Kathy Delaney Applique Quilts

The summer is just flying by and I feel like I’m missing it!

After the trip out west for the wedding, I was off to Knoxville, TN for the AQS Show. I judged the show and then taught every day. It was a LOT of work, but I sure did enjoy myself! My students were the best!

Do you compete your quilts? There were two things that were heart breakers for us judges. (There were three of us.) And we all agree on the heartbreaks!

We had finished judging one of the categories, ribbons had been selected and about to be awarded when it was noted that one of the potential winners was not quilted. It consisted of three layers, was indeed a sandwich and bound. While it was tacked in a couple of places, there was not a single quilting stitch. The rules for the contest say the quilt must actually be quilted, either by hand or machine. Consequently, no ribbon for the quilt.

Second heartbreak: The category was “machine made.” That meant the whole quilt had to be constructed by machine. The only hand work would have been the final stitching of the binding.

The quilt was absolutely beautiful! It was an elaborate appliqué quilt and was extremely well done.

“So, what was the problem?” you ask. The quilt was loaded with ruched roses and a variety of other dimensional flowers. Ruching cannot be done on the machine. The ruched flowers were done by hand. And while they were expertly executed, the quilt did not follow the rules so it had to be disqualified.

What we hated most was the fact that, had the quilt been entered into the correct category, it very likely would have won $10,000! Now, THAT’s a heart breaker!

So, my advice to you as you compete your quilts, read the rules of the contest carefully! Place your quilt in the proper category and make sure you cover all your bases. I would hate for you to have heartbreak for something so very simple.

Until next time…
Kathy

Well, I know its been awhile since I last posted.  So I have LOTS to share!

I began the Spring getting ready for our younger son’s wedding.  I made my “ensemble” for the wedding, a quilt for the couple, and the ring pillow (you already know about that one).  And, of course, I procrastinated WAY too long so it was all a big push to get it all done!

This is what I wore to the wedding.

The wedding was in Phoenix.  Someone seemed to be looking out for us because up until the day before the wedding the temperature had hovered at about 110 degrees.  But the day before it had cooled off quite a bit so the rehearsal dinner out on the patio was quite wonderful!  And the day of the wedding was to have a high of 89 degrees.  So it was perfect!

The newly married Mr. and Mrs. Ian Delaney

Everyone seemed to have a great time and I think it is fair to say they make a wonderful couple!

They seemed to like the quilt I gave them.  You should have seen my son inspecting all the intersections!  He knows what to look for!  I was glad I had accomplished my very best piecing yet!

The couple and their quilt.

After the wedding, my husband and I visited the Grand Canyon.  The temperature up there was, again, very mild.  It was lovely!  (Have you noticed the theme here?  I’m not very fond of hot weather!)

A peak at the Grand Canyon!

Now I’m getting myself for the AQS show in Knoxville next month.  There are still openings in some of the classes!  I hope to see you there!  They’ve also asked me to help judge the quilts!  This is very exciting for me!

And once I get home from Knoxville, it will almost be time to get ready for the Baltimore on the Prairie Appliqué Conference  in September in Nebraska.  I’d love it if you could join me there for a relaxing time!  By September, I think I’ll need to relax!  And by then I’ll know what I’m teaching in September 2011 for Baltimore on the Prairie!  (No rest for me!  I have to have the stitching done by this September!)

Baltimore Roses class sample

I know there’s still space in my conference class – Baltimore Roses.   So come and join us!  You can contact Tresa Jones through the website at www. baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com.   She’ll get you all registered.  It’s NOT too late!

And my final bit of news is the Kathy Delaney Sampler from Colonial Needles.  I went to Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis in May to “debut” the needle sampler pack.  I had a wonderful time showing off the needles!  This is a collection of 4 needles each of 4 styles.  I got to choose anything I wanted and so I chose the Colonial #11 Straw for appliquéing most fabrics.  It is a very fine needle – I even think its finer than the #11 John James which is finer than the #11 Richard Hemming!  I also chose the #11 John James Gold’n Glide Straw for working with Batiks.  The Gold ‘n Glide just makes Batik fabrics seam like a much looser woven.  It just glides right through!  I also chose the #11 John James Quilting Between for hand quilting and the #11 John James Gold ‘n Glide Between for hand quilting Batik!  I love the idea of the sampler.  It lets one try the needles at a lower cost ($6.95) than having to purchase 4 packages of different needles that could cost about $20.

Available to YOUR quilt shop!

Here I am at the Colonial booth in Spring Market!

So, until next time, keep stitching!

Hope to see you in Knoxville and in Nebraska!

Kathy

Well, since we last visited together, I’ve been to Paducah to see the quilts juried into the AQS show.  It was great!  I didn’t win any ribbons, but then, I never expect to.  My win is to get my quilt juried into the show!

I had a discussion with my mom about winning at the show.  I’m not sure I want to even go the route of working at strictly making a winning quilt.  I know there are quilters out there who do just that.  They make a quilt for the sole purpose of trying to win.  I think if I attempted that, several things would happen.

First, I would be setting myself up for quite a disappointment.  I’m not sure I have it in me to make the kind of quilts that win.  I think I make some nice quilts and they are quilts people enjoy seeing.  But a winner?

Second, sometimes the quilter who sets out to making a winning quilt does nothing else.  I heard a rumor that a recent Best-of-Show winner at Paducah spent 2 years, 8 hours a day, working on her winning quilt.  Sure, she won a purchase award of $20,000.  But when you realize, $20,000 for a solid 2 year’s work – THAT’S not even minimum wage!  Would that really be worth it to me?  I’m thinking not.

I enjoy the process too much.  I enjoy making my quilts and every once in awhile I am proud enough of what I did that I want to share it and exhibit at the quilt show in Paducah.  But actually worry about winning?  No, that would take away from my pleasure in making the quilt.  So, again, getting a quilt juried into the show is my win.

dimensional with pearls and seed beads

I finally finished the ring pillow for our younger son’s wedding next month.  I’m rather pleased with it. Its different, anyway.  I sewed 18 pearls onto it.  My daughter-in-law-to-be loves pearls.  It occurs to me that after the wedding she can have the pearls made into a bracelet.

Here’s a close-up.  I just hope the kids like it.  I’d hate to have spent all that time and then find that my son and his fiance are totally underwhelmed!

Have you registered for Baltimore on the Prairie yet?  September will be here before we know it!  This is the block I’ll be teaching for the main conference.

I’d love to see you there!  You can find all the details as well as photos of the other classes, including the one-day Plus One classes, at www.baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com.  There are some wonderful activities planned.  Tresa’s lining up a bus to take you to the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln and some wonderful quilt shops.  You won’t want to miss it!

This coming week I will be off to Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis.  I will be demonstrating the Kathy Delaney Sampler package of hand sewing needles.  My sampler package includes my favorite quilting and appliqué needles.  I’m very excited!

After I get back from Phoenix, I’ll be turning my attentions toward my July adventure.  I’ll be off to Knoxville where I’ll be teaching classes at the AQS show!  That should be lots of fun.  Besides teaching, I’ll be one of the judges!  It will be a very busy week!  Have you made plans to go?

Until next time…

Kathy

Look what arrived from AQS!  Quite awhile ago, Ann contacted me and asked if I’d like to submit a recipe and a quilt for her next project, a recipe book for quilters.  (She also included me in her 100 Tips from Award Winning Quilters.)  I have to tell you, I totally forgot all about it!  Well, the book is out and here it is!  What a delightful project!  100 quilters contributed simple quilty-wonderful recipes and the pages are enhanced with quilts as well!  Get your copy soon!  You won’t want to miss out!

Thanks, Ann, for including me!

How many of you have the best intentions when you begin but put it aside only to get side tracked?  I KNOW you know what I’m talking about!  Just think about your works-in-progress and all the quilt projects you have organized with fabrics, pattern and thread, all ready to go.  We ALL have them!

Well, that’s what’s happened with this blog!  Mostly I’m afraid I wont have anything of interest to you to write about!  But for those of you interested in what I’ve been up to…

Two of my quilts have been juried into the AQS Show in Paduch this month!  And they have been mailed.  I’m planning on going to go to the show.   My mom and I go every year and enjoy the quilts.  I get rejuvenated and  my creative juices get stimulated.

Birds 'n Urns by Kathy Delaney, quilted by Kelly Ashton

Papercuts and Toile by Kathy Delaney, quilted by Kelly Ashton

I’m excited about going to Market in May, too.  I will be hanging out in the Colonial Needle booth where I will be demonstrating the needles in the Kathy Delaney Needle Sampler Pack.  How ’bout THAT!  The pack included 4 kinds of needles – my favorite needles for all my hand work.

Baltimore on the Prairie registration has opened.  I have redesigned my conference block .  I think this one will have more techniques to learn and will be more fun to make.  I’m calling it Baltimore Roses.  Techniques include needleturn appliqué (including sharp innies and outies, dimensional buds in one and two colors and reverse appliqué, to name a few.

Baltimore Roses - conference class at Baltimore on the Prairie

For more information about Baltimore on the Prairie, go to www.baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com/.

Our younger son is getting married June 12 in Phoenix.  So I’ve been busy getting ready.  I’ve been working on the ring pillow.

So now you know what I’ve been up to!  I hope you’re accomplishing all you start and that you’re keeping up!

Until next time…

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