Meet Kim Lapacek!
Welcome to my first Quilter interview of the year.
You know the best part of quilting besides playing with color, fabric, needles and thread is getting to meet creative people. Don’t you agree? And while we are all more or less stuck at home. I thought I would introduce you to some friends of mine you may or may have not met but really should get to know.
Technically, Kim Lapacek and I haven’t met in person, but we have talked a lot on line via Facebook mostly, but also through Instagram I think. What I love about Kim’s work is her unbridled passion for color and throwing all sorts of scraps together. My cup of tea you know? She also hosts some amazing quiltalongs and challenges. I do not know how she gets so much done. You can read more about her and her work at her website, but for today I just sent Kim some random questions for a quick little Meet and Greet.
Let the visiting begin:
Briefly tell us how you got into quilting.
When I was dating my now husband, I went to dinner at his parents house and discovered his mother was a quilter. Our weekly dinners with them turned into dinner plus a quilting lesson.
How did you get hooked into the Apple Farmer life?
I met my husband and he already owned the apple orchard. I’m an apple farmer because of him. While I’m not a huge fan of bugs and dirt I am good with the public so I run the store portion and he runs the growing portion.
Sewing in the Wisconsin Winters on an Apple Farm…….
What is your favorite fruit BESIDES apples?
I’d have to go with pears!
Apple fabric in a pineapple block …..
How may apple themed quilts have you created?
Oooh – what a question. I can only think of two of the top of my head but I have a TON of tree quilts.
You have so many challenges going on at once-how do you keep up on them?
I don’t clean my house so I have plenty of time to quilt! LOL! But seriously – I look at my week and that helps determine what I’m actually going to get done. I make Project QUILTING a priority – if I expect everyone else to make a quilt in a week I better do it too! Sometimes my pieces just are really small or simple so they’re done.
Daughter Pip helping out….
What are you doing in the midst of the 2020 Quarantine? How many days does it feel like it has been?
I’m pretty much living my normal life except not going to the gym (which I SUPER miss), not chauffeuring my kids to all their practices (don’t really miss that) and not watching them play games (I SUPER, SUPER, SUPER miss that!). I work from home anyway, now I just have more people here that I used to. Knock on wood, my kids are handling virtual schooling very well and I just have to help here and there. We’re also cooking a lot more on their own which was pretty good for the first month but now I’m feeling a bit drained on what to make next … which actually means we’re back to the way it was before quarantine. We’re really lucky to live on the apple orchard. We have 20 acres of land, some fun animals (kittens, goats, chickens), a shed the kids can work on their sports in and plenty of arts and craft supplies.
Daughter Cedi helping Kim hang a Trunk Show…..
What is your most loathsome household chore?
All of them.
No, seriously.
All of them.
That’s why I had kids – they do the chores 🙂
Daughter Capri with a quilt she made for her cousin….
Can you share your favorite apple recipe? (You knew I had to ask this one)
Apple Crisp Parfait from Apple-tizing Recipes!
by Kim Lapacek (aka ME!)
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
4 T. butter, melted
3 c. apples, sliced and peeled
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 T. Spumante Champagne (or lemon juice, but not as fun because you can drink the rest of the champagne after you open the bottle for this dessert!)
1 qt. Vanilla ice cream
In an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ baking pan, combine oats, brown sugar, and butter. Bake in 350-degree oven for 10 minutes (mixture will be soft). Cool and crumble. Mix apple, second 1/2 cup of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and champagne. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring half-way through. Divide apple mixture among 8 parfait glasses. Top with slightly softened ice cream and crumble oat mixture.
Makes 8 servings
What is your favorite apple color?
Color – yellow just because my favorite apple is a silken and it’s yellow. They are one of the sweetest apples we grow here. (We grow 61 apple varieties)
In the Garden — one of Kim’s beautiful designs….
When you were young- what did you want to do when you grew up?
As a small child, zoologist and in high school I switched over to engineer. I actually am an engineer – I just retired when I was 25.
Dresden Neighborhood
How did your Dresden Neighborhood quilt come to be?
In 2014 I gave myself a personal challenge to twist a traditional quilt block in a non-traditional way every week for a year. 52 blocks. I tend to come up with ideas and go with it before I really think things through. This was an amazing idea for about two months and then things got a bit more stressful. The Dresden Neighborhood came to me in May. It was a Tuesday and I had to post the block the next day and I had done nothing. As I was looking at all the rulers I had that I never really used I saw my Dresden Plate and realized that with a few tweaks – a neighborhood could be made! And the next day I released the Dresden Neighborhood.
Describe your ideal vacation.
Definitely in a pool with a swim up bar. I love to be in the water at the side of the pool, reading my book and sipping on a beverage. Absolute heaven.
Please describe your wardrobe in a few sentences.
Quarantine wardrobe – sweats and a tank top
Non-quarantine wardrobe – sweats and a tank top
Public wardrobe – jeans/shorts and a hoodie/tank top
So where can you find out MORE about Kim and her colorful and apple-y adventures?
Glad you asked! Here are her websites:
Kim’s Current Challenges and Sew-alongs:
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That’s it for today Peeps,
As always,
Keep Sewing, Keep Happy,
Scott
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Photos Courtesy of Kim Lapacek and Karmen Lindner
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Ginger Marshall
Thank-you for Sharing! I love interviews like this. Kim’s quilts are awesome looking. I never knew who designed that Dresden Neighborhood quilt, but have wanted to make it for a while. It’s always nice to find that Star Quilters & Designers are just as nice as their quilts.