Quilt for Christmas

This quilt was designed by Christopher Florence. My husband and I went to a show in Springfield, IL where one like this had been entered and was getting a lot of notice. My husband seemed to find it most memorable of all the selections that I drug him to see over and over again while there. (I can never get enough quilt eye candy). I bought the pattern from my favorite quilt shop, The Hickory Stick Quilt Shop in Hannibal, Mo. with the intention of secretly making it for my husband. As it turned out, I decided that like another quilt that I made that still hangs over the banister because it's just too neat to use, Labyrinth Walk would also likely just hang over the banister instead of getting used. We knew that the adult kids in our family needed quilts this year for Christmas gifts, so this quilt was needing the daughter who is a senior interior designer in a major city. We were excited to give it to her when she was here and we hope that it warms her and her home.

Little Montage

I love doing little montage collections with a vintage flair and this is one that I had done one rainy day.The Christmas card is tucked behind netting and trimmed with embroidery, pieces of trim and tiny pearl beads. The piece just evokes that old fashioned feel with a combination of vintage lace, even a corner of an old hanky. Adding buttons and beads to finish the embellishments.

Finished the Modern Quilt

This is a quilt that I just finished quilting yesterday. When I bought the fabric I knew whatever design I went with would have to be "modern". I started out with a theme in mind which did consist of wonky squares, but really didn't have a "plan" per-say. After playing around with various layouts, I finally settled on these designs. Once I began quilting it, I felt that it was all coming together nicely! I chose the name; "No rhyme, No Reason" for this one. It is to be given to a daughter for Christmas and we hope she like it!

Lady Liberty

QOV longarm quilting pleasures

Quilts of Valor. I was not the one who did the piece work on this quilt and I don't have the first name to offer the credits to. Thank you who ever you may be and keep up the great work! 

Rain, Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day!

It's been raining for almost forty-eight hours here. Everything is saturated and although I'm certain that it will make for a beautiful fall scenery whenever the sun does come back, right now it's sort of dreadful!

HOWEVER: on the upside of things, I have two large bowels sitting on my counter top full of sourdough bread batter on the rise! One I am going to roll out super thin and brush butter and sprinkle seasoning on top before baking to try my hand at home made crackers. The other will become pita bread and flat bread!

I am a fanatic about saving every dime where ever I am able and one of our biggest dependencies on store-bought snack foods is crackers. I don't know why I haven't tried making them before now. The pita and flat breads are just what we like in a bread because of their sizes but I never took the time to make them; just always the large regular loaves that are still so delicious but not as much "fun".

So while the rain comes down, I will be in my kitchen all warm and cozy, counting my Blessings and smelling that enticing aroma of freshness seeping from the oven!

HAPPY AUTUMN!!

Wow, I can't believe that it is Fall already. The temperature here has been absolutely fabulous; mid to upper 70's and lows in the 50's. Doesn't the sky seem bluer in the fall than any other time of the year? I think so!

Today was a day spent in the kitchen. We had an annual Beekeepers meeting this p.m. and I needed to bring some carry-in dishes. I opted for a jello and carrot with peaches salad as well as a pumpkin bunt cake with cream cheese frosting. Both were a hit at the meeting! I also had set my sour dough starter out last night so needed to get some yummy bread made today, too. It is scrumptious!

It's definitely "nesting" time for me. I find myself doing some of the chores that sneak up on me so rapidly. Like painting the laundry room after nine years. Then once that got started, it's funny how I noticed that the bedroom needed some lifting as well, so did some major re-organizing there too. Of course this involved painting shutters for a headboard and moving furniture and stuff. Hmmm, side tracked... just a little.

I always feel better when I get things accomplished and as always, a woman's work is never EVER done.

Good to be back!!

 This beautiful quilt was pieced by my sister in law Suzanne for Tim and my wedding gift. She didn't get around to tying it and since I had gotten my longarm machine, she asked if I would like to quilt it. Of course I said "yes"!

Squaring

Squaring your quilt top is a very important step. I recommend using an appropriate sized ruler... The one I use most often is a 10" square Omnigrip by Omnigrid which I use at the corners. There are so many on the market these days, it would be hard to choose just one. I aIso use my Fiskars 6" X 24" for cutting lengthy areas and you can even tape two cutting mats end to end if you need more cutting surface area. I always square my blocks as I'm piecing; it seems to save time for me. Although, there are times when I cut for a while, sew for a while, iron for a while and then trim edges for a while. If you've caught the quilting bug, the ideas are probably in the making for the next project before you're even halfway through the one you have in progress!

The finished top should be measured in three places across the width and again in three places down the length so that the average measurement can then be determined for the final size. If all three measurements come out the same, you should pat yourself on the back because rarely does that happen. If your measurements are different, add them up and divide them by three to get the average. Then square to the average where needed. A quick way to see how off-kilter a quilt is... is to fold it in half and measure the shorter sides in various places and then fold again to see just how close your corners are matching up. Now this is only for a quick glance, don't use this method for a final measurement. I just have found that when I have folded it twice, once in half lengthwise and then again width and it comes out nice and even, I know that it is close and there will likely be less trimming to do. I have fortunately, not come across too many quilts that are so far off that it causes any headaches. Hopefully yours will be that way, too!

The importance of squaring and measuring will determine both your backing and batting sizes, but also for figuring the approximate amount of binding you will need.

I may figure the approximate binding before I quilt, but as the quilt is sandwiched and stitched together, there will be some shrinkage depending on how much detail is in the quilting. As well as the type of batting used. The more dense the quilting, the more shrinkage can occur. The less dense quilting there is, the less shrinkage there will be. However; various fabrics and how the fabric was treated or not prior to sewing, will also play a role in shrinkage and distortion. Always buy the best quality you can afford when starting a new quilt, whenever possible. A properly squared quilt will be so much more attractive and give it that keepsake quality if the extra attention is given where it's needed.

Hopefully this helps, but if there are any questions, please don't hesitate to ask for help! 

Long-arm Quilting Services

Current Pricing for 2019

Edge to edge one simple design to a more detailed over-all design starts at $0.018-$0.02 per square inch.

Custom includes SID, outlined appliques, separate border treatments, individual block designs, thread color changes and other specific details to the quilt's design. Custom quilting is $0.02 - $0.05 per square inch.

We also offer optional binding.

Binding

Straight-edge front & back with mitered corners

$.10 per linear inch

Scalloped-edges

$.125 per linear inch

Specialty Threads

$6.00

Batting

We offer high quality cotton, polyester and blends. Price depends on brand, fiber, loft and size.

  

To figure the approximate cost to have your quilt machine quilted by Keepsake Designs, first measure the width in inches and multiply that measurement by the length in inches to get the square inch measurement of your quilt top.
Next take the type of quilting, priced above, by your total measurement and get a general estimate. 

If you would like a quote, please feel free to e-mail a picture if you can, or a description, and any ideas of how you would like your project to be quilted to: 

Email keepsakedesignquilts@gmail.com 


Please always contact us for any questions or concerns.  Thank you for considering Keepsake Designs!

For Squaring Tips click HERE

Weekends

I love harvest times of the year!

Since starting Keepsake Designs, I have been so consumed with trying to build it into a business where everything will be just as I dream it will be. I've made notes on little bits of paper, napkins, and other things whenever ideas come to mind. Just one of those important things is to not lose sight of God, Family & Life. Those are very important to me and will keep me on track AND from getting burnt out.

I sometimes struggle with time management issues, because I am a multi-tasker and can get side-tracked with all those many day-to-day tasks (down-side of working from home) that seem to constantly jump out screaming at me "pick me, pick me"! On my way to fetch something, I see something out of place and then while straightening that I pick something else up or wipe that spill and then, oh while I'm here, I may as well do this and get it over with... A little OCD...probably! I'm getting better at ignoring until the "work-day" is done.

I didn't allow myself to go into my studio over the weekend. Apples were ready and Tim & I picked about four bushels. We also went to Farmers Market, ran errands and of course household chores. We also took a nice nap on Saturday; "ahh". Sunday, we traveled to Siloam Springs state park in search of blackberries. The weather was perfect and we took the dog and enjoyed the beautiful outdoors, hiking and viewing. Our own blackberries barely survived a very harsh winter and what little plants we have left are just getting ripened, so I was hoping I didn't miss the season altogether. The park's patches were not to be found.

So harvest time at present consists of green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers apples, and two supers of honey that all need to be worked up this week. I am very thankful. I also need to finish a Quilt of Valor and get started on some gift designs for show and for the up coming Holidays.

Today is my catch-up on social media Monday, so a nice quiet morning that I am having before the busywork starts. I am excited about this up coming Autumn season and the ideas are in over-drive! Let us get this party started!

Have a great Monday!

What an Honor it is to quilt for QOVF!

To the brave men and women who sacrifice more than I can imagine... Thank you for your service!

 I cannot take credit for the beautiful piece work. I am a longarm quilter and I volunteer my quilting service to Quilts of Valor Foundation. I am one of few who gets to turn a top batting and back into a quilt by stitching the three layers together. Truly an honor to be a part of this foundation!

Honey Bee Hive Quilt

I designed this quilt for a dear friend who made my husband and me stewards of four of her bee hives! As a beekeeper, I know how hard a decision that must have been for her and I felt like I was taking her "babies" away. She had been a beekeeper for 30 some years. I knew that I needed to make something meaningful and filled with the kind of love for our honey bees as only a beekeeper can really understand. So here are pictures of my heart-felt gift to her!

I really like how it turned out and have to believe that she will, too!

Excited

Today I am excited because I have some cute pictures of a couple of completed gift items. I am a bit behind on my gift giving and I apologize to all of my LOVED ones who are MANY and there just aren't enough hands on my body to get them all done.

These little burpie cloths are made with some soft flannel and just some stash that I had on hand. (You know, for those last-minute-woops-I-need-something-quick gifts)! As I got the pleasure of meeting sweet little great-niece Adalynn Marie, the other day and was holding her AND got to feed her and burp her; I was not given a burpie in which to catch those inevitable little spit-ups. Didn't ask for one either because she was wearing a bib, Anyway... these cute little burpies are what came from a tiny little creative spark on that visit. I think she will like them!

The little dolly is one that I have had since I was probably 5 or 6 years old. Her name is Buffy and she used to have a little car that she drove. Her original name was Baby-Go-Bye-bye.

In the Garden

This morning was comfortably cool for late July. I decided to go outside with my first cup of coffee and breath in that fresh morning air. The walk way in front of our house is full of flowers that I've planted in the nine years since we built our house. I sat on the steps of the porch and admired. Then I looked up and saw clouds just gently floating over from NW to SE and I could almost reach up and touch them. I was in awe thinking how generous God is for letting my life be filled with so many beautiful things/experiences. Sometimes I think people take too many things for granted when those simple daily blessings are right before us and it only takes a second to say "Thank you, God".

Some Vintage Lace

I just LOVE vintage laces and things to embellish with. There's something about finding treasures in a "reject" pile that nobody seemed to necessarily care about but perhaps knew somebody else would. Lucky for me!

Wiggle My Nose & Snap My Fingers

I am so wishing that I could wiggle my nose and snap my fingers like Samantha did on Bewitched back in the seventies!

Do you ever have one of those weeks where there are more ideas inside your head than there is time to complete all the tasks involved? Well, that's my week!

I love that I can work in my jammys if needed and no matter how early I get up to tackle office work... I still find that organization is forever needing improvements! BUT... I am a very head-strong and determined individual so I'm patting myself on the back for even the tiny-est of accomplishments!!! Yay me!

Old Buttons

Whenever I find antique or just really old buttons, I don't spit shine them (eew). I like that they have character and tell a bit of a story. They can't be grossly dirty or I wouldn't buy them, but I can't say that I've ever found any old buttons that made me feel like sterilizing the whole lot. It can't be any worse than everyday exchange of currency, right?

Feeling Honored

I never knew how honored I would feel when I volunteered to longarm quilt for Quilts of Valor Foundation until I started. Out of all the things that I do for "free", I think this is the most heartfelt. I hope to include more information within this blog about the QOVF and offer recognition to those who serve this country. Until, I am able, please visit their website for more information. Here is the link QOVF .

These pictures are of the first quilt for QOVF that I quilted with my longarm. I saw it as more "modern" than "traditional" so I gave it a lot of swirls and doodles. The topper's name is Pat B. she did a lovely job! Thanks Pat!

Playing with Lenni

Lately the awesome and beautiful and very much LOVED seniors in my life have been keeping me busy. Today, I thought I'd get some quilting practice while I can. Here are a few strips of scraps I used to doodle on. I seem to be drawn toward the "organic" style of quilting and design. I'm a "country girl" maybe that's why?!?!

 

My Momma had to have three stints put in her heart on Friday. She was awesome and got to go home on Saturday.

 Anyone who can bare ten kids in the era long before there were epidurals and all the other instant gratification things of today is practically a Saint in my book. The hospital staff loved her and one teased about adopting her as his own... not sure if for Mother or Grandmother, but he called her an old lady (in a joking way) to the Doctor, so I assume Grandmother. All in all she never complained a bit and is home healing!

Fabric Collage Book for Momma

I just realized that the last post I touched upon my aging parents. I want to share this Fabric Collage book that I made for my Mother.

The Cover

Her as a baby on the left & 4 generations of my fore-mothers on the right.

Mom in her school years.

The old Singer 

This project was so much fun to make. I used mostly antique laces, buttons, ephemera and just memory provoking ideas to bring nostalgia to the cloth pages. Some pages were from an old handmade quilt that someone in the family had.

There are more pages, but these were all the pictures that I had on the computer.

The photos are copies that I ran through my inkjet printer onto fabric except for the last one which was an iron on and I found that I like the inkjet transfer much better.

Maybe there will be a tutorial in the future, but for now I have more projects than I can keep up with!

Thanks for viewing! 

Aging Parents

I've managed to get a few more of the "Honey Hexies" sewn on to the project I have under-way. The past two weeks, I have been giving attention to my 83 year old Mother who was hospitalized from having chest pains. Since her release, we have gone to multiple appointments, including a stress test that was probably just as stressful for me as it was on her. We will be seeing a Cardiologists on Monday and will go from there. Waiting rooms sometimes can make excellent hand sewing projects productive. Aside from my own Mother, I have been getting organized for more involvement in fundraising for the Alzheimer's Association on behalf of my Mother inlaw. My husband and I are caregivers of his Mother, who lives in our home. June is Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month so please go to alz.org and make a donation or get educated about this wonderful organization.

Honey Hexies Tutorial

I am so glad to be getting back into the benefits of blogging. I am hoping to get a lot of fun and inspiring information on here within the coming months. I have such a variety of things I want to share and I hope I will be connecting with some of you with similar interests. I can't consider myself in no way a computer "tech" and if I could higher someone to fill in all the things that come through this head to build my blog, I could quickly fill a blog library. Otherwise, it's just little 'ol me trying to divide my time between God, family, business, farm-life & blogs, so please bare with me! So here is the beginning of my designing stage for this honey of a project! It will be a small quilt and I am making it for a friend. I read about these easy-to-do hexagon shapes and am sorry that I cannot remember who to credit them to. Others that I've seen are paper pieced and seemed to be too time consuming, so I tried these and very much like them!

It begins with the bare basic tools; fabric, a pair of scissors, something to mark with, (I used a pencil that was handy); and a circle template. (I used an ever-so versatile-use canning lid). The circle can be from any template and any size you want. The fabric can be any color you wish and this is an awesome design to use up small pieces in your fabric stash, just because, or when you need a quick gift project and don't have a lot of time.

Cut out as many circles as you want. My project is still in the making and I am placing my little "Honey Hexies" in a random pattern for now. When I get them all sewn permanently, I will include those photos. Next you fold one circle in half WST (wrong side together) and iron. Then you will open it up, turn about a 1/4 of a turn and iron again, which will give you a little X in the center.

Next, you will fold up an edge that has the wider area between the creases of your circle so that the edge meets the center X. Then iron.

You will need to work in the same direction all the way around. It doesn't matter which... right or left. I went 'clockwise' or to my left. Pick up the edge that meets the outer-most point of your creased circle and fold it up and toward the center X. Make sure that it meets the X, then iron.

The following steps are the same. Pick up the bottom (in my case, left) creased edge and bring

it up to meet the center X and then iron. Continuing around until there is just one triangle section left.

Notice that I pinned the last two sections. You can pin all the way around if you'd like, but I didn't feel it necessary.

All you have to do now, is fold up the last section, iron and tuck it under the first section. Then I turned mine over and ironed the top side to set it. There are many different designs you can use these little hexies with. I may link to some when I have time, but for now try this technique and see if you enjoy them as much as me!

My little Honey Hexies. This is one of those projects that you can cut circles for a while or iron one section on a bunch and then the next section, or you can work one at a time if that's what you like. I found it to be too repetitious doing one at a time, so I mixed it up and worked on different tasks and it seemed to keep it moving along faster. I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. I've had fun with mine and can't wait to share the finished project!

Four Generation Quilt

I call this one a 4 generation because, when I was a wee child, my dear Mother copied pictures from my coloring book and hand embroidered the little animals onto blocks. The printed fabric blocks are from clothes my siblings and I wore Mother made and blocks from my own first projects as a young seamstress. I saved these and put the quilt top together when my daughter was a wee little one. Although it was not properly quilted, she still used it and enjoyed it. Well I got my Lenni and it seems like it came full circle. Now my daughter has a daughter and she is having a birthday very soon, so this will be a special gift to her!

Stained Glass Rocks

 This quilt was one that I made this past fall/winter of 2013-14. The pattern came from Annie's Quilting, Sweet Layer Cakes. It is called Crumbled Cake and was designed by, Carol S. Vagts. I used all Batiks by Moda. I pieced on a domestic and quilted it on my APQS Lenni Longarm.