Quick Catch-Up

I spent the weekend at Hartland Christian Camp, at a quilt retreat.  It was lovely, though dry.  so dry.  Evergreens were brown, and rivers were dry.  Really terrifying.

 But once I was there, I lucked out and got my very own table.  An entire workstation, all to myself.  Heaven.  Bliss.  yep.  It was "all that."  :)

I drove down the hill again the next day for an errand, and tried to capture the raw beauty with my camera.

I only finished one thing, but it was an important thing.

 It was especially important because when I got home, there were two special people on their way for a visit.

 ta da!

 I love it!

 I don't like the collar, Gramma.

 And she wore it until it was time for dinner.  I think it's a hit.  yay!

Making Progress

I still have some details to work on, like attaching velcro and hooks and eyes and making the collar, but it's going quickly.  yay!

Back to Busy

Number one on my ToDo List is a costume for my granddaughter.  She wants to be Snow White.  It feels like the new Snow White pattern was "dumbed-down" from the one I made for my daughter 27 years ago.  (oh my, how time flies!)  Instead of gussets, the new one called for fusible red wedges.  I made my own gussets.

 Yes, that was a sleeve, until I cut it apart and added 5/8" seam allowances.  Then cut from light blue, cut red pleats, sew in place, and...well, stay tuned.  I'm hoping for pictures soon.

I also made a couple of birthday cards, one is in the mail,

 the other one was delivered in person.

I'm still behind on multiple cards, but one of these days (fingers crossed), I'll get them done.

In other news, yesterday I received an email congratulating me for contributing to a book called "1000 Quilt Inspirations" by Sandra Sider, available February 15, 2015.

The funny thing about that, is that I vaguely remember submitting something, but have absolutely no idea what it was.  This notice of publication was the first indication I had that it was even received. 

One of my mottos/motivators is the phrase, "You can't (fill in the blank), if you don't even try."  As in, "You can't win a ribbon, if you never enter a quilt show."  Or, "You'll never get published, if you never submit anything." 

I really like it when I take my own advice, especially when it's good.  The worst that could have happened was that they'd say no.  And instead, it was the best.  woohoo!  Goals are good, and this one paid off.  woohoo!  :)

Pacific International 2014

Last week was PIQF, in Santa Clara.  Every year I try to make the trek to see what wonders other quilters are working.  I haven't made a show quilt this year, so I didn't have an entry.  As it was, I had two hours on Thursday on my way up to the Bay Area and another two hours on my way home on Saturday.  It was a busy three days.

My friends did really well at the show.  woohoo!  There were quilts by Cindy Seitz-Krug:

And Sharon L. Schlotzhauer

And local hand applique, hand quilting star Judie Fleming...

They all did very, very well!  :)

The thing I excelled at was shopping.  I shopped on Thursday,

And then again on Saturday.

 I had a great, though busy time.  I'll leave you with the image of the quilt that impacted me the most at the show.

 This one stopped me in my tracks.  "I (kinda) know this quilt!"  I read the narrative, and she gave credit.  woohoo!!!

It was all fun, and I'm happy to share it with you.

 

Around the World Blog Hop

I am delighted to be part of the Around The World Blog Hop, by invitation from Franki Kohler.  Her blog hop post can be found here.  Next week look for Kay Pennington's blog, when she jumps into the hop.  Hopefully hopping from blog to blog you will discover new bloggers to add to your blog roll. 

There are four questions I'm to answer, so here goes:

1.  What am I working on?

Oh, the possibilities!  The #1 item on my ToDo List is a Snow White costume for my granddaughter.  The #1 quilt item on my ToDo List is a wedding quilt for my middle son and his new wife.  I will be making this costume this week, and (hopefully) piecing the quilt this weekend.  Goals are good!  I usually have at least 5-6 projects that I am actively working on, but the last few months of the year seem to center around family-type items.

2.  How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don't work from patterns and I don't work in set techniques.  I like a little bit of everything, usually beginning with lots of tradition then morphing it into something different.  I LOVE handwork, but often do machine work.  My current thrill is to add hand embellishment to transform something simple into something extra-special.  What do I mean?  How about this piece, which is actually very simple piecework, with some handsewn beads and French knots added for interest:

 "Inspired by Sara"

Suzanne Kistler, 2014

This is a detail of the beading/knots.

3.  Why do I write/create what I do?

I have constant ideas and images swimming around in my brain.  The best way to truly "see" them is to write them down or sew them out.  My writing, and especially my quilting, are my most effective means of communication.

4.  How does my writing/creating process work?

It flows from who I am.  I don't analyze, I just do.  And if I don't do, I don't function properly.  I am happiest if I am composing words on paper or fabric into design.  I imagine a quilt, then consider the best techniques to bring it to life, and go from there.  Quite often the finished product differs from my first imaginings.  Quilts take on a life of their own, and I just go with it.

Like this "finished" quilt,

that really needed beads.

And with that, I invite you to hop along and visit other 'Round the World Bloggers.  I've seen a few others here and here.  Happy Blog Hopping!  :)

One Done

I recovered from the cutting gaffe earlier this week, and you would never know it was there, unless I told you.

 Add the cape to the dress...

 And you get this:  Anna, from Frozen.

I haven't decided whether to try to deliver it in person, or to ship it.  Either way, it should arrive in the hands of its intended well before Halloween.  woohoo!  Goals are good!  And it is WONDERFUL to actually meet them once in a while.

Now excuse me while I head to PIQF, then move on to Snow White.  So much to do!  So little time!

One Step (almost) Forward

You know that phrase, "One step forward, two steps back?"  I did that this weekend.   Actually, it was more like "One step forward, and stumble."

What did I do?  I cut two of one piece right-side up, rather than two mirror images.  Somehow it's much more dramatic when it's for a garment than it is when I make this mistake while quilting.  Maybe it's because the pieces are bigger and there's nap involved.

yep.  A nap.  That's what I wanted when I realized my mistake.

Maybe there's enough fabric left?  Nope.  Not on this scrap.

 And not on this scrap either.

 Piecing skills to the rescue:

 I am hoping that I matched the nap, though it doesn't look like it in the picture.  When I take the 5/8" seam allowance in both directions, there won't be too much of the error exposed.  Then, when I add the black trim, it should (I hope!) fade to the background.  No one will ever know...except for the millions of people who saw the post here and on Facebook.  :)

At least the dress went together without incident.  I added the gold after I looked for a Disney comparison.  The dress made with the pattern directions were just a bit too ordinary for a princess.  I think the gold takes it from homemade to custom tailored, don't you? 

And with that, I've a cape to assemble.

Making Progress..

Little Bits

The week has been filled with costume-making.  But in the bits and snippets of spare time, I was able to put together a couple of wee little quiltie things.  First, there were two postcards:

 Then there was a birthday quiltlet.

The first princess dress is finished, with the exception of the applique.  I think I will do the f-word today (i.e. "fuse"), since it's not going to be getting all that much wear and tear.  When the cape is done, I'll post pictures.  And maybe I'll even do a few more little quiltie things before I start on Snow White.

Happy Creating!

30 years?!

We zipped out of town for the weekend, to my husband's 30 year reunion, of vet school.  Time flies, to be sure!

 This is Haring Hall, where the majority of the classes were taught.  I say "were," because this building is now slated to be repurposed for something other than veterinary students.

 I didn't take any pictures of the new facilities, as they have no relevance to my world.  However I did take pictures of these cast replicas of Haring's art work attached to the entryway of the new student center.

 Inside the new building?  Where they hold classes?  Nothing but the best.

For a moment there, I thought I was in an art gallery, not a veterinary school.  wow.

This week I'm back at the sewing machine, working on costumes.  I have two princess dresses to make.  I'm only as far as the first zipper.  Gonna be a busy week!  Stitch faster!  stitch faster!

A Wee Little Pretty

During the summer, when I was working on something or other, I made a little pretty.

I may have been trying to sew my way out of the mess of my studio.

One thing led to another, led to this:

 The first photo shows the true colors.  The second gives you a reference for size.

When I put it aside last night, I thought I was done.  This morning?  Not so sure.  It needs something.  Like maybe a sailboat?

And now I can call it Done.  I LOVE this little piece.  Every time I look at it, I smile.  It's the next best thing to having an ocean view.

Enjoy!

Bam!

Just like that, another one done.

Not sure why, but this one was an instant favorite of mine.  The baby arrived 2 months early, but lucky for him, his parents had already worked on his nursery.  Can you guess the theme?  His dad said, "I always wanted a man cave - I got it vicariously."

And now, on to the next thing.  Happy Quilting!