A New Year of Work In Progress

Ahhh the New Year has brought a whirlwind of activity for me!!   I can't believe it's already the middle of the month.  I thought I'd share a sampling of the multitude of things capturing my attention and "spare" time.

Preparing new wool designs / samples for an upcoming Fiber Fest!

Trying out my hand at free motion feathers... a few tweaks ARE necessary!  Thanks for the feedback my friend  ;)

Creating the TearDrops of Love Tutorial (Part 4 is prepped and nearly ready to be published)

Sewing and documenting an upcoming Moda Bake Shop Recipe (keep an eye out - currently scheduled for Jan 24th)

 Needle turning my Quilting the Garden Block 3 (Loving this Herb basket -shhh I"m behind)

Choosing fabrics for this months' QTG Block 4 (Ohh  I really love this block) - wait till you see it!!

Making a couple of fantastic short trips scouting for, observing and photographing a Snowy Owl.  So very blessed - and I shared one of these trips with my sister - how special is that ?

Oh and did I mention that I decided to participate in the most fantastic new (free) Block of the Month?  "Benjamin Biggs" is an 1848 Wedding Quilt.  The very talented ladies, Brenda and Gay, at Dear Jane-Just Takes 2 and Sentimental Stitches have reproduced the pattern and offer a block a month for free!  

The first block is available until the end of the month of January, 2014 -- so if you're interested you should jump on the download - click the Dear Jane-Just Takes 2 link above.

Although Brenda did a fantastic job of mimicking the original first block "Apple Pie Ridge Star" (see it in the upper left corner of the quilt picture above), I wasn't happy with the chunky style.  Several ladies did investigative work and found various versions of the block online -- so I decided to put my own twist on it.  The pattern is free for the taking -- but to stay true to the rules of the game - I will leave it available until the end of the month.  The pattern has been uploaded to the Just Takes 2 Facebook page and well as the Just Takes 2 Yahoo Group page.  If you don't have access to either and would like this block -- leave me a message (be sure you are not a NO-REPLY blogger) and I'll send you the PDF - but only until the end of January, 2014.

These are the fabrics I'll use to complete my version of the Ben Biggs Wedding Quilt.  I've decided to use a bit of French General, Jo Morton, Laundry Basket, Primitive Gatherings and other fabrics.  So excited to give it a go!!

The finished quilt measure 100 inches square !  Woohoo !!  Don't you just LOVE the scalloped border ?

Oh and the snowstorms brought many opportunities to watch the beautiful birds that frequent our yard.

Northern Cardinals  (Male and Female)

 White Breasted Nuthatch

 Purple Finch

 More Northern Cardinals (Male and Female)

Thanks for stopping by today -- It's a tough week here on the farm as we mark the Anniversary week of loosing two of my forever horse friends -- Chief and Nuisance.  They passed a year apart from one another during this week 2 and 3 years ago.   I miss them both terribly -- they were so important to me.  You can see their pictures and read more here:  Chief was shown on my first ever blog post -  gosh I miss him. I leave you with the sunrise that greeted me this morning - a reminder of their beauty!

Take care now,
Hugs,
Karen

Work In Progress On Wednesday - WOW

I couldn't be more excited !!   Cindy called Monday afternoon from SewItIs to tell me she had completed the quilting on the "Horse Quilt" !!  Perfect timing to get it trimmed, binding cut, and machine sewing done!!  I'm working on it now -- Here are a few shots...   

If you haven't heard the story -- in the last 12 months we've had to part with two very special horse friends that I've had for 30 years (my entire adult life) -- Chief and Nuisance.

I bought the fabric a year ago, when we lost Nuisance - and a year later, when we lost Chief, I began piecing it. (I had helpers... thanks Debbie and Janet -- love you both...).

The fabric is flannel -- many are Marcus -- although there are some Moda and others mixed in as well. 

I choose the colors because they reminded me of the richness and beauty of our beloved Roan horse friends.

If you click on the picture (above), you can see the wonderful job that Cindy at SewItIs did quilting it -- thank you Cindy.

I love the back of this quilt as much as the front -- thankfully our friends at Material Rewards had enough backing in their stash for me to finish the quilt !!  

Only choice left now is the color of the binding -- DH likes the brown -- but I think this time we're stepping outside of our comfort box and going with the GOLD !!  What do you think ?


Happy Wednesday all -  enjoying a beautifully sunny and warm day here in UpState New York.

Linking up to Esther's WIP on Wednesday - WOW !!

{hugs}

Karen

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

To an old friend who showed you the ropes, sloshed you through the mud, muck, fields, ponds and pathways.

Chief :  197? - Jan 16, 2012

My first horse 30 years ago, that came from out west, with no papers and no name, already knowing how to pull a cart and a sleigh, not worried about getting his feet dirty or being brushed every day - willing to show this green rider how to get by with her first pony. (Thank you Dad).

How lucky am I to have experienced the love, the strength, and the guidance of a horse friend.

I'm going to miss you 'ole man (I really do).  Life is not the same with you gone and not a morning or an evening goes by that I don't want to go out to the barn and see you, feed you, give you cookies and enjoy your stubborn ways.  

 

Together again with your partner in crime Smokin' Nuisance (left) 

With tears in my eyes and a broken heart - Rest in Peace old man.

My First Post on the First Friday of 2012!

Happy New Year !!

I've wanted to start a blog for several months -- but haven't found the nerve or the time to set one up -- well TODAY is the day !

It's a lovely sunny and unseasonably warm day here in the Northeast!  Temperature at NOON was around 45 degrees!  Heat wave considering two days ago it only reached 14 degrees during the day - and it was 0 (zero) overnight!

Our old pony "Chief" was happy about the warmer temperatures -- he was a little shy of the camera but wanted to say hello.

Can you believe he is nearly 40 years old - came from out West to the North East in 1982 - this summer will mark 30 years that we've had him -- if he could only talk -- imagine the stories you would hear !!

Well I'm preparing to take the Christmas Tree down soon -- it's an all day (sometimes two) event... (ouch)...  It brings such joy though - to put it up - put all of our special ornaments on it - and cherish the tradition that mom started oh so many years ago.  Thanks Mom for instilling the spirit of Christmas in our hearts !  Miss you... 

Gotta run for now -- Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!