Hello Quilting Friends!  If you haven't been following along with us on Facebook, we have gotten a TON of new fabric in our shop this week!  The bus trip ladies over the past couple of weeks worked hard to clean us out, so it is time for some new, fresh fabrics to inspire those summer projects! 

And this was just Tuesday's delivery!!

And since our Social Media Director, Tracy, is expecting a new little one this summer, we were sure to load up on lots of kid-friendly fabrics for those lovely baby gifts and quilts.  We have new flannels for bibs and burp cloth sets (we can even cut them out for you with our AccuCut!), cottons for quilts and clothing, and even some chenille and minky for a touch of fuzziness. 

We've beefed up our color walls with new basics and blenders, and will continue to add more eye-popping focal prints for those projects you've been dreaming up!  I don't know about you, but something about spring always inspires me to start playing with colors and mixing things up as I try to find a fresh perspective on all my projects. Our new additions will be purrfect for starting out with a fresh eye. 

Our UPS man with just a few of the boxes we received.  Whew! 

Stop by and see what we've added, or visit us at our online web store at www.quiltedkitty.com.  We'll be adding new additions daily, so check back often!  Happy Quilting!

Hello Quilting Friends!  Let's talk about every quilters secret source of pride: their quilting stash.  Small or large, monochromatic or full of rainbow colors, building a good stash to work with takes time and effort and more often than not willpower!  So before you head out on your next bus trip, take a moment and read through our 3-Step Progam on stash building so you'll be a pro before you go.

Organizing by color can help you see what fabrics you need to fill your stash.

Step 1:  Collecting

While this might seem like the easiest part of building a good stash, a little forethought and knowledge of what you already have can save you time and money while you are in the fabric store.  It's easy to be swayed by a great sale or the cutest fabric stack while you're at your local quilt shop.  So be prepared by doing a little prep work before going!  Go to your sewing area and take a visual inventory or what you have.  As you look around, ask yourself the following:

• What occasions are on the horizon?  Will I be making a quilt for any of these (i.e. Christmas, birthdays, graduations, new babies, etc.)?  Do I have enough fabric on hand to complete the project, or will I need to purchase more?
  
• Do I have fabrics that will blend with a variety of projects, and do I have an a varied selection of novelty and specialty prints?
• What about borders, backgrounds, and backings?  Do I have enough fabric that is suitable for these items? 
  
• Do I have an overabundance of any particular color?
• Are there any colors that I use in high volume that will need to be replaced regularly?

As you look at your stash and think about your needs, Step 2 will be a natural progression.

Step 2:  Organizing

Organizing a fabric stash can be the most daunting part of a quilters work.  Most of us would rather spend time creating and sewing than organizing and making our area neat!  But to fully utilize your stash, a little extra work will pay off dividends down the road.  We've pinned some great organizational ideas onto our Pinterest Boards to give you a start as you figure out a system that will work for you.  No two systems will work for everyone, but as a place to start:

• There are generally four categories that fabrics fall into:  precuts, scraps, stash fabrics of 1/4 to 1 yard, and larger cuts of fabric for borders and backings. 
  
• Precuts can look great stored on a shelf, or are easily placed in a drawer together.
• Scraps can definitely be a challenge.  Storing same-size strips or same-size squares in a box can make things easier.  Others prefer organizing scraps together of all sizes by color. 
  
• Stash fabrics and larger cuts (1/4 yard and up) can be folded the same way and displayed on a shelf.  Or use cardboard to make mini-bolts for display.  Another option is to use file folders and drape the fabrics over them in a filing cabinet.  Just be sure to differentiate between smaller cuts and those cuts destined for borders/backings so you can easily find what you need!  Use your imagination and figure out what will work best for you.

Have you checked out your thread display as well?

Step 3:  Displaying

This step often goes hand in hand with organizing, but it's worth thinking about as you look around your sewing area. Again, take a look at our Pinterest Boards for some visual inspiration as you think through the following:

• Does the way you display your fabric inspire you to be creative?
• Can you easily see what fabrics you have available for a new project?
• Are your notions easily accessible?
• Is your workspace layout functional or would rearranging the furniture help you to be more efficient?

We hope our 3-Step Program will help you as you start to build a killer stash.  And remember that The Quilted Kitty can help you fill in any stash gaps with gorgeous novelty prints, focal fabrics, and blenders.  What tips would you add to our list? 

We are excited to start carrying patterns from designer Cindy Phillips of Cindy's Sassy Designs!  Read our interview with her as we get to know her and spotlight some of her patterns.

Cindy's Sassy Sewing Quilt

Background
Cindy has been an artist and avid seamstress since her middle school years.  She made a living painting murals for homes and businesses and as her family grew she found herself sewing entire wardrobes for her girls.  After a tragic car accident claimed the life of her middle daughter, Cindy hung up sewing for nearly 13 years until her eldest daughter showing an interest in quilting.  The birthday quilt her daughter made for her sparked her interest again and she soon found herself immersed in quilting.  Quilting became a type of therapy, and soon Cindy began designing purse and quilt patterns.  Teaching gigs at local shops followed close behind, and Cindy began custom long arm quilting for many of her students as well.  Not bad for someone who was about to "retire"!

Just Kick'n It quilt

Company
Her love of art, animals, and family can be found in her business and her pattern designs.  Both her daughters are involved in the design company and help bring a modern twist to her line.  And her miniature rat terrier Sassy managed to get her name on the patterns!  With horses, dogs, and cats around Cindy's house this sounds like no smal feat.  :) 

Cindy and her two daughters

Fun Fast Facts about Cindy:

1. Favorite snack:  Chocolate
2. Favorite Quilt Heirloom:  Her great-grandmother's Drunkard's Path quilt made in 1910
3. Favorite part of her job:  Quilting and Designing
4. Favorite part about quilting:  "It has changed my life and brought my family closer together"
5. Fun Fact:  She used to sew shirts for some of her pro-rodeo friends.

We hope you've enjoyed getting to know a new-to-us designer.  Head on over to The Quilted Kitty to see more of her work and to order your copy of her patterns.  Happy Quilting everyone!

It's Pet Owner's Week!  We are celebrating our wonderful pets here at The Quilted Kitty and invite you to celebrate with us!  This week we are running a photo contest and hope that YOU and your pets will participate.  It's easy to enter!  All you have to do is go to our Facebook page, make sure that you have "Liked" us, and click on the camera picture/ photo contest link.  Follow the directions to upload your photo or link to your previously uploaded Facebook photo and get yourself entered!  You have until the end of the day on Friday, April 19th to submit your photo.  Voting will begin on Saturday, April 20th and end on Tuesday, April 22nd.  You could win a wonderful Fat Quarter bundle of our favorite cat fabrics!  Be sure to tell your friends so they can vote for you too.  Good luck!

Our Beginning Quilt Class participants have graduated!  Last night we got both our Tuesday and Wednesday night classes together to celebrate and show off our projects.  These ladies have really bonded, and it's been so fun to watch them learn together and become fast friends.  The laughter that rang out each class time will be missed!  Good thing they've already signed up for other Quilted Kitty classes together.  I can't wait to see what they come up with next! 

Our few of our Beginning Quilters

One of our treats, and each quilter's finished project

We will begin another round of Beginning classes this fall.  If you're interested in joining us for our next round of classes, be sure to sign up for our newsletter so we can keep you updated on exact dates and times!  We can't wait to get started.  Happy Quilting everyone!

We had a GREAT time last weekend at our Spring Quilted Kitty Retreat!  Held Friday evening through Sunday afternoon at beautiful Mahoney State Park, 10 ladies joined us to relax, quilt, refesh, sew, socialize, laugh, and learn new techniques together. Here'a a photo recap with a small sample of all the beautiful projects that we made and worked on this weekend!

"Breadcrumbs for Quilters"

Heather worked on a 1600 quilt made from 3 jelly rolls.  She strung them around the room to help with organization and for a fun bit of flair!  Here is the quilt nearly finished:

Our little "store" filled with various odds and ends.  Just in case you forgot something, need a litle extra fabric, or are ready to start a new project.

We even had a design wall up and running!  It was a big help with the construction of this quilt.

Nanci worked on a little project of that she's been eyeing for quite some time.  This is her area - looks a little messy, don't you think?!?  But trust me, there's a reason for all that selvage!

She stitched together a tablet cover from selvages!  Didn't it turn out darling?  Nanci found the project in one of the books we have available called Save the Selvages by Sandy Thompson (give us a call to order it!).

A final glimpse of a few of the wonderful projects the ladies worked on throughout the weekend!  I wish I could show them all to you.

We hope you will be able to join us for our Fall Retreat this October.  Retreat dates and details to come! 

If you are bummed that you missed out this time, the best way to stay up to date on upcoming events we have planned is to follow our Facebook page or sign up for our newsletter.  We hope you can make our next event!

What a fun idea from one of our local no-kill cat shelters!  The Cat House is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has organized a night of fun to benefit Lincoln-area cats.  A $20 entry fee includes one drink voucher, $5000 in gambling money, complimentary hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and non-alcoholic drinks. A cash bar will be available (must be 21 to consume alcohol). A live auction and raffle will be held for great prizes, including an iPad, Nook, and 42" flat screen TV.

This fun event will be held at the Scottish Rite Temple, 16th & L Sts. Doors open at 6:30; gambling from 7 - 9 PM; auction to follow.

For more details, visit their Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/541939789171669/
or their website at www.thecathouse.org

To all our entrants:  Thanks for visiting!  There were sooooo many good tips shared in the comments, and we encourage you too take a peek at what advice your fellow quilters gave.  We look forward to sharing more Quilted Kitty news, fun tips and stories, and some great items we have in our store in the coming weeks!  Stay tuned. 

And now, congratulations to SueAnn W.!  She is the winner of our "Beat the Winter Blues" blog hop giveaway.  She has won her choice of a Riley Blake Fat Quarter Bundle - either the Chevrons or Dots. We've sent you an email SueAnn!

Hello quilting friends!  Welcome to The Quilting Gallery's "Beat the Winter Blues Blog Hop"!  In addition to tons of GIVEAWAYS, this hop gives us all a chance to be inspired by the wonderful quilts and fabrics showcased on so many blogs! 

The Quilted Kitty is a full-stop shop for your quilting needs!  We have a great selection of fabrics both online and in-store.  From Riley Blake to Buggy Barn to Aunt Grace to Batiks, our knowledgeable sales staff will help you pick and choose the purrfect fabrics to match your current (and next!) project. 

In-stock items include:

1. A wide selection of Fabrics 
2. Creative Grid Rulers and other notions
   
3. Aurifil Thread
4. Books, Patterns, and Kits
5. Great Gift Ideas

We hope you'll take a moment to look around at what's going on at The Quilted Kitty. 

And now, without further ado, please enter our giveaway!

We are randomly drawing for ONE Fat Quarter Bundle of Riley Blake Fabrics!  Winner's choice of one bundle - feeling fresh and funky with Chevrons, or sweet and sassy with Polka Dots?  Either way, these fabrics are beautiful and will make a great addition to your stash. 

To enter, simply log in to to the Rafflecopter app below and leave us a blog comment that answers the question in the app.  Don't worry, we won't share your info with anyone.  For up to 3 extra entries, you can "Like" us on Facebook, Follow us on Pinterest, and Sign up for our newsletter via our website.  Only the blog comment is mandatory, but you can increase your chances of winning by completing the optional entries!  Sorry, this giveaway is limited to US residents only.  We will randomly choose a winner on Friday, March 15th and announce it here! 

Good luck, and we hope you'll stop by and see us soon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello friends!  QuiltCon was last weekend in Austin, TX.  While we didn't get to make it down there for the festivities this year, I feel like I was there just from all the chatter and pictures circulating in blogland!  It looks like it was a blast, with lots of learning and inspiration to boot! We'll tell you a little about the event in case you missed out too. 

This might be the first you've heard about QuiltCon and a little explanation is in order.  The Modern Quilt Guild put on the first modern quilting event of its kind (aka QuiltCon) in Austin, TX and 2013 was the inaugural year of this international conference and quilt show.  It featured top modern quilting instructors like David Butler, Angela Walters, Jacquie Gering, and Anna Maria Horner.  It also included a juried modern quilt show, vendors, lectures, workshops, and more.  Doesn't that sound exciting? 

Since we didn't get to take any pictures ourselves, I'd love to link you to a couple of blogs so you can check out all the beautiful entries into the quilt show.  From tongue-in-cheek to improv to modern traditionalism, there's something for everyone! 

• Quilt Journalist
• Sukie80's Photostream on Flickr
• Fresh Lemons blog
• She Can Quilt blog 

We hope you find these quilts as inspiring and cool as we do, and would love to hear what your favorite (and not so favorite) quilts are.  Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!