Karen's Chronicles

July 26, 2010 - Five Finishes

2010-07-26T09:01:00.004-05:00

My 32 year old orange pot holders have met their end. I decided to knit up some blue cotton ones to take their place.

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My daughter is working at a day camp this summer. The old bean bags made from old socks were wearing out and leaking beans. I consented to making a batch for her to take for the campers to use. Old blue jeans make great bean bags, and I used polyester pellets instead of beans.

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My sister got me started on coffee cup cozies. I'm not fond of knitting on double pointed needles so I revised the pattern to knit on straight needles. This was Coffee Cozy 4.0. I wouldn't stop till it was perfect. Perfection, a blessing, and a curse.

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As if knitting and quilting weren't enough, I decided to try single crocheted amigurumi. This pattern is for a penguin but all I had with me was the purple yard from the coffee cozy.

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This quilt, Plan C by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, was pieced and quilted 18 months ago. My friend gave me the kick in the pants I needed to sew the binding on and be finished. It's hanging in our bedroom and I love it! It still needs a label and laundering and that will happen soon.

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Thanks for stopping by!

June 5, 2010 - More Caterpillar Bag photos

2010-06-05T13:00:00.004-05:00

Here is the finished bag.

Here are the strips all sewn together.

Caterpillar Bag - The strips sewn together

2010-06-05T12:54:00.003-05:00

OK, Blogger is not cooperating.

I'll try later to post the photo of the strips sewn together, and the completed bag.

Any troubleshooting suggestions on posting photos appreciated.

Karen

June 5, 2010 - Very Hungry Caterpillar bags

2010-06-05T12:43:00.004-05:00

More Very Hungry Caterpillar Bags! My sister asked if I would make two of them for my niece's teachers as she graduates from Kindergarten. I spent Memorial Day weekend getting them made.

This is my first attempt at posting since Blogger did some updates and I seem to be having trouble adding more than one photo. So, this is the bottom. I boxed the corners so that the dot fabric is the entire bottom of the bag.

Continue on to the next post or posts to see the other photos.

April 11, 2010 - Rough Draft

2010-04-11T18:15:00.003-05:00

I got a small start on my Nash Schnibbles quilt. I'm using Looking Back by Brannock and Patek.

I don't like that the red from the 4 patch touches another red. So I plan to have all the 4 patches be composed of 2 blue and 2 brown fabrics. I am using layer cakes and a bit of yardage, so I have enough fabric to not have to rip out this block.

Stay tuned for more progress.

April 4, 2010 - Pin Cushions

2010-04-04T10:22:00.004-05:00

I have been sewing since I was 10 years old. That's a long time. : )

I have always kept my straight pins in a plastic or tin box and I just grab the pins as I pin a garment or quilting project.

I had the joy of helping my college aged daughter do some sewing this week while she was home from college. She kept poking herself as she took the pins from the tin. She asked me why I don't use a pin cushion. I guess it is because when I un-pin, I pull out a lot of pins at once, and then how do I stick them back into the pin cushion? So I bought a large tomato pin cushion from Joann Fabrics and I am going to give it a try.

How about you? Do you use a pin cushion or box of pins?

Photo from Joann fabrics

April 4, 2010 - UFO problem

2010-04-04T10:15:00.003-05:00

No finishes to post. I seem to have a problem with attention span. I have started at least 5 projects in the past 6 months or so. Then I get bored with the project, or an urgent need arises for a gift or a new project. Or a new collection is released that I need.

Stay tuned for the newest project. We did some rearranging in our living room and there is some wall space begging for a new Schnibbles quilt. The fabric is washed and ironed and the cutting will begin soon.

Stay tuned.

Photo from The Fat Quarter Shop

November 21, 2009 - Jewel Box mini quilt

2009-11-21T10:27:00.002-06:00

A jewel box quilt has been on my list for quite some time. Since I am working on 3 other projects, I thought I would do a single block. It turned into this 8 inch mini quilt which I finished yesterday. I thought the tiny squares would be a lot harder than they were. I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

October 26, 2009 - Design Wall Monday - D9P

2009-10-26T08:29:00.002-05:00

It seems everyone is doing a Disappearing 9 Patch these days so I thought I'd jump in too. I tried one once with lots of different fabrics and it was too scrappy for me. This time I picked my 3 favorite fabrics from Wiscasset. I really like it. Of course it is my favorite color combination.

The blocks go together so fast, it shouldn't be long before the top is finished.

October 15, 2009 - Design Wall Thursday

2009-10-15T20:45:00.003-05:00

I have really had time to sew! These are 1-1/2 inch squares set in 14 rows of 10. I'm going to consider making it just 12 rows, I'll sleep on it and see what I think in the morning. I'll probably do a 1 inch border in ivory and bind it in red. I'm thinking some free motion swirls for quilting.

The beauty of yardage as opposed to charm squares is, if you are like me, you just don't care for scrappy. I ended up pulling out the fabrics I didn't like, even though I had sewn and cut them. For me the purpose of charm squares is to decide which are my 3 favorite fabrics in the collection! Just call me boring.

Karen

October 12, 2009 - Quilting in my head

2009-10-12T12:35:00.004-05:00

I now have my wonderful sewing room all set up. But life and work have gotten in my way so I have sewn hardly anything. But I think a lot about sewing : )

What I am working on is a miniature quilt of 1-1/2 inch squares of Prairie Paisley.

It shouldn't be a long project. We will see!

September 19, 2009 - Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

2009-09-19T10:56:00.003-05:00

When I saw this Brown Bear fabric I just had to make a quilted wall hanging for my friend's Kindergarten Readiness classroom.

It's not the first quilt that I made and took apart and remade. Perfectionism. It's a blessing and a curse. But it is finished and the kids will enjoy looking at it and learning their colors : )

September 19, 2009 - Sewing Room!

2009-09-19T10:53:00.003-05:00

My dear husband painted our son's bedroom and pulled out the ancient carpet. Now I have an awesome sewing room with a hardwood floor. I'll be making some mini quilts to decorate the walls. I am so grateful!

July 27, 2009 - They're married!

2009-07-27T06:35:00.003-05:00

On Saturday our son married his best friend : ) It was a beautiful, God-honoring ceremony and the kids were simply beaming! My husband performed the wedding and managed to hold it together.

We could not be happier!

July 15, 2009 - Puppies!

2009-07-15T06:20:00.004-05:00

We went to see Phoebe's puppies last night. They are 4.5 weeks old. She has 8 puppies and there are 4 more from another litter. They are so cute. Wish we could get one but they are all spoken for. Phoebe will come back to us in about 2 weeks, after our son's wedding.

July 15, 2009 - Rail Fence quilt

2009-07-15T06:17:00.004-05:00

This quilt went together very quickly. It turned out even prettier than I hoped. Yesterday I cut strips for the first border, maybe I can even get them attached today.

I used 3 jelly rolls to make this queen sized quilt.

Irish Chain and Rail Fence quilts

2009-06-29T13:18:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the fuzziness, these were taken with my cell phone.

June 28, 2009 - A finish!

2009-06-28T20:37:00.004-05:00

I am on a dial up connection, so no photo for now.

I have finished the navy and ecru Irish Chain quilt. I used Judy Laquidara's technique of sewing the binding completely by machine. It worked great and saved lots of time!

I have also started a rail fence type quilt with 7 jelly roll strips per block. I am using April Cornell's Nostalgia line. It's been great to have uninterrupted time to sew. : )

Phoebe had 11 puppies. They are about 2 1/2 weeks old. We can go visit when they are 4 weeks. We are looking forward to having her back with us after the puppies go to their new homes.

June 2, 2009 - Bleep

2009-06-02T21:36:00.002-05:00

This is Bleep. She came with the name. She is our loaner dog while Phoebe is on maternity leave and living with the breeder till her pups find homes. Phoebe is due to deliver June 9.

Bleep holds court on the couch, or sometimes the chair. She is no trouble at all, but pretty terrified of anything off the couch. We are happy to give her some love and we hope she loosens up a bit.

The Ballerinas in my life

2009-05-16T09:41:00.001-05:00

April 25, 2009 - Watching the flowers bloom

2009-04-25T10:58:00.007-05:00

Watching the flowers bloom. That's about how much energy I have had this week, still not up to speed after battling the crud.

I look longingly at the sewing machine and my quilting projects and say, "Maybe tomorrow."

I do feel a bit more energetic today and I measured the front foyer so I can go order wallpaper, and I am patching the pocket of a pair of pants for my son. And I am backing up the computers. Not quite as exciting as watching the flowers bloom!

We're having a downpour this morning so I am sure the plants and grass will have quite a growth spurt in the next week.

That's the news from here for now!

April 13, 2009 - More photos of Phoebe

2009-04-13T17:20:00.004-05:00

I discovered she loves to fetch a tennis ball, so that has become part of our daily routine.

She was bred last week with a handsome guy from Texas. We'll know in 3 or 4 weeks if she is pregnant. Exciting times!

April 13, 2009 - Spring!

2009-04-13T16:21:00.004-05:00

The calendar says it's spring, and I have the daffodils and crocus to prove it, but we just had 15 minutes of big fluffy snowflakes, even though the thermometer says it is 43 degrees. Winter just does not give up easily in WI.

I have had a bad cold since last week so the only sewing that got done was patching my daughter's jeans. I have the blue and ecru Irish Chain quilt sitting on the cutting table waiting for borders. And I expect to get my Star Student back, quilted, from Patched Works some time this week.

I think I will go make some scalloped potatoes, comfort food for me, but definitely NOT comfort food for my husband : )

March 31, 2009 - My Garden

2009-03-31T12:59:00.006-05:00

The seeds I planted 3 weeks ago are growing! The seeds of the Italian plants are almost 6 inches tall. The coneflowers are about 1/2 inch tall. I guess now I know why a coneflower from a nursery costs $8. They must keep them in the green house for 2 years!

Phoebe is doing great. She will probably be bred early next week, then we'll see in a month or so if she is actually pregnant. She'll go back to the breeder for the end of the pregnancy and the delivery.

March 21, 2009 - Happy National Quilting Day

2009-03-21T14:58:00.002-05:00

To celebrate I finished my Star Student quilt top. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I'm ready to move on to the next project. I'll have this one long arm quilted at Patched Works.

March 12, 2009 - What I have been up to

2009-03-12T12:04:00.012-05:00

These are the borders to my Star Student quilt which I started quite some time ago.

Here is the main part of the quilt top.

I started some flower seeds from my neighbor. They sprouted in 3 days. I have a feeling they are going to be quite large by the time I can plant them outside at the end of May!

This is Phoebe. We are having her for an extended visit until she is ready to be bred and have a litter of pups. After the puppies are gone to their new homes, Phoebe will come to stay with us forever. She is 4 years old and is not house trained. So today is potty training day. Every 30 minutes, out to the backyard we wander. You would think beef tenderloin would be some pretty good motivation to perform. She is not used to "going" while on a leash. Otherwise she is a very sweet dog and does not bark much at all, which gives her high marks as far as we are concerned!!

February 27, 2009 - Baby hats and a sofa blanket

2009-02-27T07:28:00.006-06:00

Not much quilting happening here. I have been working quite a bit for my job, and catching up on laundry. I have made 11 baby hats so far, here are the 2 most recent. This is Bernat Baby Jacquard, Lemon Pie. I never knew Lemon pie had blue and green in it!

I also made a fleece blanket throw for the sofa. Instead of fringing it, I hemmed all the edges with a fancy stitch on my sewing machine. Kind of a boring picture. But it is warm on those cold winter days. Which seems to be going on forever.

February 17, 2009 - Working at home

2009-02-17T11:16:00.003-06:00

Today I am working at home for my job as director of operations for a non-profit, as well as doing housework. Lots of laundry and dishes waiting to be cared for. And I still need to unpack from our trip to San Diego.

While that all takes place, I have a whole chicken simmering in a pot for soup. It smells so good! And I am trying to resist opening my Netflix and Blockbuster DVDs that arrived today.

February 16, 2009 - Phoebe is coming for another visit!

2009-02-16T11:06:00.003-06:00

I just talked to the breeder last night and we have arranged for Phoebe to come visit March 5-21! We are very excited. It is very sad to have a home without a dog. I never would have thought I would think that. Now I know the truth : )

February 8, 2009 - A Long Absence

2009-02-08T21:00:00.003-06:00

I was out of town for 2 trips in January so I haven't updated in a while.

My cousin is involved with the quilting club at the grade school where she teaches. They had a number of quilts that needed binding and because it's my favorite part of the quilting process, I volunteered to bind 3 of them. So that is what I did last week. It was very satisfying and I got to watch a bunch of TV episodes on DVD that I have wanted to see.

Next I will continue to work on and finish my Star Student quilt, then my son's Irish Chain quilt.

Plus I have found a place to donate my baby caps I have been knitting--the local hospital where my kids were born. The hats are just so fun to knit and they are so cute!

January 11, 2009 - Phoebe

2009-01-11T19:19:00.002-06:00

Here is Phoebe. She is very sweet, but needs to learn her manners. I heard rattling in the kitchen and she had her front paws on the table and had polished off half a stick of butter. She also likes to nose around in the waste paper cans. But we like her anyway!

January 11, 2009 - Another diversion

2009-01-11T07:42:00.002-06:00

My sister has started knitting tiny caps for preemie babies. When she and her family were here for Christmas she gave me the pattern and I was hooked!

Usually when I travel I take a book to read. This past week my daughter and I had a vacation to our magical place and instead of a book, I took my knitting (packed in my checked bag).

Late afternoons and evenings I worked on the caps and came home with 3 of them. Aren't they adorable?

January 11, 2009 - We're excited!

2009-01-11T07:40:00.001-06:00

Today we are picking up a four year old female golden retriever. We'll have her with us for a week, to see if she would be a good addition to our family. Her breeder wants her to have a litter of pups this spring, and if all goes well, she will join our family this summer! Her name is Phoebe. I'm sure I will be posting some photos : )

January 4, 2009 - Star Student progress

2009-01-04T14:10:00.003-06:00

This is going together pretty quickly, although sewing through the points of the flying geese is a bit tricky. There are at least 6 layers of fabric at the point, so the machine needs some encouragement to get through the thickness.

2 borders remain, the outer border is a piano key border with 104 pieces. Stay tuned. Get it?

Karen

January 1, 2009 - Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T18:16:00.004-06:00

Today I made Crock Pot Taco Soup. It is fabulous! I got the recipe from a blog that had a new Crock Pot recipe every day for a year. Here is the link

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html

Be sure to use a super size crock pot, it makes enough for a small army. I will probably cut the recipe in half next time, it made so much!

Today I also made 10 bean bags for my friend's school, and I am starting on the flying geese for the Star Student quilt! Photos when I get farther along in the process.

Karen

December 29, 2008 - Star Student Quilt Kit

2008-12-29T17:02:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-18T07:36:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-12T11:29:00.004-06:00

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!

2008-12-10T15:35:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-08T10:43:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-07T18:20:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-28T03:10:00.008-06:00

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

2008-11-27T12:25:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-27T11:26:00.005-06:00

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

November 15, 2008 - My favorite of the three arrangements

2008-11-15T07:27:00.004-06:00

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!

2008-11-14T19:32:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-13T07:58:00.005-06:00

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!

2008-11-08T16:48:00.003-06:00

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

2008-10-30T19:12:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-10-29T13:06:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-10T10:47:00.004-05:00

No explanation necessary.

October 8, 2008 - The stitches are out!

2008-10-08T12:17:00.006-05:00

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...

2008-10-02T10:54:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-09-28T12:21:00.003-05:00

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 : (

2008-09-24T02:40:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-18T12:44:00.009-05:00

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!

2008-09-08T20:57:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-07T08:58:00.005-05:00

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

2008-08-30T17:03:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-28T19:51:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-28T19:45:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-28T10:17:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-12T10:21:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-09T11:30:00.006-05:00

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

2008-08-01T10:29:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-22T14:35:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-21T19:55:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-11T11:07:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-08T11:44:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-02T13:43:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-25T08:37:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-23T20:30:00.005-05:00

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

2008-06-17T17:51:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-15T16:43:00.006-05:00

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

June 4, 2008 - snotty squirrel

2008-06-04T14:01:00.004-05:00

It's a little hard to see because I took the photo through the patio door. This squirrel, perched on the rim of one of my flower pots, was coated in dirt from head to the tip of his tail. We had total eye contact I thought I heard someone saying, "Na na, na na boo boo."

Ewwwww! - June 3, 2008

2008-06-03T12:49:00.002-05:00

I had some quilting scraps in plastic shoe boxes in the basement. I want to organize my gardening shelf, you know, a place for everything and everything in its place.

As I removed the fabric scraps I could see there were dead little bodies of former insects. Ick!

Gives a whole new meaning to pre-washing your fabrics before piecing!

The photo is 9 new perennials I bought today.

Karen

May 23, 2008 - A full day of work

2008-05-23T19:44:00.002-05:00

I didn't think you would really want to see a picture of my bucket full of weeds that were pulled today. I got a good start, but there are always more. We need to get a load of mulch in here and get it spread out to discourage those nasty weeds. I also sprayed the back yard gardens with lots of Miracle Gro to make them happy : )

Still plugging away at the laundry the kids brought home--clothes, towels, lots of bedding.

I am 4 days for 4 of getting on the tread mill. Due to my age and health reasons I decided I have to make aerobic exercise a priority. Walking the dog doesn't count, he is too slow! Still working on the eating part...

I am also making 2 adult size Very Hungry Caterpillar bags for friends who are teachers.

My son has been home and working for a whole week and my daughter arrives home tomorrow from a week long leadership camp in eastern Upper Michigan. It will be good to be together again. Even the dog is anxious for us to be together.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Karen

May 17, 2008 - It's planting time

2008-05-17T08:32:00.003-05:00

I bought 15 annuals and perennials to plant. I got started yesterday and hope to get the rest planted today.

I also have tons of weeds to pull and a new bed to dig up. I am going to plant sunflower seeds and columbine seeds there.

I also bought 2 six gallon pots for the patio. One will have wildflowers and the other tomatoes and maybe some lettuce.

So, no sewing today. I do have my Moda U class and plan to get some triangle paper for making the quarter square triangles (98 of them) for my husband's quilt.

May 14, 2008 - No quilting happening here

2008-05-14T07:08:00.008-05:00

photo by Mario Maier

I went to visit my sister and her family 3 weeks ago. It was fun to hang with them and see my nieces. We played a lot of dolls and school! They liked the caterpillar bags I made. They had 8 Painted Lady chrysalids; 6 of them hatched while I was there. It was very cool. But we never got to see any of them actually emerging.

Since I got back I have been trying desperately to get some of my papers and "stuff" organized. Also, Spring has sprung and that means time in the garden.

My kids are nearly finished with their semester at school so I moved all our things our of their rooms.

We rented a U Haul yesterday and went to pick them up and move them out. One has all her things in her room, but one has all his stuff in the living, waiting to sort. We also emptied our storage unit of things left from my dad's condo.

There is going to be a LOT of sorting going on around here!

April 26, 2008 - Caterpillar bags

2008-04-26T17:53:00.002-05:00

I had so many scraps of the caterpillar fabric that I decided to make 2 bags, one for each of my nieces. I think they turned out really cute.

April 19, 2008 - Finished

2008-04-19T13:59:00.006-05:00

I'm calling it finished, but I just have to sew a label onto the back and run it through the wash. I am so glad I ordered additional border fabric. I like the food borders so much better.

Now onto my husband's quilt.

Karen

April 13, 2008 - Updated Caterpillar borders

2008-04-13T12:37:00.003-05:00

The additional border print has arrived and I have attached it, a much more attractive look. I have the back pieced and I am ready to layer, quilt, and bind. I am hoping to finish it by this Wed when I am in the classroom next. The kids were so cute last week. I had taken the "defective" top to hang till the new fabric came. They have become quite attached to it and when I took it down, they all said, "Good bye, quilt."

March 31, 2008 - Moving along to the next project

2008-03-31T13:23:00.003-05:00

While I wait for the additional caterpillar fabric to arrive, I am starting the quilt for my husband to hang on his office wall. There used to be a door between his office and another office, but it has been closed off. This quilt will cover the old doorway.

He wanted something with burgundy and I chose a dark blue and a tan color to accent. My favorite color combination. The pattern is an Ohio Star with dark blue sashing; it will be 4 blocks wide by 10 blocks long.

March 30, 2008 - The crosswise food fabric

2008-03-30T08:02:00.004-05:00

Here's the quilt with the crosswise cut food fabric.

Can't you just see how busy that border is? I can just see in my mind how much better it will look with borders that are a whole row of all those foods the caterpillar ate through. Hope I'm not disappointed!

March 30, 2008 - 2 borders

2008-03-30T07:58:00.003-05:00

Here is the quilt with the caterpillar border and the dots border.

I could, I should, be happy with this, put the binding on and be done. But no. I HAVE to have that food border stripe cut lengthwise.

Two local quilt shops did not have that fabric. So I have ordered it online and will take the partially completed quilt to school this week, then finish it after I get back from vacation.

March 29, 2008 - Ackkk!

2008-03-29T07:19:00.003-05:00

I have come to the conclusion, like I didn't already realize it, I could never make a living designing quilts!

I've already taken the caterpillar quilt apart twice. This morning I was reading the RCTQ newsgroup and found out Andover Fabrics has a quilt pattern for the caterpillar fabrics.

I took a look, and realized I should have cut the assorted foods fabric *lengthwise* to take advantage of the built in stripe.

Thankfully the local quilt shop carries this fabric so this morning I am off to buy more fabric. It wouldn't be so bad but I am trying to get this quilt done by Tuesday when the class starts their Eric Carle unit and I leave town for a vacation.

No, I am NOT taking any sewing with me.

March 28, 2008 - A quandry...

2008-03-28T16:46:00.006-05:00

The 2 border fabrics both have a white background and they sorta merge into one another. So I un-sewed them.

I added the wider border with the assortment of foods eaten by the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I could add the polka dot fabric as the binding and call it done.

Or, I could add the polka dot border, then the border with the caterpillars, then the polka dot binding. In these last 2 photos I have not sewn the fabrics, just set them close together to try to get the effect of how it would look.

Thoughts? Anyone?

March 27, 2008 - Another Diversion

2008-03-27T16:49:00.014-05:00

Last week the kids were home for Spring Break so we hung out, and I did LOTS of laundry!

This week I upgraded software on the computers.

The Kindergarten Readiness class in which I volunteer is going to start an Eric Carle unit next week. On Saturday I got an email from an online quilt shop introducing a new line of Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric. I emailed the teacher and we decided to buy some fabric and I would try to whip up a simple quilt for the classroom to introduce the unit. The fabric came today and it is even cuter in person than it was online!Here is the center panel for the quilt.

Oops, I loaded the photos in the wrong order and I can't figure out how to rearrange them. This is the binding.

This is border number 1.

This is border number 2.

Here is the backing.

Stay tuned for updates on the progress.

March 13, 2008 - Off on a tangent

2008-03-13T15:45:00.005-05:00

Ruth at countylogcabin.blogspot.com posted photos of some crocheted pot holders she had made. I have never been a fan of doing crochet, especially anything with straight edges! But my Grandma made a bazillion crocheted pot holders that I love to use, and there are only 4 left. She died 18 years ago.

Ruth's pot holders are very similar to my Grandma's so I emailed her (Ruth, not my Grandma!) to ask for directions. She was so kind to write out instructions for me, and off I went to Wal-Mart for a crochet hook and thread.

Here is what I have accomplished since yesterday. A bit ruffly, but it will do. You make 2 and then crochet them together.

Thank you, Ruth, for getting me started!

Karen

March 5, 2008 - Sick : (

2008-03-05T10:14:00.003-06:00

I haven't done any sewing for several weeks. I got a sinus infection, then a virus, then got better, flew to San Diego for a conference and had a bad asthma episode, got better, flew home, got sick again. So I have been resting and sleeping a lot and not doing much of anything. Well, except laundry...

The conference was great and the weather in San Diego was an unseasonable 75 degrees! Better than 10s and 20s in Wisconsin.

I'm on the mend so hope to get back to the sewing machine soon.

The photo is taken at Point Loma, the southwestern most part of the continental US.

February 15, 2008 - The baby quilt is finished

2008-02-15T15:12:00.005-06:00

I got the quilt finished in about 2 1/2 days! Made the final stitches last night and washed and dried the quilt today. It's a more random looking than I like; the lights are kind of bunched on one half leaving the other half with fewer lights. But it looks great when you don't look at the whole quilt at once!

February 10, 2008 - We interrupt this program to bring you the following announcement

2008-02-10T07:28:00.000-06:00

On Friday I got all the rows sewn together on the blue and cream Irish Chain.

Now I am invited to a baby shower this Saturday. I didn't think I had time to get a quilt ready by then. I had ordered the Yellow Brick Road pattern by Terry Atkinson and it arrived yesterday. It looks fast, so off to the LQS I went and bought pink fabric!

The strips are cut--we'll see if I can pull this off by Saturday.

Karen

February 8, 2008 - The top is nearly done

2008-02-08T13:40:00.000-06:00

The final measurement of snow on Wednesday was 13 inches. The roads were still a mess on Thursday. A nineteen mile backup on the interstate about 40 minutes from here made The News Hour on PBS.

It was great to be snowed in, I got lots of sewing done. I got all the rows assembled. My husband was home from work and he commented that I was busy as a beaver. And I wasn't even doing laundry!

Today I am sewing the strips together to complete the top. Then I'll have the borders to add, but it is really fun to see the top nearly complete.

Karen

February 6, 2006 - Another Snow Day!

2008-02-06T13:29:00.001-06:00

Another snow day today--7 inches so far and more to come. Lots of wind so visibility is poor. Nearly all of SE Wisconsin is shut down.

It's a great day to assemble my Irish Chain blocks into rows! Yay!

Karen

February 4, 2008 - 48 blocks done, 6 left to make

2008-02-04T20:25:00.000-06:00

A mere 6 blocks left to construct. Then I can start assembling the blocks into rows!

February 2, 2008 - A break from quilting

2008-02-02T09:37:00.000-06:00

Our living room hasn't been painted for 7 years. It's time. Since we changed from blue furniture to brown, we thought red would be a good choice. So... I spent a good number of days removing art, moving furniture and basically getting the living room, dining room. and kitchen ready to paint. No time for quilting. We hired someone to do the painting for us. 2 sides of the room are red, 2 sides are cream.

Conveniently, we were leaving town for a vacation in the Caribbean, so it worked out for the painter to work while we were gone.

Once we got home, I had all the laundry from before vacation and after vacation, plus putting the house back together again. Last night I was so weary of hanging art, and dusting and sorting books to put back on bookshelves, I decided it was time to do some sewing. I now have 32 nine-patches made, and need to make 22 more.

OK, does anyone know how to move photos and text so they are interspersed? Silly blogger.

January 11, 2008 - Making progress

2008-01-12T20:53:00.000-06:00

I was able to quickly assemble 8 of the nine-patches for this quilt. I'm anxious to keep moving and finish it quickly.

January 11, 2008 - The day I've been waiting for

2008-01-11T18:04:00.000-06:00

Finally, I caught up on enough other home stuff to start cutting out the quilt for my son's college graduation. It's an Irish Chain; the cream color will make up the chain squares and the dark blue batik will be the solid squares between the 9 patches.

I can't wait to see the pieces coming together!

January 2, 2008 - Out with the old, in with the new

2008-01-02T16:16:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I bought 8 plain white plates to use on Christmas morning. (My every day dishes were Pfaltzgraff Yorktown and they aren't Christmas-y at all.)

This year on Christmas morning my husband declared that he really liked the plain white plates and we should retire our 23 year old Pfaltzgraff dishes. I am starting to suspect a conspiracy to remove all things blue from our home. We replaced the blue living room furniture with brown leather, now we have replaced the blue Yorktown dishes.

We drove to the Corelle outlet on New Years Day and behold, they were having a 40% off sale on open stock Corelle. So now we have a complete set of plain white Corelle. I am keeping all the serving pieces from the Pfaltzgraff collection, though. We can't totally eliminate blue!! I will not allow it!!

Daniel will take the old dishes when he moves into his apartment this August so they will have a second life.

January 1, 2008 - Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T13:49:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!

In December we got about 30 inches of snow. Only December 2000 had more snow than this past month.

I decided all that snow was too good to waste, so I bought cross country skis. My old ones fell apart about 5 years ago and I never got around to replacing them.

So I have skied twice so far this week. Today the wind is brisk, so I need to buy one of those dorky hat/face mask things before I venture out into the cold.

All my quilting stuff has been packed up while the kids are home, but I did finish the binding on the green/lavender/maroon doll quilt. I don't like it. Too scrappy.

I really have been kind of chomping at the bit to get sewing again, so today I am washing the fabric for my son's Irish Chain quilt. At least I can get it pressed and start cutting out the pieces.