Dog tired here

The week was an off-kilter one.  I don't have much to show for my  time.  I am okay with that; like I said: off kilter. 

Please visit Gretchen's (Stella Bella Quilts) blog for a link to a book about a blind kitty named Homer and a link to the website set up by author Gwen Cooper to collect funds to help with animal care in Alabama.  I cannot even imagine what the people and their pets went through when the storms and tornadoes tore across their land. And what they are still going through trying to piece back together what they can.  I just can't imagine it.

I took these photos last week.  My iris are getting near the end of their display.  I think I got some pretty good shots of them.

I especially love this one.  You can see everything!

Peace and Love.

Karmen

Quiet Easter

It is pretty quiet at my house. I found this bird's nest; it must have blown out of one of the trees during a recent storm.

Oh, and Adam brought his dog Arlo with him.  Arlo is huge and not used to cats.  Kitten is certainly not used to huge dogs, so she is keeping a low profile and a watchful eye.

See you on the other side of the work week.

Karmen

Friday Evening at Thimbles

Pat Wys is the heart of Silver Thimble Quilt Club.

This is not her quilt (though I'm sure she would run off with it if there were not so many witnesses in the room); we let her hold it because her shirt matched.  Pat's book, a Martingale publication, will be out soon.   Can't wait! Can't wait!  I feel like a kid with "are we there yet" anticipation.


Even though I got to Thimbles really late in evening, I got to see some amazing work by the other women.  Karin (Life in the Slow Lane) has been working on a quilt using Lilac Hill (Brannock & Patek).  I was blown away by how beautiful it is.  When he saw the picture my husband loved the quilt.  And I have to tell you, quilts are not his thing (tragic but true!). I can't wait for Mom to see it.  I'll call her as soon as I get this posted.

See? See what I mean?  Gorgeous.

I hate to post a picture when I don't have information to credit the quilt-maker, but I love the neutral colors in this pine tree quilt. The background fabric is delicious.

And this is one of Sarah's (previously wrongly credited-I am so sorry) works in progress.  Obviously she does amazing paper piecing! The pattern is by Karen K. Stone

Mom and I had just finished piecing another Stone pattern called "Rattlesnake."

I think it is time I participate in a Silver Thimble project.  This one (below), using that "Twister" tool or technique (what ever; it is "need to know" for me; I'll know when I need to know).

I may not do batiks.  The group is going to exchange fabrics, and I signed up for the traditional group.  If I find I have more batiks in my stash than I thought, I may add batik to my cutting task list.  The exchange calls for 40 ten inch squares (like a layer cake).

For today I have 3 more hexagons to sew together for my One Block Wonder (makes 110), so I may just start sewing strips together.  Who knows? 

OBW Play

This is the fabric I started with.

Now I am playing with the 55 blocks I have sewn (50 or so to go).

I was thinking of adding some gold strips to break up the hexagons.

Then I played with some other colors.

Beige and pink. 

Maybe I should leave it alone?

When I was at the workshop, I took my fancy portable (pain in the ___) design wall. I saw someone else using a design wall she made herself and I loved it, so I recreated it for myself.

Get one of these from the J-store.

Two of these (1"x3") from the lumber store (I bought 7'). This was my first lumber purchase; here is a hint: Don't believe the shelf tag!  That price is per linear foot, not for the whole piece. Good to know.

And a package of really big binder clips from an office supply store.

You will need an old vinyl table cloth too, or some flannel cloth or batting. Lay the fabric (or whatever surface you want to use) on the floor, the cardboard cutting board on top, pull the fabric round the long sides of the cardboard, lay the two pieces of lumber along the long edges and secure with binder clips.  I love the fact this design board takes up less floor space than my fancy portable one, so I made two, and I am using them while working on the OBW quilt.

See you on the other side of the work week,

Karmen

Photos from the One Block Wonder workshop

These blocks belong to the student (Gail) who sat next to me at the workshop. Not one of us could visualize what her fabric would look like after she cut it up.

Here is Gail with her fabric.  Can you imagine she would get such beautiful blocks from her it?

I wish I'd gotten before/after photos of all the fabric/blocks.  I just took a few snaps of the work we were doing.  Our instructor, Jan Chesnik, brought along a beautiful quilt (from her many).  I took this photo of the border detail:

Here are some more photos of students blocks:

Christie's is amazing. She started with dragon fabric.

This is my personal favorite; made from Moda's Kashmir V Brown Antique Garden (one of my favorite fabrics).

And here is mine so far:

I will take a picture of the original fabric so you can see what I started with.  I purchased the 4 1/2 yards of fabric right after I signed up for the workshop.  I picked something from the sale table, and didn't really like it all that much. Then I got the book One Block Wonders .  I started questioning my fabric, so Mom and I looked at Jo Ann's, Quilter's Station and her stash.  It was tough; we couldn't decide what I should use.  It turned out I used the original fabric I bought.  I am happy with the results so far.  And I have to say this was just about the most fun I'd ever had in a workshop. Each hexagon is different; you don't know what you will get.  I just love working on it.

Spring Images from Bulloch Hall

I took these photographs the day I picked up my quilt when the show there ended.

The front porch of Bulloch Hall.

I like the tree and pillar in the same frame.  Kind of a before and after photo for wood.

Looking up into the branches of a cypress tree on the property.

And down at the violets below it.

The Bulloch Hall property.

And my favorite tree near the parking lot.  It is a wiggly (or squiggly?) tree.

Images of Spring from my Yard

Rose buds from a plant my son, Andy, rescued.

Same ones.

Azaleas that had fallen off a landscape truck and were left abandoned in the road.

The evergreens are growing over it, so I have to search it out under the branches each spring.

Hosta sprouts.

And my bowling ball (along with sedum).

Quilt for Colette's baby girl

One of the students at the college was in labor while she was doing her online homework in the Learning Center I run.  When I turned around and saw her doing that labor breathing thing (I remember it from all those years ago), I suggested we call her ride.

I saw her safely to the car.  Her family was pretty excited (as was I).

She had wanted to stay and take her final exam. 

 But a few hours later she had a baby girl.  I am glad she had it at the hospital, and not at school.

She likes the little quilt I made for her baby girl.

Quick post before work

I was at Mom and Dad's house last weekend, and I rummaged around in their attic.  I found this cute quilt block. It's a poor little orphaned block.

But I didn't find anything else worth blogging about.

I will be at the One-Block Wonder workshop all day tomorrow with Jan Chesnik and the Spirited Quilters.