Karen Kay Buckley

On March 16 while Karen Comb’s was in New Braunfels, Texas her car was broken into and several of her quilts were stolen.  The more eyes looking for them the better the odds are of Karen getting them back.  If you would be so kind as to click on this link you will be able to see photos of the stolen quilts http://karencombs.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/quilts-stolen/
My heart goes out to Karen.  For a traveling teacher this is one of our biggest fears.

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Onto some better news.  This past week I was lucky to work with the Red Rose Quilters from Lancaster, PA.  If you live any where around the Lancaster area and are looking for a really nice group of people to socialize and quilt with, this would be a great choice.  The program person, Susan Ammerman, is one of the most organized program chairs I have had the pleasure of working with.  I was treated like a queen.  If I lived in this area I would definitely join this guild.  They are offering a lot of interesting speakers and workshops in the upcoming months.  You can find out more about this guild at http://rrqg.wordpress.com/

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I just received an email from another one of my students who took my Garden Medley workshop on the recent cruise in February.   Here is a photo of Jenny’s finished project.    I especially like the fabric choices.  Great job Jenny and thanks for sharing.

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Here are some more of my favorite quilts from the AQS show held in Lancaster this past week.

“Pennsylvania Hearts & Hands” made by Kelley Cunningham from Maryland was another stunner.  Kelley said this  quilt is a reproduction of an antique quilt from York Co., Pennsylvania.  Kelly won an award for the Best Longarm Workmanship.

And you can see why.  You can find out more about Kelley at http://sunporchquilts.com/default.aspx

“Reflections of the Past” was made by Linda Bergmann from California.  Linda made Judy Niemeyer’s 4th of July pattern using Civil War fabrics which turned this New York Beauty block into a nice traditional style quilt.  I liked the entire quilt but especially liked the scrappy border.  Using scraps on the border carried the theme from the center and made a very nice finish.

And then there are some quilts that just put a smile on your face.  V’Lou Oliveira from Oklahoma made “Digger’s Dream Date”.   I always wondered what my dogs were dreaming about when I hear them making little sounds in their sleep…..  Now I know.

“Circles In a Square” was made by Nancy Hahn from St. Peters, MO.  Nancy’s quilt was inspired by a Jacqueline de Jonge pattern called  “Circle of Life”.  I loved the use of color in this quilt.

And the intricacy of the quilt was impressive.

Ann Horton from Redwood Valley, CA made “Southern Borders”.  She said she used Guatemalan fabrics and Central American embroideries.  It was a very bright and cheerie quilt.

And I was very happy to see a great quilt from one of my own guild members, Debra Lohman.  The name of Debra’s quilt is “Happy Birthday Johnny”.  The quilt was made as a dedication to Debra’s grandfather who was born on the 4th of July.   I like the entire quilt, especially the border treatment.  Great job Debra.

And then as I was walking down the isle another quilt caught my eye, ‘Bird in Paradise”.  It was made by Laura Cunningham from Mifflintown, PA.  I know Laura from the Mifflintown guild and have been admiring her work for several years. Very nicely done Laura.  Congratulations on a wonderful quilt.

I’m off to Hagerstown, MD for another adventure.  Until next week…..

Erin Chick who is the daughter of one of my quilt buddies, Marty Jones, is making some beautiful scissors’ fobs for me to sell on my web site.  For those of you unfamiliar with a scissors’ fob…. you attach it to the handle of your scissors.  It identifies the scissors as yours.  For those of you who take workshops you find there are often other students with the same scissors (hopefully the Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Scissors!!) and by placing a unique fob on your scissors handle you always know which ones are yours.  And besides that….they are just fun and fancy hanging on your scissors handle.

Below are some of the new fobs Erin just gave me for the web site.  They would make great gifts for your quilting friends and secret pals.

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I received an email from Janet Brown.  She asked for my permission to exhibit a quilt she made using some of my designs from my “Magical Medallions” patterns.  Janet’s quilt has been juried into Paducah this year.  Of course I said yes….if she allowed me to share a picture of her quilt with you.  The photo of the quilt actually took my breath away.  Imagine what it will do when seen in person.  Jan, I wish you all the best and hope you come away with a grand prize.

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The American Quilter’s Society held their annual show in Lancaster, PA this week…..only about an hour from my house….nice.  You can find out more about the show and see a full list of the winners on their website http://www.americanquilter.com  I thought I would share some of my favorite quilts.

“Homage to Provence” was made by Andrea Perejda from California.  According to the information I read it took Andrea two years to create this hand made masterpiece.  Stunning.

You can out more about Andrea at http://www.andiperejda.com/

This next quilt, “Let’s Start”, was made by Ikuyo Kitada from Japan.  Ikuyo won a third place in the Wall Quilts-Hand Quilted category.

I loved everything about this quilt..the design, the quilting, the fabric choices…everything.

I was impressed with the amount of quilts at this show that were made in a traditional style, using traditional fabrics.  Maybe because of my love for the antique quilts from Pennsylvania I admire the new quilts that reflect our past.

Mandi Burell made “Birds in Hand” which had some beautiful machine quilting.

“Compass No. 6 The Freedom Quilt” was made by Chris Taricani from Connecticut.  Nice patriotic color scheme.  Chris won a second place in the Bed Quilts-Hand Quilted category.

Pauline Warren from Ohio made “Bias Pomegranate”.  I have an antique quilt with this Pomegranate pattern and loved seeing it made in new fabrics.  Pauline won an Honorable Mention in the Bed Quilt-Hand Quilted category.

Jennifer Emry from Virginia made “Radiant Star” which was inspired by an antique quilt she saw in a museum.

Then we come to this amazing quilt called “American, Let It Shine” made by Sherry Reynolds from Wyoming.  Sherry has 5,121 Swarovski crystals, representing the total number of words in the Constitution, The Star Spangled Banner, The Pledge of Allegiance and the # of years the United States has been a country.

Check out the detail.  Sherry won the award for Best Machine Workmanship.

I’ll have more quilts from the show to share with you next week.  Until then…………….

“Moon Over Manifest” by Clare Vanderpool  is classified as children’s fiction.  Since it was highly recommended I thought I’d give it a try and I’m so glad I did.  I really enjoyed this book.  The story starts as Abilene Tucker is on a train by herself going to live with friends of her father while he is working on a train job.  Abilene has been on trains before with her father and knows that jumping off prior to your stop allows you to check out the lay of the land, so she does just that.  She jumps off outside of Manifest, Kansas.  When she gets settled in Abilene finds a cigar box full of mementos.  Abilene meets some young girls her age and they develop a relationship while trying to find out more about the box of mementos.  I too would highly recommend this sweet book.

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My next read was  “Secret Servant” by Danial Silva. It is a mystery/thriller.  Numerous people have recommended Danial Silva to me but I think this is the first book of his that I have read. Gabriel Allon, a reoccurring character in Silva’s novels,  is an officer in the Israeli Intelligence and an art restorer, is sent on what should have been a simple assignment to Amsterdam.  It leads him into the Islamic Underground and to a kidnapping.  I had a little trouble getting into this book as I was unfamiliar with the characters, but once I got into it I was hooked.  I have downloaded some more of his books to read so that tells you something.

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“French Lessons” by Ellen Sussman was next on my list.  The premise of the book is a single day in Paris and how it changes the lives of three Americans as they set off to explore the city with a French tutor.  Josie is a young high school teacher who came to Paris to heal a broken heart.  Riley, an expat housewife is struggling to reconnect with her husband.  Jeremy is the husband of a renowned actress and is accompanying his wife on a film shoot.  The lives of the three tutors come into play also which made this a very interesting read.  There are some sexually explicit parts.  Just so you know.

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Diane Klassen took my “Ocean Sunrise” class on the recent Panama Canal cruise and emailed me these two photos.  She had her quilt finished within a short time of returning home.

And she said her cat, Smudge, loves the quilt!  And Smudge is so darn cute.

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My travels this past week took me to two, Tampa area guilds.  First I visited the Cypress Creek Quilters.  I had taught for this guild about 3 years ago and love it when I get invited back.  First we did a hand applique workshop.  Here are some of the ladies hard at work.

And then the next day I taught a machine applique workshop, Oriental Flowers.

I met Cathleene Tokish when I last visited the Cypress Creek Quilters.  This past fall Cathleene opened her own quilt shop.  Being a previous quilt shop owner I wanted to see Cathleene’s new shop, Sweet Darling Quilt Shop, named after her granddaughter. Looks inviting from the outside.

Here are some views of the inside of the shop. Great fabric selection.

Nice displays all over the shop.

If you are ever in the vicinity of Lutz, Florida I would suggest you make a side trip to Sweet Darling Quilt Shop.

I then made my way to the Heart N’ Hand quilt guild in Crystal River, Florida.  Judy picked me up and we had a very nice drive.  I had a great time and liked everyone from this small applique guild of 27 members.  I was having such a wonderful time that I forgot to take photos. I hope they forgive me as  I hate it when I forget.  So sorry ladies.  Just know that I had a fabulous time and was treated very well and would love to go back again.

Then I went back to Cypress Creek to give a lecture.  The president of the guild, Jeanie, is also the person who picked me up at the airport.  Jeanie is one wonderful and fun person.  Jeanie had the ladies in the guild wear funny St. Patrick’s Day themed hats and had them parade around the room to get the meeting started.  Then the guild voted by applause for their favorite and a prize was awarded.  It was a great way to start the meeting and made everyone laugh.

And here’s…..Jeanie

What a fun group.

Some of the ladies even had their blocks finished from the machine applique workshop.

This coming week is the AQS show in Lancaster, PA.  Maybe I’ll see some of you there.

Our last stop of the cruise was in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.  Joe, Carolyn, Mary Lou and I hired a taxi for the day and went on an adventure.  We had a Spanish speaking taxi driver and an English translator as part of the package.  Costa Ricans are proud to tell you that they have no army and primary school is compulsory for all children and free of cost so their illiteracy rate is only 10%.

As we headed toward the mountains our driver spotted  a group of about 10 Howler Monkeys in a tree.  I have never seen Howler Monkeys before.  It was fascinating to look up at them and see how unafraid they were and how calm and peaceful they were.  They really are a beautiful animal.

As we were driving along the road we saw a young man with a sloth.  Now, we heard there were sloths in Costa Rica but the odds of seeing one were slim to none because they are shy and stay well hidden.  Our English speaking guide told us it is illegal to have them as pets and you can actually go to jail for having one as a pet.  So when we saw this young man along the road we pulled over and talked to him.  He allowed us to pet the sloth.  The sloth’s coat looked as if it would be a very stiff type of hair but it was as soft as my dog’s fur.

Now I’m not saying this young man has this sloth as a pet but they certainly have been hanging out together.  Look how the sloth looks into his eyes.  Now that’s real love on both of their parts.  Seeing the sloth and getting to touch it was truly a highlight of the day.

Our next stop was a  horse farm with wonderful gardens.  The flowers were so bright and big you could not miss them.   I love the foliage in this part of the world.  It might be because I don’t see these types of flowers where I live.

Another thing we saw in the gardens were these very large bird nests.  They reminded me of a Baltimore Orioles nest but on steroids.  I’d never seen anything like it.  There were probably 20 of these nests in a small area.

The birds that reside in these amazing nests are called Montezuma oropendulas.  According to our guide the female will move from nest to nest until she finds the one she likes the best and then she moves in with her new boyfriend!  So the one with the best house wins. Their bright yellow tails were impressive as well as the marks on their faces.

Then we were off to the Del Monte banana plantation.  I had no idea what the banana I eat every single day for breakfast went through before it got to me.  Here we are at the edge of the plantation with our guide.

Our guide showed us one of the flowers from the banana tree.  As she lifted some petals we could see the little yellow long sections.  There are many of these in the flower and each group becomes a bunch of bananas.

Employees walk through the trees/plantation and when the bananas are ripe enough they cut these very large clusters of bananas, which weigh maybe 100 pounds, and then clip them onto a line that gets pulled into the washing, sorting and packing area.  As we were standing there watching this operation a young man, maybe in his 30’s, was pulling a line of probably 25 very large clusters of bananas into the work area.  He walked slowly and was leaning forward to get the momentum he needed to pull this very, very heavy line of bananas.  Another group of friends went to a different plantation and told us a mule pulled the bananas.  Interesting.  All the bananas were covered with a thin blue plastic.  We were told the blue plastic covers were placed on the bananas to protect them from birds, monkeys and pesticides as they are maturing.

In the trees there were hundreds of large spiders.  And I am not exaggerating.  So guess what?  This is not a job for me.  No thank you.  I’d rather teach quilt classes.  I hate spiders. Especially large spiders!

These large clusters of bananas are then cut into smaller bunches and tossed into clean water to remove any pesticides that may have gotten through the plastic and personally I think to get rid of any spiders.  Workers then cut them into bunches like we see in the grocery store.  Each worker handles the bunches to check for any damaged bananas.  If there are any marks of any kind on the exterior skin they are quickly sliced from the bunch.  The knives they use are extremely sharp and you can tell the workers have done this many times before.  They move quickly and efficiently.  The damaged bananas are gently tossed onto a conveyor.  We were told there are 3 levels of bananas as far are the workers are concerned.  The most damaged or marked are kept in one area to be used for baby food.  Since the fruit inside is good and only the exterior looks bad the fruit can still be put to good use.  The second level, slight markers or starting to ripen, are kept in their country.  The best bananas are shipped to the United States and the United Kingdom in one of those large containers on one of those large ships I showed in my previous email.  I now appreciate my breakfast banana a whole lot more.

Our next day on the ship was another “at sea” day as the ship is now heading back to Fort Lauderdale.  I taught a machine applique workshop for my final class.  Here is Cindy hard at work.

And later that day we had a show and tell for the students to bring their projects they worked on during the classes or projects they made on previous cruises. Here are some of my students from the “Ocean Sunrise” workshop. Kim was holding my finished quilt so those attending could see what the students might make with their blocks.

I think every person in our group would agree the cruise was fabulous.  And most of us would say that our trousers are tighter due to the good food served on board!  Check out www.quiltcruises.com to see the cruises coming up in the next year or two.  My next cruise with this group will be in April of 2013 to Japan and China.  I have never been in that part of the work and am anxious for another adventure.  Come join us.

After we departed from Curacao we had another “at sea” day for classes.  I forgot to take photos that day so you’ll have to trust me when I tell you it was another good day.  Our class was in the upper dinning room with windows all along one side so we had good light for our hand applique workshop.  Below is a photo from the final day of show and tell.  This is what some students finished in the workshop and some did a little sewing between class day and the last day and….

some students brought their projects which they had finished after taking this workshop on the cruise last year.  I love seeing them finished.

Each evening when we returned to our suite the staff would have our bed covers pulled down, our pillows fluffed, some chocolates on our bed and a towel animal, different each night, on the bottom of our bed.   I think Joe should do this for me now that I am at home!!  Right?

It was around 6am the following day that we entered the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal is a lock-type canal approximately 50 miles long uniting the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans at one of the narrowest points of both the Isthmus of Panama and the American Continent.  The canal officially opened in 1914 and since then more than 900,000 vessels have transited the waterway.  There are six sets of locks, each having two lanes, which elevate ships 85 feet above sea level to the level of the Gatun Lake into which they pass.  The ships use their own propulsion and are assisted in the locks by electric locomotives.

We were already in the first lock and this is the ship entering the lane beside us in the canal. The ship tosses lines to the small boats on either side of them.  (I’d rather be in the big ship than the little boat!)

The boats bring the lines to the locomotives on either side.

The locomotives assist the ships through the canal.

The ships are within inches of the side of the canal.  I would not want the job of driving the ship at this stage of the game.  Just look how close they are to the sides of the canal.  Yikes!

Here is a nice photo of the locks.

See the difference in water levels between the two ships?

We went through the canal and then hung out in the lake for awhile and then went back through the canal.  A short distance from there we docked in Colon, Panama.  We were only there for about 3 hours so we just got off the ship and walked around the local shops.  And what do you think I found????  I found molas!  For those of you unfamiliar with this type of hand work they are made by the Kuna women in the San Blas Islands.  According to Wikipedia the mola forms started as part of a traditional costume of a Kuna woman.  Two mola panels were constructed to form the front and back of a blouse.  In Dulegaya, the Kuna’s native language, “mola” means “shirt” or “clothing”.  The technique started between 170 to 150 years ago.  Molas are hand made using a reverse applique technique.  Here are a couple of the molas that I purchased.

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BOOK REVIEW

“Point, Click and Quilt” by Susan Brubaker Knapp is a fabulous book. I took it along on my trip so I had something to read at the beginning and end of the flight when you cannot use your electronic books.  I am glad I took this book.  It not only has great content but the photography is excellent.  It’s like eye candy.  You just want to keep looking and looking and looking at the photos.  Susan’s book is about taking photos and turning them into great quilts.  She spends time at the beginning of the book talking about how to shoot great photos, design and composition and the supplies you’ll need.  After the instructional portion of the book there are 16 fusible applique projects.  Susan also talks adding threads and more to make your quilts come to life.

Over the past several years I’ve photographed several of Susan’s quilts which were hanging at quilt shows and included them in my blog because I think her work is eye catching and interesting.  And her quilts usually have a ribbon attached to them because the judges must have liked them as much as I do.

To order and to see more of Susan’s work go to http://www.bluemoonriver.com/

In the next blog I’ll share with you our final stop on the cruise, Costa Rica.  It might have been the best stop on the cruise…..  You’ll have to come back to find out why.

Again I have another incredible student project to share with you.  Lynn Frostman completed Magical Medallions-Block One after taking a workshop with me.  She said it is the most challenging project she has made thus far.  And after all of her incredible work she gave it to a friend as a wedding gift.  I think you’ll all agree…I wish I was Lynn’s friend!

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I am very fortunate to have been able to take some incredible trips to teach quilting.  I do not take my good fortune for granted but instead I try to embrace it.  This cruise to the Panama Canal was one of those incredible trips.  It started on February 6th when we sailed on the ms Zuiderdam from the port in Fort Lauderdale.  The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day to sail the seas.  This cruise was organized by Kim and Amy from www.quiltcruises.com.  Since Kim and Amy have done this many times before they are wonderfully organized and a pleasure to work with.

Our first stop on the cruise was at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.  This area is owned by the cruise lines, Holland America.  It’s truly a day of R &R.  There is nothing to do but sit on the beach or under an umbrella and relax.  Or you could stay on the ship and sit by the pool.  Ahhhhhh!  Great way to start the cruise.

The second say is what is referred to as an “at sea” day.  That means the ship is moving, nice and slow, to our next port.  The “at sea” days are the days when the quilt classes are scheduled.  My first class was “Ocean Sunrise”.  It seemed very appropriate for the cruise.  Here are some of my students enjoying the class and the ocean view outside our windows.  The sewing machines were provided by our on board quilt shop http://www.quiltworksnw.com/.  Every time I have cruised with Kim and Amy there is a quilt shop on board with a minimum amount of goodies for the students.  I think it is really wonderful that Pam and Chardel from the shop come and bring the machines and have them all set-up for the students.  Pam even offered to do a demo on the machines the day before class for anyone unfamiliar with Bernina machines.  Everyone associated with the quilt group does everything they can to make your time enjoyable.  Having the machines brought on board so each student does not have to bring a machine is greatly appreciated.

The three other quilt teachers on the ship were Christine Porter http://www.christineporterquilts.com/.  Chris and I had cruised together once before from Montreal, Canada to Boston.  Chris is from the United Kingdom and has a lovely accent which I could listen to all day.  Mary Lou Weidman, who I also cruised with once before in the Caribbean, was also teaching on this trip http://www.marylouquiltdesigns.com/.  Mary Lou is also a pleasure to be around.  Her bright cheerie smile and great stories will keep you intrigued.  The other teacher on this cruise was Kathy Kansier.  You can find out more about Kathy at  http://kathykansier.com/.  It was a pleasure spending time with all of the other teachers and the comments I heard from the students about each teacher was excellent. Here we are on our final evening with our fearless leader, Kim on the far right.

Our next stop was Oranjestad, Aruba.  We had stopped there last year on our quilting cruise so I decided to hit the jewelry shops downtown since Joe and I had toured the island just last year.  There are lots and lots of jewelry stores in Aruba to keep you occupied for an afternoon.  Aruba is a beautiful island with excellent beaches and offers a lot to tourists.

And then the next day we were in Bonaire.  This is Joe’s favorite island because of the diving.  Joe has been lucky enough to scuba dive in many places and still says that Bonaire is one of the very best because of the reefs and the visibility.  From my perspective….if you are not a diver there is not much on Bonaire which is OK with me.  It gave me a day to sit by the pool and read.  They have a little area of locally made crafts right off the ship so I checked those out and purchased a beautiful necklace from a local glass artist.

And then we were off to Willemstad, Curacao.  I love this island.  We spent a day here last year.  I think this is the best of the “ABC” islands.  The island is simply beautiful.  The homes are nicely maintained and painted in the just the perfect colors for the island. And the people are very kind and helpful.  I may have said this last year when I blogged about Curacao, but it’s worth saying again, I could take a weeks vacation on this island without any trouble.

There is artwork painted on the outside of buildings all around town.  I love it.  It brings a smile to my face. The first is by Andre Nagtegaal. You may find out more at his website http://andrenagtegaal.exto.org

Can you guess who’s butts these belong too?  Our outfits were nicely coordinated with the painting!  We could not resist.

Here is another piece of art painted on the outside of a building.  I just love it. It was painted by one of the island’s best known artists “Nena Sanchez”  www.nenasanchez.com  It makes the whole area like walking through an art gallery.

Here are some other colorful sites from Curacao.  Road side vendors…

This is what they call the “floating market”.  There are boats with fresh fruits and vegetables along one of the streets in town.

Even may of the trucks around town were beautifully painted on the exterior.

Here is a view from the place where we stopped for lunch. If you are in Curacao you should definitely stop at Zest to dine.  The food was excellent and the waiters weren’t bad to look at either!  You are never too old to look!

This dimensional artwork is in one of the alleyways.  Really fascinating.

The colors in the local art, the vendors, the houses and the views on this island are inspiring.  A great place to visit.

I have lots more to share with you from the cruise in the next blog.  I had never been to the Panama Canal before and I was amazed at how it works.  And our final stop in Costa Rica was very enlightening also.

If you have ever thought about taking a quilting cruise stop thinking about it and book it.  You will not regret it.  It is a great time to bond with old friends and to make a lot of new friends as well.  Until next week….

Today I received this wonderful email from Alison Mueller.  She used a now out of print pattern of mine, “Vegetable Garden” to complete a project for her sister and brother-in-law.  She added 3 blocks of her own, as the original pattern had only 6 blocks.  Alison said that her sister grows all of these veggies in her garden.  I am so proud of Alison for making a really nice quilt for her sister.  Thanks Alison for sharing.  I know your sister and brother-in-law are going to love it.  And I want to add that Alison designed her own border.  Great job!

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And now for some more quilts from Houston.

Kayoko Hata from Japan received an honorable mention for her quilt “Galaxy”.

The detail on this quilt was very impressive.  For those of us who do this type of hand applique we can certainly appreciate the time it took to get this result.

“Oriental Triptych” was made by Karen Huggler from South Carolina.  I loved this quilt.  I loved the colors, design in the blocks and the layout.  Excellent.

Here is a close-up shot of one of the blocks.

I am a big fan of Claudia Clark Myers and Marilyn Badgers quilts.  And “Crown Jewel” did not let me down.  Awesome quilt.

Just look at the detail.

Marilyn, your quilting is killer.  To find out more about Marilyn go to http://www.apqs.com/artists_marilynb.php

“Words of Wisdom” was made by Yuko Kita from Japan and won a second place ribbon in the Mixed Techniques category.

Check out this close-up shot.

This year at the International Quilt Association show there was a new, one time, category called “Spirit of Texas Award”.  It was in celebration of Texas’ 175th anniversary of Independence.  “Holy Cow” was the winner.  It was made by Jennifer Day from Santa Fe, New Mexico.  You can find out more about Jennifer and see more of her quilts at http://jdaydesign.com/art_portraits.html

Until next time…..

Joe and I sometimes take cooking classes at our local “Kitchen Shoppee” www.kitchenshoppe.com  here in Carlisle.  We took a class a couple of weeks ago on cooking Pacific Northwest foods.  One of our favorite things was a salad with lemon dressing.  Just writing about it makes my mouth water.  I have modified the original recipe after testing it at home.  Here goes.

SPINACH SALAD WITH LEMON DRESSING

2 lemons, Meyer if you can find them

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon shallots

1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Meyer lemon infused olive oil

6 ounces spinach

1/2 cup crumbled feta

With a zester, remove the skin from 2 lemons.  Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan and add the lemon zest.  Bring water to boil, stir until sugar is dissolved and cover.  Remove pan from heat and allow liquid to cool to room temperature.

Transfer the lemon mixture to a small mixing bowl through a fine-meshed sieve.  Remove the sieve and discard the rinds.

Add the shallots and vinegar to the bowl and whisk well.  Continue to whisk while adding the oil, a few drops at a time.

For the salad, clean and cut spinach into small pieces.  Sprinkle some feta crumbles on top along with some dressing and enjoy!

Some additions to consider…craisins (excellent) or some fresh cut strawberries.

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Patricia Votruba sent me this photo of her finished project after taking my Garden Medley workshop this fall.  It turned out beautifully.  Thanks for sharing Patricia.

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I know, if you read my blog regularly you would think that I have shown you all the quilts I photographed in Houston at the International Quilt Association Show, but no, I still have more photos to share.

“Roseate Spoonbill at the Shore” was made by Melanie Marr from Houston, Texas.  I am always impressed when someone can take a color, like the white head and neck, and give it such depth and dimension.  Impressive.

Susan Brubaker Knapp from Mooresville, North Carolina made “Maximum Cat Nap”.  Again, I am impressed when someone can make cat hair look so real that I want to touch it.  By using thread Susan is able to achieve the look of real hair.  Again, I am impressed.  Check out Susan’s website to see more of  her wonderful work http://www.bluemoonriver.com/

Karen Eckmeier from Kent, Conn. made “Tiny Town” and the pieces were in fact really tiny.  To find out more about Karen visit her site at http://www.kareneckmeier.com/  I liked how Karen extended the center design into the border.  Very nicely done.

Susan Schlotzhauer from Colorado Springs, CO made “Really “Wild” Flowers! Second Season”.    It looked to me like this would have been a quilt that was really fun to make.

It does not show well in the photo but several areas of the quilt are dimensional which added a nice touch.

And on top of all of that was exceptional quilting.

This quilt brought a smile to my face.  It is called “Rare Birds” and was made by Rachel Wetzler.  It won 3rd place in the Art Whimsical category.  To see more of Rachel’s work go to  http://rachelwetzlerquilts.blogspot.com/  If I got the story correct Rachel meets with some other professional quilters once a month and she made each bird to reflect some of each of her friends characters.  Very creative ideas.

This next quilt was made by Gail Stepanek and Ronda K Beyer of New Lenox, Illinois.  The name of the quilt is “Me and My Shadow” and it won second place in the Traditional Pieced category.

Look at the details on this quilt.  The quilting is ah-mazing.

Until next time….

This past Saturday I had a very enjoyable morning with the Lemoyne Star Quilters from Mechanicsburg, PA.  It was wonderful to only have to travel about 20 minutes from my house.  Here are some of the ladies hard at work.

The guild meets in a retirement community all-purpose room.  So there was lots of room and pretty good lighting for a hand applique workshop.  One of my favorite things about this workshop was seeing some quilting students/friends that I had not seen in a long time.  Kathy and Cathy met in one of my quilting classes a long time ago and are still quilting together.  They reminded me it was 23 years ago that they met in one of my classes.  But I don’t believe them!  Have I really been teaching that long?  I’m not that old…am I?   Don’t answer that please.

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I finished another good book this week, Robin Cook’s, Crisis.  If you are not familiar with Robin Cook he writes medical mystery/thriller  books.  When one of Dr. Craig Brown’s patients dies and he is sued, things change for the doctor.  Dr. Brown had been enjoying a concierge medical practice.  He provides 24 hour availability and personal attention to patients even going to their homes when necessary.  At the request of Dr. Brown’s wife, Alexis, her brother, Jack, who is a medical examiner comes to help his sister and brother-in-law to determine the cause of death.   Interesting book.

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When Joe and I were staying on the Outer Banks at the end of December Joe suggested we take a one day trip to the town of Edenton, North Carolina’s colonial capital.  Joe had read about this quaint little town and wanted to investigate.  What we was found was very interesting to say the least.  The town sits on the water and has some of the most fabulous older homes.

And when we stopped at the local artisan shop the ladies in the shop were so very pleasant.  When we asked where to eat they recommended the chef at Cafe 350, just a block or so down the street, was very good.  We strolled down the street and sure enough those ladies were correct.  The food was excellent.

After we ate we drove around the town some more and continued to see more fantastic older nicely maintained homes.  Living in an older home I know the maintenance that is involved in keeping up with a home this old.

Living on the water like this would be so calming.  I bet the people who live her have really low blood pressure!

If you are ever in the area you definitely want to stop and visit Edenton, North Carolina.  You will not regret your stop.

I just added a couple of new products to the site that you’ll want to check out.

After many of my customers purchased the “Perfect Circles” I began receiving requests for ovals.  It has taken a while to have them made as the process was more difficult than the circles.  But, finally they are here.  “Perfect Ovals” can be used exactly like the “Perfect Circles” and the directions are on the paper insert included with the ovals.  Just like the circles, the ovals are made from a heat resistant plastic so you can use them with an iron on a medium heat setting.  I use ovals for grapes and I’ve made lots and lots of flower petals using an oval shape.  I’m confident you will find even more uses for them.  The new “Perfect Ovals” are on the store page, on the same page as the circles.  Each package contains 20 ovals.  There are 10 sizes and you get 2 of each size.

My other new product is called “Perfect Pulls”.  I am working with a local glass artist, Deborah Feller.  You can see more of her work at www.letortglass.com.  Deborah is designing the glass for each of the pulls.  Each retractable pull is unique and one-of-a-kind.  They are stunning.  I’ve been using my pull with my scissors.  I attach my scissors to the plastic loop and then clip the pull onto my clothing.  When I am hand or machine sewing and need to clip a thread I simply pull the scissors down, clip and done.  I find that I save time by not having to look for my scissors.  Another great use for the pulls would be to hold your name badge/ID.  I know a lot of you work where a name badge is required.  This lovely pull would not only be an attractive accessory but functional as well.  There are lots of pulls to choose from on the website.  Again, they are in the store section on their own page.

I’ve also added a thimble to the site.  You’ll find those in the “More Recommended Notions” section.  Over the years I’ve been asked many times if I use a thimble while I am hand appliqueing.  And my answer is, “If I am only demonstrating in class or sewing for a short time then I don’t usually use a thimble.  But, if I plan to sit and stitch for awhile then I find I really need a thimble”.  My thimble of choice is the Thimblepads.  I’ve been using them for many, many years.  The idea is that you peel off a little circle from the paper and stick it on you thimble finger.  You can take it off and reuse it many times over.  The large package of thimblepads include some extra pieces of adhesive circles which you can place on the back of the thimble to extend the live.  It also includes a nice little holder in which to store the thimbles.  When you get on the store page you’ll see where you can order the thimbles separately also.

______________________________________________________________________________________________ I love it when I get photos of either finished projects or finished quilt tops.  Judy Boykin from Florida took a couple of workshops with me in Houston in November.  She took her Garden Medley pattern and turned it into a nice pillow.  I do not believe anyone has used this pattern for a pillow before and I must admit I really like it.  Very nice work Judy.

Here is what Judy said about her apple quilt ” After taking your borders by design class/lecture in Houston, I made
this quilt for my great niece.  Adding the appliquéd apples in the border really turned this quilt into something special (the blocks were pre-printed panels from a storybook); however it took longer to do the border than it did to assemble the body of the quilt.  It was loved and my great niece will cherish it so was well worth the time and effort.”

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Carol Dickson shared this photo with me.  This is a from the Fiesta Mexico-Block Three workshop.  Carol said she learned a lot in the workshop.   And she ended up with a really nice little wall hanging to boot.  Thanks to Carol for sharing her wonderful finished project.

Have a great week.  Talk to you soon.