Quilty Travel - A Special Visitor - and a WINNER!

Greetings Quilty Friends...  Happy October!  

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It's hard to let September go, but with the leaves and the calendar turning, I guess we're officially moving into fall. 

 I snapped this picture from a hillside on the East side of Keuka lake a few weeks ago...
You've gotta love a Finger Lakes sunset...
More about this view in the future post ;)

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Before we move on to my special visitor and the Winner of the National Sewing month Giveaway, I want to share with you some of the fun things I've done this month... 

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Early in September I was hosted by Creekside Fabrics, Quilts and Yarns in Arcade, NY.

We shared 3 days of Free Motion Quilting on domestic machines.

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Ruler Work - featuring the awesome QP Curve Templates,

a Full Day of Feathers

and an Open Sew Workshop

 Many thanks to Sandy and her talented team for having me in.
Also, many thanks to the ladies that have frequented my Workshops for what is now my 3rd visit to Creekside Fabrics -- WOW!!
We've come a long way Baby!!
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Be sure to jump over to Instagram to see more fun images of my travels!

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Mid-September I was invited to teach and lecture with the York County Quilters Guild near Rock Hill, South Carolina !

Another fun trip...

Along the way I stopped in Harrisburg, PA and Colonial Williamsburg, VA to spend much needed time with family... 

Love you all! 

Once I arrived in SC, I stayed with another beautiful family!! 

Many thanks to Sherri and the Applique Society Sisters for their welcome and hospitality.

I had a rewarding time with the Guild. 

We worked on the Really Mini Redbird and Berries in Wool - complete with a kit of beautiful hand dyed wool, Aurifil 12Wt thread, my favorite Bohin Crewel needles. 

Later in the evening we shuffled off for a Moda Bake Shop Lecture & Trunk Show at the Guild General Meeting.  Oh it's always fun to share with Quilty Friends...  A great turnout and fantastic trip.

I'm getting a little lax in taking pictures during Workshops -- I'm sorry to have missed a few ladies in the shot (upper right)...

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Thank you York County Quilters -- what a great group!  

OK - now we're nearing the end of September... I was honored to spend time with the Endless Mountains Quilt Guild in Sayre/Athens, PA at their 2016 Show.

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Below is a recap and you can see many more images online here.

The QP Curve Template Demo

 My thanks to all of you that stopped by to say hello, watch a demo or just check-out the quilts on exhibit.  It was a fabulous show with oodles of beautiful quilts and beautiful people.

A faux Ruched Flower Demo

Because the show was in my hometown, I was greeted by many who knew and loved my mom.  Oh it was very heartwarming.  My sisters, Aunts and friends visited too!  

The crew from the Endless Mountains Guild were spectacular to work with -- my thanks go out to Cassandra, Linda, Judy, Kim, and Sharon -- not to mention all the hands working in the background.

Thank you so much ladies (and men)... 

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I must say -- I was a bit partial to the special display of "Redbird and Berries" right outside my exhibit area.  

Each day I could sit and stare at this collection of Redbirds.  Enough to make anyone smile. 

Be sure to click over to this album to see the ladies next to their creations!

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The show also included a fine exhibit of Youth entries -- they always make my heart sing.

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Our granddaughter Angelina entered her quilt into this show and, as did all Youth entries, the quilt received a "Youth Participation Award" from the Guild. 

What a fine way to honor those young folks that are beginning their quilting journey.

I had the honor of meeting an upcoming young quilter -- age 7!!  

Her name is Claire and she's fortunate to be able to work on her Grandma's Longarm machine.
Claire just captured my heart with her excitement about quilting and she too had a quilt in the show.  

I'm sorry I didn't get an image of Claire or her quilt, but let me tell you - it was perfect.

She used her own drawings, scanned them, printed them on fabric, and integrated them into a quilt that she pieced and quilted herself !!  It was so sweet.

Way to go Claire!  

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The sweet ladies from the Guild presented me with a couple of awesome Gift Certificates from local shops including The Friendship Star Quilt Shop in Sayre and Shores Quilt Shop in Towanda, PA.

I can't wait to get to those shops!

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Here are just a couple of the quilts I LOVED!

 Cathedral Windows is on my Bucket List !!
Isn't this beautiful ?

And how about this beauty by Gail Arnold... 

Oh I love it but I'm not sure I would ever be able to piece it... 

You can see more EMQG Exhibit Images here.

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Now a special shout-out to the two ladies that helped me have a successful show.

My 2 Vana's... 

 This is my friend Terri Butler - Quilter Extraordinaire and Creative Goddess!

And this is my friend Cindy -- owner of the famed Sew It Is Quilt Shop -- and Creative Goddess Two!

Checkout the sweet aprons that Cindy made for me!

Where would I be without you two?
Thank you both so very much - Love you!

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Wow -- what a rewarding and inspiring month - thanks for sharing it with me.

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Now -- On To the Special Visitor

Ya'll know I've been following this lady, Doreen Auger, and her fabulous blog, Treadle Music, for YEARs!

Last week my husband and I had the chance to visit with Doreen and her dear husband Tom at the cottage...  

It was a very special time.

Many thanks to both Doreen and Tom for including us on their traveling "meet and greet".

A few adult beverages, burgers at the Switz, and great conversation rounded out the visit...
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And now I present the Winner of the National Sewing Month Giveaway.
Read more about the Giveaway here.
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The fabulous Linda Hrcka of The Quilted Pineapple provided a 3 piece set of QP Edge Rulers to one lucky entrant.

I used Mr. Random Generator to select a Winner

And the corresponding entry is:

Bonnie -- Congratulations!

You Are The Winner of 

The QP Edge Templates.

Oh you will LOVE these -- I just know it!

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Many thanks to Linda Hrcka for providing this set of tools.

You can follow Linda on Facebook here.

For those of you that missed it, I shared a few Free Motion Quilting Tips and Tricks

On the Moda Bake Shop a few weeks ago .

That post is what spurred the Giveaway.

Do jump over and check out the details.

If you enjoyed the information on the Bake Shop, stay tuned as I'll be quilting a simple table topper over there soon!

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Time to run... a have a little sewing to do.

Have a blessed weekend all and many thanks for your continued support!

YOU Make my World a Happy Place!

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Follow me on social media:

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

Facebook my FMQ Frenzy Community Group

My other Moda Bake Shop Recipes

Tis the Season - A Donation Quilt

Mr. Redbird and Berries has gone mini!
Really Mini

A wee 11" x 13"
Isn't he sweet?

 He was created for the O Tannenbaum fundraising event at our local Historical Society...

with a little Moda Muslin for the background and backing fabric...

using Aurifil 12Wt cotton thread to hand stitch the wool applique... 

AND a bit of Aurifil 50Wt thread for fun free motion quilting

on a domestic machine...

It was the perfect opportunity to re-use the
flanged and mitered machine binding technique
(See the tutorial here)
using this beautiful fabric by Primitive Gatherings for Moda -- LOVE!

And yes, on that binding I used yummy Aurifil 12Wt thread for finishing with a machine.
Oh! I love that little extra touch :)

I was sure to use 2 layers of Quilter's Dream 100% Wool batting -- it provides lovely texture!

Last I checked the silent bid was up to $75 - not a bad price for a mini quilt
Bidding is open for another week though -- you never know what it will go for.

The donation quilt is considerably smaller
 than the original Redbird and Berries
created for the Moda Bake Shop.
Click here for the original tutorial and download.

Making little pieces like this are fun and rewarding...
especially for a great cause.

Sister snapped a picture of me at the O Tannenbaum event... 

I thought it would be fun to share! 

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If you've not tried wool applique and would like to learn more...

Click here and follow the links for some introductory posts.

Have a blessed weekend...

Hugs,

Karen

Social Media Details....

You can write me anytime:  

karen@redbirdquiltco.com or 

redbirdquiltco@gmail.com

*** Follow Me ***

Did you know you can visit me on

 Facebook ~ Redbird Quilt Co

and/or

Follow Redbird Quilt Co on Instagram

I post all sorts of fun things there!!
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If you love to Free Motion Quilt consider joining my 

Facebook Community Group

 Free Motion Quilting Frenzy

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Plus

I share quilting related

videos on my YouTube Channel
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I'll soon be sharing live feed TV on my Periscope

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I'm also on Pinterest and Twitter 

and I share other tutorials and patterns on
My Tutorials on my blog

Thanks again for stopping by...

Throwback Thursday Redbird Christmas Pillow 2013

Greetings all and happy week after Thanksgiving!!

We have much to be Thankful for in our family -- aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren included.
As our parents watch over us from heaven, we continue to nourish the relationships we have with one another on earth.
I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving too!!

Today I want to highlight an old favorite tutorial - one that comes together quickly using 2.5" fabric strips and a bit of wool.

Remember the free tutorial for the
*** Redbird Christmas ***
envelope pillow?
It's the perfect accent for your holiday decor!

Redbird Christmas was based on a free design and tutorial that I shared on the Moda Bake Shop, the Family Tree Quilted Envelope pillow.
Family Tree was my first tutorial for the Bake Shop and jump started my designing career.
I'm very thankful to the the Moda Bake Shop for taking a chance on me and allowing me to share what I love through their awesome program.

You can peruse all of my free patterns and tutorials by clicking here.

The Redbird Christmas pillow design is holiday oriented but generic enough to display after Christmas.
It includes a cotton background with a tree and bird wool applique focal point and a log cabin style block to finish out the pillow front.
I added a little extra batting behind the bird and the tree to make them pop!

It was quilted free motion and top stitched on my domestic machine using Aurifil 50Wt Mako Cotton thread.
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I LOVE Aurifil thread for quilting!!

When I created the Family Tree and Redbird Christmas pillows I had yet to try Aurifil 12Wt cotton thread so I used another brand of embroidery floss for the wool applique.
If I were to make them again today, I would be sure to dig into my Auri-Stash and use Aurifil 12Wt thread.  
The Aurifil 12Wt works perfectly for wool applique and for beautiful top stitching!

Instead of using 2.5" strips for the back of the pillow, the Redbird Christmas pillow has a two piece envelope back.   The envelope works perfect to switch pillow covers from one season to the next.

If you're interested in making Redbird Christmas you can see the original Moda Bake Shop Recipe by clicking here.   

The tutorial is available as a PDF download at the end of the Bake Shop post.

If you're interested, you can read the Family Tree excitement and announcement on my blog by clicking here.

To convert the Family Tree tutorial into the Redbird Christmas pillow, just download the Redbird Christmas tree and bird template by clicking here and follow the original tutorial for the Family Tree pillow.

You can read the original blog announcement for Redbird Christmas (Dec 2013) by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this featured Throwback Thursday Tutorial -- Stay tuned for some fun upcoming announcements!

I leave you with a Keuka Lake Sunset from Sept, 2015

Any day is a good day at the lake.

Many thanks for stopping by and do let me know if you have any questions or if you enjoyed this Throwback Thursday Tutorial!  

Blessings,

Karen

Social Media Details....

You can write me anytime:  

karen@redbirdquiltco.com or 

redbirdquiltco@gmail.com

*** Follow Me ***

Did you know you can visit me on

 Facebook at Redbird Quilt Co

and/or

Follow Redbird Quilt Co on Instagram

I post all sorts of fun things there!!
**

If you love to Free Motion Quilt consider joining my Facebook Community Group

 Free Motion Quilting Frenzy group

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Plus

I share quilting related

videos on my YouTube Channel
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I'm also on Pinterest and Twitter 

and I share other tutorials and patterns on
My Tutorials on my blog

Thanks again for stopping by...

Meet and Greet - National Quilting Weekend - Aurifil Giveaway!

Hello friends and welcome to
Meet and Greet Stitchers Around the World blog hop!   Many thanks to Mdm Samm @ Sew We Stitch for hosting this lovely event.  To see a complete list of participants, drool over some beautiful stitching, and checkout the blogging giveaways, click the button below.  

This first day of Spring AND start of the 2015 National Quilting Weekend I'm excited to share a #slowstitching post AND a fantastic giveaway including Aurifil thread and my latest Wooly Wren pattern.

If you're a current follower, you know that I LOVE to use Aurifil 50Wt Cotton thread for dense machine quilting -- but today I'll share projects that work perfectly with 6 strand AuriFloss and Aurifil 12Wt and 28Wt Mercerized cotton threads. 

I just LOVE to hand stitch with Aurifil floss and thread.  

Image Courtesy Aurifil.com

For those of you that are new to my blog, Welcome!   I'm Karen Miller, chief cook, bottle washer,  blogger, designer, editor, pattern maker, and welcome committee for Karen's Quilts, Crows and Cardinals blog and Redbird Quit Co.

I've sewn for most of my life but became obsessed with quilting about 8 years ago when my sister Janet invited me to join her in a $1 block of the month at a Local Quilt Shop. So thankful to have my sister as my mentor, cheerleader and support system while I learned the art of quilting.

Although I enjoyed learning to piece, I really started having fun when I took my first applique class from the very talented Sharon Stroud in Upstate NY.  Oh My - I fell in love with needle turn applique!!

This is my first applique project, "Dancing Flowers", a Sharon Stroud design that includes needle-turn applique, reverse applique, ruched flowers, berries, bias stems - just all sorts of applique fun!  What a great learning adventure with a wonderfully skilled and patient teacher.

Once I realized how much I loved applique, I branched out and took two different Wool Applique classes from the very talented Debbie Wick.

This is my version of "Folk Art Melody" - design by Lori Smith - a wool on wool wall quilt.

It was fun to customize this block to incorporate a Redbird.   Love this!

 

When you're hand stitching wool applique, 1 strand of Aurifil 12 Wt Cotton thread works perfectly to for the blanket or overhand stitch.  The mercerized cotton has a pretty sheen to it and stitches without knotting or twisting.    It's really FUN!!

My 2nd Wool applique class and quilt was "Flower Baskets" by Wooden Spool Designs.  Here is one of the sweet blocks of this pretty wall hanging -- there were 6 blocks in all.

You can see more Folk Art Melody and Flower Baskets by clicking here.

 

One more wool applique class, this time from the designer herself, Kim Diehl.   This is my revised version of Kim's "Penny Garland" pattern.  We revised the center from a 9 patch to a circular design - I love the way it came out.

Kim came to Material Rewards in Upstate NY and a few of us traveled to attend her trunk show (swoon) and Penny Garland class... You can find the Penny Garland pattern published in Kim's latest book "Simple Appeal". Of all the wool applique projects I've completed, this one is my favorite -- well, at least so far ;)

I love the texture of wool applique with dense quilting around it. I used wool batting on this piece and, once quilted, makes the wool applique just POP.   You can read more about Penny Garland Revised by clicking here.

Penny Garland is another great project where you can use 2 or 3 strands of Aurifloss, 2 strands of Aurifil 28Wt Cotton or 1 strand of Aurifil 12 Wt Cotton.  I've done some comparison of Aurifil 12Wt cotton with other 12Wt embroidery thread and found the Aurifil to stitch with less twists and knots.  I also just LOVE the sheen that the Aurifil cotton has -- it looks beautiful on my wool applique.

In 2012 I started Karen's Quilts, Crows and Cardinals blog and in 2014 Redbird Quilt Co where I released my first wool applique pattern, Spring Basket:

Spring Basket is an 11" x 13" half-moon WOOL on Cotton Mini-Quilt.  It is so much fun to work-up because you don't need to turn-under wool that is felted or fulled - just cut and sew!!    It uses very simple embroidery stitches and, with the addition of a little wren, looks just so sweet on an entrance or end table.  I really enjoyed using both AuriFloss and Aurifil 28 Wt Cotton on this piece.  Sew much fun!

Spring Basket can be stitched on a dark background with Big Stitch quilting (above). or you can use a background that is lighter and brighter and with dense machine quilting... Here's a sample:

You guessed it... Aurifil Mako Cotton 50 Wt thread for dense machine quilting.  Minimal buildup, breaks, and lint - love that thread!! 

You can see other completed Spring Basket quilts on this Pinterest board.   

You can find Spring Basket for sale in PDF form at my Craftsy Store -- or locally, in printed form, at Quilters Corner in Ithaca, NY.

Stay tuned for another Wool Applique design by Redbird Quilt Co -- Wooly Wren -- on Craftsy soon!

I really enjoy the process of designing and hand stitching wool on cotton quilts.   I also LOVE sharing detailed tutorials with the quilting community (See my Free Moda Bake Shop Recipes by clicking here -- and be sure to check out the "My Tutorials" tab my blog header). 

My latest Moda Bake Shop recipe "Chevron with a Twist" shows you how to make a Faux Ruched flower with just a few gathering and tack stitches.... you can see that recipe here:

Finally -- I not only love to hand stitch, but I consider myself a BIG advocate of teaching others to Free Motion Quilt on their domestic machines. 

Be sure to Read my last blog post -- where I demonstrate how to use The QP Curved Templates to stitch curved crosshatching on your domestic machine! 

Note:  On that blog post, there is an Active Giveaway for a complete set of QP Curved Templates, courtesy Linda Hrcka of the Quilted Pineapple.  

Click -->  The QP Curve Template Giveaway Open through midnight 3/28/15.

Whew!!  Now that was a bunch of information - hopefully some of it was helpful and/or inspirational to you. 

Since it is International Quilting Weekend we need to celebrate!!

The wonderfully generous Aurifil thread company donated a beautiful 12 spool thread collection for one lucky winner.   This collection of Bari J Splendor 1920 12 Weight threads are perfect for cross stitch, embroidery or any wool applique project!!    These 12 large spools will be a wonderful addition to someone's stitching stash.   Just look at those colors, aren't they beautiful ??

To read more about the very talented Bari J Ackerman click here.

 

To go along with this lovely set of threads, the same winner will receive a PDF version of my soon to be released pattern "Wooly Wren".  The BariJ threads will work perfectly with this spring wall hanging.

 

 The Giveaway:

This giveaway will remain open until midnight on the last day of 

National Quilting Month

March 31st, 2015

For one entry:

I would love for you to follow me on at least one of my social media outlets:

Facebook 

Instagram 

Twitter

Pinterest

Blog:  Karen's Quilts, Crows and Cardinals

Patterns: Redbird Quilt Co Craftsy Store

Leave a comment below letting me know which one you follow - if you follow more than one - let me know that in the same comment.  (Don't forget your email address).

For a 2nd chance to win - lets show our Giveaway Sponsor some thanks!

Jump over to the Aurifil Facebook page or Twitter account and share the love - tell them Redbird Quilt Co sent you -- If you don't have one of those accounts, consider following Aurifil's blog here.

Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you did to gain that 2nd chance (Don't forget your email)

If you haven't already, be sure to get in on the QP Curve Templates Giveaway - click => here

That's it -- Again I want to thank Mdm Samm for the awesome blog hop and I do hope everyone has  fun getting to know all the talented stitchers that participated - click button below for the list!

Have a great stitching weekend all -- and many thanks for stopping by

Hugs,

Karen