KBs quilt of life

My letter to Rep Kathy Castor - today

2009-09-14T17:41:00.000-04:00

I was going to just comment on your FB page, but I have been blocked from adding a comment. NO OPPOSITION, huh??? Remember, you work for the people of Dist. 11, not just your supporters, at least until 2010.

Would you please issue a statement regarding your relationship with the SEIU (#20 of your top 20 contributors) and their relationship with ACORN. "NPR reports that ACORN's cofounder, Wade Rathke, also founded SEIU 10/2008."

I am sure you have heard about ACORNs recent troubles. I also know that you are not foolish enough to believe that FOX News put words in those innocent workers mouths. That is some kind of editing job!

We have seen the video of Pres. Obama speaking to the members of the SEIU, we know that he consults with them about "everything" almost.

http://seiuorg.capwiz.com/bio/id/36912 This web site tells us how you voted on the SEIU issues.

Madam, speak out against these corrupt entities or we will know that you are just one of them. I may not be able to comment on your FB page, but I have other avenues of shining a light on who you really are & whom you are in bed with. As I mentioned before, you may want to start preparing your resume, the PEOPLE are not happy with you, or your other House members.

Flickr

2008-12-17T12:32:00.001-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Monterey Sunset by my Flickr friend & other stuff

2008-12-17T12:31:00.001-05:00

Monterey Sunset, originally uploaded by doncon402.

Okie dokie - so I have a lot of cool contacts on Flickr, but I just love doncon402. Please check out his work if you love landscapes. He travels all over & is from FL. This picture is taken at my old home - Monterey CA. Isn't it neat the way he added those rays!

Please stop by his site & leave a nice comment.

Last night, rather than doing anything on my list I worked on this little pix:

I think it came out pretty cool. This weekend I am going to take the Nikon D60 out and I am going to get some pix. There is this scene I see everyday when I leave work, the glass buildings downtown, the clouds and the distortion. I just really love it. So, Sat. afternoon I will come and shoot that (hold me to it - ok). And then I have already thought about going to the top of several parking garages and taking some pictures. Let me tell you - when I am on the Selmon Crosstown (Tampa) I always see the most remarkable sunsets, etc. But once I get off, I have lost that height & perspective. So I am thinking of going to the Hyde Park Garage & then the garage at my old office building and shooting sunsets.

I missed the beautiful full moon last week. There was on shot I wished I had my camera & a tripod for - the moon was shining between two houses and there was a palm tree to its left. I know it will be there again next month & I will go and shoot it if I remember. (This was at my son's house.) But I read that this months full moon was the largest it has ever been.

Oh, Oh, Oh, Mr. Cotter!!!! (Sorry - I digress, but I got excited for a moment.) I am going back to Hammock Beach for New Years Eve and I am bringing the whole set up. Guess I need to tell Jeff I bought the camera before then... Anyway, this time our suite is on the beach itself and I plan to get some really nice shots.

OK, better get to work. Keep your fingers that all vomiting and runny poop is gone from my house. When you have 5 dogs with the flu - holy cow - what a mess. We have gone through lots and lots of newspapers & paper towels this past week.

TTYS - Peace

Sawgrass Park, St. Petersburg, FL

2008-12-16T12:24:00.001-05:00

Sawgrass Park, St. Petersburg, FL, originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

Well, I made a list (see previous post) and forgot to send it to my house. But I did do something on it - I cleaned the area for the tree. Now - I just have to find the tree.

When I am old, if I am not already living in an RV, I am going to live in a single wide trailer and I am not going to have a lot of junk. Right now I am overwhelmed with junk. How about the rest of you? I think about getting organized, but crap, that takes up too much of my time to do the stuff I want to do. Really though, it wouldn't be too hard.

In my scrapbook room all that really needs to be cleared of is the tops of the two 8' work benches. Do you hate table tops? I sure do. Because try hard as I might, they end up getting cluttered. So, these two areas are cluttered. They have stuff on them that is trash (though not really that much). Mostly it is stuff that was taken off of its shelf & never replaced. A lot of this is scrapbook stuff (on one bench) and quilting stuff (on the other). So my thought is - 1st to get some bins and just put everything in the bin. Then I can sit on the couch and go through each of them and sort.

Let me tell you about bins & my husband. Also, bins and me. Start with me. I moved from California where I had a ton of stuff to move. Lots of it was in boxes. In Georgia when it was time to move, most of the stuff wasn't unpacked and lived in the basement and the attic. When it came time to pack up, I didn't have room for the stuff in the basement. Mind you, it is stuff I hadn't looked at in years. Yet every now and then I think of something and mourn its loss in that basement and attic (like my mom's glass blown Christmas ornaments she collected when we lived in Germany or some of my own personal momentos).

When I moved from my mom's house (where I lived after she died) to another house, 10 years later, and 5000 miles away, I remembered that there was a ton of stuff in the attic, in old Army trunks. My mother hid money, maybe money was up there. Also, she wrote her family history. At the time I didn't care and it was tossed out. What I wouldn't give for that now.

OK, back to bins. So then I move to Florida and I am constantly downsizing. But there are boxes of things that I just can't throw out. You know the rule, if you haven't looked at it in a year toss it. So sometimes I did that. When I moved into my own apartment, after my kids got on their own, I left behind stuff. Even now, 15 years later, I think of stuff I need or want that is long gone.

Enter my husband, he is a yardsaler and flea marketer. He buys good deals, hoards them till he has enough & then goes out and sells everything. He is also a carpenter and never met a nail or screw he could part with. So every few months I clean off counter tops and get a bin full of his crap. We have baskets and boxes full of old nails and screws and screw drivers, etc. All things that he just keeps replenishing, rather than dig through a bin. 14 years of this crap. He's a good man, but he isn't neat.

Once I had a dream, of having just enough stuff to fit in my car and being able to pick up and go wherever the wind blew me. And I started ditching my stuff, but now I have soooo much stuff I am being dragged down.

So, I am making this resolution now - prior to New Years - I will reduce my clutter. And once reduced I will not add to it. You hear my vow, keep track of my progress. I will soon post a tracking station so you can see how I do. By this time next year I will be one organized mama and then my Shui or whatever will be in line. Feng to you, my friends, Feng.

Purple & Pink Fantasy

2008-06-04T12:06:00.001-04:00

Purple & Pink Fantasy, originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

So I have been so busy doing everything that I haven't had any time to blog. I have been digital scrapbooking - check out my Flickr site for those. And landscaping a mini-quilt. I finished the large one (pix on Flickr - of course), but I want to get a professional shot of it. Will arrange that this weekend.

This shot is a fun one. I was going to do a mini landscape of the horses and then I started adjusting it and came up with a blue horse. A few more clicks and I had a purple one. I love it. Can't wait to do the landscape of it. May do it in 3 pieces liked the sliced photo here.

OK, peace my friends.

Flickr

2008-06-04T12:01:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Our family's Hope

2007-08-31T15:46:00.001-04:00

8-31-07 001, originally uploaded by professionalsorting.

This is our little Hopey wearing a princess dress I made for her - isn't she so cute!

Long time since I hooked up with you

2007-08-13T11:40:00.000-04:00

A bunch has happened since I last blogged. Starting with the worse, my daughter-in-law's mother broke her hip in an accident last Tuesday, had her hip replaced on Friday and passed away from a blood clot on Sunday morning. All so quick and so sad.

I spend Sat. night with 2 of my grandchildren, Kaitlyn & Bryson, and that was nice (the children of my son & daughter-in-law).

The weekend before Kaitlyn was in the hospital. She is on chemo and needed a transfusion. She seems much better now, but her blood counts are still low.

The weekend before that we were in Port Huron MI for my m-in-l's 75th birthday. We had a great time. It has been 10 years since we were up there last. Got to see our grandchildren up there.

Quilting - I have been doing a lot of quilting and embroidering. Trying to finish up kits I bought and get that stuff done. I also bought a Janome MC11000 and got a free Janome serger. I have lost of pix on my Flickr site and will be adding more. To see click HERE - http://flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/

My busy week

2007-06-21T20:16:00.000-04:00

Also bought a Janome 6600P - love it - below - to be quilted this weekend & embelished. quiltsmart.com pattern

Been busy busy busy

2007-06-10T18:52:00.000-04:00

I will just show you some of what I did this weekend in this blog - next one will be the stuff I did last weekend, last week and a little this weekend. Whew! Let's start with Friday. I took the afternoon off (nice to have great bosses) and went to two classes at the Scrapbook Expo here in Tampa. In fact the bosses dropped me off & I left my car at work (about 5 blocks away from the Convention Center). Anyway, the first class was "A Weekend in Key West". Yes, I know, you knew I would take that one. This year we haven't been down to the Keys but I try to go every year, for my birthday or in the winter. I haven't added all the pictures, since I have scrapped most of my pictures, so there is room for those from the next trip and also for some journaling. The class was put on by Scrapbooks 'n Stickers in Naples Floridahttp://www.scrapbooksnstickers.com/ It was a really fun class & I can't wait to take another one from them at the next event. On Sat. they did a pirate one, I couldn't take it, but I have a done of pirate pix, so next time!

Straight from there I went over to Quick Quotes class - this one was a Chunky book. I made it for Nicole & Dave's 10th wedding anniversary, since that is coming upon on 7/4. I still have to add the pix to this one. http://www.shopquickquotes.com/store/index.php/cPath/57_89?osCsid=6563c09fd6e86139e21e9a1f6114a3f3 You can buy a kit here if you like it (I don't get paid by any of these people (in fact, I paid them - a lot for kits to do at home!).

Then I went to the Friday night crop - which was fun - except in the beginning. Nicole had my ticket so even though they let me pick a table, I didn't get to go sit down with our stuff because they didn't get there till the last minute. When they did get there, Nicole had left the tickets at home! We wer able to get in, thank God, and we had a really good time. Here are my 3 girls - no pix of me - as usual. Nicole & Pamela both entered the page layout contest with pages about me, wasn't that nice. Vicki entered two pages, each using the sonograms of her kids - soooo cute! I entered a haunted page, with NOLA cemetary pix! None of us one! Oh well, we still had fun.

On Sat. morning I took another class, this time another Quick Quotes, but a 3D Canvas Wal art - http://www.shopquickquotes.com/store/product_reviews_info.php/products_id/1557/reviews_id/9?osCsid=6563c09fd6e86139e21e9a1f6114a3f3

The kit was grandchildren or children, but Friday night I bought dog quotes. Here is my finished product. Still need to add pix.

Well, that leads me to tonight. This afternoon I worked on my Rowlf the Dog quilt. Just need to add ears! I have several quilts in the hopper and will show them to you next blog. Need to eat and rest up now for work tomorrow. Peace KB

Do you have a place that makes you yearn to be there?

2007-06-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

For some reason I do, in fact I have two. Key West and New Orleans. In 2005 Jeff & I flew to NOLA for a weekend birthday trip. It was so damned hot I said I may never return. It was hotter than it had ever been on the many other trips I had made there. That year, in September, while I was in Germany, Katrina but devestation and pain to my beautiful beloved city and I figured, it is gone. It will never be the same again, and thank God I went that June, thank God that I never wanted to return.

Then it happened, this morning was a bright beautiful commercial full of stars (whom I have never encountered on any trip to NOLA) urging me to come back to NOLA. And as I looked at the town I loved, I knew in my heart - I still love you. I can't wait to come back.

Yes NOLA I love you, I know you are not bright and clean like in the commercial, but something deep inside of me calls me back to your streets. Is it because of my spirit guide, Jefferson Davis, who died there in your city on LaFayette Street, does he call me back there. Or have I myself lived there in another, happy, life? Who knows, I just know that from the first day I stepped into your streets I have had a connection with you and I just can't wait to come on back to New Orleans!

My little peace of the world

2007-05-30T21:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight I met Bryson for the first time. He is my newest little grandson - he is 2 months old today. This is Bryson wearing a little hat I made him and his sister Kaitlyn - showing off her dimpled chin - just like mine!

I have 9 grandchildren, 7 from my birth children - and Bryson is the first one who's birth I was not present at. His parents were living in AZ at the time. But now they have moved back to Florida and this is one happy Nana.

Also, tonight I was sitting on my screened lanai - I know to some of you it isn't important. But to me it is wonderful. The weather has been beautiful and it is so nice and peaceful out there. We have lots of palm trees in our yard and it is my own peaceful spot. Thank you God for giving it to me. Once again, you have made my heart's desires come true. God is so good people and He does give you the desires of your hearts - you just have to learn to be patient.

Peace everyone - avoir KB

One project finished this weekend.

2007-05-29T17:18:00.000-04:00

Made with Baby Genius fabrics and other novelty prints. Added tabs for connectors to hook too and I sewed teethers (cut from a Baby Genius Lion) to each corner. Bryson's mom wanted a small blankie he could have in the car. I found the pattern in a Fons & Porter magazine.

I started this weekend with a big list. But a quilt show on Sat morning, lunch with my daughters, visiting Vicki's new home, a Sunday graduation party, Monday was my husband's birthday and I did get to sew but then we went to both daughter's homes, out to eat and then to a friends house until way past bedtime. But anyway, I finished Bryson's blankie - see above. I will finally get to meet him (my 9th grandchild) tomorrow on his 2 month birthday - I can't wait! Also, I will get to see his sister, Kaitlyn - whom I haven't seen since November. But now they will be back here in our town. Hooray!

Better go, I have a three wall hangings that I am hoping to have at least one of finished for tomorrow. Will share soon - Peace - KB

The Applique Society Quilt Show in Tampa

2007-05-24T21:02:00.000-04:00

The Donation quilt - I bought a ticket!

Today I headed over to the Quilt Show and WOW! Did I say WOW! I took 240 pictures and only stopped because the camera was getting hot and the battery getting low. Isn't that a cool quilt with the long dress? And believe it or not, the Tiki Bar quilt I have had the pattern for since the Jax quilt show - now that I have my lanai I can make it and hang it out there! Yipee. I have my Margaritaville sign hanging out there now. You know I LOVE KEY WEST - so this is my own little backyard slice of the Keys.

I haven't figured out how to get the pictures where I want them on this blog, so excuse me.

I am very proud of myself though, at the show I spent no more than the entry fee $5 and $1 for the raffle ticket - Whooo Ooooo - that is a miracle for me!

Busy working on the Rowlf quilt. Got home late tonight and didn't want to figure out what is wrong - now - with the embroidery machine. Since I bought the damned thing at Sears I decided I had better get the extended waranty - no telling how long before it just goes kaput!

Anyway, I have all the squares cut for Rowlf and 4 of the side panels done. Now I have to do the other for. I think for the Baby Gonzo I am going to felt his body. Maybe for theBaby Zoe too. It should be cute! I got a cute Fedora from e-bay for one of the Rowlf's to wear.

My son (who the quilt is for) will be here the end of next week so I need to get going on it. I bought furry Minkee for the head and ears. Oh what a mess, but it is very soft and it is coming out cute.

I did e-mail Smith Street Designs about the problem I was having understanding the directions to Wild!Flowers (which is such a pretty quilt) and got a nice e-mail back from Kathy Connor. I believe she is the designer. www.smithstreetdesigns.com Please check out her stuff.

Well, I had better go. Now that Jordin won American Idol (Yah) I am at a loss, at least there is still Desperate Housewives to ponder on all summer. Do you think Edie will get saved? I do.

OK, see you soon - Peace KB

Too many projects

2007-05-22T19:18:00.000-04:00

I have too many projects in the mix - I am kind of overwhelmed - again. My son is coming home on May 31 and I wanted to have his quilt done by then. Also, I have 2 St. Jude's donation quilts that must be done in July. I have signed up for a Dahlia class on 6/6 and 3 classes at the Scrapbook convention on 6/8 & 9 plus crop night. I have several projects to make for my grandson Bryson - who will be here on May 30. I have a McKenna Ryan wall hanging that I am making for me. A couple of kaleidoscope quilts that I am throwing together. I have vowed to do machine embroidery every night, so I am working on a Wild!flower's quilt. Not to mention all the shirts I have sitting there waiting to be embroidered. Oh, and I need to put a sleeve on my daughter's round quilt so she can hang it. I have my felter I want to use more - esp. to make little dogs with their own hair and wool.

Plus I have my full time job and a husband and a house that occasionally demands a little attention. And then there is American Idol and a couple of other shows that I watch. And all my books, books full of ideas and things to do that I haven't done yet but want to sooo badly. And did I mention my 6 dogs. And my 7 kids and my 9 grandkids. Deep breath...plus I even have a small social life and a few great friends who I like to spend time with. And the quilt guild and the up coming quilt shows that I want to go to.

You know - I am just like you!

We are going to Spain in September. Costa Blanca. I have contacted the owner of a quilt store in Alciante (close to the town we are staying in on the Mediterranean, Denia) and I can't wait to see what kind of fabrics and patterns they have, and what else they do. I looked at the pictures they have there, and I think they must be in Florida. www.patch-alacant.com

Additionally, I want to write in my blog more and participate more in at least my newest Yahoo group, take more photos, see more places, make more friends. Read more books, read more web pages, make more money. Holy Canoli - I a need to just go chill with the old man and have some more fun.

Peace - KB

What if you could do what you want to do - all the time!

2007-05-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

Does anyone have that luxury? Last night at the Quilt Guild was a woman who makes beautiful quilts, Alice Means. Her quilts were stunning. She is retired and lives in CT and FL. I mean I guess she is retired. I took pixs of her quilts but they are on my computer at home. Anyway, everyone is pieced & quilted beautifully, with all the techniques I want to try but haven't. But she has shown me that I don't have to make the ENTIRE quilt the minute I decide to. I can make some of it - set it aside - come back later when I get another idea to add to it. That is what makes them unique. And her extras, the couching, the hand embroidery, the hand applique, the beading. Wow! If only I had that much time...and now it is worse, because Jeff built me my little lanai outback and we sit there every night watching TV. I don't want him to think I don't appreciate it, so I don't sew. But if I could get to the point where I have some hand work, then I could do that out there.

I did sew one of Bryson's hats this weekend (he is my new grandson). It came out so darned cute! Now I have to cut and sew all the other one & Danny's "diaper bag" for hiking. Oh, and I have to finish Danny's quilt. I did one square, now only a bunch more to go. They are moving back on Memorial Day weekend - so I had better get cracking! No time tonight - Corvette Club meeting. I have participated with Jeff lately, so I had better go tonight. Then on Sat. the club is going to a castle here in Florida, so we will be gone all day doing that. Sunday is Andy, my son's 30th birthday. He is Jeff's boy and Vicki is my girl - they are both 30 this year - the twins. Any way, we are having a party for him. Vicki reminded me it is also Mother's Day! I didn't even think of that. Thankfully, I already sent both Mom's cards!!!

Also, I bought some precut quilt pieces for stack & wack quilts that I am going to sew together & then do something fun with. Also, I want to enter some quilt challenges this year. Holy canoli!

At the retreat I learned a good trick for applique - Do you own a Sizzix (or however you spell it). Then iron on fusible web to the back of your fabrics and run them through your Sizzix or other Diecut machine, then remove the backing when you are ready to place them. Instant cut out appliques!

Well, the smoke is gone from our air. Yesterday it was like we had had a fire in our back yard, but now it has cleared out. I do not remember it EVER being this cool in May for as long as I have lived here. 26 years! Also, there is a tropical storm forming already up off the coast of N. Florida. This is good, because the rain can put out the fires, but it is very early. Usually doesn't happen until 6/1. Oh my.

Another thing I did yesterday was give my daughter almost all of my credit cards. That should curb the shopping at the quilt stores. I sure hope so anyway.

Alright, rattled on enough. Will be posting some "work" soon. Otherwise, take a look over on my Flickr site www.flickr.com/karrelbuck for the quilts from the retreat and some car pix from the show last weekend. Peace KB

St. Jude's Quilt of Dreams

2007-04-18T12:12:00.000-04:00

I have a new project - I am creating 2 quilts for the St. Jude's Quilt of Dreams. They don't have to be done until June, but I am excited so I am sure at least one will be done before that. I bought the fabrics yesterday. This is one of them. I am using a strips & curves design to create it. I also have added some other fabrics. Today I was sewing my strips together before work. I think that that part will be done before the weekend and then I will just have to do the applique of the fussy cut designs. A New Twist on Strips n' Curves: Featuring Swirl, Half Clamshell, Free-Form Curves & Srips n' Circles (Paperback)
by Louisa Smith is the book I am drawing my inspiration from. It has a lot of cool stuff, I will need to make one or two of hers.

Just wanted to keep you posted and I will be showing you pix SOON.
Opps I forgot to show you Virginia & Leo's finished wall hanging

Working away

2007-04-13T18:24:00.000-04:00

It is the weekend again - HOORAY And I think I even have a little time at home. SOOOO, what have I been up to.

This week has been so busy - as you know Easter was Sunday, Tuesday was the Quilt Guild meeting, Wednesday dinner with Peggy & Vickie at Chili's - my fave, Thursday - dinner with Susan, Dev, Roselle & Jeff (I couldn't leave him home again!) at J. Alexanders (expensive). Tonight we are staying at home. But tomorow I have to take 2 dogs to the Vet, 2 to the groomer and clean the house. Also I have to buy party supplies because Sunday is Hopey's 3rd birthday & my 53rd birthday party!!!! . We are having a Princess/Diva theme!

Somewhere in there I have to finish up Virginia's wall hanging (see pix above) and work on my pillow (below), made with my birthday present to me - a machine felter. Jeff is making me a screened patio (I have only been asking for one for 12 years) I am so excited!!!

OK, better go do some of that sewing I am complaining about not getting too. Oh I forgot, I also have to redo our web site from work!

A new baby in our family

2007-04-01T20:06:00.000-04:00

On Friday, March 30, at 7:59 AM (AZ time) my 9th grandchild was born - Bryson Anthony. He weighed 7#s 13 oz and is 20" long. I hear he has so much hair he needs a hair cut (just like his daddy - my son!). We are all very happy and excited to have another boy in the family & Kaitlyn is proud to be a big sister.

I have been so, so busy this week - here is what I have been doing:

Finished Vicki's birthday quilt JUST in time to give it to her for her birthday last Monday! Hooray!

Vicki & Kylie

http://flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/sets/72157594448573350/

Then I received the pattern & fabric for Bryson's diaper bag in the mail on Monday - so I got to work on that. Finishing Friday night. http://flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/sets/72157600041292571/

Pamela's due date was Friday, the 30th. Just like his big sister Kaitlyn, Bryson came on his due date. Pamela only had 5½ hours labor - lucky her! So anyway, I had to hurry home that day and finish the bag so I could start working on the quilt I designed for Bryson back in November. I did the quilt top on Sat. morning. Then we had to go to my mother-in-law's for dinner. So this morning, (with a 4 hour break for shopping for stuff to put in the diaper bag), and this afternoon I quilted it. Now, I am finally able to sit down, upload pixs & compose my blog. Oh, here is a picture of the quilt.

http://flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/sets/72157594406595586/

Now - I am off to watch TV. The rest of this week I have shirts to embroider. Holy canoli! 15 days till my favorite day! (my birthday!)

That's the breaks

2007-03-25T20:59:00.000-04:00

This is Sebastian, he is 6. He and his cousin, Gareth - 8, were playing at the playground last Monday and Gareth accidently fell onto Sebastian. You see the result. He is a little trooper though. He didn't get a hard cast until Friday, but he feels a lot better with it. Poor baby, please pray for his fast healing.

Speaking of babies, tomorrow is my BABY's 30th birthday day. I remember when she turned 10 and then 20. Wow, now she is 30. I think that means I am getting old. Oh, no, not that!

I finished her quilt - which you have been seeing glimpses of. I will shoot pictures of it tomorrow and show it to you after I give it too her. It turned out so pretty.

Well, I had better go, I am watching Planet Earth and the 2d one is about to begin. It is so awesome on our big screen HD screen. I am amazed.

OK, stay tuned for tomorrow and see Vicki's 30th birthday quilt!

Peace KB

So much for one blog

2007-03-20T12:24:00.001-04:00

Finished! Front, originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

So much has happened since last I wrote. I finally broke down & put the binding on my Cigar Quilt. It is so pretty. I put it on the bench in my office, so I can keep my eye on it! You can check it out more here: http://flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/sets/72157594412309696/

Also, I am almost finished with the New York Beauty top - that will be done tonight & then it is sandwiching & quilting! Vicki's birthday is Monday - will I have it done by then? http://flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/sets/72157594448573350/

Also, as you read previously I was machine embroidering. After the disaster Sat. night, Sunday morning I put a little shirt together for Hope. Amazing, I can find a lot of designs with Hope's name in it!
The design I bought online - and to all you digitizers out there, please put a text file with designer information so I can remember who designed it and where I got it. It is from the same folder as the Heron I did for my mother in law. Now I have to do all the other shirts!

Now for the most ironic thing. I am a treasure mapper. If you don't know what that is, just ask me. Well, I did a treasure map back in the first part of 2004. I couldn't find a picture of the Silver Corvette I wanted , so I used one of a blue convertible, even though I did not want that. I got the silver Corvette that summer. This year, we were looking for a silver Corvette convertible and our guy showed us a 2004 Commenrative LeMans edition that we fell in love with and bought. Now realize, I haven't really looked at my treasure map in a while, as I have already attained most of what is on there. Well, I passed it Sat. night and sitting there on the sheet is the exact same car we just bought! Color & all. God is so good!

sometimes it is just better to SCREAM

2007-03-17T20:54:00.000-04:00

Today I bought shirts for all my grandkids to embroider. I started with Kaitlyn's, as hers will need to be mailed. It was late in the day when I started. First I couldn't get the software for the embroidery machine to open. Finally, 30 minutes later it opened and Jeff wanted me to go get chicken. So down the street (abt 2 miles) to KFC I go. When I come home - my order is NOT in the bag (gee, & I even thought - You'd better check it!). Back I went. I ate it and then went back in to start embroidering. Then the machine wouldn't work. It just kept beeping at me. 30 min later, all is moving along. Then I decided I want to use 2 strands of thread for the Unicorn's magic horn - one being a metalic. So what happens? I thread booger grows underneath the design, AND the needle broke! So I cut it out and get all the thread out, change the needle (no easy task because I honestly do have Big BONES and I can't wear bracelets or change sewing machine needles. Also, I have to use tweezers just to grab the thread once I get those TINY eyes threaded.) I get a needle caught in my finger, which bleeds like a stuck pig. Off to find a band aid. Then I notice that the shirt may have shifted a little, but when I do the unicorn's horn (1 thread this time), it seems to be in the correct place. So I go on to the baby brother unicorn and it just doesn't look placed right, but I let it run. Except the thread breaks 8 times. Then the needle breaks. So I tell the stupid machine it wins. Thank God I only paid $5 for the shirt (wishing I had started on one of the $1.19 shirts instead). Tomorrow is another day.

Man oh man...

I did attend a Sulky seminar today (www.sulky.com). Very informative - hence my try to embroider with the metalic thread. Better read the book I guess. Happy Saturday to you!

Peace KB

Slightly burnt

2007-03-15T13:04:00.000-04:00

You know that smell, that slight burnt smell...
If you were next to me right now - that is what you would be smelling.
I just had my face lasered. I do it about every two weeks now, since just after Christmas. I am hoping to never have to was my eyebrows again. Only when I come back to work, I smell like I was standing a little to close to the fire! Ha!

So I have crossed the border

2007-03-14T20:14:00.001-04:00

Wider shot of the border., originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

Last night I sewed all the blocks of Vicki's New York Beauty quilt together and this morning added an op art strip. Now I am piecing the border - but keep tuning in because the border is going to have a little twist to it - it ain't your Mama's border (well, it is Vicki's Mama's border) but you get my drift.

It actually went pretty fast, this one little strip, so I might be able to get it done in a week, or so I hope. Then I will pin up Virginia's quilt to the design wall and see where I am, maybe that won't make those other 2 pages of pieces look so daunting! I have to buy more wing fabric before I can finish it anyway.

I watched a really neat Sewing w/Nancy today, it is an old one, but I had never seen it. There was a guy on there (sorry I forgot his name) and he was making pillows by felting & he was also using Angel fibers. I am going to use the angel fiber to make a second layer of the dragon fly's wings. Also, this Sat. I am going to a Sulky demonstration so maybe I will pick up some good embelishment tips.

Let me tell you this though. I learn a lot from all the quilting shows on TV. It is like going to a class, but a LOT cheaper! You ought to give it a try!

Flickr

2007-03-12T12:48:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Working away on a "quick" project

2007-03-12T12:47:00.001-04:00

1 page of the foundation piece patterns for Dragonfly Pond, originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

I wasn't sure how I would feel when I saw my friend Virgina. After all, she didn't talk to me for several years after her last visit & I never knew why. Still don't. Anyway, her and Leo came down from Portland OR and I was very happy to see both of them. I missed her. After all, she was one of the people who stood up for me in my wedding. She & my friend Rae, who passed away a year and a half ago, and who I miss immensely. So anyway, I had this pattern and I was going to throw it together while she was here and give it to her. HA! This is the most complicated thing I have done to date. I sure hope it looks good. If you want to see more, just go ahead and click on the picture link. I uploaded a picture of it completed (not by me, just one I saw somewhere) and the book it comes from. I am trying to sell the book on Amazon now. Thankfully, I have been able to sell my books lately and it 'helps' to finance this hobby. Ok, I have 2 more pages (this being one of them) to piece together & then put the pieces together, quilt & off it goes to Oregon.

Also, I picked up the border fabric for Vicki's New York Beauty quilt. She chose Hoffman batiks - Wade & Poppy & my best store, Heritage had them both, so I just have to draw it out and sew it up. Also, still have to piece the blocks together and then when all done, quilt it. Oh, btw, her birthday is 3/26. Plus we have a new baby on the way & I have to finish his quilt. Damned work keeps getting in the way though. Heck with this need to pay bills!

Peace - KB

At last! All the blocks I am going to make

2007-03-08T13:53:00.001-05:00

At last! All the blocks I am going to make, originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

OK, I am so happy to have finished these 12 squares of the New York Beauty quilt. I would like to go on record as saying - NEVER AGAIN! Wow, it is such a project. And I didn't make it nearly as big as the pattern had it. Now on to the borders. They are a project in themselves, esp. since I have to draw my own pattern. Wow.

But hey, I can say I did it and that is what quilting is all about to me. Not so much making the quilts, but making the challenging quilts. Once I am done with this and my new grandson-to-be's quilt, then it is on to a foundation pieced koi for my dear friend Virginia. I can't wait to make it as I am going to use Fairy Frost of the koi and I know it will look awesome. I have a few other quilts planned, after all it is only March and I have an entire 8 months until November (when my 2d year of quilting ends).

When Jeff & I go to Spain in September, I am hoping that I can find some cool fabrics or maybe designs and take some great pixs to incorporate into a quilt. We will be staying in Denia, on the East Mediterraen (sp) coast, so I am excited about that.

This blog of mine is unknown. Now the question is - do I advertise it and let it become "popular" like my old blog or do I keep it underwraps? I would really like to connect with other quilters and machine embroider's, but I just can't figure out HOW. I mean, I joined a RING, which in the day was the way - but not now, not so easy.

OK, off the quilting subject. Jeff & I just started watching American Ido this year. Wow, what crummy talent the boys are. I do really like Brandon and I hope he makes it, but steps up the songs. As for the girls, if Haley & Antonella get voted off tonight (one can only hope) then it will be really hard to pick the best. I like Lakesha a bunch, but the others are really good too. So it is for us Idol virgins. Just getting into the excitement.

Well, I guess I had better go on back to work. The day is almost over, then Friday and BAMM back into the weekend. Need to take the dogs to the groomer (a couple of them anyway). Tuff has a bad sore on his head, so please pray for him. OK, see ya - Peace KB

Quilt show today

2007-03-04T15:42:00.001-05:00

DSCF0124, originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

Vickie & I went to the Quilter's Crossing of Palm Harbor (FL) quilt show today and saw some very awesome quilts. Especially this one, please view my Flickr set http://www.flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/sets/72157594569297469/ to see some of the quilts. This was a large quilt and they used pictures of family members to depict a day by the river. I can't wait to make one for our family, but they like to camp so I will make it camping.

I am tossed about blogs. I have a Yahoo 360 blog that I had decided not to use anymore at the first of the year. But I find Blogger hard to use. Plus I don't have any friends on Blogger. And I got too many on Yahoo, I just couldn't read everyone's blog, write my own and do my quilting. Plus I wanted to be connected to other quilters and I am not finding them on 360, but there are tons on Blogger. Oh the delima.

Maybe I will try using Blogger for a while again and see how it goes.

OK, off I go, to find some friends on Blogger. Peace KB

I need help!

2006-12-18T13:09:00.000-05:00

At 6 years old I was embroidering.

And I did a good job. But here I am - 46 years later and can't even thread a needle! First off I can't see the tiny hole. Now I don't need reading glasses, in fact, I can see close up very well. But I am having trouble seeing that hole. The other problem is that the nylon tread is invisible. I am using that to attach beads to Vickie's quilt. Next question - how to do knot it easliy or how do you anchor it if you aren't using knots. Then what about metalic threads. What size needle are you using, what if you need a thin eye & needle to add beads with the metalic threads. You Art Card creators or hand embroiders out there - please offer me some advise or point me to a helpful web site. Thanks guys - have a great day.

(See the quilt I am sitting on? My Grandma Dearing made that one and another one. They lasted until they fell too pieces when my son Danny was a small child. I loved those quilts. ) (Also, I still have that small red bear, same grandma gave it to me. The one next too it was given to me by my neighbor - Richard Seeno. )

Do I chose THIS ONE

2006-12-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

OR THIS ONE

(For those of you who didn't read my earlier blog, I have to make a quilt block for my Quilt Guild Christmas Party on Tuesday - I believe we will be exhanging them. This is what I am making, I first made it in EQ6 and that way I can try out the design before sewing. )

Thanks guys - peace KB

December is always so busy.

2006-12-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

Isn’t this so cute. Betty at Heritage Quilts made it. Our inspiration for all these handprints is “Handprint Quilts” by Marcia L. Layton. She lives in Tampa and belongs to my Guild. Anyway, this inspired me. I need to take a Christmas block to our Guild party next Tuesday. So here is my block. I still may add a ball of holly at the bottom of the picture. I used the kids handprints that I had scanned in and manipulated with Photoshop Elements 5. I created the block in EQ6. OK, this is my block:

I was using EQ5 to design our new baby’s quilt (Bryson, due 3/30/07) and am still working on it now in EQ6. Here are two versions – I think I am going with this first one.

My good friend Sondra (aka DixxeBell) wrote an article about my dog Rowdy and his recent recovery from near death. Find it here http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/index.php (Don’t tell Rowdy, but she used KieChi’s picture!)

We have another round of business happening starting Friday. 2 Christmas Parties for Friday night. Epcot (to see the world's Santa's) with the kids on Sunday. Guild Christmas dinner on Tuesday. Corvette club meeting on Wed. Then I get a little break. I turned down a party on Thursday. Whew.

Hope all of you are staying warm. It is still nice here but I hear this weekend we will be cool. Take care everyone – Peace KB

Why I don't buy fabric at chain stores

2006-12-06T19:01:00.000-05:00

How To Choose Fabric

Fabrics are run three different times at fabric mills. The first run is done on loose-woven greige goods. Greige goods is the fabric before any printing is done. This first run is of the poorest quality cotton blend. This run is to adjust the registration of colours. These fabrics end up as flat folds in discount stores and chain stores. These fabrics are hard to work with. They tend to feel stiff and rough. Threads will pull out easily and they tend to shrink a lot. They are coarsely woven. They are very hard to work with in quilting, shifting under the presser foot. Seams can tear out easily and they ravel easily. They use a watered down dye process and the colours tend to bleed. Much cheaper to buy.
The second run of greige goods is done on cotton fabric that is better than the first run but not the best quality fabric. They adjust the dyes again with this run and they also can bleed more easily. You will find these fabrics done by many manufactures wrapped on bolts. They cost less than top quality cottons and they are found in the chain stores. This is why you find major fabric companies selling name brands to chains on bolts. The dyes are not as sharp and clear as your top quality fabrics. They are cheaper and they tend to shrink and wrinkle more than top quality cottons. Less costly than top quality.
The final run of fabrics are the best quality cotton greige goods done by the manufactures. The colours are clear and bright. The cottons shrink less and usually do not bleed. All errors in printing have been adjusted and corrected. The fabric is much nicer woven. You will find these fabrics sold in independent fabric shops and quilt shops. It is the top quality fabrics that you will find easier to work with. The fabric will hold up well and the colours will be clear and bright. There is much less shrinking of these fabrics. Higher in Price but the best you can buy.
Even though you may find bolted fabrics at chain stores to look like the top quality bolts sold in independent shops, if you compare the two together you can tell the difference. Both in the feel of the fabric and by looking at the quality of the dye printing. The brightness of colour you can see right off with the top quality runs.
Marilyn J Lynch aka Sunny Helpful news I read on in:

http://www.quiltcampus.net/NewsLetter.html

Turtle Run - West Central Florida 2006

2006-11-01T07:17:00.000-05:00

Click fish to view slide show.

Taking a little break

2006-09-28T19:21:00.000-04:00

Here is Pamela's quilt - laid out & ready to pin. All those leaves already have 2 layers of batting sewed under them (see an earlier picture).

This is my favorite leaf. I wish I could keep it for myself!

This is the 2 borders & a little square peeking out. The backing is the batik leaves. I have a darker batik leaf print for the binding. I will have it done this weekend. Then I must finish all Christmas presents by October 15. After that I have to get Bradley's quilt done. I didn't tell you, Gareth received his Gator quilt last weekend. He loves it. Nicole said he took it straight to a nap after his party. Then when he woke up he folded it up neatly. I have such good little grandson's. I know it is killing Bradley to have to wait for his. Speaking of waiting. Vicki has been waiting for hers, but it is a New York Beauty and that is something totaly new for me. So I a working up my courage. But when she gets it she will see it was worth the wait. Peace everyone - have a great Friday!

Taking a little break

2006-09-28T19:19:00.000-04:00

Here is Pamela's quilt - laid out & ready to pin. All those leaves already have 2 layers of batting sewed under them (see an earlier picture).

This is my favorite leaf. I wish I could keep it for myself!

Pictures posted from Quilt Fest!

2006-09-26T07:26:00.000-04:00

Click the cocktail to see my album!

I had such a great time. We left after work Friday night. We started looking for somewhere to eat in Ocala. At Chili's the parking lot was full so Jeff didn't want to stop, nor did he want to stop at any other place in Ocala. The thought being we would find a home cooking place up the road. Well, we didn't. Finally in Melrose we stopped at Betty's Pizza. Pass that up should you be on Hwy 21 in Florida. Once we left there it was dark and I was nervous all the way. Having hit a deer once up in Georgia I just kept watching for one to come jumping out at any minute. Up in Ocala National Forest I have seen 10 pt bucks run across the road. My anxiety reached its peak when we saw a BEAR XING sign! Now I had to look for deer & bear.

Soon we rolled into Jax and found our nice Omni Hotel. The room reminded me of our suite on the Zaandam. It was nice. Fell asleep right away. We had breakfast the next day & I spent 2½ hrs at the quilt show. I bought several patterns and fabric. You will be seeing my new creations in the coming months. Also, I met two Florida artists, that was nice. One vendor asked if they would see me in Houston. I told them I had enough trouble getting my husband to take me to Jax, I couldn't imagine asking him to take me Houston. (But, fly there - maybe!)

After we left Jax we drove over to A1A and drove down the beach till St. Augustine. We stopped for a while and I got wet in the waves. Then when we got to St. Augustine we stopped for a while and went to the park art show (local artist). I bought a print for my office. I love St. Augustine so much. I am thinking that is where I will retire to in 10 years. It is such a sweet little town and I love being around tourists, hearing their stories.

We headed home through the Ocala National Forest. The first trip Jeff & I ever went on together when we were dating was I took him to St. Augustine. It is there I bought my little boy Tuff, that was Dec. 1994. We drove home the same way. That day we also started living together and we found the house we are living in now. Jeff took a piece of bark off the "Marriage Tree" and gave me a necklace with it on our wedding day. Good memories.

OK, if you haven't already and you are intereseted, please check out my pictures. Hope you all have a great day.

Peace friends - KB

At the machine early yesterday.

2006-09-21T07:12:00.000-04:00

Read the paper, watched the news, on cup 4 of coffee, time to sew!

My friend and fellow quilter, Vickie is coming to have lunch with me today so I wanted to have at least one leaf done to show her. I ended up doing 6! Only 24 to go!

I had to change my bobbin thread and stitch size as it was coming up to the top. I am using nylon tread on the top.

I love adding ribbons and decorations. Since this is a quilt that she can cover up with I won't add beads.

This is the back, I put two thin pieces of cotton batting and stitched around the leaf with YLI wash away thread (hint, don't lick the point of the thread to put in needle, it disappears). I stiched around each leaf and some on the inside. Then I cut close to the stitching. This will give it each leaf a raised look. When I wash it my basting threads will dislove.

Guess which one is my favorite. If you know me it is the one on the left. I used metallic bobbin thread on it and a feather stitch. I can't wait to be finished, I think it is going to be my best quilt yet.

12:48 pm - taking a break - here is an update on my progress

2006-09-16T13:09:00.000-04:00

I have busy sewing away. I only stopped about 10:30 or so to take a few pics. But now I had to stop and have a little lunch. A Super Crunchy Peanut Butter sandwich and a mini-Fanta. Yum. Here are pictures of my progress on Pam's quilt so far. I could really bat, back and quilt it now and I think it would look great, but there are so many more fun things to do to the top. Just wait and see. You will also see a few of my ham dogs got in the pictures too!

First break (btw - the pix on top is as it looks now, with borders)

Some of the details (so far)

Miss Mayzie May

Miss KieChi Mae

Rowdy the Wonder dog (Still smiling for the camera)

and our oldest boy, Tuff

Traveler is a sissy and when I flicked the quilt top to straighten it out it makde a loud noise so he ran away. Scout is deaf so he didn't even notice we were all in the bedroom. OK, gonna go sit on the couch for a few min and maybe take a nap. The TV is off, Jeff is fishing and I am all alone, it is wonderful!!! No TV poker or car shows - HOORAY!

Saturdays are for chores and quilting

2006-09-16T13:06:00.000-04:00

(I love Pearls Before Swine! http://news.yahoo.com/comics/060915/cx_pearls_umedia/20061509 )

Not often, but sometimes I become so overwhelmed I have to make a to do list. Today is one of those days. Usually it is when I am shopping and I have a lot of places to go. I have to write them down and then do them in order or at the end I won't do it. I hate shopping. I hate getting in and out of the car. So when it is the end of the trip and I am heading home if I have one or two more stops I won't do them. It is then that my list reminds me - you must do it!

Same here at home. When I have the entire day to myself, no one needs me, not even the dogs, then I become overwhelmed with all I want to do and so I end up doing very little. So today - I will make a PUBLIC To Do List and therefore, be somewhat accountable.

ü Clean Kitchen, wash dishes, soak mop in bleach
ü Make bed
Finish Gareth's quilt
Finish Pam's quilt top
Check out big camera, see what is wrong with it
Work in Photoshop, learn new technique
Add pictures to Dog scrapbook
Take nap (I got up at 4:30am, already tired and it is 7:06)
Make plans with girls to go toy shopping for Children's hospital
Write memorium for Rae to put in paper next Thursday
Back up PC

OK, now I have my Christmas/Birthday list

Finish Elke's placemats & coasters
Finish Sabine's wall hanging
Finish Pam's quilt
Start on Bradley's quilt
Finish choosing pictures & start on Oma & Opa's tablerunner
Decide what to make for Beatte & Marita & Toni

See it all doesn't look so bad when you write it down. Here are some pictures of my progress on Pamela's quilt:

Why I blog

2006-09-12T18:11:00.000-04:00

I was telling my daughter Nicole why I started blogging and I thought maybe I would share it with you too. There are blogs where people just post daily musings, other people complain in every blog, some people have challenges and lessons and other people just post funny stuff. But I started a blog so I could meet other quilters. You see I belong to groups and I always quit because I can't post 24/7 and when I do, you rarely get a response because they become cliques so quick. I started Yahoo 360 because I had a Yahoo account. After I started it I found that all the quilters were on Blogger, so I made a shadow blog there and attempted to join a Ring. Well, somehow I never made it into the Ring so no one ever sees that blog.

After writing about quilting I also asked my friends to join so that they could keep up with me. Then I started looking around, at first asking everyone to be my friend until I realized I could just add them without inviting them. I still go to someone's blog and search through their friends. Now I have so many I watch I almost don't have time to do anything anymore. And with Christmas coming I just don't have enough time to read all I want to read and write and quilt. So it has become another thing to do.

But I really like it, I like connecting with people all over the world, I find that amazing. I still wish I had some more quilting friends, if you know any - send them over my way. I wish I could go and read everyone's blog and comment on them all. But I can't, but I try to read all the people on my list every time they have a "new blog" entry, even if I don't comment, I am reading them.

Oh, another thing I am addicted to is Flickr. I love it. Another way to connect with people around the world. But so few quilters (seems most of them are on WebShots). People, if you quilt - contact me, be my friend.

Take care - and see that picture above, those are the placemats I made for my sister Elke in Germany. Her husband and son love to fish, so I thought them ap pro po. Also, I have to make the coasters, they are circles and I think they look like bubbles, so I may make them out of bubble looking fabric - to be different. The patters is Fishmats by Hilary M. Gaul in Melbourne FL (looks like she made the patter in 1993!).

PEACE FRIENDS - KB

Animal Kingdom & quilts

2006-09-08T07:07:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the pictures I took, the ones with the kids I didn't show you. Sorry, I would like to but you know, they aren't my kids.

http://flickr.com/photos/karrelbuck/sets/72157594271069293/ click here for more

I still am weak and can't wait until Sat. so I can rest some more and hopefully finish up some more quilts for presents. I had dinner with my friend Peggy last night and gave her the Jane Austin Quilt. She really liked it - even the mistakes - so that was good.

Here is Gareth's quilt - Finito! Just a couple of more weeks to make his pillow case and then his 8th birthday. My little boy is getting so big!

Sock monkey afternoon

2006-08-27T18:09:00.000-04:00

This afternoon - after the breakfast cruise - I didn't feel like sewing on Gareth's quilt. So about 4 hours ago I started working on the Sock Monkey quilt (see above). I am happy to say I am done with it. It is small, like it will fit in a bassette or cradle or in a stroller. Also it is perfect for a toddler to carry. I made this for my friend Stephanie, whose baby is due 10/1. I think it is so cute. There is a sock monkey store down the street and I will also get the baby a Monkey!
We had a nice breakfast cruise. There were about 28 Corvettes & us (we have an XLR - which is Cadillac's Corvette). We drove for 1 ½ on back roads and interstate. I heard some people say they got up to 150. We didn't go that fast. We ended up at the Golden Corral. It was euchy like always, but whatever. We enjoy going on the ride, plus this morning was nice enough to put the top down.
Rowdy is feeling so much better he was out digging in the dirt today! The little girls are running around now, they are so cute. I have to find a way to get some pix of them. But they won't hold still.
I went to Vicki's yesterday and gave Sebastian some pictures - he made his own scrapbook page. It was so cute. Kylie is getting so big and getting hair and lots of teeth! She will be one in the end of November. I didn't feel good so I really only made a double page called Kylie's First Year.
Oh well, tomorrow it is back to work. I am so happy I like my work now. It makes Monday's easier. Hope you all are doing well. I will catch up on your blogs soon.
Peace - KB

Saturday and I have all the applique done!

2006-08-19T19:59:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I went over to The Scrapbook Shoppe, they had big sale, 25% off of everything, plus give aways. I found some surfing patches and beach themed shirt labels, so I added the patch to the one applique and a patch to the other. The rest of the patches say "Made in Hawaii". Hey, there are tropical beaches in a lot of other places manufacuters! Another thing I never understand is why the fishing scrapbook stuff is always for lake, freshwater fishing. The boats are always those kind of boats too. What about all the oceans and the gulf fishing here in the US? We need some salt water game fish stuff. Ok, off the soap box.

OK, now I am off to figure out what I will do around the panels I just made. I have a lot of beach, surfing and gator fabrics. So I will surprise you! I am so excited it went so fast. Oh, one more thing, KieChi & MayZie are CraZy they just had some rib eye steak and they are more nuts than usual. And Rowdy ate a bunch of steak and even some potatoes tonight. I am so happy. And with that I leave you.

Remember, even if I don't comment, I am reading you and I send you all good thoughts!

Peace - KB

A productive 24 hours...

2006-08-17T19:46:00.000-04:00

Since Gareth's quilt is the first big applique project I have done, I am very thankful for my design board. As you see I first pinned the background on the board and then added freezer paper cutouts to see where I was going to place everything. That was last night. This morning and tonight I started adding the fabric design. I will finish tomorrow and start on the bottom half, then applique and piece together. I think it is going to be so cute.

I added that little bucket and of course my surfing gator.

As for everything else, all is well. My daughter Vicki hurt her back very badly, she is in bed and I hope you are getting better. Mommy loves you Vicki! She & Nicole are suppose to go to a wedding this weekend so I hope they get to go now. I know how it is when your back hurts.

OK better go and watch a little TV, eat some Rocky Road ice cream and get ready for one more day at work.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. One of my old bosses, in fact, the only one I was close to and really liked called and talked to me the other day. It was so good to talk to him. I really miss him. Since Jeff doesn't talk a lot, Tim was the person I got to talk to, all the time and we were always happy to talk to each other. After my family, he was the first person I called when Davey died. He is that important to me. So needless to say, I was very happy to hear from him.

Alright, now I am off. I have been reading so many blogs, I don't have time to do it all! Ah if that were the only problems we all had.

Take care - Peace - KB

On to Gareth's quilt

2006-08-14T19:35:00.000-04:00

The first picture will be at the top of the quilt - the end of the day, sunset at the beach, all the surf boards are put up for the night. Then under that will be Lolli Gator - but I am eliminating the palm tree and adding the following surfing gator.

(Patterns by River Road Fancies - their web site isn't up yet but they have the cutest quilts - Google them, except for Surfing Gator, he came from the 2006 Aligator Crawl in South Florida, I don't know who designed him.)

Alright, I am trying to figure out how to combine these three patterns. The way I envisioned it would make the quilt horizontal but I need it to be vertical so I have to go in the other direction and make two different pictures rather than combining them into one big design.

Here are my background selections -

Cowabunga-the fabric for the sun and the suns rays are much prettier than they show up here.

Lolli & Surfing gators I have the cutest gator fabric for the background. And the borders will be really colorful, and of course the surfboards too. Tomorrow - I cut! Wait, now that I think of it I need to leave the tree in with Lolli so it looks like the same spot, I will get the surfer in there too - watch!

Done with Peggy's on to Gareth's (quilt)

2006-08-13T17:50:00.000-04:00

I finished Peggy's little "table" quilt today. Jeff said "All that work for a placemat!" I did it all by hand.

Now it is on to Gareth's. It is going to be a little challenge because I am going to mix 3 patterns. A surfing gator, a gator sitting under a beach umbrella and a stand of surfboards. I think it will be cute, so tonight when it cools down a little I will dig through my stash and start cutting out gators! At least I have more than a month till his birthday. But I still have to do the Sock Monkey quilt (before Oct. 1 due date), and start working on my Christmas presents for Germany. I want to mail them before December. And Bradley's quilt I will need by 11/8. Holy canoli! Thank goodness the rest will be by machine!

OK, better go and sit with Rowdy. We have been home with him almost all weekend. Last night we went to our friend's 50th birthday party and today we ate at Chili's and went shopping, but both times Debbie was home with him. He just wants to be by us. Jeff can't decide what to do with him. He says he keeps asking him and he doesn't answer. So we shall see. Tuesday will be 2 weeks since the doctor said he had two weeks left. At least he isn't bleeding anymore.

Alright, have a great day. Remember on Tuesday August is half over and there isn't much more of summer left (of course on Labor Day is always hurricane weekend for us), but whatever. Peace - KB

Decisions, Decisions

2006-08-11T08:38:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, I have finished all but one of the inside of my diamonds. That will be done tonight, I just have to cut it and sew it. I have decided that the outside will all be the same diamond. The decision I need to make is which fabric will touch the outside of the middle diamonds. Any ideas? Here are my choices. I am leaning strongly towards the fabric with the writing on it. Not a stark as plain white. Also, it is Jane Austen's writing desk.

As for everything else, Rowdy is still alive and kicking. He is sick, but he still gets happy when he sees us and the tumor is reducing in size. Keep praying.

Mayzie is at the vet, she comes home this afternoon, we had her spayed yesterday. KieChi was so lost without her. She must have been thinking "You bought me a puppy and now you took her away from me! Meanies!" Oh well, she will have her friend back tonight.

We went to our Corvette Club meeting and was sitting with some new members. I mentioned that I loved "Fox and Friends", they whispered to me "Are you Republicans?", to which I responded "Are you?". Like it is awful to be a Republican anymore. At work I am very careful because I work for trial lawyers. But holy cow, I used to be proud to say it out loud, now I am afraid of the the reaction it will get. Even here on this blog, will I lose friends for being a conservative. I still vote for some Democrats, I am not far Right. But I have conservative values. I love Jerry Brown. I would vote for him again if he ran for president and he is so different in his views from me, but I really respect him. He was my govenor in California and I loved him. Plus I love his ideas on taxes. But I also love George Bush and think he is the right man for the job. I am sorry we had to go to war, but in the end I think it will prove it was the right move. I don't want to die from being nuked by some Muslim or Chinesse radicals.

OK, off my soap box. I was just trying to say that politics are so sensitve now. Speaking of politics, we have an election coming up and the damned commercials are starting to pour in. Thank GOD for TiVo. You get so sick of seeing the same drivel over and over. I heard in Montana during the presidential election they barely had any political commercials, here in Florida every other commerical, if not more was political. Save us!

OK, gotta go. Done preaching. TTYS, any ideas about the backgrounds, please let me know.

Peace KB

Sebo loves his quilt!

2006-08-09T15:32:00.000-04:00

Here is Sebastian - sound asleep under his quilt Nana made him.

He loves the turtle we got him too, he says he is the perfect turtle.

We are still dealing with a sick dog (thank you God that he is still with us). We know we need to put him down, but he acts ok a lot of the time, but it is obvious he is sick. It is just so hard to make that decision. Yesterday I was giving them dogs their morning "cookie" before I went to work. I always gave Rowdy his last because otherwise he swallowed his whole and then would run into where Tuff was hiding and take his. When I looked down at the little faces, Rowdy's wasn't there. He was laying in his chair, to tired and to disinterested in cookies anymore. Same thing this morning.

Our new puppies are so sweet. Now that we have Mayzie, KieChi isn't so anxious to play everytime she comes around us and will snuggle now too. Mayzie is very much like our beloved Cocoa who we lost last March, not in looks, but in snuggling and she has the same kind of fur.

I have 4 of my diamonds made now and the other two ready to cut out and sew. I am trying to decide on the outside. I am thinking I will use one pattern or maybe just a plain fabric and not make more diamonds. I don't want to draw away from the center ones and in the one that Linda Franz made I really don't notice the outside diamonds, so why bother sewing them. My husband thinks I am crazy for sewing all those little tiny pieces, especially by hand. But it makes me remember sewing clothes for my dolls before I won my 1st sewing machine (at 10).

Tonight I can't sew though, it is our Corvette Club meeting and I haven't been in a couple of months. I don't want to go now, but I missed several events and I know Jeff likes to go so I will. Plus I get to where I don't like to socialize and I have to force myself to do it. It becomes to easy to always stay at home.

Funny story, today my two bosses were on the plane going to Pittsburgh, PA for a seminar. Neither are bad looking. Well John doesn't wear a wedding ring and he was sitting on the asile seat. There was a girl in the seat across from him talking to him and the stewartess (however you spell that) were talking to him. Then one of them went to the loud speaker, asked John to raise his hand (he wouldn't but Brian made sure everyone knew who he was) and she said that he was voted by the Best Looking Guy on the plane and that his seatmate was HOT too! Ha Ha. Now his head will be bigger than ever.

Peace my friends, ah, to sleep like a child (or a dog!)

My dog Rowdy is still sick, diamond quilt and other stuff

2006-08-07T12:22:00.000-04:00

This is lazy Mayzie in her bed. She is so cute. She and KieChi lay in this bed together. So sweet. Our Rowdy isn't doing well. He can still eat ice cream and he loves that. Jeff is going to take him back to the vet today to see if we can remove the large growth in his mouth. He will still have the cancer in the pallett, but at least maybe he can eat and breathe a little easier. Sometimes he seems just like his old self. When we come home he runs and howls and carries toys in his mouth. Yesterday when Sebo came by he made a mad dash for the front yard (like always), you wouldn't even know he was sick. So keep your fingers crossed. Maybe we can get that removed and give him some more time. Chemo is $600 a pop, so I don't think we can afford that, but Jeff doesn't want to "give up" on him yet.

We went and saw "Talladega Nights" last night. Funny, in that Will Farrell stupid way. A nice break from a sad weekend.

So this is how far I have gotten on Peggy's quilt. I also have a 4th diamond almost complete. Then just 2 more to complete the middle hexagon. I am not sure if I will do the 6 for the outside with designs like this, or all solid fabric, or just one simple pattern. I really don't want to distract from the middle. So we shall see. Really it sews together pretty easy, much like making doll clothes when you were 10. I don't know that after this I will do it again, but it has been fun for now.

Oh, btw, Sebo had his party yesterday and loved his quilt and pillow case. He asked me if one of the spiders on the fabric was a "red devil" and I told him "yes". Who knows! He slept with it last night. We also didn't get him a snake, but a turtle. He named him "SlowFast". When you laugh, he will tell you that everyone laughs, but he loves his turtle. For Christmas I am getting him a bearded dragon!

I will post pictures of him and his quilt as soon as his mom e-mails them to me. The other boys, Gareth (almost 8) and Bradley (almost 6) can't wait for their quilts too (Gators and Aliens). Papa couldn't get over how happy they all were and excited about that quilt!

I didn't read anyone's blogs this weekend but I will catch up this week.

Peace KB

(Oh, Vicki made me a really pretty wall hanging, to help me feel better, I will take a pix and show you later).

One more down, and on to a challenge

2006-07-31T19:38:00.000-04:00

After a busy weekend I am happy to say Sebo's quilt is DONE and when Jeff is finished eating I will have him hold it up so I can photograph it and show you! I have since began my next project - it is a Jane Austen Writing Table quilt which consists of 12 triangles, all sewn by hand. Well, I have cut out the first one (haven't started sewing yet), but I am thinking she might just get one triangle sewn on something sewn by machine! We shall see. You see above my pallet.

Here are some photos of the process to getting to the "ready to sew" stage:

OK, Papa finished chowing down & held my new creation so you can see it. I know Sebastian is going to LOVE it

So this weekend we went and saw Ron White at the Van Wetzel in Sarasota, my pictures didn't come out, the spot lights just made him a bright white spot on stage. We had great seats, 12 rows back in the middle. We really laughed. Earlier that day we had to go down to Ft. Myers Beach, but as soon as we got there and in the lunch spot it poured rain, so I wasn't able to go out to the water. No big deal, it is all around me, but I like it down there. We spent the night in Sarasota.

On Sun. morning I had a birthday breakfast with Nicole (she is 31 oh my) and her 3 kids. Vicki and her kids slept in . I gave Nicole her Statue of Liberty quilt and some other stuff. She is building a new bedroom and they will go there.

Today it was back to work. My dog Rowdy is sick and today he seemed really bad, I was scared, but I think he just had a stomach ache from the new food we have been feeding him. He has a bad sore in his mouth so we switched him to soft food and he has never eaten that before. Well he left me a few runny piles and seems a little better now.

OK I have to go eat my breakfast cereal dinner - hope you have a good evening yourselves.

Peace KB

2 down, 2 to go

2006-07-24T19:54:00.000-04:00

This is the pattern I am working off of. It is a lot of fun!

I have finshed the 2nd panel - there are 4 all together. Panel 3 is sitting on the sewing machine table, waiting for me to load up some bobbins (which I doubt I will do tonight) and panel 4 is there on the design board, next to 1 & 2, without its sashing. I am sooo pleased. I can't wait to see it finished. Last night I ordered frog backing and spider fabric for the binding! Hopefully it will be here by Sat. so I can quilt it. But if not, Sebo's party isn't until a week from this Sunday, so I have one more Sat.

Today my girl Carri came by the office on a visit from Hattiesburg with her hubby Mike. It was so good to see her. I miss working with her and now that she is more on My Space (she is a young un') I don't hear much from her. But she has helped me get my My Space spot all girlied up!

KieChi is sick. She has been vomiting and is lethargic. I hope she gets better. We don't know what is wrong. It always happens while you are at work and when you get home you can't take them to the vet (other than the ER vet who charges $800 a night). Hopefully it is just something she ate and isn't a bowel obstruction or anything. She has been burping. It is like having a baby, they can't tell you anything, but KieChi eats EVERYTHING, so she could have something stuck in there. If she isn't ok tomorrow I will make Daddy take her to the vet.

OK better go and do something else (like surf on the internet, play solitaire or watch TV). I need to start writing stuff that is more interesting.! Luv ya guys - ME

2006-07-24T07:05:00.000-04:00

This is a little quilt I am going to make for my friend Peggy, her birthday is 8/21. It is all hand made. You can learn more about it at http://www.lindafranz.com/

I have 2 things to say. One is - see Monkey, that is her mascot. Yesterday I wanted to have a mascot too. I have a stuffed squirrel that looks real that I had bought the dogs from Target the other day. They didn't like it (they thought it was real and dead I guess). So I said - ok he will be my mascot. Now the dogs love him! So next I thought - why not my dog Rowdy - he loves my quilts and he sleeps any where.

Well, I laid a quilt up on my cutting table and sat old Rowdy up there. No laying down this time. I am could he crawl up there on his own - he would have lay right down. But nope. I told him to look out the windows/door and he could see the back yard. Nope, he just wanted down. So I have no mascot.

Now the 2d thing - I used to hand quilt everything thing. This was back in the 80s. In fact, when I came back from Alaska a couple of summers ago I began handquilting a Moose (who still lays in my sewing room). But I am afraid of starting this quilt (see above). Because - it involves freezer paper. But I will do it, I promise - watch for my progress. I have the fabric, I have the freezer paper, I will do it, I will.

Peace - off for another day at work. KB

2006-07-23T20:41:00.000-04:00

Not only did I get things acomplished that had to do with living, I also was able to finish appliquing (sorry I can't sepll that - why doesn't Yahoo!360 have spell check???) Sebastian's(Sebo) birthday quilt, I got all the sashing sewed and even have one panel sewed together.

This is Sebo above, isn't he a cutie. He is going to be 6 on 8/9. I am so happy with his quilt. You see first I bought no extra fabric for it - I actually used fabrics I had already purchased. I had gotten this metalic batik pack off of e-bay and I wondered what I would ever do them. They are awesome lizzards and dragonflies. And I also had perfect frog fabric.

Sorry about the quality of the pix - first the lighting is bad and second, I have to take it from an angle as my design board is in a narrow walkway and I have to stand at an angle. When it is done I will take it to work and photograph it.

When I added the sashing it just makes it sooo cute. I only got upset once while sewing it. You see my son-in-law's mother, Diane, died when Sebastian was only 14 months old, she died on Halloween. Diane loved frogs. I love dragonflies and Sebo loves lizzards. So on the back of the quilt I am making a label with a picture of the three of us. And I was thinking of what I was going to write on the label and how sorry I am for Diane not to know all her wonderful grandchildren and for them not to know her. They are all very small. Three were born before she passed and three after, and there is one more coming.

Anyway, as you know I stopped taking that medication so now I am a little sadder than usual. Also, today in the Tampa Trib my friend Peggy's sister wrote a story about a friend of ours who recently died of breast cancer. And then yesterday I heard my business partner, the dog groomer Lorrie, has a lump in her breast. Can you blame me for being sad?

Oh well, anyway, on Friday I sent Scotti's quilt over to my old office so her grandma, Ruth, could see it and some of my other friends. Then Ruth sent it on to Scotti in Philly. I can't wait till her Mommy sees it. Here is the baby doll blanket that I made for baby Scotti's 2 year old sister Sydney - front and back

Ruth cried when she opened the box up.

Good news tomorrow, my girl Carri is coming to the office - her and Mike are visiting from Hattiesburg and I will be so happy to see her.

OK, I really am not sad now - just so you know. It comes and goes. I am going to go watch TV. I have started the 2d half of my writing class. I know I said I would put in some of my stories, but life keeps happening. The one I wanted to put in has pictures that goes with it and I want to scan them in first.

Oh, I did get good news, My moose friends, Wilma and Dino of Hanau Germany recently gave birth to twins. My sister-in-law Sabine sent me their picture from the paper and a Moose carrying bag from Sweden. She knows I love meeses to pieces. Here is a picture of Dino, the proud Papa. http://www.erlebnis-wildpark.de/ this is the link to where Dino, Wilma and the twins live. It is also where I was born (not in the zoo, but in Hanau).

Peace my friends, it is raining and it is still early. I am off to sit with my dear husband. Luv KB

Me in the Stack & Wack class

2006-07-12T19:33:00.000-04:00

Me in the Stack & Wack class
Originally uploaded by karrelbuck.

Hi there, I have decided to use this blog for my quilting friends (when I get some). I hope I can get it fixed up like everyone else. It seems that my other blog http://360.yahoo.com/karrelbuck has become more of a journal and I don't have many quilter "friends" they are mostly writers & photographers. I guess I don't know how to find them. Hopefully, I can keep up with 2 blogs. If not, oh well. This is me (it is late and after work).

2006-06-19T13:53:00.000-04:00

Just some stuff.
Countdown Meme
This is a really loooong meme I got from Julie Stiller http://www.highfibercontent.blogspot.com/.

TEN random things you might not know about me:
1. I save wine corks too, for no reason whatsoever. We don't even drink wine. I do use them on the tips of my knitting needles to hold the stitches on when not in use.
2. Speaking of wine, I have a port wine stain on my right hip that looks the Mediterrean Sea.
3. When I was young I dreamed of being an archeologist. Thank God I didn't do that. I hate sand and I hate being hot (or cold).
4. I am not crazy about sunsets. Everyone wants to see them when they come here to Florida, but I see one every day. No biggie.
5. I don't want to be hit by lightining and I am a big sissy, but I will still go out in it to get to my car or in my house. I hate it when it is directly over my house, but I like it too. Strange.
6. I love paying bills. After having been poor for a long time when my kids were young, when I was able to pay my bills I was so thankful. I get peace from writing checks or paying on line. Real peace.
7. When I went to a Charismatic church for the first time I was told to write what I wanted down and put it in my shoe. The only thing I wanted was PEACE of MIND. That didn't float, they wanted me to write a possession. I wrote a microwave oven (& peace of mind), I got them both.
8. I use to think I could make it without friends, but now I am enjoying them very much.9. It hurts my feelings that my daughter-in-law doesn't like me.10. I wish that I could have all my kids and their kids and we all lived in a big house and would never be apart and would all be happy!

NINE places I've visited:

1. Skagway, Ketchikan & Juneau Alaska
2. The Rhinefall in Switzerland 3. Austria
4. Germany5. France6. Tijuana7. Michigan8. Louisiana9. a nudist colony

EIGHT ways to win my heart:
1. Treat me with peace, no yelling, no expecting something from me every time you talk to me.
2. Treat me with respect.
3. Don't argue with me.
4. Don't patronize me. (Danny)
5. Give me presents (yes, I said it!)6. Give me enought money so I never have to work again and I can spend my life doing what I love to do.7. My grandkids do it with their smiles and their "I love you Nana"'s
8. My husband does it by going out of his way to support my latest "addictions".

SEVEN things I want to do before I die:
1. Explore the main part of Alaska (in the summer) and see the wildlife
2. Explore the 13 original colonies
3. Go to Great Britan
4. See the rest of Germany
5. Retire young and enjoy doing what I want to do6. Have a beach house for the winter
7. And a mountain house for the summer.

SIX things I'm afraid of:
1. Lightining
2. Snakes and/or bugs3. Terrorists4. Not dying quickly
5. Tall men6. Being subserviant

FIVE things I don't like:
1. Yelling
2. Vegetables
3. Fruit
4. Exercise
5. Being poor
FOUR ways to turn me off:
1. Yell at me2. Steal from me3. Be lazy or dependent4. Keep asking after I either said yes or no.

THREE things I do every day:
1. Read the paper & do the crossword puzzle 2. Get puppy kisses3. Watch Fox and Friends.

TWO things that make me happy:
1. My family & my dogs2. My friends & my job

ONE thing on my mind right now:
1. Believe it or not - abortion. I am against abortion when it is used as birth control. I think that it is the woman's fault if it happens (not talking about rape). Yes, a woman has a right to choose, but she should choose to protect herself BEFORE she gets pregnant, not after. There I said it.

Tag you're it if you made it to the end. C'mon you know you wanna blab about yourself. Leave me a note in comments if you do, okay?

2006-06-13T13:31:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you just have to wait for the inspiration.
Well, I got 3/4 of the spiral sewed and laid it on the table, when it came to me. One of the pictures I had found of the SOL head would be perfect for this spiral - with the crown "rays" radiating onto the spiral. So I Photoshoped the pix and printed it out large enough to cover my spot. I put a piece of fabric under the quilt top, to fill in the gap but I won't be using that. I am still working on that part. So my SOL head will need about 3 colors of bronze patina greens. I am going to trace the pieces onto freezer fabrics and applique them onto the quilt. Also, you will note that the crown rays are not complete. They will be when I am done. I will get some marbalized papers. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the gap in the spiral. Do I continue it, if so that is going to require a lot of picking out stitches & resewing strips. Oh well, like Nicole said - good thing I have 6 weeks till her birthday!
As it turns out (& like I thought) Alberto was nothing. In fact we left work early yesterday and it didn't rain again until the evening. When I got the paper this morning the wind was blowing and that was it. No biggie.
OK better go now - peace my friends.

2006-06-13T12:48:00.000-04:00

Hi from Tampa, I am trying to get this going. In the meantime you can find me at http://360.yahoo.com/karrelbuck