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Thursday, March 17, 2016

An Irish Term




After doing only a little bit of research I found a fun Irish word....I copied it from HERE.
 
Foostering
Another particularly cute term, this time used to affectionately describe non-essential activities. So if you’re pulling yourself together on a Sunday morning, after a big night out, just sort of gathering your wits and making a mess of getting your breakfast, you’re foostering. If you’re waiting for someone to get ready to go out, and they’re taking ages, you’d be within your rights to accuse them of foostering. As a word in encompasses everything between procrastination and indolence, and does so with great charm.

So today....I will fooster and I hope you do as well!  I'm taking Waldo out for her birthday lunch (hers was yesterday and mine is tomorrow).  I hope we don't get arrested for indecent behavior after drinking lots of green beer today....yikes!

 After much foostering, I put together the quilt I have been working on.  If you see anything you don't like...keep it to yourself....no pointing out the fact that on the far right I put two red pieces together....nope...you didn't see that and neither do I :)

Now to decide on the borders...like only one nut case can do...here are some ideas I had:
The purple block border looks much darker than it really is in this photo...oh well.  I do like the little bit of green separating it from the rest of the quilt.  About a 1/4 inch on either side of the purple looks good to me (for today...no promises on tomorrow).

What do you think of these two options?  The outer border will more than likely be one of the  larger floral prints.  Any ideas?  Seems like I always have my own opinions to share until it comes to my own work...why is that?

Top Of The Day To Ya!!!

Green Smiles (not teeth....just smiles),
Kelly

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Some background info....

The Kaffe quilt I'm making....I must say I have re-arranged those blocks to make an entire quilt no less than 8 to 10 times...really!  The blocks are now finished shuffling around and the top is almost put together!   If the elves didn't have an appointment today, it would have been together.

Now for the background info.

Waldo and I agreed to start our quilts in January and this is her quilt in progress:
The minute I saw hers I was itching to get to mine and naturally I wanted to make one just like Rosemary's.  She discouraged me from making one like hers because my design wall is not very large and she didn't want me to be frustrated.  Welllllll....hells bells....I could have had 12 quilts done with all the time I've spent tweaking the blocks in my quilt. I really love how her quilt starts with light in the center and expands out gradually getting darker.

Some of the other options I tried after struggling with my blocks:

This would have a pieced block in every other space just like the center one.  I like this pattern as well because it looks great with any fabrics as long as the centers are light.

This was another option I could do and not have to re-cut any of my blocks.  It is a Lady Eleanor Burns pattern.

Believe it or not, I went back to my original pattern, Big Ten by Swirley Girls...LOL.   Why?  Mainly because I had the purple borders on 8 blocks and I have already re-sewn them once....I have a tearing out limit...and I've reached it.

Today while I was sewing a few things came to mind that I want to share.  The first is something I learned in my first quilting class...baggy bottoms down.  Have you ever heard of that? I was told that after piecing fabrics that sometimes they may stretch a bit and are no longer the same size.  You pin the fabrics together and then place the larger one down on the bed of your machine.  When sewing them together the feed dogs will pull the fabric through and take up a bit of the overage. It works!  

The other thing I was thinking about is how much I appreciate great pins.
I have three magnetic pin catches and each has a different pin based on what I'm using them for.  I use the long glass head pins for piecing...as shown above.  They glide into the fabric and don't distort or move the fabric.  I can keep the pins in when I press because they are glass head and won't melt.
 
I use the flower head pins to mark the tops of blocks so I know their position after I piece them.  They also work nice for piecing I just don't iron because the tips are plastic and will melt.

Then I have a catch with cheap-o pins that I use on my design wall.  They are not as sharp or nice but I don't have to worry about that because I'm only pinning to my design wall.

If you don't have pins that you love, I encourage you to try some of the one's I've suggested above.  I promise you that you'll like them or I'll pay the return shipping.  Also, if my website overcharges for postage (which it can on light items) I will refund the overage.  That also happens with patterns....no worries....I'm not into postage gouging.

If you have pins you love or a pattern that is your go to pattern....I'd love to hear about them. 


Smiles,
Kelly




Monday, March 14, 2016

Quick Flamingo Update

The are alive and well....outside in warmer weather playing soccer. 
Smiles,
Kelly

Friday, March 11, 2016

Perhaps I was wrong...

There is always the chance I did know what I was doing...LOL.  Remember when I recently said I tend towards the mess makers mind and my mess is typically un-contained?  I looked high and low and could not find my hexagon punch...
I found it...nicely tucked inside this lovely bag, made by my girlfriend Diane,  I had been using as a mini hexagon factory.

Now all I need is an APP called, "WITH IT."  That would be short for "Where The Hell Did I Put It?"  Wouldn't that be excellent?  We could snap a photo of our "stuff" and the app would have categories so we could remind ourselves later where we put our things.  I know I'm not alone here....do you always remember where you put things?  I have a feeling I'm not alone...giggles.

What do I do with my time when I'm not searching for the things I forgot where I put?  According to my oldest son...not much.  He came in from school and was very upset with me recently.  I had "failed" to repair his prized possession, Tiggy.
World...meet Tiggy....Tiggy....meet the world!  This is Aaron's life mate and he is 13 years old (looks like he is 100 I know).
Tiggy has had many surgeries over the years.  I remember my mother sewing his neck together at least twice and I've done it no less than 3 or 4 times myself.  A needle and thread wasn't going to fix him this time so I had to come up with a new plan.

I was downstairs  strategizing when Aaron approached and was standing guard over Tiggy....monitoring my every move.  "Mom do you have a nurses coat" Aaron asked.  "No sweetie...why do you ask?"  "I was just thinking you should be wearing a nurses coat and perhaps we should have a wheelchair too.  Tiggy would really like that."  He loves his Tiggy so much.

Perhaps next time we should rush Tiggy to the hospital and let the surgeons do the repairs...where they have real equipment.  Kids...I tell ya...
Wonder how long this patch job will last?  You know I'll be using this for his wedding photos....oh yes....this Momma will have the last laugh.  I'm so bad!

Evil Smiles,
Kelly

Monday, March 7, 2016

Progress

Progress not perfection right? 
I spent 4 1/2 hours today just rearranging fabrics on my portable design wall.  There are parts I don't like and will change out....but I have to run and get the boys from school so that's all I could do for today.
(Aaron's lips are blue...not from lack of oxygen but rather a blue sucker he had eaten.)

On another front....I found a website ChoreWars.com and it has I am soooo impressed.  If you have kids (husbands included...lol)  you may really find it helpful too.  I added adventures (chores) to the list and the boys get gold pieces and can fight monsters etc.  Yesterday afternoon Aaron got up from watching TV and went into the kitchen and emptied the dishwasher without being asked.  Why didn't someone tell me about this years ago???

Grins and Smiles,
Kelly

Friday, March 4, 2016

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

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Artistry or Creativity?

(Technical problem may be the wireless router....not sure yet)

I've heard it said that everyone is an artist. Interestingly enough I don't feel like I have an artistic bone in my body....however....I am very creative.

When it comes to messes, I have noticed that my creativity is very messy and I tend to think that an artist would have a purposeful mess.  Maybe I’m just splitting hairs here….maybe not….I’ll let you decide.

Take for instance Mary Jane, my late girlfriend. She did have some piles, 99% of them were project based and in her sewing room.   The projects typically had a container that could be put someplace so it could be easily found.  I always loved that about her.  She had an engineer’s mind and lots of artistic abilities.  The yardage of fabric in her stash frequently contained hand written on the salvage: the name of the fabric line, yardage she had purchased, store it was purchased from along with the price and sometimes the date as well.

My brand of creativity is free floating and typically uncontained  I have a mess makers mind and it can be a struggle to find the right container to hold my projects or even find my supplies sometimes.  Recently I wanted to punch more hexagons....do you think I could find my hexagon punch?  Nope!!!  I looked high and low and still no punch.  The good news is that Mary Jane and I each had a punch and I knew right where her punch was....in a labeled container!

The engineer in her had put all the fabric she was using along with scissors, needles, thread and the punch to work on her project.  Contained artistry....something I have yet to master.  However....I am making progress :)

This is what you can currently find sitting in front of my sofa.  A re-purposed container from Costco filled with lots of tiny zip lock bags holding my various hexagons.    To be really fancy, I have Aaron's discarded pencil box from elementary school to hold my punched hexagons and fabrics cut to size to be assembled later....my travel kit if you will.  None of this stacks neatly anywhere...but do I spend my time in the isles of a department store looking for the right size container or do I make do with what I have?  My creative mind says... make do and save your money for more important things.  See how I think?  More like a mess maker than an engineer...the struggles we face...ROFL.

I really like the well engineered discarded pencil case because it is so easy to take along with me where ever I go.  Last week it traveled to the snow hill....this week to a few doctors appointments...my well contained little mess.

A small digression.....At last month's guild meeting , my girlfriend Barb  brought her English paper pieced project and it is absolutely beautiful.

English paper piecing seems to be all the rage and there are many people doing amazing works of art.  After seeing Barb's piece I began thinking about all those little hexagons I have put together over the years...another mess brewing!!!

You see when I learned to do English paper piecing it was with small little hexagons...

yep.....the size of a nickle.  Mary Jane taught me and that was the size she was using at the time.  Naturally I had no idea that hexagons could be different sizes or that I could put 1/2 hexies with diamonds and triangles in with the hexagons...not a clue.   Mary Jane thought I needed a car project to keep my hands busy during those long trips between Ohio and Pennsylvania  so I set about making hundreds if not thousands of little hexagons.  With no planned project I just kept stitching those tiny little fells and over the years I now have a tote bag full.  

I began organically piecing all my hexagons together....letting the "story" unfold.
Some are put together by theme or fabric....I do love the little girl at the bottom of this one....with her legs kicking up to the side...cracks me up.

Another cute piece I like...where will they fit in?  The mystery will continue to unfold as I go along.

A larger piece here....just adding as I go.

This is the current size of my "mess" with several other larger pieces I have yet to stitch on.  I hope when you click on this photo it will enlarge because I gave a monkey a bikini top.

Artists...I tell myself...know the direction they are headed, they have an idea in their mind and they set out to bring that picture or project into being.  My creative mess makers mind sees all these nickle size hexagons and thinks....just start and let each speak to you and add them as you go.

If you have started any of these English paper piecing projects....I'd love to see and hear about them.  Are you an artist or a creative mess maker?  

Giggles and Smiles,
Kelly


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Post in progress

I'm having some technical difficulties today.  Not sure if it is blogger or the wind interfering with my internet service.  I'm just going to post a little teaser ....my next blog post will have something to do with the photo above.  As soon as I can debug the issue...the rest of the post will go live.

Smiles,
Kellly

Sunday, February 28, 2016

THANK YOU....and an Explanation

I am overwhelmed with the number of e-mails I've received saying how happy the person is that I started blogging again.  Thank you to all of you who take time out of your life to stop and read my blog posts.  You know, I tell myself crazy things like what I do isn't that important....until I hear someone tell me that when they were off of work due to an illness that my blog was the one thing they counted on each morning to make them smile.  I absolutely love writing my blog posts (unless I have to tangle with technology....then I want to break the bot).  My primary drive in life is to connect with other people in a meaningful way and exchange something about this process of being a human being.

Nothing makes me feel more alive than this exchange with another person.  The acknowledgement ....I see you and I care....and I'm excited to have the good fortune to have crossed paths with you.  This energy fuels everything for me.    It fills my tank and pulls me forward into a meaningful day.  It is all about the quality of the authenticity....not the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  

Now....you can imagine what happens to me when I'm isolated or I have lost someone who I have connected with in a powerful way....or when I come in prolonged contact with those who do not hold sacred the bond that is possible between human beings....my lights go dim. My life force energy can be so drained that I can no longer feel the light at the other end of the tunnel and there seems to be nothing pulling me forward.  

My higher power is that power which connects us one to another to the degree that I actually feel what I consider to be the golden strand that connects us each to the other.  I have been with people that just seem to radiate great energy and  that can fuel me for weeks and months.  The clearer and more authentic the interaction....the happier I am...even in the midst of what we humans consider darkness or negative experiences.

As I type....I'm starting to see that this probably won't be one blog post....so if you are one of those who prefers photos....ya better hit pinterest for your fix.

On October 12, 2013 I went to a embroidery guild meeting.  Afterwards there was a group of gals meeting at a restaurant for lunch, one I had never been to previously.  Having young children it wasn't often that I was able to get away on a Saturday for lunch so I was pleased to have the time to join them. 

Once inside the restaurant...I immediately noticed it was dark....sort of like a night club.  I told a gal at the front of the place that I was looking for a large group of ladies and she told me where to find them.  I entered the dining room and saw the girls gathered around a few tables that had been pushed together and  I walked in their direction.   I was happy......feeling good....not in a rush....just a good feeling about being able to connect with these ladies outside of guild meetings.

As I walked toward the table I noticed there was only one seat available at the back side of the table on the end.  I walked in that direction and as I walked behind one gal with a walker and turned the corner....everything came to an alarming halt.  I had absolutely no idea why on earth I was laying on the floor.  Shock....an out of body experience....what on earth....like a meteor came from outer space and knocked me to the ground.  Instantly I knew I needed a doctor and asked the ladies to get a doctor call 911....I need help and I need it right now.  My next awareness was the intense pain I felt at the bottom of my left leg...I pulled my leg up into the air holding it with both hands...and then I caught a glimpse of the problem...my left foot was no longer connected to my leg....it was now perpendicular.  Nausea was instantaneous followed by an intense feeling of panic and pain.  I asked someone to please get me something cold for my face....hoping to stay conscious....and to hold something up in front of my foot so I would not see that gruesome sight.

It wasn't until later that day while in the hospital did I learn that it was not a meteor at all....it had been some heavy beverage mats that had been folded up and placed on the dark carpeting very close to the end of the table I was going to be sitting at that had stopped me in my tracks.  Apparently the dining room where we were seated had previously not been open and they opened it because of the large group of ladies coming for lunch.   Who ever had cleaned the floors in front of the beverage station had removed the mats...stacked them on the carpeting and had not replaced the mats before the guests were seated.  Dark dining room, dark carpeting and dark mats that I could not see were the cause of this nightmare.

After reading this....every reasonable person I have met has told me that was an accident just waiting to happen.  Come to find out....the legal system in Michigan where the restaurant is located did not see this as an accident waiting to happen....they see it as an "open and obvious" situation where I did not take necessary care to assure my own safe passage.  

I will pause here...because this is definitely a situation that requires chapters.  I will conclude by sharing that I had to file a lawsuit to have my medical expenses and the expenses for my care covered.  As a result of that lawsuit the opposing attorney was reading my blog.  Once I learned this....my blog no longer felt like my place....it felt like a place where people who were attempting to find things about me to twist and turn to suit their story and I wasn't going to continue to be vulnerable.  I felt violated....yet at the same time...I know I'm a very open and honest person with nothing to hide...yet...I needed to feel safe and sharing my daily experiences didn't feel safe...so my blogging trickled down until I completely stopped posting all together.  The suit is now over and again I feel comfortable to return to sharing my experiences.

Choosing to Smile,
Kelly

 


Thursday, February 25, 2016

The Quick Ripper Saves Time

Over the last few days I've been reviewing a variety of colors of fabric to border some of my favorite fabrics.  Prior to this, I hastily selected a fabric and put all the borders on my blocks.  After putting them up on my design wall I noticed the dark borders take the focus away from the fabric I want to showcase. 

Oops....that happens sometimes!  I've been telling myself that if it felt good to sew the borders on the first time it will also feel good when I do it again.   Apparently I really like to feel good and sew and sew and sew...ROFL.

School was canceled again today so I was fortunate enough to have an IHAN Elf available to do a quick video demonstrating how I make un-sewing as quick as I sew with The Quick Ripper



You can cut your fabric if you are not holding your fabric properly but I've only had this happen once, thankfully!  The Quick Ripper comes with 2 AA batteries and I have not had to change them very often.  I use mine to trim threads on the back of my machine embroidery, trim threads when making fabric coil baskets, take out seams, and trim the edges of fabric that has frayed...a very useful tool.

While viewing this video I hope you kept in mind that I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal and I did not prepare the background, get a manicure or edit the video....what you see is what you get...that's how I roll.

Smiles,
Kelly

 

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Rehearsing More Border Colors

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my previous blog post.  I got some great feedback.  The feedback inspired me to try some more border colors.  Here are some that I tried with various blocks:









I realize these are not the best photos....but with what you see....what do you like?  Thinking about just leaving these up for another day or two so that when I do decide I'm not having to deconstruct any more blocks.

School was canceled today due to icy roads....
....the never ending  Monopoly game seems to be a good way to spend our day.

Boardwalk Smiles,
Kelly

Monday, February 22, 2016

Open for feedback

Not much time today to sew as there was no other driver in the car pool.   Three hours in the car (typically only 2 but Aaron had a medical appointment this morning so that was twice to school)....yikes!

When I did finally arrive home I began studying my design wall.  I am in the process of using my coveted  Kaffe Fassett fabrics and I'm using the Big Ten pattern by Swirly Girls.

 The problem I'm having is choosing the border fabric for the 8 1/2 inch blocks.  The fabric below is a P&B Textiles Suede in Navy.  It looks like a dark ink in "real" life and not so stark as a black.  Hard to see in these photos.


The fabric is so bright and busy I feel the border fabric needs to give the eye a break....a pause in the dark to celebrate the bright lights that follow.   

Another choice.....

I have this purple and I don't know if it is a Kona but it feels like a Kona.  

A close up better shows the shade of purple a little better.

So, what do you think?  Is it the Navy or the Purple?  Or can you think of another color that would help break up the bright and fun and give our eyes a rest before we continue with the Kaffe party!

Thanks in advance for your thoughts :)

Smiles,
Kelly

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