Crochet...my latest obsession.

Here are a few things I've crocheted so far. Not too bad. I love having this craft to do a long labors.

Sorry Soph....you just make such a cute model;)

My CPM (midwifery) application

I know ya'll have been wondering what I've been up to the last week or so seeing as I have no sewing machine......well, here it is.  I've been working on my CPM application almost non-stop for the last 5 days. This morning as I was shuffling thru the stack I realized I need a better method of organizing the papers so I could see what needed to be done. I am very easily distracted...as we all know ;) I would start looking for one paper and end up working on something else so it seemed each part of the application would only get partially done. I would then go back to it and have to spend a few minutes figuring out what was needed. You get the idea, right? So, in order to see everything, I lined in all up on the stairs....Brilliant! Each stack has its own category. After doing this, I felt like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.....and as my mom likes to say, it isn't an oncoming train;) Tuesday I was ready to throw in the towel and say forget it...its too much work. But I didn't.... I'm carrying on. I know I'll be so glad when I have my CPM in my back pocket. Here's a pic to give you an idea of how much paper I have been filling out. Have a great day! I plan to.....meeting my friend Jennifer for lunch at the Patio....YAY!!!!

....it actually was perfect timing for my machine to go on the fritz otherwise I would have put this off even longer and it needs to be in the mail by March 1.

My ADCD rears its beautiful head.

Tiles. 

I'm now obsessed with tiles. Specifically Mexican tiles in blue and yellow like these:

 .....and these:

....but before all that I found this book to fuel my fire...

So I made this....

....and this....

 and then I discovered the Mexican tiles and made this:

I like how it turned out, but it needs much tweaking....more on that later as I'm making another one right now. But before that I'm finishing up this....

....which I think looks AWESOME!

Pears

I've been obsessed with pears lately. Here are some I like just found on the internet.

Etsy!

Well, I've finally taken the plunge and opened an Etsy shop. Come check me out. I only have a few things for sale but will be adding things day by day. Here are a few things I've listed.

Oh Pear! Art Quilt

 Some vintage linens.

 Bunting / Banners.
(I'm working on an xmas one right now.)

We'll see how long my enthusiasm lasts for this new venture  ;)

11:07A...Here's the xmas one:

The madness....

...in panoramic. 

Chuck took several pics and then stitched (he's a quilter, too!!) them together with a program he found on line.
Click on pic for bigger view....I know you wanna see the mess  :)

OMG...just realized if you click on it a second time you can really see the mess!

My latest inspiration/obsession

So, I doodled some flowers on a piece of my hillbilly dyed fabric and colored them in with markers......

....then, I sandwiched it and began thread painting over the colors.....

....and LOVED how it was taking shape.....but got me to thinking...hhhmmm...this reminds me of those embroidered Mexican dresses.....

 QUICK!!! Get to Google and search images for embroidered Mexican dresses!!!

......I am in so much trouble.....

I LOVE THESE PRINTS AND COLORS!!!!

I CANNOT BE STOPPED  ;)

How to dye fabric in your backyard or dying fabric hillbilly-style.

So, I've wanted to try dying my own fabric ever since I met the lady down the street who showed me her process for dying. It was really complicated and time-consuming. You had to wash the fabric with this stuff mix it with that stuff then cut your fabric a certain size then do this then do that blah blah blah blah...ick.....that's way to much this and that and blah blah blah to do. There had to be an easier way. So, I found one. I'm sure its not as good as doing it the 'professional' way, but I sure had fun....and that really is the point , right? Here it is.

First, go to Walmart and buy the the Tulip tie-dye kit.

 Second, gather all your supplies and bring them in the back yard. You'll need big cups, gloves, your fabric cut into manageable or fat 1/4 pieces and then dampened with water, plastic sandwich bags, a laundry basket (yes, a laundry basket) and a hose with a strong sprayer on the end ...oh, and wine or preferred beverage(optional).

Next, I dumped most of the dry dye into sandwich bags to save it because I knew I wouldn't want to use it all up at once. I left a small amount of dye in each bottle and added water. For a darker color, I used less water for lighter colors more water. It wasn't very scientific, but it worked just fine for my first try.

Here's where your laundry basket comes into play. Squirt a bit of dye in the bottom of the basket and swirl your fabric around in it. Cool! It's like a science project!

Once you get a nice color on the fabric, put the pieces in separate cups...

....and then (and this step is very important) take a break to go get a nice glass of wine. 

Cover all the cups with sandwich bags securing them with the rubber bands that were included in the dye kit.

Sit down, enjoy wine, admire work.

Let the covered cups sit overnite to soak up their pretty colors.

Early the next morning.......

Clear a spot on the sidewalk and spray the crap out of your colored pieces. Spray until the water runs clear then wring extra water out.

Next, wash and dry your fabric (separate loads for different colors) and fold it into pleasing little stacks.

Nice!

I like gingham.....Update

Another thing I like is to fold and arrange/stack my fabric after I wash and dry it. Since most of my fabric comes from the thrift store, I have built a rather large stash .For the longest time, I couldn't leave any piece behind (any piece that was cotton that is). These days I'm more picky about what I buy.

As I was separating out all the gingham I had, I realized that every piece came from the thrift store. All my cute little shelves came from there too. Oh how I love thrift store!

Spring Bunting

• 

....sorry, I can't stop with the bunting...its just so cute.

Thinking Red and Pink......

.....also thinking I shouldn't start a new project with all the old ones calling my name. Sigh.

I spy with my little eye....

...another swap. Auntie's fault. Jump over to Wendy's blog to check it out. I was going to wait til Kathleen had her I spy swap but I got anxious to play NOW!!

John Flynn Quilting Frame thingy....part 2

(Part 1 posted yesterday) Okay...more thoughts and ramblings about this thing. I think (especially since its morning time as I blog this) I can grow to love this frame...someday. I just need to be patient and work out the kinks. I need to have a dedicated space for this frame so that I don't put it in the closet to collect dust. Also, I need a table and possibly another machine just for quilting projects. I'm thinking about buying an inexpensive machine...I'm going to watch for some that might be on sale. I've seen bare bones straight stitch machines for around $50. Altho, I would need the feed dogs to drop and that doesn't usually happen on inexpensive (read cheap) machines. And a cheap machine might just give me more headaches. Hey...maybe I should just upgrade the machine I have now!! Look at me everyone.....all of a sudden I'm a Rockefeller!! (deep breath)I'm going to work with Henry this morning so I'll be taking a break from it...which is probably a good thing. Have a great day! Karen

Slowly,slowly, its getting there....

I started the Florida quilt back in March of this year when I went to Florida with my dad. I finished piecing it in September and auntie quilted it in October. The binding is cut and ready to be sewed on, I just need to GET TO IT! It's sitting on the middle of the craft room floor. Every time I step over it, it says, "Finish me....please!" Great, now my quilts are talking to me. This can't be good.....

Embroidery Machine

I impulsively bought this machine 3-4 years ago and it has been sitting collecting dust since then. Over the last year, since I've been into sewing again, I've slowly got it out of the box, watched the DVD and finally, this morning, figured out how to use it..and wouldn't you know it, its really cool. I can now tag all of my quilts with fancy labels! Oh, and speaking of my impulsivity (is that a word?) and the buying of expensive machines and not using them right away..... I bought an Accuquilt Go a few months ago and haven't used that yet.....altho, it is out of the box.

Hey, cute bag....

.....too bad I didn't notice I was sewing the back on upside down. AAARRRRGGGG!!!

Oh, Well......