's a shame all I get is a picture.  Oh well,  the life of the lowly quilter.  Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.  We make the the top into the quilt, but don't get the glory.  Some day I'll enter a quilt into the show in Kansas that is just for quilters. Ha!  I'm still in training wheels in comparison to those quilters, but someday...

Boy, it's a scorcher here.  My thermometer says 108!!  I'm sure when the news comes on it will say the high was 100 or maybe 99.  But let me tell you.  When my thermometer says 108 here, it's 108 HERE.  Not 99 officially, over grass, in the shade.  There is a difference. 

Started a new quilt this am.  Hope to finish it quick.  Want to get some of these quilts out so I can do some of my own stuff.  I have to make some bags (only 3) for my sister in the next couple of weeks for her 45th high school reunion.  That will be fun.

Happy quilting and stay cool.

Here it is!

Here is the picture of my second blue ribbon quilting.  It was made by Nancy Myers from the Edmond Guild and is called Irish Lullaby.  You can click on the picture to see an enlargement of the quilting and I will post a close up of the quilting and the blue ribbon later.  I have to stop and fix Ron something to eat.

Happy quilting