Pieceful Musings

I've been AWOL

2011-07-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Big Time. Only had a couple posts for the whole month of June. I truely took the month off and accomplished absolutely nothing. I'm eager to dive back into some projects again, but I can't say I will be diving back into the blogging. We'll have to see what happens there.

Any day now, I will be receiving a new computer...compliments of my sweet little brother. So I will probably be spending July in 'learning' mode. Learning a new operating system and what it will do...learning which of my programs will work on the new system and which won't...learning how to 'tweak' the programs that will work...so they will work.

My old computer...made in the age of neanderthal man (by computer standards...2003) has 1 GB of RAM...the new one will have 8 of those. Oh my, have I died and gone to GB heaven??? I don't think so. On the other hand, my old hardrive space was measured in GBs (and I only had about 27 of those...and in the 8 years I've owned it I still haven't managed to fill it up) and now the HD will be measured in TBs. The nice little tech-head at Dell tells me a TB is a terabyte. 1000 GBs=1 TB. OH MY! I think I have died and gone to TB heaven. Hmmmmmm....TB....I always thought that was a lung condition that initiated a necessary move to Arizona...the state with the coolest state flag.

As long as I have blown off June and July, I think I will go for August as well. After all, someone around here has to take a step back and watch the tomatoes grow! Not to worry...I will still be following all of you that I follow. Blogger has become moody and doesn't always allow me to leave comments...but know that I am always admiring your creations from afar!

Hugs, Dotti

And Another THANK YOU Goes to....

2011-06-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

DONNA FUNNELL, who gave this post card as a gift in a drawing also at Three Creative Studios. If you click on the photo for a larger show...you can see all the scrumptious details of the technique she presented for April: Creative Fabric Collage. I just love the momma bird feeding the peeps. The nest is of, course, a tangle of captured threads. Thank you Donna!

A Big Thank You goes to

2011-06-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Three Creative Studios. They have been putting out some great challenges each month and I have really enjoyed participating in them. Moreover, they also have drawings each month from the pool of participants in each of those challenges. Over the last two months I have received these very nice prizes

Two of Vicki Welsh's fat quarter packs:

***

A pack of patterns and Postcards from Brenda Gael Smith:

***

From Terri.....THE 12 BOOK:

And last but not least...here's my journal quilt for May 27th. It was discharged using a resist of blue tinted washable school glue gel. I embellished with seed stitching and metallic copper fabric paint!

Running Behind!

2011-05-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

It started with a little clip art...transferred to duck cloth with the Pentel Gel Pen for Fabric...painted with textile paints. It was quilted to hand dyed batting with some basic embroidery stitches, backed, and bound. Ooops...the batting is showing...purposefully! And I am running behind on this posting...it was the journal quilt for Friday, May 20th...proving once again how time flies!

Composition Books take Cover!

2011-05-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

From this pile of scraps:

to this pieced strippy fabric:

To this cover:

Lyric Kinard has an excellent tutorial for making these very easy covers! Just click on her tutorials button!

Another Drama Queen Appears!

2011-05-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

This was developed from a photo of my cosmos. Hand dyed fabric was ussed taking advantage of its directional color change qualities.

Silliness to the 4th Degree

2011-05-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to join along with many others in Carla Sonheim's latest workshop The Art of Silliness 4. I really didn't set out to learn how to draw so much as wanted to uncork my imagination. Uniquely entertaining is how I would describe this online class...and yes...I'm coming uncorked! It started last Wednesday, registration is still open and above is a collage of the exercises so far!

Paper Casting

2011-05-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

It is this month's palette challenge at Three Creative Studios. I chose the colors blue, green, and tan, and used the corresponding colors from Lumiere metallic fabric paint.

There Was an Old Crow...

2011-05-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

...who lived in a tree.

Oh say, that's not a crow. Right. Each year a spin-off group from my guild names a theme and does small art quilts for a display at the annual quilt show. Last year we did fabric collaged fish in the Susan Carlson tradition which accounts for the above picture! This year it is to make a small circular quilt in the Laura Wasilowski tradition as featured in issue 45 of Quilting Arts.

And this is mine. The crow was further inspired by the article by Kelli Nina Perkins in issue 15 of Cloth Paper Scissors. I just love the graphic quality of this quilt. The circular edge of my planet was shaded using a blue water soluble crayon...as was the sun! I submitted this as this week's journal quilt over at Three Creative Studios!

Queen Crow

2011-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

The April 30 journal quilt. Queenie the crow sees her shadow! Hmmmmm...does that mean she has to eat humble pie for another six weeks?

Should I Have Been a Magician???

2011-05-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Who knows, but I do love making things disappear before my very eyes which is probably why I have returned to discharging again! While I have toyed a little with Decolourant I keep returning to good ol' chlorine bleach. I just love the drama of that glorious rust color against the Kona cotton black!

The two above used washable white school glue as a resist and the collage below capitalized on the use of empty tape spools, foam and regular paint brushes, pvc pipe, etc..

If I Hadn't Purchased...

2011-04-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

...a ten-pack of Jr. Legal Pads, then I could quit making fabric folders for them for the raffle table at our quilt show. Here's the latest one...

This shows front and back. The background collage was fun in that every piece was free motioned with a different pattern. I deviated from the traditional leaves and stems. The black and white really pops and since I had so much free motion practice with the background, I decided to do a little modified thread painting on the leaves which really tied in the flower colors:

Who would've thought...coleus leaves on wild tulips!

NO.........

2011-04-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth...I may be hanging off the edge by my thumbs though. I have been busy...I just guess I haven't been busy blogging...I noticed it had been awhile when a cyber friend brought it to my attention! So what have I been doing?

Coloring with my water soluble Neocolor II crayons...

...and making yo-yo's (or suffolk puffs as UK folks would say) for the raffle table at the upcoming quilt show.

Pink

2011-04-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

The cloth background on the right was a mono printing disaster which I thought recovered quite nicely when I applied more surface design.

The surface design included over painting, stamping, and doodling. When I got done rescuing that, I doodled the little flower on the left on a scrap of white muslin and colored it in with Neocolor II water soluble wax crayons; the color was intensified when I carefully painted over it with textile medium. Once I let that dry...it was time to dampen the piece and come in with some purple and violet fabric paint for the background. And guess what, the dried textile medium acted as a resist! Now it was all ready to come together:

I free motioned with black rayon thread on the petals leaves and stems so, that, and all the satin stitching became the quilting. This is my journal quilt for the week!

The Dreamer

2011-04-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

Another fabric collage is turned into a folio!

2-Color Symmetry

2011-03-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Two color symmetry was my choice of theme for Friday's (March 25th) journal challenge. I chose it because I had these scraps I had to start using. I had two much of the brown/turquoise batik left from a previous challenge. This was made into a folio with a coordinating batik on the inside:

Take a pack of charm squares...

2011-03-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sew them into 9-patches...

...split them into 4 equal pieces down the middle of each side....and what do you get?

Disappearing 9 patches! Only, I don't think I got them sewn back together just right. The child in need who gets this quilt probably won't care and it kept me busy all day long while DH was away!

The Ugly Ducklings

2011-03-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I was fooling around with gelatin mono printing. I didn't know what I was doing, used way too much paint in all the wrong (I thought) places and seemed to produce nothing but ugly ducklings. They were too ugly to throw away...the trash bin kept coughing them back up! I kept going by the pile and looking at the one on top...which looked very much like the photo above...until it finally spoke to me:

HELLO!!!!!!!! It has now become the latest in my series journal quilts! This is going to look great as a pocket on a tote, or the focal point on a tee shirt! It's a keeper now!

The Tuesday Girls

2011-03-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

That's us. We're a spin-off from the Truckee Meadows Quilters Guild. We do garments...quilted of course...and accessories. Matter of fact, we usually make accessories at most of our meetings when we're not being led down the technique path! Here's what we did on Tuesday:

I think I'll pop this pin on a hat!

Luv Those Liberated Ladies

2011-03-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

My mom came from a family of 8 children...4 boys...4 girls. Pretty Even. My mom was a twin...she had brown eyes and brown hair; her twin had blue eyes and red hair. Pretty even...since grandma had brown hair and brown eyes and grandpa had red hair and blue eyes. All the girls were pretty close...if one burped...another said 'excuse me.' Of all the kids, my mom was the first to depart this planet so many years ago...all the girls gathered 'round' her. The support system of those sisters was legendary!

One by one all of the aunts and uncles have passed. Except two. At 89 and about 95 my Aunts Margaret and Anna just about ended up in assisted living at the same time. The sad thing is...at a time when the 'sisters' would gather 'round' each other for support, neither of them can physically be there for the other...only in their prayers.

Hopefully these postcards of my Liberated Ladies will cheer them up, give them a little piece of the wild west, and of my artful endeavors. Maybe they will bring a laugh or a giggle.

I admired both of these aunts not only for their pioneering spirit but also for their independent thinking, and, their ability to articulate their thoughts and stand up for what they believed in! Although I have never been able to be with them very often, I have been so blessed by having their influence in my life.

Try It; You'll Like It!

2011-03-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

I just found out from another blogger in Canada that a European company is announcing it's becoming the European distributor for this beautiful embroidery thread and are giving away 3 skeins free...you choose the colors! Just go to http://www.threadrosace.com/ and you'll find their generous offer in a bar across the top of the screen! Try it; you'll like it!

Wanderlust & Loosely Defined Perameters

2011-03-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

I love it when challenges are loosely defined. Having been an only child 'til I was eight years old I pretty much figured I owned the world and was free to wander about in it without boundaries. At eight, there was no fear. Exploring. That's what my friends and I called it. I had the wanderlust...still do. So when challenges are offered with specific themes I feel fenced in. Every Inchie Monday offers specific themes...well they're open to interpretation...but... (There may have been a period there).

Somehow, I don't feel fenced in with palettes; probably because there is usually more than one color offered. I take color anyway I can get it. Perhaps I'm discovering that I am trending toward the visual as opposed to the abstract. At any rate, I love this month's palette challenge colors. I made a journal quilt for my last week's project and then an eyeglass case out of the leftovers.

And then I managed to catch the cooties...you know...the little tickle in the throat...the gentle cough cough...and then KABOOM!...the serious cold hits! I haven't done a thing since. I think tomorrow will be catch up day now that I'm feeling a little better!

Palette Challenge

2011-02-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

I love challenges that are not so confining. In this Palette Challenge presented each month over at Three Creative Studios, you can make anything you want using the palette of the month...for last month it was these colors, and it didn't take long to come up with this postcard:

I Just Love These Little Journal Quilts

2011-02-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

This started life out as a machine trapunto technique...I strip pieced some neutrals to about 8.5x11.5". I added some tape measure twill tape along one of the seams...you can see 11" peeking out to the right of the top of the trapunto. Then I added the trapunto, added a double pocket on the inside, finished the edges and I had another notebook cover to hold a pad of paper that measures 8x5". Here's the inside:

And then I made a postcard with the leftovers! BTW...I took a crooked picture...that pocket is not crooked!

Liberated Ladies

2011-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is a small washable journal quilt. I'm working on a series of about 12 of them. Since they are washable, I plan to pop them on tee shirts along with some other embellishments and bead fringe.

The Altered Orphan

2011-02-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

Last year I began to do the block of the month (BOM) program over at 3 Creative Studios (3CS). By the time I got to the 3rd month I got to thinking...do I really need another quilt top??? The various unfinished tops hanging, hovering, and hiding in this and that closet were silently shouting...hey...I was here first! So I stopped in my tracks and quit that BOM. Two little blocks became orphans; blocks without a quilt!

Zoom forward to January 2011...another great idea erupted over at 3CS...oooooh...a journal quilt program. This was much more do-able. When I got to thinking about what to do for the 5th journal quilt the words alter and orphan came to mind. So the block above morphed into the journal quilt pictured below and then into a journal cover in the second photo below.

The diagonal lines and pink square are emphasized by couching size 3 black perle cotton. I also grabbed a stencil and dabbed on a flower in black fabric paint to play on the other black elements. I used Sulkey's gold holoshimmer metallic thread to quilt around the floral and that added just the needed bling. This thread really ties everything together very subtly...on the spool you can spot every single color in this little quilt!

Every Inchie Monday

2011-02-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Today's theme is Electrifying:

Every Inchie Monday

2011-02-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

Have I missed posting a couple Mondays? I think so. Last Monday's theme was Mirth.

The discovery of bling brought a twinkle to his eye! I'm not entirely sure I will be following thru on this challenge. It is hard to get original art work on one square inch.

Guarded Treasure

2011-02-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

This is my 4th journal quilt for the weekly challenge over at 3 Creative Studios. I have really enjoyed doing these little quilts...this one is 8 inches square. I am going to pop it on point to a sweatshirt.

It is technique driven with fused applique, hand quilting, and of course, hand painted heat stressed tyvek attached with beading. And yes, I have run tyvek through the laundry. I pinned a bunch of beads to a tee shirt once and they came out just fine. I do believe that this one will hang to dry!

I Won A Fistful of Thread

2011-02-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

Yea! Clap, clap, clap! I won these threads. Thank you Laura!!!

Every Tuesday, Laura Wasilowsky, from ARTFABRIK, reveals a project from her new book, Fanciful Stitches, COLORFUL QUILTS releasing this month by C & T Publishing. If you leave a comment you are placed in a drawing for a sampler of her wonderful handyed threads. But, you'd better hurry...it's almost over!

What's In My Car

2011-01-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

As if I actually thought you really wanted to know...however, this journal quilt is in response to a challenge my guild put out and today it took the prize! So, what is in my car?

Snips and snatches of this and that, buttons and bows and brick-a-brack. A patchwork of dreams that can only be from the inner child who lives in me!

I just love doing this fabric collage and plan on developing it so I can plop it on wearables!

Every Inchie Monday

2011-01-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

Whoops, Monday came and went! So here it is anyway: Maudlin!

The Path Not Taken

2011-01-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

Those are my buzz words for 2011; I joined The Sketchbook Challenge to get started and I've doubled back to that fork in the road to take the path not taken. I have felt for some time now my quilting needs to go into new directions and I just didn't know where to go. So I picked myself up, shook myself 'til my teeth rattled, and exclaimed GEEZE GIRL DO I NEED TO DRAW YOU A PICTURE????? HUH?

Pardon the blue painters' tape...the page curled. First ever journal page. Hmmm...this was fun. I'm not really a draw-er or a journal-er but, this could work.

These fall out of the brain a little faster than staring at a bunch of fabrics/scraps hoping they'll become a quilt some day!

Every Inchie Monday

2011-01-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

Caring is the word for the week and this is truly a big cop out...but I went with I (heart) You! But how about this little book to keep my inchies in:

It was featured in the latest issue of Cloth Paper Scissors!

Gotta go add inchie 3! Bye!!!

It Took 26 Years of Searching...

2011-01-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

...and I finally found it...the perfect anniversary card for my husband!

It pretty much describes some of our times together:

I've stolen covers till you froze

Changed my hair, my shoes, my clothes...

I've lost it when I'm PMS-ing

May have nagged when I'm obsessing...

I've run up hefty shopping bills

And criticized your driving skills...

So I think it's time to say to you...

Hey, I'm your wife--that's what I do!

Happy Anniversary...Love You!

He thinks he's the luckiest man in the world having me. I think I'm luckier because I have him. He says...well maybe...maybe not. I say...but...

And so it goes...

Making Tracks

2011-01-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

I decided to enter the Journal Quilt Challenge over at 3Creative Studios when Vicki launched it January 7th. I had thought about doing a journal quilt a week last year, thought about it a lot, and before I knew it, 2010 had come and gone!!! This is the year. Making Tracks, a mixed media quilt, is my 2nd journal quilt of the year. The two yellow/orange pieces are parts of a paper towel that had been used for clean up in another project. The one yellow fabric is discharged and the rest of the fabric elements are hand painted . I carved a stamp for the bird tracks and stamped them on, did some foiling, beading, embroidery, free motion quilting, and free motion embroidered the bird. This is probably a little more involved than future quilts will be, but, I had the time!

So, where's journal quilt #1 you ask????? It's still a secret!

Every Inchie Monday

2011-01-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

Powerful. That's the prompt for this week's inchie. Music is just that. This inchie is edged...in Krylon gold pen; it's not showing!

And to Go with that Piping Hot Pot of Tea...

2011-01-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

...a little knitting on a long long scarf!

The yarns are so varried...slubby mohairs, ribbons, cheniles, knobby wools, eyelash; they feel wonderful sliding thru my fingers!

Snowy but Cozy

2011-01-07T23:29:00.000-08:00

A good piping hot pot of tea is awfully welcome on a cold snowy night. And it's nice to have tea cozies on hand to keep the tea hot...such as this one I hand painted!

Inchie Monday

2011-01-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt in my mind that this is definitely an exercise in the theory of relativity. The older you get, the smaller the inchie becomes and I'm sure there is a physical 'doing it' curve along with a ratio involved in here somewhere. I may have to move on to 'plus size' inchies!!!

Kicked Into 2011

2010-12-28T10:46:00.000-08:00

I have been itching to post about things I have been working on for a long time. They were mainly challenges to be revealed at my guild's Christmas Party. That blizzard that just buried the eastern seaboard is the same storm system that caused the best party in Northern Nevada to be kicked into 2011. Of course, back on December 17th, the storm was being referred to as the 'pineapple express.'

I can share a couple things:

I've been beading beads, and

painting cookie cutter kids on sweatshirts, and

finishing up a pair of pillowcases with hand stitching and a lace edging that were started years ago!

Discharging With a Stencil

2010-12-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

Start with a good stencil or a drawing/rendition that can be made into a stencil such as this ancient bird. I printed it out on 8 1/2x11" freezer paper and cut it out with a small pair of very sharp craft scissors as shown below:

I saved the cut out head and body...from which other smaller detail had been cut, to use as a placement guide for the smaller pieces:

And when everything was in place, it was all ironed down:

You need to get your materials together because once you start...everything comes together fast. I used Soft Scrub with Bleach as my discharge agent. SHAKE IT WELL...and it will be the right consistency straight out of the bottle. Use rubber gloves. You will need something to scrape/squeegee (I used an old plastic store card), a tile or plastic lid for the Soft Scrub, and a large bowl of water that has been treated with a chlorine neutralizer. (This is used to treat water for fish tanks and can be purchased in any store that sells pet supplies...I found mine at the grocery store). You will need to protect your work surface with a piece of plastic...I cut open a produce bag...and you will need to work close to a sink. Lastly, have a black Sharpie with a regular point handy.

Now...squeeze an ample amount of the Soft Scrub (SS) onto your tile/lid. Using your scraper...quickly apply the SS onto your design. Go for a quick all over coverage right away...you can come back in and re-apply the SS to thin spots. When done with this step, your project should look like this:

Now quickly turn it over so it faces down on the plastic. This will keep the SS moist while it works...I also gently pat it all over while the back is facing up to make sure the cloth is making good contact with the SS...see the photo below:

This is the view on the back. You can see I am patting it. The piece is discharging fast...about 3 minutes or a little less have passed and I have the results I want. I quickly turn it right side up and with lightning speed, I remove all of the stencil and take the piece to the sink...and quickly rinse out all of the SS in cold running water. It will take a little rubbing. When all the visible SS has been rinsed out, neutralize the bleaching action by soaking it in the treated water. I left mine in about 20 minutes...just long enough to swill a cup of coffee!!! (Grin)

There, it's done soaking. I used an old towel to absorb the excess water and gave it a couple quick swipes with a dry iron because I was too impatient to hang it out to dry!

I was really happy with the results...nice crisp lines...and no seepage under the stencil. BUT...OH...WAIT...what's this:

See that little spot right above the third wing feather...WHOOPS...some SS flew out beyond the stencil! That happens...remember that black Sharpie I mentioned above...that's the remedy for being over-zealous with the SS!!!

I made two. The one on the left was Kona cotton, the one on the right cotton from Joann's. Different brands of black cotton discharge differently. Be Surprised!

'Tis The Season...

2010-12-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

...When everyone is busy making gifts, and I know we're all guilty...we sometimes make an extra because the pattern is just too darn cute. So it was when I was in a pinch to make a gift for a friend and the big deadline was looming and...oh...did I mention I just happened to have an extra sweatshirt laying around in just my size???? (GRIN)

It is amazing what you can do with some red and green dimensional paint, fusible web, a scrap of red cotton, and silk holly leaves. And, say, as long as you have to drag out all the supplies for one...you may as well as make two...right???!

You can't imagine how well this this sweatshirt has held up over the years...and my friend is still wearing hers too! I will tell you that not only is it all fused on, I did a zig-zag stitch around all the elements before I squeezed on the dimensional paint which is probably the reason this garment survived as many washes as it has.

Look What I Found...A Relic of My Past Indeed!

2010-12-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

Here,on the desert, on the backside of nowhere, life of all forms fights to survive in a somewhat harsh environment. And when that struggle narrows down to the "food chain" it becomes a fight between BRAINS and BIRD BRAINS! (I'm hoping my brains win out)!

It was somewhere in my ancient gardening days, before my discovery of bird netting, and after my planting of strawberries that I became "one" with the food fight. Yep...my strawberries had survived the previous fall planting...had bloomed beyond all odds...and were bearing the fruits of my labor.

When I began the picking, I noticed lots of little bird pecks here and there. Oh Say...guys...those are MY berries...not yours! One of my organic gardening books suggested putting out decoys to get rid of the bird problem. Yes...strawberry decoys. To detract the birds away from the patch. Really!!! Uh huh. Right. BUT I was desperate enough to try ANYTHING.

So, I went out to the driveway and down my alley collecting rocks that could possibly resemble the shape of strawberries. (I live today to tell you that there are a lot of those kind of rocks to be found)! And I painted each and every one of them to look like strawberries, I even used two shades of green on the leaves so there would be a shadowy 3-D effect. I also thought that since every one was different, I should initial every piece of these miniature art forms with a Sharpie...and I did. And then I scattered the rock strawberries around. The birds were going for the 'decoys' because right away I noticed movement in the pattern I had placed. Well, in the end, the birds still got the real strawberries, I discovered netting, and the strawberry rocks kept moving and moving and moving! Soon, most of them disappeared.

Thirteen years have come and gone. I am out for a walk....on the same trail I have walked a thousand times or more... look what I find: a strawberry decoy...a mile from my house...with my initials on the back. Real strawberries come and go, the decoys hang around for a bit and continue to be moved around!

OK Bea N...I know you are reading this and grinning like crazy! And, if any of the rest of you enjoy a good down home slice of life blog...just visit Bea!

Somethin's Fishy

2010-12-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

It would seem as though I haven't been busy at all...but I don't want to be giving away secrets....oh...but look...what's this...it's a little something I came across in my closet, hiding in 'oceans' of other stuff:

It's a little art quilt I made for a call out from my guild to become one in a large group display. It was a good experiment in collage and especially pairings of fabrics our mum's once told us wouldn't match at all!!!?#!! (Oh my if they could only see what's going on with polka dots, stripes and plaids these days)!

The little fish are dimensional and sewn on by a straight line down the centers, and you can't tell from the photo but there are dozens of pale champagne beads interspersed among them resembling all the bubbles they're sending out! All these elements fit nicely among shapes, sequins, beads, and bling...oh...and a little quilting!

Wavin' At You, Barbara

2010-12-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

There's a chair at my dining room table that gets stacked with projects I need to do/finish now or 5 minutes ago. And there's a never ending supply of things to do in this stack. Sometimes things just work their way to the bottom and get forgotten. And sometimes, on a whim, I decide to deal with this stack. This was where I found this quilt top with the backing and binding provided by my friend Barbara. It was a little bigger than she wanted to deal with when it came to the sandwiching and quilting...so I volunteered. Well, Barbara, that quilt did get done...

...and today I took it to guild for show and tell...and I told them all about you, your quilts, your heart string donations, etc. I then gave the quilt to the one member who belongs to a another group who sew for the needy. By next week it will be owned by a baby who needs it and a mom who will be ever so grateful and surprised that there were people in this big big world who cared enough to to make this just for her little one! Thank you Barbara for starting us both on this journey!

The Big Mrs. Moen's Napkin Challenge Reveal

2010-12-01T00:05:00.000-08:00

Ever since the article "Adinkra, cloth from the heart" article appeared in the June/July 2008 issue of Quilting Arts, I have had an interest in bringing ancient forms of symbolism into my quilts. This napkin, one I had received in a swap, was a shoo-in to inspire my quilt entry for Mrs. Moen's Napkin Challenge! It so happened I had one of these symbols on my hard drive already and when I brought it into Photoshop Elements, I got really excited to see it pretty well filled out an 8 1/2x11" sheet. Ahhhh-ha...print it out in coloring book mode and print it out on freezer paper to be used as a stencil...I thought to myself!

And there you have it...Flight of the Ancient! The freezer paper stencil was ironed onto black cotton and a discharging agent was applied. The black was then fused onto a larger piece of muslin that had been rusted and then over painted to bring in the color of the bird. The small dots framing the black are french knots made with DMC variegated #8 Pearle cotton...and they add interest...and texture. The black background of the bird is free motioned with a small close meander stitch, and flying geese pattern was a natural for the border quilting. This was fun Mrs. Moen!!!

Weather Changes, And When That Change Melts...

2010-11-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

...the puddles in my driveway could get as big as the pond in my painting! However, we were fortunate to have stayed on the edges of all the previous storms. If any of you are planning a ski trip to Lake Tahoe you'll find some great slopes! Between Friday and Monday last week to this week, Kirkwood Resort took the record with 10 feet of snow! More is on the way tonight and tomorrow and hopefully we'll continue to stay on the fringes of the white stuff here on the desert floor! What a difference an 'hour' away makes!

Change Happens

2010-11-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was a nice crisp fall day. Change happens...

...and today it was ever so wintery.

The Applique "Collection"

2010-11-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just can't get enough of these sweet little quilts!

This one gave me a chance to add butterfly quilting to the borders.

Hearts are always popular...

...so are puppies...his name is Doug and his ears are floppy.

This was a kit I had gotten from Connecting Threads years ago and I finally got a 'round tuit.'

Everyone always loves angel kitties...

...and reindeer...

...and pretty posies on pretty fabric!

More NeoNatal Quilts

2010-11-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

These little quilts, 24 to 25 inch square are so easy to make in an couple of hours or an afternoon.

This "flag" one is just a collection of 12" squares...easy peasy!

And this one started out life as an 12" square orphan block. I was going to do a lot more of these blocks for a larger quilt and lost interest after the first block was done!

These sweet little posies were featured in a quilting magazine in a much bigger quilt...but they lent themselves nicely to this little gem. If you look closely at each block of each posie, you'll see it is actually a snowball block!

The picture of this is a little dark, but it is made with blocks from another quilt that were leftover and donated to me.

I like the hand-woven appearance of this one!

Big Block of the Month

2010-11-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

When I became the webmaster for my quilt guilt 4 years ago I thought I was walking the plank right over the edge. I had no experience writing web pages, and my guild's pages weren't written using (the host's) Yahoo's easy to do templates and page editors. Instead pages were done utilizing a computer lab and very expensive software. Being devoid of such finery, I learned how to write the HTML pages myself stroke by stroke and believe me it was like writing in hieroglyphics!

Once I got comfy with that I decided to expand the "webster's" job. (Lordy, Dotti, are you CuhRAZY) (And the answer to that would be a solid YEP) Since I had EQ quilt designing software I thought a Block of the Month program was in order...but not just any BOM...this one would be a BIG Block of the Month. Each block, when pieced, sandwiched, quilted, and bound would measure about 24 to 25 inches square.

You see, my guild donates this size of quilts to the neo-natal care units of two regional hospitals. We do anywhere between 600 to 1000 donations a year. So, the girls are always looking for free patterns. This BBOM not only supplies that...but also gives the chance to try out different blocks to see how they go together!

The blocks provide spaces big enough to practice various techniques such as applique, machine embroidery, and free motion quilting.

The moms get to pick a quilt to keep for their little preemies. The quilts drape the isolettes while the babies are on the ward and gives the little angels relief from the 24/7 bright lights. When the moms come to visit, they can find their baby's isolette fast because of the quilt they picked!

All of these blocks are copyright free and I have scanned the rotary cutting directions into PDF files that I email out to the guild on the first of each month.

Not a Peep out of Me!

2010-11-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Almost two weeks just flew by and there was not a peep out of me here in bloggerland. I'm still wondering where all that time went!!?? I have been working on several projects; a couple challenges; and gifties. So I can't even give a sneak peek...but I will share my little book of color:

When going to the nearest art supply shop involves almost a 80-100 mile round trip, you need a color book so you know what you have and you don't buy duplicates! I keep it in the car, and then, when needed, it fits nicely in my purse.

This book was born out of necessity when on one trip I got home with some Titan Buff only to discover I already had some...3 other bottles to be exact...but then who's counting!?! I have gone through and glued three pages at a time together...making the surfaces thick enough to accept even fluid mediums...

...such as my watercolors which are on this page!

And when silk dupioni costs what it does...I have a little baggie with snippets of the colors I already have!

Here's the textile paint spread...all the columns are by brand...but I can see all of the colors at a glance, in case I need to pick up a coordinating color.

I got home from another trip to town and discovered I had way over duplicated on color again...grrrr; felt snippets were added.

Once in awhile I'll just do a little pick-up art like this little collage...usually to generate ideas for a larger composition. And there you have it...my little book of color...could you use one too???

Have YOU Seen an UFO lately??? I MAY Have!

2010-10-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

I can practically see the rest of the Milky Way from my front porch! Well maybe just a couple miles away from the porch and away from the small town city lights. That's how it is out on the desert of Northern Nevada. You can see so many stars in the sky it actually looks as though the sky is cloudy!

This UFO wasn't discovered in the shadows of night. This one was spotted in broad daylight. Of course, the minute I discovered the UFO I grabbed my camera and took pictures.

Mind you, I have been the proud owner of PhotoShop Elements 7 for at least a couple years and about all I still know how to do with it is open it up and sit in front of the computer screen mesmerized by the maze of functions and choices, bells, whistles and thingamabobs. So you CANNOT charge me with the photographic sin of "PhotoShopping the UFO!" Are you ready for these??????

It was a dark and stormy day when I was rearranging the coat closet and came upon the blocks that make up part of the UFO.

They're huge for a UFO block, measuring 24 1/2" square.

The pattern is Promise of Spring by Kim Diehl. While her background is a little more colorful, I did not have that much homespun in my stash...but I did have a huge stack of neutrals from Thimbleberries and Moda.

All I have left to do is the center elements. They are all cut and ready to go...unfortunately, my 'get up and go' got up and went awhile back. Hence the quilting acronym UFO which stands for UnFinished Object has been applied to this project. When it does finally come together it will measure 66"x75" and resemble this:

I've Been Challenged!

2010-10-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

Well, aside from being "vertically" challenged, I've officially been "Mrs. Moen" challenged and I'm really looking forward to this. This time, it's a "napkin" challenge and it is open to anyone who wants to participate and anyone interested can find out all about it HERE.

So, how does it work? Simply. And easily. Choose a printed paper/cloth napkin that appeals to you and reinterpret any design element of it into any medium of choice. Lucky me. I was just in a napkin swap and have lots of choices...I've narrowed them down to 5 napkins. I've pretty much made my choice...but thought I'd keep you all guessing (what will she do) until the big reveal on December 1st!!!

Stuffed

2010-10-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

I don't know what they're called; I call them d-e-l-i-s-h! We order them by the dozen from our local Latino store...why...because folks line up every night to await the delivery from a Mexican bakery to buy these and by the time I get there they are all gone. These wonderful rolls are baked with a generous layer of cream cheese laced with jalapenos inside and an equally generous layer of sesame seeds stuck to the top. Because they are baked with the cheese inside, they separate easily, without slicing with a knife and are soooo good with a little ham or tuna or turkey or you name it, STUFFED in with the cheese! It's what's for dinner!

I've Been to Camp!!!

2010-10-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

Collage Camp, that is, with KC Willis! I started with these goodies from my stash. Since I have just about used up the cards made in the previous blog post, I made some more. Instead of using a spicy western woman, I decided to utilize the ATCs I also featured in the previous post!

This was fun! Everyone should try camping!

Purposeful Repurposing

2010-10-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here's some ATC's using up stuff I received in trades...the back grounds were stripped pieces someone else made and I always liked the colors...I added some couching...Primo flowers I had received free and never found a use for, and then raided the button box! Even the leaves are cut from an old paper bag from a local used book store 20 years ago:

Remember all that stitch/fabric/paper I made way back when??? I need to use it. So I made these little note cards:

I'm not very good at free motion thread writing, but a person's gotta start somewhere. Besides someone I know will love getting a hand made card. Come to think of it...I owe a cousin a card of some sort...gotta go make one with a 'guy' look.

"Tool Time"

2010-10-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have had some questions about how this dowel tool featured in the previous post works, so, here's the demo. This tool is used when you want to press a straight seam open. Just lay the seam right side down along the dowel. The curve of the dowel makes the seam pop open a little making it easier to run the tip of the iron down the seam; pressing it open.

Take One of This and Two of These...

2010-10-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

...that would be a 1x36" wood dowel and two 3/4" pipe straps from the big box L store. Screw the pipe strap onto each end of the dowel (the pipe straps keep the dowel from rolling around)...

...and voila...you have a new tool!

I use a lot of fabric strips sewn together in my quilting and fiber arts. When I do, I like to press the seams open instead of towards one side to keep ridges from forming. My friend Carol (thank you Carol-grin) let me use her 'tool' in that Jimmie Benedict workshop. Lay the seam along the dowel and the curve helps open up the seams as you iron them open!

Oh... pipe straps come in a pack of 10...but they won't break your bank. Once your sewing and STRIPPING (heh heh heh...I just had to throw that in) friends see your new tool in action, they will want one too!!!

When is a Lemon not a Lemon?

2010-09-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes cars are lemons. Sometimes lemons are lemons...especially when you buy them at the store and pay a fine price and find out they are dry when sliced open. A lemon is not a lemon when it is home grown on a friend's tree! These were the best darn lemons I have ever had...after squeezing out the juice you could even eat them skin and all without any hint of bitterness. Yum! So what did I do with such special lemons? Seafood soup with oriental veggies, onions, garlic, shaved onion, beansprouts, and rice stick noodles.

Serve with a dollop of sambal (red chili sauce), a squirt of dark soy sauce and a generous squeeze of this:

Thank you sooooooooo much for the wonderful lemons from your tree Jaime & Randall!!!

Postcard Play Past and Present

2010-09-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

MIXED MEDIA:

FLOWER POUNDING:

USING INCHIES:

USING CRAYONS:

HEAT ZAPPED SHEERS OVER SNIPPETS:

Ahhhh....the power to play!

Snail Mail Redefined

2010-09-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise when I got home from a day in town to find Annette's wonderful ATC:

It was made for the techniques trade for my Surface Design group. Thank you Annette!!! I particularly noticed the postmark...May 6th which is when Annette mailed out all of her ATCs. It took 4 1/2 months to get from England to the USA...who knows which Post Office is the CULPRIT...but whichever one it is...they have given new meaning to the SNAIL in mail!

Postcards at Play

2010-09-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

I had to make some postcards to send out recently. Postcards provide a great venue for playing with techniques.

CASTING A SHADOW:

PAINTED DRYER SHEETS:

FUSING SILK FLOWERS:

TEXTIVA:

PAINT STICKS:

And of course they all have bits of bling: foil, beads, glitter; that's a no-brainer! More to come in a couple days! Bye!

The Time Meter

2010-09-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Time has gotten away from me and it's been a week since my last post. I have several projects going, and thoughts of future things to create and nothing ready to photograph. I did come across a table runner (of sorts) I did a few years back inspired by Quilting by Improvisation by Vikki Pignatelli. This small quiltlet was a joy to do as it incorporated beading, couching, trapping treasure and the concept of spaces in quilts. It also provided the all important instant gratification because it went together fairly quickly.

When the flower and leaves came together it was time to sandwich it with the batting, and backing and add minimal quilting to add petal and leaf detail. The center was cut out, the batting was trimmed back, curves were clipped, and everything was turned and hand blind stitched to form knife edges.

The center of the flower is swirls of a fancy Annie Blatt yarn laid down on sticky wash away stabilizer...beads and sequins were sprinkled in the spaces, and this was sandwiched between matching tulle. Very C-A-R-E-F-U-L-L-Y I free motion stitched down all the yarn swirls...with just the needle and no fme foot using poly filament thread.

When the center was done and the stabilizer washed away, it was cut to just overlap the center of the flower and pinned into place. The edge of this center was then encrusted with beads and this served to tack the center securely to the flower.

I laid the runner on my light box and took this photo showing the detail. OMG now that I've revisited this project, and flipped through the book again, I see some projects to add to the 'to do' list...and meanwhile the time meter is just ticking away.

Is 12 Ounces the New One Pound?

2010-09-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up to a cool Nevada morning with chickens on my brain! That can only mean one thing...it was time for home made chicken noodle soup. I was up and dressed lickity split and off to the store for any missing ingredients.

It didn't take long to get into the cutting-up, skinning, lopping, and chopping mode. Little by little it all came together. As each task led to the next, the thought of chicken soup conjured up many memories.

I remembered growing up overseas in third world countries and noticing bare naked chickens hanging by their feet in market windows...heads, beaks, eyeballs and all! I was too young to opine that this may have been a 'gross' thing!

I remembered visiting my chicken-raising granny in Maple Valley, WA. That was back in the days where most everything between Renton and Maple Valley was nothing but blackberry patches, the Cedar River swimming holes, and countryside, and just a couple neighbors! I always wondered curiously about this big round tree stump in granny's yard right there by the chicken coop which had two huge nails sticking out above the surface; the space between the nails was wide enough for...um...a chicken neck but too narrow for the...um...head. Well one day Granny gave me a live demonstration. Thank Goodness I was still too young to think this may be gross!

I remembered the time I was 14, and my little brother, in order to get back at me for some 'imagined' offense, planted a pair of raw chicken feet between my sheets for a little 'shock and awe' moment. When I slid into bed that night and met up with those cold clammy chicken feet, my scream could be heard down the block! This time I wasn't so young, and this was definitely GROSS!

As I tried to remember the bajillion ways I've eaten chicken, I finally finished the tasks and the pot of soup was on to simmer. Now, it was time to boil the pound of noodles which is exactly the amount that fits my recipe. This brings me to the title of this post. The package of noodles felt scant...and it was...because it was only 12 OUNCES. Since when did 12 ounces become the new pound???

Altered Sunprinting

2010-09-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

This is a sun print I did with the batch I talked about a couple posts ago. For a botanical, it is a fair size, the green area is 9 1/2x14. I have decided to use it in a wall hanging and am in the process of altering it by doing some hand painting. I ironed it onto freezer paper and have painted the top and left top leaf.

I started out using water soluble wax crayons and water soluble oil pastels but I got too much bleeding when I hit it with the water. I have switched to textile paints. I was hoping to get better blending effects by mixing in a little aloe vera gel with the paint...it's not quite working either. Anyone have any ideas???

Dotti Dots is Getting a Little Rusty

2010-08-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've been hoarding the few little rusted fabrics I have left over and have found a cure for this malady: MAKE MORE. So, when it's this sunny and warm, it's time to drag out the steel wool, rusty nails, bailing wire, and the trusty rusty bread pan!

Good thing I decided to go down this path...this ol' pan is about to disentegrate into nothing but a pile of rust crumbs! But here's what I got out of it:

and (I think I see a slow cloth here) this:

And then I thought....hmmm I have some muslin I tea-dyed...what if....

Well that's interesting...I see even though I rinsed the tea-dye it still had that tannic residue. The left was done using steel wool in strands...it is where the rust color is; the right one is done using rust crumbs. Actually the photos look better than the fabrics. I decided to discharge the left fabric:

Hmmm...back to the drawing board.

Then I went on rusting with the other things:

This one was done with baling wire and maybe a wisp of steel wool here and there! Below is a FQ done with just steel wool...it sorta turned out like a hand-dye.

and last but not least...all the cotton string I used also got rusty...

...BUT...since there's not very much of this, I may find myself hoarding again!

Died and Gone to Heaven...or so We Thought...

2010-08-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

...when we (20 members of my quilt guild) walked into a two day workshop with Jimmie Benedict on Strip Piecing the Strip Piecing...and spotted our $10.00 "fabric kits" which consisted of 16 feet of table top heaped with all colors of pre-cut strips from which we could take our pick:

We were told to choose 24 strips and sew them together. What a deal for a 10 buck pre cut kit!!! When we finished our strip set we were then told to make another set...matching but different. That's when some of us started hyperventilating! When we were told to do a third set we nearly passed out from excitement. At this point the stash and fabric were practically free! So, here's my 3 sets:

I decided to make a vest with mine in hopes I'll have enough left over for a purse as well. Jimmie took us through her embellishment techniques, fabric blending and popping, color theory, etc, and shared many many of her finished garments:

Her technique is so simple, it's brilliant! And to think she learned this from a trip to the Kansas corn belt! I'm looking at my stash in a whole new way!!!

Over Painted Sun Prints

2010-08-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

We've had some super sunny hot days so I decided to continue along with some more sunprinting. This time I started out with this hand dye along with a good sized leaf and some teal Seta Color mixed 50/50 with H2O and voila!!!

And of course when there's paint left over we can't let it go to waste:

Woooo Hooooo....TEXTURE!!!

Whoops

2010-08-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Seems in my last two posts, I forgot to post a picture of the ATCs I mailed out...whoops...too late now, they're gone with the wind! But I do have these left...while they are all different, they're also very similar because they were all cut from one 9x12 mixed media sheet!

The Second ATC Arrives!

2010-08-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

This one is from Suz in Ontario. The background is a red sparkly organza-like fabric machine quilted. The detail has been hand tatted with variegated threads and that not only forms the curly stem-work but the multi-layered flower as well. What an outstanding ATC. Tatting is not the only thing Suz does...she puts out some drop dead gorgeous water colors as well...check out her blog here...and be sure and scroll down and click on 'older posts' to see some of her watercolor work!

I have three more ATCs to trade...just leave a comment here and be sure I can email you with mailing info if you want to trade!

A Goodie in the Mail

2010-08-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the sweetest ATC??? It was hand stitched and sent to me by my cyber friend Deborah. The quilting is so delicate and the color is so pleasing! Thanks Deborah!!! Deborah makes remarkable pieces of miniature art completely by hand. I believe she once told me her sewing machine broke years ago and sew it goes...everything is pieced by hand. You can visit Deborah's blog here. If you have a little time, it's worth a stroll through her blog.

It's a Big Mystery...

2010-07-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

...exactly how this will end up; this instructor seems to have a bag full of unusual tricks. I'm following an exercise done in stages. This is stage two. Stage 3 begins on August 1st. Hopefully I'll get it done a little sooner than procrastinating 'til the end of the month!

Joni...We Won!!!

2010-07-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yea!!!!!!!! Clap clap clap clap clap!!!!! I entered 5 journal quilts in the quilt show this weekend and two of them bagged ribbons. Drama Queen on the left took first place, and Joni's quilt, Out of My Comfort Zone, took third place in the miniature quilts division.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...

2010-07-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

...way back in February when I pulled out some copier paper, plain ol' crayons and some alcohol inks and came up with a treasure I didn't quite know how to use. Check it our here. After blogging about it I put it away. Oh Oh! You know the routine...out of sight...out of mind! I came across it this week. So out came the metallic threads, and a little paint. I high lighted, glazed color on here and there, stencilled, and couched, couched, couched and came up with this:

It really looks a little grid-dy...don't you think? So, out came the rotary cutter and the mat:

Yup, I knew I saw a couple ATCs in there somewhere for sure...didn't think I'd get all these! I plan to add just a couple more embellishments to enhance these and then back them. I will be more than happy to trade ATCs with the first 5 who would like to trade and leave a comment expressing such. Be sure and leave a way for me to contact you so we can share address information!

Practice Fun

2010-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I took a free motion quilting class to pick up a few tips. It really helped. One of the things I learned is that it is a good thing to warm up first if you haven't done it in awhile. Get a couple FQs sandwiched (I use a quilt basting spray to keep them together) and I keep that by the machine for warming up. The second tip is to make a road map. With paper, and pencil in hand...trace out your pattern the same way you'd be doing it by machine. Once you've imprinted your pattern on your brain...practice practice practice:

You can have some real fun with these when the FQ sandwich is full:

On one side I spritzed on some water and painted on some Dye-na-Flow.

When I turned the piece over I noticed that the paint only penetrated the stitching and that outlined all the designs. Woo Hoo! Another canvas! So I colored the designs with my water soluble crayons and brushed that with water.

After that dried, I went over every thing with a thin coat of white gesso. I really like the results. There is plenty of space for getting crazy with embellishment...hand stitched...beaded...penned. I see a mini art quilt, many postcards, an ATC or two...maybe even a journal cover. The right stuff makes practice fun!

ATC Technique Trade

2010-07-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

The results are all in and everyone did something different. This group in Surface Design always delivers!

This cute little mama sitting in her nest was from Jan in Minnesota. The background is hand dyed fabric, the bird is hand painted and outlined with machine stitch. I love the inside frame in lighter green using a decorative stitch. Nice detail Jan! The nest is fiber scraps sandwiched between water soluble stabilizer, free motion stitched to hold it all together, and then the stabilizer is removed in a water bath. Way to go Jan!

Aynsley in Ohio has outdone herself again. This little gem is fabric paper with a twist! The twist is...instead of doing it on muslin, she overlaid her papers on tulle...it is ever so thin and delicate. I love how it turned out. I am definitely going to start using tulle in the future. She added a stamping, gold paper collage, and hand stitching with gold metallic thread.

Lisa, in West Virginia did a distressed felt technique using acrylic paint instead of the stitching. The paint is drizzled on (Kunin Group brand) felt and is then zapped with a heat gun. The paint acts as a resist...wherever the paint isn't, the felt has spaces and looks a little lacy. Of course, Lisa added the final touches...beads and a charm! I can see all kinds of possibilities for this technique!

Gale, from Florida, did slashed fabrics using the Solvy sandwich method. This is a different look than using the fibers. You'll notice Gale sewed a grid. The fabric on the right is hand painted and the piece is embellished with bling (hard to see) along the divide between the Solvy sandwich and hand painted! Thank you Gale...we all need a different look from time to time!

Dolly in Washington went with silk. Oh My! First I want you to notice the detail...mind you...ATCs are no bigger than a playing or baseball card...2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches! This has all been printed on silk, resist outlined, and hand painted. Look at all this...you have a moon, a tree limb, a bush, and four (4) creatures all on this tiny little card! You did well Dolly!

This photo is not as sharp as it should be but Susan, from Iowa, did a great job on the detail. She first made several sheets of fabric paper, cut them up, and crazy quilted the pieces back together. She added some surface stitch and couched on coordinating fibers.

Cobi, from the Netherlands, really went to town on this one. She started out with a Japanese stencil and and stenciled using transfer paint which she fused to jacquard fabric. She colored several of the petals with water soluble crayons. She then painted fusible webbing with primrose pink and yellow pearlescent paint and fused

that over the top.

This came from Annette in the United Kingdom. She has made a collage of several tiny pieces of fabric appliqued with decorative multicolored embroidery thread. (Blush) I can't go into anymore detail because I haven't received it yet...this is Annette's photo. Annette, I think the post office has dropped the ball on this one! Thank you muchly for doing your part and getting it on it's way. Maybe it has just ended up in the hands of someone who needed it more than I!!!

Sun Printing Tutorial

2010-06-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

A couple posts ago, I was showing some sun printing I was doing for a Surface Design ATC technique trade. Several of you had questions, so I decided to do a tutorial on this fun little process.

First, plan on doing this project on a hot cloudless sunny day between 11am and 2pm so you'll get the most direct sunlight!

Gather all your supplies together and have everything on hand because once you get started, things move fast. You will need a plastic covered substrate like cardboard or foam core...something that you can stick straight pins into. For best results, use a quality TEXTILE paint. I used SetaColor thinned down 50/50 with water. For the design elements, I used a piece of rug hooking base, plastic canvas (with a smaller grid than the hooking base) and ivy & chrysanthemum leaves. You'll need fabric (PDF if you plan on washing your item) a foam brush, mixing cup, straight pins, and a spray bottle of water.

HERE'S A BIG TIP: The flatter your leaves are, the crisper the image will be. I iron my leaves to flatten them in between two sheets of paper towel!

Next, I mixed my paint with water...if you are using a paint other than SetaColor, you may need a little more water than a 50/50 mix...it should be between a milk and cream consistency. If the paint is too heavy, it will not move. Anchor your fabric to the plastic covered substrate by stabbing a straight pin in each corner. Spray your fabric with water to dampen it. Mine was wet but not dripping. Quickly paint the surface evenly with the diluted paint. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO LOOSE THREADS ON THE WET PAINTED FABRIC OR THEY WILL END UP AS A PRINT TOO!

Now add your leaves...notice the little light colored dots...those are the straight pins holding the leaves in place in case it get breezy!

I painted a second piece of fabric and used the two grids I chose for texture. They are nailed down with straight pins too. Now quickly place your project outdoors on a flat surface in the sun. You're just about done...grab some lunch and wait for everything to dry. The drying time, of course, depends on your HUMIDITY. Here in Nevada we don't have very much of that stuff!

Here's my sun printed fabric. The ivy was used up in the ATCs:

Have fun making your mark!

Not Bad Photography-Just Bad Advice!

2010-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

This was the start of a technique project. Sun printing. The $book said to add three parts of water (not water and textile medium) to one part of SOFT BODY ACRYLIC PAINT. I used a reliable brand of paint and my not so reliable tap water. This didn't work. The diluted paint did not wick out properly and guess what, even after heat setting the blue rubs off all over your hands! But the $$$book said....

So I thought I'd try it my way:

Oh my...what a difference! I had heard that you could dilute this particular brand of TEXTILE PAINT up to 50/50 with water and it would still maintain good intensity. Boy Howdy! Gotta go finish the project now!!!

When a Window Closes, A Door Opens

2010-06-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

And no, I don't have it backwards for a change. For awhile I've thought about leaping into journaling. But the window is closed to the public on private issues and I was never one to keep a diary..I'm still not. But I've been eyeing the art journals that are big on thought but minimal on writing; a door opens; things are gathering. Things are gathering for a journal class I'm taking. The class will go from things gathered

to these completed:

Carole Brungur is giving this and it is a wonderful workshop. I have never seen so much imagery, video, and information stuffed into just one week. And we've only just begun! You can still join in...head on over to her place HERE and sign in! Sure hope I see you sitting next to me in class!

Pursapalooza and The Rear Window

2010-06-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

My TGIF group's theme last week was hand made purses and these are the views from The Rear Window of my car! Need I say more??? Yes. There is no such thing as too many purses!

Where Have I been??? or In Honor of Kitty

2010-06-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

Holed up, trying to get things started and things done. Our guild member, Kitty, passed away suddenly. It was discovered she had a number of quilts almost finished intended for displaying in the upcoming quilt show and then to be gifted to various friends and relatives. So we guildy girls have been making sure Kitty has that whole slew of quilts finished.

The quilt I volunteered to finish started out with the twisted sister block. It was sooo cheery to look at. And, to give it a twist...the very center green patch measures 3 inches finished...but it started out life as a 5 incher! A tuck was taken on each of the four sides to bring it down to size and thus gave it a puffy dimensional and wonky effect!

The binding needed a knife edge with the top of the binding being a color that matched the top and the under side matching the backing. You can see this in the photo below.

And this is a view of the whole enchilada.

I was honored to have the chance to do this for Kitty!

Hung Out to Dry

2010-06-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

I have never dyed before. Never have wanted to. But. It was the perfect storm. A collission of a tye dye kit that had been collecting some dust and the first step in a challenge project put on by a Yahoo group I belong to. This was parfait dying in a jar. I'm not exactly thrilled with the results. Did I tell you that the yellow had already been mixed up and had been living in the fridge? It was the third 'top of the jar' color involved and of course, due to it's age, it rinsed out and went right smack down the drain; hense the lack of orange hues, greens and yellows. I think I will re-wet the last two and attack them with some fabric paint and the first two may experience a little 'discharge' play.

I'M IN

2010-06-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been suffering from the universal ailment known to all as PROCRASTINATION! To remedy this grave situation I'M (signed) IN...to the June 18th Friday Night Sew-in. Maybe this will give me a shove over the cliff and into my vast stash of UFOs to come up with one I can finally finish! You are all welcome to join in too...just click on the logo to get the low down..and BTW...there is incentive..2 giveaways! (GRIN)

Meanwhile....

2010-06-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

I did manage to make a couple more of those way fun shabby chic roses to pop on a couple purses!

The Last Zizzy-Dot Blocks

2010-05-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

With our May block exchange we decided to call it quits for awhile and maybe just keep to mailing out an occassional surprise. It's been fun Barbara! We both have about 41 blocks...ample for sashing and making into a great lap quilt!

Friday was Fun...Saturday....well.......

2010-05-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

As opposed to Fun Friday in my previous post, Saturday I sat down to make up a pattern (???) that my friend Carol paid $10 for. It's the Grommet by Maple Island Quilts. It had no, I repeat, NO pattern pieces. There was a wallet that did have 1 pattern piece but Carol bought the pattern for the purse...which had NO pattern pieces. For having to pay $10, there is not much to the design of this purse either...if you can tie your shoes you can make this purse without the "pattern" with no pieces. Can anyone tell me how to spell R-I-P--O-F-F? How about (grin) R-A-N-T Because I think I just did my first bloggerly one!!!

Fun Friday - Free Patterns

2010-05-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Linda Mathews of Free Lunch Cafe fame has browsed the web and gathered up gobs of free purse patterns and placed them all on one site here. This is in the "T" section and is the Tote by IS-LY called the Penelope Tote. This downloaded FREE PDF had all the necessary pattern pieces and was cut and put together last Friday morning from start to finish! This was instant gratifications. I ended up with enough leftovers to dive into some matching accessories!

It's Festival Time...Let's Party!

2010-05-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

I just love these virtual quilt shows...they're so easy on the feet. And there is even a vendor's mall...sort of...when you visit all the quilts entered in this show you will notice that many blogs have Etsy stores as well!

This is one of my Thimbleberries quilts. While I love jewel tones and brights and batiks, I also dearly love the muted warm down home on the prairie tones that the Thimbleberries lines offer. 'Most all of the palettes can be mixed and matched. The fabrics themselves just lend themselves to hand quilting so very well. My needle sails through the layers like cutting through butter. Nothing is washed beforehand and after the last stitch is secured it all goes in the washer (hot water) and dryer; the batting shrinking a little more than the fabric giving the quilt the scrunched up puffy hand quilted look which just adds to the nostalglicness of the piece!

What a Mess!

2010-05-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to try new techniques...especially when I have a ATC technique trade coming up on Surface Design. This one involved muslin and a little glue...Aleene's.

Use an old playing card to spread it all around evenly and then add alcohol inks. Right about now I was thinking this was not the best use for alcohol inks...but I plodded along. After adding alcohol inks, a heat gun was directed to the surface very carefully...causing the glue to bubble and the surface to have this texture. The surface was now plastic, the inks/color spotty, the overall results were ugly in spite of the colors I chose.

Yuk! I've already thown this away (gasp) and I don't even think it would have made decent inchies! Does anyone remember how you spread Aleene's glue on brown bags...zapped and blackened it with a candle and getting all sorts of neat texture...rubbed it with a little treasure gold...and voila...magic. The magic with the muslin, glue, and alcohol inks is not happening! Thank goodness I have plan b and c for the trade...both being tried and true!

More Mini Purses & I-Pod--Cell Phone Holders

2010-05-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

These cell phone/I Pod holders whip up in no time. They start out life as a 4"x34 1/2" strip of fabric with some fusible interfacing ironed on and then the magic begins.....you fold fold fold, sew sew, twist and turn right side out and voila...they happen! They end up with two pockets...one for the phone/pod...one for some real or plastic money!

Once cut out, these little neck purses have some sewing and stacking magic also.

Now they're getting beaded and then they're off to a basket on my guild's raffle table at the quilt show this July!

Aren't These Cute?

2010-05-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

This free pattern can be found over at Skip to My Lou.

These cute little pouches are a quick project and provide a good way to use up those fat eighths and fat quarters or some of those scrumptious hand dyes that you have been making your marks on.

They're about 7 1/2 inches wide and about 5 1/2 inches tall so they are a little roomier than a coin purse. I will sometimes put a long strap on them and turn them into a neck purse. I can pack in my cell phone, plastic money, mad money and a list for hands free shopping.

Be sure and read all the way through the instructions to see how they go together...I did a little (blush) "unsewing" on my first one. I've got three more cut out and ready to stitch and they will be earmarked for the goodie baskets my guild will be raffling off at our show in July!

It's Derby Day

2010-05-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

And check out what I've been doing...making shabby-chic roses!

These were so fun and so fast!

I used some of my rusted fabrics which made this rose look especially good on my Derby Day hat!

Blog Giveaway!

2010-05-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Head over to Yvonne's place...she's having a blogaversary giveaway, and while you're there browse her blog...she does some really great art! I do admire her diversity! By the way, the handmade soaps in the picture are a very small part of her very BIG giveaway...go see for yoursel!

Zizzy-Dot Swap

2010-04-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

Like Barbara mentioned on her blog, we both did the color purple!

Instant Outfitting

2010-04-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Remember when I was working with positive and negative stamps here? I ironed a little Misty Fuse on the back and applied it to a tee shirt when I needed a new instant outfit:

I had some gold holographic ribbon which I glued around the edges and then stitched down with matching Holoshimmer thread. I then straight stitched with the same thread to outline all the design elements. In Nevada, the dress is usually casual and these tees really fit the bill!

INCHIE LOVE

2010-04-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

I just received this generous gift of inchies from Susi of Welcome to Susi Creates! Thank you Susi!

Inchies are miniature pieces of art that generally serve one purpose for existing: to bring joy to the giver and the receiver.

Ever since I participated in an inchie trade a few years ago I have had an inchie affair! I'm fickle about this...they don't have to be inchies...they can be PSIs (plus sized inchies coming in at 1-1/2" square) or even the 2" sq twinchies. I have glued them to cards, used them on fabric postcards, embellished clothing, made jewelry out of them, used them as charms...oh my...the list goes on. They can be made out of....hmmm...anything goes and...if you can take up space, suck in air, and tie your shoe laces, you can make an inchie. But, BEWARE inchies are addicting. If you click onto Susi's link above, she does tell you how she made them. Just scroll down to her April 4, 2030 blog post.

What's Your Line???

2010-04-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

I saw this animated line on Cheryl's blog this morning! Her line kitty turned out nice...but check out the even more amazing video below it! Scroll down and prepare to be mesmerized!!!

Scrunched, Folded, Twisted, Molded, and Voila:

2010-04-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Looks like a smiley cat...huh! Well, back to the scrunching, folding, twisting and molding...

Oh look...a funky little sailboat. Let's scrunch, fold, twist and mold one more time...

Ahhhhh...a zippered pouch for secreting treasures! Thanks Bea...it was a great trip down the rabbit hole!