Good morning everyone,
Hope all is good today! I finally have a new website for you to peruse. I have lots of info over there including batting, Cuddle Minky, fabric and lots of fun pictures of quilts. You can also book a quilt using my online form. Enjoy checking it out:
www.gotkwilts.com
Enjoy!
Richla
Friday, June 12, 2020
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Mr. Ed
Good evening everyone! Can't believe we are at the end of another weekend. I was asked by Kristen at Circa 15 to quilt up this shop sample for her and while I was quilting it, it brought up some memories. You all probably think I am crazy with my silly brain and the thoughts that run through it while I am working on your quilts - but that is just how it goes over here. I love what I do!
This will probably give away my age - but do you all remember that talking horse Mr. Ed. It was a show I used to watch. Of course the horse was a palomino, but this quilt reminded me of it. Here is a clip in case you have forgotten:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LND1PypBnrU
And then as the machine was quilting roses allover the quilt, I looked closer at the background fabric and it reminded me of some old wallpaper in my Grandma's house and also similar fabric I remember seeing on one of my Mom's shirts. I lived on a farm with my Mom, Grandma and Grandpa. And although none of you have ever asked, the scar above my lip was from a horse that bit me when I was 2 years old. Luckily, I don't remember it. I was born with red hair so the joke was that the horse thought he saw a carrot and took a bite. :)
I had to go up to the library and see if I could find the books I used to read when I was a kid, because it reminded me of my Nancy Drew books and Trixie Belden. Of course - more horses.....
And then the memory came back from all of those Louis L'Amour books that my Grandpa used to read. Horses were allover the covers of those books. Sew..... when I dropped off the quilts at Circa today, I bought a kit to make for my Mom for her birthday and one for me. Although, I will probably re-imagine it a little bit so it will work with my studio.
It is an amazing life size panel. Something I have never seen before - so I know I will enjoy making it. I have big longarming goals for this quilt. I know a double layer of batting will be in it for dimension and of course some custom quilting. Possibly some horseshoes. Can't wait. I opened the cute box that it came in this afternoon. It looks like there are some additional items in there that are not included in the quilt including a color by number fabric. Awwww..... more memories. I used to love color by number.
Hope you all have a great week! It's going to be a busy one around here.
Happy "Kwilting!"
Richla
This will probably give away my age - but do you all remember that talking horse Mr. Ed. It was a show I used to watch. Of course the horse was a palomino, but this quilt reminded me of it. Here is a clip in case you have forgotten:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LND1PypBnrU
And then as the machine was quilting roses allover the quilt, I looked closer at the background fabric and it reminded me of some old wallpaper in my Grandma's house and also similar fabric I remember seeing on one of my Mom's shirts. I lived on a farm with my Mom, Grandma and Grandpa. And although none of you have ever asked, the scar above my lip was from a horse that bit me when I was 2 years old. Luckily, I don't remember it. I was born with red hair so the joke was that the horse thought he saw a carrot and took a bite. :)
I had to go up to the library and see if I could find the books I used to read when I was a kid, because it reminded me of my Nancy Drew books and Trixie Belden. Of course - more horses.....
And then the memory came back from all of those Louis L'Amour books that my Grandpa used to read. Horses were allover the covers of those books. Sew..... when I dropped off the quilts at Circa today, I bought a kit to make for my Mom for her birthday and one for me. Although, I will probably re-imagine it a little bit so it will work with my studio.
It is an amazing life size panel. Something I have never seen before - so I know I will enjoy making it. I have big longarming goals for this quilt. I know a double layer of batting will be in it for dimension and of course some custom quilting. Possibly some horseshoes. Can't wait. I opened the cute box that it came in this afternoon. It looks like there are some additional items in there that are not included in the quilt including a color by number fabric. Awwww..... more memories. I used to love color by number.
Hope you all have a great week! It's going to be a busy one around here.
Happy "Kwilting!"
Richla
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
The Happiest quilt I have made...
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a fun and safe holiday. Here is to a lot of fun sewing in 2016! My oldest daughter, Sonia, who is now 9 was the inspiration for this quilt. From the age of 2 she was in occupational therapy for 6 years. Every week after therapy, she wanted to go Country Village and visit the quilt shop Keepsake cottage. She found this old pattern by Quilt Soup and each time would carefully pick out fabrics that she wanted to use.
After 5 years stashed away, I finally got it out and finished it. Does time fly by??? I have to say, even though I would not have selected these specific fabrics - it has turned out to be my favorite and happiest quilt I have ever made. I hope she will treasure this one for many years to come.
I did some free motion quilting on this one along with a heart vine border and a bookworm border. Can you see it? A layer of Dream Supreme Cotton batting in the middle. Love this batting. I used one of my extra wide fabrics by Riley Blake on the back.
Enjoy!
After 5 years stashed away, I finally got it out and finished it. Does time fly by??? I have to say, even though I would not have selected these specific fabrics - it has turned out to be my favorite and happiest quilt I have ever made. I hope she will treasure this one for many years to come.
I did some free motion quilting on this one along with a heart vine border and a bookworm border. Can you see it? A layer of Dream Supreme Cotton batting in the middle. Love this batting. I used one of my extra wide fabrics by Riley Blake on the back.
Enjoy!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Almost there....
Good Afternoon everyone! I can't believe it is the last day of 2015. Looking forward to lots of sewing fun in 2016. I had a chance to see Ann who moved to South Carolina this past week. She brought me this very fun holiday quilt to work on. We used a design called Holly Berries with a layer of Dream wool batting and a light cream thread. Love how it turned out! I'll be posting more pictures next year. If you are on Instagram, find me @gotkwilts.
Have a safe and Happy New Year and Happy "Kwilting!" Richla
Have a safe and Happy New Year and Happy "Kwilting!" Richla
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
A quilt made from aprons!
Good Morning everyone! My oldest daughter turns 9 on Monday. Just so hard to believe. Which means that I learned to sew 10 years ago. How crazy is that! I took my first quilting class at QWNW when they were in their old location while I was pregnant with Sonia. Then I met some amazing women who took me under their wing and taught me all they know.
I love working on your quilts. Under the bright lights - they can not hide from me. And on occasion, as I am working on them - they bring up memories and my crazy brain starts to write stories. This quilt that Joyce brought me below is one of those quilts. So bear with me, while I try to put this story into words that won't make too many of you gasp or shake your heads.
My neighbor Jeanne is one of those women who helped me learn to quilt and she taught me how to paper piece. One year as a gift for my Aunt Wes (one of my longarms is named after her) and my Uncle Dan, I made them paper pieced place mats. The pattern was a paper pieced yellow rose (for the yellow rose of TX) and blue. My Aunt loved yellow and blue so I thought this would be the perfect gift for them. You see, each time I would visit them, they would always use the same old worn out place mats and I thought this would be the perfect gift for them to use and love. Each time they sat down to eat, they could admire the place mats that I had made and hopefully think of me.
This is the memory that Joyce brought back to me. My Aunt and Uncle passed away over the past couple of years and when everything was being cleaned out, they came across the place mats that I had made for them. Still with the original bow I had tied around them - never used. My Aunt Wes told me she could never use them because they were too beautiful and they would get stains on them. But oh how I wished she had...... I made that gift out of love for them and wanted them to enjoy it while they were alive - not to be given back unused.
This quilt that Joyce made was made from beautiful aprons that were given as gifts through the years to family members. As I quilted the quilt, I kept looking for signs of a stain or a burn mark on the aprons to see if they had been used. But Joyce told me that they were too beautiful and none of them had been used. I love how she re-purposed them into this beautiful quilt. The lady who made the aprons has passed away and this quilt will be for her husband. I hope he uses this quilt, thinks fondly of the woman who made it and his wife who made it too.
You see, I believe as someone who makes handmade gifts that the items should be used and loved. So if you are a recipient of a handmade gift - get it out - enjoy it - use it - love it and think fondly of the person who made it for you. Time flies by and before we know it that person will no longer be in our lives. Are you gasping now? Shaking your head? We are talented women and we make beautiful quality gifts. They will stand the test of time - you will have to trust me on this one.
The embroidery on these aprons is amazing! Under the bright lights I could really see the love that went into these beautiful aprons. The aprons were made out of gingham - I bet they were just darling. Joyce did a great job placing them in the quilt and also in the inner pieced border. Just beautiful.
The design allover is called Circle Swirls and we chose a pale yellow thread and a layer of Dream wool batting.
Joyce, if you are reading this - I am so grateful for you and bringing me your beautiful quilts to work on. And I am grateful that you brought back a memory of my Aunt and Uncle. Such love went into this quilt and I hope it will be well used.
Have a great day and thank you for reading my crazing musings! Richla
I love working on your quilts. Under the bright lights - they can not hide from me. And on occasion, as I am working on them - they bring up memories and my crazy brain starts to write stories. This quilt that Joyce brought me below is one of those quilts. So bear with me, while I try to put this story into words that won't make too many of you gasp or shake your heads.
My neighbor Jeanne is one of those women who helped me learn to quilt and she taught me how to paper piece. One year as a gift for my Aunt Wes (one of my longarms is named after her) and my Uncle Dan, I made them paper pieced place mats. The pattern was a paper pieced yellow rose (for the yellow rose of TX) and blue. My Aunt loved yellow and blue so I thought this would be the perfect gift for them. You see, each time I would visit them, they would always use the same old worn out place mats and I thought this would be the perfect gift for them to use and love. Each time they sat down to eat, they could admire the place mats that I had made and hopefully think of me.
This is the memory that Joyce brought back to me. My Aunt and Uncle passed away over the past couple of years and when everything was being cleaned out, they came across the place mats that I had made for them. Still with the original bow I had tied around them - never used. My Aunt Wes told me she could never use them because they were too beautiful and they would get stains on them. But oh how I wished she had...... I made that gift out of love for them and wanted them to enjoy it while they were alive - not to be given back unused.
This quilt that Joyce made was made from beautiful aprons that were given as gifts through the years to family members. As I quilted the quilt, I kept looking for signs of a stain or a burn mark on the aprons to see if they had been used. But Joyce told me that they were too beautiful and none of them had been used. I love how she re-purposed them into this beautiful quilt. The lady who made the aprons has passed away and this quilt will be for her husband. I hope he uses this quilt, thinks fondly of the woman who made it and his wife who made it too.
You see, I believe as someone who makes handmade gifts that the items should be used and loved. So if you are a recipient of a handmade gift - get it out - enjoy it - use it - love it and think fondly of the person who made it for you. Time flies by and before we know it that person will no longer be in our lives. Are you gasping now? Shaking your head? We are talented women and we make beautiful quality gifts. They will stand the test of time - you will have to trust me on this one.
The embroidery on these aprons is amazing! Under the bright lights I could really see the love that went into these beautiful aprons. The aprons were made out of gingham - I bet they were just darling. Joyce did a great job placing them in the quilt and also in the inner pieced border. Just beautiful.
The design allover is called Circle Swirls and we chose a pale yellow thread and a layer of Dream wool batting.
Joyce, if you are reading this - I am so grateful for you and bringing me your beautiful quilts to work on. And I am grateful that you brought back a memory of my Aunt and Uncle. Such love went into this quilt and I hope it will be well used.
Have a great day and thank you for reading my crazing musings! Richla
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
A Quilt for the Lake House...
Hello everyone! Hope you all are getting ready for Christmas - can't believe it will be here before we know it! I just love the simplicity of this quilt that Connie made. The grey blues against the white are just perfect for the lake house it will be used at. I used a layer of Dream cotton batting with white thread and a design allover called Van Gogh. Love how it turned out. I'm keeping up with all of your holiday quilts and might be able to squeeze in 2 more next week if you are in desperate need. Let me know!
Have a great day,
Richla
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Sew Scary - Finished!
Good morning everyone! I finally finished up the quilt Sew Scary. I love the swag in the middle and the banner on the bottom. Now I just have to wait until Halloween next year to get it hung up. I didn't have any black ribbon so I used some black ric rack to tie the letters onto the quilt. Love it! Have a great day! Richla
Monday, November 23, 2015
Oh those Merry, Merry Snowmen!
Good afternoon! As some of you may know, at the beginning of the year, I set out 10 buckets. Each with a project to complete before the end of the year, One of those was Merry, Merry Snowmen. I finished it in June thinking, no problem. Plenty of time to get this quilted, bound and embellished before Christmas. Then....... a crazy summer of travelling and memories, school started and then it hit me that my Merry, Merry Snowmen were still in the closet patiently waiting. What to do....
Sew.... I loaded them on Sunday and just finished. I really wanted to obsess on this one - do ruler work, hatching, etc but that takes lots of hours so I just did my usual swirls. I used a new swag border in the outer border with marbles in the inner border. There are holly, bows, stars, snowflakes and lots of other treasures for me to enjoy. Especially the three amigos in the pickup truck! I used a layer of Dream cotton Supreme. Oh my goodness - this is the thickest nicest cotton batting. I just love it!
I didn't quilt on the snowmen because each snowman gets at least 5 or 6 buttons, ribbons, pom poms - you name it. I am no where close to being finished - but at least I am closer than I was. My poor border..... when I finished the applique, I tossed all the left over fabric in the scrap bin thinking I was done. When I got to the border and realized what I had done - I searched and searched but my girls had ravaged the new fabric so the outer border is scrappy. Luckily, my friend Lyn found enough of one of the fabrics so my binding should be the same fabric. Phew!
Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving this week with family and friends. Enjoy the pictures. I'm still "kwilting" away over here. Have a great day! Richla
Sew.... I loaded them on Sunday and just finished. I really wanted to obsess on this one - do ruler work, hatching, etc but that takes lots of hours so I just did my usual swirls. I used a new swag border in the outer border with marbles in the inner border. There are holly, bows, stars, snowflakes and lots of other treasures for me to enjoy. Especially the three amigos in the pickup truck! I used a layer of Dream cotton Supreme. Oh my goodness - this is the thickest nicest cotton batting. I just love it!
I didn't quilt on the snowmen because each snowman gets at least 5 or 6 buttons, ribbons, pom poms - you name it. I am no where close to being finished - but at least I am closer than I was. My poor border..... when I finished the applique, I tossed all the left over fabric in the scrap bin thinking I was done. When I got to the border and realized what I had done - I searched and searched but my girls had ravaged the new fabric so the outer border is scrappy. Luckily, my friend Lyn found enough of one of the fabrics so my binding should be the same fabric. Phew!
Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving this week with family and friends. Enjoy the pictures. I'm still "kwilting" away over here. Have a great day! Richla
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