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Monday, November 17, 2014

Canadian Quilters Connect




Sew Sisters Blog


is sponsoring this fun way to 
"celebrate Canadian quilting bloggers"
and perhaps become acquainted with a few new-to-you blogs.
Today's Canadian Maritimes host is none other than
the lovely Linda from Scrapmaster.
Linda has her hands in so many pies, I can't believe 
she has found the time to do this, too!
Thanks, Linda!

If you are visiting from Linda's blog today,
hello and welcome.
My name is Karen and I'm a quilt-a-holic. 
I make Cape Breton my home for 6 months of the year.
Right about now, I'm supposed to be packing up my 
sewing mess stash for the winter,
to head for south Texas.

Cape Breton is a wonderful refuge,


with a little bit to offer everyone.  

I go hiking,

camping,



and paddling around in my kayak.




If I'm not out of doors,
I'm quilting and sewing.


Free Motion Quilting is my newest challenge.
It's hard, but it's a lot of fun.
I've been quilting for over 30 years and needed something new!

A few of the projects I am still working on 
and haven't packed away are:

My version of Stephanie Dunphy's Hailee Bag,


a mix using an old corduroy shirt and suiting wool.
It was pretty ugly
until I put the Purple Coneflower on the front.

And here is my take on one of Stephanie's newest bag patterns, 
Prairie Tote,
still in the audition stages on the 'design floor'. 
It was on my list to make yesterday,
but I just haven't gotten to it.  Yet.
Perhaps today!


This will definitely reflect living in the maritimes.
(I tried to embellish the picture with a few of my shoreline treasures.)

I pulled out my Christmas fabric, finally,
and like every year, I'm wishing I had pulled it out earlier.
It's not like there wasn't a lot of inspiration
to focus on Christmas projects
from the quilting bloggers.


I can't show you what I've been making with it just yet.
It's a secret!
As are the rest of my most current little projects.

I'm in a real mess here.  I leave in 8 days.
Every time I organize one pile of my stash
and take it upstairs to store away,
I come down with 3 more to spread out and play with.
At this rate, I'll never be ready to go!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

If you haven't been to Linda's blog,
please pay her a visit
and meet a few other quilters 

Image result for canadian atlantic provinces
from the Atlantic Provinces.

~karen

Thursday, November 6, 2014

When Friends Meet


An old Scottish proverb states:
"When friends meet, hearts warm."

How true that is here in the quilter's blog world.
I'd like to extend my thanks and appreciation
for all your kind and encouraging comments

My daughter left a comment that I am pasting here
to let you all know how much she appreciated you, too,
and to give you a little more info.






KPage said...
Thank you all for the kind words. When I was contacted by Be The Match this summer, I had no doubt that I would donate if I was indeed the best match! And, I would do it again if given the opportunity.  24 hours after the process ended, I was feeling 100% again. Only a few bruises from the IVs remain.

After the transplant, the recipient will take on attributes from my body, such as my blood type and my immune system. I was told that recipients of PBSC donations have a 90% chance at recovery. He will have recovery milestones to hit, with the biggest being 100 Days. At 100 Days, they will know whether or not his body has fully accepted my cells and is successfully producing his own and is on his way to recovery.

Please help me and the Be The Match organization create awareness about this amazing and life-saving procedure! Join the registry by ordering a kit online. Share my story through mom's blog with your friends and family and encourage them to join the registry. More information is available at www.bethematch.org.


Speaking of my daughter,
today is her birthday!


I whipped up this sweet and simple birthday cake wall hanging
from the Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber
just in time to get in into the mail
on it's long journey to TX.
Thankfully, it arrived with time to spare.
That's not always the case
with international mail.
I had to brave gale force winds to walk it up to the post office, 
and it was well worth the effort
when it arrived at her door!
She was delighted.

You know who else is celebrating a birthday today?
Linda, over at Scrapmaster.
Pop on over and tell her hello!!

In preparation for my southerly migration,
I've finished up another quilted giftie.


Although I originally intended to make it a bed quilt,
I thought of  Lesley, The Cuddle Quilter, when I made the label.


A 'cuddle quilt' is all it turned out to be.
Any bigger, and it would have sat unfinished 
in the laundry basket
in the bottom of my closet for another 4 years!
Finishing this was my goal in May.
Well, it took all summer,
but it happened.

I couldn't resist joining Jacquelynne Steeve's
Sew Sweet Simplicity Block of the Month.
Because of my travel schedule,
BOMs are difficult for me this time of year,
so I chose to make my blocks scrappy.


I am going to make two of each block
so I can have a larger quilt in the end.

With most of my stash being packed away,
 I still have to sew, right?
I kept out a bag of batik scraps that a neighbor dropped off
and made the most beautiful journal cover.



Well, I think it's beautiful, anyway.
I find it difficult to sew things for men,
but I think this is manly enough 
and my brother-in-law will love it.
The pattern was designed by Karen Ackva
and is for sale in her Craftsy shop.
I hadn't done foundation piecing in years
and it was so much fun, I might make a mug rug to match
for his desk at the office.
Then I need to find a matching mug......
.....maybe a few of his favorite snacks.....
this could go on and on!
How about a matching pen?
Truth is, he'll only get the journal.
I'm not that good.

No little birdie pictures today.
There are lots of cute little chickadees,
and a junco or two, at the feeders,
but they are being camera shy.
I won't give up, though!!

Have a wonderful day,
xo,
karen











Friday, October 31, 2014

My Daughter-My Hero


With a much sought after blood type,
my daughter was a regular blood donor from HS, on.
Unbeknownst to me,
as a college sophomore,
she registered as a Bone Marrow Donor
during a blood donation at a local blood bank.

Fast forward 17 years and one random phone call later.
Today, my daughter is donating her beefed up stem cells
in a last ditch attempt
to save the life of an anonymous recipient,
not much older than her,
battling a rapidly progressive form of leukemia.

This is the third attempt.
While prepping for the donation two times previously,
the recipient became too sick to go through with it.
As soon as he went into remission this time,
they wasted no time.
Let's hope the third time's a charm!

It hasn't been a pleasant experience.
She has been quite sick all week,
after receiving injections every day to stimulate her stem cells.
But, bless her heart, 
she knows that one week out of her life
could very possibly mean 
the difference between life and death for another.

She'll kill me if I post the picture of her
all hooked up,
so...





She who hugs and kisses whales,
also saves lives.

Heck, I'm going to go for it...
...if her beau can post this picture on FB,
then her mom can put it on her blog.




She's trying to smile, but I can see she's not
too sure about what's she's gotten herself into!
Both arms are hooked up to the machine,
but one is covered.  It's probably chilly in there.


I'm so proud.

For more information about becoming a donor,
please visit Be The Match
today.




Saturday, October 25, 2014

It's Official


October is a very busy time of year for me.
This is when I try to do too many things at once
because not only is the nice weather waning,

One last hike on a barren beach.

These errant Semi-palmated Plovers our only companions.

but it's time for me to finish up everything started,


My 'airfare quilt'.  Every year I make and sell one
to pay for my airfare to Texas.

Baby Fynn's Daycare Quilt, 24"x24"

button down the hatches outside for winter,
which includes


helping The Ranger finish splitting


and laying in his winter wood supply,
and tromping through the meadow


to clean out all of the Tree Swallow houses 
without squashing the cranberries.


I have to prepare my hand work for travel, too.
This year I decided to do a simple applique project.
I found 9 scrappy nine patches
left-over from a past leader/ender quilt
and decided to make the Honey Bee Block at long last,

Tutorial

so I'm prepping them for my 'to go' bag.
Of course, I had to finish at least one!

It goes without saying
that I have to sneak time in to practice my FMQ!


And sometime in between all this,
I have to pack up all of my sewing 'mess' 
for the winter.
I'm going to miss my Janome!!

Last, but not least,
September was my birth month.

Patron Saint of Hexies

I am now officially
a hexie-genarian.
I'm still not to sure how I feel about that,
but the Patron Saint of Hexies
is clearly
watching over me!

My last 'to go project' is getting it's finishing touches.
Have a funderful weekend!!
~karen


Monday, October 6, 2014

Reach for the Stars



My grandniece,


Anora,
just turned two.
Now, she needs a big girl quilt!


Alphabet is compliments from Victoriana Quilt Designs.

My mother passed away in 1982
at the young age of 51.
My daughter was the only grandchild 
she ever had the pleasure to meet.
Like all grandmothers, 
she delighted in having a little one underfoot.

When my sweet girl was about the same age as Anora, 
Mom used to play
"Reach for the Stars" with her.
They'd raise their arms up as high as they would go,
then laugh and laugh and laugh.


This one's for you, Mom.  


Saturday, September 20, 2014

I'm a Wimp



Fall has arrived in Cape Breton a few days early
and with a vengeance.
But that's just my opinion.
I'm a wimp.

Most of the birds are gone now,
even my favorite migrants,


the Whimbrels, 
large shorebirds that breed in the Arctic
and pass through on their return to South America, Africa,
south Asia, or Australia for the winter.
Check out those sexy blue legs!
Or is she just cold, like me?

And there are still some American Goldfinches
feeding their young.


Mother Nature is pretty smart. 
Goldfinches breed late in the season
 to coincide with 
when Thistle goes to seed.

Now that the weather has so abruptly turned cold,
I'm able to afford more time to forge my relationship 
with my new Janome.

Goodnight Irene is a complete finish now
(are you sick of looking at it?)



minus the half constructed label,



as is my little sailboat quilt.



The extra sailboat block made a cute label.

Now that my great niece is two, she needs a bigger quilt.


But it's a surprise until it's finished!!

Before I go, I'd like to congratulate fellow Nova Scotia quilt blogger,
Linda, over at SCRAPMASTER,
on having her first pattern published in a magazine.
Well done, Linda!!
If you have a minute, stop by, check it out, and join me
in patting her on the back!

Hope you are having a funderful weekend.
xo,
karen

PS. A Quilting Reader's Garden is having a give away
to celebrate a very important milestone.
This is a new-to-me blog
that looks like one I need to follow!



Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Cool, Crisp, and Calm


Today dawned cool, crisp, and calm.


This was the view from my window.

It didn't surprise me at all when I turned around
and saw this morning moon.


I love early mornings the very best.
Sights like this give me hope
and inspiration to start my day.

While I was sewing yesterday,
I glanced up to look out the sliding glass door,
and discovered I had a little visitor.


This juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk 
took advantage of this puddle
and had a long and lengthy bath.


These are the types of distractions
I love best!!

It's been a busy end of summer.
But I have managed to do a little sewing.
My Crafty Daughter requested seasonal wallhangings
some time ago and I manage to put one or two together
each year.

Meet April.


This pattern called, "Use batiks!!" to me,
and I love how it came out.
I know you all recognize it as one of
I've made a few now and they are lots of fun.
I raw edge appliqued this one through all layers,
so it was self quilted!  Upon completion, all I had to do
was apply the binding.  I felt pretty safe using this technique
with batiks, they are so tightly woven.

Cute, quick story.  
One of my quilty friends here on the island 
(who laughs a lot)



has a son who lives in Tennessee and plays bass guitar,




most recently for Thompson Square.




 After growing weary of being on the road, he quit playing with the Thompson's and was freelancing for a little while.  My friend stopped by for a visit the other day and told me that some girl, who will be the opening act for Garth Brook's new tour, asked him to be her bass player.  He was pretty excited because he was going to get to tour on Garth's private jet instead of on a bus.  Come to find out, 'some girl' is Tricia Yearwood, (Garth's wife).  My friend obviously isn't up on her country western stars.  (When Thompson Square played in San Antonio a couple of years ago, he got us tickets to the concert.)

Well, it's time to truly start my day!
After being greeted by such a beautiful morning,
I can't wait!!

Happy day to you.
~karen

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Keeping the Tradition Alive


Here's a little girl
after my own heart!


This 5 year old granddaughter of a quilty, non-blogging friend of mine
 "could barely reach the pedal".
My friend writes,
"(she) wanted to learn how to sew, so she spent 3 nights with us last week.  She made an art apron with slots for markers, glue, scissors, tape, etc.  I drew lines and she did a lot of the sewing.  She was a quick study----needle down, pressure foot down, press locking stitch button, and step on the peddle.  I thought she'd lose interest after awhile, but she stuck with it.  Even ironed the seams as we sewed.  I did the gathering and the waistband for her.  Then she wanted to make one for her best buddy, Gavin, when he comes over to play school with her.  We made his like a Home Depot tool belt with no gathering.  She was so excited."



Proudly modeling the finished product!

She captured my heart a few years ago
with this picture.


My, how she's grown.
What's not to love?

Enjoy your day!
~karen