The Needle and Thread Network

I've linked up with The Needle and Thread Network again this week. I usually try to participate weekly. It's a great place to see what other Canadian quilters, sewers, textile artists . . . are doing. Check it out! I have a button on the side of the blog but you can also visit from HERE.

Enjoy!

Art by Jill Thirza Cooper

My daughter, Jill, just launched her new website http://jill-cooper.com, promoting her artwork. She paints mainly in acrylics on canvas, and had a showing in Chicago just before Christmas. Her originals are for sale on her site, and she will have prints available soon as well.

I like her art work and hope you do too.

Sea Skyscape

Rock Recipes!

Sunday, May 11 is Mother's Day. In Canada and the United States, it is held on the second Sunday in May. For weeks now, the stores have been advertising all the 'stuff' one can purchase as gifts for this special day. However, I feel it's time to shop locally. Not in the large box stores or department stores, but at a local craft shop or one of the art studios in the area. I'm sure it will be much appreciated.

On another note, gifts of food are much appreciated by the older generation, especially if they come from your kitchen!  Have you visited Rock Recipes web site? Barry C. Parsons has spent years developing and adapting recipes in his own Newfoundland kitchen. I have tried some of them and they have been delicious. I like the fact that each recipe is accompanied by a photo. Another point, I don't have to flip through cook books to find something interesting to make. My tablet is right these on the counter with the recipe at my finger tips! Follow them on Pinterest.

For Easter, I made the Pear and Almond Cake with Crème Anglaise. I did not make the sauce because it contains dairy. However, it was delicious without it.
Enjoy!

Norton's Cove Studio

Newfoundland has a lot of very talented artists. I'd like to introduce one of them: Janet Davis of Norton's Cove Studio. I met Janet many years ago when we both had booths at the Craft Council's Christmas Craft Fair in St. John's.

Janet creates her own linocut relief prints. Linocut is a particular printmaking technique that you can read about HERE. I have several of her images that are made this way. Please check out all her amazing art.

This year, she has some of my shimmers in her shop. Thanks, Janet!

Manufactured Right Here Show

I visited the Manufactured Right Here Expo, 2014, today. A month or so ago, I was asked to show a couple of my smaller pieces in the Department of Innovation and Rural Development booth. My pieces were on the top shelf of this undulating, four tier, shelf system (they had two of them). I'm glad I didn't have to spend too much time in the booth as I'm sure I would have become sea sick!

I did manage to get a photo of the top shelf.
















Also on display at the show, was the car driven by Jake Doyle (Alan Hawco), from the TV series, Republic of Doyle. This show is set in St. John's, Newfoundland.

 

Wearable Art

Here's a sample of the pins I make. The ruler and quarter will give you an idea as to their size.

Almost Finished!

Yesterday I chose the base fabric for my row house pins. The next step was embellishing the fabric and stitching all over it with Sulky Sliver Thread. Then the embroidery machine did its work! I still have to trim the threads from the edges of the houses. Have a look:

Before stitching

Before cutting out and snipping threads!

Ready for the backs. I use recycled leather and suede
for the backs of my wearable art pins.

Fabric Selection

Today I selected several pieces of bright coloured fabric from my stash. The time has come to make a few more Wearable Art Pins: Row Houses. My supply has dwindled and I need more.

Hopefully, I'll get a start on actually doing the surface embellishments tomorrow. Anyway, have a look at the fabrics I pulled out and the one I finally selected. Since the pins are small, I try to start with a bright base. Then small bits and pieces of shiny, glitzy stuff are laid on the surface of the fabric. I keep the scale of the art pins in mind so that the yarns and other embellishments don't over power the end result.

Sulky Totally Stable Iron-on Tear-Away Stabilizer is ironed to the back of the fabric. This product is a tear-away stabilizer that provides support, and prevents puckering. It's perfect for applique, decorative stitching, buttonholes, delicate fabrics, quilt templates, and more. I like it because it is quick to iron on the back of my fabric and is perfect for the free motion stitching I do on the fabric surface.

Check back to see the next steps.

Eggs (separating egg yolk)

Happy Easter!

One of my friends sent me this YouTube Video on a very cool way to separate egg yolk. It is well worth a look. I will be trying this the next time I need to do this.

Fabric Flowers

It's suppose to be spring! However, today we had a light sprinkle of snow, then freezing rain and finally rain. Certainly not weather for growing flowers. My poor crocuses! I noticed that one of the houses further up my street set up their Christmas lawn ornaments again - yes, the weather has been that bad.

So, I figure, if the garden isn't up to producing blooms yet, why not make some from fabric.
I found a few ideas to check out.

• Zipper Flower Tutorial
• 20 Different Fabric Flowers
• Felt Fun
• Fabric Daffodils
• Frayed Fabric Flower
• Embellished Flower Tutorial
• Tissue Paper and Tulle Flower Tutorial
• Felt Flowers
• Rickrack Flowers 
• Rick Rack Roses
• Easy Fabric Flower Tutorial
• Sheer Blooms
• Sheer Blooms ll Tutorial  (check out the other flower tutorials)
• Organza Flowers
• Chiffon Flowers
• Crinoline Tattered Roses
• Wired Ribbon Flower
• Rolled Ribbon Flowers
• Velvet Blossom

Here's a small wall hanging I did a number of years ago called Thistles. It's from Fabled Flowers by Kumiko Sudo. I believe this was my first attempt at Sashiko stitching.

Hoppy Easter!

Easter Crafts on Pinterest!

Easter is just a day away but just in case you need to make something quickly, check out the following on Pinterest:

• Easter Crafts
• More Easter Crafts
• Easter Ideas
• Easter Ideas for Kids
• Easter Crafts / Décor
• Easter

YouTube Easter & Bunny Quilts

Enjoy!

Eye Candy!

This is a short post but I wanted to share some wonderful eye candy with you. Check out the winners from the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival, Hampton, Virginia.  The quilts are just gorgeous!


I also found it HERE on YouTube.

If you don't have the opportunity to visit any quilt shows, the next best thing can be found right on your computer! Take a few minutes to 'stroll' through the following videos:

• Houston Quilt Festival 2013 - Art Quilts - Part 1
• Houston Quilt Festival 2013 - Art Quilts - Part 2 - Japanese Quilts
• SAQA Exhibit - Seasonal Palette - 2012
• Festival of Quilts 2013 - Birmingham UK - Pictorial Quilts - Part 1
• Festival of Quilts 2013 - Birmingham UK - Pictorial Quilts - Part 2
• Festival of Quilts 2012 - Birmingham UK - SAQA - "Masters" with . . .

Enjoy!

Sewing Portifolio (2)

Sharon Boggon, from Pintangle, posted about What is a Hussif . I'm not going to rewrite what she has written as you can visit her blog to do that. She has made her own hussif in the crazy quilting / embroidery style. I, too have been interested in making sewing cases for carrying my stitching project supplies. A few years ago, I designed and created my very own and entered it in a show. It sold! Then, of course, I had to make another one for myself.

Closed, it measures 8" x 12" and when opened, it is 12" x 25". I used Bali Batiks for this project with nylon window screen used for the inside pockets. Some machine embroidery has been added to the pocket edges with variegated embroidery thread. I considered using fabric for the pockets but then I would never know what's inside them. As you can see, the front has been embellished with some of my Fantasy Fish. A magnetic bag clasp keeps it together. I added a length of green Velcro along one fold to hold small things such as a glue stick. The cotton threads are strung on a cord with a plastic toggle which keeps the threads from sliding off. There is a place for most of my small sewing / embroidery gadgets and supplies!

I did post about this same project in 2010. However, this post has more close up photos.
Enjoy!



The back of sewing portfolio with another pocket



Nylon window screen is used for inside pockets.

Note the clasp on cord to hold small pair of scissors and the
toggle on the cord beneath the threads,

The edges of the nylon window screen are embroidered

Velcro is used so needle case, pincushion and holder can be removed

Fold over pocket



Velcro stuck to the glue

More Temari Ornaments

More photos of the Japanese Temari Ornaments. Here are several views of the same ball.

 



This one belongs to another lady in our mini group.

 

 

Transfer Paints

My friend and I spent the day experimenting with Transprint Inks by Kraftkolour. These Inks are concentrated Disperse Dyes for use on man made fibres such as polyester, nylon and poly cotton blend fabrics for transfer printing. I've used them before but not for awhile. The dyes were painted onto copy paper with various sizes of brushes, sponge brushes and stamps. After the painted papers were dry, we transferred the images by ironing with a hot iron onto poly cotton, Lutradur, organza and drapery interfacing.

Some of the colours were quite intense when transferred while others were not. I have the book, Color Moves, Transfer Paints on Fabric by Linda Kemshall. This is a very comprehensive book on using transfer paints. To date, I haven't used any transfer painted fabric in any specific project. I can see using some hand / machine stitching in combination with a transferred image.

Here's a few photos from today's experiments:

Drapery Interfacing

Lutradur

More Japanese Temari Balls

My friend has been busy making more Japanese Temari Balls. So far, she has made over 80 different ones. These are fantastic! Have a look.
Check out my other posts on Temari HERE & HERE.

Row Houses

Last evening I found some half finished Row Houses. Today was spent completing them. The last thing I did was embroider small flowers on the bushes. These will be framed in 4" x 6" black metal frames and taken down to the Craft Council of NL shop, Devon House.