And she’s off….

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Karen

MissDixie Off to Houston, that is! I am thrilled to bits that “Miss Dixie” (14×19) has been accepted in the miniature category. I hope that I can attend this year. I went in 2013 when Princess Daphne was included and I had the very best time.

The backstory on Miss Dixie the quilt. I met Dixie last year when I was invited to teach and give a lecture to the Charleston Quilt Guild. I stayed with a guild member after my lecture and had the privilege of meeting Dixie. She was adopted a couple months earlier and loved her new home and family very much. Dixie had so much personality I had to take a few pics of her. I fell in love with this pic of her and thought I’d try my hand at a doggie portrait! I had so much fun painting her but I must confess the nose and eyes were very difficult. I had to do lots of research but in the end I’m very happy with how it turned out. I think another doggie portrait will be in my future!

Quilting Arts Magazine

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Karen

2015 is off to a GREAT start. My article “Free Yourself from Perfection: Tips to improve your machine quilting” is in the Feb/March issue of Quilting Arts.

In this article, I talk about how free motion quilting is supposed to be fun and not stressful. But if you are like me, a perfectionist, every stitch can be stressful. I share tips that helped me over come perfection and enjoy free-motion quilting. I hope you enjoy the article and learn some new tips.

This is truly a dream come true for me. I’m so thrilled and excited. I can’t wait to see the hard copy of the magazine. Isn’t the cover art gorgeous! It’s by one of my mixed media/quilting idols Jane LaFazio.

Magazines will be on newsstands January 27th or you can purchase online at http://bit.ly/1y8BUXR

Done!

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Karen

I’m so excited! I finally finished my latest quilt “Just Peachy.” I think I’ve been working on it for over a year. I took the long Thanksgiving weekend to crop it, do the binding and make the quilt sleeve.

I saw this peach colored rose one Sunday afternoon after visiting my sister Patty in Tega Cay. I stopped at the small rose garden on Gold Hill Road to take some pictures. It was late spring and the roses were in full bloom. There were so many beautiful roses in all colors but this peach rose jumped at me. It was STUNNING! I’ve never made a applique rose quilt before and I was up for the challenge. And, what a challenge it was. I don’t think I could ever have enough peachy / orange fabric for this flower. I did the best I could and of course I had to include purple….purple should be in all quilts!

I’ve also completed another rose however this one was wholecloth painted with textile paints and then thread painted with a variety of rayon threads. I also got carried away with the background quilting but it was so much fun!

Happy Quilting!

Sunflower & Butterfly

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Karen

Another quilt completed! Hurrah!!!!

Casey, a good friend of mine, is a wonderful photographer. Everyday she posts her beautiful nature photos on Facebook and asks, “What will you see today? Celebrate the beauty!” She commissioned me to create a quilt using one of her photos. She loves sunflowers, I love sunflowers, it was a no-brainer. I took one look at this image and I knew this was the image I wanted to use. The sunflower & butterfly photo is one of her best.

It was a long time in the making but I think it turned out very nice. I’m particularly happy with the butterfly. I used acrylic textile paint on PFD fabric and lots and lots of thread.

Thanks for this opportunity Casey!

Sold!

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Karen

I’m so excited that “Key Lime Pie for Me and My Sweetie” has sold.
It was included in the “What’s For Dinner?” special exhibit at the Houston Quilt Festival.

The back story on the quilt.
My husband and I had just finished a wonderful dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Cajun Queen. We are regulars at the restaurant and they surprised us with a piece of their yummy key lime pie for desert.
I had been thinking about what I could do as an entry for the exhibit and couldn’t come up with any good ideas. Then, after dinner our server (Bob) surprised us with a piece of their awesome pie. I snapped a pic of it and knew this was the quilt I wanted to make. Pie for dinner….Well, of course!

I’ve had the best week ever!

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Karen

Saturday: It all started last Saturday the 13th with the “Girls Day Out” Event at Mary Jo’s. This event launched the new sewing classes and the Baby Lock machines they are now selling.

Here’s Aimee, she’s super excited about the new classes that Mary Jo’s offers.

Pattie is teaching paper-piecing, fabric bowls and several other fun classes.

Carmen teaches gorgeous smocking techniques. Wow! I’m teaching free-motion quilting, thread painting and wholecloth painting. Girls Day Out was a huge success. I’m so glad I was a part of it.

Monday: I got to teach my free-motion quilting class, Machine Quilting Basics. We learned curvy and geometric free-motion designs. We had a great time and learned a lot. Here is a picture of us.

Wednesday: I got the news that both of my entries had been accepted in the IQA: Quilts: A World of Beauty show in Houston! I was hoping that one entry would be accepted but when I got the email that both had been accepted I almost fell out of my chair.
Here is my entry Blooming Poppy.

I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next week!

Paducah Show

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Karen

I can’t believe it, but if you look closely at the cover of the catalog of show quilts you will see the detail of “Princess Daphne.” I’m thrilled.

Both my quilts were accepted in the show and now Daphne is part of the cover. Wow, it’s been a big, exciting month. I hope you will pick up a copy of the catalog to see all the beautiful quilts. They are all stunning.

Here is a full shot of “HRH Princess Daphne.” (23″ x 14″)

Yes, she rules the house and loves it. This piece was whole cloth painted, thread painted, the blue area is hand applique and free motion quilted. I had so much fun working on her eyes.

Here is a pic of my other entry “A poppy for mother.” (40″ x 55″)I worked on this quilt while my mother was in the last stages of alzheimer’s disease. It was a great way to get away from all the sadness of her illness.

Here is a detail shot. This piece was raw edge applique and free motion quilted. I thoroughly enjoyed choosing all the fabrics for this one. They ranged from red to pink to white to purple to violet. Plus some green for the stem. I shot all the photos of the poppies at Wing Haven in Myers Park.

I have several other projects I’m working on currently. I will post about those soon.

Unsewing…..

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Karen

So here is how my afternoon is going…

What a mess! But, I’m not happy with the free motion stitching and I have to fix it.

Here are my favorite tools for unsewing. Seam ripper, tweezers and a lint roller.
I usually slice stitches on the front of the quilt with the seam ripper. Pull threads from the back of the quilt and use the lint roller to pick up the mess.

What are your favorite tools? What is your technique for unsewing?