Virtual Threads On-line Course

Tomorrow, February 1st, is the start of my Garden Sewing Box Workshop. at Virtual Threads, a subgroup of the Embroiderers' Association of Canada. This is my first time giving an on-line course. At the moment, a video presentation, was not possible. However, I have lots of photos on completing the project. 

Closeup of part of a panel.

• Free Motion Embroidery on Water Soluble Fabric    
• Tutorial: How to Embroider your own Freehand Landscape   
• Landscape Embroidery Ideas       
• Best of 2020: The Most Imaginative Embroidery Art of the Year 
• Embroidery Landscape Ideas    
• Hand Stitched Landscapes in a Hoop (I could not find artist name. If anyone knows it, please let me know, so that I can include it here) thanks
  

 Enjoy!

Garden Sewing Box # 3

My first Garden Sewing Box was designed and created in 2005. 

The 2nd one  was finished late last year. 

I just finished the 3rd. one. Why a third one? Well, since the first one was made years ago, I had to check out my original notes and construct another version of it. After it was completed, my husband asked if I had documented, with photos, all the steps taken along the way. Sheepishly, I shook my head. I had taken a few photos but not to the extent for presenting an online course. You see, he's a curriculum developer and has graciously taken on the job of writing up the instructions with an abundance of photos and sketches.  In other words, this is a pictorial, step by step instruction package, for creating my Garden Sewing Box. 

These art pieces don't have to be sewing boxes but can be a treasure or jewellery box, trinket holder . . .  You see what I mean!

Anyway, feast your eyes! It's very dimensional. Bits of foliage and flowers stick out here and there!

It's too late now, but I should have used a lighter green thread for my name and date on the bottom.

 Enjoy and stay safe!

 

 

Quilt Book Review - Mahone Bay Quilt Guild

This is my second year as librarian for the Mahone Bay Quilt Guild, Nova Scotia. Part of my job is to purchase new books for our library. Of course, members give me recommendations on what to get! Last evening, the guild met virtually via Zoom and I did have a chance to show the books.  However, since we aren't meeting in person yet, I decided to start writing about them here.

I'll start with this one. 

If you have any hesitation about straight-line quilting, this book is for you! I'm not associated with the selling or promotion of this book, but I can definitely see it's value to any quilter. Natalia Bonner, expert quilter and author, has over 'sixty new linear patterns for triangle blocks, square blocks, borders, and allover designs.' You will learn to quilt on your domestic or long-arm machine, with only straight lines, using your walking foot or doing free-motion quilting with rulers. How great is that!!

The book has lots of step-by-step photos that any level of quilter can follow. If you wish to see inside the book, check out any of the popular on-line books sellers.  

Natalia also has a BLOG that is worth a look.

Enjoy!

 

Free-Motion Stitching Skill's Day

I have no problem staying home during this time of crisis, as we have lots to do inside and out. But I feel for all those who are forced to stay home due to the shut down of businesses. Here's hoping that everyone will cope in this difficult time. It's important to pay attention to the rules set out by the powers that be, stay safe and wash hands often!

I taught a Free-Motion Skills class on Saturday morning with some very enthusiastic ladies from the Mahone Bay Quilt Guild. It was a lovely morning.

Here's me doing a demo!

I took a few shots from the class:

View a few more shots from the skill's day, HERE. Scroll down for shots from previous events!

• An instructional video for beginners of free-motion stitching with Jenny Doan 
• Tips to set up your machine for free-motion stitching from Quilt Social
• Free-Motion Sewing Machine Embroidery 
• Leah Day's Free-Motion Quilting Tutorial Library
• Quilting Designs on Pinterest HERE

Enjoy!!

A Look Back . . .

Since I'm not working on anything new at the moment, here is a piece of Hardanger that was done quite a few years ago. It was a challenge but well worth the effort. Not sure I would do another one like this. 

Gold Work on silk.

Theodora (2007) stitched with single strands of silk. Some beading added. Original drawing.

Applique with hand embroidery and free-motion work. Original design

Enjoy!

3 - D Thread Sculpture: Continued

I did some more stitching on another 3 - D thread sculpture last week. This one had more stitching and twiggy limbs. The only problem: I didn't rinse off enough of the water soluble stabilizer. If you look closely, you can see some of the excess stabilizer. I will also stitch a little more closely. Maybe the next one will turn out correctly.

Enjoy!

Back to the Drawing Board!

My experiment from the previous post needs more work!!! A lot more work!!!

Here's the stitching on a Styrofoam ball. I should have covered the ball with foil as this piece stuck to it and I had the dickens of a time getting it off. Not to mention that a lot of the glue from the water soluble stabilizer (below) did not dissolve. In my wisdom, I decided to add the Ultra Solvy to the Aqua Magic sheet already in the hoop. Not a good idea.

Here's the first one! What a disaster!! But, not one to give up, I did a second one using same thread colour.

This one was pinned onto a foil covered ball. This time, it came off without any difficulty.

However, too much of the stabilizer was rinsed off. Only the threads going around the top are keeping it in shape.

 More of the Aqua Magic Stabilizer was dissolved in a small amount of water to form a paste.

The paste still didn't stiffen it enough to stay in shape. Next time I will use fabric stiffener. And I will do a lot more stitching as the lines I did were fragile. I was in a hurry to see the result. I should know better after all the years I've been doing things like this.

trimmed!

Next time I'll do better ( SMILE )!!!! And, I'm going to use a slightly smaller Styrofoam ball.

Enjoy

Having Fun!!

Hello February!!!

Today I decided to play around with some ideas using free motion stitching. I sketched a design onto paper and transferred it to water soluble stabilizer. It was hooped and stitched using variegated thread.
 

That's as far as I got today. Next step tomorrow. I'll keep you posted whether it turns out or not. Remember - experiments don't always turn out perfectly the first time.

Enjoy!

The 'Square Exhibit" piece

The DesBrisay Museum, in Bridgewater, is having a Square Show! The museum will host a collection of work produced by artists from across Nova Scotia. This show will feature 8" x 8" artwork in a variety of mediums, including watercolour, textile art, oil . . . ! This show is from August 3 to September 7.

Here's my piece. It doesn't have a title yet but it will come to me later today (I hope)!!
I used hand painted fabric that was still packed away from our move to NS, waiting to be used.  A combination of free-motion stitching, hand embroidery, digital printing onto silk for the rocks and hand applique, were used on this piece.

Close-ups

Enjoy!

11 Flower Gardens Finished!

Oh, dear, I have been a bit slack posting this year so far! But, I have been working. Here are eleven small pieces that are finished. The backgrounds have to be touched up with the iron. New photos will be taken as I want to turn some of these into prints.

These will be matted to fit an 8" x 8" frame. The actual opening is 5" x 5". All my small gardens have a few dandelion flowers embroidered in them. When I was a child, I would pick them in the grass and bring them to my mother. I can hear her now: 'Oh, Judy, these are lovely'. I also remember that they never stayed long in the house either!!
Enjoy!!

• QuiltCon 2019 is opened in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend. You can see the winning  quilts HERE   

Work in Progress

I've been working on some Flower Gardens that will eventually be framed. These are a bit bigger than the framed 5" x 5" ones previously created. So for the past few days, creating the bits and pieces needed for these small art pieces, from threads and organza, have taken up a chunk of my time.

In this photo, I've hooped green organza and free motion stitched small irregular pieces to use as foliage.  I do like the spring action hoops for quick release. These can be purchased quite inexpensively. I believe, mine came from Wal Mart.

I use trays to put project pieces on. As you can see, some of the tools needed are in easy reach. Besides that, I can carry them from room to room, depending where on where I wish to work.

Cut out stitched pieces from organza

Small flower pots were drawn on fabric, stitched, cut out and machine appliqued to a background.

I put a temporary mat over the background to give me a boundary for working. As you can see, some of the pieces are already stitched to the background. Some applique pins are holding a few other pieces in place that will get stitched tomorrow. Then the hand embroidery begins.

I will post about the finished pieces when they are completed. Stay tuned! Check out HERE how these came to be created.

On another note, I joined the Mahone Bay Quilt Guild in September. They have a great web site that goes back quite a number of years. Grab a cup of something and check them out HERE. 

Enjoy!!

First Finish for 2019

The 12 Days of Christmas wall hanging that I started in December is finished! This is a free pattern from All People Quilt. It caught my eye when I first saw it and I saved the link just in case. When I decided to take a quick trip back to St. John's, early in December, this was the right size project to take. All the fabrics and buttons were from my stash. The colourful batik, used for the back and binding, isn't a Christmas print but worked perfectly! The cream background is a linen type weave with gold threads.

The wall hanging is actually straight. My camera taking was a bit off!!

Enjoy!!