Merry Christmas

 Wishing everyone a very

Merry Christmas 

and Happy Holidays.

Enjoy the time you 

spend with family and friends.

Remember that

all the effort it takes

to make the holiday special 

is worth it 

when it brings smiles 

to young faces.

 

Me and my sister, Jane

Merry Christmas-
Kyle

Rawr Means Happy Holidays in Dinosaur

Generally, this isn't the time

of year when our thoughts go

to dinosaurs. 

But if you're a 5 year old

and a 2 1/2 year old boy

you're searching for them constantly.

Maybe,  just maybe, you'll spot one.

We were lucky.

Not a dino, but a mastodon

with a dinosaur quilt!

What a lucky sighting.

The boys were hoping

this big guy would be friendly and 

be willing to part with his quilts,

just for them.

 

 Funny, this mastodon's Nana

uses the same pattern that this Nana

uses for her quick and easy kiddos quilt.

And she even made them extra long.

Of course, her little mastodon would 

need that to keep his toes covered.

How perfect.

Dino-mite!

Every quilter must love using a 

striped fabric for the binding.

And look, even dinosaurs quilted in the corners.

 

I guess it just goes to prove

that dinosaurs are popular 

no matter the time of the year

and with those big and small.

 

"Fa, Rawr, rawr, rawr, rawr"

 

Until Next Time-

Kyle

The Gentle Lapping of Ocean Waves

After reading my title

did you think I had escaped to some

exotic warm tropical island?

I could only wish, but instead

with the busy holiday season and

a dilly of a holiday season cold,

I've been working on my 

vintage ocean wave blocks.

Minus one block

the center blocks for the quilt 

have been stitched.

You can tell right away 

these 30's and 40's prints

do not create the same graphic design

that you typically see with this pattern.

 The fabrics are not very high contrast.

So there isn't the dramatic distinction between lights and darks. 

As compared to

  this antique Ocean Wave 

with early 1900's fabrics

I repieced and quilted in 2011.

The 30's fabrics make more

of a mosaic pattern with all

of the prints and colors meshing together.

I have more half blocks to piece

and then I think I'll have enough leftover pieces

for a simple border.

Hand piecing has proved for me the only

way to handle the inconsistent seam allowances.

After marking the finished size triangle

on the wrong side of the fabric 

the seams have varied from 1/16th to 3/8".

It's simple been the matter of 

carefully matching and pinning 

the marked sewing lines and

stitching on the line on both triangles.

I don't stitch the seam allowances down,

but rather allow them to flip

 to one direction or the other.

 

This allows me to get right up to the spot where

I need to match points.

I'm in the habit of making a couple small

back stitches with a knot on one side of the seam, 

passing through to the other side, 

 doing two back stitches with a knot

 and then continuing on sewing.

It may seem like a lot of extra steps

but it adds some extra security that it

won't come undone at the seams and it

keeps the seams snugged up tight together.

It's the rhythm of my hand piecing.

Just like the soothing sound of the waves

lapping on that warm sandy beach.

 

Until Next Time-

Kyle 

Over The River and Through The Woods

With Thanksgiving just around the 

corner here in the states,

there's a whole lot of prepping going on.

Quilt wise, the same thing.

Prepping needles

for more stitching on

my vintage ocean wave.

Last week I was basting like this.

 This week I'll be basting like this.

I've got daughters and their husbands 

and grandkiddos coming my way

minus the one horse open sleigh,

so quilting will have to wait.

But that's okay.

Just two little thoughts 

for our Thanksgiving Day.

And

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Quilters Love to Share

One thing I know for sure

is that Quilters love to share

their finished quilts.

And why not!

Each is a work of art,

unique.

a labor of love,

 

 

a creative expression

using color, fabric and thread.

We're proud of those 

quilt.

 

Okay,

have you figured out 

I have something to show 

that I've finished?

 

"La Fete De Noel"

a Moda pattern by French General

This quilt has a story.

A while ago, one of the Quilty Buddy's neighbors

unexpectedly passed away and my friend was

asked to come to the house and take and share everything

that was in this gal's sewing room.

One of the items I took was this kit.

It had been started, but there were some

sewing mistakes.

That's possibly one of the reasons it 

was unfinished.

Another reason might have been that

the pattern was no longer with the kit.

There's no way of knowing when

the kit and pattern became separated.

I could find a photo of the pattern cover, but 

it was no longer available from Moda

and the French General just had

a couple of corrections for the directions

on her website.

So using some math skills,

I figured out the pattern based

on the few things I knew.

The red and green does have

a Christmas feel to it.  The fabrics were

a Christmas line from French General, but I think 

it could be enjoyed anytime.

Because this quilt was gifted to me,

 I plan to share it with someone else.

I think the neighbor would be pleased. 

 

****

On another note,

watching Running Man 

yesterday reminded me of the 

importance of using the right equipment for the job,

quilting or otherwise.. 

If you decide to stain the trim on 

a house, 

make sure you 

get the right kind of "safe" equipment.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Time to Vote

 November 8th is 

election day here.

It's the day to make your voice heard.

Quilts are also a way of making

your voice heard.  

They can be be made for any reason,

to celebrate any occasion or

to commemorate any event.

 On the eve of this historic

Presidential Election,

this is a quilt that I made

to commemorate and remember

 the presidential election of 2000.

"Our Next President is...?"

 40" x 54"

We all watched history unfold

that evening and for several days after
as different media reports 

came and went.

Was our next 43rd  president,

Republican George W. Bush or

 Democrat Al Gore?

Over the course of time,

 we all learned more about 

recounts,

butterfly ballots,

dimpled ballots,
dangling chads, and

absentee ballots.

 We all tried to remembered from
our American government classes
the difference of the popular vote verses

a state's electoral votes.

We watched as our country

worked through various conflicts and procedures

in a peaceful way to determine the 

outcome of that election.

With another close election

on our doorstep,

take the time to vote.

Your vote does matter.

Until Next Time-
Kyle

Hula Hoops?

 Many of us might remember

this craze.

1958

The hula hoop fad started.

It took some waist and hip action

to get the plastic hoop rotating, but

once you got the momentum going

just a slight movement of the body 

kept the hoop going round and round.

A couple of  months ago this project

came into my sewing room.

The fabrics were in pristine yet fragile condition.

It was just that the sewing was way off

and the pieces would never fit together happily.

It was like stepping into a hula hoop,

gripping the hoop firmly with two hands

and starting it spinning around my body. 

The momentum has gotten faster and faster.

That's what's happened with these

innocent vintage blocks.

I can't seem to stop.

It's pushed it's way to the top of the pile,

and I haven't been able to work on anything else. 

I knew if I put them away in a cupboard,

there they would stay until someone else had

the chance to figure out what to do.

So, I've just gone with the flow.

Taking 60 blocks apart...

laying out the triangles and

getting them all pressed.

With no consistent seam allowances

I knew it would have to be a hand stitching project.

That has required marking the sewing line 

 on each triangle piece.

The real trick comes now

Keep up the momentum and

all the hoops spinning.

I'm ready to start hand piecing.

 
Until Next Time-
Kyle

When In Florida...Watch Out for Hurricanes

This week I've asked my daughter Kate,

who lives in south Florida, to share 

her Matthew experience.  

Being a Hurricane Rookie  and 

watching a category 4 hurricane approaching 

 is nothing to take lightly.

****

Growing up in Colorado 

the only storms I was familiar with were

 the occasional tornadoes that swept across the plains during the summer 

or the winter blizzards that would dump tons of sparkling snow

 and turn our yard into a winter wonderland.  

When I made the move to Florida 7 years ago,

 I remember trading weather "war" stories with my co-workers 

and soon realized that my snow storms didn't seem so daunting 

compared to the Florida hurricanes.

I've counted myself lucky

 with just one Tropical Storm under my belt, 

and even that storm was nothing compared to the daily thunderstorms 

I encounter on my way home through the Everglades on July afternoons.

Summer storm over the Everglades

Starting in June,

 I begin checking the National Hurricane Center on a daily basis, 

wondering which small disturbance off the coast of Africa 

might angrily hurl itself towards Florida.  

And then, 

on the week of October 2nd, a little storm called Matthew 

appeared on my computer screen.  

Usually the predictive models shift dramatically and

 you can't put too much stock in its path.  

However, the next few days the storm strengthened and

 the path became more focused and seemed to be heading our way.

Storms a 'comin

I spent the earlier part of the week at the beach 

with my older sister and nephew 

who were visiting from Colorado.  

(And yes, she left for home two days before!)

We watched as dark clouds loomed over the ocean and

 I knew what was brewing out there: a Category 4 hurricane.

A hurricane kit is an essential part of becoming a Floridian. 

 It's equipped with nonperishable food, candles, matches, flashlights, 

duct tape, plastic, and other emergency gear. 

 I double checked our kit and 

found that we were missing the most important item:  Peanut butter. 

So on Wednesday morning, 

before work I naively went to the local Walmart at 6am thinking

 I would have the aisles to myself and 

browse the 100 different types of peanut butter. 

 However, the  parking lot was pure chaos. 

It was like Black Friday only worse 

with people literally running into the store. 

Entire shelves were empty and

as I grabbed the very last jar of creamy peanut butter 

I really expected to have to fight someone off!

6am at Walmart the day before a hurricane...never again.

Wednesday morning sunrise on my way to work

As I finally headed out to work,

 I felt nervous and unsettled.  

The sunrise, although peaceful, seemed out of place. 

 Matthew was strong and powerful and headed straight for Haiti,

the Bahamas and then Florida. 

 I spent the day with my staff, de-installing our Museum

(the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum)

and moving all of the fragile and priceless objects 

into the safety of the vaults.

We were sent home early 

so everyone could do last minute preparations.

Gas stations were running out of gas and

 those that had gas had at least an hour wait in line. 

I can't imagine what Walmart was 

like then.

Thursday was D-Day.  

I spent the morning watching the news in a panic.  

The storm was heading straight for us, 

after devastating Haiti.

(my heart breaks for the estimated 1000 people who have  lost their lives).

Last minute preparations

included finally closing the hurricane shutters.

Making last minute preparations

All morning we continued waiting...

Snuggled under my Florida quilt, made especially for me by my mom, made me feel comforted.

Someone wasn't too concerned

The storm continued to come closer and finally
 the bands of rain began making landfall.
The whole county had shut down and
a 3pm curfew was now put in place.
We hadn't been under any mandatory evacuations
so it was important to stay put and stay safe.

And then over the course of a few hours,
 the storm shifted.
 Its path moved a little bit more north instead of northwest
 and that was it.
  We were left with some rain and gusts of wind
as we watched the storm move away from us,
 praying for those in its angry path.  

That evening my husband and I listened to the lessening bands of rain,
 watched CSI: Miami and
 indulged ourselves with some of our hurricane kit treats.
  We felt oddly tired from the anticipation and stress.
I had never experienced anything like this before,
 waiting for a Category 4 hurricane storm to hit.
 With the slightest change in course,
this horrific storm missed us and
we were oh so thankful!
 The worst thing that happened to me the entire day
 was that my cookie didn't fit into my cup of milk...but
I think I count that a blessing!

****

Thanks, Kate for
sharing your perspective.

I'm glad your first experience wasn't
as bad as it could have been.
So many others have
 terrible stories to tell.

Now that you've gone through your first real hurricane experience,
many of us here in Colorado
feel that it might be time for you to move back
and play in the snow!

Until Next Time-

Kyle