Accentuate the Positive- Hanging Quilts On A Wall

The Velcro I originally used to hold this quilt on the wall of the lanai gave out and the quilt wouldn't stay up there.
I purchased 2 inch wide Industrial Strength stick-on Velcro to rehang it. I placed the Velcro all the way around the area on the wall where the quilt will hang. Last time I used narrower Velcro and only put it half way around.
After I stuck it to the wall, then I added extra insurance by stapling it too.



I put the hook side of the Velcro on back of the quilt. I also added staples for security.



The only thing left to do was place the quilt carefully on the wall so the Velcro made contact perfectly.
Sheri and I did that.
Well, Sheri actually placed it on the wall and I stood there and said "I think that is OK - No, a little higher or lower or ????????.


I have also used this method to hang a piece of art on a stretcher frame on an interior wall.

I forgot to give Sheri credit for hanging the shower curtain yesterday. She did a fantastic job. What would I do without her?

Magic Moments

The magic here is that this is my last decorating project for the house I live in. I have one optional project I could do but at this point I feel I am done after only 6 years.


Here is the new shower curtain ready and waiting for my next guests.



It coordinates with the new guest bedroom decor.


You can see I used the same fabric for the shower curtain that I did for the drapes in the guest room.

Sweet dreams!

Ladies who lunch - a new episode!

Ladies in Florida have an inalienable right to "do lunch".


Today my friend Betty and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch at B D Beans.



This was Betty's companion for our lunch.



Here is my lunch companion.



These ladies were happy to pose for a photo so I could show you the decor around their able.



I was fortunate this table was not occupied so you could see a full photo of it. This could be a quilt!



The decor is funky and the food is excellent. That is why I keep going back and bringing friends!
We had a strawberry salad. The greens were the perfection of crispness. In addition to strawberries it featured marinated cucumbers, hearts of palm, bleu cheese and bleu cheese dressing. To die for!
I have enjoyed so many different things here and I've loved them all. The quiches are something I have enjoyed so many times, either with soup or a salad.





I insist all my friends visit the ladies room. This is only a part of the funky decor in there.

If you are familiar with my colorful home, after visiting B D Beans you'd agree that it makes my house look absolutely conservative!

The funky self serve coffee bar features 3 to 6 different coffees depending on the time of day.

My Way

Last night I posted the before photos of my guest bath. The new shower curtain IS done but I need help putting it up so it will be a few days before you see it.


When I start to design a quilt I often take out one piece of fabric (theme fabric) and use that as a starting point. The green marbled fabric was my starting point for this piece.

I also pull a group of fabrics I think will work with it.


It didn't take me long to realize my theme fabric didn't work so I tried this piece of hand painted fabric.

Lacking a proper design wall I am working on the back of "I'll See You In My Dreams".


I added the acid green fabric next as an accent.


I took out the hand painted fabric and moved the bubble fabric to the empty space.


I added two more fabrics.


I changed the proportion of the purple and orange fabrics.


I have added a chocolate brown fabric on the lower right.
At this point you see my starting fabric was discarded almost at the beginning. The second theme fabric also was discarded very early.

This is by no means a final design and layout.
I am sharing this so you can see one method I use to make design decisions.

One of the most important factors to me is having an extensive palette of fabrics to choose from.

These partial lyrics from "My Way" are something I can really relate to in the way I live my life.

Yes there were times I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all
And I stood tall and did it my way

I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now as tears subside
I find it all so amusing

To think I did all that
And may I say not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no, not me
I did it my way

The House I Live In

This is the before photo. Hopefully by posting it I'll keep working on the new shower curtain and it will be finished by the time I post again!

This is the last remaining decor from the Ralph Lauren look I started with in the house I live in.



You may remember seeing the before look in the guest bedroom. I liked the look but when I got the new furniture for the room it needed different drapes and bedspread and accessories. I enjoy decorating which has made this an enjoyable project.


This is another before view of the guest room.

In the Spring a Quilter's Fancy Turns to Quilt Cars!

I have no idea who created the first quilt car, but I think they are so much fun.



How many of us have enough sample blocks to cover a car with in our boxes under the bed?



I think most of these are done by quilt guilds, shops or clubs.


Quilters soon run out of beds to cover, walls to hang quilts on and turn their efforts to anything else they can imagine.



It would be so much fun to drive one of these and watch peoples reactions!



If your community has a parade this would be the greatest thing to drive in the parade.


Even trucks are fair game when it comes to being covered with quilt blocks.

If you would like to see even more quilt cars go to:
http://quiltspluscolor.blogspot.com/2010/04/in-spring-quilters-fancy-turns-to-quilt_15.html

Certainly this car would be the Star of The Parade!

Easter Parade

In your easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the easter parade.

I had looked at this hat and purse several times but couldn't bring myself to buy them. Then my friend Suzie came to visit and with her encouragement I bought them both. I use them more for display than to wear. I am so glad she encouraged me to get them.





I want to share an little story about our first Easter in Florida with you.
We dyed Easter eggs for our egg hunt when our grandchildren visited. We refrigerated the dyed eggs and the Easter Bunny got up a few hours before the kids did and hid eggs in the house and on the lanai. It was very warm and humid.
By the time the kids got up to find the eggs the dye had dripped off the cold eggs onto the tile and carpeted floors. We learned our lesson!

You too can now be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade!

Happy Easter!

Quilts for the Millennium - Rerun

I sometimes introduce myself by saying "My name is Kay, - I don't do bed quilts - Sorensen.

I made an exception to that for the Millennium. I made a king size charm quilt for each of my 8 grandchildren.

Each quilt has 2000 different fabrics with a Millennium Border Print.
I traded fabric with over 350 people from around the world to do the project.

The grandchildren are only allowed to sleep under them on New Year's Eve or other special occasions. Each quilt is accompanied by a Journal so they can record their activities, photos and share where they were each time they use the quilts.

They were started in April 1999 and finished on December 15, 1999.

This would not have been possible if I had not had Sandy Schilawski of Green Bay, Wisconsin quilt them. She did a fantastic job and I really appreciated it.

No one was more amazed than me that I finished all 8 in that period of time!

The photo shows only 1 quilt but there are REALLY 8 - each with different borders and backings, but all with similar color layouts.

Easter countdown - 1 more day

Brigadoon

Today the fog was so thick you couldn't see 20 feet.
These photos were taken after 9:30 a.m. when 90% of the fog had already lifted.
It was a very surreal effect.



They were just starting to let golfers on the course.
The palms are Queen palms and they really suffered from the freezing weather we had for an extended period of time this year. If you look to the far left you will see some of the palms that have already been removed. I'm hoping the rest of them survive.


I love the look of this landscape.



It turned out to be a beautiful warm day.
The azaleas are about a month behind last year. They are almost in full bloom now.



This is a closeup of the same view of the azalea bush I showed you on March 6th with no blossoms. You can see there are still a lot of buds that haven't even opened. It is going to be even more magnificent in the next few days.

I'm sending you flowers for the puzzle!

Easter countdown - 2 more days

BIG Snow Bunny for Easter - Rerun

Actually this photo was taken last year in southern Wisconsin on Easter. The bunny sculpture was created by 4 of my grandchildren while visiting their other grand parents. You can see how high it is by looking at the house in the background. It took a lot of snow and they certainly had a lot. I don't know how long it lasted as they left Wisconsin and flew to Florida to enjoy our warm weather last year. Snow on Easter may be the exception rather than the rule, but it was not the only time this has happened.

Another Easter memory also was the result of inclement weather. We were not able to hide the eggs outside so I took the grandchildren to the Dollar Store to spend some money while the Easter Bunnies quickly hid the eggs. Each child had a different color egg and they each had 4 real and 4 plastic eggs. They found all but one of the eggs. Jessica didn't find her 4th egg. Of course this was one of the real ones! I don't see Nicholas in this picture - he must be looking for the egg. We searched high and low for the egg and never found it. We then and there made a rule that Easter bunnies must write down where they hid each egg - especially the ones for the oldest children since they were hid in very difficult places to find.

On Thanksgiving I offered who over found it $10. I didn't want to have a Chinese thousand year old egg in our house! I'm not sure who found it, but since they had all been looking just as hard they split the money when it was finally found in the shop. It did not smell at all - although if it had we probably would have found it sooner as it was out in the open - just not in a room we used often.

Un Huevo Grande did not start out to be a quilt with an egg but that's what it became. It's tonight's puzzle.

Easter countdown - 3 more days