kro designs

I hope that a least some of you are wondering what I was talking about last week . My middle school students have been learning how to hand piece a quilt together and even quilt it! Here are snapshots of my experience in Northwestern MN Learning the correct way to piece together a quilt.  With our impromptu design wall we put up our sewn pieces together. Clean Floor?   Our final design. We talked about some of the elements of art like Value and Color.  See, those things you learn about in Kindergarten really do come in handy. We quilted for 2 days straight and got almost all the way done! So very proud of all!

There are points in time I wish I could capture with pictures.  They fade before I realize their passing and life has changed in a second.  I've decided to dedicate every Friday post to one, still, quiet moment from where I sit.

I was lucky enough this week to have a quilt guild meeting in the town I'm working at. Like most quilt guilds it is a mixture of business and pleasure. After announcements and voting in officers for next year the president presented a technique on Machine Trapunto.  She displayed several beautiful pillows and gave us "homework" for the next meeting. Then the fun stuff begins. Show and Tell. It's reminiscent of those kindergarten days, but trust me,  when you spend hour upon hour on project you need to share it with others. I would totally wear this!!!  Her son is graduating this weekend! Not only has she incorporated several dozen pictures printed on fabric but uniforms, football pants and even a hat! Unbelievable!!   I love the simple pattern and simple fabric choices!   The recycled girl in me loves this table topper.  Made out of her husbands ties~ circa 1970 I suppose This photo truly capture...

This week I'm away from my family. Flying solo. It took 5 hrs of solid driving to get here which gave me a lot of time to think. Here is the shortened running dialogue with myself I had on Sunday. Am I ever going to get there? Wow, this is in the middle of nowhere. What do people do here? Why do people stay here? While most of those questions are rhetorical for a city slicker like me, to many, the answer is clear. Yes, I am in rural Minnesota just this week but 80% of our nation's inhabitants live outside urban areas. 80% live in the "country" I was born and raised in the suburbs. Many different states but all in the suburbs of a major cities. I didn't live in the country until I had 2 kids.  That only lasted 1 1/2 years not because I disliked it but because people moved out to where we were and made the country less..well.. country. My parents grew up in South Dakota (rural). Their parents grew up in South Dakota (rural). My husband, his pa...

  I'm teaching some middle school students how to hand piece a quilt together. We call it old school style.  To make it slightly more interesting I've picked contemporary fabrics.... And a non-biased quilt pattern. For all you non quilters out there, non-biased does not mean it doesn't have something against me.  Did you catch that.. It's a triple negative.  Just think back to subtracting negative numbers. Or is it adding negative numbers. I quit, I can't remember. Rewind... What non-biased really means is that it won't get all wonky with you. Do I have to define wonky too? Check please!

Yesterday was fairly smooth. Except I forgot a tiny peice of leather which resulted in 30 minutes of scratching our heads. Oh...And except for one 30 second segment that took 45 minutes to film because I got my numbers mixed up. No wonder movies take for ever to make. Here are some snapshots that I took.  Not a lot since most of the time the crew was waiting on me! :)   This is Mandy and Ben they own 7rendered design.  They are fabulously nice and very talented videographers- Check out their video clips!   One of the projects is a woven belt made from corduroy shirts. I showed how to use a freezer paper stencil on a white sweatshirt. Today we are @ the Salvation Army to shop for our finds.  Kinda backwards, but that's how we roll!

Tomorrow I start shooting my Refashioned Video. There is a company in Owatonna, MN called Learning Zone Xpress who put together educational materials for teachers, specifically Family and Consumer Science teachers. To the kids it's FCS.  To us old people it's called Home Ec. For the last 3 years I've done a video every year.  First it was SEW green , last year it was SEW Cool.  This time I'm taking thrift store finds and making other items.  I can't spoil the projects but I can't wait to share  them with you.  I will be tweeting and posting Thursday and Friday (@krodesigns ) with pictures and sneak peeks. Here is the intro clip from the Sew Green Video. Enjoy my squinty eye and half smirk. ;)

Oede11 decided to do his big research project of the year on the history of the Broncos.  I was not surprised he didn't pick a topic that wasn't about his biggest passion.  The boy practices his arm motions for both football and baseball unconsciously while asking me what's for dinner, while thinking about math problems and while brushing his teeth (don't ask). The research project required a 3 dimensional object to be created.  He picked Invesco Field, home of the Broncos. This didn't seem to daunting since I have had experience in stadium building. Seriously. In 6th grade, I did my big research project on the Roman Colosseum. It was fun, but took weeks to build.  My dad routered out a circle on a piece of plywood where I placed my vertical walls and attached the "stadium seats" to that.  There were two huge mistakes that I dared not repeat for my eldest. 1.  Make the plywood to big.  My stadium was 3.5 feet in diameter. Not exactly portable...

Luke went for his 2 month old check-up. Growing well, development great except he's been blessed with a red head's skin. His new nickname is Mr. Flaky. It should be Mr. Rashy Flaky but I think it would hurt his feelings. Dr O'Brian, yes, he's a good old fashioned Irish red head too, suggested a plethora of products for his ailing skin.  More on that later but here I finally come to the point. Apparently, if you use a formula with "partially broken down proteins" aka fussiness and gas formula, It aids in reducing skin irritation. My first thought, honestly was... $$$$$$$$$$$ He runs out of the room and grabs me two small cans of a suggested formula for which I am truly thankful. Then Char, my beloved nurse Char, mentions that she can call the Enfamil Rep and get me a case. A Case. Seriously... All I had to do is drive 20 minutes round trip to get it. As my sister says, "Score!" Plus each comes with a $5 coupon Double Score

There are points in time I wish I could capture with pictures.  They fade before I realize their passing and life has changed in a second.  I've decided to dedicate every Friday post to one, still, quiet moment from where I sit.

Babys... I always thought babies looked like aliens when they popped out.  Misshapen heads, sucktion cup bruses, "plevic bone" noses.  All babies except for mine of course:)  Especially Luke. He was the perfect looking kid-no blemishes what so ever. Well now I've come to regret those thoughts. The last 5 weeks we have witnessed, first hand, the power of an ugly baby.  First he had baby acne, then a rash, then dry skin on his perfect little face.  And then there is the hair. Oh the hair. It is red or orange to be exact and about 2 inches long.  Not 2 inches all over his head but it's only in the reverse mans bald spot. After about 2 months of wondering what to name it (I think naming it is a rare distiction), I've finally done it.  Sloth hair! Remember the movie Goonies and there is the character Sloth.  Take a look and compare the two. Add a massive amount of Cradle Cap and it's a perfect match!

I was asked a a few non sports related friends, "What are you doing on Mother's Day, got big plans?". My answer is always... Baseball. Every year we spend the entire day watching and playing baseball. We've also added a dash of soccer to make the day really special (insert sarcasm here). I wanted the mothers on my son's baseball team feel as though the pain of childbirth and the sleepless nights didn't go unnoticed this year. So with the help of their sons I made them some awards. I had to try out my new Martha Stewart Crafts Scoring Board, which would work perfectly if it kept balls and strikes but served me well on my crafting adventure. I scored paper 1/2 inches apart Then cut them into strips 1.75 inches wide to make the rosettes. Lots of layers later...They look great! I used more hot glue on this project than any other ever, but they were well worth the effort. I loved the personalized message from my little short stop to me! ...

There are points in time I wish I could capture with pictures.  They fade before I realize their passing and life has changed in a second.  I've decided to dedicate every Friday post to one, still, quiet moment from where I sit.

Remember when i made this hat ? I talked about making a hat that looks like a baseball and finally got it done just in time for The Eden Prairie Tournament this weekend! Here is the pattern from Ravelry that I used. Really basic and simple with a rolled edge. Then after I washed it the first time, I used some bright red acrylic to finish off the ticking. There are two things I would change: Over exaggerate the red ticking and use a lighter weight white yarn. Stay tuned for pictures in action 'cause sleeping doesn't count. Plus I'm going to make another one. This is getting snug already! Now I need to make a football, a soccer ball, a basketball....

I really wanted diamonds as a push gift for having Luke. Did I want a diamond necklace, a diamond ring or big fat diamond stud earrings? It was tough to decide until Tax day happened upon us quite well this year. Diamonds are nice but would I wear them everyday...no but what do I use every day. My Quilt Room.  Whether it's picking up the cloths from where the laundry shoot drops them there or to actually get a project done started I go there every day! Thanks hubby!

Wondering what this is? Some of you guessed...not 100% accurate but close! You were right about one thing, it's made out of wool and it's felted. Felted?  It's when you throw your husbands wool sweater in the washer and dryer and then your toddler can wear it. They are wool dryer balls! (I know you're saying...what is she thinking??) Why use wool dryer balls? 1. These wool dryer balls are made with pure wool sweaters to absorb water (to help cut down on drying time). The balls also help to separate the clothes and promote the circulation of warm, dry air in the dryer. 2. Reduce static 3. Soften and fluff your laundry gently. The wool dryer balls speed up the drying time and soften up by gentle friction of the felted wool fibers against your clothing fibers, whereas the rubber or plastic dryer balls can tear at fabric. The woolen balls help fluff up large items like quilts or comforters to dry evenly. 4. Use in place of dryer sheets and liquid ...