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Welcome to All About Appliqué on this second day of the 100 Blocks Blog Tour!

I’m Kay Mackenzie, a designer and author in Santa Cruz, California. My website is By Kay Mackenzie, which has all of my books and patterns on it, plus select notions for the appliqué enthusiast. If this is your first time visiting my blog, I’m so glad you’re here! You’ll find a wealth of information about all kinds of appliqué here, so take your time clicking around the categories, and use the keyword search as well.

Here’s my block for Volume 14, “Little Falling Star.”

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When I sent the block in, I called it “Shooting Star,” because it’s traveling upwards. You could make it more of a falling star just by rotating it a quarter turn.

QM100-MACK-falling

And if you want to to travel the other way just reverse it from there.

QM100-MACK-falling-rev

I used some beautiful batiks to make this version. You could also make it look very playful by using colorful prints. Here’s another version.

shooting star

You’ll notice that here I chose to leave out the inner trail and let the groovy flower print shine. :)

Of course, shooting or falling stars are really meteoroids, but it’s much more fun visually to render them as stars!

Hope you have fun with your star, and also enjoy the 99 other fantastic blocks in Volume 14. I already have my advance copy, and let me tell you, it is a feast for the eyes. If you’d like to win a copy, just leave a comment at the bottom of this post before noon California time on Friday, November 18.

(Remember that if you are subscribed by email, clicking “reply” will not enter you in the drawing. Click over to the blog itself on the internet to leave your comment at the bottom of the post. Thanks!!)

And don’t forget to start every day the rest of the week at Quilty Pleasures to take part in the blog hop.

Happy sitiching!

Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

Volume 14 of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks is about to come out. I have a block in there once again, and I’m participating in the blog hop that starts on Monday to celebrate!

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Starting Monday and continuing all week, start at the Quiltmaker blog Quilty Pleasures and they’ll provide links to all of the designers that are in the hop that day. Everywhere you go there will be chances to win a copy of the magazine, plus additional prizes. That’s a lot of chances!

My day is Tuesday, November 15, and I’ll show you my block. See you then!

By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

As I knew it would, Outstanding Owls for Appliqué received many comments from quilters eager to get started on owl projects!

Random.org has pronounced that the winner is… No. 42, Swooze! Congratulations! The owls are flying your way.

Myself I’ve had a bit of a hiatus this summer with no shows for almost 3 months. I did have a list of things to do as long as my arm, and now it’s all, all done! There was only one thing given up upon (deemed just too unwieldy) but everything else, check! I even had time to wrangle a batch of foster kittens!


They loved puppy Daisy immediately, and she loved, LOVED them too, in fact as an enthusiastic young pup she wanted to love them to pieces! But with careful oversight we managed to get everyone through the foster period in one piece.

Kitties are back at the shelter and up for adoption, and now it’s time to gear up for Quilt Show Season. Yippee! Here’s where I’ll be this month.

Sept 12-13
Pumpkin Patch of Quilts
Two years ago, this show, put on by the Los Banos Arts Council Quilters, was one of the most enjoyable and heartwarming vendor experiences I have had. There couldn’t be a nicer group of quilters, or a cuter decorated show. There are freshly harvested pumpkins everywhere, and they can be purchased to come home with you! Read all about it at losbanosarts.org.com.

Sept 19-20
Sierra Quilt Guild Show

This lovely show in historic gold country is one of my favorite destinations. Hope to see you there in Sonora, California! Read all about it at sierraquiltguild.com.

September 26-27
Harvest Quilt & Fiber Arts Show

It’ll be my first time at this event in nearby Morgan Hill, California. I’ve heard it’s a great show, and I’m looking forward to being there! The show is part of the Taste of Morgan Hill, an event for everyone in the family. All the info is at svqa.org.

Got the Vibe washed, ready to hit the road!
Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

Outstanding Owls For Appliqué is here!

Darcy Ashton has long been known for her incredible series of animal appliqué books. We’ve seen her Darling Little Dogs, Big Beautiful Dogs, Claire’s Cats, Grandma’s Bunnies, Butterfly Dance, and more! These popular classics are now joined by a bookful of the most amazing owls.


There are 20 of them in all, each one with its own expression and personality. Add that to the fact that you can easily create new variations by mixing up the different body shapes, heads, and features, and the owlish possibilities are endless!

This book couldn’t be more jam-packed. Just take a look at the Table of Contents!

In addition to the appliqué patterns, Darcy gives you tons of information on appliqué, both hand and machine, plus how to make those fetching eyes, plus how to enhance with quilting, plus a slew of different projects!

Not to mention embroidery. Swoon.

One of my favorite touches is the idea of giving the owls little flowers or quilt squares to hold. So darling.

Darcy sent me a copy to give away! Before I announce the drawing, let me reiterate how to enter. Leave a comment at the bottom of this blog post. If you send me an email by repying to your email subscription feed, or if you leave your comment on a different blog post, you will not be able to be entered in the drawing. Sorry for the constant reminders, but there are always a few, still.

Now for the fun part! If you’d like to win a copy of Outstanding Owls For Appliqué, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post before 7:00 p.m. California time on Wednesday, September 9. Drawing open to U.S. mailing addresses only.

Best of luck!!
Thanks for reading All About Appliqué,
Kay

By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

Charming Houses winner!

Filed Under Prizes | Comments Off on Charming Houses winner!

The winner of Betty Kisbey‘s Charming Houses Dressed For Show is… No. 8, Beth T.! Congratulations! Enjoy the houses.

Thank you so everyone for your nice words about the book. Betty appreciates it so much.

In other news, working down The List, I’ve created a couple new kinds of notecards.

Love My Stash wall quilt printed on blank notecards, perfect for your quilty friends!

And, looking ahead to the holidays,

Cute for little Christmas cards or as thank-you notes. Both these cards are 4¼ x 5½ and come four to a pack with envelopes. Available over at kaymackenzie.com, on the Notions page, and on Etsy as well.

À bientôt!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

The wonderful Betty Kisbey of Lincoln, California, is a quilter I’ve known for some years now. I first became acquainted with her when I heard she was teaching appliqué using my Baskets to Appliqué. It doesn’t get any better than that for an author. :)

Over the years I would see Betty at various shows, and she would tell me about the progress on a project of hers, which was to publish her own book. We conferred about a lot of publishing stuff. (It’s so great to talk with like-minded quilters. Most of my friends’ eyes start to cross if I try to talk about things like typography or page layout. Candy for me but less than fascinating to them LOL.)

When I saw Betty earlier this year, she said the book was close, and then I got a post card saying it was out! I immediately ordered my copy.

Introducing Charming Houses Dressed For Show!

Betty’s house journey began as the result of her students asking for something original to work on during their classes. Betty rose to the challenge, creating original patterns for many different types of houses, all of which can be individualized. No two will turn out alike!

From the baker’s dozen patterns, you can create fantasy houses or something that looks just like your house. Bird House, Boat House, Gingerbread House, Haunted House, just to name a few! The patterns have many uses, from memory quilts to housewarming gifts to group challenges to block-of-the-months programs for shops. So many possibilities!

The book includes colorful examples of sampler house quilts made by Betty, her students, and friends.

Betty’s long experience as a teacher shines through in the book. There’s tons of information on supplies and equipment, fabric, and embellishment (the fun part that makes each block individual and unique), and detailed instructions for making each block. All templates are full-size.

Congratulations Betty on your Charming Houses!!

I’m giving away a copy! If you’d like to become eligible to win, please leave a comment here on the blog before 7:00 p.m. California time on Friday, August 7. Contest is open to U.S. mailing address only, and remember, if you’re subscribed by email you cannot click “reply” to enter the drawing. Come on over to the blog itself on the internet and leave your comment at the bottom of the post.

Good luck everyone!
Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

The ‘lucky” reader who won the Ugly Christmas Sweater block is… Beverly! Beverly claims that she is planning a Christmas quilt that will welcome and enfold this block. Nice. I love a happy ending.

Speaking of winning, a teapot quilt that I put in my guild’s show over the weekend received a Judge’s Choice ribbon!

A Spot of Tea by Kay Mackenzie

The theme of this year’s show was “The Way We Were.”


Our show is not juried or judged, but we do have visiting dignitaries come and put ribbons on their favorites. I never found out who the judge was… whoever you are, thank you so much!

The quilt features nine of the teapots in my Teapots 2 to Appliqué, on the book page at kaymackenzie.com.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who stopped by on the 100 Blocks blog tour. It was so much fun to read all of your comments, and I so totally appreciate all the nice words about my block and my designs. It’s been a warm, fuzzy week. :)

The winner for my stop on the tour was Sheila Ivany. Congratulations, Sheila! The Quiltmaker staff will send out your issue. Enjoy!

If you didn’t win during the week and will be looking for a copy of Volume 10, mine are on the way and will be up on my website soon, on the Patterns page. I also still have a few copies of Volume 9 if you need that one.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Greetings gentle quilters!! It’s Kickoff Day of the 100 Blocks Volume 10 blog tour! I’m so happy to have a block in this landmark issue.

I’m Kay Mackenzie, a designer and author in Santa Cruz, California. My website is By Kay Mackenzie, which has all of my books and patterns on it, plus select notions for the appliqué enthusiast. If this is your first time visiting my blog All About Appliqué, I’m so glad you’re here! You’ll find a wealth of information about all kinds of appliqué here on the blog, so take your time clicking around the categories, and use the keyword search as well.

I’m delighted and proud to say that this is my ninth time having one of the 100 Blocks. (I must have been asleep at the switch for Volume 2.) I just love participating in these special issues, and golly! Ten times ten, that’s 100 different original blocks that have been published since the whole thing started. Quite an accomplishment… comgratulations to the Quiltmaker staff!

My latest title from Martingale, Scrap-Appliqué Playground, is all about different ways to put scraps together and cut appliqués out of them. After the book came out, I started playing around with more ideas for cutting appliqués out of something other than just one fabric. In the last issue I had Half-Log-Cabin Tulips. Another clever way to use a traditional pieced quilt block for appliqué is Nine-Patch Posies!


Cutting a flower “just so” from a traditional nine-patch block gives a fun, stylized look to a very traditional appliqué motif. Of course you can change up the colors as you like.

The magazine gives complete instructions for making the block, and includes the flower template that fits just right on the pieced nine-patch. Awesome.

I hope you enjoy this block and all the other 99 fabulous and varied designs in Volume 10!

The editors of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks are sponsoring a giveaway of a copy of the magazine! If you’d like to enter to win, please leave a comment here on this post before 12:00 noon California time on Friday, November 21.

Good luck in the drawing, and remember that if you are subscribed to the blog by email, clicking “Reply” will not enter you in the drawing. Come to the blog on the internet and leave your comment at the bottom of the post. :)

Many thanks for your visit!
Cheerio,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

The winner of Plant Your Own Garden is No. 6, Char! Congratulations, and have fun putting the techniques into your appliqué bag of tricks!

At Quiltfest Oasis in Palm Springs over the weekend, there was a special exhibit of quilts made by members of the Baltimore Appliqué Society. In the booth one day I struck up a lovely conversation with a fellow appliqué enthusiast, who told me she had followed her quilt to California all the way from Maryland. Kelly Kout, I enjoyed talking with you!!

Here’s Kelly’s quilt, “Flowers for Jean,” designed by Lori Smith.

That is one gorgeous, amazing, handcrafted masterpiece.

Next week… the fabulous Pacific International Quilt Festival!

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

This month, courtesy of AQS Publishing, we have Rebecca L. Campbell’s charming book Plant Your Own Garden.


This little book features a dozen original flower blocks that you can use to plant an appliqué garden. Each design can stand alone in a project of your own creation, or join the others in a sampler quilt.

Rebecca shares with us what inspired her to become an appliqué enthusiast and to develop her own system for pleasing results. Take it away, Rebecca!

I belong to a quilt guild, Quintessential Quilters in Columbus, Ohio. I thank that organization for the opportunity to take classes from an amazing list of famous quilters. Those teachers inspired me in a so many ways. I wanted be a part of the quilting business. but what was I going to offer? A seed was planted and I was searching for my way to inspire.

I fell in love with an appliqué pattern and became determined to learn turned-edge appliqué, but my results left a lot to be desired. I wanted perfect shapes right off the bat and didn’t want to spend time tracing or ripping freezer paper out. I matched up products that accomplished those tasks. I eliminated tracing by using a copier to create a placement guide (June Tailor’s Perfect Piecing) and templates (C. Jenkins Freezer Paper Sheets). If I ironed the freezer paper to the right side of the fabric it could be pulled off once the piece is in place. Print n Fuse ironed to batting enabled me to create trapunto without stuffing.

Now I had a method that worked well for me. Teaching classes was a test to see if it worked for others. Beginners were excited with their results and experienced appliquérs found it increased their accuracy and productivity.

I had a proven method that I titled Innovative Appliqué. Someone suggested I should create an original pattern to teach from. Sixty-one patterns and more in the works are available. All individual patterns are full size.

Designing, teaching, vending and trade shows lead to connecting with America Quilter’s Society to publish a booklet, Plant Your Own Garden. Twelve flower patterns, quilt construction, and Innovative Appliqué instructions are all included. I like to provide lots of pictures to show what I am explaining. The booklet patterns do need to be enlarged 111%. That is something I hope to avoid the next go round.

I hang a sign at shows that says Appliqué is not a four letter word. I think that is so funny.

At a recent Checker Distributors open house, Rebecca filmed a video presentation showing her appliqué techniques.

Rebecca’s video.

If you’d like to win this booket, please leave a comment before 7:00 p.m. California time on Monday, October 6. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only.

Good luck everyone!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

This month, with many thanks to Martingale, we have Cheri Leffler’s Animal Parade.


The subtitle of this charmer is “Adorable Appliqué Quilt Patterns for Babies.” I’d say, anyone young at heart would also qualify!

Cheri begins by presenting instructions for her favorite method of needle-turn appliqué using an overlay for placement. For those who prefer machine work, she also gives a quick overview of fusible appliqué. A little lexicon of embroidery stitches rounds out the method section.

Feeling Sheepy by Cheri Leffler, quilted by Vonnie Maglinte

In this book you’ll find quilts featuring cheerful frogs, floating duckies, happy monkeys, wise owls, rollicking foxes, playful penguins, swimming sea creatures, tree-hugging koala bears, long-necked giraffes, and fluffy lambs! A whole menagerie of cuteness! Each quilt design features the animals set against a sweet and simple pieced background.

Kits 'n Caboodle by Cheri Leffler, quilted by Vonnie Maglinte

You can see the koalas peeking out at the foxes.

The appliqué patterns are printed full size and… bonus… the book includes a pullout section for the designs that are too large to fit on a page. Excellent!

A Penguin Playdate by Cheri Leffler, quilted by Vonnie Maglinte

If you’d like a chance to win this delightful book of youthful quilts, please leave a comment here on this post by 7:00 p.m. California time on Friday, September 5.

Open to U.S. mailing addresses only, and please resist the temptation to click “reply” to your email feed. To enter the drawing, come to the blog on the internet and leave your comment at the bottom of the post.

Good luck everyone!
See you then,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

The lucky reader who won Wild Blooms & Colorful Creatures was No. 32, Margaret! The book is on its way to you now, Margaret, have a wild and colorful time with it!!

And my thanks to all of you who follow this blog. When you enter these drawings, it lets me know you’re out there, and you’re a fellow appliqué enthusiast, and I appreciate it so much.

I’ve been having a fabulous time making more framed mini-quilts. Here are a couple of them.

It’s a whole lot o’ fun.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Our featured book this month, courtesy of C&T Publishing, is Wendy Williams’ Wild Blooms & Colorful Creatures.

I’m wild about these colorful blooms and creatures!

This book is all about combining our traditional cotton prints with wool and linen, to add a new dimension. Wendy starts out with a section on appliqué basics that gives information on wool, wool felt, threads, templates, and her style of needle-turn that uses a running stitch close to the turned edge. There’s also a whole page of illustrated embroidery stitches for adding special touches.


Then on to the projects! There are wall quilts, runners, pillows, bags, and sewing notions galore. All of the appliqué templates are printed at full size, and there’s even a pull-out section for the larger designs. Always a bonus!


Aren’t the designs wonderful? Such a fearless sense of color and whimsy.

If you’d like to win this book in a random drawing, please leave a comment before 7:00 p.m. California time on Tuesday, August 5.

Notice how I said “leave a comment”…? This is not the same as replying to your email feed. You’ll need to get out of your email program by clicking on the title of the post, which will bring you to the blog itself on the internet, and leave your comment there.

Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Good luck all!!

Until then,
Kay

Random.org has determined that the reader who won Piece O’ Cake’s Backyard Birds is No. 39, Pat! Congratulations to Pat, who says that hand appliqué is her first love, so this will be right up her alley.

The show at the end of June in San Luis Obispo had some beautiful appliqué quilts.

Fragrant Memories by Margaret Taylor

I love how fearless Margaret was in creating this masterpiece not from a pattern.

Earth and Twig by Sally Inouye

I’m a big fan of the designs of Sue Spargo.

Empress Feathers by Janie Walker

We were just talking about how delightful everything is from Piece O’ Cake. :) Beautiful colors on this one.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

I love everything from the Piece O’ Cake gals Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins. This month, with many thanks to C&T Publishing, we have their cheery collection of 12 bird blocks presented in an expanded pattern format, Backyard Birds.

You can mix and match these blocks, sew four of them into a 39″ x 39″ project, or put them all together for a 52″ x 65″ quilt with appliqué borders. The packet includes full-size patterns and a 16-page booklet with complete instructions.


I myself employ a patched background on occasion, but these designers are fearless masters at it. Add their delightful sense of color, you’ve got winners every time IMO.

If you’d like to win this expanded pattern, please enter the drawing by leaving a comment here on this blog post before 7:00 p.m. California time on Saturday, July 5. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only, and replies to an email subscription won’t enter.

Good luck everyone!

Chirp!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Over the bridge!

Filed Under Prizes, Quilt shows | Comments Off on Over the bridge!

Today I head north over the Golden Gate Bridge and into wine country for this weekend’s quilt show in Santa Rosa. It’s put on by the Moonlight Quilters of Sonoma County and last year it was great fun.

The Golden Gate Bridge has done away with toll booths and now you register your vehicle online and your license plate is scanned as you cross. It really speeds things up… but I still don’t know what they do with all the rental cars…

The reader who won Home Sweet Quilt is No. 4, Kathleen! Congratulations! She says she is really looking forward to this color-filled book with its combination of patchwork and appliqué. I agree, that’s the best combo platter!

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

I’ve admired the Jillily booth many times at shows. Jill Finley has been designing quilt patterns for over 15 years and is known for her fresh style and beautiful color combinations.

This month, with many thanks to Martingale, we have Jill’s book Home Sweet Quilt.

Need a gift or something for yourself? The book includes a dozen patterns for the whole house, from table runners to dish towels to pillows to quilts of all sizes. They’re all so fresh and pretty! Jill says in the introduction, “… My goal was to create and share fresh quilt designs… They’re much more than blankets or bed coverings. They’re the pop of color, the unexpected texture, or the softening element of each room.”

Winding Down, great for the family room.

Patio Tiles, wool and cotton table runner

The book begins with a few basics, such as working with wool, attaching borders and bindings, and Jill’s favorite stitching supplies. There’s a whole chapter on “Appliqué the Jillily Way,” which involves starching the edges of the motifs over freezer-paper templates. You can stitch them in place either by hand or by machine.

Berry Patch, a cheerful table topper.

If you’d like to win this very appealing book, please leave a comment here on the blog post before 7:00 p.m. California time on Thursday, June 5. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Good luck!!

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

The winner of my 100 Blocks Volume 9 drawing was No. 134, Marta!

Thanks so much to all of you who stopped by on the blog tour. If you didn’t win a copy of the new issue and you’re wanting one, I have them in stock now on my website, on the Patterns page.

I also have a few copies left of Volume 8, if that’s one’s still missing from your collection.

Following closely on the heels of the 100 Blocks blog tour was our monthly book feature and giveaway. The reader who came up the winner of Rami Kim’s book was No. 5, Dot. Congratulations! Dot says her son-in-law is of Korean ancestry and she’s interested in learning more about Korean art. Very cool!

In other news, I am so happy to say that my husband Dana and I are coming up on our 25th wedding anniversary on May 19! We’re going to Hawaii for a week, to Hilo on the Big Island.

I’ve done some investigating of quilt shops, but I could always use a little inside info! Any recommendations???

Aloha,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Courtesy of AQS Publishing, we have an exquisite book this month by award-winning art-to-wear and quilter Rami Kim.


Elegant Cotton • Wool • Silk Quilts is an exciting departure from the books I usually have the privilege of featuring. Quoting from the preface, “The designs here put special emphasis on the ancient cultures of Korea. …This book will serve as an introduction to and a window into ‘The Land of Morning Calm.’ …Though many of the designs are actually more than a few thousand years old, this will be the first glimpse through the eyes of the Western viewer.”

It was exciting to turn the pages of this book and discover shapes and designs I’d never seen before.

How about these Asian interpretations of flowers, leaves, clouds, and mountains done up penny-rug style… gorgeous!

I was captivated by the section on Chopkey — a Korean folding technique. Rami give step-by-step instructions for making a traditional costume coat.

As the titles implies, there are projects done in cotton, wool, and silk, and you can certainly use any of these materials for the design of your choice.

The books jumps right into the projects, so basic skills in hand blanket-stitch embroidery will be needed. Also, the designs need to be enlarged 200%.

If you’d like a chance to win this book that translates Korean architectural elements into American quilts, please leave a comment here on the blog by 7:00 p.m. California time on Friday, May 9.

Open to U.S. mailing addresses only, and remember… don’t try to enter by email. If you’re reading this in an email, you’ll need to click over to the blog itself on the internet.

Best of luck!!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

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