Quiet Week

With the quilt show on postponement, I found several hours last week in which to sew.  I spent some time making masks for my DIL, who is a licensed social worker in the medical field.  Each day she interacts with patients.  She has been understandingly concerned.  They seemed a bit large for her, but I've yet to have a chance to make more.  Perhaps today.

 I attacked another UFO, which had been untouched for maybe 5 or 6 years.  The outer border is actually a reddish violet, lighter than it shows in the image.

 I've had a break from sewing this week, as I had surgery on Monday.  The hospital was eerily quiet, with no visitors allowed.  I came home on Tuesday, and have been keeping quiet.  Easy enough, with the prohibition on getting out and about.

It rained for several days, and now the gingko trees are pushing leaves.  Ahhh, the promise of Spring.

 And finally, my iris are putting on a show.  Love, love, love being here to enjoy them.

I have pulled out an OLD handquilting project.  It is the next easiest item on my UFO list to tackle.  I'm not to lift anything over 10 lbs, so UFO's in bins are going to have to sit idle for a while.

I do hope that you are staying safe.  It's a crazy time around the world to be sure.  I am thankful to be a quilter.  I do not expect to become bored, no matter how long this Stay at Home order stays in place.  I have more than enough to keep me busy.

Happy Quilting!

Cleaning Up

This must be the week to get big things done.  wow.  Last week it was the trees at our home.  Yesterday, we had a tree at the walnuts trimmed.  It was hanging low, and hitting every west-bound semi.  I was afraid to drive under it, afraid that one day it would break, and squish me like a bug.

 I knew it was a big tree, but it wasn't until all of the trucks and the crew were parked under it that I realized how truly enormous it is.  They said it had never been trimmed - when I saw the estimate, I knew why - but they also said that this is a year that they expect to get a record number of calls for downed oaks.  If all goes according to plan, we will not be one of them.  I don't think I'll be afraid to drive by now.  (The 'road' in the front left is the driveway to the walnut house.)

That was yesterday.  Today, I decided once and for all that I will park in the garage.  I will park in the garage.  I will park in the garage.  Taking down last week's redwood was what pushed me to do it.  My car gets too hot, when it sits in the driveway with the sun beating down on it.

 Look at that!  There's enough space for a car!!  (My husband has always been able to get his truck into the garage.)  See those boxes on the left?  Those contain bits and pieces of the Best of the Valley Quilt Show.  Which reminds me...the website has been updated, with pictures of the winners, etc.  You can check out the new pages here.  And now, look at this!!  It fits!!

 I also took advantage of the space and the lighting to finally get a decent - not great, but decent - photo of my quilt.  This one has been accepted into Sacred Threads 2015.  There will be a book, so they asked for high quality images.

Here's a low resolution copy, that is similar to the high res one that I submitted:

"Joshua's Ocean"

Suzanne Kistler, 1990

huh.  Ocean-themed Ocean Waves quilt.  Made in 1990.  I guess my "thing" about the ocean and quilts that depict it are nothing new.  This particular quilt is one of my favorites, and probably always will be.  Can't wait for the show, though I won't be attending.  I am so glad to have pulled this one out of storage.  Like I said, it's a favorite.

And now, on to the next thing.  I wonder what it will be?  Something big, no doubt!

Quilt Faster, Quilt Faster!

And, it's done.  This was my entry into our guilds "Song Challenge."  Can you guess my song?  It was "Under the Sea."

 I originally made this little portion, with just the pieced blue with green seaweed (no fish).  When I measured it, it was much too small to meet the challenge 80" minimum perimeter rule.

 I thought a border or two might bring it to size, so I pulled out my tropical UFO box.

Do you remember this image from light years ago?  It was taken in 2008.  Notice the turquoise pretties on the wall?

 Here they are again, in 2009.  I never could seem to get them together in a satisfactory arrangement.

The blocks were stuffed back into the box, to percolate.  I know I've taken them out since then.  Surely it hasn't been 5 years?  Where does the time go?  Apparently that box has been generating blocks for close to 16 years.

It started with leftovers from this quilt:

"The Wowie Gazowie Quilt"

Suzanne Kistler 1998?

umm, yeah.  I don't think I'll ever make it to the bottom of the Turquoise Treasure Box, but I am going to cross off  "Turquoise Tropical Medley", #17 of my 2014 UFO List, as "finished."  After all, I did use up the majority of the pieced blocks for my Underwater Adventure quilt.

huh.  That might just be the name for this new little gem.  Whatever.  Quilts in these colors always make me smile!

Wave Lover

 With or without surfers, I'm smitten.  :)

As promised on Sunday, I've been busy.  For the most part, I've worked on a single project, but before I show it to you, I'll show you some of the other things I've also run through the machine.  yup.  That's another baby quilt in the making.  :)

 I'm working on my sunflower cards, for Postmark'd Art.

 Do you recognize it?  The background was sliced off of my iris quilt from earlier in the year.  I still need to add the brown and seeds, before I slip them in the mail next week.

But my big "finish," that I pinned to the board this morning, is my latest Ocean Waves.  I'm working on a title, which will likely be something to the effect of "Tropical Waves."  (The bias squares were leftover from my 2006 Hoffman Challenge.)

Ta da!!  I like it!  And I STILL have enough bias squares left for yet another quilt!!  Time for a lunch break!

 And with that, I'll leave you with my favorite sunset pic so far this trip:

Now, back to the sewing machine.  I've got many more projects just waiting for attention.

Trapped

The carpet layers are here.  They are laying carpet.  It is AMAZING how quickly they are moving through the house.  The living room is about done, and they've moved on to the first bedroom, part of the hall, and the hall closet.  Amazing.

I may have let on how stressed I was about preparing for this.  Apparently I was even more stressed than I knew, as by Wednesday evening, I was flat on my back.  I stayed that way through most of the weekend.  We're talking almost 5 days of...nothing but moaning and groaning.  ;)  The doctor prescribed some antibiotics, and threw out a few theories.  My choice of the lot is diverticulitis.  All said, I did very little to prepare, and the carpet guys got to move EVERYTHING.

Right now I'm at the back of the house, seriously considering a nap.  I'm exhausted.  Five days of doing nothing can wear a person out!  Don't believe me?  You could try it, but I don't advise it.

While I sit here, I'll dream of being back at the coast, with the wonderful horizons.  Want to see some Ocean Waves quilts?  Some oldies but goodies?  I've posted some before, but others haven't visited the blog.

 "Joshua's Ocean"

Suzanne Kistler 1990

 "Memories of Malibu"

Suzanne Kistler 1992

 "Tempest in a Teacup"

Suzanne Kistler 1993

 "Tempest in a Demitasse"

Suzanne Kistler 1996

(Size comparison of 'Teacup' and 'Demitasse')

" The Wowie Gazowie Quilt"

Suzanne Kistler 1998

 Wowie Gazowie - close-up

"Ocean Waves for Sally"

Suzanne Kistler 2001

"Ocean Waves Revisited"

Suzanne Kistler 2002

"Waving At Tradition"

Suzanne Kistler 2006 (Hoffman Challenge)

Well that's been a trip down Memory Lane!  I don't know if I even remembered them all.  What I do know is...if I had to chose a favorite pattern, it might just be this one!!

Remembering

"Joshua's Ocean"
Suzanne Kistler 1990

JK December 28, 1988

Big Quilt, Little Quilt

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away... oh wait, that's a different story. This one takes place in Tulare County, beginning in 1991. I won the blocks of the month. The blocks were teacups, and I won a stack of dozens. I don't know how many there were, but there were at least two dozen, probably closer to three.

The 5" blocks seemed pretty small. I'd recently taken a class with Marsha McCloskey, and I thought Ocean Waves would be the perfect way to set them. Since they were so "small," I thought four would translate into a miniature quilt. haha! Boy was I wrong. My four block quilt measured 39" square!

"Tempest in a Teacup"

Suzanne Kistler 1993
39" x 39"

I began working on a bed quilt, using the rest of the 5" teacups, but it took forever. I eventually finished it some time after 2000, and gave it to a friend to quilt and give to a charity she supported. I could no longer abide dusty rose and country blue. ugh

But back to the "miniature" idea. I tried again, this time downsizing the teacups to 2.5". The scale was small enough to result in a miniature. The quilt was given to my friend who collected miniatures. I never saw it again...

"Tempest in a Demitasse"
Suzanne Kistler 1996
19.5" x 19.5"

until the quilt show. It made an appearance in the guild booth. I snatched it up quicker than you could say, "Jack Robinson!" At my house, we've had a reunion of sorts...

Don't they look like they belong together? I'm actually quite fond of them, despite their country blue and dusty rose surroundings...

My assistant thought I should take his picture, since he disrupted his nap especially to come critique my photos...

Back to Ocean Waves, which was the setting of the teacup quilts. I've made quite a number of them over the years, and I'm starting to think this photo might begin to explain my love of all things ocean...

July 1959, on the beach at Malibu.

I know. I've always been photogenic... ;)

'til next time...