Katy Corner Quilts

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A Quilter’s Bond

Posted on02.01.17 by Katy Lessly

A Quilters’ Bond

I remember very well when I started quilting.

My mom and sisters and I were living in west Tennessee with my grandparents while daddy was in Viet Nam (circa 1967). Grandma stayed busy all day doing housework and gardening (all of us girls were recruited to snap beans, shuck corn, pick berries, etc). But in her “spare” time she would quilt.

I remember sitting next to her watching her stitch squares together by hand.

Sometimes she would let me cut out the squares for her but usually I was there to thread her needle. She let me pick out my own pieces from her scraps (I liked using her old aprons best since they were usually bright colors). Most often I just got as far as sewing the squares together but I did finish a few potholders or two.

I had a hard time staying on task back then so I rarely finished anything big.

I do remember grandma mounting a large “double wedding ring” quilt top on her wooden frame that granddaddy had made special for her from his carpenter’s shop. (I still have it, by the way). She would invite some ladies from the church to come over and they would gather around that frame with thread and thimble to help her quilt it and they would have it done in a weekend. The sound of their voices and the chatter and laughter that rang from the living room always made me want to be a part of a group like that.

I’m now a member of at least two different quilt groups.

I started with a group in eastern Iowa in the late 80s. There were 11 of us, of varying ages and experience. A few were retired, most of the rest of

With the QT’s in Iowa. Circa 2000.

us working as nurses at the hospital (I think it’s a needle thing). We called ourselves the QTs (that’s where QT Cat got her name) and we got together as often as we could, at least once a month. A few times, when we were at my house, I brought out grandma’s wooden quilting frame and recruited all the QTs to help me hand quilt a vintage postage stamp quilt in true “quilting bee” fashion.

QT stands for “quilting therapy” and that was fitting but more often it was about quilting and talking!

We were a crazy bunch but we shared one important thing…we loved to quilt! We quilted for each other and ourselves. We took classes together and went to workshops and on road trips together. We quilted through life together: marriages, babies, graduations, retirements, cancer, Alzheimer’s and even death.

Those QTs were, and still are, like family.

I moved eleven hours away to South Dakota in 2001 and one of the hardest things to leave was my QTs. They made me a beautiful going away friendship quilt that each one signed. I will forever treasure it! I still stay in touch with them and have gone back on occasion for visits and retreats. We share patterns and fabric and magazines. Some of them have come to South Dakota as well and it is always such a treat. Once a QT, always a QT!

With the QB’s in South Dakota in 2016.

Thankfully, I also found a wonderful group to quilt with in South Dakota, we named ourselves the QBs (quilting buddies).

We enjoy road trips and retreats and friendship blocks, quilt shows and markets. I couldn’t imagine quilting alone now! When I am stuck at home quilting I am always sharing pictures of my projects with my quilting friends old and new for advice, encouragement, critique, and the much-needed pat on the back. If I don’t know how to do something, someone in the group will. Now when I mention the QTs or QBs, you will know to whom I am referring. We all have a delightful history together and I know we will continue to make memories.

Quilting is a hobby that begs for company!

I highly recommend joining a guild or small group that can encourage and inspire you, give you instruction and critique and especially make you smile!

Happy quilting!!

Small Town Quilter’s Rescue

Posted on02.01.17 by Katy Lessly

Small Town Quilter’s Rescue

Recently I had to call 911……for my sewing machine.

You see, I had a quilt retreat coming up and just a few days before I was supposed to go, the presser foot on my sewing machine lost it’s grip. I mean, I could lower the foot using the lever but it just “floated” on top of the fabric, no pressure at all. I could slide the fabric in and out with the presser foot in the “down” position. Oh, my! That’ll never do! Read more

QT Cat Adventure 3: Greece

Posted on09.22.16 by Katy Lessly

greece-blog-post-posterGreetings from Greece!

QT has just returned from the “cradle of civilization”. This part of the world is generally credited with being the first place where civilized societies truly began to take shape. Today, the country of Greece relies heavily on tourism to support its economy and QT did her part by seeing many of the sights. Her trip to Greece was exciting and memorable in so many ways. She climbed Mount Olympus, toured cliffside nunneries, and visited ancient temples dating back to the Stone Age (the oldest in Europe).Read more

Let’s Get Something Straight

Posted on09.07.16 by Katy Lessly

blog3-getsomethingstraightt

Is there anything about quilting that you hate to do?

I have said that I love every aspect of quilting and I’d be hard pressed to say I “hated” anything about it. But I have found that there is one step in the quilting process that I truly dread.

It’s squaring up the blocks.

You’re probably saying, “Yes! I hate that part, too!” Well, I guess I’m not alone. Read more

Quil-Tip #1 – Regarding “Henry”

Posted on08.24.16 by Katy Lessly

QuilTips-Header-sizedMy first tip is actually one that someone once shared with me back when I was a young and naive quilter. It has made all the difference!

I use a little scrap of fabric (about 1-1/2″ x 3″ folded to make a square) as a starter for all my piecing. It works great, especially for small pieces or if you’re starting your seam on a point, to keep the fabric from getting pulled down into your presser plate when you start your seam. Read more

QT Cat Adventure 2: Boston Uncommon

Posted on05.11.16 by Katy Lessly

QT2-BlogArt

QT gets her ducks in a row in Boston Commons.

Last fall QT and I visited Boston on a girl’s trip with another friend. She enjoyed walking the Freedom Trail, taking a Boston Harbor Cruise and visiting America’s oldest library. In fact, a lot of things in Boston are old. The city was founded in 1630 and here we are 386 years later!Read more

From a Galloping Horse

Posted on05.11.16 by Katy Lessly

Galloping-Horse-Poster

I’m no expert (we’ve established that), and I’m certainly not a perfectionist.

Okay, well, I am a little obsessive/compulsive about some things, but I don’t set my standards so high that I can’t accomplish anything. Quilting is one of those hobbies that people can enjoy at their own level. Some quilters do such exquisite work that they earn purple “best of show” ribbons wherever they are displayed; I mean, museum quality pieces. Read more

My First Love

Posted on04.04.16 by Katy Lessly

MyFirstLove-Poster

I’m not an expert (my dad, who was an engineer, always said, “An expert is just an unknown quantity of water under pressure.”) but I’ve been quilting since I was in grade school and since that was, well, quite a while ago, you could say I’m experienced. Besides, this is just supposed to be a fun read; sort of a journal, an outlet for my thoughts about, well, quilting.  And I’m guessing that most of my fellow quilters out there go through the same range of feelings about this very rewarding but sometimes frustrating hobby.Read more

QT Cat Adventure 1: Highclere Castle

Posted on03.23.16 by Katy Lessly

QT1-BlogArt

QT Cat Gets Her “Royal On” at Downton Abbey

This little kitty started out as sort of a mascot for my QT quilting group back in Iowa. A gift from my sister-in-law (I think around 1991), she travels with me to places I have been and to many other places that I have only dreamed of going. She’s small and quiet and never complains about the accommodations. Truly I am living out my wanderlust through her. Read more

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