I Didn't Expect This

May went by in a flash. My husband and I had a week in the Netherlands before joining RGE Travels and K&B Sewing for another quilting adventure at sea. It was 13 days of exploring Scandinavia, teaching aboard ship and making new friends…and catching up with old ones. I’ll share more details in an upcoming video.

When I returned home, I was happy to take a couple of days off, unpack, get my land legs again and recover from a head cold. We were catching up with family and friends, when we realized our eldest son had not stopped by. Initially we were not alarmed. Our adult children are not the fastest to return phone calls or texts at the best of times. He might have been hunting, or visiting friends or just working hard. Then we heard that he was working from home. 

Finally. He called us. He had had food poisoning and was recovering. The worst was behind him, and we didn’t need to worry. I dropped by with some simple foods to get his strength back, and to help do a quick tidy up for him. Later, he called his father and said he was good.

Unfortunately,...he was not. The next day, he could keep nothing down. Nor the next. Every movement caused horrible nausea. It was time to go to the hospital. Eight years ago, he had this same set of symptoms which put him in the hospital for 3 weeks. But, luckily, they have better medicines now. After an IV to get him hydrated, and we spent 7 hours to be sure the anti-nausea drugs were working, I took him back to his apartment.

As the parent of an adult, it can be tricky nursing them back to health. Sitting back and letting him tell me what he needed was REALLY hard. For the better part of a week, I just silently sat beside him "being there." And, gradually, he continued to get better. And is still making good progress.

Hopefully, I can get back to quilting soon. Until then, here are some videos you can watch.

Karen's Quilt Circle

I love how we can choose our own adventure through quilting and textiles. Not only can we make and design, but some of us dive deep into research. And then we share the knowledge through lectures, books and magazines. Teresa Duryea Wong is not only a multi-published author, but also lectures on quilting around the world.

You can watch my interview here.

There is no doubt that menopause is a challenging time of life. It affects you mentally, physically and emotionally at a time when your life is in transition. Kids are leaving home and parents might need more help. My guests, Jenni Smith and Kay Walsh, are authors of Menopause Makes. Their book is full of empowering sewing projects to relax your mind, cool your body and ignite your creativity. You can watch my interview here.

Listen to any of my Karen's Quilt Circle podcasts on the YouTube Music app here. 

Do you need to hang a quilt? Not all quilts are made for lying on a bed. Some quilts are made for the wall. Some you want to show off, and some might be hanging at a quilt show. Sometimes all of the above. There are many ways to hang a quilt; here are 6.

Travel with Karen

The cruise to Indonesia in the fall is sold out! I just cannot believe how fast tickets are selling. To give you the best opportunity to signup (with absolutely no pressure from me!) we are advertising the 2026 cruise early. For information on the trip, click here: www.justgetitdonequilts.com/events

Also, I have been asked to give two lectures at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham in the UK in early August! The lectures will be: 535-The Joy of Symmetry and 542-Be the Best Quilter You Can Be. You can purchase tickets at  thefestivalofquilts.seetickets.com I hope to see you there.

Take care.