A New Way to Store Patterns & A Special Thank You

Since coming home from Florida, I've come home with another idea for my sewing room.  I am a visual person and I love quilt patterns, but I have one problem.  I buy a pattern and forget that I have it.  So I have a solution to my problem:  a trellis that was 40% off at Joann Fabrics.  I bought two.

They are attached together by black Velcro that is used to organize computer cords.  You could also use those plastic ties that pull up tight and lock.

I put rubber covers on the bottom of the trellis so they wouldn't scratch the floor.

 Then you need rings that you can buy at an office supply store and a paper punch.

I then hung my patterns.  The Patchwork Pig quilt shop had much heavier and taller trellis' displaying their patterns.  They had three attached together, but two work well for me.

 Just wanted to thank Mom and Dad for such a special time together in Florida--hope we can do it again!

If you are near Plant City during strawberry season, stop at Parkesdale Farm Market for strawberry shortcake.  Dad is trying to be funny taking my picture with two :)

I only ate one although they're good enough to eat two!

Happy Quilting

Kay Lynne

More Florida Quilt Shops & Friday Night Sew-In Results

The next Florida quilt shop I would like to talk about is Quilter's Quarters located in Zephyrhills.  

 This small quilt shop has a nice warm hometown appeal.  My mom and I've already have taken two classes in this quilt shop.  This year we made a table runner together.

We had a fun time sewing together in their large class room.  Every hometown needs a quilt shop like this with the friendly people that know you by your first name even though they've only met you a few times.  The fabrics here are unique and beautiful.  The walls in this quilt shop are full of samples that make you want to buy the pattern and rush home to make your own.  So if you're driving through Zephyrhills make sure that you stop at Quilter's Quarters, you will not be disappointed.

Another quilt shop that is not too far from Zephyrhills is Quilts on Plum Lane in Dade City.

This friendly quilt shop has lots of patterns and books to look at.  They also have a nice selection of fabric that mom and I had fun looking through.  They also had some really beautiful samples hung on the wall.  Also in Dade City there are several antique stores nearby that we walked through.  Miss Teddy just wanted me to take her picture in her new dress! 

Here is the last but not least of the quilt shops that we visited--Patchwork Pig  at Lakeland.

  They are located in a beautiful historic building with hardwood floors.  I was so excited about my purchases that I had forgotten to take a storefront picture.  Please check out their shop pictures.  This shop is well blessed with plenty of square footage to display fabric and patterns.  I love the antiques that they have nicely displayed.  This shop gave me an idea on how to store my patterns, which I will be posting on soon.

The people at the Patchwork Pig were also friendly to visit with.  I also was impressed with their classroom that had plenty of room for the students to work.

You're probably wondering which shop is my favorite.  Well--I think they all have top ratings in my opinion.  To me it doesn't matter how big or small a quilt shop is--each place has its unique personally that inspires me to quilt for others.  I want to thank all you ladies for making our little shop hop such a wonderful memory.

Friday Night Sew-In was a very productive night.  I sandwiched together a lap quilt that has been gathering dust in my closet.  This is called a Wacky Quilt.  Mom and I took this class together when the Quilt Bus was in town several years ago.  Mom's has been finished for a long time and mine turned into a UFO.  Now is the time for it to be finished. 

Below is a baby blanket that I also sandwiched together.  Now it's time to get these quilted!

Happy Quilting

Kay Lynne

A Special Quilt In Florida

I have been really busy the last two weeks.  After New Year's, I helped my parents drive from Ohio down to Florida.  We had mostly dry roads all the way.  Once in Florida, Mom and I had lots of fun shopping at quilt shops.  It will take another post to tell you all about them.

I just picked out Rainbows End Quilt Shoppe  to tell you about first because a special lady, Nancy, shared her beautiful appliqued flower quilt with us.  It is all hand appliqued!  The stitching is just perfect.

Thank you so much Nancy for letting me share your wonderful quilt with us.

Please be sure to click on the pictures to see all the details.  The machine quilting is beautiful.  You could look at this quilt all day and see something different each time with all the different quilting techniques and different fabrics that are used.

I just love all the details and love that was put into making this quilt. 

Click on the picture above and check out the quilted snail above.  The snail just makes want to me smile!


 Now I have a rave review on this quilt shop.  Rainbows End Quilt Shoppe has 20,000 bolts of fabric.  Everything is beautifully displayed.  All the samples that are displayed are such an inspiration to quilters that are looking for a new project. If you're in Florida, this quilt shop is worth the drive to Dunedin--you will not be disappointed!

I just love visiting quilt shops and meeting new people.  In my next post I will share more quilt shops that are just as exciting to visit as Rainbows End.

Happy Quilting!


Kay Lynne

Meandering Feathers

I have been drawing feathers again and wanted to show you what I've been working on.

This is a back of a potholder that I did my "meandering feathers".

Step 1:  I drew a meandering line that is spread out so I can easily go back and add feathers.

Step 2:  The feathers are added making sure that all the space is covered, but giving yourself some room while doing curves.

Step 3:  Once one side is all filled in. You can finish on the other side filling in the whole area with feathers.

The variations are endless.  You can make a ribbon vein.  Circles can be added in the veins.  The feathers can be curls.  You can stitch over the meandering a second time to make the vein really stand out.  Let your imagination run wild.  I used a pink pen so you can see my work better and to train myself to quit erasing all the time.  It is my sketchbook and I'm experimenting--why erase the mistakes?  A mistake could lead into a completely new design :) 

Practice in your sketchbook until you feel comfortable drawing out your design.  Then I move to my sewing machine to stitch it out on a practice piece.  If I really feel comfortable, I move to my project.  When I'm doing a new design, I like to practice on potholders because of their size and I can finish it in a small amount of time to see if a design really works for me. Please remember that your feathers will not look like mine--they will be your own unique feathers!  If you do a project using meandering feathers, I would love to see a picture of your finished project!

Happy Quilting

Kay Lynne

A New Design Wall and Working on 4-H Sewing Machines

This has been a very busy week.  I finally had some time to put up my design wall in my sewing room.  It is covered Styrofoam that was left over from siding our house this summer.  It's simply covered with batting and nailed up to the wall.  I wasn't sure that fabric would stick on it, but it's working.   

 The rail fence quilt top on my design wall will be given to St. V's hospital for a premature baby.  I have enjoyed making a few small quilts for them through my sister's 4-H quilt program.

I also enjoyed a pleasant day cleaning and oiling 4-H sewing machines.  There have been some really generous people that have donated machines so 4-H kids will all have a machine to borrow for their projects.  What a great way to pass our love of sewing and quilting onto the next generation!

The machines that I worked on were very interesting.  The black Singer above is approximately 60 to 70 years old in my estimation.  She sews perfect stitches and her motor sounds great!  She weighs a ton and will last as long as her motor runs.  All she needs is some new wiring to make her safe for kids to sew on.   Below is a Singer 237 that my sister named Marylin.

Marylin is also a really heavy machine and has all metal parts.  I cleaned all the lint out of her and oiled her.  A few adjustments to the tension and she is now ready to do a 4-H project.  You must think I'm silly for being excited about a sewing machine, but it's a part of our history.  

The reason the machine above is named Marylin is because the 4-H kids started calling the sewing machines by the name of the person that donated the machine.  The kids would never remember the brand name or model number of their favorite machine, but they do remember a person's name.

I think that is pretty neat.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Happy Quilting

Kay Lynne