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

Hands2Help Spring Harvest of Quilts

Hello Everyone - - -
Oh it's so fun to see everyone's quilts all linked up on Sarah's blog to celebrate the successful conclusion of another Hands2Help initiative.  If you haven't seen them yet, pop over to HERE to see all the linked up quilts.  Congratulations, Sarah and everyone who is participating !

I made four quilts this year.  Let's see...

First up is a quilt made from some denim I got free from Cone Mills in North Carolina MANY years ago...... originally I had boxes and boxes......... now i have about half that much still .  Mixed with some cotton, it makes wonderful manly quilts, or great picnic-type quilts or teen quilts.  

 Film at Five is one of my favorite internet patterns.  It comes from the website called Wedding Dress Blue, and is easy and fun.  I varied the outside border just a bit from the original pattern.

 Number 3 was a no-show on photo day - a sweet little baby quilt, also a long-time UFO that I finally threw a binding on and called "done".

 
And lastly,  this one better go to someone who likes BRIGHT.  I made the squares around 20 years ago and hated them.  finally I decided i had to bite the bullet and make the quilt !  Hopefully someone will find it cheerful.

The first three have already been mailed to Quilty Hugs, and the fourth will go in the box as soon as it has had a trip through the washer and dryer.

Good work, Sarah, for all your work on H2H - and everyone for making such fabulous quilts !

Kate