December 29, 2008 - Star Student Quilt Kit

I am so excited to finally get started on my Star Student quilt. Fat Quarter Shop had a kit with Recess charm packs and Miss Rosie's Quilt Company Schnibbles Pattern, Plan C. (top row, third pattern)

I am a fabric pre-washer, yes, I admit it. Big mistake when it comes to charm packs. The fabric does shrink. Not a good thing when you need 5" strips and the charm squares now measure 4-3/4 inches.

So I ordered a layer cake to be sure I had enough fabric. I got it all washed and ironed yesterday, and today I started cutting! I can't wait to get this quilt together. It will hang in the big empty space above my dresser in our bedroom.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Karen

December 18, 2008 - Never enough bags

My local quilt shop had kits made up for small, medium and large shopping bags. It includes the pattern, 2 pieces of fabric, 5/8 yard of each, and 3 yards of webbing for the handles for the medium size.

As if I don't already have enough shopping bags, I took the bait and bought a kit. It went together in less than 90 minutes. I'm thinking it will make a nice bag to take to the beach. A nice thing to think about with over a foot of snow on the ground and 7 degrees this morning...

December 12, 2008 - Sewing tips with Karen

I bet you didn't know a lint roller was a sewing tool. Neither did I, until today. I had to rip out a row of stitching and wondered if the lint roller could take out the cut up stitching.

Yes, indeed it does! Works like a dream. Cut every second or third stitch, then pull out the uncut thread from the back side. Run the lint roller over the stitching schnibbles on both sides of the fabric.

That's two dreamy sewing tips for the week!

December 10, 2008 - I finished!

I finished! The Ohio Star quilt for my husband will be hung tonight. I am really pleased with how it turned out. It's long and skinny because it will cover the filled-in doorway in my husband's office.

I had forgotten how satisfying it is to do the hand sewing of the binding. I have to say, it's my favorite part of the quilting process.

On to the next project, another Very Hungry Caterpillar bag for a special someone.

I wonder when I will ever make something for myself? I have Recess, American Primer and Wildflower Serenade fabrics just waiting for a place to live in my home.

December 8, 2008 - You learn something new every day

So I have been threading needles for at least 45 years. I was reading a book called Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Quilting. Here is a new way to thread the needle and it works like a dream.

Instead of wetting the end of the thread, wet the eye of the needle. Hold the thread near the wet eye and it just slips in by capillary action.

Who knew?

December 7, 2008 - Light at the End of the Tunnel

I've been able to dedicate most of yesterday and today to the Ohio Star wall hanging for my husband. All that is left is hand sewing the binding to the back, and adding a sleeve for the dowel. I am very happy with how it has turned out!

November 28, 2008 - He was a wonderful companion

Our sweet puppy dog passed away suddenly on Thanksgiving. We had no idea there was anything wrong. He probably had a form of liver cancer common in golden retrievers. He was nearly 9, we thought we'd have a couple more years.

We will miss him terribly.

November 27, 2008 - New Email address

I have moved my blog address to karose1175@gmail where my Google Reader is located. It was too awkward to log out of my Google Reader address and into my blog address in order to comment on other's blogs.

November 27, 2008 - Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all 5 of you who read my blog a
Happy Thanksgiving!

November 15, 2008 - My favorite of the three arrangements

It's a bit hard to tell in the photo but this time I turned every other block 180 degrees. This way the same red fabric makes diagonal rows. I think this is the one I will go with.

November 14, 2008 - The blocks are finished!

I finished the last mystery quilt blocks late this afternoon. I haven't decided which layout I prefer, all the Prairie Paisley reds in the upper left hand corner, or rotating the second and third blocks in each row.

Regardless, I plan to add off-white sashing and colored cornerstones.

November 13, 2008 - The Mystery Quilt

I am happy to report I have completed 2 of the 12 blocks for the Mystery Quilt. As hard as I have tried to sew the past 3 days, I have just been too busy and too tired. Looks like I am home most of the day tomorrow so maybe I can make some good progress.

I plan to set the blocks with off-white sashing, and cornerstones of blue, red and green. Each block has the same 4 colors shown, but different fabrics.

Quilt design by Trudie Hughes of New Berlin, WI

November 8, 2008 - We're having a wedding!

My son and his girlfriend got engaged last night! Wow, I don't feel old enough to be mother of the groom. We are tickled pink and so happy to welcome a new member into the family : - )

October 30, 2008 - Mystery Quilt, step 2

I finished the second step of the mystery quilt. It feels so good to be back at the machine!

October 29, 2008 - I can cut!

As of a week ago, I am able to rotary cut fabric! It was a long 4 weeks with no quilting. I am soooo happy to be reconnected with my fabric : )

It took me a week to cut these 96 pieces, one layer of fabric at a time. I am still regaining strength in my right hand. The pieces are for a mystery quilt I am making. I'll post each step as I finish.

October 10, 2008 - New splint, moping dog

No explanation necessary.

October 8, 2008 - The stitches are out!

Yesterday I had the stitches removed from my wrist and got a removable splint! I can shower! I can drive! Not sure I am ready to quilt : - (

I start physical therapy tomorrow and will get a high tech splint with Velcro. I am hoping that gives me more wiggle room and maybe I will be able to sew sooner rather than later.

Karen

October 2, 2008 - Dreaming...

It's been hard to be home and not able to sew. I have so many ideas floating in my head. Today's mail brought yardage from the American Primer line. I already have a charm pack and now have yardage to with it. Just need my wrist to heal and I'll be back at the machine.

September 28. 2008 - The Bionic Woman?

I broke my wrist on Tuesday. On Thursday I found out I needed surgery and a titanium plate to repair the break. So Friday we headed out to the hospital for the repair and an overnight stay. It really is true, you don't get much sleep in the hospital.


Friends and relatives have sent food, fruit and flowers. We are well cared for.

September 26, 2008 - An unplanned break in quilting : (

Yesterday I was going down some uneven stairs that were covered in pine straw. I slipped and reached down with my right hand to break the fall. Instead of breaking the fall, I broke my wrist. Ouch. It was Not pleasant.

I'm splinted up and will see an orthopedic surgeon later this week.

So sad. No quilting for a while.

September 18, 2008 - Getting closer

I sewed together strips for a trip around the world style baby quilt for a friend. Something got mixed up and when it came time to assemble the sections, the pattern was no where near correct. I had already spent about 12 hours assembling, so we decided to go with a scrappy look. The fabrics are by April Cornell from a couple years ago.



The Ohio Star blocks are assembled with sashing and the first border is on!! It is long and narrow because it will be hung to cover an old doorway.



I bought 2 Recess charm packs and some yardage to make Miss Rosie's Quilt Company Plan C quilt.




So that gives me 3 projects in the queue, plus another set of bean bags for my friend's school. So glad I am able to be home and do my quilting : )

Karen

September 8, 2008 - The blocks are finished!

I finished all 40 blocks and now I in the process of attaching the sashing.

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

September 7, 2008 - 34 finished, 6 to go

Sunday we dropped the kids off at their apartments; their classes started on Tuesday.

I resumed helping out in 2 classrooms this week, we planted mums, and I spent a good part of Saturday working on the Ohio Star blocks. I hope I can start sewing on sashing this week and get this quilt wrapped up soon.

Also, on Friday I drove out to Madison to take more requested items to the kids. Kristin and I went out to lunch and then I took her grocery shopping.

More bean bags are on the list of things to do, the ones I made last week were a hit.

Fall has arrived, I am really enjoying temperatures in the upper 60s!

August 30, 2008 - Bean bags

Bean bags for my friend's school. I used old jeans and used poly pellets to fill them.


Wyler, depressed and hanging out with the shoes, because I have spent the whole day baking and sewing. He'll get a long walk tonight when it is cooler.

August 28, 2008 - Makeup organizer

My daughter asked if I could make a roll-up organizer for all her makeup. She chose the colors and I made up the pattern. It isn't perfect, some of the batting sticks out the edges of the fabric pockets. But it will do.

I am not planning to go into business making these things. It was tough to stitch the pockets on, going through 4 layers of fabric and 2 layers of batting. Plus, where the red edging is at the top of each pocket, it's a total of 8 layers of fabric.

But, she leaves for school on Sunday and it is ready to go!

The top photo is kind of washed out. The fabric is true black.

Pot holders

I gave up on trying to crochet the pot holders my grandma used to make. I am starting a new tradition--I am knitting pot holders!

First I tried knitting with crochet thread and they weren't dense enough.

Then my sister sent me the link to a JoAnn's ad and pattern using Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn.

That worked out great.

So far I have made 2. I just used them to remove a pan of rolls from the oven. : )

August 28, 2008 - what I've been up to

It's August, so that means time to help the kids get ready to go back to school. Let's see, I've been doing this for 19 years now!

The kids and I had a fun trip to Ikea Thursday. Friday we rented a truck to move their furniture and some of their belongings to their new apartments. They are in the same building, one floor apart. It's just the second year the building is open so the apartments are quite nice. New management company this year, so we'll see what happens.

The furniture stayed in Madison, but the kids didn't. Kristin is working as many shifts as she can before leaving and Daniel had one more day of work and they both have eye appointments. So it has been pretty wild around here. They leave for the semester on Sunday. Sad : (

I have been crafting a quilted makeup organizer for Kristin. No pattern, I just am flying by the seat of my pants. So the Ohio Star quilt is on the back burner once again.

The garden is thriving and we so enjoy the beauty of it. I am trying to savor the warm days and beautiful colors because we all know fall is coming and winter isn't far behind.

I'll post a photo of the makeup organizer when it's finished. I am really enjoying the new sewing machine and have my first sewing machine lesson next Thursday.

August 12, 2008 - 72 quarter square triangles

This is what I have been working on since Friday--the final 72 QSTs needed for the Ohio Star quilt.

I've given up on doing the Jewel Box quilt as leader/enders because I found I was spending more time on that quilt than the Ohio Star. So the Jewel Box has been set to the side to be worked on after finishing the Ohio Star.

This is a picture of my birthday present : ) A new Babylock Grace machine! They are due to come in on Thursday. My husband said it's time to get into the 21st century.

August 9, 2008 - Quilt Camp

My friend's daughter came over Thursday morning for a tutorial on bindings. She is just beginning to quilt and nearly ready to bind her first baby quilt.

I put together this Prairie Paisley long place mat or short table runner, whatever, for her to do the binding. It was her first time sewing on a machine. She has been piecing by hand, very impressive! Then we went to the local sewing machine shop to look at machines for her. Now we are both dreaming of a Baby Lock Grace model.

It was lots of fun to spend the morning together and so fun to share my love of quilting : )

August 1, 2008 - Wildflower Serenade

I didn't think I could like a fabric collection any more than I do Prairie Paisley, but now there is Wildflower Serenade.

I bought a layer cake of it (for my non-quilting friends--10" squares of each of the fabrics in the collection) and now I have ordered yardage of the 8 fabrics shown. I am planning to make Opening Day from Miss Rosie's Quilting Co.

Still working on the Ohio Star quilt for my husband. Must.finish.it.soon.

July 22, 2008 - Jewel Box block

I'm working on a Jewel Box quilt at the same time as the Ohio Star quilt. Sometimes I do a little more on the Jewel Box than the Ohio Star ; )

Being a non scrappy kind of person, the quilt will have some scrappiness but symmetry as well.

July 21, 2008 - catching up

I've just had 4 days where I didn't have a lot of places to go. Finally I was able to catch up on folding laundry, filing piles and piles of papers, get income tax papers ready for the accountant for our friends' taxes (yes, I filed an extension!) and filled out a claim form for a faulty furnace we replaced 5 years ago.

In between I have been making scores of quarter-square triangles for my husband's quilt and sneaking in some HST and four patches of my Prairie Paisley fabrics. I was happy to see Minnick & Simpson are coming out in fall with another Moda line in similar colors, American Primer.

I am so grateful to have had the time to deal with the tasks that have been looming over my shoulders for so long. I am so grateful that I have been able to remain unemployed by choice for the last 14 months. May it continue for many more!!

Karen

July 11, 2008 - One more bunny update

It's a little blurry, but here is the little tyke yesterday in my neighbors' yard.

I am in the middle of 5 quilting projects:

Ohio Star quilt for my husband's office
Irish Chain for my son's college graduation
3 more place mats started in my free motion quilting class
a wall hanging, also from the quilting class
Jewel Box leader-ender out of Prairie Paisley

I learned a new word from a friend who is a special ed teacher -- perseveration. It means continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usually to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point.

I guess that's a good word to describe my quilting these days!!

July 8, 2008 - The bunny is out on his own

Nature took its course during the week and by Saturday the 28th, only one bunny remained. Here it is.

I was out of town for the week and returned yesterday. The bunny was not in the bucket but the spot where it had been living was still indented so I don't think it had left too long ago.

Today I saw it hopping about in our yard. I have put the bucket away so the mom finds a safer place for her next delivery!

one-quarter finished

Here is the first of 4 Prairie Paisley place mats. Each one features a different fabric as the main square. I got the binding hand sewn last night.

June 25, 2008 - Bunny update

The bunnies must have just finished breakfast--look how fat the tummy is on the rabbit farthest to the right. Their eyes are still closed but their ears are starting to perk up, so I am guessing they are about 8 or 9 days old.

June 23, 2008 - Baby rabbits

I had a bucket of weeds that I hadn't gotten around to taking to the dump. Yesterday it rained so I moved the bucket into the garage. Today I brought it back out to dump into a yard waste bag and I found 4 tiny baby rabbits. I'm sure the mother was quite distraught that the bucket was no where to be found last night.

We left it out on the patio and moved a patio chair nearby in case she needed a boost to get in. When I checked later she was in the bucket so we hope all is well.

June 17, 2008 - This week

This week I am helping out 4 mornings at Camp Zoom, a day camp at our church for 4 to 7 year olds. It runs from 9 till noon, and when I get home, I am ready for a nap!

I also have the third and final session of my free motion quilt class. We are supposed to have assembled and quilted 4 place mats. I'll be lucky to get one completed. I just don't have much energy after the morning at camp!

June 15, 2008 - The new flower bed

Yesterday we made another flower bed. Soon we will have more garden than grass : )

I planted:

Nepeta
Monarda
Malva alcea
Coreopsis
Siberian iris
Happy Returns day lilies
some old iris rhizomes, I'm not sure if they will grow or not.

I have 2 different colors of hosta I will plant in bunches of 3 around the perimeter. Now we need mulch. That will be a process, not an event!

In other flower beds I planted more nepeta, malva alcea, dianthus and salvia.

After the hard week of flooding rains in much of the state, it is good to have some beautiful sunny and dry weather today.

Karen