Fantastic Fusion Workshop

For the past two Thursday evenings, I have participated in an online workshop, Fantastic Fusion, with Lisa Walton, Textile Artist, from Sydney, Australia. This was organized by the Mahone Bay Quilters' Guild for its members.

19 quilters were eager to learn something new. Many admitted that they were definitely out of their comfort zone. However, you couldn't tell that by the pieces that were created. Lisa was a wonderful teacher, quite prepared with samples, videos, photo gallery and live demos. It was six hours of fun! 

Using Zoom, we were able to see all 20 of us on one screen (thumbnails). We got to see what the other was doing, ask questions, make comments, chat . . . almost the same as been in a physical classroom. The other upside - no packing to go to a classroom, unpack etc. You know the drill. I was in my own space with all my 'stuff' at my fingertips. No, "Oh darn, I forgot to bring . . ." or "I have the perfect piece of fabric for this, but it's home". On that score, I prefer working here in my own studio!

These batik blocks are the result of week one. My colour scheme came from the colours in my back garden and the quilt my sister, Joan, made me for my July birthday, 2018. The blue represents the sky.

Week two

These are the same blocks from above. I chopped them up, cut extra strips and put them together to form this piece. I managed to fuse some of the pieces together but the rest are pinned to my board to do later. It measures approximately 18" x 26" and will be quilted and free-motion stitched.

My colour inspiration:

 

Thanks, Lisa. It was very nice meeting you.

• Lisa Walton on Pinterest HERE and HERE   
  
• Quilt Stories with Lisa Walton
• Abstract Textile Artists
• The Story of Abstract Design
  
• Abstract Textiles from Pinterest HERE, 
• Textile Abstract Art by Leah Gillette 

Enjoy! 

First Circle Stitched - Instastitchwithsue

Here's my first circle stitched from Sue Spargo's instastitchwithsue on Instagram. I'm very satisfied with this one. The cream fly stitch, lime pistil stitch and burgundy colonial knots, are embroidered with Valdani threads. The bullion knots, variegated outer edge and center, are from Sue's collection which were purchased at Sew With Vision, Halifax.

I do have number 2 finished but I am thinking of adding another colour to it as I'm not happy with it. I'll post the before and after photos on my next post.

Stay safe, stay home and wash hands! I keep a fragrance free hand lotion on the bathroom sink to help with skin dryness.

A few links to check:

• Stitch Dictionary from Pintangle
• Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread stitch videos
• Tutorials from Shawkl Designs (Stitches for Crazy Quilting)
• Kelly Fletcher Needlework Design 
• Pinterest HERE (stitch tutorial from Kelly Fletcher)  

Enjoy

The Monster Blizzard!!!

The snowstorm in Newfoundland beat all the previous records for snow accumulation and wind speed! If you are on social media, you have probably seen scads of photos and videos taken during and after the storm.

My friend sent me a photo from her house and looking across the road at the other properties. Zero visibility! She gave me permission to post it. Thanks, Marilyn.

January 17th  snowstorm, Paradise, NL

The big job now is for the city and surrounding areas to dig out!

I hope things get back to normal soon on the island.


Check out CBC coverage of the storm HERE. More photos HERE & HERE.

Here in Pine Grove, NS, we had about 3 inches of snow overnight which is slowly turning to rain. Nothing to complain about as it is winter.

Enjoy your day wherever you are.

Wind Storm

We had a terrible wind storm today. Most of the island was affected. Power outages all over. Our loss of power lasted about 5 hours. I'm having my first cup of hot tea since breakfast. In fact, I was wondering if I would even get a chance to post today.

I couldn't do much in the studio with the power gone so I cleaned out the big cabinet which holds a lot of my supplies. I'm getting ready to sell it as it's just too big to move with everything else I have.

Now take a look at these posts:

• Needlepoint Now on Pinterest
• Charmed Table Topper from We All Sew 
• Kibble Catcher for the cat lovers out there
• Block of the Month Videos  
• Quilting Videos

Enjoy!

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!!

Temari Balls

Here's a couple more Temari Balls made by my friend, Verna. I'm showing two views.
The blue one was made by another friend.
I love all the bead work in these.

Have a look at the Temari Ball Exhibition.
Videos of Temari Balls
Free Temari Ball Patterns

Freebies!

Are you familiar with the site, Freebies For Crafters? If not, it is well worth a look. I follow it via email. They have lots and lots of links to FREE patterns and tutorials related to craft, sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, knitting, crochet, embroidery and sew much more. Scroll down to the categories section for a list of what's posted.  

The Missouri Star Quilt Company has lots of videos related to Quilting. I was interested in the Improve Tote Part One and Two. Looks like a nice tote.

Here at With Heart and Hand, I found lots of free patterns for sewing accessories. Worth a look.

More free tutorials at Emmaline.

Sewing Tutorials - Bags and Accessories on Pinterest.

Freebies and Tutorials on Pattern Pile, Sewing Support and Katie's Quilting Corner.

Free quilting tutorials at Cluck Cluck Sew and Free Sew, Quilt, Craft Tutorials.

I hope you find something worth sewing!
Enjoy!!

Fan Fare

This post is to pass on some information that might be of interest to you.

Have you heard about the Fan Fare Show? I'm just finding out about it too so learn along with me.  FAN stands for Fiber Art Now. There is a magazine but to receive this, you have to subscribe and pay for it. You can read all about the benefits of been a paid member HERE. By the way, I have NO affiliation with this company. I'm just passing on some information that you might not have come across in your web journey. There, I think I've said that twice!!

Instead of writing the following in my own words, I copied it from the Fan Fare web page:

FAN Fare is a free, online, interactive, web show devoted to inspiring and connecting the fiber arts community. Every month, FAN Fare will give viewers the opportunity to actively participate in the program and ask questions while watching the live show. Our host, Cami Smith, has been involved with Fiber Art Now since it first started. She has been building the FAN community and connecting with artists and authors for three years. Now she will connect us with some of the happenings, views, and news that she has discovered. Her natural ability to engage people makes her the perfect host for FAN Fare!

You don't have to be a paid up member to view the various videos. So if you get the chance, check them out.

You can find the Fan Fare Blog HERE.
Lots of stuff to see. Enjoy!!