Hey, Baby...

Welcome Home!!

Long time no see...actually, I did see you in July, in Long Beach. Tell me, where did you go? Who did you see? Did you have a good time?

If only quilts could talk...

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!!!

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!!!

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Yes, today is his birthday, and he is one year older. He's taking it a lot better than he did last year. He was fit to be tied about the big 50, but 51 seems to be a piece of cake. Then again, it's only 9:25am. :)

I finished his birthday quilt in the nick of time. I left it for him on the kitchen table, since he gets up at ridiculously early hours (4:30am), and I hadn't planned to join him. He thanked me, and asked if I knew there was fishing line on the quilt. Why yes, indeed I did. I put it there. :)

"Fish Story"
Suzanne Kistler 2009

So how about this story?

When Pete and the boys went camping a few weeks ago, I was thinking about them as I worked in my Studio. (I still LOVE that phrase: "my Studio!") A block I'd made YEARS ago swam into mind, and coalesced with the guild challenge to "include a circle." (Obviously, since I've unveiled the quilt, this is not my guild challenge.)

Anyway, one slice led to another, and the top was finished that Saturday evening. When Pete returned on Sunday, his eyes glowed as he told of catching a 13" trout. "I cast the line, and this huge fish jumped into the air! I got so excited, I yanked the line and he missed the fly. I was hoping he was still there, and I cast again. And I caught him!!"

Definitely a fish story. It was verified by the boys. Yes, indeed, Dad did catch that fish. Oh yes, they'd heard the story. They'd already "heard it at least 20 times." When I showed them the top, they were amazed. I'd captured Dad's story completely, and I hadn't even heard it yet.

Adam said, "All it needs is some line and a fly." Excellent suggestion, Adam! They make the quilt!

And here you have it, a close-up of Pete's "Fish Story."

"Fish Story" - close-up
Suzanne Kistler 2009

Today I'm going to fix the binding, because I know I can do better. And so, it's onward and upward. I am SO excited to have finished a quilt in 2009. It has been MUCH too long!!!

Lots To Tell

Well, there's a big difference between Alaska and Visalia, believe you me. They may have 24 hour daylight, but we've got 24 hour heat. I took this picture at 11pm. If you can't read the mercury, it was 94 the night we got home. Toasty.

I was taken to a new-to-me quilt store in Alaska, and came home with this little bit of yardage for my collection. ooh ahh. (I may have brought it home, but it's not all destined for my stash.)

You're probably wondering about the state of my sewing room. As of Tuesday, this is what it looked like. These cabinets are ready to hold my stash. (Or part of it.)

This one is waiting to hold tools and whathaveyou.

Same with the one in the back corner. The table is waiting for its top.

The doors are on, and the drawers are functional.

I have to say that I don't do waiting well. I never have. I was in the last throws of trying to finish my Hoffman Challenge, and not having a place to sew made me a very unhappy camper. Philippians 4:12 aside, I may be able to do all things, but sometimes I don't WANT to do all things, and on Tuesday, all I wanted was a place to sew that was not in my kitchen. I must say that I may have exhibited a bit of ungodly behavior as I went about finishing my Hoffman.

I had to bring my machine, my embroidery accessories, my cutting equipment, and everything else out here to make and attach binding, make and attach a sleeve, and make and attach a label.

I will also admit that I may have made a scene when I realized that all entry forms were to be completed online this year - my internet access was inaccessible until late Thursday. Kinko's saved me on that one.

I finished my quilt, and it was received by the deadline. My bad news (for everyone interested) is that in my anxiety to get it to Colorado on time, I neglected to take a photograph of the finished project. Oops. Trust me. It's finished! :)

Yesterday I hopped a bus for Long Beach, to see the Quilt Festival. ooh, aah, those people really do know how to put on a quilt show!!!

I usually do not take pictures at shows, but I've had many people ask me what kinds of quilts that I like. I loved this "poppy" quilt, with the mini-Dresden plate flowers. It was delightful!

This "Triple 4-Patch" also caught my eye. Being a big fan of the Double 4-Patch, I may have to try this some time.

While in Long Beach, I had the chance to meet up with Kay, who I met through this blog. She lives in Bakersfield, and is also a cat-loving quilter. Good times!

Here is Kay in front of one of her quilts. "Sunny With A Chance of Roses" was included in the CA Award-winning Traditional Quilts exhibit. Her other quilt was in the West Coast Wonders exhibit. Somehow I missed getting a picture of that one.

I was raring to go when it came to the vendors, which is highly unusual for me. This was my favorite vendor yesterday, I've been looking for beads for a LONG time. It's SO much better to buy beads I can see, than trying to make a selection online!!

These are my pretties, purchased in her booth.

I also found a booth featuring handmade glass buttons. I bought these, along with the blurry little clear glass heart charms. At 50% off, I was sure I'll find a use for them.

There was another booth, "Georgia Stewart Clothing," that had fantastic quilted jackets and all kinds of fun garb. I don't know if it was because I was cold (silly, to be cold in CA in July!), but I came home with this fun jacket. Such a deal, such a deal! I couldn't pass it up.

My last picture from Long Beach is this one. Pete talked about quilting while he was fishing, it's the least I could do...I'll think about cows while I'm at the quilt show!!

Finally, today should be the last day of work on the sewing room. The carpenter is here and so is the table top. I can't wait to see how it looks. Even without the table top, the room looked spectacular.

My toes are tingling with excitement. I might just be moving in tonight. Be still, my beating heart!!!

Ahhh...All Finished

Well that was peculiar. I hit "enter" by mistake and it published the blog. It was solely a title. I could tell you that I did it on purpose, to whet your appetite, but I would be lying. It was an accident.

I left for guild this morning, at 9am. This was what the roof looked like at that time:

Our speaker was Debbie Van Fossen, a local quilter who has been quilting for 8 years and won Best of Show at the County Fair at least 6 or 7 times in the 8 years she's been quilting. To say that the woman is talented and dedicated would be an understatement. She declares (admits) an addiction to quilting. wow. If I could produce such quality, I would stand in line for the same addiction. oh wait. Never mind. ;)

This photo does not do her quilts justice. They are covered with "bling." Here you can see Leslie looking a bit closer at the detail. (That's one reason not to hold quilts - you don't get to see the whole effect. ;)

When I got home, the roof looked like this:

An hour later, it was proclaimed to be finished. Here is the backside.

A close-up shows you (sort of) the solar attic fan at the peak, hiding behind the a/c.

The front looks terrific. yay. The best part? No more porta-potty. It was beginning to have an odor. Need I say more? ;)

I mentioned quilting a baby quilt yesterday. Here's my attempt at a self-portrait. oops. I can't seem to get myself entirely in the shot.

Here's my usual shot of the quilt. The binding is halfway tacked. I'll finish the rest in a bit.


I'm making visible progress on my Hoffman Challenge and might actually finish a second corner this evening. Goals are good. Without them, I wouldn't get anything done.

Still no word from the carpenter. That wait continues...

HAD to sew!

I couldn't take it any longer. An empty room that used to be dedicated to sewing? I had to put it back in action. It didn't take as long to pull out the machine and ironing board as it did to find my red, white and blue fabrics.

A young man that we know joined the Army after high school. He's been to Iraq and back more than once; my kids let me know where he is and what he's up to. In December we received a wedding invitation, but were unable to attend. (The wedding was in Michigan.) I kept meaning to make them a quilt, but one thing or another kept it from the top of my list. I've got a year, right? But he's going to be in town, for an Open House next week. Time to get this project underway!

I knew that I had a box of patriotic blocks and such, boy was I shocked when I found it. There really wasn't very much in there. uh oh. What could I do with these? Those Uncle Sam blocks are from...1991. wow. They've been waiting for action for a LONG time. (The little guys were block-of-the-month - I won 6 of them. I've still got 4 left.)

I went through my stash, and found that I really have nothing in the way of "patriotic" fabric. That's kind of disturbing. I couldn't find a single piece of navy, other than a yard in my "solids" bin. Weird. I know what I need to shop for!

I eventually unearthed a Pledge of Allegiance fabric (the beige stripe), that I broke up with a red plaid and the navy. I would have been better off if I'd pulled out a ruler and made straight line cuts, but I was trying to "think outside the box." yeah, right. (Uncle Sam looks better with feet.)

I guess I didn't get a transition shot, but here's what I had about an hour ago.

And here's what I've got now. He also looks better with a beard.

Want to see that beard? Don't look too closely...

This is probably the least square quilt I've made in years. Every time I cut to square it, it seemed to distort more. I finally gave up.

Now I have a decision to make. Is it worth quilting? Should I give it to the newlyweds? Or should I come up with another option? Quilting often makes the quilt, so I should probably quilt it, before I decide. I've got 4 days, and on Tuesday, I've got jury duty, so I've really got 3 days.

Oh, and just so you know, I've been working steadily on my June Step (my Hoffman), but my progress has been tediously slow. I don't think I'll meet June's goal either.

The good news is that my carpenter came by this morning, with stain samples for my new sewing cabinetry. As he described the new sewing table, I got chills. The back will have a built in storage cabinet, accessible from the front, and the side will have 28" pull-out drawers. ooh la la, I can hardly wait. He says he hopes to start staining by early next week. Be still my heart!!!

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!"