taking charge of 2016

HAPP NEW YEAR 2016, everyone! Did you have a good holiday? We did! : ) The month of December flew right by. The kids had three weeks off from school and my husband a bit more due to a job change. Needless to say, I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but that is going to change starting today. : ) I refuse to look back and recap 2015 in terms of sewing, because I just want to keep going forward. If I missed something from last year, then it will be made up sometime in the future. : )

First up, you can find my blog posts now listed on the quilterblogs.com. Thank you so much for listing me, Aleah. I hope to bring some enthusiasm and good sewing practices to the quilting community.

You can find some really great deals and coupons on their site, too. And they have a really awesome search engine to find the fabric you are looking for quicker and easier. I don't know how many times I wished I had known this sooner!? And you?

If you are reading this post from the quitlerblogs, thank you AND welcome. May I introduce myself...my name is Karen Ackva. I am an American living my dreams in Germany with my bi-national family. I love to design and make patchwork (as it is called here in Germany.) You can find plenty of free patterns and tutorials on my site as well as on Craftsy. I have designed blocks for the Quiltermaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 11 & 12 and a quilt coming out in Spring 2016. I have also designed a few quilts for the Moda Bake Shop using their pre-cut layer cakes, charm packs and jelly rolls. I am commited to bringing out well written patterns at a reasonable price. So, check all of them out. : ) When I am not designing, I like to organize and participate in patchwork swaps on Flickr (Pillow Swap Four Seasons) and various swaps on Instagram.

I don't want to overload you with all of the goodness I have to offer you on my first post, so I will pace myself with my other tidbits and future makes for 2016! Stay tuned! : ) Thanks for dropping by! Have a great year!

folk art and kaleidoscopes

Okay the new year has started, and I am trying for find my sewing gusto or mojo. Today is definitely not a good day for me to sew, because I am just too tired. I think I have been pretty successful as far as sewing too, considering that I got two blocks for my advanced sampler finished last week. I started working on a new one this week - my folk art flower block.

I avoid hand sewing and applique like the pest...but...since I started making those owls in the fall, I realized it isn't that bad and you really can sew things together really fast by hand rather than using the sewing machine, changing thread, pulling the threads through at the start and stop as well as a lower-valued look to the quality. So, hand applique - at least buttonhole stitch is a new addition to my sewing repertoire. I thought it appropriate to add to my sampler as well. I first wondered if I should use the tread in a contrast color, but decided to stick tone in tone.

And in the new year, I would like to ask this question every week about to you: 
what did you learn?

Last week, I learned that when you sew kaleidoscope blocks together, always paper piece them! You will struggle with those points in the center of the block rather than on the outsides. Matching four points up is harder than matching two points. I sewed four connecting blocks together several times to get them straight! That was simply too much of a headache! After sewing all of my connecting squares with four points together at least four times, I decided that I was content. Paper piecing would have made this a little simpler - I should have taken advantage of it, if I had known up front which design I was going to make. You can see more pictures here from our pillow swap.

What did I learn this week?
I learned that when you sew a sample block, always (and I mean always) use scrap fabric! I worked on a new block for the Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Vol. 12 - Fall 2015 Edition. Everything was mapped out on paper and paper templates were printed out. I thought (once again) I could make it simpler without PP and go for a quick strip method. It would have worked out, if I had thought straight and turned my fabric at the correct time, but, I didn't. I sliced the fabric IN THE WRONG DIRECTION and didn't have any left over. I ended up sewing the piece I just cut off back on to use it. It wouldn't be used for the the original block that would be published in the magazine, but it would still work out as a trial block.

Would you like to see a sneek peak? I can't give away too much info, otherwise it won't be a surprise anymore! And I also received wonderful news that one of my blocks is being published in the next edition of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks coming out in May 2015! I am so excited and can't wait to share it with you!
 

And now I would like to ask you that very important question - what did you learn this week (according to sewing and patchwork that is)? Please leave your answer in the comments section below, so we can all PROFIT from your experience. =)

Yours,
Karen