I'm a WINNER..........

Kevin the Quilter!  Come on down!
OK, so it wasn't really like I was a contestant on the Price is Right, (although, I would LOVE to be) but, I am a winner and am jumping up and down just like I would be in contestants row!  Connie at Freemotion by the River hosted a great batik giveaway along with her friend Vicki from the Quilting Lodge earlier this month.  I am always amazed at Connie's works of art, and how much work she gets done!  She is quite prolific!  Anywho, I found out much to my surprise I won her batik giveaway!  YAHOOOOO!  I can't wait to see the fabrics I will be receiving!  Thanks for hosting the giveaway Connie!  I am delighted!  On a side note, I found out Vicki and I grew up 40 miles apart!  SMALL WORLD!

So, as promised, I am going to share more about another win, and the quilt I made my friends Jamie and Ted.  When I first started quilting, I was on the look out for deals!  Clearance fabric being the main deal I was in search of!  I found a great fat quarter bundle in autumnal colors in a clearance bin at a fabric store.  The first thought that came to mind was my friend Jamie.  She and I have been friends for quite some time, and I know how much she loves an autumnal color scheme.  Well the fabrics were perfect!  Next, I had to choose a pattern which took a while to decide upon.

As I was going through some of my grandmother and great aunt's sewing items, I found an old piece of cardboard.  I wasn't quite sure of what to think of the shape?  But, on one side it said, "5 inch Dresden."

My old Dresden template.

What on earth was a Dresden?  Hmmmmmmmmm.........so, research began, and I found out about Dresden Plate quilts.  AHA!  I remembered seeing quilts like that, that my grandma had made!  THIS was the pattern that must be used for Jamie and Ted's quilt!  After all, they are lovers of all things vintage, and they love to entertain!

I loved how the colors and patterns came together, and decided which layout I liked best with each Dresden petal. But, I was in need of some sashing, and border fabrics.  Enter this wonderful woman........

 Donna!

This is Donna standing in front of her beautiful civil war quilt, and she works at a great quilt shop close to where I grew up.  Being new to quilting, not to mention being a man that quilts, I was a little intimidated shopping in quilt shops, so I took my mommy with me! LOL  Dad was there too, but, had found a very comfortable chair to fall asleep in!  As is the case most of the time, Donna thought my mom was the quilter until my mother informed her that I was.  I had brought one of my Dresden blocks with me to match some colors up, and Donna was so enthusiastic,  interested, and willing to help.  Upon seeing the block, she asked if I was entering the quilt in the River Heritage Quilt Guild Show?  The theme for the quilt show happened to be Dresden Plate!  I just looked at her in my best "WHATCHYOU TALKIN' BOUT WILLIS?"  face, and then laughed hysterically!  A quilt show?  Really?  Yeah, RIGHT!  I just KNEW she was kidding until I turned around after I had been looking for some sashing fabric, and saw a bunch of ladies gathered around the cutting table talking about my block.  Donna requested that I come over and tell the story I have already been telling here on the blog, to the ladies gathered there.  The ladies began asking questions, and they were so encouraging.  It really lit a fire in me to want to enter this quilt show!  I thought.......what do I have to lose?  I can add this experience to the "bucket list." 

I do have to tell a funny story about that first visit with Donna.  As we stood at the cutting table talking, a lady in the quilt shop kept looking at me very strangely.  She came over to us and said, "I apologize, I don't mean to stare, but, I have never seen a man that quilts before?"  LOLOLOL  Too funny!

I continued working on the quilt, and talked some things over with my long arm quilter, Ann.  Ann is an award winning quilter with AMAZE-BALLS skills that I happened to find by chance.  That is another blog post in itself.  Ann was also very encouraging of me entering the show, and gave some invaluable advice concerning the quilt.  So, it was a done deal.  The quilt was destined to be named "Autumn Dresden" and would be appearing in the quilt show.

This was my first photo of "Autumn Dresden" after receiving it from quilting.

I love pieced backings.

Upper right corner of Autumn Dresden.

Ann's quilting is beyond phenomenal!

There are some really great textures on this quilt!

When the time came, I hand delivered the quilt, and low and behold, there was Donna helping out!  She literally had tears in her eyes seeing me entering the quilt.  The day of the show came, and my dad and one of his friends had gotten to the venue where the quilt show was held earlier than me and my mother.  I saw him whispering to my mom, and I had a feeling something was up?  Yep, he was letting my mom in on something he saw attached to my quilt.........

 THIRD PLACE!  Not so bad for a first time entry?

I was so pleased!  I couldn't believe I actually placed especially after seeing the absolutely stunning quilts that were in my category!  Donna's included!  Yep, there I was in a category with Donna, the woman that encouraged me to enter!  Aren't quilters the best!?!?!?

Donna and me at the River Heritage Quilt Guild show!

I am sorry for being so long winded, but, I do hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed living it!  This was just the beginning........................do you honestly think I can settle with third place now?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'll BE BACK! 

Thanks for all of the encouragement! 

Kevin the Quilter 

This week in pictures.....

I have had the past week off since I worked the week before, and it has been jam packed!  Packed full of what you may ask?  Well, why don't I share with you in pictures?

My mother and my nephew share a birthday!  Not only do they share it, but, it is also my mother's twin brother's birthday as well!  IMAGINE THAT!  We also have a beautiful cousin that shares their birthday as well!  February is a BIG birthday month for our family!

Here's my beautiful mother and handsome nephew on their big day together!

I was also able to share Christmas with my best friend and her husband!  (I know.....a little late, but, better late than never!)  I will have a post about my gift to them coming up in the future, but, for now, I will share with you their reactions to receiving their gift.

My friend Jamie and her husband Ted receiving their gift.

(By the way, it's NOT the Boston Terrier booty that I gave them!  LOL)

I wonder what it could be??????

Is this what I think it is?!?!?!?

The unveiling!

Merry Christmas!  (In February!)

It's so special being able to give something I designed specifically for them!

I think they liked it!

I will be posting about this particular quilt in the near future.  It is the first quilt I entered in a show, and to my surprise, it won 3rd place thanks to the help of my amazing long arm quilter Ann!  But, more about that in a future post!

I was able to browse a couple of antique malls and stumbled upon these beauties:

Does anyone know the name of this star and setting?

And a Rocky Road to Kansas!  

I was also blessed by the kindness of some quilting friends this past week!  Just take a look!

Not one, but, TWO delicious bags of scraps!  YUM!

Thanks Bev!

And lots'o'patriotic scraps for some Quilts of Valor!  YUM!

Thanks Ann for letting me go through some of your friends items!

(Please ignore the messiness of my sewing space!)

And, finally, a finish!  This quilt top was made using Tara Rebman's pattern called "Eating in Bed" in the premiere issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited Magazine

This quilt will be donated to my new found friend Bev, and her efforts with the V.A.

This quilt was A LOT of fun to make, and actually kind of made a dent in some of my scraps!  It finishes at 95"x95", and uses 16 fat quarters.

It was a fun and busy week, and I hope you enjoy all of the photos.  I return to work this week, and have my annual training later this month.  I hope you all have a fun filled week!

Stay tuned next week for my post about my first quilt show win and some of the wonderful people I met along the way! 

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter

The Liebster Award.......

The Liebster Award!

                                                   

During this season of Grammys and Oscars, I have been awarded the Liebster by Nina, at Quilts, Life and Balance.  Thank you SOOOO much Nina!  The Liebster is a fun award by bloggers to bloggers.  To qualify the blog must have less than 200 followers or must be less than six months old.  Once the award is received you are to write a post and:

1. List 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer 11 questions posed by the nominator.
3. Choose 11 blogs to pass the award on to and link them to your post.
4. Create 11 questions for those 11 people to answer.

So here goes....................

11 Random Things About Myself:

1. I am big guy.......6'2" 200+ lbs.
2. I love browsing antique malls, flea markets, and thrift stores.
3. I am a chicken keeper.
4. I was taught to sew by my mother, grandmother, and 2 of my great aunts.
5. I have been a judge of beauty pageants, and scholarship pageants for several years.
6. I attended Mineral Area College on a full ride music scholarship.
7. Although I am a flight attendant, I suffer from extreme Acrophobia (fear of heights) and Gephyrophobia (fear of crossing bridges).......in cars, at least!
8. I don't care for crowded supermarkets and stores, and prefer to do my shopping late at night when there is no one around. 
9. I love cooking, especially for others.
10. I don't like people touching me when I am working on the plane.  
11. I have had an appendectomy. 

Answers to Nina's Questions:

1. Are you a coffee or tea drinker?

I like both at different times, and for different reasons! There is nothing like a nice cup of coffee (half and half, and sugar please) with a good ole’ country breakfast, or while walking through a big city on a cool crisp morning. And, I love me some of my momma’s sweet tea just about anytime!

2. Name one quilt or pattern that is on your "some day" list.

This would have to be Bonnie Hunter’s Pineapple Crazy quilt. I just hope I have enough scraps one day to do it! It takes A LOT!

3. Do you live in the city or the country?

I live in a very small city out in the country.

4. What are your favorite and least favorite parts of blogging?

My favorite part about blogging is the interaction I get from other like-minded people from across the globe. I have “met” some amazing people via blogging. My least favorite part about blogging is the feeling of inadequacy, or ignorance about various tools, programs, and designs for blogging I have no idea about. (If anyone hears my cry for a blogging mentor....please respond!)

5. Where (sewing room, dining room, etc.) do you sew?

My sewing room is in my basement. Albeit unfinished, it is my sanctuary to be creative, and escape the world.

6. When you are not sewing or working, what activity do you do?

I love to browse through antique malls looking for Boston Terrier “anything,” vintage quilts, and various types of glassware I collect. I also love growing a huge vegetable garden and tending to chickens.

7. Do you sew in the quiet or is a radio or TV playing? What is it playing?

I always have the radio playing while I am sewing. It could be playing just about anything, as I am not a radio dial snob. Country, inspirational, 80s, disco, NPR; as long as it is not playing rap music, or something profane, I will give it a shot. I keep the dial on the radio moving!

8. Have you ever been to a quilt convention or retreat and if so, what did you like most about it?

I was able to attend the International Quilt Festival in Houston last fall with my quilting friend Ann. I loved being able to see the vending booths, and meet some great people. Of course viewing the quilts was eye opening! It was a trip full of inspiration!

9. Name a historical figure that you admire.

Jesus Christ. He did so much for me, I can only hope and pray I do everything I can for Him.

10. Would you rather spend a day at a spa or a day at a fabric store?

Set the scene.........am I getting a massage at the spa, or is there a clearance event at the fabric store? LOL

11. Do you like to ride roller coasters?

I love riding roller coasters (as long as I don't open my eyes on the climb up), and I usually feel like I am on one most every day I work on the plane! 

Blog Nominations (in no particular order):

Crazy for Red
The Modern Diary
Life In Pieces

365 Days and Other Ramblings

Peachy Pages

Pokeydot Quilting

Sandra's Snippets

TLC Quilts and Walks

Quilts, Life and Balance (No rules say I can't re-nominate you Nina! LOL)

This Guy Quilts

Amy's Passions

Questions for Nominees:

1. Who is the person most responsible for introducing you to quilting?

2. What is the first quilting project you ever made, and how old were you when you made it?

3. Who is your most favorite quilt designer?

4. How many quilting projects have you made to date?

5. What is your most favorite breed of dog?

6. What color is the shell on the eggs you eat?

7. What is the longest flight you have ever been on, and where were you going?

8. Which is your most favorite city to visit?

9. Where is the best Quilt Shop you have ever been to, and what is it’s name?

10. Do you have a large or small family?

11. Have you ever gone fishing? If so, what is the biggest fish you have ever caught?

So, there you have it.  I hope my nominees have fun with this. I enjoy all of your blogs so much and love to see what you've been doing both sewing and otherwise.  Thanks again Nina for this honor!  I truly appreciate it!

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter 

TA-DAH..................

Well, folks, it's time..............





Time for the big reveal.........................





What is it going to be???????????????????????





HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM??????????








This weeks installment on my blog will reveal........................

my parent's golden anniversary double wedding ring quilt!

Sorry to those of you who may have thought I know of a way to make millions.  But, I do have to admit something.  When it comes to parents, I hit the jackpot!  I have been blessed with two of the most loving, caring, nurturing, encouraging, AMAZE-BALLS parents in the world!  This quilt top is not perfect, neither am I.  But, I know my parents will love it regardless of it's flaws, just as they love me, regardless of mine.  It truly has been a labor of love.  I cannot wait for my quilter, Ann, to work her "mad skills" on it.  

More photos?  Did someone say they wanted to see more photos?????

Well, alrighty then!

TA-DAH!!!!!!!

Bum-bum-ba-BUM!!!!!

(Imagine trumpets playing a fanfare!)

(Insert Olympic theme music)....this was truly a marathon quilt making session!

What am I calling it?  I never thought I would be naming quilts, but, alas, I shall!  I will call this quilt.........

"GOLDEN RINGS"

Yeah, I know, I know, very original.  Well, there are a few reasons I am calling it this, not only for the obvious reasons.  Mom and Dad's wedding rings are both golden.  It IS after all, my parent's Golden Anniversary for which I made this quilt.  And, I love the song "Golden Ring" by George Jones, and Tammy Wynette.   (Even though the song does NOT depict my parents nuptials!)  (I can't help that I am a little bit country!)

A song?  Did someone want to hear the song?

I love classic country music!  OH!  Hey! I DID reveal something about myself!

It's been a long work week for me.  Six days of flying, and I am so ready to enjoy being home for a few days.  I have some Quilt of Valor projects I am working on.  And.................

 this box of goodies from Alycia were waiting for me when I got home!

Thanks again Alycia for my little get away last week, AND for this box of scraps!  I really, really appreciate it!  You will be seeing these again in some kind of quilt, sometime soon!

Don't forget to visit Alycia's blog for the QOV block drive she is hosting!

http://www.alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-qov-block-drive.html

I love hearing from you all!

Thanks for all of the encouragement!  

Kevin the Quilter

A nice little getaway......

I hope you all have had a great week since last I posted?  OK, a week and two days!  I have a good reason for it though........I didn't "Breakaway" like Kelly Clarkson suggests in her song, but, I did GETAWAY!

It all started EARLY Saturday morning in St. Louis, Missouri......

I got on a plane, and when I landed......

.....this was my view in Denver, Colorado! When I see mountains like these, I just want to start singing "AMERICA, the Beautiful!"

For those of you who don't know, I have been a flight attendant for 12 years, and from time to time take advantage of my travel benefits when I am not working.  I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the International Quilt Show in Houston last fall, and was able to meet some wonderful people there.  One of the amazing people I met was..................

Alycia of http://www.alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/

(By the way, did you know the "i" is silent in her name?)

Have you ever met someone and became instant friends?  Someone that "gets it?"  And what I mean by that is someone that isn't pretentious, has some common sense, and is an incredible human being?  Well, that's the way I felt about Alycia.  Also, being a guy that quilts, I get my fair share of sneers from other quilters, and quilt shop owners and employees.......no sneering from Alycia!  I have followed her blog for quite some time, and am always in amazement of the wonderful work she does for Quilts of Valor.  Truly, she is an angel on earth!

Anywho, we established rapport, and a few weeks back, she invited me to play with her in her scraps.  The goal?  Make a starting point for Bonnie Hunter's scrap user's system.  Alycia has been blessed by the goodness (scraps) of others, and was wanting to organize some of them into Bonnie's method.  I "flew" at the chance to help!  

At this point, let me remark that Alycia has an AMAZING family.  Her husband Kelly couldn't have been more hospitable during my day long visit.  He's a pretty dog gone good cookin' cowboy too!  And her three sons are some of the nicest, well-mannered young men I have ever met.

(I HAD to visit the horses while I was there!)

Alycia and I were able to work most of Saturday cutting her scraps into strips.  We talked, laughed, shared ideas and projects, and..................

       by the end of the day we had probably cut about 40 yards of fabric into strips!  This is just a sampling of them!

If you haven't visited Alycia's blog, please do!  http://www.alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/ She is currently hosting a block drive for Quilts of Valor, and there is an amazing prize in store for someone who participates!

Thanks Alycia for a WONDERFUL day!  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, and look forward to visiting again!

Next week there will be a big reveal in store for everyone.......what will it be?  Will I be revealing my latest project?  Interesting facts about myself?  The way to make $1 million dollars?  Stay tuned........

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter 

My little helper......

I have felt kind of lost this past week....

Well, I mean since the big finale of the Easy Street mystery quilt, I haven't had clues to look forward to, or playing with different fabrics?  And it was such a needed get away from some current projects......you know we all need them!  I so appreciate the many friends I have made through my Easy Street endeavor, and I hope to keep this blog going at the very least weekly if not more.

Perhaps some of you recall this post?
 http://www.kevinthequilter.blogspot.com/2012/12/on-december-afternoon.html 

Well, here is an update of that project.  I am chugging right along on it.

C'mon!  You all knew I was going to make my parents a double wedding ring for their 50th wedding anniversary?  RIGHT?????  I am using Eleanor Burns method, and so far so good.  Yes, there is some interfacing showing in some spots under the arcs, but, hey, I am only human, and I KNOW my parents will love it!  I am still needing to add the corners, and connect everything together.  Why the black background?  I LOVE contrast, and I cannot follow the "norm".......usually.  Plus, black is my mother's favorite color, and mine too!  I think it is going to be a cool finish for me, and I can't wait to complete it and get it quilted for their big day this year!

I am not only a fan of Bonnie Hunter, but, I also am a fan of Eleanor Burns.  Her patterns are very easy to follow, and plus, she is an absolute delight!  I was fortunate enough to be able to meet her at the International Quilt Show in Houston this past fall.  I watch her videos all of the time for inspiration, or if I just need to relax.

You can find many of Eleanor Burns' videos here:
http://quiltinaday.com/theater/library.html

But, I digress.....onto my current project and my little helper..........

This is my little helper, Sophia Annabella!  She is my 6 year old Boston Terrier, and she LOVES helping me with whatever I am doing (especially if I am in the kitchen.)  I am a Boston Terrier fanatic by the way.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the breed, and I even have a room dedicated for all of  my Boston Terrier acquisitions.  (That post will be sometime in the future!)

Sophia posing for her close up!  (Hi Ginger!)

So here is my little update for the week in the blogosphere.  I am looking forward to a little get away next week, but, there will be more on that after it takes place!  Let's just say, I am SUPER excited about it!

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter

Many firsts.......

FIRST, allow me to wish each and every single one of you a happy and prosperous New Year! (Yes, I ate my black eyed peas!)  It is so hard to believe how quickly time flies!  It surely didn't when I was a child, but, that is probably a good thing?

You may ask where I have been?  Why has it taken me so long to post an update to my blog?  Well, you see, Bonnie Hunter over at http://www.quiltville.com/ promised a rapid fire finish for her mystery quilt Easy Street http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/easy-street-mystery.html She WASN'T kidding!

So, I have locked myself away, night and day, busily completing this...........

I couldn't be happier with the color scheme I chose!

OK, so, Easy Street wasn't so "easy" for me in the end due to all of the matching of seams.  I am still pretty new to quilting, and if the "Quilt Police" are viewing this, it may be a good time to turn your heads.  You see, I am guilty of...........chopping a few geese beaks off!  I would NEVER show those photos!  They are too gruesome and graphic!

 So, how about one of the whole quilt?

This quilt top will be donated to Quilts of Valor via Alycia at http://www.alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/

This was the first:

-Mystery Quilt I have ever participated in.

-Bonnie Hunter pattern I have ever made.

-quilt top I have ever made in a time frame of a little over a month.

-time using the Easy Angle Ruler and Companion Angle Ruler.

-quilt I ever made set on point.

-quilt I ever made with 2000+ pieces.

-quilt I ever made wearing glasses.........

Did I not mention I had to be rushed to the eye doctor due to piecing overload?

JUST KIDDING!  I'M KIDDING!  I'M KIDDING!

I can't believe how much better I can see now.  Who knew a 38 year old man didn't know he couldn't see?  OK, so I am blaming my beak"less" geese on my eyes!  That's my story and I am sticking to it!  

Thanks Bonnie for an incredible first mystery quilt for me!  I look forward to making many more of your patterns and using your scrap users system.  I would also like to thank the many, many quilt bloggers who have shown such kindness to me during this process.  I hope to keep this blog going as I create other works of art.  I have LOVED seeing everyone's progress on their Easy Street mystery quilt, and you can too, right here: http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2013/01/mystery-monday-link-up-jan-7th.html

My final thoughts?

It was Ms. Peacock, in the dining room, with the dagger!

Thanks for all of your encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter