Thread Painting

I wanted something really different for one of my little quilts.  At our last Surface Design meeting, one of the demos was about free motion embroidery and how to make your own appliques using stabilizer and thread.  I tried this once about 12-13 years ago with excellent results, but kind of forgot about how much fun it can be.

 I used three layers of Solvy Stabilizer and drew the maple leaf outline onto the top layer with a fine Sharpie marker.  (I had a bunch of dried leaves from my last trip to Maine).  I forgot to take pictures until I started the second layer of thread. 

 It takes a lot of stitches and thread but not a lot of time to make a "thread applique".  The most important thing to remember is that once the stabilizer is rinsed out with water, there is nothing to hold it all together.  So, your stitches have to overlap or criss-cross each other by making a base layer.  Think of it kind of like weaving.....back and forth, up and down.

What do you think?  I don't want it to be as deep a red as the real leaf, so just a bit more and it will be finished.  See all of those light yellow "threads" sticking out from the edge of the stitching?  They're actually dried corn silk one of my friends gave me.  I thought the corn silk would make a fun foundation to stitch through to add a bit of texture.  It worked! 

I'll show you the finished project in a day or two.  Just have to finish the binding and label.

Finished!

The "American Beauty" quilt top is finished and on its way to Draper!  The pictures aren't great, but you can see how big it is.  That's a CA king bed it's on!  Yes, I'd say it's a "generous" queen size.  If you are near Thimbles & Threads Quilt Shop in Draper, stop by to see it and say "hi" to Cathie Z.

 I couldn't get far enough away to get a full picture and my design wall was way too small to hang it properly.

This was the best I could do to show the size....


Scroll down to the earlier posts to see the pretty pinks and soft yellows.

What I've Been Up To

The last couple of week have just flown by and I can't believe that it is almost the middle of March.  Between board meetings, guild meetings, and other things, I've been working on a shop sample for Thimbles & Threads.  So, I thought I'd share a few pictures.  This quilt (almost) is Marti Michell's bom, American Beauty.  It really is a beauty (in more ways than one).  Now I know why I don't especially like using templates.....the really small templates!  It's not me as much as old Arthur(itis) in the fingers.  Big templates are fine and by big I mean over 2".  Yes, templates make cutting odd shapes easier and more accurate.  The way the corners of the various pieces are trimmed really do make the process of fitting everything together much better.

All of these goodies arrived March 1st.  Beautiful fabrics from Maywood Studios, thread, and templates.  There are some pieces of luscious yellow fabric that don't show up very well.

This is one of my favorite blocks.  The black will be the background.

I love the green stripe and dark pink together and the black makes everything pop.  I thought the stripe fabric would be hard to cut straight but it was easy.

These blocks aren't sewn together yet, but you get the idea of how it is going together.  The Friendship Star block, on the left, is my favorite out of the twelve blocks.  I've never seen this setting using five stars in a 12" block.

Ready to start sewing it together!

Snow Dying

Monday was a beautiful winter day and there was plenty of new snow from the day before.  So, we (Kaye & I) decided to snow dye some fabric while we still had snow.  The days have been above freezing so that means melting and heavy, wet snow.  The first time it snowed on Sunday, the temp was hovering just below the freezing point so we had about six inches of the heavy, wet stuff, and around ten p.m. it started to snow again.  This time it was cold enough to produce the dry, granular, powder type snow that skiers love, but there was only about an inch of that.  I tried to scoop the powdery stuff into my last container, but got bombarded with snowballs and a golden retriever that kept sweeping the good stuff around with his tail!  Anyway, here are some of the results of a very fun day!  The hardest part of snow dying is waiting for the snow (in the containers, on top of the fabric) to melt and the dye to trickle down through to the fabric.  The results are worth the wait!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope everyone out there in blogland has a very happy day! The sun is out and today might set a record for the warmest day in February.....might just hit 60 degrees. So smile, give your sweetie a big hug and smootch and enjoy what the day has to offer.

Fusing Problems

I did it again!! At least this time I know what the problem is. See the crinkles in the top half of the first picture and in the center right of the second picture? Yes, Laura (Wasilowski), I fused everything to the wrong side of the batting!!! Again!! Argh-h-h-h!

So I thought I'd remind those of you who fuse and those of you who are about to.....don't fuse to the scrim side of the batting. Yes, even cotton and bamboo batting has a scrim. Really hard to tell sometimes which side is which without testing a scrap piece. The pieces that crinkled are sheer fabrics so that may be part of the problem since the cotton pieces aren't as bad. The iron may have been too hot for the sheers as well....didn't think about that at the time.

I will show you the whole piece as soon as it's quilted and embellished. Hopefully that won't be too far in the future?

A Whole Month Already???

I can't believe that an entire month has gone by since my last post!  And I don't have much to show for all that time either.  Yes, the holiday's took some time, but no excuses.....I just didn't post.

Today is beautiful here in Utah.  The sun is out, the air quality is in the green zone, and the temp is in the 40,s.  Actually, the thermometer on our deck says 51°F.  No wonder Sam (dog) is happy staying outside so much today.

I have been working on some PHD's (doesn't that sound better than UFO's?) but haven't finished any yet.  Jenny of Elefantz has a new 2011 bom that I fell in love with!  The link is on my sidebar.  This one will have a little saying to hang on the main quiltlet each month.

This little section hangs on the button and there will be a different one each month.




And this part "Gives Thanks" for everything.  My thanks to Jenny!  Another wonderful design.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas.  The best gifts are the ones that come from the heart and quite often the only cost is a little time and effort.  A simple act of kindness, an encouraging word, or a hug can brighten even the gloomiest day.  Thank you all for your comments during the past year.....I appreciate each one.  Enjoy your holidays with family and friends.

Daisy Stitchery Finished

Doesn't this look like a spring-y, warm, summer-y little wall quilt?  This was a bom from Jenny of Elefantz, who is one of my favorite designers and bloggers.  When I look at my list of favorites, it seems most of them live in Australia! If you haven't visited Jenny's blog, just click on the name.  I really like the combination of stitchery and quilting.....but I also like artsy quilts....and traditional with a twist.....oh, lets just face it!  I like almost every type of quilting!

All Things Christmas

I can't believe that next week is Thanksgiving already, which means that Christmas is only a month away!  Anyway, SewCalGal is hosting another online Christmas quilt show, and this is the only Christmas quilt I have.  Yes, I posted about it last year and also promised myself that I would finish the embellishing before Christmas 2010.  Hasn't happened yet, but I took a class from Mary Stori in October so I'm getting out the beads and fancies. When I finish embellishing I will update the picture.  In the meantime, check out all the wonderful quilts at the virtual quilt show.   Just click HERE


This pattern is from one of my favorite applique/pattern designers, Angie Padilla.  Check out her website for some really fun things.  Angie is also the author of the EQ6 applique book.

And The Fall into Fall winner is.......

Not yet!  First I would like to thank everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment on your favorite fall activity.  Mine is picking apples and just the "right" pumpkin for our annual dinner in the pumpkin!  This is a day late because I didn't get out of hospital until yesterday so I'm moving quite slowly.  My apologies for that. 

Drum roll please........Mr Random Generator chose....#74.....Karen!  Good name too, it's my youngest daughter's name.  Karen I will email you in just a bit for mailing info.  Congrats!  And thanks for entering.

Kindle Case and More Little Bags

This little bag turned out so cute.  The pattern is from "The Quilt Company" and called "Three Pocket Tote".  It's actually made from a quilted square.  The trick is folding it origami style.  There is a center pocket and two flap pockets that button or velcro closed.  It can be almost any size depending on the size of your quilted square!  This one is about 8"x8 1/2" and the perfect size for a quick trip to the market.....or fabric store.

Here's another Sonoma Bag made for another grandgirl.  She picked out the colors and watched while her sister (younger) stitched all the strips for both bags together.

I just got a Kindle and had to have a pouch to protect it. The tutorial for this one showed up in my in-box from Tipnut.com the same day I was trying to figure out how to hide the lining seams.  The tutorial can be found on Junie Moon's blog .  The first photo is the back pocket and the second picture is the front.  Black velcro would have been so-o-o much better, but I needed it right then.  Thank you Junie!!!

Road Update

I've had several people ask me for an update on the new road behind our house. After almost a year of problems, cars are actually able to drive on it! Most of the time.

Okay. Here's the latest as of this afternoon. Seems there is still a problem with water drainage! Last time I posted about the road it was all paved and ready to go....or so it seemed. Sure enough, something was just not right so they got the old jackhammers out and dug up a few spots through the brand new hot topped road. Did I not predict that that would happen? That was around the end of August. Since we are a desert climate, there is not much rain during the summer, but we have had a few storms. Yep, each time it rained out came the trucks and up came the man-hole covers.

This photo was taken right behind our house. It started raining about half an hour before they got here, but not really that hard. When they started the engine on this thing it sounded like my vacuum. Once it reached the bottom it sounded like my vacuum sucking up a spilled box of beads, only louder. You all know the sound of hard little things being vacuumed.

So, for now, it seems like it's mostly a go. I'll let you know if anything interesting happens. Oh! There are actually some speed limit signs up....so it must be officially declared a road.

Fall into Fall Quilt Bloggers Giveaway

Oh my gosh!  I am so sorry for the late post for the Fall into Fall Quilt Bloggers Giveaway!  My excuses are valid but I won't bore you with explanations.

See the little scarecrow on the right sidebar?  When you finish reading this post....not before....click on the little guy and he will take you to the list of blogging quilters who are all giving away prizes.  There are 130+ sites to visit so you have lots of chances to win some fun things.  The giveaway runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15th.

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This is what I will be giving away.  A half yard of autumn fairy print, (several different fairies in little rectangles that can be fussy-cut), half yard of coordinating leaf print, three fat quarters and Billie Lauder's book "Quick Quilt Tricks".  There may be a few more goodies included.  Surprises are fun!

To enter just leave a comment about your favorite fall activity.  International is welcome, too.  If you decide to become a follower of my blog that would be wonderful but not necessary.  If you don't have a blog with a link-back, please include your email with your comment.  You can't win if I can't contact you and Mr. Random will have to draw another number.  Winning entry will be drawn on Oct. 15th.  Good luck to everyone!

Niagra River Rapids

We spent a wonderful week visiting family in Buffalo, NY (two weeks ago).  Can't go there without visiting Niagra Falls which is one of my favorite places.  The Canadian side of the falls is gorgeous, but we were making a trip to the casino and since we all left our passports at the house, decided to check out the American side.  We went to Goat Island and we were able to venture right down to the Niagra river....no railing or fence to keep you from falling into the rapids.  Wow!!  It was amazing!  We couldn't actually see the falls, but you can see mist caused by the power of this river.  The rapids were incredible.

 This picture is taken from Goat Island looking over the falls at the city of Niagra Falls through the mist.

(Close-up from the picture above)


You can see the water beginning to spill over the edge and the "fog" is the spray or mist rising from the force of the water hitting the bottom.

This photo is just one little area of the rapids.

Contemporary Art Quilts

Contemporary Art Quilts

Who: Universe City
What: Contemporary Art Quilts by Judy Elsley and Julie Nelson
When: October 1-16, Fridays: 5:00-8:00 pm, Saturdays: 1:00-6:00 pm
Opening Reception: Friday, October 1, 5:00-8:00 pm
Closing Night Art Talk and reception, Saturday, October 16, 6:30-8:00 pm
Where: Universe City, 2556 Washington Boulevard, Ogden

In conjunction with First Friday Art Stroll, Universe City opens "Contemporary Art Quilts" by Judy Elsley and Julie Nelson, Friday, October 1 from 5:00-8:00 PM. The show continues until October 16th, Fridays: 5:00-8:00 pm and Saturdays: 1:00-6:00 pm or by appointment. For appointments, call Benjamin Jennings, 801 458-8959. The show will conclude with an art talk and reception on October 16h, 6:30-8:00 pm. Light refreshment are available opening and closing nights.

Julie Nelson and Judy Elsley are quilt makers living in the Ogden area.  Both artisists design and make their own quilts, and they meet regularly for "play dates" to talk about their individual work and try out new techniques together.

Nelson uses a mix of commercial and hand-dyed fabrics, incorporating wood, metal and gourd shells into her work. Elsley's quilts are made from her own hand-dyed fabrics. Nelson machine and hand quilts her work, while Elsley often takes hers to a professional machine quilter.

Elsley says of their work, "We draw inspiration from each other, learn from each other, and we play well together. I admire Julie's creativity, her sense of color, and her beautiful quilts. We feel fortunate to have found each other and we enjoy collaborating."

In addition to being a quilt artist, Elsley is well-known quilt historian, as a researcher and author on the topic of quilts and their place in culture. She has taught a course, "Text and Textile: Teaching the Literature of Quilting," at Weber State University, where she is a Professor of English and also the Director of the Honors Program. The course familiarizes students with texts about quilts and quilters, ranging from such non-fiction as history, biography, and critical articles to a variety of fiction, including poetry, short stories, a quilt detective novel, children's books, and a play. Quilt texts are often connected with the textiles that inspired them so as well as reading, discussing and writing about these texts, students are invited to bring in a family quilt to "show and tell." As a final project, students make a small autobiographical quilt which they display and explain to an audience of family and friends.

For more information about this show, contact:
Judy Elsley, jelsley@weber.edu
or Benjamin Jennings, benjaminjennings@me.com

New little bags

When I saw these little bags I knew I had to make one...or two. They measure 7 1/2" x 9", outside pocket big enough for a cell phone or i-pod, and two inside pockets. I found the buttons in my button box and finished it off with little zipper pulls with some beads I had. The size will be perfect for our upcoming quilt fest....no heavy purse to carry while visiting all the wonderful vendors that will be there!

Surprise in the Mail

The mail brought a package last week with these wonderful fabrics and patterns.
I had to dive right in and start with the top kit.  Check out the ric-rac!  Orange is so not my color, but this combination just shouted "happy, happy!  Me first"!  Keep reading and scrolling to see the finished top.  It just makes me smile because it is so bright and cheerful.

 The second kit is a Christmas table topper called Figgy Pudding.  Yes, Christmas is not that far away, especially for quilters and crafters!  This one uses 10" squares cut into four different sized pieces and put back together with strips of sashing.  This kit came with fat quarters so if there is a cutting error...oop-p-p-p-s....there is plenty left to cut another piece.  I love the new Christmas colors, especially the blues and stripes.

Here are the finished tops.

 Sorry the picture isn't quite in focus.  There is a strip of wide lime green ric-rac across the middle of the top piece and the bottom piece.





 Popp'n Posies by Izzy & Ivy
Kit from Thimbles & Threads

Happy, dancing flowers.

Finally, here's Figgy Pudding from Mary's Cottage Quilts.
Kit is from Thimbles & Threads.

Can you believe that I found some Christmas decorations in August?  The little bags are filled with balsam needles from our niece who lives in Maine.  They make and sell wreaths and always send us one along with these cute little bags.  I save them every year and put them in a red basket! 

Plum Jam

Yesterday we made nine jars of plum jam. (One is already missing!) Our big old plum tree didn't produce much this year but we did get enough for one batch. Last year the tree was loaded with plums, and our dog, Sam, loved to eat the ones on the ground and the birds really enjoyed pecking bits out of the ones still on the tree. Not so this year. Maybe it's an every other year thing.

Mushrooms Anyone?

I found these beauties growing in odd spots around the yard.  These were sprouting under our spruce tree.  Really strange looking.  The middle one looks like a glass of beer with the foam overflowing...really dark beer.  Not quite sure about the small one, but I'll watch them.


These little guys were growing next to a piece

 of wood.  The peaked tops were quite shiny and if you zoom in there are wonderful striations of color that almost looks like wood grain.

 This one was all by itself between two pieces of wood.  Much darker brown cap.

I guess they like the dampness of the wood because here is another group on the other side of the log. 

Last year I found a giant puffball in our yard.  Of course I had no clue what it was when I took the picture, but after much research, not only did I find out what it was, but that it is edible and has a texture sort of like a marshmallow.

Nature provides us with many, many interesting and unusual things to see and wonder about if we take the time to really look at our surroundings.