Category: Karla’s Corner (Page 6 of 8)

Step into Karla’s Corner for a peek into her thoughts, her favorite shops, her adventures in fabric, quilt, and merchandise design and more!

This special corner is filled with all kinds of creative thoughts, ideas, family traditions, favorite things, magazine reviews and a whole lot more!

Family Traditions

See the Wild Goose Chase quilt under the Christmas tree and learn about the Geese-a-Layin’ family tradition.

Summer, Winter, and Beach Quilts

See Karla’s favorite quilts for all kinds of occasions, locations, and seasons.

Favorites

Karla’s Corner is where you’ll find her favorite shops, books, quilts, magazine reviews, and more. You’ll also get favorite tool reviews and

The World of Design in Karla’s Corner

Additionally, you’ll learn more about Karla’s adventure into fabric and merchandise designs. See the quilts she designs for Hoffman California Fabrics.

See the process from sketches to fabrics and sketches to quilts. Find fabric collections and different colorways in Karla’s Corner.

Moreover, get a peek into the fabrics designed especially for Karla’s quilt patterns and matching merchandise, too!

Sundry

See quilt show reviews, gifted quilts, guild challenges, quilt retreat memories, inspirational posts, family memorials and more in the Sundry section.

Fabulous Quilting Tools

October 18, 2017 / The Bee

Here are the three best quilting tools!

Are these the three best quilting tools EVER, in the whole world? Okay, maybe not. However, if you are making quilts using fusible applique or even broderie perse, THESE ARE THE THREE BEST

Anyone who quilts knows you gotta have tools…and the right tools can really make quilting fun!

I’ve been sharing tips of the trade when it comes to working with value and auditioning fabrics for my latest patterns, which use both sides of one focus fabric. Now I’m going to share the three top tools I’ve found and grew to love while making these patterns.

(drum roll)

Karen Kay Buckley Scissors

They cut like a dream. The edges are serrated which makes them seem to grab and hold on to the fabric as you cut, rather than pushing it away from you. I have made many of these #usebothsides quilts and cut many, many paper-fused appliques with them – and quickly, too. They cut today as well as the first day I bought them. I highly recommend them. They make cutting enjoyable, even under deadlines. I use the blue handled size.

Soft Fuse Premium

A few years ago, I wandered upon Misty Fuse. I liked that it looked almost like a spider-web and, once fused, it felt like it wasn’t even there. It works great for projects where you use rulers or die cutters and you don’t need to trace patterns–because there’s no paper on which to draw.

Enter…Soft Fuse Premium , a paper-backed, but thin, web-like fusible which quilts like a dream. Soft Fuse doesn’t make your applique stiff or hard to manage and it quilts like a dream (kinda like Karen’s scissors cut). I highly recommend it.

Roxanne Glue-Baste-It

Temporary Basting Glue

Last, but not least, Glue-Baste-It with this micro-applicator tip is the bomb–and life-saver when it comes to whipping out quilts! This has saved me many times! It gets into tiny places, dries clear (really, it does, except maybe on Lame – but how often do you applique with that?), and it lasts forever! I still have a teeny, tiny bottle from 15 years ago (from the Sewing Basket) by my machine and it still works great (but doesn’t have this fancy applicator tip). So, why do I need this product? When I’m cutting flowers for Colorful Petals or Colorful Wings, I don’t cover my entire piece of fabric with fusible but I might see a flower I really want in my quilt. Rather than set it aside, I keep it in my pile and put a dot or two of Glue-Baste-It on it when I place it on my quilt. It holds the flower in place just as though it was fused, until I quilting it down. Likewise, if I’m quilting a long the edges of my applique and find a spot not adhered fully, I don’t plug in the iron and wait for it to heat up to reheat the fused fabric -I just dab a dot of this glue and keep on stitching! It really is a great product to have on hand.

Do you NEED these products to make #USEBOTHSIDES quilts?

Image of Three Quilts — Colorful Petals Quilt Patterns

Nah, but having cool tools is part of the game of quilting, right? If nothing else, put them on your wish list for Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas…the countdown is on and a new pattern is coming SOON! Stay Tuned.

What’s your favorite quilting tool or product? Let me know!

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Outtake:

Image of Cat — This is Mungojerrie (named after a cat in the musical, CATS), checking out the Roxanne’s.

Eight Ways to Decorate with Quilts

September 6, 2017 / The Bee

You know you’re a quilt enthusiast when your home decorating is based on the quilts you’ve made…or plan to make.

Write your blog post…write your blog post…write your–wait, I should get my fall quilts out for the front porch–no, write your blog post…well, I need to run downstairs to look up a password anyway, so I might as well just grab that one panel quilt for the swing…THEN I’ll write my blog post…hmmm, that old Thimbleberries baskets quilt would look nice here…I don’t use it in the house anyway and I’ll wash it at end of the season…oh, maybe the pumpkins one could go here…I really need to work on that blog post…its crazy how many quilts I have all over my house…hey, maybe I’m not alone…

So today’s blog post is about decorating with quilts! Do you? Decorate with quilts? And I’m not talking about hanging one quilt on the wall… do you immerse your house with your quilts? Maybe it is just me. It does seem kinda eccentric. Well, for better or worse, here it is–this is how my mind works when it comes to quilts and decorating:

A few years ago, I had a vision, if you will, of an Italian landscape quilt and so…I repainted my kitchen (complete with break-away brick) in preparation for the quilt I was making. (Yeah, kinda backwards, I know.) Click here to see Bella Vista. Turns out Bella Vista inspired a whole line of quilts, wool applique, and punch needle for an Tuscan-themed book proposal. Two of those projects hang from tables right now:

Bella Tablescape features an arched window on either end of the table runner with a landscape scenery.

Bella Tablescape

Bella Piastrella (beautiful tile) is a pieced tile pattern with fused applique. Click here to see the whole quilt in this post about using flange.

Bella Piastrella means “beautiful tile” in Italian.

Now a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt hangs in my kitchen (I adapted the colors and borders).

In my dining room hangs Italian Proverb, which was a row-by-row pattern I designed for promoting said book proposal. I felt quite accomplished cutting the letters for the proverb with my Scan N Cut.

Italian Proverb Row by Row

In our coastal-themed living room there are currently five quilts. Tropical Fun toured the AQS circuit a few years back in an Accuquilt display.

Tropical Fun made the AQS Accuquilt tour a few years ago.

Click here to see the others in my post, Summer Quilting.

Now for that one quilt I had on my mind, the one for my porch swing. A panel. Simple but great for a swing quilt because it wasn’t too involved or expensive (in case it blows away). Then there are the old greats from Thimbleberries club.

So, please tell me below that I’m not that weird and that you decorate with quilts, too! Or you can say whatever you want, but please comment!

In upcoming posts, I’ll show the rest of my Italian designs and introduce some NEW patterns using both sides of one focus fabric (it’s not just for winged-girls anymore!).

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Trial by Combat – Quilt Competitions

July 30, 2017 / The Bee

Entering quilting competitions can be scary.

I’m guessing people who aren’t quilters might find that funny. Quilts are quilts – how can they be scary? I bet you’d agree though, if you quilt for family and friends or for your personal enjoyment, putting your heart and soul on display for a judge, strangers, and peers to see, pick apart, and make written comments on, just might take the fun right out of those stitches and turn them into perfectionism and a bit of anxiety!

Mostly, I enter my local guild’s show which is held every other year. Easy enough. It’s a great show to be in because it’s fun to see what your quilting friends are up to and it’s always interesting to see how each show’s judging preferences change from year to year. I’m especially looking forward to our next show’s new category: Modern. Look here to see my study on defining modern quilting.

I did enter a quilt in a big show (AQS Chattanooga) a couple of years ago and the stress of entering that first time was high! I was terrified I’d do something wrong and miss getting in on a technicality of the process. I had chosen Chattanooga because it was a new location and I thought that would give me the best chances of getting in (I call that my Super Strategy). I guess it worked! I was super excited when I got the email that Bella Vista was accepted. My quilt was gonna be in a book (I thought)! When we got to Chattanooga, I found out they only make the pictorial books for Paducah shows (argh). I knew the quilt wasn’t “going anywhere” at that show because, well…I’ve been to these shows! The work is indescribable and well beyond my skills, knowledge, patience, and determination! But that was fine with me! Getting in was an honor and I had a great time wearing my contestant ribbon! If you’ve never been to a large regional show, GO! Every year I look at many of the quilts at AQS Paducah — no, make that MOST of the quilts at AQS Paducah and just stand there and say, “How.” They are THAT good.

Bella Vista was a semi-finalist in the AQS Chattanooga Quilt Show

So skip ahead to May of year 2017 and some emails I got saying, “Last chance to enter the NEW Fall Paducah quilt show… and, well, you know my Super Strategy is to enter into a new show, so I’m all in! Apparently, the strategy worked ’cause, GUESS WHAT?

Yep, guess who’s wearin’ a contestant ribbon at the Fall Paducah Quilt Show? Moi! And here she is:See Sometimes You Gotta Look Up.

Again, I say, if you haven’t been to a big quilt show, you should go because you will see amazing works of art which will make you stand there with your mouth wide open while you think, “HOW”.

If you haven’t entered quilts in a show, give it a shot! You just never know!

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Tell me what quilt shows you like and what your favorite thing is to see!

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Summer Quilting

July 20, 2017 / The Bee

Summer-themed quilts are one of my four favorite seasons to quilt!

I really don’t have anything against the other seasons…but summer is my absolute fave! Maybe it’s because I grew up camping and water-skiing all summer long, every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day then for two weeks at Table Rock Lake. My friend, Annette, and I would go from one dad to another to beg him to ski us until we wore one of them down. The memories I have of sliding across the lake water, singing “Summer Breeze” at the top of our lungs while we’d double-skied are unforgettable. We’d love to go first thing in the morning before any ski boats were out but the fishermen were well in their coves, when the water was as smooth as glass. It was only this year, when I was reminiscing with my 90 year-old dad, that I realized that all those times they said their boats weren’t working they were just trying to move us along!

Water Colours

When I got a summer job, it was at a city pool — for eleven summers. I’d ride my bike across town to work, starting as a “bag girl”, teaching swimming lessons, becoming a life guard and eventually the manager. I had a pretty darn good whistle twirl, I’m telling ya! My friend, Patti, and I had the magical “Summer of Grease” and went through countless coins at the concession stand and at least three swim suits a summer from the hours we spent there almost everyday. The quilt above uses a background fabric which looks like the bottom of the pool when you’re swimming laps and the sun is shining. I just love it!

Tropical Trip/Quick Trip by Eleanor Burns

As a mom, I always loved when the kids got out of school for summer and never understood why people wanted summer to end and school to begin. I just have a thing for summer, sunshine, warmth, and water, I guess.

So I guess it’s not too surprising that summer shows up often in my quilts. When we get to vacation at the beach, I take my quilts for photographing and my Featherweight for sewing. See Pensacola Dreamin’ for more quilting at the beach!

Image of Featherweight Machine with Beach Background

Vintage at the Beach

Jacq’s Potato Chip Quilt

I believe there is nothing like water in the background to make a quilt sparkle.

Seaside Dreamin’/Instant Bargello Quilts by Susan Kisro

Do you like to certain projects in the hot summertime? Tell me how you spend your summer stitching time. Comment below.

Some exciting things are happening with Phoebee (click here) and Belle (partially shown here) — stayed tuned!

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From Trucking to Quilting

June 26, 2017 / The Bee

Writing a quilt blog from an old trucker’s desk.

My grandpa ran his whole cross-road trucking company from this tiny roll-top desk. It is from here that he wrote out his invoices, paid bills, signed contracts, and wrote paychecks. I’m told his drivers had to wait next to the desk while grandpa wrote out their paychecks. It is from this little desk that my grandpa supported Grandma Ruby and their twelve (yes, twelve) children.

There’s barely room for a laptop…of course, he figured in his head and on paper. There are tiny drawers and slots. What did they hold? They aren’t large enough to hold a piece of copy paper. I assume he had a 5 x 7 inch booklet of hand-written, carbon-copy invoices.

I remember this desk being in the “pink room” in the middle of the house on Walnut Street (which was formerly a funeral parlor). This desk was in the same room as the black rotary telephone and grandma’s large quilting frame. Grandma made lots of utility quilts from polyester (I got the one pictured for my graduation), but she also cross-stitched and pieced cotton quilts which were hand-quilted.

These are my wedding and graduation quilts from Grandma Ruby.

While she herself was unable to quilt this cross-stitched quilt she made for my wedding, I cherish it just the same. Do you think maybe her favorite color was pink?

The desk, stained dark brown, had numerous scratches on the outside– maybe from moves? There were also lots of scribbles on the sides which help me imagine the noise and activity that surrounded grandpa and grandma in a home with twelve children.

There’s a lock and key for the roll-top and what is really cool is that when the top is down, all three side drawers are locked by way of a piece of wood in the back of the drawers with three nails sticking out. As the bottom of the roll-top moves upward to roll over the desk, it releases the piece of wood to lock the drawers in place.

I refinished this desk with antique white chalk paint and a nutmeg antiquing.

I like to imagine it’s like something Nancy Drew would’ve used!

I’m so happy to have this desk and am honored to write this post from the little desk that supported a family of fourteen!

Tell me about where you work. Do you have cherished family heirlooms in your home? Please comment below.

Six Favorites from Quilt Market

May 28, 2017 / The Bee

This is my first time to go to market and it is literally jaw-dropping!

Here are my six favorites from quilt market in St. Louis!

So I walk in, prepared, ready to take on the quilting world and figure it out. I take three steps inside the auditorium and promptly forget my name. My biggest ideas seem pint-size. Make that pea-sized!

Image of Tula Pink Booth — ***Tula Pink***

Tula’s booth speaks for itself. Very professionally done, so the colorful artwork makes up for the lesser displays.

Initially, I visit all the booths, getting a feel for how market works. It seems the larger names and established companies prefer the inner sections.

Simple Simon and Company

Next in my quilt market favorites, is the booth shown above featuring their new line of fabric, “Just Add Sugar”. Due to the lighting in the auditorium, this photo doesn’t do this booth justice. So much work and detail went into this display that is hard to capture in a photo. For instance, this booth smelled delightfully of lemons!

Quilt Market Favorite Lori Holt Quilt — Lori Holt’s Sew Along
Bee in my Bonnet

Lori Holt’s Bee in My Bonnet

Lori’s blog was one of my first experiences with reading quilting blogs. I especially admire her consistency in colorations and design. I don’t recall an entire booth, but seeing this quilt up close was fun enough!

Next up was the “bag guy” at Shannon Fabrics. There are lots of freebies and fun stuff at market. I loved the Llama!

**The incredible, fabulous quilts of Laura Heine!**

I could stand in her booth all day…just trying to soak up some Laura Heine magic! She designs spectacular quilts by combining interesting fabrics by collage.

Notice the almost wild combination of fabrics in Phoebee’s background? I think I gained the courage to combine them by standing in Laura’s booth!

Image of Bee Quilt — ***Phoebee*** is made with BOTH beautiful sides of one focus fabric on a VERY scrappy background!

Learn more about Phoebee and the start of using both sides of fabric HERE.

Pretty by Hand

Soft and delicate, this booth is a pleasant and calming place to be. A new designer, Kristyne is friendly and encouraging.

To conclude, there are so many fabulous booths, it is hard to choose a favorite! Please keep in mind that the lighting of the convention center doesn’t do these pics justice! I encourage you to check out the websites of these companies (click the pictures for links) and see their beautiful work. And if market is ever near you, GO! You’ll be glad you did!:)

Enjoy your quilting journey!

To market, to market to buy a fat…

May 22, 2017 / The Bee

…there are no fat quarters (or pigs) at market, but here is what you will find.

You might have known they don’t have fat quarters at quilt market. I, on the other hand, did not. I just think that when quilt market is this close to home, I must go. My goal for going is to try to figure out how this enigma called the quilting industry works!

With credentials in hand, I have a plan! I’ve got lists of book publishers, fabric manufacturers, and magazine publishers. I’m also signed up for a blogging lecture by the fabulous Ebony Love (Love Bug Studios).

First, I must download the Quilt Market app. My stack of 5 x 7 cards of my designs are ready to hand out in an effort to catch the eye of industry reps. I rehearse my “lines” on the two-hour drive.

So I arrive, check in at the marvelous Magnolia Hotel, and make my way to the entrance. So far, so good!

With my buyer’s guide in hand, I step into the business side of quilting.

Subsequently, I kid you not, I forget my name…and can’t think of a single thing I want to say! I recover a bit and begin to push through with very awkward introductions to industry professionals. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I feel totally out of my league and am painfully aware of it at this point!

Thankfully, friendly faces from The Golden Needle let me join them for lunch before I continue my quest to conquer market. At the end of day one, I am all too happy meet The Hubs and Dash Two for a Cardinal game!

The next day, I have better bearings on why I am there, what I need to accomplish, and how to go about it. It helps to start the day with the blogging lecture, where I got a boost in confidence. It makes all the difference, knowing you aren’t alone.

There are other designers also trying to connect the dots.

Next, I start chatting to people in booths. I observed some BIG NAMES and listen to them lament that it took 20 or 30 years in the industry before their ideas ever took off (gulp).

A lesson to take away from quilt market is that there is not just one way to get the job done. Everyone there is taking a risk, especially the shop owners who are trying to out-guess their customers’ future buying whims.

This is free enterprise at work. It is scary. And it is fun.

Mostly, I found that most of the people there are very friendly, especially those who are newer in the industry and they are happy to tell their story and give advice. I just need to be myself and be honest about being a newbie.

One gal, Kristyne Czepuryk (Pretty By Hand), debuting her first line of fabric, shares a lot about how she got started designing fabric.

A gal in a booth nearby at Blackbird Designs gives me tips on book publishing.

I run into a friend/merchant that I see every year at the show in Paducah, Tina, of Turtlehand Fabrics and we have lots of fun talking about possible future projects. I finish the night with Ebony’s lecture on independent publishing.

Now the work begins. Real life is waiting at home and outside of quilt market. It was a fun gig, but you know how it goes…

…home again, home again, jiggity jig.

See my six favorites from quilt market HERE!

Raindrops on Roses

May 2, 2017 / The Bee

Here are my five favorites from AQS Paducah Quilt Show.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…

Buttercup

These are a few of my favorite things:

There are definitely A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS at AQS Quiltweek, Paducah! Every year my friend, Nancy, and I meet more friends in Paducah and spend 3 1/2 days studying the works of art hanging in the show and, like the 20,000+ other quilters, we browse (and sometimes buy) the latest gadgets in the quilting industry–and a bit of fabric to boot. This year a few booths stood out to me and I’d like to mention them here–click on the name to learn more about each one.

Quilts of Valor are near and dear to my heart (stay tuned for a future post all about Quilts of Valor). Northcott Fabrics had a booth bringing attention to this special way to thank a veteran. Check out the Stars and Stripes Collection for your next Quilt of Valor!

My Favorite Author is almost always in attendance to sign books! Check out NYT bestselling author Marie Bostwick‘s newest book, The Promise Sisters. I’ve read her Cobbled Court Quilt novel series many times and love them, but I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with her latest book!

My Favorite Author and Me

Martelli Cutting Systems are WOW! Would I love to have the cutting table! It’s important to note that you need the mat AND the rulers AND the rotary for them to work. But a table the tilts toward you saves your back and shoulders when cutting strips or yardage. If you ever see their booth, STOP! It doesn’t hurt that they are located in Pensacola, FL! (See why I like that HERE.

The WOOL and COTTON COMBO are HOT! One thing that stood out in the vendor booths was the use of bright beautiful wools on fun cotton quilts. “Dark” no longer describes wool projects! There were many vendors I could mention, but the one that caught my eye (and grabbed my money) was…Applique After Hours. Check out Angela’s designs and new book! I’m a softie for wool thread! YUM.

We always like to say “hi” to our English friends! They are a friendly shop in the Paducah area with great service and lots of smiles!

Raindrops Table Runner

We’ve certainly had our share of raindrops this year where I live, especially in this last week. My heart goes out to all of those dealing with the water and losses. You will continue to be in my prayers.

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Pensacola Dreamin’…Quilt

April 6, 2017 / The Bee

Check out my Pensacola Beach quilt:

Salty air…

Warm sun on my face…

Featherweight in the condo…

On this chilly day, I’m California Dream…–scratch that–

Penscola Dreamin’!

(Do you hear the music, too? –all the leaves are brown…)

Pensacola Dreamin’

So on another chilly spring day, I am working in my cold house, longing for some summer fun. Pensacola,

Vintage at the Beach

Florida. Where we’ve lived–TWICE–and love to be.

As you can see in Vintage at the Beach (window pattern by Sue Pritt), I’ve added the icons of Pensacola to my quilt–the beach ball water tower and the awesome Blue Angels! Pensacola is home to the blues and

The Pensacola Beach Ball and the home of the Blue Angels

there’s nothing more fun than watching their beach air show!

My hubby is a former F/A-18 fighter pilot, so the blues hold a special place in our hearts!

And, yes, I take my Singer Featherweight when we go to the beach! It always surprises me that that surprises people because it IS vacation…and the perfect time to do what you love!

Water Colours

There’s also something wonderful about photographing quilts around water and sand.

Seaside Dreamin

It makes them sparkle–

Or maybe it just makes me happy!

Photo by Randy Hamilton of Hamilton Images

I hope some of my dreaming today helps you get warmed up and doing something you love to do!

Seaside Dreamin

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World War II vet, Willie Wichern with Quilt of Valor and MAGA cap.

One Stitch at a Time

March 25, 2017 / The Bee

Learn about the quilt shop and yummy threads I found on my travels.

Some days it’s just a few stitches that give you pause from the tasks ahead.

I’ve logged over 3,850 miles since March 2nd. It started with a trip to see my Dash One (Paige Kiefner) as Sister Mary Robert in A Sister Act in Rochester, NY. For this sixteen hour drive, I travel during the daytime only, taking two full days to get there and, of course, I check out quilt shops along the way.

Paige Kiefner

Paige Kiefner as Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act

Quilt shops break up the trip into smaller segments and they always have a bathroom and opportunities to wander, stretch the legs, and refresh the mind. If they could just gas up my car…

It was a fun and tiring trip (not much sleep when you drive four days to spend two and the kiddo is working ’til about midnight each night). The show was great (I saw it twice) and it’s always fun to spend time with” ma Paigee”, the opera singer/Tae Kwon Do/barista.

I found some great shops along the way, but my shout-out for this trip goes to Red Rooster Quilts in Dublin, OH. I arrived to spend the night in Dublin, so I was delighted when I saw this shop was open late on Thursdays. It was a no-brainer when I had to choose between a free meal at the hotel or hit the quilt shop less than a mile from my hotel. The store was well-lit and the staff was friendly but, most importantly, the place was packed with fabric, notions, trims, threads, wool and books– it was eye/hand candy everywhere you looked!

When a certain wool project caught my eye, a gentleman quilter/worker took me aside to show me his work and introduce me to Ohio’s own, Sue Spargo, her wool and dyed to match wool thread (when he let me feel the thread between my fingers, I was sold.)

Sue Spargo

I was in wool heaven and immediately had some project ideas starting to form. When I learned the shop was going to be open on my way back through (so many shops are closed on Mondays, but not Red Rooster Quilts), I purchased Sue’s Creative Stitching book so I could learn about her technique, check out her website for more information, and make a more informed purchase when I hit the shop on my way south. (Very responsible of me, right?)

It didn’t take much browsing through her book and website before I was committed to learning all 50 stitches and adapting Sue’s creative stitching into my own styles and designs. I purchased a small wool pack and a matching wool thread pack with a couple of necessary needles (and a couple of unrelated fabric selections) on my second visit.

While I was in New York, I learned that my dad was going to have to have surgery in Texarkana, Texas. So I made my way back to Missouri, stopped for one night to see my husband and daughter Jacquelyn, pay bills, do some laundry, and get one good night of sleep before I headed down south. While I was home, I drew out a quick sketch on freezer paper and gathered up my handwork supplies.

I stopped on my way to the hospital to pick up my dad’s Quilt of Valor. Quilts of Valor Foundation is an organization I proudly support and I am happy to say that my local quilt guild presents registered quilts each year to veteran’s in accordance with this program. My 90 year-old dad is a World War II veteran. I think he has enjoyed having his quilt with him.

My dad and his Quilt of Valor

I was able to spend several days at the hospital with him and every now and then, when things were quieted down, I would pull out my wool and take a few stitches while my oldest sister, Sharon, crocheted. When all my prayers were said and I just needed to trust, stitching was a peaceful calm for the many unanswered questions and unkown future for my dad and our family. I had to leave after three days, but I am here again (two weeks later) with my dad who is still in the hospital, but getting stronger each day. We have a few more answers now and one thing I am sure of is that God’s hand is everywhere.

Before this trip, the members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry at my church gave me a knitted shawl to present to him. It’s soft and warm and he loves it. My oldest sister, Sharon, is in this picture with me and dad (my middle sister is out of town right now).

Dad with his Prayer Shawl

So every now and then, when all is quiet and dad is sleeping, I pull out my wool and make a few stitches. There’s no real plan here, just trying different stitches, making this my “Under the Sea Sampler” and learning as I go. If you get a chance, check out Sue’s stitching art and pull her fabulous wool and wool thread through your fingers.

This is my Under the Sea Sampler–in progress.

Considering my previous post , I brought this on myself…on my way to Rochester, I hit blizzard conditions from lake effect snow from Lake Erie. I guess I deserved that!

Blizzard conditions off of Lake Erie.

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