Wait... what?

Today is November 25, 2021... it is Thanksgiving.  
I hope all of you are having a wonderful day. 

We're not celebrating until Saturday... when everyone can be home (work schedules are sometimes crazy here).  So until then I'll get to drool over everyone's fb food posts (and maybe snag an awesome new recipe or two).

I have no clue where September, October, OR November went?!! Well, really I do, but it feels impossible that I haven't posted since the end of July.  Soooooo much has been happening over here.  I guess I'll just start the catch up, which may or may not be quilty - I'm sure pics will be so much better than words (and it might refresh my memory a little too) - feel free to grab a cuppa as I think it might be a long one (and totally not in chronological order... that's just too much to ask).

The studio has a new ceiling fan.  I know... whoa that's exciting.  But really, it is!

Then there was tons of class prep... powerpoints, samples, fabric cutting... 

I've been working on my latest book (and no, it is still not finished) - here is your only peek.  It will be a sourcebook for all things sashing.

So... let's talk travel...

between the middle of September and the middle of November I travelled four times... yes 4 -- that is like traveling every two weeks!

So back in September there was an awesome Gammill retreat in Hershey, PA.  I got to see my mom and sis and we all spent the day at Hershey Park... so much fun!  Then in October I had some educator travel stuff, which was great because I got to see my Gammill peeps!  Then at the end of October was Houston Festival -- I taught 5 class but it was oh so much fun!  Then some more educator travel in November (again peeps) and now it's now... no wonder my schedule has slide into the next month!  So -- here's some pics (in no particular order)

Why yes, that is a winter coat... brrrrr?!!!!

Did you every try teaching in a mask with a microphone... it sounds a lot like Charlie Brown's teacher... these face shields made a big difference in students being able to hear while I was up in the front of the classroom!

   

classroom nicely spaced out for social distancing

Ooh... I also created two new rulers specifically for borders.  

They are so cool - and yes, they come with directions!  They debuted at Houston and were supposed to be on the website as soon as I returned... soon, they will be posted soon!  But here's a peek at what they do: 

A couple of projects from my challenge group:

Ahhh... the new Gammill Professional Bobbin Winder... you have no idea how happy this little (but mighty) piece of equipment makes me!  This new bobbin winder is the bomb!  Super fast, perfect bobbins, and ultra quiet!

When I returned from Houston we started another tile project... right?  How could there possibly be any more tile to do?  Just wait...

The patio!  Yep, demo was the worst... and yes we had to scoop tiny little tile pieces out of the pool - tile flies everywhere!  We also needed to have the pool table disassembled (its currently living in the family room waiting for reassembly and refelting).  So more on this later...

And... NEW FEET!!!  Yes, the Approach Foot System by Gammill was waiting for me when I returned from my last travel event.  They are awesome -- well worth the wait!  Here's a little unboxing video I did

So in all that time I also managed to quilt five client quilts... not my normal but very good considering I was traveling so much!  You can see them over on the client work blog.

And I also squeezed in a few minutes on my Squash Blossom quilt... which is currently at a stand still as I'm torn between continuing the hand applique (slow) or switching to machine applique to get things done... also... I need to switch out one of the colors and not sure which direction I want to go with it... dilemma, right?  Again, more on this later!

I think I've covered it all... enjoy your day with family, friends, and good food!

Upcoming In-Person Events

Gammill ALL-INCLUSIVE Retreat

SUGARLAND, TX - AUGUST 25-27, 2021
Click here for all the details!

Gammill ALL-INCLUSIVE Retreat

HERSHEY, PA - SEPTEMBER 13-15, 2021
Click here for all the details!

International Quilt Festival

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 28-31, 2021
My classes:
Wed - Brilliant Borders (Not Your Average Edge) - Wait-List Only
Wed - Fill Crazy - Wait-List Only
Fri - Skinny Spaces
Sat - Surface Strategies
Sat -Build-A-Stitch- Wait-List Only
3 of 5 classes are wait-list only -- two still have a few spots so don't sit on the fence too long!
Click here to view all the classes

And if you don't already follow Friends at Festival, check out this awesome little article it shares a little about me as well as my classes!

A bunch of NEW products!

 Over the past couple of months I've been a busy girl... creating some super cool new products to make all our quilty lives a little easier.  Here's a bit about each one -- they are all available on the website.

CC RULERS the CC stands for continuous curve and if you're anything like me your continuous curves don't always look exactly the same.  Now they can!  Four shapes on each ruler (CC Arc, CC Angle, and CC Contour) and in two sizes (2" and 4") - available in a bunch of different options!

Here's a quick little video: 

INNIE-OUTIE OGEE - MOD SERIES OMG if you don't already know my most favorite shape is the Ogee... and while I've had Ogee rulers for several years now, these are new and improved and a super modern shaped ogee!  Each side is actually two different shapes - available in Even and Odd, or Full Sets!

Here's the Innie-Outie Ogee MOD Series video: 

EDGES the are for marking/drawing only.  But oh wow, the things you can do with them!  Available in 5 different sets - each set has sizes from 5"-16".

Here's a little introduction to Edges: 

I've so excited to share these with all of you - go check them out.  And, there's lots more new stuff coming - I'll share when I can!

DO YOU FOLLOW??

If you follow my blog you might have clicked the Follow By Email widget that used to be on the side bar.  It was a great feature... every time I made a new blog post it would send you an email - brilliant, right?   Well... according to Blogger that feature is being put out to pasture in the next few weeks.  As a result, you'll have two options: 

Option 1 check back here often to see what's new or what you might have missed

Option 2 Visit my website and enter your email in the WANT UPDATES box and press Update Me!  

If you choose option 2 you can be prepared to receive a little newsletter type email.  I try to only send stuff once a month (at most) because no one actually likes being slammed with excessive emails.  The newsletter keeps you in the know on what's happened here on my Client blog, my quilt artist blog, and also any new products or big news I might have.  And, if receiving them every so often gets to be too much, you always have the option to unsubscribe at any time.

Creating something awesome from an old piece of nothing

So I had an old piece of decorator sample fabric... you know like a fat quarter size.  Doesn't every guild have a member that brings tons of these to the free table?  Yep, my guild does - and I have a bunch of them.

So, here is what I started with... dingy stains and all:

And after a super fun evening of creating and quilting... here is what I have now:

If you want to see all that happened between the two pictures (48 minute video), you'll have to subscribe to my patreon page -- there are three tier levels depending on what content you prefer to see.

I love using old unwanted things to create awesome new things!  Before it was just a little decorator fabric sample and now... now it is an awesome quilty thing!  And, OMG... it is my favorite ogee shape!  I'm sure this will hang in my studio somewhere.

Happy Stitches!!

Karen