Check!

Two very belated birthday cards are in the mail.  Two more check marks on my Guilt ToDo List.  woohoo!

The little houses were from a class I took sometime during the past year.  The class was a bust, but I did walk away with a couple of free form houses.  They look okay now, in fact, I think they're kind of cute!

Two baby quilt tops are half made on my sewing table.  Today's goal is to stitch them together.  Goals are good!

Finished?

I think the little starfish quiltlet is finished.  I've considered adding a fish or two, but really, this quilt is about the starfish.  Fish beads or buttons would distract from the star of the show, don't you think?

 "Star of the Show"

5" x 8.5"

Suzanne Kister, 2015

Here's a close-up.  Once I'd done the embroidered seaweed, I added some shredding.  I don't know what else to call it.  It's the threads that shred from fabric, when you pre-wash it.  I've been saving them for a while, and love putting them to use.  Once that was in place, I dug into my shell/ocean-themed goodie box, and started stitching.

So there you go, a quick and easy project, that was finished in less than a week.  Really, it was probably finished in less than 6 hours.  Piece of cake!

And now, I'm on to the next thing.  HappyQuilting!

A Wee Little Pretty

During the summer, when I was working on something or other, I made a little pretty.

I may have been trying to sew my way out of the mess of my studio.

One thing led to another, led to this:

 The first photo shows the true colors.  The second gives you a reference for size.

When I put it aside last night, I thought I was done.  This morning?  Not so sure.  It needs something.  Like maybe a sailboat?

And now I can call it Done.  I LOVE this little piece.  Every time I look at it, I smile.  It's the next best thing to having an ocean view.

Enjoy!

More Postcards

I haven't been terribly productive this month.  All kinds of plans, no kind of action.  *sigh*  oh well.  Tomorrow is another day, and September is another month.  And at the rate I'm going, it will be tomorrow and then September, before I even blink!!

Yesterday I took a class from Lura Schwartz Smith.  She's an amazingly talented artist, who weaves a magical spell with fabric.  If I had half the talent hiding in her little toe, I'd be thrilled.  :)  The class was learning to distort traditional blocks, using her pattern.  By lunchtime, I'd finished mine.

 After lunch, she guided us in some free-form curved piecing.  I was already familiar with the technique, though she did give a helpful hint that makes a big difference in helping the finished piece lie flat. 

Each evening this week I've worked on the tops for some postcards for this latest exchange of Postmark'd Art.  The theme is Hand Stitching.  Mine should go out on Monday.  There are 5 others in my exchange group, so it looks like I've made a few extra.  I'm sure they'll quickly find homes.

When I was done with these, I bumped into another almost done postcard.  So I finished it.

Somehow I knew that one was going to flip.

And there you go.  Clap my hands together, and celebrate that at long last I've finished something in August.  yay!!

A Bit of Clean Up

I'm pretty sure my son doesn't read my blog.  If you do, Daniel, close your eyes!

I knocked out a couple more stars...

 And then finished these Christmas stockings for the soon-to-be man and wife.

Lots to do, not so much time in which to do it!

First 2014 Finish

In my last post, I showed you the beginnings of the piece I was making for the SAQA 25th anniversary trunk show.  The receive by deadline is January 31.  Since I've got the rest of January planned out, I thought it would behoove me to finish it ASAP.  And so I did.

"Undersea Impressions"

7" x 10"

Suzanne Kistler 2014

All submissions are to be 7" x 10" and mine came out amazingly close.  I did the beading in the sand this afternoon, I just finished stitching out the label.  As soon as the label is on, I will fill out the paperwork and prepare for shipping.  yay!!  It feels good to put a line through the first thing on my "wanna do" list.  :)

Hope you're making progress on any lists you may have as well.  Next up?  ummm.  hmmm.  I'd better go check that list!

Wave of Creativity

I was going to call it a storm, but it wasn't, not really.  A storm would have lasted longer, with more obvious results left behind.  It was merely a wave, a blip on the screen.  But if you catch it, and ride it to shore, you can feel the exhilaration, even if it is short-lived.

wow.  I must be tired.  I'm babbling.

Yesterday's task was to begin cleaning the Studio.  After retreat, it was used as a dumping ground.  Oh my.  I excel at dumping.  But as with most of my studio-cleaning efforts, I once again attempted to sew my way out of the mess.  You'd think I would realize that it can't be done, but that never stops me from trying.

Postmark'd Art is nearing the mailing deadline for Round 18.  All cards need to be mailed by Nov.30.  I started my blanks weeks ago, fusing on the backgrounds, but I hadn't made the time to finish them.  hmmm.  If I finished them, I could check something off my list.  Well, you know me and my lists and my goals.  Let's get 'er done.

The theme I signed up for was seascape/shoreline.  I thought there was some flotsam & jetsam in there too, but it wasn't on my printout.  oh well.  I added it anyway.  These are the cards I made.  They go in today's mail.

 Each card has a chunk of polished abalone,

 and some puka shells,

 I zig-zag'd yarn around the edge,

 oh, and added trim "trash."  My current motto:  no trim is too small...bad news for those trying to make headway when sewing through stash.  ;)

It turns out that I made a couple of extras, so I'm sending this one to my sister.  She's had a rough couple of months, and I want to let her know I'm thinking of her.

 This one is set aside.  I'm sure it will find a home in the not-too-distant future.  It may also need a sailboat added to that dark blue strip, but I need to find the right print before I commit to that idea.

While I was at it, I made the binding for that Sew Eclectic Design Board piece that I put together at Retreat.  It's just about sewn down.  I think I'll make the sleeve and label today, so I won't have to think about them again for a while. 

Actually, I have a stack of labels that need to be made.  Perhaps that should be my goal this week: to get caught up on labels.

It's not much of a goal, but if I tack it to a larger goal of "clean the Studio," I might just have something to show for my time.  And we all know that goals are good, right?

Happy Stitching!!

On the Third Day...

I had a "big" project to accomplish. 

In reality, it wasn't all that big, it was just ambitious to think that I could do it in a 24 hour period.  I started it the evening of the second night, and finished it at midnight on the third, just minutes after Fresno State pulled the win from SanDiego State.  I wasn't really watching the game, but it was on, so I was listening with half an ear. 
But I digress.

On the Third day, we also accepted another "30 minute challenge."  Again, it was longer than 30 minutes.  We decided the 30 minutes referred to the time allotted to begin and offer assistance to any of those needing direction.  This challenge was a round robin exchange, which began with a 3" fussy cut square of our choosing.

We had 5 people in our exchange, so we assigned four steps.  The first was to put the square on point.  The second was to square it up again.  The third was to add a pieced border, the last was "embellish."  I really enjoyed the exchange.  Keeping in mind the "30 minute" guideline, I went with simple, making the fabric do most of the work. 

This was mine, when it returned to me.  My part in it was to supply the 3" cat fabric.  Don't you just love the ball of yarn and the mouse?  (bottom left corner)

 The first 3" square I received was Wendy's carrots.  I set them on point, using a mottled green.

 For the next round, I put Karen's sewing machine back to square, using two fabrics that caught the colors.

 For the third round, Beth's little bird sang to me.  I was supposed to make a pieced border, but I couldn't think of any piecework that would make him as happy as surrounding him by some delicious tropical fabrics.

For the fourth and final round, I embellished Charlotte's little lizard.  I'm not sure you can see it, but I used a silk/wool blend for lazy daisy stitch on the dark green leaves next to the lizard, and silk ribbon on the top two triangle borders.  I used a brown perle cotton with a sort of stem stitch on the branches, then I topped it off with a purchased leafy trim.  LOTS of fun!  :)

 There were no size limitations, we just had to keep in mind we were working with a 3" medallion.  I may have added a bit much to Beth's, but I didn't want to trim the hibiscus or the palm trees.  :)

That took a chunk of the afternoon.  After that, it was back to my ambitious project.  I've debated whether or not to show it, but what the hay.  I'll give you a preview.  It's probably not going to change much with the quilting.  It's all about the piecing, doncha know?

I really enjoyed making this particular piece.  It's about 24 x 30 or so.  I LOVE mosaic work, and I LOVE stained glass.  I've dabbled in neither, I just buy both.  sort of.  But now, I think I will be making another quilt in this style.  It's going to be a while, a long while, as I have quite a list of things that need attention, but this one?  It was a lot of fun.  :)

Next post:  WonderValley wrap-up.