Everyone is creative but sometimes we need an igniting of the spirit. Join us July 9 from 6-8 pm at the Inspirations Building in Hannibal, Missouri to explore artistic techniques for quilting. I will share an artistic technique that can be used in our …
My apologies for being so late with the June BOM. Just as we need to clean our sewing machines we need to also “clean” our computers and mine was apparently overdue. The block this month is called the Farmer’s Daughter. Depending on how the …
I am working on an entry for the Rieman Gardens Quilt Show in Ames, Iowa in September. Actually, I am working on several entries for that show. Gardens is the key but this year is their 20th anniversary so the overall theme is Celebration. The pic is one of the 10 inch blocks with applied “flower petals” (abstracted) that were paper pieced to meet my need for sharp points. Not all flower petals have sharp points so I have an idea for yet another version that is even more improvisational.
Today was a play day with the needle felting machine. I used wool felt, cotton velveteen, silk and wool roving. The first try—top- was too much as I was trying to pull the orange color to the front. The middle one was too little as …
I tried using an opaque water soluble stabilizer and it worked fine. Those taking the class June 11 in Hannibal, MO may choose to use that rather than the clear if that is what you have on hand. The important point is the water soluble …
At the end of April, barely returned from our winter home in Texas and not yet unpacked I turned around and headed for Quilt City with four quilting friends. After four days of stimulation from beautiful quilts, quilt fabrics, quilt classes and all other things related to quilts in Paducah, Kentucky I am still trying to recoup. The quilts were, as usual, spectacular. The first night back I was exhausted and slept without dreaming. By the second night I had had time to begin processing all that I saw, all that I bought and some of what I wanted to create. I had been asleep less than three hours when I awoke with a start. I had to get up and make some notes. I had been dreaming in silk dupioni—literally. Everything I was dreaming about was either a color I had seen in a quilt or was a quilt that I had designed and made (in my dreams) and all were hand quilted beautifully out of silk dupioni. So, up and out of bed, bleary eyed but excited, get those thoughts recorded. Wouldn’t you know, by the time I found the writing utensil and some paper I couldn’t remember anything but a gigantic star of the softest olive green. It was not pieced. It was all one color and hand stitched with the tiniest of stitches. When I awoke I was sure I had a prize winning quilt design. Now, days later, I look at the notes and am wondering why on earth I thought it was worth getting out of bed at 2 a.m. and recording. Will there be a soft, olive green prize winning star quilt of silk dupioni with tiny hand stitches in my future? Most likely not, but I will continue to fondle the silk dupioni that I did purchase and dream on, in silk.
April’s “T” block is a popular alphabet block. I especially like the versions that are arranged as tessellations so chose the block called “tea time”. I am not fond of tea but do remember my first drink of the beverage at a very young age. …
Feeling the end of winter in Texas. The sewing room is probably not going to be at the point we wanted when we started the winter in December but, having done all the work ourselves it gives a sense of accomplishment. Yesterday I painted the …
A Spot of Color
It was such a gray and gloomy day for south Texas but a good opportunity to try my newly purchased Dye-Na-Flo paints. Practice comes first before making the “real” project. Checking out the colors on a practice scrap of the canvas I intend to use also provided an opportunity to try a glue resist. Many articles read over the years in Quilting Arts magazine gave me encouragement to just experiment. It was, after all, a scrap. Well, now I like the outcome and will have to think of something to make with the sample scrap—provided the glue does wash out without washing out the color. Instructions say to heat set and then rinse but no can do with the glue on it. The glue has to be washed out after soaking for at least 10 minutes. The experiment is not done yet but it was worth a photo at this point just in case. The colors at this point are exactly what I want for the iris I have planned for the canvas. I used a permanent marker that I hope will be the resist and have my picture drawn. I will have to remind myself that it is just a tote bag for carrying groceries—whether it turns out good or bad. Hopefully it will add to my confidence and lead to other projects I have in mind for the paint. I really like the way the paint migrated with the added salt and think that will be a good technique on the iris.
Helpful hint: I used a piece of leftover shelf plastic to protect my counter top. Just right for a small space and small piece.
The Rockport quilt guild, Piecemakers by the Bay, held a workday for making “quilts for kids”, one of the many charitable projects they support. It was my first time attending this work day and it was an inspiring event. Over 50 women gathered with sewing …