Sashiko

Finally! My Sashiko cloth is finished. The designs were already printed on the fabric which I purchased in St. John's, Quilt Canada, 2008. I certainly enjoyed stitching it as I didn't have to concentrate on following a paper pattern or count threads. In this pattern, the cross hatching, which I did in a green thread, went through the squares. However, I felt this was a bit too busy and opted to have them end at the blocks so that the blocks appear to float above the grid pattern.

Now I'm looking for a piece of black sashiko fabric at least 25 x 45 as I would like to do a top for my coffee table. Finding a source for the black fabric other than some of the Asian countries or Australia & New Zealand, is a challenge.
If you aren't familiar with this kind of embroidery, check out the following sites:
The Origin of Sashiko
Studio Aika
Sashiko Flickr Group    
Tutorial from Sashiko Stitchers

I own a number of excellent books on this topic:

The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook by Susan Briscoe
Sensational Sashiko by Sharon Pederson
Sashiko by Mary Parker
Sashiko, Japanese Traditional Hand Stitching by Ai Takeda
Sashiko and Beyond by Saikoh Takano
Sashiko - Traditional Japanese Quilt Designs by Nihon Vogue
Paradise Stitched by Sylvia Pippen
For some reason, when this post is viewed in Internet Explorer, two photos of the same thing is showing. I had this problem before and it took quite awhile to correct. 

Trees

The photo speaks for itself! We do have lots of snow. This tree is just outside my studio window.

Here's some more trees to view:

Trees for Leslie 
Winter Visitor 
Sunset 
Grove of Trees
Tree Art Quilt
Art Quilts
Autumn in the Park
Trees
Landscape Quilts   

Enjoy!   

Quilt Counterpoint Video

 I was just reading through the postings from some of my favorite sites and came across the Quilt Counterpoint Video (thanks Leah Day). The video is fantastic and that comes from one who isn't into traditional quilting - but I do like to look at them. It was created by Gayle Thomas in 1966 and produced here in Canada. At the end of the video you see all the blocks that were used.

Here's the quilting video! Enjoy . . . we have to go clean up after another dump of snow. I really don't like winter!

Photos for Inspiration!

Chicago Skyline by Judy Cooper

Photos are always great sources of inspiration for artists. I always have a camera with me so if I see something that catches my eye, I can capture it instantly. If you are unable to do this, the internet can offer a wealth of possibilities. For example, quilt artist, Sue Bleiweiss, has a blog devoted to her photos. These photos are available to anyone to use but please read her blurb on copyright related to her work.

Here are some interesting sites I found.

• When designing landscape quilts, images of real landscapes are ideal.

• I couldn't pass up on these photos as they are stunning! (scroll down) And these! Here's more!

• Check out these creative and inspiring photographs. There were some very creative minds at work here. Think of the possibilities in your own creations!

• If you are eager to start taking pictures, read about these 60 Sources of Inspiration for Photography.

• 30 photos from nature.

• The colours in these photos are fantastic. 

• Funky Architecture but think of the possibilities! Look at some of the designs.

• All I can say about these, is WOW!

• Close-ups anyone. . . Macro Photography

• Long Exposures  

• Underwater  

• Flowers (choose the colour at the bottom of the page) More flowers

It was very difficult to stop listing sites with awe inspiring photographs!

Sites to Inspire

Do you need some inspiration to get you kick started into creating new works of art? Check out these quilt artists. All of them have one thing in common - their creative use of colourful dyed fabrics.

Wendy Butler Berns
Terry Waldron
Susan K. Cleveland
Mickey Depre
Frieda Anderson
Ann Fahl
Caryl Bryer Fallert
Laura Wasilowski
Michele Hardy
Melody Johnson
Anne Lullie


Enjoy! 
    
  

Show & Tell at Cabot Quilt Guild

Have a look at some of the beautiful quilts shown at the Cabot Quilt Guild this month. Click to view them a bit larger.

 

More Journal Book Covers

I finally finished all the journal book covers. You can see the previous ones here. Looking at my photos, the little yellow house and red bird are there twice. So much for trying to be careful!! The other photo shows some of the batiks I used. If you click on the fabric photo, you will see the free motion stitching I did using the Rainbow threads. These journal covers can be purchased at Devon House Craft Shop, Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Crafty Blogs - UK

On Sunday, I blogged about the Patchwork & Quilting Blog List at Red Pepper Quilts. Today I came across another source of blogs. This time it is Crafty Blogs exclusive to the UK. Reading down through the list of blogs I came across some very interesting names. A lot of the sites listed are for paper crafts. I found it a tad frustrating trying to find the sewing /quilting / stitching blogs among all the paper related ones. A search engine for the site would have been nice.
Since there are so many sites to view, I've selected a few blogs (some with free downloads) related to quilting, sewing, and needle craft.

Cross Stitch Charts
Needle Work & Knitting  (lots of different stuff here)
Tutorials at Flossie Teacakes
Knitted Toy Box
Bustle & Sew (interesting stuff)
Very Berry Handmade (list of some more blogs)
Crafty Corner
Ellieskeepers Creations (list of blogs)
Hand Embroidery Network (HEN) I have a link to this site on my blog list
The Magic Bean(patterns
The Patchwork Heart 
Hand Knitted Things
Indigo Blue

I went only as far as the end of page 12 to find these.
 

Happy Valentine's Day

How to Quilt (click on heart)

I'm not into making things for these 'special' days but I did find a few things that might interest some of you. I know it's rather late for this year, but just think - you now have a whole year to make something special for next year!!




Hearts in Motion
Valentine Heart Block and another one here and here
Heart Quilt Block (part of a seasonal & holiday series of wall hangings)
Valentine Quilt Patterns
Pieced Heart Fabric Postcard
Valentine Heart Quilt
Mosaic Hearts
Ideas from eQuilt Patterns
Hugs & Kisses
Valentine Pennie Pockets 
Heart Pattern Links (a couple of the links don't work) 
Happy Valentine's Day (my last year's post)

Enjoy your day!

Patchwork & Quilting Blog List

Just when I wondering what I would blog about today, voila, I came across this site, called Red Pepper Quilts.
This web site, from Melbourne, Australia, has quite a list of patchwork and quilting blogs. I added my blog to the list and made a link at the side for easy access. At the moment there are almost 400 blogs listed! Mine is # 398.  I can't wait to start exploring.

Enjoy!

Angelina Fibers

Old stash of Angelina fibers

I just received my latest order of Angelina Fibers from Embellishment Village. Over the years I have used bags of the stuff in my work. I thought I had all the colours available but that wasn't so. A few new colours have been added which I had to have! You can see them in the first photo. The second photo shows my original stash of Angelina fibers, Crystalina fibers and fusible film.
I use snippets of the film with the fibers. I will take a piece of the film, scrunch it in my hand, smooth it out again (leaving lovely lines) and then cut it up to use with the fibers. Using a rotary cutter with decorative blades also gives a neat look to the fusible film. I tried to use a pair of fancy paper scissors (generally used for scrap booking) but they didn't work at all. They were just cheap paper ones. The more expensive ones probably work fine.

Here's a few web sites related to Angelina Fibers:
Tutorial using Angelina Fibers
5 Ways to use Angelina Fibers
Quilter's Dream - Angelina Fibers
Deborah Levy Art 
Angelina Fiber Stamps
Youtube Videos for Angelina 

Journal Covers & Threads

Here's some of the journal covers I've completed this past weekend. I use only batik fabrics which I embellish with Rainbow Superior Threads. I just love the way these threads stitch and look on the fabrics. One of the things I like about the plastic spool is the cut edge to catch the thread end so it doesn't unravel (see photo below). You can see past postings for more of my journal covers here and here.

My new Rainbow Threads

Cup Cakes

The Cup Cake theme seems to be everywhere these days! I read that cup cakes are even taking the place of the traditional wedding cake. They have been used for years as treats for kids parties so why not weddings. I remember having them at parties when I was a child. Because this is such a popular theme, I did do a journal cover with a cupcake motif. But that is for another day.

These two fabrics are from the Robert Kaufman cupcake collection.

In my research for cup cake themed items, I found some interesting stuff. Some you might like while others you may wonder about. Anyway, have fun - you never know when an occasion will arise that cries out for a cup cake!



Cupcake Purse
Cupcake Doll
Cupcake Coin Purse 
Cupcake Pin Cushion
Felt Cupcake  (I like the way the icing was constructed for this one)
Needle felted cupcakes and other treats
Cupcake Crocheted Hat
Fancy knitted cupcake
Cupcake Ornament  (check out the other free patterns on this site)
Check out the Quilted Cupcake's Sewing Machine! Free quilted cupcake pattern here.
Rug with cupcake applique
Cupcake Embroidery Patterns. More here and here!
Cupcake Mini Quilt

    

International Night at Eastern Edge Quilt Guild

India

Last evening was International Night at the Eastern Edge Quilt Guild. Members were asked to bring along quilt related items from different countries. The items were amazing. Here are some photos I took of the things on display.

You can see all of the photos on my flickr page.

Enjoy!

Peru

Laos