Some of my mini quilts which I bring out each Christmas Email followers click here to see blog post online: Debby Kratovil Quilts Today is the first day of the Ho Ho Ho Blog Hop . I wanted to make sure that my followers got to see all of the fabulous creations made by today's Hop bloggers. I will be posting a quilt or two from my own Christmas vault each day. July 31 Just Let Me Quilt Grandmama’s Stories Thimblemouse & Spouse Pumpkin Patch Quilter Bumbleberry Stitches Baas Amazing Adventures The House on the Side of the Hill Geta’s Quilting Studio Felt Free Pa Asly CLF by Nailaa How Art You? Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes. I hope you take a few minutes to visit these folks. Enjoy the ride. Come back tomorrow to see a new list - and a new quilt from my Christmas vault! And be sure to see what I will have on Tuesday, August 6 .

Christmas Spectacular Collection by Kitty Yoshida for Benartex Fabrics Direct link: Christmas in July, quilt and tutorial! Today I am featured on the Benartex blog - Sew in Love with Fabric - and I share a tutorial for making that awesome Twisted Hexagon block using this holiday collection. As you can see in the picture above, I am fussy cutting hexagons using freezer paper to isolate the motif I want. You can see how I make that Twisted Hexagon block using these hexagons and also half-hexagons. I square up the hexagons (well, not actually squares, more like rectangles) and then combine them to make a beautiful table runner. I talk about where I get my ideas, whether I make "mistakes" (yes, of course I do!) and my process for sewing. Take a visit because there are prizes EVERY DAY! I am one of five designers who are featured and so you have several chances to win. I've also been asked to share a favorite cookie recipe. My 3 daughters are grown, but they stil...

No, those are not wrinkles in the fabric - just the elephant hide! The Lion Sleeps Tonight - But What About the Elephant? I lived in Africa for 3 years and I have wonderful memories. I met and married my Texan husband there and we visited a few game parks where we saw elephants, lions, cheetah, zebras, and many other dangerous animals. I designed this elephant appliqué several years ago for a Windham fabric collection and still had the freezer paper template. I dug it out, asked for a small piece of the elephant hide fabric and stitched this yesterday. (You can have this applique; more later).  Can you believe all these wild animals? The colors are so vivid in this fabric! I plan on making an elephant pillow or small quilt with other animal motifs for my grandsons. But I wanted to do that one applique. I have to say that my memory of this elephant (and the monkey and giraffe) was triggered by the current issue of Stitch magazine (one of my absolute favorites!). Ther...

Hexagon Bullseye Quilt Yes, those are 3 different sizes of hexagons using a raw edge applique technique. This quilt is OLD and has since gone to live in someone else's home. Remember when raw edge applique was so IN? This was simple to make: Stack 3 different sizes of hexagons, one at a time, stitching them onto a large background square. Make several. Cut into fourths and then swap the units: Now for some 60 degree triangles. This is another OLD quilt that has gone on to stay with some young child. I have made this pattern many times using a 60 degree triangle template. Simple rows of 60 degree triangles with a dragonfly novelty print border Now back to those hexagons (which, btw, are made of 6 equal sized triangles, if you want to know): OK. Stop looking at the cute bunny! Can you see all those hexagons? I was given some leftover Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks and I made a few placemats with them. Just appliqued them to a background and added some simp...

It's true. I didn't say it was easy, but when your oldest favorite daughter falls in love with a new fabric collection you have, insists that you buy another 3 yards and then buys a $17 dress pattern, you're in! Audrey with dress she and I sewed with the Timber and Leaf Collection Timber and Leaf Fabrics  The gift bag I made Audrey for Christmas - from Stitch Magazine Market bag with my own curved border and added binding on edges  Pillow with flange and bow - my own go-to pattern She was apoplectic about this fox face fabric. So began her quest for a dress pattern  Yes, hexagons. Who can resist? Quick hexagon spiderweb placemats  You can have this apron pattern - see right side bar (blue ensemble) My own apron pattern with that curved borer and another fox fabric I hadn't made a dress in probably 20 years. We even put in a 20" zipper and faced the neckline. I still can't get over that $17 pattern price. When I began sewing, pa...

Hexie Hop is now CLOSED (as of Thursday morning) - we are FULL, FULL, FULL   Turning 60 and the Joys of Hex My renewed interest in Grandmother's Flower Garden (GFG) blocks The new "Let It Snow" collection by Windham Fabrics combined with a renewed interest in GFG blocks: English Paper Piecing with sturdy (card stock) papers wrapped with fabric. Makes for sharp points and uniform sizes of hexagons. Did I say hexagons? Isn't there  Hexie Queen Blog Hop coming up? ARE YOU INTERESTED? SIGN UP NOW ! Different center motif; 6 identical cardinals fussy-cut to ring around those snowmen And that brings me to a photo of the collection: Let it Snow by Windham Fabrics Where I live it's hot, swampy and hot (did I already say "hot"?). But there's always room for the holidays and visions of snow. Windham has a whimsical collection called "Let it Snow" and I am making several blocks using the EPP method. You can see the centers of 4...

Joan G from Georgia with my Welcome Home quilt pattern I lived in Atlanta for 8 years and had many wonderful quilting friends. Joan was a member of my quilt guild and she even took a paper piecing class from me that I gave in my home. She swears that I gave her the tools to fall in love with that technique. I say she just needed a little nudge! See that quilt up there? Joan took my 2012 Block of the Month patterns for the Welcome Home quilt and made it up just in time for a family reunion a few weeks ago up in New York. She hung it on the front porch so every single friend and family member would see it as they drove up the driveway. It is SO BEAUTIFUL, don't you think? This BOM was available for 12 months, but is no longer available here. Sorry! Back to that paper piecing. When I had 30 quilts stolen in January 2005, one of those quilts was my Carpenter's Wheel. It was paper pieced and Joan offered to remake it for me. Now, that's a TRUE and LOYAL friend, don't...

Patriot's Day Quilt - 2014 Wall Calendar, July quilt Today in the USA is the 4th of July. We call it Independence Day. Many people have the day off from work, we eat barbequed hot dogs and hamburgers, celebrate by watching parades and then at night, watching fireworks. It's a happy day when any people can throw off their oppressors. Of course, now we are quite friendly with the British who used to be our rulers. But we Americans got a taste of ruling ourselves and we never quite got over it! The quilt above was made for Windham Fabrics almost 4 years ago using their first reproduction collection of coverlets. A quilt magazine picked it up for publication, then promptly went bankrupt and offered me 40 cents on the dollar. I said, "No thanks!" Then when I showed it to my wall calendar publisher, he was awe struck and insisted we add it to the 2014 lineup and so it is. The calendar is coming out any day now. I wanted to feature it today because those who fought for...

USA States fabric I have lived in several states in the USA (and also in Africa!), but I've only visited Texas. But my husband was raised in the Lone Star State and remains loyal to it as though it were a country. Wait! It was a country at one time!  A current picture of the Alamo, thanks to my friend Linda of Buzzing and Bumbling (of Texas) The Alamo as it appears today For 10 years they raised their flag as a sovereign nation and if you know anything about the Alamo and the big battle that raged there, you know how fierce these Texans are to their state. Several years ago my husband asked me to design a postcard for his friend Tom in Texas. Simple shape wishing him a happy 50th. It went through the USPS and Tom was thrilled. Yes, this has something to do with the Blog Hop today!!! "Gig 'Em Aggies" is something they say at Texas A & M I began collecting stamps before I had children. Then that was abandoned, but I still own my two stamp albu...