Long Overdue

 I’m loathe to admit I’ll not be blogging anytime soon.  Changes to Blogger that I couldn’t navigate through, and too little enthusiasm to keep trying until I figured it out, sparked my lingering absence.  Negotiating life during a pandemic has been a major challenge, we can all agree.  But the political atmosphere in our United States has disheartened me beyond repair.

I am not depressed, I am still sewing, and I will continue to randomly visit blogs and leave comments.  Maybe one day, I’ll wake up and declare, “Today’s the day to start taking pictures again and revisit my blog!”

I have made many friends over the last 12+ years through blogging and I covet each of those friendships.  Thank you for your support, encouragement, and motivation throughout those years.  It was a lifeline in more ways than one.

Stay healthy and safe!

My Little Corner of the World

I've become a real news hound during this pandemic,

simply because I feel the need to know what's going on.

Things aren't pretty.

It doesn't really matter what political party you align with,

the facts are the facts.

It's time to stop laying blame for all the things that were done wrong,

and time for everyone to get on the same page,

and to start doing everything right.

This morning I read a new post from

Julie at The Crafty Quilter,

and she has graciously shared a free

Quilt of Valor pattern.

Thanks ever so much, Julie!
This would be a fun quilt to make no matter what the colors!

I also want to bring to your attention that
Stephanie of Loft Creations
has reissued several of her patterns for incredibly low prices
and they are available in her Etsy Shop.
Her incentive is just to keep everyone sewing
during this incredibly difficult time.
I have made many of her creations
and have many more to make.
I love them all.

Know what else I love?
This quilt!

Signed, sealed, and delivered
to Crafty Daughter's boss, and well received!
It came out beautifully.

I also completed the second quilt top for the two children
who lost their mom in a vehicular accident last summer.
This one is for the little boy.

I used Bento Box blocks with a Fandangle fat quarter bundle

by Christa Quilts.

I found the perfect flannel to use as backing

for each quilt,

so all I need to do is layer and quilt them!

I just know that one of these mornings,

I'm going to wake up and say,

"Today's the day!"

Last, but certainly not least,

I'd like to share Crafty Daughter's Little Free Library suite.

She asked her significant other to build her one for her

November birthday,

and asked me to register it for her as my gift.

The yellow library is the original,

and when it became such a success,

the children's library was added.

Crafty Daughter takes her stewardship

of this little free library very seriously, and does a great job.

On instagram, check out #LittleYellowLibrary!

Please stay safe,

use caution when you go out,

and wear a mask!

Don't be part of the problem,

be part of the solution!!

~karen

One Day at a Time!

With everything that's going on in the US,

it's difficult to know how to begin a new post.

I am so thankful that I have the quilting bug 

and not the corona virus,

and I can lose myself in my sewing.

I was still in a slump
during the initial stages of the pandemic,
so I whipped up this simple little top
using a 5-piece fat quarter bundle by Kanvas Studio
called Cherry Twist, that I found for only $5.99

Measuring 58" square,

this quilt, along with the one I am currently working on,

will be sent to my extended family in Maine.

There are two young people there who lost their mom

in a fatal car crash late last summer.

I'll show you quilt #2 in my next post.

The first week of sheltering-in-place,

the bobbin winder on my Singer broke.

Considering all my options,

I ordered a Simplicity Side Winder from Amazon

and was saved!

Reviews were all over the place,

but I took a chance, and since I knew what to expect beforehand,

 I'm not disappointed.

The second week of sheltering-in-place,

it became quite obvious that I was going to run out of thread soon,

and I had to place another online order.

Thank goodness, Quilt in a Day was having a sale.

That's pretty much the extent of my

Pandemic Blues,

other than not being able to return to Canada.

It is what it is!

Piecing my simple quilt top did the job

of  hoisting me up and over that slump

and I was ready to get back to work on something

a little meatier!

Working with 3/4" and 1-1/4" strips,
I really took my time building each of the 20 blocks
for this quilt top, which measures 54" x 66".
The block is called Roman Square by Amy Sinibaldi.
I mentioned it in my previous post.
I hope to have it quilted up
and ready to gift to Crafty Daughter's boss/friend next week.
You know how sometimes you immediately 'click'
with someone?
That was the case with these two gals!

I always have a leader/ender project or two in the works,
so thought a quick pic of my design wall was in order.

I couldn't resist making a shelter-in-place quilt.
Village, by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.,
was released for free by Moda Fabrics when the pandemic began.
The little houses whip up quickly.
I'm making some with chimneys, and thought I might
add some tree blocks.  Maybe.  We'll see.
The plus blocks were my leader/ender project
for RSC2020, but kind of took the back seat to the houses.

Last, but not least, the winner of my little give away!
With the help of the random number generator,
Angie's comment was selected to receive a scissors keep
from Gardenia Drive Etsy Shop.
Congratulations, Angie!
I'll be in touch!

As always, be cautious, stay safe,
and enjoy your day.
Take things one day at a time,
and we'll get through this together.

~karen

Blog Hop Update/What's New

Greetings!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog during the
Creating A Quilted Legacy Blog Hop.

It took me a long time to respond to everyone's comments, 

and there are still a few that have been buried in my emails,
so I apologize If you have not heard from me.
Yet.

After all the comments were tallied, my 'behind the scenes' assignment

was to use the Random Number Generator

to select the winners of the giveaways.

Congratulations to everyone who won a prize!
All winners have been notified and almost everyone
has responded, but, if after a reasonable amount of time,
a winner has not made contact,
that prize will be reassigned.

I read a most inspiring post the other morning
by Tish of The Madd Quilter,
Tish's Adventures in Wonderland
that I’d like to share with all FMQers.
I’ve practiced FMQ a lot on my Janome Horizon 8200,
 and I mean A LOT!
And I’ve become very confident.
However, I don’t always know how to quilt every top,
and I sometimes get discouraged.
This post is a must read for inspiration and motivation.



Just look at that beautiful quilting job!
Click on the picture for a closer look-see.
(I've borrowed this picture from Tish, but didn't ask
for permission, so THANKS, Tish!)

My own 'shelter-in-place' sewing has been
inspired by Amy Sinibaldi's 2018 Aurifil BOM block,
Roman Square.

Taking photos for my blog is the bain of my existence
and is probably why I blog so infrequently.
I will try harder when I have all of my blocks
sewn together into a flimsy!
I am sewing rows together right now.

Intrigued by this block the very first time I saw it,
I knew this was the one when I needed to make a quilt
with a whisper of sophistication.
  I enjoyed making it so much,
I just kept piecing until I had 20 blocks.

If you aren't familiar, Amy Sinibaldi blogs at NanaCompany,
and if you ever have the time,
take a lovely scroll through her delightful posts.
I'd like to personally thank Amy for having the vision
to create such a striking block.
And the fabrics she designs give me pause,
and if I had a larger fabric budget,
I'd own them all!

Oh, oh. oh!  One last thing!
I thought it would be fun to have an
unannounced follow-up give away with this post.
Up for grabs is a Retractable Scissors Fob
from my daughter's Etsy shop,
Gardenia Drive.

I find one of these fobs especially useful

when I am doing FMQ at my Janome

because there is very little table space surrounding the machine

and manipulating a quilt knocks everything of onto the floor.

Any comment is eligible

As the country opens up,
please make wise choices, be safe,
and stay well.

~karen

Creating a Quilted Legacy Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the
Creating a Quilted Legacy Blog Hop,
where we will be “Following in Paula's Footsteps”
today through Friday.

Paula, PaulaBQuilts, filled her hours, and her heart,
by making quilts for others, donating to
charities such as Jack's Basket and Project Linus,
to name just a few.
In February, Paula passed away unexpectedly after a short illness.





Today, May 6, would have been her 79th birthday.
We are celebrating her life by continuing her spirit of giving
with a very special birthday remembrance.

Each blog hopper has agreed to make a quilt for charity
sharing their creations with us all May 6th through May 8th.

I have chosen to work with Figo Fabrics'
Midsommar line, in my quilt,
and will be donating it to A Doll Like Me,
where it will bring joy and comfort for years to come.

I discovered Figo Fabrics at QuiltCon 2020.
They had a lovely, eye catching booth,
and had donated a short stack of charms in my swag bag,
along with an accompanying free pattern
called Midsommar Migration.

I love both the fabric and the pattern because
it can be gifted to either a boy or a girl,
along with their very own,
very special, and lovingly made,
one-of-a-kind doll.
I downsized the pattern a tad to make it doll sized.
The original pattern makes a 26.75" x 30.50" wall hanging.
It was my first time constructing flying geese
four at a time!  What was I waiting for?

I hope you will take the time to see
what everyone else has made to honor Paula's memory.
Each and every comment you make
when you visit any or all today's blog hop participants listed below
will automatically be entered to win one of these prizes:

Lorna, Sew Fresh Quilts, $50 gift certificate for her pattern shop.

Yvonne Quilting Jetgirl, 2 PDF patterns of choice.

Bernie Needle and Foot, $25 certificate for her shop.

A fat quarter bundle from Figo Fabrics

A set of quilty gift cards from Initial Thought by DMF  Note cards set 1

A pattern of choice from Karen, Sugar Free Quilts

A $30 gift certificate from Doris, Cactus Queen Quilt Co

A PDF pattern of choice from Joanne, www.etsy.com/shop/CanuckQuilterDesigns

$25 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop

Hope you enjoy the hop!

Karen

@ KaHolly

Kate

@ Smiles From Kate

Wendy

@ Pieceful Thoughts of my Quilting Life

Bernie

@ Needle and Foot

Linda

@ My Sew-Called Quilts

Cathy

@ Crazy By Design

Sue

@ From the Magpie’s Nest

Thanks for stopping by!
A great big thank you to Janice and Kate
for putting this hop all together
and making it happen!
A complete list of blog hoppers can be found on their sites.

Stay well!
~karen

Creating a Quilted Legacy Blog Hop

The on-line quilting community 

said an unexpected good bye 

to a very special lady on February 8.

Paula Budinger, blogging as Paula B Quilts,

leaves a a very big hole in our hearts,

and awfully big shoes to fill.

Number one among her many quilty passions

was her desire to make a difference,

habitually constructing community quilts

for organizations that included Project Linus,

Jack's Basket, and Covered in Love.

In honor of Paula and her quilting mission,

Janice of Color, Creating, and Quilting

and Kate from Smiles from Kate

have collaborated on a blog hop

to take place 

May 6 through May 8.

(I have only been on the periphery to lend support,

but these ladies have been doing all the hard work.)

Creating a Quilted Legacy

Following in Paula's Footsteps

Please take a moment to visit both Janice and Kate

to learn more wonderful things about Paula B,

and more about how you, too,

can make a difference

by signing on 

to help fill Paula's shoes!

Thanks 'sew' much!

~karen

Time Out

Last winter, I made and presented my first QOV.

There are no words to describe

how it made me feel when it was presented.

I vowed then and there that I would make one a year

for as long as I am able.

Completing this top was my January OMG.

I didn’t accomplish my goal,

but it was completed on February 1st,

which just happened to be the QOV Sew-in date.
(I am often a day late, but certainly not a dollar short!)
Thank you, Patty, for hosting OMG
and keeping me focused on my project.

Originally intended to be 60 x 78”

I eliminated one top to bottom 6” row 

And the top and bottom borders,

For a finish measuring 54 x 68”.

~

I am very excited to be preparing to go to
QuiltCon in Austin, on Thursday and Friday.
I am already loading up my new tote bag
with goodies and necessities.

Sheila, of Sheila's Quilt World, gifted me this tote

just before I left for Texas in November.

Lovingly pieced from selvedge edges,

this is my first tote ever!

I have never made one for myself.

Thank you so much, Sheila!

It has already received so many compliments,

even just today at my LQS.

Since completing my QOV top, I have been
in a little bit of a quilt making slump,
so I decided to take a time out
and just work on small things.

Speaking of time out,
Crafty Daughter and I were walking the dog
at a local city park,
when we came across this oddly placed bench.



I couldn’t resist having a seat,
and I just laughed and laughed.
I have decided that this is a time out bench
for parents to use in a pinch.
Thoughts?

Thanks for popping in to visit.
Wish I had more to share!
See you at QuiltCon?

~karen