Gemini

Holiday Elegance Table Set Pattern

Blog Tour, Crafter’s Companion, Fabrics, Lady K Designs, Moda Fabrics, Uncategorized

Happy Holidays to all!  I am pleased to offer you a free pattern to be used with the Crafter’s Companion GEMINI & Build-A-Block-PLUS die cutting system.  I always recommend adding quality tools to your sewing studio arsenal and the Build-A-Block-Plus die cutting system is a great tool to have at the ready, especially if you already own the GEMINI machine.  The BAB Plus includes three useful shapes, totaling a 14 piece set of dies.  You’ll get rectangles, half rectangle triangles, and isosceles triangles in sizes ranging from  1.5″ x 2.5″ all the way to 3.5″ x 6.5″, in order to make 4″, 6″, 8″ 9″ & 12″ blocks.  It’s a great collection of dies! To learn more about the Gemini tap HERE, and to learn more about the Build-A-Block Plus tap HERE.

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Inspired by the colors and spirit of the holidays, I created a collection to be used for everyday use or entertaining those special family members, friends, and guests that you may host throughout the season.  The lovely people at Moda Fabrics have sponsored this project by providing the lush and absolutely gorgeous fabrics from William Morris & Co for the Victoria & Albert Museum.  The collection is called Morris Holiday Metallics and you can check them out in greater detail HERE.  

I’ve given you a pattern collection to make not only a beautiful 60″ long table runner, but four generous sized placemats, and a bonus project of coasters.  Use your own taste in fabrics to create a completely different aesthetic and design for your home, and even try out some of the block instructions that come with the Build-A-Block-Plus pattern guide and make new blocks to place in my settings.  Download and print out my Holiday Elegance Table Set pattern.

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I’m thrilled to be a #brandpartner with Crafter’s Companion. The folks there have been lovely to work with. Thank you for this opportunity!

 

 

Fresh Picked Quilt Pattern

Crafter’s Companion, Fabrics, Lady K Designs, Quilts, Uncategorized

It’s an exciting day in my studio as I’m publishing a free quilt pattern I’ve designed for users of Crafter’s Companion’s GEMINI & Build-A-Block die cutting system.  I recommend adding it to your sewing arsenal because it is effective, useful, and fun to use.  Don’t we all like those things?!  To learn more about the Gemini tap HERE, and to learn more about the Build-A-Block tap HERE.  Here is my  Fresh Picked Pattern.

FRESH PICKED quilt pattern by Karen O’Connor

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Thank you to Moda Fabrics for sponsoring this project with Grunge Basics in Aqua and Composition White that I used alongside Jen Kingwell’s upcoming collection release, Looking Forward, also from Moda.  The colors in these fabrics are reminiscent of a simpler time, yet like the collection name claims, they bring life and light to the project by “Looking Forward”.  This collection will be shipping to shops November 2018 and these wo particular colors of Grunge Basics by BasicGrey are currently available.

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Vintage quilt made by my Great Grandma McKinstry.

My inspiration for the Fresh Picked Quilt was a quilt my Great Grandma McKinstry made decades and decades ago. I met her once, pictured below, and I treasure this quilt, pictured above, because it reminds me of where my quilty gene comes from. The Grunge Basics Aqua turned out to be an incredibly perfect match to the minty green fabric my great grandma had used all those years ago. I highly recommend it if you too want to recreate that color and tone but still want a modern vibe in your projects.

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Vintage style meets fresh colors of today.

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Here are some images of the system in use while I made the Fresh Picked quilt. You’ll also find a video below of me using the Gemini and BAB system.  I’m thrilled to be a Brand Partner with Crafter’s Companion and have been given this opportunity to work with the game changing Gemini and Build-A-Block die cutting system.  This is not meant to be a total replacement to your traditional rotary cutter/ruler/mat system.  It is meant to make some things easier and faster though.

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I’m thrilled to be a #brandpartner with Crafter’s Companion.  The folks there have been lovely to work with.  Thank you for this opportunity!

(CLOSED) I call it a “Quilter’s Companion”💖 ➕ a GIVEAWAY

Blog Tour, Crafter’s Companion, Uncategorized

(THIS GIVEAWAY CLOSED AT MIDNIGHT. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED. THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED IN A NEW POST.).

Back in May I attended Janome America’s inaugural Education Summit in New Jersey. It was during that fun filled week that I saw Crafter’s Companion Gemini die cutting machine and their new Build-A-Block die cut system in person. At first I was skeptical. I am a very fast and precise cutter with my rotary cutter/ruler/mat. I didn’t need something to help me do what I was already doing successfully. Then I saw it in action and I have to admit I was impressed. There was no hand cranking needed because the Gemini is an electric machine. It uses incredible pressure and it’s that pressure paired with the sandwich combo of plastic plates and metal and plastic shivs along with the Build-A-Block die cut shapes that provides a perfect cut of fabric. My first thought when I saw it in action was that I have arthritis in my hands and a bit of carpal tunnel in my right hand, from years of cutting fabric with a rotary cutter while working in quilt shops. Go figure! I saw a healthier process when it comes to cutting specific shapes that I honestly use in my quilt making in almost every project. Because the BAB system allows for cutting squares, half-square triangles, and quarter-square triangles in six individual sizes per shape, I’m pretty covered in the most common block sizes. That’s a total of eighteen dies and I love that they aren’t sharp. I can actually hold them in my hand without a worry because it’s that pressure system that cuts the fabric, not blades.

Fast forward to later this summer and I was approached by Crafter’s Companion to design a pattern for them in honor of the launch of the Build-A-Block system this week. I said yes within an instant and upon receiving the Gemini and BAB I realized just how valuable they were going to be in my quilt making process.

Not only is the BAB system fun to use and a quick cut, I discovered the best thing it does in my opinion. When it comes to making half-square and Quarter-Square triangles I wasn’t having to draw and cut on the line, or square up those units. Now it takes me a fraction of the time it was taking to sew up HST & QST units, especially since the perfect 1/4″ seam allowance is built into that shape’s die cut size. That is the biggest game changer!!

As I use these tools to make the quilt I’m designing for Crafter’s Companion, I know that using this system won’t stop when this quilt is done. The Gemini and Build-A-Block system are now a staple in my studio and I appreciate what they do for me and my projects. That pattern I’m working on will be debuting in early September so stay tuned! Thanks to Moda Fabrics for making such lush fabrics like Grunge Basics by BasicGrey and Jen Kingwell’s upcoming collection, “Looking Forward“.

If you think this system would be a perfect fit in your crafting and making adventures and are feeling lucky then you’re going to want to enter my giveaway to win your very own Crafter’s Companion Gemini machine and Build-A-Block system (valued at $359.90).

To be eligible you must accomplish the three following tasks:

■ Like Crafter’s Companion on Facebook.

■ Follow Crafter’s Companion on Instagram.

■ Visit the Build-A-Block project page on CraftersCompanion.com and then come back to this blog post and please leave a comment telling us which project is your favorite.

This giveaway contest will be open from Monday, August 20th through Monday, August 27th at Midnight PST. I will announce the lucky winner the following day here and over on my Instagram account, Lady K Quilts.

*Lady K Quilts is happy to be a #brandpartner with Crafter’s Companion. ✂️