This n That

The past few days have been spent working on guild charity quilts and mask making.  I haven't finished binding the quilts, but the binding is cut and waiting for me.  I'm binding by machine, not by hand, so it's a lot faster.

 The past two days have included some mask making, I've 11 more to add to my total.

These are all lined with flannel.  The next batch will be made from two batiks.  I'm hoping they will be cooler in the warmer weather we've been experiencing.  The flannel tickles my nose and overheats me, so I'm ready to try something new.

Speaking of trying something new, there is a video out there somewhere, which shows how to use a seam ripper to create the pleats.  This is SO much easier than trying to iron them in place before stitching.  Just be sure to use a large seam ripper.  I first used a small one, and the resulting pleat was barely there.

My biggest news is that I've begun quilting the quilt I started in a David Taylor class back in 2014.  I finished the top last year, but I've been putting off the quilting, worried that I wasn't warmed up.  Well, after finishing that long-time UFO, my hand quilting is as warm as it's ever going to be.  I've been at it for three days, and so far?  So good!!  I am loving the project, but I am limiting myself to 3 hours of quilting a day.  After that?  My hands begin cramping and the stitches start to suffer.

Yesterday, I was bummed to find out that the Spring Quiltfest in Greenville, SC has been cancelled.  They must have decided yesterday, because on Monday, they reiterated that they were still taking entries.  I asked for a refund, rather than keep the quilts entered in a show scheduled for 2021.  That's just too far in the future for that kind of commitment.

If you are having quilt show withdrawals the way I am having quilt show withdrawals, I recommend you look up Quilt Fever.  It's a 16 minute documentary about Paducah.  I have to admit that it shouldn't have been a tearjerker, but midway through?  I found my eyes leaking as I contemplated the overwhelming loss to the quilt community that the inability to gather together like this has been.  I've been trying to push off reality, in denial, saying, "Surely we will be able to get together again soon!"  Now?  I'm not so sure.  One day at a time.

In the meantime, if you're having quilt show withdrawals, here is the link for Quilt Fever on Amazon.  Enjoy!!!  And keep on quilting!  I can't wait to see your show and tell!

Abundance of Caution

Now that's a phrase going around a lot these days.  Close this, close that, do not congregate.

What is a person to do, when planning a quilt show scheduled to take place in one month? With announcements of closures happening every time you turn your head, how does one make an informed decision?  If Spain is closing their entire country, following in the steps of Italy?  Well, does that make the decision to shut down any easier?  I just don't know.

We're meeting this week, to discuss our options.  Once we've come to a decision, we will be notifying our competitors, sponsors, vendors...but how do we get word out to the show-goers?  We have a page on Facebook, but not everyone has found Best of the Valley Quilt Show.

sigh.
'Tis a quandary, to be sure.

In other news, I finished the little bird quilt, and took a terrible picture of it.  I call it "Sing For Joy."

I think he turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

Other than that bit of sewing?  I've been thinking about the quilt show, pretty much day in and day out.  We will have a plan before April 1, though what it might be?  I just don't know.

In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy.  Aren't you glad that if you're anything like me, you have enough quilting supplies to keep you occupied at home for a long long time, should it come to that?

yep.  I am very glad that I am a quilter.  My husband?  If he ends up stuck at home?  Is going to climb the walls, because we don't have one single solitary dairy cow anywhere on our property.  huh.  Maybe he can take up quilting?

Stay healthy!!

Road to California

Yesterday, two friends and I took a road trip to Road to CA.

It was particularly exciting this time because, not only did we have a quilt hanging a quilt in the show, the quilt had a ribbon hanging on it!!  Another friend sent this picture to me on Wednesday, during Preview Night.

 Will you look at that?!!  Best Group Quilt!  Congratulations, Sew Eclectic!!

 When I arrived on Sunday, I was a bit disappointed by the quilt's presentation.  It was hung about thigh level, and the signage almost blocked it from view.  I am grateful that Linda was able to get such a good shot for me!

I hadn't been to Road in several years.  This year was the best presentation of quilts that I have ever seen there.  As the years went by, the vendors grew in prominence, and the quilts?  Well, I often had to work to see them.  But not this year.  This year, the quilts were set apart, with decent lighting, good signage, room for viewing, and piano music playing in the background.  It made viewing them pleasurable, rather than some sort of athletic competition to swim past other attendees to see the quilts.  oh yes.  This year's show was wonderful.  I am certain that we will be returning next year.

I did a bit of shopping, but just a bit.  My big purchase was perle cotton, to work on that little roses piece that I've been giving you glimpses of.

We drove down to Ontario and back yesterday.  As we came over the mountain, my friend commented on the "smog."  I told her it wasn't smog, it was fog.  This is what fog is like in SoCal.  They rarely have the clouds-on-the-ground type of fog that we experience in the Central Valley.  Instead they have "haze" and "overcast" and "marine layer," which are all ways to refer to that above ground fog.  We spent about 15 minutes talking about fog.

Imagine our absolute shock a few hours later, when we learned that the fog that we had been discussing and debating played an active part in the loss of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the others aboard his helicopter.  While we thought we were just commenting on the weather, the lives of others were ending because of it.  

Every day I remind myself that every day is a gift.  The events of yesterday illustrate that more than any words I could come up with to underscore that truth.

Every day is a gift.

Live your best life.

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!

Shopping at the Quilt Show

I'm still busy putting the show to rest, though it's been a few weeks.  I've finally emptied the van, and transferred most everything to the storage unit.  My garage is still overly full, but I'm getting there.  Baby steps.  It's all baby steps.

On Day 1 of Best of the Valley, I made the bold statement that "I never buy fabric at quilt shows." 

Then again, I do have several quilts waiting in the wings that need to be organized and produced.  I have a few ideas in mind, and with that?  I pulled out the credit card.  oh my.

 Here are the results, viewed from both directions.  I have a lot of prewashing in my future!

 I bought these painted treasures from Rainbow Resources, and hope to use them soon.

 These twists of silk were from Tenaj.  I have a plan for them, too.

Lots of plans, just not so much quilting.

I made it to an estate sale last week.  There, I found a couple of inexpensive pieces of oak furniture.

 The chest is in great condition, and came lined with cedar and a non-closing hinge.  It's perfect for a toy chest!

 The oak end table needs a bit of TLC, but it's made in USA, so I'm sure it will quickly respond to a bit of sanding, staining and sealing.

And the final news from around here?  I was thinking of getting another cat (kitten) to take Charlie's place, but my son called two weeks ago from work.  "Mom?  Someone dumped two puppies in the orchard."

I put my foot down, but when he assured me, "They're not that big," I capitulated.  Pidge and Pudge are thriving, now that they are eating regularly.  I should take a newer picture, since they are no longer skin and bones.

 These pictures were taken within their first hour of arrival.

 After feeding them for a week, they officially weighed in at 5.6lbs and 4.6lbs.

And they are the sweetest little loves.  I might just have to keep them.

Quilt-wise?  We just posted the images of the top award winners at BOTV 2018.  You can see them here.

Miss Me?

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately.  I've been laboring, for months.  And last weekend?  The committee and I gave birth to a quilt show.  And what a show it was!  I think we outdid ourselves this year, as everything ran smoothly, and there were few, if any, neutral or negative responses to the experience.

 The above picture was taken during the first hour of the first day.  I love the sound of happy voices, reverberating around the building.

Remember the 6x6" challenge that my art group did last year?  We had it on display.  Deciding how to display it was a challenge in itself, but when I discovered these leftover slats from my Studio blinds, I thought we had a winner.

 Here is my final selection of six pieces.  I called them "Remnants," as they were made from remnants of various projects.

I had several pieces in the show, though nothing truly remarkable.  One of my favorites, "Tartan Highlands," which is my header for the blog, was chosen for the Celebrate Ag award.  I was quite tickled with that, and need to write my thank you note to Kausen Farms, the award's sponsor.

 My granddaughter made the trip to the quilt show, and had a great time.  She schmoozed all the ladies, and quickly won them over.

 I entered my Charlie quilt in the BOTV Challenge.  I should know better than to make a quilt of one of my cats.  He began failing, and passed away during the quilt show.  I can't think about it much, or my eyes begin leaking.

 And finally, now that the quilt show is over, I have chance to enjoy my garden.  The irises are in full bloom, and the roses are happier than I've seen them in years.

All in all, the show was wonderful.  There are still follow-ups and a pile of paperwork to go through but soon, very soon, I am hopeful that I will once again be making quilts, not just talking about them.

Goals are good!

A Trip to PIQF, and Stripping

I'm sorry I have not been posting.  I've sewn on a button, but I don't think you're interested in that.  Quiltwise?  I made it to PIQF.  We took a day trip, up and back, zoom, zoom.  I really wanted to see Sherry Reynolds and her new quilt, Eternal Beauty, at its debut.  I knew it would be a stunner, but up close?  It was more incredible that I could possibly imagine.  Just incredible. 

 Look at that amazing detail!  You might think that those silk wedges are large, but they are not. Oh no, they are not.  Look at the full image, to see the scale.  I was entranced by the border.  All those little squares were pieced together with sashing.  With sashing!  And that strip, between the squares border and the quilt?  Those are pieced 1/4" squares.  really.  They are.  I think she might have been a bit obsessive?  Then again, this is why she won Best of Show.  This is why it took her 4 years to make/finish the quilt.  It truly is a Beauty!

 And I really do know Sherry.  I met her years ago, when her first quilt debuted at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival.  We primarily touch base at different quilt shows, but we always make a point to visit for at least a few minutes.

Sherry was not my only friend to win big at PIQF.  Sharon Schlotzhauer won two awards with her quilts:

 "Jars of Clay" won Best Wall Quilt.  I'd seen pictures, but I think this was my first time to see it in person. 

 Licorice Ribbons won Machine Workmanship, in the Modern category.  The quilting on Sharon's quilt is exquisite.  Sharon was unable to make it to the show, and was quite surprised when I texted photos of her quilt.  She was in the midst of babysitting, and did not know that she won.  woohoo!  I'm guessing she did some happy dancing in front of the grands.  :D

Not all of my quiltie friends live in other states.  Judie Fleming lives across town.  Her quilt, A Nighttime Garden, won Best Handworkmanship in Wall Quilts.  Congratulations, Judie!!  Congratulations, Sharon!  Congratulations, Sherry!

I walked around the show beaming, like I was the winner.  I didn't even have a thing in the show.  Just very very talented friends, getting the recognition they've worked hard to earn.

I also shopped.  oh my, yes, I shopped.

 Lots of King Tut thread, perle cottons, olfa blades, painted lace...and two pieces of fabric.  I have a plan for the thread, but the rest?  Just stash building.  As if it needs it.

The thing that has kept me from sewing is stripping wallpaper.  We've been in this house for 24 years.  When we first looked at it, I told my husband I hated the wallpaper.  He told me I could change it out, but wow.  No money, no time.  FINALLY, I have both, and I'm doing my best to make progress.

 The master bathroom had 4 walls, covered with two kinds of wallpaper.  Two of the walls have 14' peaks.  Not easy to reach, but I did it.  Yes, it is a mess.  You're supposed to be looking at the walls, not the mess.

Once the bathroom was naked, I moved to the kitchen.  Again, two 14' peaks.  But with crazy angles.  This was not easy, but I finished.

Twenty years ago, I knew I didn't have time to strip the walls, so I found a strip to cover the pink border.  oh, look.  There's that pink again.  When we first moved in, EVERYTHING was that pink.  Even the beige carpet had pink tones.  Hated it.

 There.  Isn't that much better?

The dining room was easy.  It only had two papered walls, which I had stripped and repapered back in 2000.  Eight foot walls?  Piece o cake.

 Before, and half of after.

I think I began this project on October 7.  Fourteen walls to strip.  12.5 down, 3.5 to go.  I am down to the master bedroom, which again, has two 14' ceilings.  I spent 8 hours stripping on Tuesday, and was unable to finish the first (biggest) wall.  I have grand plans to be done by Sunday.  After that, the contractor sends his texture crew to texture the walls, then they need priming, and painting.  The plan is to have it done by Thanksgiving.  Goals are good!!

Time Flies!

whoosh!  The visible-to-the-public part of Best of the Valley Quilt Show has come and gone.  Now the behind-the-scenes-wrap up will consume my days in the coming week.  Yesterday quilts were shipped back to their owners.  Today's schedule should include a trip (or two) to our storage unit, to drop off the PVC pipe, sign boards, and other large, bulky quilt show paraphernalia.  The rest?  Hangs out in my garage year-round.

So, while I attend to this detail and that, I'll leave you with pictures of the quilts that I entered in BOTV 2017.  Enjoy!

 "Another Sunset" - Suzanne Kistler, 2017

"By The Sea" - Suzanne Kistler, 2015

 "Hanging By a Thread" - Suzanne Kistler, 2016

 "Wheel of Color" - Suzanne Kistler, 2016

"Kelp" - Suzanne Kistler, 2016

Those are the quilts I entered this year.  I was pleased to be mentioned, since I knew the competition would be competitive.  :)  Finally, I'll leave you with this shot of the surprise my husband sent to me on opening day:

Hope you're inspired to quilt.  I know I am!!

This n That

A few months ago, I brought home some exciting hand-embroidered pillowcases from an estate sale.  In the sale house, they had no odor.  But once I brought them into my house?  A musty smell was pretty apparent.  I spent a lot of time online, trying to find the "cure" for mustiness.  I tried several things, and in the end, it seemed to require a combination of treatments, the most important of which was boiling water, "to kill the mold spores."  Baking soda worked better than vinegar to remove odor.  And then I set the pillowcases flapping in the windy sunshine for a couple of days, to be sure it was gone.  So far, so good.  The mustiness seems to be gone.  Good to know that there is a cure, right?   Apparently they already knew that in "the olden days."  In modern times, with modern machinery, it never occurred to me that boiling water served a vital purpose.  Kind of a "duh" moment for this history major.

 

 

With the quilt show fast approaching, I've spent a LOT of time at my computer.  I've been organizing and typing and ordering and sorting, and with Quilt Week arriving on Monday?  I've needed to add some variety to my life.

Last week, my housekeeper - yes, I have one now, for 6 hours/week - helped me deep clean the china hutch and several kitchen cabinets.  When she left, I had dishes EVERYWHERE.  It took another 45 minutes or so, to put them all away.  (I shifted things from here to there and everywhere else.  It was a huge undertaking.)  But, wow.  I think this is Spring Cleaning, at its finest.  At least for me.  Look at all those nice orderly plates, bowls and glassware.  woohoo!

 See all of the hand-thrown pottery?  The blue/white, and brown bowls and casseroles were all made by my mom.  She passed away in 2000, so they're becoming vintage.  Some are chipped, some are cracked, but unless they end up in two pieces, I always return them to the cabinet.

Yesterday, I needed a sewing break.  I put together a card for a friend whose birthday isn't for another month.  But I had the little found treble clef, and didn't want to misplace it yet again.  I think I got it in a baggie of jewelry odds and ends from yet another estate sale.  It has a little rhinestone in the tail, which I think is adorable.

And, hmm.  yep.  Nothing to see here, folks.  It's just a typing extravaganza extraordinaire. 

Best of the Valley Quilt Show opens to the public at 10am on Friday, April 7.  Please come, and bring your friends.  Guaranteed to be a highlight of your quilt show attendance for 2017, especially if you love to see exceptional quilts, up close and personal.