Looking back and a little forward...

Sew Mama Sew is having a special series on 2013 and she has invited us to play along (Sew Mama Sew Special Series).  So, I decided to do just that...

Looking back on 2013, what trends stand out?  I think the biggest trend I have seen is the return more to center.  I think the book (which I have still to read but have followed the authors) Vintage Quilt Revival is a good example of this.  There seems to be an acknowledgment of the value of using the past to create the future, playing with the vintage blocks, adding color and size and new placements to make them new.  In this same vein, I see less of the chaos for chaos' sake, although sometimes that is needed just to break free. 

Was there a personal or an industry high point?  My personal high point was the realization that I have something to contribute, and "if you build it, they will come."  Well, they have not come yet, but I am going to keep contributing.

What did you make that you’re most proud of?  I think I am most proud of the wedding quilt which was my last finish.  I really worked on doing some different quilting and was very proud of it.

I am also proud of the quilt top and back I made for Aria Lane patterns as a tester.  I am proud to be working with Alyssa Lichner at www.pileofabric.com as a tester and proofer.

Whose work inspired or awed you? What was your favorite fabric collection or print?  I have to say that Tula Pink awes and inspires me.  She has such a sense of the playful fairy.

Do you have a book, pattern or class from the past year to recommend?  I have learned the most from Alyssa Lichner and Leah Day.  Both of them have inspired me to try new things and grow.

What are your thoughts about social media? How is it going for you? What do you love or hate? What do you predict for 2014?  I myself am frustrated a bit by social media.  I have a love/hate relationship.  I love to make the blog, but as I have found in all of my work, I am not a self promoter, so no one knows who I am and so what I do is limited in terms of social media.  I wish I could be a self promoter because I turned sixty last year and I really do have a lot to offer...  but I just can't bring myself to get out there.

Who do you think will be a rising star of 2014?  I say, watch Alyssa and Leah.  I think as young mothers everywhere, they are limited by the age of their families in what they can get done.  But I think those two are on the brink of rising to the star status, and they deserve it.

January, A Lovely Year of Finishes

I am going to start January with a small goal, mostly because I am laid up still with a cast on my right wrist from carpal tunnel surgery.  My January goal is to make the December block from Amy Gibson's 2013 Sugar Block Club and at least get a plan for putting it together.  Here is the earlier blocks:

While this picture only shows 9, I do indeed have 11 done but my camera is somewhere unknown and I am trying to dig it out.  I will find it by the time I need to post my success.

So, there you have it, my first 2014 goal...  Love always, Kay

Recovering, a time for planning

One of my biggest plans is to participate more... Number one will be the

The hugs and kisses blog hop.  It is sponsored by the people who brought me the Dr. Who QAL!

I LOVE THE DOCTOR...

So, while my hand is healing, I am planning.  This is the first of many things I want to participate in!

All for now, I will say more as...

Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday. I am having Carpal tunnel surgery this coming Monday and will likely be out of the blog business for at least a few weeks. Just wishing you all the best and hope all your holiday dreams come true!

My camera is broken

Well, it really isn't broken just can't find the charger thing for the battery. I have been in a low mood lately and haven't posted much. I know that someone out there wants me to post so here I am. I need to find my camera thingy because I actually have a lot to show everyone. Love Leah Day. She has helped me to solve some of my FMQ issues. More on that when I can get my camera going. Later, love always, K

Monday Monday

So, I finally finished my Christmas gift to my daughter Andee. It is the largest quilt I have ever done, a King size 100 X 110″! I am really proud of it. She loves dogs and she loves blue so this is the perfect combination, and there are just a ton of little squares of dog pictures on the quilt. The thing you can’t see is that I sent it out for quilting because it is so big… The quilting is an overall dog pawprint. Fun!!!

Matching pillowcases too!

Andee's dog Odhinn loves the quilt, actually he has a quilt of his own.  A smaller quilt I had made for her earlier is the one he has to have to sleep on or he won't go to sleep.  It has to be dragged from room to room for him to get a rest.  And, he is an older fellow so he always gets his way!

 Well, onward and upward. Need to get working. Have a couple of quilts I absolutely need to get done in the near future. Haven’t started one….. Kay

Finished Friday, MSBHQAL

I did it, in record time once I started to put it together.  I had it all cut except for the sashing and border so it was chain piecing to begin and then finish them up one by one.  I loved making this quilt and it is so bright and cheery that my husband says, "it just makes me smile."  So, without further ado, the unveiling of the Molli Sparkles Broken Herringbone Quilt Along, also known as #MSBHQAL.

Isn't it fun?

I know, I hung it sideways but I couldn't fit it all otherwise.

Up close and personal...  I love the fabric and the colors.

Now I need to linky or post to flikr or something.  But, I will figure that out.  Have to put it up first and then do it, so here it goes!  Love always, K