PRODUCTIVE WEEK

Greetings.
Don't you just love it when you can look back on the week and feel like you have accomplished something worthwhile. I sure do. For starters, we got the quilt shop back in shape. We had quilts packed from our trip to Sister's and a quilt show last week. They are home now in their appropriate places for all to see. We did a lot of house cleaning and rearranged things. We do have a variety of styles and it's nice to have them displayed.

We moved our notions wall to the front of the store and it seems to be paying off. I've had a few customers tell me that they weren't aware that we had all those little treasures.

Friday was slow and we didn't have any scheduled classes so I took one of my projects in to sew the boarders on. This quilt is a gift and I need to get it quilted. I always hang my quilts up and take a picture of them. I study the picture to determine what kind of quilting I want to do on it. This quilt pictured below spent half the day on the design wall being admired by me and others and nobody noticed the mistake I made, not even me. When I was sewing my strips together I had the quilt on my design wall at home and I didn't see it. It wasn't until I downloaded the picture and looked at it on my monitor that I noticed. Do you see it?

If not, you might see it now. I hate it when I mess up like this. That's right, it's not the first time. I am thankful that I do catch it before the quilting is started. I must admit, if I had started quilting this quilt it would not be fixed.

This quilt was made from a Hoffman's Bali Pops. You need to add two other fabric's for the borders and that's it. It's for a young man and I thought this quilt looked masculine.

The week ended with a mini-retreat at church, which has turned into a new beginning for me. The focus was on restoring our souls with a day of rest. It was written by Zona Wilson. We learned that work and rest are both part of God's plan for us. We learned the importance of reflection and spending time meditating on His word. Relaxation is important and you can lay your head down and rest because you can trust the Lord.

This really hit home with me, Refreshment, the Beauty of God's creation refreshes our souls. I am in constant amazement of the beauty that I am surrounded by. The hill sides and flowers blooming everywhere. The rivers that flow all around us. The sky and beautiful birds flying overhead. It seems like every day is a little different. I am truly surrounded by his beauty.

We also talked about the importance of balance in our life and keeping focused on the Lord. To accomplish this we must look to God for the power. All of this was supported with scripture. We got a great workbook so we can go back and reflect on these lessons when needed or share them with others that might have a need. I was also blessed with two new friends.

I hope your week went as planned. It's our anniversary today and I'm getting ready to celebrate 35 years. I don't want to keep him waiting so I better close for now.

God's peace to you and yours.

HELLO AUGUST

Does time fly, or what. What happened to July? Looking back, we did have a very busy July and accomplished a lot.

Kids Kamp at the shop is behind us. I don't think that is my calling. I had to work all week and I got behind on so many things including laundry and house cleaning. The latter I could live with. My quilting projects are a different story. Below is a picture of three completed projects. The youngest here is seven and the oldest is 10. They picked out their fabric and learned things like the 1/4" seam, RST, and butting up edges, just to name a few. Now I'm on to a new project. This quilt pictured below is the Nursery Rhyme quilt. Four of the blocks are embroidered and five are smocked, embellished and sewen to the background fabric. The sashing strips and borders are also embroidered.

This is a close up picture of a completed block with a smocked and embroidered dress. I have another doll dress quilt hanging in the shop and our customers are so impressed. Our regular's have been looking for something new to do and this seems to be the ticket. Starting the end of September I will be teaching the smocking technique and we will do this project as a BOM.

This little dress is called Candy Cane. If you want more information on these beautiful little dresses go to www.kreationsbykaron.com and check out her entire line of patterns. They are wonderful.

This week I will be finishing my oldest grandson's quilt and starting on my daughter's wedding quilt. Yes, you heard it right, Tami is finally getting married to that awesome, one of a kind guy, Joe. We are so happy for the two of them. I really feel this is a match made in heaven. They set February 2012 for the month and haven't picked a date. I'm making the Bali Wedding Star quilt for them. A friend just made one for her daughter and she started it in January and finished in July. I think the pressure is on.

Speaking of pressure I better log off and get busy. So much to do and so little time. Have a blessed week.

Oregon's Covered Bridges

When you get off I-5 and start driving from one town to another in Oregon you will come across lots of rivers and streams, not to mention the mountains and trees. It is so beautiful. An added attraction are the covered bridges.

In the 1930's there were over 300 covered bridges in Oregon. Today there are 53, the largest concentration in the Western United States. On one of our drives we came across this bridge. There is a nice parking area where you can get out of the car, walk around, take in the scenery, and read about the restoration of this beautiful bridge. It has always bothered me the way people in the US are so welling to tear down and get rid of the things of the past. When I was traveling in other countries I became very aware of this. Seeing and reading the history of these bridges gives you a feel for the past.
You can't drive across the bridge but you can get up close and check it out.

For a little family news. Congratulations to Tami and Joe. My daughter called to ask her Dad to walk her down the isle. We are planning a February wedding and I have a special quilt to make and I know just the one. I'm so happy for them and us. We love Joe and his family. He is a very special man and I know they will be very happy together.

I have lot's to do so I better get started. Have a blessed week and enjoy your summer.

Something New

Greetings. The week is starting off with a bang. As hard as I try to have everything ready ahead of time it still seems that I'm doing last minute tasks. I'm doing the laundry so I can justify sitting at the computer and posting some news on this blog.

I was blessed last week by a very quick visit from Bonnie, a former co-worker and quilt guild member from CA. She and her husband stopped into the store. They had been up North for the Sister's quilt show and we stayed at the same place and didn't cross paths. I didn't see her at the quilt show either. There were a few people that were there and I missed seeing them. I saw Georgia's husband but didn't see her. What's up with that?

For years I have wanted a sewing cabinet. They were out of my budget range so they have been a part of my wish list for years. One of the perks of business ownership is purchasing wholesale. I was finally able to purchase my quilters cabinet. I also purchased the 4 drawer storage caddie. The extended length in the back and left side make quilting and sewing binding on large quilts so much easier. I also like the ability to organize everything in one place so I can find things with ease.

When everything is put away the room looks so much neater. We agreed at the quilt store that we would make something out of any fabric we purchase so our customers can see the possibilities. This requires more sewing for all of us and my new cabinet will make it much easier. The drop down feature for the sewing machine makes a big difference when you are trying to establish an ergonomic sewing environment. I highly recommend a sewing cabinet for anybody who sits any length of time at their sewing machine. I'm getting things ready for Kids Quilt Camp next week. I'm gathering some information and a few small projects to work on the first day, just to break the ice. We will be making a lap size quilt. I'm not sure how it is that I ended up on this project but I'm sure God has a reason. I will keep an open mind and pray a lot. Two of the partners said they will help out and I am counting on that.

Sew, it's off to finish laundry and all my little projects. Have a blessed week.

Sister's 2011

Sister's was fabulous. The weather was great and we had such a wonderful time shopping, eating out, and taking classes. I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted. This is an old favorite.

I wouldn't be interested in making a quilt like this but I really admire the talent it takes to do it. Most of this quilt is all about the thread painting.

The highlight of the week was the class I took from Barbara Shapel. I learned so much and we got to see some of her work. This quilt is the sun setting behind the bird. The detail is all about the threads and her quilting.

This is the other side of the quilt when the sun is coming up. I wish my photo show the detail.

This is an example of some of the quilting stitches she was teaching.

This quilt is one of my favorites. That is Barbara explaining how she quilted this beauty.

This is a the head of one of her birds and it show the quilting.

This is a better close up of her crane quilt.

This is a wall hanging class I took and the piece is called Quail Family. Since I live in Quail Run I thought I would hang this in my entry hall. It was fun to do and a totally different method of applique.

This was a painted wall in Sister's. I wish we could paint something like this on the front of the quilt shop.

We had a great time and I saw a couple of friends from California. I'm looking forward to Sister's 2012.
The quilt shop looks like we're going out of business because we were so successful at the show. We are getting ready for Kids Camp at the shop and some new quilt classes. So much to do and so little time. I will keep you posted on what's new.

Have a great weekend.

Heading to Sister's

I will be at Sister's over the 4th so I'm taking this time to wish you a safe and happy 4th of July. God Bless America. I pray for our country every day and feel so blessed to have been born in American. The quilt below is an X-block pattern. There is a quilt for every season and every occasion. Don't you just love it?

This paper doll dress quilt picture below will be my project when I return. I will be teaching smocking and how to make these darling little dresses. I have shared these pictures with some of our customers and they are very interested in learning something new and getting started. This quit is the Paper Doll Nursery Rhyme.

This is a close up of the Makanzie dress. We will also be selling the patterns in the quilt shop. I'm so excited about sharing them. We have so much traffic from people traveling from Washington to California that there will be some great exposure.

This is another example of one of the dress patterns. If you want to see more go to www.kreationsbykaron.com and check them out. Here is one for those hot summer days. I have a granddaughter, or three, that might enjoy hanging one of these quilts on their wall. We'll see.

I must close for now and finish packing. I will have lots of pictures and stories to share when I return.

Be safe and God bless.

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

It has been a fun week. Our nephew was visiting with his two children. I quilted and gardened and we had a family dinner at Larry and Mary's. Sutherlin celebrated their centennial with a parade through town featuring all the usual like cars, horses, the band and lots of people.

This little beauty belongs to a friend. Her husband built it and did all the work. It's yours for 30K. Of course I had to experience the ride. I could hardly see over the steering wheel. I'm thinking that those who are 6 feet or taller are looking over the windshield. My DH birthday is the end of July and I'm wondering if he would like that for his birthday.

My life isn't just quilting and fun. Our yard has presented some unique challenges for me. I can't tell the plants from some of the weeds. This tall specimen happens to be a weed, according to my friend Barbara. The blossoms are so fine and pretty I thought for sure it was a plant. The stock has a three inch diameter. Oh well, it's coming out. I'm clearing the entire corner and will replant. I haven't decided what plants will be part of the plan.

Down at the quilt shop we are getting ready for Sister's. Mary and I will leave Sunday because we enrolled in some of the class that take place the week before the big quilt show. Cheryl, the cutie on the right, just finished the quilt below. It's for her daughter's wedding present. It's paper pieced and she used batik fabric. She did a beautiful job. This is a new quilter, which goes to show, it only takes a desire.

This is a quilt that we will be offering at Sister's. We have 15 kits made up so I hope people like it. It's a panel and very quick and easy to pull together. The stars glow in the dark. The panel includes a realistic image of the solar system and constellations including the asteroid belt adjacent to Mars and Jupiter. Take note, quilts can be educational too.

I have one last quilt to finish for the show. I'm working on Annabelle's Alphabet. The quilt is complete and quilted. I'm doing a ruffled border. My ruffler doesn't seem to work correctly and I'm breaking needles. I'm taking it to the shop and trying it on one of the machines there. I will post a picture. It is a perfect quilt for a little girl and we have ten kits ready to go. Next week at this time I will be sitting in a class learning something new about quilting and meeting new quilt friends. I'm very excited and ready to go. I will try to make time for one last post before I'm off.

Wishing you a blessed week.