Threads from Karen

Snow Days

2012-01-20T11:11:00.001-08:00

Before the snow melts I thought I should do a post. This picture of the fish swimming in the snow was taken on Saturday, they were completely buried a couple of days later.

These roof panels in the green house came out in a wind storm we had this fall (and we haven't fixed them yet) so the greenhouse is full of snow (view from the deck)

I have done a few projects. Simple valentine heart that I redid a number of times to get it right, 6" tall.

I made a case for the new GPS we got as Dave's 30 year anniversary with BP. I made this block as an experiment then had nothing to do with it, so I was thrilled when I thought to use it for the case.

Back side, opened out. Case size when closed is 4-1/2" x 6-1/2"

I've been wanting to make something with fabric selvages, I have a project in mind so I started some blocks, each one is 9".

And Milo, King of the quilts.

Jelly Roll Quilt

2012-01-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

53" x 61"

Here's a quick quilt, there are some variations but I worked from the instructions for Jelly Roll Race.

I started with a pre-cut Jelly Roll of (40) 2-1/2" strips of fabric (the whole width, aprox 44"). I added a 2-1/2" square of brown to each strip and then sewed them into one really long strip (about 1600" long).

You cut off 18" from the top to offset how the strips line up. Next you bring the top and the bottom together and sew a very long seam. Yes, when you get to the bottom you have to cut the 2 strips apart. You continue this folding and sewing until you have your completed top.

I have to admit this really wasn't that much fun, sewing those really long seams. For me the joy of piecing is seeing what unfolds as you combine your shapes, and you just don't get this until you have your finished product.

Of course as soon as I put the quilt on the chair after my photography session, Sophie cat had to try it out.

And Milo on another quilt, so color coordinated.

A Good Start

2012-01-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Dahlia Quilt

30" x 33"

How's this for starting off the year, finishing a quilt. I'm not a big one for resolutions but I do want to put a dent in the pile of all those partially done projects.

This quilt was started in July at the Sisters Quilt Show, when I took a class from Melinda Bula. We worked from a pattern and spent most of the 2 days just cutting all the pieces, it is all fused on.

I did a good portion of the machine quilting on my guild retreat in October, and finally did the last of it. I debated different bindings, I was really planning on using orange piping to bring the center color out to the edges, but then decided that wasn't what it needed. I used Melody Johnson's Escape Hatch Finish

Engaged

2011-12-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

Kim is engaged! No wedding plans yet, may not be until 2013.
Kim and Drew Christmas 2012, wearing the great hats I bought them (I wonder if they will ever wear them again?)

I asked Kim to send me some pictures of the two of them together, these are some great shots.

Their dream is to live in San Francisco. They both have great jobs in Seattle and are moving into a new apartment with a 1 year lease, so that is on hold for now.
This is Pickle, the new addition to their family.

What Knots November Meeting

2011-12-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

OK, I've gotten out of the blog habit, but I have intentions to do better. Here are the pictures I took at our November meeting, sorry, I just didn't take pictures in December. New Years resolution and all that.

Gail wasn't able to attend so Kathleen brought the last of the commission T-shirt quilts to share, this one King size.

Yvonne shared this Crazy Quilt.

Yvonne also showed this one that was completed earlier in the year, she just forgot to share with us.

Ann created another Mile-a-Minute Quilt, great use of scraps.

Anara's sports themed quilt for her brother.

Fall Crafting

2011-11-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Felt coasters made from pattern from the Purl Bee (follow link for the directions). They give you a pattern for both the inner and outer leaf, but I found it much easier to cut the inner leaf to the pattern, then just rough cut the outer leaf. After I did all the embroidery, I trimmed the outer leaf following the lines of the inner one. This was much easier than trying the line up the 2 together.
I have the best spot for stagging photo shoots in the fall.

And some of my dahlia's are still blooming, this is Fire Magic, one of the late starters. Notice that the lilac bush in the background is already loosing it's leaves.

House Quilt

2011-11-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Another completed project. I won these 9 house blocks in a raffle at the Moonlight Quilter's Retreat in October 2009. During the 2010 retreat I sashed the blocks and this year I finished the quilting.

I really wanted to photograph this quilt outside so the colors would show true. I had the inspiration to tie the hanging rod onto the deck rails. The quilt is straighter than it appears.

What Knot October Meeting

2011-10-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Getting Things Done

2011-10-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling compelled to finish things, this doesn't happen very often so I'm trying to go with it. I started this quilt in 2006, and now it's done.

Sun and Sea

54" x 54"

I didn't sew the top of this second quilt, I volunteered to quilt and bind it, it's a Community Service Quilt done by the Moonlight Quilter's Guild.

44" x 58"

Fall decorations on my kitchen counter.

Heron

2011-09-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

(I do have some more dahlia pictures, I'm just waiting for the last plant to bloom and show me what it is.) When I went to refill my coffee this morning, I glanced out the window and saw this real heron contemplating the fake one.
He then decided to move closer, then walk around the pond.
I caught him posing in a sunbeam. These birds are very skittish, so the pictures were taken through my dirty kitchen window with a telephoto lens. Hopefully the goldfish are smart enough to stay deep this morning and not provide breakfast.

Dahlia's for 2011 (post 2)

2011-09-24T15:29:00.001-07:00

Tahoma Star

Shea's Rainbow

Skywalker

Master David

Marie Schnugg

*click on any picture to see it bigger!

Dahlia's for 2011

2011-09-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Pandora Elegance

Frizzy Lizzy

Carmin Bunky

Camano Electric

Alpen Fury

July Flowers

2011-08-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the yard that I took last month.

This is an early view of my cutting garden, with just a few sweet peas, crocosmia, volunteer poppies, and dahlia in bloom. It looks very different today.

My Sister-in-law, Randy, made me this wonderful gazing ball.

Lilies by the pond.

What Knots July Meeting

2011-08-06T07:35:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am very late, just not motivated.

Pam came to visit and brought a completed quilt and top.

Gail show us this quilt completed a few years ago that will be hanging in the library.

This is Anara's wedding gift for her son.

A Little Catch Up

2011-06-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a very dreary spring in the Northwest. I've been working in the yard but it just isn't inspiring when things have no sunshine to grow. It is finally starting to look better.A few of my Iris, they are about done now.

Last month I took a class from Janet Fogg. It was primarily a design class, and her style and methods didn't match with mine, but I do feel it was a good experience and I learned a lot. This picture was taken by one of the class helpers. Note the cute "thinking caps" they provided for us. That's me on the right hand side, green t-shirt.

That same week I also had a class from Gwen Marston, Liberated Log Cabin. It was quite different from the Janet Fogg class, very loose and fun. I had all these blocks made by the end of the day and partially put together.

What Knots June Meeting

2011-06-21T17:23:00.001-07:00

Yvonne showed her new quilt from a Piece O’ Cake pattern. We all predicted that it will be covered in ribbons at the Fair this year.

Linda showed her completed One Block Wonder Quilt.

Gail had 2 baby quilts to share before they go to their new homes.

Ann had another baby quilt done.

Marian shared this T-shirt quilt that her daughter made.

Anara completed this quilt from a class.

What Knots May Meeting

2011-06-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Tulip Time

2011-04-23T16:09:00.001-07:00

Pictures are clickable to see larger.

Taken at RoozenGaarde, Mt. Vernon, WA

Green Quilt

2011-04-06T09:50:00.001-07:00

I’m just cranking out the quilts on my long arm machine. This one was on the frame less than a week. The top was completed during the October 2009 Moonlight Quilter’s Retreat at Warm Beach. The design is from the “Strips That Sizzle” book by Margaret J. Miller. Finished Size is 58” x 70”

Quilting detail, I’m getting better, as they say, Practice, Practice, Practice. This was all done free motion.

I told Matt that I would crop him out of the pictures, but he looks so cute. And he’s such a trooper, jumping right up when Mom wants him to hold a quilt.

I changed a setting on Windows Live Writer (what I use to compose my blog posts) so I think now when you click on a picture, you’ll see it much bigger.

Quilting Done

2011-03-26T10:15:00.001-07:00

I was anxious to try a “real” quilt on my Long Arm machine, so I sewed together some strips of spring fabrics. I loaded it on the frame with the strips horizontal and tried something different in each section.

Quilt Size: 38” x 47”, a happy quilt that I will donate.

Here is my 2nd quilt done on the long arm. I made the top a few years ago; I fell in love with the main fabric but didn’t know what to do with it until I came up with this simple plan. This quilt was also loaded so the large strips were horizontal. I quilted wavy lines in the printed fabric and a vine of leaves in the pieced strips. Quilt Size 46” x 63”

And a posed shot of this quilt on the rock.

What Knots March Meeting

2011-03-26T09:14:00.001-07:00

Chris had a lovely vacation in Hawaii in February. She bought some fabric while there and had this lovely quilt completed by our meeting. Amazing!

Gail completed this kit from Keepsake Quilting. She say it’s not her colors, but it matches what she’s wearing.

A wedding present quilt in progress by Linda C.

I don’t usually show what I share here because I do my own posts, but Linda C grabbed my camera and took pictures. These 2 quilt tops were completed on the retreat I went to a few weeks ago. This first one was a UFO, at least 5 years since I started it.

This is another Disappearing 9 patch, (link to YouTube video) also called split 9 patch or tossed 9 patch. There are many ways to do and arrange this block, I’ve done a number of them. For this one I cut a 4 1/2” strip from a bright fabric, and a 4 1/2” strip from a white fabric. You can work in strip sets or just cut your individual 4 1/2” squares to create your 9-patch. From these 2 strips you get (2) 9 patch blocks, one with white in the center and 4 corners, one with the bright in the center and 4 corners.

Long Arm Quilter

2011-03-19T07:59:00.001-07:00

Happy National Quilting Day! An appropriate occasion to show you my new toy, a Voyager 17 long arm quilting machine.

The view from the other side, just because.

And just so you know, that quilt on the machine is already done and ready for binding!

Here is Matt helping to take the machine apart at it’s original home. It was one of those times when the planets aligned, and I knew I should accept what was offered. I wasn’t actively searching for a quilting machine, but a sewing machine store flyer that I got in the mail prompted me to look up some machines on the internet. As long as I was there I decided to see if anything was available on Craig’s List, and there was my machine.

I have a pile of quilt tops just waiting to be done. I have no ambition or confidence to quilt for other people. Since I bought the machine used, and it’s a very basic model, I don’t feel pressured to always have something going on it and just plan to enjoy!

What Knots February Meeting

2011-02-17T11:08:00.001-08:00

Georgi always amazes us with her wonderful hand work, this wall hanging is hand quilted and embroidered.

Anara came up with a great machine quilting design to complete this quilt.

Marian shared this t-shirt quilt that her daughter Martha made. It is going to be auctioned off by the American Legion.

Gail used fabric ink to color between the quilting designs on these Japanese family crests.

Happy Valentine’s Day

2011-02-14T07:13:00.001-08:00

Bahamas Trip – Post 4, odds and ends

2011-02-12T08:35:00.001-08:00

My last post with the rest of the pictures.

This is the Sky Beach Resort near Governers Harbour.

When we got back from our trip to Harbor Island, this gentleman was set up to make fresh Conch Salad. I do mean fresh, we watched the complete preparation including getting the Conch from the shell.

Kalik is the local beer, a lovely light brew.

All the building were lovely colors, we had hoped to lunch at this deli, but they were closed.

Randy and I did some crafting with the shells we collected, and Dave got into it too.

I made Randy a set of crochet covered rocks with some stones we picked up on their beach.

Bahamas Trip – Post 3, Harbour Island

2011-02-11T06:50:00.001-08:00

Harbour Island was the most “touristy” place we saw, but other than a group off the ferry from Nassau, it was just a sleepy little town, very high class mind you.

Most of the people on the island drive around in golf carts, and they are available to rent to explore around. That classy blue one was our ride.

The Pink Sands Beach is listed on someone’s guide to the 10 best beaches in the world.

See the huge crowd, there must have been about a dozen people on the beach with us.

We wandered into the Runaway Hill Inn and the friendly people gave us a tour and a lot of information about the area.

We also visited the Pink Sands Resort.

That is a lot of pillows!

Before we headed back we did some shopping in the local market.

Bahamas Trip – Post 2, Beaches

2011-02-10T06:04:00.001-08:00

The island of Eleuthera is very long and skinny, about 100 miles long, and at one point driving the length of the island you can see the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Caribbean on the other. The Atlantic side is a very deep blue, while the Caribbean is more turquoise. There are lots of wonderful beaches on both sides, each with their own personality. We really enjoyed beach-combing, finding shells, coral pieces, and assorted treasures. At almost every beach we had it all to ourselves.

Bahamas Trip – Post 1

2011-02-09T07:33:00.001-08:00

If you are just here for the pictures, please feel free to skip my words, but I imagine there are a few who would enjoy a little background and description of our trip to the island of Eleuthera.

About 12 years ago Dave’s sister, Randy, and her husband Phil purchased a partially completed house on Eleuthera thinking it would be a great place to go when they retire. After a lot of work and frustration, commuting from their home in California, they are now able to spend several months at their lovely beach home, Heavy Breezes.

Dave managed a trip to visit 6 years ago when he had business in Miami, but I admit I was a bit reluctant to go, a lot of the reason the long travel time across the country – boy was I silly.

All the houses have names, not numbers. They came up with the name when they called their contractor (from California) during a hurricane to see how things were and he said it was just some “Heavy Breezes”.

The house is built up on stilts. The vegetation is lush, so inside or on the deck you feel you are in a tree house, looking out over the tree tops.

Under the stairs is the “Tiki Bar”

Signpost depicting the distance to places people have come from, that’s Bellingham on the bottom.

I guess I didn’t take any pictures of the wonderful way Randy has decorated, everywhere you see little grouping of shells, coral and assorted found objects.

A local custom is “progging”, gathering food from unoccupied land. This bunch of bananas was progged from a neighbor’s yard who had left for the season.

This is the Oleander Gardens cove, the house is about 2 blocks away. We’d walk down for sunset viewing.

Project Progress

2011-01-15T11:07:00.001-08:00

I’ve decided to document some of my recent and in-progress projects, the intention is to encourage me to continue on and complete what I’ve intended.

On the left is the start of a crochet hat, made from some lovely Noro Silk Garden yarn that was in my stash. And yes, I ran out of before I finished. Now what? I love the colors so the next step would be to see if I can find some similar yarn to finish it off, I want to add a brim because that style of hat looks best on me.

Next is a crochet jar cover . I’ve seen this idea several places, the latest with instructions is

http://www.naturenutnotes.com/2011/01/crochet-votive-tutorial.html

You put a tea light in the jar, either real or battery, they look lovely grouped together.

And with some Christmas present yarn I knitted a neck warmer for Dave to wear while motorcycle riding (rust colored, bottom center)

I would like to draw regularly to improve my skills, so I’ve been following a couple of challenges on blogs, but not really doing them. There is a fun Zentangle weekly challenge, and a lot of Art Quilters are participating in a Sketchbook Challenge.

I’ve lost my desire to do this month’s project for my small art group, to make a quilt block in different color schemes. I did the first one, monochromatic, but now I’m thinking I’d rather put my time into different things.

I had this urge to sew a summer top to wear when we are in the Bahamas next month, why do I start these things?, I really don’t enjoy sewing clothes anymore. I bought the zipper I needed, so it will be pretty quick to finish.

Here are some recent acquisitions. Kim bought me a great sketchbook for Christmas, and I got a Field Watercolor set to add color to my drawings. Also some new pens and a Zentangle for Fabric book from Matt.

And of course while I was trying to stage these items for my photo shoot, Milo felt that this was just the spot he needed to be.

What Knots December

2011-01-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

I've been very slow getting these few pictures I took at our December meeting/Christmas party posted.

First up - the blocks

And I'm the lucky winner of these beauties, of course it also means that I get to host next year's party.

Yvonne shared this wonderful quilt that her daughter made.

A major accomplishment, 7 years in the making. This quilt of Georgi's is hand quilted, the butterflies are all outlined with a blanket stitch, by hand. Georgi has worked on this quilt at many of our meetings, so it was wonderful to see it done.

And since we won't get to see it finished, this great row quilt, also by Georgi, is a gift. The fabrics picture food, all of which is grown on the Cedarville Farm.

I didn't take pictures as everyone was sharing, not wanting to disrupt the group, so I don't know what I missed. Maybe they will bring them again in January?

Christmas Crafts

2010-12-01T11:26:00.001-08:00

I have the bug for Christmas crafting, every cute project I see I want to make.

I’ve been cruising the local craft fairs and helping the economy. At the first one I went to a woman was selling cute snowmen heads made from golf balls. I thought Dave would appreciate one of them, but as I was just starting looking at a large show I figured I could come back and get one. You guessed it, a few minutes later someone came and bought all she had, so I was left with making my own.

At this point I couldn’t tell you how close to the originals these are, but I like them. Dave was so impressed with the idea, he wanted some to give to his golfing buddies so I made 10 of them.

These felt trees are pins, they are about 3” tall. The original ones I saw on a blog weren’t decorated. I love the plaid tree trunks, a friend gave me a bag of scraps and this wool was in it.

This is another pin, a crochet flower. My original inspiration was pretty far removed for the outcome, I made this project my own.

The last 2 pictures are some of the ornaments I’ve been purchasing. I need one for an ornament exchange, I’m not willing to give any of these up so I guess I’ll have to shop some more.

What Knots November Meeting

2010-11-12T16:05:00.001-08:00

In case you are curious about the order of the pictures, we go around the room, everyone taking a turn a sharing, so this is the order of my pictures.

First up was Chris, since she is new to the group she brought several of her quilts to show us. This first one is a Stack and Whack quilt.

Next came a delightful baby quilt.

Three table runners made with the “Star for All Season’s” block. I think there is another name for this block, it’s a variation of a Ohio Star.

And this lovely quilt Chris made from a pattern in the Batik Beauties book.

Next, Gail showed us this apron she made as a gift, and we made her model it for us. Lovely Kaffe Fasette fabrics.

Gail brought her Millennium Quilt which was completed it 2001, it has 2000 different fabrics in it.

Even though Anara wasn’t with us, her quilt was. This is a present for her Sister–in-law. Fun panels with wonderful quilting and embellishing.

Marian took her Black and White quilt and framed it, yikes she cut it down to fit. Lovely even if the photographer got her reflection in the picture.

Pam is putting together this quilt for a friend, the recipient is in the hospital and the blocks were made by her friends. Can you guess that she likes pink?

Here is Linda C’s One Block Wonder. She was looking for suggestions on how to quilt it, and got more than she bargained for. We’ll expect to see it done next month.

Francie surprised us with a visit and showed us some bags she’s putting together for a church Bazaar. She is using small quilts and experiments as pockets to embellish the tote bags.

Can you tell that I tried to take notes as people were talking? I have been elected Secretary for the Moonlight Quilters Guild (my evening group) so I was practicing.

Leaves

2010-11-04T10:38:00.001-07:00

Leaves in the pond

Leaves on the gravel

Piles of leaves everywhere

This Feverfew decided to bloom again, it hasn’t frosted yet so lots of plants are still hanging on.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea (there is a huge bee on the dahlia at the top of the picture, he wasn’t inclined to pose properly for me)

And of course Milo….

Fall Projects

2010-11-03T10:21:00.001-07:00

On the blog of one of my local quilt shops, Two Thimbles, they’ve been posting pictures of fabric pumpkins that they’ve been making. So I felt inclined to make a few too.

Joann’s has all their “Autumn Collection” decoration sat 70% off so I was able to snag the silk leaves for cheap. I’ve just made these 3 so far, but I’m tempted to make more, they are simple and fun.

When I was on the quilt retreat and being very patient with my work, I took out the bad machine quilting I had done on this small quilt, re-quilted and finished it. Looks lovely with this Smoke Tree, don’t you think?

This is a small quilt, 31” x 43”. I’m sure I saw a similar design somewhere and wanted to try it out, but I can’t remember what inspired me now. I’ll turn this in at the next Moonlight Quilters meeting as a Charity Quilt donation.

Silly picture from my morning photo shoot, the reason I included it is to show all the animals following me around. You have to look closely, on the far left is Jessie dog, Milo is sitting on the rock and right behind him on the deck that white patch is Sophie.

Quilt Done

2010-10-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

First the artistic shot, on the moss covered rock. Unfortunately the lighting isn’t the best.

So I set up another shot, Milo, of course, was helping.

I saw a picture of a similar quilt on the Oh Fransson blog and drafted out the pattern. I used 6 inch blocks, so this quilt is 42” x 42”.

White blocks – cut 6 1/2” square – 16 blocks

Blue striped blocks – cut strips 2” x 6 1/2”, 4 strips sewn together make a 6 1/2” (unfinished) block – 16 blocks

Orange striped blocks - cut strips 2” x 6 1/2”, 4 strips sewn together make a 6 1/2” (unfinished) block – 17 blocks

I admit I had to keep referring to the original picture to arrange the blocks correctly to create the woven look.

I turning this quilt in today, it’s my donation to this year’s Bonnie’s Team drive, lap quilts given to chemotherapy patients at a local infusion center.

What Knots October Meeting

2010-10-20T10:39:00.001-07:00

Slight delay to getting this post done, as I left the day after this meeting for a Quilt Retreat. No excuse for the number of days that I’ve been back home.

We welcomed 2 new members to our group, Linda C and Chris. I’m sure you will be seeing their projects soon.

Marian showed us this quilt last month, but I didn’t include it with all our challenge quilts.

This month Marian had 2 of these lovely quilts made from disappearing 9 patch blocks that are being donated the the Cancer Infusion Center as part of the Bonnie’s Team Project.

Anara shared this lovely quilt which I seem to remember is also for a charity donation. Note to self: write things down.

Georgi, along with former members Laurie and Joan, made this lovely quilt for Vicki who has moved to Vancouver, WA. They’ll be taking this down before our next meeting, so we won’t see it completed.

Sherry showed us this fabulous quilt, I’m pretty sure it was for a challenge with her group in California.

Another challenge done by Sherry, everyone choose (randomly) a type of candy bar.

This is the back of the Snickers quilt, a one-block wonder design that wasn’t working out the way she wanted it to.

Sherry has done a lot of One-Block Wonder quilts, and after the meeting she showed us many different fabrics, pointing out what would work or not for these type of quilts. It really inspired me, I’ve got one started.

Walk about the Yard

2010-10-11T09:25:00.001-07:00

Time to update on some of the yard projects from this summer. The bog filters are operational, though we haven’t finished prettying them up. This is the waterfall area from the small ponds into the big pond, it makes a lovely sound.

Now that the pond is clearer we are starting to see the goldfish – a lot. Yes, we did start feeding them again, and now whenever you walk around the pond they follow you. Maybe they can see us better now too. A friend of Dave’s gave us some Koi, but we haven’t seen them. I guess they are being coy, and hope they are doing OK. The other morning a Heron was on Ducky Island, and I could tell he was watching the goldfish, but I never saw him go for one.

Dave decided it was finally time for the shop that he has wanted forever. This is just the pole building, the next step will be the concrete floor.

This is the way our “compound” now looks from up towards the garden. House on the left, shop on the right, with the view down the driveway.

A few late flowers blooming to show some color.

The boys worked hard to get a supply of firewood put up. Those weather people keep saying we are going to have a cold/wet/snowy winter.

I’m in a mood to try and finish projects that have been languishing. Finally completed my fingerless gloves from last year. My friend Debi is modeling them at our Starbucks knitting meeting.

The Green Post

2010-10-05T12:39:00.001-07:00

Originally I was going to title this post “Vegetable Garden Wrap-up” but as I was putting in all my pictures, all I saw was a lot of green. I wonder how many people will think this is about being ecologically green?

Apple crop looks good, we’ve picked a few.

This year we finally had grapes on the vines, but this is as big as they got. I think they need to be in a sunnier/warmer spot.

Green beans – bush style did OK.

Leeks were successful, some have already been harvested. The blank area behind the leeks had potatoes that I dug up a couple of weeks ago. It was like finding buried treasure.

Squash overload, at least of their leaves. This mass includes several varieties, the Patty Pan did OK, got a few off the Delica, and the ornamental gourds are spreading all over. There is a yellow zucchini a little to the left, I’ve harvested a few from it, but not the usual bonanza. It just was a weird summer.

Artichoke left to flower.

Moonlight Quilters Show

2010-09-25T09:17:00.001-07:00

The day before the show, it started with an empty room and a forest of quilt stands.

Then the hanging of quilts began.

On the first day of the show, Linda and Betsy greet you, take your admission fee, and sell you tickets for the raffle quilt and raffle basket.

Look at what you see right after you walk in the door. The quilt on the right is mine, I made it a few years ago, but it’s never been in a show before.

And since I’m pointing out my quilts, these 4 small black and white quilts were done by members of my What Knots group, the tree on the bottom is mine.

From there it’s a random/eclectic mix of pictures of things that caught my eye. Of course anything that’s bright…

Lovely white glove hostesses, Anara and Dana ready the show you around. Any yes, Anara is wearing special yellow gloves that her sister made for her.

Suz’s amazing quilt, lots of detail and bead work.

A collection of black and white blocks from a guild block of the month project.

A pair of lovely quilts made for past Presidents of the guild.

Just one of the vendor booth, Yvonne and Patty had a wonderful selection of special items.

It was a great show, lots of amazing talent in the guild.

Some Projects

2010-09-18T17:25:00.001-07:00

I have started a lot of projects recently, few have been completed. Here are some that are done.

This baby sweater was a kit that I purchased a year ago from Knit Picks. I don’t have any intended recipient, it will go into my “hope chest” for now. It needs buttons to be completely finished.

I’ve had fun crocheting doilies for rocks. This is the nicest one I have around now, I tend to give them away as they are completed. They look neat if you have a bunch of them grouped together so I’d better get some more done.

And this is a new distraction and great way to use up fabric scraps. The bowl was created by wrapping strips of fabric around a rope, coiling it, and sewing it together by machine with a zig-zag stitch.

What Knots Challenge

2010-09-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

The results are in, on Monday the group revealed what their interpretation of this picture as a quilt. I didn’t take measurements but all are small wall hangings, average size about 20” x 20”

This was the inspiration picture.

Georgi

Linda

Ann

Marian

Anara

Karen

Yvonne

You can click on any picture to see a larger version. Thanks everyone, another great challenge.

To see the results of previous challenges:

Black & White Challenge

Danish Postcard

Tie Dye

2010-08-11T12:13:00.001-07:00

At Dave’s Company picnic each year, they have a Chili Cook-off that he participates in. Each year there is a theme, this year it is “Purple Haze” so he wants his team member to all dress 60’s style.

I volunteered to make Tie-Dye T-shirts for the team. I had some dye already mixed (I forgot to write down the measurements when I mixed it) so I just swirled the t-shirts and squirted on dye. I did them in 3 separate batches, wanting to see my results before the next batch.

While he is cooking chili, I’ll be taking quilting classes. I’m attending the Association of Pacific West Quilters (APWQ) Symposium at Evergreen College, in Olympia, WA, Thursday through Sunday. It should be wonderful, a glorious setting for lots of fun and inspiration.

It has been pretty cool lately, but the weather is suppose to change tomorrow with temps getting into the 80s, maybe warmer as the weekend progresses. Evergreen is a “green” college, i.e. no air conditioning, so it could be interesting. I’m packing a fan.

Pond “Remodel”

2010-07-29T09:06:00.001-07:00

The time has come for a major revamp of our pond to add more filtering, which will eventually give us clearer water. We will then be able to see the goldfish, and maybe even use it for summertime recreation – floating on the pond.

The first step was some excavating, I guess I forgot to take pictures of that process. Dave dug out area to create 2 bog filters, plus a ditch for the pipes to run.

On the far end of the pond 2 skimmer boxes have been installed. The pumps will pull water in through these boxes, then the water goes through the pipe up to the bogs.

This is the felt liner in the holes, that’s Matt with his back to us and Kevin the guy who designed it and sold us all the equipment.

The liner was then unfolded and tucked into the bogs. Glad I was just taking the pictures, very hot in the sun on black rubber.

The excess liner on this side was cut off.

Next these culvert pieces, that have slits in the top, were arranged in the holes. The water gets pumped into these culverts, then will flow up through the slits.

The next step is to cover these culverts with gravel. In the “best laid plans” manner, Dave braced the culverts thinking that the truck could dump the gravel into the bog and it would flow around the culvert.

Instead the gravel pushed the culvert out of the way.

Now all the gravel in this bog will have to be shoveled out so that the culvert can be put back in position.

That’s where it stands of this morning. Dave is actually going to have some fun for 2 days of his vacation, going on a golf road trip with a bunch of guys to watch the Senior Open down near Seattle. A well deserved break!

Funtangle

2010-06-20T16:22:00.001-07:00

I’m going to share a few more of my doodles here, but I may not blog them anymore. I have been sharing them on the Flickr Zentangle group, there is a lot of inspiration there and they are very supportive with comments.

Isn’t “Funtangle” a great name for what I’m doing. I stole it from a friend, not sure if she couldn’t remember the term Zentangle or was just having fun, I sure am.

What Knots June Meeting

2010-06-15T09:10:00.001-07:00

Gail

Yvonne

Marian

Anara

More Zentangling

2010-06-14T16:13:00.001-07:00

I’m having way too much fun with this, I’m either drawing or searching the internet for other peoples work. Besides a number of blogs, I’ve found the Flickr Zentangle Group and have even posted a few there, it’s wonderful to get comments and they seem a very supportive group.

I do have an obsession with flowers.

Here are a few more Links:

The Daily Doodle

Zentangles by Shelly Beauch

Tanglepatterns.com – a great directory of instructions for patterns

Wet Yard

2010-06-12T08:50:00.001-07:00

The Pacific Northwest has had a lot of rain this spring. We had some lovely sunshine early on, which gave me high hopes for my flower garden, but many of my annuals, zinnias and cosmos, have literally melted away. Today is suppose to be a brief break with a record setting high for the year of 75 degrees, but while I’m waiting for the sun to warm the yard, I thought I’d show some pictures I took yesterday afternoon when the rain finally stopped.

Iris with raindrops, they’ve put on a great show and are about done.

My first Peony to fully open. I should have lots more from today’s sunshine, the plants are heavy with buds.

Blue Delphinium at it’s best.

Perennial Sweet Williams, a consistent early spring bloomer. Thank you!

Milky Way Dogwood, this is our first bloom. When I purchased and planted the tree last year I posted a picture that I found on the internet of what it would look like, and that post is the most looked at one of my blog for some reason. These blooms are really on our small tree, they are all on the top so I held the camera over the tree and snapped.

Another regular volunteer this lovely columbine.

They are pink! Who knew. I planted this perennial 4 years ago, it comes up early and is a favorite of slugs, so I never have seen blooms before. The plant managed to get big enough this year before the slugs came out in force, to bloom. A storm caused the plant to lay over against the deck, but I’m thrilled to just see flowers on it.

Lovely texture in the natural vegetation. Although I was using the close up setting on my camera, I didn’t get good detail in this shot, I’ll have to learn how to do that better. On the far left you see some jagged nettle leaves. Peeking out from the leaves on the upper left are some interesting berries. The wild Queen Annes Lace is thriving in the yard this year, there is one that is probably 10 feet tall, it will be a nuisance soon but I’ll enjoy it for now. And Ferns, gotta love the ferns.

Zentangle

2010-06-02T11:37:00.001-07:00

I first tried to Zentangle a year ago, but recently I’ve renewed my interest and have some reasonable results.

Zentangle is the copywritten name of a system of doodling where you use repeating forms. Their official website is

http://www.zentangle.com/

and they offer classes and sell kits but you can “zentangle” with any kind of pen or pencil and paper. I started with pencils and ball point pens on scrap white paper, but I’ve progressed to using a Faber-Castell Pitt artist pen (black – S) and drawing on a Strathmore Sketch Pad. The pad is spiral bound (8.5” x 5.5") so it’s handy to move around with me, I keep it by my computer to sketch while I waiting for a page to load, or to quickly record ideas that I see when browsing blogs. Pigma pens (Sakura Pigma Micron) are also used by many tanglers. I now have 4 different pen tip sizes for different line sizes.

There is a wealth of information and examples on the internet. Just Google the word “Zentangle” and you will be offered many places to explore, examples, lessons, you-tube videos, Flickr groups, and of course blogs, several of which I have subscribed to for inspiration.

http://zentangle.blogspot.com/ is published by the creators of the Zentangle system. Of course they are selling their kits and classes, but they also freely share a lot of designs.

There is a strong correlations between free motion quilting designs and zentangle designs, so of course a lot of quilters are attracted to Zentangling. That’s how I stumbled upon Jane Monk’s studio, the first post I read showed a Journal cover she had machine quilted in a Zentangle type design. Her blog is a constant inspiration to me for creating new designs.

A few other places to get you started:

Life Imitates Doodles where the author not only shares her own patterns, but includes links to many other great designs.

How to Zentangle

Beez in the Belfry

Graduation!

2010-05-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

Kim Mason is now a graduate of Cornish College of the Arts, with a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude.

Friday evening was the opening of the Art Show of all the graduating Seniors.

People admiring Kim’s work. It was an impressive show, but very hot and crowded. The work really needed to be viewed when you could get up close and read all the fine print about the process that went into it.

Cheesy smile shot. The short description of her thesis : “Based on language derived from found objects, four typographic illustrations examine how a contextual shift can alter or deepen the meaning of the message. All type included in the work is custom, and all printed pieces were screen printed by hand with love in Seattle, WA”

Speaking of Cheese, while Kim was rehearsing for the ceremony, we toured Pikes Place Market where they were having a Cheese Festival.

The Stage at Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony.

My attempt at a picture of Kim receiving her diploma from the College President, maxed out telephoto.

Happy and proud family.

I can get pretty good picture in inanimate objects like flowers and quilts, but taking people pictures is just not my thing.

Moment in Time

2010-05-02T13:27:00.001-07:00

A New York Times photographer proposed a project where everyone in the world took a picture of what was around them at the same time. That moment was 8 am today for me. I put a jacket over my PJs and took my camera outside.

This is the picture I submitted, essentially my view from the kitchen window, though I took it from deck.

Of course Milo had to follow me around, something had his attention here.

Pretty yellow Rhodies blooming near the front door.

My future flower patch, I have some lettuce growing there now.

More information about the project can be found on the Lens Blog.

Greenhouse

2010-04-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

This is my new greenhouse, we got the kit at Costco. I’ve really been enjoying it. Can you tell the inside wall are all dewy from the moisture inside?

An inside look. I really don’t like trying to get stuff to grow from seeds, I’m too impatient, I’d rather buy starts. But I can buy them early (it’s still a bit cold to plant out most things) when the selection is best, and keep them safe inside.

I love zinnias, look at this color selection I found at Fred Meyer.

Outside some things are blooming, like this lovely Scotch Broom.

And the Crab Apple Tree.

I don’t think I’ve shown this great picture of a Heron on Ducky Island that Dave took a few weeks ago.

Black and White Challenge

2010-04-12T16:49:00.001-07:00

In January I went with my husband on a business trip to California, and we went to San Diego for a couple of days. On my list was to see the Visions Quilt Art Gallery, unfortunately they were in the process of changing shows. I did get to see their Members Challenge, which was to create a 12” x 12” quilt in black and white fabrics. The quilts were wonderful, so I came back and challenged The What Knots to this project.

Today was our reveal day, and it was just as exciting. Several people mentioned that with the color choice already made and the small format, they were inspired to try new things they had been thinking about. I should have taken notes as each person talked about her piece, instead you have what I remember. Please feel free to send me any corrections and I’ll update.

Click on any picture if you want to see it larger.

Georgi was inspired by Reynola’s circle quilts.

Gail tried some new ways to manipulate fabric.

Ann said this design just came to her immediately after the challenge was announced.

Yvonne was inspired by a painting by Goya that she saw on a recent trip to Spain.

Francie wasn’t with us, but sent along this to share. Marian said she had trouble deciding what to do, then came up with this fabulous piece that had everyone exclaiming as I was trying to put them all up. Somehow I missed taking an individual picture of this one, so this is just a crop from the group shot. Sorry Marian!

My second attempt, I’ve been doing a lot of tree quilts. Actual size is 13 x 13”, I cheated.

Linda found this design in a magazine, wonderful fabric choices. The buttons on the top are the hanging method that I didn’t show thinking it would make the size of the picture different from the others.

My first attempt. The fabrics are hand stamped.

Pam created this unique silhouette of herself.

This is the second of Yvonne’s panels, there are 3 which will be put together.

Anara’s whimsical quilt using Jean Wells curved piecing technique from a class she took.

This is Anara’s first attempt, which she rejected, but we all loved and said it had to be included.Here they all are shown together, Stunning, right? The What Knot group.

Baby Quilt

2010-04-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

This baby quilt has been sent to my great niece, Mila Marie. I wish I had taken the picture in natural light for clearer colors. Isn't there a better term to describe the babies of our nieces and nephews?
Yesterday morning a wood duck showed up at our pond. This is the first time we have seen one and he didn't stay around for long. Not the best quality picture, it was taken from inside the house with the camera lens zoomed out as far as it would go. We sure hope he visits us again.

Tulip Time

2010-04-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

We took a slight detour on our way down to Seattle yesterday, to do a little Tulip viewing. We went to the Roozengaarde Display garden for a feast of color. All pictures can be clicked on to view larger, I'll add names where I can find them in the catalog.

Fabio - Fringed Tulip

Yellow are called "Seattle", a Lily Flowering variety
Red are "Valery Gergiev"

I think these are "Aladdin"

The only good thing about our unseasonably cool weather is that it will extend the tulip blooming time. If you want more info check out The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Studio Done

2010-03-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

The counter top on my sewing space was installed this week. Doesn't it look lovely all cleared off.

Here's a staged photo with a few items artfully placed in position. Most of the time it will not look this way. The final step will be for Dave to build a box so that my sewing machine can sit down, flush to the counter.
This is the formal shot of the completed Bento Box quilt, it went home with Kim when she was here this week.

What Knots February

2010-02-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

Marian complete this lovely quilt, wonderfully colored trees for any season.

Francie is hand quilting this family heirloom that is perfect for current trends.

Occasionally we have group challenges, and at this meeting we decided on two. When I was in San Diego I visited the Visions Quilt Gallery and saw a wonderful member challenge. The quilts were 12" x 12" and the only requirement was that you could only use black and white in them. The results were stunning and we have challenged ourselves to do the same, results to be revealed in April.

Several years ago we did a very successful challenge where we created quilts inspired by a picture. There is a flicker badge on my sidebar where you can see these quilts again. We decided to do another challenge, and this is the picture we chose.

I played around with some different cropping of the picture for ideas, I particularly love these flowers though the colors are limited.

The only rule is that you take your inspiration from the photo. It does not have to be a replication of it, you can use colors, shapes, how it makes you feel (go Marian), textures, composition, the possibilities are endless. These will be revealed in September.

Cats and Stuff

2010-01-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

Milo poses and shows you some new fabric I bought.
Dave had piled up all the couch cushions to move the couch, and Sophie kitty thought this would be a great place to hang out.
I've had a fairly successful round of quilting on my B-Line frame and I thought I'd take a picture of the progress. The minute I put the quilt on my work table, Milo was up on it.

Detail to show you the quilting. I haven't done the borders yet and there is some quilting that I think I want to try and take out, you'll see the whole quilt when it is done.

I go back and forth about how I feel about my work. As I was quilting I was pleased with what I was doing. When I first took it off the frame I hated it. Then after it sat a while I felt better about it. I really love this quilt top so I hope I can come to terms with the finished product.

Rag Letters

2010-01-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

Aren't these fun, letters made out of fabric. I found the idea on Jessica's blog Happy Together. She's got a tutorial and a pattern for both upper and lower case letters. I decided to make mine smaller than she did, hers are about 6" tall, mine are 3 1/2" tall.

The top picture has the letters before they were washed. I found out I'm not a big fan of the rag style, I spent a lot of time trimming the letters after they were washed. This is a great way to use up scraps of quilt batting.

As I was going through my stash, I tried to find appropriate fabric for the letters. The T fabric has turtles on it, U has umbrellas, D has rubber ducks. You can click on the pictures to see them bigger.

Of course my mind started whirling with the possibilities, wouldn't it be great to have a kit with fabric for each letter. I think I have a mission. If you want to be notified if/when I get it together just comment or e-mail. We're going on a trip in a couple of weeks and I know a great fabric store there to start my search.

This is what I had: Bees, Cats, Ducks, Frogs, Hats, Ice Cream, Kites, Lizards, Orange, Purple pigs, Red, Stars, Turtles, Umbrellas, Vegetables, Watermellon, Zebra skin.

Chicken Alfredo with Spinach

2010-01-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

My most successful creative endeavors lately have been food. The family is used to "Karen Surprise" where I throw together what I have, usually with mixed results. But lately most of my "Karen Surprises" have come out pretty good, so I'm going to add some of my cooking results to this blog.

Chicken Alfredo with Spinach

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 boneless chicken breasts
1 jar Classico Creamy Alfredo Sauce (16 oz)
1 package frozen spinach
3 -4 tablespoons prepared Pesto, I used Kirkland Cibo Naturals Pesto - from Costco
Penne Pasta, about 8 oz dry

Heat olive oil in large skillet, add onion and garlic and saute slightly. Cut chicken into cubes, add to pan and cook till done.

Microwave spinach until warm. Add Alfredo Sauce and spinach to the pan, stir in pesto to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook penne pasta in boiling water until done. Drain and add to the chicken mixture.

Additions that might be good: chop 1 red bell pepper and add in to onions and garlic; Sliced mushrooms would be tasty too.

If you try my recipes, I would love to hear how it goes, or even if you think you might try them.

Spritz Cookies

2009-12-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

Today was my annual battle, I mean baking session, of Spritz Holiday cookies. I thought I was going to win this year, I went out and bought a new cookie gun to ensure victory. I even read the directions, when I realized my usual "winging it" wasn't going to work.
Needless to say there are some very interesting looking cookies. I don't know why I feel I need to try all the shapes. Time and again its been proven that only a couple of them work.
If I would have just stuck with the Christmas Trees there would have been less frustration. Frosting will improve them greatly.

No Excuses

2009-11-23T14:02:00.001-08:00

I’m just going to show what is done.

My completed tree quilt, after many “revisions. Size 13” x 15”

I finally framed these lovely pictures I purchased quite a while ago.

One Wrist Warmer completed.

And a finished hat, my own design. The picture doesn’t do it justice, I found a knitting stitch I liked in my “365 Knitting Stitches A Year” calendar; it is on November 15 , called Perforated Ribbing.

Saturday Wrap Up

2009-11-07T11:20:00.001-08:00

Best laid plans and all that, my first week of “Art Everyday” was a bust. But some creative work was accomplished.

This sweater is finally complete, a mere 5 months on the needles.

It’s hard to take a picture of yourself, but here’s what I got of it on.

New project cast on, fingerless gloves knit from Mini Mochi yarn. I love the yarn, but it’s a very thin fingering weight so it’s a bit hard to work with. And for some reason this pattern is proving difficult for me, but I’m going to stick with it.

For Day 2 of Art Everyday, I started this small piece. I saw a great video from someone’s blog about machine embroidery, and I wanted to try it. I feel this is mostly a success, but the green fabric I used is too dark and hides the work. I’ve auditioned some border fabric, but am hesitant to put more work in it when I’m unhappy with some of it. Any suggestions?

Shopping treasure – isn’t this the cutest tea light container, I found it at Tuesday Morning and bought 4 since they were only $1.50 each. Now to use them.

And while I was browsing Joanne Fabric, I found these cuties on the clearance isle, 70% off. So for $1.49 each I have some fun Halloween presents for next year, if I remember that I have them.

Art Every Day Month

2009-11-02T08:42:00.001-08:00

I’m going to try and participate in the Art Every Day challenge for the month of November. The rules are very loose, and I’m posting this before I go do all the official stuff, just to get me going.

And, in the perfect timing category, I finally got “The Artist’s Way” from the library.

Yesterday I was out in the yard, these leaves on the Smoke Tree caught my eye, so I made my rounds with the camera.

I do love color and texture, the leaves, the moss, and the rocks.

The last few Zinnias still blooming.

And these Dahlias are still going strong.

I just love the leaves of this scented geranium. I tried to get one started from a cutting, but it didn’t root, I guess I can try again.

These are mini crab apples, about the size of a quarter.

Interesting texture from the wood pile. I’m please with my photography. My other creative efforts of the day included a batch of apple sauce and a round of dried apple slice in the dehydrator. I’d call day 1 a success!

2009-10-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Seems like not much is getting completed around here, but I've only a "few" inches to knit on the second sleeve for this sweater, and then it will be ready to put together. I decided to start blocking the pieces, here is the back.
Isn't this a great stitch pattern, it's easy to memorize. My summer sweater will be done for Christmas!
Work is slow in the studio. I found this large fabric panel I bought in Hawaii a number of years ago that has been sitting on a shelf waiting for me to do something. The colors are perfect for the room, I don't know that I'll keep it up, but for now it looks good.

Retreat Wrap Up

2009-10-18T09:29:00.001-07:00

An eclectic collection of pictures I took at the retreat, on the last day.

This is my work station, and my view, Linda and Lynn smiling nicely.

Big design wall with lots of projects.

Bunny with one of the Kaleidoscope quilts she worked on.

Lynn’s gorgeous batik quilt.

The cutting station.

Jane and her completed top.

This lovely tree was right outside the door of Maple Center, where we worked.

We passed this lovely carving every time we walked to the dining hall.

When I got home the first thing I wanted done in my studio was to get my design wall up. I won these blocks at the retreat, won’t they make a great wall hanging for my studio!

Quilt Top

2009-10-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've been at a quilt retreat the last few days, where I sewed, and sewed, and completed this quilt top. I worked from Margaret Miller's Strips that Sizzle Book. It's fairly big, about 60" x 72".

Remodel Progress

2009-10-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

These are the cabinets for my sewing center, unboxed and staged in the garage.
And the other 2 walls, well they have been painted "Frog Prince" green.

Orange Walls

2009-10-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here's what my studio looks like this morning, the orange walls are done and the furniture has been moved to that side of the room to prep the other side for painting. When Dave gets home from golf he will begin, I'm excited to see how it's going to look. The color is intense, but it makes me smile when I go in the room.

Quilting Arts Magazine, which publishes a twice a year Studio issue, is hosting an on-line tour of artists studios. Follow this link to their page, where they have a list of links to blogs where people posted their own tours. I haven't looked yet, but that will be what I'm doing today as I take breaks.

Orange

2009-10-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

I grew mini pumpkins in the garden, they are such fun. I have them all over the house now, here are some lined up on the kitchen window sill.
Here's the pumpkin colored paint going up on my studio walls. It's really fun. When I walked by the doorway this morning I noticed a glow. At first I thought a light was on, but it's just my lovely walls. Two walls are painted, I'm going for another color for the other 2, it's going to be quite exciting.

There's more orange here in Milo kitty, but don't these two look cute, matching curls. I don't think Jessie appreciates Milo on her bed, but she tolerates it.

More Quilts from Innovations

2009-09-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Category: Teacher Quilts
Majestic Bugs by Irena Bluhm, Antlers OK
size: 104" x 107"
"This quilt is a whole cloth with painted surface. Top and back 100% cotton sateen. Colored pencils were used for color application after all quilting was complete. Step-by-step instructions for this quilt are in the book "Start With a Blank Slate" by Irena Bluhm"

Category: Pictorial
Painted Ladies by Jo Banner, Bellingham, WA
size: 19.75" x 16.5"
"This quilt was inspired by a snapshot that I took at a street fair. I wanted to capture the mischievous personalities that was evident in their faces. Not knowing how to do that, it waited until I took a class from Hollis Chatelain. The entire quilt surface is hand painted with Procion dyes. It is free motion quilted on my Bernina"

Category: Pictorial
Woodlands Bay Leaf by Beverly Dunivent, Olympia, WA
size: 32" x 32"
"Began in a class with Ruth McDowell. I found the original leaf on the trail to the Woodards Bay historic log dump site and knew it would make a great quilt."

Category: Pictorial
The Shipley Corner by Linda Nelson Johnson, Moscow ID
size: 12" x 12"
"The Shipley Corner many years ago, my brother and I celebrated our home by carving pumpkins to set on every fence post surrounding the yard. We used every candle we could find to light up the night. This quilt celebrated that memory, family and the warmth of a loving home. This is an original design"

Category: Teacher's Quilts
Untitled
by Dian Keepers - Centralia, WA, 36" x 42".
"This project was a class I gave. When I was done I decided to fill in the background with ink pens. I inked the back of the quilt because I didn't think this would do the entire quilt. After 12 ink pens I finished. Then I decided I would add crystals in areas that need color. I just want to say the crystals are not to cover up bad stitching, just to add bling."

Category: New Quilter (less than 1 year experience)
Muted Transitions quilted by Susan James, Fircrest WA, pieced by Linda Ziemer

I didn't note the quilter on this one, but I like the design.

Fabric Folding

2009-09-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

The bulk of my fabric collection resides on these bookshelves. OK if I really admit all the other places fabric is stored, this is about 1/2 my collection on these 2 bookshelves. In preparation for the remodel I have been going through, sorting and refolding my fabric, these are the shelves that are done.

To Do Pile.

In progress, look at the neat color organization. I am ironing and refolding everything, it's a boring yet meditative process, fun to see "new" fabric and think of what I want to do with it. I'm also listening to a book on tape, which helps the time go by.

And here's what has been culled out. Luckily my quilt guild is having a "garage sale" at their meeting next month, perfect timing.
I went to the Innovations Machine Quilting Conference in Tacoma last Friday, thinking in error that there would be lots of vendors. But it was not crowded so I took lots of pictures of the quilt show, this one was probably my favorite.

Summer by Brenda Hodge of West Kelowna, BC. Here is her statement:
"I was feeling a little uninspired about quilting until I saw this pattern in the August 2009 issue of McCalls Quilting magazine. I thought it would be fun to see if I could quilt and applique at the same time. I quilted the background first, then one at a time spray basted each flower in place and "appli-quilted" it in place. "

What Knots September Meeting

2009-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here's the quilts shown at our meeting yesterday.
Anara completed this fun quilt for charity. The circles are printed on the fabric, strategically cut and placed on the quilt.
Ann has her Disappearing 9-Patch blocks together. Great border fabric and appliques to bring it all together.

Linda's Disappearing 9-Patch is completed.

Pam made this miniature with her Kansas Troubles group.
And here's another Charity Quilt by Pam, made from flannel fabrics she was given.
Laurie put together, and hand quilted, this lovely wall hanging, a gift for a friend.

A Few Pictures

2009-09-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

I took a few more pictures today and downloaded all that I have taken this week.

Did you celebrate National Marshmallow Toasting Day on August 30? We did, and made S'Mores out of them.
We are going to have quite a crop of apples this year. Our tree is grafted with 4 different kinds of apples (and no, I don't remember what they are). I made several Apple Crisps this week, and broke my Apple Peeler/Corer, so I ordered a new one so I can deal with this bounty.

Arty crop of a Dahlia picture.

I'm not sure if it was all the rain or the fact that we fed them, but the Goldfish are showing themselves finally. We've hardly seen them all summer.

Lots of Goldfish!

I had spread some batting and a small quilt out on my bed to measure and cut the batting. Of course Milo had to sit in the middle of things.

Studio Remodel - phase 1

2009-08-28T13:53:00.001-07:00

The studio remodel is a go. I’m doing it in sections, which should also help the organization of my supplies. This is the before picture of my desk/computer/home office area. I never seem to have any open surface to work on so the plan is:

1. Remove Hutch – the upper part of the desk that really cuts up the surface. And yes the huge scanner has to go, I want to get a new printer scanner combo, possibly wireless and maybe put it in the drawer because I want to:

2. Create more counter space. After the hutch is removed we are going to have a counter top made that goes over this complete “L”shape, it will cover the cracks where the pieces join, also it will be a little bit wider than the base to give me more surface. I plan to put the computer on the floor, Dave said he’ll make a base so it isn’t sitting on the carpet and is a little higher. The monitor will go to the right (yes I’ll have to do something about the keyboard) because now I have my back to the window.

3. On the wall I want a large bulletin board so I can tack up interesting pictures and inspirations. I have visions of a creative collage.

4. Also I want a wall mounted shelf for books and to help keep my desk top clear (I can dream)

Pretty Flowers

2009-08-22T17:17:00.001-07:00

The reason I got out my camera this morning was to take a picture of this strange mushroom growing in the back of one of my flower beds, then I got distracted taking pictures of the pretty flowers.

IBOL - Iraqi Bundles of Love

2009-08-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Iraqi Bundles of Love

Please follow the above link to a great project.

Here's what I sent of yesterday, and yes there are kitties in the box, Beanie Baby ones anyway.

Included is an assortment of fabric, needles, thread, straight pins and safety pins, buttons, thimble, ribbon, embroidery hoop, velcro, lace trim, and zippers. Most of this came from my "stash" but I also took my 40% off coupons to JoAnn's and got a large spool of thread and a package of scissors.
Mailing deadline is September 7 so time is of the essence, don't delay.

Here are more links if you get lost in the site

Building a Bundle

FAQ

Sock Summit Wrap-up

2009-08-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

This post was several days in the making, I keep getting lost on the Ravelry board reading every one's comments and following links to pictures and video. There is a list of some of my favorites at the bottom of this post.

Blogger joys: You arrange your pictures in a certain order and Blogger does something where they load differently. I really did plan to have these in a better order, but I'm not going to rearrange now.

This is the mini sock necklace I wore.

At the Guinness World Record attempt. I stole this picture from this blog because that's my back, standing in the yellow shirt. I was a ticket taker for the event, we took tickets to verify the number of people and then in front of everyone and the judges and witnesses, we turned them in.

For more information about this there are several news stories online, two at Oregon Live (also here) and one from Channel 6 which was way to cutesy.

Some cute quotes:
When Tina was about to call time on the Guinness attempt – “Just one more row!”

Me (trying to be grateful but not fangirl) to Yarn Harlot:”Thank you thank you thank you - I’m having a great time!”
Yarn Harlot: “No, Thank you. Think what an idiot I’d look like if you hadn’t come!”

Another stolen picture. This is the line up for the Market Place when it first opened, at the end of classes on Thursday. I think that was the most crowded time. While everyone was waiting Stephanie led them in "99 skeins of Yarn on the wall" (link to video)

From my class with Cat Bordhi, she would have us come up in groups to watch her knit.

Cat with her demonstration sock.

Back side of mug I bought (I told you Blogger rearranged my pictures)

Front of mug from Jennie the Potter

Here's the yarn that came home with me, I was quite restrained.

1st skein : from Briar Rose
Next 2: www.paradisefibers.net Zauberball Crazy Sock yarn
Then 3 skeins of Socks that Rock from bluemoonfiberarts.com
And last (it was on sale) from www.dyedreams.com

These were the stitch markers I took to swap. I found some cute umbrella charms at a bead store. Then I went into my stash of polymer clay bead I made a number of years ago. I let people choose which one they wanted and the polymer clay beads were very popular.

The gentleman at the Skacel booth was knitting 7 pairs of socks on one very long (I think 120") circular needle. There's more on the internet about this, I just don't have a link right now.

Several stories from sock summit are being written about on blogs and Ravelry:

The young woman who was sitting next to me in Cat's class brought her wedding veil that she was knitting. She got many of the knitting luminaries to knit on it including Barbara Walker. Check out her blog post which has a link to her Flickr pictures.

One woman impaled herself on straight knitting needles, the paramedics had to be called, they cut the needle off with huge bolt cutters and took her to the hospital. She was back quickly and only has a band-aid to show, but quite the story.

More Quotes:

As my friend Lucy Neatby says, if someone is down by your feet examining your socks closely and criticizes them… just kick them in the face. - Cat Bordhi

Just as the bird’s wing evolved to fly, the human hand evolved to manipulate. An idle hand is not a happy hand. We really need to use our hands; they’re not happy if they’re not doing something. -Barbara Walker

If knitting were widespread, we probably wouldn’t have wars. -Cat Bordhi

In the context of starting an independent business: All you have to know is the one next step. -Deborah Robson

Responding to the question “How did you end up in this business?” I was brainwashed. -Meg Swansen (daughter of Elizabeth Zimmermann)

I had no income, which is kind of liberating, because if you haven’t got anything, then you’ve got nothing to lose. -Lucy Neatby

When asked what was the most important knitting thing she learned from Elizabeth Zimmerman: You are in charge of your own knitting. -Meg Swansen

and my favorite… Question: Do you think that was easier or harder because you’re a woman? Answer: I don’t know. I’ve never been a man. -Meg Swansen

A couple more links:

The Knitmore Girls

and a You Tube Video Report

If any of my links don't work, please let me know so I can fix them. That's it, back to normal life.

Sock Summit Marketplace

2009-08-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

It was huge, something like 150 vendors selling yarn and knitting related products. There was so much gorgeous fiber, a total visual overload. I got to the point where I just couldn't go in there because I would want whatever I looked at. During my last excursion I found myself with my arms full of yarn, and I put it all back (that store sells everything on-line, so I can get it later).

My last morning I quickly shot a bunch of pictures to record some of it. You can click on any picture to see more detail.

The biggest booth was probably Webs (www.yarn.com)

This was Blue Moon Fiberworks, I purchased some Socks that Rock yarn.
Throughout the marketplace they had winding stations set up so you could get your purchases ready for immediate knitting.
Paradise Fibers had this huge winder that was motorized on their booth, they also donated the winders that were used in the stations mentioned above.

The Sanguine Gryphon always had a huge line. This was right after the market opened on Saturday morning.

A lovely display of socks.

And my LYS store was there, here is Andrea in front of the booth for Apple Yarns.

Sock Summit Prep

2009-08-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to be attending Sock Summit this week. I'll be driving down to Portland on Wednesday, staying through Saturday.

In an OCD moment I made these bags to organize my yarn. I started with a quart zip-lock bag, added an eyelet hole for the yarn to feed through, and sewed the bags at the bottom to make them shorter to fit the yarn more snugly. I'll let you know how they work, at least packing each skein of yarn in it's own bag will help keep things neat.
On the Sock Summit forum at Ravelry, there was some discussion about making mini socks to trade. They are great fun, but I'm having problems with the heal flap on the toe-up pattern I'm using. I don't think I'll have many for trading, it's good practice on the cast on technique I'm suppose to know for my class.

I'm taking an all day class on Thursday, volunteering for the Opening Reception and the attempt to create a world record Knit In, and then being a teacher helper for a class on Saturday. It should be a fun filled 4 days with time for shopping. Just imagine all that yarn (150 vendors) in one place!

Here's a couple of pictures of bouquets of flowers I picked yesterday, should have taken the pictures then when they were fresh, but they still look good. It continues to be warm so I'm watering daily which is getting to be tiring.

Creativity

2009-07-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

I had a wild spurt of bag making inspired by this pattern. The first one was the largest one for some of my knitting accessories or projects. The zipper for that one was 14" long, I cut the fabric in a 12" square. The others were made with zippers I had picked up on sale; the white ones were 10 cents each (I now wish I had bought more) and the grey zipper on the blue bag had 5 cents written on the tag from a fabric store that closed at least 10 years ago.

The green bag is made from fabric with cat words on it, it's for the mouse for my Netbook. The floral one was just some fabric I liked and doesn't have a use/home yet. I was showing them to Dave and he wanted one for his I-Pod so I had him pick the fabric, and he choose the blue with Japanese writing on it. It's also got a layer of batting for extra padding and a loop on the zipper for carry it by. These are very quick to make.

My niece Stephanie sent me pictures of Rhys wearing the vest and sweater I knit for him. The fit isn't ideal, but he makes anything look adorable.

Yard Tour

2009-07-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

The pressure was on about what to write about on the momentous post #300, so I'll give you a yard tour of what's blooming.

First my latest yard art, this lovely rusted deer. Yes I'm happy to have this kind of deer in my yard.
The dahlias are starting to bloom, I am amazed by the color of this one.

The sweet peas have been prolific.

The cats follow me around the yard, Sophie was playing on this pole.

Snap dragons and spirea.

Red Zinnia, I love the shapes of the petals.

Another dahlia with some yarrow.

Here's a long view of some of the flower bed.

Salpiglossis, they bloomed so well for me last year that I had to grow them again.

Bee Balm and Crocosmia.

Old Photos

2009-07-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

My next door neighbor as a child recently found me on Facebook. We have a lot of years to catch up on. She posted some pictures of us as kids that I'm sharing with you here.

This must be Easter, dressed in our finest with bunnies. That's me in the middle, with Linda and her brother Gerald.
We had a lot of neighborhood back yard carnivals, this one in costume. Linda and I are in matching outfits, lower right.
This picture was taken in my back yard, but I don't know who the girl in front is. Next is my brother Carl, Linda, Gerald and me on the end.

I know I've got a box of pictures somewhere, but I can't find it in the mess of our attic. Guess a cleaning out project is in store.

As a side note, this is post #299, but I don't think I have anything special in store for #300

Garden

2009-07-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Good things going on in the garden.

Coreopsis "Baby Sun"

Crocosmia "Lucifer"

Lovely colors in this yarrow, I also have another that is mainly orange.
I planted a bunch of lily bulbs this spring, this is the best bloom so far.
And in the vegetable garden, the strawberries are just about done. But look at this strange creature. It's a Romanesco Broccoli, an Italian heirloom. It tastes much milder than standard Broccoli, which we will be harvesting soon.
Raspberries are ripening, I tend to snack on them when I'm watering.

And we have a wonderful crop of Snow Peas, Oregon Sugar Pod II. When we came back from vacation the plants were loaded, I wish I had taken a picture before we started picking them.

What Knots July Meeting

2009-07-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Linda has put together her Disappearing 9-Patch blocks
Joan re-worked and finished her Valentine Quilt.
She also completed her row by row quilt.
And completed the hand quilting on this project.
Pam had another small quilt done, from her Kansas Trouble fabric.
Gail held a quilting summer camp for some of her neighborhood families. Here are some of the projects that were completed.
She also completed this quilt that is a wedding present.
Ann made this baby quilt top, can you see the ruching on the light blue border, very fun technique, though not a "quick" quilt as advertised.
Here's the full on view without the fold in the previous picture.
Marian brought her streak of sunshine quilt that I think she called Streak of Midnight, I really should start taking notes to get the info right about everyone's quilts!

What was I thinking??

2009-07-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

or more accurately, I wasn't thinking. I left on vacation for a week with this quilt on the frame and 2 kitties who had shown a fondness for this set up (that I thought was so cute).

Brief Vacation Report

2009-07-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

We have to go to the local Safeway to get internet, so this will just be a quick post with a few pictures of today's adventure, kayaking on Sparks lake.

Here's the view across the lake of Mt. Bachelor
Randy and Phil in motion.
Dave and the Klepper.

Having a good time, wish you were here.

Monday Mashup

2009-06-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

How about some gorgeous hand spun yarn. This was given to me by Jayme, she spun it on the spinning wheel I lent her. Lovely mix of colors, now what to make with it??? Notice the Milo foot in the picture.

I am not happy with Milo this morning. I awoke to a crash, somehow he knocked over a vase that I'm pretty sure was on a low shelf. My suspicion is that he was chasing his little mousy, which I managed to catch and throw outside. I'm getting pretty good at that.

Yesterday I set up the quilt frame and started quilting. The kitties though it was a new fort for them to play in. Later I noticed that the quilt was bulging low and found Sophie sleeping in a comfy hammock.
I went to my Optometrist which is on the south side of town, I don't normally go to that area much, and I finally stopped at this little nursery I've noticed but never went to, The Gardens at Padden Creek. What a great find, it's bigger that it appears from the road and they stock different plants that I'm used to seeing. This is a great ground cover, Persicaria "Painter's Palette". They had a different variety growing in their garden which I loved, but I'm happy with this one.
My other purchase was this interesting plant, Spiney Bear's Breeches acanthus spinosus. Isn't it unusual. Oh, I hope they survive and grow. And I have to go pick up my new glasses this week, I just may have to stop in again.

Knitting Done

2009-06-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

This post is being composed on the deck enjoying a sunny Saturday morning! Yea Netbook.

Lovely morning for a photo shoot of recent knitting.
Completed baby vest for Rhys. Stephanie, if you see this, I'm taking it to Bend when we meet your folks next week, so it won't be in the mail till after then. Took me a while going through my button stash, but when I found these blue stars I knew they were the ones. I just hope the points don't get stuck in the yarn, making them difficult to use.

Brown Socks finally completed. They've been on the needles for over a year.
doesn't the mossy rock make a great place to pose the knitting on.
and a new project started, a cardigan sweater, very fun design.

Garden Tour

2009-06-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

There was a local garden tour this past weekend, and I did manage to tour one property. I particularly wanted to go to this one because they were also selling garden art there. The property was spectacular, 8 acres on a bluff over the bay. Silly me forgot my camera so these pictures were taken with the cell phone.

The front entrance garden had a Mediterranean theme, you should have seen the mosaic tiled wall. I really liked this stone "pathway".

Wonderful water feature!

I was totally intrigued by this flower, they were prepared with a sign.

A fun sculpture with blue bottles.

These are the pieces that came home with me, they are made from concrete.
Lovely orange lilies. They managed to bloom despite the lack of slug protection they had this year.

Disappearing 9-Patch

2009-06-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

I've been doing the Disappearing 9-patch block a lot lately, its great for using scraps and for making quick charity quilts. You can find many variations of this design, in a nutshell you make a 9-patch block, cut it into 4 equal pieces, and then re-arrange. If you need more info let me know and I'll find the link that got me started.

The What Knots are doing these quilts to donate to Bonnies' Team for local chemo patients, mine is the Red and Yellow Quilt that I recently completed. I've also done a Batik Quilt top, waiting for quilting.

The DIL of one of my long time on-line friends is going through chemo, so our group is putting together a quilt for her. I'm collecting the blocks and am now playing with the arrangement, there are so many possibilities

#1, I haven't tried this before, I saw a neat one done with sashing which I may try on a later quilt
#2, this is the same arrangement as my Red and Yellow Quilt
#3, same arrangement as my Batik Quilt.

#4, a very symmetrical arrangement.

What do you think? I'm leaning toward #1 or 2. There are still a few more blocks in the mail so I have time to decide, but I think I'm about ready to start.

Things to make you smile

2009-06-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

This dancing baby image came in one of those multi-forwarded e-mails, but I just love the expression on the baby's face.
Things that are blooming. I am so bad about remembering the names of plants, I've decided to make a picture file for easy reference. But I'm going to post this even though I haven't looked up the name yet, but when I do it will go into that file!

edit: Name of the plant is Peek-a-boo Deutzia
Same as above, a view of the bush.
This is called a Warburg Daisy, but that may not be the correct spelling.
*** correction: "Wartburg Star" Aster tongolensis
Aren't these the sweetest little flowers, and they are tiny. I'm still trying to figure out what encourages it to bloom, I'm thinking regular watering really helps.

Quilt Complete

2009-06-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

My red and yellow quilt is complete! In a fit of "artistic inspiration" I added the blue circles, they are fused down and then stitched around. I used the circles as my quilting inspiration. Doesn't it look lovely posed in the buttercups?

Here's a more formal shot, laying on the grass. It's a happy quilt don't you think?

size: 34" x 46"

New Cat Bed

2009-06-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

When I went down to Seattle to pick up Kim on Friday I detoured over to Ikea and had a grand time browsing around, and I indulged in a few things. This cat bed caught my eye. I knew the colors would be great for Milo, he just blended in to his old bed.
Looks like he thinks it's comfy, those petals make a good head rest.
Yep, he can curl up in the middle just fine (OK, I went a little crazy with the pictures)
I got my red and yellow disappearing 9-patch sew together, nicely posed on the grass.
Right now it's draped on my ironing board, makes me smile when I glance at it.

Quilt Group Day

2009-06-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

We start the day with the What Knot Quilters

Gail showed us this great top using large scale fabric.
While digging in her stash, Vicki found this completed top she made from a row robin the group did a few years ago. She is inspired now to quilt it.
Laurie showed the completed baby quilt, the light blue piping around the edge really pulls it all together.
Joan's sister Mary made this baby quilt with vintage flannel fabric scraps they found while cleaning out their mother's place. Lots of memories in this one.
Georgie has been working on this butterfly quilt for a few years, all hand done. It will be a masterpiece when finished.
Linda showed her row robin she's doing for the Moonlight Quilter's guild. She's really perfected the "peaking over the top" method of showing quilts.

In the evening I attended the Moonlight Quilters meeting, guest speaker Dr. Bob of Superior Threads. A very fun and informative program. I now have a Ph.D. in Threadology, just ask me!

Motorcycle

2009-06-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here is Dave's new Motorcycle. 'nuf said.

I think there is a new sewing machine in my near future, I'm considering a mid-arm machine.

Sunday Roundup

2009-06-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Matt graduated (with honors) from high school. That weird yellow thing in the picture is an arrow I added to show you where he is. Luckily he was sitting next to a very tall boy, so every time I lost him, I was able to orient on his neighbor. Click on the picture to see it bigger.

Happy kids.

This is an in progress disappearing 9-patch. Each of the What Knot's members made me a 9 patch block in yellow and red. I still have to make my block, but I like this arrangement. Each month a different member gives their preferences and we each make a block. The finished quilts will be donated to the local cancer center, part of the Bonnie's Team Project.
Peonies, Lilacs and blue sky. These are the first of my Peonies to open. The lilacs are almost done, they smell so heavenly.
Bee on a pink lupine (lower right hand corner if you can't find him)
Field of Buttercups. I subscribe to a blog where people post pictures of plants they can't identify. One man posted a buttercup, describing it as something that just came up, but he loves. They are so invasive in my yard. I root them out of the flower beds, but in the area beyond where we mow they are everywhere.

The Winner Is..

2009-06-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Would you have been able to guess it if I showed you this picture? I thought there would be more right answers, but there were only 6, well, about half so that's not too bad. The correct answer is Lupine.
Milo helping me with the drawing (OK, so I hid a treat under the entries)
The winner is ikkinlala, Nicole I'll e-mail you and ask for your address to mail you your prize.
Thanks everyone for playing, and thanks to WiKnit, otherwise I wouldn't have had as many entries. Although out of focus, I liked this shot of Milo attacking the winning entry.

Knitting

2009-06-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

I seem to be jumping from project to project today. Here's some current knitting. Above is the start of the Cabled Baby Vest from Purl Bee. I keep loosing my cable needle, although I do know where it is right now.
These are socks started over a year ago, I'm just improvising the pattern. One sock is done and I'm ready to start the heal on the second.

I'm also trying to finish up a batch of Cool-Ties to get them in the mail, I'm flitting from computer, to sewing machine, to comfy knitting chair.

There have only been a few contest entries, about half the answers are right. It did get mentioned on the WiKnit Blog, which is a Knitting Contest Blog, so I may have some new visitors.

Contest Update

2009-06-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

I thought "hiding" comments was the way to make it so people could comment, but it wouldn't show. That made it so that no one could comment. So I've changed it to "moderation" so I have to approve the comments, which I won't do until the contest is over.

Please try again if you are interested. Thanks!