Jun

20

2 new from C&T!

Well folks we were down for a little while there. I got a message from Google that the blog had been hacked.

Oh bother. As an admin that is not a word you want to hear. I looked into the “issue” and came to the swift conclusion that it was above my non-techie head to fix it. Instead of having a nervous breakdown, I decided to hire a professional.

I engaged the services of a web guy, who knew just what to do. He basically stripped the files and re-loaded fresh versions of them, removing discovered malware along the way. Everything is all neat and clean and given the good housekeeping seal from Google once again. Thank you Jordan Iversen for saving my sanity.

During the “hiatus,” I got press releases from C&T announcing new titles. Two of them are beyond-gorgeous appliqué. If you click on the images, it will pull up a pdf of the entire press release. I’ve also added them to my Amazon Appliqué Bookshop. Do they not look amazing???

Until next time,
Kay

By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

euphoria

hexie-garden

hexie-garden

June 20, 2016

Filed Under Admin notes, Books | 1 Comment 

May

14

Sprucing up!

It’s nice to freshen things up once in awhile… fluff and plump and dust, simplify and rearrange. With that in mind, I recently challenged myself to give my website a complete overhaul.

The old site served me well, and I was proud of myself for rolling up my sleeves and learning how to code html, but the internet has come so far just in the last 12 years that it was time to change to something simpler.

It took awhile, but now it’s all done! The By Kay Mackenzie shop is now powered by Square. It’s much easier to navigate, and you can see everything for one item all together in one spot! That’s worth celebrating!

Celebrate the grand reopening with a coupon worth 10% off your entire order! Enter FRESH as a promo code during checkout. Normal shipping charges apply. Expires May 31, 2016.

new-store

Note: The url for my website stays the same. You’ll land on the home page, and from there you can click “Come on in the shop” and you’ll go to the new Square online store.

Happy dancing,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

May 14, 2016

Filed Under Quilt shops | 1 Comment 

May

13

Volume 13 winner!

Congratulations go to Lori Butler! She came up the winner of a copy of 100 Blocks, Volume 13, courtesy of the editors at Quiltmaker!

100-9

If you still need to get your copy, you can look for it at your favorite newsstand, or order from quiltmaker.com. They have hard copy and download.

Until next time, with some exciting news!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

May 13, 2016

Filed Under Magazines | Leave a Comment 

May

4

Make Beleaf

Welcome to All About Appliqué on this third 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.

My block was inspired by the famous and beloved quilt by Susan McCord, Trailing Vines, which is in the Henry Ford Museum. Here’s a closeup of her fantastical leaves (photo courtesy of the museum). I have passionately loved and admired the inclusion of red and blue.

trailing-vines-closeup

I design my appliqué blocks in Adobe Illustrator, a vector graphics program. Usually I do not use color to fill in the shapes, because what happens is that I become attached to those colors and drive myself crazy trying to match them in fabric.

Well guess what, that’s exactly what happened this time LOL. I started playing around with color, and it was all over. Here’s my digital mockup, seeing what the leaves would look like cut out of strip sets.

illos-make-beleaf

Predictably, I couldn’t rest until I replicated what I saw on my computer screen. Most of the colors I found with ease, but I tore my stash apart looking for that just-right light tan. Finally found it! Yay!

fabrics-beleaf

The background is a light misty gray hand-dyed fabric from Always Unique. It’s gonna give it somewhat of a moderny look.

Here’s my pile o’ strips.

strips-beleaf

Laid out into two different strip sets.

strip-sets-beleaf

And here’s my finished block, Make Beleaf. I used raw-edge fusible machine appliqué.

I love combining patchwork with appliqué, so these stripped leaves are right up my alley. Of course you can use all sorts of different colors, and the leaves can be used in a million different ways. Templates and complete instructions are found in the magazine. Have fun making yours!

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 Tuesday, May 10.

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 (click on the title of the article) and leave your comment at the bottom of the post. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by on the blog hop!

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

May 4, 2016

Filed Under Blog hops, Magazines | 128 Comments 

Apr

29

100 More Blocks!

After taking a break for a couple of issues, I have a block once again in the newest issue of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks.

A bunch of the designers are participating in a blog hop to celebrate this very lucky 13th issue!


My day is Wednesday, May 4, but you should follow the hop all week long! Beginning Monday, start each day at the Quiltmaker blog Quilty Pleasures for links to the designers and chances to win prizes all along the way.

Fun!!

See you next week,

Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

April 29, 2016

Filed Under Magazines | 1 Comment 

Apr

27

Studio

In my booth at shows, one of the most universally popular and pattern-requested quilts has been “Studio.”

studio-image

I always say that any sewing room or little nook can be a studio, if you only hang up a sign!

Studio was one of the projects from my book Scrap-Appliqué Playground. If you have that book, then you have this pattern. If not, and you’ve admired the quilt at shows, the pattern is finally here!

studio-front-cover

This is such a fun one. Putting scraps together and then cutting shapes out of them adds a little twinkle to appliqué. And, gentle quilter, you may just have scraps… I mean just possibly… I venture to say it’s not out of the realm of probability… but even if you want to use fabric that has never been cut into, it’s okay! You have permission!

The Studio pattern is available over on my website, or if you like, from my Etsy Shop.

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

April 27, 2016

Filed Under Patterns | 1 Comment 

Apr

20

Lovely Hearts

Two of my books with Martingale have gone out of print. That’s bittersweet. Sad face, there aren’t any more copies of the books. Glad face, the rights have reverted to me and I can now develop and offer patterns using the designs! :)

The very first pattern that I worked on was the “Love” block from Easy Appliqué Blocks. It’s one of my favorite blocks from the book so it was an easy choice to go first.

Here’s the new pattern, Lovely Hearts.

lh-cover-website

It’s a 16 x 16 mini-quilt that can go up on any little wall space, proclaiming your affection for the world’s best emotion. I used raw-edge fusible machine appliqué, but of course you can use your own favorite method.

Until next time, with more!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

April 20, 2016

Filed Under Patterns | Leave a Comment 

Apr

13

The clapper!

No, not that lamp that turns itself on or off when you clap your hands. This is a gadget that you probably know about, but somehow I didn’t, despite the fact that I have been sewing and pressing like mad as a quilter for 25 years.

The tailor’s clapper! It’s my new favorite thing!

clapper

A tailor’s clapper is a wooden implement that is unfinished on the bottom. “Clapping” it over a freshly steamed seam will give an extra press and also absorb the moisture, so that seam lies very flat and crisp.

After I first heard about it, I was making a label for a new quilt. I always add strips around the sides to make a frame, then turn under the edges so that I can easily blind-stitch the label to the backing. These turned-under edges do NOT want to stay. I looked around my studio to see if I had anything that I could pretend was a clapper, and spied a wooden pencil box. Sure enough, even though the wood was varnished, it worked! The edges of that label stayed turned!! So exciting! (Sometimes it’s the little things.)

I got on Etsy and looked for a real clapper. I found one easily at Jackson Woodworks and ordered the small one, in oak.

Then came the acid test… the label situation. I sewed up a couple of blank, pseudo-labels for the test.

labels-clapper

Which one do you think is “with clapper” and which one “no clapper?”

That’s right, the upper one was pressed just the way I have always done it, no clapper. The lower one was clappered. Another question… which one do you think you’d like to work with more? :)

And BTW… no clapping required. I did not clap the clapper down, just pressed it down as soon as I removed the iron. Easy peasy! I am now probably addicted to using the clapper and won’t be able to press a seam without it.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

April 13, 2016

Filed Under Product demo | 5 Comments 

Feb

29

Laurel Burch coloring book

Just got this press release from C&T Publishing, and thought I’d pass it along for those of you who live in northern California. Sounds like a very cool event for fans of the fabulous Laurel Burch.

ct-logoSave the Date – The Art of Laurel Burch Coloring Book Release Party: FREE Event Sponsored by C&T Publishing

laurel-coloring

Join the coloring book craze and experience firsthand the relaxation and creativity it can bring! The long-awaited coloring book by C&T Publishing with original drawings pulled straight from Laurel Burch’s sketchbook is here, and FLAX is hosting a coloring event with a hands-on demo and everything you need to color your own Laurel Burch illustration.

Learn more about Laurel Burch, a local San Francisco artist and get a glimpse into how the artist worked with featured items from her studio. Experience the vivid palette of her paintings by adding your own panache in the posthumously published The Art of Laurel Burch™ Coloring Book. Plus, meet Aarin Burch, Laurel’s daughter, and hear stories about Laurel making jewelry and selling her art on the streets of San Francisco. Giveaways of coloring books, Laurel Burch Studios items, and more!

Event Date: March 26, 2016

Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Location: FLAX Fort Mason Center
2 Marina Blvd, Bldg D
San Francisco

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kays Etsy Shop

February 29, 2016

Filed Under Books | 3 Comments 

Feb

19

Retro Clean has a new look!

At Road to California I saw my vendor buddies Mindy and Larry with the product that they invented, Retro Clean.

Mindy! Larry was out and about.

Mindy! Larry was out and about.

Here are links to a couple of posts I wrote about using Retro Clean and the wonders it did for my auld family linens. I always keep a package on hand.

rooster2

Retro Clean
Green Means Go

At the show, Mindy had her butterfly quilt hung up, it had been a WIP for quite awhile.

butterfly-quilt

Here’s what the top looked like before Retro Clean.

Yeah, just sayin'.

Yeah, just sayin’.

You might be familiar with Retro Clean in the silver package. Mindy told me that the product now comes in a pretty white package, just so you know.

white-package

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

February 19, 2016

Filed Under Product demo | Leave a Comment 

Feb

7

Christmas Sweater finds a home!

A year ago, I put up a post entitled, “Anybody want this block?”

ugly-xmas

It was my 100 Blocks reject, Ugly Christmas Sweater.

I am so grateful to those of you who stepped up and said you would be willing to give this poor orphan a home. The randomly drawn winner was Beverly Schueneman.

Recently I received the following message from Beverly:

Dear Kay,

I have not forgotten you and your cute sweater block.

I had planned to be finished for Xmas, but I had to have surgery on my right hand on Nov. 9. That was the end of sewing for me. I wore a cast until the day before Xmas eve.

As of today the Christmas quilt has been completely quilted. Each block is one of your creations from your book. I have added buttons and bears, so it is unique. Sort of scrappy. And of course, the sweater block takes up most of the space. You had signed my book, so I copied that and placed it under the quilt.

Well, I just wanted you to know I had not forgotten my promise to turn it into a quilt.

Sincerely,
Beverly Schueneman

bev-mainHere’s Beverly’s creation!

How fun! I see designs from my book A Merry Little Christmas to Appliqué, and I even see a little doggy from another book of mine, Home.

In the Ugly Christmas Sweater tradition, Beverly has added embellishments to enhance each design.

joy

And how very cool that she copied my signature and incorporated it into the quilt! That is just so sweet!

stockings

Thank you, Beverly, for giving this block a lasting life. Glad your hand is better, and may your family enjoy the quilt next Christmas and many more to come.

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

February 7, 2016

Filed Under Holiday, Show & Tell | Leave a Comment 

Feb

1

Darcy Ashton for real!

While I was on the road to Road to California, I got an email from my longtime friend, fellow designer and publisher Darcy Ashton. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know how much I admire Darcy’s designs. In addition, for years and years she has been to me a boon companion, consultant, source of support and freely given information, in short a wonderful mentor.

Now I find out that Darcy will be at the show as well! I’m so surprised and delighted! Darcy hails from Oklahoma and this is her first trip west of the Rockies. She’s with the Anna’s Awesome Appliqué Designs booth. Anna digitizes designs so that you can stitch them in the hoop if you have one of those nifty embroidery machines.

I couldn’t wait to see Darcy in person!

me-n-darcyMe ‘n Darcy.

It was thoroughly wonderful to get a chance to meet, greet, sit down, and chat in person. At a show like this, you have to steal the minutes, but we visited as much as we could, and I had a chance to look around Anna’s booth.

owl-quiltThe quilt behind the two of us is “Owls With Attitude,” featuring designs from Darcy’s newest book, Outstanding Owls for Appliqué. I wrote about the book in September.

bunniesI also spied some of Darcy’s other animals, including her famous bunnies and the Darling Little Dogs.

Anna works with other designers to digitize their designs.

talaveraFiesta de Talavera, designed by J. Michelle Watts based on Mexican hand-painted tiles.

pillowThe incredible Jacobean appliqué of the late great Pat Campbell.

I hope Darcy had a great time in California and comes back soon!!

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

February 1, 2016

Filed Under Designers, Patterns | 1 Comment 

Jan

18

Hitting the road

It’s that time again! This year the quilt show season starts for me with the incredible Road to California.

Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 4.41.03 PM

If you and I usually see one another at this wonderful show, I’m in the same booth, 1304 in the Ballroom. If this will be your first time as a Roadie, you’re in for a treat! Be sure to pace yourself as there’s a lot to see and do, and please come by and say hey.

you-packingDaisy says, you not packing are you?

BRB in a week!

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

January 18, 2016

Filed Under Quilt shows | 2 Comments 

Jan

2

New year, new pattern!

A very happy new year to you! Hope you’re warm and safe, wherever you may be.

I finished a new pattern!

rose-wreath-cover-1000

Four appliqué Rose Wreath blocks, set on point, framed and sashed with the gorgeous prints of your choice. It’s a lovely table runner, or a banner!

I used fusible machine appliqué for the blocks. Here’s a link to a photo tutorial on the method.

Raw-edge Fusible Demo

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

January 2, 2016

Filed Under Fusible web, Patterns, Photo tutorials | 1 Comment 

Dec

25

6th Annual Cavalcade of Kittens

Due to the acquisition of a new canine mascot, The Mackenzie Finishing School for Felines opened its doors quite late in the season.

daisy carrot
Daisy and her carrot. The carrot has, alas, now gone the way of all dog toys that are in any way destructible.

tucked-up
When playtime is over, this is one cuddly snuggle-pup.

It wasn’t until September that we brought home our first batch of foster kittens. The kitties we take in are big enough to eat on their own, generally five to six weeks old, and we keep them until they’re at least eight weeks, two pounds, and in good body condition. It’s so much fun, and so rewarding to watch them grow from sometimes shy, teensy little klutzes with short stubby legs to sturdy confident pre-teens who sprout legs and run thumping and banging around the house.

6-1
Our first group of cute blue-eyed Snowshoe kitties were Lila, Lucinda, and Ellison.

lila 3Lila enjoys the patio.

lucinda-2Lucinda appreciates a comfy cat bed.

ellisonEllison chases his sister’s tail.

It turns out that Daisy loves, LOVES kittens, in fact she was likely to love them to pieces, so close supervision was necessary at all times. These kitties weren’t the least bit shy, and didn’t bat a whisker at a pushy puppy licking their ears and chewing them up all over. In fact they purred and tussled back in a sort of very fun baby-animal Fight Club.

playing in boxLila was Daisy’s favorite tussle partner.

kittens dreamEllison got his licks in too. :)

threes a crowdCo-drinking.

vending machineKitten vending machine.

Everyone survived the foster period, these three went back to the shelter in fine fettle, and were snatched up by adopters at once.

The second batch consisted of three fuzzy tabby sisters: Mamie, Sadie, and Paisley.

tabby-breakfastBreakfast time!

she did itShe did it. (Mamie and Paisley.)

mislabeledSadie is shocked at the egregious mistake in the labeling.

Unlike the Siamese, these tabby girls weren’t so sure at first about the whole dog thing. They established boundaries that were a valuable part of Daisy’s education. After just a few days they got over it, the Fight Club resumed, and a splendid time was had by all.

sadie daisyIn between rounds, Daisy and Sadie enjoy the afternoon sun on the front porch.

When they first came in, these girls were a tad bit shy. It didn’t take them long to figure out that humans, big cats, and dogs were okay, and to become friendly kitties. Mamie was the friendliest of them all, in fact I took to calling her “Mamie the Everpresent,” because she was just always there.

mamie 4She liked to be upside down, and was Daisy’s favorite tabby tussle partner.

kitty-nirvanaDH Dana calls this one “Kitty Nirvana.”

dishwashersWe have a drought in California, you know. To save water, we have our kittens wash our dishes.

The tabbies went back to the shelter for adoption and were snapped up in no time.

Since then, I’ve had a weather eye out for more kittens, but so far there haven’t been any that were in the appropriate age group for the foster program. Still checking daily!

Happy holidays to you and yours!
Kay

By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

December 25, 2015

Filed Under Kittens Off Topic | 4 Comments 

Dec

3

Chestnuts roasting etc.

Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like that time of year! A very fun month full of nostalgic holiday music, scheming and shopping for our dear ones, and get-togethers that all seem to happen on the same day. This year it’s Saturday the 12th. You?

ugly-xmas
Here’s a little Christmas roundup from the blog.

A few years ago, genius designer Holly Mabutas put up the most darling free Santa pattern over on her blog. It’s still there, go check it out!

And here’s a photo tutorial of how I handled a large piece of white appliquéd over other fabrics, without shadow-through. The hard sauce on the Plum Pudding!

Holiday cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

December 3, 2015

Filed Under Holiday | 1 Comment 

Nov

27

Shop Small

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, or Shop Small Day. I like that, because I’ve always loved small things. Unlike my husband, who hauls out the biggest cutting board, knife, pan, or whatever tool he can find to do the tiniest job, I prefer things that feel petite. As well as little quilts, little dogs, little kittens, etc. My business is small, a one-woman outfit that I’ve built myself, and it fits just right.

If you’d like to visit on Shop Small Day, the holiday shopping special is still in effect at the Etsy Shop. Use the coupon code 20XMAS at checkout to save 20% storewide.

Speaking of small quilts, here’s a post that shows how I make my framed mini-quilts. Perfect for quilty holiday gifts!

love-done

More turkey!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

November 27, 2015

Filed Under Framed mini-quilts | Leave a Comment 

Nov

20

Considering the Stash

I made a new version of Love My Stash!

Love My Stash by Kay Mackenzie

It’s really is made 100% from my stash. Can you tell I love blue and red and ivory, florals and toiles and polka dots??

I’ve updated the cover of the pattern and also the notecards.

Speaking of the stash, here’s a blast from the past involving two big kittens and their midnight tippytoe excursion.

normal-stash

And, a Fabric Surprise filmed by the DH!

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

November 20, 2015

Filed Under Patterns | 2 Comments 

Nov

19

MVPs, again

Admin note: This is the same post as last time; somehow in the strange badlands of code, there was a glitch that prevented the Comments from working. I *think* it’s fixed now (fingers crossed, toes as well). Just skip this if you read it before. Thanks!!!

___________________________________

When I started this blog years ago, I wanted it to become a resource center of information for those who celebrate appliqué or who are interested in learning more.


When I added the capability of subscribing to the blog by email, I found that quilters forgot it was a blog, and thought of it as a newsletter.


The thing about newsletters is, unless you save them all, you can’t refer back to the information that you may have found useful when they came across. That’s why blogs are so nifty! The articles stay there, everything’s indexed, and you can find the info any time using a variety of mechanisms… Categories, Keyword Search, Archives, they’re all right there in the sidebars.

But again, those who receive the contents of each post by email never see the blog itself on the internet unless they click over! (This is done simply by cliking the title of the article in the email you are reading.)

The blog header.


That’s why I’ve decided to start a Sunday drive down memory lane. I’ll be revisiting older articles that you may not have seen if you joined the blog after they were posted, or may have forgotten about if you’ve been around for awhile.


We’ll be looking back at the articles that are the very most helpful concerning appliqué. A bunch of different kinds of appliqué are covered. So relax, kick back, and enjoy the scenery!

Let’s go back to An Early Heart to see what Freezer Paper On The Back is all about.

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

November 19, 2015

Filed Under Admin notes, Freezer paper on the back | 2 Comments 

Nov

4

The turn of the season

A nip is in the air here in Santa Cruz. I was in Beverly’s yesterday and a bunch of the shelves were bare. (Bev’s is a fabulous sewing and craft store in case you don’t have one in your area.) I thought to myself, they’re starting to put up the Christmas stuff!! Then I swung by Target, and they already had their Christmas stuff out. Things are getting festive all over! A fun time of the year.

Okay, I thought, maybe it’s time for me to announce my own little Christmas corner. That’s right, over at Etsy, I’ve created a whole section devoted to the holiday.

Christmas Gift Tags

I just started making these... Espalier Christmas Tree Button Cards

Head on over to Etsy to check them out, along with all the other items. If something catches your fancy while you’re there, use the coupon code 20XMAS to save 20%! Good on anything in my Etsy Store.

Happy Approaching Holidays!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Kay’s Etsy Shop

November 4, 2015

Filed Under Holiday | 1 Comment 

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