Karen Kay Buckley

This past weekend I worked with the Empire Quilters Guild in Manhattan, New York.  You can find out more about this guild at http://www.empirequilters.net  When Susan contacted me about teaching for them I hesitated because I am not a big fan of driving in New York City.  It is only about 4 hours from where I live but honestly….it’s like being in another world.  And I don’t mean that in a bad way.  I live in a quiet, small community and driving in the city freaks me out a little bit.  And the taxi drivers are nuts.  It would be a much quieter town if they took the horns out of the taxis.  Just a thought.  But, my husband, being the gracious person that he is, offered to drive me.  And I have to say that made things much easier for me.  As we came though the Lincoln Tunnel and stopped for a traffic light, this is the first sign that I saw.  Welcoming?

We did not let a bed bug sign stop us.  We continued on our journey into the city and to our hotel which was located in the garment district.  Since one of our favorite shows on television is “Project Runway” we set off on our walking trip to find Mood, where all the designers purchase their fabrics to make their amazing garments.

As we were stopped at an intersection waiting for the walk light to come on who should walk up beside us but Christopher Pula, the runner-up (but my favorite)  from Season 10 of Project Runway.  So we introduced ourselves and chatted for just a couple of seconds.  That made our day.  You rock Christopher!

OK, don’t take this the wrong way but more important than meeting any person associated with the show was meeting Swatch.  If you watch Project Runway you know the dog, Swatch, is always in the store.  Joe took dog treats and fed them to Swatch and then Swatch followed us all around the store.  Swatch would not leave Joe’s side.  It was hysterical!  We love you Swatch.  What a cutie.  If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times…..”Never a dull moment with Joe”.

If you are a garment sewer I think you would just love Mood.

As we continued our stroll around town we took the advice of my friends, Debbie and Donna Lohman, and set off to find “Baked by Melissa”.  The Lohmans informed me that these bite sized cupcakes were to die for.  And they were so right.  Ahhhhhhh!!!!  I can still taste those amazing little bites of heaven.  www.bakedbymelissa.com   Thank you Debbie and Donna.

And then we walked to Times Square.

As we were walking through the Garment District we came across these circular plaques in the sidewalk.

And I just want to mention that if it is raining be very careful when you step on one of these plaques.  They are kind of slippery! (Picture my feet going out from under me here!)

It was fun to stroll (or slip) down memory lane of fashion design.

After we walked ten miles around town we found a wonderful Italian restaurant right beside our hotel and had a fabulous meal.  In case you are in the area the name of the hotel is Biricchino.  It was a rather small but very nice restaurant with lots of good options on the menu and very reasonably priced.

This fabulous bronze statue sits on the sidewalk in this part of town.  This could be a good challenge idea for Project Runway…make them sit outside and sew a garment on a treadle machine!  I like it.  Now, that would be a challenge.

On Saturday morning we set out for another major walk about.  We found the one and only quilt shop in the area.

And it is a very nice quilt shop.  They had lots of samples displayed and a nice assortment of cotton quilting fabrics.

And then my reason to be in town….the guild meeting.  It was time to present my lecture.  I have given my lecture “From the Beginning: Album of a Quilter” many times and I talk about my husband Joe a lot during the lecture.  This was the first time Joe heard me give the lecture.  At the end of the lecture Joe got a round of applause for being the best husband and they asked if I would share him.  I said “Get in Line”.  There are lots of people ahead of you!

Sunday I presented a workshop to a very nice group of ladies.  All in all….one very memorable trip.

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A student, Jim Pilarski, sent me photo of his finished Magical Medallions-Block One quilt.  I thought you might enjoying seeing Jim’s quilt also.  Good job Jim.  I know how hard it is to sew all of those inner and outer points.

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On the drive back and forth to New York we listened to the new Janet Evanovich book “Notorious Nineteen”.  As with many of the Stephanie Plum series, we laughed out loud many times while listening to the audio book.  In addition to the book being good the reader is really great.  The reader can make or break an audio book.  If you have never read any of the Stephanie Plum series here is a little background.  Stephanie works for her cousin, Vinnie, as a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey.  Stephanie’ side-kick, Lula, is ever present in this book.  Between Lula and Grandma Mazur you cannot help but laugh.  I do not know how Janet Evanovich thinks of these crazy things for Stephanie to do but I am glad she does.  It’s nice to read a book that is just fun.

Have a great week.

You’d think I would have run out of photos of quilts from the International Quilt Show in Houston…but, no.  I still have more to share.

First up is “Hot Africa” and it was one of the top winners.  The maker is Janneke DeVries-Bodzinga from The Netherlands.  She won “The World of Beauty Award” which is sponsored by eQuilter.com

I mentioned in previous blogs that Japan was well represented at this year’s show.  Here is another incredible Japanese made applique quilt.  The maker’s name is Fusako Takido and the name of the quilt is “Arrangement”.

Here is a nice close-up shot of this wonderful quilt.

And another.  Just in case you did not think I really liked this quilt.  This shows the detail along the border.

This quilt was also made by a Japanese artist, Setsuko Matsushima.  The name of her quilt is “The Age of Discovery”.  It won first place in the Handmade category.

Maybe I should have called this blog “The Amazingly Beautiful Quilts of Japan!”  “Floral Decoration” was made by Junko Chiku from Japan.

A close-up shot.

And the final stunning applique quilt for this blog won second place in the Traditional Applique category.  The name of the quilt is “My Journey to Baltimore” and was made by Lois Podolny from Tucson, Arizona.

Have a great week.

I am off to New York City to teach this weekend.  I hope the weatherman is correct.  It is supposed to be in the 50’s!!!

I received this amazing email from Martha Hirsch from the Tuscon Quilt Guild.  I taught my workshop, Garden Medley, at her guild in September.  Martha sent me some photos of her finished project.  I wanted to share them with you.  I really like Martha’s choice of fabrics, especially the border.  And I also really loved her addition of beads.

Another part of this quilt that I really liked was how Martha outlined all of her applique with hand embroidery stitching.  It created a wonderful edge along the applique shapes.

And look at this cute little ladybug.  What a great addition.

But the best part of this story is what Martha is doing with her quilt.  This is what Martha wrote to me.

“The quilt is completed and ready to deliver to Quilt for a Cause.  I have named it “Garden Song” in honor of Judy Hines, my friend and breast cancer survivor.

Quilt for a Cause is a local Tucson charity which donates 99% of proceeds to Tucson-area organizations in support of breast and gynecological cancer research, training for service providers, and assistance for uninsured and under-insured women.  Their first quilt auction was in 2003.  Since then they have held a quilt auction every three years and have raised over $500,000. 

Quilt for a Cause has their fourth quilt auction this spring.  A silent auction begins February 2, 2013 with donated quilts hanging in the halls of Tucson Medical Center.  Some of the best quilts are reserved for the live auction on March 2, 2013.  That same day is the end of the silent auction.   All quilts donated are appraised and have minimum bid amounts assigned based upon the quilt’s appraised value.  The silent auction quilts also have “buy me now” prices assigned.  Photos of some quilts are already pictured on the Quilt for a Cause website under the “quilts for sale” heading, and some have already been purchased at their “buy me now” prices.”

You can find out more about the auction by going to The Quilt for a Cause website is:  http://quiltforacause.org/

Thank you Martha for sharing your quilt and story.  I hope your quilt and the auction raise tons of money for the cause.

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I’ve been busy working on a new applique project so I’ve had time to listen to another good audio book.

This book had my attention from page one.  Malcolm is a former attorney and currently in Frostburg prison serving a 10 year sentence for racketeering.  His situation is grim.  But, Malcolm knows who killed Judge Fawcett and his young secretary.  He also knows what was in the empty safe.  The FBI has no leads until Malcolm contacts them.  Malcolm is ready to negotiate using the information he has.  Nothing is as it seems and the book had some great twists.  I had a hard time turning off the audio.  I really wanted to keep reading to find out how it would end.

Until next week…….

It’s been a while since I have written a book review.  I just finished this Scott Turow book called “Innocent”.  I’ve been listening to it while I am doing some applique on a new quilt project.  I enjoyed listening to this book while sewing.  This book is a sequel to another of Scott Turow’s books:  “Presumed Innocent” but if you did not read the first one you will be just fine reading this book.  The story starts with Rusty Sabich, who is now a judge, and acting prosecuting attorney Tommy Molto in another courtroom battle.  Twenty years after the two battled in a murder trial they are back at it again, with the judge being accused of murder again.  This time he is accused or murdering his wife.  The judge waited a day before telling anyone of his wife’s death…which lead to a lot of questions.  And the judge had an affair….which added to the intrigue.  Great book.  Certainly worth reading.

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More quilts from Houston. This quilt is called “Little Girl and Dog”.  It was made by Hiroko Miyama from Japan.  I believe I shared another one of her quilts in a recent blog.  The little girl in the quilt is her granddaughter.

“A World of Many Colors” won an honorable mention in the Innovative Applique category.  It was made by Georgeta Groma from Romania.  Fun design and use of color. Wow!

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” won third place in the Innovative Applique category.  The amount of applique work on this quilt is very impressive.  The maker is Osami Gonohe from Japan.

Here is a close-up shot so you can see just a small amount of the work.  Again, impressive.  The pieces were very tiny.

“Dreamtime” won first place in the Innovative Applique category.  It was made by Antonia Hering from The Netherlands.

Here is a close-up shot.  You all know how much I love circles….

Another close-up.  OK, now that’s a lot of circles.  Awesome.

Diane Loomis from Sudbury, Mass. won second place in the Merit Quilting by Machine category for “Five Bar Blues”.  You can see a better photo and find out more about Diane on her website http://www.dianeloomisquilts.com/

What appears to be a basic Amish style quilt certainly is not so basic when you look close.

That’s all for this week.  I hope you enjoyed your holiday season and I wish you all a very

Happy New Year!!! 

I still have more photos of quilts taken at the International Quilt Show in Houston to share with you.   http://www.quilts.org

The first one is called “Strung Along” and it was made by Timna Tarr from Massachusetts.   I love her use of color in this quilt.

I really like the group quilt category.  It often has many of my favorite quilts.  And this quilt is no exception.  It was made by Anne Jenkins and members of the Ten Slices group in Illinois.  The name of the quilt is “A Street in Ireland”.

I love, love, love this quilt.  It is called “Mrs. MacDonald Had a Farm”.  It won first place in the group quilt category and I know why.  It is awesome.  It was made by Lynn Czaban and members of the Hanging By A Thread group of Vancouver, Washington.  There was not one thing I did not like about this quilt.

Here is a close-up of one of the blocks.  Adorable.  I liked how the elements were extended outside the background square.

And one more close-up.  Come on…how cute is this goat?  And what fun fabrics….

Isn’t this a wonderful pictorial quilt?  It was made by Hiroko Miyama from Japan.  The name of her quilt is “Natsumi on Her Bike”.

Here is another great pictorial quilt.  The name of the quilt is “The Blacksmith: A Tribute to Gilbert Hart”.  If I read the information correctly the person in the quilt is the maker’s grandfather.  The quilt won second place in Art-People, Portraits, and Figures category.  It was made by Melissa Burdon from New Zealand.

“Raven Blanket” received an honorable mention in the Art-People, Portraits and Figures category.  This is the second time in this blog that you will see this quilters name, Lynn Czaban.  Great job Lynn!!  Two awards in one show.  Well done.

That’s it for this week.  Talk to you next week.

I was my niece’s homework assignment!  How fun is that!  Laurel is a sophomore at Penn State majoring in art education. Her assignment was to interview an artist and produce a short video.  After I previewed the video I emailed and told her I thought she should get an A++.  I thought you might enjoy seeing her homework assignment.

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This must be my week for videos.  A few months ago I had a surprise door knock from Mark Lipinski.  The video was just posted on the qnntv.com website this week.  If you have about ten minutes…go check it out.  The first portion of the interview is posted.  That’s the part where Mark came into my studio.  The second half has not yet been posted.  In the second segment I worked with Jodi Davis, who is Mark’s partner for the “Quilt Out Loud” series on QNN.  I think you can view one show for free.  I am not positive about that.

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My girlfriend Lytle was kind enough to share a recipe with me.  I was finally home long enough to try it and boy am I glad I did.  Good one Lytle.  Thanks for sharing.

You will not regret making this recipe.  It is amazingly good and not difficult to make.

ROASTED VEGGIE AND BLACK BEAN BURRITOS

2 whole sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed small

2 whole jalapenos, diced

1 whole red pepper, diced small

1 whole red onion, diced small

2 teaspoons olive oil (I used one tsp. of olive oil and one of hot pepper oil)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 pinch salt and pepper

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (15 ounces)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

2 cups shredded cheddar (I used fat free)

1 package burrito-sized wheat tortillas or wraps (6-10 count)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

In a bowl, toss your raw vegetables in olive oil and season with spices.  Place in a large baking dish and roast in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, tossing around halfway through.

Let cool.  Add your roasted vegetables to a can of rinsed black beans.  Add cilantro and squirt of lime juice.  Combine gently.  At this point, mixture can be stored for later use.

Warm your wheat tortilla wraps in microwave according to directions on package.  Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil spray.

Add two heaping teaspoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap.  Top with shredded cheese.  Fold over, fold in sides, place in pan and continue to roll the others.  Place into your baking dish, seam side down so that they stay together.

Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Baking this way will make the tortilla wrap crisp.  For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for same amount of time.

Makes about 6 burritos.

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Jo-Anne Muldrew from Winnepeg, Canada sent me this photo of the second block she finished after taking the “Japanese Garden” workshop using machine applique.  I am so excited to share it with you.  Jo-Anne said she plans to make 2 more blocks, for a total of 4 blocks to complete her project.  Thank you Jo-Anne for sharing your photo.

Talk to you next week.

I absolutely love “My Flower Plates” made by Candyce Grisham from Missouri.  I love medallion style quilts so this quilt really appeals to me.

I am a big fan of Pat Holly’s quilts.  Her workmanship is immaculate.  The name of Pat’s quilt is “Imagining India” and it won second place in the Innovative Applique category.

Group quilts like “The Jennings Homestead” never cease to amaze me.  The idea that 26 members of the Milwaukee Art Quilters from Wisconsin could each make a panel and have it all come together into this incredible quilt is very impressive. This quilt won an honorable mention is the group quilt category.

Here is another incredible group quilt by Aiko Miyata and 15 friends from Tokyo, Japan.  The name of the quilt is “The Beauty of Wild Nature”.  And if I read the information correctly about the quilt the design came about after a trip to Hawaii.

Here is another group quilt.  It won second place.  It was made by Keiko Morihiro and 30 friends from Hyogo, Japan.  The name of  the quilt is “Scenery Through Round Windows”.  Japan was very well represented at the show this year.

“Ocean Blue” was made by Noriko Sato from Japan. It is a stunning quilt.

As I mentioned, Japan was very well represented in the show.  This is yet another exquisite Japanese made quilt.  The maker’s name is Kiyomi Takayangi and the name of the quilt is “Departure”.  This quilt won first place in the Traditional Pieced category.

I’ll have more quilts from the show in Houston to share with you next week.  Have a great week!

I just returned from a very nice trip to Winnipeg, Canada teaching for the Manitoba Prairie Quilters Guild.  You can find out more about the guild at http://www.manitobaprairiequilters.org/.  I have only taught in Canada five times and I have to say my experiences in Canada are always the same…..wonderful quilters.  I did not get to take any photographs of the area because I stayed in the same hotel as the workshops so I was not out and about much.  Considering the snow and cold I have to say it was really nice to only have to take an elevator ride to my classroom.  My view from the hotel was of a new hotel being built so not much to share in the way of pictorial shots but it was nice to see so much new construction going on in the area.  My students, the hotel staff and my guild contacts, Wanda and Trudi, were all great people to be around.  Here is a photo of some of my students in the two day machine applique workshop.

Below are two blocks that were completed in class by some students.  Each did a little work at home the evening between the class days and were able to completely finish their blocks.  We worked from my pattern “Japanese Garden Quilt”.

Joanne Muldrew’s block is just fabulous.

As is Wendy Sommerfeld’s block.

I was so proud of them for doing such a great job.  Lots of ladies in the class had their blocks close to completion and promised to send photos so I can share them in a later blog.

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Shortly after returning from my trip to Canada I received an email from Irene Gagne who is also from Canada.  She sent me a photo of her standing in front of her “Magical Medallions” quilt made using my pattern.  Irene did some nice modifications to the border area on the quilt.  It looks fabulous.  Irene has won two awards in two separate shows.  She won a second place for her hand applique and hand quilting and she also won Best of Show at another show.  Congratulations Irene.  Job well done.

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Here are some more photos of fantastic quilts taken at the International Quilt Show in Houston.

This wonderful traditional quilt was made by Geannine Ott and Marcella Picket from Arkansas.  The name of the quilt is “Four and Twenty Blackbirds”.  Very nicely balanced design and use of color.

Deborah Beatty from California made “Ethereum Botanica: Bromelaids”.   Deborah won second place in the”Digital Imagery” category.

“Flower Quartet” was made by Yasuko Sugaya from Japan.  This quilt won an honorable mention in the “Mixed Techniques” category.  The combination of piecing and applique is impressive.

Here are some close-ups.  Great fabric choices.

Here is another Japanese made quilt.  The makers name is Naoko Takeshita and the name of the quilt is “Green Message”.  This quilt won first place in the “Mixed Techniques” category.

See you next week.

I promised that I would keep you posted on the progress of my guild’s lovely raffle quilt.  On Friday my assistant, Beth, and our guild president, Marty, and I put the top together.  It looks amazing.  To those of you who worked on it….you rock.  The top went together smoothly due to your excellent workmanship.  The quilt will now be marked, basted and handed over to our hand quilters.  I’ll let you know when the tickets are ready…..not until next year sometime.  I am thrilled with the results.  Great  job ladies.

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Below are more quilts from the International Quilt Show in Houston http://www.quilts.com/home/index.php

Kathy York from Austin, Texas made “Tree”.  I loved the colors.  It made me smile.

I really enjoyed looking at “Zoo Inspirations: Fencework” by Connie Fahrion from Nederland, Texas.

I absolutely love this little quilt made by Robin Haller.  The name of the quilt is “The Leprechaun’s Tree”.  You can see the size of the quilt compared to the ribbon.  It is a stunning little quilt. Robin won second place in the Art-Naturescapes category.   Wonderful fabric choices.

“Sequoia Duck Pond” was made by Pat Durbin from Eureka, California.  Here is another example of a great landscape quilt.  It feels like you could just walk into the duck pond.  (Sorry about the plastic strip across the front of the photo but they really frown upon me jumping the strip for a better photo.  The thought has crossed my mind.)

This is an interesting quilt made by Mequmi Mizuno from Japan.  The quilt is entitled “Jazz”.  I am always impressed with the Japanese quilters’ use of fabrics.  This quilt won first place in the Embellished category.

Mary Williams from Australia made one of my very favorite quilts in the show, “Patterns in Nature Triptych-Stripes”.  I love leaves as much as Mary and I really liked the texture, lines and use of fabric.  I know it is sometimes hard to see it in a photo but it is three separate panels.

Kathy McNeil from Tulalip, Washington won first place in the Art-Naturescapes category for her quilt “Natural Wonders”, in yet another impressive landscape style quilt.  Really fantastic use of fabrics to achieve such depth.  You can find out more about Kathy at http://www.kathymcneilquilts.com/  Kathy had another great quilt in the show…birds and snow.  There is a photo on her website.  Check it out.  I loved it.

“Tribute to Rose” was made by Sandra Frufhling and Kathy Emmel from Colorado.  What a great quilt.  And look at the amazing quilting…beautiful.

“Naturally Crazy” was made by Linda Steele from Australia.  What a fun way to layout a crazy quilt design.  You know I love the circles!

And my final quilt from Houston to share in this blog is “Creme de la Creme” made by Connie Keller from Chehalis, Washington.  Bonnie was one of the big prize winners.  She won The Robert S. Cohan Master Award from Traditional Artistry.

Here is a close-up shot.  Impressive workmanship.  You can find out more about Bonnie at http://www.bonniekellerquilts.net/

This past week I went to Saugus, Mass. to visit the Hammersmith Quilting Guild.  I forgot to take photos….kind of.  When I landed the storm hit and the winds were something like 40 miles hour.  I had a light sweater….what was I thinking?  Apparently I was not thinking.  The area of the lecture location lost electricity on the evening of the lecture and about 10 minutes before meeting time the lights came on.  But, many members had already gone home and some never braved the nasty weather.  But, the lecture must go on, so I lectured to around 30 members.  While we were inside it started to snow and during the evening it snowed and rained and then rained and the wind blew some more.  Crazy weather for that area this time of year.  Here’s the thing…my guild contact, Janet, drove me around the area and I have to tell you I really want to go back when the weather is nice.  It looked to be a beautiful place.  You can find out more about the guild at http://www.hqgsaugus.org/

This week I am off to Manitoba, Canada.  I think I’d better take more than a sweater……

This year at the International Quilt Association show (http://www.quilts.org/home.html) held in Houston, Texas,  my quilting partner, Renae Haddadin, and I were fortunate to win one of the top awards.  We won the award called “Maywood Studio Master Award for Innovative Artistry.”  This is our first project together and we are beyond thrilled that it has been so well received.  Here we are at the awards ceremony.  We could hardly stop smiling we were so happy.  I for one am looking forward to many more projects with Renae.

My pattern for this quilt, Fiesta Mexico, is finally in print and ready to ship.  If you are interested check out the book and pattern section in my store.  The pattern will be on sale through November 20th.

I would like to share more from the show.  There are so many fantastic quilts to view.  I will share a hand full in this blog and more in the upcoming weeks.

This quilt, called “Silk” was made by Hollis Chatelain http://www.hollisart.com/  Hollis also won one of the top awards.  She won the “Superior Threads Award for Thread Artistry” and  it was well deserved.

“Fantasy Seedpods” won an Honorable Mention in the Art-Abstract category.  It was made by Elizabeth Camping from Australia.  I really liked the pieced background and the borders…really….I liked the whole quilt.  http://elizabethcamping.blogspot.com/

“Family” by Toshiko Maeda of Japan made this fun quilt.  It won a Judge’s Choice ribbon and a third place in the Art-Whimsical category.

Pauline Salzman from Florida made this cute quilt called “Crime Scene Investigation”.  Pauline often makes quilts using the Weimaraner dogs for her inspiration.  Thanks Pauline for always making quilts that make me smile.  This quilt won second place in the Art-Whimsical category.

And the quilt that won first place in the Art-Whimsical category was made by Janet Stone from Kansas.  The name of this quilt is “Mutton But Letters”.   I always like Janet’s quilts and this one is no exception.

“Chromatic Feathers #1” was made by Caryl Bryer Fallert from Paducah, Kentucky.  I always, always love Caryl’s use of color. http://www.bryerpatch.com/

“Tutti Frutti Village” was made by Susan Bleiweiss of Massachusetts.  She won honorable mention in the Art-Whimsical category.  Another fun quilt.

I will have lots more quilts from Houston in upcoming blogs.

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I wanted to share a beautiful block made by a student in a recent workshop.  Jan Hood sent me this photo of her completed “Heard It Through the Grapevine” block.  Great job Jan.  I love the choice of fabrics and the use of beads.  Thank you very much for sharing your photo.

I am off to the Boston area and will share more fantastic quilts when I return!