New Studio

I am in the new studio! HOWEVER - there is still lots to do: baseboard, window to trim and paint, door installed, ceiling tiles in half of the room to go up, plastering and painting the large closet where embroidery machines will go, making of new storage units . . . Shall I go on? No need, you get the idea. The electrician is back again on Friday to connect up the heaters, install three dimmer switches for the three different sections in the room. Until then, there is no point bringing down the sewing machines.

Hand stitching when I feel the need to stitch. Of course, I'm still into Shimmer production.

Here is the almost empty shelf, one of two, that were in the spare bedroom since our move last October. These are temporary as they don't fit into the new colour scheme. They could be painted.

 

Ready to be shelved!

Desk from IKEA can go to a standing position too.

The far end of the room. Boxes & boxes of stuff to be opened!

Where will these go!!!

In case you didn't notice, there are a number of different paint colours. The intense 'salmon' is taking a bit of getting used to. I asked daughter, Jill, the architect / painter, to select a pallet for me. She asked for some swatches of my favorite fabrics (which happened to be batiks) and went off to the paint shop. She showed me several different colour themes and you can see the ones I picked. Maybe I could have gone with a paler shade of the salmon but I'm waiting until everything is done before making any decisions to repaint. My husband would have been happier with one colour as he had to clean up after each paint change. 

So, I will keep you posted!

Enjoy!!

New Books

I wasn't going to purchase any more books for awhile as I already have an excellent collection. But since Gale, my granddaughter, has shown an interest in needle felting, how could I pass up Sweet & Simple Needle Felted Animals by Sachiko Susa. Step by step instructions and photos show you how easy it is to make basic shapes, attach components, add details and attach findings to make accessories. This book is one that felters of all levels will enjoy.

My second purchase was Simply Stitched with Applique by Yumiko Higuchi. This book combines embroidery stitches with applique using felt, cotton and linen. You will learn to create beautifully layered designs full of texture and contrast, then embellish with just a handful of basic embroidery stitches. The colourful photos of over 30 motifs inspired by nature, are beautiful.

Enjoy!

Getting There . . .

Today was a busy one. We got 16 plastic boxes packed with books from my studio. The books reached to the ceiling. Now the shelves seem soooo empty! As you can see, I kept out a few until the last minute as I'm still in work mode.

Last evening I stitched some more of my scissor fob. The clear glass beads are stitched on both of them (difficult to see in the photo).

New Embroidery Books

Two new hand embroidery books have been added to my library. One of my friends has these and brought them to one of our stitch days. Of course, they were "must have"! 

The projects in Simply Stitched uses a combination of wool embroidery thread and cotton embroidery floss on linen. Using wool means that fewer stitches are used. However, using thicker embroidery floss, might just work as well (my opinion). The motifs are simple yet elegant and can be used in a variety of ways. You can experiment and use them in other projects than those in the book.

Zakka Embroidery designs are 'an elegant blend of Japanese and Scandinavian style. The motifs and patterns are spare and graphic, yet softened with organic shapes and imagery drawn from nature'. In this book, the motifs are stitched using just one or two colours. The photographs, the step-by-step instructions and detailed diagrams, are very well done. I can see using this book for inspiration, perhaps taking bits and pieces and incorporating them into an original piece.

Some inspiration, tutorials, Pinterest . . .

• Pinterest HERE (work is fantastic), HERE, & HERE 
• Art of Michelle Kingdom, UK   
• Thread Organizer  
• Yumiko Higuchi on Instagram & Pinterest  (both worth a look)

Enjoy!!  

Needle & Thread Network

It's Wednesday and I just signed up to The Needle & Thread Network. There you will find lots of Canadian quilters displaying what they are working on. Please drop by for a look.



Also, take a look at this tutorial, Mini Bookshelf, from Don't Call Me Betsy. This one caught my eye as a simple one to do as a gift. You could embroider the book titles or do it as shown in the tutorial. It would make a nice wall piece for a child's room or your sewing room. Think about it - lots of possibilities!

Enjoy!!!

I'm working on new needle felted ornaments! Photos coming soon.

Textile-Link

I thought I'd pass on a little information about a site I just discovered, called Textile-link. As I understand, the idea behind this site is to make 'extraordinary books to inspire, share knowledge and enjoy'. In other words, artists and designers, creating in textile and paper, can subscribe (free of charge) to this site. They can upload images of their work into their own archive space. This space is only available to themselves and the site owners. The subscribers have a chance of getting their work published in one of the textile books published in-house at Textile-link.

I thought this was an interesting concept to pass along to all you creative people out there. No, I have not subscribed, but I was interested in the books that have been published to date.

Have a look!

Enjoy!

 

Trunk Show

Three of the quilt guilds in our area have worked very hard during the last year to get Australian quilter, Gloria Loughman, to visit our small part of the world. Thanks go out to the ladies on the workshop committees. It took a lot of work to coordinate with Gloria to add us to her visit to North American.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take one of the workshops but I did attend the Trunk Show on Friday evening. Gloria is a wonderful speaker and I enjoyed her talk and display of art quilts. Her use of colour is just fantastic! I was talking to a number of my friends and they highly recommended doing her workshops. She does offer a course on Craftsy if any of you are interested. You can access this course directly on Gloria's website. Just click on the thumbnail on the left hand side. Gloria has also published three excellent books.

1. Luminous Landscapes
2. Quilted Symphony
3. Radiant Landscapes

Here's a few photos from Friday evening:
Enjoy!

Avonport Discount Centre Fabrics

I discovered a great quilt shop at Avonport, NS called Avonport Discount Centre Fabrics. Several of my quilting friends mentioned this quilt shop to me several years ago but I had forgotten about it. It is quite close to where we are staying so that is a plus. As I pulled up to the building, I noticed a large tool shop next door. Very convenient for those husbands who sometimes tag along.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. I explained who I was and a bit about my art work, web site and blog. As a result, I was given permission to take as many photos as I wanted.

Shopping carts are near the door for your convenience. I didn't bother to take one as I figured I wasn't going to get that much. Boy, was I wrong!

This shop has everything a quilter needs! The fabrics, books and patterns are fabulous with reasonable prices. It was hard to make a decision!

Quilters visiting Nova Scotia, this is a shop to visit!

Have a look!

New Books

I ordered two new books from Amazon yesterday, Hot Textiles: Inspiration and Techniques with Heat Tools by Kim Thittichai and Stitch, Fibre, Metal and Mixed Media by Alsyn Midgelow-Marsden. Her blog is called Burnt Offerings.
I am familiar with the first book, Hot Textiles but not the other one. I did have a look on the inside of the Stitch, Fibre, Metal and Mixed Media and decided I'd like to add it to my library.

Elemental Yarns

For the last several days, I've driven by a small strip mall close to Leisure Lake Resort, IL, where we are staying. Given a quick glance, I thought one of the shop signs said Elemental Yards and didn't give it a second thought. Yesterday, I zeroed in on the sign again - it was 'Elemental Yarns'!!! Of course, I got excited and just I had to pay a visit.  

What a delightful shop, filled with lots of scrumptious yarns, books, patterns and accessories.

A knitting class was in session but we chatted anyway. Such a friendly bunch of ladies. I also got the directions to a couple of other shops to visit but that is for another post or two!! Check back again soon.

Here are some photos of the shop. In the last photo, the dolls are wearing knitted clothes. The food is knitted as well.