Feb
6
Heffalumps
Filed Under Fabrics, Patterns | 8 Comments
Sometimes, when I get an idea for a new pattern, the title and the layout jump into my head fully formed. So it was with my latest.
I saw in my head what I wanted to do. Once I got the heffalumps drawn, I thought of making them in batiks. I pulled a few out of my stash, and purchased a couple more. Then a brain storm occurred. I thought, what am I doing!? I’ve got these precious hand-dyes left over from the super secret piecing project! Back the batiks went into the stash, and it was full speed ahead.
In choosing the colors, I did a rather primitive mockup on the design wall with chunks of fabric.
I think I ended up changing one ear.
I’m mighty pleased with how the heffalumps came out, with a smile for A.A. Milne, and they’ve been a big hit so far. The pattern is available now on my website, on the Patterns page.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Jan
7
Happy New Year!
Filed Under Designers, Kittens Off Topic, Patterns | 3 Comments
Greetings gentle quilters, here’s wishing that the new year treats you well!
The delightful Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs is launching a new free-pattern-every-month that she’s calling the Snow Happy Hearts Club. It’s a series of ornaments, one a month that you can make featuring Anne’s super adorable designs. Check it out!
Myself I’ve been working hard on a couple of projects over the holidays… one is a super secret piecing project (that’s right, I said piecing believe it or not) that I will be able to reveal soon. The other is a new appliqué pattern featuring an animal that popped into my head one day and wouldn’t leave :) Stay tuned. also coming soon.
Update to Kitten Cavalcade:
Giselle, now called Corkie, has gone to live with Minnie! That’s right, Helen decided to get her kitten a kitten, and these buddies are now lifelong companions.
Gunther was adopted the same day by a nice family that I was lucky enough to meet down at the shelter. He’s now known as Milo.
We thought we were done for the season and packed everything up. However, on new Year’s Eve I received a call from the shelter that there was one more, very late little kitten that needed foster. I couldn’t get her off my mind, so the next day I went down there to see if they had found anyone yet. They had not, so I brought the tiny little black thing home with me.
It’s hard to get a photo of Molly… she’s a kitten in motion, a spunky, feisty little mighty mite.
Dana got this shot of her in a moment of repose.
Single kittens tend to treat human hands like other kittens and treat them accordingly, but we’re working on it and she is learning to be an exceedingly sweet kitty. She’s a total lap cat, and sleeps on our heads at night.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Jul
1
Backyard Birds
Filed Under Patterns, Prizes | 45 Comments
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
Jun
23
I’ve got a couple new wall quilt patterns.
Hearts on a heart-shaped vine!
Over 20 years ago, when I signed up for my Beginning Quilting class, I got a look at the four-block sampler we were going to make. One of the blocks was Spice Pinks. But when the class began I found out that another block had been substituted, so I didn’t get to make it. I’ve never forgotten that beautiful block from all those years ago, and here it is re-engineered through the miracle of appliqué to avoid curved piecing.
Another project I just finished is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time… figure out a way to show the projects from the patterns more closely on the website. I do my own coding, and wasn’t quite sure how to do it, but I tried it the simplest way, and yippy skippy, it worked! You can now click on the pattern cover and a larger version of the quilt will come up in a separate window.
Lastly, I added my notecards to the website. They’re on the Notions page. They come four to a pack, with envelopes, and you can get all one style or an assortment. These notecards are great for dashing off a note to a quilty friend, or as a gift.
Thanks for listening to what I’ve been up to lately. I’m off to San Luis Obispo on Friday to set up for the annual Seven Sisters show. Hope to see you there this weekend!
Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Jun
12
SLO show adds workshop!
Filed Under Patterns, Quilt shows | 1 Comment
The first year I was at the Seven Sisters show in San Luis Obispo, I kept hearing the volunteers talking about the slow quilters. I filed this away in my brain as a curiosity. It took me awhile to figure out they were saying SLO quilters, as in San Luis Obispo LOL!
SLO is three hours drive down the coast from me, and I always look forward to rolling up on the beautiful and very pink Madonna Inn, with horses grazing in adjoining pastures. This year the show is June 28-29.
For the first time, they’ve added a workshop to the festivities!
Jan Krentz is well known for her books on star and diamond quilts. Jan will be giving a one-day class called Quick Starburst on both Saturday and Sunday, in two different locations.
In addition, Jan is giving the keynote address on Saturday evening, entitled “Design Inspiration from Everyday Life.”
You can register for these events at the show’s website, aqgcc.org.
If you’ve attended this show before, you’re used to finding me tucked away in the little side room, but this year I’ll be out on the main show floor. Hope to see you there!
Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Apr
30
Half Log Cabin Tulips!
Filed Under Blog hops, Magazines, Patterns, Prizes | 202 Comments
Welcome gentle quilters!! It’s Day 3 of the 100 Blocks Volume 9 blog tour! These tours are always a rollicking good time, and I’m happy to be part of things once again.
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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 all kinds of appliqué here on the blog. And, we have a featured appliqué book at the beginning of every month, given away in a drawing, which is way fun.
I’m delighted and proud to say that this is my eighth time having one of the 100 Blocks. I just love participating in these special issues!
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. I let my mind run wild, and realized that there are clever ways to use traditional pieced quilt blocks for this! It’s the best of both worlds!
Half-Log-Cabin Tulip by Kay Mackenzie.
Cutting a tulip “just so” from a traditional half-log-cabin block gives a fun, stylized look to a very traditional appliqué flower. Split leaves and a patched background complement the pieced nature of the tulip.
The magazine gives complete instructions for making the block, and includes the tulip template that fits just right on the half-log-cabin once it’s pieced. Very cool.
Of course you can change up the color of the background and the flowers. Here are just a couple of possibilities!
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I hope you enjoy this block and all the other 99 fabulous and varied designs in Volume 9!
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 Sunday, May 4.
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
Apr
8
Furry Sweetness
Filed Under Patterns, Prizes | 4 Comments
The winner of Sew Embellished is No. 9, Gail! Congratulations! Gail says that her guild is just starting a splinter group for art quilters this month and the timing is great. Very cool.
I have show and tell! At the recent Desert Guilds show in Palm Springs, the show committee asked the vendors to award ribbons for their favorites. I wandered the show looking here and looking there. I saw one that was entirely to my delight, walked up to it, and hung my ribbon. Then I read the description. No wonder I loved the pattern… it’s one of Holly’s!
Holly Mabutas is a gifted artist and quiltmaker who has THE most delightful patterns over at Eat Cake Graphics. Here’s the quilt from the show, Furry Sweetness by Judy Price, quilted by Lynette Harlan. Love it, gals!
my Vendor's Choice ribbon
Furry Sweetness at Eat Cake Graphics.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Mar
11
Chock full!
Filed Under Books, Designers, Patterns, Quilt shows | Comments Off on Chock full!
I’ve got a lot of fun stuff to mention today!
First off, Martingale is commemorating Worldwide Quilting Day, March 15, with several suggestions for things to do. One of them is, “Start a spark—make just one block!” To support this notion they’ve got some of their favorite block eBooks on sale. And my Easy Appliqué Blocks is one of them!
Go see the Martingale blog post!
Golly, it’s good to see those EAB blocks again.
I might just have to cook up something myself this Saturday to celebrate what is both Worldwide Quilting Day and National Quilting Day. Got my thinking cap on…
While I’m thinking, you have got to go and see what the phenomenal Darcy Ashton is working on now.
The gorgeous Miss Mermaid.
My next show is the Glendale Quilt Guild, March 21-22, newly held at the Pasadena Convention Center. After many years in Burbank, they’re moving to this new venue where the entire show can be in one giant happy room. Can’t wait, especially since I’ll get to see my special pal Cathy, she of GefiilteQuilt. Note that this is a Friday-Saturday show.
Got a lot to do to get ready! I’m also working on yet another new pattern. Stay tuned!
Until Saturday,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Mar
1
Fall Into Spring
Filed Under Patterns, Prizes | 49 Comments
As we ease our way into spring, it’s great to have this expanded pattern from the AQS Love to Quilt series!
Fall Into Spring is an award-winning quilt designed and made by Cheryl See in 2007. Cheryl used hand appliqué techniques, and you can use your favorite appliqué method to bring this 57½ x 57½ beauty to life.
The pattern includes humongo folded sheets inside that give you all the patterns full-size! Complete instructions, including optional trapunto and cording methods, are also on these big sheets. Cheryl notes that the fabrics in the original quilt are Marimekko® but that any gradated fabrics will work just as well, or you can piece to achieve the same effect.
If you’d like to win this pattern, please leave a comment here on the blog before 7:00 p.m. California time on Wednesday, March 5. Open to U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only. (Remember, emails won’t enter the drawing.)
Good luck everyone!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Feb
18
Winner, plus some other news!
Filed Under Books, Patterns, Prizes, Quilt shows | 1 Comment
Commenter No. 16, Karen Pastoor, came up the winner of The Quilter’s Appliqué Workshop. Congratulations Karen! I know you will enjoy this fabulous new book.
And don’t forget that Kevin Kosbab is holding a blog tour later this week to celebrate the book’s release! It’ll go February 20-28 over at Kevin’s blog, Feed Dog Designs.
In other news, I’m gearing up for my own guild’s quilt show this weekend! We’re the Pajaro Valley Quilt Association, with members from Santa Cruz County and beyond.
The show is held at the County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. It’s a great location, we have all three buildings and there are lots of fun features and activities during the show. I’ll be in the Harvest Building this year, the same building where lunch is served and the quilt auction and fashion show are held. Hope to see you there this weekend! Saturday, February 22, 10-5, and Sunday, February 23, 10-4.
I mentioned that I was working on a new pattern. Here it is, Sunday Dress.
Originally I called it “Easter Dress,” but after thinking about it some more, I changed it to Sunday Dress so that it wouldn’t seem so seasonal. Those of you who got it at the Folsom show (thank you), I guess you could say you have a collector’s item! :)
Back on the 1st with another great appliqué book! See you then!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Jan
31
Roadapalooza
Filed Under Patterns, Quilt shows | 8 Comments
Finally getting my head back on straight after a week away from home at the glorious Road to California show. My goodness, what an extravaganza! The Mayor of Ontario (California) said it is their single biggest event of the year.
This year, about 50 more vendors were added, located in a structure that was variously referred to as the Bubble, the Big Top, the Tent, and officially, The Pavilion. My pal Debby, whose shop is The Quilter’s Faire in Palm Desert, was the last to get a space and it was wonderful to have a chance to visit with her in those few minutes a day when we are not bungee-corded to our booths.
Debby had been telling me that she was going to make up my pattern
A Spin in the Garden, and there it was!
A whole new look, so fresh and adorable! She had kits for the happy spring-like fabrics, and I think they sold out. If you’re interested, you can contact the store to see if they have more. The Quilter’s Faire.
The Appliqué Self-Help Brochure went over well. :) I didn’t hand out that many, because in general the visitors to the booth had lovely, positive attitudes. When I did fish one out and hand it over with a smile, it was taken in good spirit, so I think it’s going to work.
A few of you stopped by to see the new Teapot quilt, thanks! it also was well received and fit into the booth “like butter.”
I didn’t get the chance to take many photos of the show entries, but what I did notice were several variations of the good ol’ Dresden Plate, one of my favorite blocks. There were more, but here are just a couple.
Fancy Dresden Plate by Cheryl Beckendorf and Leslie Guyton, quilted by Heidi Stagno
Bloomin' Cogwheels by Janna Thomas
There’s something exciting coming to Appliqué Book Land, quite soon! Stay tuned!
Until then,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Dec
22
Teapot winners, and Show & Tell!
Filed Under Patterns, Prizes, Show & Tell | 4 Comments
Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes!!! That was fun, and it was really fun to pull three winners this time. The readers who will receive a copy of my Teapots 2 to Appliqué are #56, Lee; #2, JuliaP; and #15, Debra. I appreciate you all so much for joining me on this blog, throughout the year.
Regular reader Beverly Schueneman made my Plum Pudding pattern to hang on her kitchen door!
So cute! I love the fabrics that she chose for the patched backgrounds, and the hard-to-find mottled browns for the puddings.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Oct
1
Li’L Woolies
Filed Under Patterns, Prizes, Wool | 38 Comments
The gals at The Wooden Bear dropped me a line to let me know about their very adorable new BOM series that starts in January.
Extreme cuteness for every month of the year!
Not only that, they’re offering a free U.S. shipping special if you sign up by October 10!
As a special treat for readers of the blog, The Wooden Bear is giving away a complete kit for January, pattern plus wool plus thread included. How nice is that?
If you’d like to win the kit for this happy snowman, please leave a comment on this post here at All About Appliqué by 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 5.
Contest open to U.S. and Canada mailing address only. And remember, replies to email subscriptions do not enter the drawing.
Many thanks to The Wooden Bear!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Aug
24
A Cat Tale
Filed Under Patterns | 9 Comments
Dana helped me make a little video to introduce my new pattern.
Available on the Patterns page at kaymackenzie.com.
Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Aug
5
Flourish on the Vine
Filed Under Patterns, Prizes | 42 Comments
The winner of the IQA Founders Award in Houston in 2011 was a masterpiece appliqué quilt by Kathy K. Wylie called Flourish on the Vine.
Flourish was also on the cover of the April/May 2012 issue of Quilters Newsletter, so you may have seen it there!
C&T Publishing has collaborated with Kathy to publish a pattern pack with full-size pattern sheets and complete instructions to make your own version of this graceful and sophisticated quilt.
They sent me a copy to share with my readers! Thanks C&T!
Kathy used a focus fabric to pull together the soft palette she had in mind. Inspired by wrought-iron work and a Bible verse, the quilt took two years to complete. The pattern has the quilt top divided into 12 sections for ease of completion. Suitable for experienced appliquérs who like luxurious, intricate details, the cover makes the point that it also has comprehensive instructions with template tips that make it approachable for ambitious beginners.
If you’d like to win a copy of the Flourish on the Vine pattern pack, please leave a comment here on this post before 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 9.
Contest open to U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only. Do not reply to your email feed; leave your comment on this post on the blog on the internet.
Good luck to all, and thanks for reading All About Appliqué!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
May
14
Ginger Jars
Filed Under Patterns, Quilt shows | 5 Comments
A few weeks back I showed a sneak peek of my newest pattern. Here’s the whole deal:
I love blue, and I had five out of six of these blues in my stash! Usually I work with a mix of colors, and it was a very fun departure to do a monochromatic piece. I think the Ginger Jars would also look great done up in Oriental fabrics.
This weekend I’m off to Brentwood, California. It’s time for the Delta Quilters Guild show, and they’re having it at a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility, the Brentwood Community Center.
Sunday is our wedding anniversary (24 years!), and sweet DH Dana has decided to drive up to help me pack at the end of the show, and then we’ll have dinner. Anybody familiar with the area know of a nice casual place that has yummy food?
Apr
30
Dream Pony
Filed Under Blog hops, Magazines, Patterns | 259 Comments
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
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
Mar
12
Headed south
Filed Under Patterns, Quilt shows | Comments Off on Headed south
Dana’s loading the Vibe tomorrow morning for my trip to the environs of LA. I’ll visit Cathy Thursday morning, then it’s a short hop the rest of the way to Burbank to set up for the Glendale Quilt Guild Show.
I had a blast at this show last year and can’t wait to go again. If you’re down that way, do stop by to say hey. I’m in the same spot.
Did you see the free pattern at Bunny Hill? Adorable bunny towels!
See you next week! I have a fantastic guest tutorial coming right up!
Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Feb
18
New patterns!
Filed Under Patterns | 6 Comments
As part of my 2013 New Year’s Day post, I mentioned that I’m starting up my own line of stand-alone patterns. I showed the first couple of new ones.
Well, I’ve been a very busy girl and now I have twelve! Here are the rest of them.
These are all available at kaymackenzie.com, on the . Some I appliquéd by hand, some by machine, but of course you can use your own favorite method. I’m pretty excited about the whole thing. It feels great to be doing something new!
Thanks for taking a look at my Show & Tell,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Jan
1
10 Year Anniversary!
Filed Under Patterns, Prizes | 4 Comments
Happy New Year!
It’s an momentous day in the Mackenzie household! It was exactly 10 years ago today that I stepped a foot into the professional side of quilting and published my first book.
Even though I’ve always been an appliqué person, I started with something that was all piecing, all the time. Dog Cabin was a huge endeavor. I had to relearn everything I had learned in my sprinkling of digital-media classes, and climb a mountain of details that ranged from procuring ISBNs to learning about distribution channels to approaching catalogs and a million more things. I was on fire, and I loved every minute of it. Dog Cabin was picked up immediately by Checker Distributors and placed in Connecting Threads, and all of a sudden I had a career.
Dog Cabin is a great little book. I really flexed my illustration muscles and included tons of graphics showing everything from:
How to straighten up the grain of the fabric to…
How to measure and rotary cut…
To the dust bunnies that will accumulate in your house when you finally bust out that novelty fabric you’ve been “saving.”
It’s a fantastic book for the beginning quilter and also, I might add, a very fun project for quilters of any flavor as you rest your right brain, engage your left brain, and sew sew sew!
To celebrate the anniversary of this classic book, read on to the end of the post to see how (if you’re in the U.S.) you can get a copy of Dog Cabin, free!
In the last 10 years I’ve published eight more of my own books, and had three books published by Martingale. I still love it and I still feel like going strong!
In the last part of 2012 I started on a new endeavor, producing a line of stand-alone patterns. It’s really exciting to be doing something new. I’ve put out some few patterns in the past, but now I’m getting organized about the whole thing. UPC codes! How long I’ve known o’ ye, and finally we meet!
My two new patterns:
This little quilt appeared in my book Easy Appliqué Blocks, now available exclusively as an eBook from the publisher. When the print copies were all gone I received the go-ahead from Martingale to publish this design on its own. It’s been the most-requested pattern in my booth, so I’m so delighted to be able to offer it now!
Sandy Klop of American Jane is a buddy of mine. I LOVE her fabric from Moda! When I heard she was coming out with a new line called Savonnerie (Soap Factory) I kept an eagle eye out for it. As soon as the images went up on the Moda website, I knew it would be perfect for this pattern that I had in mind for a classic Dresden Plate. Moda graciously sent me some cuts of fabric, and I’ve been industriously working on the wall quilt ever since. I went all old-school and hand-quilted it! It really is like riding a bike and it felt good to go back to my roots as a quilter.
Okay, back to Dog Cabins and 10-Year Anniversaries. In celebration of this milestone, for the next week, through January 7, 2013, if you order one of these patterns… or anything at all… from kaymackenzie.com you’ll receive a copy of Dog Cabin absolutely free. That’s right, you can order a package of needles and you’ll get the book, and I’ll even cover any extra shipping. Limit one, U.S. customers only, while supplies last.
Happy 2013!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
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