My daughters, My grandchildren

I snitched some pictures off Kristen's Facebook yesterday.

These are my dear daughters, Katie, with her arm around Kristen.










Keaton will be 3 the end of this week.
Kyleigh just turned 9.
Jaeger will be 7 in December.

Making Memories Blocks 2009

I finished my 2 blocks for the Making Memories project and they are off in the mail today.

Blogger's No Reply, Making Memories Blocks 2009

I had wondered why I was getting so many No reply comments in people reading my blog. Sometimes I would really like to comment back. My friend Nancy had a post this morning about this topic, and directed attention to this blog, where Karen provides a clear explanation of how you can make sure your Profile is set the way you want it to be.

I had no idea that I someone had gotten to be a no-reply individual. This was not how I originally set up my profile. But I have switched it back to the way I want it to be.

I have been busily working on my Making Memories Blocks 2009. Last year I participated in the Making Memories project on Crazy Quilting International and made 2 blocks. These quilts put together can be found here. Last year the theme was hearts. This year it is butterflies and dragonflies using jewel tone colors. Leslie put these quilts together last year and did a super job. These quilts were chosen by the Making Memories Foundation to go on a nationwide tour, One of them is being exhibited at the The Houston International Quilt Show in October.

I have 1 of my blocks done, and the other I need to finish up in the next couple of days. Debbie is putting the blocks together this year.

Summer DYB-Rita's block

This week, I worked on Rita's Summer DYB RR.
I chose this block out of the ones left to work on. Rita indicated that when she thought of summer, she thought of poppies, sunflowers and daisies. I forgot about the sunflower part, but I did make some California poppies out of some ribbon I had that was the perfect color. I also hand-dyed the butterfly, and added some yellow tatting and daisies off to the left side.

Among the Gum Trees

I have been meaning to put this link in for several days, and finally got a chance to this morning.
On my sidebar, I have put in a link to Among the Gum Trees, a group of 9 Australian designers who are offering free designs. This starts Monday, October 5th and on each Monday throughout October and November they will offer free Christmas designs to download. If you go here, each of these 9 designers are offering a giveaway.

FLOWER FAIRY RR -Wendy's block

Can you tell I am waiting for work to be dictated this morning? Before I left on vacation, I finished working on Wendy's flower fairy block. I have a bunch of pictures sitting on my desktop that I was waiting to blog about, but didn't have time before I left.



I do not generally like pink, but have been trying to collect more ribbon and thread. I really liked the way Wendy's Flower Fairy came out.

LANDSCAPE RR-LYN'S, I'M BACK-PART 2

Before I left for our cruise, I had Lyn's Landscape II block to do. I didn't want to rush through it, so I asked her permission to bring it with me. This was a pretty big block, and Lyn had said she did not expect it to come back finished. Lyn had also asked that we incorporate these little face charms into our work. I had taken some threads and fibers to make a tree, but after visiting 2 of the yarn fiber shops and finding some wonderful nubby yarns, in brown and green, I was really inspired.

Every morning we were on ship, I would go up to the Explorations Internet/library section of the ship, which had a large table I could spread out on, and work. Ladies, and men, would stop by and inquire about what I was working on, sometimes everyday I was there, and would follow my progress.


This is the tree I made, plus I did the 2 little bushes beside it. I also stitched along the top of the green fabric.












As I was the last person working on this block, and she had 1 face left, I made a toadstool to incorporate the face into.












This is the whole block, on its way home to Lyn today.

I'M BACK, GREAT STASH-BUILDING TRIP-PART 1

DH and I got back on Sunday from a 2-week cruise in Alaska. What a wonderful trip! This was taken in Haines on our way home. We had gotten off the ship for a shore excursion, and saw a good shot of the ship with the mountains in the background.

I don't know how it happened this trip, but almost every stop I got off the ship and found either a quilt store or yarn/fiber shop. I am not complaining, it was wonderful!


It started out in Ketchikan, our first stop, when we met up with old friends we had last seen 24 years ago, but we have kept in contact at Christmas time. Even though it was raining that day, Kathy showed us some totems, and a totem museum we had not seen the last time we were in Ketchikan and we were able to meet up with Bob later for lunch, see their beautiful motor boat at the harbor, before it was time to head back to our ship.

Kathy also took me to a great quilt shop, Silver Thimble where I purchased this kit,







and this silk screened lighthouse print

















and some of these fat quarters. I added to these
later in Skagway at another quilt shop called Rushin Tailor's Quilt Alaska, which I had visited the last time we were in Alaska. I knew this was a short walk from the ship.












Skagway also had a great yarn/fiber shop right next door which I don't recall being their the last time we visited called Changing Threads.

By this stage, I had spent a considerable amount of DH's $$$$, although he was pretty good-natured about it.






This stash also includes a really wonderful yarn store in Seward called Skeins and Fine Yarns, I found when I was supposed to be buying souveniers for the kids and grandkids.
So I limited myself, although it looked like a great place to spend some time.

Overall, the first week we spent in Alaska was rainy, and the week we were on our way back was sunny and beautiful. DH spent all of his shore excursions except 1 on raft/float, canoe trips. I went on an evening whale watching and a daytime whale watching. I went on a raft trip with DH which was a beautiful day. While in Skagway, my photo expedition got cancelled because of rain/not enough participants, so I went with DH on a jet boat excursion through an eagle preserve and saw 8 eagles. It was raining so bad, and even though they gave you rain gear and waterproof blankets, we got back, and the backs and fronts of our pants were wet and then we cooked our own hot dogs in the rain. This was not the best trip for me. I was pretty miserable by the time we got back to the ship at 8:30 that night.

I was finally able to go on a shorter photo expedition in Haines that was fun, and it happened to bed a beautiful day, on our second week of the cruise. I have to say though, our best excursion was our last one, in Ketchikan again, it was a beautiful sunny day, and we went on a float plane, up to the Tongas National Forest, landed on a lake, and had the best crab dinner of our lives at the Georgia Inlet Lodge. That was the highlight of our trip!

We were happy to get back home on Sunday, and Kristen and the grandkids picked us up, and we spent several hours visiting and catching up.

Next post will be about what I worked on while on our cruise.

Moira's block

I got a block done, as part of a small group of internet friends' monthly swap. Each month, one of our members chooses the block they want made, send out fabric, and specifies a block they would like and we provide the background, or the other fabrics. Then we send the completed blocks back to that person.

This month, it was Moira's month. She sent out the plaid fabric, which I absolutely love, and would have kept if I could have. She asked that white-on-white be the background and we provide the center color and 4 squares.
This block was from a handout called "Mocha Trail"

My month was supposed to be September, but since we are just about ready to leave on vacation, I switched my month to November instead.

Autumn RR, Debbie's block

I just finished working on Debbie H's Autumn RR.
I worked on this corner of the block.

I added feather stitching bead work, and 4 of
Rengin's lovely oya flowers (the burgundy and white ones). I had anxiously awaited my order and they arrived early this week so I could add them to this block.

I also added some leaf beads, some brass flowers,
and a herringbone, lazy daisy and beaded seam.








And lastly one of my hand-dyed leaf motifs.













This is the whole block, now packed up and ready to be shipped off to Rita.

Giveaway

Pat Winter is having a great giveaway here of the cutest little bird's nest necklace. I love
checking out her blog and seeing what she has done next.

Summer DYB-Lyn's block

Another block I finished several days ago was this summer do-your-own block. This was another round robin in which you do your own block. I knew, from reading Lyn's blog that this was a California summer at the beach. She also had a contest at the time to name the guy in this picture, he was an Olympic star, and used to be in the movies. I thought to myself at the time it was Johnny Weissmuller, Tarzan, but was unsure of myself, so I didn't guess in her contest, and found out later I had been right.


Anyway, I chose to work on this block, as I am a California beach girl, even though I was born in Maryland and lived there the first 13 years of my life. I found in my sticker stash, a sticker that said Welcome to California, so I printed it up on fabric. I had also been saving the wave-looking trim for this block and added that. I added a surfboard, and some California poppies. I hope Lyn likes what I did.

Flower Fairy RR-Marci's block

This week I finished up Marci's block for the Flower Fairy RR. My picture is atrocious. I have to figure out what I am doing wrong and start getting better color representations.

This RR was one in which we send six 6" blocks around and each person chooses the one they want to work on. I chose the Lavender Fairy. I hand-dyed the daisy trim and the butterfly. I I extended the lavender out beyond the silky of the fairy in the center.

Giveaway

Jo, is having a 600th post giveway here. I have followed her blog for several years now and have thoroughly enjoyed seeing her beautiful work.

Jo also has an Etsy shop here. I can personally recommend her excellent Seams Like Fun seam treatment book. She also has some lovely items for sale.

Jo also has an another Etsy shop here called Vintage Vices, which is new to me, and has some vintage doilies and hand embroidered items for sale.

Autumn RR, Debbie's block

I recently finished up another block for the Autumn round robin. This was Debbie S. block. She had really lovely muted colors in her block and it was a joy to work on.

The first thing I did was embroider one of the motifs I learned from Sharon B's class in Silk Ribbon Embroidery. I thought this basket of flowers would be perfect for this block. I changed the ribbon to look more fallish.





I also added the rust-colored braid along one seam, and the hand-dyed leaf trim.


















Lastly, I did some acorns in stumpwork and had them falling down 1 section.















This was the whole block after I had finished.

UNDER THE SEA BLOCK-LAURI'S

This was the end of this round robin for me. These are Lauri's under the sea blocks. This was the block I worked on. In this block at the bottom under the lobster, I crocheted a sea anemone and added some of Rengin's magnificent oyas (the flowers).

All of Lauri's blocks are being mailed home to her today, and she has 1 left to embellish herself.







This was the block that Lisa worked on, I loved her octopus. Sorry I was wrong, as my DD pointed out this is a jellyfish.












This was the block that Peggy worked on, I am not sure if she has a blog or not. I really loved her beaded mermaid.











This was the block that Lyn worked on. I really liked that giant squid and her cute little fish charms.













This is the block that Pam worked on. Pam has had quite a time recently with medical problems
and had sent off her poor octopus with 3 legs, she realized after looking at a photo of it, and asked
me to put some more on. I really loved her shell garden and snail and netting.

Summer DYB, Another tin

My work recently has been horrendous, the past 3-4 weeks have not been good at all.
I do medical transcription on the internet. I personally prefer to get up about 2 am, get my work done, and have time to work on my stitching, run errands, or whatever. Recently I get up at 2 a.m. and there is no work, have to wait around for doctors to dictate it, and then try to grab
work before anyone else can grab it. Which makes for a long day, and not a very happy camper.
If I could get done by noon I would be happy, but I have been getting done at 4:30 to 5. One day it took until 8 p.m. to get my commitment done.

Which means, I have not been stitching as much, and this does not make for a happy Karrin.



Last week I did get this done. This is from the Summer DYB (do your own block), and it was Rebecca's block. I took this really awful picture, but did not realize it until I had already packed it up to be mailed to Cobi.










Last week I did get a happy surprise in the mail.
This was the last of my tin swap tins. I received this from Skye, and it is lovely.














She included inside an embroidered hankie (which I happen to collect) and some assorted ribbon flowers.

Thank you so much Skye again for this lovely tin, and I think it was the highlight of my week!