Hello from Chicago

[Karen]

Hi quilters! My name is Karen DeWitt from Chicago. I’m an artist, quilter, and author. I love many different types of quilts, but I am especially obsessed with 30s fabric/quilts.
Recently, I have started flirting with batiks and they are finding their way into my stash and projects more and more. I am currently working on a queen size 1930s Aunt Grace, and have Edyta Sitar’s fabulous Spring Bouquet kit waiting in the wings (which scares the heck out of me!). My career as a professional artist became challenged when Multiple Sclerosis minimized the use of my right hand. As I struggled to stay creative, I not only trained my left-hand to produce artwork, but also began work on my first novel. The Bunco Club is a story about eight quilters from Chicagoland who gather once a month to play Bunco. If you’re interested you can check it out on Goodreads or Amazon. I attend a wonderful work-on-whatever-you-want quilt camp twice a year. I’m married with one grown son. Well, that’s about all…I’m excited to have found this group and look forward to checking in regularly. Karen

[Cheryl S.]

Karen wrote: "Hi quilters! My name is Karen DeWitt from Chicago. I’m an artist, quilter, and author. I love many different types of quilts, but I am especially obsessed with 30s fabric/quilts.
Recently, I have ..."

Hi Karen! Very nice to meet you. I'm sorry to hear about your MS as I have two very good friends with the same diagnosis and know what a challenge it can be. I'm very impressed with how you have managed to come up with other methods to do what you want to do and stay creative. I look forward to hearing more from you as time goes on.

[Karen]

Cheryl, Very nice to meet you, too. Quilters are such great people--thanks for the kind words. I'm really happy I was able to find a new path that worked for me. Writing is a lot like painting with words for me and I very much enjoyed the creative process involved. I hope your friends are doing well--it's a difficult disease. What are you currently working on? k

[Kimberly]

Welcome Karen. It's always great meeting another quilt enthusiast. Interesting that you should mention Sitar's work. I just saw one of her quilts, completed, on my local quilt shop's blog: http://www.quiltingadventures.com/qab... Is this the quilt you're planning to make, or one similar?

[Karen]

Hi Kimberly--The Edyta quilt I'm making is called "Spring Bouquet": http://www.abbimays.com/Quilt-Pattern... Edyta is so approachable and kind... I've had the pleasure of meeting her many times at various local quilt shows (she doesn't live too far from my area). I'm sure this quilt will take me FOREVER but it will be a beauty whenever I finally finish it!
What are you working on? I always love to see/hear what others are doing. k

[Kimberly]

Yours is more stunning than the one on the Quilting Adventures blog! What an heirloom you'll have. I'm presently participating in QA's CEO Club, which challenges members to turn one UFO into a Completely Executed Object per month. My first CEO is posted on QA's blog (the above URL) under their April 12th post (the quilt by Kimberly Y.) I've finished two others since then, but the owners admit they have a backlog of posts, so my two latest quilt projects will be posted eventually. I've got three more bed-sized quilts to complete to fulfill my enrollment challenge. July's challenge quilt is the one I'm most anxious to complete. It's lovely.

[Karen]

Your finished CEO is beautiful--it has so much depth! I look forward to seeing pictures of your other finished projects as QA posts them. Good luck in fulfilling your challenge. What a cool way to motivate yourself =) k

[Kimberly]

Thank you, Karen. You're so kind. QA is a fun quilt shop. They do a lot of very cool things to motivate and support area quilters and charities.

[Cheryl S.]

Karen wrote: "Cheryl, Very nice to meet you, too. Quilters are such great people--thanks for the kind words. I'm really happy I was able to find a new path that worked for me. Writing is a lot like painting with..."

I'm working on creating the machine quilting pattern for a quilt my youngest daughter made.

[Karen]

Cheryl S. wrote: "Karen wrote: "Cheryl, Very nice to meet you, too. Quilters are such great people--thanks for the kind words. I'm really happy I was able to find a new path that worked for me. Writing is a lot like..."

That is so cool to be collaborating on a quilt with your daughter! Good luck =)

[Cheryl S.]

Karen wrote: "Cheryl S. wrote: "Karen wrote: "Cheryl, Very nice to meet you, too. Quilters are such great people--thanks for the kind words. I'm really happy I was able to find a new path that worked for me. Wri..."

She's just taken up quilting in her late 30s and it is exciting to have a family member involved in something I have enjoyed for years. We have very different tastes so it makes both of us work outside the box and I think we're growing because of it.

[Karen]

Sounds wonderful!