Granny Squares Strip Style

Lovelylittehandmades.blogspot.com

i'm a ginger monkey: strip piecing a granny square block: A few people asked how I strip pieced my blocks and Dana graciously said I could post a little tute to share. The original tutorial for ...

 This is an awesome Strip style Granny Square Block, I am in love with the Granny Square...my Mom made us a crocheted Granny Square Afagan as a wedding present 44 years ago....it covered our little ones on the couch for cartoon time to covered when they were sick....they learned their colors as little toddlers repeating the variety of colors to us....precious....then I recieved one with the Doll Monthly Quilt swap I was in and totally wanted to do it from that moment on in a Quilt!  I am almost done piecing my Cherry Blossoms Quilt so since it is snowing and blowing and will continue to do that "forever" it seems...I am on to this quilt now!!  Never a dull moment here!!   Quilted Blessings!!

Cherry Blossoms In January

Why not start Spring in January?...Crazy you say?  Not us in NW Indiana these days!  Our son has come to a twist in his transplant....but we are glad that his donor knows of an issue with her kidneys and will be checked out; so, our son will have to wait a few more months for another live donor to be taken through the battery of tests and exams to prepare for the "gift" that he or she may be giving to our son and his family.  Patience is a tried virtue in our life journeys.

So, sew.... Sew! The Cherry Blossom Quilt is to look forward to Spring and his transplant completed!

I chose Fig Tree Quilts' Cherry Blossom Quilt.  Please check her blog out and scroll down to the picture of this quilt that was entered into a Charity Quilt Auction.
 I am, now, ready to piece.  It does take time to cut it all out,  but if my new camera and I can bond and download properly later, I will give you a peak on my progress.
The winter keeps Lasting and Coming as in the The Long Winter in Little House On The Prairie stories that I read to all our kids years ago. 
 We don't have snow up to our 2nd story but, last night the big ol' cabin we live in, creaked like a barn as the 30mph+ winds blew and hit it through the night.  Early morning, before daylight,  I woke to.... silence....amazing!...
.....lane drifted closed....
gotta love a hub who is healthy and able to dig us out as needed!
So, lets' celebrate together....today..... Cherry Blossoms!!! in the snow............ Blessings!!

Baby Baby

Don't you just love babies? They brighten up the world all around them! I am just here for a minute to share a lovely Lattice Baby Quilt, from Diary of a Quilter ....Love the way the white sets off each block....take a peak at her tutorial at  Moda Bake Shop Tutorial and see how simple it is to  make and also the colors she used....

Our son is better.  The Doctor thought the lumen's look pretty good today and repeated the treatment today and will probably again on Saturday.   His donor has a biopsy next week but the Doctor also shared that to have a benign tumor on a kidney is quite common.  Of course, coming from a Nephrologist who may see them is common; to us earthly travelers it sounds..well, scary.
 So, we will continue to SEW here at the cabin and pray for all the sick and others that need prayers too, and be happy to Quilt again.
 God is so very good.....and I am so thankful that you stopped by.
My camera came today and so, be on the look out for "quilting's" here at In The Sewing Basket.......(we just watched a cute movie on "birding".....)  wink

Time to call it a day.  I hope yours was Quilted in Blessings.....

Twists and Turns

Just got news from Kevin tonight,  that his live donor,who had spent months doing tests and completing them all last Friday, had

a mass found on her kidney that was going to be the donor kidney...the Doctors believe it looks like a benign tumor on the CT but they, of course, want to do a biopsy this coming week. We praise God that it was found for her sake,  and prayers need to be said asking if she wants to still go through with this, if it is benign and how Kev feels about all of it....This was not expected but Providence, just the same. Kev is blessed to have other live donors; they would have to start the tests and etc.
 Also, on Tuesday his double lumen that accesses the hemodialysis did not look normal so,  they cultured it and started treatment. But, of course, with a kidney system in failure how much treatment can his system clear.
....so they talk with the Dr tomorrow and they may have to pull the lumen's and obtain peritoneal access again for dialysis.  This is what got infected the very first week he had that placed in November and gave him peritonitis. So, naturally, he feels defeated, of course but they are glad the tumor was found on the donors kidney.
 They trust God is the Sovereign God and He will work this out....they do trust Him but when things go wrong sometimes it seems more than one  thing goes wrong.  He does have a backup donor that they had started some of the tests on.  It happens to be one of his best friends while he grew up in Ohio....so that would be ironic and a God providing again.,bringing them together "way back then"
.... I called his Dad at work at the ER so he could pray all night since he will be awake while we all sleep....We just ask for grace and knowledge and timing and faith that all things will occur as God is directing.  They have 2 little girls that have gone through this with them....precious but worried about their Daddy....and his wife is precious and faithful.....we love them beyond this world!....Thanks for praying for them.....we hope to know something soon......
and yes, we made the quilt....it is records that everyone signed at the "walk" we had for him this summer.....they use it all the time to cuddle with now.....  Quilted Blessings!

Just Say Bake

Found this GREAT blog .....Baking....  Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake  and since we all need Chocolate from time to time.....or some ALL the time.....just enjoy!
 Enjoy your weekend, count your blessings, heat up some hot chocolate or bake something!!....You have too!!..... I have the most delicious Aunt Kathryns Chocolate Cake in my memories....we would frost it with Carmel Icing....then as a big family can do....eat it all after the supper meal.....fighting over the "heel" pieces? you betcha!! with a glass of milk?  am I hitting your warm in the family kitchen growing up thoughts?.....thought so!!

 Can Quilts be Baked?...ummmm...not!!.....so Quilted Blessings while you Bake It!  Karen

Lettering by Janet Stone

A-Z For EWE & ME

I am about to inspire you and challenge you and please get a hankie, you may be drooling over this Quilters' Work in a moment.  Janet Stone. She started quilting in 2006; need I say more!! Go Janet!!
 Maybe you have heard of her or seen her work.
 This month on The Quilt Show she is featured with her new BOM of yes, From A- Z For EWE and Me.

Home Spun Hearth does have her BOM offer starting in January, if you think you are interested in doing it this year.  It is certainly on my wish list!!

 After watching Ricky and Alex on the video with her, there are some cool tools from Blocloc that she suggests to use making the flying geese also.  Steam and Seam sheets by the warm company can be found on Amazon.It is  shown as a life saver with her technique, along with Rickys' Stable Stuff Poly; This is cool because you can leave it in or tear it  out.  This  would be very useful with the letters, of course!
 Sew girlfriends , that is my Inspiration of the day....need more?
.....ok....Of Course  Pinterst  has found Janet and this gals Board is just an awesome source too  I hope you enjoy your weekend.  We get to see 3 Grandgals this weekend....oh,yes and our daughter too!!.....Quilted Blessings...and may your Letters Dance!!.....Karen

I love blogs....not only are they for you but they are for me to keep track of where to go online to find supplies and also to follow our precious Quilting Artists!  God Bless!!

What We See

We don't always see everything that passes through our lives when we are so intent or focused on other things.  My hub had this video during his nursing orientation to the ER a few months ago....he just thought of it and shared it....how many times do the kids in white t-shirts pass the basketball....count them......


Hope you got the message.....Happy Quilting!!     Focused, of course!  Karen

Just Great

This Quilt just speaks to me!!....

Sweet Jane   she says it all....I am making this quilt, starting tomorrow....I have some organizing to finish; then it is "off to the races".....sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do, girlfriends!!......Quilted Stitches......Karen

Yikes! Lets' Get Organized....Organized.....

I just had to share this.....yes, I am singing the blog post title...sorry!!
Here you go.....I am almost done.....with my sewing area....my hub got me a new tall standup cupboard for my extras....and I was on the hunt on how to REALLY get my sewing/piecing/quilting area 'TOGETHER"...... So here is a link Pick Up Some Creativity and then a link to her linkSew Many Ways.....

is that a run on sentence?....yes, I still have Cabin Fever....who wouldn't this year in NW Indiana.....I am a lady that is lookin forward to March Madness!!....in more ways than basketball!!....
So! I am heading to the store tomorrow to get some Washi Tape and little infant pony tail fuzzies ..... you have to see it to believe it!!......

Thawing

Brrrrr!!

Vintage School House

These family members of close to 100 years ago may have been walking to school or home from Church.  I have no idea The frozen trees chill me.... I can only imagine....I know it is my hubs Grandmother Agnus and 2 of her 6 children...on Joy Road....near Plymouth, Michigan.
 The Ingalls and Gallups, of which she was a part, came through Plymouth, Mass at the time of Winthrop...my hubs Mother then passed away here in our cabin in Plymouth, Indiana....just Plymouth trivia....most quilters like history and trivia....or at least "pieces" of it :)
....I have a severe case of Cabin Fever....cure?.....none except daily doses of pieces and quilting and add a little knitting or crocheting until you see the first crocus or tulip push up through the cold tundra!....and jump for joy!!.....
We are thawing out....now, with some rain too....-17 temps just a few days ago....plenty of snow....sigh!!.....no we did not have to walk up our slushy lane today to get groceries...we have a nice truck.....
What are they talking about in the picture?.....amazing folks!!......Quilted Pieces today!!......Karen