Catching Up

Do you ever feel like you're so behind it's going to take you a week or more to catch up before you can even begin?  yup.  That's how I seem to have begun my 2014 year of sewing.  Starting something new or finishing something old has taken a back seat to basic repairs.  crazy.

"Mom!  Your door hanger lost a jingle bell!"

 Better stitch it back on so it's in one piece when I pull it out again next year.  The screen-printed "JOY" was made by my friend Kata decades ago.  It makes me smile every time I see it.  :)

Next on the list was to pull out some quilts for an Art Quilt Show in Porterville.  oh dear.  Their labels are way behind.  Apparently I haven't made show labels in 9 months.  If I'm going to offer some of these for sale, I'd better make some labels.

I made (and attached) five labels yesterday.  It felt like more.  I still have almost a dozen to do, but the quilts for Porterville were finished.  Or were they?

I took one off the wall, remembering that when it came home from the county fair in September, it had lost some beads.

 Two lines of fringe had been lost.  The hardest part of the repair was not actually doing it, the hardest part was remembering what my beading recipe had been, and where I'd stashed the beads!

 Once I'd finished, I realized that I'd forgotten some of the key bead ingredients, but because it was only two lines of fringe, it seems to have blended in okay.

Another of the quilts was missing a sleeve.  Now it's not.

 I have an old Christmas quilt, that I've been using under my tree for the past several years.  I'd given it to my mom back in the 90's, and when she passed, it came back to me.  I'd washed it, and the red bled like the dickens.  Most of the creamy background turned a shade of pink, from light to almost fuchsia.  Vicki Welsh posted an extremely informative post on dealing with bleeding on her blog, and I tried her suggestion.  ohmygoodness!!  That dingy pinky quilt suddenly sparkles!!  I'd used Biz, Oxyclean, Synthrapol and Retayne.  What was the magic ingredient that brought it back to life?  Kirkland Free & Clear, the product that I use on all my clothes!  Read all about her experimentation here.  And here.

I think I may have actually used All Free & Clear, rather than Kirkland brand, but look how the trees sparkle!  They haven't looked like this for more than a decade!  Those pieced backgrounds used to be as dark as the setting blocks!

Finally, finally I've gotten around to something new.  SAQA is seeking pieces for a 3 year traveling exhibit, and they only need to be 7" x 10".  Surely I can put together something before the end of the month?

Here's what I've put together so far:

It's a bit bigger than the finished 7 x 10, but boy it's a lot of fun!!  My car has been in the shop since early Monday, so I feel trapped at home.  (My son's car has not been washed since the walnut harvest, and I think the window may have been open a crack when they were shaking the trees.  It is beyond filthy, but it runs.  I'd rather stay home than clean it or drive it, so I'm only venturing out when absolutely necessary.)

So there you go.  I'm trying to catch up on the little things, so that I can concentrate on the big things.  Hope you all have time to quilt.  It's a good way to put a smile on one's face, don't you think?

Finished!

Last night Sew Eclectic met, and it was time to reveal our latest installment of our Design Board Challenge.

I began work on mine in Oceanside, knowing exactly what I wanted to do.  I just now looked, and found that I neglected to take a picture of the board I was working from.  doggone!  How are you going to know what inspired me? 

Cindy collaged pictures from magazines.  Those that stood out were a deep blue moonlit bay, blue geode, blue beach glass, and a random assortment of gemstones.  Lots and lots of blue, shots of color, and lots of sparkle and reflection.  It only followed that I would use blue, add some color, and bead.  A no-brainer.  I just finished.  Here is my quilt, "Inspired by Cindy."

 close-up

Maybe, once the series is finished, I'll come up with "real" names for these quilts, but for now, I'll differentiate them by whose board my quilt is based on.

Next project:  Thimble Towne's Challenge is due in August.  I've got my fabric pack, I've got my idea, I've cut the first pieces.  On your mark, get set, go!

An Inspirational Equation

Yard Art from Mildenberg, Germany (2008)

 Plus going off assignment (bottom center) in class (bad quilter!)

Class with Cynthia Corbin, Empty Spools, 2009

 Plus the 2012 Hoffman Challenge Fabric

Equals

"Crazy For Tradition"

24 x 30"

machine pieced, hand appliqued, hand quilted, hand embellished, beaded

Suzanne Kistler, 2012

*The "new" (a few months old) Blogger seems to have its own way of combining text and pictures.  Try as I might, I am unable to figure it out.  what a mess!

Beaded Flowers

Back in July, when we were in Anacortes, WA (for a wedding), my husband and I wandered through some antique malls. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just looking.

Lo and behold, I saw this meager bunch of beaded flowers, locked in a case, for $39.95. Hey! We used to make beaded flowers! When we were in high school, my sisters and I spent afternoons stringing and twisting and trying to out-do one another's creations.

I took this picture, and sent it to the girls, never expecting what would follow. "Hey! Are you interested in the beaded flowers?" Say what? I loved those things. I was addicted to those things. I think that the only reason I stopped making them was because I'd made every flower in the book...and I'd gone off to college.

A few weeks before Christmas, this bedraggled bunch of posies arrived on my doorstep. They are bent and dusty, but nothing that a little TLC won't work wonders for.

I washed and dismantled one before Christmas. Last night I cut a new stem, brought out the new florist tape, and reassembled. Isn't she pretty?

Once I saw the results, I was hooked. Three (or four?) more flowers have been dismantled and washed. Today I will reassemble them. I have to do them in small groups, as I would never remember which leaves belong to which flowers.

And you thought my attraction to beads was something new. Fooled you!! :) hahahaha!!

Happy Dance

This round of irrigating is done. yay!! If you wonder why I hesitate to participate, maybe this will give you a bit of insight. It's the kind of creature I could have nightmares about, or at least it was, when I was younger.

But that pump causes the water to flow.

And water that flows allows trees and nuts to grow. See those? Those are walnuts!

As I walked through the orchard, I saw yet another broken egg shell. :( On Monday, I saw two others, near the house. Mr. Cat had nothing to do with them. He prefers gophers.

Once the water has reached the end of the check, it's time to shut it off. See? I'm doing my part!

Now I have to wash my shoes. Again.

But that's okay, I don't mind. When I got home, Mr. Postman was just arriving and he handed me a box of TREASURE. ooh! aah!! Yes, I kicked off my shoes and did a happy dance.

The only question I have now, is WHERE am I going to put these?!!!

eBay - Friend or ???

"Congratulations on winning this item!"
Autumn 8* Japanese seed bead mix - 320 grams
Golden Brown Japanese 8* triangle mix - 300 grams
Golden Brown Misc lot of Japanese beads - 200 grams
Blueberry 10* Japanese Triangle mix - 195 grams
Winter Sky Japanese Multi-mix of beads - 215 grams
Spring Japanese 15* seed beads - 70 grams
Christmas Japanese 8* beads - 215 grams
Winter Wonder Japanese 6* seed beads - 200 grams
Evergreen Japanese 8* triangle beads - 330 grams
Evergreen Japanese Multi bead mix - 140 grams
Golden Japanese Multi bead mix - 160 grams
Sunshine Japanese Mini mix of beads - 765 grams

Yes, I "won" 12 lots of beads. Where am I going to put them? I'm a novice. How many beads are in 300 grams anyway? The good news is that my TOTAL is under $100...but I'm just over when you add in shipping.

By this time next week, we'll both know what I've done. I'll keep you posted.

This n That

This week has been a whirlwind. I've been trying to play catch-up (read "clean the house) since returning from WA, but haven't made much progress. I did find out that I left my phone charger in the Hampton Inn. They will ship it back next week. yay.

On Friday we took a break and went to the Long Beach Quilt Festival. I didn't take many pictures. There's so much to see I was busy looking. :) This quilt, at the entrance in the West Coast Wonders exhibit caught my eye. I love the way she broke the piece into two separate quilts. It really is stunning.

You can read about it here:
The only other pictures I took were quilts of friends. You've seen this before, it's part of the 2010 Hoffman Challenge traveling collection and was made by Kay Scheidt.

This one is by Kay Pennington, again, part of the 2010 Hoffman Challenge collection.

This one is by Sharon L. Schlotzhauer. It was in the Celebrate Spring exhibit. It won Honorable Mention at the show in April.

Those are the only pictures I took. For the most part, I just looked and looked.

On another note, a friend's husband heard I was looking for a storage box for my beads. Before you could say "Jack Robinson!" he'd built this. It is mine.

I chose my own knobs, which I bought and he installed. The cabinet is oak and walnut. The knobs are crystal, made in Germany. yeah, my mom raised me with expensive taste.

Without doing the math, I thought I might be able to squeeze it into my cabinet, so I took out the mess that was already in there.

I should have known better. The space is 26", the box is 25", but the opening is only 24". No way can I get it inside. *sigh*

Instead, I've booted my embroidery machine from this cabinet machine, and have given the box a place of prominence. Unfortunately there are only four drawers. ( I can barely lift it.) I have more beads than box at the moment, and that's BEFORE my latest purchases.

Another friend is clearing out her bead stash on eBay, and so far I've "won" 4 lots. I've got bids on another 15, so I may end up having to build a whole room, not just buy another box...

Thanks Mel!!!

Gotta run....

All Finished

Well, I've done it. I've finished my Hoffman. I still have to sleeve and label it, but the hard part is behind me. yay!

The thing that cracks me up about this quilt is that I did not intend to make a Hoffman this year. It just kind of happened. It came about as a result of my class at Asilomar, with Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer. And during that class at Asilomar, we'd both agreed that I wouldn't do a Hoffman this year. Crazy the way things work out.

It's been too hot to begin work on my next show quilt, because it's been too hot to think. This was just mindless, gentle repetition. Beading is almost like hand-quilting, only it requires more space and better coordination. But just like hand quilting, you see the patterns and new designs emerge under your finger tips, adding depth and dimension to the flat surface. I love watching the transformation of something nice, to something unique and pleasing to the eye.

At least I think this is pleasing to the eye. Those who have seen it in person seem to really like it. Now to finish it and hopefully get it to CO by Friday. Goals are good!

"No Time for Tradition"
19" x 22"
Suzanne Kistler, July 2011

machine pieced, machine quilted, hand embellished (beads & embroidery)

Baseball, Birthdays and Beading

First, I'll show you another birthday card. Hopefully it has been delivered so I'm not spoiling a surprise. Have you wondered about the crocheted pansies? I bought a pansy-edged doily at a yard sale last year. I couldn't get the linen center clean, but the pansies were in perfect condition. I've been making good use of them.

On Friday evening, we went to an A baseball game, Visalia Rawhide vs. Lake Elsinore Storm. Lake Elsinore cleaned Visalia's clock.

I haven't been to a Visalia pro game since before the stadium was remodeled (built!) and they were the Oaks, not the Rawhide. They are a Diamondbacks feeder team.

The mascot is this bull, he goes by the name of Tipper. I kept cracking myself up as he wandered near us. We were with a group of a dozen dairy vets and a few hundred dairy owners/families. Umm, Tipper? I wouldn't turn your back so nonchalantly. You might want to be a bit more wary, wandering through this particular grandstand... I won't say any more.

My favorite part was the after game fireworks. The last time I remember seeing a fireworks show in person, Gray Davis was running for CA governor the first time. He was elected twice, then recalled, then we suffered through an eternity of Schwartzenegger. Needless to say, it's been a long, long time since I've seen a fireworks display up close. I LOVED it!

Finally, here's another Hoffman tease. I'm almost to the halfway mark. Sorry about the glare off the couch. It was the best place to lay it, without revealing the entire piece. I hope to have it finished this week. Stay tuned!

Thirty Years Ago

two very young people said, "I do."

Surprise Project

This year I again bought the Hoffman Challenge fabric. Once again, I didn't like it. bleah. Sort of my colors, but not really. I'd hoped the fabric would inspire me, it did not.

I even took it with me to Asilomar, on the off-chance that I might be able to incorporate it into one of my projects and have an entry to submit.

That proved futile, as my teacher smiled and threatened to confiscate the fabric. "You need to be doing something different."

In theory, I agreed. In my mind, I agreed. But last Saturday? When I had a day to myself? I started looking at the remnants of my Asilomar class. One thing led to another, and before you could say "Presto Chang-o," I'd transformed the hideous Hoffman to something of my liking.

In fact, I like it a lot.

I like it much more than I possibly could have predicted.

I liked it so much, that I took the time to quilt around all those crazy little petals with metallic thread.

And then I pulled out the beads. I bought these for "something special." Or maybe I bought them because I could. Doesn't everyone need 24K beads? :)

I found more beads in my stash, which coordinate with the Hoffman.

Apparently they were not enough, as I was motivated to drive to Fresno (combined with a trip to see the Madera Heart of the Valley Quilt Show) and drop some $$ at Bead Artistry.

Wow. At least when I walk out of Costco, it requires a shopping cart! ;)

Stay tuned! I've got about a week or so to get the quilt finished and on its way to CO. Wish me luck!!!

A New Pretty

I've finished an icy little quilt piece, that is just for me. You can click on the picture to enlarge it. It has a couple of beaded snowflakes, prairie points, some scattered beads and wispy yarn. And then there's the fringe. ooh la la, I LIKE the fringe. :)

"Glacier Ice"
11" x 11.5" (plus fringe)
Suzanne Kistler, May 2011

We're still waiting on Charlie to move his bowels. I gave him free run of the house overnight, locking up Malcolm instead. I figured that the more exercise for Charlie, the better, but it didn't seem to work. He doesn't act too uncomfortable, but he REALLY wants to go outside.

In the meantime, he's adjusted well to the new bedding. Here he is at 11pm last night. I think it's good to be home!

this n that

I walked outside this morning and was greeted by yet another new iris. I believe this one is "Moon River," described as "yellow self, darker beard." I like the maize-colored stripes. :)

Show me your stuff, babe!

I was taking a break from my current project. I've been beading since August. I have this much left to go. I hope, I hope, I hope I finish it tonight.

This morning I went to Fresno, ostensibly to take my son's computer to the Apple Store. I actually spent more time at the quilt store.

And the bead store, which I just heard about on Monday. I think I liked it.

My wallet didn't like it, but I liked it. A lot. A lot, a lot.

Yes, it's hit. The final "whew! The quilt show is over, I have four months to sew!" realization. You don't have to tell me that my brain is creating much faster than my ability to sew it out. I am well aware of my time limitations. I refuse to squash my quilt dreams, sorry. ;)

And with that, I'd better get back to beading. This year's Big Dream is to enter Houston. If I meet the deadline, I will most likely receive a rejection letter, but only one thing is certain: If I DON'T meet the deadline, for sure my quilt won't get in. ;)

Happy Dreaming, everyone!!!