Speaking of Feathers

 

Since my last two posts were bird-themed, I guess it is appropriate for me to be quilting feathers as well.

This is a design I haven’t been attracted to in the past, but for this particular quilt, the feathers just fit right in to the curving paths of my snail’s trail blocks.

These are taking a lot of patience and practice. The blocks are only 7 X 7”.

More Wild Birds in Tehachapi

 

After visiting the ostrich ranch, we made a few other stops then headed up to Dixie’s house. She has wild birds there, too. Literally hundreds.

I have never seen a goldfinch sock. It is filled with thistle seeds. The bag the seeds came in was labeled with the promise of being a “goldfinch magnet”. It certainly looks like there was a lot of truth in their advertising.

There are even more hummingbird’s that visit Dixie’s patio than goldfinches. Just this one feeder had four visitors on it.

The foliage and the swiftness of the hummingbirds made it difficult to photograph the hundreds of eaters flying in and out. Many were lined up waiting on the fence, waiting their turn at a feeder. Dixie’s husband, Tommy, goes through about two gallons of hummingbird nectar each day.

No doubt these awesome hollyhocks are a huge attraction to the birds. They had me green with envy.

The daisies were lovely as well.

I think I need to get me a goldfinch sock.

Indian Point Ostrich Ranch

 

After several hours of shopping in downtown Tehachapi, it was time to do something on the wild side. This is the ham who met us in one of the front display pens at the Indian Point Ostrich Ranch. Ralph was specifically chosen to greet the visitors because he is gentle and he really likes to pose for pictures. He didn’t even mind when I petted the feathers on his back.

Ralph was over six feet tall and had the black and white feathers typical of a male ostrich. The females’ feathers are brown.

For the very reasonable price of $4.00 per person, we got a guided tour around the ostrich ranch. That included viewing adult and very young birds and learning all sorts of facts about them. We also got to go inside the trailer that is used to transport them. At the end of the tour was a gift shop where many ostrich-related items can be purchased such as their huge empty egg shells and hand moisturizers made in part from the oil that is derived from ostrich fat. My friend, Dixie, has purchased lotion for herself and her mother in the past, and she was very satisfied with it.

Just when I thought the tour was over, Dixie got an amused grin on her face and informed all of us girlfriends that the best was yet to come.

I wasn’t really sure what was behind those closed doors. Yikes!

Dixie gladly sprang for $2.00 fee for each of us so we could experience some bird bonding. For that price, we were each given a metal bowl, which was filled with ostrich food. A long pole was attached to one side of the bowl.

When we opened the door to the bonding area, I fully expected the birds to rush forward and knock us over. Fortunately, there was an inner fence that kept the ostriches at bay. With their long necks, they had no problem reaching over the fence and eating from the bowls.

They pretty much inhaled their food.

Robin spends much of her time as a docent at a local living animal and bird museum, so she was right at home.

Vicky grew up riding horses, so she was okay with the huge birds.

Dixie was blown away by how fast the ostriches ate their food.

A good time was had by all.

5 Heart Quilts, Tehachapi, CA

 

Everyone guessed correctly yesterday when I asked where I might be off to in downtown Tehachapi. A quilt shop, of course!

Here is 5 Heart Quilts, which is located at 104 W. Tehachapi Boulevard. The store’s beautifully crafted wood sign blends perfectly with the classic old fashioned style of Tehachapi’s downtown area.

5 Heart Quilts was opened by Claudia Blodget in 1993. Here she is helping a customer on the phone.

Claudia does beautiful work and is sometimes a formidable competitor of mine at local quilt shows. But in the spirit of true sportsmanship, I have to acknowledge that Claudia’s work is not only creative, but is technically very correct.

5 Hearts is tastefully decorated with many class samples and examples of Claudia’s work. Some of the patterns are Claudia’s original designs, which have been published. Longarm services are also available at the store.

This is another view, showing just a portion of the fabrics that are for sale. There is a good selection of florals, batiks, Asian prints, blenders, and Western designs.

This is my favorite part of any store: The fat quarter baskets.

And of course, I couldn’t leave without indulging a bit.

Fine Arts, Crafts, and Antiques

 

The beauty of Tehachapi makes it a haven for all sorts of artists and crafters. Naturally, that makes the mountain community a great source of original art and handmade crafts for appreciative collectors.

Our first stop was at the Tehachapi Treasure Trove. Our own Dixie had a connection there. Her mom, Sharon Schnaidt, knits shoes, hats, bibs, and all kinds of other things, which she sells at the shop. Here is Dixie holding up an adorable pair of her mother’s handmade moose booties.

A wall of tie-dyed tee shirts caught Vicky’s eye. She chose this one, which she can wear at special dress-up events at her school. She will definitely be the coolest teacher there!

Besides selling handcrafted items, the Treasure Trove is also a great place for artists to purchase supplies. Art classes are also offered in the classrooms at the back of the store.

Our next stop was a very short walk down the idyllic and charming streets of Tehachapi’s downtown. This gorgeous display of pottery was just inside the front door of Gallery ‘N Gifts.

This metal art fascinated me with all its shapes and sizes.

The front of the store is devoted to crafty gifts, while the back of the store houses a beautiful display of fine art: Paintings, drawings, fine photography, artful furniture, and stained glass.

The next stop for the rest of my group was an antique store, but right next door was something that was a whole lot more exciting to me. Can you guess what it was?

Skylark North Glider Flight School

 

Our next stop was at Tehachapi’s Mountain Valley Airport. Our plans were to watch sailplanes as they were being towed into the air by a larger plane, then set loose to glide.

Robin’s father used to pilot his own personal aircraft, so Robin was right at home. If we would have bought her a ticket, she would have been on her way.

Here are two sailplanes waiting on the runway for their aero-tow.

The smaller plane in the background is being towed into the air.

A nice man took our pictures. I think he was the owner of the flight school and wanted us to come back and go for some sailplane rides.

I have no doubt that Robin will.

Off To Tehachapi

 

This morning two of my childhood friends and I journeyed to Tehachapi, California. We were on our way to visit with another childhood classmate, Dixie, who has recently relocated there after living and working in many places throughout the United States. She has also traveled internationally for her career. We just remember her as the cute little kid who used to make us laugh when we were anxious about something at school.

I feel so blessed and amazed to have friendships that have lasted almost 50 years.

In looking at the picture of us, which was taken by our waitress at the Apple Shed today, I am struck by how similar we all look. From left to right is Robin, myself, Dixie, and Vicky.

 

We had an extremely full day. Dixie shuttled us all around Tehachapi to various attractions. There is way too much to record at the end of this very long day, so I will post more pictures and stories over the next several days. We went to some really beautiful, incredible, and unusual places.

Topstitching

 

The first couple days of beginning to quilt a sandwiched top is almost always a throw of the dice for me. I generally have pretty specific plans on how I want to proceed, but when the presser foot hits the fabric and the needle starts pushing the thread through, stitch after stitch, things can sure change in a hurry. Sometimes the thread I have chosen decides that it wants to break every 100 stitches or so. Or the quilting design that I have chosen frequently doesn’t do anything for the quilt.

Back to the drawing board.

I have literally spent a good part of a day testing threads and quilting designs just to get the right combination. That doesn’t even address the challenges that sewing machine needles can present. I have lamented with fellow quilters, and they too, have often traveled that same time consuming path.

Case in point: I envisioned the jewel toned areas of my snail’s trail quilt stippled with slight spirals. Did that work? Of course, not. It was not only a nightmare to negotiate all of those seam points without shredding the thread; the stippling also covered up the beautiful metallic designs of the rich Asian fabrics. Those definitely needed to shine through!

I had to make a lot of changes: Needles, thread, and quilting design.

First I made a special trip to a local quilt shop and got some Topstitch needles. They are the best I have found to prevent thread breaks and shredding.

Next I went back to my old reliable standby Mettler Poly Sheen thread on the top, which hardly ever shreds or breaks. I changed to a simple Star cotton thread on the bottom. It tends to hold the springy polyester thread in place.

Finally, I changed to a walking foot and a simple topstitching quilting design. It lets the beautiful fabric show through, and I will still have oodles of space to do free motion quilting on the background neutral fabric.

This is what I have so far after today. I wanted to go a little longer, but got very tired after several hours at the machine.

This is a closer view.

Time to do some dishes.

Sandwiching Snails

 

Over the summer I have been trying to get as many quilt tops sandwiched and quilted as possible. It seems that there are few completely vacant days with no functions or appointments that allow me to sandwich a quilt without interruption. Today I got my snail’s trail sandwiched, and I am so eager to start quilting it.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, the plumber is coming to do some work. I know I will have to wait until he is gone to be able to concentrate on my quilting and actually sew. Hopefully, he won’t be long.

Summer With the Pinheads

 

Summers are always a treat for me because I get to spend time with my dear friends, The Pinheads.

Lois hosted us at her lovely home today. Lots of Pinheads came to quilt, pray, and share good food: Dottie, Celia, Linda, Donna, and Wynona. Even Lynne showed up! I hadn’t seen her in forever and a day. We sure were excited to get together again.

Lynne brought the quilt she made for her granddaughter’s high school graduation.

It is a delightful mix of brights, blacks, and whites. Her granddaughter’s favorite color is orange.

Celia brought a UFO that she hopes to finish soon. Celia’s work is always meticulous and perfect. In this composition, she has used both needle turn and fusible applique, machine quilting, and exquisite hand quilting.

Linda shared the six beautiful gold paisley placemats that she made. She used gold metallic thread to quilt these lovely creations. She also made two chicken hot pads, but I did not get a picture of those.

After viewing all that great quilting, it was time to get down to some serious eating.

Lois treated us to two pizzas: Sausage and Hawaiian. Yum!

I brought a spinach, feta cheese, cranberry, and almond salad—served with Raspberry Vinaigrette salad dressing.

Donna brought her famous Banana Split Pie with its heavenly layers of graham crackers, pudding, bananas, crushed pineapple, whipped cream, and some kind of magic.

Quilters are not only great cooks. They are excellent friends.

Snowflakes in July

 

When I awoke this morning, there were snowflakes all over my living room and bathroom floor. Someone had completely unrolled the toilet paper in the bathroom and had emptied out a box of fresh Kleenex tissues in my living room.

Now who would that be? No telling. There are five little suspects.

And they are all too darn cute to even scold. Who cares about all those snowflakes?

Variable Star Quilt Block

 

I have never gotten excited about participating in a Block of the Month series, but for some reason, this time is different. When Lois, one of the charter members of our Sewful Sisters, handed out the pattern for the first block and told us we could use any colors or kinds of fabrics we liked, I was off and running.

Notice, I have already knocked this puppy out weeks ahead of time and can’t wait to see the pattern choice for the next block.

Lois found this Variable Star block on Electric Quilter 6 (EQ6). The example she made had only two traditional fabrics. You can see a picture of it here:

http://quiltedtimeposts.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-sewful-sisters-meet-again.html

I had been wanting to make a batik quilt with beige print neutrals in the background and deeper grayed pastels as a contrast. I did not have enough of the floral fabric to make a block with just two fabrics, so had to add a third. I think I like it better that way.

This is the little treasure trove of neutrals that I will be using for the remainder of the blocks.

When I was at Bolts to Binding the other day, I noticed that Jerie had gathered up the very small cuts left from the end of the batik bolts and had made small color-themed bundles with them. Each bundle contained four or five pieces that were smaller than a fat quarter. Only $5.00 a bundle! I grabbed the two with beige neutrals. Lucky, happy me!

Back to Quilting Flowers

 

There must be twenty markers around my house with disappearing ink, but just like socks, they all seem to wear out at the same time. I fully intended to get some more quilting accomplished on my “Peace, Love, & Haight Ashbury” quilt, but those markers just weren’t cooperating.

Back to “Rainy Garden Windows” I went.

These flowers take very little marking. I just put the end of a big spool of thread in the middle of the square and traced around it. Fortunately, my chalk marker worked on these. Then I roughly sketched in the crosshatch marks in the center of the flower. They do not need to be perfectly measured or straight. From there I had enough to guide me.

Although it can be done, I do not sketch the petals of the flowers. I just make sure the tips of the petals reach the arcs that have already been stitched with the walking foot on the sashing and cornerstones. It is a lot easier than it looks, however, it is very time consuming.

Here is the link to the post that describes how I quilted the arcs on the sashing blocks:

http://quiltedtimeposts.blogspot.com/2013/06/marking-and-quilting-simple-sash-design.html