Row by Row Experience 2018

Catskill Cats

The Row by Row Experience is basically the ultimate scavenger hunt for quilters. 

It's a quilt shop program where stores can drum in new business and quilters to their area.  

How it works is that each quilt shop designs, creates, and writes up a pattern for a specific sized row.  A picture of your row and a little blurb about it are then posted to the Row by Row Experience website and facebook group.  During a set time during the summer, quilters can then travel to your shop and pick up your row pattern for free or buy your row kit.  It takes 8 rows to make a quilt.  The first quilter who makes a quilt with 8 different rows can then submit the quilt to any shop who doesn't have a winner yet and get a prize.  

      "Quilt made by our winner, Ruth"

Once fall hits, shops can start to sell their patterns.  Our pattern is available for purchase at my Etsy store KonversingKate or in our store Bloom, located in Margaretville, New York. 

Last year was our first year in part taking in the Row by Row.  The theme was Sew Musical.  In honor of the Catskill Mountains and bluegrass, I decided that our row would be musical cats playing in the mountains. 

Get it cats in the Catskills?!

I've never tried my hand at quilting with solids before I started this project and thought that it would be interesting to make the majority of the row out of solids.

The fun thing about doing the Row by Row is that quilters can use whatever fabrics they want to make their row. 

I wanted our row to contain different sewing techniques.  I came up with a background that is simply sewn together to give the impressions of mountains.  On top of this, I added appliqued cats with instruments and garments.  Then to give a little extra Catskill advertising, I embroidered "Create in the Catskills" above the cats. 

Let's make this the bee's knees. 

Fabric Hair Clips

You know when you go to the hairdressers and they pin your hair up with those magical alligator clips that don't hurt and hold your hair out of the way while they are cutting?  If you don't that's ok, because I have pictures! 

These aren't the alligator clips they use at the hairdressers (at least not that I know of) but they are the alligator clips that are excellent for everyday use. 

These clips are great for keeping your hair out of your face and accomplishing it quickly.  But they're boring looking and not very stylish undoctored.   

So I Covered Them In Fabric!

And now they go with almost all of my outfits and are easy to use, not to mention cute.  All you need is fabric, scissors, a glue gun, and patience.  A good TV show to watch while you're working on them helps too.  I watched Agatha Christie's Marple.

Let's make this the bee's knees. 

Showy Sheep Quilt

This quilt is my first officially finished, officially designed by yours truly quilt, that I've ever made.  It was incredibly easy to make and gave me a good beginner boost.  The pattern is available for sale at my Etsy shop, KonversingKate or if you would like to take a trip to Margaretville, NY and see one of the cutest fabric stores around, it is located for purchase at Bloom!

Being surrounded by beautiful fabrics and avid quilters every day at work can take its toll on a person.  In my case, that toll has gotten me hooked on creating my own quilts.

Quilt designing is a frustratingly, fantastic disease.

On the one hand, it is fun creating your own quilt and pattern but, on the other hand, you actually have to create your own quilt and pattern.  I have a build-up of ideas for quilts but not enough time or energy to make them all right away.

A quilter is an artist and a mathematician.

My biggest hurdle when putting my pattern into practice is all of the math.  Why math?! Why?! First, there is the figuring out what size you want your blocks, strips, triangles, squares, etc. to be.  Then, there is the remembering to add a 1/4 inch to each side for the seams.  Once you have that solved and your blocks are sewn into strips then you have to worry about all of the strips lining up to where they are suppose to be.

As I'm sure any inventor will tell you: it can be a real headache at times.

That's why my Showy Sheep quilt tricked me.

It was incredibly easy and fast to make that I thought all of my quilts would be like this.

I was initially inspired by a cat quilt designed by Kaffe Fassett, who is one of my favorite fabric designers.  It was a simple quilt design like mine except with appliqued cats and hearts. 

I thought, oh that's cute but sheep with bow ties would be hilarious and is way more likely to make me smile. 

As an homage to Kaffe Fassett, I decided to do my sheep in his fabrics.  To complement it, I placed them on batik backgrounds. This had the desired effect of being bright and colorful; placing an extra smile in my smile bank. 

To give my sheep a little more life, I embroidered eyelashes on them.  I love embroidering, I find it to be more relaxing than quilting and it's easy to do while watching TV. 

I had a fantastic time making this quilt.  It brings me goofy joy just looking at it.  I hope that it offers others the same feelings it gives to me. 

Let's make this the bee's knees.