Stitches in Time 2012

Well, we had our quilt show, and it was by all accounts a success.  But we are all glad we have two years before we do it again.  Here are a few of the pieces I especially loved.  You can see more by following the link on the Guild's blog post about the show.

The back of Marcia Muskopf's Xcentric quilt

The front of Marcia Muskopf's "Xcentric quilt

 These pictures are of a quilt made from the class we had with Anita Grossman Soloman last October.  When we hung it we weren't sure which was the front since both sides were so  beautiful!

Ann Michaud made this one. I forget the name.

My friend Lori Anderson won Best Landscape quilt for this one!

Machine quilting, small quilt

Two of the pieces I shared in my last post won awards at the show, which was nice. ( I reposted the pictures rather than make you go back to look)
 I always say I don't care about the awards.  But I admit it- I'm always happy to receive one!

Machine Quilting, small quilt

Kathi's Serena Jacket won best quilted fashion

 I was equally happy for my friend Kathi, who won five and my friend Elaine who won three.

Kathi's "Smog" won a judge's choice award

Best of all- Elaine won for a piece she had really struggled with.  How's that for a perfect reward for all her hard work and perseverance?!?

Elaine's quilt formerly known as the monster

A late season Calendula brightening the front porch steps

The day after the show was spent doing a lot of the things I had ignored all week, but yesterday was one of those rare autumn days you have to go outside since you don't want to waste it!

 I took George out with me while I picked up the chairs from the porch and covered my delicate plants.  She has only been out once before and didn't venture very far.  I think she's going to decide she really likes it outside, though.







My green tip this week is perfect for this time of year.  Make sure you aren't paying to heat the outdoors by sealing up those tiny cracks!  Take a close look at places where two different building materials meet, such as corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation.

I am grateful for:

Improved kittens ( don't ask)

The camaraderie at the quilt show!

 Rare sunny October days.

The smell of fresh baked goodies.

I don't have to go back to the dentist now until February!

Hanging the Monthly "Quilt Show"

September Calendar Quilt, by Kim Schaefer

I am lucky to have a wonderful space in my upstairs hallway to display my quilts.  I try to change the display every month to reflect the change of seasons, and so they all get a chance to be out of the closets!  (most of them anyway) 
 By the way, the monthly calendar quilts I'm doing this year are for my office.

So I started today by changing the display for September.
This process actually takes me about an hour every month. I have some of the quilts rolled or stacked in order of use, but not all of them.  So first I have to decide which quilts I am using for each month's display.  This month I had some help.

George decided none of these were right for this month!

 I don't take everything down, I sort of start with one I know I'll be using then go from there.  It ends up being a bit like hanging a quilt show, since I have to find the right "fixtures" (dowels) for each quilt.  The hangers I have are based on the first set of quilts I hung here, never realizing I'd be changing it so often!

The flower in this picture is a sort of giant "Kanzashi" flower I was inspired to make when I  made the sunflowers for the quilt show. 



It hasn't found a permanent home yet.  It just sits in this pitcher- part of a very old set from a "commode"/ washstand in my grandmother's house.  ( I even have the chamberpot!)

The final display.  Not the most interesting display I have throughout the year, I admit.  But even the designer's of calendar quilts can only come up with back to school for September.
The cat in the quilt here represents my Liza, who I lost last spring.  This piece was made for a Museum Quilt Guild challenge.





To save the Earth this week, I will remind you to use the smallest appliance or utensil needed for the job.  Use the microwave for small items, instead of heating up the oven for one baked potato.  Your crock pot can make a great pot roast and will use a LOT less energy.  Heat up a piece of pizza in a frying pan for a crispy crust, rather than the oven.
How can quilters can use this idea? Do you have a clover mini iron? Use that to press one or two seams rather than heating up your full sized iron!

I am grateful for:
A kitty on my lap again. (I hope she outgrows the love of chasing my yarn when I knit though)
Loving and supportive friends
Football season starts this week!
Potato salad for dinner
Putting things in perspective

A busy if unproductive week

The new Queen of the castle.

This is George. SHE is one of the kittens I was fostering, who decided to stay.  George and her littermates, all girls as it turns out, were VERY shy when I got them.  It hardly seemed a good way to get them to trust me to root around under their tails first thing. But they all got names based on their personality. Tim was timid, Boo played peek-a-boo with me, and George was curious- the first to come over and inspect me.  I don't usually adopt kittens, but she wormed her way into my heart.  So here she will stay.  I'd like to get a better picture of her if she ever sits still long enough.


Three of the other kittens went to the shelter last week and I am happy to report two of them had found homes within 5 days of arriving!  The last of this batch will go in this weekend, then I may be starting over with a new batch- tiny ones!
I took my sewing machine in for its 10,000 mile check up the other day.  I probably take better care if it than I do my car!
This morning I actually went out to the garden and cleaned up a section or two.  I had left it since it got so hot and dry. Nothing was growing and even if there were weeds, the ground was like bedrock!  Now that we've been getting rain, it's pretty "lush" out there. (Nice words for weedy, huh?)

These flowers are part of the decorations for the Museum Quilt Guild show coming in October.  One of our members designed them.  The stem is a yardstick!  Isn't that clever? I can't wait to see the 50 of them she estimates we will have around the bases of the quilt racks!




On the subject of cats and kittens, did you know clay litter is not actually earth friendly?  It's the process used to acquire the clay that is the problem.  There are alternatives at your local pet store!  Give them a try.

I am grateful for:
Being part of an incredibly caring group of ladies
A best friend who gave me a day of her precious time
A new kitty in my life!
Cooler weather, especially the nights
winning the boss lottery

My Newest Project

 

Last week I finally got the call from the Batavia Animal Shelter, that they had some kittens in need of foster  care until they are old enough to be put up for adoption.  I had signed up a couple of months ago, but had to wait until after our trip to be put on the calendar.  I have six "bitties"- three each from two litters.  This happens when someone discovers a stray who has had kittens under a porch or in a barn.  Most times the mother cannot be caught, but when  the kittens can, they wind up at the shelter.

Simon- yellow- and Doug

Three of them were very afraid of me the first couple of days- the little black one even hissed at me.  But we are making friends and I'm sure they will be sweet kitties when they find their "forever" home.  Their personalities gave them names before I could get close enough to examine their gender!  Above is "Boo"- the black- because (s)he would only peek at me around boxes and siblings, and  "George"- who I believe now to be a girl- is very curious and was the first 'fraidy cat to come out to play.

Simon (Legree)- hogs the food dishes. (a mini Garfield?)

 There is also Bob- the escape artist- who I can't get a picture of since he never stops moving.  Bob and Doug are named for the McKenzie brothers of Second City. They both have a sort of M on their foreheads- and my mind wandered since the two of them are always together.

Simon, Boo and George peering at me on the deck- below their room.

 Tim, the shyest of them all, still prefers to stay in the corners.  But when I sneak up on her and pet her, she purrs immediately!  Since I was calling her Tom, for timid, before I decided she's a she, I decided her full name is Timid Tina.






Please keep these sweet faces in mind next time you decide you need a new friend in your life.  The shelter is full of them!  And- as Bob Barker says- Please have your own pets spayed or neutered.  The results of letting them breed are staggering, and tragic!  (even if you don't believe the numbers here)

I'll hold off on a green tip, since I've "preached" on a different topic already.

I am grateful for:
Relief from last week's heat ( I hope all are enjoying it!)
Kittens
Family time
a little rain
enjoying the process

Quilting with Liza

My cat, Liza, gets a bit nutty this time of the year. She prefers to be outside, chasing mice and digging in the dirt (especially soft, easy to dig, garden soil in the flower beds). So this time of the year she is restless and a bit neurotic. The other day she came into the sewing room, sat down next to the chair and just sat there looking at me. I stopped and said what can I do for you? She meowed. I got up, thinking she'd run to her dish as usual. Nope, as soon as I was up, she was in my chair. It is not uncommon for her to walk into a room where someone is standing and meow. When you sit down, you are suddenly afflicted with COL- Cat On Lap- a condition which does not allow you to move or do anything until the cat chooses to find a new spot. Since laps are warm, she doesn't get up very often. her favorite spot is under the hoop while I'm hand quilting. What a nice warm cocoon that is- especially when the warm lap is a person suffering from frequent occurrences of "personal summer"!

A few years back, I found a wonderful online community of quilters on Yahoo groups, called "the Quilt Pocket". This weekend we are doing a challenge called "project Iron Quilter", inspired by the challenge of the same name at the Tompkins County Quilt Guild show last fall. They did it as a fund raiser, where well-known area quilters had three hours to make a quilt, which was then sold at auction. I made the supply list:
ONE focus fabric
FOUR to SIX coordinates(these can be scraps) You MUST include one stripe and one piece of orange
One piece of an unusual fabric, such as a lame, sheer, or lace
Embellishments such as beads, buttons, old jewelry, yarns, etc
Threads to match, including quilting threads

A scrap of batting large enough for a quilt to finish at 9” x 12”
Backing fabric
Tomorrow I will post the "rules" for the challenge:
You may do whatever you like with your fabrics as long as you include the following:
You MUST use the stripe, the orange and the unusual fabric in your piece. (they should be recognizable sized pieces)
You MUST "Insert" at least once in the construction of your piece.
Assuming that many of them do not know how to do an "insertion", here is a short tutorial.
( I apologize for any confusion caused by poor picture placement. I am still learning how this works.)
Cut strips in various widths to be inserted.












Make a random slash in the background fabric.









Align the edges and sew








Press toward inserted strip.






Align strip with background, offset slightly to maintain straight edges.









Press toward inserted strip.








Continue adding strips, cutting at parallel, or varying angles.









Insert strips across the first set if desired.








Careful alignment is required to keep all the inserted strips in a straight line. (but the piece may be more interesting if they don't!)












Ok, we'll see how this looks when I hit "publish"

This week I am grateful for:
A son who can admit he was a jerk
The fan I paid 79 cents for at Salvation Army a couple of years ago
The luxury of being able to hit the snooze alarm a couple of extra times
The end of February, and the robins in my back yard the other day- both are signs of spring (even if it's still a month away)