Winter 2018

The middle of January has come and gone!!!

I would say I have no idea of where the time went since the New Year Year dawned... but I do.

Most of it has been winter!!! Lots of it. We went in the deep freeze in December and haven't really seen any relief since. This has been like Chicago COLD!!!  negative temperatures with biting wind chills, and we have snow to go with it.

There are a couple of bright spots.... even in the winter!

This bloomed yesterday. Can you see the snow outside. We had more than 5" on the ground when all was done. And it is still cold, weather people suggest that we will be above freezing tomorrow.

I know.... I said Linzi next, but well ...The only ones in our house that love the snow are the dogs. This was Goldies 1st snow of any accumulation and she loves it.

Plays tag/chase with Linzi... eats it, snow plows with her nose... and in general doesn't want to come in.

I observed the robins last winter... flocking, like in huge groups... and saw it again yesterday. If you were wondering how cold is is, this robin is puffed and sitting with his feathers covering his feet.

In the Creative Spaces I have been on hold. It is the end of year or the beginning of a new year for both of the guilds. I have been preparing to hand off the VP stuff for one guild and pick up Membership as well as have a Live Auction in a few months and that has taken a chunk of time recently too.  At the other guild we are gearing up for the Quilt Show... in September!

What are you working on.... something quilty or NOT!!!

More Later-Beth

Finally Found It

Finally....after trying every combination of fabrics I owned to border my Kaffe Fassett fabrics....the LQS, The Quilt Foundry, had just what I needed.  I want your honest opinion, please :)

The batik has both plum and red in it and I think it was just the thing to enhance the blocks without feeling like my eyes were slamming into a brick wall. 

This picture may show the tones the best.  Wish one of you would come here and set up a professional photo booth and pay for it too...then all my pix would be soooo purty....a girl can wish can't she?  LOL

Waldo helped me choose the fabric and afterwards we headed out for lunch.   It was snowing lightly and Waldo said, "my those snowflakes are beautiful...just look at them."  I saw the collectively as they drifted from the sky but then I looked down at the arm of my coat and was shocked by what I saw.

Yep...perfect little flower snowflake on my sleeve.  I could not believe it.

Here it is again....I took several photos trying to capture their beauty.  A moment to take my breath away....and sharing it with my friend made it extra special.

Sometimes that is life....

and sometimes....this is how we play the game of life!  Mr. Got Bucks won and had over 2 million dollars.

Other times....we have warriors running wild with Nerf Guns....

complete with a snow sled as a shield and a gangster hat....he was only wearing shorts and had his re-loader tucked into his pants....what a wild life I lead.

Giggles and Smiles,
Kelly

Working on Mary Jane's UFO's

Mary Jane Ehlich

When my dear friend was ill she assigned me the task of clearing out her sewing studio.  Between traveling back and forth and a surgery of my own, I was in PA as often as I possibly could be and doing my "job."  We managed to go through some things and assign them to new owners and the rest was generously stored at another friends home.  When I went back to PA for Mary Jane's funeral I had just a short time to go through the remainder of her things and rack my brain as to what projects I thought I could manage to finish for her and which would be better finished by the rest of her close knit quilting group.

I came across a bag of assembled squares and I thought....AH HAAAA....I can do that!!! LOL

When I opened the bag with the squares I noticed a page with instructions.  It became very clear that this was a group project (making the squares) and they were to be made into a charity quilt.  I assembled the blocks and finished this quilt top and it will be donated in her memory.

Do you think it needs a border?  There is some red fabric left and I was thinking about small dark border and red binding....what do you think?

You may have heard it is warming up here in Ohio.  From mounds of snow to giant puddles everywhere.....I will miss the snow greatly.  While dropping off Aaron this week I drove past a GIANT mountain of snow in a yard and my car came to an immediate stop and out came my cell phone.

 

This mountain of snow is over 7 feet tall and it has been melting....can you imagine?  Who ever piled the snow and then dug the tunnel is a super hero in my book.

This is a view just inside to the right.....an enclosed cave was dug in the side....blows my mind.

The view directly through the tunnel.  Sure makes the assembly of a quilt top look like a walk in the park doesn't it?

Before I go, keep in mind there are a few EXCELLENT Giveaways going on in the blogosphere:

Gene Black, Alabama Quilt Artist's is giving away two PDF copies of his  "Dance of the Japanese Lantern's" quilt pattern. CLICK HERE.

QuiltShopGal has a few giveaways on her informative blog.....she is one of the Quilting Industries Super Heros in my humble opinion.

Jack Dempsey Needle Arts Giveaway is  HERE.
A Modern Twist Giveaway is HERE.
Eco Plus Premium Felt Giveaway is HERE.

Best of luck in the giveaways!

Smiles,
Kelly

The Borders Are Finally On

I say finally because this one has taken me some time to actually put my mind to getting those borders on.

You may recall this post (click here) where I showed Mary Jane's last quilt.  It was a Pennsylvania Block Quilt and she titled it "Coming Home."  My girlfriends in PA did a block exchange and I wasn't able to participate but one of the gals, Eleanor, shared a set of blocks with me.  I put them together but then I put the top on a shelf.  The more I sewed the sadder I got....I missed my girlfriend and the grief wouldn't seem to ease.

I found a new way to sew with Mary Jane.....

I put her picture on her machine and now we sew together and chat :)  She encourages me to finish my projects just like she always did and I'm feeling a little better these days.

The snow continues to fall and I tried to capture how beautiful it is when it is all white outside....

This was last evening and you can't really see all the snow falling....but it was coming down again.

I saw someone on a neighboring street that looked like they were stuck at the entrance of their driveway so I backed up and inquired.  Sure enough....they had driven into a snow bank and couldn't get out.  I hopped out of my car and shoveled the bank and then pushed their car and they were able to get up their driveway.  Come to find out the man was in a car accident a few weeks back and has an injury and he couldn't help his wife....so glad I stopped.  He said there wasn't much the doctors could do for him.  This morning I was thinking....it is always best to call a quilter when in need....right?  RIGHT!  I made him this:

No, it isn't a pillow....but it looks like one....giggles

It is a 7 x 10 rice bag with some lavender inside to microwave and put on his back.  Maybe it will help....if not....kindness always makes people feel better.  

Snowy Smiles,

Kelly

Valentine Gift and Snow

I made a small wall hanging recently to give to Zach's teacher. She is one of those "special" teachers that a child never forgets.

I stitched out the heart design ( Urban Threads) on white fabric and then added the borders.  A wise person might have quilted the background first.  I started quilting and decided to take the borders off.

Unfortunately I used a very small stitch length and it was very difficult to remove the stitches so I opted for cutting off the border.  You can see in the photo above a bit of the fabric remained.  Good thing I own all the best tools because I was able to get that line of fabric off with the tip of my Seam Fix and Famore Micro Fine Tweezers.  All I did was pull a bit at the fabric with the tweezers and then rub with the tip of the Seam Fix and all of that fabric came off.  If you can believe this....the white Kona fabric didn't fray :)

Nice to be able to get all those threads out.  I didn't bother with those that would be beyond the border.

The wrinkles in the fabric will come out with  a bit of steam.  I put a extra layer of wool batting just behind the heart so it would pop and then I used my regular sewing machine to go over some of the stitch lines to give extra dimension.  A bit difficult to see in the photo but I think it came out nice. 

You might be able to see the dimension a bit better in this photo.

The Seam Fix and Famore Micro Fine Tweezers are available at I Have A Notion, Inc (IHAN)and below are the links if you are interested.

Famore Micro Fine Tweezers-
http://ihavea-notion.com/store/item_2838/Famore-Micro-Fine-Tweezers-3-12-in..htm
Seam Fix Mini-
http://ihavea-notion.com/store/item_3633/Mini-Seam-Fix.htm
Seam Fix Pink
http://ihavea-notion.com/store/item_3493/Seam-Fix-Pink.htm
Seam Fix Teal
http://ihavea-notion.com/store/item_3494/Seam-Fix-Teal.htm

How about all that snow we are getting here in Ohio?  I'm a snow lover so you won't hear me complain.  The boys have been out of school and today had a two hour delay.

 

All 4 of us shoveled our driveway and front walk 4 times on Sunday....yep.....4 times.  It was a ball!  The neighbors all use snow blowers and the boys always ask why we don't have one.  I say the same thing every time....until we can no longer use our arms and legs we'll continue to use a shovel to remove our snow....they roll their eyes....giggles.

Yesterday I took them and a friend sledding at a local hill.  The wind was so cold it was burning our faces but the kids didn't seem to mind very much.

Good thing I remembered our thermos of hot chocolate.....oh what a good time we had.

Cold Smiles,

Kelly

A Gentle Retreat

I'm not talking about a sewing retreat this morning, I'm referring to a gentle retreat into my surrounds...taking time to NOTICE that which makes my world so special and beautiful.

The boys have only had three days of school since the beginning of the year because of weather conditions.  There have been no complaints at our house....we have all retreated into the warmth of our togetherness and making the most of this beautiful weather.

Monday morning school was canceled because of the snow and we relished the opportunity to go to a local snow hill to sled and enjoy the fire pit at the park.

This morning the boys answered the phone and were squealing with delight when they heard a voice tell them there was a 2 hour delay due to weather conditions.  They did not identify the voice on the other end of the phone as their fathers....ROFL.  Adults prank calling kids....a turn of the tables and it got lots of laughter out of me this morning.  How could they be so gullible?  Giggles

The house got quiet as those gullible little people headed out for school....I sat and looked out the window at the amazing snow.  I thought to myself....how can I capture this magnificent beauty?  Pictures don't always capture what I see with my eye (guess I could learn more about the cameras I own ay?)  Well....I gave it my best and this is what I captured to share with you today:

The close ups of the snow is what I was trying to get....the tiny snow flakes layered on a berry or branch....so beautiful and it is just outside my window....I'm so very grateful.

Something else I'm grateful for is YouTube because I have learned to crochet by watching tutorials posted there.  At long last I have made something larger than a dishcloth....wild laughter.

This started as a prayer shawl that was to be given back to the church who gave me one when my mother was ill.  I found the gift of a prayer shawl so very loving and comforting.  As you can see, it started so nicely....look from the bottom of the picture up about 1/2 way...nice and even...a little decorative stitch at the bottom...nice ay?  Please don't ask me what happened after that....I can not explain.  However...I can laugh and could not stop laughing when I laid it out to take a picture.  A perfectly imperfect shawl to keep someone warm....gotta love it.

Check out the uniqueness of each of the ends:

 I learned a very long time ago to count it all good....and this shawl is indeed GOOD :)  So good as a matter of fact that I have mailed it to my cousin because I know for sure she will treasure it and recognize the love that has been stitched into the shawl.  When she opens the box I guarantee she will let out a howl (laughter) and then wrap herself in it and stay warm in Washington State this winter.

Lets hope I've learned from my "practice"....no calling it mistakes....as I have started an afghan.  Scary thought isn't it?

 No I have not stopped quilting or sewing....as a matter of fact....I have gotten several projects finished recently....I'll post about those soon. 

Smiles,
Kelly

Snowed In

The sky is dark but the snow is white, beautiful and falling rapidly. I took these photos earlier today in hopes you would enjoy them as much as I do.

I was trying to capture the snow flakes falling but you can really only see that if you look are the dark tree stump in the back ground or near the fence rails.

Naturally my co-workers are fast at work building a snowman.  I wish I could be out them with them but my mobility is still limited with my ankle.

Sometimes I sit with my foot up and drink a cup of joe...in my new coffee mug.  Do you recognize the pattern?  I adore these coffee mugs and you can get your very own HERE.

I find it very difficult to get much done because I can't be on my feet too long because of my healing ankle.  I want a team of worker bees to show up here and get things done for me....know any giant swarms of worker bees that are bored?

photo credit

Problem is, I may need more like 25 - 30 who are all excellent at cleaning and organizing.  Since breaking my ankle back on Oct. 12, 2013 it has been very difficult to get things to their final destinations.  Playing catch-up is still a slow process and I'm doing my best to have patience. 

ORGANIZATION

Organization....now that sure is a word that means many things to many people.  I think of organization as having things in their place and knowing where that place is....consistently.   My problem has been and continues to be the time I spend organizing is typically wasted because how I decided to organize things didn't work out so well. 

About 3 or 4 years ago I went and bought large clear bins thinking my fabrics would not get dust on them and I'd be able to see through the bins and know what is inside.  That didn't work so well because they bins are heavy and I'm always sorting through them and that makes a huge mess.  My energy is drained not by creating but by sorting.

Next came these rolling bins from IKEA.  They work pretty well but they don't protect from dust and I can't always see the color ranges I'm looking for.

I've used Google um-teen times to find a solution for organizing my fabrics that works for me.  I have to say it all depends on the space you have, your preferred style (by color/yardage/project etc), and your budget.  I've spent so much money on organizing already and I'm concerned that if I try something else that I'll be out more money and more energy.  

I may have found a method that works well and is within my budget....I'm not saying its the end all and be all just yet...time will tell.

I purchased the acid free comic book cardboard and I've begun making mini bolts.

This is as far as I've gotten and there certainly is plenty more to go....however....I really do like being able to see the fabrics once they are shelved.  Next comes the shelving....that comes later :)  My girlfriend Jean has all of her fabrics stored similarly in a shelved closet and I fell in love when she opened the closet.  It is a huge task to re-organize....however I can do it an hour or two at a time while sitting with my foot up.

I also have an issue with thread (I have so many issues I could start a blog entitled: I Have Issues).  I have several of the Mega Rack Wooden Thread Racks and they work well for most all of my thread.  Now I'm doing more machine embroidery I find I'm wanting a better system for storing my Floriani Threads. 

When doing machine embroidery the patterns give numbers and then I have to see if I have the color in my "private stash" (we know I have every color they make and several of each well within reach :) will call for certain colors.  At the present time I have to use my Floriani Thread Guide .  I circle each of the threads I have in my "private stash" and they are numbered (wildly I might add) My issue is how to sort them.  Do you sort by color?  Number? 

I've decided to sort by number regardless of the color so I will save time looking up which number is what color.  I like my energy used in creating not in searching for small numbers written on spools.  This does not mean I always use the colors suggested....but I do want to know the hue and range before I head off into my own creations given I'm not an artist. 

I've only gotten as far as taking all the thread off the table and putting them into a drawer....soon I'll organize them by number.

The decision to use my Presencia Cotton Thread drawers for personal use may be a win-fall for some of you.  Why?  Because I'm going over to IHAN® now and begin adding each color, solids and variegated, and I'm marking them 1/2 off.  I'll need some time to get them all loaded, but if you love Presencia 10 gram 16 weight thread....act fast because I'm certain it will sell out fast.  If you already know you want to stock up, you can e-mail me and I'll put those aside for you (IHaveANotion dot com).

So that's what I do when there is a Level 3 Snow Storm Warning issued....what do you do?

Smiles,
Kelly