Tag Archives: austin

We Are Okay ♥

Taken in my backyard after the snowstorm. Average temps in Austin in February are generally 49°F to 70°F.

Hello, all!

I’ve been getting a lot of messages asking if we are okay here in Austin, Texas.

Thank you, thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on me and my family. We are okay and to be honest, we are some of the lucky ones. We kept power and water at our house during the entire winter event. I have no idea what else to call 50 degrees F below our average temp plus snow and ice which we do not get under ordinary circumstances.

We’ve gone through cycles of conserving as much power as possible while the local power grid was overburdened (it’s back up now), and now we’re conserving as much water as we can as the reservoirs are refilled and the multitude of breaks in water lines are tracked down. We are still under a boil water notice, but I won’t complain because we have water and don’t have to go find it like many of our neighbors do. We shared our water with our neighbors until they were able to get a water line fixed.

My daughter and her boyfriend (and Marie cat!!) were with us most of the week because they lost power in their all-electric apartment and it was ridiculously cold there. They lost most of the contents of their fridge, which is the biggest loss for our entire group. All things considered, it is really nothing to complain about.

Our local HEB is open again, though supplies of many things, mostly fresh, have been limited to nonexistent. We are absolutely okay, though. Living out of the pantry is not a burden and we can wait for the supply chains to catch up.

My backyard today. I won’t know how many plants were lost for a month or so. We have a fairly early spring, and many of my plants already had new growth.

If you also lived through this crazy week here in the south, please let me know how you’re doing. ♥

Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links but I have no control over “sponsored posts” which are the price I pay for a less expensive website. Thank you for your understanding & support. ♥

A Different Kind of Friday

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Hello, friends.

Let me start by saying I completely forgot about Free Pattern Friday this week. My mind has been elsewhere. I’m sure that once I explain, you’ll understand.

For most of the week, I’ve been fielding emails and social media messages in my role for The Linus Connection. Our organization is doing what we can to help with the relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey evacuees by providing handmade blankets to children displaced from their homes.

In addition to our local volunteers, we’ve had quilters and blanket makers from all over the country step up to help. The outpouring of love and helping hands has been amazing.

If you’d like to help, check out this post on the Linus website for more information. I’m the Jennifer listed in the graphic above, so you have questions, please feel free to ask! You can comment here or contact me at my Linus email.

If you’re local, you can drop handmade blankets & quilts off at Honey Bee Quilt Store. We will continue to collect blankets & quilts as usual at our monthly meeting on September 16.

As of yesterday, we’ve been able to get over 200 handmade quilts, yarn blankets, and fleece blankets into the hands of the Austin Disaster Relief Network. Those blankets will go directly to those children affected by hurricane-related evacuations.

To stay up to date on what The Linus Connection is doing to help, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

#lionking quilt 2, quilted and ready to trim and bind for @thelinusconnection. Blocks made by the @fandominstitches Facebook group. Designed, pieced, and quilted by me. #quiltforgood #quiltsforharvey #quiltsfortexas In between email, social media messages, and other updates, I’ve been working furiously to finish a few of my Linus WIPs. Lion King Quilt 2 is quilted and needs binding. I’ve got another UFO block quilt top quilted. It also needs binding. I’m hoping to get those finished today.
#spiderman and #batman fleece remnants from @joann_stores to make a couple of fun, quick blankets for @thelinusconnection's effort to provide handmade blankets to children affected by #hurricaneharvey. I've also got two quilts to bind. Work, work, work! #

Yesterday, I needed to run to Jo-Ann’s and I scored two good sized remnants of fleece while I was there, one Spiderman, and one Batman. I’ll be turning both of these into blankets for Linus, too.

Want to help, but don’t want to make a quilt or blanket?

Donate to the Austin Disaster Relief Network. This is a local organization. They will get much-needed donations where they need to go. More about their efforts for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Donate to Austin Pets Alive. They are the non-profit where we adopted our fluffy orange cats, Ramses & Iliad. APA and their volunteers have rescued hundreds of displaced pets and are collecting supplies to help take care of them. There is loads more information on their Facebook page.

Make a pillowcase and donate it for the new pillows going on the shelter beds. Honey Bee Quilt Store has free kits. Contact the store for more information. You can also use one my free tutorials to make a pillowcase. Video here. Text version here.

These are just a few of the ways you can get involved. These are some of my personal favorite ways to help. Do what works best for you.

Stay safe,

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Quilts In Real Life!

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The Austin Area Quilt Guild‘s Capital of Texas QuiltFest is this weekend!

September 14th – 16th, 2012
Palmer Events Center
900 Barton Springs
Austin, Texas

Friday, Sept. 14th 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 15th 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 16th 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Admission is $8. Click here for a printable $1 off coupon.

QuiltFest in the news.

Come by to see loads of great quilts, including the original Project of Doom quilt, designed, pieced and embroidered by me, quilted by Shannon Shaw!

The Project of Doom, on display at Hennig House Quilts, April 2012.

Click here for Project of Doom patterns!

Sir Gareth’s Dragon, all quilted and spiffy, will be on display with the miniature quilts.

Also look for All Dolled Up, my doll dress quilt, made from reproduction 1930s fabrics.

I’ll be visiting the show tomorrow with my fabulous stitching friends! Expect a full report and probably a little stalking of the PoD. The voyeur in me is excited at the prospect of seeing others enjoy my favorite quilt! If you are there tomorrow and see me wandering around, please stop me and say hello!

If you are going to the Austin show, take a photo of yourself with one of my quilts and share your picture with my flickr group for the chance to win a fun prize! Winner announced Tuesday!

To celebrate the Tabby Face Block Lotto, use coupon code TABBY in my Etsy shop to receive 10% off your total order during the month of September!

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Learn to paper piece with me now through December with my full-length video workshop available only through STITCHED. You get access to over 20 classes AND instructors and registration is now only $40! Click for details.

Remnants:fiber[culture]

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I picked up these fun fabrics yesterday afternoon during a quick stop at the new Austin-area quilt store Remnants:fiber[culture]!

I think I might be having a bit of a thing for dots at the moment…

The store’s owner, Jessica, is an energetic and enthusiastic quilter and the store is an awesomely eclectic boutique setting. Jessica offers fantastic mod fabrics as kits, yardage, and bundles, as well as edge-to-edge long-arm quilting for a penny an inch.

The Austin Modern Quilt Guild meets there once a month, too, how cool!

In case you’re out and about in Austin, here’s the address of this cute and quirky shop:

Remnants:fiber[culture]
10435 Burnet Road
Suite 106
Austin, Texas

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Shop Sewhooked and help keep the free pattern page free!

Register Now for STITCHED and learn to paper piece with my full-length video workshop!

Project for Awesome 2010

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If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you know that The Linus Connection is a big part of my life. This year, I’m participating in The Project For Awesome in order to help raise awareness for my favorite charity. Please watch, comment, share with your friends and please Thumbs Up on YouTube!

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Jan – May 2011 Class Schedule

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Here it is, at last! My January – May 2011 schedule is all firmed up. I will be at Honey Bee Quilt Store‘s Open House on Sunday. Come by, meet the teachers and sign up for awesome new classes.

January

22 – Teaching Intro to Paper Piecing @ Honey Bee Quilt Store – 1:30 – 4:30 pm (class)

February

19 – Teaching Paper Piecing: Stellar Stripes* @ Honey Bee Quilt Store – 1:30 – 4:30 pm (NEW class)

March

6 – Teaching Unfinished Paper Piecing @ Honey Bee Quilt Store – 1:30 – 4:30 pm
22 – Teaching Tree Trimmings Paper Piecing Project*@ Honey Bee Quilt Store 1:30 – 4:30pm (class)

April

23 – Teaching Texas-Style Freezer Paper Stenciling @ Honey Bee Quilt Store – 1:30 – 4:30 pm

May

28 – Teaching Unfinished Paper Piecing @ Honey Bee Quilt Store – 1:30 – 4:30 pm

You can find my complete public schedule here. This is when I teach, go to guild meetings and volunteer for The Linus Connection.

Hope to see you around!

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How I Spent My Summer Vacation

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Class Models at Honey Bee…the signs will probably go up tomorrow. Notice how my patterns are right there! Love it!

Class Supply lists and information. Woo!

Open House Sunday, 1 – 5pm, at Honey Bee Quilt Store in Austin, Texas.

You can come meet the Honey Bee teachers and learn about all the wonderful new classes being taught there this fall. I’ve seen the new classes and they are nothing short of wonderful!

How about a refresher of what I’m teaching this time around? (click the titles for price info or to register online)

Paper Piecing Classes with Jennifer Ofenstein
at Honey Bee Quilt Store
August – December 2010

Unfinished Paper Piecing
Sunday, August 29, 2010 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Saturday, December 11, 2010 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Bring your unfinished paper pieced projects or paper pieced projects you’re stuck on and get help to get moving again!

Intro To Paper Piecing
Sunday, September 5, 2010, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Learn to paper piece in a fun and relaxed environment. A technique class.

Paper Pieced Mariner’s Compass Wall Hanging/Block
Saturday, September 25, 2010, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Make perfect points with a lovely floating Mariner’s Compass.

Paper Pieced Halloween Wall Hanging
Sunday, October 24, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Make a fun and whimsical Halloween wall hanging.

Paper Pieced Christmas Wall Hanging
Saturday, November 20, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Combine tradition with whimsy with a lovely, easy to personalize Christmas wall hanging. Want a different theme? Just change fabric colors!

See the other great classes at Honey Bee this fall right here!

Happy Crafting!

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Linus in May

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The Linus Connection on Saturday was quite a whirlwind (Linus Show & Tell -there are thank you cards from kids, go see!). I think that was partially due to my being so busy last week By the time Saturday rolled around, it was a continuation of The Busy.

If you caught Wordless Wednesday last week, then you know I had 9 quilts to bind between Wednesday and Saturday. Despite working and having a sick kiddo, I still managed to get them all done!

9 Quilts – binding PWND in less than three days! Quilted by Marge L. (individual photos below)

This is the end of my Go Get Granny and Log Cabins For Linus posts. It’s been amazing and I cannot thank you all enough for your generous donations! Anything I’ve received after the cut-off date has been donated directly to Linus. Unfinished projects have been and will continue to be shared with other volunteers so they can be turned into finished quilts and afghans without moldering in my craft room until I have time to get to them!

Of course, if I receive a really amazing (finished!) quilt or afghan in the mail, I’ll share it. It’s just my way!

And now, quilts and afghans that were donated, sorted and distributed on Saturday, May 15, 2010.

Another stunning afghan by Amber’s Originals

Multitudes of Granny Ghans, blocks by Mary, joined by myself and Linda E. (but mostly by Linda!)

Granny Ghan, blocks by auntypsycho and others (Cat’s mum included!)

Donated by Becky G.

Three quilts made from one giant quilt top, which was donated by Shannon Shaw of Rock Creek Quilts, the official quilter of Harry Potter Paper Piecing.

Unquilted tops donated by Becky G.

Made from quilt blocks donated by clumsy_chord, pieced by Shirley B.

Donated by hardhatcat, Australia (the donation from furthest away!)

Log Cabins for Linus! Individual block donations pieced into tops by me and quilted by Marge L.

Looking for a place to donate your time and talent? Try searching for “quilt donation” or “afghan donation” and your area. There are charitable blanket makers and non-profit organizations all over the world!

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charity: March Linus Mayhem

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Today found me at yet another meeting for The Linus Connection. I’ve mentioned in the past that our numbers were low and that the continued shortage was weighing on myself and the other volunteers.

Thanks to our very diligent volunteers and some serious recruiting, our numbers are back up again and we’ve even been able to set aside blankets for the camps we donate to each summer!

I’d like to say a huge heartfelt thanks to all of my online friends that have donated to my favorite charity and encourage every crafty person out there to make something for a charity in your location. There are loads of organizations out there just like The Linus Connection that could use your crafty skills! Whether you knit a cap, crochet a scarf or make a quilt, whether you do it once a year or once a week, use your crafty skills for good and help change your world. Volunteering for a good cause pays in love and friendship. It’s one of the best non-paying jobs you’ll ever have!

These blankets and quilts were donated through Go Get Granny & Log Cabins For Linus (aka, my online friends!). Thanks a million times to each of you for your time, your talent and your general all-around awesomeness!

Quilt made by Shae, quilted by Marge.

Granny-ghan donated by caitirin

Quilt made with blocks donated by clumsy_chord, pieced by me (to be quilted).

Afghan made from blocks donated by Janina, joined and bordered by me.

Afghan made from blocks donated by craftylilthing in Starknuts colors. Joined by me.

Afghan made with blocks donated by auntypsycho, joined by me.

Afghan made by Mary (Mary also donated loads more granny squares, which are being joined by my friend Linda!)

Afghan made by Mary

Fleece blanket with crochet edges, made by Jennifer Tanner.

See more great blankets from Show & Tell at today’s meeting!

I will continue to accept donations until the end of March, so just a couple more weeks now! If you still have something you’d like to share with Linus, please contact me for my mailing address.

If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.

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charity: You’ve Gotta Have Friends

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If you’ve missed it on my last few TTMT videos, Log Cabins for Linus and Go Get Granny has been wildly successful!

This past Saturday, the first donations from around the world went out to kids all over the Austin area (read the Linus Blog here).

Many of the the wonderful online crafters that have been participating have sent individual quilt and crochet blocks, but I’ve also received completed quilt tops and entire afghans, fabric yardage and yarn!

Made by Mary. Mary also sent oodles of granny squares which are currently being turned into afghans. She also participating in the Starknuts Community blanket.

made by Marissa from my Oh Wavy Baby pattern! Marissa also made a Spiderman quilt, which you can see below.

Made (and designed!) by Amber of Amber’s Originals, one of three teen-sized afghans she donated!

Mmmm, Olives made by Amber of Amber’s Originals

Donated by Cat, from Australia!

The following are photos taken by my good friend Linda during Show & Tell at Linus this past Saturday. That’s me holding up the blankets!

Another beautiful afghan by Amber of Amber’s Originals.

made by Marissa…do you see Spiderman?

The Starknuts Community Blanket. You can read more about this one here. And no, I have no explanation for the look on my face!

Top donated by Laci of Orange Blossom Boutique. This one will be quilted and go out with next month’s deliveries.

Each blanket receives a stitch on label, so the child that receives it will know just where it came from. There’s also a paper label that includes the first name of the blanket maker as well as a poem about the making of the blanket.

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This month’s challenge for me will be to start turning the individual blocks received into quilt tops. I will likely quilt those myself, the sooner to have them go out to kids in need. Shae, your quilt top is still at the quilters and I will post photos as soon as I can!

We were still short on larger blankets because so many of the facilities that we donate to request them, but the numbers were better than last month, in part thanks to my wonderful online friends and the crafting community!

I have HUGE hugs for every single one of you…someday!

I will continue to accept donations until the end of March. If you still have something you’d like to share with Linus, please contact me for my mailing address.

If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.