2013 New Blogger Blog Hop is Here!

(Wowser...I can't believe I am typing these words.)  Welcome to my stop on the 2013 Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop!  Beth at Plum and June is an amazing supporter of our blog community.  In addition to hosting this annual blog hop that introduces new bloggers, she also hosts a weekly Let's Get Acquainted Monday Linky party and regular Advice and Tech Help for New Bloggers.  Thank you Beth for helping me and so many others!

Welcome to KayakQuilting!  Let me share what I think you might find interesting.  If I have overlooked something that will cause you sleepless nights, please do not hesitate to leave a comment and I will reply!

Who is Kathy?
Take a peek at the above pages "Who's in That Kayak" and "Beyond My Sewing Machine" for more information about the blog author.

(Picture is in front of The Needle Shop in Chicago.  Part of our global quilt store tour.)

There will be a quiz later.

Why KayakQuilting?
Now you know why the name, but why the blog?  I started my blog last October (with a lot of help from my wonderful almost-DIL!) as a way to journal my quilting adventure and create a dialogue with the quilting blog community that had (unknowingly) been teaching me how to quilt.  My first year blog and quilting goals included:

1. Participate in a giveaway.
2. Participate in an on-line quilt festival.
3. Increase number of followers to 50
4. Participate in blog hop
5. Participate in a bee
6. Join a quilting guild
7. Participate in one Block of the Month project

I have a lot more work to do on the blog but honestly I have been focusing on the content.  Isn't it really all about the projects?

Speaking of Projects
I have updated my little blog to include pages above showing some of my finishes since I started quilting last year.   These are some of my favorite quilts:

And some of my fave small projects:

And I do have a thing for interesting backsides:

But it's not all love
To be honest, I don't love all aspects of quilting.  Planning projects, fabric selection, piecing, quilting and hand binding are all wonderful!  Crawling around on the floor to baste the larger projects is just not fun (but I do count it as exercise!).

Fabric Acquisition
I get it.  I completely understand why people hoard  fabric.  Believe me, I have tried to avoid this temptation with very little success.  Instead, I have little piles like this to look at:

I have just discovered Tula Pink and I can't stop adding her fabric to my modest (but growing!) fabric collection.

Which leads me to the discussion of...

My Sewing Room
The blog post that has had the greatest number of views (by far!) in my short blogging history is this one where I reveal my new sewing room.   To summarize, this is the "before" picture:

And this is after the improvements:

Not much has changed in the room since the pictures in the post (except for the continuous addition and usage of fabric!) but I have great plans!  And I can't tell you how much fun I have had in my own little quilt cave!  But I am sure you can imagine...

Teaser
OK, at least I am being honest about it...do come back to visit my blog in a couple of days.  I have something very, very exciting to share with you!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this!   I hope you have enjoyed your visit here and you're welcome to stop by anytime!  Here are all the fun stops on the blog hop this week....enjoy!

Gwendellyn @ The Rainbow Revolts

Jessica @ Stitched In Thyme

Amira @ Little Mushroom Cap

Kathy @ Kayak Quilting  <= You are here!

Michelle @ Factotum Of Arts

Kris @ Sew Sunshine

Camilla @ Faffling
Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

Green @ So Sew Green

Thanks!

Kathy

PS  I am heading to Seattle next week for my next stop on my global quilt shop tour a wedding.  Any suggestions for fabric shops in the region are greatly appreciated!  Also, as I will be traveling and spending time with the bride, my response to comments may be a little slower than normal.  But I promise to get back to you!  

WIP Wednesday Odds and Ends

Have I told you how much I dislike basting quilts?

I keep reminding myself that I have to get through this stage to get to my favorite part...the quilting.

Beautiful scraps need to be used.  These are left over from the Sea Glass quilt and are destined to be a small pillow for the bedroom.

And I am thinking about starting a project with these squares:

I love the feel and texture of Essex Linen but it definitely is stiffer than the 100% cotton.  I am curious to see how they play together.

I hope you have a chance to come by and visit again soon!   I am working on a couple of posts that you might find interesting!  In the interim, it is Wednesday:

I am also linking up with Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation linky party.  Kelly is one of the amazing bloggers I have "met" being part of Plum and June's 2013 New Blogger Blog Hop!  More on THAT topic soon!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kathy

Happy First Day of Summer

When it looks like this outside, it is really impossible to be inside and sew.

But I will use this lack of sewing as an excuse to share with you a couple of completed projects from another little favorite activity of mine, cross stitching.  This project literally took years to finish.  Between kids, work, etc. the only time I really worked on this was when traveling.  The miles this project has seen....vacations, business trips, car rides.  The density of the stitching and very frequent floss changes made for slow going.  I debated not finishing it but one day I realized I was beyond the mid-point to completion.  The only photos I have are under glass as I had it framed immediately after that last X was crossed!  Sorry guys, love ya but not taking it out from under the glass.

It really is lovely (including metallic thread in the windows and doors for reflection a la Thomas Kinkade).

And then this wedding sampler on linen as a shower gift for my son and his future wife (also under glass and framed):

This was so much fun to work on and confirmed beyond any doubt that my eyesight is not getting any better!

After these two mega projects, my cross stitching has been limited to small Christmas ornaments and simple patterns.  Almost ready for another challenge...

Hope everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying this longest day of the year.   It is a beauty here in New England!  Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts!

Wonky Stars

Why have a plain quilt back when you can have one with wonky stars?  Using this tutorial from owen's olivia I used up some of the scraps from the front of the quilt.

Fun and easy!

And don't forget to stop by this week's bloggers participating in the 2013 New Blogger Blog Hop:

Jolie Maxin

Melia Mae Quilting

On the Windy Side

Molli Sparkles

little and lots

duck egg threads

My Quilt Infatuation

There's A Thread

Between Quilts

So much talent!  Linking up with Lee's Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday!

Have a great week,
Kathy

Modern Mini Challenge

Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts is hosting a Modern Mini Quilt Challenge.  Do jump over there and see the many interesting, lovely and intricate entrants.

For the fun of it, I have submitted this little quilt that originally blogged about here:

Enjoy all the eye candy at Ellison Lane!

Housekeeping

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Time to do a little housekeeping and updating of this little blog of mine.   Stay tuned for improvements that, hopefully, you will find more interesting than this post!

Life is So Interesting

Some weeks are quiet and uneventful, and then there are weeks like this one.  A mix of the events and emotions that make all of our lives so interesting.

Sunday was a gorgeous, sunny June afternoon.  The perfect weather to sit on a blanket with a picnic basket and watch a double header baseball game.

...preferably a vintage base ball game (circa 1860 rules).  Yup.  Our oldest son plays in a base ball league that plays serious 1860's ball all summer.  No gloves, period uniforms, three balls makes a walk, catch after one bounce is an out, "cranks" not fans and all the passion we Red Sox fans know today to win the game!  A perfect way to spend a summer afternoon!

I have a finish to share with you.  One of the things my husband and I do to stay out of trouble to stay busy, is volunteer tutoring in an after school program for children who have been homeless.  The education director at the program is leaving as she and her partner are becoming parents and she is going to be a SAHM.  They are adopting two beautiful sibling girls!  Although we will miss her from the program, we couldn't be happier for her!  Therefore, a special adoption shower gift was needed!

I love these pillows by AmandaJean  (of the famous Crazy Mom Quilts).   As I did not have the time to cut and piece all the squares for two pillows (see AmandaJean's note about how long these pillows take to make...like making a small quilt!), I decided this would be a perfect use of the layer cake of Aneela Hoey's Little Apples.

 

The process included sashing, invisible zippers, making pillows to hold the stuffing for the 36"exterior pillow and lots of time with the walking foot!  I hope her daughters have many hours of enjoyment with these super-sized squishy pillows!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am so excited to be included in Plum and June's New Blogger Blog Hop!  I have been spending some time trying to spruce up this little blog to make it even a little worthy to be included alongside the likes of these others on this blog hop!  I have listed at the end of this post the entire schedule for the blog hop.  I am so impressed by the quality of the blogs and the fun people I have "met" behind them!

And finally, you may have seen in my last post that we lost our precious dog Kasey this week.  It will take some time to get accustomed to her absence but she will forever be in our hearts.  Life is so interesting.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Kathy

Friday, June 7th

Nancy @ Owen's Olivia

Amy @ 13 Spools

Ashley @ Wasn't Quilt In A Day

Casey @ The Studiolo 

Nanette @ Yeah, I Made That

Ange @ Heart Of Charnwood

Kim @ Robot Mom Sews

Erica @ Kitchen Table Quilting

Friday, June 14

Julie @ Jolie Maxtin

Melissa @ Melia Mae Quilting

Adrianne @ On The Windy Side

Molli @ Molli Sparkles

Laura @ Little And Lots

Sarah @ Duck Egg Threads

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

Cari @ There's A Thread

Valerie @ Between Quilts

Friday, June 21

Leigh Anne @ Ella's Cottage

Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt

Sarah @ Quilt Candy

Jackie @ NW Patchwork

Liz @ Beadqueene's Bits And Baubles

Erica @ Happy Fabric

Stephanie @ Simple Sewendipity

Lauren @ Seraphym

Amy @ Cloud CouCou Crafts

Friday, June 28

Green @ So Sew Green

Gwendellyn @ The Rainbow Revolts

Jessica @ Stitched In Thyme

Amira @ Little Mushroom Cap

Kathy @ Kayak Quilting

Michelle @ Factotum Of Arts

Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

Kris @ Sew Sunshine

Camilla @ Faffling

Friday, July 5

Christa @ Christa Quilts!

Alyce @ Wonderland By Alyce

Anna @ The Crooked Banana

Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After 

Stephanie @ Quarter Incher

Shayla @ Sassafras Lane Designs

Caroline @ Carolines Craftiness

Lisa @ Hilltop House Creative Works

Fridau, July 12

Leona @ Leona's Quilting Adventure

Karen @ Karen, {Novice} Quilter

Anne @ PlayCrafts

Rachel @ Let's Begin Sewing...

Jan @ Sew And Sow Farm

Anna @ Quilting Along The Grain

Cath @ Wombat Quilts

Sarah @ {No} Hats In The House

Friday, July 19

Karen @ Little Birdie Quilting Studio

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures

Katie @ Snuggle Up With A Dish From Karma 

Alison @ Making Happyness

Ella and Nesta @ Ella & Nesta's Little Room

Adrienne @ Chezzetcook Modern Quilts

Nicole @ Modern Handcraft

Aylin @ AyliN-Nilya

Kelsey and Amanda @ Everyday Fray

Friday, July 26

Vicki @ A Quilter's Mission

RobinSue @ RobinSue Quilts

Elisa Lea @ Lovelea Designs

Elizabeth @ In The Boon Docks

Jenny @ A Note To Follow Sew

Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts

Sonia @ Fabric & Flowers

Emily @ Sew E.T.

Em @ Sewing by Moonlight

Kasey

We lost a member of our family today.  I most recently blogged about her here.

Kasey was the most beautiful, loving, special dog.  We were blessed to have her in our lives for so long.  

Very Busy Friday

Lots going on these days at KayakQuilting!  My best friend from high school (just a few years ago!) is getting married in July to a guy she met when we were teenagers and I am so, so very happy for her!  A great love story.  I need to make her something special.  Sweetwater's Mama Said Sew has been one of my favorite collections since I started to notice these things last year.  This quilt is Katie's Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Company and is inspired from this quilt that I found in a web search for quilts using Mama Said Sew.

I am working on an interesting backing for this quilt top...stay tuned.

I continue to play with the Little Apples project:

 The wavy stitch is fun!

AND it's a busy weekend here in New Hampshire in the lakes region.  It is the beginning of the 90th Laconia Motorcycle Week where you will see signs like this everywhere:

 Perhaps more interesting to my readers, is that this weekend is also the annual Tent Sale at Keepsake Quilting:

Rain or shine, the crowds were there.  I am talking RV's, bus tours, people lined up waiting for bargains and scraps. Wow.

Bikers and quilters partying in the same town.  I love it.  

AND if that wasn't enough excitement, I will be participating in this blog hop:

Come back soon as I will post the schedule of all the amazing blogs that are included in this event!  Really, there are some impressive blogs waiting for you on this hop.  (But the week starting June 30 might be a little more special...wink, wink).

And as it is Friday, there is only one place to be...AmandaJean's Finish It Up Friday.

PS  So, I am heading out to Seattle for the big wedding.  As part of my goal to visit quilt stores around the world, I MUST do some fabric shopping in Seattle.  Appreciate any and all recommendations!

Playing

One of my first fabric purchases when I started this quilting adventure last year was this layer cake of Aneela Hoey's Little Apple collection:

I have been waiting for just the right project to play with this fabric...and I think I have found it!  More to follow on this!

And an amazing thing happened to me last week.  I purchased my first Tula Pink fabric.

I can't even begin to describe how much I love those squirrels.  Amazing.

Even with these beautiful fabrics around me, it is still hard to sit in the sewing room when it looks like this outside:

Deciding whether to play with fabric versus play outside....a high class problem for certain!

Linking up with:

Happy Wednesday!