Day on the Bay

Saturday I took a boat tour with family out on Trinity Bay. We left from Green's Harbour and went up the coast toward Dildo, South Dildo and Old Shop. Newfoundland has some very different names for communities! The weather was perfect - no wind for a change, sunny and warm. I took lots of pictures of the coastline which might eventually end up in some textile art. We were able to try our hand catching cod fish as it was the second last day of the Food Fishery in Newfoundland. My nephew caught 2 cod and brother-in-law caught one. I got a few nibbles but that was all. Of course we had those fish for supper!

photo by Judy Cooper

photo by Wade Cooper

photo by Judy Cooper

photo by Wade Cooper

photo by Wade Cooper

Evening Purses

Photo by Leon Cooper

Back in April, I blogged about Tote Bags & Purses. A couple of years ago, I made a couple of evening purses for a wearable art exhibit. I designed several types. The base fabrics are all made with lots of decorative yarns, threads and glitzy fabrics. The five shown here have shoulder straps that are tucked inside the bag. They all have magnetic snap closures. All the purses have detachable art pins so that you can wear them on a jacket or sweater (if you so desire). I thought that the wearable art pin was a unique addition. After the show, I decided to make more of these for the Fine Art & Craft Fair here in St. John's. Some of these evening purses were also on exhibit in Korea last fall.
The black and red shoulder purse has a fold over flap with a magnetic snap. I made a series of different fold over flaps. Most of the shoulder straps are hand made as well. This particular purse is one that I kept for myself as it matches several of my outfits.

Now for the free patterns (not mine)! I came across a textile site by Linda Matthews with lots of free purse, tote & handbag patterns and tutorials. It's worth a look.

Free Stuff

Free Clip Art Project

I was checking out some blog posts for free patterns and found Michele Bilyeu's blog of Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns. She has links to over 2,500 free quilt patterns which have been updated for 2010. You will need a lot of free time to check out even a small section of this site.

StudioKat Designs is offering a new line of free designs as a way of introducing a new line of patterns.
Stitchin' Heaven has Free Pattern Links to check out.
Me and My Sister Designs have more choices for your next project.

Free Clip Art Project

The Golden Thimble has a list of 1515 links to free patterns! Scroll down the page to find the beginning of the list. This site will also keep you busy.

Forte Framing and Gallery

My daughter, Jill and her husband, Jude, have just started a new business in Chicago, Forte Framing and Gallery. It is located at 2301 W North Ave in the neighborhood of Wicker Park. We were there for the official opening on July 2nd. We wish them well in their new venture. Their web site is under construction but the title page with loco is in place here. While visiting there this summer, I was amazed at some of the older buildings in Chicago as many of them have very decorative fronts like the one their business occupies. This one is art deco style.The front entrance to the shop is right on the corner.

If you look real close at the third picture, you will see a small sample of my art work, which is on display there for the summer. One of the things they hope to do besides framing pictures, is to promote artists and their work. So if you are in the area, please stop by and have a look at their gallery.

Judy Cooper textile art on the left

Tea Cozy

Here's a photo of a tea cozy I made a couple of years ago for an exhibit at Devon House. The base fabric is cotton batik that looks like water. I did some stippling on the base with a variegated rayon thread before adding the yarns and fish. The underwater foliage is decorative yarns couched down by free motion machine stitching. The fish were machine embroidered and added to this perfectly functioning tea cozy. The inner part comes out for washing. This piece is part of a private collection (not mine)!

One of these days, I will make another one just for me.

Tea Time

Tea! I've been trying some different teas this summer. When visiting Chicago in June, I got funny looks from a couple of waiters when I asked for a hot tea. I was asked if I wanted an ice tea instead as it was so hot outside. This posting is about tea related 'stuff' to make.

To start things off, I found a few nice patterns for a tea cosy. We All Sew has a simple one to make. You can also try this Insulated Tea Cozy or this Quilted one. Here's another quilted tea cozy with a placemat.
 
A very nice teapot pattern can be downloaded from Pink Penguin.

Going traveling, take your own special teas in this Tea Wallet from Christy Creations or this one from Tipnut.
Quilted Hot Pad  is located at Love To Sew and Amazing Designs has a Tea Pot Mat. Try your hand on some hand embroidery or free motion stitching for the center part of the mat.

Of course, you need to have your own teacup pincushion!
Pat Sloan's Mad Hatter's Tea Party Blocks (scroll down) is just perfect for when you have the ladies in for a cup.
Here's a paper pieced cup.
Debbie Mumm has a simple Tea for Six Wallhanging.
Don't forget the Crazy Quilt Teacup Wall Hanging mentioned a couple of posts ago!

For a bit of fun - if you want to eat your tea cup, have a look at these cupcakes! How to instructions are included.

The Grand National Quilt Show: Off The Wall

The Grand National Quilt Show, Kitchner, Ontario is held each year in Spring. This year's theme was Off The Wall. I think you will agree when you view the entries, that it was a wonderful show.
The Grand Prize winner was Phillida Hargreaves, Kingston, Ontario, for The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
There were two Curator's Choice Awards. They went to Gordana Brelih, Toronto, Ontario for Give Me a Chance and to Jill Buckley, London, Ontario, for Graffiti.
The Award for Innovation went to Lily Lam, Westmount, Quebec, for Taiji - The Supreme Ultimate.
Honourable Mention went to Ilse Anysas-Salkauskas, Cochrane, Alberta, for A Phoenix for the Tar Sands.
Viewer's Choice Award was given to Hilary Rice for The Go Between. Hilary lives on the West Coast of Newfoundland.
Anna Hergert, Moose Jaw, Sk, received the Janome Award of Excellence for her piece Icebergs & Cool Breezes. Anna has visited Newfoundland on several occasions.
I was fortunate to take a class from both Hilary and Anna. Both ladies are very talented and have a wealth of knowledge to share.

Pin Tangle

For the last hour or so I have been looking at blogs listed in Pin Tangle. 'Pin Tangle tracks online resources, news and information which relate to contemporary and historical textiles, embroidery and crazy quilting, the fiber and book arts including studio and visual journals.' In this blog, Sharon Boggon has just finished listing quilting and stitching blogs by the letters of the alphabet. She plans to start over again very soon, updating the list and removing blogs no longer active. Her main website is In a Minute Ago. Among the many things you will find on this site is a dictionary of stitches for hand embroidery and needlework. If you are into crazy quilting, this site is one to view.

Try this free pattern, Crazy Quilt Teacup Wall Hanging, from Kreinik.

Christmas Row by Row - August Block - The End!

The Gingerbread Man (corner block) is available for the Christmas Row by Row quilt. This is the last block for this quilt. I hope you have had fun collecting the blocks! If you make this quilt or part of it, I'm sure the folks at Far Cat Patterns would appreciate a photo. I'd love to see one too!

Textile Artists

I decided to do a short post tonight. I've been looking at a few web sites and decided to share some with you. The art of the following textile artists are meant to be inspirational. These were chosen at random. Enjoy!

Barbara Weeks, textile artist & tutor
Heather Lair Designs, Canadian artist
Carol Sloan's blog
Sue Dennis, textile artist & tutor
Regina Benson, artist, lecturer, curator
Jenny Bowker
Lorraine Carthew, tutor, textile artist & author
Brenda Gael Smith, contemporary quilts
Leni Wiener, photo inspired art quilts & thread painting
Arlee Barr, Canadian artist

Garden by Judy Cooper

England in the Fall

Alexander Palace

Well, it is confirmed that I will be heading to England in September on a Quilting & Needlework in England in the Fall tour with McCarthy's Party! For awhile we weren't sure it was going ahead but while I was on vacation, I got the good news. My friend and I will be staying in London for an extra week after the tour. One of the places we will visit on the tour, is the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexander Palace, London. This show is one of the major textile events in the UK. I'm looking forward to this one as I've read about it over the years in various quilting/stitching magazines. I've been to the International Quilt Show, Houston, Texas and that was fantastic!
Another stop will be the Royal School of Needlework based at Hampton Court in south-west London. In the morning, there is a tour of the Embroiderers Guild collection and explore the Palace (somehow, I can't see doing all that in one morning - maybe a second visit might be the thing to do) and in the afternoon, a private tour of the Royal School of Needlework is planned.

Victoria & Albert Museum

At York, we will visit the Quilters Museum, headquarters of the Quilters Guild of Great Britain. A special 'behind the scenes' tour has been arranged with the Museum Curator.

Sistine Chapel

While in London, we will be visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum. Apparently at the V & A  there is a special exhibition of tapestries from the Sistine Chapel. This is the first time ever in the UK for such a show. Of course, we will also see some of Princess Diana's wardrobe. 

That's a few places we will visit. I am hoping to meet some quilters and embroiderers while in England. I think that would be fantastic!

Printmaking with Gelatin

Making a gelain print from HGTV

Are you interested in trying a different way to print on fabric without a press? Linda Germain's blog is devoted to ways of printing on fabric. One way is to use gelatin. I've used rubber stamps and stencils as well as transfer paints but I haven't tried printmaking with gelatin. Yes, gelatin. Apparently early printmakers used a gelatin base for transferring an image onto paper. Linda has several short videos on her blog about gelatin printing. Take a moment to view them! To make your own gelatin plate check here. YouTube is another place to view Linda's videos as well as a few videos by other artists.

Check these out:
How to make a Gelatin Monoprint Accordion Book
Interview with Amanda Gordon Miller (scroll down to read about gelatin printing)
Cat Bennett's project - Floppity Flop
Maryland Printmakers
Gelatin Printmaking 202
Elizabeth Creates

L. Z. Products

During the last week of my Chicago visit, I was given a business card by a friend of my daughter. It was for L. Z. Products, a hugh textile discount outlet. I didn't think I would get there this trip as it was a long bus ride away and the weather was hot. However, my husband asked if there was something I wanted to do before leaving the city! Big mistake! HA! So of course, I got to shop at this three level store housed in an old brick factory. It was quite a large shop. I had never been in such a space as this before - three floors. There were rolls of fabrics on the walls and on free standing displays. Many of them were colour coordinated . One room had every type of trim/fringe/tassels/ribbons imaginable while another contained drapery material. There was also lots of different upholstery and cushion fabrics. I didn't see much in the way of quilter's cotton except a collection of African prints. But then, I really didn't get to see everything this trip. My husband decided to drop in as it was too hot to wait in the vehicle. There was lots of prom dress fabrics, glittery tulle/sparkly organza - the kind of stuff I like to use in my art work. I did manage to buy some of that kind of fabric. I will definitely go back to this spot on my next visit.

Landscape Quilting

I was reading some of the postings from Valerie Hearder's landscape group today and came across a reference to Quilters TV, specifically videos on Sewing with Nancy. The Art of Landscape Quilting videos part 1, 2, and 3 are listed and you can view them at your leisure. I have seen these before but had forgotten about them. If you google landscape quilting videos, you will find a fair collection on that topic to watch. It's amazing the number of full videos and video clips that are out there for free.
This landscape (not quilted) is one of a series I made with icebergs in the distance. It is mostly hand appliqued with some machine free motion stitching and hand embroider. The sky and water are hand dyed.
For more information on landscape quilting, check out the landscape quilts on Paintings With Fabric.
Interesting article here on How To Make a Landscape Quilt.
Quilted Views by Joan Jamieson.
Veronica's Sewing Supplies, Saskatchewan, Canada, has beautiful landscape fabrics. Check out the store.
Now it's your turn to try your hand on making landscapes!

Block of the Month

I've been searching for free Block of the Month patterns. Not that I'm going to do one but someone out there might be interested. However, in my searches I usually come across the unexpected. Then I save the site in One Note for future reference. You never know what you will find.
The Quilter Community has an alphabet pattern that is nice. All the blocks are ready for you to use.
For those out there with a sweet tooth, try Sweet Treats offered by the Quilter's Guild of Plano.
Snowbound, twelve months of snowmen, is the latest from Bunny Hill Designs. However, once all the blocks are posted. they will be taken off the 'free' page. Check out the tutorials as well.
For stitchers, here are some 'Flowers of the Month' patterns, a Country Calendar, Veranda Views and Under the Sea.
Just For Baby has applique blocks to make a quilt. To get the patterns, click on the text above each block. On the same web site check out the Floral Sampler and Magic Vine.
The Santa Rosa Quilt Guild has been very busy with their BOM's!  So have the Blue Mountain Quilters.
State Flower Quilt Blocks will be available until December 31, 2010.
One Piece at a Time has some wonderful applique blocks with tutorials. Scroll down to get all the Florabunda blocks to date.
I sat down to do a quick blog post! Time sure flies when you are having fun and I thought I was going to put away the things I purchased on my trip. Guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Folk Art Christmas Sampler - BOM

I just discovered another Block of the Month Christmas Quilt Sampler from Angie's Bits 'n Pieces. This BOM will run for five months starting in July. The quilt layout is the first thing given to you so that you can start cutting the background blocks and sewing the sashing strips. Just click on the download now for the folk art Christmas. Check out Angie's blog.

Electric Quilt 7

I just opened up EQ7. For years I have owned EQ6 but didn't do much with it. In fact, it hasn't been installed on my computer for a number of years. I don't do traditional quilting so why did I purchase this latest version? Time will tell. However, I read a few reviews about it and was interested - again. I won't be making quilts but I do want to do some designing. Here's the Electric Quilt web site. The section, Working With Images, caught my attention in the beginning and since I purchased 10 yards of pre-treated cotton fabric from the C. Jenkins Company, I have to start using it. I wish I could get treated white silk fabric too. I love printing images on the silk.
If you are interested in seeing some virtual quilts, check out the Virtual Quilter. Angie's Bits 'n Pieces has some freebie EQ patterns.
Hopefully, I'll get this program installed this weekend. So many things to do. I am still unpacking after five weeks of travelling. More of that later, especially when I get my photos uploaded.

Here is some good advice if you are new to EQ.

Bits & Pieces

I am reading some stuff on different blogs and thought these tattoos might interest you! These aren't just any tattoos, however. You have to be dedicated to put these on your body. Maybe you would like to have this one (scroll down a bit). Cross stitch anyone! Embroidery tattoo but not for me. Can you believe this one!
Now for some stitching. There are tutorials on Anita's Stitching blog. Her blog looks familiar (grin). check these and these. 
Creating an art quilt tutorial using Bubble Jet Set 2000.
To jazz up your quilt check out this one.
Enjoy!

Durian

Durian, is a fruit that is known as 'stinky fruit'. I have a Chinese sister-in-law in Ottawa and she introduced me to this fruit. Her family will not permit her to cut it open or eat it in the house so we had it out on the patio. When I first saw it, I was skeptical as to trying it. But what the heck, I could always spit it out if I didn't like it. Before I read about it, I compared its colour and texture to custard - stringy custard. The smell, because it was frozen, wasn't as bad as I thought. It did smell a bit like something had spoiled but once you get by that part, the taste was quite nice. I did go back for seconds. Check out the interesting story about this fruit here.
Here's the video about how smelly this fruit really is!

Christmas in July

The early bird gets the worm, so we have Christmas in July! If you want to get a jump on making your christmas gifts, check out the following:
Sew, Mama, Sew! has a tree skirt all ready for you to make. Check out their sewing tutorials too!
Cinderberry Stitches is having QFD or Quilt Fabric Delight's Christmas in July. You might like to check this one out. This one's not free!
Quilted placemat with Silverware Holder at Quilt Therapy
Block of the Month (BOM) Quilts has a few free Christmas patterns for you.
Gail Pan Designs has a free BOM for you - block one of nine!
Hugh list of free patterns not necessarily Christmas ones but . . .
Christmas patterns from Free Quilting
Christmas in July embroidery at Needle in a Haystack
Simply Santa from Compu Quilt

These should keep you busy!

Happy 4th. of July to Our Southern Neighbours

Happy 4th. of July! My daughter and American husband are living in Chicago. They just started a new business, Forte Framing and Gallery. I've never experienced a 4th of July holiday but I hear there are lots of fireworks and other celebrations. I've found a few free patterns dedicated to the American 4th of July holiday, however, I realize these can't be completed for this year but maybe it will get you thinking for next year! Better still, why not design youe own simple wall hanging or placemats! Use my research as a jumping off place to give you a few ideas but take that next step and put together something original. It's easy to take someone elses pattern but with a bit of thought I'm sure you can do your own thing! 

Table Topper
Flag Block (scroll down)
Three Paper Pieced American Flags
Fireworks Quilt Pattern
Happy Flag Day
Shooting Stars Quilt
Independence Day Quilt
Fourth of July Placemat

Christmas Row by Row - July Block

Row 8 and 9 - Trees, are available for the next part of the Christmas Row by Row quilt. Have fun!

Tutorials and more. . .

As you know, I am always looking for different 'stuff' on the web. Well, this one came to me with very little effort. Totally Tutorials is a directory of craft tutorials, how to's, patterns, recipes and more. There is a lot of stuff there and you will have to search through to find what interests you. Abigail's Craft's How To is another site to visit. Youtube has lots of tutorials! Just put quilt tutorials in your browser, and voila! Lots of stuff to watch. They are just short clips but generally helpful.

If you are interested in Electric Quilt, computer program for quilters who want to design their own quilts or just want to print out or resize traditional ones, check out the free tutorials here. I believe there is a new copy of the latest version waiting for me at home! I'm not into making quilts but Electric Quilt 7 has a lot more to offer that I might find useful. I'll let you know when I start using it.

Geta's Quilting Studio offers a free, easy to make quilt tutorial as well as lots of other free patterns.
Have a look at the free patterns listed on 3 Dudes Quilting.

These placemats caught my eye. There is no pattern but I think they are pretty easy to figure out. What a way to use some leftover pieces for a completely modern look.

Cluck Cluck Sew has lots of tutorials.
Friendship Bag Tutorial with lots more listed on the page.
The clip art at the top is free but credit goes here.
Enjoy searching through these!

Quiltology

I visited Quiltology - the urban quilt space this morning. This shop is located at 2625 Halsted Street, Chicago.  This isn't your typical quilt shop with thousands of bolts of fabrics from all over creation. They do stock 1000 + bolts of designer cotton fabrics from some of their favorite designers as well as patterns, books and kits. They are much more than a typical quilt shop - to quote their web site - they are a design studio, workshop space and speciality fabric shop committed to inspiring quilters, educating new sewers and fostering creative community. I spent some time just looking at the various fabrics before making a selection to purchase. It was a difficult choice. However, if I need to get more I can always do an on-line order. Here's three (among many) fat quarters that I did get. I love the vibrant colours of Kaffe Fassett. I'm thinking I just might make some interesting journal covers with them.
It was a very hot day (93F at 3 pm) for walking and I did a lot of it. I was very glad to get back to my daughter's house. Tomorrow will be a quiet day to give my feet a rest!

Busy Day

This afternoon I took a walk around Wicker Park and Bucktown, Chicago. Needless to say, I am tuckered out and in need of a relaxing evening. Hopefully there will be no thunderstorms tonight. I was in and out of many shops today but made purchases at only two and those were wool shops. First, I left my daughter's and son-in-law's new framing and art gallery (to be officially opened on July 2nd) and walked for ages to get to Nina, a well-knit shop on West Division Street. This is a beautiful store with lots of space as you will see when you visit their site. Before getting to the other knitting place, I explored lots of other shops on the way. The Knitting Workshop is located on N. Damen Avenue. This shop had some of the ribbon yarns I use for my fibre lace scarves so I purchased a couple of colours I don't have as well as a couple of glitzy balls of yarn. You can see two of my scarves to the left. If you are a knitter and are in the area, you will need to visit both these shops!

Soutache

Soutache is a charming little shop on 2125 North Damen Ave, Chicago, which specializes in embellishments: ribbons, buttons, feathers & flowers. They have also introduced ribbon embroidery classes so that students learn basic stitches in order to create charming keepsakes and gifts. I did find some purse accessories including feet at this shop.
Check out some 'stuff'  on ribbon embroidery:
Annie's Attic
Piecemaker's free samples (scroll to the bottom)
Silk Ribbon Embroidery
Beginners Resources for Ribbon Embroidery, Tutorials, Patterns, Stitches
Tutorial on Ribbon Embroidery
From Threads: Beginners' Silk Ribbon Embroidery

Wedding Anniversaries

June has traditionally been referred to as The Wedding Month. Some brides seem to prefer this month for their wedding. My parents, who will both be 89 this fall, celebrate their 65th on the 22 of June. Yes, they picked June. However, that had more to do with the fact they were both teachers and school was out.


Here are a few ideas for a wedding or anniversary gift:
Double Wedding Ring Quilt, a traditional favorite.
Cupid's Own Quilt Block
Double Heart Quilt Block
Heart Can Quilt Block
Pride of the Bride Quilt Block
True Lover's Knot Quilt Block
Quilt Patterns through the ages - informative
Paper Pieced Heart 
Wedding Quilt - lots of other free patterns here
Wedding Themed Cross-Stitch Patterns
Bride & Groom Cross-Stitch Patterns

Chinese Connection

I took a visit to Chicago's China Town. The weather was hot but the food was delicious! The area has a lot of little shops with all kinds of nooks & crannies. I did see some beautiful hand embroidered pictures of various sizes. I didn't particularly like the frames but that could be fixed. No, I didn't purchase one although I was tempted. Some were done in single strands of silk while others were done in magnificent gold work. I liked the koi fish embroidered in gold and silk.
I did take some pictures around the area of some ceramic tiles with Chinese motifs. That will be on a future post as I'm not set up to transfer pictures at the moment. You'll just have to wait and wonder (grin). On that note, here is some eye candy with a Chinese connection.
Chinese Coin Quilt
Chinese New Year
Chinese Lantern free pattern
Chinese Fan Quilt Block
Chinese Dragon
Art Quilt by Diane Wright
China Rose by Melody Crust
Chinese Embroidery
Chinese Silk Embroidery
Antique Chinese Textiles 
Photo Gallery
Asian Art - this one is not Chinese but worth a look. The pictures are beautiful!
The photo above came from here.
I did find out that in my search for Chinese hand embroidered gold work, that I had more success when I searched for Chinese metallic & silk embroidery.

The Perfect Bag - book review

I just purchased The Perfect Bag: 101 Stylish Looks From Simple Patterns, by Linda McGehee. View and create bags from the elegant, for a night on the town, to a quilted tote bag. This book has one basic pattern in four different sizes to create more than 101 different handbags by adding embellishments, pockets, zippers or by changing a strap or handle. All you need is your imagination or get inspired by viewing the gallery of bags. This is a very colourful book with lots of tips and easy to follow directions.

Author Linda McGehee
Published 2006
Krause Publications
ISBN 13 digit: 978-0-89689-409-9
ISBN 10-digit: 0-89689-409-6
Check out her web site.

500 Art Quilts

500 Art Quilts was edited by Ray Hemachandra and juried by Karey Bresenhan. It is a great little coffee table book as well as one to have in your studio or beside your bed. Most of the art quilts are shown one per page (there are exceptions). Each piece of art is featured with the name of the artist, title, date, size, materials and techniques. I think it is a great book of inspiration for anyone. However, I did note that the quilts date back to at least 1989 and I would have liked to have seen newer work from all the artists (just a personal note).

One of my friends, Karen Colbourne Martin, has a couple of art pieces in the book. Check out more of Karen's wonderful pieces at the Craft Council On-line gallery.

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Lark Books
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 1600590580
ISBN - 13: 978-1600590580

Dolls

As a young child, I loved to play with dolls. In fact, I learned to sew and knit by making doll clothes. It kept me busy for hours and hours. I'm sure my mother appreciated that! One fall I entered one of my dolls in the annual acricultural and craft fair. The baby doll was dressed in a white christening dress and matching cap and booties. It was my own design and stitched by hand. I won first place! I still have that doll.
Since summer vacation is almost here, I thought that some of you have young girls in your life who might like to try something new. Or you might like to make something for a child or grandchild.
Here's a few patterns of dolls and other stuff:

• Peaches Ballerina Angel 
• Making a Rag Doll
• Scrappy Triangles Doll Quilt
• Easy Strip Doll Quilt  -  This is a simple pattern that a child could make.
• Doll Quilt 

Kitchen Art

I was looking at some awesome art pieces a few minutes ago. I can't wait to see them framed and hanging on a wall. I will post pictures at a later date. A couple of the pieces had a kitchen theme. That got me thinking of quilted art to make for your cooking/eating area. Some of the following is not for the wall but to use everyday. Have Fun!

Quilted Kitchen Patterns
Free Kitchen Patterns 
Free Standing Applique
Granny's Treasures
Quilted Kitchen
Coffee Tea Quilt Patterns
Teapots, Cups, Coffee Mugs


 

The Dandelion

What to write about? That is sometimes a dilemma. However . . . I just checked one of the blog updates and came across some interesting embroidery. This is the time of year we see lots and lots of dandelion flowers growing. Did I say flower - well those yellow weeds you see everywhere. My mother has often said that when she goes not to waste money on flowers but to just pick a few old dandelions for her. Morbid, I know, as she is alive and kicking at 88, but when I was a wee child, I picked many a yellow dandelion and presented them to her. In fact, all of my landscapes have a few yellow French knots to represent those flowers.
You can see an embroidered dandelion here. This is not a free pattern but I thought it was interesting. But you will find a nice embroidery pattern from Devon Bear Designs and another one from Robert Kaufman.      Here's a small dandelion fibre art quilt to see.

Going on vacation . . . be organized!

School will soon be finished for another year and families will be going on vacation. If not a lengthy vacation then day trips to the beach or on picnics. In any event, I found some sewing/quilting projects that might be useful.
Back Seat Vehicle organizer
Travel Tips 
Baby Wipes Case
Travel Pillow
Picnic Tote and Tablecloth 
Sew Great Travel Accessories 
Travel Jewelry Case
Travel Bag Patterns and Projects 
Pot Holder Travel 'Sewing Project' Kit   - this is a quick project!
Travel Sewing Kit 

Maybe Birds. . .

I haven't touched a needle and thread or a sewing machine in over a week! That doesn't mean I haven't thought about new future projects. I would like to do more 3-D work. Maybe birds . . . I made some framed pieces of birds years ago but nothing since. I am also going to be doing more city scapes of St. John's. Now that View From The Rooms is framed and entered into the member's exhibit at Devon House (Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador), I feel a need to do more. I have some other ideas to experiment with. However, for now, check these out:
Humming Bird Quilt Pattern
Bluejay
Birds of a Feather
Bloomin' Birds
Applique Bird Patterns
Bird Patterns
Little Birds
Stacking Birdie Applique Block

Patchwork Pattern Maker

Isn't the internet wonderful! Regardless of where you are (and you have an internet connection), you can read about all kinds of things. I just came across a reference to the Patchwork Pattern Maker on the Victoria & Albert Museum site.  This on-line program allows you to transform any image into a patchwork quilt. All you have to do is upload any image and convert it instantly into your own quilt pattern. Here's the photo I just did and the pattern made from it. This one is medium complexity (20 x 20 squares). I'm assuming the squares can be any size you want. Give it a try. It's quite easy to do!

This piece was a test for a larger one with five houses. It needs quilting in the sky as it sags a bit.

The Grumpy Goat Studio

Have you had a chance to check out The Grumpy Goat Studio blog? Cara and Pam make the most amazing wooden carvings by hand! They are whimsy, colourful and so much fun. Here's one they did for Icebergs in June, at Alexis Templeton Studios.
They are also painting their images on canvas. I like both methods of their work. Check them out!

Making Stencils

I came across an interesting article on stencils and paintstiks on  the Cedar Canyon Textiles web site. They were advertising a new book, Design Magic. I liked the design on the front cover and discovered, as I read further along, that it was made from stencils. These were commercial ones.
Stenciling is a great way to customize your textile art.




Here are a few ways to make your own stencils:
How to Stencil Fabric
Fabric Painting With Stencils
10 Tips for Fabric Painting
Videos for Making Stencils for Fabric Painting
FAQ's about Fabric Painting
How to Make Stencils

In All Its Glory

I thought I would share this piece, In All Its Glory. It was first exhibited at the Grand National Quilt Exhibition, Ontario, Canada. This textile piece represents a small part of the Newfoundland coastline. The rocks are made from bits and pieces of silk which are hand appliqued to the background. I take lots of photos of rocks, play around with the images, and then print them onto white silk. Enlarging a rock often produces interesting results. I will then cut this up to make rocks for the picture. For this image, I also used commercial green cotton which I cut in short strips and pulled some of the threads to make a fringe. Snipping the fringe makes the grass lengths irregular. The lupines were stitched free motion on the sewing machine, stiffened with fabric stiffener, and stitched in place.

Canada Day Projects

Canada Day, often referred to as Canada's birthday, is celebrated on July 1st. Formerly known as Dominion Day, it is Canada's national day. How well do you know Canada? Try out these Quiz Questions! If that doesn't interest you, maybe a quilting or stitching project is right up your alley. Well, here's a few Canadian Themed Free Patterns to try:

• Canada Day Cross Stitch Motif
• Canada Day Back Stitch Motif
• Fluttering Leaves
• Quilt Canada 
• Paper Pieced Canadian Flag
• Quilted Wall Hanging
• Canadian Comfort and Remembrance Project

Piecemakers' Banner

 I had an email from my friend, Judith, in British Columbia yesterday. She sent me this picture. It was posted in the local Chilliwack paper, titled Fraser Valley countryside unfurled on Piecemakers' banner.
From left, Lyn Robinson, Pauline Thompson, Janet Skulsky, Judith Peckham and Sandra Lounsbury. These quilters are some of the members of the Chilliwack Piecemakers Quilting Guild who helped create this banner of the Fraser Valley.
Check out the news article here.
The first thing I saw on the photo was the blue sky! Why, you wonder, was that so special? Up to that point, we hadn't seen much sun for the last two months! It was getting depressing. Well today made up for a bit of that. It was a gorgeous, warm sunny day and I spent most of it outside. Let's hope we get more days like today. 

Icebergs In June - Alexis Templeton Studio

Alexis Templeton is a potter who lives and works in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. I fell in love with her work years ago and as a result, own pieces of her work. Whenever I have company, some of her pottery makes an appearance.
Her studio's theme at the moment is Icebergs in June. As she writes on her card, "June is often when icebergs arrive on our shores - if they're going to come at all, of course. To celebrate a phenomena that never fails to take out breath away, I've invited local artists to help fill the studio with their interpretations of these majestic ice castles." The crystalline iceberg plates featured in the picture will be included too. These plates are fantastic! I will be adding one of these to my collection.
Featured Artists include
Cara and Pam of the Grumpy Goat Studio
Janet Davis' print Spring Ice, Norton's Cove Studio
King's Point Photography by David Hayashida, King's Point Pottery
Judy Cooper, Textile Designs  Iceberg Art Cards,
Christine Koch's prints Iceberg with Aurora I and II
Diana Dabinett's silk painting
Glace, Rare Iceberg water

Straw Needles

I was just reading about different stitches and needles to use for embroidery. Most stitches can be created by using regular embroidery needles. However, according to Mary Corbet, using the right needle is the key to making perfect French Knots and Bullion Knots. On her blog she says that using a straw needle or milliner's needle is the perfect tool for making these stitches. If you have any of these on hand, you will notice that the shape of the straw needle is different from other needles. There is no bulge around the eye therefore making the shaft and the eye the same size the full extent of the needle. So when you pull the needle through a series of thread wraps, it goes through easily without the eye getting caught up in the wraps. Check out the rest of her article and see a picture of straw needles.

A couple of years ago, I did a three year hand embroidery course. Over the months, one of the class members kept saying that she only joined the class to learn how to make French Knots. This got to be a bit of a class chuckle. After the course was finally finished, we had an exhibit of all our work. We called it, "All I ever wanted to learn was French Knots". In fact most of the ladies who took this course still meet every Thursday evening to stitch, thus the name FETE (friends every Thursday evening).

Tanja Berlin has a lot of information on her site about embroidery needles.
Check out Victorian Embroidery and Crafts for information of selecting the right needle for your project.

Show & Tell - Eastern Edge Quilters

Here are some of the Show & Tell quilts from the June meeting of the Eastern Edge Quilt Guild.









 The Dragon Fly quilt top isn't finished yet. Quilting to follow.

This one is reversible!

Child's Quilted Growth Chart

View From The Rooms

I have the piece, View From The Rooms, finally finished. It's out to be framed. I had a call just before supper saying the mats were cut and ready for my signature. It's almost impossible to see some of the clapboard lines in some of the houses but they are there! I do like the way the foliage came together. The different shades of green worked out well. The dimensions before framing are 27" x 9 1/2". Needless to say, I'm pleased with the final result. I will be entering it in the annual member's exhibit at the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, Devon House, St. John's. The exhibit is on for most of the summer.

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Spring 2010

After yesterday's photo disaster at the quilt show, I decided to wait and get some decent shots of View From the Rooms. I will also use those photos (rather my husband will) to create another blank greeting card set. More on that later.

A few days ago, I came across the Blogger's Quilt Festival - Spring 2010 . To date, there are 677 participants (scroll down the page). Each quilter is listed by name and linked back to their web site or blog. If you have some free time (just joking), then spend it visiting some of the sites to see their quilts. It's very interesting.
Here's more interesting quilts on flickr.
More images of quilts here. If you click on a picture, it will give you the link to further investigate. Have fun!