Elvis is in the Building

I have started work on a challenge project put forth by one of my small quilt group members. The challenge is to come up with your own version of this Christmas card in quilt form.

The quilts we come up with as individuals will be displayed in a group at our Block Party Quilters annual quilt show this November.

I wanted to do something different and all I could think about was making this little penguin into a version of Elvis. Here's my drawing:

This is my penguin "Elvis" fused in fabric. I plan to embellish him with sequins and will quilt the word "Blue Christmas" in the sky and "Thank you very much" below him in the snow.

I'll be sure to post the finished product so you can see how bedazzled he becomes.

For Easter, Joe and I took a sunny, but cool, bike ride along the John Wayne Trail heading up toward Snoqualmie Pass. It was a slight upward grade all the way out but a nice mild downhill cruise back. That's my kind of ride.

This is one of the bridges we rode over. Lovely.

Here is another picture from the trail. As you can see, it's well maintained with gravel and fairly even for riding and also nice for hiking. I hope we have a chance to go back soon and ride a little further next time.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Kara

Sew Expo and Imaginary Travels

I recently attended my first Sew Expo at the Washington State Fair and Events Center in Puyallup. What a treat! Apparently it's been going on for 30 years but this was my first opportunity to see it for myself.

I snuck out of the house early Saturday and spent the whole morning and a good bit of the afternoon looking at all the offerings in the vendor hall. There were about 200 booths with a variety of products. My favorites (of course) were all geared toward quilting but there were also booths for clothing design, knitting, doll making and many different sewing machine manufacturers.

Here is just a little sample of some of the things I brought home with me at the end of the day.

Thank goodness Sew Expo is only once a year or I'd be broke!

Time for an embarrassing confession.

I have been taking an Italian class for the past few weeks at the local community college. I'm sorry to say it's not going well. In my imagination I see myself speaking fluently while basking in the sun and ordering a beautiful dinner in Rome. Not so much! My teacher uses the Italian word, "allora" quite a lot while speaking in Italian to the class. It means "then" or "well then" or "so" and is used when transitioning to another thought. It sounds like "Ah, Laura" which confused me. For the first four weeks of class I thought she was referring to someone named Laura in the class although sometimes when she said it, she was looking directly at me and I thought, "Does she think I'm Laura?!". I tell you I am clueless! So much for my imaginary trip to Italy. I think I will have to stick to my Rick Steves' guide and use his preconstructed phrases that are written phonetically for any communication when and if I ever get back to Italy!

Let's just keep this whole Italian thing as our little secret. Okay?

Thanks for stopping by.

Kara

Weekend Hike

Over the weekend, my husband and I took a hike to Twin Falls in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. It was a pretty cold day but we wanted to get some exercise before settling in to watch the Superbowl in the afternoon. Go Seahawks!

Here is a view from a bridge that used to be a train trestle. We were so high up that the tops of the trees were BELOW us!

At our goal: Twin Falls! It was well worth the effort although the muscles on the sides of my shins (don't know what they are called?!) hurt for two days from the steep uphill climbing needed to get back to the car. I knew I was in trouble as the beginning of our hike kept going further and further downward. What goes down must go back up!

Later in the week, I was happy to finish a Valentine quilt for a new wall hanging in the hallway. I am hosting my small quilt group this month and I don't want them to get bored at having to look at the same old quilts as the last time they were here. Do you think I am spoiling them a little?

I also sewed up two more kitty quilts for the shelter. Aren't they cute?!

Thanks for stopping by.

Kara

Cat Adoption Counseling

I have really been enjoying my new role as an Adoption Counselor at MEOW. This week I participated in the adoption of a long time resident named Miranda. She was a middle aged kitty that had been at the shelter for over a year. She went to her new home yesterday with a lovely person that seemed like just the right match for her. I smile every time I think about it.

Good luck Miranda Kitty!

I have also been recruited to make kitty quilts for the shelter. These quilts are given to people that adopt an adult kitty from MEOW. A wonderful lady that organizes these projects heard I was a quilter and approached me for some help. She makes up darling packets of fabric in cat themes and I just take them home and stitch them up. Easy peasy!

My latest quilt project is pieced and ready to be quilted and bound. If only I could decide how I want to do it. I may need to send this one to a longarm quilter since it is rather large for me to manage on my home machine. I really like the way it has turned out so far. I'll keep it hanging over my railing for a while until I decide what to do. Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by!

Kara

La Conner Field Trip

I had the best field trip this past week. I drove my friend, Kathy, to La Conner, WA for her belated birthday celebration and we had so much fun that it felt like my birthday too.

Our first stop was for lunch at a restaurant called Seeds. I got a kick out of their menu. They call their salads weeds. So I ordered a delicious serving of Seed's weeds and it was fantastic.

Our next stop was to visit the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum. When we arrived, we discovered that the museum was closed while they prepared for a new show that was to open the next day. The quilt museum director must have seen my sad face peering through the windows and took pity on us. She invited us in and, for a small donation, we had the museum to ourselves. It was the best thing ever! Quilters are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

One of the new exhibits features a quilter named Sue Spargo. I am unabashedly in love! Here are images of a few of my favorites that are on display through March 23rd.

The detail in her handwork is amazing. When I grow up, I hope to be just like her.

So get yourself up to La Conner if you have a chance. The area is very popular during tulip season in April but don't wait until then. The town is full of interesting little shops and there are several gorgeous Victorian era houses and churches to see along the drive. Bring your camera and have fun.

Thanks for stopping by.

Kara

Happy New Year

I am so happy that the holidays are finally over. I know that sounds like a funny thing to say. As I've grown older, the holidays seem to cause much more stress than joy for me. We hosted family at our home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and had relatives staying with us for ten days during Christmas break. Next year I think I'll dash off to Hawaii and skip the whole thing!

I did have a chance to make one quilt for the Ronald McDonald house over the break.

I thought the cowboy print and western themed fabric would make a great little quilt for a young boy.

I also started another quilt last night that I hope will be quilt show worthy when it is finished. Right now it just looks like a bunch of random fabric squares on my design wall. I hope it will begin to take shape over the next week so I can show you some progress.

Thanks for stopping by and happy new year. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you in 2014.

Kara