Let's Quilt It -- A Winner and More

Many, many thanks for the kind feedback

on my latest Free Motion Quilting tutorial

"Let's Quilt It - A Valentine for You"

recently published on the Moda Bake Shop.

I do hope the diagrams,

details,

images,

recently added YouTube videos,

and never ending chatter,

Yadda, Yadda Yadda !!

aid in your quest to improve your 

free motion quilting

skills!

Now to announce a winner of the 

"Let's Quilt It - A Valentine for You" 

Kit... 

which includes some seriously

beautiful Moda Fabric

& 

4 Large Spools of Aurifil Thread

I combined the entries from the blog post with the comments on the Bake Shop Recipe for a total of  219 eligible entries.

I used Mr. Random.Org to choose a Winner... 

There's a Kicker ... 

Wait for It.... 

 Mr. Random  first selected comment #77,

 my dear friend Shari from Bear Creek Quilting Company. 

*

 If you're not familiar with Shari's fantastic Online Quilt Shop you should certainly check it out. 

*

Shari has an amazing selection of fabric, Aurifil thread, panels, kits, blocks of the month selections, and she's always sharing free patterns and inspirational blog posts & tutorials. 

Shari is one of the most gracious and giving folks I know.

In true form -- she wanted me to give the "kit" to another lucky winner....

*

So... we drew again.

Mr. Random.Org Choose

And the winner is:

Congratulations Linda !!

You're the winner of the fabric and thread kit!

*

I'll send you an email so we can get your shipments in the mail to you!

*

Thanks again to those who took the time to comment and share.

I LOVE when we can come together to improve our skills.

*

Many thanks again to

and

for always sharing inspiration and fabulous products!

Before I go... 

Sister Michele and I take an Eagle Spotting Road Trip

Annually every 3rd of March  

Her Birthday!!

This year we broke records observing more than 35 eagles on our day-long trip.

Here are 2 neat shots that she snapped:

P41 in his new nest by the River (Deposit, NY) Image Courtesy Michele Morningstar

Mature Bald Eagle near Cannonsville Reservoir, Deposit NY - Image courtesy Michele Morningstar

It was an amazing day!!!

Thanks everyone -- Happy Quilting!

***

Follow me on social media:

Redbird Quilt Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube

Facebook my FMQ Frenzy Community Group

See my other Moda Bake Shop Recipes

***  Guilds, Groups and Shops ***

I'm booking Lectures, Trunk Shows and Workshops for 2018 & 2019

If your Shop, Group or Guild is looking for programs or workshops I would love to hear from you.

Free Motion Quilting on Home Machines
Basics ~ A Quilters Doodles ~ McTavishing
A Full Day of Feathers
Ruler & Template Work
*
Wool & Needle turn Applique
Technique or Project Oriented Workshops available.

Send email inquiries to karen at redbirdquiltco dot com

or redbirdquiltco at gmail dot com

Note:  The FTC requires that I tell you.... I occasionally use affiliate links on my blog and website.  I may be compensated for purchases made using the links.  Rest assured I will only share sales and promotions for products I know and love myself.  Many thanks for your support of my very small business.

Chickadees and Berries - We have a Winner!!

Oh my goodness I was overwhelmed with the beautiful responses to the Chickadees and Berries Christmas Gift Trio post and Tutorial.    Thank you all so much!!   

There were so many entries and sweet, sweet comments I could not possibly respond to every one.  

Thanks again for your kind and encouraging words.    I hope you have a chance to pickup this lovely panel and coordinating fabric by Jackie Robinson (Animas Quilts) for Benartex.

I would LOVE to see anything you make from it.

  You can send images of completed projects to me anytime -- my email address is:  karen @ redbirdquiltco dot com.   

Before we announce the winner I want to also thank our Giveaway Sponsors.

Many thanks to Bear Creek Quilting Company for hosting the tutorial AND providing the Chickadees and Berries Fabric Kit Giveaway!!

 A  great selection of fabric and a fantastic company to work with.    

Thank You!

Again,  many thanks to the Aurifil team who also do a wonderful job of supporting the independent designers and bloggers.   You can't find a better cotton thread for your quilting needs.  

I'm always excited to add to my #Auristash and do so every time I find a great deal.  

Did you know Bear Creek Quilting Company is carrying Aurifil 50Wt Cones now?

Oh Boy!!

That is 6452 yards of thread on one Cone!!  The bigger the cone the better the deal!.   

Thank you both again.

Ok - now on to our winner -- we had 362 entries that made it in before Midnight Sunday (EST).  I used Mr. Random Generator and he choose #281.

 Congratulations Rachel!!

Comment number 281.   

Rachel blogs over at Quilt or Dare -- do checkout her fun blog and say hello.

You're going to love these products Rachel -- congrats again!

There is a lot going on in Redbird Quilt Co land this coming weekend.  If you live in Central or Western NY consider joining in the fun at Creekside Fabrics in Arcade, NY .

There is an all day workshop Friday for Free Motion Quilting Basics and Beyond -- you won't want to miss that. 

On Friday evening we'll be learning how to prepare the Faux Ruched Flowers that were shared in my Chevron with A Twist Quilt for the Moda Bake Shop.    It's going to be a fun "Dessert and Share" at the Hope Lutheran Fellowship Hall.

Saturday morning starts out with a 1/2 day Needle Turn Applique Workshop and wraps up at the Hope Lutheran Quilt Show with a Lecture and Trunk Show (1pm).   

Don't miss out now -- we'll have a blast!  

More details can be found on my Facebook Events Page -- I would love to meet you so do come up and tell me if you follow my blog.   

Have a great week everyone and, as always, thanks for  your continued support.

PS - I haven't forgotton about that binding tutorial or FMQ Feather video - stay tuned (thanks for your patience).

Happy Stitching,

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  

Winner Week 5 - Thank You Bear Creek Quilting Company

Greetings everyone!  

I'm pleased to close out the "Month of Monday Giveaways" by announcing the winner of the Week 5 contest.

First:  many, many thanks to Shari at Bear Creek Quilting Company for sponsoring this generous giveaway AND for hosting the free "Bouquet Memories" wall hanging tutorial on her blog.

It's been a fantastic week!!  We had 370 comments on the Giveaway Post and many of you left sweet comments on the "Bouquet Memories" Wall Hanging tutorial on the Bear Creek Quilting Company's blog -- thank you for that -- I just love to get your feedback!!

Today's winner will receive  a "Bouquet Memories" fabric kit AND 3 large spools of #Aurifil Mako Cotton 50 Wt thread -- WOW!!

Without further ado - I used Mr. Random Number generator to choose a single number between 1 and 370

And comment #37 is:

Congratulations DebraKay!!   What a fantastic giveaway to win!!   I'll send you an email so I can get your shipping information.   I'm sure you will enjoy this beautiful fabric and thread.

Thanks again to Bear Creek Quilting Company and to you dear readers - your comments bring smiles to my face every day.  

Oh, one more thing... I apologize for not posting any Quilting the Garden pictures this weekend.  DH and I spent a majority of Sunday on the road to attend a Dance Recital for our youngest granddaughter Angelina. 

Isn't she just beautiful ? And she danced like a true "Angelina Ballerina"!  So proud of her.

Have a good week all,

Hugs,
Karen

Favorite Things Friday: Tutorial & Giveaway! Woohoo!

Hello fellow quilters!  Happy Friday!!

It's a little windy and rainy here in the Finger Lakes of USA today -- so darn - no pictures by the lake.

I am however, sharing some Favorite Things Friday with you.  A reminder for the free Wall Hanging Tutorial AND a Giveaway of Fabric AND Thread  -- now those are a few of my favorite things!!

I'm kinda jealous actually -- because in the Week 5 Giveaway (announced last Sunday), you not only win a complete Hoffman "Bouquet Memories" wall hanging fabric kit (including backing and binding fabric)...
but you also win the matching Aurifil Mako Cotton 50 Wt Threads that I used on the tutorial!

Well... not the ones I used...

...but 3 Brand New Large Spools of Aurifil 50Wt Cotton.   Fun, Fun!!  Thank you, thank you Bear Creek Quilting Company!

I know you've heard this before...  I just LOVE Aurifil thread (this is NOT a paid advertisement ;)   I've used several other brands of threads for hand applique and, personally, Aurifil is my favorite.   I use it for needle turn applique, and machine piecing and quilting.  It never lets me down. #Aurilove

And guess what?  Once YOU try Aurifil thread, you will love it too! 

I wanted to share this email that I received from Joyce a week ago -- Joyce won an Aurifil 10 Spool Thread Pack of Darlene Zimmerman colors in Week 2 of a "Month of Monday Giveaways".   Thank you #Aurifil for sponsoring that giveaway.    With Joyce's permission, I've included her email below:

How is that for an unsolicited review of Aurifil thread!   As you can imagine, I was absolutely thrilled to see Joyce's email  -- it made my day to see a new happy blogger, follower, and #Aurifil thread stitcher!!!  Thanks Joyce.

OK -- Here we are - if you haven't already, be sure to see my lead-in to the "Bouquet Memories" Wall Hanging tutorial (and the giveaway post) by clicking here.

or you can skip right over to the "Bouquet Memories" wall hanging tutorial at Bear Creek Quilting Company's blog by clicking here.

Whatever you do -- be sure to get in on this fantastic giveaway -- it will be open until Monday, May 5th at 9pm Eastern time USA!   The giveaway is open to domestic AND international participants

Happy weekend everyone!
Hugs,
Karen

PS - I've been working on my Quilting the Garden house block - I'll share a picture with you this weekend!  So excited to be moving along on it. 

Winners - Week 4 and Lots More Fun!

Greetings fellow quilters!  I'm excited to announce the Week 4 Winners in "A Month of Monday Giveaways".  Week 4 was sponsored by Sew It Is quilt shop and Aurifil thread.  Many thanks to both of these sponsors for their generosity.

Before I announce our winners...

My heart, prayers, and thoughts go out to the families that have been effected by the terrible storms in the Central and Eastern United States.  May these families find strength to pick up and move on even though they have suffered loss of lives, pets, and homes.  Thank you, dear readers, for keeping these families in your thoughts and prayers as well.

****

Winner Selection:  If you recall in last weeks post, I asked you to help me with these choices: 

Because there were more than 400 comments on the Week 4 Giveaway, I decided to tally up the first 200 comments and, after doing so, it was very apparent that the majority of you wanted to go with Option 3 above -- choose 5 winners!  

Week 4 Giveaway Tally - Choice 1, 2 or 3

Your wish is my command...

5 lucky readers will each win 2 spools of Aurifil Thread and one Mini Charm pack. 

I used Mr. Random Number Generator to choose the winners (to be honest I was very surprised at the grouping of these "random" numbers -- but I went with my first 5 clicks using the tool.)

Without further ado, the 5 winners in Week 4 of "A Month of Monday Giveaways" are:

Winner 1:

Winner 2:

Winner 3:

Winner 4:

Winner 5:

Ladies, Congratulations !!  Please email your mailing information to: karen dot keuka at gmail dot com and I will get your fabric and thread spools out right away!!

Thanks again to Sew It Is and Aurifil for their generosity!

One final note:  I personally couldn't be more thankful for such wonderful and supportive followers. 

The comments and feedback on both the "Bouquet Memories" Wall Hanging Tutorial AND
the "Spring Basket" Pattern Review are heartwarming. 

I do apologize that I cannot respond to each and every one of you - please know that I appreciate your kind feedback. 

I'm still very excited about Week 5 in "A Month of Monday Giveaways".  Bear Creek Quilting Company is giving away a Bouquet Memories Wall Hanging Kit -- including all of the Hoffman fabric you need to make the sample AND 3 large spools of matching Aurifil thread !!   A Fantastic giveaway -- thank you Shari.  Click here to get involved.

Also, if you haven't checked it out, Carrie from "A Passion for Applique" stitched up a stunning rendition of Spring Basket, wrote a detailed review, and is hosting a giveaway of two Spring Basket patterns.  Click here to see my post and follow the link to Carrie's blog to get involved in the giveaway!    Thank you Carrie - I'm still swooning over your work!

Good night all - stay safe.
Karen