IT'S A WEB PAGE , HOORAY !

Happy Year's past and Happy New Year to come !!!


I will be starting the New Year with a REAL WEB PAGE !

(I tried all the 'pretend" and "do it yourself"  web pages...…..  and ended up with a mess of products I was not happy with - proving the old adage "you get what you pay for "  LOL.

So -  DRUMROLL

MY WEB PAGE  

OH HAPPY, HAPPY

My goal was to keep it simple - the important stuff, a few photos.  I'll be adding new content, especially more photos, in the coming months.

And in case you are interested, it was designed and is hosted by Vistaprint.  I pay a small monthly fee, but I can update all the content through a very nice system they have, or I can pay a small fee if I want some more substantial changes.

STOP BY AND VISIT THE WEB PAGE -  I WILL TURN ON THE TEA KETTLE !

Kathleen

The Quiet Days

It's the quiet days - after the holiday, when everyone is still a bit on slowed down speed.  And every day seems a perfect day to sew............

So, I am busying myself with some desk work.........  Vistaprint had an amazing sale, and these lovely cards were 60 percent off..........   so i grabbed some good closeups of my show/linen quilts, and had a pile of them made...

I got MERCHANDISE !   yippee.

I'll give some away in sets of four, and probably sell some too.  Of course, my website address is on the back, so they make nice little advertisements, too ....  I think this is going to be a busy quilting year, and these little cards will be one of the fun things I can play with !  They are blank inside, so anyone who buys them can send them out themselves for thank you or birthday wishes, or whatever.  I have seen artists do this, but never quilters... and I don't see WHY NOT?

So - what do you think ?  Do you like them?  Feedback is welcome.

Kathleen

I Think I'll Keep It !

I tried using rulers on my new long arm machine this week !!!

And it worked...……… I didn't do anything fancy, just a little stitch in the ditch , but it's fun...

This little donation quilt is now all completed.  It is part of a Fat Quarter Challenge, and will go to Quilts Beyond Borders.  

So - I think I will keep the long arm machine !!!

Kathleen

Donation Quilting

Hello everybody -

As life begins to return to something close to normal for our family after the gigantic move from San Francisco to North Carolina, I have been opening bins of fabric and unfinished projects.  With the holidays approaching, it was a good time to complete some donation quilts.  Here are some samples:

The ever-growing stack of crumb blocks turned into this strong top.  DH says it qualifies for use by a boy !!!

This one comes from orphan blocks with a bit of red sashing.  Any time I have any leftover block, I size it up to 12.5 inches and put it in the orphan pile, so I have lots of variety to choose from !

This 

this is just a top, but I just fell in love with it.  This is for a Challenge for Quilts Beyond Borders.

 

and last but not at all least, some simple half-square triangles, all ready to go hug a child somewhere.  I just love the simplicity of traditional quilts !

Meanwhile, I am busy planning for my exhibition at the Birmingham Festival of Quilts next summer, and I decided it was time I had a real web page, in addition to a blog...…  Now THAT can eat up all your spare time !!!!  Soon, soon.

Hope you are enjoying planning for the holiday.  DH and I will keep it simple - a dinner with some friends, and some relaxing time at home.  No big travel for us this year.  We will snuggle up in front of the fire, I will quilt, and he will work on his stamp collection - sounds like heaven to me !

Kathleen

A Treadle

We have a new machine at my house...……. well, not really new.

But new to us.  I have been waiting to put it in front of the bay window, and now it is in.

Yes, it has a machine, dated 1906, and is in working order after I get the belt repaired, I think.  One day I will open her up and let the machine come out to play.

For the moment, though, Kitty Mystic is enjoying it far too much, as it gives him a view of the pond, the birds, and all the squirrels !  

Kate, aka Kathleen

Blizzard !!!!

WOW - look who visited my yard this morning !!!

yep, it's a white squirrel.  He's not an albino - you can see the eyes are not pink, and he has some gray color on his head, ears, and back.


Here's a better face shot:

And look how beautiful he is in the sun !!!

We've seen him four times now, twice eating seeds from our bird feeder, so we have proclaimed him a family member and i call him Blizzard.

There are colonies of white squirrels in various locations in the US, one of the most notable in the town of Brevard, NC, which is near where i live...

Welcome to the family, Blizzard !

Wow Stuff is Happenin' Round Here !

Greetings - here in the Blue Ridge, it's beginning to feel like Fall.  The leaves are starting to decorate the driveway, and we can see through the trees down to the pond from the front porch.  The hummingbirds have left, so it's surely got to be fall now, right?

I got the most exciting news this week !!!

I've been invited to display my Heritage Linen Quilts in the Birmingham Festival of Quilts next summer !  Oh WOW WOW and WOW...………… I just got the invitation - details are to follow.

It's so much fun to think about taking my pieces to England, having them in one of the Galleries at that huge and wonderful show - and meeting lots of British and International Quilters...  oh goodness this is going to be fantastic !

Well, that's about all the excitement I can put in one post, so I will leave you with a photo of last night's sunset from the porch of my new mountain home.  It was cloudy and there was no sun until the last moments, and then suddenly the sun backlit the mountains and put on a little show of reds and golds...………..

Enjoy all the moments of all the days !!!

Kathleen (aka Kate)

Porch Time

Is there anything better than a screened porch?  I think not.

Kitty agrees...

And the sunsets are simply not to be missed - so we do not miss them -  

Dinner is on the porch every night...……….  

Things are lovely here in my little corner of the Blue Ridge !

Kathleen

The Sign Said "Turn Here"

Hi everyone !!

Well, one of the very best parts about living in a new place is discovering new and different things.

Yesterday it was this charming place:

No, it's not a Tiny House version of a Post Office !!!!  It's a vegetable stand. And it's run by this lovely family, whose photo is on the wall ...

So - stop on in...……………  there is special plastic for dump trucks.

Select some vegetables, and there are eggs in a cooler.

Just put the money or a check in the box, and Have a Good Day !

The Great Unpacking

Hi everyone...........

Well, the work of unpacking continues, plus all the financial, legal, and logistical stuff - address changes, drivers licenses, yuck, yuck. 

The house is about 50% unpacked.  Of course, I thought I would have it all done within a month... well, that did not happen !!! 

so -here's is the evidence of "stuff unpacked" !

 ......... and "stuff not yet unpacked................


 

 

 but - in one of those "shining moments" - I put together enough tools and time to assemble this top from a baggie of string blocks that I had long ago put some gold borders on, so it just needed to be sashed and bordered...........

A new week begins.  Hopefully this week's progress will move us a bit closer to some actual order around the house !

Wednesday I will be going to a quilter's guild meeting - that will give me the opportunity to meet some more local quilters - that will be fabulous !

Kathleen, aka Kate

Making a House a Home

Wow, there's a lot to do to settle in.............  but I found time to take a couple of photos.

The view of the Blue Ridge, off my screened -in-porch:

 and a friendly squirrel who seems to live in the tree outside my sewing room:

One step at a time !!!

Kathleen (aka Kate)

Moving, with Cats

Well - you may wonder if we got moved to the East Coast ???? YES

We are moved,  two humans and two cats....... small miracle.

We decided to fly because everyone agreed that 4-5 days of driving would be just too stressful on the cats, and too many risks of getting loose or getting hurt or sick.

So, god bless Delta airlines, we all flew........... but it was a BUMPY ride !

Flight day dawned, and we all started with a little group yoga session, thinking good thoughts about calm journies through the world of TSA.  And, in the cages they went !

 My little girl "Bit" was going to be the calm one, I knew it.  She is brave and trusts us to take care of us.  She will be fine.

 You can see the stress on Mystic's face.  He is a sweetie, but doesn't react well to change.  I worried that he might bolt at security and run off never to be found.  I tried hard not to let them see my nerves.  Breathe in and out, slowly.  

We knew the TSA screening would be tricky - but when we turned the corner in the TSA line and came face to face with DOGS - sniffing DOGS ---

The dog handler looked at us and said firmly - Turn ARound.  Go Back the Way you Came.  And suddenly there were three security agents escorting us through security ...
We all got through, thank goodness, but my computer got left behind............  

On board, here we go. 

DH was sitting quietly in his seat, when suddenly, Sweet Girl Bit reached out and clawed him, and he looked down and saw THIS::::

oh m goodness, a breach..............she had chewed through the leather mesh on her cage.  She was totally determined to get out, and was making progress !  the rest of the flight we had to stick our hand or foot in that hole to stop further escape from happening !

After the flight, we all spent a night in a lovely Drury Inn in Atlanta.  As you can see, Mystic was completely comfortable, lol.

Pretty soon, a day later, we were all driving up the mountain to our new home.

And now kitties are home.  They like the sewing room , you can see them here trying out the sewing chair and the couch.

 

Now there is UNPACKING to do ! 

Kathleen

Moving With Stash

Hooray !

Our move east became a reality today. 

 And at 8 o'clock sharp, the truck opened it doors and said "FEED ME".

 And there was a lot of tummy to fill .  Here is the first part of my load going in - you got it - STASH !!!!  let's get the important stuff first , boys !

 And they fed more and more stash into the truck.......... finally we added a little furniture, too.  And maybe some clothes and some tables and stuff...........

And at 3 o'clock, the van drove away - I can't wait til it is delivery time !  

And til i get my stash back.  

Kathleen, aka Kate

Oh My ! Transitions

Change.............  much Change........

Yesterday was my last day in my professional role as Dean of the College.  Thank goodness all the 'farewell' events were last week, so no more of those .  I appreciate people's thank-yous and well wishes, but my emotions run far too freely for those public displays. 

So - that part is done.  Now I am a member of the faculty, and i have a year's sabbatical-type leave ahead of me - hooray and yippee.  Let it begin TODAY .

Also, on my final day in that role, I received the most fabulous email from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK.  I had put in an application to display my quilts in a Gallery at the 2020 Festival next year.......  and I figured it was more than a long shot..........WELL ... shiver me timbers !!!  Yesterday I learned that I made the cut to the short list - and they wanted more photos ..... WOW ....

Here are some of the photos i sent........... 

First up is a cute little doily, set in a simple quilting design.  This is a class sample, and represents a project that is easy and quick.  

 This is a vintage lace pillowcase - that I then added what seemed like one MILLION gold beads !

 A damask tablecloth is the star of this piece, photographed before finished.  Now it has some lace, some beads, and some binding,  but I can't find a photo of it completed ....

 And a piece not finished yet.  Isn't this embroidery fantastic ????  Can't wait to get this finished.

 And one more piece of damask - this time a napkin.  yes, a lovely napkin.  And the design is in the damask itself.  I love working on damask - fun , fun 

 So now I wait for a decision.  Either way, I am deeply honored and excited to be considered.  Truly.

Big endings............. and big beginnings..............perhaps............

Fun times ahead.

Kathleen (Kate)

Meant to Be ????

Hi there -

I share another area in my soon-to-be home.............  the lower floor, aka walk-out basement.  All the furniture in these photos is that of the sellers. 

The original builders of this home were so very smart - although they originally only finished the upper floor, they put lots of good windows in the walk-out basement so it would be nice when it was finished........... let's do this in quadrants.  Quadrant 1and 2:  the barn - the couple was from Pennsylvania, and they brought these planks from the family farm in Amish country and made this lovely area. 

Look at this light over the pool table.  Now, who wants a big ol' light like that hanging down in the middle of the room ?????  I DO - can you say CUTTING TABLE GOES HERE????  

 Third quadrant:  bay-style window overlooking the hill and the park.  Perhaps I will sew in this area.   Do you see the Janome on the table?  I figured she was a quilter, but there was no stash, no tools, no cutting area........... she had thoroughly sanitized the house of all clutter (so sorry those things fall under clutter, boohoo- a little stash would have made me happy !

 Quadrant four:  sitting area, and steps to the upper floor. 

 

Next door to this large open room is a guest bedroom.  I have thought about perhaps imprisoning a quilter down there and making them finish UFOs and sew crumb blocks, and only giving them Cheeto's and peanut M&M's to eat.  Anybody want to apply for the job?  

There is also a lovely bath, and the "resource" room (aka woodworking shop) shown in my last post.
I knew we were buying the house when I went downstairs.  Who cares about the rest of the house?

Kate (aka Kathleen)

Suggestions ????

This is one of the rooms in my new house.  The former owner did woodworking, and built this room for woodworking when they finished the lower level of the house.  

DH doesn't want the room - oh i am so disappointed   (not )  😁

It's on the lower floor - a beautiful walk-out basement with great windows, and a fabulous view.  There's already a large room for quilting, a family room, a guest bedroom, a bath, and a utility room.  

The quilt room/family room is one large space, so it will need to stay halfway presentable - but only half way !  

So - I am thinking this will be my quilty office /materials/etc.  A resource room, if you will.

I want a a desk and a bulletin board;  

shelves for deep stash;

a place to store my wall hanging -sized quilts either rolled or hanging;

a cabinet for tall stuff;

wire drawers for 'stuff''...

counter space for quilts that are being collected or are waiting for something.......

Ideas?   thoughts?   I'm thinking all these benches and the lights have to be demo'd, and then start fresh..........  oh i can't wait to tear into this room !

Happy quilting !

Kate ,  aka Kathleen

Shake it Up !!!!

The Quilting Professor is gonna shake it up a little .  Actually, a lot. 

*  After 24 years as a Dean or Vice President , I am choosing to transition from administration to a faculty position.  It's been fun, but I want a different balance in my life now, and this is a first step toward retirement. 
*  Next year, beginning August 1, I will be on sabbatical leave.
* I will spend the year in North Carolina, near the city of Asheville.


and....
I PLAN TO QUILT TO MY HEART'S CONTENT !!!!

This is a plan that was hatched many years ago, but was scheduled to occur about 5 years AGO...  Well, it's finally TIME !!!

So -here's my little oasis in the southern part of the Blue Ridge mountains.  I'll be in that first house up the hill, looking out the windows on that lovely green park, sewing, sewing, sewing. 

Now - sabbaticals, contrary to popular belief, aren't ALL free time !  So, I do have some academic goals to accomplish.  First, I shall learn to play the piano again.  I have neglected that skill for too long, and it will take regular, disciplined daily practice to refresh it.  Also, I will be designing some courses that I will be teaching after the sabbatical.  I'll talk more about that another time.

The moving truck is scheduled for July 26.  Oh my word, I have a lot to do. 

I hope to keep my sewing machine operational until the very last second.  Therapy, you know.

Kate, aka Kathleen

Yippee and Yippee Again !!!

Hello - -

Life is good for the Quilting Professor.............

First off, it's Commencement Season in the world of Universities.  As an administrator, I have to go to ALL the Commencement events.  This weekend I saw more than 2000 students walk across the stage and get degrees.  In one morning I shook hands with about 900 of them, and I smiled and said "congratulations" until my cheek muscles hurt !!!  But it is all good, every foot-aching part of it !!!

Secondly, my quilt title "Annabelle's Wedding Feast" came home with a ribbon AND a prize check !

Here's a photo of the ribbon on my kitchen table:

Quiltfest Lancaster, a Mancuso show, had a "throwback" theme... and allowed quilts to be entered that were past the usual 3-year time limit.  Annabelle has won several ribbons before, but she was aging out of competition.  I was so thrilled to send her out again -

and, speaking of "throwback" - what could be more in the spirit of throwback than a quilt made from a piece of linen that is probably 80 or more years old!!!

Here's a photo of Annabelle herself (sorry if you are tired of seeing her, don't tell her or she will get her feelings hurt)

There is a THIRD reason the Quilting Prof is real happy, but this post grows long now, so I will save that for another post - -

til then,  quilt on !

Kate