New Facing, Better Corners

One thing that I've had some trouble with is turning corners when facing my quilts.  When binding them?  No problemo.  But facing?  mucho problemo. 

When Charlotte saw one of my quilts, she cringed and said, "Remind me to tell you about the video that I saw on facings!"  Then she showed me her quilt, with corners so sharp I might cut myself.  oh my.

This is one of my corners, probably the worst on this particular quilt:

 The quilt was awarded a 3rd place at BOTV, but if I hope for recognition at a major major show?  I'd better do something about it.  The first quiltie thing I did once the show was over was to take the facing off of that quilt.  That meant I also had to take off the sleeve, and the label...not an undertaking for the faint of heart.

But it was oh, so, worth it!  Here is the new facing.  Look at that corner!  It's as sharp as Charlotte's!

 It's not BEAUTIFUL on the back, but it's not terrible either.  In fact, I think it's pretty doggone good, if I do say so myself. 

And that's all I've got for you, folks.  I've done the same thing to "The Early and Late Rains," in preparation for hopefully sending it to some show somewhere.  Most of the corners turned easily, but I had problems with the last one.  I may have to go back and see what I did wrong.   Translation:  I may have to pick it out again.  At least I haven't stitched the sleeve or the label back in place yet.

Everything seems to be a work in progress.  Even when I've declared it "finished!"

And on that, I am hopeful that I will sew...if I can get my desk under control.  I had my housekeeper dust the desk for me, once I'd taken everything off of it.  I've been trying to cull through the stuff, to organize.  It's a job that took 12 hours on Monday, 3 hours yesterday, and will swallow up probably at least another 3-6 hours.  oh well.  It will be worth it, right?  Doing it right usually is...

 Except for the laptop, all of this was on the desktop. 

Now.  Don't you feel SO much better about your own little bit of clutter?  I thought so!
Happy Spring Cleaning!  oh my.  oh. my. goodness.

Two Cards

I promised pictures of birthday cards.  Here is the first one.  It arrived at its destination today.

 This is the second one.  I found the little llama charm in an antique mall in San Carlos last month.  I chose it for my sister, who has a thing for llamas and alpacas.

 It went well with the herd I purchased last year from a local handweaver at the annual Handweaver's sale in Exeter.  Cuteness!  I couldn't resist.

 The other thing that I sewed recently is the facing on "Kelp."  I thought it might have placed better had the corners been sharper.  Now they are.  It's as good as it's going to get.

This weekend, I have plans for lots of handwork.  Let's hope that I have something to show for it by the time Sunday evening rolls around.  Goals are good!

Tradition!

On Thursday, one of our new members at guild volunteered to do a trunk show.  I had no idea what to expect, as she's lived out of state for years.  I know her mother, Phyllis, better than I know Alleen.  But when you look at a person's quilts, I feel like you get to know the person.

Let me introduce you to Alleen Parker:

I love the way the red pops these blocks.  She said she helped her grandmother with the piecing, when she (Alleen) was 8 years old.  She's now retired, so it's been a while.  What a bold graphic quilt!  It makes me happy.

This quilt was made from her grandfather's clothes and pajamas.  She said nothing about the hands in the border, but they really personalize it and give it character.

This one is Delectable Mountains, made while she lived in Idaho.

 This one is string-pieced.  Makes me want to pull out my string box and once again begin stitching to muslin.

And that's all I've got for you today, folks.  I made a couple of birthday cards, but can't share them until next week.  I missed the mailman this morning, so I'll probably post them on Wednesday.

Until then, be inspired!

It's Springing!

Time Flies!

whoosh!  The visible-to-the-public part of Best of the Valley Quilt Show has come and gone.  Now the behind-the-scenes-wrap up will consume my days in the coming week.  Yesterday quilts were shipped back to their owners.  Today's schedule should include a trip (or two) to our storage unit, to drop off the PVC pipe, sign boards, and other large, bulky quilt show paraphernalia.  The rest?  Hangs out in my garage year-round.

So, while I attend to this detail and that, I'll leave you with pictures of the quilts that I entered in BOTV 2017.  Enjoy!

 "Another Sunset" - Suzanne Kistler, 2017

"By The Sea" - Suzanne Kistler, 2015

 "Hanging By a Thread" - Suzanne Kistler, 2016

 "Wheel of Color" - Suzanne Kistler, 2016

"Kelp" - Suzanne Kistler, 2016

Those are the quilts I entered this year.  I was pleased to be mentioned, since I knew the competition would be competitive.  :)  Finally, I'll leave you with this shot of the surprise my husband sent to me on opening day:

Hope you're inspired to quilt.  I know I am!!