Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style

One more card from the card party

2010-06-12T07:17:00.001-05:00

The cardmaking-party hostess told us to bring our own supplies too, so I thought it was a great opportunity to pull out the stamps I bought a while back from JustRite. I hadn't tried them yet, so it took a little experimentation to figure out the right sizes and balance for the circles and scalloped circle. As I look at it, the white card in the background could have used some sprucing up, but again, for me, stamping is more about the experimentation than worrying whether the card is perfect. After all, the recipient of a card, homemade or not, is more interested in the fact that you cared enough to send a card than whether the stamped image is perfectly centered on the layered background or whether the card needs a little more spice. And if they aren't, they should be! I think there might need to be some practice with my circle cutter or the purchase of a large circle stamp to help me make the layers work better, and I look forward to having a little more time to play after I get the craft room set up in the new place.

A stamped card set

2010-06-10T20:06:00.002-05:00

Jenn really has lots of sets of stamps, lots of paper, and lots of inks. I got on a color-play kick--and the pink, green, and brown were available in both ink and paper. So I started playing with white paper and stamped the flowers and verses on five or six. The placement of the flowers is far from planned, but I made a total of five of them in the same color set and gave two to the hostess. She spent most of her time helping everyone else out, so she didn't get to make many cards. It was fun to try out different sentiments!

A new ink color on a stamped card

2010-06-09T06:15:00.002-05:00

It's not often that I make a card in yellow and white. I don't personally have any yellow ink pads, but my friend Jenn does! So on the card play day, I made this card. I'm very much a "keep it simple" cardmaker, and this one is no exception, though it did use a few more stamps than the previous one. I stamped the iris first, and Jenn and I were concerned it was very pale. However, once I mounted it on the golden paper, the contrast seemed to help. When I placed the mounted image on the white card, though, we decided it needed a little more pizazz. So we used a swirly stamp and a speckly stamp to add color to the card front and then placed the image on the card and we were pretty pleased with our solution. Perfect? No way. But a good lesson on experimentation and breaking out of your comfort zone.

A cardmaking party and a simple card

2010-06-08T07:26:00.001-05:00

My good friend and Stampin' Up demonstrator Jenn had another cardmaking party a few weeks ago. Basically, she invited a few of us over to play with her stamps. And play we did! I made a bunch of cards, got to use stamps that I didn't have (or might not have otherwise chosen), and worked with some new ink colors.

Meanwhile, I'll be sharing some card photos over the next few days. Today's card is a very easy card, requiring two stamps--the main motif and a sentiment. This intricate stamp provided excellent results for this type of card. One ink color, two paper colors, and there it is.

The thing I love about this stamp is that it is actually very versatile. In brown on turquoise, it reminded me of a henna tattoo. But it would look very different colored in--Victorian or Dutch, depending on the colors. I'll have to keep an eye out for this stamp, since I think it might be discontinued. Ahh, discontinued stamps--the one flaw in getting to play with the stamp collection of a Stampin' Up demonstrator.....

My going away cake

2010-06-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

My last day of work was Wednesday, June 2. I chose to make a going away cake--I looked into buying one, but having one decorated the way I wanted was just going to be more hassle than it was worth. It was a crazy weekend of packing some of my stuff into a moving trailer, taking care of the lawn, working late, and, on the night before my last day, making my cake. I took some pictures along the way, so you could see the steps. I feel like it turned out pretty well--not to be boastful or anything.

I started with a quarter sheet cake, which is 11 x 15. Because it takes two cake mixes and I am trying to clear things out of the freezer, AND I'm a people pleaser, half of the cake was milk chocolate and the other half is white. You can see where the line is in the first picture, though I tried to marble it a little bit (did I mention the people-pleasing part?).

I did make some cut marks on the surface of the cake to give myself some guidelines as I frosted--they show a little in the photo below. Then, I started frosting the ground--chocolate frosting was perfect to represent Illinois farm dirt.

I was worried about blue frosting being unappetizing, but how else do you make sky? So I took a container of white frosting, set some aside for other colors, and tinted the rest of it with sky blue coloring. It sure didn't take much to make it blue--they mean it when they say use a toothpick! Then I frosted the sky area, going around the barn area.

Next was the red frosting for the barn. That was a frosting mix that I tinted with no-taste red coloring. To get the barn THAT red, I used the entire container of coloring! I had actually mixed the frosting earlier in the evening while the cake was baking when I still hadn't decided how I was going to decorate it. So I got carried away with how much red frosting I made--WAY too much, as it turns out. But I did figure out that the angled spatula is the key to decorating this kind of cake--I was able to use it to frost right up to the line. Here's a shot of the barn mid-coverage.

Then it was on to detailing the barn. I had used a coloring image I found online. It had barnboard-lines, so I figured I could add those with a toothpick, but the details would need to be added with frosting. Into the next container of white frosting I went. Couldn't find the outlining tip anywhere (I found it later that night in the cabinet I thought I'd packed), so I added the barn trim with the small star tip. I also tinted some of the frosting I set aside earlier with yellow, and put it in the hay mow, then sprinkled some yellow Jimmies on top to look like hay.

Then it's on to the details. The rest of the set aside frosting went to greens. Not sure if it was supposed to be a crop, a garden, or just grass, but it needed something.

And finally, the words. Though I'm very excited about my impending move and changes, I will miss my former job, my co-workers, and even my apartment, so "greener" pastures seemed inappropriate. Here's the finished cake.

And it was a lovely farewell celebration. So many of my coworkers stopped by to get some cake--so much so that at the end of the day, there was only one piece left--a top sky corner that I ate while I was still at work around 6:45 that night.

Now I'm looking forward to being closer to family and friends. For the hundreds of reasons I'm looking forward to it, there's one more--the chance to decorate more cakes! I've always wanted to learn to decorate cakes, so maybe there's a cake decorating class in my future....

Links You'll Love, a little late

2010-06-03T09:24:00.005-05:00

Moving and wrapping up things at work really gets distracting! But I'm going to post some links from my friends and then maybe some more this weekend.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's excited to share her first how to video called Ribbon's & Lace. Take a quiet moment, grab a cuppa and stop by and see what its all about.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is learning more every day when it comes to her Etsy shop, like the importance of tags and the number of items you should list, but it's definitely a work in progress.

The Artful Crafter
Advice on selling large lots of craft supplies.

Mixed Media Artist
Can you ever have too much fabric? Cyndi thinks not! Come and add your favorite link to Cyndi's favorites.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Read loads of great tips on Cross Stitch and then share your own - what tips and tricks have you learned that keep you out of tight spots?

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make a recycled sweater gearhead hot pad inspired by the book- The Journal Junkies Workshop

About Family Crafts
Is getting to be that time of year when people get out more whether it be day trips, camping trips, or gathering with friends and family and having picnics and barbecues! Find out how you can incorporate crafting into your camping and picnic fun.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a hot new Look. Learn, and Create video featuring Barbe Saint John showing us how to make a Steampunk hair pin, a free bow graphic download, how to add words to a journal page and a bow, and an inside peek into 1000 ideas from 100 Fashion Designers.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares her Zen Master Slacker Mommy's Guide to Letting Things Ride.

On the move

2010-05-23T12:52:00.000-05:00

For many weeks, you've heard me talk about how crazy life has been. The point of blogging is to share honestly, right? I'm now here to explain the craziness in my life. For those of you who know me personally, you know that my life is very often changing, in fact, one of my nicknames is Gypsy. And now is no exception. Drumroll please......

I'm changing jobs, moving to the farm that inspired this blog's title, and starting on a new adventure. Unfortunately, there will be very little crafting in the next month, since packing will be my main focus (well, that and learning a new job!), but I hope to find a way to share stories and project inspiration along the way.

Meanwhile, thank you all for your patience as my life changes. The suggestion has been made that I should start a packing and moving blog, but who would read that? But some of that might slip in here as I ponder what I get rid of, what I keep, and why.

Links You'll Love: May 17

2010-05-17T20:13:00.003-05:00

I swear I'm going to start a blog post saying something like "What a calm and quiet weekend I had!" But this was a great weekend regardless, even if it wasn't calm or quiet. I got to visit family and some wonderful forever friends. I helped my Mom with a project and we did a little garage saleing (how do you spell that??). And there's nothing better than laughing and joking with good friends over lunch that lasts for hours.

But now I'm home and there's much to do, but I wanted to share some links before I dive into the work to be done.

The Artful Crafter
Ideas for decorating canvas tote bags.

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is our author schedule for Maker Faire-booth #219!, Lab 47 from the wonderful book Collage Lab and the cake die cut design I did inspired by it, tips on how to get your dog to sit for a photo and info on the gallery opening A Consequential Tea in Brooklyn with Kristin Muller.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge has sold her seventh book! Read all about it and about negotiating a contract in the fourth installment in her How to Write and Publish a Craft Book series

Beading Arts
Cyndi has launched the first installment of her brand new e-book on bead embroidery...and it's free! Hurry over for your copy!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's offering a Blog Giveaway! See what she's giving away and the many ways you can enter to win!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Embroidered scissors from the book Redwork from the Workbasket

Cathie Filian
Cathie shows you how to print your own fabric with dishwasher gel and cookie cutters.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Create a stitching-themed sampler with a saying from Ellen Birdseye Wheaton. All back stitch and a single color of your choice. Challenging but quick stitch.

About Family Crafts
Learn how you can make your own personalized garden stepping stones.

Links You'll Love: May 8

2010-05-08T09:08:00.002-05:00

Travel is how I started my week--check out the treasures from my travels. And travel will wrap up my week--visiting my Mom and my Sister for Mother's Day. In between, I worked, took care of some personal business, had a date with my guy, and got my hair done. I also picked up my contacts and had a checkup for those, picked up my new glasses and sunglasses and got them fitted, and got my phone back from its repair shop and returned the loaner. As I look back, it really WAS a busy week! And not just for me. Check out what my blogging buddies have been up to.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Alexa shows you how to make Fontalicious Wall Art that is bold, graphic, and fun! And definitely cheap and easy to do!

About Family Crafts
Let's celebrate Half-Way to Halloween! Some people may think that it is too early to think about Halloween, but actually, Halloween seems to top the of list of people's favorite crafting holidays.

Cross Stitch at About.com
One of Connie's friends says the free When This You See pattern looks like a brain. Connie was inspired by the pocketbook plant. No matter what you see, the abstract design with traditional saying will be a fun stitch.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge reviews Jean Campbell's gorgeous new book Steampunk Style Jewelry.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Paper Jewelry inspired by The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques by Vannetta Seecharran

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a great tutorial on how to paint on fusible web, a photo of a beautiful Roman Stripe quilt from the book-The Quilt, fun photos from a bee field trip with author Kim Flottum and a "Mean Girl" Logo from the book Letterhead & Logo Design 10.

The Crochet Dude
Drew has just released the names and addies of the Michaels test stores nationwide that will be carrying his new line of crochet tools and kits - starting THIS weekend!

The Artful Crafter
How to navigate the sea of digital file extensions.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is celebrating about her summer vacation, but at the same time, she's trying to focus on the long "to do" list!

Mixed Media Artist
A wonderful quote by Dorothy Day inspired Cyndi to make a little canvas board assemblage.

More fabric? Yes, seriously.

2010-05-06T22:51:00.001-05:00

I was in the Tampa / St. Pete area of Florida for a meeting over the weekend. Since my flight got me in a few hours before the meetings started, I had time to locate a few quilt shops.

Last time I visited St. Pete's Beach (almost exactly a decade ago), I convinced my traveling partner and long-time friend Lisa to run up to a quilt shop with me, so that was the first on my list of possible stops. Rainbow's End in Dunedin, Florida had some fabulous fabrics, as you can see from my selection. I mostly purchased fat quarters, but I did buy a yard of the black-and-white pin dot with the pink flowers because I thought it was unusual and felt a little nostalgic.

Next shop was in Country Quilts and Bears in Clearwater, Florida. The marble print in the top left is a flannel, and I fear it might be a flannel I bought before. The three below it along the left side are fat quarters. However, I bet it comes as no surprise to any of you that the farm print in the middle and the two on the left are more than a fat quarter. I bought yardage of all three. The farm fabric will make very cute and very easy baby blankets, just cut 36" by the fabric length (45") and quilted along the design lines (great experience with that quilting machine, right?). The other two just had such great colors that I had to have them and the ideas are swimming around in my head.

By the time I finished at the second shop, I had to high-tail it to the hotel and made it to my first meeting just in time. It was a great meeting, and after it was over, I shot this picture of sunset over the Gulf. I thought you might appreciate a great view after the colorful fabrics, so I'm offering this one to you. Thank you, Florida for a great weekend!

Links you'll love: April 24

2010-04-24T08:41:00.000-05:00

It was a busy week here. Last Saturday, I helped my Mom with a project she's working on and reminded her again of how to use her cutting mat, rotary cutter, and ruler. It's not a process that always seems logical and she doesn't use it often, so she likes a refresher. We fussy-cut some blocks for her quilt (fussy-cut, for those of you who don't know, is planning where to cut the blocks based on something in the print). And that inspired me to cut out the fabric for another Grandma quilt, so Violet will get hers finally (then I'll be caught up on those again!). And I've got a few more quilts to cut on the docket, including one for me. But meanwhile, I've got some links to share this week.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie made an oops with a stitching project when she laundered an item that wasn't colorfast. Have you ever had an oops like that? Vote in the poll and let us know.

About Family Crafts
If you are looking for a special, home-made gift for Mother's Day, check out Sherri's collection of 100 gifts to make for mom.

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a sneak peek into the new book Mixed-Media Dollhouses, how to draw a Zombie Voodoo Doll, make 2 types of paper flowers from recycled book pages, and how to use white glue and tape as resists in fabric altering.

The Artful Crafter
This week Eileen is offering some free striking vintage photos from the 30s and a chance to win the eBook Altered Ancestors: 50 Techniques for Using Vintage Photos in Art.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has added another charm discovery to her sterling silver charms and pendants sale page--2 gorgeous mermaids.

The Crochet Dude
Drew's crochet purse designs are super cute, and now he's got a crocheted Purse Pattern of the Month program? You've gotta check it out!!!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen has a wonderful Mother's Day project to help make it a banner day for mom! Find out what Canvasette paper is while you check out her easy background technique.

Mixed Media Artist
When dumpster diving fails you, here are some great online sources for cool stuff!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make recycled sweater tags inspired by the one in: Hand-Me-Ups By Lorine Mason

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
A hot topic Facebook thread leads to a post about valuing your work. Madge ponders the problems of discounts and freebies.

Violet's Grandma Paper Doll Quilt

2010-04-23T21:47:00.009-05:00

The other night, I cut out a new quilt. WOO HOO! My cousin Lynette's second daughter, Violet, hasn't yet gotten her Grandma Paper Doll Quilt yet and she's got to be nearing a year old, or maybe a little older. Here's a photo of the pieces; I'll post updates of its progress, highlighting some of the fun tools and techniques I'll be using as I go.

I fussy-cut the border-strip fabric to use in the centers of the blocks so there were two of the dolls in each block and I have two of each doll pair. The sketches at the top are only the rough drafts--I changed the colors right before I started cutting, which is funny because I was shopping for a blue and yellow print at the Quilt Festival for the blocks and ended up swapping the greenish daisy print for the blue. So here are the fabrics cut for the quilt. I'm really excited to get working on it, but I think I'm going to cut the Storm at Sea quilt pieces first. I've found that if I have pieces cut, I'm more likely to work on a project but somehow making the decisions and getting them cut is the part that's been holding me up. So I thought I'd cut a few quilts out (the Storm at Sea and my sister's Stack n Whack) and then, over the summer, I'd sew and sew and get them all done. Then I can start working on the quilting part.

Chicago's Quilt Festival 2010

2010-04-22T21:45:00.001-05:00

I shot pictures of several quilts last weekend at Quilt Festival in Chicago, but I've yet to sort through the photos and match them up with the names. I'll try to post them this weekend. I did, however, shoot some pictures of the fabrics I found for my stash (as if I needed more, right?).

Most of the fabric sold at quilt shows is precut--either fat quarters, half-yards, or bundles of some type. Some shops bring bolts of fabric, but in the past many years, I've been more likely to buy fat quarters than yardage. I'll need to be making some scrappier designs, since fat quarters are great for scrappy designs. And they're gonna be some very colorful scrappy quilts because I have a definite preference for brighter colors. And, of course, farm prints. This isn't everything--some of it wasn't all that interesting--but I thought I'd share some of the fun stuff!

Of course, there's always a little farm fabric that I need to bring home. On the left is a farm panel--it was just too fun to pass up. On the right are some fat quarters, a half-yard, and another very cute farm print from a newer line. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but that's okay.

Feathers are up next. The one on the left was just too interesting in colors to pass up. The one on the right will match the fabrics in the Storm At Sea quilt I'm planning. The blues and purples will be perfect and add a lot of texture to the quilt.

The village print on the right was an interesting find. What I'll do with it--don't know. It would make a cool center for a quilt with several borders (plain and/or pieced) along the edges. I love that it has a New England village field to it. As for the rest of the fabrics, I loved the light lime batik, the dots were a fun color combination, and the ladies are already, I believe, part of the stash I have set aside for the someday decorating of the sewing room.

My Mom uses double-sided, pre-quilted fabric to make a thing called a potato bag--used to microwave baked potatoes to perfection. When I saw the parrot and tropical print, I knew it was the potato-bag fabric for me! The mushy print on the left just called to me, as did the farm-y one on the right. But the parrots....

And finally. There was a booth selling fat quarters for VERY good prices. It was jam packed in there, but people were being very generous by passing things back to others who had their eyes on something. Great source for stash-building, a little bit of everything, and I bought duplicates of the ones I was particularly fond of--like the soft green and pink on at the bottom. I don't know what I'll do with it exactly, but I am looking forward to having the chance.

What I don't have in my hands right now are the baby flannels I bought for me (that I offered to share with Rich's niece) and the fabrics I picked up for my Mom for a special project she's working on. So when I get the flannels back, I'll share them. I won't get all of the others back--I guess I did a pretty good job of choosing fabrics for Mom because she kept several of them. More to come on the display quilts soon!

Links you'll love: April 19

2010-04-19T19:51:00.003-05:00

I was out of town this weekend--Quilt Festival in Chicago, time spent with my Mom and my best guy, and a quick trip up to Sheboygan for a fashion show including one of my favorite teenagers. The Jeep saw lots of miles and the weekend flew by. But even with all that busyness, I've got some links to share with you from this week.

Crafty Princess Diaries
While doing some spring cleaning, Tammy made some interesting jewelry discoveries. You just never know what you might find when you try to get organized.

The Artful Crafter
Do companies offer free craft products to the general public for testing?

Aileen's Musings
Are you in need of a royal crown? Aileen has an oldie but goodie tutorial she's sharing with you.

About.com Cross Stitch
Connie's sharing a free pattern that was inspired by a piece of artwork she saw in an episode of Monk. You never know what the source of inspiration will be.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make recycled thigh high socks inspired by the book Color Knitting The Easy Way.

About Family Crafts
Not knowing much about iris folding, Sherri rolled up her sleeves, gave it a try, and shares her step-by-step adventure and free templates with you.

Cathie Filian
Cathie is doing back flips over the release of her new book, 101 Snappy Fashions!

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there are tutorials on how to crochet a "no-chain" foundation row, 17 ways to crop a photo, draw flames with Drew Brophy, change the color in a free cherry blossom print download and a call for entries for 1000 Steampunk Inspirations.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Mother's Day is coming soon and Madge has you covered. Check out her mom friendly card project, recipe and jewelry design!

Mixed Media Artist
There's a lot to be learned about texture when you work with a monochromatic palette!

I'll share my fabrics and finds from Festival in the coming days. And I hope to start cutting into some fabric very soon!

A quilt for me -- Storm at Sea

2010-04-15T22:04:00.002-05:00

The other day, I ran across a book from C&T Publishing called "A new light on Storm at Sea quilts" by Wendy Mathson. The quilt shop I visited previously, quiltfabric.com, mentioned the book on their site. In looking into it further, I noticed several things. First, it's a quilt I have considered making in the past, but the twist on this one is that there's a tool created to make the block easier to make and more accurate. I do love tools that let me piece a little less-than-perfect and still have everything fit together once you've trimmed the block. Then, after I bought the book, I discovered that my friend and former coworker Carol Zentgraf was a technical editor on it. And though I had always thought I'd do an off-center log cabin with the fabrics (like this one), I think this might be the answer to my newest quilt idea.

When I left McCall's Needlework, I'd just made a slipcover for a chair using a tulip fabric that I loved. It combined royal blue, purple, and a dark green with a teal blue tinge on an ivory ground with gold tipping. At that point, I started collecting fabrics to make a quilt based on that fabric's color combination. I've moved these fabrics from Birmingham to Northwest Arkansas to Chicagoland to Milwaukee to central Wisconsin and back to Milwaukee. And I think now might be the time to finally cut into them! Then, the remaining fabrics can be put in their correct color container and I can enjoy sleeping under a quilt that's been rolling around in my head for years.

I worked on organizing the sewing room again this weekend

2010-04-14T07:20:00.003-05:00

I spent Sunday afternoon trying to finish up the cleaning and tidying and organizing of the sewing & craft & stamping & quilting room. (Doesn't that seem like a lot of titles for one room--maybe it should be more than one room....)

I put all of the beads into one big storage container from Plano Molding. Rich gave me four of them that he wasn't using a while ago. He thought they might help me get organized. (He's always thinking of me!) And he was right. I was able to organize most all of my jewelry-making supplies into the three large and two small containers stored inside the big ole box (which is stored underneath the dresser). And the whole containers is ORGANIZED! One small container has jewelry projects that need something or are already ready to be something (all the parts for a pair of earrings, for example), the other small container holds extra clasps, jump rings, head pins, etc., one of the big boxes holds strands of beads, another holds seed beads, and the remaining box holds miscellaneous beads. The only things that don't fit in the box are the flexible beading wires and other stringing materials and the tools. And the lunch-room trays that I use sometimes to organize things while I'm beading. And now, all of it is tucked away.

I also got all of my cross-stitch and embroidery supplies, floss, fabrics, etc. in the drawers of the dresser, so that dresser is full of great craft stuff! Smocking in the bottom drawer, embroidery in the middle, and jewelry in the top!

I was able to get rid of some things, making space to actually put away other things. I was able to clear off the rack and put the quilts on it. The three-drawer plastic container now holds things it should instead of random stuff poorly organized. And I threw away a big bag of stuff that needed to go. I can now navigate the entire length of the room without stepping over anything. The only thing I have to do still is set up the quilting machine. And then, its on to cutting out baby Violet's paper doll quilt, my sister's Stack-n-Whack, and my next quilt, a Storm at Sea. I'll talk more about that in the next few days.

Great fabric sale = a shop went out of business

2010-04-12T20:52:00.001-05:00

I believe that the first quilt shop I ever shopped at was called Stitches n Stuffing in Naperville, Illinois. I remember going there on occasion in high school and college. I remember that they had a ton of patterns (which is what drew my Mom in) and a huge classroom, and a very large shop. I remember that they had pre-pleated smocked bishop dresses and bubbles so you could just smock and finish them. On several of my trips home over the last year, I'd meant to get there, but never did.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a shop I discovered this summer--quiltfabric.com. They were having a great sale--quilt fabric for $6/yard. Of course, I couldn't make it to the sale because it was one of my weekends in Milwaukee and those are precious to me. But they continued the sale the next weekend--a weekend I would be back down in Chicagoland. Of course I went. Of course I found some fabric that I wanted to bring home with me. But the strange part was that I notice some labels on the fat quarters marked "Stitches n Stuffing".

Turns out, Stitches n Stuffing closed over the winter. One of my Mom's friends had gotten an email about it. Finally, the tags and the great deals on the fabric made sense. And though I love my finds, I feel sad that the shop closed. But I'm grateful for the shop that first introduced me to quilting.

Links You'll Love: April 3

2010-04-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

Lots going on, and I've been thinking a lot about quilts. It all started with a newsletter that I got from QuiltFabric.com. They had an awesome sale last weekend, which I missed, but luckily, they had a follow-up sale THIS weekend, which I didn't miss! I'll share fabric photos later. Also, I've been thinking about making a new quilt and also cutting into and creating my sister's Stack-n-Whack quilt. I'll post more in the days and weeks ahead, but meanwhile, here are some links for this week.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Who better to craft for than the furry critters in your house? And they so appreciate it!

The Artful Crafter
Does your craft space need de-cluttering? Here are some ways to donate your excess projects and supplies.

The Crochet Dude
Drew thought he might have to freeze himself to avoid going bonkers while waiting to reveal his next full-length book!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's cooked up a printable recipe card with her delicious Strawberry Spring cake recipe.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
The Easter Bunny is almost here and Madge has a calorie free jewelry tribute to her favorite holiday candy! Get your Pretty in Peeps Pendant here!

Mixed Media Artist
Want to try doing gel glue resists? Oh, the possibilities!

About Family Crafts
April is National Volunteer Month and Sherri has some creative ways you can help others.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a bit of ballerina brilliance from the new book Mixed-Media Dollhouses, how to make shag on knitting, a fun recycled decoupage and office supply project and our author make and take schedule for Unique LA.

Cathie Filian
Enter to win a signed advanced copy of Cathie's new baby fashion book and $130 worth of goodies!!

A plastic flower solution for my 3-D wall art

2010-03-30T22:08:00.000-05:00

Many years ago, I found this metal urn--basically, it's a 3-D wire sculpture that's slightly domed out and resembles an urn--it's not as deep as if it was an urn that was cut in half, but it does have depth. When I bought it, I had this great idea of turning it into a larger 3-D wall art piece, but never could get all of it pulled together, so I've just used it as wall art as-is.

Let me explain what I had in mind. I thought I'd start with a big primed canvas on stretchers. When I say big, I mean 24" wide x 48" or so tall. I'd add a wooden support across the back where I'd attach the urn, which measures about 17" wide, 24" high, and 4" deep. I planned to paint the canvas first, with a base color and then maybe some very bright flowers. But I wanted to have some three-dimensional flowers "in" the urn, extending out from the artwork. Now remember, I'm not really a painter, and I hadn't yet figured out how I was going to actually paint this, much less how I was going to create 3-D flowers. I thought about paper flowers, considered fabric flowers, and have been stymied on this project for probably 6 years.

But today I received a newsletter from BHG.com (Better Homes & Gardens) and there was a link to a slide show about recycled garden art. And it made me think that it's possible that I've found the answer to how to make the 3-D flowers. I'll need to ponder this a little more, but I'm pretty excited about the possibilities, thanks to Dave and BHG.com!

Links You'll Love: March 21

2010-03-21T21:52:00.001-05:00

What a nutty week! I have been working on some mental quilting lately (as opposed to actually quilting or making anything), and it really got my mind running. In my urge to do some spring cleaning, I've decided that this week I have to get finished organizing the sewing room so I can move on to other rooms. But because I'm spoiled, I wanted to be in one room tonight, so I'm working on organizing the bedroom first. Any ideas for organizing my jewelry? I have a pegboard, another that just needs trim, and I bought some picture frames I'm going to fill with velvet and screening, and use for earrings and pins. But if you have other great ideas, post them in the comments please. This place needs to get whipped into shape soon--enough of this mayhem and foolishness, as Niecy Nash on Clean House says. But I took a break and wandered the web a bit. Here's what my pals are up to.

The Artful Crafter
Have you seen Xyron’s Creatopia? Prepare to be amazed by the baby booties going through a Creatopia in the video!

About Family Crafts
Celebrate spring with Sherri and these fun craft projects!

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a fun Steampunk style socket set bracelet, how to repurpose a canvas tote with applique and make faux patches, a peek into some cool art from the book Digital Illustration, a hot water bottle gets Re-Bound and a how to and tips on vampire drawing.

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess has done some house cleaning, at least she's been cleaning up her blog that is.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Where do you find inspiration? Madge wants to know! Share her process from inspiration to design in this inspired post!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make recycled plastic bunny ears inspired by the techniques in the book Upcycled Accessories

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's silk screen projects for Better Homes and Gardens. She has something for everyone.

Mixed Media Artist
See how you can achieve the look of a hand-tinted print with Photoshop!

Christmas in July at the Quilt Shop, part 2

2010-03-17T07:44:00.000-05:00

So as I mentioned in my previous post, the quilt shop I managed in Florida had a Christmas in July 12 days of Christmas kit sale. Here are a few more of the projects we kitted.

This was a very easy project--a wine bottle bag. Simply sew a rectangle in place, box the bottom by folding in the corners, and voila. Made up in a fine Hoffman fabric, it was great.

The tree skirt was made up with another Hoffman fabric. Again, easy-peasy. We folded it into eighths, cut straight across to form the octogon, slit the back, cut the hole in the center and there it is!

A folded star ornament was two sided and made in a beautiful print (might it have been another Hoffman?). I really don't remember how it was made, but I remember being intrigued by it. I must have those instructions somewhere....

This snowman (the only one to be seen in Florida THAT year) was made of batting, sticks, knit fabric, and scraps. The pattern is obviously from The Quilted Rabbit (I can read that!) and it was quick and easy to make.

Another wall quilt from a pattern pack. Fused applique as before, whimsical, and again, quick and easy. I love the way the shapes have almost a cookie-cutter line to them--nothing too complicated.

And finally, a Christmas stocking. Shadow applique was used for the cuff--basically, you choose bright colors of fabric, fuse them to the undersurface, overlay it with a sheer fabric, put batting behind it for tuft, hand-quilt through the layers to outline around the appliques and add definition and detail, and then turn it into a cuff. I love the look of shadow applique--I really do want to explore it further, but I feel it's more appropriately used in small ways, like this stocking cuff instead of large ways, like as a block in a quilt. But that's my personal opinion.

So there it is, the 12 (okay, 11) days of Christmas sale from times gone by. Finding and scanning these photos has been fun for me--getting reinspired by ideas that were rolling around in my head back then.

Links You'll Love: March 15

2010-03-15T20:49:00.001-05:00

It was a nutty weekend, and this morning, on my way to work, I had that "uh oh" moment--as in "uh oh, I forgot to post my links you'll love!" No real excuse except that I was all over the Chicagoland area, spending time with family, friends, and my main squeeze. I did get to go to a quilt show and saw some great quilts and actually stopped myself from buying any fabric. So before I keep you waiting any longer, here's what's in the roundup this week.

The Artful Crafter
Looking for canning jar art ideas and supplies? Let Eileen help you out with resources and tips.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi wants to know: which of your new years resolutions are you actually going to keep?

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside has a fun St. Patrick's Day necklace with a tutorial on how to make a flat coil head pin, instructions on how to make an adjustable lace up shirt alteration, a free round topped box template download and some cool Collage Lab stuff.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has another book review. This one looks at Pretty Little Presents, a book about stitching up small gift items.

About Family Crafts
If you are planning a slumber party, check out this list of crafts projects that will help the time fly.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to sew a recycled tank and t-shirt dress inspired by one of the projects from the book Twinkle Sews by Wenlan Chia

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Had your eyes checked lately? Madge did...and was she surprised to find out she needs glasses!

Christmas in July at the Quilt Shop, part 1

2010-03-14T07:20:00.002-05:00

Back in 1998, when I lived in Florida, I managed a quilt shop. In July, we ran a 12 days of Christmas in July promotion where we kitted and sold different projects each day. Once again, I ran across photos while organizing. I'm going to share some in this post and in a post in the next few days. I really loved creating these projects--some were purchased patterns that we bundled with fabric selections and others were a bit more random. So without further ado:

This one was hand-quilted using pearl cotton, I think, in appropriate colors. It was referred to as "quick stitch" or "big stitch" at the time--I can't remember which. This was a small wall banner--maybe 6 inches across and 16 inches long.

This was a Christmas panel we had in the store and coordinating fabrics. The bottom is a pocket for Christmas cards, stiffened with interfacing to keep it hanging upright.

For this little green wreath, we ordered green doilies, sewed them together around the center hole by machine, then turned it right side out, sewed along the edge of the lace, leaving an opening, stuffed it, hand-sewed the opening closed, and added a metallic bow and hanger.

Another pattern pack packaged with batiks and marbles. I loved this pattern. I wish I could remember who created the pattern, but I can't read that little type. It was a good-sized wall-hanging and all the pieces were fused in place.

This was one of the favorites -- we were the Beaches Quilt Shop, after all. We drew a palm tree, used a zebra stripe for the trunk, and hand-sewed little faux lights on the trees. Having been there for a Christmas, I saw first hand that the residents of the Beaches actually did decorate the palm trees in their front yards, and I thought it was the coolest thing! So this was a must-have.

Coming soon, the other days. So far, I've only found 11 of the 12 projects, so we might have to pretend. The 12th will turn up sooner or later, I'm sure.

An easy way to paint the walls in a kid's room

2010-03-11T20:29:00.002-06:00

Several years ago (and when I say several, I mean maybe a decade ago), my nephew (now 15) was obsessed with Lego's and Fisher-Price, and his favorite incarnations of these toys were pirates, castles, knights, and dragons. He's also peeled the wallpaper off the walls of his room, which had been his nursery (sorry to air the dirty laundry, sister dear). The room really needed an update. So sister dear stripped the wallpaper and put a basecoat on the walls. And over Christmas break, we got a little nutty and did this.

As for the how we did it.

Rent an overhead projector or opaque projector.
Find a coloring book with the images you want to use.
Make copies of the page on transparency (for an overhead projector).
Buy a whole bunch of acrylic paint and brushes. And Sharpies. (Much to my Mom's horror -- "how will you ever cover that up?") Don't forget the pencils.
Pop the first image on the wall and determine the right size for the image. (I think ours are about 3 feet tall.) Trace it on the wall with the pencil.
Repeat on the other walls with the other images.
Paint sections as desired. It's like a coloring book on steroids!
Once it's dry, draw outlines and fine lines using a permanent marker.

I did the pirate ship. My sister and brother-in-law did the castle. Since we started at 8pm, my nephew was supposed to be sleeping in the other room. But every once in a while, as we discussed what color certain things should be, we'd hear this little voice reminding us that the knights should be red and black, the banners should be different colors, etc. So finally, since he wasn't sleeping, we brought him in to act as color consultant.

I ran across these photos the other day in my organizing binge. The photo I'm missing is the one of the dragonslaying. They're still on the walls of his bedroom, mostly covered up with posters and furniture now. At some point, we'll have to paint over them, I know. And I'm okay with that. This was a very fun project to do, with a lot of laughter, though not at all as artistic as real mural painting. But it's a great way to add fun artwork to a child's room.

Links You'll Love: March 5

2010-03-05T21:08:00.003-06:00

Here's to the start of a productive weekend! In addition to doing a little museum touring in my own town, I hope to get some more work done in the sewing room. And maybe get a few other projects finished or at least started. Meanwhile, a few links to get your weekend started!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy shows off some jewelry she and her husband made for a local charity auction, perfect for animal lovers!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make Egg Cup pincushions inspired by a wonderful project in I "Heart" Patchwork by Rashida Coleman-Hale

The Artful Crafter
Take a spin with Eileen and Shaaron on the Craft-N-Spin crafting turntable.

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a post about working with grids in mixed media, a ribbon embellished quilt from The Quilt Bible, 3rd Edition, tips on outlining a photo and a bunch of journal pages from 1000 Artist Journals.

About Family Crafts
Sherri shares some suggestions to help you celebrate National Craft Month.

Beading Arts
Cyndi is running a contest on Beading Arts, and the prize is an absolutely free advertisement!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's altered a pair of old white tennis shoes and gave them a whole new look....they were pretty wild but she's toned them down with some spray webbing. She's even worn them out and about and received some great compliments on them!

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Ever wondered what it takes to get a craft book published? Join Madge in this first installment in her How To Write and Publish a Craft Book series

Another "before" craft-room organizing photo

2010-03-04T06:58:00.001-06:00

It's slightly incorrect to say this is a "before" picture of the other part of the sewing room. This is actually a "between" photo. Earlier on Sunday, this area didn't have all of this stuff in it. It had a pile of fabric in it that needed to be put away. But once I did that, I started pulling things off of the shelf in the corner to go through it, paring it down, organizing what was there, and generally getting a grip on it. I also went through the items in the lavender-white dresser in the left foreground of the photo. Most of the drawers used to have jewelry making supplies in them, but I pulled them out and haven't gotten them filed back in. But the bottom drawer has all of the smocking supplies and patterns in it.

Those blue in-boxes in the middle of the floor were filled with miscellaneous papers and paper-sized packages that needed to be sorted through. I'd like to get through the stuff on that four-shelf unit and possibly eliminate the need for it entirely. The more I can narrow down what I have in that room, the more spacious the room will be and the easier it will be to work in there. I'll share more photos as I make more progress, but I thought I should let you know that it is coming along.

I found a photo of the baseball quilt

2010-03-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

This organizing thing really does pay off. You have to look closely to distinguish between the baseball print and the pieced blocks, but I couldn't resist. If you recall, I posted a version of this quilt using teddy bear fabric in addition to the more subtle version that appeared in McCall's Quick Quilts.

This quilt was made for a very special newborn whose nursery was decorated in a baseball theme. His father is an avid Cubs fan, so the quilt was perfectly suited for the little slugger. The red and black fabric I used for the inner border and binding picked up on the color of the stitches on the baseballs. But it's possible that the black and white pieced blocks didn't offer the best balance with the large-scale baseball print.

I even went the extra step and made a really appropriate label for the quilt.

Links You'll Love: February 28

2010-02-28T11:41:00.002-06:00

My head's been in creative mode the last few weekends. Since I'm in the midst of organizing the craft room, I've been handling all of the supplies to put them in their proper places. My mind has been filled with quilts I could make of all those fabrics and cards I can make with all those papers, stamps, and doodads. I've been thinking about designing some quilts and sending them in for publication. And my creative friends have been busy as well. Busy designing, busy blogging, busy creating--they're an inspiration to me. And I hope they'll be an inspiration to you.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Mixed Media Greeting Card Album using embellishment ideas from the book The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook by Sherry Steveson

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Make a fab mixed media journal cover with Madge in this week's post for iLoveToCreate!

Aileen's Musings
Come journey with Aileen along her creative process as she transforms a paper napkin into 3 whimsical pieces of art!

The Crochet Dude
Drew reveals his favorite cookbooks and answers 8 important questions.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi tried having some custom-printed fabrics made, and she learned a lot in the process.

About Family Crafts
Sherri challenges you to create your own leprechaun trap. Use her tips and the photos that have been submitted so far for inspiration.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shares directions for making flowers from fabric scraps or from paper coffee filters.

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is tutorial on turning a box into a book, how to paint a bunny rabbit and carrot Chinese brush style, putting words on a spoon and a sneak peek into the new book 1000 ideas from 100 Fashion Designers with my own fashion star sighting.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Looking for a little crafting encouragement? Tammy found it through an Etsian jewelry designer.

Cathie Filian
Turn a hardware store washer into a papered necklace with Cathie's tutorial.

Progress organizing the craft room, part 2--the cardmaking station

2010-02-26T22:12:00.002-06:00

I'm SO excited about how the cardmaking station came together. And I'm especially excited that it's no longer in the living room! Check it out--the plastic drawers on the right are filled with paper, punches, and coloring things--chalks, colored pencils, etc. The rolling cart under the table holds metal containers (free at the office surplus supply giveaway/sale) filled with rubber stamps. The drafting table and stool were purchased from a neighbor's garage sale several years back and have served me well. I love having it as a work area.

A few weekends ago, I framed out the pegboard and added support bars to the back. It's not perfect, and I didn't get the trim painted, and the mitered corners don't match, but it's turned out to be SO useful. Lots of ribbon, scissors, glues and tapes, and other stuff fill the board, and there are, in fact, still some empty containers, believe it or not. After I had it all arranged on the pegboard, I realized I needed to do more than just lean it against the wall. I took a bunch of it down, moved it to the floor, secured the back slats in place with screws and added big ole' OOK hooks along the top and on the wall so it was secured in place. With plaster walls, those OOK hooks are fabulous.

Valentine's weekend, I "won" a metal board with magnetic containers at the Camp Shaw fundraiser. Some of the containers are filled, some are empty, but again, that gives me room to get better organized. The colored containers hold eyelets; the little plastic containers were getting to be too much to handle and they kept opening at inopportune times. I did mix the colors, which seemed like it would be okay, since I was cautious about it and put very different colors/shapes in each container. The multicolored tins came from American Science and Surplus this week. I had to add magnets, also from American Science and Surplus, but that worked fine, because I was able to glue them to the back of some plastic containers I had around (see the top right corner). They hold eyelet setting tools and some extra stamped bits.

In all, I think this station will be great to work at, once I get the rest of the room all cleaned up! I'm looking forward to making some great stuff in this room!

Making progress organizing the sewing and craft room, part 1

2010-02-25T21:34:00.002-06:00

As I mentioned before, I flipped the bedrooms in my house to give myself a little more space in the sewing and craft room and to get my cardmaking station out of the living room and into the craft room where it ought to be. I shared the "before" shot last weekend and thought I'd give you an update. Over the weekend, I organized the fat quarters into great containers from Ikea that fit perfectly on the shelf in my closet. Here's the mound of fat quarters, sorted by color with the help of my favorite four-year-old. It may not LOOK sorted, but it is.

Next, here's the closet "after", looking a whole lot better than it did in the "before" photo. The shelves were all already in place. Before I got organized, the plastic containers were on the top shelf, leaning over because the shelves were sagging. Now, with everything organized and in proper containers, I have a lot more space and everything I'm looking for is in its place. As you can see from the picture below, the little containers that fit so perfectly on that shelf are filled with fat quarters by color. And the nine-section shoe sorter holds fabrics that I bought in the past to make some quick quilts on which I can practice using my quilting machine.

I'm thrilled with how the closet is looking. This is the first step in getting this room pulled together. I still have to put the rest of the fabric, the non-fat-quarter-fabric, in containers by color. That's this weekend's project.

Stay tuned from the next section of the clean-up: the cardmaking station.

Links You'll Love: Feb. 21

2010-02-21T16:24:00.002-06:00

I got a bunch done this weekend, but didn't want to miss the chance to share some links with you!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make a Chain Soup and Photo necklace inspired by the fab book Chain Style by Jane Dickerson

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside has an inside peek into how to choose the right color for a design, a free pattern for knitting cuffs with the boy/girl icons on them, a fun logo made with a scribble, a tutorial on how to make a Steampunk style necklace with a recycled soda can and polymer clay heart and some Lisa Kettell news about her Art Opera.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy gives you an update about the new jewelry book she's working on plus a little inside scoop.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge is so ready for spring, how about you? Here's a tutorial for a yarn flower loom embellished frame that's sure to cure the winter blues.

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's blog for 11 DIY wedding favor ideas.

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen has a fabulous dollar store find she wants to share with you! Stop by and see what she's created and take part in her challenge.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie's added more stitchable signs to her Laundry Room Collection - add a little humor to a household chore.

The Artful Crafter
If you’ve done metal embossing in the past or would like to learn about this art form, let Eileen bring you up to date.

Mixed Media Artist
Want to try a little layers experiment in Photoshop?

About Family Crafts
Sherri shows you how you can transform ordinary flower pots into a variety of fun craft projects.

A weekend of organizing

2010-02-21T15:47:00.005-06:00

What a weekend! I got a bit of reorganizing done in the sewing room and I found the pattern that I'd misplaced. I was able to organize the fabrics that I've bought over the past year-plus on my travels, especially all those fat quarters I've amassed. First, I should share a "before" photo. As you can see in the photo, all those bags across the shelf were fabrics that I'd picked up at shows, on travels, and along the way the last year and a half or so. And that closet is where I'm hoping all of it will live once I get it organized. So organizing suggestions are welcome--any ideas would be great. I don't want to build shelves, which is the logical solution, so it will be containers and such. I tried sweater storage things that hang from the curtain rod, but they aren't built strong enough and most of them are too long and hit the shelf, so I'm somewhat back to square one. When I stack the containers on the shelf, the poor shelves sag so badly! So I'm still working on solutions--we'll see how it goes. Meanwhile, I'll try to keep you posted via photos of the progress.

For updates, see the closet "after" post and the cardmaking station "after" post.

T-shirt purse, number 3

2010-02-19T07:30:00.002-06:00

Here's the third purse for the Camp Shaw fundraiser. As it turns out, this one was the greatest challenge, but challenging yourself is good for the mind and the creative spirit. As with the pink purse, this shirt was the perfect fit for this pattern--also from McCalls 5011. However, it's been a while since I sewed and I made a decision error with one of the materials on the list. It called for fusible interfacing (hair canvas). In my mind, hair canvas was a material I had used before for other purses--almost like a fine needlepoint canvas. However, when I was at the cutting counter, they didn't have that, so I bought a fusible interfacing that was fairly thick, about the thickness of felt but much stiffer. I should have realized it would be difficult to stitch through and that I should have trimmed it inside the seam allowances rather than having to trim it afterward just beyond the seamline. So this purse turned out fairly stiff--it can definitely stand on its own. I had the same challenge with this purse that I had with the back of the pink purse--the placement of the screen print meant some creative piecing, so this time I covered the seams with wide black rickrack.

But the greatest challenge was at the end. The way this purse goes together, the seam that remains unsewn for turning right-side out is the handle opening on both sides--that rounded triangular area. But then you have to hand-stitch along that opening, sewing the outer part (the t-shirt in this case) to the lining. That's really when I realized that the felt-like fusible stuff was a bad idea! I don't know how many times I stuck myself with pins and needles making those two pieces line up correctly. And stitching through that dense fabric was tough! But I persevered and finished the purses just in time to get ready for the fundraiser (and not a moment sooner!). They did turn out pretty cute, if I can say that about something I made without tooting my own horn.

Thanks, Deb, for the inspiration and the push I needed to get back to sewing and making things. It felt great!

Pink Purse for the fundraiser

2010-02-18T07:13:00.004-06:00

So here's project two for the Camp Shaw fundraiser. When my sister gave me the smaller shirts, I didn't want to turn them into a second reversible tote--WAY too predictable! So I pulled out a few of my purse patterns and books and found a discontinued McCalls sewing pattern 5011. This pattern included instructions and patterns for three different-shaped purses and when I opened up the tissue pattern sheets and started looking at them, I noticed that one of them fit the screened area of this t-shirt perfectly! What are the odds? So it had to be turned into this handbag. I found the perfect ribbon to attach the bag to the handles and the perfect handles.

But then, when it came to the back of the purse, I realized there might be an challenge. The camp web address was positioned high on the back, which meant that I had to do something to position it properly on the purse. I set the screened portion low, since it was the only place it could fit, and I sewed another piece above it. I backed the pink ribbon with black ribbon and sewed it over the seam. I lined the purse with a mottled pink cotton that was almost a perfect match.

One tip: I did back all of the t-shirts with fusible interfacing. The cotton lining fabric will help to keep it from losing its shape.

Finally, a posted project!

2010-02-17T21:11:00.006-06:00

First, no worries, I'm still alive. I realize it's been almost three weeks since I blogged. I really don't know where the time went, but it's been a very busy time in my life. Nothing specific, just much going on---mind, body, and spirit. Meanwhile, I made some projects last week and I have to tell you, it was pure bliss (with a bit of occasional cursing). I'll share them in the coming days, starting with this post.

I used to work on a magazine called Make It Mine, and a wonderful and creative woman, Andrea Loss from Milwaukee, shared this project in the first issue. Andrea did a lot of work with her local high school, helping them with plays, which meant she ended up with lots of theater t-shirts. And she found a way to turn two t-shirts into a very cute tote. For the step-by-step shots for the magazine, we used t-shirts from one of my favorite places--Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see. It was a 4-H camp when I was a kid; it's a non-profit camp now.

The last few years have been tough for fundraising for a camp (and for similar non-profits), given the economic conditions of the country. So the board at Camp Shaw decided that a more personal fundraiser was in order. The First Ever Have a Heart, Send a Kid to Camp! Camp Shaw fundraiser was held Feb. 13 in Kankakee, Illinois. I was delighted and honored when my sister Deb (Board Treasurer) asked me if I would donate some handmade items to the silent auction. We started talking, and we decided that a tote bag made out of Camp Shaw t-shirts would be perfect. She had secured two large adult t-shirts (white and orange) and two medium child-size tee's in pink and aqua. So I followed our directions and turned the orange and white shirts into a tote (shown here--click on the photo to see it larger).

Tomorrow, I'll show you what I did with the pink shirt. And Friday, the aqua shirt.

And yes, for the record, all three of them did get bids, so I feel good about that! And I got a few things at the silent auction as well and got to catch up with some old friends, so it was a great event!

Links You'll Love: Jan. 31

2010-01-31T20:00:00.003-06:00

I'm absolutely spoiled. Twice a year, I get to attend one of the finest and most exciting trade shows--the Craft & Hobby Association trade show. In addition, the last two shows have had a companion show for consumers, where retailers can sell goods and show off how products are used and manufacturers can get feedback on products directly from the consumers. And the best part is that consumers can learn a new craft and expand their skills. It's really amazing to see and to experience the demonstrations and make-it-take-its at both shows. So that's where I was last week, which is why there weren't many posts. In the coming weeks, I've got some making to do, so I'll be sharing lots of fun stuff. Meanwhile, take a stroll around some of my buddies' blogs.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Another project is in the works, a super duper red scarf in yummy cranberry.

About Family Crafts
If you are looking for ideas for fast and fun home-made St. Valentine's Day cards, check out what Sherri has to offer.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi's shibori background quilt is finished...yay!!

Cross Stitch at About.com
Stitch a simple Be Mine Valentine design for your beloved.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside went to CHA and it brought back tons of fun pictures of all sorts of creative people. Check out some of the fun pictures and projects along with a link to more studio space photos and how to bead quill around a core bead from the book Bead Quill Jewelry.

The Artful Crafter
Do you have any crafty angels – angels you’ve made or angels you’ve met?

Aileen's Musings
Aileen is participating in One World One Heart International blog giveaway. Stop by and see what OWOH is all about and enter to win some goodies!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Check out fun pictures with some great crafty and stylish peeps at The Craft Super Show and CHA

A baby quilt for a colorful child

2010-01-28T08:01:00.000-06:00

I do enjoy making quilts for babies and kids. Partially because they're easy and quick and a great way to experiment with a technique, a color combination, or a pattern. I made this quilt for the big sister of the girl who got this quilt. My theory, knowing their parents the way I do (their Momma was my college roomie), is that the colors reflected what I imagined would be their personalities. A quilt from 1999, I think, I think these fabrics came from the Fabric Center in Morris, Illinois, but I'm not 100% positive about that. The print fabric had the look of mosaic tiles, which I was drawn to, and the colors are some of my favorites. I do remember debating with myself over whether to use the purple and turquoise or substitute one of them for a midnight blue. In the end, I went with this and I do love it. This quilt was completed about the same time as the teddy bear quilt. I had both of them finished, and I think they sat for a while, just waiting for the binding to be hand-sewn to the back. One chilly winter weekend, I finished them both.

Today at CHA... Sunday's edition

2010-01-25T00:24:00.001-06:00

As I type this, I can hear the fireworks over at Disneyland. I had a great day, a really fabulous day, and, though I'm exhausted, I'm really looking forward to another wonderful day tomorrow. The day started by attending the Awards Ceremony and Keynote Speaker, Dr. Martha Beck. Her presentation was inspiring, exciting, and energizing, and I'm so glad I'd listened to Steering by Starlight in the weeks leading up to the show so I felt like I got even more out of her presentation. I also purchased her book and she was gracious enough to sign it and permit us to take this photograph. That's me in the middle, with Martha Beck on the right and Carol Zentgraf, a former coworker from McCall's Needlework on the left.

I was able to see so much today. So many new products, presentations, and people. It's amazing to be surrounded by wonderful, creative people, all of whom share the same goal--in some way, helping the consumers learn a new craft, explore their creativity, or hone their skills and talents. It's about service; I believe that everyone in this industry is in it because they believe their products, designs, programs, publications, etc., will serve the consumer or help the retailer do so. And that's what it's all about. It was a blast to see new products that made me say "That's the coolest idea--I'm SO glad someone came up with that idea!" I'll update you in the next few days about some of those items.

Today, I'm updating you on a product I mentioned yesterday after the Creative Options reception. I stopped by their booth today to see if they'd send one of these to us at the office to review, but Kathy was kind enough to send me home with one to pass along to the staff. And as I carried it around the show floor, a lot of people noticed it and asked me about it. Everyone commented on the shape and the lines of it (as did I), but I told them all that the best part was inside. So I'd do a little show-and-tell and open it up. And here it is....six shelves with segmented containers in each shelf, perfect for beading supplies or embellishments, such as brads, eyelets, or other doo-dads. I find myself wishing for a bunch of them for my cardmaking area in my craft room--wouldn't they be great hanging on the wall or something! And I still do love this color scheme! Everyone I showed it to oohed and aahed about it, wishing they had one, so I'd tell them to stop by the Creative Options booth and check it out.

Tomorrow's another day of meetings and trend-spotting and learning and seeing. I'm on a panel tomorrow talking about how designers in this industry can market themselves. I'm addressing the publishing aspect and can't wait to hear what the other presenters have to say and what the attendees want to know. Here's to Monday!

Today at CHA...

2010-01-24T00:25:00.000-06:00

I got to do a little more wandering around the CHA Craft SuperShow today. In addition, I toured the LA Convention Center and the LA Live area that surrounds it. And then I attended the Creative Options by Plano Molding reception, where they unveiled their new color scheme for their totes and containers. The new line is called Vineyard and it's lovely! In addition to containers like this, they make the rolling totes and all of that as well! The line is beautiful, and the company is located near where I grew up, so it always holds a special place in my heart. But it's their ingenuity that always impresses me. They have an awesome container for beads that I just love the shape of. I'll try to get by their booth tomorrow and snap a few more pictures. Meanwhile, these pictures show the inside and outside of the container.

After that reception, I got to catch up with my artistic and wonderful friend from college, Victoria, and her almost-17-year-old daughter. We had a great meal, got to catch up, and it was marvelous. And on the drive back to the hotel, the Disney fireworks display started, so we got to see that too! All in all, a fabulous day!

Links You'll Love: Jan. 23

2010-01-23T10:45:00.003-06:00

I'm at CHA (Craft & Hobby Association). Friday and Saturday are dedicated to the CHA Craft SuperShow, which crafty folks can come, see products demonstrated, make items of their own via make and takes to try out interesting materials, and, of course, SHOP. I did a little shopping myself yesterday--buying a few beachy fat-quarters from Tall Mouse and a few embossing templates for cardmaking from Heritage Handcrafts. Come Sunday, the trade show portion opens. That's where the folks who work in the industry get to see the new lines and the people who own shops and work in publishing, like me, get to learn more about the lines, try them out, and see the great new ideas that designers have come up with using these products. I have to tell you, the minute I walked in the door of the show yesterday, my heart lifted. I've worked with so many great people over the years, and I get to see so many of them here. Plus, of course, there's the energy and excitement of seeing new products, seeing people be creative and try new things. And I love seeing a company take a product from a year or two ago and figure out another even-more-fabulous use for it!

But lest I forget my true purpose of this post, here are some links you'll love for this week.

Cathie Filian
Check out this cute appliqued apron that Cathie whipped up for Better Homes and Gardens.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Have you ever stitched on silk gauze? Vote in the poll and tell us about your experience or lack thereof by leaving a comment.

Jewelry & Beading
Check out Kathryn Lane Berkowitz's gorgeous seed bead work!

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Happy UnValentine's Day from Madge with this tongue in cheek card for iLoveToCreate

Crafty Princess Diaries
Get the 411 on a group of crafters who can help you help Haiti.

About Family Crafts
Sherri has gathered together a collection of projects that would make great St. Valentine's Day gifts. Nothing quite says 'I Love You' like a personalized gift, hand-made by you.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's isn't quite up to full speed again after having pneumonia so she's reposting the link to her freebie's page full of how-to's, tutorials and freebie images. Peruse and have fun playing!

The Artful Crafter
How to use waterslide decals for decoupage under glass. Put your original designs anywhere with inkjet or laserjet decals.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is the full low down on all the signings, classes, and make & takes with the authors for the big winter 2010 CHA show, some wonderful journal page art, how to make an Egyptian stick, a great tool for making stripes, turning a paper clip into a jazzy bookmark and some recycled zipper jewelry.

My unpredictable fish quilt

2010-01-22T06:38:00.001-06:00

When my Godson was born, I lived in Florida and managed the quilt shop. His nursery had a fish theme. Fish fabric was something we had plenty of at the shop in Florida, so I had my choice. This project was a great adventure, inspired by several projects I'd seen come into the shop and classes we offered at the shop. Basically, I cut pieces of foundation, cut a fish from the print randomly shaping the fabric with at least four edges. Then, I cut my bright prints and black prints in various widths of strips, tossed them all in a bag, and whatever I pulled out, I used, sewing the strips on in a log-cabin-like method, working around the fish in the center and sewing it all to the foundation.

Once I got the larger blocks done, some containing several fish in the oddly shaped center pieces, I had to fill in the blanks with smaller blocks. That's when I had to start plotting the rest of it, since it was put together in no set pattern.

As for the side borders, I used several different blue fabrics. I wanted to provide the feel of being under water, so I used a blue underwater rock print for the bottom and lower side borders, a blue with water coral (is that what I mean?) up the sides, and then, at the top, dark fabrics that look like waves underwater.

I remember working on this project during the divorce when I went away, thanks to my bosses at the quilt shop, for a weekend at a hotel down the beach from where I lived. (A change of surroundings is always good!) I don't know if the hotel staff had ever seen anyone move into a hotel room with a sewing machine and rotary cutting supplies, but they had after that!

Cow quilt #2

2010-01-20T07:21:00.003-06:00

So you've seen cow quilt #1, dated 1997. Here's cow quilt #2. My sister's second son may have gotten the benefit of experience in his quilt. That and some fabulous fabric. I found this great print--the farm animals having a hoedown. I fell in love instantly. It was a striped print, with the barns in one row, the marching animals at the top in another row, and the dancing fowl in another row, from what I recall. The green print with the boogie-ing barnyard animals was a companion print. I included the same cow print and "moo" print from the other cow quilt in this one so they'd work in the same room, and grabbed a bunch of bright fabrics to make the paper-pieces stars. I still love the way this quilt came together!

As for the words embroidered in the golden box in the center, it was from the striped print and it reads, "Hey diddle diddle, the pig had a fiddle, the cow played a groovy new tune. The others joined in and had a fine time, as they jammed by the light of the moon." Love it!

Cow quilt #1

2010-01-18T07:09:00.000-06:00

My sister lives away from the farm she grew up on. But she always seems to want to have a touch of farm in her home. So when her first son was born (maybe not RIGHT away...), I made this cow quilt because she had found the perfect bandanna bedding for the nursery. It was from a magazine, though I can't remember which one because I just happened upon it on the newsstand. I made it in residence #3 in Arkansas, so probably sometime in 1997. The border fabric looks like a black and white print, but it's actually the word "moo" in black type on white fabric. The cows were machine appliqued and their tails are braided embroidery floss just attached at the rump. The cows are actually cut from a cow-print fabric, which kept the spots random. And the tabs that hold it on the rod are secured with buttons shaped like ears of corn. The backing is a farm print--that's also what I used to bind it, though you can't tell that from the picture. Alice painted the rod and brackets to match and did a fabulous job.

Coming soon, the second cow quilt. Stay tuned.

Links you'll love: Jan 16

2010-01-16T11:25:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I wonder how everyone else seems to keep on track, because there are weeks when I feel a little derailed. That's why I haven't done a Links You'll Love for a few weeks. But I'm back on track, and the house is looking better and work is crazy but that will pass.

Meanwhile, there's much going on. CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) is having two shows in Anaheim. Traditionally, CHA only has a trade show--a show where all the manufacturers display their wares, both new and standards. But last year, they tried something new--a show for consumers. Here's how it works. Manufacturers can display their new products, let consumers try them, and of course, there are also retailers selling their stuff. There will be star sightings, make-it-take-its galore, and so much stuff to see, try, and learn about. So if you'll be in the Anaheim area Jan. 22nd and 23rd, check out the CHA Craft SuperShow.

One of the best parts about trade shows is that I get to see a bunch of my friends. Having worked so long in this industry, business contacts, fellow board members, and designers become friends. In fact, I'm sure I'll catch up with several of the folks in my Links You'll Love gang while I'm there. And speaking of Links You'll Love...

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week Craftside's got tutorials on how to make a paw print place mat, a tasty "bite" from the new book The Designer's Graphic Stew, how to sew a neckband into a neckline, all the CHA author details and how to make a scratching box for your cat.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
It's Chipboard Week at The Impatient Crafter and Madge throws down an 80s inspired mixed media necklace for iLoveToCreate!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Get into the early Valentine spirit with these colorful and cute Valentine brooches!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Is it really possible to quit your day job and become a full-time crafter?

Cross Stitch at About.com
Cutesy Cross Stitch not your style? Seeking stitches for your sarcastic friends and family members? Check out Connie's snarky stitchery patterns for a refreshing change of pace that avoids an X rating.

The Crochet Dude
Drew reviews Arctic Lace by Donna Druchunas, and enter to win some lace weight qiviut!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi's shibori fabric is finished...and it was easy to make!

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's CHA plans! Her new book 101 Snappy Fashions and her new product line will be unveiled.

About Family Crafts
Sherri shares a collection of craft projects, all made from fleece fleece fabric. You can make everything from Sleeved Blankets for yourself and your pet to simple hats and scarves.

The Artful Crafter
Are you sometimes frazzled by all the demands for your time? Here’s Eileen’s plan to make more time for her art.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how I use some fun Sweater Surgery and button flowers to dress up a clutch and check out my Craft Super Show and CHA Schedule so you can join me in Customizing a Greeting Card Album and making all sorts of goodies with recycled wool felted sweaters.

To celebrate my friend Julie's son returning home

2010-01-15T07:07:00.000-06:00

My friend Julie's son arrived home from Iraq today, so she and her family have been on my mind. In a wonderful love story, Julie, a divorcee, and Scott, a widower, found each other through their faith and got married several years ago, merging families and households and serving as a living example to relationship success after loss and healing, a model for me and I'm sure countless others.

Before the wedding, I was visiting Julie and reverse engineering a sweater for her to give to Scott as a wedding gift (yes, I do sweaters in addition to quilts), we stopped by Scott's house. I mentioned that I might stop by the neighborhood quilt store on my way home and he asked if I used batting in my quilts. This seemed like a strange question to me, so, with trepidation, I said "yes...?" Scott excused himself to the basement and returned with a large bag of batting pieces in assorted sizes. I turned out his wife had been a quilter. He shared her fabric with her quilting friends after she passed away, but had found this bag of batting later and graciously passed it on to me. I did promise him that I'd let him know what I did with it. As I was getting a tour of the house, Julie mentioned that they had purchased bedding for what would be their room, that they planned to paint to match it, and that they needed throw pillows.

As an aside: I'd always wanted to make a lone star quilt and had looked at the beautiful wall-size version featured in the book The Joy of Quilting by Joan Hanson and Mary Hickey. (Incidentally, this book was open to this article the day a distracting telephone conversation and a runaway rotary cutter caused me to require my first stitches. And no, I didn't bleed on the book! But I digress.)

Fast-forward a week. They were coming to town for Easter the next Saturday, so I asked Julie to bring me a pillow sham, because an idea had been rolling around in my head. There was a bridal shower within the month and I needed a gift for that and the wedding. After picking up the sham from them, I zipped over to the quilt shop and bought some fabric, filling in with some from my stash. And over that Easter weekend, I created this wall quilt for Julie and Scott. Of course, I used batting from the bag that Scott had given me. The colors were pulled from the pillow sham (shown in the background of the lower picture, see the photo below for a more realistic version of the bedding colors). The pillows were made from the fabrics in the star. For the green pillows, I backed the pillow front with batting and fabric, then did the embroidery through all three layers to add a little dimension, and then constructed the pillows. Both Julie and Scott were touched by the way that I used Ellen's batting in these pieces, customized to their decor.

I've been lucky to be involved in many of the special events in this family's life. I made the jewelry for the bridesmaids at Julie's wedding and also made the jewelry for the bride and bridesmaids at her son's wedding. And now her son is returning to his wife and their baby boy after a safe tour of duty. I have plans to make the new baby a present, but I don't know when that will get done.

Strangely enough, I think I followed the instructions correctly, but I ended up with two sets of diamonds for the star. So I made one set with green on the inside and purple on the outside and flipped the other ones around so the purple was in the middle. I very often put my projects somewhere I can see them, walk past them, catch a glimpse of them, when I'm trying to make a decision about something. In this case, I brought the two stars to the office and laid them on the sham so I could see which one I thought worked better with the bedding. As it turns out, Melanie, a dear friend and coworker whose daughter scored the doll clothes a while back was offering feedback and mentioned that the colors matched her dining room. So once I decided which one went to Julie and Scott, the other star had a home. Lucky break for me--joy all around!

A footnote, so to speak. As an anniversary gift I believe, Scott made Julie this beautiful headboard. She sent me this photo and there's the quilt I made. Talk about making my day! From this picture, you can see that the bedding really was more intense in color than how it was shown in the photo above. But what an amazingly talented woodworker Scott is--that's a beautiful headboard!

Close ups of a previously posted quilt

2010-01-13T21:05:00.001-06:00

I had mentioned that the quilter of my cousin's king-size quilt did a wonderful job. Well, here's are the photos to prove it. I knew I had them somewhere and I ran across them in the reorg that's still going on.

So here are some close-up photos. I tweaked the colors and contrast a bit so you could see the quilting better. In the borders, she quilted lines using green thread and bobbins, which is why it shows up so well on the backing. In the little pieces inner border, and yes, I pieces those strips from the leftover strips cut for the blocks, she quilted those too with ivory thread and bobbin. In the red border strips on either side of the little strips, she quilted a vine pattern. And in the corner blocks of the little strips borders, there's a mini-block--I think it's a mini version of the bigger block used in the center of the quilt. THAT'S the type of detail the quilter put into this project! She did a scrolly square motif in each block using variegated green thread, so it showed in the off-white strips. As you can tell, I was pretty impressed with the quilting--I photographed the back, after all.

To see the quilting better, double-click on the image.

I found old quilt photos while I was re-organizing

2010-01-12T21:23:00.000-06:00

And since I found these old photos, I thought I'd scan them in and share them here. Over the next few days (maybe even weeks), I'll show you some interesting things I've made over the years and post some additional previously mentioned shots of projects I've blogged about in past posts.

To start, the bear quilt. You might recall that I blogged about the baby blocks quilt in early December. As mentioned in that blog, I've made several versions of this quilt over the year. One was this teddy-bear-in-sailor-suits version (too distinctive for publication, of course, but cute none-the-less).

I really love this quilt! First, because it's so darn easy to shop for! For a 44" x 56" quilt (roughly), I start by choosing 1-5/8 yd. of the print for the border and the big blocks (because I prefer to start with the border print, but you don't have to), then select 5/8 yd. of each of the two colors to be used in the 16-patch blocks, and then something like 7/8 yd. for the inner border and binding. (All of these measurements have room for error and shrinkage built in.)

Second, I love this quilt because it's so easy to construct. For the pieced blocks, you cut eight 2"-wide strips across the width of each of the two fabrics and sew them together in sets of four, alternating light and dark. Then the pieced strips are cut 2"-wide, flipped top to bottom, and sewn together so they make 18 checkerboard blocks.

When you're cutting the borders (which you need to do before you cut the blocks), you have to pay attention if you're using directional fabric. The side borders are cut at 6" x 47", and the top and bottom borders are cut 6" x 44" (basically, across the width of the fabric). And this is the important part. Use your fabric as a guide--if it's only 43" wide sans selvedge, cut your borders a little bit narrower, because you don't want to have to piece the bottom and top borders. Then, once you have the borders cut, cut the 17 solid blocks 6-1/2" square. The inner border is cut at 1-1/2" wide--cut five across the width of the fabric and piece the side borders as necessary. And the binding is cut however you want to do it--I usually cut mine 2" wide and do French fold binding.

Then you just sew the center blocks together in rows, alternating the checkerboard and solid blocks. Then sew the rows together, then add the inner and outer borders. Quilt it, bind it, and don't forget to add a label (something I'm terrible about remembering to do), and you're done!

Do you have a favorite quilt pattern that you can create in a short period of time and you do, over and over again? Or are you going to tackle this one? I'd love to hear about it. If you've blogged about it, post a link in your comment so I can check it out.

Thursday update on the decluttering and reorganization

2009-12-31T12:34:00.000-06:00

An update on the reorganizing project. Though the sewing room is a wreck, the bedroom is looking better. I had to run out this morning to get a few things to finish organizing the closet and I still have to install those. I should clarify--the bedroom isn't actually LOOKING better--it's looking quite messy, but at least the right furniture's in there now and I've cleaned out some of the clothing that I don't need.

The sewing room, well, it's not looking quite as good. But a lot of the stuff that needs to be in there is in there, so that's good. Now it's just a matter of getting that room pulled together. Some thought needs to go into where everything goes. Suggestions welcome!

Another year, another home organization project

2009-12-30T12:23:00.001-06:00

So it's the last week of the year, and if you remember correctly, last year I tackled cleaning out and organizing the sewing room to make room for the quilting machine. You may also remember that the quilting machine didn't get much action this year, a fact that I'd like to remedy in 2010. So I bit the bullet and did what I thought I ought to do when I first moved into this flat--I'm putting my sleeping quarters in the front, smaller bedroom and moving the sewing and quilting and craft room into the back, larger bedroom. Seriously, how much floor space does one need for sleeping and dressing? (And if those of you with master suites with walk-in closets and sitting areas could just keep that answer to yourself and not chime in with your square footage, I'd be much beholden.)

Monday didn't see much action, as I was driving home from Illinois and stopping along the way to pick up things I needed and check out an after-Christmas sale or two. So Tuesday was my first day of really working on this project. I'm proud to say that I got the sewing room emptied out, the bed and two dressers moved in, and a bunch of the sewing room stuff into the sewing room. Unfortunately, things are still crazy, with a lot of sewing room stuff still in the living room and dining room, in addition to the room they're supposed to be in. But I was able to sleep in my bed last night, so that's something anyway. Turns out, head pointing east works for me. The bedroom is by no means tidy and finished, but having most of the furniture in the right room is a good first step. Meanwhile, it's on to the chaos. Just me, my handtruck to help with the heavy lifting, and my MP3 player. Send organizing thoughts my way!

Links you'll love: Dec. 27

2009-12-27T20:29:00.004-06:00

I've been doing some thinking about getting my house organized in between Christmas celebrations (which there have been a lot of). I'm thinking I'm going to swap my bedroom and my sewing room--my current bedroom is quite a bit larger than my current sewing room and that quilting machine is, after all, 10 foot long. And if I'm going to quilt more in 2010, I need the space. So this week, that will be my plan. I'll keep you posted here, but meanwhile, check out what my pals have been up to.

The Artful Crafter
Don’t toss those leftover holiday candle stubs! Here’s how to organize them for recycling later – after the holiday whirl subsides.

Aileen's Musings
To help bring in the New Year Aileen has a snazzy freebie New Year's card for you to download and send to your friends and family.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Press On with Trylon and Perisphere Cross Stitch using a cool font from the book A Rainbow of Stitches

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
File this one away for next year...Madge's final Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration Project for 2009! This one kicks tinsel!

Mixed Media Artist
Mix fabric and paper for a one-of-a-kind collage!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is a Steampunk-style cam chain necklace, how to make an image have a pop art look, recycle a milk jug into snowflakes, and a tutorial on making domed bead caps.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is going bananas, literally, over amigurumi again. Crochet folks take note!

Christmas Tree

2009-12-24T20:39:00.000-06:00

My favorite four-year-old assisted in the decorating of my tree Wednesday night. And that experience reminded me of what's important and what's not.

As for the nots:
Not important if two ornaments are hanging from the same branch. Not important if there's a lot of ornaments in one area and another is fairly bare. I think you get the picture.

As for what's important:
The joy in a child's eyes as she sings along with Christmas specials. The excitement she experiences when she hangs an ornament and hears "that looks great". The ability to pretend and have entire conversations with inanimate objects (or have two inanimate objects have conversations with each other). Experiencing the magic of Christmas through her.

So here's my tree, filled with valuable lessons. I hope whatever holiday you celebrate it filled with joy. For me, I'm going to have a very Merry Christmas and New Year filled with abundant blessings.

For the larger Christmas decorations

2009-12-23T06:57:00.000-06:00

Since my fireplace isn't actually a working fireplace, I'm able to take advantage of the hearth and firebox for my Christmas decorating needs. I have these larger decorations, some homemade, some gifts, so I stack some wrapped boxes to stage them at proper heights and arrange them in the firebox area. I failed to take out the candlestand that is usually in there, and the large glass vases, so that's what you see poking up in the back. But now that you've seen the mantel, I thought you might like to see what was below it.

Christmas Centerpiece

2009-12-22T06:46:00.002-06:00

This is one of the first Christmas decorations I made for my house when I first moved out on my own. It couldn't be any easier. One basket, a block of Styrofoam, a bunch of boughs, pine cones, and flowers, and four candles. I left a space in the middle of it and have swapped out the center decoration over the years. It's been a small teddy bear, a large candle, this Santa candleholder, and several other things. I've had it since Christmas 1989, so it's had a lot of incarnations, and I've gone through several red and green tapers. Yes, I know better than to burn them when they're this close to the decorations--it's time to put new ones in for sure. It doesn't get lit very often, but occasionally, on Christmas eve, or for holiday dinners with friends, I'll light the tapers for mood lighting.

Since the center item can be swapped out, I can put something shiny in the middle and use gold or silver tapers for New Years. A little sticky wax holds the candles in place when I swap them out, but I put it a pretty deep hole for the candles, so it's still safe.

I made two Christmas presents tonight

2009-12-21T23:28:00.002-06:00

I wrapped presents Friday night. At that point, I thought I was about 75% done with wrapping. Boy, was I wrong! Tonight, I sat down and did the rest of the wrapping and I think I'm actually done now. But I had two presents yet to make, so after the wrapping was complete, I sat down to make two sets of wine charms (which have since been put it no-need-to-wrap cute little boxes).

I'd ordered the charms MONTHS ago from Oriental Trading Co.--this summer, perhaps--and had divided them into two sets, one for my sister and one for my dear friend, since a party at her house triggered this whole project. At her birthday party in March, I realized she didn't have a set of wine charms (mostly because several guests asked) and she expressed a desire to have a set. So when I saw these two sets of charms: a beach theme and a travel theme (which I can't seem to find on their site), they seemed perfect for her AND for my sister. Both gals are definite travel buffs, but they also both really enjoy the sand between their toes. So tonight, Dec. 21, I finally got them made.

As you can probably tell from the photos, I used two different sizes of wire rings. Since I have both fine-stemmed and wide-stemmed stemware (so to speak), I figured having options was a good idea. And with such fun charms, they might decide to use the charms on margarita glasses or around the handles of coffee mugs or whatever.

I love to make personalized wine charms as gifts. I have a couple of sets I made for myself--one set showcases state-shaped charms of all of the states where I've lived along with a few extra charms. Another set was made with shrink plastic--I think this is a VERY fun idea for a small party of creative people, just precut the plastic into tag shapes (I used a die-cutting machine), have your guests draw a design and add his/her name, and then, the best entertainment of all, watching them shrink in the oven.

So I did it. I actually made a Christmas present--two, as it turns out! Just hope neither of them reads this before Christmas.....

Christmas wreath I haven't found a place to hang yet

2009-12-21T07:31:00.000-06:00

Another wreath. I originally just had the little holly bundle and bow you see on the lower right side. But then I decided that the grapevine wreath needed some sprucing up. So I added a bundle or two of greens, berries, and pine cones (artificial, of course). I especially like the frosted ferns. And I'm able to forgive myself the fact that the holly leaves don't match the rest.

The Christmas wreath on my back door

2009-12-20T11:22:00.001-06:00

I do love a Christmas wreath. So much so that I have front door decorations for most of the seasons of the year. This one hangs on the back door of my flat. It's nice to have it there to make me think "Christmas" when I walk in after a long day of work. Traditional golden garland, a big meshy bow, and beaded artificial fruit decorate it. The pine cones may have been part of the original wreath, or I may have added them, I don't remember which. It's probably the fluffiest artificial wreath I've ever found.

Links you'll love: Dec. 19

2009-12-19T13:28:00.053-06:00

Had a great time at my family Christmas today. It turns out, despite the fact that I don't feel ready for Christmas, it arrives just the same and no one cares how ready you are. In fact, I didn't care how not-ready I was. Due to my lack of paying attention to the party invitation, it was brought to my attention at 10:15 a.m. that the party started at 1 p.m., not 2 p.m. and was two hours away. But you know what? I bought the groceries I needed and headed out and put together my side dish and appetizer on site at my cousin's house while we all chatted and hung out and it was fine! So ready or not, Christmas will come and everything will be fine! It's about family and friends and festivities, not what decoration are or aren't up, what things are or aren't made, whether the cookies are homemade or store-bought, so give yourself a break, take some time to surf the web and spend time enjoying your life.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Wishing you Merry and Bright holidays with a cheerful free pattern perfect for the holiday season.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen’s been elf-ed! Join in the fun and spread some holiday cheer. There’s still time for a few more elf-ings.

The Crochet Dude
Drew reveals his themed Christmas wrap and also announces a fantastic giveaway!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
The Holiday Goodness Giveaways are in full swing with lots of great answers to fun questions and a week more to enter to win free books along with a free knit placemat pattern with a plaid detail, ribbon and pom pom trimmed dish towel, apron and Christmas tree how-tos, and an inside peek into artist studio with some fun recycled storage ideas.

About Family Crafts
Find out how you can spread the holiday spirit throughout your entire neighborhood using this fun pass-it-on gift.

Stefanie Girard's Greeting Card Album Craftiness
How to decorate your Greeting Card Album for Christmas and recycle a card from last year with a fabric die cut

Margot Potter-The Impatient Crafter
Know someone bitten by the Twilight bug? Check out Madge's holiday themed Twilight silhouette ornament and pendant project for iLoveToCreate teen!

Aileen's Musings
As a gift to you Aileen's created 2 beauitful recipe cards for you to download and print.

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's quick video on how to make a Christmas tree from a tomato cage.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has received the first submissions for her book's gallery, and talk about impressive! Wow! Some amazing metal jewelry by Victoria Tillotson.

Mixed Media Artist
Make a stab-bound scrapbook or journal to hold all your Christmas cards and memories this year!

Cross-stitched Christmas tree decorations

2009-12-18T07:10:00.002-06:00

Second, a piece from WAY back--1991 or 1992. I designed the cross-stitched circles for this tree while I worked at McCall's Needlework and Crafts. I created it for another special issue--a Christmas one, though I can't remember which one right now. We did several while I was there--a Christmas cross-stitch, a quick-and-easy Christmas cross-stitch, and a Holiday issue that covered all of the holidays if I remember right. In any case, it hangs on my front door for two reasons--first, because it's large and makes an impact and second, (much more practical) because it's flatter than any wreath I have so the storm door closes (which it wouldn't do with a wreath hanging on the inner door). I'm not the greatest artist so my ex-husband helped me make the characters better looking. As I look at it now, these aren't the greatest characters, even with his help, but I still love it and it still makes me smile. I hope it makes the mailman smile, because he has to look at it every day.

What happened to December?

2009-12-17T20:19:00.001-06:00

All of the sudden I've had a realization that A) I haven't made a single Christmas gift this year and B) I haven't hardly written a single post that has anything to do about Christmas. Yikes! What's going on? In my own defense, the tree is up and lit, but not decorated, so I haven't been lollygagging or anything. But it's just been a nutty fall and winter, so it's December 17 and I'm just now actually writing my list to see where I am in the gift-buying process.

So to show you that I haven't totally lost my Christmas spirit, I thought I'd share a picture of some of my decorations. And over the next few days up until Christmas, I'll share more photos of the decorations, homemade and otherwise, that make my home feel like Christmas-ville.

First, the mantel. It's the most decorated thing in the house. The gingerbread house is the centerpiece this year. Behind it is a wreath that contains some very special ornaments. They were from my great Aunt and Uncle's estate and I feel honored to have them displayed in my home. I didn't want them to get lost among the others on the tree, so I put them on this with netted gold ribbon, which seems appropriate for the vintage ornaments. The needlepoint stockings on the mantel are purchased, but the stockings on the wall were made for Michaels Create! magazine. Okay, actually, the stockings were purchased, but I made the cuffs by weaving ribbon and using fusible webbing to hold it all in place. I still love them. On that mantel are pieces from both of my grandmothers, my Mom, my former mother in law, my friends Janet, Lisa, Joyce, and so many more. There are so many great memories--memories of Christmases past, of friendship and families, and so much more.

So tell me about your decorations? What did you make this year? What pieces hold special memories for you? Let me live vicariously through your creativity!

Fat Quarters from Quilter's Destination

2009-12-14T07:13:00.001-06:00

Some days, a quilter just needs to be surrounded by fabric. And when you're away from home and can't surround yourself with your own fabric, you find a way to get the fix you need. For me, that usually means visiting a quilt shop. And sometimes it turns into more than a visit, it turns into a shopping excursion.

Case in point, November 29. After a very crazy, five-day break from what has been a very crazy couple months at work and in my life, I found myself feeling the need. And since I was away from home, Quilter's Destination was the closest solution. In case you've forgotten, I've been there before and I blogged about some yardage from there just a few days ago.

While there, I found some smaller pieces than the aforementioned yardage. Just a few fat quarters to round out my colleciton. Turns out, I bought two duplicates from my previous visit there--the little tiled fabrics toward the bottom of the right corner. But otherwise, I did pretty well. Looks like I'm in a green phase. And I love the line in the center bottom--the pink, green, blue and white with the black prints.

Links you'll love: Dec. 12

2009-12-12T21:27:00.003-06:00

With my latest project at work all but finished, the sniffles coming on, and a busy weekend, I haven't had a lot of time to surf the web. But here are some links I thought you might love this week.

Cathie Filian
Whip up a vintage style wreath for the holidays!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi is giving away a copy of Chain Style by Jane Dickerson! Come leave a comment and you'll be entered for the drawing.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
The 19 Days of Holiday Goodness Giveaways is week 2, leave your answer to the day's question and you are entered to win a free book and while you're there check out how to make pockets from coffee filters, crochet a 4 color spiral, some cool fashion insights, a whole bunch of recycled clothing ideas and a bit of architecture.

The Artful Crafter
Just look at the darling ornaments you can make from mini clay flower pots!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Die cut, stamped and shrunk deer Christmas necklace made with inspiration from the book Beyond The Bead

The Impatient Crafter
It's Project #2 from Madge's Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration! Perky Pixie Ornament!

Cross Stitch at About.com
Having a hard time finding time to stitch during the holiday season? Read Connie's time-saving tips and share your own.

About Family Crafts
Do you make your own Christmas cards? If you do, please take a moment and share your designs and then browse through the pictures of other peoples' creations.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is thrilled about a new set of bamboo crochet hooks she finally purchased from an Etsy seller.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's found a great use for those left over cards you have! Check out her Recycled Christmas Card project.

Barns and bubbles: Fabrics from Quilter's Destination

2009-12-10T06:02:00.003-06:00

I haven't been in quilt shops for a while, I guess, because a new line popped up and I didn't know anything about it! Have you seen these barns around? I love them! So much that I bought several yards. Don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, but I couldn't pass it up.

Also, they had this bubble-print primary-color flannel in the clearance area. I've purchased a bunch of flannels in the past year, so having yardage of flannel will certainly come in handy.

Found these at Quilter's Destination--a store I've visited before.

In addition, I found this panel. These are very cute and a little more country than I'd normally choose, but again, the barn in the border! Don't know what will come of it yet, but thought I'd better get some of it now.

When two quilters get together...

2009-12-08T22:45:00.001-06:00

A while back I heard from my old boss, Judy, from the quilt shop I managed in Florida. She was going to be in town visiting her family and wondered if we might be able to catch up over Thanksgiving. So, between my nephew's wrestling meet and the gingerbread house party, we did just that. But what to do? Well, as I drove to the meet, I noticed a quilt shop, and, wouldn't you know, it turns out it was just down the street from her son's house. So there we were, wandering around someone else's shop. It was a little strange--so often, when I'm in a quilt shop, I look at fabrics and think "That's so Judy" or "Beth would love that." Beth and Judy were the owners of the shop. When the fabric reps would come to the store, it was always a hoot picking out fabrics with them. And I could almost predict which ones each of them would be drawn to. They had similar tastes, but there were subtle differences in their choices. So it was fun to look around someone else's shop and point to a fabric and say "There's one, Judy" and know that she'd say "oh yes!" But we spent a lot of time chatting as we wandered around the store so it was tough for me to focus on shopping. I did find a few fat quarters--three batiks and a flannel (light blue with polka dots, though you might not be able to tell it's light blue from the photo).

More to come from my "I really needed a creative fix" shopping trip the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I know, I thought there was a moratorium on fabric buying until I made something, but sometimes that just doesn't work out.

Baby Blocks Quilt

2009-12-07T06:50:00.000-06:00

I designed this quilt a while back and have made several of them in my quilting years. I made one with these fabrics, obviously. I made one with a teddy-bear-in-sailor-suits print with royal and tan blocks and a red border (Randy and Michaelle's baby, I think). I made one with a black-and-beige baseball print; the blocks were black and beige and the inner border and binding being red (Baby Boy Blum who is now 11-year-old Boy Blum). There may have been others, but I can't remember right now. Again, somewhere in my photo files are pictures of those projects---I'll look soon.

The Baby Blocks quilt was published in McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts March 2000 issue. I believe I still have the materials list for this one in my checkbook, so I can quickly pick up the fabrics for this quilt if I get inspired on-the-fly!

Now comes the part that I'm almost embarrassed to admit. The quilting that I did on this was minimal. When I got it back from the magazine, there was much more quilting on it than I'd sent it with. I just put diagonal lines through the 16-patch blocks, forming an X in each block. They added triangles in the plain squares in each section of the X. Then they worked meandering in the borders. These are things I'd like to have the chance to practice on my quilting machine.

Links you'll love: Dec. 5

2009-12-05T23:26:00.001-06:00

It's been another crazy week. I finally started doing my Christmas shopping (about time, right?). At the beginning of this year, I thought I might make all my presents this year, but life got in the way this year. So I'm giving myself a break and will work through the supplies over this next year. And that's okay. Meanwhile, today I spent some time at home, cleaning up, reorganizing, all to make space for the Christmas tree. I don't know how many decorations I'll actually get out this year--I guess I'll figure that out tomorrow--but meanwhile, a tree will definitely be enough to set a holiday mood!

I've taken a little time out to cruise some of my friends sites. Here's what they've been up to lately.

Crafty Princess Diaries
A light tent can make all the difference when photographing your crafts.

About Family Crafts
Check out these creative gift wrapping ideas. You simply cannot give someone a fabulous homemade gift using ordinary, store-bought wrapping paper. You can easily and quickly personalize the wrap as well as the gift.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
The 19 Days of Holiday Goodness Giveaways is in full swing, leave your answer to the day's question and you are entered to win a free book and while you're there check out how to make a Christmas tree from a tomato cage, some cool Steampunk jewelry, a ribbon wreath, and a great beer and turkey leftover recipe.

The Artful Crafter
A bead spinner is not required, but certainly recommended, to make a beautiful seed bead Christmas tree like this one created by Sharon.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make a Max from the Grinch antler headband from recycled sweaters

The Impatient Crafter
Madge is feeling Retrofabulous this holiday season! Check out this vintage inspired mixed media jewelry project idea!

Aileen's Musings
Looking for Christmas card ideas? Aileen shares her idea using a Starbucks coffee sleeve and challenges you...

Mixed Media Artist
One of Cyndi's readers shared a fabulous craft idea using her own custom-printed fabric...and you can do it too!

And if you missed my creative endeavor last week, check out my gingerbread house.

Deep Purple quilt from Sept. 1999 issue

2009-12-03T06:08:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you mess up. There's no excuse for it, there's no fixing it, and there's no way to ask for forgiveness. This quilt would be the example I keep with me as my mess-up. I tried a new technique with this quilt and every time I look at it, I think "wow, I did not do a good job on this one." I used that flip technique where you cut blocks, sew diagonally across the block, then flip the triangle back. I had a lot to learn, and accuracy was one of them. Even now, I feel like I should go back and fix things, both on the quilt and somehow in my reputation, but both things would be virtually impossible. I've thought about adding a lot of quilting to it to secure the not-well-secured blocks, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

But that being said, I still love the colors and fabrics in this one. It still screams "Florida" to me. The deep teals, greens, and purples offset the very light, sweepy patterned background and the spiral-y darker border fabrics. So despite my disappointment in the execution, I still love this design. And I'm proud that it appeared in the September 1999 issue of McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts.

Gingerbread house

2009-12-01T21:15:00.000-06:00

My cousin Jill, the one I made the one-and-only wedding quilt for, has a gingerbread house party every year the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Some years, I get to attend. Other years, I miss it because I'm not in town. But she loves having this party, and it's a great arrangement, actually. A company called BBC Hollydays, based in the Chicagoland area, comes to the house, brings everything--the walls and roof, the bag of frosting, the base and box to take it home on, and a WHOLE BUNCH of candy and stuff to use to decorate. The whole package costs $30, but having made gingerbread houses from scratch and buying all the bags of stuff to decorate with, I know it's a bargain.

The son of the owners was our demonstrator and this guy works magic with a knife, gum drops, and Tootsie Rolls! My cousin's sons wanted to put dogs in the backyard of their house, and he made them three dogs, spots and all, out of two colors of Tootsie Rolls. Seriously, talk about talent! In fact, he made the tree in the backyard of my house out of jelly mint leaves.

(To view the image closer up, just click it and then click it again and it will enlarge in the new window.) To give you a tour, as you can see, flattened caramels were used for the windows, though I think I'm going to bring some of those gridded pretzels next year so I don't have to break pretzels to do panes. My reward for remembering to bring my box and base back from previous parties was the wreath on the door. I added pretzels as timbers for my Tyrolian-look house, though next time maybe I'll bring bigger pretzel logs.

Mints were used for the sidewalk and roof, with M&Ms filling in the gaps on the sidewalk. Since the gingerbread is dehydrated, you shouldn't really cover the whole surface with icing or it will rehydrate and get soggy and crumble, so there's gingerbread showing through on the roof, but that's okay.

And finally, I had to share my snowman. I thought I'd done pretty well with him, but my friend, coworker, and fellow Chicagoland native Cathy mentioned that he looked a bit like "Son of Svengoolie" circa 1980s 1990s from Chicago TV (and Milwaukee and South Bend, IN, according to wikipedia). And she's right. He does. It's the top hat and the quarter-M&M eyes. Next year, I'll remember the marshmallows.

I had the house at the office for a few days. The main prankster involved with last year's Santa Spud foolishness was eyeing it, so I got a little nervous and brought it home. As I took these pictures, he actually commented that he'd been brainstorming such a prank, so I think I rescued it just in time.

So there it is, a few hours spent being creative Thanksgiving weekend. My cousin and her friends are a lot of fun, so it's a good time even if your house collapses (which seldom happens, from what I hear). And I have the first of my Christmas decorations on display!

Three quilts in one issue?

2009-11-30T06:32:00.000-06:00

I was really working on doing a lot of designing at the point when these quilts got published in the July 1999 issue of McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts. I must have been, because I'm looking through this issue of the magazine and I have three quilts in one issue--the Sea Breeze quilt I blogged about earlier was in it (p. 62), Fishy Fishy (shown here) on p. 48, and the Precious Posies wall quilt (p. 18). It was a stroke of luck to be sure, having three in one issue.

Don't let the size of these images fool you, these quilts aren't the same size. Fishy Fishy measured about 64" square, while Precious Posies was about 30" square. Both of these quilts represented the color assortment of the quilt shop in Florida much better than some others I made during that period of time. I think I used a cookie cutter for the flower shape in the Posies quilt and I fused and blanket stitched the leaves along the border and the leaves and stems on the flowers (see the closeup image of the corner motifs).

I always thought Fishy Fishy would be a great play-mat quilt for a child, with the bright colors and shapes. And when I was at home with my folks and showing the Precious Posies quilt to friends of my Mom and Dad, one of their friends wanted it if I were ever to part with it. Problem is, I can't remember which one of their friends wanted it, so I still have it and they don't (and if you're reading this, leave a comment)! I finished these quilts in the cold winter months (Jan. and Feb.) of 1999 while living in the farmhouse where I grew up. As was my MO from living there, I remember setting up my sewing machine on a card table in the living room so I could watch TV while sewing.

So there it is, my pinnacle of quilting success--three projects in one issue. And as I look back over my blog posts over the past year, I don't think I've finished a single quilt project. That's got to change in 2010--I really miss designing and making quilts.

Links you'll love: Nov. 28

2009-11-28T21:15:00.000-06:00

What a great Thanksgiving weekend! Visits with friends and family, doing a little surfing on the web, and, of course, doing a lot of the cooking. I found a new site this week: FaveCrafts.com and their blog: FaveCraftsBlog.com.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See a necklace and bracelet made from the same Blue Moon Beads pendant with a how-to video with me.

The Artful Crafter
Whatever the holiday, make cute pop-up place cards to organize the dinner table and delight guests of all ages.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is making her first crocheted hat for herself. Now, hopefully it will be done by the time it gets cold down South!

Cross Stitch at About.com
The 2009 Holiday Ornament Collection is ready! Whip up some super quick back stitch ornies or cross stitch some more colorful ones.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge is ready for Christmas so bring it on! Check out this retrolicious frame she designed for iLoveToCreate

Mixed Media Artist
Mixed media artist Nicolette Anderson shares her lovely work!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got yummy pumpkin cookie and biscuit recipes, an inside peek into Bead Quilled Jewelry, eco friendly recipes for casein glue and an all-purpose cleaner, and starting Monday- The 19 Days of Holiday Goodness Giveaways starts, answer each day's question and you are entered to win a free book every day!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen invites you to join a creative challenge with her called the Erosion Bundle Project. Take a peek at her pictures and find out exactly what erosion bundles are!

About Family Crafts
Does your family have any creative Thanksgiving traditions. You can read about other people's Thanksgiving traditions and then share your own.

And here on Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style, I blogged about how creativity can prosper even in dark times.

Snowy Nights Quilt

2009-11-25T07:46:00.000-06:00

As I look back on my quilt projects, some hold more meaning than others. As it turns out, one of the quilts that I no longer have is probably the one that means the most. The Snowy Night quilt appeared in the Winter 98/99 issue of McCall's Quilting's Quick Quilts. My dear friend Shirley was battling cancer, so I made Snowy Nights for her because she loved Christmas. When I got the quilt back, I sent it to her. She had it for the last few weeks of her life. She passed away around Thanksgiving of 1998. This time of year always reminds me to be thankful for the blessings in my life, the people in my life, and the memories of friends from my past.

When we moved from Springdale to Rogers, Ark., my ex, a DJ, must have mentioned it on the radio. One of his loyal listeners somehow realized we'd moved into her neighborhood. Next thing I know, we're over there hanging out with Shirley, her hubby, and their sons. They were so good to us--we were so blessed to have friends like them. Shirley found out she had cancer about the same time we moved to Florida, and I regret that I wasn't around to give her and her family support and assistance during their very challenging struggle. But in a phone conversation with her while I was working on this quilt, I promised it to her. Her husband told me she had it with her while she rested on the couch and kept it with her much of the time, and that always brought me some comfort.

At this time of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for all of the blessings I have and I send prayers to friends and family near and far. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Fences and Ferns quilt from October 1998

2009-11-23T07:12:00.001-06:00

Fences and Ferns was published in the May 1999 issue of McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts. Here's for happy thoughts--I made this quilt in the throes of my divorce, while staying at the home of my quilt-shop-owner-boss and dear friend Beth. I was doing a lot of soul searching back then, so several of the quilts were inspired by Bible verses, as in this one, as well as in the "light and darkness" quilt.

I fell in love with the border fabric for this one too--the colors in the fern print weren't typical for our shop, but we did have all of these fabrics in the shop, so either I was choosing very selectively or we had more variety than I remember.

I used seven fabrics in the fence blocks--the lightest was white, then a light pink, rose, light and dark muted eggplant, then a taupe and brown branchy print.

As for the verse, it was Psalms 37:7: Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." I was trying desperately to be patient at this time in my life. Truth is, patience hasn't ever been one of my predominant traits, so this verse often comes to mind. If anyone has any tips on becoming more patient, let me know!

Links you'll love: Nov. 21

2009-11-21T22:16:00.001-06:00

I miss weekends like this! I'm in my flat this weekend--no commitments, no plans, and, don't let me jinx this, but focus and ambition. I've gotten a lot done today already--picked up things I needed this morning, home by 10 with lunch, window plastic, and a new mattress pad in tow and the oil changed in my Jeep (a task that was LONG overdue). So far, I've done a bunch of laundry, switched the bedroom over from its beach-themed spring and summer decor to its fall/winter black and copper leaf themed items. And I was able to get the plastic on the windows in the process. It was nice to see my bedroom decorated with things I made: the headboard I made using copper tubing, the quilt I made that inspired said headboard, wall art made to match, the tablecloth I turned into something resembling a canopy... There's much more of "me" in this decor than in the spring/summer stuff.

Before I share the plans for tomorrow, I want to share my friend's links.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen is offering Vintage freebie images for you to download and use in your art. Get started on those digi holiday cards using some of them.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Stitch a Simple Hanukah Menorah Motif for a card or ornament. Suitable for knitting or crochet projects too.

About Family Crafts
Do you play with clay? If so, please take a moment and share your favorite stories, projects, recipes, techniques, and more.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Mix up altered books, glitter, and teenagers, shake well, and voila! You have a fun day of art combined with writing.

Cathie Filian
Cathie has lots of Thanksgiving recipes, crafts and family activities posted. Plus tips for a smooth Thanksgiving!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Over at Craftside you can enter to win a Mixed-Media Doll by Linda O'Brien, Co-author of Who's Your Dada?, download a free intricate leaf paper cutting pattern, get a fun how-to on making a paper cupcake and a pretty pair of fall leaf earrings.

The Artful Crafter
Check out Eileen’s latest craft finds: lots of free stuff and free advice – well that’s usually free, isn’t it? LOL.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has finished a second Garden Quilt and is offering her tutorial!

The Crochet Dude
Drew kicks off the holiday season with a crochet pattern event!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Sweater Surgery attacks t-shirts and cuts them up into some cute gathered tops with the help of Generation-T Beyond Fashion

The Impatient Crafter
In this week's teen crafts blog for iLoveToCreate Madge makes a stunning mixed media necklace. You might just want to sport this one yourself!

As for Sunday, I'm hoping to get through the stuff in the dining room and living room. When I set up the quilting machine almost a year ago, I had to clear so much out of the sewing room, and I've got a bunch of papers from in there--patterns from the web, ideas torn from magazines, projects I want to make, etc.--that need to be sorted through, organized, and put into binders for easy accessibility. I figure I can watch old movies while I'm doing it, so that's my reward.

Then, when everything's together, I'll be able to make the projects in the containers in the dining room. Woo Hoo!

McCall's Needlework and the Stitch by Stitch quilting lesson project

2009-11-19T22:18:00.000-06:00

One of the last projects I did while working at McCall's Needlework magazine in 1995 was this quilt. The fabrics were new at the time, and I should have paid more attention to value in the pieced blocks. If I remember correctly, we received the fabric from the company, so we were working with what we had. Though the prints in the pieced blocks are different scales, the value of the fabrics (both reading as darks) make for blocks with very little contrast. I love looking back at these quilts because they provide me with a timeline of lessons I learned. As for the quilting, I did it by hand, and I don't think it shows well, but there's a three-leaf pattern in the large green blocks. And I hand quilted in the ditch (along the seamlines) on the pieced blocks and the inner border. This did appear in an issue of McCall's Needlework, I think, but I can't seem to find it in my stash of magazines. I think that it might have been in two issues, as the teaching column we used to do called "Stitch by Stitch". I always thought we did a nice job with that column--we provided the basics about a technique: the tools, the materials, and the techniques. Then we gave them a project so they could get started.

I used to have this quilt on display at the quilt shop in Florida and had many offers to sell it, but I never could bite. Sooner or later, I'll have to clear out some of these quilts, but for now, they're here.

Before the quilt shop in Florida, there was Northwest Arkansas...

2009-11-17T22:17:00.001-06:00

This quilt has never been published, though it's a traditional double Irish chain. This was another incident of the same lesson learned--as in the music quilt, the border fabric was too distinctive. Both of these quilts were made within a year of each other (1996-1997), and both before I started to submit to the magazines, so I hadn't learned the lesson yet.

The quilting in this one is minimal--I hand-quilted leaves in the open areas and I stitched diagonal lines through the chains. The border fabric, however, is a fabric that I loved. My friend and former coworker Jeanne Field had passed it on to me, and I worked it into this piece a few years later. I used to have this quilt in my office, as it fit nicely on my big bulletin board. Now I have a 30s repro off-center log cabin quilt up in there--oh, I should take a picture of that too and share it here, shouldn't I?

At the time I was designing this quilt, I didn't label or name them, so this will have to remain the "Northwest Arkansas Double Irish Chain Fall Quilt".

Links you'll love: Nov. 15

2009-11-15T20:24:00.010-06:00

I've been searching my quilting roots here on Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style, posting quilts from my earlier days and telling stories of how I got started. One of the things I love so much about the internet is the ability to share stories with other like-minded creative people, get feedback from them, and the supportive nature of everyone I've come in contact with. So much so, I love sharing links from some of those I've gotten to know. So here they are.

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
Make cool, graphic wall art using Ed Roth's Stencil Decor kit and a little imagination!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's on a mission to win a trip to NYC and to see the Martha Stewart show! Check out her under $20.00 Christmas project on Michael's craft site and rate it to help her win!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy reviews a new book full of unique and earth-friendly ways to wrap your gifts this holiday season using scarves.

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Over on the Craftside blog there are how-to ideas for casting and making a silver metal clay wing necklace and a recycled wool sweater Christmas needle book. There’s an Mail Art Call Out to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, tips for making a vintage rosary style necklace and a little Jimi Hendrix thrown in.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge makes a festive Patchwork Paper decoupaged letter for your teen's bedroom door in this week's post for iLoveToCreate

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make a Sweater Surgery Light up Christmas tree inspired by The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life

About Family Crafts
Come play along with this Make-It-Over craft challenge! What can you make out of candy? This is a great way to use up any left over Halloween candy.

About.com Cross Stitch
Connie's added a new pattern collection - Four Ways to Say Peace. These designs will make great holiday ornaments.

Mixed Media Artist
Would you ever do an art show where you knew you wouldn’t sell anything?

Cathie Filian
Cathie shows you how to make a kids felt book. The book are perfect for airplane trips, car rides and rainy days. They make great gifts!

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shares directions for some lovely polymer clay Thanksgiving napkin rings. You have a choice of one embellished with a cute clay turkey or a more formal looking ring stamped with a fall motif.

One of my first quilts

2009-11-11T08:12:00.015-06:00

We quilters can be a persnickety bunch. (Notice, I said WE.) We can tend to get a little judgmental and opinionated when it comes to the details. Is the binding cut from quality fabric or is it the packaged bias binding from a chain store? Is the binding applied in the single fold or French fold method? How did they sew that second side--top-stitched on the machine or hand-stitched? How precise are the points?

So to come clean, I thought I'd share one of my very early quilts. It was created for a McCall's Needlework special issue in 1993--it was called McCall's Quick Quilts. (Learn more about special issues in this post.) I designed this quilt in two versions--this was considered a three-color version (red, blue, and multicolored--the golden color didn't count) and a five-color version (pastels, if I remember correctly). I went looking for the issue, thinking it would clear up my memory and I can't find it! ... Wait, found it on ebay. Bought it. Meanwhile, I'm sharing a photo of the cover with you, thanks to the ebay store I bought it from.

Again, thanks to the store on ebay, I'm able to share an image of the five-color version from the pages of the magazine. It was pretty too, but I have to tell you, I absolutely loved the background fabric we used in this three-color quilt. To this day, that multicolored foliage is one of my favorites. The colors aren't the colors I'd pick now, but I love the way it worked. I got so attached to this fabric that I can tell you where I bought it--a quilt shop in Washington, Illinois. Google tells me that the quilt shop off the square in Washington is Peddler's Way. I can't tell you if that was the shop, but it was right off the square. Of course, they wouldn't have the fabric anymore since I bought it in 1992, so don't call them for it. But I'm sure they have other fabulous fabrics.

So now for the mistakes I made on this quilt. I gave you a closeup shot of the binding--yes, it was bias binding and not made from the quilt fabric. If I remember correctly, that's because I ran out of the fabrics used. But what possessed me to attach it using a multi-stitch zig-zag is beyond me! I think I wanted to get it finished and get it on the wall in my home. And probably I didn't know better. But for those of you who look at your first quilts and think "what was I thinking?" I figured knowing you're not alone would help!

Reverse engineering and how I learned to quilt

2009-11-10T21:04:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned before, I worked at McCall's Needlework and McCall's Quilting in the early '90s. Before McCall's Quilting was launched in 1993, McCall's Needlework often created extra newsstand-only issues, called special issues or one-shots, in addition to the six regular issues a year. Sometimes they were holiday or seasonally themed and other times they focused on a technique. While I worked there, we did several Christmas specials and a few quilting specials. In fact, the whole reason I learned to quilt was because of one of those special issues--McCall's Country Quilting, copyright 1991.

For 17 of the projects in that special issue, we rented antique quilts from an store that specialized in such things. Then we wrote instructions so that people could recreate them. Remember, this was the early '90s, when rotary cutting and quick piecing were still in their infancy. And I knew nothing about quilting. Our editor had the solution--he was friends with Liz Porter of Fons and Porter and she came to the office for a three-day seminar on all things quilting. Not only did I learn a lot about quilting, but I also learned a skill that's been invaluable--the ability to reverse-engineer a quilt. Since we were working with antique quilts, we had to chart and measure and dissect each quilt and how it was constructed (or how it would be, using modern techniques) without doing one bit of damage to them. So now, I can look at a picture of a quilt or an actual quilt, chart it out, write instructions, and figure out how much fabric is needed. It's a great skill to have for designing my own quilts, and it's come in handy at other times in my life.

For instance, a customer came into the quilt shop one day with a family heirloom quilt. She'd received it from a family member, but felt a little guilty that she got it instead of some other family members. So she wanted to create similar quilts for them. After some quick math, I drafted a pattern for her and figured yardage and together, we picked out fabrics for her to get started. I remember it having some great colors in it and a black polka-dot on a white background, but that's all I remember. I didn't ever get to see the finished quilts, but I hope her family members appreciated the work she did.

So my engineering friends from college might be able to reverse-engineer equipment, but I can reverse-engineer a quilt.

Links you'll love: Nov. 8

2009-11-08T20:20:00.005-06:00

Happy end of the weekend, friends! It's been nutty this weekend--a lot of miles of ground covered in a very short period of time. But with temps in the 60s and sunny skies, driving's just not so bad! In fact, the weather was so beautiful today that we did our driving with the convertible top down. Meanwhile, I've rounded up some links to pass along.

About Family Crafts
Sign up for Sherri's 12 Days of Christmas... Crafts email newsletter and you will receive a variety of Christmas related craft ideas delivered top your email box every day for 12 days -- everything from advent calendars to Santa Claus crafts!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Two fun necklace designs featuring charms made with a Faux Scrimshaw polymer clay technique from the book Enchanted Adornments by Cynthia Thornton

The Artful Crafter
Make some sweet, goofy, felt and feather Tom Turkey Place Card holders for your Thanksgiving table.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares a sneak peek of the ad campaign she shot with her lovely daughter AND the instructions to the Cupcake Glitter Shirt Avalon is wearing in the ad in this post for iLoveToCreate!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is super busy and "somethings gotta give!"

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Over at Craftside there is a free Japanese wave print and a how-to make pocket ATC with it, Latte Art, a sneak peek into Pam Sussman's studio from Lynne Perrella's new book, a call for entries for a cake decorating book, and good questions to ask yourself to help for a business/design plan.

Cathie Filian
It is apple craft time! Cathie is stamping up napkins and a simple apron. She also has a delicious recipe for apple crisp.

Mixed Media Artist
Have you ever wanted to learn how to weave? Cyndi's got a book giveaway going on that could help you out!

The "and He separated the light from the darkness" quilt once published in McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts

2009-11-04T21:41:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd start the sharing I mentioned earlier this week with the quilt that I see every day. The top quilt in the photo hangs on the wall in my living room behind my TV. The label on the back of it has the verse "and He separated the light from the darkness" on it, because of the obvious contrast but also the palm fronds in the border made me think of the beginning of time. I made the top quilt in Jacksonville Beach, Florida in October 1998. I was finding inspiration everywhere (including the Bible, obviously) and I had time to quilt and was surrounded by fabric, as I was managing a quilt shop at the time.

The top quilt was a remake of the quilt beneath it, made in Rogers, Arkansas in the summer of 1996. The quilt was rejected for publication because fabrics in the black-and-ivory quilt were too distinctive for publication. Turns out that if you use distinctive fabrics, you'd better be working with the fabric company and designing with it before it's available to the public. Why?, you ask. Well, there are a lot of people who want to make the project just like the picture. With the time it takes to produce a magazine (several months at best), by the time you buy fabric at the store, make the project, submit it to a magazine and have it accepted, send it in, and actually see it in print, that fabric's not in the stores anymore. So I submitted it with the offer to remake it in less distinctive fabrics.

The submission got accepted by Beth Hayes, the editor of McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts, in 1998. The quilt was published in the July 1999 issue of the magazine and it was renamed "Sea Breeze" which seemed a perfectly appropriate name, given that it was created in a beach house on the east coast of Florida.

The images at the bottom are tight shots of the quilting and the corner border blocks. I traced musical note Christmas ornaments on contact paper and then freehand quilted around them with my sewing machine. They're reversed in the photo because I shot the back of the quilt--the quilting doesn't show well from the front--another lesson learned. As for the corner block, I took part of the border print and mitered the corners so the piano keys wrapped around the corner.

Funny story about Beth Hayes. She and I worked together for maybe a week when I used to work for McCall's Needlework and she came on board at McCall's Quilting back in June of 1995. Before McCall's Quilting and McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts (now McCall's Quick Quilts) were launched as magazines you could subscribe to, each title was done more than once as a special issue by McCall's Needlework (and Crafts). I was actually involved in helping to produce McCall's Quilting in its first two years as a bimonthly magazine. And about the time I left the company that produced those magazines, Beth came on board. I think she was at my farewell luncheon which may also have been her welcome luncheon. So when I started to consider designing quilts as a freelancer, I turned to her and her magazines first, both due to the fact that I knew her and the fact that I have always felt a certain bond with the titles.

Looking for work/life balance...

2009-11-03T23:04:00.000-06:00

I worked late tonight. That's been happening a lot in the last month. Since I work in publishing, deadlines are commonplace. But it's gotten worse lately. One of my projects got behind because another project with more immediate deadlines kept getting in its way. So now I'm making up for it with long days, working at home for some time each weekend, etc. But I know it will end once the magazine I'm working on is gone to the printer, and it should get better when I just get everything turned over to the artists in the next few weeks.

But back to the headline of this post. As I left the office at 8-something p.m. (a 12-hour day, though I did go out for lunch), I noticed one of those promotional signs on the corner. My guess is that it was a sign for some type of questionable work-from-home program. But the line that caught my eye was "Looking for work/life balance?" I was torn between cursing loudly at the sign (which I did, creatively, thanks to my friend Leslie who has always been able to make up great curse words), laughing (which I also did with my dear friend Lisa who always understands), and crying (which I didn't do).

So in respect for the sign, I'm here to admit that my answer is yes, I am looking for better work/life balance. Work has gotten out of hand lately and it's starting to show here on my blog as well as in my house and my life. I haven't created anything for a while just for me, which disappoints me both personally and as far as my blog goes.

So I pulled out some quilts from my past, some quilts I published previously when I was a freelance designer almost a decade ago, to reinspire and remind me that soon I'll return to a normal work/life balance and create some new projects. And I'll get to share them here on my blog.

I've been pondering whether I want to start designing and publishing quilt designs again. Back when I was designing, the money wasn't great for the work and time involved in creating a quilt, honestly, but I miss it. I miss playing with patterns and fabrics, sharing my projects, finding ways to make project that look complicated but aren't difficult to construct. I want to play with that quilting machine, as that was something that was a challenge in my previous designs and that I think could make a big difference in my finished projects and their saleability. I'm even toying with the idea of gathering designs to pitch a book proposal.

As inspiration for myself, and something to share with all of you, I'll be posting some of my past published and unpublished projects over the next few weeks. Let me know what you think. And if you happen to be a book or magazine publisher looking for some designs, I have publication rights to all of the quilts shown, but the fabrics are a bit out of date! Guess I'd have to remake them--now THERE'S some inspiration!

Links you'll love: October 25

2009-10-25T13:53:00.000-05:00

It's been another crazy week, mostly because of long days at work. The strange part is that I've spent a lot of time working on jewelry pieces for work, so I HAVE been making things, unfortunately not anything I can share here! And with the odd combination of working a lot of hours, making a lot of projects, and writing a lot of instructions, all of it recreating other people's work, it doesn't feel as creative as it might have. So instead, I'm going to spend a little time getting inspiration from other people's projects, like the links below! I bet you can too.

The Artful Crafter
Make a pretty fall triple wreath wall hanging for your own wall or as a housewarming gift. With a little imagination, you can adapt the design for Christmas or just about any other occasion/season.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Polymer Clay Candy Corn Beads Hot out of the Oven made using a "recipe" from the book The Polymer Clay Cookbook

The Impatient Crafter
Madge scares up another fiendishly fabulous mixed media design for Halloween!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is a free cross stitch pattern, a downoadable label and idea for a spooky Halloween decoration and some wild pumpkins, a sneak peek into the new book What is Illustration?, how to sew gathers and ruffles and finally a fun question to be answered to be entered to win a free craft book.

About Family Crafts
Sherri offers several free pumpkin carving patterns for you to download and use!

Mixed Media Artist
Do you have a signature style? Cyndi wants to know what it is and wants to help you show it off!

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen offers a free pumpkin label for you to download and print. Also, a very cool photo manipulation site, so gather your favorite pictures and have some fun!

Cathie Filian
Make a warm mug of Chai Tea at home with this traditional recipe from Cathie.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Diggity Doggity, the crocheted dog blanket is done!

And on Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style this week, I thought I'd share a quilt I made a while back.

Flowers--great color inspiration

2009-10-19T17:44:00.001-05:00

I celebrated my birthday the other day. And I'm lucky and grateful that this year, there were lots of flowers. So I'm sharing some flower photos, not to brag, but to showcase the great color combinations that will serve as inspiration down the road.

First, my friend Lynn dropped off a bouquet of assorted flowers, which I love. In the office vase they went. Then my coworkers and pals Cathy and Hazel dropped by with a bundle of pink gerbera daisies. But with only one vase in the office, I had to find a way to make it work. So I trimmed the gerbera daisy stems and used them as a cuff, if you will, for the mixed flowers.

Then a bouquet was delivered from my honey. Love the colors in this one. Shades of reds and oranges, yellows and greens (analogous colors on the color wheel)--things we're afraid to combine in our wardrobes or craft projects for fear they'll clash that work together beautifully in nature. I'm sure there's a lesson there about being brave and taking chances with color.

And finally, another fall bouquet from my honey's parents. they combine contrasting colors--oranges/reds/yellows and purples for great impact.

I find myself thinking that playing with these color combinations in quilts or cards or other venues might be a lot of fun.....

Curious George returns!

2009-10-18T18:51:00.002-05:00

So the lucky little girl who got the Curious George blanket got a Curious George pillow to match! Though creative is a bit of a stretch, I did trim the fringe and tie the knots. And she loved it. So as I said yesterday, Saturday was a creative day and here's the result.

Links you'll love: Oct. 17

2009-10-17T11:21:00.003-05:00

I did get to be creative today--I'll blog about it tomorrow. It was a nutty week at work and personally--I've been running a hundred different directions, but I'm home this weekend and SO VERY glad to be here. There's much to do--is it that your house gets messier when you're not around, or is it that preparing to be away creates messes? I don't know. But meanwhile, while I'm laundering and picking up, why don't you make some time to peruse the links of my crafty friends?

About Family Crafts
Follow these directions and discover how easy it is to sew a felt tote bag that is perfect for trick-or-treating!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside went a little artsy this week with inside peeks into the books; Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints, The Daily Book of Art, Really Good Packaging Design Explained and 1001 Ideas for Stonework, but there are also tons of great Sizzix die cut applique designs made by the designers at Halloween Swap-o-Rama-Rama.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Vintage Hankie Scarf made using the tutorial from the Indygo Junction book Hankie Style

The Impatient Crafter
Madge is one degree from Martha! Check out her upcoming appearance at the Grand Opening of Michaels in Manhattan!

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has another inspirational pattern, this time with an abstract flair. The chart is easy - whole cross stitch and a wee bit of back stitch.

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's quick video on how to spook up china ball lanterns.

Aileen's Musings
Come meet Aileen's friends Herm & Ethel (they're baccck!). Download a couple of freebie e-postcards and send Halloween greetings to your friends!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi is starting a new quilt...this time featuring pears!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
This week Vickie launched her new PBS Parents column, Craft Apparent. Check out her first article, a how-to on making utterly adorable baby costumes, starting with just a plain onesie!

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shows you how to create a simple but festive Halloween cupcake stand from terracotta pots.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has a package ready to go out the door for her new jewelry making book.

And here at Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style, I visited a few quilt shops in Toronto--check out my treasures.

Quilt Shops in Toronto

2009-10-13T22:01:00.007-05:00

I was in Toronto last weekend for a CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) board meeting. Because of how I had to book my flight, I had 6 hours from the time I landed until I had to be at the hotel for the start of the weekend. Yes, you guessed it, that was just enough time to visit a few quilt shops. But since the week prior had gotten a bit chaotic, I hadn't had a chance to do much research online to double-check locations, hours, etc. I located addresses of several shops, thanks to Dad's GPS, but only two of them were still where they were located when I printed a quick map from Google. But one shop staffer suggested another shop, so in the end I visited three shops and still had the chance to look around the town and get ready for the meeting.

What shops did I visit?, you ask.

First, I stopped at Cock-a-Doodle Quilts. I found some fat quarters--I'm assuming they're quarter meters, which is slightly larger than a US fat quarter. But since fabric is more expensive in Canada, I didn't want to get carried away. They had some lovely batiks, this adorable farm print (I'm pretty sure this is bigger than a fat quarter, but I don't have it here to measure), and a panel that I can't yet disclose. As always, you know I'm a sucker for farm fabrics.

Next, after a few misses, I had another hit. The Quilter's Block is a smaller shop, but it was filled with some great fabrics. It's more of an urban shop, which was a new experience for me. As often happens, I ended up with two of the same prints in different colorways. And I also picked up a black-and-white and a black-and-gray print, which are also becoming a pattern for me. And the gal in the shop was very helpful, as we chatted about my mini-shop-hop, she suggested one other store in the area. So off I went.

The shop she suggested was Sewing Machine Factory Outlet in Scarborough. (Again, thank goodness for Dad's GPS!) I found some bolts of fabric that weren't full price--some marked down and some buy-one-get-one-free. Yes, at this shop, I bought yardage, but only off of four bolts. And then there were two fat quarters. As before, the two circle prints are the same print in different colorways--and I love circles and dots. I absolutely fell for the geometric print--it reminded me of some of the ones I picked up in Utah. As for the mosaic-looking print, I thought it would be a great fabric to use to get some practice freehand quilting with that big ole machine of mine. It's beautiful--shades of teal, creams, and brown, and there are birds and florals. I'll do another show-and-tell after I get it quilted--I'm itching to play with that machine again. I need much more free time! As for the two fat quarters, just some batiks that I thought were interesting.

And to round out my trip, here's a funny story. As I walked into the shop, I noticed a gentleman just hanging out in the store. Turned out, he was a fabric rep. I should have guessed--this is not the first time I've been visiting a shop while the fabric rep is trying to do show-and-tell. I don't mind it at all, I love to get a sneak peek at fabric lines, but I always feel bad for the shop owner and the rep, as it's much easier to do fabric selection when there's no one around and you don't have interruptions. I know when I was managing the quilt shop in Florida, we did our best to have the reps come in the evening, which was probably quite inconvenient for them but was very convenient for us. When I was in North Carolina on that vacation I mentioned a few weeks ago, the same thing happened and I bought a lot of fabric then too, partially because I wanted to make it easier on the shop owner, so I just had her cut half-yards. Talk about a tough time getting everything to fit in an already-packed-full suitcase! I was much more frugal with my purchases this trip and was able to get the fabric in my carry-on bag without too much trouble.

So that's my tour of the quilt shops in Toronto. I'm sure I missed some, so if you know of any that I missed, share it in the comment section so anyone who stumbles upon this posting looking for quilt shops in Toronto will have a more complete list for shop hops of their own.

(P.S. If you haven't heard, CHA's planning another Craft SuperShow in Anaheim in January 2010. For a recap of the Summer show, check out these blog posts: Judikins, fabric, Kaiser, JustRite Stamps.)

Blogger's Quilt Festival and Gramma's Apron Quilts

2009-10-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

As part of the Blogger's Quilt Festival, I just posted a link to the post about my Gramma's Apron Quilts. After you read about it there, go visit the other blogs and see the quilts that, though I haven't had a chance to explore, I'm sure are fabulous!

Meanwhile, I'll have some fabric photos to share with you next week. Found a few shops in Toronto!

Links you'll love: Oct. 6

2009-10-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

It's been a crazy week, thus the later-than-usual posting of links. Family things derailed my routine, and the rest of the week probably won't be much more routine, but I did have some time to poke around on the sites of my friends, so here are some links to share.

The Crochet Dude
Drew has designed a super cute crocheted pink purse for breast cancer awareness month. AND he's giving away some cool pink ribbon appliques too!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi shares the profiles of some spectacular mixed media artists, including our own Aileen Roberts!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there are posts on how to have fun with word play and spice up your art, draw a pattern for a full size witch hat and make a tiny one, make a silverware spider and make a gather from a serged edge without a differential feed.

The Artful Crafter
CD Ghosts – what an economical and easy project for Halloween. Let the kids make several to hang from a porch or trees to delight of your Trick or Treaters.

The Impatient Crafter
Halloween is right around the corner and Madge kicks off the season with a stunningly spooky mixed media necklace and a bonus short story sure to send shivers up your spine!

Crafty Princess Diaries
No Brainer Crochet Squares - Tammy shows off some of the crochet squares she makes for comfort-ghans.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has a free quick-to-stitch pattern that reminds you to "Let Your Light Shine".

Cathie Filian
Cathie shows you how to alter kids’ clothing into fun Halloween costumes.

About Family Crafts
Find a way to creatively celebrate every day during the month of October by consulting this list of special days.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
A Buzzing Beaded Bead Bail using a wonderful tutorial from the book--Seed Bead Fusion by Rachel Nelson-Smith

Aileen's Musings
Need a little Halloween inspiration? Check out Aileen's past Halloween posts and get yourself revved up for Halloween!

And if you missed my post about my favorite backpack pattern, read about my rucksack and the others I've made.

One of my favorite projects x 2

2009-10-01T00:08:00.000-05:00

A long while ago, I blogged about one of my favorite patterns--the Rucksack from Bethany Reynolds. Bethany is also the originator of Stack-n-Whack quilts. I've made one of the Stack-n-Whack quilts from her first book (it's pieced but not yet quilted) and have the main fabric for one for my sister, because she covets mine but it is in a totally different color palette than her home. I'm hoping to dive into her quilt this week while I'm playing nursemaid to my mom. I'm also hoping to share both quilts in a future blog post, since I can't seem to find a previous blog post where I've talked about this project. (Fellow bloggers--don't you hate it when you can't find the post that mentions something you're sure you blogged about once before!?)

But back to the Rucksack. I love this pattern! It's great if you're a quilter or a lover of fabric, as it's easy to combine several fabrics in this project, and many of them are smaller cuts like fat quarters. Plus, the width of the front three pockets is adjustable, so I was able to make one of the pockets the perfect width to hold my sunglasses case.

As for the fabric choices. On a challenging day a while back, I ran over to a quilt shop that's very close to my office on my lunch hour and I found the fabric I used for my rucksack (mine's the bottom one in the photo). When my sister saw it, she insisted that she needed one too. Since I'm such a people-pleaser, I asked her to give me some color guidance. Then I went through my fabric stash and let her pick pieces that I thought would suit what she wanted. She was thrilled with the final result--beachy, tropical, and ready for summer.

You may wonder why I'm blogging about this now. I had stopped carrying my backpack for a while, and the other day I laundered it and was reminded just how much I love it. It's a great size, the colors and prints express my personality, and, as I said in my original post, I made a third version of this, the smaller version, for my nephew when he was very young. I'm sure I have a photo of that somewhere--if I run across it, I'll share it here.

How about you. Do you have a favorite project, one that has triggered the "Oh, can you make me one?" reaction from friends and family? Tell me about it, link to it if you've got an image posted, or find some other way to share it with me.

Quilting in the Garden Flickr pics

2009-09-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

And I thought the Quilt Festival and Wisconsin Quilt Exp o quilt displays were impressive. Check out the photos from Quilting in the Garden on Flickr. I've heard about this event for years, but thanks to C&T Publishing, I can peruse it without traveling to the West Coast.

JustRite Rubber Stamp fonts

2009-09-27T16:20:00.002-05:00

I discovered JustRite Stamps at the CHA Craft SuperShow in late July. The premise of these stamps is that JustRite sells font sets so you can basically typeset your own wording. The wood stamp I bought back in July was round, so letters can be set in the center, like a monogram or wording, and the mini-font I bought then can be placed in the circle around the exterior. But when I saw on their Facebook page that they were having a font sale, I thought I'd better consider a purchase, because I'm having a difficult time finding their products locally. So I did, as you can see. I got the horizontal stamper set that comes with two sizes, Times New Roman in upper and lower case, and their special occasions font which only comes in upper case. All three font sets come in three point sizes, so I should have all the options I need for now.

And if you have a chance, check out the JustRite blog, filled with great ideas and inspiration from their team. Plus there are hops, videos, and more.

Links you'll love: Sept 26

2009-09-26T12:30:00.012-05:00

A crazy week. I was in NJ for 26 hours (not including the several hours in the airport & airplane), I went bead shopping and then had dinner out with a four-year-old Cinderella and her mom, and now a little R&R. Well, not really R&R. At work, we're cutting a new video on Tuesday, and, since a quick turnaround is needed, I'll be making the projects this weekend. (The mystery supplies are shown in the photo.) So here's to a little creative time, however it arrives.

In between your creative moments this weekend, check out these links.

Mixed Media Artist
Give your favorite building a new look by creating a fractured photograph!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen has a crafty Halloween project and template just for you.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Louise is proud to show off her first project, a Peter Rabbit Cross Stitch Bookmark by Anchor. It's a great first time effort.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a crocheted pumpkin pattern, how to sew a shower curtain and towels, an interview with Tracie Lyn Huskamp author of Nature Inspired and a Mixed Media Dada Dolly TP cozy.

The Artful Crafter
Recycle artificial flowers into frilly fairies. Teens, tweens and kids-at-heart will love making and “hanging around” these little creatures.

Crafty Princess Diaries
A granny square dress? Is it over the top or a true crafty fashion statement?

Naughty Secretary Club
Join Jen on a week long screen printing adventure as she reviews books, plays with a YuDu, puts a unicorn on a onesie, plays with vinyl records and more.

The Impatient Crafter
There's a brand new The Impatient Crafter YouTube video to inspire you to declare yourself an artist! Madge explores the Cricut Expression in this quirky new video offering.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Army men are melted into service to make this cute coaster using the wonderful tutorial from the new book Craftcycle by Heidi Boyd

Cathie Filian
Cathie has a quicky way to jazz up plain glass candle holders and it uses scrap ribbons!

About Family Crafts
Never run out of Halloween crafts, activities, and motivation. Get new Halloween projects delivered to your email box every day for 31 days! Find out how...

Quilts from the 2009 Wisconsin Quilt Expo, 5th installment

2009-09-26T07:00:00.003-05:00

Final installment in the Wisconsin Quilt Expo are more wall quilts. Two wall quilt, machine or hand quilted, categories will be covered in this post. The first four will be from the pictorial category. The second four are from the "any other type" category.

Blazing His Own Trail by Anne Crowl Meyer of Richland Center, Wisconsin--the colors are off in the overall shot I took, but the closeups are closer to the actual color of the quilt. This one won second place in the pictorial category.

Biba I by Laurie Ceesay from Menominee, Wisconsin, caught my eye for its colors and its technique. I loved the pieces background and the black artwork appliqued to the surface is something I haven't seen a lot of. Read more about her project.

Summer Farm by Sally Manke of Arcadia, Michigan, captured my eye because A) it was a farm scene and B) I had to get closer to see how it was made. If I remember correctly, they were scraps fused down, then a layer of tulle (fine mesh netting) is placed over it and then she quilted it. So the scraps are kept in place with the quilting and she made this amazing scene. Pretty cool!

The Purple Cornflowers quilt by Rochelle Stibb of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, combines wools of various types. I believe the flowers are felted, as they were dimensional. And look at how the quilting pops off the wool fabric. I think the border might have been hand-dyed, and I think the background fabric was too.

NOW on to the any other type category. The color are way off on this, but Pieces Of Dreams by Diane J. Evans of Schenectady, NY is an amazing piece. I couldn't get her website to come up, but there's a link from her blog and I know there was a picture of this quilt on her site that did much better colors at showing the colors truly. This quilt won second place in the category.

Wild Sumac was the third place winner in this category. Also from Rochelle Stibb of Beaver Dam (see above), this quilt showed off some fabulous quilting. Makes me realize I have much to learn about using that big ole machine.

Cosmic Rhapsody by Ron Bedard of Chicago was quilted by Sally Evanshank. Love the gradation, the piecing is amazing, and the quilting in the diamonds is very cool (you can tell I liked it, given the closeups). This quilt almost seems to glow.

Daylilies Four Ways by Robin Gausebeck of Rockford, Illinois is the final image I'm sharing of this pictorial tour of Wisconsin Quilt Expo. Read all about how this quilt was inspired and created.

So that ends my tour of Quilt Expo. So much inspiration. So much to aspire to. And so much eye candy! Hope you've enjoyed my choices too.

Related Links:
5th installment
4th installment
3rd installment
2nd installment
1st installment

Quilts from the 2009 Wisconsin Quilt Expo, 4th installment

2009-09-24T07:56:00.002-05:00

I had a great surprise in the category wall quilts, machine or hand quilted, appliqued. A quilt from a teacher I took a class with last spring. Anne Lullie from Lake in the Hills, Illinois, designed Colorplay III.

Orchidaceous by Stephanie Nordlin from Poplar Grove, Illinois was lovely as well. Beautiful colors and shading and great quilting.

Jeanne Pfister of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, created this first-place category winner, Dresden Delites. The quilting was great and I love how the flowers look like kaleidoscopes.

Summer Jubilee by Monica Troy of Lemont, Illinois, is an amazing feat! Check out the applique and the quilting! The colors, the design, again, I'm always awestruck at these shows and this one was no exception. This quilt won second in the category.

So that's the appliqued wall quilt category. Stay tuned for more in the coming days.

Related Links:
5th installment
4th installment
3rd installment
2nd installment
1st installment

Quilts from the 2009 Wisconsin Quilt Expo, 3rd installment

2009-09-22T07:32:00.031-05:00

For my next installment of amazing quilts, I'm sharing one quilt from the machine quilted, appliqued, bed-size category and the others are from the machine quilted bed size, any other type category. (For the previous related posts, see the 1st and 2nd installments.) The number one, best of show quilt is in the first category, and what a story it comes with.

Here it is--the Cathedral Ceiling quilt by Mildred Sorrells of Macomb, Illinois. This woman is amazing and so is her quilt! From what they told me at the show, she's in her 80s. Facts from her site about this quilt: "Ornamental Design from a Dover book Victorian Patterns and Designs enlarged. Added the corner designs and then the outer border. Machine appliqued plus a machine decorative stitch around each piece with King Tut thread by Superior Thread Co. Machine quilted with YLI silk thread and Hobbs wool batting. Also added piping before the binding." The story I heard about it at the show was that she's blanket stitched the appliques, didn't like the way it was fraying, and then decided to triple-stitch everything. In addition, she mentions the piping in passing but there's piping along the binding! And of course, there's the amazing quilting. May I be as prolific as she is when I'm in my 80s. Of course, I'll still be using up the fabric I've bought in the last month.... but I digress.

And from the second category, I share the following quilts. I just have a closeup of this quilt, called String of Pearls by Mary S. Buvia of Greenwood, Indiana. But what quilting it is. The applique is beautiful as well, of course, and if you'd like to see more of it, there's a picture on the web of the entire quilt.

Same goes for The Living Room Quilt by Deb Cavanaugh of Spring Green, Wisconsin. I only have one shot of it and it's a tight shot of the quilting. But she showed it off at her quilt guild recently, so here's a pic. This one won third place in the category.

I did get a bunch of pictures of this quilt, called Big Bird Blues by Marilyn Badger and Claudia Clark Myer. This one won first place in the category. As you're looking over the pictures, some of them are of the front and some are on the quilting, shot from the back. Here's another shot of the quilt. This quilt was a collaborative piece between these two artists, one in Minnesota and the other in Utah.

Another quilt with great quilting. I know the quilt was probably fabulous as well, but the quilting was breathtaking. Black Beauty by Diana Napier used embroidery, applique, and piecing in addition to the stunning quilting.

Sharen Trumpy of Janesville, Wisconsin created Topher's Raggedy Circles, and I just love these colors! It's bright and fresh and it's the perfect quilt to end this section. Check back for more in the coming days.

Related Links:
5th installment
4th installment
3rd installment
2nd installment
1st installment

On Display: selling at festivals and fairs

2009-09-21T07:00:00.003-05:00

I spent Sunday wandering around the Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Festival. There were SO many booths filled with art and crafts: jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, sewing, etc. And though I can't say I came back with the "I want to make that" bug, I do feel inspired to be creative. It was nice to see other people express their creativity. It's interesting to wonder whether these artists are able to make a living selling at shows like this or do they supplement these shows with other venues (boutiques, galleries, online). Or do they have a day job and they pursue their art in their spare time, selling at shows as they can.

A few decades ago, I was going along making very basic quilted wallhangings as gifts for friends and family. (I was in my early 20s, so I was always in need of gifts for bridal showers and weddings.) After many of them told me "you should sell these," I decided to do that very thing. But since it was before the internet was commonplace and I was young and inexperienced, I dove in without doing any research, and got a table at a local fall festival with my very dear, now ex, mother-in-law who had also just started selling crafts. (No, the divorce wasn't due to this adventure--I had fabulous in-laws!) Since the show was in a few weeks, I feverishly cut, sewed, and painted late into the nights during those weeks. I probably made 20 wallhangings, mostly Christmas, and all one-of-a-kind. If you haven't already guessed, it was a disaster. Didn't sell a one. It was a yucky fall day, weatherwise, and, of course, our booth on the square was just that--it wasn't actually a craft show, more like an extension of a small-town high-school homecoming day. The bright side of this situation was that, in the end, I did sell all of them--to coworkers looking for a homemade gift and to family members seeking the same. (My sister really doesn't like to shop, so she thought it was great!) So when Mom sees something that I've made and starts to say "you know, you could make those and sell those and make a lot of money," I just smile and ask "like those wallhangings?". Somewhere I have pictures of them--if I run across the photo album, I'll scan some in so you can all see. There's nothing wrong with them, they're cute enough, and they were priced fairly for what they were, but it was 1990 and I was a brand new quilter, so when I think of them now, I have to smile and think "oh bless my heart, I thought I was really something."

So tell me your stories. Do you sell your work? What avenues do you use? Anyone else have a rough first show? Lessons to share with the rest of us? Leave a comment and let me know.

Quilts from the 2009 Wisconsin Quilt Expo, 2nd installment

2009-09-20T12:08:00.022-05:00

So for the second installment of Quilts from the 2009 Wisconsin Quilt Expo, I'm sharing some of my favorites from the machine quilted, bed size, pieced category. I photographed six quilts in this category, but there were more than 50 entered in this category. One of the quilts I photographed was the first-place winner in the category, but there are amazing things to notice in each and every one. It's interesting for me, because I usually piece my javascript:void(0)quilts and machine quilt, one way or another. But I don't feel as though I've ever made a quilt up to the standard of these beauties. So let's get on with it.

Caveat: As previously, please forgive my sometimes-color-challenged images. And I didn't always get all the shots I wish I had now. Also, if you want to see a larger image, click the merged image and it should open in a new window.

The first place winner in the category is Which Way is West by Janell Dahms of Cannon Falls, Minnesota. As with other quilts, I focused a lot on the quilting, as you can see from the second image. It was a stunning quilt--I'm always amazed at quilters who can design this way.

Snake River, pieced by June D. Behnke (Reedsburg, WI) and quilted by Kris Scharfenberg, is an off-center log cabin with a twist--added piecing that emphasizes the curved shapes that are created when you make an off-center log cabin. I did an off-center log cabin several years ago, so I'll have to really think about how that's done. But a little google searching turned up a link to a class by Judy Martin, as well as a reference to instructions in a book, so I may have to pursue this concept a little more.

Armenian Tiles was pieced by Mary Fryer of Freeport, Illinois, and quilted by Marlene Williams. I loved the colors in this quilt, and I also really loved the dark blocks with the slight patterning in them. It's definitely one of those quilts that you'd have to pay attention to piecing, given the color arrangement. There aren't a lot of blocks in this one that are actually the same, given the way the colors radiate from the center, so this is where a design wall probably comes in very handy. From reading the article linked to above, it sounds like Fryer dyes her own fabric, so that explains the perfect gradation. And check out the way the quilting fits the blocks perfectly. The sign of a pro.

Pineapples for your Wedding was pieced by Margaret Gawlik of West Bend, Wisconsin, and quilted by Kathy Holz. So many pieces, such great quilting, and of course, these are the colors I really love!

Hawaiian Star by Juleen Jaeger of New Berlin, Wisconsin, and quilted by Juli Meeks, seems to be foundation pieces, as that's the best way to get such sharp points and create such an intricate design. So many pieces, though, foundation or not! Again, closeups of the piecing and the quilting showcase why I had to shoot the closeups!

The final one I photographed in this section was Sea Urchins by Janet Sandretti, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Love the colors! Again, I'm assuming foundation pieces. Amazing!

So those are some of my favs of the machine pieced and quilted bed-size quilt category at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo. More to come later this week!

Links You'll Love: Sept. 19, 2009

2009-09-19T09:53:00.004-05:00

A weekend at home with no plans--heaven! But I should get started on doing the things I hope to get done. First on the agenda, a walk to get the blood pumping. Next, cleaning the house. Then I get to tackle the table full of paper-stuff that I have torn from magazines and printed from the web, in addition to ideas and notes and sketches. I have binders--just need to look it over and figure out what the best way to organize is! Meanwhile, there are blogs to visit.

Aileen's Musings
There is less then 14 days until the Ties That Bind Art Doll Raffle is done. Stop by and read how you can help us spread the word!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy shows off the preemie baby blanket she started not that long ago. If you are looking for a super easy crochet project, this is a good place to start.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Go Team! Make some sports-themed gifts or decorations using the free Sports Motifs Pattern Collection. Your fans will think you are "Number One"!

About Family Crafts
If you are trying to find creative costume ideas for couples or groups of peoples, check out the lists I have compiled with the help of visitors like you.

Naughty Secretary Club
If it will sit still long enough Jen will find a way to make it into jewelry, even iron-on T-shirt transfers are not safe.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi shares her finished quilt...and swears she is ready to start the next one!

Cathie Filian
Dry hands and feet season is just around the corner...Time to whip up some handmade lotion bars. Cathie has a yummy DIY recipe!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a chance to win a copy of Nature Inspired along with some original artwork by the author Tracie Lyn Huskamp, a fun Halloween ghost decoration delivered to you by Fedex, creatively photographing your shadow and a sneak peek into the soon to be released 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge talks about crafting a life of joy, which is a crafting of a sort indeed. The best sort.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make a patch with a rubber stamp project inspired by the Super fun book- Bend The Rules With Fabric by Amy Karol

The Artful Crafter
If this isn't a green craft, we don't know what is! Let Eileen show you how to make desktop organizers from junk mail. Saving the planet - one catalog at a time.

Quilts from the 2009 Wisconsin Quilt Expo, 1st installment

2009-09-17T21:45:00.003-05:00

At the Wisconsin Quilt Expo in Madison, they do allow photography of the exhibition contest entries. I took some photos last year, but now that I have my quilting machine, I look at quilts a little different, as you'll see from the photos over the next few days of blog posts. Here's my caveat on the photos. If I shot several images of the same quilt, I merged them together in one image. However, there are some shots of the backs of the quilts and the lighting causes colors to shift, so believe me when I say the grouped images are of the same projects. So, if an image doesn't seem to fit with the front, it's probably a shot of the back. I photograph the backs (with the white-gloved ladies turning it back of course) because sometimes the quilting stitches show up better back there. And no offense to any of the other entries, but I shot only the quilts I wanted records of, so if I left you out, please don't be offended. I loved all of the quilts, but as any quilter knows, some quilts just speak to you. And to view an image larger, just click on it and it should open in a new window and be larger than in the post.

Okay, on to the quilts. Today's installments are from the following categories:
1. hand-quilted, bed-size, applique;
2. hand-quilted, bed-size, any other type; and
3. Wall quilts, machine- and/or hand-quilted, pieced.
In the days to come, I'll include some photos from other categories.

First, hand-quilted, bed-size, applique. This quilt, called Icing on the Cake is from Linda Roy from Knoxville, TN. It won first place in the category. The embroidery is amazing. The flower appliques are dimensional. The applique bias strips are striped, which you may be able to see in one of the close-up pictures. As you can see, there's embroidery along the edges of the bias strips. And on top of it all, it's hand quilted! This quilt's been in many contests, as I found when I googled it. But I didn't find a website for the designer--sorry about that--so if you know of one, please post it in the comments.

Second, hand-quilted, bed-size, any other type. This quilt, called Floating Flowers, is by Jean Clark of Mount Horab, Wisconsin. Applique and piecing combine in this quilt and the cotton-candy colors seem very fresh to me. And again, look at the close-up of the hand-quilting in each block.

The next two are from the wall quilts, machine- and/or hand-quilted, pieced category. The first one is called Batik Beauty. Pamela Schuster from Middleton, Wisconsin pieced this quilt using batiks, which you know I love, but it was the quilting that caught my eye. These blocks and the black sashing really showed off the quilting, which was done by Deb Cavanaugh--I love the black fabric sashing and border.

The second quilt from this same category that caught my eye was Crystal Revelation by Susan Nelson of Prior Lake, Minnesota. Great colors--I'm always amazed by quilts like this where the whole quilt is one large design. This quilt placed first in the category. (You probably saw the ribbon and figured that out on your own, right?)

Stay tuned for more to come!