The Katydid Bag

This is my bag review for the AWESOME Purse Palooza event going on over at Sew Sweetness!  I was supposed to have this completed October 1st...did not happen.  Did not even come close to happening.  I was planing on making the Lilium Laptop Bag but in my mind I had envisioned that the compass I made was going to fit on the flap and I was WRONG!  I looked through all the other bags and then called Sara.  This happens every time I make a bag  since I am not a bag maker and she knows everything there is to know about bags.  I knew she would walk me through finding the "right" bag for my block and not make me feel like a complete idiot.

Unfortunately for me there was no other pattern that would work...sigh...so Sara said "I have an idea..." and The Katydid Bag was what came out of my inability to conform and my having the best friend in the world!

Now, if you know Sara, you know that she has been CRAZY busy with not only her business but other stuff too.  I sent her a message telling her NOT TO design a new bag and that I would make something else and this one can wait.  I woke up to an email saying " I know you told me not too but I love you too much".  GAH!  And she named it after her mini me Katy that LIVES with me so I could not be totally pissed.

Sara sent me the pattern with all the directions I needed.  There were limited photos which made me consider biting my nails again.  I am so very visual and need lots of actual photos, with Sara's instructions, I did not need the usual picture for every step.

The only adjustments I made to the original pattern were the handle holders were bias folded and I changed it to make holders that were flat on either side. I also needed to sew with a 1/4 in seam instead of the 1/2in suggested.  I wanted for my compass points to show.

I made the front panel using the pattern on Quilting on the Square .  I want to make them all. Really great patterns.  I made the block scrappy using many different designers including Kate Spain, Heather Ross and Joel Dewberry. The lining fabric is Alexander Henry Mirabelle, one of my all time favorite prints. I would do a happy dance if they would send me 20 yds of that print!  The background fabric is from Joann's.  It is not 100 percent cotton and is more like a microfiber.  Stretched a bit more than I would have liked but the fact that it is a perfect black made up for the slight difficulty in handling. For the interfacing I used the recommended Pellon sf-101 and Annie's Soft and Stable. The thread used was my trusty Aurifil.  I used 50wt for the topstitching and quilting and the 40wt for the bag assembly.


The features of this bag are what make me want to make another.   The recessed zipper is easy and creates a finished look.

SO MUCH ROOM!!!! If you have even been with me anywhere, you know I carry a ton of crap.  Still not sure what it all is but it is ALL in my bag.  This one will meet my needs for sure!

The pattern called for two zippered pockets.  I chose to do one.  I only had this one fab vintage pink zipper from Lindsay  to use and well, it is just perfection.  Do not be afraid to do zippers.  It is easy and the method Sara uses is one of the most simple.  If you are doing it for the first time, try it out on  a scrap first.  Get comfortable with it and you will be a pro in no tome!

Inside is a fun bit of Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt.  It looks so great with the Alexander Henry Mirabelle

I am not even sure when Sara plans to release this pattern but when she does...GET IT!!!  It is easy and AMAZING!!!! If you are going to Quilt Market please look for this bag, it will be there with me :)

Linked up to 

Finish It Up Friday

A Charming Giveaway { Aurifil included}

The Polaroid Swap has been so much fun to participate in!  I have been going through my scraps and finding things that I had forgotten about.  It has been giving me warm fuzzies inside being able to use them.  Some of the fabrics are now nearly impossible to find so I suppose I was waiting for the right project to get the most use of them with the smallest amount of waste. The Polaroid Blocks are perfect for these beauties.

This brings me to the giveaway.  I went kinda crazy cutting the little fussy cuts and I was thinking that there might be some sweets quilters out there that may not get the chance to find some of these harder to find prints so I continued fussy cutting so I could have enough to offer in a giveaway!

Here is a sampling of some of what I cannot wait to share...

Each set will include approx 25-30 2.5x2.5 fussy cut charms and will have vvhtf Heather Ross, Munki Munki, Japanese fabric and just some whimsical fun stuff ( I am still cutting so not sure yet the final number).

AND an Aurifil Sample set that contains fun fabulous colors in all the weights for you to play with!

TWO winners will be chosen by Mr. Random selector and the giveaway runs until Friday August 30,2013 at 11pm EST.


To enter giveaway ( three entry options, you can do one or all three to increase your chances):

1.  Tell me your favorite out of print fabric that you would LOVE to see reprinted.
For me that one is EASY... Heather Ross  Mendocino!  Little Miss is mermaid crazy and I stupidly did not buy BOLTS of it when it was available!  I wonder is Heather has an extra stash of these some where she wants to release...I'd be ECSTATIC and so would my only girl child,LOL!

2.  Become a follower or give a big HELLO and let me know you already are a follower!  I LOVE my online friends and am always happy to have more!  You guys give me support and inspiration and I ADORE YOU :o)

3. Like my Facebook page and leave a comment here letting me know.
My FB page is another way for me to share sewing links, sales and other fun inspirations that I find more daily than weekly.


If you are a no reply blogger, I cannot email you so PLEASE leave your email in one of your comments.

My QuiltCon lecture hall days...

( quilts by Anna Maria Horner)

What an amazing event!  First of its kind and by the way things looked it will be around for a very long time.  Beautifully organized, it seemed to go smoothly like it had been put on a million times before. BRAVO to the organizers, sponsors and volunteers that made it a perfect event! Look as these hard working and gorgeous gals!!!!!

I did not find out I was for sure attending until the sometime in January so I did not sign up for classes ( cry) but I was able to get a four day lecture series pass which allowed me to go to ALL the lectures my little heart desired and to go into the quilt show and vendor area. The lectures were fantastic and there are some that are available for free at Craftsy.com .

I was able to listen to my dear friend Thomas Knauer, Heather Ross, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, Jacquie Gehring , Meg Cox, Mary Fons ( she wins the award for most animated!), and of course Denyse Schmidt and a few others.  There were many tears and so much inspiration it was literally dripping off the walls!  

One of the BEST things I learned about in the lectures was from Meg Cox, not only is she a great speaker, author and sweet person, she is also on the board of the Quilt Alliance.  She spoke about documenting the history of our quilts. She shared something I was unaware of and I HAVE to share this with you, The Quilt Index! If you are looking for a style, a block or a quilt there are thousands of records on this valuable resource. What a priceless treasure for quilters, go check it out!!!!

The Quilt Index aims to be a central resource that incorporates a wide variety of sources and information on quilts, quiltmakers and quiltmaking.  This will include:

• images and information on privately held quilts compiled by state and regional quilt documentation projects in the United States and internationally; Current Contributors
• images and information on quilts in museums, libraries, and private collections; Current Contributors
• images and information on quilt-related ephemera;
• lesson plans, galleries, journals and essays;
• bibliographies of secondary materials relevant to quilt study; and
• finding aids developed to assist researchers with locating hard-to-find quilt-related primary and secondary materials in public collections.

This website currently features images and information, provided by an array of contributors, on thousands of quilts from documentation projects, museums, libraries, and private collections.

The Quilt Index represents years of research and development to bring together quilt information in a centralized online tool for education, research, and public access. The Quilt Index is a joint project of The Alliance for American Quilts, MATRIX: The Center for Humane Arts, Letters and Social Sciences Online at Michigan State University and the Michigan State University Museum.

I did have the great pleasure to meet a couple of the speakers. Starstruck and in awe as usual!  if you have ever read my blog or know me  personally, you know this was SO EXCITING for me ( thanks to Katie for taking this photo)...HEATHER ROSS!!! 

And this one may win as best dumb luck EVER ( next to the guy with the bra)!!!! I was saving the seat next to me for Katie who was in the back of the room from the previous lecture. Unknown to me at the time, she had to leave since she was not feeling well.  Amy Butler was the lecture and well, who should walk up and ask if the seat next to me was taken but David Butler. Sorry Katie, I knew you would understand ;o)  So here I was, sitting with Mr. Alex Veronelli on my right and Mr. David Butler on my left. I HAD to ask to get a photo of this since no one would ever believe me,LOL! David was kind enough to take this for me ;o) LUCKY LUCKY ME!

Amy Butler's lecture was fantastic, lots of beautiful images and lively words. Cannot wait for her new line of fabric! And thank you David and Alex for being so kind as to indulge a girl a little fun!

One of the best things about Quiltcon was the accessibility to the designers and authors. They were everywhere and were so very kind to just stop and chat in the hall and around the floor. I ran into the beautiful Anna Maria Horner outside in the hall and she allowed me to photograph her and her stack of quilts and then I noticed her necklace and she was even more kind and let me take the photo I wanted, I promised it would not be of her boobs!!!! The very cool thing to me is that she is WEARING her fabric colors!  She lives her color choices and I admire that! 

Here she is showing one of her quilts inside. I loved all the eye candy quilts hanging everywhere, so cool!

I am hoping to keep the posts short and sweet since I know there are so many different blogs posting about Quiltcon. Tomorrow will be quilts and the 80's Party!!!! Hopefully, if the 5 yr old allows me the time. Back to real life here!

Falling Leaves quilt top on a very windy day

I am doing a happy dance!!! My foyer floor is clear ( for the moment) since I finished the quilt top this afternoon. The quilting will have to wait for me to finish a super cute baby project :o)

It was so windy Katy had a super hard time holding it!!!!! She is such a trooper :o)

The colors are amazing! I am hoping there will be a reprint of this fabric. It is beautiful!!!!

I had some scraps on my cutting table and made either a new mini quilt  for the mini quilt challenge on Amylouwho or a block for the back of this quilt ...decisions...decisions...

Linked to Sew Modern Monday

Hope you are having a fabulous and productive weekend!!!!!

Kim :o)

100 Quilts for kids and a LOT of goodness

Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt is organizing a great charity event that runs until Oct 15. I know I mentioned it before but I know I forgot to mention that there are also some awesome giveaways 

Katie gave me permission to copy and paste this incredible list of sponsored giveaways from her blog!!!! This is an absolute win/win situation :o) Thanks so much to Katie and to all the giveaway sponsors!

I will be adding a little something to the giveaway too! You all know how much I love a good giveaway. Two charm packs of Moda Punctuation.  

100 Quilts: The Sponsors

I have been so excited to announce all of the fabulous prizes associated with 100 Quilts for Kids, donated by shops, designers, sewing enthusiasts, and friends.  A giant thank you to everyone for your generosity!!! I hope this encourages a few more people to make and donate a quilt. Or 2 (Each quilt you make & donate will get you an additional entry to win one of these prizes ;).  And a very special thank you to Delray Fabrics, Jennifer Paganelli and Fat Quarter Shop for donating big boxes full of fabrics for DC Modern to use to make quilts for kids this weekend. 
[Note: Sponsors are listed alphabetically--I hope to be adding a few more sponsors before October 15, and will update the list as that happens. And a reminder, make sure to click on the links, not pictures!]

Without further ado...

 A Quilter's Table - 60 Spoonflower I-Spy Charms

American Jane- (6) Pezzy Print Patterns

 Cluck Cluck Sew - complete set of Cluck Cluck Sew patterns

Denyse Schmidt Quilts - FQ set (including voiles, not shown here) of Greenfield Hill & four patterns

 Del Ray Fabrics - Little Apples FQ Bundle

Diary of a Quilter - (3) patterns, winner's choice

 During Quiet Time - Ruched Happy Bag & Hexiecase pattern

 Easily Distracted Debra - Munki Munki Pjs and copy of Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio- Complete pattern set

 Fabric Shoppe 8 FQ set of Sew Cherry by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Fabrics


Fat Quarter Shop - (3) $50 Gift Certificates

Fresh Lemons Quilts (3) copies of Off Centered Squares pattern

 Fresh Squeezed Fabrics $35 Gift Certificate

Frozen Knickers (3) patterns--Modern Stripes, Dots n Boxes, & Off Sides


Green Bee Patterns - (3) patterns, winner's choice

 

 In Color Order - Vintage Wrapped Wreath kit

Kate Spain - 12 Days of Christmas FQ pack, Flurry Jellyroll, Fandango Jellyroll

 Lime Gardenias - Party Dress by Mo Bedell FQ set

Marmalade Fabrics $40 Gift Certificate & Zigzagged pattern

Monaluna - Monaco FQ set

Oh Fransson - autographed copy of the Practical Guide to Patchwork


Oliver + S - (2) Patterns, winner's choice

 Pink Castle Fabrics - $25 Gift Certificate


Quilt Story - (3) Patterns, winner's choice


Sew, Mama, Sew! - $20 Gift Certificate



Skye Reve Fabrics $20 Gift Certificate

Terrabyte Farm - pouch & 30 + packs of Singer needles for knits, wovens, & heavy weight fabrics

The Long Thread - A copy of her new book, 1, 2, 3 Sew

The Quilted Fish  (2) $25 Gift Certificates

 V and Co. (3) Patterns, winner's choice

Whipstitch - $30 Gift Certificate