The End of 2009

What a year!

That's all I have to say about that.

ha! Fooled you! ;) I'm no Forrest Gump. I can't be a person of few words. I like to ramble, doncha know? ;)

For the past month or so, I've been a bit sulky, thinking that no matter how hard I try, I don't get any quilting done. zip, zero, nada. I've dwelt on the fact that I did not finish a show quilt in 2009. I look at my Step challenges on my sidebar and see FAILED! and know that I'm adding another FAIL for December. I feel like I can't call myself a quilter, because I haven't been quilting.

I remember my high school PE teacher, we called her "Miss Pete." She was a wise woman, despite her lack of years and grey hair. On one occasion, when I was listing my failures, she reminded me that while it's necessary to acknowledge what still needs to be done, it's also very important to look back and see what has been accomplished.

This morning I was reading Tanya's blog, and she took the time to review the year and see what she'd finished, quilt-wise. Rather than "not finishing anything," she'd completed 21 quilts!! To see her entry and photo collage, check here.

And so, I've gone through my blog, so see what I've finished. Rather than finish "nothing," I see that I finished and gave baby quilts to Heather, Julie, & Michele. I made large-ish quilts for Sean, Jeff, and Daniel. I made wallhangings for Sharon and Pete. I finished my 2009 Hoffman Challenge, made a quilted background for our guild website, made a quilt for the spare bed and finished an adorable wallhanging of young Adam in Scotland.

According to photos on the blog, I also finished and sent out at least 32 quilted cards.

And I quilted 17 quilts-for-hire.

And I successfully navigated my first year as chair of Best of the Valley.

Wow. I read that, and it sounds like bragging. Truly, it's not meant to be. I had no idea I'd finished so many quilts, no matter how small. Does it matter if they measure 5" x 7"? They were sent to touch 32 people. Hopefully that contact was just as meaningful - or MORE - than making a "show quilt."

Maybe the time I spent quilting for hire wasn't "wasted." It helped others finish some of the tops that might otherwise be on the shelf, gathering dust.

If I look around my house, I see a bed quilt, the Scotland wallhanging, and a photo of my 2009 Hoffman Challenge. Not much to show for my efforts. But if I look at the bigger picture? Maybe I DID do something quiltie this year after all!!

So, if you're feeling like you didn't accomplish much of anything this year, I encourage you to take the time to sit back and actually think about what you DID do, not what you DIDN'T do. Goals are good, and all that, but I'm pretty sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!!

Happy New Year!!!

December Step

Remember this one? It was my failed March Step. It's been resurrected for December. My daughter requested a baby quilt for her sister-in-law in the next couple of weeks. What better motivation than that, to finish this? :)

I've been taking lots of pictures but haven't had time to post. We've been out and about, getting into the Christmas spirit. Hopefully I'll have time to download and share them this weekend.

Oh, and my November Step? The only progress I made was claiming that I was going to work on it. I misled you. I didn't touch it. oh well. There's always 2010 to finish it, right?

How about the rest of you? Kristin is the only one who told me of her November Step. Were you able to get your challenge quilt top marked and start the quilting? Let me know, okay?

That's all folks!

November Step

I'm going to resurrect my May goal as my November Step. Ideally I'd like to have this quilt completed and ready to enter in the AQS Paducah show. I know, I know, goals are good. This one's been pushed off time and again. But I really don't have that much quilting left, despite the photo. I've got leaves and the border to quilt, that's it. The binding and the ruching can wait until December.

So there you go, my November Step: quilt this quilt "for reals"!!! :)

Rejected

*sigh*

Dear Suzanne Kistler,
Thank you for submitting your entry, Be Still: Psalm 46:10, blah blah blah, we regret that we are unable to include your entry in this year's show.

*sigh*

You know it's a bad sign when acceptance letters come out December 1 and you receive a skinny envelope in the mail on November 12.

It's not like I'm not used to being on the receiving end of these letters. It's just that this particular quilt is probably the best quilt I've ever made, and I can't seem to get it into very many shows. When it does get in, it shows very well.

I know, I know, you're all saying, "It's your photographs." But if you remember from this post a few months back, I invested in the proper background and lighting and everything else needed for awesome quilt photography.

It's just not to be.

Rejection helps to keep me humble.

My roll is over...you know, as in "I was on a roll, and every quilt I entered for 5 years got into every show." I guess that went to my head, because judging by my towering stack of rejection letters, I seem to be requiring a lot of humbling these days.

Okay, so maybe I exaggerate. It's just a stack. It's not in danger of falling over. It's not really a tower. It just seems like it.

whine, whine, whine. Yes, I WOULD like some cheese with that. :)

Here's hoping that I'm the only one of my friends who received a copy of this letter today.

Ironically, I spent the morning getting the entry forms printed for our show. Next week is our mailing party, and the forms should be at your doorstep before Thanksgiving. As a word of encouragement, I'll tell you that we have a very good acceptance/rejection ratio, unlike the shows that I've been collecting letters from.

Stay tuned. As soon as our entry forms are available online, I'll let you know!

And on that, I'm back to the Studio.

oh! And I have NOT forgotten the 12 Step program. I just haven't had time to think about what my Step will be. Has anyone else out there identified a Step? Or are we moving into holiday/end of the year mode, with the Steps stopping at 10? Time will tell...

October Step - Finished!

Yay! Mission Accomplished! Was it cheating to pick something that could be finished so quickly? I don't know. It did throw my Bernina into an "I won't sew" mode, and put it into the shop waiting for a replacement part. In the end I accomplished two tasks, not one. yay!

Here is the overall quilt. It hangs nice and flat. The blocking worked wonders. :)

Sue Rasmussen Class Project
finished October 2009 by Suzanne Kistler

It was nice to get a chance to quilt a few more feathers after finishing the large feathered quilt-for-hire.

Here is an angle guaranteed to show the dimension the quilting adds. I am quite pleased with the result, which is actually a surprise. I was not all that excited about the quilt when I first started...


On another note, I need to congratulate some friends of mine. They are in the winner's circle at Houston. (I don't know that there is actually a winner's circle, I've never been there. But if there is a circle, they're in it.)

Congratulations to Sharon Schlotzhauer who won First Place in Art Quilts, Miniature AND Second Place in Art Quilts, Whimsical. Congratulations to Lynn Drennen & Friends, who won First Place in Group Quilts. Congratulations to Cindy Seitz-Krug & Molly Hamilton-McNally who won Second Place in Innovative Applique. (I've given you two links, to see 2 of the 4 quilts. The others are on the Quilts.org website.)

If any of my other friends are on the list and I missed you, I apologize. I am so THRILLED for you all!!! Wow. Can we spend more time together? I need to rub shoulders with you and absorb some of your quilting magic...just a little quilt dust, you won't feel a thing. ;)

Congratulations!!!!

October Step

I spent Saturday quilting my October Step. By the end of the day, all I had left was the outer border. Since I've been in a feathery mood, it seemed right to add more. I did so on Monday. I proclaimed the Step "finished!" and then actually looked at it. oh my. It waves like a flag in the wind.

Just in case you can't see the ripples full on, how about an edge shot?

See them now?

I have some dense quilting in the foreground of the interior picture, which "sucks up" the fabric. It needs equally dense quilting around the border, to "suck up" the excess in a similar manner. sigh. I didn't want to quilt any more. But I did.

I've gone back and added itty bitty teensy weensy microscopic stippling on both sides of the feather. It helped a lot, although I'm not sure this photo shows how much difference it made. (Maybe you can click on it then zoom in?)

The (hopefully) finally step to making this quilt lie flat was to cut off the excess and then block the border. Since the interior is fine the way it is, I didn't mess with it at all. The last thing I want is for it to shrink. But the border is another matter. Because I have 100% cotton batting, I EXPECT it to shrink, at least enough to make the quilt look flat.

Here it is, pinned and drying.

And here it is once again from the edge. It looks promising, does it not?


I'm hoping to get the binding attached so that I will have handwork on Thursday, when my Itty Bitty friends congregate. It's been weeks (months?) since I've met with them, so I really do need to make an effort.

But for now? I have another quilt-for-hire in my future on this rainy day...

October Step

I know, I know: I'm late. I woke up, find that it's already October 10, and I haven't declared a Step. Is it because I don't have one? No, it is not. It is because I've been running around going a million miles a minute (yeah, right) and making feathers.

You KNOW I didn't make up the feathers part, I posted proof. I have pictures! :)

My plan for today was to do a number of "clean up" projects in the Studio, and maybe quilt another quilt-for-hire. But my plans just changed.

My Bernina 150 has been giving me some troubles, poor baby. I think I've about worn her out. I know she got tired of making feathers. The minute she was done, she was done. And she pooped out in class yesterday, although I was able to coax her into finishing the day. She just got back from the doctor.

He says, "Run her 'til she dies." Dies?!! I don't want her to die! She's my favorite!

But her problems are not obvious enough, so I need to run her today. A lot.

And so, instead of working on someone else's quilt, I will proceed with announcing and working on my October Step. It will be to quilt this quilt:

I know. My photos have been terrible of late. I think I'm getting lazy. Or maybe it's that getting the computer "cleaned up" means that downloading picture files now takes 7 steps instead of one. Once I finally get them on the computer and see how bad they are, I don't feel like taking more pictures.

This is the quilt I made in the Sue Rasmussen class earlier this year. Or was it last year? It's been basted for months, and now I know just what I want to do with it. The first step will be to quilt it. So, there you have it, my official October Step.

On a different note, our middle son has been home for a week, waiting for a "check in the mail." It finally came yesterday, so he's going back to Davis today. It's been fun to have him here, and I know that Charlie is going to miss his new favorite headrest. :)

That's all for now. I hope you have a weekend filled with creativity and progress!

October!!

As I fought the crowds in Costco yesterday, I wondered where they came from. Then it hit me. It was October first! And if it's October, it's time to determine an October Step. This is going to be a toughie. As of now, I don't have one. I'm going to have to search through my projects and find one that I can realistically meet. Unless, of course, I decide that unquilting the rafting quilt should be my step. Actually, it SHOULD be my step, but it doesn't sound terribly gratifying. That's why it's so perfectly qualified.

Congratulations to all who completed their September steps. I know Pat finished two, how about you, Kay? Kristin? Did you meet your goals? I still can't believe that I met mine so early in the month. Deadlines are the BEST motivators!

But back to October. I have so many quilts-for-hire waiting for my attention, it's hard to know when I will have time to quilt for myself. The current QFH is so large, it's taking its toll on my wrists and elbows. I do need to take a few breaks from manhandling it, even though I'm only putting in 2-3 hours each day.

My calendar says I'm quilt-booked at least for the next 2-3 weeks, and I need to write that article, and I have a zillion things I should be doing. So what did I do? I started knitting.


I know, I know, call me crazy. My quilt muscles were tired but I didn't want idle hands...yep. One more thing to keep me out of trouble. ;)

Finished!

I surprise myself. I've been working on this project for three days, and it has been completed. yay!! When was the last time I completed a Step in the month I announced it? It's definitely been awhile.

I'm not going to be so bold as to announce a second step this month, but I will be working on other projects, I assure you. It just feels really good to finish something. This one was quick and painless, and turned out square. fantastic! In the morning I deliver it to the County Fair.

Here's the first picture, to show you that yes, the binding is complete.

And here's what it looks like on the bed. I'm actually not sure I'm going to use it in this room, but it certainly livens it up, don't you think?

Wow. It's finished. I can't think of anything else to say. yay!!!

September Step

This is my September Step. I've already been at work on it for a couple of hours, and all of the blue and yellow sections have now been quilted. All I have left are the red, orange, pink and purple sections. Yay! I might just meet this goal for a change. That would be SO nice!!

I'm actually hoping to be finished with the quilting by tomorrow, so I can bind and label it on Thursday. It needs to be delivered to the County Fair by Friday. Goals, and all that... ;)

I've gone through my dozens of spools of thread and realize that I don't have any orange quilting thread. Can you imagine? What am I thinking, not stocking up on orange! As soon as I'm done here, I'm off to see if I can find a spool of variegated orange. I'd also like to find a more interesting purple. The one I have on hand is "wisteria" and if it's variegated, the color changes are so slight I can barely see them.

And then it's over to Michael's to pick up some foam core to mount my photographs. I got brave (or foolish) this year and had a few printed for "competition." I put the word in quotation marks, because I use it loosely. My branding photos excite me, but it remains to be seen if they excite anyone else.

And I guess that's about it. Good luck with September, Steppers!!

Silence Means I'm Busy

Quilt, quilt, quilt. That's how I spent Saturday. It was a good Saturday, and here's what I have to show for my efforts:

It may not look all that exciting to you, but it is definitely exciting to me. This is the shelf where I store other people's quilts, you know, the ones for hire. See that? It's EMPTY!!!

I'm actually still quilting the last quilt, but I'm close to finished. I just need to do the free-motion, which shouldn't take too long, and make and attach the binding. Oh, and I found out I need to make a sleeve for it as well. But, the goal was to have this quilt passed along by Sept 1, and I seem to be right on target.

Did you get the notice that AQS is planning a new show? In Lancaster? There is a special category for Amish-style quilts. I dug through my UFO box, and found these last remaining blocks from my 2005 Hoffman Challenge. I'm not going to make anything specifically for the show (no time), but I thought this might be a fun way to set the 8 blocks. I have lots of solid black, and they'd make a nice frame for something...


In the meantime, I have once again failed to meet my proposed monthly Step. sigh. Not much of a leader, am I? The only Steppers who announced their Steps this month were Pat and Kristin. Pat, did you finish your two tops? Kristin? Did you finish quilting your trapunto piece? Let me know, okay? Thanks!

And for the rest of us, it's time to start thinking about our September Step. I know exactly what I'm going to do. I have a quilt entered in the County Fair, which I haven't finished quilting. It needs to be delivered by Friday. I am desperate for the satisfaction of achieving a stated goal this month, so that's going to be it. I'll post the details tomorrow.

And that's a wrap for today. Goodbye, August!!

Frustration vs. Gratification

If I'm the Stepmaster, does that mean I can make changes as I go along? I mean, I chose this stupid August Step, of finishing the quilting on my rafting quilt, and all it's doing is making me frustrated. The front of the quilt is looking yummy. The back is a nightmare.

This is what I found, after 2 hours of quilting...

Knot, knot, knot. I might think that I'm pausing too long as I switch directions, going back and forth, but the knots aren't on every direction change, and sometimes they're in the middle of a line of stitching. grrr. I am not a happy camper. I want to change my August Step. Am I allowed to do that?

What I've switched to is the strippy quilt that I basted a couple of weeks ago. It's behaving beautifully, and I can quilt entire philodendron leaves without a knot anywhere on the back. It's the strangest thing...(click on the picture to see the stitching more clearly).

What to do? Stay with the quilt Step that is causing great frustration? Or spend time with the one granting instant gratification?

You know? This has been a year of lost time. I haven't finished quilts, I've barely worked on quilts. I've spent hours and days waiting for this and waiting for that. I don't play the waiting game well.

I think the best answer is to finish the strippy quilt today, and see if it feels good to have something to show for my time. The rafting quilt will still be there, ready and waiting for me. Maybe I was tired when I worked on it. Maybe my hands did pause a little here and there. But I don't want to deal with that just now, I want something fast and happy for this Saturday.

I stopped by Tanya's blog this morning, and she'd posted pictures of her cats. That made me think of MattMatt, and the fact that he likes it when I post pictures of our cats.

They were all in the sewing room, looking at my fabric collection, but by the time I got the camera set to capture them, they'd skedaddled. sigh.

Here is Malcolm, giving his usual dirty look. Eyes narrowed, ears back...there's nothing friendly in that body language.

Here's Charlie. He heard me coming, immediately ended his cat bath and looked up at me with adoration and started purring. I didn't even have to touch him. What a love.

And then there's Edgar. Eyes wide open, ears on the alert, paws spread wide, ready to take off without hesitation, if I do anything that he might interpret as threatening. Can't you just feel his increased heartrate when you look in his eyes?

And I guess that's it for now.

I'm going to stick with my "finish quilting the rafting quilt" as my August Step, but I'm going to take a break and finish the strippy quilt first. I need to finish something bigger than a quiltie card right now, and this is my best option.

Hopefully the next time you hear from me, I'll be putting on binding! Goals are good!!! :)

Last Day for July Step

Ahh. No pictures this morning, maybe later. I'm still trying to move into the Studio...I love how that word is beginning to roll trippingly off the tongue, without hesitation. Studio. Studio. Studio. I love it!

Anyway, the contents of the Annex are gradually diminishing. Unfortunately I've decided that several bins will be staying under the bed. I really liked having NOTHING under that bed, but for now? It's the best place to get things out of my way.

Another unfortunate observation is that I moved several things into the Studio yesterday, without finding a place to put them. These are important things, like my BIG box of orphan blocks, etc., so I MUST deal with them. They are too big to ignore, and too important to stash in the way back of the closet. Perhaps today I'll have more creative storage inspiration. (I expect to be inspired and cleaned up by noon, so I can get back to quilting!)

As you know, or perhaps you missed it, I actually finished my June/July Step. yay!! Both months my goal was to finish my Hoffman, and it is actually complete. whoop, whoop, wahoo!

I've felt like an unorganized mess since the first of June, which was when I went from sewing area to empty room. Everything was crammed into the Annex (or Daniel's room or the dining room or the living room) and nothing was readily accessible. I haven't forgotten that I haven't rewarded any of you for your June Step.

In fact, I'm planning to send a reward to those of you who have been faithfully stepping along without me, and bearing with me through this extended period of upheaval. I hope to get something into the mail by early August, goals are good and all that.

Speaking of which, I need to post my Step for the coming month. It may be unattainable, but it is realistic. I'll post it first thing in the morning. I need to get a picture.

Good luck with your Steps, we're more than halfway through the year. I'm so excited! I even have a FINISHED quilt (my Hoffman) as a result of this Step challenge. I hope the rest of you are feeling as encouraged as I am!

My Step Update

I thought it might be about time to give you a look-see at my Hoffman Challenge.

I'm not going to show you the front, I'm showing you the back. That way you can see my actual quilting progress.


I'm moving forward, really I am. It's just very slow going. I figured a shot from the back gives you a better idea of how far I've come and how much further I've left to go. The top photo shows how close to the edge the quilting will eventually be (on the right and bottom). I have far to go on the left and top. And I've got plenty of gaps that need to be filled in as well.

This second view might give you a better idea of my progress. You can always click on a picture, to enlarge it.

So there you go. My June Step has evolved into my July Step. I may not have completed my June Step, but I definitely spent more than a few hours working on it. Oh, and if you can't tell, I should probably point out that this piece is hand-quilted.

My biggest issue is that I'm running out of quilting thread. I bought some honey-colored Gutermann quilting thread #1225 several years ago. It's perfect for this project, but I didn't have a full spool. I getting close to the end, and the new Gutermann #1225 is a greenish brown, not honey-colored. If anyone has a spool of the old #1225, I'll buy it from you. Anyone? Help! :)

I'm continuing my quilting, praying for either a loaves & fishes experience or that the eventual switch to a different thread won't be too terribly noticeable. After all, I'm already quilting the quilt with both green and this honey-brown, since I knew I didn't have an abundance of brown.

I'll keep you posted.

A Half Century

I don't know about you, but to me, 50 years is a LONG time. Yesterday I celebrated 50 years of breathing. wow. Like I said, it's a LONG time.

Friends and family saw to it that the day was recognized. My goodness, the celebration began last Thursday and continues through today. A few people asked about gifts, and wow! Generosity abounds!!!

Of particular note are the elephant watering can and the accessory organizer in the back. I love the elephant - if elephants never forget, does that mean I will remember to water my plants? I certainly hope so!!

I studied the accessory organizer and thought, "Pete must have talked to the quilters. He knows I'm trying to get my act together and he's gotten this to hold all of my buttons and beads." Wrong. He got it for me to organize his extra sprinkler heads and drip irrigation parts. hmmm. See the hose monitor on the left? Apparently that's for me too. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with it. ;)

Up front are two beautiful quilted cards, one is hand-painted, the other (with the birthday cake) is appliqued and beaded. I should probably take individual photos and share them later this week.

Thank you to everyone who made the day special. I really appreciated it!!

On a different note, we've moved into June. Did you finish your May Step? I didn't finish mine, but I did move forward. Any progress is good progress, right?

For June, I'm taking the easy way out and announcing the finishing of my Hoffman Challenge as my step. I've set a secondary goal of hand-quilting for at least half of the days this month. I didn't do any yesterday, so that means that today is a must-quilt day. But before I do that, I'm still working to empty the sewing room.

So much to do, so little time!

Finally, yesterday I shipped two quilts off to Ohio, for the Sacred Threads exhibit later this month. If you are anywhere near Reynoldsburg, I encourage you to stop by and see the exhibit. It should be quite powerful and uplifting.

That's it from around here. I'll try to be better about posting this month, at least in regards to quilting activities. (Hopefully there will be more quilting going on than organizing. The organizing is getting OLD.)

It's Hard to Tell

sigh. I cleaned yesterday, and I cleaned today. I swept and organized. I straightened and threw away. I culled. I sewed. I moved forward. But it's hard to tell.

I guess the best gauge is looking at the Sewing Annex. It's getting full.

If you look in the sewing room, you don't see much change. I see a difference. I see carpet. And I see a table top where once there was a machine.

I see more carpet, both in and out of the closet. But I also still see an overwhelming mess. sigh.

We worked for hours outside. The branches are gone, and the sticks and leaves are mostly gone, but the pool is still full of debris. The pool sweep keeps clogging with all of the branches and palm fronds it picks up from the pool's floor. It will take at least 3-4 more hours to get it truly clean.

At least the pile of branches are gone from the driveway. Dr. Pete has taken them away. All that is left are his boots...

yup. That's what we've been up to.

Tomorrow is the last day of May. How are you doing on your May Step? I'm a terrible leader. I'm not going to get this one done either. I've actually made a considerable amount of progress, and one of these days I'll kick it into gear and get it finished. But not today.

According to my notes, which are mental, and are likely inaccurate, I've got Kay, Kristin, Pat and Elaine down as finishing (or being very close to finishing) their May Step. Am I correct? You've got...32 hours...and counting.

Finished April's Step

I did it! It may have been a week late, but my little April Step is finished. Isn't he cute? I was going to add more embellishments, but the rocks at his feet seem to be enough. We'll see as the days go by. Maybe it's enough, maybe it needs more. I don't know yet.


I spent yesterday quilting the little piece. It measures about 13.5" x 13.5". It is heavily quilted.

This is the first time I've "faced" a quilt instead of given it a traditional quilt binding. Does that mean it's an Art Quilt? I think it might.

This morning I had the door closed while I was dressing. When I came into the hall, look who was waiting for me. These boys are so patient!

Look who showed up as soon as I went to get the camera. Is anyone else's household like that? When the kids were little, they were always within a 10' radius of my ankles. The kitties (unless they are sleeping) are the same. (Right now Malcolm is lounging behind the monitor.)

Do you see the kitty pawprints on the carpet along the walls? Every day I see kitty prints in those two paths. How many times do they go back and forth to make that many prints? I wonder...

Finally, on Monday, Charlie caught a lizard. Edgar catches lizards regularly. Edgar's never get away. Charlie's did. Later, when Charlie was asleep in the house, his lizard crept out of his hiding place.

I had never seen lizards in all the 15 years that we've lived here, but the boys (the kitty boys) have been bringing them home on almost a daily basis. I wonder where they're coming from?

Pete says this guy's motto is, "Some of us survived the Pleistocene Era!"

Just a Quickie

Wow. I was supposed to skeddaddle about 3 hours ago, but I'm still here. I may as well take a minute to post before hauling my way up the mountain. I'm not thrilled about that right now. I ran a few errands and heard the brakes squeal. That's never good, especially when headed to the mountains.

Also, the weatherman says "Sierra Storm Watch." Doesn't that mean snow? I'm not driving in snow, even if I have chains. I may make it as far as Oakhurst and then call for a cab. Or not. We'll see.

I finished the quilt-for-hire, and I've halfway delivered it. I've left it at the quilt store, and the owner will pick it up when she returns to town. I thought you might like to see some of the quilting on the back.

Here are the gingko leaves:

And here are the pseudo-chrysanthemums in the border:

I didn't finish my April Step - boo hoo - but I did get to the point of quilting. I'm now looking for a green/brown variegated thread. Good luck with that, eh? ;)


I thought you might like to see the photo the piece was based on. Obviously I still need to add some rocks and flowers...

Finally, here is my May Step. I'd like to finish the hand-quilting on this project.

I realized that I've had this in my "active" mental list, but I haven't touched it in 6 months. I drafted the quilt in October 2007, pieced and appliqued it the same month, and did the stenciling shortly thereafter. I had several false-starts with the stenciling, but I'm pretty sure the quilt has been in the quilting stage for at least a year. And there's no way it's got a year's worth of quilting in it. It shouldn't have taken more than a month or 6 weeks at the most.

Since it's May 1, that means I have ALL MONTH to work on it. And I'll start today, if I ever get to my destination. Maybe I'll end up snowed in and get it finished sooner rather than later. ha! I hope not! I'm not eager to experience a May snowstorm.

But I am eager to see the mountains, and I'm guessing I'll be posting pictures on Monday...unless the weather does not cooperate.

Have a great weekend!!

To Quilt (for hire) Or Not To Quilt...

First thing this morning, I read the Yarn Harlot's blog. Talk about a "fav." I love to read her writing. She's in love with yarn, in the same way that I'm captivated by fabric. She gravitates towards knitting needles, I love my Bernina. We're polar opposites, yet we've got much in common. Today's post laments her lack of knitting time, and I could SO relate.

Just yesterday I was at lunch with a friend. She wanted to know if I am really and truly going to stop quilting for hire. She's one of my loyal clients, and is very good at making me feel guilt about even wanting to stop. I would be letting her down. I would be letting more than her down. "You can't quit!"

Can't I?

I look at my disaster of a sewing room, which used to bustle with creativity. At this point it's a dumping ground and stagnant when it comes to actual production. I have the tools, I have the fabric, I have everything I need to create wondrous wonders, but there is one thing missing. I have no time.

My days have been filled with quilt show, interspersed with a bit of quilting for others.

When was the last time I finished a show quilt? It was April, 2008, and that's a LONG time ago.

Sure, I finished my 2008 Hoffman Challenge in July 2008, and when it comes back I'll send it on a bit of a circuit, but really...when is the last time I finished a very GOOD quilt? It's been a year. It's been more than a year.

That year has not been wasted. It's been spent quilting for others and working on the show. Both are good ways to spend my time. Service to the community is important, whether paid or volunteer. But sometimes it's important for me to work on something just for me.

Or maybe it doesn't have to be just for me. Maybe it can be for a family member. I notice that the two steps that I actually completed this year were for Allison & Jeff and Andrew. Neither quilt is finished, but each is one step closer. My March and April steps fell into the category of "filler," and neither was completed. It wasn't like I was doing any other quilting in their place. There was simply no quilting time available.

Obviously this is a problem. The question is, what am I going to do about it?

I've decided to maintain my business license for now, but I'm not going to advertise at all. Maybe, if the right person asks me to quilt the right project, I will accept it, but they can't be in a hurry to have it quilted. I have a few true goals of my own - goals are good! - and I'd really like to see them reached this year.

I want to finish my Flower Fades faith quilt. It's partially hand-quilted. I need to finish the quilting, add the ruching and bind it. It's probably 20-30 hours from completion. If I put my mind to it? I could finish it in a week.

I want to finish my quilt from the Ruth McDowell class I took in 2007. It's a good quilt, all it needs is quilting. And maybe a little bit of beading. Or not. And binding. I couldn't guess the number of hours that will take, but I think I could finish it in two months' time.

And so, I'm going to take the next two months to focus on my own work. If I'm being selfish, I apologize. But it's been too long. There's been too much on my plate and not enough of it has been personal.

I'll continue with my Step Program, (last night I finished the sheepies, wanna see?), and I'm still thinking of attempting a Hoffman Challenge. Yesterday I found two fabrics that work with the Challenge fabric, after wading through 75% of my stash...The fabric continues to be a groaner.

So that's where I stand today. I'll keep my license, but I don't want to quilt for anyone else until I've finished at least one show quilt. Or maybe both. We'll see. In the meantime? I'm on sabbatical. I'll let you know when I'm ready to get back to business.

So Glad to be Sewing!

Yesterday, (or was it Monday?), I went back to work on this quilt-for-hire. It is the last of the bunch. I accepted it in February, saying, "I hope you're not in a hurry." She said she wasn't, she didn't need it until May. uh oh. May is on Friday.

I've been talking about how much I love this quilt. I think it's the simple geometry and the play of the lights and darks that have me so captivated. All I have left to quilt are the ecru background and the outer border. I'll be done this afternoon, if all goes as planned.

I've also been working on my April Step, although I'm not moving as quickly as I might have hoped. I thought you might like to see my boy's hair. It is done with 2 strands of embroidery floss, mixed and matched with 5 colors of floss.

Yesterday I added a few sheep. They're in progress. The original photograph had 6 or 8, but there's no way I'm adding that many sheep. They're kind of corny, but it's not like this is a super-serious piece. It's just a very good memory, and cute but corny sheep will do just fine, thankyouverymuch.

Here's a close-up of how I'm making the sheep. I've appliqued some novelty-print sheep onto the background, then I've embroidered their legs and faces with black. After that, an hour of French knots was enough to cover the little body. Like I said, not perfect, but it will suffice.

Finally, I thought you might get a kick out of this little guy. I bought him last week, when I went shoe-shopping. No, I didn't find him at the shoe store, but I had to bring him home. Flamingos are so corny - there's that word again! - that they make me laugh. They can crack me up any day, especially when presented as Art. But a blue flamingo? That seems like an oxymoron. Obviously I couldn't leave him on the shelf. He came home with me and has a place of honor among my knick-knacks...right next to the Lalique and the little marble box from the Taj Mahal.

You think I'm joking, don't you? heh heh heh I'm not!

Now I'm going back to finish that quilt-for-hire. If only I knew what I was going to quilt in the border!