Wednesday, March 31, 2010

One Word Wednesday

running..........

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

One Word Wednesday

Rough!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Stamping Monday

Over the next few Stamping Monday topics, I'll be discussing texture: how to make textured stamps, where to use them and some additional tips to make your textured stamps more interesting and useful.

Today I've carved some Speedy Cut stamps, one 2" square and one 1" square. I've made different designs on each side to get the most out of them. You could make them all different sizes and certainly I've found rectangles to be another very useful shape, especially if you make them different widths.

I've used the smallest V gouge in my cutting set and made small scratches at an angle to the sides. Rotate 180 degrees and make more scratches. The material will cut very easily and so needs just the lightest pressure with the cutter.

I've also cut into the edges of each stamp to make the designs appear just a bit irregular.








I've used black paper for stamping with metallic and bright Fluid Acrylics. Metallic Jacquard paints on black fabrics would be stunning.

Remember to rotate the stamps so the designs will turn and create more visual interest.

See you next Monday!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Photo Illusion

I was teaching at Serge and Sew http://www.sergesew.com/ on Tuesday and the students created some wonderful pieces using their own pictures and inspiration. I brought my printer and we used both fabric printer sheets from Electric Quilt Company http://www.electricquilt.com/ and Extravorganza silk organza sheets for the printer http://www.jacquardproducts.com/
Carolyn used some pictures of her grand children dressed as angels for the Christmas pagaent.

Judy had a wonderful picture of a hummingbird from her holiday in Costa Rica. She also will use lots of floral fabrics, fussy cut and appliqued around the border. I'm sure it will be stunning!

Mary has a picture of her grandson and was all set for quilting!

Vintage pictures are a great way to make memory pieces, especially if you make one for each member of the family! This quilt will be stunning with the contrast of black, white and red!

I'll be teaching this class at the North Carolina Quilt Symposium http://www.charlottequiltersguild.org/  in Charlotte, NC in June and then at Quilting in the Trees http://www.quiltvictoriaquiltersguild.org/ 
Maybe I'll see you there!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Design Notes Newsletter

The latest issue of my newsletter is available at this link: http://tinyurl.com/yagxgo8
I hope you enjoy it!

One Word Wednesday

Spring!




Normally on these posts one word is sufficient for the picture. But every year I am reminded of Wordworth's poem. I found the following on Wikipedia as a reference written by his sister, Dorothy:

When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow Park, we saw a few daffodils close to the water side. We fancied that the lake had floated the seed ashore and that the little colony had so sprung up. But as we went along there were more and more and at last under the boughs of the trees, we saw that there was a long belt of them along the shore, about the breadth of a country turnpike road.
I never saw daffodils so beautiful they grew among the mossy stones about and about them, some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness and the rest tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake, they looked so gay ever dancing ever changing.
This wind blew directly over the lake to them. There was here and there a little knot and a few stragglers a few yards higher up but they were so few as not to disturb the simplicity and unity and life of that one busy highway. We rested again and again. The Bays were stormy, and we heard the waves at different distances and in the middle of the water like the sea.
– Dorothy Wordsworth, The Grasmere Journal , Thursday, 15 April 1802

Taken from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wandered_Lonely_as_a_Cloud

Monday, March 15, 2010

Fun and Funky Padfolio

I had a quiet Sunday and wanted to make something fun and quick. This project took me under 2 hours and I'm very pleased with the result. It measures about 9 1/2" x 12 1/2" and is sized for regular sheets of paper. It could be made larger or smaller, depending on one's needs.
I made the front part by fusing bits of torn paper, some batik scraps, coloured tulle with Misty Fuse between the layers. I then fused that part to a piece of Fast 2 Fuse from C&T Pub. http://www.ctpub.com/
I cut it out to measure 8" x 12 1/2".


I also cut the top ( 4" x 12 1/2") and back ( 9 1/2" x 12 1/2") from the Fast 2 Fuse and fused a bright batik on top. Be sure to use an applique pressing sheet or baking parchment to protect your iron and the fabric. I laid all three pieces onto the lining fabric and pressed well.

I cut out all the pieces and used a lovely Rainbows thread called Mango, Mango from Superior Threads http://www.superiorthreads.com/ and zig zagged around all the pieces twice.


I put the pieces together and stitched the front to the back along the sides and bottom, again with a zig zag stitich. The same with the top flap, but only along the top edge, so it can open.
A funky button and a length of cording I made were sewn onto the centre of the top flap and wrapped around to tie in place. Fun, isn't it and quick!!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Shattered Angles Class-Students Work

I've been teaching my Shattered Angles class for many guilds and events and also online at http://www.quiltuniversity.com/ One of my students, Dottie Sharp, sent me pictures of her work from the class. She says "The quilt entitled "Lightning" has been juried into a multi media show in the Carr Gallery at the Willard Arts Center in Idaho Falls, ID opening March 12".  Great job, Dottie!
I am thrilled for her and I'm sure you will agree that the quilts are stunning. My class begins again in May, so keep in touch if you are interested in taking the class.

Lightning













Monday, March 8, 2010

Stamping Monday

I thought this week I would offer something a little different for Stamping Monday. I've made a PDF of some images that you creative types can download to make their own stamps. You can download it here: http://tinyurl.com/yfelsb9
or if you want, you can have it as a Word document and can resize it for any size stamp.
Here's a couple of the images:











What are your favourite products for making stamps? Personally, I really like the Staedler MasterCarve. I find it sturdier than the Speedy Cut and have found the Dick Blick one is too grainy and crumbly. any other favourites?

Saturday, March 6, 2010

More Screening

We did have so much fun today at the Spring Festival. The members of the Victoria Embroiderers Guild are a lovely bunch and they make an awesome lunch!
I had brought some of my screens and showed how to use paper stencils with the thickened dyes. Then I demonstrated my Thermofax screens. They all went crazy with the Thermofax screens and ignored my paper stencils! I know that I'll probably pace my class a little differently in the future....

But they had fun and made some wonderful imagery. I was a little concerned that as embroiderers they might wonder what to do with all their fabrics, but I don't think that will be a problem!













Friday, March 5, 2010

Printing, Dyeing and Screening, oh my!

I've been a busy little beaver since my last post. All ten fingers in the dye pot and having so much fun. Here is some of the results!

I mixed up some thickened dyes for some deconstructed screenprinting and left them to dry (more about those in a couple of days). I had some dye left over so plopped it onto some plastic sheets, squished them together and put the sheets onto the fabric. Fun and effective. I think it'll be cut into little tiny squares and rearranged.






I did the same here, but used green and blue thickened dye. I thought the background was a little boring so put it into a yellow dye pot. Of course it came out mostly green.
Yesterday I did some screenprinting with red and fushia dyes and this is the result. I may add some more to it.

I'm teaching a class on screenprinting with thickened dyes tomorrow for the Victoria Embroiderers Guild. I've been printing onto linen and other hand "stitch-able" fabrics, so more about that tomorrow.