I'm a Katharine!

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You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.


• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.


• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.


• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.


• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.


• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down


• * being spontaneous and free-spirited


• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.


• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place


• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures


• * having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want


• * not completing things I start


• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career


• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies


• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome


• * drum up excitement


• * prefer being with other children to being alone


• * finesse their way around adults


• * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

• * are often enthusiastic and generous


• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life


• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

It figures too, since DH is always calling me by his pet nickname of Kate. He's been doing this whenever I wear my hair up. Hmmm....How did he know? Jane

Not much to report

With the bronchitis/asthma flair up, I've been down for the past week. Went to the Dr's on Friday so had a nebulizer treatment which helped me to breathe. The Dr. ended up giving me a script for a home machine with medicine for it and an antibiotic just in case since it was Friday and the coming weekend. Did try to clear up my lungs with the asthma rx and realized it wasn't getting that much better, so DH filled my antibiotic RX yesterday. Slept most of the day and even this morning. But am finally starting to feel better and can move a little without feeling like I have to cough up a LUNG!
I did complete all the embroideries for the Noah's Ark wallhanging so now just need to trim them. Then to sew fabric with a log cabin style frame around each one and assemble it together so I can finish it. (KISS Jane!) Don't try to do more with it and let it be.

While at Wadhams, I brought an embroidery I did several years ago of a basket of flowers on a pretty light yellow plaid fabric. I love the simplicity of that design, but I couldn't figure out how I should finish it. I always seem to want to make these never ending projects and complicate things. Enough! A good friend laid it out with a couple of sample fabrics she had used in a quilt and it was beautiful just like that. Duhhhhh! Why didn't I think of that. She used just a little frame of a brown wood tone fabric with a darker burgandy fabric for the outer border and binding. Perfect. So she actually has scraps that will work. Nice! A piece of "Trudy" will be in my Wallhanging.
This photo is of my postage stamp basket table topper that I have on display for our Easter season. I started doing these basket blocks and initially thought it would be beautiful as a quilt. Well the blocks are 4" square, suffice to say, I finished 17 blocks. Said "hey girl, just finish it and simplifly things". Two (2) blocks were rejected because their coloring was off for the Easter and springtime theme. So actually made one more block that would work and used this quilt topper as a stippling skillbuilder. I had fun machine stippling this. I actually did 2 basket blocks with the free form feathers though, shhhh! don't tell anyone that there is a duplicate pattern. It's my design decision. No one has noticed yet and I've showed many of my quilty friends this piece and it being a skillbuilder with different designs. So no one's the wiser, Except of course you and me (Wicked grin here). The last photo I hope you'll be able to see some of the stitching better than the larger picture. The bloc k on the upper right has what I call the olives aka double loopy loops. Oh, this was also a chance for me to try to do some trapunto. It makes the baskets quite puffy on the table top though, but with the stippling in the background, I enjoyed doing and learning this technique. What do they say, easy peasy!
Stay Well,
JAne

Back from WWW of Wadhams.

Had a great time at the most recent "wild, wonderful and wacky women of Wadham's retreat". Friends of mine have been organizing this retreat since it's inception about 3 years ago. What a fantastic time. The main area where the sewing is done is a large conference room with 20+ tables scattered through out. There are clusters of 3-5 tables so enough room for 3-6 women to sew at each cluster of tables. There are also 2 addlitional rooms available during the day for laying out quilt tops, or for lounging and doing some hand work. One large table was set for the cutting out and/or measuring borders and larger projects. Besides that, there were other larger surface areas available besides the floor, such as the ping-pong table, a pool table and a foos ball table for draping our quilt tops on.
Friendship, fellowship, creativity was abound wherever you looked. Many women went for walks, shopping excursions, yoga sessions, singing in the chapel on the premises, sewing, resting and of course eating. All meals were provided from Friday night through Sunday lunch time and each and every year, Marie and Jeff do an incredible job making all of us feel welcome and creating sustainable feasts for every palette.

It was nice to reconnect with the many friends you meet through years, all the while still staying focused a little bit on progressing the UFO's each person brings to progress on.


I brought way too much.... again. I always think I'll be able to accomplish much than I actually do. Perhaps if I wasn't visiting as much as I did that I could of, but what would be the fun of that? Exactly! So I really am thrilled of what I did do and especially seeing and reconnecting with my friends.
* Actually finished the Disappearing 9 Patch flimsy including the borders added and the piping and binding all cut and sewn together ready to assemble. I didn't measure, just did a rough estimate so I can only hope the dark blue binding that matches the quilt will be enough on hand. If not, I'll have to be creative. Time will tell. Now to wait for the minkee delivery so it will be finished.
* Did get the doll blanket front and back all pieced together. I need to layer that, quilt and then bind it and then I'll show you a picture of it.
* Sewed 2 pillowcases for Christmas gifts.
* Was able to cut out 7 flannel crib sheets for PGS#3's bedding. Figured it would be the easiest to do there while having a large table available. Those I did, while every one else had mostly left, and only the last few stragglers were packing up to leave.
* Finished the Arc block on the Noah's Arc stitcheries and ablre to start on the next one while watching 2 movies. The movies were: The Secret Lives of Bees and Frozen River. The last one was based on a mother of 3 children, overwhelmed by debts, chossing to smuggle humans across the border via the Mohawk Land and was filmed in this area. Sipping wine, narrating and sewing with friends. Wonderful.

I won't list the additional projects that I brought to work on, but believe me, I think there were about 5-6 more. I'm glad I left those in the car as a just in case I finished all the others listed above, besides another baby quilt kit I had brought in my main case.

I easily could have stayed to sew those up too, but with the 3 hours ride home, I thought it would be best to leave so I'd get home around 6pm. Maybe the next time I'll try to go for one more day. that way I'd have 2 full days of sewing instead of only 1, and that day I went with friends to a local quilt shop that has wonderful Kona solids for $4.50 a yard. Was able to pick up 8 yards of one solid burgandy color and a 10 yard piece of a pistachio color. Both legit buys of course! Hehehe.

Unpacking today, laundry, watching grandchildren, and catching my breath.
Stay Well and follow your bliss.
Jane

Getting Ready....and in a quandary

Some days the pain and discomfort I am in are just too much. I know I'll be living with this for the rest of my life and I just need to push on. AND that is exactly what I've been doing.

This is a picture of my D9P all together and showed it to my daughter, since it will be in her house and for her #1 son. The size now is 46" by 46". Checking with her preferences for what border colors she prefers in which ever order. She'd like it a little longer, could I do it. Yes, so back to do more D9P rows to make it so. Darn, I'll need to iron more fabric, sometimes I think that's the worst task, moving things around to make room for the ironing board! I'm not sure which border treatment though. Any recommendations?
Since I'm getting ready to go away on a retreat shortly, perhaps I'll bring that project to work on.

The project #5 for the UFO challenge through my Mom's guild still needs to get a pieced backing for the long lines table runner. I'll probably do that too while away. I don't think it will take too long, whenever I make up my mind of exactly what to do. It still is percolating in brain(pib).

While I was waiting to check with daughter, I did start a little doll blanket for PG#1. I'm using soiree charm pack pictured above and I got my pattern from the Moda Bake Shop. The top is pieced, now all I need to complete is to piece the back. Boy, that seems like my current trend. Need to break that record!

A-shopping I JUST went, got to love the internet. I just bought some minkee fabrics for the D9P backing and for another baby blanket I am taking to my retreat. The last one is from Thimble Blossoms called "Baby Mine", proceeds of that went to Quilt for a cause with Juvenile Diabetes. (A great-nephew of mine has had this since age 2. What a doll he is. Both he and his Mom are so good about doing all things necessary for this challenge. WHen discovered his Blood sugar was around 700. Yikes!) Anyways, ordered 2 yards of minkee in 2 different colors for the backings of both quilts. With S&H it comes to $53.00. Not bad and it's a legit buy from the no-buy challenge I'm participating with this year through the stashbuster group I belong too.

Blessings
Jane

Disappearing nine patch

Oh, on the organization of my studio- I found a 3 drawer unit not badly priced at a local retailer. I bougth 2 to stack on top of each other. I had tape measure in hand and knew the space available to help with this latest effort. I think it will work. Maybe just a hair off...........2 days ago, emptied out my messy corner near the design wall to "slip" this 3 drawer unit into. NO GO! Called son who lives next door and had the day off, please come and help, I thinking with a little muscular persuasion they'll nudge in quite nicely. NOPE! I need to shift all the cabinets on that wall 1" maybe 2" to make sure the drawer will be fully operational.
SO- I did the first short cabinet with the machine embroidery stuff, c/d and radio and dvd, software storage. Emptied it, cleaned it and moved it down. Today, I'll
do the next shorter cabinet with the TV, all quilt related books, gloves, boxes of hand quilting thread.....

My plan is to try to tackle one cabinet every day or two so I can fit in those drawers for easier storage. There were 6 plastic totes piled on one another and it seems like no matter what order they were in, I always needed the one on the bottom. With the drawers - yippee! No longer will it be a problem. The empty plastic totes I'll use for my decorator fabrics, dress making fabrics, to store down in the basement. I have other totes there already, but I actually do go down to locate fleece, battings, and other stuff when needed. So it's not a case of out of sight out of mind.

I started my disappearing nine patch that I've had kitted for over a year, see my fabric selected in the above photo. I actually took the time, ironed fabrics and cut them into the figured out 4-1/2" strips. Yesterday made my strip sets after helping out daughter and her family with transportion issues while her eyes were dilated. Actually did get them pressed too last night, but didn't subcut them. Off to do that now. PG#3, PGD#1 and DH are all taking a nap!

Oh I do love the sound of silence. Enjoy your day, I'm off to enjoy more of mine.
Jane

Yippee, 2 more finishes!

Today was a wonderful day. I actually woke at 3:45 and laid in bed for half an hour, before I said enough! So I got up and got around. Am so glad I did. Trying to be quiet for DH who was still sleeping I read email first with my cuppa tea. Knowing full well the amount of time that is gobbled up every day on the computer, I envisioned making a time management sheet to help me stay focused on the time I do have. So the first hour this am I played in excell and did my computer things. Onto the kitchen and made a dessert needed later today for my Read and Bead Group, (Aka - The Artists Way). Cleaned up then proceeded into my sewing room to tidy up.

Spent several hours in there, starting off with some mending. ALways is a dreaded chore, but am so glad it's done. As I was straightening things up and putting items away, I stumbled onto an apron that I started sewing with PGD#1 several weeks ago. Thought to myself I'll work on that.... TADA! Finished. Totally reversible with one side having tiny cupcakes and the other showing some of Sesame Streets finer characters with there cooresponding first initial letters. CUTE...I can't wait til tomorrow, PGD#1 has a field trip to make pretzels, so I'll bring it for her to wear.

The afternoon was spent with friends at a local bead store and VIOLA! I made my first pair of earrings. I had purchased the items while vacationing down in Florida. Bought the string of Black Onyx beads and a string of Smokey Topaz beads as well as the SS earrings, bead caps, pins, and a couple of different sized silver beads. Not bad for a total of $32.21 so 1 pair of earrings made and then maybe I'll find some more appropriate fixings and make a charm type of bracelet with the other onyx beads. Here they are. I absolutely Love them. After finishing them, I continued doing my Dutch Spiral Rope. I think I have about 3" - 4" left to bead so then I'll get to the closure and on to the right angle weave needed for the pendant that will be worn with the necklace. (On 3/26/09 I came back after I was able to have my camera loading and downloading fixed, and the pictures are too blurry to show. Must be the high reflection of the flash and the operator of the camera too. You'll just have to take my word for it, they're beautiful.)

Well off to bed, Stay Well.

Jane

Wouldn't you know it, my camera downloading is not available. AAaargh! I really do loath this computer at times. I have the pictures on my chip, but the software won't allow me to download the photos. When it cooperates, I'll come back and add the pictures.
While on the field trip, I took photos too. So precious! Ms. Tracy, the preschool teacher complimented the apron and wondered if I would make 3-4 more for the childrens playtime, that the school would pay me for them..... Hummm, I'll probably will do it, but when?

Where did this week go?

As for quilty things finished, not alot to report. Did finish my giraffe and also the turtle embroideries for my Noahs' Ark freebie designed by Lynette Anderson. I hope to have them completed by the end of March. Hand stitching is such an enjoyable, meditative task. Easy to put down and then when you come back to it, easy to start right back in again where you left off. No rocket scientific means needed here.






A friend and I went to a local bead shop called the Lily Pond this past Monday. The owner is a friend and the queen of knowledge IMHO when it comes to anything beady. She taught us how to wrap wire for making dangles and attaching charms to any project we may want to make.

My newest grandson (PGS#3) has been suffering with colic. The Dr's said he had reflux. Try this formula after my daughter weened him. He suffered through weekly trials of different formulas and medications for 5 weeks. Last Tuesday, Grandma had enough, I substituted his formula for sugared water. Well, PGS#3 had a total personality change. He was cooing, smiling, looking around bright eyed..... You get the picture, from a baby Mr. Hyde to a miniaturized Dr. Jekyll. I think being born so big he should have doubled his birth weight. Well he hasn't. We still don't know what's going on medically, but he's now on Nutrimagen a formala for infants with allergies to cow protein. So he's doing better. The four previous medications have been stopped and now he's only on one new one with directions for him to take once a day. Much better. Since then, I've seen him developing normal baby skills. What a relief. He still needs to see a specialist, but at least he's not scrunched up in a ball of pain screaming.

Here's a picture of him with his older sister feeding him a bottle for her first time. She is such a beautiful soul. So very patient with him and even through the months that he has been in pain and crying, never once did I see her get short or cross because of his noise, even though she might be watching one of her favorite movies. She would occasionly go to him and try to soothe him, even asking him while trying to tickle him slightly, " Where's is that smile?" "Where's that smile?". What a sister he's got!
Enjoy your day. I know I'll enjoy mine.

Jane

Embarassingly, I have enough!

What that well known adage: "THE CAMERA DOESN'T LIE".
Well it is with a very red face that I'll be posting pictures of my sewing room and the overflow that has happened because of my passion with needle work. Knowing I have enough or even too much and I need to get a handle on it.


So here it is...............MY SEWING ROOM:

The view as I walk into my sewing domain is the first photo and the view of the wall that is to my back while I sew is the second photo, of course I opened up the cabinet doors so you knew they weren't sitting there empty(wicked grin here):







These next 2 photos are of the view of the wall I face while sewing. The first picture is the cabinet that sets near my design wall. This holds my whites to black colored fabics, as well as Halloween and the Thirty's Reproduction fabrics. The second photo is a view of the center of the room where 2 more of fabric cabinets are. The center cabinet holds my greens to purples and also includes batiks. The far right cabinet is for my yellows to reds, besides novelty and childrens' fabrics. Further on the right (not pictured) of that wall, are 2 corner-windows which is where a shorter cabinet stands that holds the TV, DVD, C/D, cassette player.





















These final 2 pictures show my design wall area near my fabric storage cabinets, both top and bottom.

It is a wreck! It's hard for me, who used to be a very detail specific and organized admit that this mess is mine and mine alone.



So that is my story and I'm sticking to it!
No, I'm truly posting these pictures to keep me real!
It seems that whenever my interest is peaked in whichever subject, I fall for it big time. Well, I've made this mess so I will be cleaning it up. Since it didn't happen overnight, I know it will take me a while to fix it. Now mind you, there are some more pictures of my messes, but I thought there is only so much a person can stand... so I plan on showing the before and after photo's when I get to them. That will help me continue to stay focused and to not relapse into my old self. Time will tell.



Got to run, I'm planning on working on the woven star table runner this evening. Stay Well.

Jane

Helping a good cause

A friend and fellow quilter asked if a few quilters (myself included) were interested in helping out with a charity project. As you know, most quilters are generous with talent and time, so we all agreed yes, we'd help. What a beautiful project.
We all gathered in January and February at this friends' house to assist in sewing the blocks so they'd be ready to assemble. The quilt design is from by Nancy Davis Murty and it's called, Butterfly Kisses . Here is a picture of the finished top.



What could be better than fun fellowship with like minded ladies and friends. We got together on 2 Saturdays and this is what was accomplished. One dear friend assembled all the blocks together and also took this picture at her house while it was draped so nicely over the banister railing. So she deserves the most credit, she's the engine that could, if you know what I mean while all the time maintaining a nice and friendly attitude. The quilting is now being done by Carole, a talented Long armer in our area. The finished quilt will be raffled off with all of the proceeds going to the Glenwood Cemetary.

What's NEW?

A finish, that's what. I'm so thrilled. The table runner that I mentioned ripping out all of the terrible quilting I did back around Thanksgiving, has been quilted good enough by me. It literally has been talking to me every time I entered my sewing area, so of course I strongly and willfully ignored it. What else are you to do with a undisciplined child! Well, guilt has been riding my back about my avoidance of quilting it, so yesterday I took the proverbial "Bull by the Horns" and started quilting it. It was going smoothly especially since I slowed down my machine to 440 stitches per minute. It seems my timing is off with my machine. It was okay but actually a little too slow then so I sped it up to 740 spm to get more of a faster pace without going full speed, that was a dream. (Note to self, spm now to be done at 700-800 when quilting.) It's a comfortable and doable pace. Hence a big milestone was accomplished.


Here are 2 pictures of it. The left one is of the waffle time runner.
The picture on the right is the reverse side of the runner. Using Westminster Fabrics I was able to simply design the backing myself. This was fun and I love the way this turned out. Now I have 2 different looks, all the while with only storing 1runner. The next picture is a small sample of the quilting I used, and this is the runner that was totally done in November, BUT hoirribly. Hence ripping out all the stitches to redo it. I am also pleased with my efforts there.

This design is my own since it was done free hand but I was inspired by Kim Stotzenburger with her book, "Just Leaf It".



Last week I also wrote out four things to complete by Friday. Not too much success there though. Two out of four aren't bad. Did work on both numbers 3 & 4, but didn't quite finish those as listed. Understandably so with having grandchildren here 4 fulls days since last week, but a girl has to have priorities!

1-Waffle time runner quilted
2-Finish reading "A Letter to My Daughter" by Maya Angelo
3-Embroider the Giraffe block on the Noah's ark stitchery
4-Finish Reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.

My plan is to continue to list 4 items weekly to help in progressing my UFO's and works in slow progress (wisp) that I'd like to edge towards completion. So I'll add to my list and relist what wasn't completed. At the end of March, I'll be going to a quilt retreat weekend set up by friends, so I'll need to "kit" up some of the UFO's I thought of working on. Sew what's next? Stay in touch, you'll soon see since I feel like I'm on a roll.
Enjoy your day and catch up with you soon.

Jane