His Lap

Is Anyone struggling today?..........From my home to yours......

Picture yourself as a child, crawling up on Jesus' (or your Heavenly Father's) lap. He welcomes you, and holds you securely with one arm–his left arm.  With his right arm he is conducting all the affairs of your life and indeed, the whole world, as a conductor would conduct an amazing symphony.
In this picture he is also singing. With you on his lap, he is singing about how much he loves you, how delighted he is with you. He is singing, "You are my beloved son/daughter, with you I am well pleased." He tells you to rest, since he has done everything that needs to be done. All you have to do is receive all he has for you. He is bursting with joy at all the gifts he has for you..

He also rejoices in his own ability to conduct the affairs of your life and the whole world, how he will make sure everything is OK. Every atom in the universe is subject to him, and he is Love, and wisdom, and he is the mighty warrior who has conquered everything and will one day finish what he started, to make all things right and all things new.
He has already begun that work, in you. He is shining his light into all your dark places, he is working all things together for your good, he is straightening out the bent places and smoothing out the path before your feet. His life-giving light shines all the time, and it brings complete healing, peace, and right relationships with him, with yourself, and others. His life-giving light brings peace, and joy, as he fills you with his love.
Listen to him singing; feel his love and delight in you, as well as his quiet confidence in his ability to save and to conduct the affairs of the whole universe. From the smallest subatomic particle to the details of your life to whatever it takes to keep the heavenly bodies in place, he is quietly confident in his ability to take care of anything and everything and to work it all into a beautiful harmony.*

This Blessed Me.......

 Kar

Keep Calm and Hike On!

This is where I want to be today........

                                             But I will be here.......staining..........:)
                                             God Is Good........All The Time........
                                             Seen or Unseen, He Will Not Forsake.
                                             Have a Sweet Quilted Day.......Karen

Summer Bliss

Recently our son and his family came for a visit. Due to his experiences since last Sept. with his kidney issues, it had kept him from traveling.  Now he is waiting on a transplant and is having success with dialysis at home with a 10 hour over night cycler.  That gives him some freedom and added strength in his daily walk.
 I had wanted to longarm with his girls for a long time, this was a great chance since we plan to auction the cabin when we can and it may also have been their last opportunity.  We need to find something easier to maintain and that may even give us the freedom to retire and then "work" on that end of our lifes' journey.  So, the girls got to swim and quilt and swim and quilt and also cut grass with Papa on the mower.  They have no idea of our plans but they will have this great memory with us here.  We caught fireflies one night and went for a walk around the pond.  They gathered eggs everyday with Papa too and even got to help move the chicken house so our sweet breakfast of champions egg layers would have new grass to eat.
We have a White Goose, I call her Mother Goose, that the Canadian geese have adopted and she even even came to visit.  We stayed home mainly to just enjoy each others' company and to let the girls play and relax....along with their Mommy and Daddy.  Daddy enjoyed the World Cup immensely and his wife got caught up on a few friends and book reading.  My hub?...he had to work his ER nursing night schedule but he was home one day too.
  Busy few days.  Loved it.  As you  Enjoy the pictures, add your own voices.....they even made a quilt for their best little friends who are moving to Cleveland soon....we did the straight line organic stitch on the small quilts....just a cut layer of fabric for top and bottom....The girls thought the stitching was the "cats' meow!!" I have precious memories and statements that tug at my heart, since we know we are selling and moving.....Dobbie, this cabin is beautiful, you love it,right?.....yes, I do!!!.... Papa is so good building, he can build anything,right?.....yes, yes yes!! he can!!!.....Dobbie, this is so beautiful!!!.....as we were catching fireflies in jars at dusk!!.....Dobbie, when I grow up I am going to Quilt and be a Mommy and live right here!!!........OOOOH!!! my heart surged!!!!.... Dobbie, I love to quilt.....my heart pounding!!!
.... Papa let them mow on his lap and I heard their giggles and excited faces as their steered it too.....they swam and played for hours on perfect Summer days.  We even had a tornado hit in 2 places in Plymouth, no one was hurt....and Kevin had just got on his dialysis cycler....our electric flashed.....we prayed about the storm....and we were protected.....his dialysis continued and his wife took the girls to the basement but it passed so quickly.....some excitement, not ordered, at 1am!!....   Please enjoy the photos....just a few of them, trust this photo bug Dobbie!!

We have a large treasure box of memories stored up from this cabin with the family.....we will hold them dear, as I pray they all do too.....Enjoy the pictures.....my projects of 2 teen Grandgals quilts also done in the organic stitch......it is so so fun.....just ask Cora and Millie!! God Bless !!!

Wish Upon A Star

I did it! I purchased this pattern on Etsy....I am in Heaven...I guess I should be since the top is named after the Stars!!.
....I cleaned house today...and stained other days, finished Maddies Ride On Quilt with binding yesterday,,, it is suppose to rain soon and tomorrow...so!!...I am thinking of getting started on this quilt top tonight.....I know I posted it before but I did not buy the pattern until today. You can go to Sweet Jane and find all her quilt patterns...very sweet and individually designed....she is also on Pinterest......enjoy this wonderfully good summer weather!!...winter was just way toooo long!!
Quilted Blessings!!

Risk? Nested

Nested Church Dash

We all hear about a risk taker...I have been staying away from posting my actual quilt pictures....I am being honest....I have a new camera and I do need to figure out my photo shop.....so here is my latest work....My Nested

Maddies Ride On

Organic LInes

Long and Hard Winter of 2014

Churn Dash is a bit crooked.....I did two...so i think I will try the paper piecing and see what happens this time.  I have started to longarm Maddies Quilt....it is just straight lines at different widths...I do like it on some quilts and especially teens....it is relaxing too....just walk back and forth....so! this is what I am doing....SMILE!! you are ON.. Candid Camera.....wow! where did that come from!!!....Have a risk taking day....Blessings!!!!  Thanks for stopping by too.....
One bobbin down and I suppose 7 to go.....

Staining....and Staining....not finished :0)

OH, the cabin?....it is my life....haha...to stain it.....so
I am changing the Dormers to the Green....in process
and then the logs?....yes, I am doing what I can reach....
It is all good..........Just wanted to share.....Quilted Hugs!!

Nested

Working on the Nested Churn Dash, I discovered again how weak I am at making Half Square Triangles.  I found the greatest tutorial for squaring the HST up also at Diary Of A Quilter. She is a great young lady that can make things more simple for us all!! So, try her technique and tell us what you think.  The photo below is from Quilt Jane and I bought her pattern on Craftsy; a wonderful online source for patterns, classes, etc!!

I did wake up early this morning and want to get down to my Suziebell and start quilting my Ride On Quilt for a sweet Grandgal, Maddie ,who is 15 going on 16 and needs a New Quilt to spruce up her room and also show she is "growing up".....it happens!!!.....anyways, yesterday I did work on the Churn block and had to make two to make one.....that is a Quilters' Math at times.....it happens!!!.....I did use different colors than the one shown, but the one here is just perfect!!.....so please check out the  great tutorial mentioned previously.
You won't regret it!!.......

 I also found a paper piecing pattern that is on Bing...it is 95% scale, so I am not sure what size you would have as in block size...but it would help with the points and piecing laying straight...I am going to try it later too..... If you have not done paper piecing try going to You Tube and there are several videos there.....you can check my archives too.....

The weather is NON rainy and cooler today and tomorrow so I do have to keep Staining on our Cabin but a Quilter has to do what she has to do!!!....it happens!!!.....Keep Calm and Quilt On!!  Blessings!!!

A Quilted Life

I must thank Lori Holt for her wonderful pattern of mini quilts
of CUT, SEW, PRESS, QUILT....so much fun!  When they are completely quilted they are heading to my Longarming Walls!!....no my walls don't really have long arms.  The English language is a bit funny at times.
  I just ran across a blog with a video on it Thank You From Granny.  It shows a sweet older saint who, I assume, has now gone to her Lord and her love of being able to learn to Quilt.
Be sure to scroll down the page to find Grannys' Sweet face.

 I express my Thank you to my sweet best friend who taught me how to Hospice Nurse and then connected me to Quilting.  We went to lessons after work 60 miles away. What fun we had and then, later,  we set up a small Quilt Shop in a Summer Kitchen on my small farm.  Not soon after, though, we sold the farm and moved to a town where my hub could finish his BS in Nursing.
 All too soon, God called Linda home.....after breast cancer....but Oh, how she taught me to live and love and embrace life....and to give your life as a gift to serve others.
 I imagine you all have that special connection that started you into your Quilted Journey.  God keeps giving me new folks and the love of Quilting just increases.  What a joy!!  Quilt on!!  Quilted Blessings!! 
Hope you enjoy Granny!!......Karen

Not Forgotten!!

I imagine you thought I got lost or stolen....haha.....I did find myself again too....seriously...I have been so busy with the Aviatrix Medallion Quilt "ahead" that I did that-- I just let the blog "slip" a little.  I call my quilt Avy....I will post a picture as soon as I get it placed on my red loft wall....My Moms' name was Avy and the colors ended up reminding me of her and a Crayola Coloring Box....very bright.....I ended up quilting it with organic straight lines across....20 bobbins....yep....but worth the time and trouble...
  Anyways, I also have two Grandgals Quilts in the "make".....one is Bike On found in Fons and Porters magazine....it was a no brainer, very adorable wheels!!....but I did lay the "city" blocks the wrong way when I cut them out, so when I layed it out the city was sideways....so I had to cut and piece all of them together again....I ended up with a couple 2 inch pieces left...and when it is quilted I don't think it will matter or show much......then, for the other Grandgal the same age, 15,  I finally found the perfect style for my artsy/musical gal....the Urban Bead found at Sew Kind of Wonderful....I found the Muscial Serenade bundle on Etsy for that....I think, again the perfect "fit"...you know us addicted and seriously funny Quilters!!..
  So, long story, huh?....if you are still here....seriously! I understand....reading a gabbers' blog is not always easy!!!......I found a great Dresden flower pot wall hanging....I am thinking of doing it in pinks and girly colors for my 2 little Grandgals in Bloomington....now they need a "Bloom Where You are Planted" Pot for their wall, don't you think?.....
.Please enjoy! and Thanks for your patience....I am just a bit technically challenged....(don't laugh my closest techy Iowa friend!).....and I will figure out how to download my new camera pics onto photobucket too!!....
  You know I am much more close to my fabric and threads.....and, if truth be known, just a procrastinator with techy things......
Please have a very good Quilted sort of day!!....I hope you enjoy "good" fabric as much as I do and great ideas for that fab!!
  Quilt till you remember to eat is my Motto....and other "things".......Blessings!!!   Karen

PS I NEED HER IRON!!!!  Do You?

Oh Fransson Quilt Along !!!

sweet little fingers and toes!!

Time to start our Quilt Along!! the Aviatrix Medallion Quilt with Elizabeth Hartman at Oh Fransson .  She did have some issues with her blog a couple weeks ago but she is ready to start now. So glad she was able to put it all back together.
  I am heading over to Ohio to see our Grandgal Caroline on Friday; her 2nd grade class is celebrating how their Grandparents spent their time in 2nd grade.  It should be fun.  I love children.....love love them!!  Yes you  know what room I was in!! ha
So, I will start this weekend.

As I said before, I stuck with the colors on her chart and quilt above.....it is just so perfect to me.
You can use whatever you want though, just give it a try.

.....God Bless You as you Quilt! 

Aviatrix Medallion

Have you ever done a Quilt Along?  I have seen many to do and they look wonderful.  I have started my Farmers' Wife on Craftsy.com by deciding what fabrics to use but I have not started yet.
 Why?.....well, 3 Whiskers kids Quilts....curtain, valance, and a cleaned up basement, quilt shop and sewing area....! plus I have longarming to do.....excuses?...maybe!!...but busy is the word, regardless.
 So, my new sweet friend, Amy who now seems like a "sister" to me is doing the  Aviatrix Medallion Quilt Along and so, when I saw that quilt and all the Kona Solids I knew it was in my future.
My soooon future!
  So, I found a good buy for them at Fabric Shack and I am good to go!!.....May 1st is when we leave the "starting gate'....and I am excited!......   Don't Worry, Bee Happy!! ..... and Quilt!!  Blessings!!!

And Thanks again Amy for doing all the work on my new "look" on my blog!! 

Quilted JOY

I am so busy right now making new "dressings" for my windows
in the Great Room and Kitchen area.....Scarves, valances and
Tiers....I LOVE to dress windows....2nd to Quilting....
I decided to take a Quilting break before I dive into my Farmers'Wife Sampler.
Sad to say, when I took my CD out of the sleeve it was in 3 pieces.....Did
I just hear you say OH NO!!....that is what I said....it probably was damaged
in our move back to the cabin...OH WELL!!  Fortunately, I had joined
the monthly Farmers' Wife Sampler class on Craftsy....and I decided my
colors last night.

SEW!!!.....yep! that is what we do and lots of it here at my cabin.

Please enjoy this video from Quilted Joy....I love that gal....a single Mommy
with triplets has a longarming business.....if she can, we can ,right?.....
So, I advertised in our local paper starting on Saturday for 2 weeks for
Quilts To Longarm....  is that Pikes Peak or Bust kind of thing?   I am thinkin' so!.....

Oh, forgot to mention if you are wondering how to dressup your kitchen window and you
love vintage like I do.....go to Amazon....they have great vintage reproduction towels.....and
I found 4 feed sacs....(chicken feed ones)....to hang on a clothes line above my sink with, of course, the old fashioned clothes pins!!....



are you drinking java?......I am!!  Enjoy the film and get inspired!!

Ribbons......Robins.....

Hi Everyone!
                                                I know you are as busy as I am.....anticipation high with Spring surely around that "corner"....even the calendar says It Is SO!!.
Please humor me......we all had a long hard winter....so let us enjoy the Ribbons , with the free download.  Having 8 Grandgals
make Ribbons always popular here!

Did I say the Robbins are back too?

Have a  blessed day!!.....I am working on
my April Showers Quilt Blocks....just finished the Fig Tree House Quilt top....
Photos soon!    Quilted Blessings!!
 

Luck of the Irish

 

Whiskers for some little girls....I am thinkin' the kitty should be shades of green too.....

Notre Dame is home at South Bend, Indiana. The love of the Irish is thick there!! It is a lovely campus and just north of where we live.
 So, if you are there during St Pats' Day you will see everything Green.  For them I add this Delicious looking cake and really sweet idea for that celebration.  I will have to find a gluten free recipe to use but, the idea of layering greens MUST be connected to my Love of Quilting....and color combinations in all that I see and enjoy.  So, have fun and go ahead, spoil yourself even if you just make the recipe into cupcakes; lets just Color IT Green!! at  Cupcakes and Cashmere    you just have to love the title of the blog too!!   Today I am making a Whiskers Quilt for 2 sweet grandgals to help celebrate the younger ones' 5th birthday and her American Girl she chose (I have always gotten each grandgal one )   Isabelle ....  the doll of the year....a dancer....just like our dancing Millie pod. 

Oh, current Spring sightings include geese on the frozen pond and flocks of robins enjoying a few area of "green" grass area.  Hey that is something really to celebrate....yep, I know, please don't rub it in we get up to 8 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow with wind....we JUST got my bug up and out the lane yesterday....yes, we will park out by the road tonight.....sigh!!!.....it must be what we need or God would not provide it!  May you  have green blessings the rest of this month of March....Spring is in 9 days...but hey, how is counting?  ......  Blessings Always!

The Hunt

Hexie Heaven

I started to cut my "braid" and since I don't have the plastic tool that Quilty is using...and I am not running out today to get one.  I got "on the Hunt" online; figuring  if I could find a 1 1/2 hexagon pattern to print than I can cut it in half and that should work for this precious braid that she made on my last post.

Had to share my "find"...

 Naturally, as all good quilter/bloggers addicts, such as I "may" be, I found  another great link to have in my blog library for "later'......a crochet hexagon afagan!!....it is just too sweet.....so, please enjoy her work at  Bunny Mummy, complete with a tutorial. Blessings!!

Pretty and Playful

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  We are seeing snow flakes but, NOT to worry, they will not get us caught in their "drift," if you know what I mean!
 Today I am finishing up doing my Jobs Tears; while on a search for a border idea, I found an awesome tutorial on a braided one with Quilty and so I plan now to use the fabric from the Tears into the border; I think it will be a nice combination...also to remind me that there is a truth God wants us to hug tightly,  that if we have His Three cords in our life of faith, it can not easily be broken.

 I thought with Jobs Tears the Cord would be something to remind us to trust Him always.

 Then, since we all want Spring ASAP I am posting a link to a new book Playful Petals  by Corey Yoder....just gorgeous patterns to try out!  I am also reading a series by Cindy Woodsmall on the Amish and an Apple Orchard....so her name caught my eye,great Amish name.....

 Have a blessed Quilted kind of day!

Our son?....doing excellent....it has been a week already since his surgery.....next news we hope is an idea of when the transplant may occur; thanks for prayers. 

Spooling

Lori Holts Tutorial

I think I just made a new word up but in the Quilters' World... SPOOLING :)
....a Spool Quilt.....Gotta have one.....so I have to make one....right after Jobs'Tears!!....I usually tear up when I laugh hard, don't you?
...actually, I have been known to have to pull over while driving if our group in the vehicle get me laughing...my eyes close and tears come and it is a "mess"....but a fun mess.....I won't tell you my experience with laughter while driving through Atlanta...I am sure that my sweet passengers have tried to forget that trip too!!
Ok, so onto the Spool News of the Day.....Lori Holt, yep, she is at it again! and again!!...love that gal!!...she has a tutorial......  There is also a class with Joanna Figueroa  on Craftsy, I did purchase this class and love all her ideas and arrangements of Old quilt patterns with fresh new ideas and her fabric is just gorgeous on any quilt block!....
These two spool quilts have two totally different looks....I am bending toward Joannas' myself.....
  So, just know as the old song goes...."Big girls don't Cry"....Beach Boys....... or "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I want too, Cry if I want too......you would cry too if it happened to You".....opps....just dated myself!!......really, laugh alot.....and cry with laughter if you want....be encouraged today.....I am counting my blessings....you are certainly one of them!

Pause.......

I must add the Sew We Quilt  blog HOP on RUFFLES...you must visit for several days to see all the goooood things! Love that Madam Samm !

Now I have to admit I have to be good and count SNOW AGAIN as a blessing....yep, it is snowing...the Goldens just came in with snow on their backs....big fluffy flakes, the kind you love at Christmas....have you seen the pictures of Niagra Falls?....frozen....with colored light under the snow....can I say More?....you bet! now you stop laughing! I know I am Gabby.....but I shut up when Quilting.....so!!  ....Quilted Hugs!!!  

Good News

We had a good day with our son and his wife and 2 little girls
even if he had just had surgery....it ended up to be a lappy; so that was a huge answer
to prayers...he was in and out of surgery in record time.  He opted to stay overnight due to his Dialysis schedule and ease of getting to the clinic on Saturday.
  It just seemed like the smart thing to do....and they can watch his vitals all night and that made his Dad and me feel better too.  So, that was a good thing to see happen....surgery yes, but not as in depth as it might have been....Dr was right, 70% chance it will be a Lappy.....Happy he was right!
So, now to heal and then start this PD dialysis and try to patiently wait for the transplant....of which, we are all so grateful for!

I could not sleep, since we were on the road over 7 hours total in just a 13 hour period of time. We had hugged on our 2 little Grandgals....and played the  "that's just so weird, Dobbie" game today.....we laughed and joked about "weirdo" things.....I totally needed the time playing in their room and watching them eat pizza and jello at the hospital cafeteria....their fav place right now to eat :).....and just hanging out.....no "particular place to go"....those are just the best times!!.....

My "weird-0" Companion 3 years ago

Also, tonight, I found a sweet book encouraged to me by Amazon; my faithful and free shipping friend....a book called  Civil War Legacies 11......it is just packed full of SMALL blocked OLD patterns, renamed and rearranged.....so I preordered it.....I love some of the names of her patterns....Connies' Lilly's.....it just sounds and looks awesome!!....you could substitute brighter 1930 Vintages too or use the splashy new prints of today....just experiment and make your "day"!.....that is what is so fun about quilting....No rules here in this house, girlfriend!!....
I even think you can figure out paper piecing for these blocks too; just "divide and conquer".....seriously!!

I better lay down and try some sleep again.....gotta finish a house quilt top tomorrow.....we only have 4-10 fresh inches of snow coming......but we are all stocked up......"let it snow, but please bring the Spring with it this time!!"  Quilted Blessings Dear Friend!!