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I have so many projects going at once right now and they all need to be done yesterday! So productivity is high but so is demand. My son, DIL and grandson visited over the weekend and it was absolutely wonderful! I knew there would be some downtime, but I didn’t want to retire to my studio and leave the action. So I embellished a linen top from Target in my downtime: It’s subtle, and I wanted it to be. I was afraid it would go “happy hands at home” if I had a heavy hand. I loved having something to…
This week I revisited a technique I played with years ago, maybe 12? I was inspired by the book: Fusing fabric by Margaret Beal. I played around at the time, got a soldering iron and the whole bit, but it languished as my teaching life ascended. It was time to return to that and have a go: This is not even half of my sheer stash and they are packed in there tightly! I chose my color palette and cut up chunks of each color (I’ll do this differently next time)… and layered them on top of a sheet of…
We have a winner from last week’s give-away – Robin Parton! Robin please contact me so that I can send Catherine Redford’s Butterfly Stitches book to you. Congratulations! Robin was the 51st commenter (excluding double comments). I carefully eliminated double comments – I know that sometimes the comment will not show right away so you post again. I’m happy for Robin! PLEASE NOTE: I did not respond to any comments yet because it would have thrown the comment number off. I will respond to direct questions and such as I get to them this week; please be patient. Thanks to all…
In the midst of a week filled to the brim with the creation of video content, somehow I had a finish. Granted, this was close to the finish line last week, but I am claiming victory and a finish: I’ve written a little bit about this piece here and here previously. This is an art panel from Turtle Hand Batiks, a one-of-a-kind batik piece made by a young Malaysian artist. I love working with these panels and recently completed another one which I wrote about here . The quick recap: I embellished the panel using hand embroidery, inspired by Catherine…
I actually got my SAQA Spotlight Auction donation done early! The Spotlight Auction is held each year at the SAQA Conference and of course, it is virtual again this year. It raises money to support SAQA programs. Donations are 6″ x 8″ pieces that will be displayed in mats with a 4.5″ x 6.5” opening. Here’s my contribution – ta da: But wait, that’s 2 layers of hand dyed silk organza, so it’s sheer. Here’s how it looks in the window: I do love what sheer fabrics do! Here’s my backstory. I was cruising my stash and sketches, trying…
I’m spending a lot of time filming and editing for future on-demand classes. That is a major thing, just getting to that point with my equipment and editing skills. It will be a ton of work but I am so excited about this! I’ll be putting my classes on the Creative Spark platform, part of C&T Publishing, my book’s publisher. There is already a lot of content up at Creative Spark, so go take a look. The quality is outstanding and I am proud to be a part of the team. I do have a lot of work to do…
I was hoping for a finish this morning but I’m running late, so this turned out to be a post on using the right foot for your machine. I am a BERNINA girl, so you’ll see BERNINA feet, but the same goes for your brand. Let me set the stage – I’m trying to finish a little wall hanging made from Kellie Willey‘s Little Modern Mini pattern. I auditioned a few background fabrics and these 3 made the cut: At the time I thought this was it. On a whim, I tried orange: Hands down, this was the win. I…
It’s spring here! I played hookie this week…shhhhh. I have so many things I “need” to do and “should” do. I love what I do so most of them are fairly pleasurable things. But none of them included any activity starting with a “q” and one of them had “tax” in it – yikes! Sometimes you just have to go off course. I went way out of the box and worked a mini. I don’t do minis and I rarely piece. This might not seem like a radical step, but it was for me. And besides, it sounded like fun…
I’ve got 2 posts this week, one on teaching and this one on taking and making. I took Pat Pauly‘s “Take Two” class this week and I’m reeling, in a good way! If you don’t know Pat or her work, her website describes her: “Known for her improvisational technique, Pat Pauly uses bold color and unusual juxtapositions of printed and painted fabric. Her workshops on the contemporary art quilt carry the same qualities as her work—energized, spontaneous, and artistic. With a mastery of diverse construction techniques, Pat uses textiles as a medium of choice.” Pat has been creating work of…
I’ve got 2 posts this week, this one on teaching and one on taking and making. Teaching or lecturing 6 out of 7 days was a challenge, mostly because of some serious tech issues. Everything ultimately went well with nary a hitch. I do love to teach! The East Bay Heritage Quilt Guild is one of the largest in California and is known for the skill and passion of their members. Their show is beyond impressive. I was blown away with their organization and expertise. My equipment check had 5 people, each with a different expertise! The ranks of…