Hello Kitty Quilt

A few years ago, I started a "Life List of Quilts".  This is a list of all the people I want to make a quilt for in my lifetime.  As I make a quilt for someone, I take a picture of it and save it in a binder. You wouldn't believe all the quilts I have made and given away. I've forgotten some of them, so the binder serves as a reminder. Plus I warn the receipents that this is the only quilt they will ever get from me, so take good care of it!

This is the latest quilt on the Life List.  It's Hello Kitty for my niece, Jenny.  She loves anything Japanese, especially Hello Kitty.  She's 21, but nowhere does it say you can't have a fun quilt at any age.

This quilt sprouted from my Pinterest obsession. I saw a version of this quilt there last year and my passion began. I went to half price book stores and found Hello Kitty coloring books. Then I shrank and enlarged them to fit the background block size. I also used Transfer Eze to transfer the designs onto fabric.  Fabulous stuff. I really enjoy hand embroidery, so this quilt was the perfect project. What's your favorite embroidery?

 

Last month we introduced a new division of Black Cat Creations, www.quickepatterns.com.  The site contains only downloadable patterns. So, you can have all of your favorite Black Cat patterns in minutes! 

 

I'm still in the process of converting some of our older patterns into PDF's for download, but all of our new patterns are already up. Please go to the website and sign up for our newsletter. You'll get emails whenever we download something new to the site and I'm working on including a freebie pattern every month.

 

We made it easy to navigate and included lots of information on each pattern. 

 

We hope you like it and include it as one of your "go to" sites for quick and easy quilt patterns.

We have been working hard on new patterns and I'd like to share our latest with you. 

The first is Soldier's Friend by Jackie Theriot (left).  She has created a block that looks alot like a feathered star but is much easier. She used reproduction fabrics, but I can see this in batiks, bright Kaffe prints or stunning blues.  I think I have to make this one for myself!    

The other new pattern (right) is Eagle's Lake by Jamie Elfert. She has also used reproductions but with a totally different look.  I love her setting.  Again, this would also be stunning in other color ways.  Plus, both would be great stash quilts.

We do not have them up on the website yet, but if you signed up for our What's New email blasts from our website, you will be informed when they are up and for sale.  Now, back to work....

This is a quilt I designed that is not a Black Cat pattern.  But it is available as a PDF download at www.quickepatterns.com.

I have a group of GFs (you gotta have good friends) and we all got into "rusting" fabric.  That's where you take muslin and some old rusted metal, put them together and sit it out in the sun to set.  We had Texas stars, chains, nails, horseshoes - all kinds of stuff.  You can see my rusted fabric in the large rectangles in the outer border.  I had also purchased some fabulous cowgirl prints from www.oldeamericaantiques.com and really wanted to use them in a project.  When my friends saw what I had designed, they wanted to make one too.  When you design stuff for other people all day, sometimes it's fun to just do something for yourself. 

You can put a pieced picture in every block, but I chose to use the embroidery designs from our Rodeo Stars pattern, enlarge them, and stitch them in the blank blocks.  I think it makes a really unique quilt and we all had a blast doing it.

One tip - the cowgirl prints were not washer safe so I dipped them in a color set solution before sewing them up.  Let them dry and they're now completely colorfast.

Come on ladies!  It's time to get your embroidery on!!   

If you're like me, this time of year I'm itching to start new projects.  My brain is screaming - Be creative!!  I've gotten a little hooked on Pinterest - a good and a bad thing.  They have these darling pillowcases with crocheted edges that I'm dying to try.  I also have many embroidery projects waiting for me.

If your brain is screaming at you, you need to try our Afternoon Tea designs. There are 18 teapot designs in this quilt and Judy has put them in a great setting.   (http://www.black-cat-creations.com/item_details.php?id=147)  I always have a zippy bag with a project going in it.  This is a great take along stitchery.  We even have the threads in a kit available on our website.  We like to use Perle Cotton Size 8 threads.  You can't always find all of the colors at Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby.  So, we've put them all together for you. 



Don't like teapots?  No problem.  We have some other beautiful embroidery patterns on our website that I'm sure you'll love.  And if you don't like to hand embroider and machine embroidery is your thing, these designs are also available on a CD.  http://www.black-cat-creations.com/item_details.php?id=151

Now, I just need to find the time to sit still and stitch....

Here's Minay at Houston Quilt Market next to her pattern, The Big Block Quilt, as made by Timeless Treasures from their Wild Ginger collection.  It looks like a totally different quilt! I think Minay was just as surprised when she walked past and saw it.  Kuddos Minay!!

Here's the original Big Block Quilt done in black, red and white fabrics.  Both stunning.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with lots of loved ones and great food.  I know I did.  My son and his family came in from South Padre Island for the holidays and it was so great to hang out with them and the baby.  My grandson is 16 months old and like a shark.  He never sits still and is super curious.  Loved kissing his sweet little face and making him smile.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas holiday season has begun!  The tree and decorations are up and I'm ready to shop.  Plus, now I can take out my Christmas quilts and snuggle up with them.  This is our Night Before Christmas quilt.  It's pretty much our only "holiday" design.  We don't usually do many of them.  This one came about as a request from a fabric company to use their new collection.  It's a pretty simple block using flying geese units.  Kinda slick, I think.  Anyway, it's going on my couch cause we just got a cold front and my feet are chilly!  I think this pattern would be great in an assortment of reds and greens with one stunning border fabric. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas holiday filled with lots of good food and friends.  Be sure to take time to sew every day.    Amy