My favorite place to do needlework is on a screened porch facing the ocean!
Here’s my view, tonight!
I’m not doing, any needlework, now, of course, but the sight and sounds are inspiring!
May14
May8
A most wonderful diagram
The Cake Mixes have diagrams for triangle arrangements, but I remembered seeing one online for 72 configurations using only half square triangles! We found it! Here it is! 
I wish I knew who to credit for the original.
We printed ourselves a copy for our sewing rooms, and Laura tried these arrangements;
May8
A most wonderful weekend
I visited my friend, Laura Sheaffer, who lives in the Hendersonville- Brevard region of western North Carolina. We attended the Western North Carolina Quilters Guild show at Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock. At the show, we happened to purchase a couple of pads of quilting papers called, Cake Mixes. 
We each bought a different pad and 
went to her house and played!
Apr17
I’m Knot Crazy!!! (My mother had me tested!)
Well, yes, I admit it. I don’t do macramé, but I love knots. Celtic, Chinese, Nautical! 
Here’s an extreme example of Chinese knotting that I’ll probably never achieve. I do want to learn some simpler knots, especially to make with my kumihimo cords. I started a new Pinterest board, today, “Lots of Knots.” Come visit!
Apr16
Hello Blog!
It has been one year since I posted! I have done quite a bit of crafting this year and need to catch up! Photos coming soon!
Apr14
My Shopify Store is up!!!
It has been a month since I tried to establish an online store, and at last, it’s up and running! It’s with Shopify and Facebook, through my Facebook page, Karla Krafts.
Mar8
My Latest Obsession
I love Czech glass buttons, and I love vintage brass filigrees. Now, I am obsessed with putting them together. More to come!
Feb3
Ink Lessons
Sharpie fine point permanent markers work better on glass than Sharpie pens.
I can clean Stazon ink off glass and stamps with alcohol, so no wonder it smears with alcohol inks. I’ll have to find something else to use with them. Memento looks good, and so does Ranger Archival ink.
Metallic gel inks look good under glass and can be used to highlight images before decoupaging them. (See the navy and white gem.)
Alcohol inks can be used to color Diamond Glaze. Sharpie ink can be used on top of that when it dries. (yellow gem)
Stamps are expensive. Simple designs can be drawn with permanent ink pens. Look for Memento pens (heart gem)
The best way to stamp glass gems is to ink the stamp and very carefully press the gem to the stamp. Pick the gem straight up from the stamp. (butterflies gem)
Feb3
These Girls Need Work!
Between sickness and snow, I’ve not gotten to work on these gals anymore. I’m not sure whether to stitch around them with batting attached or without. I bought some fusible batting at the Needlework Extravaganza in Statesville last weekend. I may give that a try.
Jan28
Kumihimo Lessons
First of all, I thought these cords would be beautiful together. One is red shot through with a little metallic gold thread. The other is a light gold with just a little sheen.
I was wrong. The light gold looks sand or camel colored in the twist.
Because the red is unevenly woven, the cord is, too.
I had hoped to make a bracelet out of it, but it looks like it’s fated for a gift tie. 
On the other hand, these yarns made a beautiful cord.
Here’s what I learned from this one: It’s an 8 strand cord of course, using 4 thick and 4 thin, placed perpendicularly to each other. (+) I began braiding with the thin cords and so they wrapped themselves around the thick ones. I started with 9 feet of each, but quickly used up the thin cords. Next time, the thin cords need to be at least 2 feet longer than the thick.
The resulting cord is beautiful, but all the metal content makes it scratchy. I won’t be using it in jewelry, either.