February Hearts

                               I love hearts.

Happy February! To me, the whole month of February means Valentine's Day. I love hearts and have a soft spot for most things that are heart shaped. 

There are also a couple of heart-themed quilt patterns in my Etsy shop.

Thank goodness for February and Valentine's Day because it gives me a good excuse to indulge myself. I usually immerse myself in hearts and heartfelt thoughts all month long. 

I found this quote last week and needed to share it - 

“. . . In a time lacking in truth and certainty and filled with anguish and despair, no woman should be shamefaced in attempting to give back to the world, through her work, a portion of its lost heart.” 

                                                                                                            - Louise Bogan

It's funny that this quote (from 1970??) popped up in an old book I was reading yesterday, at the same time I decided to work on some appliqued hearts for a quilt. So I am hoping to send out into the universe one little heart a day in a very small attempt to spread some light to combat the hate and cruelty surrounding our culture. And remind ourselves that Love is what we need . . . .

I'm making one heart a day (or more if I am able to) for 14 days. Spreading some light and LOVE in February . . .

I think we need to use our art/creativity to shine a light and encourage others with compassion and love. Make a little heart, show you care.

                               

There's a heart template in my Schoolgirl Sampler book and another one in my Facebook group files. Or just draw your own and use your favorite method of applique.  I like using the starch and template method and you'll find instructions for doing that in the FB group files or in the Quilting Basics section  of some of my books. The hearts do not have to be pink and red. I may play around with a border for the hearts. Or sashing. Be creative and come up with something you like and spread around a little LOVE this month.

"The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered 

acts of kindness and love." 

                                        ~ Wm. Wordsworth

Thread Giveaway Winner

The winner of the Mettler silk-finish thread is  . . .  

                                       

                                                ksmalligan@hotmail.com 

Congratulations! Send me your mailing address and I will mail your thread to you. 

Thanks to everyone who entered the Mettler thread giveaway and posted a comment. I wish all of you could have won some pretty new thread. Those of you who did not win, remember to look for Mettler thread at your local shop or craft store. I learned that Mettler has partnered with Bernina so if you're having a hard time finding it at your local quilt shop, try your local Bernina dealer. 

Have a good weekend!

 

Pretty Thread Giveaway

Quilters love pretty threads, am I right?  I have a nice collection of favorite threads I use for all of my quilting projects - piecing, applique and quilting. I'm sure many of you do too. The Mettler thread company contacted me recently about giving away a set of their new 100% cotton "silk finish" thread for one of my lucky blog followers to try.

            

In case you don't know, Mettler thread is a brand of sewing thread that has been around for over 100 years. The company is known for its high-quality threads that are available in a wide range of colors and weights. Mettler threads are perfect for a variety of sewing projects, from patchwork piecing and quilting to applique and intricate embroidery.  

The Mettler company recently expanded their thread color range with even more beautiful colors. 

 To win some thread, just leave me a comment and an email address for me to contact you. If you win, I'll ask you to send me your mailing address. Sorry, the giveaway is only for those in the U.S.  

The giveaway will end on Friday, January 16, 2025. I'll pick a comment at random and announce the winner shortly after that. Good luck! I haven't had a giveaway here on the blog for quite awhile so this will be fun. Remember to leave your email address to avoid being disqualified. I've sponsored a few giveaways in the past where someone comments but forgets to leave their contact info and it kills me to pass over them after they've been picked because I had no way to reach out to tell them they'd won. So I have to move on to the next person. Also, you may post ONE comment to enter. Remember that anyone who posts two comments will automatically be disqualified. 

You have to admit these threads sure are lovely with that silky finish. The winner will receive these 3 spools of Mettler SILK-FINISH COTTON 40 in the colors shown.  

Good luck!  Check back after Friday, January 17 to see if you won. 

Merry Christmas - Late

Merry Christmas!  As usual, I got distracted by all the holiday activities and blogging was not on my agenda. I hope you had a lovely holiday. The only thing missing for me was the snow. Still none here in Chicagoland but a girl can always hope . . . .

A few years ago . . . 

I mentioned in my Facebook group that we'll still be doing the KT Monthly challenge in 2025 as long as there's some interest. Read more about it in one of my previous blog posts. Pick a quilt from one of my books or patterns in my Etsy shop that you've been wanting to make for awhile and start working on it in January.  Choose your fabrics and make the blocks the first week. Take it step by step and try to make a little progress each week. One quilt per month. Before you know it you'll have a nice stack of small quilts.  

Here are a few suggestions - 

Simple star block surrounded by narrow borders. How cute and easy is this??

Rows and rows of flying geese.

Tiny four patches! 

Maybe get back to that Schoolgirl Sampler quilt you started . . . .

Another simple star quilt from my book Small & Scrappy.

Join us in my Facebook group for more quilty fun in 2025!

 

Peppermints and Pinwheels

Here's a repost from a few years ago of something I thought you might enjoy this holiday season - 

*  *  *

One of my favorite treats I usually only indulge in around the holidays is peppermint bark candy. I'm sure there are places you can buy it all year long but, trust me, it's a good thing  that I don't see it much at other times of the year. I recently bought some packaged Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark squares while I was out Christmas shopping. Let me tell you they didn't last long and and so I thought I'd try to make my own. How hard could it be? There are all sorts of recipes if you do a Google search, and you can certainly take your pick, but basically it's layers of dark chocolate, white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy cut into squares. Very simple.

First, melt some dark chocolate chips (or use better quality chocolate if you care to) in the microwave in a glass bowl. Stir after about 30-40 seconds and again if needed. If you have a moderately powerful microwave, don't let it go for too long or the chocolate will burn and you'll have to trash that batch and start over. Ask me how I know. When it's all  melted, pour into a small square baking dish lined with wax paper up the sides. Smooth the chocolate with a spatula. Place in freezer for 20 minutes. Crush the peppermints or candy canes. Then, melt the white chocolate and smooth it over the hardened layer of dark chocolate. Top the soft chocolate with the crushed candy, pressing it into the layer a bit. Place in freezer for another 10 minutes. When it hardens, lift the wax paper out of the dish and break into pieces or let it soften a little and then cut with a knife into squares. Yum!

This got me started on a peppermint kick so yesterday, after I finished making the candy, I took out some red and light prints and made a few pinwheels. I know you all are still going crazy over red and white quilts after seeing and hearing about that exhibit in NYC. I don't have very many red and white quilts myself and it was time to do something about that. I didn't know where I was going with it but then sat down at the computer with EQ and designed a little quilt around the blocks I'd made. Turned out very "sweet"   if I say so myself.

And - it's for YOU!  Here's the free pattern you can download as a .pdf file. There's not a lot of time before the holidays get here I know but it's very simple so you can still probably get it done before Christmas if you have a little time and you're so inclined. Me? I'm also going to try to make it but I'm still trying to finish the  little runner I began last year . . .  .

Most of you probably have your own favorite method for making half-square triangles for the Pinwheel blocks, but if you're new to quilting and find that sewing triangles makes your blocks a little wonky, here's how I make mine.

I layer my two squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line across the back of the lighter square. I use this nifty Quick Quarter ruler I found years ago that makes the sewing lines visible because I'm just not that good at eyeballing it.

Chain piece your layered squares and you can whip them out pretty fast.

This is a tip I recently picked up for making your half-square triangle units even better.  After you sew 1/4 inch away from the diagonal line on each side of the layered squares, PRESS the units open before you cut.  The fabric does not stretch as much and your half-square triangles will not turn out wonky but perfect because the bias edges are stabilized.

Flip and press the other side, then cut on the drawn line. Works like magic and keeps your pieces from getting distorted.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas and Tiny Trees

Have you made any little trees yet? Everyone seems to be making these. Large or small, it's the perfect seasonal quilt project. My pattern is especially tiny  -  each tree is only 2" x 4" finished. 

My Facebook group has inspired me to get a few more trees finished this year. Each December I bring them out and add a few to the pile.  Then I decide to use some to make a couple of gifts or small projects. Before I know it I've used up the ones I just made and I'm back to where I started. This season is going by too fast! I need to keep going so I can have a larger tree quilt someday . . . .

There's a free paper-pieced pattern in Files in my Facebook group and there's also one on my website. There's another one using flying geese if paper piecing is not your thing.

"It's coming on Christmas, I'm cutting up trees . . . "   

Sew three trees together and add borders. 

Merry Making!

Challenge Yourself to Make a Small Quilt Every Month

Quilters - If you have a desire to make more small quilts, we'll be starting a new Monthly Quilt Challenge in my Facebook group on October 1, 2024. I'll help you become motivated to finish more small quilts from some of the patterns I've designed. This little group venture will be organized to help you achieve your goals by working together on a weekly basis to get some things done. Perhaps you'll learn some good organizing skills in the process. We'll see how long we can keep this up. Wouldn't it be nice if you made several quilts to add to your collection (or maybe start one!)?

                             

                                 

This challenge will involve trying to finish one quilt each month - your choice of project. I'm not going to pick one for you since we've done quite a few monthly challenges over the years and some of you have made many of my quilts from my books. My suggestion is - if you have one of my books or patterns, you probably liked at least one of the quilts enough to buy the book so just go with what you have or like. No need to buy a new book or anything. You are all welcome to join in and post photos of your progress in the group as long as it's a quilt from one of my designs. 

At times, I'll give you a pattern for a specific block and you can challenge yourself to make something from it. Or, keep to your own choice of quilt each month if you prefer. Remember, it's not a contest or race. Some of you will have lots of successful finishes and stay on track. Others may need more of a nudge to keep going if they fall off the path. But please don't fret - if you're in the Facebook group, take advantage of the support I know you'll find there.

So, before we begin, take this time to go through some of my books or patterns, pick out a few you'd like to make and perhaps create a list. If you don't have any of my books, no worries, there are some free patterns in the group files so start there. A little notebook where you can list your quilting goals and weekly progress can be a valuable tool.

This is going to be a very loosely organized event. If you can't start in October, no problem, jump in whenever you like. If you have to miss a month, don't stress - do the best you can. You will be accountable for yourself and set your own goals. We'll be here encouraging you along. Jotting down your progress and goals in a notebook will help you stay on track.

Another suggestion is to set small goals for yourselves - put 2-3 quilts on your list or in your notebook at first, then add to the list after you complete those if you feel like you want to continue. Or, if you have some unfinished KT quilts lying around, work on one of those each month. I have quite a few unfinished tops I would like to finish as well. I'm excited to begin!