TAST-2012, Week 4, Cretan Stitch

Sharon B's choice of stitch this week on Take a Stitch Tuesday was the Cretan stitch.  This is another one of my favorites and my examples this week happen to be on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project for January block.

Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012-January

I finished my January block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project.  Mine is going to be all about family.  This was with my mother and 3 siblings.  I am the tall girl with the ugly bathing suit on.  I had a sullen look on my face that day because my picture is being taken in this really ugly bathing suit, while my little sister with the lovely curly hair has a pink bathing suit on with little ruffles!  This was a fun block to work on and brought back memories.  I made a first attempt at the same block but it was too pastel for me.  I am thinking of finishing that one and giving it to my sister for her birthday this year. 

TAST-2012, Week 3, Feather Stitch

Sharon B's stitch last week was the feather stitch which is absolutely my most favorite stitch. 

This is another example with feather stitch using my friend Rengin's 
beautiful oya flowers.

These pictures are all from a work in progress I am slowly working on.  I thought I took a picture of the whole piece, but apparently it didn't come out.  

TAST-2012, Week , Buttonhole Stitch

Week 2 of Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday was the Buttonhole Stitch.  I use this a lot in quilting, and I love making buttonhole flowers and leaves.  The variegated thread I used didn't show up too good, but I didn't want to start over. 

TAST, Fly Stitch, Part 2

I added some more to my fly stitch from last week.  This is a weekly challenge from Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday.  I decided I was going to put my little samples in a plastic sleeve and keep them in a notebook, so I went back and did a sample I could keep in the notebook. 

TAST-2012, Week 1, Fly Stitch

I decided to also join Sharon B's Take A Stitch Tuesday this year.  It is especially nice since I am off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  This was the first week's stitch, the fly stitch.  I decided to use it on a wool basket block I had already made up from a wool round robin I had been.  I didn't explore the stitch too much this week.  But I decided I was going to do something each week, on each stitch.  I plan to add more to this block, but today is Tuesday, and on to the next stitch!

Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012

Crazy Quilters, Please Join Us!!

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project is an annual challenge issued to all needle-artists to produce a major crazy quilt project within the established twelve month period.

The overall goals of the Project are:

-- To increase awareness of crazy quilting at the local, national, and international levels.

-- To challenge crazy quilter's to continually expand their creativity and improve their individual technical skills.

-- To inspire, and encourage crazy quilter's through publication of our individual works in a consolidated and inter-active web-based format.

-- To provide a central location for the public to view examples of crazy quilt projects in progress and completed.

Visit the CQJP Blog and register today!!

Our Honorary Chairman is none other than J. Marsha Michler, well known crazy quilter and author of many CQ and other books.  Visit her website here.

We hope you will join us in this, the largest CQ project for 2012!  Let’s work together to show the world our beautiful art!

I was catching up on my blogs yesterday and came across this.  I am excited about this and ready to join!

Karrin

Back Hopefully

Well I am back hopefully. Nothing major going on, just have been feeling blue for awhile about some decisions I had made.  In March, I accepted an on-call position at Kaiser as a transcriptionist.  I was told I would be called in about 5-6 times a month but I needed to be available when called.  I put myself as working part-time at my on-line transcriptionist position (which this company did not like I ended up quitting.  The Kaiser position, if they had let me work as first quoted would have paid me the equivalent of 2 weeks of working at the other position 6 days a week.  Well I trained for 15 days, I worked 5 days for a girl who went on vacation in April and a couple of other day.o.,  worked 2 days in May, and June 2 days.  This was a position working in pathology, where some of the doctors dictated under fans that were very noisy and I was having trouble with the dictation, plus the front office girl talking very loudly when she got excited.   My on-line is digital quality dictation, and the sound quality at this Kaiser is going back about 25 years, plus the addition of the fans.   So they haven't called me back.  I meanwhile accepted another on-line position that again the pay is peanuts, and put in for a bunch of Kaiser positions.  I think I am transferring out of Pathology, and have been accepted at another position, should hear back this week. 

But in the midst of all this, we do have wonderful news.  Katie, my baby, who will turn 31 next month, will be having her first baby, a boy, somewhere around September 17th.   This was a picture I took last week at her 7 month appointment . 

Wonderful squishie suprise

Several weeks ago I received a note from a follower of my blog, Michelle where she explained "My hands don't hand stitch any more.  I would like to send you my box of laces, threads and embellishments.  Would you take them and use them?  I don't want anything more than to know my favorite things are being used." 

Yesterday I received a large box and wondered what it was.  Upon opening it I saw that it was Michelle's gift of laces, trims, a bunch of exciting fibers and threads.  I will be able to use this bounty not only for crazy quilting but with my felting machine.  

I felt like I was having Christmas all over again.  Thanks again Michelle for such a wonderful bounty of materials and I will surely put them to good use!

Cathy's Giveaway

Cathy is having a great giveaway, celebrating her 200th post,  She has a lovely blog, Crazy by Design.  Go check it out.  You have until April 18th, 12 noon MST to enter.  

Debbie's Having a Giveaway!

 Debbie just started a new blog and in celebration she is having a wonderful giveaway if you have not heard already.  Go check it out!

Flower Fairies-Cathy's

Wow, 2 posts in 1 day.  Going off in today's mail are Cathy's Flower Fairies. 

The fairy is sort of hard to see.  But I worked on the Lilac Fairy.  I added another sprig of lilac and a cloissone butterfly, and some fairy primrose silk ribbon flowers on the left hand side.

 

This was the block that Cobi worked on, the Willow Fairy.

 

This the the block that Ritva worked on, the Yarrow Fairy.

  

This was the block that Marci worked on, the Chicory Fairy.

  

And this was the block that Wendy worked on, the Apple Blossom Fairy.

These were all such lovely blocks, and a pleasure to work on.  I think Cathy will be pleased.

Summer DYB-Cobi's

Sorry it has been awhile.  We are still coping with the death of my DMIL on January 18, 2010.  We knew her death was imminent in December, and she assured us she would make sure it was after Christmas, and she did.  She was a dear woman and is sorely missed by us all.

In January, I did finish working on Cobi's Summer do-your-own-block RR.  Cobi requested a cottage garden-type theme.  This is the block I worked on.  

 It is sort of hard to see, but I decided to make a gazebo, with a roof that is leaf-covered, and lots of flowers.

 This is the block that Rita worked on.  I loved the way it appeared as if you were looking out the window.

This was the block that Lyn worked on.  

 

This is the block that Arlene worked on.

And this is the block that Rebecca worked on. 

I was the last person in this round robin, so they were sent back home to Cobi.

Christmas Crackers

I participated in the annual Christmas Cracker Swap on Crazy Quilting International this year. I wanted to last year but had too many things going on. Christmas Crackers are an English custom. You could sign up from 1-3 to swap, and I chose 2. What you do is take a paper towel cylinder and cut it to 7" and then stuff it with all sorts of CQ goodies and wrap it with either a plain fabric or piece a block, and embellish it or not.

This was the contents of the cracker I received from Aida.  She made a lovely pieced block which wrapped my cracker on the top, and the rest were the contents, all soft of luscious ribbons, fabrics, trims lace and lace motifs and even a tape measure, of which I can never have enough.  Thanks again Aida. I had so much fun opening this!

The next cracker I received was from Janet.  This was the wrapping of the cracker, it is even gorgeously embellished!

And these were the contents of this cracker.  It was chock full of beautiful fabric, lace and charms.  I had such a good time with this swap, I am so glad I participated this year.  Thanks again Janet, for a lovely pieced and embellished block and all the wonderful goodies inside!

SSCS Christmas Swap

As I mentioned before, I was in Chookyblue's Christmas Swap again this year.  This was the  gift I received from Kate.  It is a wonderful little primitive quiltlet, in my colors, my style, and I love it!  The beautiful ornament and quiltlet were great additions to my wonderful Christmas!  Thanks so much again! 

Happy Holidays

I just wanted to take a minute to wish you all Happy Holidays and a peaceful New Year!

I think I am just about ready, 1 or 2 more things to finish up.

SSCS Christmas Swap

I joined Chookyblue's SSCS Christmas swap again this year, and received my package about
10 days ago. I am absolutely in love with my ornament. I am still trying to figure out how to make some. It involves folding ribbon and pining them onto a styrofoam ball I think. I love the pattern of this. My Secret Santa is Kate Webster from Western Australia. My main gift is under the tree waiting for Christmas. Thank you so much Kate again, this is such a lovely ornament and it will be treasured!

I have been quiet for awhile, a lot of stuff has been going on besides my work situation. Today we are attending the funeral of my son-in-law Jeff's grandfather. This happened suddenly after he was taken in to have heart surgery last week. He was a very dear man that we loved and his death comes as a deep loss.

My father also has had critical issues. He was supposed to go on an Alaskan cruise about a week after John and I. On the way to the airport, their car was rear ended and totaled. Because he is on blood thinners, and bumped his head, he had bleeding into his brain. I found out all this while
I was on my cruise. He came home, and the next week was on the way a doctor's appointment, when he had a heart attack. They took him to the hospital, and found he had a heart attack, plus more bleeding in his brain, which they had to put a drain in, to let it out. This stay was about 5 weeks and was touch and go there for a while. He is now back home but is having problems with balance, and falling and has had several falls since, including flat on his face. I told him he couldn't afford anymore bumps to his brain, and he said he knew.

The other person we are worried about is John's mother. She has been on hospice care since John spent 5 weeks in San Diego with her earlier this year. She had a cancer on her ear, that was removed, and has apparently spread. She didn't tolerate the radiotherapy very well, and it really messed her up. They talked about extensive surgery to clean everything up, but she is too frail to survive that we feel. A chaplain came and talked with her last week and told her the time was near. She is on morphine now.

Wool DYB, Christmas RR

My work continues to be causing havoc in my life. Previous projects I have started, and not posted are the Wool round robin. I decided to make baskets for mine and asked the participants to decorate my blocks and baskets.


These were all hand-dyed wools or over-dyed wools. The picture does not really portray the true colors.

The other project I last worked on was Rose Anne's Christmas DYB. The first block was the one I worked on my own. The second block, I needed to work on a portion of it, as we had 1 of our participants drop out before we started. So we decided to also share a block.

Summer DYB, Lotto

I have had an absolutely horrendous couple of weeks at work, and have a day off to get caught up. It also happens to be our 34th wedding anniversary, and I got up and made DH some banana bread. I need to get over to Joann's when they open and get some drapery fabric. I had gotten DH some new shades for his media room, the room he spends the most time in with his movies and games. I need to made some decorative drapes and a valence to coordinate with the new shades.

I have finished a couple of projects, a couple of weeks ago. First, I finished my block for Arlene's Summer DYB.



I used some braid as the arbor, and twined some wisteria up it, with some hollyhocks and violets off to either side.

The other item I got done was a block for our circle of quilting friends. It was Molly's month last month, and she wanted us to make a block out of reproduction fabrics. I can't remember how many pieces were in this 7" block but it was a lot!