Musing Crow Designs

Friendships can take many forms. Some people may think that true friendship cannot exist beyond people that you actually see regularly. I can dispel that belief since I have made two, true, online friendships with Jeannie and Karen.
I "met" Karen when we began trading ATC's some years ago. From there our friendship has developed. Now we are in an intimate mixed media trading group of three. Karen, Linda Wyatt and myself. Our wee group has no boundaries when it comes to mixed media. It's been a wonderful journey together so far.
Today I was the lucky recipient of a wonderful, extraordinary birthday gift from my friend Karen Musgrave. Karen is an author, quilt historian, mixed media artist, quilter and, now, ceramic artist. I have been the lucky giftee of a couple of Karen's ceramics over the past year, but nothing can beat this amazing angel's wing. As a person who believes in angels this was an especially wonderful gift. I love quote that she included as wel…

I am a bag fanatic! I love making bags and I love using them.   I was intrigued when I saw this  "Sew Together" bag pattern for sale at one of my favorite online fabric shops, Pink Castle.  Compartments- oh how I love compartments in my bags! There is a section for sewing things, a section for knitting knick-knacks and one for whatever, plus you can put some larger things (I keep a needle case and a spool of thread in the "in-between" section. The background story behind the name of this extremely talented sewist's blog is quite interesting, but I could not find the link in her new blog - so now you have both links if you're interested.
This is not what I call an "easy-go" pattern. I think that the pattern is for an intermediate-advanced, sewist.  It took reading and more reading, and going slowly, for me to get through it, but it was worth it!  I used scrap pieces in making this first of what will now, most definitely, be a series of these littl…

A couple of days ago I got the gentle nudge from my friend Janet. Her email was short, and red something like - "no post since June 2nd!"  Really?! Could the time really go that fast I wondered?  On June 1st something went wrong with my back. I couldn't stand up! I was in very bad pain. Of course I considered going to the doctor often over the next few days because I was concerned that something had slipped from one of fusion surgeries, but I also wanted to give it time in case it was nothing more than a bad strain. Now, two weeks later I can stand and walk, but I am still having days when I have to think about how to get out of the bed. So I may end up getting checked out, but will give it more time. All of this simply means that I was not really up to doing too much - other than sitting and stitching.
SO - on to the good stuff.  First my apologies for the poor image quality. I was having some issues (as mentioned above) when I took these photos and, quite obviously, m…

I'm just making these small 6" blocks when the thought moves me. I have a limited amount of the background flannel. I can make another 6 blocks or so I think.  I am, I fear, becoming more and more addicted to hand work, or perhaps it is returning to hand work since I did a lot of hand applique for quite some time in years past. Below is a 16" block that I donated. I should have done the quilting by hand and I regret it, but I till have more of these intricate applique blocks left. I taught myself to applique by making a Dear Jane quilt. It is so much fun, it is also very satisfying. I love doing hand work, although now that I knit, it's always a bit of a tug-of-war in the evenings as to which I will do!
That was/is then - the 'woolies' are now!  Above - a close up of my little flowers . I am using Aurifil lana wool thread. Luscious  Of course I had to do a stitching block! Close up below. I used Krenik silver braid wrapped with   a strand of black wool thread…