From the Basement

Scenic Sunday

2012-01-29T18:22:00.001-06:00

Today I dabbled in some dimensional appliqué. The first section is about using raw edge fabric pieces.

I fused two fabrics together and cut out some simple shapes. Because the fabrics have been fused, it’s not necessary to stitch down the edges. I just stitched a center for the flowers and that secured all three layers to the background.

I was surprised at how much I like how this turned out. Quick and easy, but the additional layers really make the piece interesting. This technique may need to go in my bag of “go-to” tricks!

January and Chinese New Year

2012-01-28T21:25:00.001-06:00

This month when the Chinese New Year arrived, we entered the Year of the Dragon. So the theme for Stitchin’ Fingers’ postcard swap was – what else? – dragons!

I made this one for Heike in Germany. I spray painted the background muslin with blue, using cloud shaped templates as a resist. Then I cut applique pieces from fabric – including a metalic fabric for her chest and tail – and did free-motion thread sketching to add details. The final touch was beads for her eyes, and some metal foil claws.

And this is the card I received from Heike. She also did thread sketching and included a scrap of newspaper from a trip she made to China. How cool is that?

This was Heike’s first postcard exchange. I think she should keep up the good work, don’t you?

Wednesday WOW – January 25

2012-01-25T18:33:00.001-06:00

Almost the end of January. I’m finally starting to get back into the normal groove and working on a few small projects.

This one involves paper piecing which always such a mess! I’ll be picking up tiny bits of paper for a week!!

I really like how this is looking, though. I guess it’s worth all the mess, especially if the final product turns out the way I expect. Besides, isn’t that why we have vacuum cleaners?

About Silent Sunday

2012-01-23T17:31:00.001-06:00

OK, so the Sunday experiment didn’t happen this week. In fact, I didn’t get into the basement all weekend. Bummer!

Saturday was a good thing, though. I went to doll club and we made these:

We took inspiration from the book “Stupid Sock Creatures” and had all kinds of fun. I always have a good time – almost too much – and come home exhausted!

I scored some new stuff for my stash, too!

I love those peacock lace motifs! Not sure what I’ll do with them, but for now I just like looking at them!

The weekend took a side trip when we made a run to the local emergency room Saturday evening. No big deal (we seem to spend a lot of time there . . . all the ER nurses know us by first name!!), but we didn’t get home until 2am. It’s been an awful long time since I stayed out late on a Saturday night. It’s a lot harder now!

So, of course, I slept late on Sunday. And gave the pugs some extra lap time as well. It was a nice day, so we decided to take the camera for a ride. We have the most well-traveled camera around. It doesn’t take any pictures, but it goes for lots of rides! Before I knew it, Sunday was almost over!

So there’s my excuse for why my ~~homework~~ Sunday Stuff didn’t get done. I hope to be back in the groove next week and back on schedule. At least I will really try!

Wednesday WOW – January 18

2012-01-18T17:03:00.001-06:00

Today it’s not so much what’s on the worktable as where is the worktable! I am amazed at how busy I’ve been with so little to show for it! LOL! Except for a lot of half-done projects, that is.

This doesn’t look so bad, I know. What you can’t see is that I shoved everything over to the ends to work on a postcard this afternoon. Good thing it’s a sturdy table or the ends would break off!

The postcard got done, though, and it heads off to Germany tomorrow. The theme is dragons, in case you wondered.

This is the cutting table . . . and there’s no room for cutting! See the octopus? Looks a lot like it did the last time I showed it, doesn’t it? Oh boy, I have got to get more organized (she said distractedly). LOL!

Stylish Sunday

2012-01-15T18:34:00.001-06:00

Here we are with another fun Sunday experiment. Today, I played with Tyvek. Tyvek is a plastic fabric that is pretty durable and is used for everything from protective clothing to insulation. You’ve seen it in those big envelopes the US Post Office sells (probably Post Offices around the world, too). Any time I receive items in a Tyvek envelope, I put it away for later.

I like to paint it with Lumiere paints. They have a shine to them that is emphasized when you apply heat. Also, you do want to use a paint that is non-toxic when heated. Because heat is what makes Tyvek so much fun.

I cut that painted piece into strips and rolled them on a wooden skewer. After wrapping and tying with a silver metallic thread, I hit it with a heat gun.

And got these! See how the gold in the paint pooled together and got all shiny? The layers all melt together and the edges curl and twist, so each bead is unique.

To try a different approach, I layered a piece of Tyvek with a piece of fabric and stitched this shape. By filling the shapes with stitches, I hope to get some interested texture.

I applied heat to the Tyvek side. You can see where the Tyvek curled up at the edges and melted between the stitches.

Here is how it looked from the right side. One thing I’ve noticed is that Tyvek tends to curl toward your heat source. Something to remember if you’re looking for a specific result.

I cut some leaf shapes and slashed toward the center before stitching them down to the background (forgot to take a picture of that. Sorry!) before applying the heat gun again.

When I put all the elements together, this is the end result. It’s very organic and truly unique! It’s always interesting to see how the Tyvek reacts. I’ve used an iron (just hover, don’t actually touch the material) and sometimes you get bubble like structures. Sometimes you can control the reaction with stitching or slashing, but mostly each attempt is a surprise.

Today was a good day . . . I got to make a mess with paints, and then play with fire! Er, well, I guess a heat gun doesn’t count, does it? But I did get some free motion stitching in, too, so lots of fun was had by all! Um, just me, that is!

The Year in Review

2012-01-14T10:18:00.001-06:00

I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers have posted photo montages of their accomplishments in 2011. Of course, most of those “review” posts were done on January 1 or very close to it. But, I’ve been running to catch up all my life, so I figure mid-January is “on time” for me! LOL!

Apparently, 2011 was the Year of the Quilts for me. A year ago I don’t think I would have considered myself a quilter, but looking at these photos it looks like that is what I am!

It’s funny that I mostly consider myself a dollmaker, but there have been only two dolls this past year. I spent a lot of time dabbling in art journaling, and of course a lot of swaps. This collection doesn’t include postcards since I have already done reviews of them here and here.

The most productive part of my year, however, has been the Sunday experiments. This is a pretty impressive collection of small art. It’s been a lot of fun and very educational. And the best part is that I will continue them through 2012!

It’s good to take a quiet moment for reflection. It not only helps determine how you want to go forward, but it can surprise you with just how much you can accomplish!

Oh boy! I can’t wait to see what I get into next!

Wednesday WOW – January 11

2012-01-11T17:50:00.001-06:00

I did have some errands this morning, but found a little time to sew this afternoon. Aaaah! It certainly feels good to be in front of the sewing machine!

This is what I was working on. Not a lot got done, but it’s a good, solid beginning!

A little closer look. There are eight of these to piece, and then they get made into blocks. The green is so refreshing, especially on a day like today . . . windy and COLD! I think winter has finally arrived in Kansas!

Shimmery Sunday

2012-01-08T19:07:00.001-06:00

It’s Sunday and I’m baaaack! If you’ve just joined us – or you’d like a reminder (always nice to refresh the old memory), on Sundays I take some time to work with a technique from this book:

We’ve covered a lot of ground already, but there’s lots more fun things to do. Today, I tried metal foiling.

The first thing I wanted to test was different types of glue. This picture shows some of my trial runs – 3 different glues and a double-sided tape. With some practice I think all of the glues would work, but I liked Grrrip best and used it for my “real” work. It’s fluid enough to be easy to work with, yet dries to a tacky state very quickly. I’m NO good at waiting for something to dry!

I used gold foil to accent one of the rust dyed pieces from earlier. The artificial light changes colors a bit, but you can really see the sparkle of the foil. The red orange piece on the left has a strip of the tape foiled with copper.

Then I pulled this piece out from my past experiments. Using the glue I drew the outline of a pear in the lower left corner and foiled it with copper. Then I tacked down a piece of the free motion thread lace, also from a previous experiment. You can’t really see much foil in this shot . . . which is what I intended. Yes, I really did do that on purpose!

OK – here’s a closeup. You can actually see the sparkle here, although it’s kind of hard to figure out what the shape is. Pretty subtle, huh? Believe me it’s sooo pretty in real life!

So, a pretty satisfactory afternoon’s work. Next week I’ll be working with one of my favorite materials, but one I haven’t played with in quite a while. Can’t wait!!! Be sure to come back next week, won’t you?

Wednesday WOW – January 4

2012-01-04T19:06:00.001-06:00

Ah, a new year and a new WOW – What’s On the Worktable. Unfortunately, I had appointments in the city today so there wasn’t any worktable time. I did a little planning, though (OMG! That’s a 4-letter word if I ever saw one!), and took some pictures yesterday.

Actually, what I’m working on at the moment is to move this:

into these:

and other organizational, sorting, labeling, etc. locations.

Don’t fret, though. There has been some creativity going on.

I finished the cross-stitch dragon and it is mounted and glue should be dry by now. It’s going on a box top. I will get some better pictures to show when everything is done.

I’m looking forward to spending some serious time at the worktable real soon now. I just need to make out my priorities. Let’s see . . . 1) Create 2) Sort 3) Create 4) Bills 5) Create . . . .

Catching Up

2012-01-01T22:23:00.001-06:00

Oh my, it’s the new year already! I probably should be thinking about goals for 2012, but I can’t seem to get at it yet. I think there are some pieces of 2011 still laying around and I need to clean them up.

So today I am catching you up on my postcard exchanges. There’s a good six months’ worth that I’ve not shared for some reason. Good grief!

For July, I did this card representing the Princess and the Pea. I thought the theme was Fairy tales, when, in fact it was Nursery Rhymes! We decided that was close enough.

I received this cute black sheep from Linda. She made his wool by stitching tightly packed bullion stitches. It’s amazing!

The August theme was “Snippets” and I created this bouquet from tiny bits of fabric and embroidery.

I received this card from Patricia. The Kanzashi flower can be removed, but I really like it where it is.

I took a break in September, but then did this piece for the October “autumn” theme. If you’ve followed my Sunday posts, you might recognize the fiber etching technique I used here.

Lorraine sent me these two cards a bit late for October. The top one for “autumn” and the Santa card as a thank you for my patience. You can just see some of the puffy paint she used. Pretty cool!

November’s theme was “Hands: A Crafter’s Favorite Tool”. I traced around my hand and scanned it into the computer so I could make different sizes.

It looks like Shelley did the same thing – or close to it – for this card that she sent me.

December’s theme – of course – was the holidays. I had some fabric with these homespun angels which I cut out and stitched to the card along with a few hand stitched snowflakes. (Sorry about the fuzzy picture. Don’t you hate it when that happens?)

And I received an angel in return! Mary Lou embroidered this funny little angel with her snowman friend. Very cute.

And that brings us up to date and to the end of 2011’s postcards. I enjoy these swaps quite a bit. There is always interesting discussion when we choose a theme and I have lots of fun choosing how to interpret it as well as seeing how my partner will interpret too.

I’ve already signed on for a birthday exchange in 2012 and the January theme. I really will try harder to post about the postcards more often. The key word here is try! LOL!

With the holidays behind us, and my family issues settled – mostly – I can return to my routine and get into the workroom. Next Sunday I will resume posts about working through the Fabric Embellishing book, so come back and see what happens!

We interrupt this program . . .

2011-12-18T18:36:00.001-06:00

Due to a variety of reasons – family issues, appointments, and . . . oh yeah! Christmas! – I will be suspending the Silly Sunday posts for a couple of weeks. Maybe Wednesday WOW, too – haven’t decided yet.

Never fear, though. I will return after the holidays and we will get back on schedule. In the meantime, here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy Happy New Year!

Wednesday WOW – December 14

2011-12-14T18:06:00.001-06:00

I’ve been really disorganized lately, with half-a-dozen projects in progress but not making much headway.

That’s why I was really pleased to finish two postcards today! I joined a birthday postcard exchange for 2012, so these are for next month and it feels pretty good to be ahead of the game for a change. Of course, there are all those half-finished projects . . . still waiting!

Sparkling Sunday

2011-12-11T19:14:00.001-06:00

Before I talk about this week’s technique, here is the finished page from last week’s wool and silk experiments:

I didn’t add a lot of beads . . . just enough!

Today the topic was sparkly fibers known as “angelina.”

These fibers come in a variety of colors and when you apply heat – as with an iron – they melt and bond to each other. This material comes in sheets as well as some larger fibers than I had today.

After I pressed these between two sheets of parchment, they formed a sheet that can be folded, stitched, and generally used like a piece of fabric.

One of the interesting things with angelina is that you can combine colors to make a new one. The color doesn’t really change, but when you mix and blend the individual fibers, your eye sees a new color.

This sample has a crinkle cut to it. It makes the same kind of fused fabric, but it seemed to hold onto the sparkle a bit better. I did discover that angelina will start to lose sparkle if it is ironed too much. It’s still pretty, though!

I also had some “fantasy film” which is kind of like cellophane. When heat is applied to this material, it also bonds to itself, plus some interesting colors form. The piece on the far left has angelina fused between two layers of the film. It makes wonderful fairy wings!

I’ve used angelina as a flat embellishment many times, so today I decided to try using it as a 3-dimensional embellishment. I folded a piece of the salmon pink longwise and stitched a gathering stitch on the long edges, stuck a wisp of darker in the center, and stitched them to a background.

I cut the green piece into triangles and shaped them by rolling each piece against the table edge. It worked sort of like curling ribbon. Those were my leaves.

And here is the finished piece. I will be combining it with some of the other “chapters” to make a full page later on.

By the way, that background? Used color catchers from my laundry. I just knew there would be a way to use some of them!

Wednesday WOW – December 7

2011-12-07T19:08:00.001-06:00

Oh boy, I almost forgot to post this! Took the picture – check. Upload pictures to computer – check. Compose post – uuuh, no. Must have gotten distracted. What an airhead!

Now that I’m finished beating myself up, here is what I worked on today.

Yeah, I know. Doesn’t look like much yet. I can’t remember the last time I did any cross-stitch either. Well, not quite true . . .

I finished this piece almost two years ago. I really like it. Some day I’ll even put it in a frame and hang it somewhere!

I didn’t have much studio time after a day of errands, so I decided a little cross-stitch would help me relax and it’s a project with no deadline or pressure. A bit rare this time of year!

Satisfactory Sunday

2011-12-04T19:07:00.001-06:00

Another Sunday, another embellishing technique. Today I worked with wool beads and silk cocoons and mulberry paper flowers.

First I prepared the background for the embellishments. I used the fabric from last week’s needle felting and pieced it with a blue batik and practiced a couple different styles of quilting.

Then it was time to play! First I stitched wool balls/beads down in a (lopsided) circle. I added some beads (which you can barely see) and I will be doing more beadwork on this. There’s only so much time in a day!

Then I used flower petals made of mulberry (I think) paper. The directions called for individual petals, but I cut them from a flower I had. Of course, then I stitched them back together as a flower. Now that made sense! This one has some sequins in the petals, but will probably get some more beading, too.

For the needle-felted corner, I couched down a bow in gold cord I had threaded through the beads – also from last week. I think you can guess what’s next . . . I want to add beads here, too!

This one is my favorite. I cut a couple of silk cocoons and flattened them out and stitched three large beads. I soaked one cocoon in water first, but it did not seem to make much difference in how the material cuts and stitches. Then I took a fourth bead and cupped it with the end piece of a cocoon. With those four bugle beads, I think this one is perfect like it is. Surprised you, didn’t I?

And here is the full piece. Yup, definitely needs more beads! While I’m not in love with the wool beads, I would like to experiment with some smaller sizes and combine them with glass beads or sequins. I will definitely play some more with the silk cocoons. They have been showing up everywhere lately, but this was my first experience with them.

The flower petals? I don’t know. Maybe I should just keep the flower in one piece and use it that way. Sure would be quicker. LOL!

Thief!

2011-12-03T16:44:00.001-06:00

Those who know me probably know that I am a serious Chocoholic. That is why I was quite disturbed to find this in my cupboard.

Over the years there have been mice, gnats, ants, even scorpions (ugh!) that have invaded my living and/or working quarters. I can generally cope fairly well (unless it’s a spider, of course!) and just move on.

But to go after my chocolate! This is NOT acceptable!!!!!

Little mousie, your days are numbered. This means war!

‘Tis the Season

2011-12-01T18:58:00.001-06:00

Bah, humbug . . . and all that stuff. I’m not there yet, but here is a little vignette that may help:

Aren’t they sweet? This is one of the Holiday downloads from Lisa at Ten Two Studios. This is the sixth year she has provided great clips like this as a countdown to Christmas. I subscribe to Lisa’s Monthly Muse newsletter and it is always packed with crafty ideas.

OK. Maybe I’ll get into the Christmas spirit after all!!

Wednesday WOW – November 30

2011-11-30T18:01:00.001-06:00

If today is November 30, then December must start tomorrow! Christmas is fast approaching, but am I working on Christmas projects? Of course not!

I’m working on a doll – er, sort of. I can hear you thinking, “ that looks like . . . “

Yep! It’s an octopus! I can’t tell you how much fun I had stuffing those eight octopus arms! LOL! I’ve been wanting to do something a little different, and this pattern spoke to me. It should be interesting to see how it evolves. It could go Christmasy, but I’m thinking not.

About the only thing I have that could be Christmas are these leftover blocks from the Comfort and Joy quilt. I may do something with them . . . eventually. Right now, they are just decoration.

What do you do with orphan blocks?

Stick-y Sunday

2011-11-27T18:40:00.001-06:00

Or maybe the title should be “Stabbed Sunday” because today I used a sharp implement, and I always manage to puncture myself when I’m around sharp things!

Today’s technique is needle felting. That photo is not really fuzzy . . . the subject was fuzzy!

OK, does this look better? This is about half way in my afternoon with wool and a felting needle. Felting needles have barbed, triangle shaped tips and you use them to stab into wool roving so that the fibers attach to a surface and/or to each other. They are very sharp!

I’ve used felting needles to attach or style doll’s hair and earlier this year, my doll club had a felting session where I made this pseudo-pug. But today was my first serious attempt at felting onto another piece of fabric.

After I completed the flower, I made a couple of wool beads.

And, yes, I stabbed myself. Several times. But I didn’t draw blood! At least not today and that makes it a good day!

It’s All About the Y

2011-11-24T15:22:00.001-06:00

If you have done much quilting at all, you have run across something called a Y-seam. Basically it is a point where three seams come together, forming a 3-pronged line. . . kinda like a “Y”

There are tricks to stitch this junction so that it is smooth and even and it isn’t really complicated. But I guess there’s no other way to say it . . . I HATE Y-seams!

In the past, I have found many methods and techniques that I struggled with and did not particularly enjoy doing. But, by sticking to it and practicing, I can usually conquer said method or technique so that it’s not so bad. Sometimes I’ve even learned to enjoy what I previously avoided.

Not with Y-seams.

And guess what? This little beauty has TWELVE of them!

What was I thinking??? Um, I guess I wasn’t. At least not about Y-seams. I was so focused on getting all those spikes to lay right and match up all the points in the lone star – I didn’t think about how it would all go together.

But, go together it did and I’m really tickled – er, pink! I can’t stop looking at it. It is so worth all the work.

All except the Y-seams.

Wednesday WOW – November 23

2011-11-23T18:22:00.001-06:00

Kind of a lazy day, but I did get a postcard made. Here are some of the fabrics I selected for it.

And those are some of the others. The theme is “hands” – thus the hand pieces you see there. I did some fusing and some stitching and it is almost finished. No mail service tomorrow, so it won’t get mailed until Friday. Once it has arrived at its destination, I’ll show you the end product. I have a few postcards to show you from the past couple of months.

And tomorrow is Turkey Day in the US! The holidays are upon us, people. What have you got planned?

Soggy Sunday

2011-11-20T18:22:00.001-06:00

The soggy part, however, is at the end of this week’s technique. So, let’s back up a little bit.

The technique is Thread Lace. The book breaks the methods into two types: grid and lace. I did both today.

I cut a piece of water-soluble stabilizer (BadgeMaster in this sample) just a bit larger than my hoop. I dropped the feed dogs and used a Supreme Slider to cover the surface, then began stitching a grid.

Then I drew some hearts and stitched around the perimeter and through the insides. Instead of a grid, though, I experimented with circles and other shapes.

Then, I went for something more complicated! I found a heart-shaped wreath pattern in one of my embroidery books. Using the general shape and feel, I sketched leaves and berries and used several different colors of thread. This piece took much longer to stitch than the other two, but it is also much heavier as well as detailed. Because of that, I used two layers of the soluble stabilizer.

Then I slipped them all into a basin of water and let them soak for awhile. If I were doing this again, I don’t think I would put all four sheets in at the same time. That water got pretty sloppy!

I spread the pieces onto a clean towel to dry overnight. If I got all the stabilizer out, they should be nice and soft and flexible. If they are too sticky/stiff after drying, I can soak them again.

Looking at the two smaller hearts, they are pretty successful. The one on the right was especially good at holding its shape.

This one did not fare as well. It came out of the water all curled up and you can just barely see a few heart shapes inside. I stitched each internal shape twice. Apparently that is not enough!

The leaves turned out almost perfect, though. I’m quite pleased with this one so far. Because there is so much thread in this, it held its shape much better than any of the hearts, yet there is still enough showing through the leaves to suggest the lacy quality.

I will be adding these to backgrounds or using them as inserts or something. I’ll let you see what I do with them, so do come back. And come see what’s in store for next Sunday!

Wednesday WOW – November 16

2011-11-16T16:32:00.001-06:00

It was a very busy day, but I got quite a bit accomplished.

The lone star units are all stitched and paired. Almost all the points match!! I was amazed!

Then I got all four side pieces stitched. Not without a struggle, though. My trusty seam ripper got a workout today. LOL! Too many distractions, I guess.

Next are the corner units. Those three pieces are not stitched yet. I took a look at the ‘Y’ seam and decided late afternoon is the worst time to tackle it!

It’s amazing that this whole project is essentially these three segments – four of each. At this point I can ignore the fact that it took five days to get here.

So, that’s what my worktable/design wall looks like today. Between this, roofers, cable repairman, and dog duty, it was really quite a day. I’m heading for my easy chair!!!

What I Did on My Vacation

2011-11-15T13:43:00.001-06:00

Well, maybe “vacation” is not the right word. After all, I did not leave home, except during the day. I went to a 3-day quilting class conducted by my local quilt shop.

They are certified to teach and sell Judy Niemeyer patterns and that was what they did! These quilts are made using foundation paper piecing and they look very complex. Frankly, I had my doubts about being able to make one of the six patterns we had to choose from.

See what I mean? (I snagged this picture from the shop’s web site. Hopefully they won’t mind!)

I chose the design called “Summer Solstice” and here you see the beginnings of the lone star that is the center of the quilt.

This is what mine looked like at the end of the third day. Just imagine there are four corners on the outer edge, and eight sets of spiky blocks.

Yesterday, I finished sewing all the lone star elements and now I am ready to start sewing sections together. It has been exhausting!!

Here’s a candid shot of our group getting settled in. We haven’t started making a mess, yet! There were thirteen of us, but I don’t think it was an unlucky thirteen! It was great to have other stitchers to share the misery and celebrations as we learned a different method.

I want to say publicly that Mary, Connie, and Mark did a great job of setting up this session. We were fed very well for three days and got complimentary massages, some wine on Saturday night, and a lot of laughs. Oh yeah . . . and we sewed, too!

Wednesday WOW – November 9

2011-11-09T17:11:00.001-06:00

This week has been a little of this and a little of that – and today followed the pattern.

But I had to spend a fair amount of time cleaning this mess first. You see, there was a missing Zig pen, small scissors, and the supply list for my weekend class. It felt like one of those hidden object games! Of course, only the scissors were in this pile (the other items turned up elsewhere), but I also unearthed a shopping list and new pattern I forgot about getting! I really need to clean up a little more often. LOL!

These are the fabric I will be using this weekend. Can’t wait. It looks like it will be a very busy three days and a lot of fun! I’m even packed already!

Then I spent the rest of the day working in one of my journals.

I’m currently working through the holiday series of Grow With Love from last December. I’d like to actually get into the holiday spirit before January this year. LOL!

So, I’ve had fun cutting out little holiday pictures – elves and snowmen, ornaments and greenery, nutcrackers and wrapped packages. In case you think it’s too early to start that kind of thing, we had snow this morning! OK, so it has all melted now, but still . . . .

Sinuous Sunday

2011-11-06T19:29:00.001-06:00

Before I show you this week’s “technique du jour”, here is the finished thread-painting from last Sunday.

I had some orphan pieces from several quilts that I used for the background and I stitched several leaf shapes to go with the flowers. Some of the green is really darker than the photo shows – sunshine isn’t always kind to the colors!

And now . . . . . Machine Couching.

Oh my, that was a lot of fun! I experimented with several kinds of yarn and trim, and I tried several of my sewing machine attachments as well.

I have a couple that are designed specifically for attaching novelty threads, but oddly enough I found the most useful foot was my rolled hem foot! I was surprised!

For those who are interested in the what and wherefore:

Starting in lower right hand corner --

straight stitch using a heavy rayon thread (no label!)
decorative stitch (tulips) using the same rayon thread
straight stitch anchoring two knitting yarns which crossed every 4 or 5 stitches. Yarns are “Sitar” from Nashua, and “High Sierra Stripe” from I Love This Yarn!
Repeat of row 1
“Sitar” zigzagged with the rayon thread from 1
a novelty yarn couched with zigzag stitch. It’s left over from an old knitting project and there’s no label. Sorry.
Number 6 yarn doubled and twisted in the hemstitch foot
Wire, 26 gauge
Same
“Razzle Dazzle” thread stitched using a blind stitch, then a silver elastic cord laid along using same stitch mirrored
“Julia” from Universal Yarn
Same. It’s variegated so you see different colors
upholstery gimp trim
“Monaco” from Sensations
“Sitar” stitched using the free motion couching foot
flower trim, stitched with 5 or 6 zigzags on the narrow parts
ribbon braid using the free motion couching foot
the heart - “Papier” from Universal Yarn

Also, rows 1 through 14 were stitched using my circular attachment. You didn’t think I could make nice arcs on my own, did you?!

Well, that was certainly interesting! I tried several other yarns that did NOT work very well, but I certainly have a feel for what can be done with couched fibers. There’s certainly lots of potential there.

Next weekend I am going to be at a quilt retreat, so there will not be a Sunday technique, but come back the following Sunday to see what is next. I’ve peeked ahead and it will really be a fun one!

But now, I have to go clean up the mess I made with all those yarns and threads! Aaargh!

Wednesday WOW – November 2

2011-11-02T16:44:00.001-05:00

Old Man Winter is making himself visible today. Just the right kind of weather to stay in and sew!!

Just a sampling of the blocks I worked on today. This project is an on-again-off-again project that I work on between bigger jobs. I got quite a few blocks done today, but there are way too many left to do! It’s great for clearing my mind before starting something major.

I haven’t decided just what that major something is, yet, though! Maybe I’ll be getting more of these blocks done after all!

Sunday Snippet

2011-10-30T18:13:00.001-05:00

Today’s technique is so much fun! In fact, I plan to do some more of this and try a few variations. The technique is “Thread Painting.”

I’ve done some of this before . . . it’s basically free motion stitching. I did this one last year as part of the fiber book page swap. I used the thread to create shadows and highlights on appliqued pieces.

Today, I stitched on a printed fabric and enhanced portions of the print.

I placed some black felt behind the fabric so these elements will stand out when I place them on a background. I even like the way it looks on the back!

I cut out the elements – flowers and insects – and trimmed close to the stitching. For the antennae, I plan to stitch them after attaching to the background, but I’m leaving the printed ones on for now. So I don’t forget, ya know?

I need to stitch at least one more flower, but I’ve run out of black felt! I’ll have to do some digging around in the stash cabinet. I’m pretty sure I have another dark color – maybe even another piece of black!

So this little project is on hold while I dive into the cabinet. If you don’t hear from me by Wednesday, send help. LOL!

Sunday Redux

2011-10-28T18:47:00.001-05:00

So, I’ve been working – off and on – on completing some of the pieces from my Sunday experiments. Would you like to see?

I cut apart the piece from last Sunday that I stitched using my sewing machine’s pre-programmed designs. The fabric is somewhat more green than it looks in these photos and I used a “peacock” blue to frame the smaller squares.

I did some silk ribbon roses in one of the grid patterns. I recently learned a different way to stitch the roses and this gave me a chance to practice, practice, practice.

Still working with programmed stitches, the book suggested adding stitch to enhance a patterned fabric. I did a little bit of free-motion embroidery first and then used circles and leaves to make this piece. (Please forgive the poor quality photo. The sunlight emphasized every wrinkle and bump!)

You can see some of the stitching a tiny bit better here. The grape clusters use that dotted stitch you can see over on the left side. I would stitch four or five dots, then turn the fabric and stitch a few more. Voila . . . grapes!

I also did some hand quilting along the lines of the fabric print. This is the back and you can see what I mean. Although my hand quilting doesn’t look terrible, it sure is making my machine quilting look a lot better! LOL!

This one is from further back. The grid that was giving me so much trouble in sashiko stitching is coming along. I’m now working on horizontal lines and should finish shortly – if my thread holds out!

And for those who wanted to see jeans patched using this stitching, here you go! Sarge agreed to allowing an experiment on an old pair of jeans since he would only wear them around the house. The man continually surprises me. Of course, he hasn’t actually worn them yet! At this rate that patch will last forever! Good thing because I have to tell you – two layers of denim (in some places three!) is not easy stitching! LOL!

Wednesday WOW – October 26

2011-10-26T18:21:00.001-05:00

Today, my worktable is a small disaster! I seem to be in the middle of a dozen projects at once.

There’s a little journaling and a little quilting, and some silk ribbon embroidery. Sheesh! I think it’s about time for some clean-up.

But first, here is a closer look at that journal:

Remember last week I was cutting stencils? The texture on these two pages (which are not finished, by the way) is from the cut out pieces stuck down and painted over.

You can see them a bit easier in this close-up:

And this is what the cabinet looks like now! Not very professional looking, but it has a nice homespun, hand made look and that’s OK with me. Plus, it is a lot easier to read than those sticky notes were!

Sunday Schematic

2011-10-23T16:14:00.001-05:00

Today I played with programmable stitches on my sewing machine.

I divided a piece of fabric into four sections and did a little bit of a different collection of stitches in each. There are so many stitches on my Bernina that the hardest part was limiting myself to these four sections!

I made a couple of grids and stitched some single motifs in one of them. I plan to do some hand work in the other grid.

Then I tried different weights of thread and different stitches.

There are some interesting stitches available . . . some of which I wonder what I could ever use them for! Oh – I know! A sampler like – well – like this one! LOL!

But I did discover a few stitches that I know will come in handy. I’m not sure if you can see, but that line about in the center above has two different weights of thread. The thread broke half way through and I decided to try a different one. It makes for a good way to compare the threads.

This was one of the easier projects in this book, but it has given me quite a bit to think about. At first glance you might think these stitches are fairly conventional, but I am beginning to see how I can use them in a not so conventional way to create something unique. I have started on another piece so I can try some of my ideas. Hopefully there will be more to show you soon.

Wednesday WOW – October 19

2011-10-19T16:07:00.001-05:00

An appointment smack in the middle of the day meant there wasn’t time to get into a huge project. But I have LOTS of small projects to work on!

Or, rather, a big project that can be broken up into little pieces. And today’s piece was to cut stencils.

I’ve finally decided to do something about those blue sticky notes! Aren’t they elegant? But there are enough drawers there I really need labels. I can never remember which one has the buttons!

So, labels there will be! Today I got four done . . . only eight more to go! Yikes!

I think that sometimes the orts from a project are just as much fun! There must be some way I can use these! Like I need another project. LOL!

Slacker Sunday

2011-10-17T18:12:00.001-05:00

Yep, that’s what happened. I dillied and dallied on Sunday until I ran out of time! So, you are getting my Sunday post on Monday!

But, just because I did not post on Sunday, doesn’t mean I did not work the next chapter! And the chapter was about “riceing.” Um, not food . . . embroidery. Although apparently it gets its name from resembling pieces of rice.

This stitch is good for filling in backgrounds and it’s super easy to do. The picture above is random riceing and consist of simple short stitches done – well – at random!

Then there is linear riceing which is, of course, linear. Really hard to remember. LOL!

Linear riceing looks pretty good in a grid, too.

And here is the finished piece. You may remember the black square from my adventures with discharge dyeing. It looks a bit better now!

So. Not a wasted Sunday after all!

Wednesday WOW – October 12

2011-10-12T17:55:00.001-05:00

I had trouble staying with one project today. I can see at least three project in this picture – and there were others as the day wore on. I couldn’t seem to settle down. Struggling with allergies didn’t help, either!

One thing I DID manage to finish today, was washing and drying these two quilts. They will be ready to go to quilt guild and on to the local charity.

I think I will go and take an antihistamine now. It will probably put me to sleep, but anything is better than all this sniffling and sneezing!

Sashiko on Sunday

2011-10-09T18:49:00.001-05:00

Today I explored a special type of embroidery called “Sashiko.” It is usually associated with Japan, although many Asian cultures include this or something similar in their crafts.

It is simply a running stitch, but often follows complex designs. Historically, Sashiko was used to create tougher (layered) fabric or to patch old fabric so that clothing would last longer. Only when fabrics became cheaper, did the craft evolve into a decorative art.

I used a quilting stencil to mark my fabric – a navy blue aida from my stash. White thread on blue fabric is what I associate with Sashiko, although it is the stitching that defines it, not the colors.

Making even stitches takes a lot of practice and I have a ways to go. But it’s not too bad, huh? The thread is a perle cotton number 5, which is probably larger than traditional Sashiko thread.

I have some nice Caron Watercolors thread that is a finer size, so I tried it on a piece of linen. I love the way the thread glides through. I had high hopes for this piece, but then I ran afoul of marking! I was trying to copy a design from the Purl Bee’s tutorial on Sashiko. I think you can see that it did not go well!!! I’m not sure what to do with it now. I think I will finish the vertical lines and see if I can wash out all the others (I marked with chalk, so it shouldn’t be a problem), then we’ll see what comes to mind.

But it was an interesting afternoon and I have some ideas for using this stitch. Maybe I’ll use Sashiko the next time Sarge needs the knees of his jeans patched. . . . or not!

Wednesday WOW – October 5

2011-10-05T18:09:00.001-05:00

I decided that it is beyond time to finish this quilt! It feels like I have been quilting on this for years! Well, okay – it’s been four months, give or take. I showed you the completed top here, but that was almost a year ago. Yep! It’s really time to finish this quilt!!!!

Today, I finished quilting the center and then quilted the borders, using a circle as guide for a free motion motif. As a quilting motif it is pretty rough – I don’t follow lines very well under the best of circumstances! – but I think it will do. Now I am stitching the binding. After a good wash, this quilt will go to the quilt guild’s charity project.

When showing What’s On the Worktable, I thought you should also see What’s Under the Worktable!

Sunday Shift

2011-10-02T18:26:00.001-05:00

I’m shifting gears this week as the book moves into a new Section.

Just as a reminder, I have been using Sundays to work my way through this book:

The first section of Fabric Embellishing: The basics & beyond has been dedicated to “Foundations.” Over the past fifteen weeks (!) I have been experimenting with techniques that can either stand alone or serve as a background – or foundation layer – for further embellishing.

I have several “pages” in a finished state

. . . and I have several pieces that are waiting to become part of something else. I’ve really had a lot of fun tweaking fabric, using paints, printing, discharging, and etching – as well as fold, spindle, and mutilate!

Now, I’m moving into the section called “Soft Embellishments” and the first technique is Embroidery.

I had to laugh as I was working on this today, remembering my days as a Girl Scout with the other girls sitting around in a circle, struggling to master our needles as we worked toward a badge. One girl accidently stitched her piece to her skirt! I remember feeling relief that it was not me!! That was many years ago and I have gained skill handling a needle over those years. Although there wasn’t anything new to learn in this week’s lesson, I enjoyed relaxing with an art that I love.

What better way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon?

Bunting or Pennants?

2011-10-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

Or perhaps they are flags? Whatever they are called, I was recently in a swap with the Stargaze Tomers. The five I received were soooo wonderful.

I got Sarge to hang them up from the ceiling beam in my studio and I absolutely love looking at them!

This one was made by Lucille J. from Canada

This is from Kathy K. in Michigan

Rhonda S. sent this one from Australia.

This is by Cynthia M. in New Zealand

and this lovely is from Barbara R. of Florida.

Here is what I sent to each of them:

We had an opportunity to request a specific color, and I asked for purple! The others just wanted bright colors, so I made a rainbow collage as the backgrounds and then appliquéd and beaded.

What fun it has been to have goodies coming in the mail. Oh. And that title? An acquaintance asked if I was doing any swaps lately and I said “We are doing pennants.” She looked very puzzled, and I realized she thought I had said “penance.” I’m sure she was wondering just what kind of group I had gotten in with!! So I’ve taken to calling them “bunting” just to be safe!

I wonder what other swaps I can get into?

Wednesday WOW – September 28

2011-09-28T18:45:00.001-05:00

Working on the Comfort and Joy (designed by Pat Wys and BJ Laird) Block of the Month quilt again . . .

and guess what? I finished it!!!!

How about that? Even the hand work, which was mainly eyes and text. Once it is quilted, I have a few buttons to sew on. I think I like it!

Here’s a couple of close-ups.

I’ve been working on this quilt since March, so you could say I’m really glad it is finished! For now it will go into the pile of tops. You know, I really need to get some of these quilted!!!

Sunday Silhouette

2011-09-25T18:20:00.001-05:00

Today, the chapter was about etching fiber. Also known as Devore or burn-out, the process uses a mild chemical solution to remove fibers from selected areas of the fabric.

The first step was to zigzag stitch around all the areas to be etched. I used a polyester thread, since the solution works on plant fibers – cotton, rayon, linen, etc. Once that was done, the solution goes on straight from the bottle with a small tip. It is a bit like a gel, so it was kind of hard to maintain an even amount. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference.

You can see here that the gel has dried and leaves darker areas. Now it goes to the ironing board to apply heat.

The solution will turn brown which is good. Black would be bad! After some experimenting, I found using a stiletto along the stitching line helped break the fiber and pull out pieces. Yes, apparently the thickness of the solution makes a difference. Those areas you can see that look a little “weak” were the hardest to get a clean break. And be prepared to have a LOT of lint and mess!

I used a water soluble stabilizer, so rinsing that off also took care of a lot of fuzzy areas. I ironed it dry, although I’m not sure that was the best way. I couldn’t wait for it to dry naturally, though!

Now, I have to decide what to use behind it:

What do you think? Which background would you use?

This was fun. Would I do it again? Well, I am already working on another one. Of course, I think the stitching is the most fun myself. Here’s the next piece.

When I applied the etching solution, I tried to make sure it was nice and thick everywhere. Of course, that means it takes longer to dry. Ha! Something to look forward to next time.

Wednesday WOW – September 21

2011-09-21T16:38:00.001-05:00

This has been a busy week so far. Isn’t that always the case when you go on vacation? Anyway, I am not getting quite as much sewing time as I’d like. What time I do have, though, I am trying to finish up the Comfort and Joy quilt.

I’m ready to start on the final border. There’s a lot of appliqué and several options, so I’ve been reviewing directions and cutting out pieces.

Next time I work on it, I just might be ready to actually stitch!

Sunday Salvage

2011-09-18T18:10:00.001-05:00

Hi there – I’m back! And remember I said I had something cooking?

This is rusty pieces of metal (salvage . . . get it?) wrapped in fabric and soaked with a vinegar and water solution. I wrapped it up in plastic last Sunday and it has been waiting all week.

I have to say that the hardest part of this method was to find rusty bits. Sarge does not tolerate rust . . . on anything! I got a blank look when I asked for help, but after a little discussion he figured he could find someone with rust of some kind. And a bit later he came home with a handful of nuts and bolts. Oh boy! Were they rusty!!!

So, this is what I found when I unwrapped the package today. It was still dripping wet! I rinsed the piece under warm water and hung it to dry. I may wash the piece with detergent, but the water and a little rubbing really removed most of the rust. Here it is drying on a hanger:

Doesn’t that look interesting? The (mostly) blank space in the middle was where I placed a jar lid. Since it has been sealed for food use, there wasn’t any bare metal. I thought I’d try, anyway. Here are a couple of close-ups:

Doesn’t that look like a rabbit’s head? His eyes are kind of wild and there’s something weird going on with one ear, but I definitely see a rabbit!

This one is more abstract. I didn’t try to arrange the pieces, so abstract is very appropriate. And, I’ve already got another piece cooking:

Who knew that rusty, gross bolts and washers could be so much fun?! I wonder what’s in store for next week!

Sunday Sampling

2011-09-11T20:10:00.001-05:00

[WARNING. This is a long post with lots of pictures. If you have a slow internet link, go get something to drink.]

Oh boy did I have fun today! The process-du-jour was Discharge Dyeing. I chose a couple of solid fabrics and a couple of tone-on-tone fabrics.

And then I tried several methods of discharging.

First up is the Bleach Pen. This pen comes with a narrow tip on one end and a brush-like on the other. In that first photo you can see this strip that I traced through the stencil, the small orange square that I used the brush end through another stencil, and a black square on which I wrote free-hand.

The bleach needs to dry completely, so I moved on to Comet Cleanser (with bleach).

I brushed the cleanser through this piece of netting and also through a stencil. Again, the solution needs to dry completely. Waiting is the hardest part!

So, I moved on to discharge paste. I poured a small amount onto a platter and dipped several stamps into it. The paste is kind of a thick gel and can also be painted with a brush. I tried some of that, too, but apparently forgot to take a photo. Don’t have a photo of the discharge paste bottle, either!

As you can see, it can be difficult to see where you have put the paste, especially as it dries.

Oooookay. While we’re waiting for all that to dry I’ll let you know that Sarge and I are taking a trip this week, so there will not be a Wednesday WOW and perhaps not even a Sunday post (although) I do have something “cooking” that could be ready for when we get back). Everything should be back to normal by the following week, so come back then.

Now then . . . back to our discharge batches. The bleach pen and cleanser need to be rinsed thoroughly with a mild detergent. I used hand soap and then threw them in the dryer. The discharge paste is activated by using a steam iron. Let’s see what we got.

As it happens, this photo shows all three methods. The green appears to have been an over-dye. You can see the general shape of the stencil, but there was a lot of “creep” from the bleach pen. It looks pretty cool,though, so I’ll count that as a win. On the brown piece, those dots were done with discharge paste. The rest of the fabric was heavily coated with cleanser. . . with less than stellar results! Not a win!

Even less impressive is the bleach pen on that scrap of orange. I mean there is NO SIGN of any bleaching! This is one color-fast fabric!

Okay, this is more like it! Both of these are discharge paste. The keys are a stamp, and the other piece was done with a paintbrush.

And this one! Three different stamps were used on this. It takes a lot of practice to get the paste/gel just right on the stamp. But I think there are some real possibilities here.

And watching how the color just disappears as you steam-iron it is really, really cool!

Since the discharge paste did so well on all the other fabrics, I had to try the orange again. Much better. I may return to this later.

Oh yes! Remember that freehand writing I did?

It says “Love, Inspire, Create”. What? You can’t read that??? Well, maybe I’ll have to work on this one a bit. And I will be doing some beadwork and/or embroidery on this next one as well.

This will be the page in my sample book. I do like the discharge paste. Good thing, because I have a full jar! That flower up there seems to have potential for something larger.

There you go. This was a busy day, but a fun one. Remember, I won’t be here Wednesday and maybe not Sunday. But I’ll see you all the following week. See ya!

Wednesday WOW – September 7

2011-09-07T17:02:00.001-05:00

Heavens! It’s September already, kids are headed back to school, and it will be autumn before we know it. I’ve got several quilt tops that need to get quilted this fall. I guess it is about time to start!

First, though, I managed another finish today:

I got borders put onto the Mystery quilt I’ve been working on the past six months. I was working at the local quilt shop, so did not get a chance to hang it up for an “official” photo. But here it is, draped over the ironing board. I haven’t measured it yet, but those borders added a bunch – and took forever to sew on!

I was able to get a couple of blocks done for the next quilt, just not nearly as much as I’d planned! Ah well – it’s not like I’m getting paid by the number of pieces!

Sunday Studies

2011-09-04T19:30:00.001-05:00

Last week I did not get very far in experimenting with Lutradur, so I decided to continue this week. After all, who knows when I will take time to do this again?

I printed several motifs on the gessoed lutradur. While I was at the computer, I also printed onto the piece that was “glued” to paper!

You can still see the lines from the paper, but the print was very crisp. I cut some motifs with scissors and some with a woodburning tool. The tool melts the lutradur and, since it is a plastic fiber, leaves a rough, hard, edge.

The piece with paper left a very slight burnt brown color on the edges. Hardly noticeable.

I tried a couple of fabric paints. The light purple above is Dye-Na-Flow, and I used some Lumiere on one of the flowers. I was concerned about setting the colors with an iron, but I did some testing and found the lutradur does fine at iron temperatures. One thing to keep in mind, tho, is that inkjet printing is not water-fast. It’s probably best to paint the lutradur before printing, but with careful brushwork it can be done after (you can see the difference between the left side – not careful – and the right side – careful – below).

So this is the page I ended up with. For the text, I painted a strip of lutradur with Dye-Na-Flow and then adhered it to a page for printing the same way I did with ribbon a few weeks ago. In fact, I think that strip was the most successful part of my experiments! Probably because I had already learned what does not work!

So, I’ve printed, painted, stitched, and fused lutradur and I’ve got a new material for my fiber collages. I wonder what comes next?

Wednesday WOW – August 31

2011-08-31T17:30:00.001-05:00

This is what I worked on today

It’s the Mystery quilt and we now have all of the directions. So, today I got the blocks put together into a top. All it needs now is the borders.

I sewed at the local quilt shop today, and another stitcher was working on her Mystery quilt, too! Naturally, I like her fabrics better! Turquoise and brown . . . it looked like a chocolate mint candy bar. Yummy!

And on a different note . . . while I was getting ready to come home, a pickup pulled into the parking space next to me.

I don’t know how far this fella rode on the side of the truck, but I’ll bet it was a wild ride! After posing for this picture, he hopped down and took off down the sidewalk. Maybe he wanted a ride in to the barber shop or something!

Slow Sunday

2011-08-28T18:34:00.001-05:00

I attended a class reunion last night . . . and today things have been moving a bit slower. There just isn’t as much extra energy as there used to be!

But I did spend some time experimenting with Lutradur. Here is the page I printed last week. As you can see, printing directly on the medium makes for a very subtle picture. I cut out some of the flowers from a second print and layered that piece. Still very subtle.

So, I thought I’d try painting the Lutradur with gesso. I will share the mistake I made, so maybe no one else will do the same thing.

Not a very good picture, but you can see a bit of red on the left and a couple of vertical lines? I laid the Lutradur on some scrap paper to protect my work surface. When the top was almost dry, I lifted the Lutradur to discover that (1) most of the paper is now glued to the Lutradur, and (2) what paper did peel away left behind traces of ink – from the opposite side of the scrap paper!

So, I have another sheet of Lutradur drying on aluminum foil. And I peeled it away after some drying time and flipped it over onto another sheet of foil. I think there will be some very interesting effects when everything has dried. In fact, even the aluminum foil looks interesting with the gesso that worked its way through the Lutradur!

While we’re drying gesso, I tried some Watercolor pencils by drawing a simple flower shape. Then I used a woodburning tool to “cut” out the shape. The tool melts the fibers and leaves a very organic looking edge, while cutting with scissors leaves a crisp edge. After I took this picture, I was able to pull apart the few fibers holding the flower in place.

I can see that this material has some pretty interesting qualities. There’s lots more that can be done with this and I’m beginning to understand why it has pretty much taken the crafting community by storm! I will definitely be playing with this some more.

As soon as the gesso is dry enough, I will do another print. I think I’ll go ahead and print on the piece with paper glued to it, too. Did I say it was a mistake? No, it is an opportunity to explore!

The Thing About Paper-Piecing . . .

2011-08-26T18:03:00.001-05:00

. . . is the –er, um – well . . . the paper!

I mean, there are bits of paper and fabric everywhere!

But, then, the end result is pretty cool:

I think I may have gotten the hang of this paper thing!

Wednesday WOW – August 24

2011-08-24T18:07:00.001-05:00

Sheesh – hot weather is back! I finished a couple of projects last week and seems like I just want to sit in front of a fan now! Fortunately, that kind of feeling doesn’t last too long.

Today, I started cutting fabric for the next quilt.

I wanted to work with pastels on this one. Definitely a change of pace for me and I had to dig pretty deep into the stash!

I also needed my calculator to figure how many strips to cut. Yes, I designed it in Electric Quilt. Yes, I changed my mind after printing out the cutting plan!

I am going to try a Disappearing Nine Patch. When browsing through my collection of blocks and quilts, I found three separate directions for DNP. That tells me I really want to make that block!

Oh! Those pretty flags up there? That’s one of the projects I finished. It’s a swap – I will mail mine out tomorrow, and there are two more coming to me. Once they have all arrived, I’ll give you the full lowdown.

Sunday Stutters

2011-08-21T17:26:00.001-05:00

OK – I may be running out of ‘S’ words for my Sunday posts. Perhaps a dictionary is called for. Anyway . . . . .

Today I’m still working with ways to get photographs onto fabric. This time I used TAP – Transfer Artists Paper.

The technique is to print onto the TAP and then iron it onto your fabric. It reminds me of the T-shirt transfers we used to buy. The TAP is actually coated with some kind of polymer and the heat transfers that polymer. It does leave a plastic feel on the fabric, but not as bad as I expected. The literature says that washing will soften it even more.

You really do need to read the instructions on this stuff. It needs to be removed while still hot – and that means immediately! In the time it takes to set your iron down, the paper will cool enough to stick. Fortunately, more heat takes care of that.

Also, they mean it when they say use in a well-ventilated area! If you are at all sensitive to chemical odors, you may want to give this a miss. I don’t generally have trouble with these things, but the odor from this process is very overpowering. Even with my fan on high, I was not eager to try again!

With those few issues, however, it makes a very nice image. Very crisp and vibrant. Stitching on it is excellent and as I pressed during construction, I did not notice any further odor or smudging.

While I was printing, I also printed the same photos on Lutradur.

You can really see the difference here, with the TAP on the left and Lutradur on the right. I will be doing some additional experimenting with the Lutradur next week so come back then.

Wednesday WOW – August 17

2011-08-17T16:51:00.001-05:00

Well, as usual, the worktable is a bit of a mess. That just means I’ve been busy!

This is my cutting table actually, and it doesn’t look very messy in this picture, does it?

Ah – there it is! I am getting close to finishing this quilt and I’m really liking it so far. Wanna see?

There’s at least one more border to go on, and a little more applique I think. I’ll tell you the story behind these blocks once it is really done.

Oh yeah! I got so much done today because I had some strict supervision:

I can’t get away with any fooling around with these two on the job!

Sweet Sunday

2011-08-14T16:52:00.001-05:00

Here we are again. It’s time for a Sunday special experiment. This week’s chapter of Fabric Embellishing is printing on ribbon. But first, I want to show you the finished project from last week.

As a reminder . . . this was a photo (of my parents on their wedding day, by the way) printed onto fabric using an inkjet printer. I then cut the photo in quarter inch strips and wove them on a threaded “grid.” After adding the fabric frame, a little embroidery and there you are.

To print on ribbon, you just set up your text (in any word processor) and print a paper sheet first. Then you use double-face tape to attach the ribbon over that text. Run the sheet through the printer again – and you’ve got text on ribbon!

Er . . . sort of. As you can see, it isn’t always very legible. Apparently the inks tend to bleed on polyester and nylon. Just as, apparently most of my ribbon is polyester or nylon!

This particular ribbon was the best of the lot – and it is a fairly cheap floral ribbon! Ah well. I enjoyed the exercise and got a few usable ribbon pieces for future use. And since it didn’t take very long to do this chapter, I had time to clean up my worktable a bit. Yikes! I can see the table top!!!

Wednesday WOW – August 10

2011-08-10T17:37:00.001-05:00

I’m not sure what happened today. I distinctly remember taking the camera, pointing it at my work surface, and pushing the button. But when I arrived home from the quilt shop, there were no photos on the camera!!!

So, even though I spent all day stitching on quilt blocks, I cannot show you this week’s progress. What I can do, however, is show you my worktable on Tuesday!

Yesterday I started the beadwork for the pennant swap I am a part of. Once this step is done, I plan to add the backs and finish the edges, then perhaps some more beads before shipping them off. Deadline is August 31 . . . there’s actually a chance I might make it!!!

Sulky Sunday

2011-08-07T18:39:00.001-05:00

Before I get to today’s project, I have a message for the Sulky company:

Thank you!

Yesterday, Sarge came back from the post office with a box. “What did you order from Georgia?” says he. “Erm, nothing?” said I, thinking fast!

Ooooh! It’s from Sulky! I bet I know what that is!

Peeking inside, I thought, “If this is the third place prize, I wonder what first and second look like! Wow!

A huge assortment of threads, including holographic and invisible threads, three of the newer stabilizers, four fabric marking pens, and a guidebook full of yummy projects. This will keep me occupied for quite awhile, I’m thinking.

And . . . . there happens to be a project in there that matches up perfectly with the Fabric Embellishing book I’ve been working my way through. The stars are aligned!

Er, except that I didn’t quite finish the project.

I can tell you about it. I printed a photo onto fabric, which was the Fabric Embellishing project. I’ve done that in one way or another on many, many projects. Ho Hum.

But, then I ironed stabilizer (Sulky, of course!) on the back of it and cut it horizontally into quarter-inch strips. I then wrapped a decorative weight thread around the pins you see up there which are also at quarter-inch intervals. Then I proceeded to weave the strips. Easy enough, although it does take a steady hand and some concentration (both in short supply today!). If you look closely, you might be able to see the edge of a second sheet of stabilizer under the pins. Once the weaving was done, the whole thing went under the iron again. Here’s the back side after everything fused.

Now, I just need to construct a frame of some kind and finish off the edges. I’ll do that this week and show you the finished product when it’s done. I may do more with this technique. It’s pretty cool!

Wednesday WOW – August 3

2011-08-03T15:43:00.001-05:00

I had a productive – if not very interesting – day today. Once again, I did most of the work at the quilt shop. Besides uninterrupted sewing time, there are tons of inspirational ideas!

The remaining 30 squares of the Mystery Quilt are completed.

With the finished blocks at about 8-inches, the full quilt is going to be a pretty good size. Hmmm. Maybe I will make two smaller quilts!

She’s A Winner!

2011-08-02T08:39:00.001-05:00

At last, the Hoffman Challenge winners have been posted (go here to see them) and I can tell the world that my fairy won a prize! Woo hoo!

Now, I know that there’s no reason not to show photos of my entry as soon as possible, but I have this weird superstition. I just can’t seem to do it until after the judging! Ah well. Here she is . . . Fairy Dreams.

I made a little fairy child, taking her nap among the leaves and flowers. She won third place in the Best Use of Sulky competition – and I’m thinking this had something to do with that:

Her wings were stitched on wash away stabilizer, with a flexible wire around the rim. I love the way they came out!

You can see the wings a little better from the “back” view. This is where her flower headdress shows best, too.

Now this sweet fairy will travel about for a year before she comes home. I’ll miss her, but she will have lots of dreams to tell about when she returns!

Sunday Stitching

2011-07-31T19:48:00.001-05:00

Last week I painted, this week I stitched! The technique for this week was to stitch a frame for needlework. I decided to use one of the pieces I stamped last week.

After the first layer of paint had dried, I stamped the yellow pears onto the background. Today, I fused a couple of larger pear shapes to the piece.

I did some free motion stitching, to “sketch” lines to emphasize the shapes. Then I stitched this octagonal frame. Here’s a close-up:

Although I like the nice, crisp edge on this frame, it seems a bit too plain.

Ah, yes . . . that’s better. I may want to add something underneath the pears, but I’m happy with this for now.

I have the other stamped piece for a future project, and I did play around a bit with other paints. One I thought I’d share is Tulip Puff paint.

It goes on using the tube applicator, and then you apply heat/steam after it dries. It really does puff up! Kind of interesting. Now, what can I use that on, I wonder?

Wednesday WOW – July 27

2011-07-27T18:28:00.001-05:00

Another hot day in Kansas. Good thing I have lots of INDOOR projects!

Like the Mystery quilt from guild . . . sixty blocks to assemble. Well, I got half done anyway.

And the last block of the Comfort & Joy Christmas quilt. I will be ready to start working on borders pretty soon. Kind of hard to think about Christmas when it’s 100 degrees out, but then, folks in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate the holidays in mid-summer all the time.

Thanks goodness I was born in an era that invented air conditioning!!!

Sassy Sunday

2011-07-24T17:18:00.001-05:00

Here we are with another technique from the Fabric Embellishing book. Today’s experiment was with fabric paints and rubber stamps!

I used Dye-na-Flow by Jacquard to stamp the red flowers on this. The paint is very liquid and I had to be careful with drips and running, but overall it was easy and fun. Once the first layer had dried, I mixed yellow and blue So Soft fabric paint by DecoArt and stamped the dragonflies. The So Soft paints are thicker and mix really well and are the perfect consistency for stamping.

This piece is mostly So Soft paints. I used a background stamp of tiny flowers in rows. I tried mixing some Tulip Colorpoint into the So Soft, but that paint is not meant to be thinned or mixed. No success there! I also tried some Duva powder pigments into white So Soft which gave me a very slight tint, but it would take way too much pigment to be useful. I ended up loosely mixing the red Dye-na-Flow which gave the random tint you see here. The leaves are using the same green mixture as the dragonflies.

I need to let this dry thoroughly and then I will continue to add layers. I still have some Pebeo Setacolor to try, along with some different Tulip paints.

Oh yeah. Before I washed my brushes, I painted excess paint onto a piece of unbleached muslin. I’ll have to think of something to add to this. It does have potential!

That was an interesting experience, but there’s lots of WIPs waiting my attention this week . . . some quilting, some hand stitching, etc., etc. But next Sunday, I’ll be back to finish these pieces for sure!

Wednesday WOW – July 20

2011-07-20T16:55:00.001-05:00

It’s been very hot around here lately. You know this when you hear someone refer to a forecast of 92 degrees as a “cool spell.” And they were serious!!

Well, it’s perfect weather for staying indoors and ~~playing~~ working in the studio. The theme for the August postcards is “confetti” or those snippets and threads that fabric lovers can never seem to throw away. Oh boy – have I got a lot of that!

Since I have too much to work with on a small project, I rummaged through and pulled only the fabric that had fusible web already on it. That’s what that pile above is. . . just from one bag!

So, I have some snippets fused down. And, of course, I have some ideas for more “confetti” work so there’s no telling what (or how many) the final postcard will be!

The triangle piece on the left is one of the pennants I am making for another swap. I gave those a little attention today, too. Not sure what the next step is, though. Guess I’ll have to let it simmer on the back burner for a bit!

What happened to Sunday?

2011-07-18T18:11:00.001-05:00

I can hear you asking that question. You’re wondering what is going on . . . she promises to spend Sundays experimenting and show you what she comes up with – and then one month in and she’s a No Show?

Aaargh! I did the experimenting and took pictures and even uploaded them. Then, somewhere in the cerebral perambulations, the neurons assigned to actually post about it went walkabout! Those neurons – can’t trust them these days!

Okay, okay! That’s just a fancy way to say I Forgot! I repeat . . . aaargh! Now. Moving on.

This is what I made. It’s related to last week’s crazy quilting, but the book calls it “deconstructed crazy quilting.” I tried to find out what “deconstructed” means, but it’s one of those terms borrowed from philosophy and trying to understand that left me in the dust! So, to my mind, it means to take apart a traditional art form and reassemble it in a more contemporary manner. At least that fits in this instance, sort of.

In this piece, I took small pieces of fabric and laid them down on fusible interfacing. I chose red, because I have a small collection of various red fabrics: taffeta, silk, satin, velvet, and of course, cotton. The edges are all left raw (mostly cut with pinking shears) and after a light press, I stitched them down using my sewing machine.

These little bead flowers have a center motif stitched with silver thread.

This style of flower (sorry for the lousy photo) took some practice as I selected a leaf motif and stitched one repeat, then rotated the fabric and stitched a single repeat, moving around until I had a semi-circle.

Next week, the technique is stamping on fabric. Oooh! Doesn’t that sound like fun??

The Postcard Chronicles

2011-07-15T18:49:00.001-05:00

After a vacation from trading postcards last year, I have been joining in once again. However, I haven’t been very good about sharing them with you. So, time (and beyond) to catch up.

The theme for the first swap was “Girly”. Now that sounded like fun! So this is what I made for Teresa:

And I received this one from MaryLou:

For the next swap, the group decided on a seasonal theme. For most of us, it was Spring, but since some of our swappers are from Down Under, it could also be Autumn.

This is what I sent Michele in the UK.

And I received this one from Linda in UK:

That brings us to June where the theme was “Sundae.” My goodness, that sounded yummy! In fact, that is what I stitched all over the background of this card. It went to Linda in UK:

And I received this from Cat in Canada. Doesn’t that look good enough to eat?

July’s theme is “Fairy Tales.” Got to get my thinking cap on!

Wednesday WOW – July 13

2011-07-13T18:13:00.001-05:00

Lots going on this week outside my studio. But I am getting a few things closer to done.

For instance, this rainbow piece that will become background for a swap. More on that to come.

Sunday Smash

2011-07-10T17:50:00.001-05:00

Here we are with another “smashing” Sunday project! Actually, I did not get as much accomplished today as I had planned. But it was a successful day because I have a BIG FINISH!

A couple of close-ups for you:

Although this page took quite a few days to finish, I really enjoyed the process. I did some reflecting on the whole crazy quilt thing and came up with some things to consider in the future. I am sharing these – not because I think you need the information or even care (!) – but so that I will know where to find it when I venture into crazy quilting again! And I’m pretty sure I will be doing some of this again.

By embellishing the seams in the order in which they were stitched, cross over places should be easier to stitch.
Keep reference materials nearby. Stopping to go look for more ideas just doesn’t do it for me!
Be sure to keep these tools handy: ruler, erasable marker, circle template, add-a-quarter guide.
Stabilize the ends of loose trims by wrapping tape around the end before cutting. Cut long, so that the taped end will be cut off after a border (or whatever) is sewn.
Mark outside seam allowance so that I’m not stitching over beads when finishing.
See if I can come up with some way to contain all the mess!

Well, that’s it. Next Sunday I’ll be ready to move to the next technique – Deconstructed Crazy Quilting. Doesn’t that sound interesting?

I Found It!!!

2011-07-06T19:59:00.001-05:00

I really do like to give credit when I –um, borrow – an idea from someone.

Last week I told you that somewhere I had the blog name where I found these corn blocks. Tonight I finally found the post on Kim’ Big Quilting Adventure! If you like this block, tell Kim, not me!

Wednesday WOW – July 6

2011-07-06T18:13:00.001-05:00

Another Wednesday spent at the quilt shop. I’m still working on a Kansas themed set of blocks.

This block is called “Kansas Troubles” . . . and trouble is what it gave me! But at the end of the day I have two of them, plus one Kansas Star.

Earlier this week, I made a second ear of corn and the first Kansas Star.

I think I’m ready to start working on the applique blocks. Oh my! This could get interesting!

Sunday Special – Part Two

2011-07-03T17:45:00.001-05:00

As I promised last week, I spent today embellishing my crazy quilt block.

It sure is a messy process! This picture does not do justice to the array of threads and beads and lace strewn willy nilly all over my workspace. Who’s going to clean that up? Oh. Yeah, that would be me!

This is how the piece looks as of this afternoon. There are some seams still bare and I have lots of ideas to build on the stitching I’ve done so far. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to over embellish a crazy patch, is it?

This is so much fun! I can see why so many people love this style. I just have one question . . . how do you stop????

Wednesday WOW – June 29

2011-06-29T20:16:00.001-05:00

Sorry I’m a bit late in posting tonight. These long summer evenings have my internal clock thrown all cock-eyed. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

Ahem. What’s on my worktable at the moment is, um, my laptop? That’s because I spent today at my local quilt shop.

After stitching this month’s Mystery Quilt pieces, I started working on a Kansas-themed quilt. Kansas is celebrating 150 years and there are quite a lot of patterns showing up geared to that.

I found this ear-of-corn block on one of the blogs I follow . . . but I can’t remember who designed it! I’ve got it written down somewhere and when I find it I will give credit where it is deserved. I’m thinking you’ll be seeing more of this quilt top in the future. This is just the beginning and I’m liking it already!

The Sunday Special

2011-06-26T17:29:00.001-05:00

The next technique in the book (Fabric Embellishing) is Traditional Crazy Quilting. Oh Goody! I’ve been wanting to dabble in CQ, but I’ve hesitated because I really don’t need to become obsessed with anything else. I have plenty of obsessions already, thanks anyway!

But, here is the perfect opportunity to play – and pretend I won’t get hooked on just one block! Today, I pieced the basic block:

I decided I need to clean out some of my green scraps. Of course, this did not make much of a dent! I’m not sure a whole quilt would make much of a dent. LOL!

I pulled out some possible trims to use and I will (hopefully) spend time this week embellishing the seams. I discovered that, although I have a huge stash of laces and trims, most of them are too large for this type of embellishment. Dear me! Could it be that I need to shop for smaller trims?!?

Wednesday WOW – June 22

2011-06-22T17:17:00.001-05:00

A very productive day! One more item off this month’s checklist.

And this is what the finished block looks like:

One more monthly block and then it should be ready for borders! Can’t wait! Well, of course I can – no choice really – but this is one project that just might get finished by Christmas!

The Quilt I Forgot

2011-06-21T10:12:00.001-05:00

It was pointed out to me that I have not posted a final picture of this quilt:

I had to dig waaaay back in my photos to find when I made the blocks for this quilt. It was a Block of the Month at my local quilt shop and it ran from July 2006 to June 2007!

The name of the BOM was Almost Amish.

It was inspired by the Amish quilts and used solid fabrics, but with a more updated look.

I finished all of the blocks, bought fabric to finish it . . . and put it aside! You don’t ever do that, do you? So, here we are – four years later (!) and I finally pulled it all out from the pile of UFOs and put the top together.

I think Jake approves. LOL!

Now, I just need to get it quilted. Oh no! Not another four years!!

Sunday Sundries

2011-06-19T17:37:00.001-05:00

Last week I showed you something my brother calls the “creature from the planet SockKnot.” Today, I opened it up to see this:

Hmmm. Still looks like some kind of creature – only now there’s two!!!

I unrolled and smoothed out the pieces – not too much smoothing – and fused them to fusible interfacing. The interfacing keeps the wrinkles from pulling completely out. They looked like this:

Then I took them to my sewing machine and played with stitching. I tried out several different stitches and tried stitching across the wrinkles as well as along the wrinkles.

I really like how the stitching across looks (on the left) and found that I prefer stitches that have some fill-in or strong stitching lines. When stitching along the wrinkle lines (right side), I like a more open stitch. The feather stitch looks great!

And this is the finished piece. This technique takes some advance planning and you need to do the scrunching several days before you plan to use it, but using machine stitches makes assembling the final product really quick.

The other piece I finished today, however, took a lot longer to assemble while the fabric manipulation itself is a quick process. I’m talking about the bubbles I showed you last week. After a week of beading, this is what it looks like:

Yup, that was really a lot of beads! Fortunately I enjoy beadwork and I did not do it all in one sitting. The larger pieces are polymer clay items that I’ve had in my stash. Yeah, it looks pretty wonky, doesn’t it? I was trying not to cast a shadow when I took the picture and I guess I was standing at an angle!

“Brother Sun” is polymer clay pulled from a mold and then glitter added after baking.

“Sister Moon” was roughly sculpted from paper clay when I was making some primitive pin dolls. I used a mixture of acrylic paint and a pearlescent paint and then beaded a bezel to hold it to a stiff backing. The fringe was already on the piece and I added the ruffled part after stitching it down to the fabric.

This is a really fun project. I can’t wait to see what comes next. Whatever it is, I’ll be sharing more next Sunday, so y’all come back now.

Wednesday WOW – June 15

2011-06-15T17:21:00.001-05:00

I’ve been working on this for several days now. I’m quilting it in square spirals, so there is a lot of turning. The way my arms feel at the end of the day you would think I’d been lifting weights! Maybe I can lose my fat arms this way? Ha!

I’ve been trying to take frequent breaks and when I do this is what I’m working on. The beadwork is almost finished so I should be able to show you a close-up before long.

What is That?

2011-06-12T17:28:00.001-05:00

Well, it doesn’t look very appealing now, does it? Hopefully it will produce something pretty – eventually!

Over the years I have accumulated a number of how-to books. I read through them when they are new and get excited about trying some of the projects. But I never seem to get around to it. As I received yet another nifty book last week, I decided I need to DO something about that!

So, I have designated Sundays as a day to explore and experiment and work my way through at least some of these books. And that brings me back to that – er – thing – up there. It’s a technique from this book:

If you are thinking it looks like a sock with something tied up in it . . you’re right! I wrinkled wet fabric and twisted it up into a tight knot and now I’m waiting for it to dry.

In the same chapter, this “bubbles” technique is described. I think this is pretty neat, and I spent this afternoon working on adding beaded embellishments. I’m liking what I have so far, but you will have to come back next week to see how it turns out. AND to see how that lumpy sock turns out. LOL!

I’ve got some other techniques already in the pipeline, too. I can’t wait to share them with you. Come back next week for ‘Sperimentin’ Sunday. (I know, pretty sad play on words. I’ll see if I can come up with something better. Any suggestions?)

Wednesday WOW – June 8

2011-06-08T20:12:00.001-05:00

I had several appointments today and then spent the afternoon at the quilt shop. I’m not sure what happened, but I FORGOT to take any pictures!?! But then, all I have to show for today is more of the pink blocks I showed you last week.

Fortunately, I DID take pictures of my worktable a couple of days ago:

I played around some in my journal. One of the many groups I follow on the web gave a prompt of “Serenity.”

I instantly thought of a field nearby where the black angus bulls lie beneath trees and serenely watch the world go by. Once I had the picture in my mind, I had to make it! It gave me the perfect excuse to practice some layering techniques I’ve read about recently.

Not bad for a city girl, huh?

Wednesday WOW – June 1

2011-06-01T17:49:00.001-05:00

Well, here we sit for another evening of Severe Thunderstorm Watches. Ah yes! It must be summer in Kansas!

As good an excuse as any to work on quilt blocks! These are for a Mystery quilt, so I don’t know what these squares will be doing. I like the colors, though, and it’s taking a nice bite out of my stash. Makes room for more fabric!

Wednesday WOW – May 25

2011-05-25T19:42:00.001-05:00

Why, yes – that is the Hoffman Challenge fabric! Things are beginning to come together. Nothing looks like my original “vision” – but then it rarely does. LOL!

Wednesday WOW – May 18

2011-05-18T16:43:00.001-05:00

You’ve seen glimpses of these before.

I spent most of today needle sculpting faces. I’m starting to work on my Hoffman Challenge piece. At this point, though, I can’t say which one of these will be part of it! Maybe none . . . maybe all!

This is the stage in doll making that the doll starts to take over. I may start out with an idea, but the critters have a mind of their own and I’m never sure where we will go. I LOVE this part!!

Christmas in – er – May?

2011-05-15T17:33:00.001-05:00

Let’s see. If I can finish this Christmas piece before winter, will that make up for all the past Christmas projects that didn’t get done in time? Oh. I didn’t think so.

Well, this is what I worked on this week. There are some hand embroidery details, but I have decided to wait until all the blocks are done. I estimate I have about 2/3 of this project done.

Here is the first vertical row stitched together. It’s kind of long, so the photo is distorted at the bottom. Hopefully I’ll be able to get better pictures when it’s finished.

I’m really enjoying this project. It’s full of fun fabrics, and all the favorite symbols of the season. And there is enough variety in the blocks to keep my interest: traditional pieced blocks, paper piecing, and appliqué. What’s not to like?

Wednesday WOW – May 11

2011-05-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

I can’t seem to do applique without making a mess! But it sure is fun! I love watching to pieces come together bit by bit. This is what I’ve done this week so far:

And one more to go for this month’s kit.

Gingerbread men!

Wednesday WOW – May 4

2011-05-04T17:12:00.001-05:00

Nothing emphasizes the passage of time more than these weekly postings. May already! What?? If anyone sees where I left my April, please let me know!

There isn’t much to see on the worktable today. A little of this and a little of that. I’ve made some postcards for a spring swap. And, of course, there is a looooong list of projects I’ll be starting . . . oh, any day now! Just as soon as I get “organized!”

What’s ~~in your wallet~~ on your worktable?

Back to the Drawing Board

2011-04-30T19:33:00.001-05:00

Between coughing and medical doses, I’ve been working on a doll design. This is what I have so far:

OK – that is so NOT what I was trying to get! [Sigh.] Believe me, this picture only begins to show how awful it is! There’s some potential in the head – for something. Just not the project I need to get going now. Perhaps a little nap is in order.

We Interrupt This Program . . .

2011-04-27T16:42:00.001-05:00

The Wednesday WOW originally scheduled for this slot has been canceled due to illness. Nothing serious I assure you. I’m just “out of order” for a few days! We apologize for any inconvenience and invite you to enjoy these re-runs . . .

A Little Catching Up

2011-04-23T11:07:00.001-05:00

I’ve been busily working this week and thought you’d like to see how it’s coming.

I finished this month’s Block of the Month . . . although it’s more like Blocks! This project is geared to be finished in just 6 months, so there is a lot to do each month. Here’s the rest of it.

There will be some hand embroidery (that’s why they don’t have faces. LOL!) but I think I will wait and do that all at once to keep a kind of continuity.

The fabrics are so much fun in this project. Plaids and polka dots, stripes and figures. I’m loving it!

Now, to clean up that mess!!!

Wednesday WOW – April 20

2011-04-20T17:09:00.001-05:00

I got busy earlier this week and cleaned up my worktable. Two days ago it was completely clear!

Wow! That didn’t last long, did it? I cannot believe the mess this project has generated! But, the results just might be worth it.

Still needs some embroidery and then assembled with pieced blocks. I’m having a ball!

Wednesday WOW – April 13

2011-04-13T18:19:00.001-05:00

For once I am not working on a quilt! I’m in a swap with the theme of “Girly.” I got these paper dolls from TenTwo Studios. Exactly what I need to get started!

Stash Confessions

2011-04-10T18:27:00.001-05:00

So I was looking through my stash recently, trying to choose fabrics for a new project. Just looking at the overflowing piles got me to thinking. How did I acquire such a mis-matched collection? What did I think I was going to do with it all?

Oh, I know that I have a lot of projects on the back burner and a fair amount of this will get used – if I don’t acquire any more, that is! Ha – what are the odds!

At one time, I was buying fabric mostly in fat quarters.

And it was useful to have a wide selection for doll costuming. (These pics are only a fraction, by the way.) Once I started quilting, I began to purchase one-yard pieces, only buying more when I had a specific project in mind. Mostly. OK, so just sometimes!!!

For instance, I bought enough of this pale blue to make curtains in my kitchen, dining nook, and front entry. And then we decided to do blinds instead! I don’t remember how much I bought, but I’ve been using it for five years and there are still about five yards left!

A lot of my larger pieces came from my Mom when she downsized. This one is various shades of pink (darker than the photo shows) and quite pretty. I have a few things in mind for using this one.

I have no idea why she had so much of this fabric, though. Well, it’s blue (her favorite color) and cute. But. I’ll have to come up with something to use it for (sigh).

And then there’s this jewel. It was given to me for a birthday or something. I collect pig figurines and it must have seemed appropriate. There is an awful lot of it, though.

And just to prove I am my mother’s daughter:

I do vaguely remember this piece. I think I wanted to make some pillowcases. But why, oh why, did I get 3+ yards?!?

This is the clincher, though. I was looking for bee colors - black and yellow – and it certainly fits that requirement! It was on a bargain table, all or nothing. This is two yards. And it was a bargain!!!!

Wednesday WOW – April 6

2011-04-06T17:48:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful day, but being Kansas in the springtime, who knows what the weather will be like tomorrow??

For today, though, I spent some time on this quilt top. Apparently I cannot count past 20, because I have come up short on the sashing – by one piece! I’m pretty sure there is enough fabric to cut another one . . . but of course the fabric was at home and I was not!!! So, this one went back into the box . . .

. . . and this one came out for a little bit. Just long enough to cut and sew a couple 9-patch blocks and some half-square triangles. Yummy fabrics. I can’t wait to get more of it done!!

I Do Make Dolls Sometimes!

2011-04-03T17:08:00.001-05:00

It says so in my description over there! It just seems like an awfully long time since I've had a doll on my worktable. I will have to think about changing that!

For starters, I went to a class last month. Leta Benedict was in the area and contacted our doll club to see if we would be interested in a class. Boy, were we! It was a bit of a scramble to find a location and get everything together, but we can be a determined bunch!

So, meet Bastet:

This is Leta's sample doll. We learned some pretty neat tricks from Leta about making faces and assembling the doll's pieces. We always have fun when the group gets together - and Leta fit right in with us!

Here is my Bastet doll. I chose to make her in browns and blues. All of the fabric and most of the ribbon was from my stash. How's that for stash busting?

Here is a picture of one of the other students' doll. Joanne had some wonderful feathers and they do look great. As of our club meeting this was the only other completed Bastet. I can't wait to see how the others turned out!

Wednesday WOW – March 30

2011-03-30T19:49:00.001-05:00

Oops! I went to the quilt shop and did some sewing today . . . and forgot to take any pictures! Ah well. One of the things I worked on was selecting fabrics for a Mystery Quilt my local guild is presenting this year. We need 2 lights, 2 mediums, and 2 darks. Oh boy. Seeing values is one of my weakest areas.

So I’ve learned to do this trick: I take a photo like that one above.

And then I change it to black and white. And here I can see that those mediums really aren’t! Back to the drawing board – er, stash.

In fact, I rejected all of these fabrics in the end. I’m happier with the new set and have started cutting. But those are what I did not take a picture of! Don’t worry. I’ll be showing you how the mystery unfolds, so stay tuned.

Traveling Pages Come Home

2011-03-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

The idea behind the Traveling Page swap was, of course, to have a book. And a book needs a cover - or in this case, a wrapper.

I had all my pages loosely bound awhile back, and I showed you the introductory page I made. I thought for a long time about how to bind these pages permanently. Finally, I decided a wrapper would be the best. That way I could fix the pages in securely and have a decorative spine as well.

For the front, I created a photo collage of several front doorways and then printed it onto fabric using an antique filter. The letters DOORS are simply fused and satin stitched.

Probably my favorite feature is the door plate that I got from Alpha Stamps. The doorknob is the 'button' to hold the book closed!

Here are just a couple of pictures of the inside:

For the lining I have some fabric with the map of the world on it. Very appropriate!

I really enjoyed this swap and I think I learned lots and lots. In some ways, I am sad it is over. But I have all these wonderful pages to look at and remind me of the journey.

And Another Finish!

2011-03-25T13:13:00.001-05:00

Remember these?

I stitched these applique squares almost two years ago. And this is how they look now:

The appliques were a 2009 Block-of-the-Month from Ellie's Quiltplace. I auditioned sashing options in Electric Quilt and this is the result. One UFO down, umpty-eleven to go!

Wednesday WOW - March 23

2011-03-23T19:20:00.001-05:00

Another Wednesday already? This year is really clipping along, isn't it? At least the weather is warming up. In fact, we had our first Tornado Watch yesterday! Spring? We may be going directly to summer!

So here is some of what I'm working on now. This is a block-of-the-month from - er - awhile ago! I'll tell you a secret. I wanted to use that blue fabric for another project, but first I need to at least cut the pieces for this one to see how much is left! So, I wasn't planning to finish this one just yet. But on the other hand, everything is cut and ready to sew! Hmmm. We shall see.

Captain, There Be Peacocks Here!

2011-03-21T12:12:00.001-05:00

Okay - bad take on the Star Trek line, but I'm not having much luck with a more creative title. Just ignore it and take a look at this quilt:

Here is a closer look at the peacock blocks:

There's a story here, of course. Almost three years ago, Rivkah posted about a vintage block she had found and told how she really wanted to make a quilt. But, she figured she would never get it done by herself and she asked if anyone would be willing to make a block or two. I thought she had a good idea there, and besides, I wanted the pattern for that block!

Rivkah sent me some fabric and the pattern and I dutifully created my block and sent it off. But I could not get that block out of my mind. Especially when the Hoffman Challenge fabric for that year was full of peacocks! I even purchased an extra yard - just in case, you know?

Last month I decided it was time to stop thinking and do! I fussy-cut the tail pieces from the peacock tails on the fabric.

And I chose a block for the alternate squares. Birds-in-the-Air. How appropriate is that? Teehee!

And there was just enough of the Hoffman fabric left for a decent border.

And I think I know just how it should be quilted, too. Isn't this a fun quilt?

Wednesday WOW - March 16

2011-03-16T17:04:00.001-05:00

I had a really productive day today. My goodness, it seems like a long time since I was able to say that!

I started out with a goal of working on two projects: the Comfort and Joy block of the month, and my Country Calendar quilt.

And I finished both of them! Woohoo! Well, the BOM was just one month's worth, but these are complex blocks with piecing and applique. And I got everything cut out and fused yesterday.

Isn't he a cute guy? I can't wait to show you the next block. Also, I will be showing off the Country Calendar soon - never fear!

Dutch Waterways

2011-03-11T19:02:00.001-06:00

Recently I posted about some blocks I've drafted in Electric Quilt. I promised to share some of the quilts I'm playing around with, and here is the first one.

I used this block:

Dutch Waterways

I set up a simple horizontal grid quilt first.

Then I started playing with colors. What if one direction of the "waves" are darker than the other?

What if we increase the contrast?

Okay. I just have to get some purple in there!

What about alternating the lights and darks?

Hmmm. Interesting, but I've lost that wave.

Let's combine this block with something else . . . say a Barrister's block.

Oh my, this is soooo much fun! And it is only the beginning! I've got more ideas to try out.

Wednesday WOW - March 9

2011-03-09T16:06:00.001-06:00

I get so much done when I go into the quilt shop to sew!

No dogs to let out and in, no ringing phones, plenty of coffee, and they go get lunch, too! So, I got twelve sashes for my 2009 Block Of the Month appliques. Only a hundred and twelve to go!!!

Playing in Electric Quilt

2011-03-07T18:46:00.001-06:00

Lately, I've been spending an awful lot of time with virtual quilts rather than real ones. Although I did not start making quilts (real or virtual) until just a few years ago, I have collected quilting magazines for a long, long time. The collection was very haphazard at first - a cover would catch my eye, or MIL would recommend something. Just in the last year or so have I subscribed to a couple of quilt related magazines.

Well, now that there are 2 or 3 magazines coming every month, I am rapidly running out of shelf space! Time to either prune books & magazines or get new shelves! Since Sarge was less than enthusiastic about new shelving (you have no idea!), I have been going through the older magazines a little at a time, culling and tossing. And having a ball getting reacquainted with all that eye candy!

And then I came upon this magazine:

This magazine is a keeper! And I decided right away that I need to get those blocks into Electric Quilt! It hasn't always been easy, but I've learned a lot and I think I can move around in EQ7 pretty well now.

What's that? Of course I'll show you some of them!!!

Aunt Mary's Irish Chain

Barrister's Block

Beggar's Block

Children of Israel

Concord

Dutch Waterways

This is just a sampling of the gorgeous blocks in this magazine - and now in my EQ7! So, now that I have the blocks drafted, I am playing with quilt layouts. OMG! That is so much fun! And soooo easy to lose track of time. LOL! If you don't hear from me in awhile, you'll know what I'm doing. But, I plan to share some of my experiments with you, so stay tuned.

Wednesday WOW - March 2

2011-03-02T17:38:00.001-06:00

Oh my. Another month already! Where does the time go? Oh, I know! Time flies when you start with this:

And by the end of the day, you have created this:

This is the first block of a Block of the Month held by my local quilt shop. It's called "Comfort and Joy" and is a short BOM - 6 months - so there's a chance I can finish it in time for Christmas. I don't know, though. Apparently I cannot read directions, since there's supposed to be nine half-square-triangles on the right, and I wound up with seven. Something about trimming to square up. Hunh! It works, so why worry?

Time to get the next block. Maybe I'll actually read the directions this time. Then again, probably not!