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Saturday, June 4, 2016

One Monthly Goal


Being able to reestablish a little more routine into my every day life,
I'm going to try very hard to be a better blogger, 
both reading and writing posts,
without letting computer time consume me.
We'll see how that goes ;).

With so many sampler BOM's circling blogland,
I was reminded that I had a pile of old 6" sampler blocks
stored away in the bottom of my craft closet
that haven't seen the light of day in many years.
So, I dug them out and got to work.




These date back to 2008 when I spent an unexpected winter 
in Maine with little sister, The Fern Lady.
I had been wintering in Texas with Crafty Daughter,
when sister's brother-in-law was murdered
way up north in Caribou, Maine.
I hightailed it back east to help them through it,
and these blocks are how I kept my little hands busy.
I wasn't prepared - I didn't even have a sewing machine!
And I can't, for the life of me, remember where I got the scraps.

I'd like to see this become at least a flimsy by the end of the month,
and out from under the work table,
(Space is a little limited right now!)
I only had enough navy to make it 60" square,
(probably because I had so many miscuts trying to prepare supper 
and sew at the same time).
I'm setting this as a goal for the month
and linking up with Red Letter Quilt's OMG. 




(His murder is still a cold case
and continues to haunt his family every day.)

On a much brighter note,
I'd like to share this pillow with you.
When the NSQBQ met up at the Thistle Guild Quilt Show
in Westville, NS last week, we had a pillow swap.
The challenge was 'improv curves'.


(Yes, that's a bear's skull on my end table.
What can I say?)


I sure am accumulating some nice, bright colors in my living room!  
The afghan is a WIP, a 'to go' project from the last two summers
that finallly grew too big 'to go'!

Sheila, of Sheila's Quilt World made this delightful pillow,
and to say I was floored when I released it from it's pretty gift bag
is a huge understatement.  I heard, "Sheila, you go first"
just as I spotted the corner sticking out of the tissue paper,
and I had that pillow out before anyone could blink an eye!
Sheila went second, by default!




It must have taken her forever to quilt!
Isn't it beautiful?
Linda posted about our swap at Scrapmaster
if you'd like to see all the pillows and their new owners!

And now for some birdy news!
(This is where I lose Lesley!)

The other day, I went out to refresh the hummingbird feeders
and as I re-entered the house and pulled the sliding glass door closed,
with only 2 or 3 inches left to go,
I heard, "A ship, a ship, a shippy do", loud and clear.
Well, I was back out that door in a split second,
binoculars and camera in hand
to locate this much anticipated migrating warbler.


(as always, click on picture to enlarge.)


(Setophaga magnolia)

There were a couple of them and they hung around all afternoon,
replenishing their energy 
before continuing their journey further inland.
They were flitting around after insects, threading their way through
the emerging leaves of the willow trees, 
and were difficult to photograph.
These are the two best, albeit a little fuzzy, pictures.



Here's looking at you!
~Karen


35 comments:

Paula, the quilter said...

I love how you have set those blocks. I'm sorry about your sister's BIL. I'm stuck in the house until the trees stop pollinating ugh.

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

love your birds and quilts - sorry for no closure on your family death that is always awful and wonder why things like that happen.

TexWisGirl said...

adorable warbler. so sorry about your family trauma.

Abby and Stephanie said...

What a tragedy made even worse by having no closure. Your blocks are really beautiful and worthy of being seen. :o) I love your colorful space and that pillow is a treasure! As always...your feathered friend photos are beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen ,boy those blocks are beautiful and I am so sorry about your sisters BIL ,I hope they find who did it so that the family can get closure. I love the cushion that Sheila made you ,it's so pretty,hope your day is a good one my friend :)

Lesley said...

Oh you know me well! Love your blocks...will make a gorgeous quilt! Your pillow looks great with your wall quilt...lots of sunshine there!

Missy Shay said...

What an amazing story to go with those blocks, I'm so sorry about that murder. I love your pillow.

Raewyn said...

Gosh lots to comment on :-) How cool you managed to spot and photograph the wee Warbler... what a pretty bird. And good luck for getting your OMG done; that quilt will have quite a history to it once it's done! The cushion Sheila made is beautiful - lucky you :-) And also good luck with re-establishing a routine with posting, reading and not getting caught up in internet world - I'm trying to get that balance right at the moment as well!

Kate @ Smiles From Kate said...

I am so sorry to hear of your families tragedy. I hope they get closure one day.
Your blocks are lovely, and quite an accomplishment all by hand, will you be making any more by hand?
What a lovely pillow, I see what you mean about the quilting, a lot of work. However it makes the pillow and I love what she did in the flowers. I'll take a look at the others.
Good luck in your one monthly goal and I'm glad you will be blogging more often. I'm so happy I met you Karen.
Smiles
Kate

Karen said...

Wow, this was a blog-and-a-half - you had lots to show!
I love the blocks you are making - anything in the centre of a star always catches my eye. Sheila's work is amazing, I got to see several pieces at the Thistle Quilt Guild show, and it was all so beautifully done. She's a true craftsman.
Sweet little birdies :)

Ellen said...

Your blocks look wonderful and do deserve to become a finished quilt!

So sorry for your family's loss - hopefully they will find peace.

Vickie said...

You and me both on the blogging thing my friend! OMG about sisters BIL ! What a mortifying thing to happen.

Createology said...

Such a tragedy for your family and I pray they get closure. Sewing really is very cathartic. Love your bright colors by way of the afghan, wall hanging and pillow. May you be able to create your flimsy and sew and have some sort of routine back in your life very soon. Blessings Dear...

Gina said...

What a terrible black cloud to have holding over your family. I'm so sorry. It'll be nice to see that quilt finished, I love how you've set the centre blocks. xx

Anonymous said...

Love the block set - I presume the star centers were the blocks you made at your sister's? What an awful experience for the family. I hope someday it's solved so they have closure, not that the grief will lessen, but we always want answers don't we? Love the bird pics! Thanks for sharing your close ups of those and your pillow. I saw all of them, and couldn't have picked which one I liked best!

Libby in TN said...

Glad to meet another bird watcher. Every year I look forward to the Cedar Waxwing migration through our Middle Tennessee neighborhood. They make such a ruckus you can't miss them. I try to feed the birds, but the squirrels have managed to disengage the feeder from the crook numerous times.

I enjoyed reading your recent posts and hope to hear from you more often. Good luck on your OMG.

Fiona said...

Gosh so hard for the family not to know what happened. that quilt has its very own story though a sad one, but it reminds us never to forget. That cushion is beautiful and goes so well with the afgan and bear skull... and how fun to see those lovely birds and have them drop by...
Hugz

Needled Mom said...

I'm sure that working on those beautiful blocks will stir up many memories. That sounds terrible.

That pillow is incredible. I love the quilting on it too.

It's so fun to see the familiar birds returning. That last photo is great!

Allie-oops Designs said...

If you find a way to keep up with blogs without it consuming you, LET ME KNOW. I can't seem to keep a balance, sigh.

That's terrible about your sister's BIL. I'll be praying for justice...whoever did it needs to be caught and punished!!! Oh his poor family.

Your star blocks sure are pretty, I'm looking forward to seeing that one done. Wow wow wow on that pillow, the quilting I'm sure DID take forever - I tried to do that on a small quilt and gave up before I finished, lol. Pretty, pretty warblers, how do you managed to capture those pics? I'm just not quick enough.

Bernie Kringel said...

The quilting on the pillow is gorgeous!
As is your sampler. I'm glad you are finishing it up. Such pretty blocks-they deserve to be made into a quilt!
What an awful situation for your family. It must make their grief so much harder with many unanswered questions. I'm so sorry for their pain.
Glad you are able to get back to your sewing machine, be it in the kitchen or elsewhere!

Binsa said...

Enjoyed seeing your work Karen.My thoughts for your family.

hetty said...

Such a horrible tragedy. With no closure. That makes it even worse. Your quilt looks great. So did you do all that by hand? Love your warblers.

Sandra Walker said...

What beautiful birds and so happy you captured them with your lense! I need someone who recognizes birdsong beside me all the time! I know the Baltimore orioles and cardinals, but that's about all I can recognize here. There are so many different birds down here compared to central Alberta. Also a GORGEOUS cushion--I could give it a home here in a heartbeat, just sayin'...I know you'll be hanging onto it...incredible matchstick quilting, yes.

hetty said...

I forgot to tell you how much I love your 'go to' afghan. The bear skull not so much. Did you have a pattern for that or is it your own design? I think I would like to make something like that in order to get my yarn stash under control.

Karen's Korner said...

I look forward to seeing all those lovely blocks come together. Lovely work.

cozykoza32a@gmail.com said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I finally found your blog. when I clicked on your name it took me nowhere.
I visited lots of other blogs before I found your Gravatar and it finally led me to you.
I went back a few post and read about your kitten. I am sorry for your loss. I lost my puppy 16 years old in Dec. I still miss him.
Kathleen Mary
https://kathysnest32.wordpress.com

Sondra said...

LOVE the Magnolia Warbler photo...a very handsome bird and an excellent photo!!
I am digging all these fibers, sooo clever--Wow the murder gave me the willies, Have they thought of sending it to one of the cold case TV shows they seem to have some success.
I actually did some sewing last week myself, it was fun to be sewing again.

Lara B. said...

What a terrible tragedy to lose a loved one like that. It's good that you are determined to complete this quilt.
Wow do I hear you about the fine balance in not having all your time consumed by the computer.
That pillow Sheila made is wonderful! It looks perfect in your room.
I love the the little warblers! One of my favorite birds.

Kate said...

Good luck with your monthly goal. Sorry for the sad memories associated with the project, probably not a time anyone wants to remember. Fun bird shots.

Judy said...

What a great post to read! I'm so sorry about your family member and it must just be devastating especially with no resolution. I love the bright colors of the pillow and the other pieces in your living room! I like the look of your blocks and I bet it feels nice to sew them together. Thanks so much for sharing the awesome bird photos, that last photo is awesome.

Heidi said...

I hope your quilt top is coming along. It is a great setting, I really like the alternating blocks. And I spy a green binding very much like the one I am currently compelled to make!

Barb said...

I love bright colors....and your quilt is going to be awesome!

Preeti said...

So sorry about your loss and the fruitlessness of it all. We quilters can find solace in our scraps as I am sure you did. Once you complete the quilt, I am sure you will feel a sense of accomplishment. Thank you for sharing the bird pictures and that pillow is lovely.
Hugs,
Preeti.

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

So very sorry about your sister's BIL. What a sad thing for her family to endure. Your presence made all the difference for them I'm sure. My you must have flown out the door at a moment's notice not to take your machine. But you made good work of it, and now you almost have a flimsy done! What a good goal for this month.

The pillow is awesome and what a lucky gal you are to be the one to receive it1

Finally, you didn't lose me at the bird photos at least. I love them, fuzziness and all. Those birds are so sweet.

Teresa in Music City said...

I'm working at trying to get more routine with my blogging too Karen. And like you struggling to find ways to make that work without spending hours every day on the computer. I'd rather spend those hours at my sewing machine, right? You got such an adorable pillow in the swap!!! Sheila is so talented, but then all of the wonderful ladies in your group are crazy talented. And thanks for the recipe - I can't wait to try it out - sounds yummy!