Category: Quilters’ Sundry (Page 3 of 4)

Image of Karla with queen's palace quiltQuilters’ Sundry is a collection of miscellaneous ideas, thoughts, and projects.

Consider the Quilters’ Sundry section an insight into THIS quilter’s brain, if you will!

Sample topics you’ll find:

Discover a variety of topics in the Quilters’ Sundry, such as

*Salty Marine Saves Quilt – learn how this Marine hides behinds his wife’s quilts and performs a brave “save” from an oncoming wave!

*It’s a Bear Out There – How do bear markings turn into a quilt block? It’s all related!

*Christmas Quilting by Julia – See this young quilter’s first Christmas projects.

*Patriotic Decorating with Quilts – Quilts are a comfort when used to celebrate memories of a loved one.

*Summer Quilting – Just some fun, happy summer quilts!

And more!

Karla shares stories, family traditions, quilters favorite work spaces and other topics in this section.

Find Love Notes from Johnny Cash to June Carter, guild challenges, a spring table runner, family Christmas traditions, quilts made for special occasions and much, much more.

 

Summer Quilting

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!

Image of Quilt Near Pool

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!

Image of Quick Trip Quilt

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

Image of Bright Potato Chip Quilt

Jacq’s Potato Chip Quilt

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

Image of Instant Bargello Quilt

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

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.Image of Old Desk

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.

Image of Two Quilts

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.

Image of Refinished Desk

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!Image of Desk Nameplate

 

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

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Raindrops on Roses

Here are my five favorites from AQS Paducah Quilt Show.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…

Quilting Favorites

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

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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One Stitch at a Time

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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Not Your Typical Christmas Goose

Twelve Days of Christmas

Learn the real meaning of the twelve days of Christmas, Kiefner style!

At Kiefner Christmas at the farm, any newcomer (boyfriend, girlfriend, lucky friend) is a “goose”. We search for these geese all year, prodding the nieces and nephews to find an unsuspecting goose to bring to the farm for Kiefner Christmas.

While we make out this tradition to be a little scarier than it actually is, so far no one has become a cooked goose!

Pop teaching the geese how to get down!

Each year, Pop (my husband’s father) describes the origin of the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and the secret meanings behind each of the symbols for the 12 days. (This year, niece Elizabeth helped him with that.) The carol was a way for the Roman Catholics to secretly teach and reinforce their faith at a time when they were not permitted to openly confess. Click here to see the full description of the hidden meaning of this well-known carol.

In short, the meanings are as follows:

Partridge in a Pear Tree – The True Love of Jesus Christ

Two Turtle Doves – Old and New Testaments

Three French Hens – Faith, Hope, and Love

Four Calling Birds – The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Five Gold Rings – First five books of the Old Testament which tell of man’s fall into sin and God’s plan for redemption through His son.

Six Geese a Laying – Six days of creation.

Seven Swans a Swimming – Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Eight Maids a Milking – The Beatitudes

Nine Ladies Dancing – The Fruits of the Spirit

Ten Lords a Leaping – The Ten Commandments

Eleven Pipers Piping – Eleven faithful Apostles

Twelve Drummers Drumming – The twelve points of belief in The Apostles Creed.

So with each verse we add motions to the song, with our special new geese flapping their wings and squatting for”Geese a Laying”. The three sons are always the “Lords a Leaping” and everyone joins in on all the rest. Click here to see the last verse of this banner-year’s Kiefner version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with a whopping FOUR geese-a-laying!

After we parade into the field to cut the tree (we actually watch Kent and Barry do the hard work), we file back to the house  for caroling led by Luanne at the piano and AFTER the performance and congrats to our new geese, we open gifts and eat Luanne’s delicious chili or soup. 

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A Christmas Passed.

All of a sudden your Christmas Traditions aren’t traditions anymore!

In a moment (it seems) our family has grown up and Christmas Traditions aren’t the norm anymore.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Note: since I first wrote this post in 2016, there have been many wonderful changes to our Christmas experiences. I’ll update that towards the end. But as you’ll read the original post, I was lamenting the changes of that time – not realizing that change can be exciting and good:

It happens in a flash. They tell you it will. You know it will. You even know at the time that it is…and then, all of a sudden, you know it DID. Therefore, it seems, Christmas traditions evolve.

Family dynamics change. All of those years of anticipation and child-like joy about the holidays are over. (They actually had been for several years.) I think I was just pretending and hanging on to them as long as I could.

I am a traditional kind of gal who loves to recreate the same experiences every year, like:

  • new jammies on Christmas Eve
  • the same Christmas Eve dinner
  • Saint Lucia bread on Christmas morning
  • attending the same candlelight service
  • listening to the same Christmas music each year
  • watching Christmas movies

Now, for the first time in thirteen years, neither of my girls will be singing for our Christmas Eve service at church. They won’t be here on Christmas Eve.

Image of Christmas Craft
Popsicle stick Advent toys I made
23 years ago. I still put them out every year.

This Christmas Eve it will be just us and the baby in the manger. No cooking all day, keeping it warm while hurrying to and from the first service, home to have Christmas dinner with family and rush back to church for the candlelight performance. No prayers in the pews for healthy voices and calm nerves. It’s just us this year for Christmas Eve.

Traditional changes.

I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. You’ve been there! Maybe you have a new round of grand-kiddos to share the excitement?

Change happens and so do Christmas traditions. I mean, let’s face it, my Saint Lucia bread hadn’t risen right since we moved to our new house, ten years ago! It actually became a tradition to laugh about the candle-lit flatbread with gooey orange icing and dried cranberries we had every Christmas morning!

The St. Lucia wake-up:

Our girls would sleep in their white American Girl pioneer gowns and bonnets. In the wee morning hours they would put crowns on their heads, tiptoe into the kitchen and make us a treat. They would wake us with singing, a chocolate-y coffee-like drink, and Christmas cookies on a tray. It was sweet, if not so tasty!

So it’ll be a quiet Christmas Eve, but a beautiful one, I know. There’s nothing like singing Silent Night by candlelight in our filled, beautiful church. Then on Christmas Day, our oldest will fly in from New York, the youngest and her boyfriend will pick her up at the airport, drive a few hours and our celebration with family will begin. We will have a new menu, new music, and some new people…and I think some new jammies will still be in order!

Christmas Traditions
One year they sang outside the mall for the Salvation Army ringers at Elsa and Anna.
Image of Paige in Christmas Traditions
Paige performed in Miracle on 34th Street in Rochester, NY
Image of Jacq in Christmas show
Jacquelyn performed for Myer Dinner Theatre’s Christmas show.

UPDATE: It’s 2020 and boy, have things changed! I’ve loosened up a lot on our traditions and this year is like no other! Our girls are 28 and 24. AND we have a son-in-law! A few constants in our Christmas experience are family gatherngs, carols, hymns, Silent Night by candlelight, adult jammies and celebrating the Christ-child born to save us all. And Christmas quilts…

Image of Noelle Quilt
Noelle Quilt Pattern

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Through the Chicken Wire…

Look through the chicken wire at the local fair for quilts and punch needle.

karlasiphonepicsoct16-1127

Vintage Fun Cross-stitch by Nancy Kester, Quilted by Karla Kiefner

There are county fairs all over our beautiful country each year–this one just happens to be in the Show-Me state.

The district fair is where you can show off your talent for growing plants, making quilts, raising livestock, crashing cars, grooming little ones (baby contests), singing, creating recipes, rooster crowing, showing livestock, hen clucking, antique-tractor pulling, barrel racing, juggling, doing magic tricks, and eating of things which are fried!

Not all things shown at the fair are kept out of reach, but many small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, and poultry, as well as hand-made items like small quilts, embroidery, tatting, and crochet, are kept from wandering hands by the prolific use of chicken wire.

karlasiphonepicsoct16-1132

Sunflower Tile Punch Needle Embroidery

For over 155 years, people have gathered at this fair to eat, socialize, and kick back, and share the product of their skills. There are concerts and contests almost every night.  We (and our faithful friends and family) have spent many a year cheering our hearts out at the Heartland Idol contest in which our daughter was determined to compete. Plus, there’s the Little Miss SEMO Karaoke contest, pageants, mother/daughter look-alike contests, and a field full of carnival rides and games.

The fair kicks off with a parade through town, ending at the fairgrounds and even the local schools often schedule half-days during the fair so the kids can enjoy the fun.

One of my favorite places at the SEMO District Fair is inside the Arena building where the quilts and other hand-work are displayed, along with a touching display which honor our local men and women of our military who gave their all, along-side our guild’s display of  Quilts of Valor. My second fave is the Trinity Men’s Club stand where many of our church members work diligently each year, including my friend, Nancy, who stitched the Vintage Fun quilt shown above.

karlasiphonepicsoct16-1128

My Bella Piastrella takes a blue ribbon.

Of course, its always fun to win a little something–a ribbon from the fair makes the effort more fun and the promise of a smidgen of cash ($23 this year) to come in the mail makes it all the more sweet.

So next time a fair opens up near your town, take the time to check it out. Check out the barrel races or the strolling magician and treat yourself to a good ole fried turkey leg–and remember, go see what you can see…through the chicken wire.

 

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One Sweet Retreat

Take a look at our sweet quilt retreat in the woods.

This sweet retreat includes summer breezes, floating skies, lazy days…butterflies.

This is a retreat – by the numbers!

Image of Creek at the Sweet Retreat
One Sweet Retreat

First, we have one hunting cabin. Add twelve ladies. Next, throw in three feather-weight, one Brother, two Janome, and one New Home sewing machines. Furthermore, we had three Scan N Cut machines working away.

In addition, some gals brought handwork to stitch. There is fabric everywhere along with thread, pins, needles, fusible, vinyl and food!

What more could a quilter want?

Perhaps a few deer out the window.

Deer on the bluffs.

While some gals worked on their sewing machines and some day-trippers brought handwork, many of us worked on final details for the local quilt. Our River Heritage Quilt Guild quilt show was less than a month away. Definitely, there were bindings and labels being stitched. Surprisingly, some quilts were just getting started!

Rosie’s stocking.
The End of the Road

What seemed to a few like a road to nowhere turned into a swell time for us all!

Nearly everyone got some kind of monogram as we were testing our wits against our new Brother Scan N Cut machines. and realizing the possibilities.

A is for Anne with an E

Simply put, we were busy from dawn unto late in the night.

Of course, a sweet retreat must involve food.

In addition to the laughter, sharing, and world problems being solved at this sweet retreat, there was a fair amount of food involved. And one sweet treat involved a practical joke.

With a recent experience regarding a visit from a bear, one quilter planted this “bear scat” near my car.

I thought I’d bring some bear scar to scare; instead it was really bear scat to share.

Lynnore

See It’s a Bear Out There!

Image of sweet bear droppings (candy) at the retreat.
Fresh Bear Scat

Bear Droppings

  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 1 Tbsp shortening
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • In double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate chips and shortening until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in raisins and almonds. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill until ready to serve.

My answer to the bear trickery was a bear paw quilt made with Kaffe and Moda Grunge. See It’s a Bear Out There for the full bear tale.

My Bear Likes Kaffe

This little getaway was a fun and beautiful way to transition from the heat of the summer to the cooler temps ahead.

Sweet Friends

It was a sweet retreat.

The Infamous Low Water Bridge

Enjoy your quilting journey!

It’s a Bear Out There!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Bear paw prints, claw marks and scat!

How does this bear paw experience turn into stitchery? Read on to see the quilt block and punch needle embroidery inspired by our visitor

That is a bear out there.

Have you ever seen a certain quilt or pattern and you think, “No, I’m not going to make that.” Then, all of a sudden, something happens and you’re thinking, “I’ve got to make that quilt.”?

Our neighborhood has suddenly become a flurry of excitement. We don’t live in the country, really. We certainly don’t live in bear country! I didn’t think so, anyway. But after pondering a these odd markings on our cedar play set, we aren’t so sure anymore.

Bear markings?

This takes a bit of bear paw sleuthing.

At first, we thought it was anything but a bear.

But soon the neighbors and I are sharing our experiences and findings daily.

We visit each other’s yards to look at “evidence”. Next, we learned the lingo (scat).

Collecting evidence in the neighborhood.

This was actually a bonding time for some of our neighbors! We got to know each other a little better through the clues left by our new guest.

Calling in the bear paw experts.

Furthermore, we sent photos of the clues to the local experts. While they hesitate to say for certain it’s a black bear, but they did say it’s either a black bear or a large dog. Following that, they said they wouldn’t know why a dog would make these markings.

Game Cam time.

Finally, my husband was convinced enough to commandeer a Game Cam from deer camp. The waiting game began. The markings on our playset are near our crabapple tree so the neighborhood “experts” are waiting for the fruit to ripen and our bear to be caught–well, red-pawed?

More scratches!

Quilt time.

Pertaining to the bear, this brings to my first point, about a quilt block I never intended to make. Bear Paw. Suddenly, this block appeals to me on a very personal level. Plus, it’d be a great barn quilt to mark the area, kinda like our mysterious friend did.

Its a Kevin Bacon thing.

So here is my first partial block. Of course, my bear likes Kaffe!

Image of partial bear paw quilt block
Bear Paw by the Pool

Never to stop at one, I might as well make a little punch needle bear paw.

image of bear paw punch needle
Bear Paw Mini Punch Needle

It’s going to take me a bit longer to make that barn quilt—maybe we should get a picture of the guy to make sure he’s not a giant raccoon or something!

You know it makes sense, really. Creative Bee…quilting bee…bees make honey…in a Kevin Bacon kind of way, we really should have a bear living here!

Image of bear paw quilt block
Bear Paw Quilt Top

Visit my shop on Etsy for more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

Want a great treat recipe called Bear Droppings? Find it here:  One Sweet Retreat

Read about prepping for retreats at Quilt Retreat Checklists and Quilt Retreat Take-alongs.

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