Her Steady Horizon

Jill T. Cooper, my daughter, finally finished Her Steady Horizon. This triptych depicts a woman's journey through the changing waters towards an unknown future.  You can see Jill's paintings at KEW, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Links

Trying to give the arm a rest today but here's a few links of some interesting stuff.

• Tips on Curved Piecing
• Free Motion Quilting Tutorials
• Favorite Tutorials according to Mama Spark's World     
• Freshly Pieced (lots to check)
• Free Form Quilt Blocks

Enjoy!

  

Oscar Night

Do you watch the Oscars? The only thing that interests me are the fashions on display. Some are gaudy, others, gorgeous, while some are just this side of ridiculous! However, if I missed it, I wouldn't bat an eye! People get so wrapped up in Hollywood . . .

I had a great show, met some new buyers and got reacquainted with my regular customers. The mummer shimmers were a hit as were the embroidered Fibre Art Pendants, especially the Maple Leaf. As this is Canada's 150th birthday, this pendant was applauded. Several people had been to the Buyer's Market in Toronto last month and everything had 150th on them. They weren't impressed and preferred to have more subtle items.

 

Enjoy!

Display at the Wholesale Show

This morning was the set-up for the Wholesale Show. Since I'm only using one arm, the complete set-up was left to my husband. It gave me some time to walk around and chat. He did a fantastic job! I think he will be kept on, as the old saying goes! There were lots of buyers this afternoon. It's open again tomorrow from 10 - 4.

This is also the evening of my daughter's art exhibit in Dartmouth, NS. Good luck, Jill!!

No Driving for a whole MONTH!!! Yikes . . .

Well, I can get back to doing a little stitching as long as I don't irritate the arm. No cast but a sling for the next month. I do have two fractures in the ball of the arm. The doctor was pleased with the amount of movement I have (not one to lie around but been careful, I did some exercises so arm wouldn't seize up and it has worked)!  YAH!!! Oh, did I say NO DRIVING for a month - not a happy camper but . . .

Thanks for all the well wishes from my blogging buddies - much appreciated.

Now for a few links to check:

• I like the shape of this Basket Tote from Sew Can She. Lots of great patterns on this site
• Are you familiar with Ginger Bread Girl (Kathryn Drummond) from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada? Kathryn was here last year and taught several workshops for the St. John's Embroidery Guild. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any but my friends did. Kathyrn has lovely patterns on her site. There is even a Blackwork Snowflake, called Winter Sparkle, to download.
• Pattern Pile has, just as the name implies, piles of free stuff. I got a bit sidetracked looking at all the free patterns!

Enjoy!

Here's one of my miniature embroidery pieces I did years ago. It's a combination of some free motion stitching, applique and hand stitching.

QuiltCon 2017 Award Winners

The award winners of Quiltcon 2017, have just been announced. Eye candy for sure!!! These quilts are fantastic.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Best in Show

bling
Pieced and quilted by Katherine Jones
Chigwell, Tasmania, Australia
Tasmanian Modern Quilt Guild
@twocatsquilts
98 x 98 inches
Piecing
"Foundation paper pieced from solid fabrics the inspiration for this quilt was a princess cut diamond."

Wishing for Spring!!!

Today's post is brought to you from an overcast St. John's. I do believe the sun is shining - somewhere . . . My daughter told me it was 'sunny and warmish' in Bridgewater, NS today and my sister keeps telling me that 'spring has sprung' in Tennessee with 75 F on Monday and a close 71 F the next day. Ho Hum . . .

In any case, this has been a long winter with lots of snow. I think it's time for some SPRING ideas

• Blue Bird
• Bird House
• Spring Napkin Rings
• Coiled Fabric Basket

One can live in hope! 

            

Gadgets

Yesterday I showed you our set up for taking pictures of some of my smaller art pieces. When I'm blogging, I take photos with my phone and use them from there. However, when promoting my work at shows, it's done differently.

The stand is a portable scaffold (refer to yesterday's post) that is been used for renovations and another one off to the side is holding the tablet (using what's at hand). In the days before digital photography, my husband used to develop his own photos. Today, to get a high quality photo requires (besides a good camera) the right software and knowing how to use it. Needless to say, I'm lucky to have an in-house tech person!

Since the pendants needed to be photographed without shadows, he decided to suspend them away from the background. Laying the pendant on the table top had other issues. So here was the solution, one of his many gagdets:

I couldn't get directly in front of the pendant, so it appears as if the poles are different lengths (camera setup was in the way).

Enjoy!

Check out Linky Tuesday sponsored by Free Motion by the River

Lights, Camera, Action . . .

Lights, Camera, Action! No action here as we want the objects to be perfectly still (and they were).

The Provincial Craft Wholesale Show is this weekend. Thank goodness I had most of my products completed (I do both a Cash & Carry and orders) before I fractured my right arm (doctor appointment this Friday). Today, my husband finished taking photos of all my wholesale items (fibre art pendants, shimmers, needle felted ornaments) for catalogue / order form.

Have a look at his setup. I just sat at the table and made sure he got things in order. He's a great one for inventing gadgets to make things work. Note the metal stand to hold shimmers. The top part rotates so shimmer is front on. That's a wire from the shimmer to the top and not a string. On each side of the light box there are two lights from Costco. We have lots of different lighting treatments. It's difficult to shoot without shadows but he did it! Now, a little bit of computer work and all will be ready for printing / posting as a PDF.

Found Stuff and a Fish!

I can now use my mouse and type with both hands! YAH!! Little steps . . . but I won't push it until I see the orthopedic surgeon.  It's difficult to curve my desire to get on with my art work.

Instead, I have to be content to finding things on the web, reading and watching Netflix.
Here's some things I found:

•  Patchwork Posse shares 20 + Sewing Studio Projects to Keep You Organized
•  Firecracker Flower Applique Design (free) from Sew Can She 
• 50 Best DIY Gifts in a Mason Jar
• Sewing Machine Applique
• Hanging Organizer Tutorial

Enjoy!

One of my experiments from several years ago

      

More BOM's

Now to continue from yesterday with some more BOM's:

• Falling Stars (click on the block to get the pattern)
• Raspberry & Cream
• Sweet Blossoms
• Quilt Doodle BOM
• Jenny Beyer Mystery Block of the Month
• Diamond Hill
• Monthly Mini Quilts

  Enjoy!

               

Friday's Finds

Well, it's Friday and 24 hours since I fractured the top of my right arm. Needless to say, typing with my left hand is a chore. I have spent some time today using the computer. Thank goodness for touch screens!

Here's a couple of Friday postings:

• Here is Whoop Whoop Friday sponsored by Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Check out previous posts.
• Also on Fridays, is Crazy Mom Quilts

A few BOM's for 2017 are listed below. More tomorrow.

• Cat Den Mountain Quilts
• Fandom in Stitches   Lots of paper piecing
• Journey of a Stitcher  

Enjoy!

Wishing for summer!

Bridgewater, July 2016

Altercation With Paper

When I was a child, my mother said I would trip over a pencil mark (grin). Well, I'm not a child any more but instead of a pencil mark, I had an altercation with some builder's paper on the floor. I have banged up my right shoulder - well actually, the top part of the bone going into the shoulder socket had a fracture! Groan! And I have so many things to do. I can't even drive my car. The arm is in a sling and I will see an orthopedic surgeon next week.

So much for getting things done. I will try to get some interesting links tomorrow. Right now, I going to relax an have a cup of tea!

Felted piece done for a show. It is in someone's private collection.

Winter

Today was another storm! What a pile of snow.

View from patio door

My poor Holly bushes!

View from studio. I opened the window to get this shot.

when we moved in about 25 years ago, this tree was about 4 feet tall.

Winter inspiration:

• Winter embroidery etc. on Pinterest HERE, HERE & HERE 
• Winter themed quilts on Pinterest HERE,
• Winter landscape quilts 
• Mug Rug Winter 
• Bird Patterns 

Enjoy!!           

Happy Valentine's Day!!

We are having a snow storm. At the moment (8:40am) it's blizzard conditions! Let's hope you got your Valentine's Day 'stuff' ready yesterday! I wonder if anyone received one of my heart shaped Fibre Art Pendants?

Enjoy the day wherever you are.

Here's a beautiful free pattern from Trish Burr: Grateful Heart

It's Official!

I can finally tell you my bit of news as everything is now official! About a year and a half ago, I was contacted by the chairperson of the Espanola Fibre Arts Festival, Espanola, Ontario, and asked if I would be interested in teaching there next October.

This festival showcases fibre artists and their work.  The festival team selects unique and authentic instructors, artisans and suppliers from all across the country. From bobbin lace to wood working, they feature a variety of workshops, demonstrations & fibre arts related activities. 

My Fibre Art Pendants were of interest as needle felting had been requested by past attendees to the festival. So, I will be teaching a class on the techniques I use in making the pendants. These techniques can also be used as a jumping off spot to making other small projects, which I will also share.

Also check the festival out on Pinterest.

Fantasy Fabric Workshop

I will be teaching my Fantasy Fabric Workshop in March. At Eastern Edge Quilt Guild earlier this month, I presented some of the things I have made using these embellished fabrics.

I purchased this clear vinyl bag so that I could insert my own fantasy fabric bag. It came with a cloth bag but I didn't like the colour. This one is now one-of-a-kind.

The insert is attached to the vinyl with velcro. It is on the red tab in the middle top.

When my daughter got married, I decided to make this evening bag to match my outfit. The bag has a detachable wearable art pin.

Here are a couple of smaller sewing projects:

Ornamental

Needle Case

Starry Night Ornament

This is the fabric used on the other side of the above star

Enjoy!!

Today!

Not a lot got accomplished in my studio today. I did cut out some needle felted trees and stockings but helping with renos took up most of my time. I did check out a few sites to visit:

• Quilt Story 
• Kelly Fletcher Needlework  Kelly on Pinterest HERE 
• Pattern Pile 
• The Sewing Directory 
• Tutorials from Don't Call Me Betsy   

 Enjoy!

Felt ready to be cut for trees, mittens, stockings, caps & sweaters!

             

Sew and So

Today's post is brief but I think you will find that exploring Sew and So, will be lengthy. Lots to see! Sew and So, a British company, has a wealth of information on a variety of hand crafts. I was introduced to this site today via Face Book.  Their quick YouTube videos on how to do various embroidery stitches are quite good. Here is the Sew & So Stitch Library. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Visit Sew & So Pinterest board HERE

I have NO affiliation with this company but I thought it had interesting stitch videos, other tips, and freebies to share!

Enjoy!!

Snowlady With Birds

Here's another hand embroidery finish to add to the collection. It will eventually be a small quilted wall hanging. This time the carrot nose is orange, the holly berries are red and the snowflakes are silver. I'm calling it 'Red Work' with colour. If "Whitework with Colour' is accepted than so can this.

By they way, have you heard about Trish Burr's newest embroidery book, Whitework with Colour?
Mary Corbet has a fantastic review of this book on her blog. See it HERE.   PS: I broke down and pre-ordered it!

Enjoy!!

Fabric Bins & Stuff

One of my favorite containers in the studio is this fabric bucket that I made a couple of years ago. It is also perfect for holding embroidery projects. I will often put it in a tote to take with me to stitching.

Some more containers:

• 12 Creative DIY Fabric Bins  
• I like these Clear Vinyl Bags too
• Round Cosmetic Organizer (would make a great sewing kit too)
• Boxy Travel Pouch 
• Zipper Bag Patterns  

Enjoy!!!      

Her Steady Horizon

I'm doing a bit of shameless publicity today. As a proud mom of a very talented daughter, I'm allowed! It is written in the 'mom' book.

My artist daughter, Jill, is having a gallery opening this month at Kew, Dartmouth, NS. If you are in the area, it would be great if you could drop by to say hello. Maybe you could let others know about this event too. Tell her that her 'mom' sent you (grin)!

 

And the Winners are . . .

On January 27, I announced a giveaway on my blog. The prize was a shimmer ornament of choice to two people who commented on that post. Today was the day to pick the two winners and they are Mertie and Jo. Congratulations ladies. An email was sent earlier today.

I use a lot of Angelina in my shimmers.  Here's my newest batch of the fibers. I buy in bulk!

Here are the coloured fibers that are used too. I've had these for awhile as they are added to the white fibers sparingly. As the saying goes: 'Less is more'.

Prep Work!

My go to machine for all my free-motion work is the Janome 1600P.  This is a straight stitch sewing machine designed for home use. It has all of the outward appearances of an industrial sewing machine… built in cone thread stands, heavy duty metal construction, and it is a single stitch only machine. A review of this machine can be found HERE. 

Today I got some fabrics ready to begin a few underwater embroideries. I love to use batiks for these as the colours are so vibrant. My stabilizer of choice is Sulky Totally Stable. You can see some of my green / blue / turquoise threads to the left.

Some machine stitching has been added to these. Now for some hand embroidery, and maybe a fish or two.

• Mooshie Stitch (all about hand stitching)  
• Needlework Tips and Techniques  
• Antique Pattern Library 
• The Splendid Sampler 
• Penguin & Fish 
• Most Craft - Embroidery Stitches 

Enjoy!!          

Work in Progress - Continued

I finished adding decorative threads, yarns and slivers of fabric to the unfinished piece I showed you yesterday. To keep everything in place, navy tulle was put over the whole thing and then free-motion stitched with Sulky Sliver thread. This thread adds more glitter. Now the fantasy fabric is ready to use in a project.

The bright bits are pieces of bonded Angelina Fibres leftover from stitching out Shimmer Ornaments. Nothing goes to waste!

I also did some stitching to the felted piece. However, that one isn't finished yet.

Work in Progress

Besides helping with house renos, I've managed to get started on a few other small projects.

Early stage of making Fantasy Fabric

These two top pieces aren't the same ones. I finished the one below ages ago.

Finished piece of Fantasy Fabric ready to be used in a project.

Half finished piece of needle felting

Needs lots of stitching with sparkly threads

Lots of Shimmer Ornaments have been stitched too as I'm getting ready for the Wholesale Show at the end of the month.

By the way, don't forget about my giveaway on Monday. Go HERE to enter for a chance to win.

Enjoy! Goodluck!

The Quilt Show Presents . . .

I have to share these links presented by The Quilt Show, of quilts shown at the Road to California, 2017. All the quilts are fantastic! Have a look at the close-ups for some of them. The amount of quilting is exquisite.

• Traditional Quilts
• Fly Me To The Moon
• Applique Quilts  
• Modern Quilts 
• Award Winning Quilts 

Enjoy!
     

Tea, anyone?

My friend, Judith, keeps forgetting to take her herbal tea bags with her when going out. So this got me thinking, that's it's time to do a post about tea related projects.

First off, I'll showcase the two tea cozies I created a couple of years ago (these have been blogged about in a previous post).

Side one - This one is mine.

Side two

Here's my 'fantasy fish fabric' tea cozy which is part of a private collection. I keep saying I'm going to design another one for me. It hasn't happened yet!

• Sew News has a free pattern for a tea wallet. This is an easy to make wallet and makes a nice gift too. 
• Here's a different design for another tea wallet. Another HERE (this one is cute for Valentine's Day). And one HERE 
• Elegant Tea Gift from Wee Folk Art  
• Lots of tea related sewing projects HERE 
• Tea Cozy   

Enjoy!!