Here and There and Back Again

ohmygoodness!  Have I not posted since my first visit to meet my little granddaughter?!  hmmm.  Well, I guess I've been a bit busy.  I was home for one week, before heading back to the mid-West.

During that week, guild met.  I've got a few months left of my Block of the Month commitment.  Par usual, I tossed together this month's block in the days preceding the meeting.  The response to September's Jacob's Ladder was not as enthusiastic as I had hoped.

 Perhaps October's pumpkin will attract more participants.  The applique is easier than it looks, with only 7 pieces, all curves, except for the stem.  I'm not sure I could have made anything easier than that.

 Before we left, quilts were delivered for the Tulare County Fair.  My friend Judie generously took care of both delivery and retrieval of my entries.  "Broken Shell Beach," made by 10 members of Sew Eclectic took top Professional honors with a BOS rosette.

 My quilt, "Shalom" also showed well.  Both of these quilts have been accepted into PIQF, so if you want to see them in person, I suggest you plan a trip to Santa Clara in October.  That's what I'm doing.

My friend Wendy and I traveled to Ohio on Sept 9, to visit our good friend Pat.  She left CA two years ago.  Finally, finally we were able to coordinate a visit to see her in her new environment.

Here we are, at Lake Erie:

 When Pat asked what we wanted to do, I'd asked, "Well, what is there to do?"  This was my first visit to Ohio, so I had no idea.  When she mentioned Lake Erie, well, I've never dipped a toe in a great lake before.  Let's do it!

As a thank you, Wendy and I did a bit of decorating in Pat's house.  It was painted a pale grey and white, that is just not Pat.  When she said, "I wish it was purple, " well, Wendy said, "We can paint it!"

 And so we did.  Isn't this so much better?  If you know Pat, you know that this is now her happy place.

Well, this post is getting a bit long, so I'll pick up with it again  in the morning.

Since I've returned home, I've been trying to get my sewing space under control.  Yesterday, I made enough progress to be able to get some machine quilting done.  I am trying to hit a deadline for entry that comes in October.  I don't have much time, but perhaps I'll hit this one.  Goals are good!

Happy Quilting!!

County Fair

The Tulare County Fair is currently open, and will be through Sunday.  I was pleased to spot "Harvest Barns" front and center, wearing a BOS, Professional rosette.  The quilt below it, with the pincushion, was made by my friend Wendy VB.  Her rosette reads Best of Division.  Fun, fun, fun!!

 I spent a few hours on each of the past few days helping with the handquilting on our 2019 opportunity quilt.  The red, white, and blue quilt hanging behind the frame is our 2018 opportunity quilt.  It sports a blue ribbon, a Best of Division rosette, and Best of Show.  woohoo!!  Good job, Valley Oak Quilt Guild!!

I may not have been spending much time creating quilts, but this year?  I'm making an effort to enter the quilts that I have been able to finish.  whew!!  Goals are good!!

P.S.  I also have two quilts hanging at PNQE in Oaks, PA this weekend.  A third quilt has been accepted to PIQF in October.  yay!

Tulare County Fair

I spent a few hours at the TCFair on both Friday and Saturday.  I didn't venture out of the Home Arts building, just sat and hand-quilted with other Valley Oak Quilt Guild members.  We are an annual "display," filling a corner of the building.  I think we were probably the largest exhibit in the building, since the number of entries has dropped to next to nothing.  What once was a building stuffed to overflowing now echoes with the memories of past years.  I'm not sure on the numbers, but the quilt entries have been decimated.  It's not that people aren't quilting, it's that the Powers That Be have made entering more difficult and costly, with very little reward.

Because I have a decades-long fondness for the Fair, I entered three little quilts.  Really, I didn't have anything more to enter.  I've made a dozen baby quilts this year, but every one that has been finished has also been given away.  Here's what I had left:

 "Inspired by Oceanside," "Oceans," and "Wheel of Color."  Can you see how empty the room is?  There used to be cables strung across the building, draped with back to back quilts.  Now?  They've taken down half of the cables, and the remaining cables are for the most part empty.  How far we've fallen!  What a sad sad thing.  Also stunning is the lack of people.  The Fair had been open for hours when I took this picture.  Do you see anyone looking at the entries?  No?  I don't either.  :(

In other news, I finished another baby quilt.  It will go into the possession of FedEx tomorrow morning, chugging its way to Washington State.  Baby Travis is already 5+ weeks old.  How did that happen?!!

 You can't see the print in the overall photo.  It's a cute little Noah's Ark goes to the circus sort of design. I chuckle every time I look at it.

And that's what I've been up to this week.  Lesson #6 mocks me, as I know that I have a mere 4 days to throw it together.  My daughter and granddaughter will be visiting this weekend, and there's a bridal shower for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.  Lots to do, and most of it does not involve my Bernina.  Better get a wiggle on!  :)

A Bit of an Interlude

oh, wow.  I just spent the last hour resizing and saving the pictures for my next Scotland post.  Then I checked my last post, and realized that I'd skipped over a couple of days!  arg!  What was I thinking?  I've had enough feedback - thank you!  See me smile! - that I don't want to skimp on trip pics, but I also don't want to spend another hour resizing pics right now.

Instead, I'll tell you what I've been up to.

On Sept. 10, four days after we returned from Scotland, I had my thyroid out.  It wasn't a mandatory procedure, it was elective, but according to the surgeon, it was "going to have to come out eventually."  We've been watching it for a year, and I decided "Let's do this!"  I wanted it done after Scotland and before Houston.  That's right!  I'm headed to Houston next month!  woohoo!

The thyroid came out, best surgery experience ever.  I feel better than I've felt in years.  I haven't felt this good since I was 40!  I'm still having some surgery-induced calcium issues, but if taking megadoses of calcium is all it takes to keep me feeling this good, bring it on!  :)

I made a single birthday card, for my oldest son, for his birthday on Sept. 14.  He manages our walnut ranch, so I made something I thought he would appreciate: fallen leaves, and money in the form of a walnut.  :)

 I spent a couple of days quilting at the County Fair, and I went to the Kings River Quilt Show in Reedley, but forgot to take pictures.

 I got really really excited about this Estate Sale find.  I was looking at shells, and one of the workers asked, "Did you see the big one on the hearth?"  I hadn't.  She brought it to me, in this presentation.

 I flipped it over, tried to hide my gasps, and flipped it back.  "I'll take it!"  For $5?!!  You bet I'll take it.

 Here is another view of this "shell," as seen with a second one, and a quarter.  I believe the little one is star coral, the bigger one is mushroom coral.  (I identified them using online images.  If anyone needs to correct me, please do!)  Coral is no longer sold retail, I'm pretty sure there are laws against it.  But vintage coral?  This is not my first piece, but it's definitely my best deal yet.  LOVE it! 

 And finally, this is my real dog.

 My son and his wife sent me this flower dog, as a get well gift.

It took a few days, but now it looks more like Scruffy.

And I'll leave you with that.  Hopefully next time, I'll have resized the proper set of photos, as we continue our tour through Scotland.  Ta!

Check One Off

I believe I set a goal to "make a card."  It has been made, and delivered.

A second one is also finished.  It will be delivered today.

A third is waiting for the gift to attach to, to send to Seattle, when said gift is finished.

Those of you who toss scraps might make a note that keeping some can be useful.  :)

I went to the Tulare County Fair, to help quilt on our opportunity quilt.  The number of hand quilters in our guild is dwindling.

Those of us who are left, are still quilting strong.  This is our 2013 quilt, that we worked on, in this same corner of the Home Arts building, in 2012.

I made this block:

I entered three of my own quilts.  The two little ones received blue ribbons in the "Professional" class (where each quilt is judged on its own merit, rather than judged against other quilts by professionals).  The larger quilt did even better.  (This is the only point where the blue ribbon quilts by professionals are judged against each other, and one emerges as "best.")

Among the "amateurs," Best of Show, Overall, also won the Best of Show, Hand Quilting.  This lovely gem was made by my friend Judie Fleming.

Congratulations, Judie!

Congratulations to all who entered your work.  It's good to see that quilting is alive and well in Tulare County!

Tulare County Fair

Yes folks, once again it's time for the Tulare County Fair. I'm not sure how many years the Fair has been around, but this is my...26th. wow. Yep. We moved here in Sept, 1985, just before the Fair opened its doors that year.

I joined the Valley Oak Quilt Guild in 1987, and have been one of its quiltie lady demonstrators ever since. I don't think I've missed a year. I even quilted with them the year that I did not renew my membership.

This is the quilt that won Best of Show, Professional. It's a beautiful Dresden Plate, begun by Loretta White. Loretta passed away, and Ann (second from the left in the above picture) inherited the pieces. She finished the quilt, and it is a stunner. I am thrilled that it was singled out for the BOS recognition.

Other Best of Show quilts hang front and center. On the far left (you can only see half) is the BOS, machine quilted by self. Next to it is the BOS, hand quilted. The large blue star quilt on the right is BOS, overall, BOS, all cotton, and BOS, machine quilted by another. The quilts were made by Diane Mitchell, Kathy Wasnick, and Sharon Scholta.

I'm kind of embarrassed that my airplane quilt hangs above and in the middle of the BOS display. I guess it's there because it celebrates the theme of the fair, which is "Just Plane Fun." It's not because it's BOS anything.

"The Flower Fades" did well. In the professional category, quilts are judged on their own merit, not relative to other quilts in the class. I love the coxcomb quilt hanging next to it, I believe it won BOS, group quilt. It, too, was made by Kathy Wasnick.

"Glacier Ice" hung in the Christmas display. The wreath is NOT part of my quilt.

Finally, I had a hard time finding my penguin quilt. I have to say that I LOVE the long beach quilt hanging above it. It was made by Darlene Byars. Now I want to make one. :)

And there you go, that's my snapshot of the fair. There was much more to see, but I was only there long enough to do a bit of quilting and then do a quick walkabout of the exhibits.

'til next time...

One More Fair Quilt

Here's a last quilt made by "Sussie." I can tell you exactly what's wrong with it. The points are chopped off on the squares, along the borders. It is particularly noticeable on the top and bottom. How did that happen? Well...

I couldn't remember the right size to cut squares to make quarter triangles, and I asked a friend instead of hunting down the info. She had a "new and better" method: no measuring, less waste, etc. I cut as directed, and all of my set-in triangles came out 1/8" too short. All of my points along the edge were sacrificed to give the full 1/4" seam allowance to attach the border.

Why did I not cut a replacement set of setting triangles? It was because the "less waste" cutting method used up all my fabric!!

This old dog does like new tricks - they never work for her. Next time? It's back to the old-fashioned way. If if was good enough for everyone's grandma, it's good enough for me... ;)

Quilting At The Fair

These are some of the Valley Oak Quilters, busy working on next year's opportunity quilt. L to R they are Elaine, moi, Kathy, Barbara, Dyanne, Ann and Jerry. I hope I got the names right! I just got back from working a shift with them. The quilt is lovely, all hand-appliqued and hand-quilted. The blocks are coxcomb.

I came home to pick up hubby so we can head back to the fair. I won tickets for Beatle Majesty, and we've got a date. woohoo! ;)

Oh! I found my last lost little quilt, poor thing! It was hanging there, plain as day...sporting a red ribbon! I can't believe I forgot my camera. I'll go back tonight, and document it.

When we were kids in 4-H, we used to try to get a ribbon of every color, if we did, we were over the moon. I almost did it this year...I'm just missing a white one.

I wonder if I have any more entries that I've forgotten about? ;)

*** I did forget to mention that the above photo was taken by Linda Matthews. Thank you, Linda!!

More Fair Pictures

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, the highlight of my year was entering quilts in the County Fair. I started quilting in 1983, and discovered the Fair when we moved to Tulare in 1985. I discovered the quilt guild in 1987, and the rest, they say, is history.

I loved to enter the Fair. The sense of anticipation that maybe, just maybe, I might get a ribbon? I have to admit that I've always been a sucker for competition. If you've ever been to the Fair, or to Best of the Valley, you know that the Valley quilters produce some AMAZING work.

But not everyone likes competition, and several years ago they added a new category for Professional Quilters. At that time, I did not consider myself a professional, but within a year or so I was.

Professionals are not allowed to compete at the Fair, in the way that Amateurs do. The work by Professionals is judged by the Danish system, each on its own merit. It is absolutely possible for 100 quilts entered by Professionals to receive 100 blue ribbons. Not so with the Amateur. The Amateur quilts are judged using the American system of judging, with each judged against the other, within a category.

The only competition for Professionals comes with the awarding of Best of Show. At that time, all the blue ribbon quilts are considered, and from them they pick the Best. I think I won once, as a Professional.

Why the disclaimer?

Well, I'm going to show you the quilts that I have hanging at the Fair, and I don't want you to think I'm showing them because of the ribbons. I'm not. As a professional, I EXPECT to get ribbons. After all, I've been quilting for 27 years (has it been that long?!!) and if a quilt is not up to snuff, I don't enter it.

One more thing: there are no premiums for Professionals, but there are for Amateurs. Not much, but some.

Anyway, enough about that.

Oh wait. You might notice that the quilts all say "Susie Kistler." Never in my life have I been a Susie. (I pronounce that "Sussie.") I've been called Suzie forever, but as a quilter? My name always has been and always will be Suzanne.

Now that I've got that straight...

"Fish Dance"
Suzanne Kistler 2010
Hand-appliqued, Machine Pieced, Machine Quilted

on the left: "Tradition Visits Heidelberg Castle"
Suzanne Kistler 2009
Hand-appliqued, Hand-quilted

on the right: "Encompassing Tradition"
Suzanne Kistler 2007
Hand and Machine Pieced, Hand-quilted

This little corner is a lot of fun. The dog on the left is...I won't try to tell you what kind of dog it is because I'll get it wrong. He was made by Ann Hinman (I showed her Best of Show, Professional quilt "Heartland" a couple of days ago.) "Little Squirt," the dog on the right, was made by Debbie Van Fossen (I showed her Best of Show, Amateur quilt on the same day.) My two quilts are in the middle, with "Buzz - NotMyCat" and "Adam at Glencoe." Mine are both hand-appliqued and machine-quilted.

In contrast to my attitude towards entering quilts in the Fair, I always get a thrill of excitement when I submit something to a National show. Knowing what kind of work is out there, the thrill comes with having my work accepted.

Then again, sometimes - not often, but sometimes - there is an added spike once the show begins. Yesterday I got one of those spikes.

I went online, to see the results of PNQE, and found my name listed among the winners. Yay!!!

This was the last show for my 2008 Hoffman Challenge before retirement. It's been to a number of shows, but never been a contender. To say I was shocked to be on the list is an understatement.

"Window of Tradition"
Suzanne Kistler 2008
Hand-appliqued, Machine-pieced, Hand-quilted

And that's all folks. Do you think it was enough for the day?

oh wait! It's not all!!! hahaha!! You know how I said quilts at the Fair is not a competition for me? I just proved myself right. I had another quilt there, that I totally forgot about! I didn't look for it, I don't know where it's hanging, and I have no clue how it did.

I'm going back tomorrow, so I guess I'll look for it then...

Fine Art and Photography

One of my favorite things to do at the Tulare County Fair is to enter the Photography competition. You may have noticed? I snap pictures of everything? I don't always work to make sure that the composition is perfect, unless it's the composition or a subject I'm really crazy about. If it's a picture of my latest Estate Sale find, what difference does the lighting make? ;)

Not that I would know how to adjust it if I noticed!

Anyway, I've been entering the photography competition for 14 years. My first year, I won a second place on a photo of my son, who is now 26. He was at the beach, covered with sand, grinning from ear to ear. I LOVED that photo. I still do.

From that point on, nothing. Until last year. I earned a fourth place on a picture taken at Best of the Valley. woohoo!!! Ribbons are few and far between in the Fine Arts/Photography building. The competition level is high, and any mention sends thrills up my spine.

Yesterday I entered the building, and found my first two photos. They were landscapes. Nothing.

Then I found the "People Grouping/Families" section. Woo!! Woo woo!!! See that?!!! That's my Committee!!! And they earned a ribbon!!! I looked around for someone to tell...A uniformed CHP officer happened to be strolling by. "Look! My photo got a ribbon!" I'm pretty sure he thought I was a nut case, but I explained to him that no one was with me and I had to tell someone! Poor guy. But if that's the worst thing that happened to him yesterday, it was probably a pretty good day.

I turned the corner, and, BAM!! The picture of Monica's fabric, taken at the quilt show, was also wearing a ribbon!!! Two ribbons? In a single year?

And then, BAM!! A THIRD ribbon. My third picture of Best of the Valley, and my third ribbon for photography in a single year. Wow! I should have taken a picture of the entire display, so that you could see the wonderful photographs and the limited number of ribbons.

oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!! I was like the cat who swallowed the canary, and I'm pretty sure I drove all the quilters crazy yesterday. "Guess what?!! I won ribbons for PHOTOGRAPHY!!" They were all very nice and congratulatory, but I think that by the time I left they were thinking, "Enough already!" ;)

The other picture I have for you today is from the County Building. They used to have a fierce competition between the various communities, but apparently people have better things to do these days than promote their communities. Tulare and Pixley were the only displays I saw. Pixley went all out, Pixley won. Yay, Pixley!!

You may be familiar with Pixley, if you ever watched Green Acres or Petticoat Junction. The shows took place thereabouts. As you can see, it's a farming community, and they are very proud of their produce. Congratulations, Pixley! Thanks for feeding us!

Tulare County Fair

Today was opening day of the County Fair. woo woo! It's always a highlight for quilters, with our work hung for all to see. In contrast to the quilt show, lots of folks who wouldn't go out of their way to see quilts come through the Home Arts Building.

The Fair folks always do a fantastic job of display. We can see all of the quilts, and they're hung high enough that no one can touch them. If you live nearby and have never been, it's high time you came to see. The Fair will be open through Sunday night.

Debbie Van Fossen once again won Best of Show, Amateur. Isn't her quilt lovely? It will also be at Pacific International, so if you can't make it to Tulare, perhaps Santa Clara is on your agenda?

Ann Hinman won Best of Show, Professional. Do you recognize this quilt? It was selected as Viewer's Choice at Best of the Valley, 2010.

I haven't seen this one before. It looks like someone took a class or purchased Jan Krentz's Diamond Quilts & Beyond book.

After taking a quick walk around the building, I sat down at the quilt in the frame for some handquilting. Every year the Valley Oak Quilt Guild demonstrates handquilting at the Fair. Our collection of handquilters seems to be dwindling. In past years we would have a dozen quilters, today there were four. For a while there were six, but the overlap wasn't for long.

That's what I've got for your viewing pleasure today. Stay tuned for some results from the Fine Arts/Photography building. I've got pictures!