The All About Appliqué reader who won a copy of 100 Blocks, Volume 7 in last week’s blog tour is #225, Lovie Ball! Congratulations Lovie! The magazine has already put your copy in the mail. :)

Lovie said that she loved unicorns as a child and that the pony block could be a unicorn with the addition of a little horn. Absolutely! I would love to see that variation.

If you didn’t win a copy during the tour, there’s still a chance! Shayla Wolf, editorial assistant at Quiltmaker, had her first block in this volume and is so excited about it that she’s doing an extra, special giveaway right now. Head on over to Quilty Pleasures to see Shayla’s adorable block “Hootie” and find out how to enter the draw in a couple of different ways.

And, if you’re still not in luck, I’ve added the issue to my website and you can order it there, on the Patterns page.

I made the cover again! Happy dance!

Until next time,
Kay

A hearty welcome to you!! It’s Day 2 of the 100 Blocks Volume 7 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 All About Appliqué, I’m glad you’re here! You’ll find a wealth of information about appliqué — all kinds — here on the blog. If you’re a regular reader or you’ve been here before for one of these hops, welcome back!

I’m delighted to say that this is my sixth time having a block in an issue of 100 Blocks. It’s so much fun! Dogs and cats often work their way into my appliqué designs. This time, I went back to my first love in animals. I was one of those horse-crazy girls, and for awhile we had a little horse Zora, named after the beloved ninth-grade English teacher that all of us kids had going through school.

Me and Zora, circa 19$%&^ oh sorry got a finger cramp. Zora was white with black specks, known as a flea-bitten gray. She was a gentle soul and and she let me ride her bareback all around the countryside for hours.

When I was looking for the photo I found another one, this time of my beautiful late mother when she was young. Maybe it runs in the family. :)

Now you know why I was so pleased that the editors of 100 Blocks chose “Dream Pony” to be in Volume 7!

For my block that’s in the magazine, pictured above, I made a buckskin pony. You can easily change the coat color, mane, and tail to make a whole herd of others!

Palomino

Dapple Gray

Bay

Piebald

Apaloosa

Apaloosa


Just a few of the wide range of wonderful ponies in the world.

There are 99 more charming and delightful quilt blocks in Volume 7, made all different ways, so there’s something for everyone. The publishers are offering a free copy of the magazine to a lucky winner! If you’d like a chance to win one, leave a comment here on this post before 7:00 p.m. California time on Monday, May 6.

Thanks a million for visiting, enjoy the hop! Be sure to start each day this week at Quilty Pleasures.

Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

The lucky winner of Baltimore’s Country Cousins is No. 6, Karen Crosby. Congratulations Karen! You’ll enjoy these folk-art influenced designs.

In other news: Right now, on the Quiltmaker blog Quilty Pleasures, they’re having a giveaway contest of the new issue of Quilts From 100 Blocks.

Go on over and enter for a chance to win one of 25 copies! The contest ends Friday so go now.

Speaking of 100 Blocks, I was thrilled to hear that I have a block in the upcoming Volume 7! My block is so very dear to my heart and I hope you’ll enjoy it too. (Yes, it’s an animal, but maybe not the one you’d expect.) I’ll be participating in the blog hop March 29 through May 3 and I’ll show it then.

Last bit of news! Next week author, designer, and educator Margaret Bucklew is celebrating the release of her brand-new book, and she asked me to be in her blog tour! I’m kicking off on Day 1 with a neat guest post from Margaret. You won’t want to miss it… she has a nice surprise for you.

Until Monday,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

By popular demand, the very first volume of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks has been reprinted!

This was the issue that started it all, and it proved so popular and sold out so fast that the editors at Quiltmaker jumped on the speeding train and turned the idea into a twice-yearly series.

We’re now up to Volume 6, but readers who missed out on the chance to get Volume 1 have been begging for it to come back, and now it has!

And, very cool, they’re giving away a bunch of copies and some of the mugs too!


Hurry over to Quilty Pleasures and read the post there about how to enter.

Please note: You’ll leave your comment over at Quilty Pleasures, not here, to enter the giveaway.

Here’s my block that was in Volume 1. Hey, remember those tulips I showed you yesterday? Funny how things go… they just happen to have something to do with this Watering Can block, which I will be showing you later!

Good luck in the drawing for the magazines and the mugs!

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

The lucky blog hopper who came up the winner of 100 Blocks, Volume 6 is…. No. 274, Vivian!

Congratulations Vivian, enjoy the magazine, and thanks a million for visiting All About Appliqué.

The magazine hits the newsstands this week, so if you didn’t win a copy during the blog hop, it’s time to start looking out for it. Or, I just put it up on my website, on the Patterns page.

I’m home now for nine solid weeks. Stay tuned, ’cause there are some very fun and exciting things coming down the pike.

Max is on pins and needles.

Back soon,
Kay

By Kay Mackenzie

Greetings! It’s Day 1 of the 100 Blocks Volume 6 blog hop!

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, you are very welcome! If you’re a regular reader or you’ve been here before for one of these hops, welcome back!

This time around my block, Sleep Tight, is a whimsical combination of piecing and appliqué. An old-timey patchwork quilt is tucked into a comfy bunk just waiting for someone to snuggle in and dream away under a star-filled indigo sky.

You can click on the photo to bring up a larger version.

As you can see, the more fabrics the merrier, so this is a great chance to pull out your scrap bag. I used raw-edge fusible machine appliqué, but of course you can use any form of appliqué you like. It’s all good!

You could customize this design by making the background look like wallpaper.

Then decorate the wall with ornaments of your own choosing!

There are 99 more bottles of beer charming and delightful quilt blocks in Volume 6, something for everyone. The publishers are offering a free copy of the magazine to a lucky winner! So if you’d like to win one, leave a comment here on this post before 7:00 p.m. California time on Sunday, November 11.

Thanks a million for visiting, enjoy the hop! Be sure to start each day this week at Quilty Pleasures.

Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Over at Quiltmaker they’re going to town with the 100 Blocks series. A new volume of this special issue comes out every six months. I was delighted to learn that I have a block in the upcoming Volume 6. It’s always so much fun!

Here’s a sneak peek of the cover.

There’ll be a blog hop to celebrate the release of Volume 6 from November 5-9. To follow the hop, start each day at the Quiltmaker blog, Quilty Pleasures, and they’ll send you off to visit the designers. There are lots of prize-winning opportunities along the way. My day is Monday, November 5, so stay tuned!


Until next time,
Kay

I’ve always thought that “That Patchwork Place” was a funny and quirky name for a publishing company, and that there had to be a story there. Sure enough, on the Martingale blog Stitch This! theyve told the story behind the name, and revealed the exact long-kept secret location of “That” Patchwork Place . Wonder no more. :)

Speaking of Martingale, they’ve teamed up with Quiltmaker magazine to publish in book form the blocks from the first two issues of 100 Blocks. That makes 200 blocks! Aptly enough, that’s the title of the book, 200 Blocks from Quiltmaker Magazine. I’ve already got my advance copy and it looks fantastic. There’s even a bonus CD so you can print the full-size appliqué and foundation-pieced blocks from the comfort of your own home.

In addition to book form, the staff at Quiltmaker has been going to town with all sorts of options for the 100 Blocks franchise. Go to Quilty Pleasures and check out all the different ways you can get the blocks, even from the very earliest issues!

I had a fantastic time talking with Pat Sloan on APQ Radio yesterday. If you missed the chance to listen live, you can still catch the podcast. There are a couple of other great guests on the show following my segment.

Tomorrow I’m getting on a plane to fly to Kansas City for the spring version of International Quilt Market. This huge, bustling event is a trade show for quilting industry professionals only, where designers, publishers, and manufacturers show off all the latest and greatest for shop owners to see. I’ve tried to describe it to Dana, who can’t quite picture the ginormity of it. I tell him it’s the size of several football fields but I don’t think he believes me. I can’t wait to see all my old buddies and make new ones! If you’re going to be at Market, come and see my demo/book signing at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in the Martingale booth.

Back soon,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Greetings! It’s Day 1 of the 100 Blocks Volume 5 blog hop!

I’m Kay Mackenzie, a designer and author in Santa Cruz, California. My website is By Kay Mackenzie, which has all of my stuff on it. If this is your first time visiting my blog All About Appliqué, you are very welcome! If you’re a regular reader or you’ve been here before, I’m glad you’re back!

It’s so much fun to have a block in these very special magazines. Here’s a little backstory for my design.

When I was a newlywed living in Ohio, three little kittens followed us home one day. They stayed for 18 years.

Maikai was the beauty of the family, a striking calico with big round eyes.

During those long years my husband and I learned a lot about cats and what they know to be true. We compiled a list of Cat Caveats, such as:

• If there is a piece of paper anywhere in a room, it must be sat upon.

• Loose objects need moving around.

• What’s on the other side of a door is not interesting until the door is closed.

There are many more, including the fact that bags, boxes, baskets, and any other type of open containers are there for the sole purpose of being climbed into by a cat.

When it came time to design a block for Volume 5 of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, I started with this silhouette of Maikai…


… and sat her in a basket.

And here it is, Block #410!

I used hand appliqué for this one, but of course you can use your own favorite method.

Below is another example I stitched up using fusible web and a small machine blanket stitch. I thought it would be fun to play with feedsack-y and 30s type fabrics.

Came out pretty cute!

In the following alternate version I was going for sort of a porcelain figurine look. One of the most fun things about quilting is that you can make your block look so many different ways with just the choice of fabrics!

Be sure to follow the blog tour all week, through May 4. There are multiple bloggers participating each day, with lots of prize-winning goodness at every turn. Start out at Quiltmaker and they’ll send you on your way.

I have a copy of Volume 5 to give away! To enter my drawing, leave a comment at the bottom of this post before 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2. You don’t have to be a cat person :). There are 99 other varied and wonderful blocks to choose from!

I’ll also draw a second winner, who will receive my book Growing Hearts to Appliqué.

Best of luck to everyone!

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Thank you, Angie in SoCal!!

peta-path

You remember I posted about my project in the current issue of Quiltmaker?

Angie left a comment this morning that she had just come from the Quiltmaker Magazine blog, Quilty Pleasures. The magazine is giving away three quilt tops from the March/April issue that they made in alternate colorways… and my Petal Path is one of them!

I did not know they were doing this! What a treat! Of course I clicked over at warp speed to check it out, and lo and behold there’s a springtime version of my quilt done up in pinks and oranges that is absolutely darling! Go on over and take a look. Quilt Tops for Giveaway.

The contest rules are in their post. To enter, you have to leave a comment saying which project from the March/April issue is your favorite, and why. You can leaf through your copy of the magazine or view the online table of contents.

A little bit later I received an email from one of the magazine’s editors, saying that Petal Path seems to be the favorite so far. What a great day!

Angie said she entered, so good luck Angie, and anybody else who enters! P.S. Be sure to leave your contest comment over there on Quilty Pleasures, not here :)

Until next time,
Doin’ a little happy dance,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

I got home from Phoenix yesterday, safe and sound. I was looking through the mail that had accumulated and what should I discover but the March/April issue of Quiltmaker magazine with my project in it!

qm-mag

I met the magazine’s editors while I was in Salt Lake City last May for Spring Market, and we’ve been working on getting a design of mine into the magazine ever since. It’s finally here!

peta-path

This was made entirely out of one line of fabric, Memories of Provence by Monique Dillard for Maywood Studio. The fabric line was a pleasure to work with and gave me every single thing I needed to make the quilt. It’s hand appliquéd and machine quilted.

Update: the pattern, now called Climbing Vines, is available at my website.

Until then,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

A heartfelt welcome to those who are visiting today courtesy of the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Blog Tour! So glad you came by! This blog is devoted to appliqué ~ any kind. You’ll find a wealth of information here by exploring the Categories and the lists of links to designers and pattern companies. You can also search the archives by keyword if there’s something in particular you’re interested in.

Vol 4-500


Today I’m writing about my entry in Volume 4 of 100 Blocks, a very special collector’s edition of Quiltmaker magazine that hit the newsstands this week.

I’m on the cover again! That’s my block Heartlets with the pink plaid hearts. How very fun.

This is part of a fantastic blog hop that takes you on a trip through cyberspace to find out more about the designers and what inspired them to create their blocks.

Since it’s me we’re talkin’ about, of course my block was going to be applique. I love hearts, and decided to grow some on a sort-of heart-shaped vine. I stitched it up by machine using raw-edge fusible appliqué and sent it in.

pinkplaid

Here it is, months later, Block #312!

heartlets-page

The designers who contributed blocks were also invited to send in projects showing the block in a different way. When I looked at Heartlets I thought it would be very cute done up in Christmas colors, so I made this little wall quilt for the holidays. I’m happy to say that it made it into the projects sections of the magazine, and is now hanging in the Quiltmaker offices in Golden, Colorado!

heartlets-project

The 100 Blocks magazine includes a pull-out section of full-size templates so no worries about blowing up patterns. I already received my advance copy, and let me tell you, each block is more spectacular than the last, whether appliquéd, pieced, foundation-pieced, or mixed-technique. This truly is a treasure trove… you’ll want to save it for your future use again and again.

Today is the last day of the tour, but if you haven’t already done so, be sure to visit Quilty Pleasures, because there are prize drawings still going on.

I happen to have a couple prizes of my own! I have a copy of the magazine to give away, and I’m also going to draw another winner, who will receive my book Dolls and Dresses to Appliqué.

dolls-cover-450

So leave a comment before 7:00 p.m. California time on Monday, November 14, to enter the drawings! U.S. and Canada addresses only. Thanks for visiting, come again soon!

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

It’s Day 1 of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 4 Blog Tour!

Vol 4-500

The tour lasts all week, with visits to designers who contributed a block to this issue. Be sure to follow the tour all week, because there will be lots of goodies and prize-winning possibilities. Start each day at the 100 Blocks blog.

My day on the tour is this Friday, November 11. I’ll show you my block and tell you a little bit about it, and I’ll have my drawing for a couple of prizes!

Hey, here’s an extra special treat. My buddy Sarah Vee has a block on the cover too. In fact, it’s right next to mine, how cool is that! Sarah has created a special coupon just for my readers. It’s valid at her Etsy store: SewJoy Creations, and will give you 50% off Sarah’s e-patterns! The coupon kicks in today, Nov. 7, and ends Nov. 13th.

The coupon code is: 100blockskay

Wow, I never had a coupon named after me before. I’m honored.

See you back here on Friday!
Kay

By Kay Mackenzie

In response to my query last time, Debbie wrote, “You got that right, Wonder Under is the lighter weight.” (That wouldn’t let its paper backing go.)

Debbie also reports that the wash-away product she referred to are Wash-Away Appliqué Sheets from C&T Publishing.

The website says that this product was inspired by Beth Ferrier. Now I happen to know that Beth uses a turned-edge machine appliqué method, not raw-edge. Just want to make sure we’re talking about apples and apples here, not apples and oranges. Here’s a portion of the product review from The Applique Society: “… When your project is finished you have the option of washing the sheet for a softer feeling piece or leaving it in and it will soften over time.”

I think this product is similar to the Appliqué Stabilizer that Sharon Schamber uses. Again, it’s meant for turned-edge appliqué. It remains in your quilt, and even though the stiffy part washes away, it leaves soft fibers behind.

Floriani has a similar thing too, called Stitch n Wash.

And Ricky Tims has one called Stable Stuff.

Whew!

In other news:

____________________________

Over the weekend, at Pacific International Quilt Festival, I picked up a flier from Amidon Quiltworks, home of the amazing Pearl P. Pereira of P3 Designs. The flier features a couple of exciting events coming up for appliqué enthusiasts.

The first is an Appliqué Weekend, May 31 through June 3, 2012. More details on the Special Events tab on their website.

The second is a Hawaiian Cruise in 2013, complete with appliqué classes on-board! They don’t have the dates set yet, but you can contact the shop for more information.

____________________________

I just posted a couple of amazing projects over on my Show & Tell Center. You’re cordially invited to go and see the beautiful teapots and baskets that quilters have been sharing with me.

And, I just heard from Janis Rink that the teapot quilt she made won a Blue ribbon over the weekend at the Empire QuiltFest in upstate New York! How very thrilling! You go Janis!

____________________________

Volume 4 of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks is coming out very soon! I’m happy to say that I have a block in this one too, and I think I spy with my little eye that it made the cover this time too! I’ll be participating in the blog tour that takes place November 7-11. My day to post is the last day, but I’ll remind you to go and join in the tour on Day 1, so you won’t miss out on all the fun and prize possibilties!

myblockisin4_200joinforblogtour4_200

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

iqa-journal

The Spring 2011 edition of the International Quilt Association’s
IQA Journal is now on line.

It has some absolutely gorgeous appliqué quilts in it, and the stories behind them. Be sure to go and flip through the pages electronically!

www.quilt.org/journal

I’m off to Long Beach in a couple days, so see you in August!

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

I found out about a new magazine devoted to projects for the primitive quilter, rug hooker, and stitcher.

Called Primitive Quilts and Projects, this magazine is going to feature at least 15 projects each issue from leading designers across the nation. They’ve already got such luminaries as Jan Patek, Janet Nesbitt, Kathy Schmitz, Cherie Ralston, and many more lined up!

Go see the gorgeous appliqué quilt on the cover of the first issue at www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Random.org has declared that the winner of Annie Smith’s Ultimate Appliqué Guidebook is… Barbara! Congratulations! Barbara reports that she is a beginner and has been enjoying the blog for introducing her to different ideas and artists. She says, “I wish I had discovered appliqué earlier in life. It is so relaxing.” Barbara, I know you will enjoy the book.

I wanted to let you know that I just added a couple of items to my website. First off, if you haven’t had a chance to get Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Volume 3, I have it available now on my Patterns page.

And, I’ve created special intro packs of SoftFuse paper-backed fusible web, so that you can try out the product. This is my favorite kind of fusible web for raw-edge fused machine appliqué. The intro packs are on the Kits & Notions page.

Which leads me back to the recent Call for Topics, in which Paulette C. asked:

“I would like to see a review of the different fusibles available for appliqué. On the blogs many quilters have given reasons why they have their favorites. But a real time review of the 3 major brands with pros and cons and photo examples would be interesting.”

In the November 2010 issue of American Quilter, fuser extraordinaire Frieda Anderson presented an article called Choosing and Using Fusible Web. If you can get your hands on this issue, you will find a comprehensive comparison of 11 different types of fusibles in varying weights.

Frieda does share on her blog, in this post called Fusing that her favorite is Wonder Under regular weight. Be sure to go read her post, and while you’re there on her blog, type “fusible” or some variant into the search box and you will come up a bunch of other good information. Note: I believe that Frieda, like other members of the Chicago School of Fusing, pre-fuses large pieces of fabric, whereas I use fusible web to make templates for individual shapes.

A few years ago I embarked on a whole determined expedition to try out every kind of paper-backed fusible I could get my hands on. I tried them all. Some of the reasons I was not satisfied included the following:

• Too thick, like gauze
• Didn’t work as advertised (supposed to stick without fusing, didn’t)
• Too many types within brand, some on a bolt, some in a package, similar names, way confusing
• Separated from the backing paper before I had a chance to use it

I finally zeroed in on Wonder Under #805, regular weight. It became my go-to fusible web. Back in 2009 I wrote a blog post giving my tips for fusible web management.

Continuing my fusible web saga, at some point after that I started having trouble with the Wonder Under. After I fused it onto the back of my appliqué fabrics, the backing paper would not come off. I had to wait until the following day to peel the paper off and continue with my project.

At a quilt show, I bought a pack of SoftFuse from the Shades Textiles booth. What a relief! It’s very very lightweight, it doesn’t separate from the paper, it fuses to the fabric like lightning, and the paper comes off immediately! So that’s why it’s my current favorite. It acts the way this type of product is supposed to act! What a concept.

Here are some other articles that you may find of interest:

Hand Vs. Machine Appliqué: A Timed Experiment

Ink Jet Printable Fusible Web

Trying a New Fusible Web

Hope this helps!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

The winner of the Quilted Crow Girls pattern is… ! Congratulations

One of the Schoolhouse sessions that I attended during Spring Market was a presentation by Tri-State Printing. Tri-State is a well know name in the quilting industry. I’ve never used them, but I’ve been aware of them for a long time. They are extremely knowledgeable about our industry and its printing needs, and they print for a ton of quilt designers. If you need a little or a lot of help with your printed materials, from pattern covers to brochures to self-published books, they would be a good company to contact.

I went to a fun presentation from the Quilted Frog! Aka Carla Scott and Leanne Smith, who just came out with a new book from AQS Publishing called Lady Bug & Friends Quilts.

lady-bug

The Quilted Frog gals have developed a distinctive, cartoony, and very fun style they call Easy Outline Appliqué™. You have to go to their website and see the quilts from the new book! They are so different looking, really fresh and appealing!

Over on their website they also have tutorials and videos, so be sure to poke around all the great resources they offer.

There’s more from Schoolhouse and Market. I’m trying to wrangle some guest posts, so stay tuned!

Whilst I was tramping around the aisles of Market, I stopped by the Creative Crafts Group booth. They’re the ones who publish Quiltmaker and the special 100 Blocks issues, among many other publications. I was tickled to see the cover of the recent 100 Blocks Volume 3 blown up to poster size. A staffer insisted on taking my picture, and she told me to point to my block. This cheesy maneuver caused me to slump down, which made me look like I gained back that 10 pounds I just lost, but oh well. :)

ccg-booth

In case you ‘re interested in getting that special issue and haven’t found it yet, I have it available on my website now, on the Patterns page.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

The winner of the drawing for Exploring Embellishments is… Lori Ginsberg! Congratulations Lori! In her comments, Lori wrote, “I am fascinated by the idea of embellishing applique. Just another whole dimension to this wonderful artform.” I agree!

I’d like to take this opportunity to announce another exciting thing coming up. Hey guess what! I’m a cover girl!

100-3-cover

This is Volume 3 of Quiltmaker Magazine’s special 100 Blocks issue, coming out May 10. Lookie! My name’s right there, on the cover! Could this mean… possibly… that I’ve arrived?

And, my block is on the cover too! Can you guess which one it is?

Quiltmaker is conducting a blog hop May 2-6, with bunches of participating designers and giveaway goodness each day. My day is May 5, but make sure you go on the whole tour for the maximum amount of fun.

Here’s a link to the 100 Blocks page over at Quiltmaker. That’ll get you to the links for the hop.

In other news, I’ll be at the Seven Sisters Quilt Show in San Luis Obispo, California, April 30-May 1. I’m really looking forward to this event. It’s at the Expo Center at the Madonna Inn, which is quite storied and is as pink as pink can be. And there are horses pastured where we vendors park our cars! That’s an added treat for me. Full info at aqgc.org.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Red and green just look right

Filed Under History, Magazines | Comments Off on Red and green just look right

In the December/January 2011 issue of Quilters Newsletter, I enjoyed a three-page Reader’s Quilt Show of 19th century red-and-green appliqué quilts from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.

The article gave a link to the magazine’s website to learn more about why so many red and green appliqué quilts were made in that era.

After reading this on-line sidebar, I thought the topic could also be phrased, “why so many of that era’s quilts were red and green.” Very interesting!!

Quilters Newsletter Magazine Web Extra

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

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