Kathy Delaney Applique Quilts

entirely too quickly! It seems like it was just last week when I last posted. But instead I see it was a lot longer ago!

Since I posted last, I finished the sample for next September’s Baltimore on the Prairie.  You can see all the samples for the September conference at www.baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com.

machine quilting by Kelly Ashton, Overland Park, KS

I finished a new quilt I’m calling “Papercuts and Toile.” I’ve supmitted the quilt to AQS. If I’m lucky they will jury it into the show in Paducah this April. And since the quilt is being offered as a block-of-the-month this year at Prairie Point Quilts in Shawnee, KS, I began making the blocks all over again in the fabrics that will be available in the kits available at the shop. (www.prairiepoint.com)

I traveled to South Carolina for the Christmas holiday by way of Kentucky to see my mom. In South Carolina I had a chance to spend the holiday with our older son’s family, including the twin 3-yr old grandkids. It was a lovely time! I was able to photograph the “Papercuts and Toile” and last year’s block-of-the-month design,” Birds ‘n Urns,” so I could submit them to AQS for the show in Paducah. So cross your fingers for me! We had lovely weather and missed the Christmas Eve blizzard here at home.

machine quilting, Kelly Ashton, Overland Park,KS

Just into the new year I traveled to California for a week with our younger son. The morning I left it was -7 degrees outside! By the time I got to the Burbank airport, I was overheated in my sweater and slacks! I went to a bridal shower for our daughter-in-law-to-be in Santa Barbara. Oh, it was lovely! We were at a restaurant right on the beach – out on the deck! It was, indeed, a lovely day! The rest of the week was spent with Ian and included at day the Road to California quilt show. My “Pots de Fleurs” quilt was juried in and I just had to visit! And the weather all week was my perfect weather – low humidity, 68-75 degrees and sunny skies.

So its been nice to be home, even if it’s cold. Of course, I certainly appreciate missing all the rain that arrived right after I left California!

And what’s next on my agenda? I have some great opportunities to teach this year. I hope you take a look at the list on my website, www.kathydelaney.com. If I’m scheduled to be in your area and your guild would like me to come, I’d love to do it! I’m very excited to be on the list of teachers for the AQS show in Knoxville in July! Are you planning on going?

Until next time…

Kathy

Well, color me excited!  I just got confirmation that my “Pots de Fleurs” quilt has been juried into the Road to California show this January!  What a lovely thing to come home to after a terrific Thanksgiving trip!  So I have booked my flight to LA!  I’m very excited as this is my first quilt in this show!

I realize I’ve been a bit quiet lately.  I was busy finishing up a “prototype” for a new Block-of-the-Month project I’ve designed for Prairie Point Quilts.  I still have to put the finishing touches on my Baltimore on the Prairie class project but that’s not due for a whole 3 weeks!  So I’m good.

AND I’ve been doing a bit of traveling!  I went to Kentucky for Thanksgiving where I had a wonderful week with my husband, our two sons, a daughter-in-law, 2 grandkids, a daughter-in-law-to-be, my mother and two BIG dogs!  Yep, 9 people around the table for meals.  It was wonderful!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  I am thankful for each of you for your interest in what I do.  I’m thankful for everyone who takes my classes, buys my books, makes my patterns or enjoys my quilts. What a wonderful industry we are in!

I still haven’t had much time to play with my new toy – the Bernina 830!  Just before I left for Kentucky I was able to pick it up from ICU.  It needed a little “adjustment” and now I think its all good.  So my next plan is to get back to it – after I mail “Pots de Fleurs” to California!

Until next time!

Kathy

I feel as if I’ve been on a merry-go-round since coming home from Market.  Let me catch you up!

After a little over a week home, I was scheduled to go to South Carolina to take care of our twin 3-year old grandchildren while our son and his wife went to Hawaii.  As soon as I knew I’d be going and I’d be there for Halloween, I spent 12 hours embroidering trick-or-treat bags for the kids!  Their names glow in the dark and so do the faces of the candy corn “goblins.”

Here are the bags and my cherubs!  (By the way, the embroidery designs are “Sweet Halloween I” from Amazing Designs.)

trick or treat1

trick or treat 2

a happy Spiderman and Pink Poodle!

So, the day before I was supposed to leave for South Carolina I took my machine into my Bernina dealer to have it cleaned and serviced while I was gone.  I still don’t know what happened, but I came home with a new 830!!!  It killed me to have to leave it packed in its boxes while I went to take care of the kids.

I know why God gives children to younger people!  Oh my, but I was tired by the time my son and his wife got home!  But you know what?  I wouldn’t have missed my special time with those kids for anything!

Now that I’m home I’ve been trying to catch up.  I think I touched down and hit the road running.  I don’t think I’ve stopped yet!  One of the “deadlines” I have is my sample for Baltimore on the Prairie 2010.  I had planned to take it with me to South Carolina to finish.  Would you believe that I could NOT find that block ANYWHERE?! What was so frustrating was that it was almost complete!  I searched and searched.  When I got home I searched again!  Finally I gave up and restitched the block.  Yep, you guessed it.  Within minutes of taking that last stitch, I FOUND the block!  OK, so now I’m ahead for 2011.  I promise, I’ll post it here when I get the dimensional flowers added.

So now I have the 830 to play with!  I found a project on the Bernina site that will help me learn all sorts of things.  I have gathered my supplies.  I think I’ll be able to work on that this weekend and I’ll post pictures.

Well, I hope you’re having more success keeping up than I am!

Until next time,

Kathy

So, do you ever find yourself on the Internet with nothing better to do than to “search?”

Its very interesting, but to search, one really needs to know how to spell!  I found myself bored and so I was searching – I began with looking at Google Images.  I thought I would search “Baltimore Album Quilts” for some inspiration.  This is not a new activity for me.  I have been known to search through the various images often!

Then I thought about a project I’m designing now.  I need one more block to design – a little inspiration wouldn’t hurt. So I began by searching “snowflakes.”  That got me, literally, photographs of snowflakes.   That wasn’t what I wanted.  So I typed in “schirenschnitte” and guess what I got!  Up came 3 photos – ALL from my website!  The Baltimore on the Prairie project from this year’s class, my students from the Baltimore on the Prairie class and a photograph of my “Walk in the Mountains” quilt that I showed you a few blog posts ago.

I am SO embarrassed!  Clearly, I have misspelled that word, someplace in my blog!  I’m guessing I’d better do a better job with spell check!

So now I’m off to search scherenschnitte!   THAT will give me what I’m really looking for!

Until next time,

Kathy

I’m just home from International Quilt Market in Houston!  I’m exhausted but happy.  And I’ve got lots of news!

On Friday I was up at 4 a.m. to make a 7:30 a.m. flight to Houston.  I traveled with the owner of Prairie Point Quilts in Shawnee, KS, Carol Kirchhoff.  I had an ulterior motive for going (more about that later) but wore several hats while there.

The weather in the middle of the country wasn’t the most cooperative on Friday.  Our flight from Kansas City to Houston (a fairly straight shot south, usually) was by way of Memphis this time in order to avoid the turbulence.  It only delayed us about 1/2 an hour.  And for a smoother flight, I didn’t mind!  (I talked with a gal from Omaha who took an extra 6 hours to get there due to the weather!)

So Friday afternoon we spent our time in School House.  This is an opportunity to see demonstrations and examples of new products, patterns, books and fabric.  I saw some very interesting people and products.  It was a good way to get acclimated and plan out the next day on the Market floor.

Wow!  Talk about a floor!  I understand the exhibit hall for the vendors is about the size of 3 football fields.  There were something like 23 isles!  Well there are 2249 “booths.”  I don’t know how many vendors, but I sure wouldn’t doubt there were easily 1500!  (Some take double spaces and some take up as many as 10 – that would be the fabric companies.)  Anyway, it took 2 days to see everything!

One of the hats I wore was for Colonial Needle.  Many of you know, because you’ve taken a workshop with me, I have a wonderful relationship with Jim Collingham, the president of Colonial Needle.  He is very generous with my classes and sends me needles and Needle Grip-Its to pass out to my students whenever I ask.  So I certainly wanted to visit with him in person to thank him again for his generosity.

It was a long and tiring day but dinner was great!

Another hat I wore was for Prairie Point Quilts in Shawnee.  I work there and teach.  So I was on the look-out for products or patterns or ideas I thought would contribute to my classes at Prairie Point.  I found a few things that I’m very excited about and will be testing to see if they will be my new “favorites.”  As I test the products, I’ll share with you my thoughts.  So “stay tuned” as I become familiar enough with the products to share.

Here’s Carol (owner of Prairie Point) and me at the dinner put on by Moda Fabrics.  What a Shindig!  Sit down dinner for easily 1000!

Happy in Bernina land!

I am so proud of the fact that I am a National Artisan for Bernina of America.  So I put on my Bernina hat and made a stop at the Bernina booth to visit a moment with Jeanne Delpit.  Jeanne is the Director of National Events and is probably one of THE most upbeat and happy people I’ve ever met.  Whenever I see her and ask how things are, she always says “Terrific!” even at the end of a week’s retreat with 150 National Artisans!  I just love her.  So I always look for her whenever I see a Bernina booth at a big quilt show.  By the way, as a National Artisan for Bernina, I have the honor of teaching in Bernina stores.  So if you have a Bernina store and would like for me to come, let’s TALK!  I’d love to come!

Someone I consider a special friend is Alex Anderson.  She stayed with me while almost a week in Kansas City many years ago.  She loves to tell the story of her visit.  Her son had just gone off to College.  Alex kept trying to reach him and I could tell she was getting more and more worried.  I tried to convince her she shouldn’t worry – certainly he was in the Library, studying.

It was fun catching up!

So I was delighted to run into Alex.  She was everywhere!  She was at the C&T booth, promoting her new book on machine and hand appliqué, at the Brewers Sewing booth, at Bernina of America.  She was in the P&B booth promoting her new line of fabric.  She was with Ricky Tims in the AccuQuilt booth promoting the new Go! system for accurately cutting patchwork shapes.  AND she was, with Ricky, promoting the new AQS magazine, The Quilt Life.  And, of course, she was promoting The Quilt Show.  And that’s all I knew about!  She had in hand a list of places to be and the times and was on the move constantly!  (And I thought I was tired!)

Someone I hadn’t seen in awhile was Marianne Fons!  I happened upon her in the Prym booth.  It was fun catching up with her, too!  And she was looking good!  She told me she’s been getting into gardening.  I’ve heard other people refer to the rejuvenating benefits of gardening.

By the end of the second day I was getting pretty tired!  But I was having a good time and wouldn’t have missed it for anything!

Yes, Dorothy, we ARE still in Kansas!

Sunday I finished with my travels through the Market.  This time I got to spend some time with Lynne Hagmier.  She’s the designer for Kansas Troubles.  She is one of the most down to earth individuals I know.  I just love her outlook on life.  So here you see Lynne’s booth.  She was just across from the Moda Fabric booth.

I also was able to visit with Jo Morton.  Don’t you love her fabric and patterns?  I was so tickled running into her, I forgot to get a picture!

I had the best time at Market.  I got to talk to people about what they are doing, about new products, about Baltimore on the Prairie, even!  I’m looking forward to going again!

So let me recoup, let me play with the new products I brought home and I’ll come back tell you about what I found and if I like it or not.

Until next time…

Kathy

I have noticed much chatter on the Baltimore on the Prairie yahoo group about creativity.   It is very satisfying to know that the Baltimore on the Prairie Appliqué Conference sparked so much creativity.  People have come home and been stitching like crazy!  I admit, I have been, too.

One of the things I noticed, “back in the day,” when I used to work in oil paints, I almost couldn’t keep up with the paintings I saw in my head!  As I was painting one canvas, I was thinking of the next.  As soon as I finished one I was on to the next.  (Did you ever see the Jackson Pollock biography film with Ed Harris?  Well, I wasn’t quite THAT manic, but you get the idea.)

Now that I am a quilter, I realize that I’m still the same way.  If I’m not stitching on a quilt, I’m planning one, thinking about one, drawing designs for one (several), writing about making one or buying fabric for one.  Where I would actually finish a painting before beginning the next, as a quilter, I have LOTS of quilts in progress.   I’m sure most of you do, too.

I believe creativity stimulates creativity.  I really don’t think I could paint today!  I’m out of practice!  But I have an ever supply of quilting ideas, projects, plans, fabric…  And I’m never happier than when I’m creating!

Well, back to stitching!

Until next time,

Kathy

One of the most frustrating thing about all this wonderful social technology is keeping up with it! Whether its keeping up with all the various Internet group digests, Facebook postings or the various interesting Blogs, how does one keep up?!  Well, I just found out about the most interesting idea!   There is a place you can go online, FeedMyInbox.com, enter the URL of the Blog you want to keep track of, your email address, and this site will let you know when something new is posted. How cool is THAT?! I plan to enter in my favorite Blogs and I hope you add mine!  I can’t possibly post every day to this Blog. This seems like a great way for you to know when I do!

Recently I have been working on a Schirenschnitte type of Album quilt. Naturally it is applique! I’m hoping to debut the quilt at the end of the year. I’m beginning with a piece of freezer paper and folding it to make my appliqué “snowflake.” My what interesting results one can get! I’m adding a twist to the block and I’m using lots of red. (You know, red is my neutral.)  So, as I get this quilt put together I’ll post pictures here.

You know, when I came home from Baltimore on the Prairie I was flying high from the fun of the weekend! (And I’m still very excited!) But something else happened that was very cool.

I belong to a group of quilters who meet weekly to quilt in the Legler Barn Museum in Lenexa, KS.  We quilt for others and the fee paid goes to helping the Lenexa Historical Society.  Well, we were asked if we could bring quilts to Strong City, KS for a festival and quilt show they’d be having over the same weekend I was at Baltimore on the Prairie.  So I contributed 3 quilts for the show.

When I got the quilts back I discovered one of my quilts had won Viewers’ Choice!  This was quite a surprise!  I had begun the quilt in January of 1998 and had been hand quilting it since 1999.  (I know, I’m slow.)  I finally gave up and in 2008 asked the Legler Barn Quilters to help me get the second half finished already.

The pattern is from Piece O’ Cake and is called “Walk in the Mountains.”  If you’re anything like me, after working on something for 11 years, you no longer see the specialness of it – at least I don’t.  This “win” comes as a huge surprise to me!  There were some wonderful quilts in that show!  So for mine to win Viewers’ Choice is all the more special!  Here’s the quilt “in progress.”  I haven’t had a chance to take a finished picture yet.

Until next time…

Kathy

Walk in the Mountains

On Friday I went to my husband’s Toastmasters meeting. Well, it wasn’t a usual meeting, actually. It was a special meeting with a speaker by the name of Charlie Plumb. Charlie was a POW in North Vietnam for 6 years toward the end of the war and he is the brother of one of the Toastmasters group my husband belongs to.

First of all, the speaking ability of Charlie was incredible. Both his subject and his presentation were fascinating.

He began by demonstrating to us the space he lived in (8′ x 8′) and exactly what that distance entailed – 3 paces from one wall to the opposite.

He told a story of a visit to his family some many years later and was at a local Kansas City restaurant, when he was approached by a gentleman who asked, “Are you Capt. Charles Plumb?” He named the aircraft carrier, the date Charlie was shot down, the plane Charlie flew when he was shot down – all details that seemed to astound Charlie. How would this stranger know all this about him? When Charlie asked, the man responded, “I packed your parachute.”

It was this meeting that allowed Charlie to thank the man for what ultimately was responsible for saving his life that day.

Well, the story brought the hair up on my arms and I got to thinking. Just how often do we get the opportunity to thank the people who make a difference in our lives, no matter how small? I know I don’t do it often enough.

I think it is very easy to just take for granted those people who “pack our parachutes.” So, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you – quilters whom I have met, taught, learned from, shared fabric with, developed quilting ideas with, developed friendships with — thank you for letting me into your lives, and thank you for coming into mine. I know I am very lucky to be doing what I do. And my luck is all because of YOU!

Kathy

Everyone has been so helpful with suggestions! Thank you so much. I’m still trying to figure this all out. One of the things I want to be able to do is add the ability to enlarge a photo. I’m researching that now. I can’t believe its that hard! But I am overwhelmed. So hang in there! I’m going to post the original block that everyone in my class was working on. We’ll see if I get that to enlarge for you. I bet there’s something I’m supposed to click…
Anyway, at some point very soon, there will be photos added from Baltimore on the Prairie on the website. My general pictures – outside my classroom – didn’t really turn out all that well. OK, I admit it, I was excited and they all turned out pretty fuzzy! BUT someone else took pictures and will be sending them to Tresa for posting. So watch the website – www.baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com – and you’ll gt to see lots more (better) pictures.

My class project and the BOTP Applique Conference logo

Hello World!

I have finally taken the plunge and so this is my first blog posting.  I hope you will join me here from time to time as we travel the quilting road together.

This past weekend I participated in the first annual Baltimore on the Prairie Appliqué Conference.

Over a year ago there was some chatter on the Baltimore Album Quilt yahoo group verbally wishing for an appliqué conference more centrally located than The Appliqué Academy in Williamsburg.  So Tresa Jones (my partner in the Annual Euphoric Appliqué and Quilting Getaway – euphoric because the chocolate bar opened on Friday evening and stayed open all weekend long) and I talked about the possibility of starting just such a conference.  We roped in Nancy Kerns who has been a participant or teacher at the Appliqué Academy since it began 15 years ago (this February will be the 15th meeting!).

So we began planning.  Well, the event finally took place and it far exceeded any of our wildest dreams!  I’ve been to many conferences, both as teacher and as student.  NEVER had I seen a standing ovation at the end.  The group was so generous is rewarding all 5 teachers (Nancy Kerns, Nadine Thompson, Jeanne Sullivan, Jan Carlson – and me) with a standing ovation.  And then they/we did it again for Tresa, who coordinated the whole event.  I tell ya, I still haven’t touched ground!

We had participants from 17 states in the US and two participants traveled all the way from AUSTRALIA!  For a first-ever conference, this is quite a big deal!  The fact that everyone was willing to take a chance on us and come without waiting for word-of-mouth before coming – well, it was overwhelming!  We felt very fortunate to have met so many wonderful people!  We were at 70% capacity, so there’s room for you next year! (Sept 8-12, 2010)  You will find info at the website: www.baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com or just “google” Baltimore on the Prairie!

I had the greatest group of women in my class for the 3 days (Thursday evening to Sunday noon).  Everyone was so generous and sharing.  And we had talent that ranged from “I’ve never done this” to “haute couture” sewing.  It was great!  I even had one of the ladies from Australia in class!  Her speech is like music.  We had a marvelous time – well, at least I did.

This is my class.

They worked very hard.

And this is the view from my room.  We were in a state park just half way between Omaha and Lincoln, NE.  It was breathtaking!

The view from my room.

This also from my room!

So, if you find this, my first blogging post, interesting, you have my class to thank.  They convinced me that a blog would be a good thing.  And if you don’t, well, they are to blame.  THEY convinced me that a blog would be a good thing!

Hope to see you here again!

Kathy