Long Time Gone

 I can't believe how long it has been since I posted anything on the blog....

One of the things I have been doing is making the Pincushion Collage Quilt by Laura Heine for a class at the  The Old Country Store in Intercourse PA If you are interested in taking it, the class is in February. It is such a fun project, especially for anyone who sews!

Fall is here in all its glory! I love autumn and everything is has to offer. Crisp cool days, sweaters, beautiful leaves, soup, hot tea and putting the garden to bed. While I love my gardens they take up a lot of time!

I don't decorate much for Halloween but I saw this on Instagram and loved the idea. They had pictures of their kids but I chose to use some scrapbook images that was a very low key Halloween idea.

I am also making a autumn quilt along with my friend Stephanie. This is the Fig Tree block of the month from a while ago. We both bought the kit to make it easy. I love their blocks and the instructions are very good. If you have ever wanted to try it, don't be afraid to do it!

I am also trying my hand at crochet......this was a first attempt and it's pretty wonky.

This is much better and I find it very relaxing! Repetitive motions can do that I suppose. I am hoping to make more and get better at it.

Over the weekend I made myself a project pouch with this adorable fabric from Lori Holt. It's cheater cloth and all I did was quilt along each orange peel to give it some body. So quick and so easy! My friend Cindy gave me the quilter zip charm that completes it just perfectly!

I kept the lining on the vintage side too. I think my crochet will fit in their perfectly!

I can't say my focus is totally back to normal so I am always doing something here and there. My stuff was all over the house and I was always looking for scissors, or my needle threader, you get it.....So I got this organizer at Michael's and it is so nice! This is the bottom part......

this is the top part. I really am happy with it and might need to get another one....

This is my new bed quilt. It is going to be king size! At first I was going to do the blocks in a straight set. I showed it on Instagram and the overwhelming majority said no put it on point. So I tried it out and yes I like it much better this way. I think I have enough fabric but I won't let that bother me. I will take a page out the book of our pioneer quilters and use something else if I don't have enough!

I have made myself some design boards to keep track of all the pieces and it is a life saver. I don't mix up the pieces that are almost the same size and it is nice to have them all in 1 spot. I will be making more. Do you use a design board?

I have read lots of books this summer. This was really good but will not be for everyone. I loved all the details and the story behind this disastrous group and all the bad decisions they made and people they trusted. I was also surprised that there are people that never heard about the Donner party. Yes cannibalism is involved but like all things in the world it was sensationalized over time. Once it is put into context I think you will have a different opinion about it.I gave it 4 stars.

This started out very slow but I stuck with it because I bought it. It is very difficult to get a GOOD book at the library these days....I liked it in the end but would only give it 3.5 stars.

I read all of the Lonesome Dove series this year and loved every single book. Larry McMurty is such a good writer and really paints a picture for me. I will be reading more of his books. Any recommendations out there?

This book I could not put down! It was very good and I think based on true events. This one got 4.5 stars.

While this one started out slow, it really picked up and makes you wonder what lengths you would go to keeping a secret that you know is hurting others and altering their lives. The injustice of this book is sad but the twist at the end makes it worth reading and I didn't see it coming! I gave it 4 stars.

Kelly

Yikes!

I just realized I have not posted in a long time! Truth be told, January and February seemed to fly by this year. While some might say that is a good thing, I am trying very hard to live in the moment. I want to enjoy the quiet and slower pace of winter inside my cozy home. Once the spring and summer hit, there is never a dull moment! We are on the go, non-stop.
I love flowers and buy them for myself all the time. If you have not bought yourself some flowers for no reason, you should try it. Every time I walk into the kitchen it gives me a little surprise and a pop of color that is unexpected. It just feels good.

Speaking of flowers I have been painting all winter long! It is so much fun and very forgiving. If you don't like something, paint over it! I painted this for my brother in law, David who turned 50 this year.

This one is no longer in my house because someone wanted to buy it! I did love it too because I feel like I got the vase and water pretty accurate. Sorry for the not so good picture.

I've got some more in the wings for when the mood strikes.

The Lancaster Modern Quilt Guild is having a display of more modern log cabins this spring. Here is my contribution. Think it looks modern enough? I had no idea what I was going to do with that Tula Pink fabric......
Speaking of the MQG, I went to Nashville last week for Quiltcon! It was so much fun and such a different vibe than traditional quilt shows....... AND the vendors!!!! Many you have never seen at any other shows, they were fabulous!
My quilting companions, Stephanie,Terry and Mary also made it a fun trip, we talked non-stop (we drove) all the way there and all the way back. Road trips are always fun and a great way to get to know each other. Next year it is in Austin and the following year it is in Atlanta. They go back and forth each year, west coast and east coast.

I have been slacking with the sewing but am ready to get back on that horse. This is for a workshop in April. If you remember my "The Cow", it is the same technique, fabric collage.

Lots of reading going on too, a perfect winter past time. Actually for me any time is a good time to read! One I don't have in this picture is Where The Crawdads Sing. So far it is my favorite this year.

I have a workshop coming up and needed to make a new sample. Making a Christmas project right after Christmas was not exactly fun but I think it is turning out cute. I will probably be happy when Christmas rolls around that this is done and dusted!

Kelly

I'm Learning Lots of Lessons!

So I have made a real effort to blog more often but now the camera is my sticking point! I got a cheap one and should have got one just like my last one, lesson learned. I like using a camera with a camera card rather than using photos from my phone. It's not as clumsy.
This quilt has been a real pain. I did not follow directions, (another lesson learned) and I am paying the price. It is taking me twice as long to make! I will be sure to do an entire post on it when I am finished.

Today I went to my local quilt shop, The Quilt Block in Exton, PA and picked these pretties up. I have an idea and I need a hand work project for when I am at my bee. I know they feel more summer but by the time I make it, it will be summer!

I started this book thinking the theme seems a little familiar....and it is, but lots of twists a turns. I have had such anxiety reading this book! You know if Stephen King liked it, it has to be good. I am about 2/3 done and will let you know at the end how I liked it.

Kelly

Summertime

Last week our guild had Melissa Averinos for a workshop and lecture. Her workshop is called "Making Faces". It was so much fun and everyone had a blast. Please consider her for your guild you will not be disappointed. She is warm and very genuine. I am hoping to get this quilted soon instead of adding it to the UFO pile.....

 I have been working, very slowly on my granddaughter Brynn's quilt. I am really enjoying picking out the fabrics and fussy cutting the centers. I better get going she is almost 6 month old!

I make piles of fabric combinations so I don't have to cut them all out at the same time. A little cutting, a little sewing and a little deciding.
I am still not sue how I am putting this together. The only thing I think I might do is half square triangles along the outside edge, in pink of course!

I have been reading voraciously! It's so much fun when you get a good selection of books. This was a tough read but very good. I love when the person in the story triumphs! It was a true story.

I so wanted to like this book. I read about it on line and it looked like a winner. An artist, a writer and quilts, what's not to love? I felt like she was very whiney and so self absorbed. Enough said. True story.

This one I happened on in the new non-fiction section. Who doesn't want to read about the last hermit? I found it fascinating and interesting. He lived in the woods (Maine) for 27 without ever being found. I won't tell you anymore but definitely worth a peruse.

This is the one I am currently reading and it is good too. It's all about hoarding and also is a true story. I just happened to be in the library when all the new released good books were put out so I scored.
I have a stack of about 7 books left to go. Sitting on the porch at night, no matter how hot it is reading, is truly a summer pleasure not to be missed.

I have a bunch of sewing ideas in my head but they aren't ready to come out. Maybe after a few more books (-:

Please let me know if you have read any of these and your opinions are always welcome.

Kelly

Book Reviews Plus a Tutorial!

For some reason I love to read excessively in the summer. Maybe it is the slower pace.We have a wonderful screened-in porch that lends itself to a lazy afternoon or evening of reading.
I had a few people email me wanting to know what I was reading. In some ways it feels so personal but at the same time I am always on the hunt for a new read too! Please know these are my own opinions and not necessarily the end word. My mood greatly influences what I like and don't like at any given time. I am also a huge fan of the library, I could be in there for days....
So here we go!

The picture above:

Idaho by Emily Ruskovich---- I read this book halfway through and stopped. I just lost interest.

Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons----Childhood in a small southern town in the 1970's. I liked her writing and the fact that you get hooked in the first or second page. The characters are rich and complex. I give it an A and liked it so much I also read her other book called.....

The Sometimes Daughter by Sherri Wood Emmons----This could have fallen into the "hippie" themed books but it was fiction so I seperated them. Again good characters and a good story. It also get an A.

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton----This was a good beach book and you could probably read it in a day. I was interested in the twin sister part of the story. Different as night and day (to quote Patty Duke!) I give it a B.

My Infatuation With Hippies Reading Picks

Arcadia by Lauren Groff--- I wanted to love this book but give it a B-. It was interesting but I wanted more....

Naked In The Woods by Margaret Grundstein---I did enjoy this book and felt for the woman who wrote it (it's a biography). A common theme in this genre is that Free Love came at a huge price! I gave it a B+

Notes From Nethers by Sandra Lee Eugster biography ---This followed the difficult relationship of a mother and daughter living in a commune. The mother was finding herself and the daughter just wanted to go to school and be a normal kid. She was torn between her father who lived a normal life and her mother who did not. I enjoyed her writing and give it an A.

Flower Children by Maxine Swann---It was way over my head and I missed a lot of the symbolism and had no idea what happened! It gets a C-

North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person biography---I LOVED this book. The common theme in all the "hippie" books is that the kids did not like it, felt adrift and just wanted to be normal kids doing normal things.
My overall take away is, as much as the adults thought they would be ok with multiple partners, they weren't. Hurt feelings and jealousy was the norm, for both the men and women.
The parents were very absent and very into themselves, as much as they were looking for a forward, free thinking, equal world they were very selfish and there was a hierarchy, even though they didn't want to admit it. All the adults were parents to all the children, in reality no one was paying much attention to them. Insecurity was a common feeling for the children and all of them had difficult relationship issues as adults. Sometimes it made my want to cry! Again this is just my opinion!
I think I am done reading about Hippies for now, unless you know of a good one for me!

Now for a tutorial.....

Some of you may remember this quilt, Winter Moon that I made last winter. A guild contacted me and asked me if they could make it as their raffle quilt. The guild is called Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild.

Cut a square about an inch bigger than your finished size, this is 6". Size is something you may have to experiment with because depending on how you sew will determine the unfinished size.

Use your rotary cutter and slice it down the middle. Change it up, put it on an angle or make it straight etc.

Next cut your branches. Again make them different every time to make it more interesting. This part is important-----once you cut your square, keep it together on your mat or table. It is easy to mix up the pieces.

Cut some contrasting fabric for your branches. Depending on the size of your starting square this can be any size. For this one they are about 1 1/4".

Cut them longer so you don't have to worry about matching anything.

Next sew the bottom background fabric to the branch followed by the top background fabric. Don't worry if they don't match exactly, we are squaring it up at the end. Now do the other side. Press all branches toward the branch fabric, not the background. You may have to trim the seam allowance up so it is not bulky.

Take your ruler and clean up the inside edges, take the smallest amount you can, keeping the same angle (or not) the choice is yours!

Cut out a piece for the trunk, this one is larger than the branches but you can do whatever makes you happy!

I decided I wanted this one to be a little more pointy at the top, so I trimmed off some on the side.

Sew it to the one side pressing towards the trunk.

Next sew the other side again pressing towards the trunk. On this one as I was sewing I wanted it to be more pointy at the top so I just made my seam allowance a bit larger rather than stopping to change it. Press towards the trunk and trim the seam allowance as needed.

Next take your ruler (or not) and square it up. I was able to get 5 3/4" from mine. In the Winter Moon quilt, each tree block is a different size.

So there you go, one tree that was easy as can be to make! If you have questions for me please email and I will try to answer them. I may just need to revisit this block maybe in autumn colors????

Kelly