A Winner - Sneak Peeks and Must Have Quilty Links!

Hi everyone -- I apologize for the late announcement of the winner of the Benartex 

Bohemian Rhapsody Fat Quarter Bundle

Sometimes it's not good to be late...

Ha ha ha !   Thanks for understanding.

Without further ado ...  Mr Random Number Generator was used to pick a winner from the 76 people that left comments on the Giveaway Post.  

 And the lucky 51st comment was:

Congratulations Karen!!   I'll be sending you an email so I can get this great Fat Quarter Bundle in the mail to you.  

I know you'll love it.   

Woohoo!!

Thanks to everyone else for playing along.

I'm compiling your Christmas List of wants and will be sure to share more FMQ, Wool Applique, and Redbird Quilt Co designs in the future.   

Ya'll are too sweet!   

Stay tuned for more fun and 

thanks for your support.

Speaking of fun...  

Before we go I want to share a couple of things I've been working on.

You've already seen some sneak peeks of this quilt here, and here.   

Well here is another sneaky peek of the lovely "Garden Lattice" pattern by 

Wendy Sheppard  

**

Karen's Style!!

The pattern is one of several beautiful quilts and projects in her new book, 

"Recreating Antique Quilts".  

Be on the lookout Monday, November 3rd for a full reveal, review and a Giveaway!  

It will be fun.

Also -- on the cutting table is this sweet collection of fabric, woolens and threads:

This lovely line "Heart's Content" by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts (for Moda) will be paired with some beautiful Bunny Hill Designs woolens and luscious Aurifil threads to become a home decor pillow.

Aren't they beautiful together ?   

This new tutorial will be hosted by the Moda Bake Shop next month -- stay tuned for that too!

Don't go yet !!!  

Do you LOVE Giveaways ?  

Well then I suggest that once a week you hop on over to Missouri Mel's Giveaway Roundup to see a list of current giveaways and be sure to leave Mel a message thanking her for hosting the Giveaway Roundup.

Click below and check it out!   

One last thing...

Since there is soooo much interest in Free Motion Quilting motifs, tips, tricks, designs, and fun I decided to start a new Facebook group that supports open discussion, sharing of images, tutorials, tips, tricks, videos and links. 

You can hook up to this new group by clicking the image above or searching for  Free Motion Quilting Frenzy on Facebook.  

If you're interested in FMQ - AND - you use Facebook, come on over and share with the group.  We're tiny now but I'm certain we'll grow with leaps and bounds and with an abundance of inspiration! 

Thanks everyone and have a blessed week!

Hugs,

Karen

Bloggers Quilt Festival Mini - Wren in Spring

Greetings everyone!  I'm excited to be participating again this year in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival!  Many thanks to Amy Ellis for hosting this fun event! 

If you're new to my blog -- welcome!  I hope you enjoy your look around.  
You can read more about my interests, current and future projects by clicking here. 

The Quilt Festival is an outlet for those of us that are not traveling to the International Quilt Market and Festival to show off our stuff and get feedback from our peers.

It's open to anyone who has a blog and would like to make an entry.  Please click the icon directly above to learn more about it.
Why don't you join in the fun too?   

One of the best things about the online festival is that you get to see hundreds of beautiful quilts and pieces of art!  There is tons of talent in every category.
Wait until you see!

I'm excited to enter "Wren in Spring", an original 7" x 7" design into the Mini Quilt category.  Mini Quilts must not be larger than 80" around.  Well -- this little gem is less than 30" around.
It's tiny!

I designed, stitched and quilted Wren in Spring as a challenge for local "Artfully Squared" fundraiser sponsored by the local Council on the Arts . 

The council collects and display hundreds of 7" x 7" pieces of art from local artists.  

The work is on display for the month of April and each piece of artwork is available to purchase for $20 with proceeds going directly to the local art programs.  

It's a great event and I was honored and excited to participate.  

Wren in Spring is wool applique on a cotton background.  I used Aurifil 28Wt Mako Cotton to applique the bird and the stems and fell in love with this applique weight thread!.   

I also used Aurifil 50Wt Mako Cotton for the dense machine quilting.  The 50Wt Aurifil allows backtracking without buildup.  I love that about this thread.   I used two layers of batting, one 100% Cotton (Warm and Natural) and one 100% Wool (Hobbs).  I love the way the two layers of batting allow the wren to look as though he was done with trapunto!.

I used a NO BINDING method to finish the mini - you can read more about it here.

I was very happy to learn that Wren in Spring was purchased even before the opening event.   It was gifted to a local resident who was celebrating her 93rd birthday.  

How is that for sweet? I was very honored.

Once the quilting was done, I added a label and hanging sleeve  and ta-daa!!  --  All ready to be delivered to the Council of the Arts!   You can see my Computer Printed Quilt Label tutorial here.

 Thanks for sharing in the fun -- here is the Entry Summary:

Wren in Spring Mini Quilt

7" square (for a total of 28" around)

Wool Applique on Cotton Background

Aurifil Threads in 50Wt and 28Wt

Hobbs Wool + Warm and Natural Cotton Batting

Dense McTavish style quilting on domestic (by me ;)

No binding border (fast and easy)

If you like Wren in Spring, please consider nominating it for the overall "Viewers Choice" award.  The Viewers Choice Nominees can be entered on this page.

Be sure to come back on November 1st when Voting in each Category begins.

You can vote for quilts in the Mini Category on this page.

Thanks for your support and feedback!

Karen

We have a winner -- and some more fun!

Greetings fellow quilters!

Many thanks to everyone that commented on the Free Motion Quilting Fun tutorial and blog post.  I really appreciate your sweet words and feedback.  Thank you so very much!   My fingers are crossed that it helps those that want to Free Motion Quilt.

I hope you had time to peruse the fine selection of fabric panels and Aurifil thread at Bear Creek Quilting Company.  I would love for you to find a panel that makes your heart sing and give the tutorial a try.  

Be sure to send me a picture of anything you stitch and also feel free to send questions my way if necessary.

Special thanks to Bear Creek Quilting Company for providing the beautiful fabric, hosting the tutorial, and sponsoring the $20 giveaway.   

 

Now lets choose a winner!   As of 8pm EST Sunday there were 249 comments on the blog post.  I plugged these numbers into Mr. Random Generator and whalaa!  

Lucky number 77 is Geni Pickens!  Congratulations Geni -- I KNOW you will enjoy spending $20 at Bear Creek Quilting Company.  Thanks for sharing in the fun (and thanks for the follows). 

Geni please drop me an email or leave your email address in a comment so we can get you that awesome gift certificate from Bear Creek Quilting Company.
Before you go... 

An Announcement and another giveaway!

October 24th marks the start of the semi-annual Bloggers Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side.

The Blogger’s Quilt Festival is an outlet for the online community to share their quilts, large and small, hand or machine quilted, traditional, art or original design.  It's timed to coincide with Quilt Market in the fall and spring each year and runs for two weeks.

Your peers select their favorite quilts in each category and also select an Overall Viewers Choice quilt.  It's really a fun time and a neat way to get inspired.   (As Angie would say... "there's lots of eye candy"). 

You can enter two quilts per festival (in different categories).  Peruse my previous Bloggers Quilt Festival entries here (Spring 2014 Entry 1),  here (Spring 2014 Entry 2), here (Fall 2013 Entry 1) and  here (Fall 2013 Entry 2) .

Click the Quilt Festival image above to read more and get involved.  It's fun!!  I know I will put something in this year - I'm just not sure what.  

Another Giveaway!

I have been meaning to use this Fat Quarter Bundle of beautiful Benartex "Bohemian Rhapsody" for a year now -- needless to say I haven't touched it (see below).

I won this Bundle of 16 Fat Quarters on the Benartex Blog "Sew in Love with Fabric".  I couldn't wait to pair it with some neutrals and make a Chevron Quilt.  But... as it turns out... no time.

It's been sitting in my stash calling for help for nearly a year!  So today I offer it to one of you.

To enter the giveaway:

Leave me a comment below letting me know 1 of 2 things (or both).

1. What other tutorials or information would you like to see on the blog ? 

• Free motion motifs ?  
• Free motion table runner ?
• Quilting other panels ?  
• More wool applique ?  
• More Needle Turn applique
• More Redbird Quilt Co designs ?

OR

2. What would you make if you won the Benartex Bohemien Rhapsody FQ Bundle ? 

Just one (or two if you choose to answer both questions) comment -- that's all it takes this time.

Entries will close on Sunday, October 26th at 8:00pm EST

I will ship the fabric to a domestic winner -- and share a PDF of my Spring Basket pattern if an international winner is chosen.

Stay tuned for other fun stuff going on this month-- it's a busy time in the world of Quilting.

Have a good week all!

Hugs,
Karen

Free Motion Quilting Fun - A Tutorial and Giveaway!

Hi all -- Happy Sunday!  I'm excited to be guest posting a new Free Motion Quilting tutorial on the Bear Creek Quilting Company blog today!

When I saw this sweet panel "Undersea Adventures", by Linda Ludovico for the Northcott Stonehenge Kids Collection, I couldn't wait to stitch it.  

The panel provides ample background area and objects to practice free motion quilting.  You can find the panel on sale at the Bear Creek Quilting Company  
** Update: This panel is SOLD OUT but there are other great panels available ** 

Panels are an inexpensive way to improve your FMQ skills, the bonus being you're not practicing on a quilt that you spent months piecing.  If you make a few mistakes -- it's no big deal!

 In the tutorial I share a bit about choosing the right threads and quilting motifs, and I give you a few tips to stitch it all up on your domestic machine.  

I had fun digging through my #Aurifil Mako Cotton thread stash to try out the heavier weight threads (28Wt and 12Wt) to accent objects while relying on the trusty 50Wt thread for dense free motion quilting.   

I'm thinking it's time to increase my 12Wt and 28Wt Aurifil thread collection - I just love how they machine stitch! 

Here are a few images to highlight how the different weight threads look when quilted.
Around many of the objects I free motion quilted with Aurifil Mako Cotton 28 Wt thread -- It put the prettiest accent on the undersea creatures!

In the background I stitched some dense free motion quilting using Aurifil Mako Cotton 50Wt thread.  The 50 Wt thread is fine enough that backtracking goes unnoticed and pretty background motifs can be stitched with out thread buildup. 

 In this image the 50Wt thread in Color #2250 (Red) blends perfectly.
You can see that I used a 12Wt thread to put a bead of white down the outside border (with my walking foot) and the yellow/green coral was done in a 28Wt thread -- Love how the 28Wt looks when machine quilted. 

 Please hop on over to Bear Creek Quilting Company Blog to read all the details and peruse the full tutorial.

*** The Giveaway is Closed *** 

To celebrate the tutorial, Bear Creek Quilting Company is sponsoring a giveaway on this post for a $20 gift certificate from their shop!  Woot - Woot! 

 With $20 you can buy the panel and backing fabric to finish the piece -- OR -- you can buy some awesome spools of Aurifil thread!  Oh Yeah!  -- OR -- you can buy anything else you find on their great online shop.  
 
*** The Giveaway is Closed *** 

Chances to Win:

The giveaway is open to domestic and international participants.

Gain one chance to win by signing up for the Bear Creek Quilting Company Newsletter (old or new). Did you know that all folks that sign up for Shari's Newsletter are eligible for a monthly Bear Creek Quilting Company $25 Gift Certificate drawing?  

Click here to sign up and then come back and let me know you did!

Gain one chance if you "Like" Bear Creek Quilting Company on Facebook.  Click here to see and "Like" their page, leave a comment and be sure to come back and let me know you did.

Gain another chance when you click over to the Bear Creek Quilting Company blog and peruse the "Free Motion Quilting Fun" tutorial.  Leave a comment there letting Shari know what you like about the tutorial and then come on back here and let me know you did.

Gain one chance each for "Liking" Aurifil Threads or Northcott Fabrics on Facebook!!

As always, if you follow Redbird Quilt Co. on Facebook, Pinterest, Craftsy, Twitter, Instagram, or the blog - leave a comment letting me know all that you follow for another chance.

Also -- share, share, share and get the word out about the Tutorial and Giveaway !  Think about the great karma if one of your friends win!!   Leave me a comment if you shared.

The giveaway is open until 8:00 pm EST Sunday, October 19th  *** Giveaway Closed ***

 Thanks for stopping by all -- and please let me know if you have any questions about the tutorial. 
Enjoy!

Karen  

Stitchin' Giveaway Winners and more

Hi everyone -- I'm back to announce the winners of the October Stitchin' Giveaway...

First, I want to thank each of you for leaving such precious comments on my Blog and Facebook page and for joining in the Instagram fun.  Thank you, thank you!
*** Some of you are really OLD ***
ha ha ha!

Warm greetings to the new ?young? followers... Welcome!
Be sure to click on "My Tutorials" tab above to find some fun quilty tutorials...

I normally reply to each comment -- and/or hop over to your blog or Instagram account, but I've been swamped with deadlines that limited my time (home, work, and the sewing room).
I'm sure ya'll can completely relate to this -- so please forgive me for not getting back to you individually. 

*

Before we get to the winners I wanted to share what I've been working on.
This is a sweet quilt for an upcoming blog hop (a new book release for a friend).

I know you're going to love this quilt!  The simplicity of the pattern allows you to put it together quickly AND show off your favorite fabrics.

I however, choose to quilt it myself, and being the fuss bucket I am (who me?),  must have everything just right, so I'm on hold waiting for the right shade of #Aurifil thread to drop in my lap so I can get some feathers on that 2nd border.

No worries, my other WIP's will keep me busy in the meantime ;)

Also wanted to share some fun images of an immature Red Tail Hawk that visited the cottage this week.

I found him sitting in a nearby tree munching on his dinner (I have no idea what it was and really don't care to know).  He was a trooper though, hanging out while snapped all sorts of pictures.

It was a bit windy, so it was hard for both of us to stand still.  I love this shot -- doesn't it look like the birds in the fabric above ??
Woot Woot!

I love birds!

Ok, now on to the winners!
 As of Midnight Friday night there were 71 comments on the giveaway post.  

I entered the numbers into Mr. Random Number Generator and he choose:

 Comment #2 is Gill...
Congratulations Gill!
Gill is from the UK -- so I'll be sending a PDF copy of my Spring Basket pattern your way Gill!  Thank you for your support.

 Next up -- Number 44

 Comment #44 is Cecilia...
Congratulations Cecilia!
I'll be sending you an email for your mailing address and getting that yummy wool out to you this week!
Thanks so much for your support.

 Since Gill is from the UK --we still have 4 more pieces of wool to giveaway -- so I rolled Mr. Random Generator one more time and he choose Lucky number 17!!

 Comment #17 is Carrie P.
Congratulations Carrie!
I'll be sending you an email for your mailing address and getting that yummy wool out to you this week!  Many, many thanks for your support.

Well that was a fun giveaway.
I want to thank you all again for playing and thank Wooden Spool Designs for starting this giveaway fest!  

One final thing before I go...

If you live in the area, be sure to checkout the local quilt show this weekend.
New Quilters on the Block is hosting their 18th Annual Quilt Show in Candor, NY during the Candor Fall Festival.
Candor is a small town with a big heart - it should be fun!

I'm excited to go because, if you recall, I spent a day with these sweet ladies for a Spring Basket Workshop earlier this year.  I can't wait to see their finished pieces and the other fantastic quilts they've created.  

For more information about the show -- click here.

More exciting things to come this weekend, so stay tuned on Sunday for the airing of a new Free Motion Quilting tutorial (and Giveaway!)

I'm really excited to share it with you -- and can't wait to hear what you think.

Have a blessed day!  Hugs,

Karen

It's October! A Stitchin Giveaway!

Greeting dear friends -- I hope this post finds you well...

As I mentioned last week -- We've been creeping up on a few milestones in social-media land and a Giveaway would be a fun way to celebrate! 

First up, the Redbird Quilt Co. Facebook page exceeded 700 Likes last week -- thank you, thank you!

I'm really excited about new Facebook followers because there is a wealth of Quilting information and inspiration floating around Facebook and its easy and fun to share "Quilty" links, tips, and even giveaways on a Facebook page.  

If you have a Facebook account -- be sure to hop over and "Like" the Redbird Quilt Co. Page.

In addition to new Facebook followers -- the current blog followers via Google Friend Connect exceeded 300 -- Oh such fun!

Also, we're celebrating those of you who recently started following me on Instagram.  

It's really neat to able to post a quick image here and there so you can see what I'm stitching any day of the week.  It's quick and easy to take a shot with my Ipad an share it Instagram and Twitter at the same time.  

So, if you're on Instagram or Twitter, I would love to have you join in the fun - you'll get a birds eye view of what is happening in my day to day stitching world...   

No matter how you follow along,  I want to thank you for providing feedback and encouragement on each and every post.  I love to read your comments and try to reciprocate by visiting your pages.... always inspiring. 

Now for a giveaway -- a few weeks ago I won an awesome bundle of wool from the talented Debbie Busby of "Wooden Spool Designs".

You may remember the "Flower Basket" pattern that I made a few years back -- this pattern is from Wooden Spool Designs.   

You can see and read more about my "Flower Basket" by clicking here. 

Well - Lucky Me!!  Debbie had a Giveaway on her Facebook page and I was one of 4 winners.... she sent me this beautiful bundle of hand dyed wool and I would like to share it with two lucky winners. 

I will divide this bundle and ship an 8" x 12" piece of each color (4 pieces) to two lucky winners.  

If any international winners are chosen, I will email a PDF copy of my Spring Basket pattern to them.

To enter the giveaway leave me a comment letting me know if you are a follower (old or new).

If you follow me on other social media outlets -- let me know that in a comment too!

Get another entry if you share this giveaway with your friends (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Blogger, Twitter).   Comment and let me know.

This giveaway will end Friday, October 10th at midnight EST and a winner will be announced Saturday, October 11th. 

Thanks so much for your support and have a splendid week!
Hugs,
Karen