Tuesday, July 30, 2013

LOADED...

the MACHINE
not ME!!!


Mouth watering...sin-sational COMMA fabrics



FMQ with pointy back and forth design!


So much fun to kwilt on the longarm machine!


Love my "wonky COMMA crosses" kwilt!


Bold and gold batik backing 
with some left over COMMA
to accent it!


A big thank you to my kwilting partner in crime, 
Kathy Guenther.  She gave me the COMMA fabric
 for my retirement gift!
 I hope I have done it justice!  



Come back this Friday (Aug 2) to see 
my HO HO HO Blog Hop project. 
I think a big fat man will be here too!

 




Friday, July 26, 2013

PLUS-ONALITY!

My first PLUS kwilt! 
  using Jenny Baker's, In Color Order, 
Modern Plus Quilt tutorial 
Designer fabrics from my stash 
I cut 5" squares (vs 4 1/2" in the tute)

Close up of the longarm kwilting with a fun 
back and forth design, alternating directions in each square




A peek at the backing flipped up over the top!
I like to put a label in the corner with wash/dry instructions








Plus-onality coming soon to my Etsy Store!

Linking up over at Crazy Mom Quilts

and

Richard and Tanya Quilts

for Friday Finishes 


Monday, July 22, 2013

CHRISTMAS IN JULY...WITH A SWEET TWIST


Lots of "Christmas in July" blog posts this month.  

R-W-B Christmas in July Tree

 I want to share something fun...including a signature kwilt!
This might give you and idea for a precious holiday gift 
-time with friends-

For 10 years I held a Holiday Cookie Exchange Party! 
Just girlfriends, no guys, no kids allowed.

1,103 dozen or 13,421 Cookies came to the parties over 10 years
173 friends attended - avg 17 per party.

Now this was NOT a typical Cookie Exchange Party.
I had rules (fun rules) and everyone complied as
they knew how fun the party would be.
Each party had a "theme"



I "Decked my Halls" to the limit 
(check my 2012 Decking my Halls posts for more decorating ideas)


1. Bronze and Green Great Room Tree   2. Holiday Chorus Kwilt   Antique tree toppers   4. Master bath
5. Vintage houses on cake plates  6. Red bird tree  7. Snowman tree  8. Antique ornament wreath
9. Bathroom tree 10. Sewing tree 11. Front porch   12. Gingerbread Tree

I provided a dinner (and drinks, of course)
 "around a theme" for all the girls!
I made cookie books with all the cookie recipes 
and my dinner dishes and beverages.
Everyone took home a handmade party favor.
Lots of handmade door prizes were given!

The year the theme was "Vintage Holiday" I asked
all the girls to wear aprons. 


I'm in the center wearing my Mom's apron and House dress with the slip showing.





and put them into a Signature Kwilt


Labeled it...and I have a priceless treasure.




My last gift to my girls, were Cookie Diva aprons, each with 
a personality just like the Cookies Divas who got them.


Mine, the Cookie Queen  (she should be a red head) 



And all the Cookie Divas!




So if you have never hosted a "Cookie Exchange"
why not this year....plenty of time to plan it and its a great way
to share some fun time with your girls...

How sweet it is!

Karen at Quilty Creations 
has a great Linky Party showcasing
 Something Old - Something New.
This post is part of that fun!





Friday, July 19, 2013

PLEASED TO MEET YOU!

I'm Kathy and I"m so happy you are here. 
I've been blogging for about 18 months and today 
  I am happy to be a part of





Let me begin with where my kwilting is TODAY
and take you back to 20 years ago and where it began.  

I am kwilting and binding these kwilts now.
1. Plus design (In Color Order Tut)  2.  Flip Side - Rachel Griffin
3.  Wonky Crosses (Sew Mama Sew Tut)   4.  Perfect 10 (Swirly Girl Pattern) Baby Kwilt

2012 and 2013 Kwilts
Some of these kwilts are in my ETSY store 
1. Down Under Baby Kwilt (ESTY)  2. Madrona Road Challenge Kwilt  3. Sherbet Pips Baby Kwilt (ESTY)
4. Happy Endings Baby Kwilt  (SOLD) 5. Scrappy Baby Stacked Coins (ETSY)  6..Little Apples Baby Kwilt (ETSY)
7. Nighty Nite Owl (SOLD)   8. Owl Be Seeing You (ETSY)   9. Bugs in Masons Jars (SOLD)

 I love to make bags!!!
The last bag is my own design and the flower
is made from up-cycled bra parts. That tutorial is here.


1. All People Quilt Tut  2. Juliet Bag  (OSU colors and scarf)  3. Bow Tucks Bag
4. Sara's Carryall by It's Sew Kay  5. Annabelle Bag   6. Scrap Bag Cutie (Whistlepig Creek)
8. Juliet Bag   9. Go Girl Go-Tammy Tadd (2nd place in a show) 9. My Fa-BRA-ka-da-BRA bag
I began kwilting 20 years ago in a "traditional"  group at work. 
Have taken a ga-zillion kwilting classes,
taught a few classes, designed a couple patterns and tutorials.  

Kwilts from that Era
1. Aussie prints - My Boomerang Won't Come Back  2. Amy Butler-Turning 20 pattern 3. Mystery Kwilt
4. Friendship Signature Kwilt 5. Strips and Curves  6. Pumpkins Gone Wild-Layer Cake Desgin
7. Holiday Bargello  8. Halloween Twister 9. Turning Twenty design in batiks

click here to see all about my sewing space. 


 I have been in kwilt guilds for many years...
until last year, mostly traditional groups.
Today I find myself enjoying the inspiration 
 from my friends in the


 I am totally involved in community service with 
making kwilts for patients undergoing cancer treatments.
Click to see what wonderful work is done by volunteers at
 I also help with JSS administrative tasks (behind the scenes)
and am coordinating the Quilts of Comfort challenge for 2014.

Quilts
From 2005 - 2013, 7,060 quilts have been distributed 

Now about Kwilty Pleasures Blog...
I began my blog in the fall of 2011
 I had less than 20 followers for a VERY long time. 
I really didn't understand what all the hoopla was about!!!
But, I knew I love to write...love technology...love kwilting...
Blogging had to be what I should be doing!



  is my registered trademark name I was using for my patterns,
classes, bag labels, etc. Sseemed perfect for my blog name.  

A Kwilty Pleasure is anything fabric or fiber in
the kwilting world that puts a smile on your face and 
fills your creative soul with pleasure.  

 I love to participate in blog hops, blogger kwilt shows,
blogger give-aways, linky parties, blogger swaps 
and I will participate in a kwilt-along or a bee in the future.

I don't have any sponsors but would like to know more about 
how to engage them?  Any suggestions?

When I am not Kwilting or Blogging 
you will find me in My Garden 


or watching The Ohio State Buckeyes...because... 


I hope you find my blog worthy of a return visit.  
And of course, I would love for you to... 



 If you made it this far...then here is something fun
most people don't know about me...
 Meet Raheja, Middle Eastern Dancer
Many "Egyptian Moons" ago, belly dancing was my creative outlet.  I danced for 15 years, taught it for 13 years.


Agean Supper Club, 1978, Live Greek Music and Raheja performing a sword dance)

To see my "About Me" FUN FACT list...click here.


Thanks to Bev, at Plum and June, for organizing a great hop!
A complete listing of bloggers is here.

Thank you so much for stopping by!
It's truly been my Kwilty Pleasure!  

and now..please go meet these wonderful bloggers today!

 
July 19

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures (that's me)
Alison @ Making Happyness
Ella and Nesta @ Ella & Nesta's Little Room
Nicole @ Modern Handcraft
Aylin @ AyliN-Nilya
Kelsey and Amanda @ Everyday Fray


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

SUMMER VACATION!


Summer Vacation...nothing like it!
A visit to my big brother's home in Western Kentucky
He just turned 75 and I'm the "baby sister".
I kid him as he could be a double in Duck Dynasty!
The Ohio and Mississippi River come together behind us!


The driveway to my brother's house freaked me out!
 265 acres of corn field surrounded his house
it was sooooo quiet and NO Internet!  YIKES!!!
Can you say  "Children of the Corn"


But the good news is...he lives 45 minutes south of Paducah, KY 
First up a few scenes of Quilt City, USA
 
1. Port of Paducah Wall (Ohio River side) 2. Fifty Historical Hand Painted Murals Scenes on the Wall
3.  Historic downtown Paducah 4. Whalers Restaurant near the National Quilt Museum (great black eyed peas)

The National Quilt Museum is a "must see" when visiting Paducah
Quilts are unbelievable and the exhibits change!


Books at the museum store were Buy 2, Get 1 Free
I got these 2 and  both are FABULOUS!
My SIL picked out another one she liked. 


For those of you who have never been to 
Hancocks of Paducah...hold on to your pin cushions!
There are two large warehouses FULL of fabrics!
I shopped for 2 1/2 hours and could have stayed longer!
Photos 1, 2 and 3 are the front part of the huge warehouse store
Photo 4 is the back room which is crammed with precuts and kits-many on sale
During the NQA show each April - the back warehouse room is table after table of fabrics on sale!

And, ohhhh the bargains I found. 
Noteworthy was 5.99/yd and I got the line in 1/2 yard cuts
The linen package was 22.00 for seven, 1/3 yard cuts
Stash builders were 1/2 cuts at 5.99 / yard
Baby fabrics 5.99-9.99 / yard

1. Noteworthy  2. Linens  3. Stash builders  4. Baby kwilt fabrics
My final shopping spree was on the last leg of my
 trip, stopping at
Fabric Shack-Waynesville, OH

1. Glamping Charms 2. Low volume scraps 3. Winter's lane and FQs 4. Holiday FQs

More to come on my VACATION KWILTING ADVENTURES !