Karole Kurnow

05/06/2026

Quilting vintage quilt blocks

23/05/2026

“I have one project going at a time…”
Well, maybe one of each type!

17/05/2026

A little baby quilt I whipped up for a friend of my sisters, made out of orphaned blocks.

05/05/2026

What do you do if you’re quilting along (or pinning out a quilt) and discover that the edge of an appliqué isn’t sewn down? I generally catch these flaws while pinning out the quilt, but sometimes I am surprised by loose pieces or seams in the middle of quilting.

Generally, I decide in advance how to handle appliqués on a quilt. Either I will accent the pieces with coordinating threads, or I will quilt over the appliqués with the same color thread as the rest of the quilt (for instance, when doing an all over design).

When I find a loose piece, I will probably decide to “hammer it down” with quilting stitches. Here, I found it while pinning and realized there could be other loose pieces, so I decided to quilt details into the pieces while “hammering down” the edges.

After I’ve finished all the detail quilting, I will go back with the background color and quilt the background. Quilting it this way is extra work, but I hope it will result in an extra special quilt, since it’s for an extra special person.

22/04/2026

Quilting sunflower centers on rescued vintage blocks. So relaxing.

Bernina 770 QE Plus
Music courtesy of Bruce Kurnow, album “The Evening Sky”. Used with permission

17/04/2026

A blast from the past? This shows how deep my queue is for quilt projects. I sewed together these vintage blocks (from two different sources) a while ago, and it has just now come to the top of the quilting pile. It is so cheerful!

14/04/2026

Bernina Minimatic 807 circa mid to late 1970’s, a 3/4 size, mostly metal mechanical sewing machine.

I think this is the most I have spent outfitting a vintage machine before even knowing if it would sew (but much, much less than a new machine). It came with a case and some accessories, but not the little extension table nor a manual nor a foot controller and power cord. It had been stored in an attic for many years. If it is like my attic, it is a hot, unforgiving space, but I took a chance on it.

Then I brought it to my favorite service center, Village Sewing Center. They serviced it and proclaimed it to be “an awesome little machine.”

While it was in the shop, I (prematurely?) purchased an original extension table, the missing feet (and more bobbins), a replacement power cord and foot controller, and an original manual online. These cost about as much as having it professionally serviced.

The age-old question of “I love my Singer Featherweight, but is there another small, lightweight vintage machine that is free-arm, has a few built-in stitches, and can do buttonholes?” has been answered in many ways. One option is a vintage Kenmore “Mini Kenny” (usually the 1030 or 1040 model). The Bernina Minimatic is another option, but it is harder to find and also has the potential weakness of internal nylon gears. Fortunately, replacement gears are readily available, if necessary. This one’s gears are still in great shape.

So far, I really like the precision of this Bernina. I like the way it grabs the fabric for piecing quilts, and how it smoothly transitions to zigzag or other stitches. Plus…a free arm. A travel or take-to-class machine. And I have still spent less than the current cost of a Singer Featherweight 221 … something to ponder.

04/04/2026

01/04/2026

It’s the same months of the year quilt block rescue, but now with the vertical sashing and side borders attached. I just need to press it, measure across, and add the top and bottom borders.

My goal was to combine disparate blocks into some sort of cohesive design. This traditional grid setting has the months going in order across the rows. If you zoom in, you can see some of the fun novelty fabrics the original maker incorporated into the Dresden Plates. I hope, if she sees this, the maker’s daughter will be happy with what I’ve done with her inherited blocks.

27/03/2026

For the first time, I can get a sense of —and appreciation for—how this quilt will look. If you recall, these were the sort of odd vintage Dresden Plate rings that I challenged myself to arrange in a quilt top. The theme was the months of the year, from a very black and bleak January to Easter-colored March, June picnics, and corn on the cob for July. Some blocks were pretty and some were downright weird. I embroidered centers with the names of the months (to help explain the quilt), and then found the coordinating sashing fabric with the help of my husband (who really has a good eye for that). I think this might even come out nice. I pinned on the vertical sashing to hide the quilt underneath this one—space is tight on my design wall.