Workshops

Recent Awards

New DVD "Multiple Ways to Applique" in my store.

1st Place Nature Quilts Houston 2012 IQA show

1st Place Domestic machine quilted 2012 Paducah AQS

Viewers Choice Award Audubon's Christmas AQS 2012

Best of Show Road to California International

Runner up to Best of Show Pacific International

2nd place wall Mid Atlantic 2013

1st place Innovative Denver National

2nd place Pictorial Quilts Pacific West

1st Place Applique, 2nd place wall and 3rd place applique

Monthly Tips Newsletter

1149 Current Subscribers

Jingle Bells

Hello my friends,

Twenty more gray hairs, 5 bags of Cheetos, dark bags under my eyes.... but hey I DID IT!!. I made my goal. "Jingle Bells" is done and entered into the IQA show this year. These deadlines are called that for a reason.

Now for the backstory. We always take a family Christmas vacation. This year we went to a lodge in Eastern WA. They had an old fashioned sleigh ride. Over the river and thru the woods to a tent for dinner. The drover looked like he had been doing this for the last hundred years. Beat up cowboy hat, oilskin coat down to his boots, beard, and a gruff weathered look to his face. My grand daughters were the only kids on the sleigh. He turned to my petite little 4 yr old and asked her what she got for Christmas. "A bow and arrow", she replied. He did a double take and said, " Really, a bow and arrow? What are you going to shoot?" "Bears", she replied. At that he let out a big belly laugh. "Bears?" "Well, just the mean ones", she said. That old red neck was roped and tied in seconds by my little mighty mite. "Do you want to drive the horses little missy, he asked?' "Well yes sir I do". He obviously was not familiar with Disney's newest Princess - Merida.

Thread Embellishments. Thank you to Carol Stocking for the great idea to do Sea Fans with thread. I apologize for not recognizing you last month. Love that idea! Check out the several new student project photos in my student gallery this month too.

Border choices. The majority of you chose our Rooster with the stripes all around. Laura, (the artist and I) choose the dark strip on the left side. Competition with the main subject of the quilt was my problem with the stripes. They are so visually powerful. I felt like your eye went there first, instead of the Rooster. On Jingle Bells, I chose a dark colored border to frame in the dark horses. The lettering was done with machine embroidery on two pieces of tear away stabilizer behind the border fabric. I did that prior to the quilting. There are real jingle bells attached to the little holly berry flourish.

News from Walrus Designs-

More than a Memory won an Honorable Mention at this years show in Paducah.

"Quilter's World" magazine has asked me to make a 18 inch block pattern for them.

It will be coming out this fall with an article on my "Multiple Ways to Applique" approach to quilting. AQS has asked me to partner with them in publishing two more patterns. One is the "Dancing Cranes" pattern. I am pushing for a CD to accompany it with directions and photos, as it's a complex pattern. The other is "Greeting the Golden Grandchild".

I am sometimes asked about how it works when you want to write a book or sell your patterns? Did you know that it is standard for authors to receive 5% royalty on each pattern or book sold? It is not a great way to become rich. Most of us do it out of our love for teaching and sharing our work with others. It often takes an author a year of work to make a book with all of the requisite samples and photos. Books generally cost $28.00. You do the math. Authors and designers have to buy back our own books and patterns at the whole sale price, just like any quilt shop. If you want to thank teachers for writing books or making patterns, - buy your books or patterns directly from them instead of the publishers. That way they will make a little more.

Great Gadgets.

Combining pieced skies with the more curvo-linear shapes found in nature is a easy way to add interest to your quilts. The contrast between techniques also adds a dynamic touch. It is a great way to change the color and brightness across the sky section. Use half triangles, or diamonds. 2.5 inch squares set on point look great. They need to be square! If you are a little off on one, you will be a lot of by the time you have sewn 75 together. I like this new ruler. Loc bloc. It has a groove in it. The seam allowance slides into that groove and then there is no rocking when cutting. The square can be firmly held down to your cutting mat. Sew them together in strips. Sew two strips together. Then another two. Sew the pairs together. If you just keep adding more strips to the side, the whole section becomes stretched and out of square.

Here's the link.

http://shop.blocloc.com/Bloc-Loc-HST-Square-up-Ruler-25-BL-HST-25.htm

Puffin pattern is available in my shop. Take me there. 63 x 50 sold.

Tips for trapunto -

My favorite batting for trapunto work is Quilters Dream cotton. It cuts so easily and cleanly. No little feather tufts ! I use blue water dissolvable markers to mark my designs. The first layer of basting thread is lite weight dissolvable thread by Superior. Get the Vanish light weight!

www.superiorthreads.com/shop/product/vanish-lite-300-yds/

Heres the tricky part. Use only cold water to remove the blue marking lines. Hot water removes the thread better but you do not want to "heat set' those marking lines. Make sure they are totally gone before washing the remaining thread away in hotter water. If you want a faux trapunto look - (without the work of cutting away the extra layer of batting) - Use 100% wool batting. It inherently puffs better than cotton.

Remember to nurture your personal creative self this Spring too.

hugs Kathy.

www.kathymcneilquilts.com

Workshops

Lectures and Workshops

Click here to print contract with fees

Tips, Tricks and Stories

Sharing our tips has been a hallmark of the quilting communty. Let me share 15 years of award winning tips and a couple of disasters with you. The inspiration and stories behind my quilts will make you laugh and make you cry. Quilting has proven healthy benefits. Let me convince you to dedicate more time to guilt free quilting.

The Creative Process-Front to Back Pictorial Quilting.

The journey of creativity has to take us out of our comfort zone. Relentless repetition is the only way to perfection and ends in stagnation. I will share my insights to becoming more creative and original in your work. The inspiration and stories behind my quilts will make you laugh and make you cry. Let me inspire confidence in your own creative process!

A Playground of Mixed Techniques in Pictorial Quilting

Leap into a full palette possibilities! This lecture is full of special effects you can add to your own quilts. Quilting has to be fun to sustain our spirits. There are enough techniques for everyone to add new and creative techniques to their own days of Quilting.

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Workshops are 6 hours with a maximum of 20 students.

The Wonderful World of Landscape quilting.

One or two day. Students really appreciate the second day. They are able to use their own photos in the two day class and I will have a lot more time to individually help them on their own projects.

One Day Workshops - Start the journey of landscape quilting using your choice of one of 5 of Kathy’s landscape patterns. $10.00 pattern fee. I will have all of my patterns with me, or you can pre-order them from my on line store.

Discover the secrets that will bring your landscapes alive. Learn to create depth and dimension in your composition. Play with fabric paints to create those realistic hi-lights and shadows. Kathy will demonstrate a mix of applique techniques! Begin working on your landscape pattern.

Two Day Workshops - Work from one of the above patterns or use your own enlarged photo. In addition to all the info you will learn in the one day workshop, you will also learn to make a line drawing from your own photos and create 3-D thread embellishments like trees or surf. Be sure you are confident in your own applique technique if want to use your own photo. See photo tips below. E-mail Kathy possible photos that you may want to work with for her help in deciding what will work best and suggestions for materials - photos should be enlarged to a minimum of 28 inches.

Click here to link to materials list click here photo and fabric tips

Cardinals from Audubon's Christmas Viewers Choice Quilt AQS Paducah 2012

One, two or three day workshop for "confident beginners".

$10.00 pattern fee.

Birds at the feeder are everyones favorite winter scene. Pattern from Kathy award winning quilt “Audubon’s Christmas.”

Day one - Have fun and learn the steps of layered applique. Choose raw edge, or hand applique. Kathy will demonstrate multiple technique tips for both methods. Use tone on tone prints for your birds. You will be thrilled with how they add dimension and a more realistic look.

Day Two - The morning will feature time to learn about fabric paint crayons, shading and enhancing your birds form and realistic look. We will also review hand embroidery stitches for embellishments.

Day Three-The morning will feature time to practice your free motion machine quilting. Learn to add the ghost image branches and leaves. Bring a practice sandwich and we will discuss marking, faux trapunto, thread, machine needles and batting choices. In the afternoon we will continue to work on our Cardinal panel.

Click here for a materials list.-

Multiple Ways to Applique- One day workshop for beginning applique students.

$5.00 pattern fee for the block pattern. I will have the patterns with me.

There are so many great ways to applique. Using this 12 inch Robin block for practice you will learn 5 different methods of applique. Sizing or Starch, Needle turn, Freezer paper, Raw edge fused and machine applique ALL IN ONE DAY! Choose your technique to match the size, complexity, accuracy and efficiency of each pictorial object. Beginners and intermediate students welcome. I love sharing my passion for applique.

Feathers are Flying - One day workshop for all levels.

$10.00 pattern fee with four pattern choices.

heron pattern quail pattern humming bird pattern puffin pattern

I will have the patterns with me or you can pre-order in my on line store.

Let’s make one of these beautiful birds together. Learn the steps of layered applique. Choose raw edge, or turned edges with hand applique. Kathy will demonstrate tips for both. Use multiple prints to add dimension, depth and a realistic look. Fabric paint crayons can be used to add details, shading and high lights to your birds. I will show you how to use them and have them available to purchase. We will end with a discussion of how to quilt your project after you add these beautiful birds to the background of your choice at home.

Herons are 22 x 29 full scene

Humming birds are 18 x 22 full scene-Best fused

Quails are 16 x 16 or create a larger scene for them to sit in.

Puffins are small. Optional background 22 x 26

Click here for materials list.

Design Dynamics for every Quilt Style - Half or Full day workshop

Feathered Friends full Audubon Christmas full Natural Wonders Full

Design Dynamics for EVERY quilt style.

Deepen your understanding of lay out, design and fabric choices. Make the most of your contemporary or traditional quilts, by paying attention to color, value, shape, line and contrast.

Learn the secrets award winning quilters use to add movement, depth and balance to their compositions. The “ Visual Impact” is the most important part of your quilt. Learn to use the language of design to help you analyze what works for you and others. You do not need to be an artist to take this class. Bring traditional blocks or patterns that you want to work with, fabrics you are considering or a picture that inspires a quilt design. You will have a new sense of confidence as we work together in this totally supportive environment to plan or enhance your new quilt.

“This is the best class I have ever taken”, Sue from Paducah”

Click here for Materials list.

Animal Boutique - One day workshop with three pattern choices. $10.00 pattern fee. Beginners to intermediate applique students.

Fast, fun, fusible, and Oh so Beautiful. Choose from three animal favorites.

Panda pattern heron pattern Sea turtle pattern

I will have the patterns with me or you can pre-order in my on line store.

Learn the steps of layered applique, shading and dimension created with value and contrast. We will finish with a discussion of how to quilt the pictorial quilt. Kathy will demonstrate her fabric paint crayons to add lovely hints of shading.

Click here for materials list.

Dancing Cranes - One day Hand Applique workshop for confident beginners and intermediate applique students. $15.00 pattern fee for a 35 x 42 inch pattern.

This pattern requires hand applique supplies and a sewing machine.

Dancing cranes pattern

I will have the pattern with me or you can pre-order in my on line store.

Dance these cranes right onto your quilt top. We will make them as free objects ready to applique to a background scene that your create at home. Feel free to use your favorite technique/template material for turning edges. Kathy will demonstrate her tips. Add dimensional long feathers created by machine to speed the process.. This pattern is the first competitive quilt I have ever turned into a pattern!

Click here for materials list

Dimensional Embellishments with Thread - Half or whole day workshop

Create beautifully textured embellishments that will add additional interest and delight to your quilts. Learn to make trees, branches, dragon flies, 3-D Rose. Let your imagination run wild with the possibilities for this easy technique.

Click here for materials list.