Slotted Ruler Rules the Day

To all my veteran quilter friends, why didn't you tell me about the slotted ruler? This tool is the greatest invention for quilting that I have found. It's such a time saver and fun to use, as well.

Yesterday I began cutting fabric for my next piece. Need 256 rectangles - and that's just part of the work. Knock on the door; Mr. Brown (UPS) was there with a box for me. I knew at once what it was. The slotted ruler, at long last.

While it took a couple of minutes to figure out how to use it, once confident I put it to good use. Took mere minutes to cut 39 rectangles from 1/3 yard of fabric. Presto. And, they are perfect 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 pieces. Very, very nifty. How did I ever quilt before I discovered this ruler? 

At last count, I have seven rulers, with more on the way, I'm certain. But the slotted ruler has become my favorite.

To my quilting consultants, are there other secret implements you haven't told me about? :)

Great Skate!

The Gold Rush skating competition at our rink was excellent. In particular, my skating friends (all adults) did a fabulous job performing their respective programs. Each one was unique and beautiful. And, each skater had their personal reasons behind their programs. In my opinion, this is critical for a strong performance. These three women showed the audience and other coaches that adults can learn to skate magnificently.

I was so proud to watch them skate and a little saddened that I did not compete. I would not have been in their category (they are a level above me but miles ahead of me in terms of skill), but it would have been fun to participate with them. I could have skated my FS2 technical program, but I would have been alone in my category and don't believe this program would have presented well to the judges. Anyway, it's not fun getting a "Gold" just because no one else is in your group! 

To "Prayer," I give particularly high marks. This program was skated with intensity, emotion, flow, and great skill. It was breathtaking and a privilege to watch. Congrats on a fantastic skate, my dear friend.

To SV, I was pleased that the judges could appreciate a truly artistic program, with no jumps, spins or spirals. Great edges, lovely flow, exceptional elements. This came from your heart, I know. 

For "Grace and Gratitude," the motivation was pure and humble. This performance was a great accomplishment after three years of not competing. The program was skated to His Glory and it showed. 

Off to skate today. My friends have inspired me to work harder. 

Finally Finished

The ice skating/Christmas theme quilt seemed to take forever to complete. On top of that, I am not that pleased with it. My mercurial nature has taken hold; I alternate between liking or really disliking this piece. On the whole, however, it's certainly not my favorite work.

In the "Lessons Learned" department, here they are:

1. Be very careful when using two focus fabrics in the same quilt. Don't believe I am at the stage yet when I can do this well.

2. Have a firm vision of the outcome before starting. I did but when I encountered problems with the fussy cutting, it went out the window. That's what threw me off track.

3. Give yourself permission not to like the end product without feeling like you failed. O.K., this is the toughest one for me. This little perfectionist voice whispers in my ear, "It's not perfect, it's not perfect. You see, you can't quilt and this is proof of that." How neurotic is that? Lighten up, for pity sakes. 

Today is a new and wonderful day. I am blessed to be able to pursue this craft at all (thank you, dear Husband). Will start a new quilt later this week. Onward we go. 

 

Plain as the Nose on My Face

Sometimes solutions evade you, even though they are right before your eyes. Such was nearly the case with the ice skating/Christmas theme quilt for Coach. Yesterday, as I started to work on it, the solution hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. Not to sound like a teenage girl, but "Ah duh!" All I needed to do was add 1 1/2 inch pieces to the bottom of the sashing for a perfect fit. That's what I did. Low and behold, it worked. 

I am not sure why I didn't think of this before. Such a simple solution, but I didn't figure it out immediately. Once the piece is quilted, the additional pieces won't show (you really can't even see them now) and the sashing fits the vertical rows perfectly. Why I insist on making something more difficult than it needs to be I will never understand. I will finish the quilt today most likely, in plenty of time for Coach's June birthday. 

If any of my skating buddies who are competing today are reading this, "Good luck!" I'll be there to watch you and cheer you on. I know you will be just fab. Have fun and let your spirit soar. 

News Flash! Seam Ripper Saves Life of Loomis Quilter/Skater!

Ripping out 57 1/2 inch seams is no fun! Yesterday, I sat at one of my favorite local haunts, The Flower Farm Nursery and Cafe, with my very cool lighted seam ripper, taking out the seams in the ice skating/Christmas quilt. Why? The verticals rows ended up a full inch longer than the sashing. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this happened. I am determined to fix this problem today as my quilting class was cancelled :( so I have time to work this out. 

I recall from my beginning piecing class how to adjust seams to solve this dilemma. So that's what I will do. I love the look of this piece and don't want to throw in the towel. Problem is that I don't have any more of the sashing fabrics. I could use a different fabric, but it would really change the 'feel' of the quilt top. What to do, what to do? Yet another quilting challenge to be overcome. 

Have been scouring the Web for skating dresses for Worlds. There are a number of eBay sellers in China who make competition dresses for very reasonable prices, but the shipping is $25.00. I bid on one dress and am contemplating another pending approval from my best skating buddy (she has great taste in skating dresses). 

I decided for certain that I am also going to compete in dance (the Willow Waltz and Hickory Hoedown) with a pro from another rink who took me through my first ice dance test. Did the dances yesterday in my lesson and was pleased that I still remembered them, despite the fact that since I passed my Dance 5 tests I have not skated them. So now I am competing 4 events. I think that's enough. 

Started to work on the USFS Adult Bronze freestyle test. Great fun! Off to skate. Onward. 

A Pleasant Surprise

Being confined to home due to a wicked cold, I have been quilting most of the day (when I wasn't scouring the Web for competition dresses, I confess).

I was pleasantly surprised and happy that the ice skating/Christmas quilt is going to be very sweet and, frankly, quite darling. I never expected this, as one might know from previous posts. Combining two different ice skating fabrics with holiday and non-holiday fabrics could have been a big failure. Having now completed most of the quilt top, I am feeling confident that this is going to be an adorable skating quilt for Coach.

Lesson learned: Experimentation in quilting is quite necessary and beneficial. This has certainly been the case with this quilt.

Had to postpone my lesson until Thursday, but left a message for Coach that I want to test my USFS Adult Bronze freestyle. This is my big goal after Worlds. This test has two "dreadful" elements that are going to be quite challenging for me. But I am committed to testing this by year's end. Onward!

Crib Quilt and Skating News

While I was worried about how my first crib quilt would turn out, all was for naught; it is quite sweet and charming. 

Here is a close up of the fabric that appears on the front and is used for the backing. If you look closely, you can see the nursery rhythm theme, specially the cow jumping over the moon. Timing was great. The baby arrived this morning! A healthy boy. Mom and Baby are doing very well.  

Also started working on the ice skating/Christmas quilt for Coach. The jury is still out on whether this is going to work, but I will continue with it.

I'm looking forward to my class this Friday on "To the Nines" by Judy Sisneros. Purchased some absolutely gorgeous Asian prints for this piece. The colors are so rich and elegant. Can't wait to start this. 

Last week, one of my skating friends, who came back from serious ill and surgery passed her Bronze and Silver ISI tests. I'm thrilled for her. She is a lovely, dedicated and focused skater. It was wonderful to see her out on the ice skating her program. She plans on going to Worlds. I am happy that she will be there, although we won't be in the same groups. She is far more advanced than I am. She has been very supportive of my skating over the years. 

This weekend three of my friends compete at a USFSA event at our rink in Roseville, CA. I know each will do a fabulous job on their respective programs. They are all excellent skaters, with their own unique styles. Watching them inspires me so much. I chose not to participate in this event so I could focus on my Worlds programs. I didn't feel either of my programs was "competition ready." 

I have decided to work on testing up to USFSA Bronze freestyle while I prepare for Worlds. This would be a HUGE step for me because there are two elements (at least) that right now I absolutely cannot do. What a challenge and goal for me!

Off to quilt and try and get over a tasty cold and sore throat I awoke with today.

Disconnected and Distracted

I've hit my very first genuine impasse in quilting! Yesterday I worked on cutting out fabric for my skating coach's birthday gift - this ice skating/Christmas theme piece. I had purchased this darling large scale fabric and was trying to fussy cut it. EEK! I just couldn't do it without cutting off the heads of the carolers or the legs of the horses drawing the cute little carts. What to do, what to do? I was getting very frustrated (still am) in part because I don't really know how to fussy cut (never done it before). I decided that I would take some other holiday/skating fabric I have and combine the two. I would have used the other fabric exclusively as the focus fabric, but only had two fat quarters, so that wasn't an option. Bummer. 

Now I have to decide if I should make this and see what it looks like or just throw in the towel and buy some new fabric and start again. My inclination is to give it a whirl, just to see what it looks like. It will either be darling or a disaster!

Rather than being excited about starting this piece, I am feeling somewhat disconnected from my quilting activities right now. I have a class next week (thank goodness) and hope to get kick-started again. This too shall pass, right? But it's an interesting feeling to have as I have been so engaged in quilting since November. Just something new to contend with. "Ponder, ponder," she notes.

But tomorrow we skate! Nothing like cold air, hard ice, and splats to move one out of a malaise. 

Finally, how could I not mention Susan Boyle, who the entire world seems to be talking about? What a woman, what a voice, what an example of "Don't judge a book by its cover." I love this woman's spunk, personality, and sheer unadulterated honesty. You go, Susan! I'm here in Loomis, CA cheering you on.

"Do You REALLY Want to Know?"

Yesterday at the rink I encountered a skating buddy of mine who happened to be on the ice whilst I was testing recently. I made the mistake of asking her how she thought I really did skating my test program. She hesitated, so I said, "No, really, I respect your opinion and I want to know how I can improve." BIG mistake on my part. To wit, don't ask the question unless you are genuinely interested in an honest, no-sugar-coated-answer, which apparently I wasn't because I left feeling pretty deflated. No fault of hers, BTW. I got exactly what I asked for. But "Yes," the bloom is definitely off the rose now. 

Here is what she told me with my corresponding editorial comments:

1.  "You hesitated on your Mohawks." 

My editorial: OMG, did I? I thought they were much better. Aren't they, Coach?

2. "You were tentative on your 3-turns."

My editorial: Same as above. Maybe one of them in particular coming out of the forward cross-strokes because the position is awkward unless you are turned completely to the boards for the 3-turn.

3. "I didn't see that big, definitive swoop from edge-to-edge in the dance step sequence."

My editorial: I didn't know I was supposed to produce a huge sweeping swoop. I thought it was supposed to be more subtle than that. Checked with Coach who confirmed that subtle is good, indiscernible is not. Mine was somewhere in between probably.

4. "The half-Lutz wasn't a clean outside edge."

My editorial: I have no idea if it was or wasn't. I've slept since then!

5.  "Ballet jump wasn't big enough."

My editorial: Apparently this was true because I received my lowest score ("6") for this element. This is already much improved.

Stop! Stop! I had heard enough. Before she noted any more "challenges," I decided to slink/glide off and practice the above. But, before I left, I had to ask, "Well, was there anything I did well?" She replied:

1. "You really covered the ice from end-to-end." 

My editorial: Yep, I sure did. I learned a long time ago that end-to-end coverage is really important. Dead giveaway of the new adult skater is a pattern that barely exceeds the inside circle. 

2. "Your spirals were excellent and beautiful."

My editorial: These are my favorite part of the program. This is the "taking flight" element. I've been blessed with strong spirals, although my inside edge spiral needs work on getting the leg higher. 

3. "You were smooth and seemed confident."

My editorial: I agree (and so did the judge) that the program was smooth. As for seeming confident, that's because I was enjoying the moment;everything else just melted away.

At this point, since she hadn't mentioned anything that sounded remotely like "OMG, you did "x" just fabulously!" it really was time to skate. Was this an escape from the fear that she would go back to "And another thing . . . " that I didn't do well?" Very likely.

This incident highlights one of the strange things about skating, at least for me and for some other adult skaters I know. We want acknowledgment from our skating peers. I can write all day about how after my accident I decided that if I ever could skate again I would be out there only for myself (which is, in the greatest part, the absolute truth), but there is this small part of me that wanted to hear from my friend that I skated like Peggy Fleming did in her day. I know, my friend knows, my Coach knows, my other skating buddies know that I don't skate like Peggy Fleming ("Ah duh!"). But it's the fantasy of what we skate like is part of what keeps us returning to the ice, even in the face of stark reality. 

In that one moment when I was flying across the ice in my change edge spiral, with my arms extended like a graceful crane in flight (even though I think Coach thinks I look more like an aircraft making a sharp bank), I felt like Peggy Fleming and it was wonderful! 

Every now and then I need a reality check, but I also want to hold on to the vision I have for my skating. So what's next? Working on the things that my friend pointed out needed improvement and improving my two programs because my dream is to come in first in my category at Worlds - and I'm going for it. Onward! 

Today is a big quilting day. I can luxuriate all day as I begin a new piece. Next skating day is this Friday, which I am so looking forward to. 

Why Wine?

I realized I had not posted "Wine Styles," which I completed in March. Now it's in the gallery on the right. In case anyone is wondering, for a person who doesn't drink wine (it really doesn't agree with migraines!), we live in a development which is fashioned after Provence (I think it looks much more like Tuscany), so every home has its own little vineyard. People often say you can get your inspiration for quilts by looking around you. So I did. Hence, the fascination with wine-theme quilts.

Here is the view from the backdoor of our home. See, Italian cypress! 

Oh drat!

Had a wonderful skate on Friday morning with my skating buddies on two freestyle sessions. Ran through my technical program, making some changes that I think will enhance it for competition. Was feeling really good after two hours of skating and great company. Then "BAM!" - out of the blue, an awful migraine struck. Within two hours, another one hit, thus ruining my quilting plans for the day and the fabulous adventure to SF with some friends to see "Wicked" that was planned for Saturday. I was so disappointed not to make this trip despite the fact that I have seen the show three times already. One can never get enough of "Wicked." 

The weekend was spent trying to manage/recover from the headaches and get back on my feet. As I'm still a little shaky from the migraine meds, won't be skating today. Just errands and my voice lesson (of course, I haven't practiced at all so I'm not expecting much from myself), then I am back home to cut out fabric. 

I have posted the Tuscan landscape quilt (titled "The Hills of Tuscany," see picture on right) that was a gift for my husband. The picture makes the Italian cypress look more like a burned-out hill in Lake Tahoe, which is unfortunate because the fabric is really quite lovely. I like the way the design showcases the fabric, but when I make this next (see below), I will use fabric with more variety and fussy-cut the scenes so they are not so similar. Ah, another lesson learned. 

I will start on the quilt for Coach today. It is a Christmas ice skating theme. Cute novelty fabric. Will use the 9-Patch Pizzazz pattern again to highlight the large scale fabric. Have a class in "Rectangles Pizzazz" on 4/24 that I am really looking forward to. Let's pray I don't get a headache!

Onward to a new beautiful spring day! 

Scope Creep; Blog Creep

In my old days as a corporate executive, we would refer to a project taking on a life of its own as "scope creep." I always loved this expression because it was so perfect for the circumstances. You know, a project starts out as "x" and becomes "y"  to the tenth power. And so it is with my blog. This started out as a blog dedicated to my quilting journey. But I came to realize (and friends noticed as well) that I wrote a good deal about my skating. So-o-o-o, in honor of the sport and its significance in my life, I have officially re-titled my blog, as you will see. Please forgive this serious case of "blog creep," but I just have to write about my skating journey. If you aren't interested in reading about skating, just skip that post. Trust that there will still be plenty of pictures and posts about quilting! 

What A Feeling!

For you quilters, think of a moment when you created something, stood back, gazed at your accomplishment and smiled. I had exactly that feeling on Tuesday; it just happened to be about ice skating. 

It's official! I passed my ISI FS2 test, which will mean nothing to some readers, but means so much to me. This is a symbolic accomplishment, signifying my first solo test since my skating accident in December 2006, when I thought I wouldn't skate again. What's interesting is that 4 months ago, passing this test so I could participate in ISI Worlds in San Jose, CA in July 2009 wasn't even a goal. But I had the foundation of a beautiful program (thanks to the great work of my coach) to breathtaking music; I knew I wanted to do something special with it because the music (from "Passion of the Christ") speaks to my heart.  

It was about this time that Coach and fellow adult skaters started talking about Worlds. Then Coach asked me if I wanted to participate in Worlds. My first reaction was complete fear; once I got over the stark terror, I knew that Worlds was exactly the right venue for my "Passion" program. Then I realized that I would have to have a technical program, in addition to this dramatic program, to make it to Worlds. So, basically, in 5 weeks time, I learned and passed a technical program to lovely, haunting music from a "The Secret Garden" CD that had been cut for me years (and I do mean years!) ago. 

I arrived at the rink in one of my competition dresses that I had only worn once for a pairs program in April 2006. I took the time to go through all the steps of preparing for a test, including tasteful "show" make-up. I love my dress, so I felt good about that. I have joked saying, "It's doesn't matter how you skate; it's how you look when you skate that really matters." 

In warm-up, I skated the program well and felt confident until Coach told me I would have to do all the elements in my program individually first for the judge before skating my program. EEK! Once I got over the "OMG" butterflies, Coach and I worked on this for about 30 minutes, then I suggested we work on ice dancing until it was time to test. Good strategy. We did the 14-step to music which made me forget about my test because the music is so fast and the dance great fun.

When the judge (our rink's Skating Director) showed up, I mentioned to her that I should get the "old ladies' sympathy vote." Good ice breaker; thank goodness she laughed. Then the test started. The first individual element she asked me to do over. I mused, "Great. I'm in big trouble if this is how it is going to begin!" After I let go and relaxed, the second try was better. Then on to the other elements, especially one that I have been dreading. My first try - BIG BOMB. Second attempt resulted in a splat! Finally, the third try was better and the judge acknowledged that. I knew I was home free after I got past this element because I was confident about everything else. I took a deep breath and took my program's starting position.

The moment the music started, I was transported to another world. It was like no one else was there; just me, the music, and the ice. I skated for me, for my husband (who, despite his fears about my returning to the ice, has supported my skating), for our once-in-a-lifetime Samoyed, Henry, and the sheer beauty of the sport and being able to fly. I loved every minute and 39 seconds of the test. In fact, I didn't want the music to end. There wasn't an element (well, o.k., maybe that "dreaded" one) that I felt I didn't execute well. I nailed my ending pose, got up, and skated over to Coach who gave me a huge hug. Then I looked at the judge and she said, "That was beautiful. I am so impressed with your skating." When she handed me the test sheet, I could not believe the scores. I think I said to the judge, "Are you sure these are mine?" With the exception of one "6" for a relatively simple element, they were all 7s, 8s, and 9s. In addition to the scores, she had written,"So-o-o-o-o-smooth" and "Beautiful program." I nearly cried with joy. Then I looked at Coach who said, "I am so proud of you, Karen. You've come so far." What skater doesn't relish hearing these words from her/his coach? 

At the risk of posting what sounds like an Academy Award acceptance speech, bear with me while I note that I could not have gotten to this point without my 'fab' husband, the support and "gentle pushing" of Coach, and my skating buddies who have been with me through this journey back to the ice. I am blessed by their presence in my life, their advice, counsel, and being my cheerleaders. You know who you are and my deep fondness for you.

What a spectacular day! It started with quilting, included an sought-after skating accomplishment, and ended with quilting. Doesn't get much better than that, I say. Onward in quilting and skating! Life is good. 

A Quilt in the Making

As you can tell from the picture here, I am busy at my design wall for the Tuscan landscape "9-Patch Pizzazz" (a Judy Sisneros creation/design) quilt. What you see is the very rough layout of the piece, without any sashing or borders. 

The focus fabric is sweet, 'happy' fabric (click on the image to enlarge it so you can see the Italian cypress, hills and sun), which makes me want to hop on a plane and fly off to Tuscany. I found this fabric quite by accident and connected with it immediately. 

Now that I am working on the quilt top, I see some things I might have done differently in picking complementary fabric for the 9-patch elements, but the border is somewhat busy, so I think these tone-on-tones will be alright. This pattern is, as noted before, fun but challenging. As I start to sew the vertical rows together, we'll see how straight they are. I fear that some of them may look as though they are just a little tipsy! 

I am taking Judy Sisneros's class "Rectangle Pizzazz" at the end of this month, so I will likely learn much more about this method. I continue to use large scale fabric. Will have to break out of this soon, but I love to showcase the theme fabric.

Enough blogging. Back to my Janome. 

The Pizzazz of 9-Patch Pizzazz

I've made good progress on my 9-Patch Pizzazz Tuscan landscape piece. But, I didn't put two layers of the sewn strips for the 9-patch on top of one another to cut them into 2 1/2 inch pieces. I cut them individually instead. Of course, I'm worried that this is going to cause a problem when I start sewing (tomorrow, hopefully), but I'm confident I will be able to work through it. This pattern is fun to make, but challenging too. I like the bold, contemporary look of this design.

I am making a quilt for my skating coach for her birthday in June. I purchased some wonderful Christmas fabric featuring skaters on a pond, little decorated villages, dogs running about, kids on sleighs, etc. I am going to use the 9-Patch Pizzazz pattern for this as the fabric really lends itself to the design. Think it will be great looking. 

I finally made the hanging loops for "Tranquility" so I can deliver it to my acupuncture therapist when I go for my next appointment. It does look quite pretty and will complement the beautiful Asian decor of her offices.

Looking forward to tomorrow with a couple of hours of skating and an afternoon spent quilting and being with our doggies.  Our older gentleman, Merlin, is feeling a little punk tonight after having his rattlesnake vaccine booster today, although our girl, DeeDee, is doing fine. Hopefully, he will be feeling much better tomorrow.