Crazyquilters-ca - UTS Stitchalong - Friday

Another bit done on the sandbar, and a picture showing the sandbar from the side. With the seashells and "rocks" it's very three-dimensional.

Psssst....she's giving us away

Christina, from Down and Out Chic, is sponsoring a giveaway. From the first time I landed on her blog, she became one of my very favorites. Her motto? "Pinching pennies for fashion because you don't have to be rich to live a stylish life." So true.

And guess what? She is giving away something from our etsy shop, One in Every Color. So head on over to her blog and make a comment for your chance to win something. From us. For free.

Crazyquilters-ca - UTS Stitchalong

I've been working on the sandbar on my under the sea block. It's a Stitch Along with Crazyquilters-ca and we're following suggestions by Rose Anne, our moderator. A lot of it is chain stitch with an 8 perle variegated thread and some gold thread highlights. The rest is in thin fluffy yellow wool that gives a bit of height. There are some pretty shells, but looking from the top down makes them look flat. It's coming along OK. Another area that I have to think about is closer to the top of the block and i need to make sunbeams coming through the water. Click on one of the labels below to see the naked whole block.

A ghostly giveaway and a thought-provoking question...

Two things this morning:

Christina from Down and Out Chic had a really thought-provoking question this morning about what is more important, respect versus popularity.

And then Brooklyn Limestone posted this really cool giveaway from All Modern.

So go to her site and comment for a chance to win. (Hmmmm, why did I recommend that? More comments will only decrease my chance of winning. That could be a tactical error...)

Still on the jacket

It's now four strips wide with one more and a bit to go for the left front. It's pretty labour-intensive, so not growing by leaps and bounds! I'm also being very careful to sew on the printed line on the paper and pressing lots. Just a note about the silk that I am using. It's all reclaimed, so definitely used, mostly gently. Everything goes in the washing machine in cool water with just regular detergent. I have never had anything silk spoil by laundering it, even though ALL the labels say dry clean.

I'm feeling a little on edge

See this? It is my current obsession. Those edges that you cut off so that you can get to the part of the fabric you really want to work with? Yeah, those edges. They completely fascinate and enthrall me. Interesting names of the fabric line, little dots showing all the colors used in the fabric, sometimes the designer's name. Really, how could I not love this stuff?
I even have friends, both local and cyber, helping me enlarge my collection. Sometimes out of the blue a package will arrive in the mail. So thanks to you, you, and you.

Hold on a second. Here is a close-up of the new fabric I made. Yes, new fabric! I sewed all the strips on a piece of muslin and now it is just waiting to become something fabulous. Let's see. What should it be? A little zippered bag maybe? A pincushion? A tote bag?

This is one of my favorite ideas, a super cool vanity chair made by Cynde Clark.

But in the meantime, keep those selvage edges coming. Go ahead. Send me over the edge.

Gold Mountain Art Quilt FOR SALE IN ETSY SHOP

This colorful art quilt wall hanging is made from hand dyed fabrics, some other cotton fabrics, and hand dyed ribbons which I bought from another artists ETSY store! It is embellished with Chinese coins from the era when gold was discovered in California. This group of coins includes one with the Ying Yang symbol.

click on photos to enlarge to see more detail

colors are somewhat brighter in person

This quilt measures approximately 17 1/2" X 18" in an uneven square.

The layout of ribbons and fabrics gives a sense of depth

as if you are looking through windows, perhaps into the window of your soul.

The various ribbons have different textures adding yet another dimension to the work.

This piece is both machine quilted and hand quilted using metallic threads in gold and red and some rayon threads.

It is for sale in my ETSY store which can been found on the left sidebar of this blog.

Can You Say "OBSESSED"?

Yes, I'm obsessed with fabulous, gorgeous, hand dyed fabrics. What can I say. I do, however, think I may be nearing the end of this obsessive streak, for now anyway. Here is the latest two-color gradation. Turquoise and amethyst. Another winner in my book.


Below are my updated color charts showing all the two-color gradations I've done to date. I can fit seven gradation sets on each page and I have one more set to make to finish the second page. I think I will do that one more and then take a break. I have other things I need to concentrate on and I think that 14 sets of fabulous fabrics will keep me very busy over winter among other things.


Remember the pink and cream quilt? Well here's a sneak peek at it's progress.

My own Fabric Postcards - more

Making and receiving fabric postcards seems to be becoming a major topic of this blog. I love making them and receiving them, especially from other parts of the world. I have make such wonderful friends throughout the world through quilting, especially exchanging postcards.

The deadline for my first South African postcard exchange is the end of July. I used the trusty photo of the Aloe as the centre of the postcard and did a Crazy Patch design round the photo. I am not sure it looks good - the colours of the crazy patch might overpower the photo....

More on the Jacket

This morning I sewed together all the pieces in strip 1 and strip 2. After pressing the seams down and removing some of the paper from areas that would be difficult to get to after more sewing, I pinned strip 1 to strip 2 and sewed them together. Then I removed all the paper from the second strip and pressed it well. What a difference it makes with no pins, paper or raw edges. As I'm working on this project I'm finding out tricks that really help. For instance I started out using white thread. Now I've switched to a dark thread to help find the tacking when I am undoing it. Also I don't fasten off my tacking now, I run a few stitches, about 2" over the beginning tacking and then snip off the beginning knot. This really helps because the thread just pulls out and doesn't stop at the knot.

Fabric and Flowers

I made some new PhotoEZ screens this past week. Some were more successful than others. This first photo shows a piece of fabric that I've used my screens on. There is one design on this piece that I used a purchased stencil and it is the darker turquoise circle shapes.


Here is one of my latest hand dyed gradations. The most recent that I dyed is now drying and perhaps I can show that one tomorrow. This color set was made with Chinese red and chartreuse.


While taking a stroll around our property recently, I spotted this sneaky character growing. My husband is always cursing at these as they are considered noxious weeds here. I find them to be very interesting and grabbed the chance to photograph it before it gets pulled.


This year I planted a new clematis plant. I've wanted a white clematis for a while now and finally got one. Here is the very first bloom. Gorgeous! There is one more color I would like to have some day in a clematis and that would be a deep red.

So long, farewell...

Everybody packed up and left Lakeview Cottages yesterday morning, but before they left I got this picture of all the kids who were guests this week, including Bear, the dog, who is actually the size of a real bear. And allow yourself this bit of visual imagery, especially the next time you are feeling that the space you are occupying is too small: two adults, four kids (one boy who is 15 and pretty much adult-sized, 11-year-old, 8-year-old, 2 1/2-year-old in a carseat), one dog (Bear, so you already know they had a huge dog in their vehicle), food, clothing and assorted "stuff" for a week in the mountains, all in an SUV--and not even the largest one that Ford makes (although they did have some stuff in a carrier on top and on the back of the vehicle), ready to make the 6-hour trip back home.

And, of course, the requisite sunset photo:
Back to the real world of work, and thinking (and hopefully posting) about quilting and fused glass.

Basket Weave String

Stash report day. I've missed the last few weeks but am ready to get back in.
It's been a month since I last reported. No new fabric in. And I did a little sewing but mostly I donated some fabric that I was gifted with a few years ago. Maybe a lesson there if someone gives you their ugly fabric because they will never use it you probably won't find a use for it either. So I removed and used 21 yds from my stash. So for my yearly total I'm at.....

50 yds 33" Busted

Just this morning I sewed the blocks for this string quilt. I started it around the first of the year. I love the basket weave pattern and am surprised at the effect.

And look how lucky I am this little quilt I made last year fits almost perfectly on my new table. Feels good to be almost settled in the new house not too many boxes left to unpack.

Basket Weave String

Stash report day. I've missed the last few weeks but am ready to get back in.
It's been a month since I last reported. No new fabric in. And I did a little sewing but mostly I donated some fabric that I was gifted with a few years ago. Maybe a lesson there if someone gives you their ugly fabric because they will never use it you probably won't find a use for it either. So I removed and used 21 yds from my stash. So for my yearly total I'm at.....

50 yds 33" Busted

Just this morning I sewed the blocks for this string quilt. I started it around the first of the year. I love the basket weave pattern and am surprised at the effect.

And look how lucky I am this little quilt I made last year fits almost perfectly on my new table. Feels good to be almost settled in the new house not too many boxes left to unpack.

Silk jacket - moving right along

This is the left front pinned and ready to sew together. I have enough tacked pieces to work on the rest of the jacket, so I'll be at the sewing machine for a while getting this done. It's been a great take-along in the car project. I even was able to do some tacking at the Canadian Open Golf Championship! I took lots of pinned pieces but ran out of thread before I finished. So....I had to watch the golf!

Lettering School

I have always been a huge fan of fancy lettering and such and just never felt like I was any good at it. I always found myself disappointed with any attempts to add a word or phrase or quote to my art. Well when I saw that Martha Lever was teaching an online class on fun calligraphy style techniques, I signed right up.

The class started this past week and I've been practicing every day with the writing style. This is so much fun and Martha has such a laid back, easy going teaching technique. You can't help but have a blast.

So here is one of my practice sheets. At this point I'm basically writing the letters in the way Martha has taught us. In time and with more and more practice I will probably (hopefully) take the letters in my own direction or style.


The next photo is my brave attempt to add some lettering to an artwork that I have had on my painting desk for a few weeks. I did try and add a little of my own flair to these letters. I practiced this quote for I don't know how many times before I felt I was ready to put it on the canvas. And even then I think I held the pen poised over the canvas for so long because I was afraid. Afraid I'd ruin the artwork. Once I started and got going, I was having fun and I should really loosen up and if a mistake happens, well paste something over it I guess.


Happy Weekend!

And now for our featured attraction...

Last night we had our second Annual Outdoor Movie Night. Last year one of our campers brought a projecter and big screen, and we showed Ratatouille outdoors. The kids loved it. The adults loved it. This year he brought an even bigger screen.

The kids started showing up early, getting a front row seat and waiting for it to get dark. Mark popped buckets of kettlecorn on the outdoor grill while we all waited.

We watched Cars, a very family-friendly movie with enough humor to keep the adults happy too. We put the movie on pause at about 9:53 so we could watch the space shuttle go by. We could see it for about two minutes, easily visible among all the stars. It was very surreal for me. Here we were in our home-away-from-home, surrounded by wide-open spaces and all the glories of nature, watching thirteen people in their home-away-from-home, cramped in a space shuttle but also surrounded by wide-open spaces and the magnitude of the universe.

And the sewing update: lots of time to actually sit down and sew, but then my table got relegated to be part of the "projection room,"

So maybe later today? Or maybe not....I think maybe I'll just wander down to the lake and think about it.

Something New

So I had to try my hand at something new. Just couldn't resist. WEAVING!


You might remember about a year ago I got started with hand spinning my own yarns. Well I have so many lovely hand spun yarns in small amounts (not enough to really make sizeable somethings with) so I though that weaving with them might be just the ticket. Like I didn't have enough tools and gadgets around here. So my first weaving trial (above) was just using some of my purchased novelty yarns. You can see I started out at the bottom just going back and forth the full width. Well I got gutsy later on and decided to try a design, the heart. The heart is centered on the warp threads but you can't tell that because the beginner that I am, I was pulling my yarns too tight and the right side of the weaving looks tighter or smaller in width. Oh well, I'm a beginner, right?

Oh here's something else that's new. A new technique for surface design on fabric. Well new for me anyway. This is a flour paste resist method that I've been wanting to try for ages and I came across the technique recently while browsing through some of my books/magazines. So I decided now is the time to do it. I think it was a fun technique and one I will play with some more. In the photo below, I applied black Dye-Na-Flow starting on the left side and soon ran out. I didn't have much left in my bottle to begin with. So I took some black textile paint and watered it down to the same Dye-Na-Flow consistency. The textile paint area is the right half. I think I like that side better as the Dye-Na-Flow side seems to have seeped more into the fabric and blurred the web-like lines more.


And I couldn't write a blog post without showing my lastest two-color gradation. This is chartreuse and turquoise. Mmmm yummy!


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Basket Weave String

I've gotten all moved just not real organized yet. I've been trying to do a little sewing everyday it may only be 10 min. Here are some of the string blocks I've been working on I started these last winter. I always have a string project going other wise the strings just over populate. I fountained pieced these on fabric and don't think I will do it that way again. It makes the quilt heavy and this would be a quilt I would like to use every day and wash a lot I like a lighter feel to my quilts. The blocks need some kind of base to keep them from getting wonky. I've done one using phone book pages. And you tear off the paper when it's done. I liked not having that extra fabric in that one but, hated taking the time to rip off the paper. It also made a mess.

Here is one side of my new sewing room every day it looks different. I get it cleaned up and the floor clear. Then I get out another box and spread it all over and have a mess again. But hopefully I will end up with a organized space someday.

Basket Weave String

I've gotten all moved just not real organized yet. I've been trying to do a little sewing everyday it may only be 10 min. Here are some of the string blocks I've been working on I started these last winter. I always have a string project going other wise the strings just over populate. I fountained pieced these on fabric and don't think I will do it that way again. It makes the quilt heavy and this would be a quilt I would like to use every day and wash a lot I like a lighter feel to my quilts. The blocks need some kind of base to keep them from getting wonky. I've done one using phone book pages. And you tear off the paper when it's done. I liked not having that extra fabric in that one but, hated taking the time to rip off the paper. It also made a mess.

Here is one side of my new sewing room every day it looks different. I get it cleaned up and the floor clear. Then I get out another box and spread it all over and have a mess again. But hopefully I will end up with a organized space someday.

Managing to get by...

We are now midway through our week of managing Lakeview Cottages. It's cooled down here a bit and is really gorgeous. It's warm in the sun, with a nice cool breeze. Unlike the valley where it's over a hundred degrees and no breeze.

Every cabin is rented and we have 14 kids under age 12. A lot of them know each other from last year and they are all having a blast.

After I got all my managerial chores done today, I had planned on sewing. I have it all set up. Haven't sewed a stitch. Because really, as tempting as my sewing machine is, it is indoors.

I would rather wander down to the waterfront and do...not much of anything.
This afternoon, Mark and I drove around the lake to pick up the mail, and when we got back, we had this invitation on our front porch. The girls in Cabin B have quite the evening planned for Friday. And Thursday night we will do our Second Annual Outdoor Movie Night. We set up a huge screen by the fire ring area and pop buckets of kettlecorn and enjoy a movie together.

Oh, and in the category of "you're just gonna have to trust me on this one," Mark and I stopped at the general store right across the road from the post office to get some ice cream, and this guy popped in (note to self: always be prepared and never go anywhere without a camera...). Years ago I used to watch The Bold and the Beautiful, so if there are any fans out there, apparently Ronn Moss, aka Ridge Forrester, has his own cabin in this area. So says the owner of the general store... It was kinda weird to see him in shorts and a tank top...and obviously no TV makeup. I probably wouldn't even have noticed him if the owner hadn't said something. (Second note to self: I definitely need to hire my own hair and makeup person...)