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Monday, August 18, 2014

On the Road Again


It's been a wonderful couple of weeks.
The weather has been cooperative
and we took advantage once again to travel,
this time to the northermost coast of Cape Breton
to paddle this


as well as do a little sightseeing.

Plus, there has been plenty of yard work to do
and small home improvement projects,
altho' I have managed to get in a little sewing time.

I set up this small table topper as my 'to go project'
for our northern adventure


because the hexie quilt I've been working on
is getting too big to be a 'to go project' now.

This is only as much as I accomplished
due to the many distractions.













***

When my young friend in Houston announced  
that she was adding a son to her family in October, 
and was decorating his room with a nautical theme,
I began making his quilt


inspired by THIS post from Melissa
at Cornbread and Beans Quilting.
I just need to square it up and put on the binding.

And I finally finished Patty's 60th birthday quilt.


I'd appliqued these blocks while sitting with an elderly neighbor 
of my daughter's three winters ago, so her husband could go bowling 
a couple of days a week with his buds and take a well deserved break.
Only my second FMQ attempt, I was very pleased with the results,
although it isn't exactly perfect! 
(This quilt is living proof that I eventually DO finish what I start.
Little Sister, who's been waiting 6 years for her 
25th anniversary signature quilt,
will be glad to hear that!!)

That just leaves the label,


which is under construction.

It dawned a windy, wet, cool day today -
so there will be lots of quilty pleasure in my forecast!

Hope you have as much fun,
however you choose to spend your day!
~karen


27 comments:

Barb said...

Wonderful pictures and projects!!!

hetty said...

Beautiful distractions! Love your quilts! I didn't know they had giraffes in Cape Breton. He is adorable.

Sheila said...

Your adventures look like such fun and you see some many neat places and I love your photography , beautiful photos ! Great take along project and I love the baby quilt , those sail boats are so cute . Great work !

Raewyn said...

Such beautiful scenery, it looks like a lovely place to paddle and sightsee. I love your quilt finishes (well, 1 + a nearly finish), the flowery churn dash is gorgeous and also I love how you put together the little boy's quilt. Hope your quilty day is going well :-)

Lynn said...

Is that an eagle? And a moose? What awesome travels you have. Love both of the quilts. I think the nautical is darling, just perfect for a boy!

Karen Ackva said...

Hi Karen! You've been quite busy the past couple of weeks. I am happy to hear that the weather has been pleasent. Your quilts look awesome. The new baby will be very pleased with the beautiful nautical baby blanket as well as the mother. You embroidery is amazing! Greetings! Karen A.

Sondra said...

Hi Karen, fun stuff!! You had lots of wonderful distractions...and your handiwork is beautiful as always!

Kathie Brown said...

Karen, the scenery is beautiful. You do lovely work. thanks for the comment on my blog. Enjoy your cozy sewing days!

FAB said...

Hey Karen, I certainly wasn't expecting to see a Giraffe from Cape Breton!!

Lovely to see the finished articles ... clever lady. I'm sure the recipients will be highly delighted.

Lesley said...

Love, love, love your quilts! You are so talented...it doesn't matter if it takes a little longer sometimes...the resulting quilts are fabulous. Your photographs show the true beauty of this province...awesome!

Linda Reeder said...

So much beauty in this post - the scenery, the animals, the eagle!, and the beautiful quilting!

Lin said...

What a lot of lovely things to look at. Love the pictures of your travels and you have some great finishes there. Nice to see a hand sewn label coming along too. xx

Montanagirl said...

I am impressed with your quilting and handiwork, and your photography! Very lovely place to visit.

Carrie P. said...

Great"distractions."
The baby quilt is so great. I love how you used rick rack for water.
Patty is going to love her quilt. Just lovely.

Debbie said...

Truly such a variety of pictures. I always love to look! Thank you for sharing!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

beautiful country - love the animals and eagle

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

What beautiful nature surrounds you.... God's handiwork! A bald eagle, moose and a giraffe too; oh, my! YOur baby quilt is precious as is the birthday quilt, you do such pretty work. Can't wait to see your sister's anniversary quilt (it sounds like she can't wait either!); enjoy these remaining days of summer, my friend.

Judy said...

What an awesome place to paddle!! Thanks SO much for sharing the photos with us. I love seeing other places and hearing about other people's adventures. Your quilt finishes turned out quite nice. I like the flowers in the centers which is a very nice touch. Do you mind sharing how you make your labels? I need to do that more.
Happy quilting!

DeniseinVA said...

They are going to love their quilts, gorgeous! Great photos, that must have been a wonderful trip. Beautiful scenery, the moose was fantastic as was the eagle, and the giraffe was so darned cute. Happy day to you :)

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

You are so sweet. Always helping someone. Love all your projects!

FlourishingPalms said...

Such beautiful scenery! No wonder it's difficult to get hand work done in the car! Cute of you to insert that unexpected giraffe photo too. It made me smile. The nautical quilt is simply adorable. So perfect for a little boy! And that 60th birthday quilt too. You sure make pretty things. The people you gift them to have no idea how fortunate they are.

Binsa said...


So enjoyed your post Karen, thank you. Hugs Lyn

Teresa in Music City said...

Such fun on your post here! Inspiring photos and quilty fun - not to mention finishes!!!! You go girl! I love the nautical baby quilt - it will be perfect for that nursery! And the churndash with appliqued flowers is simply lovely :)

StitchinByTheLake said...

What beautiful pictures! And I love that nautical quilt - so cute. blessings, marlene

Lynette said...

I wouldn't get much quilting work done, either, with those fabulous distractions. :) LOVE both of these quilts, Holly.

Rohrerbot said...

Great projects....I know people love quilts. I still have mine from my Grandma that she made for me. Love your Moose and Bald Eagle shots! Sweet!

Just Ramblin' said...

The quilt turned out beautifully. What a treasure it will be for your friend. I especially love the scrappy border. It really sets off the blocks. Also, love the nautical quilt. It is so bright and cheerful! Beautiful pictures! So glad you had good weather so you could be out and about. Nola