Kitchen Stitches

I had a quiet flight to Halifax yesterday. Certainly not like my trip from Chicago last week. During that trip, there was a major snowstorm in the Halifax area and my flight was delayed several times.

As I was relaxing in my hotel room with a hot cup of tea, and catching up with some of the blogs I follow, I came across a new book called Kitchen Stitches on Jackie's Art Quilt blog. Jackie has something to be proud of as one of her designs is in the book - congratulations! She also has great photos showing some of the projects. Did I mention she is lives in Ontario, Canada?


Reading Amy's Creative Side, I discovered that Amy has a table runner in the same book.
Lots of creative ladies have wonderful projects in this book.

Enjoy!

Winter Weather

Yesterday I took photos of the garden before the snow came. It was forecast to be lots of the white, fluffy stuff but we got off fairly well. It's turned out to be a beautiful sunny day with a white carpet over everything. I don't know about you, but I can't wait until spring!! Off to Halifax in a couple of hours!

Periwinkle under the tree is so green!

Soft early morning sunlight.

A Bit of Eveything

Well, my bags are packed for my trip to Halifax this afternoon. I'm looking forward to my first time visit to the Atlantic Canada Trade Show (ACTS). Yesterday was a flurry of work getting last minute things done

• Wholesale Product Catalog was printed
• Product Sample Binder was finished
• Purchased a new carry-on bag
• Wall signs for each product is done 
• All electronics are charged

In between work, I did manage to check out a few more blogs on the Grow Your Blog Hop. To my surprise, my blog has grown too. Thanks for visiting and signing on to get updates! It's much appreciated. I've also gotten quite a number of comments. You can see those in the various posts below.


Elaine Quehl has finished four small quilts which are called Encore. They look great!

I also found this neat finger pincushion from Nunn Design. I think the colours caught my eye - so bright and cheerful!

Don't forget to check out Sew We Quilt for the the hop, She Who Sews with Quilting Treasures.

Check out the weekly post from the Needle and Thread Network (all Canadian Textile Artists. I added my blog this week.

New Stuff !!

I just finished a new quilted sign for my art work. It was machine embroidered in a large hoop so I didn't have to reposition it to get it all done. The size is 19" x 12 1/2".

I have also dded two new shimmers to my collection, an anchor and a lighthouse.

These items will be going to Halifax with me on Thursday for the Atlantic Canada Trade Show (ACTS) this weekend. I have been invited to show my wholesale products in the Newfoundland Labrador booth. It has taken me many years to decide to sell any of my things at a wholesale show.
Last March I was approached by the craft sector of government to attend the local Trade Show. It was a great success so here I am, going to a much larger event! It will be a great experience and I'll get to see some great art pieces in the gallery space.

What a Bummer!

I thought my Tuesday post was posted! However, it got posted very late Monday night - by mistake. I went to post it a few minutes ago and noticed that it didn't say draft in the list. I must have hit the post it button after I had finished it. So much for trying to have an informative post every day of January.

I just heard rain beating on the window - it's pouring outside. I hope it melts the rest of the dirty snow piled up by the snow blower.

There is another blog hop on the go at Sew We Quilt called She Who Sews. Have a look, as the gals who participate, always have nifty projects to share.

Enjoy!

New Wearable Art Pins

I just finished a new set of needle felted wearable art pins. These are embellished with Sulky Sliver threads, decorative yarns and beads. Recycled leather is used on the back. Each is one-of-a-kind and numbered.

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to my daughter! Last year, I was in Chicago with her and her family for this special occasion.
To celebrate birthdays everywhere, here are some fun birthday pieces for your pleasure:

• Happy Birthday, Quilting Arts
• Happy Birthday Wall Quilt
• Happy Birthday Wall Hanging
• Riley Blake Designs Happy Birthday Quilt BOM 2014
• Happy Birthday Quilt 
• Happy Birthday Cake Quilt  
• Birthday Blog Post

Enjoy!

Grow Your Blog 2014

Grow Your Blog 2014 is a marvelous blogging event that started yesterday. There are almost 600  bloggers in this second international blog party! It's a way for participants to visit other blogs as well as have others visit back. You can join sites that interest you, as well as leave a comment or two! In any event, drop by as many blogs as you can. I don't think you will be disappointed!

Unfortunately, I was unable to participate. When it was announced back in October, I had just gotten back from a lengthy vacation and I simply forgot all about it. So you may visit as many of the blogs listed HERE!

It would be nice if you dropped back here once in awhile - I'm always blogging about 'stuff'!

Enjoy!

Chocolate

I love chocolate! Trader Joe's in Chicago, has fantastic organic chocolate. I couldn't resist bringing some home! I don't drink coffee but I have been told that it goes quite well with chocolate.
Here's a few quilted pieces with a chocolate theme:

• Mug Rug from A Legacy of Stitches
• Chocolate - Art Quilt from Quilting Daily (Valentine idea)
• Chocolate Fantasy from Up For A Challenge Art Quilts
• Chocolate Cross Stitch Pattern from Lula Belle Handicrafts

Fabric Purchase

I didn't purchase many fabrics this time during my Chicago visit. The few I did get will probably be used for mug rugs or other small projects. Some very glitzy pieces did find their way back to Newfoundland! The photo doesn't do them justice. They will be used to make more fantasy fabric. I find that lime green really pops out in a piece as well as neon colours.

This blue piece reminded me of glass. I have no idea what I will do with it!
The hearts in the red fabric are metallic.
The Cats and owls appealed to me - fun pieces.

Art Quilting Studio - Winter 2014

I picked up a copy of the winter edition of Art Quilting Studio yesterday at Jo-Ann's. Lots of great stuff in this magazine. Here are a few articles that interested me:

• Knit It. Shrink It. Quilt It. by Jennifer Hammond Landau
• Inland Coastal Waters by Deborah O'Hare and Quilt Routes
• Artist Showcase - Lorie McCown
• Silk Scrap Bracelets by Bozena Wojtaszek
• Painting with Fabric 7 Thread by Rebekah Dundon
• Mono-Printed Collage Fabric by Rebekah Meier
• Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary by Sharon Teaser, Fiber Artist

Tips for Quilters and Stitchers

Tip of the day:
Over the years I have been asked to offer advice on what's the best sewing machine to buy. That's a difficult question to answer as there are so many great machines on the market. However, I do advise people to make sure they have easy access to maintenance and repairs. At one point, the dealer for my sewing machine, in St. John's, closed and there was no one closer than Nova Scotia who could do a necessary repair on my computerized machine. That was an experience I won't repeat. So go to your local dealer and try out the different machines they have and decide from there.

Here's some sites with great tips related to quilting and sewing:

• How to Make Your Embroidery Thread Behave (for hand & machine sewing)
• Save The Spools
• The Right Tools for the Job
• Quilting & Sewing Tips & Hints
• Quick Tips for Quilters
• Quilting Tips Archive from Fonts & Porter
• Sewing & Quilting Tips from Sew Mama Sew
• Tips for Sewing Quilt Blocks
• Tips on Sewing Miniature Quilts
• Sewing Tips, Tools and Tricks

Wishing it was SPRING!!!

As I was looking out the window of my daughter's place here in Chicago, I wished it was spring! It's been really cold since I've been here. Certainly a lot colder than St. John's, NL, where the sea has a warming effect. I just read that St. John's has the mildest winters in Canada! Hmmm! I don't know about this winter though!!

Since my heart is looking toward SPRING (still  months away), here are some leafy designs to check out. Also, I pinned a few art quilts with leaves on my Art Quilts pinterest page.

• Leaf designs from Sketch Book
• Leaf Stitch,
• How to Crochet a Leaf
• Free Knitted Leaf Patterns
• Lace Leaf Stitches
• Little Leaves Scarf (cute)
• 100 Stitches - Leaf Stitch (excellent tutorial & worth looking around the site)
• Rose Leaf Stitch
• Embroidery Library - Leaf Stitch
• Raised Fishbone Stitch (fish pattern)

More Stuff for Valentine's Day

Here's a few more Valentine's Day ideas:

Valentine Hearts Wall Art
Valentine Heart Block
Hearts and Valentines 2014 (free patterns)
Free Valentine Quilt Patterns
Free Valentine Sewing Projects

Previous Valentine's Day Projects and Mug Rugs

Interesting Textile Sites / Organizations

It's time to have a look at some interesting sites / organizations, that host textile artists.
Here's what I've found last evening in an hour or so. I'll have a closer look at them when I get a bit more time.

• The Textile Blog
• The Textile Artist Organization
• The Textile Arts Network
• Textile Arts Resource Guide
• TAFA - The Textile and Fiber Art List
• Textile Artists
• ATASDA - Australian Textile Art and Surface Design Association
• SAQA - Studio Art Quilt Associates

Enjoy!

I Sew Free

I Sew Free is an on-line source for lots of free patterns for both hand and machine embroidery, quilting and sewing. Some of the patterns are only available for a short time, so I've subscribed to their newsletter. That way, I get notification of all new pattern sources added to the site. If there is something I would like to try at a later time, I save the pattern in One Note.

Book Purchase

Yesterday, I paid a visit to Jo-Ann's in Chicago and  purchased, The Complete Photo Guide to Art Quilting by Susan Stein. The colourful photos are wonderful.

Overview

This comprehensive how-to book explores all the concepts and techniques involved in creating art quilts, including composition and design; making whole-cloth, pieced, and appliquéd art quilts; fabric manipulation and surface design; quilting/stitching; embellishing; and working in a series. Readers will find easy access to information with step-by-step directions and hundreds of full-color photos for clear understanding. Easy projects provide opportunities for the reader to try the techniques, and galleries of art quilts by various fabric artists offer beautiful examples and enticing inspiration.

(Taken from the Barnes & Noble Web Site)

Pearl Cotton Balls

Last summer, I visited Stitch-It Central in Ontario, Canada.  You can see that post HERE. They are now carrying DMC # 8, # 5 and # 12 Pearl Cotton balls. See all the colours they have on their website. That is good news for my NL readers as the # 8 Pearl Cotton is generally difficult to get locally. Fiber Lilly, St. John's, NL., has a limited supply, so please check them out. For most stitching needs, we have to order our supplies from out of province. I'd much sooner buy locally but if an item isn't available, then it's the next best thing.

Wednesday

I'm not working in my studio this week but I do want to share some sites for you to explore.

• For those who like to do pieced quilts, Nancy Mahoney has quite a few free patterns to share with you     
• Free eBook from Quilting Daily on creating Wall Art pieces from your fabric stash
• Art by Liz Plummer Surface Pattern Design and Textile Art
• Carolyn Saxby, mixed media textile art and textured digital photography
• Sew Danish Tutorial on making a roller printed background on fabric
• Kim's Hot Textiles by Kim Thittichai

Enjoy!

It's when the batteries on the mouse goes dead that you realize how much you depend on it! On the other side of the coin, you are forced to discover how to make things work on the tablet without it!
Note to self: make sure there is a supply of batteries close at hand next time I want to post to my blog.

Hand Embroidery

Today the focus is on hand embroidery web sites and blogs.

• Mary Corbet's Needle 'N Thread is the 'go to' site for almost everything you need to know about hand embroidery. 
• Mary Joan Stitching has lots of sites with free patterns and tutorials
• Sharon B's Pintangle
• I Sew Free   
• About.Com Embroidery
• Needlework Craft Gossip
• Bad Birds 
• Needlework
• Eglantine Stitchery
• Craft Leftovers
• Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials
• Sublime Stitching 
• Hand Embroidery Network
• Stitchin Fingers
• Textile Artist
• My Sweet Prarie

Previous Posts

• Hand Embroidery (May 2012)
• Hand Embroidery (Feb 2010)
• Embroidery (June 2011)
• Happy Stitching (Jan 2012)

These two pieces are original designs. The applique and hand embroidery evolved from the hand embroidery piece. I was pleased with the outcome.

Applique and Hand Embroidery

Hand Embroidery (Crewel with Appleton Wool)

Congratulations Kaetlyn Osmond

Kaetlyn Osmond, figure skater, is from Marystown, NL, Canada. Saturday night she won her second consecutive women's figure skating title in Canada. She will be going to the Olympics in February. I believe the word 'figure' is not going to be used any more but the term is so well known that it will be hard to use anything else (especially if you grew up calling it that).

Back in 2011, I posted about the Sochi Olympics mainly because of the beautiful patchwork quilts they were using in their advertisements. As a tribute to Kaetlyn, here are some 'skating' quilts and related craft that I found.

Have a look as they might be inspirational for some little person in your life with aspirations to become a figure skater.

• Sweet Skating Sue
• Linda Robertus, Ice Skating Quilt
• Ice Skaters (pattern for sale)
• Skating Gingerbread Man (redwork)
• Skating on Frog Pond
• Athletic on Ice (scroll down)
• Inspiration in Ink 
• Ice Skating 
• Figure Skating Silhouette 
• Skate Ornaments  
• Ice Skating

Enjoy!


 

Stitching With Sulky Sliver Threads

Here's one of my felted sheets before any machine stitching was added. I used different colours of Sulky Sliver Thread to stitch the piece. I find that this really gives texture to the surface. The bobbin has Sulky invisible thread as I find it works best with the Sulky Sliver thread.
It was also interesting to see the light shine through when it was held it up to the light.

This felted piece will be cut into 2" x 3" pieces and put on cards. I have also used smaller pieces for Wearable Art Pins. The pins are usually embellished with beads, hand embroidery and other findings.

Needle Felting before machine stitching

Close-up showing maching stitching with Sulky Sliver Threads

Machine Stitching Complete

Held up to a light, the holes show through

This is the reverse of the above felted piece

Held up to a light, the holes show through

Felted Landscape

I just found an eleven inch strip of unfinished needle felted landscape in a bag of wool roving. It will probably be hand embroidered with flowers, cut into two inch strips and used on five art cards. Maybe they will be ready for the February 8th Some Good Market here in St. John's. Valentine's Day is just a few days after that event!

New Needle Felted Art Cards

This is a busy time of year for those of us who produce certain items for the wholesale market. I create unique products that are very affordable and small enough to mail in an envelope. 

• My greeting cards are digital prints made from original textile-based art. 
• The art cards are images constructed by using various combinations of needle felting, hand / machine stitching, and / or painting, then attached to a card.  
• Shimmer Ornaments consist of a variety of images stitched onto a hand constructed, translucent background with machine embroidery outlines and details. These can be designed to be site specific.
• Felted ornaments are constructed from a variety of needle felted yarns.
• Wearable Art Pins consist of a wide variety of images constructed on a hand layered background that I call 'fantasy fabric'. They consist  of a variety of decorative yarns, glittery threads and fabrics, tulle and lame with machine embroidered details and outlines.

All my needle felted art cards are sold so I had to get busy and make more. Here's the ones I did today.

Another sheet almost ready to be needle felted,

Cord Wraps

My latest textile creations are Cord Wraps. I use scraps of fabric in their construction. The closure is coloured velcro. I like matching the velcro to the fabric. Most shops just carry the standard black, white and sometimes taupe but I managed to find coloured velcro on my travels.

These Cord Wraps are great for organizing cords from irons, hair dryers, small appliances, cell phones, and tablets. The list is endless. Think about all the cords visible on your kitchen counter or on your desk that would benefit from Cord Wraps. Organize your life!

In keeping with the smaller items I make, they are light weight and can be easily mailed in an envelope. Plus they make great little gifts.

 Have a look!

Made using the embroidery machine and sewing machine.

Wake Up With Kona!

If you are a fan of quilting with solid fabrics, check out the blog hop, Wake Up With Kona, at Sew We Quilt. This was the second day of the hop and so far, the quilted pieces shown on the various sites, have been fabulous. Below is the book, Color Essentials, by Amanda Murphy, that the ladies are using as a reference for their projects.

Sponsors for this hop are Amanda Murphy, Robert Kaufman and Aurifil. Please check out the blog hop as you won't be disappointed!
Enjoy!