Karen Kay Buckley

Rocky Mountain High, ah!!!!!!

I Love, Love, Love Colorado.  I was in Longmont two years ago teaching for the Colorado State Guild and this past week I returned as the guest instructor for the Longmont Guild. To find out more or to join this fantastic group visit http://www.longmontquiltguild.org

I taught one hand and one machine applique class. Here are some of the ladies in the machine applique class.  The classes were held at a nice shop called The Presser Foot.  Isn’t this a great classroom area?  To find out more about Melanie and her shop visit http://www.thepresserfoot.com/

When I was in Longmont,  Mary Ramsey  asked me if she would be able to attach two of the 3″ Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Adjustable Rulers to make a 48″ long ruler?  I said, “I  have not tried building one that long”.  So, Mary decided to be the tester and the results were great.  Mary said in her email…

“Successfully linked 2 pkgs of the 3″ rulers together, this will be the easiest time I’ve ever had making bias binding.”

Thank you Mary for being the tester and for sharing the info.

Here are the ladies and gentlemen of the Longmont Quilt Guild.  Big guild.

Some students who had taken class with me two years ago brought their projects to my lecture for show and tell.

Here is Laurel Hoppes’ Fiesta Mexico Block Nice. Great applique!

and Von Yetzer with her Fiesta Mexico Block Nine project totally finished. Great job ladies.

It was quite warm in and around the Longmont/Boulder area (100 degrees every day). But, we did spend an afternoon visiting the many shops and eateries on Pearl Street.  Into the Wind, a kite shop, just brought a smile to my face.

There were two evenings we headed into the mountains  and saw some amazing animals which I’ll share next week. I am home sewing for the next 7 weeks. Yaahoo!

_________________________________

Book Review

Shelly recommended “Mutant Message Down Under” as a book she really liked.  This is a fictional account of an American women’s journey with an Australian aboriginal tribe.  She is sort of kidnapped (you’ll understand when you read the book) but then happy to learn the customs and spiritual healing of this culture that is more than 50,000 years old.   I found the book to be interesting and very thought provoking.

Our 35th wedding anniversary is today, July 4th.  Yes, we were married on the 4th of July. There were plenty of fireworks and lots of rain.  Everyone told me rain was good luck on your wedding day and they appear to have been correct.  I have some fond memories from our wedding day…….we decided to drive around and waste a little time to allow our friends and family to get to the reception hall.  We were on some back roads and yes, we got stuck in the mud.  Joe and me all dressed in white.  I, of course, stayed in the car while Joe and Scott got us out of the mud and to the reception just in time for the first dance.  We were able to get all the mud off of Joe’s nice white suit, too.

For our anniversary this year, we talked about going some place. But, honestly, I travel so much with my job, which I love, that staying home seemed like more fun to me.  With two aging dogs….Sasha at 17 1/2 and Tillie almost 16….who knows how much longer we’ll have them.  So, we decided to stay home.  We also decided that it was crazy to purchase gifts……just to purchase gifts.  I think we made the best decision.  We really wanted to get back to doing some bicycle riding so….. we bought each other bikes!  Which bike do you think is mine?  I LOVE my new bike.  We already rode on the Rails to Trails between Newville and Shippensburg and it has been awesome.

Here is a view of the trail.  So far, we’ve seen deer, a whole racoon family, lots of bunnies, hundreds of birds and a truckload of groundhogs.  It has been fabulous weather for riding and no hills!!

I am so lucky to have married my best friend.  I am looking forward to lots of bike rides and many more memorable experiences.

By the way, I also received this beautiful bouquet of 35 white roses.  Oh, he’s a keeper.

__________________________________________________________

I have to share two new additions to my studio which I found during my recent travels. I love bugs, under glass.  Just the ones under glass.  Did I mention….only under glass?  OK, and in the garden.  Just not in my house please.

She is the world’s largest insect, about 10 inches long. She is a “jungle nymph” from Malaysia. If I were in charge of giving bugs names, I would call them what I think I’d say if I saw one in the jungle: “scaredapoopis outaus”

This little lady can be found in Guiana in South America. I’d name her “beautius hopperus”. These bugs are not alive, but professionally preserved in great display cases. Aren’t they beautiful?

_________________________________________________________________

Joe went out fishing in the mountains this week and here are a few things he saw:

Mountain Laurel in bloom (it’s Pennsylvania’s State Flower)

A female Ruffed Grouse (it’s Pennsylvania’s State bird) and her chicks

and, of course, a native Brook Trout (yes, you guessed it, Pennsylvania’s State fish)

Happy Birthday America and happy quilting to all!!

This past week I visited Naperville, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. I gave a lecture and two workshops for the Faithful Circle Quilt Guild. What a great guild with fantastic quilters. To learn more about them visit their website at http://www.fcquilters.com

This is a very active guild and they often bring in national teachers.

My contact, Joan, was great. She provided Joe and I with guest passes to the Arboretum where we saw some glorious trees and flowers. Here are just a few photos I snapped.

Joe called this the Perfect Rose

I love coneflowers and these colors were beyond beautiful

More flowers

Naperville has a small river running through it.  There is a nice River Walk and the downtown is bustling with hundreds of boutiques and restaurants. What a great place to live. There are some covered bridges with beautiful potted plants along the sides.  And, there were lots of potted plants along the walk.  A really beautiful area.

_____________________________________________

Student’s Work

Joan Dupuis-Neal finished her quilt from my Fiesta Mexico pattern in late fall. Joan entered it in the Manitoba Prairie Quilters’ Quilt show in April. She won a first place in category and an Excellence in Hand-Applique! Joan, also, won a first in category and Best of Show in their provincial expo (fair). It looks great with the black borders/sashing!  Way to go, Joan! Good job.

____________________________________________________________________

I finished John Grisham’s book “Rogue Lawyer” on the plane ride to Chicago.  I did like this book.  I am a John Grisham fan.

Sebastian Rudd is not your normal lawyer.  He works from his bulletproof van moving from place to place because the last building where he worked was bombed.  His driver is also his bodyguard.  He tends to work on some high profile cases so he attracts a lot of attention.  He takes the cases no one else wants.

At the end of the book I thought….I don’t like this ending…and then I started thinking…..why don’t I like this ending….and I think it is because I wanted more.  I liked the character and wanted the story to continue. Hey, John Grisham, is there a sequel in the works??

Just returned from one of my favorite states: TEXAS! I flew into Austin and was hosted by the the Chisholm Trail Quilt Guild of Georgetown. What a great guild.  To learn more about them visit  http://www.ctquiltguild.org. Leslie, my contact and the program chair, was so very wonderful.  Here is a photo of the group.

Joe and I then drove to San Antonio and had a day to explore along the way. Here are a few things we saw:

Goat Sculpture in Gruene, TX (pronounced “green”)  Loved these goats but they would not fit in my luggage.

Mission Bells

The Little Flower Basilica, San Antonio

and when in Texas you must Remember the

ALAMO!

We had dinner on the River Walk. We did not know but we were seated under a two hundred year old tree which was growing out of the wall. It was a point of interest for the many, many boats which cruised by us. We were constantly waving at the photo snapping tourists.

San Antonio has many great quilt shops but I was only able to visit Sew Creative Quilts while in San Antonio. Fabulous shop, great owner, Laurie, and fantastic employees. Visit the shop or their website http://www.sewspecialsa.com

Look at all the thread choices! And there were more on the opposite side of this display!

First day with the Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild, I taught my Ocean Sunrise Class and the students learned paper-piecing and machine applique. The next day prior to my lecture, many of them were featured at the guild’s show and tell. Great job ladies! Glad I had my camera ready.

Another great guild and Janet, the program director, was wonderful. To find more about the guild visit their website: http://www.sanantonioquilt.org

The best thing about traveling is returning home to my girls:

“Silly” Tillie, my Sweet Potato Pie, soon to be 16. She is so hug-able.

and “Princess” Sasha, my Sweet Pea, 17 1/2 years old.

Until next week  …

I am very proud to be a founding guild member of the Letort Quilters of Carlisle, PA.  For more information about them, check out www.letortquilters.com. This group has never ceased to amaze me with their work ethic and charity efforts.  They meet twice a month which means they have a lot of programs throughout the year.  And, yet again, they have produced one fantastic quilt show with such a wonderfully diverse selection of quilts.  Here are just a few photos of some of the quilts that hung in the show.

“Laurie’s Wedding Quilt” was pieced by Sandy Moore and quilted by Cathy Franks. It was hanging as a surprise at Laurie’s wedding reception.

“Confetti in the Corner” was pieced by Cathy Irwin and quilted by Laurel Cook.

Susan Rynex pieced “Birdsong” and Jeanne Lowe quilted it.

I always like to see a student’s finished work from my classes. Here is a finished work from my “Ocean Sunrise” class that I  taught in April 2015.  It was pieced by Carmen Eiserman and quilted by Laurel Cook.

“Red Letter Day” was pieced by Cathy Irwin and quilted by Laurel Cook.

Donna and Debra Lohman worked together on “August Lily”. They chose the name of this quilt in honor of the flower that blooms for both of their birthdays.

I, also,  taught “Ocean Sunrise” in 1996. Here is the finished project from that class. This quilt was pieced by Winni Flynn and quilted by Tina Snyder-Black.

“Fire Stacks” was pieced by Donna Lohman and pieced by Debra Lohman.

“Flowers & Vines” was pieced by Lorna Beacher and quilted by Laurel Cook.

Lorna Beacher both pieced and quilted “Too Many Yo Yo’s”.

“Blue Passion” was pieced by Rhoda Collins and quilted by Tammy Long.

“Ruched Roses” was pieced by Carol Brown and quilted by Maria O’Haver.

What a great show!

Until next week……..

Over the Memorial Day weekend  Joe and I traveled to our dear friends’ lake house in Lake Arrowhead, CA. The community of Lake Arrowhead sits at an elevation of 5,500 feet in the mountains northeast of the Los Angeles basin. It was crisp and clear all week with lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s. Perfect. We had a marvelous time relaxing and were so excited to see new and beautiful birds, trees and flowers.

Here is what we saw…..

The road up the mountain to “paradise”

On top of the mountain on this amazing tree we spied a bird.

We had never seen a golden eagle. What an amazing bird.  We tired but could not get any great photos of him in flight.  He just drifted gently in the currents.  Ahhhhh

On our morning walks we were introduced to many Steller Jays.  What a beautiful sister to the bluejays in our back yard.

On our morning walks we also saw California quails: both the male one day and the female quail the next day.  Beautiful.

But the best place for bird watching was our friends’ deck. Our friends put out lots of peanuts and the Stellar Jays entertained us all weekend.

Also the acorn woodpecker

the black-headed grosbeak and many more.

Down at the lake we saw lots of ducks.  Maybe it is because people can purchase duck food right along the beach.  Momma was taking good care of her little ones.

It was a colorful duck fest (love the bright heads and orange feet)!

We drove through the mountains to Big Bear Lake and saw some great flowers like the Coulter’s lupines

Here is a closeup and they were so fragrant.

Here are some other plants

They call these pine cones Widowmakers.  Because they are very large and if one falls on you……..you get the idea.

They are from the Coulter’s pine and weigh eight pounds. Yikes!!

As if we had not already had a fabulous time with our friends.  On the first leg of our flight home Nyle DiMarco, who just won Dancing With the Stars, was on our flight.  And of course I requested that he join me in a photo and he graciously agreed.  What a wonderful man. I still have goose bumps from meeting him. Thanks Nyle. Very exciting……..  He’s even better looking in person than on TV!!

_____________________________________________________

I just love getting photos from students of their finished work.  It makes me very happy.  This is from my Kansas Rose machine applique class.  It was made by Maryann McDermott from the guild in Schenectady, New York.  Job very well done Maryann.

______________________________________________________

BOOK REVIEW

On the flight to and from California, I read a book recommended by Grace.  Grace knows I like Lisa Gardner and I had not read this one…..”Love You More”.  It was another “on the edge of your seat” read.  I think it was the 5th in the Detective D. D. Warren series.  I have read several of the books in this series…..not necessarily in order.   The book starts with one of the main characters, Tessa Leoni, a state police trooper, being accused of killing her husband.  The book takes some good twists.  I could not put it down.  I like a good murder mystery.

Until next week

I taught for a great group of ladies from the York Quilters Guild of York, Pennsylvania this past weekend. It was nice to be so close to home. It was a new venue for the guild show held on the campus of York College at the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center. It was a fabulous location for classes and for the show. Job very well done ladies. Great location.

Here are some students hard at work!

Barbara Colvin took a class from me a long time ago. We’re not telling how long. And, she made two of the blocks into the nice holiday table runner.

Paul Hallinger made this fun quilt called, “Rhonda Ruth Challenge”.

“It Takes Two” was made by Elaine Marshall.

Cathi Paszkiewicz made, “Big as a Thumb”.

Nice work, everyone!

______________________________________________________________

BOOK REVIEW

I just finished reading another student recommended book called “The Same Sky”.  There are two story lines that merge.  Alice and her husband cannot have children.  They desperately want children.  They own a successful BBQ in Texas.  They try adoption but it just seems it’s not meant to be.  The second story line is about 13 year old Carla who lives is a very bad part of Honduras.  Carla is living with her grandmother and when her grandmother passes away she makes her way to Texas where her mother lives.  I really liked the character development in this book.

I recently worked with a really nice quilt guild, the Mountain Heritage Quilter’s Guild in Fairmont, West Virginia. To find out more about this truly amazing guild of just 44 members visit https://sites.google.com/site/mountainheritagequiltersguild. 

They held their classes at a fabulous quilt shop, Country Roads Quilt Shop, http://www.countryroadsquilts.com in Morgantown, West Virginia. If you are in the area, this shop is a must stop! And, there are lots of other really interesting stores in the same plaza.

Here are just a few photos from the shop…..

Lynda, in pink, is the president of the guild. Peggy, standing behind the table, is the shop owner. They were both so wonderfully organized.

Great group of students. I constantly have to pinch myself because I am so lucky to do something I love so much.

______________________________________

Book Review

I just finished the 4th book in the “Outlander” series, “Drums of Autumn”.  (The first book in the series is titled “Outlander”)  The saga continues with Claire, the time traveler, and Jamie.  In this installment their daughter, Brianna, makes the trip through the stones, back in time, to find her mother and the father she has never met.  Brianna has found some disturbing information and she must make the terrifying trip through time to share this information with her parents.  This book was 39 discs in length.  Just know it is going to take some time to read this series.  Diana Gabaldon does not know how to write a short book……..so get ready.

I just returned from a very much needed week of R&R at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I hand appliquéd every single day. One day, as I sat comfortably on the chaise lounge sewing, looking out at the ocean and watching an online quilt class I thought…… I died and went to heaven. I really needed some down time. Thought you might enjoy seeing just a couple of my favorite photos from the week.

Loved the colors in the seam foam.

Day one…..and only day one….as we walked up the beach we found numerous beautifully colored beetles.

We do see an occasional wild horse roaming about the dunes.

But, one afternoon while driving up the beach we saw more horses than people!

Also, there were geese and goslings…..

And, lots of Pelicans.

We returned home this week to find our vultures had returned to the bird bath.

Ahhhh! Ain’t love grand!! We’re going to have more babies.

________________________________________

Leota send me this photo.  She took my Fiesta Mexico-Block Three workshop last June at the show in Shipshewana. Great Job!!

Until next week…..

Here are some more impressive quilts from Quiltweek-Paducah to feast your eyes upon……

Jeanne Kirwan of Illinois made this beautiful version of my “Oriental Garden” pattern.  She named her version “1208 Leaves”. I love how she shaded her leaves in the border area.

Jeanne received an Honorable Mention in the “Bed Quilts – 1st Entry in an AQS Paducah Contest”.

Great Work!

“Victory”, which won a 1st Place in the “Large Wall Quilts – Home Machine Quilted” category  was made by Colette Dumont from Canada.

“Oscar the Great” was made by Nancy Sterett Martin and Karen Sistek from Kentucky. This quilt placed 3rd in the “Large Wall Quilts – Home Machine Quilted” category. Hello, Oscar!

Best of Show!!

Marilyn Badger from Utah made Arandano”.  She won Best of Show. Her attention to detail was incredible. Good job, Marilyn!

“Sunburst” was made by Sherry Durbin from North Carolina. Sherry took home a 3rd place in the “Bed Quilts – Longarm Machine Quilted” category.

Nancy Simmons from Duncannon, Pennsylvania made “Iced Ginger Snap Latte” which placed 3rd in the “Bed Quilts – 1st Entry in an AQS Paducah Contest. Way to represent PA, Nancy!

A 1st Place in the “Bed Quilts – Home Machine Quilted” category went to “Grandmother’s Cabin” which was made by Rahna Walker from Florida.

“Happy Halloween 2” was made by Aki Sahai from Japan. I am in awe of the quilt. The details are impressive and the hand workmanship was done to perfection. This quilt took home the “Best Wall Hand Workmanship” Award. Well done, Aki!

Until next week………