Encrusted CQ class project

Encrusted CQ class project

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Autumn Musings

The weather is cooler the last few days, and we now need to close the windows at night. The garden is harvested, and there are crunchy yellow leaves blowing in the wind.  I love the fall!

I caught a picture of one of the two visitors to my kitchen on the weekend:





Isn't he pretty?  There was one on each kitchen window.  They flew in together, hung out for awhile, and flew away together......

I want to tell you about an interesting craft blog I found recently.  Her blog title is 
Crap I've Made, which made me want to check it out further.  And her tagline is "sometimes it's amazing, sometimes it's just crap".  This gal has a sense of humour, and some neat craft and decorating ideas as well.

Today I found another source of CQ fabric.  Technically, it's not a new source, but I discovered that my local thrift store now has Halloween costumes for sale, and in that costume section I discovered this dress for 2.99  :

 Vintage lace dress with a satin underskirt.  It's a lovely faded salmon colour, not in the best shape, which is why it was inexpensive.  I will hand wash this piece, only because of the beadwork on the neckline.  There should be a couple of meters of usable fabric in this, and I will enjoy giving it a new life!
 Closeups of the satin under skirt and the pearl beading around the neck.  So feminine!
So be sure to check out thrift stores in the next few weeks - that costume section may have some beautiful fabric in a more affordable form than usual.

Today I looked around my studio and realized (yet again) that I need to finish some projects before starting anything new.  I've been told I suffer from ADOS (Attention Deficit.....Oooh, Shiny!)  I'm not mocking anyone with ADD or ADHD.  I don't think I have a disorder, I'm just really undisciplined!!  I certainly need to learn to finish projects before getting distracted with the next pretty, shiny new idea.....

I have a question for you, dear reader!  If you were to go to a Christmas craft fair in your area, would you be looking for gifts for others, items to decorate your own home, or looking for ideas to make your own gifts and ornaments?  Please leave a comment with your answer, and in early October, I'll draw names of those who answered, and someone will win a crazy quilted Christmas ornament!  Feel free to send a link to my blog to your friends and family, I'd like lots of input on this question.  Thanks!


Tuesday 20 September 2011

More experiments

Last week I tried some new product ideas for my Etsy shop.  Click on any of the photos below for a larger image.





The original idea for this is to make a flag of Canada, with the maple leaf being crazy-quilted, to put on a tote bag or the back of a jean jacket.   This is a test run for the maple leaf.  It's a little wonky, but I think the idea could work.




This stack of fabrics is going to become patchwork yardage, and I'm going to cut out a loose shirt out of it. I'll be using the  #90 Shimmer Shirt pattern from Macphee Workshop.  This shirt will be just for me, since I'm not sure of the legalities of selling a shirt made from a commercial pattern.  Don't want to infringe on copyright laws!





These last two pictures are of a wedding ring pillow for My store .  The pillow will be customizable - you can add your wedding colours, or have an all-white or all-ivory pillow.  I'm not completely happy with the ruffle on this pillow, so I'll keep working on this idea before listing it.

So that's what I've been up to in the last week.  This week I hope to do a lot of decluttering in my house, and I need to finish writing an article for www.cqmagonline.com .  Not sure I'll have time for a lot of stitching, but I 'm sure to sneak in some....a girl's gotta have some fun!

Saturday 10 September 2011

Holidays, Stitching, and New Inspiration

I'm back from holidays, refreshed and inspired for a new season of creating!  This is me, on the Santa Monica Pier, enjoying the Pacific Ocean breeze!  The Pier was crowded on this warm Saturday afternoon, but I was in my own little world as I gazed out over the water.  

 My husband and I spent 8 days in the Los Angeles area, first at a John MacArthur conference, then some time in Disneyland!  Along the way I squeezed in visits to a thrift store, Target, Beadniks (a Santa Monica bead store that is incredible), and M and L Discount Fabrics in Anaheim.  M and L Fabrics is a warehouse of fabrics with a mind-boggling selection and great prices.  It took me a while to go through the store, and I know I didn't see it all, but I got fabrics for a couple of new pieces I am designing now and some remnants of "fancy" fabrics that I know I will use in the near future.

While I was away, I embellished the last four squares of the Black and Brights quilt.  This black and crystal block will be the centre:

 This one is pale blue and black, although the colours are a little off in the photo.



This block is much prettier in person, for some reason, I don't like the photograph.  When I lay out the blocks, I'll see if it needs a little tweaking.


The yellow/gold block is one of the prettiest, and it's a colour combination, I have NEVER been brave enough to use before.  Yellows and oranges can overwhelm a quilt so easily, so this is a first for me, and I hope I can make it work.
The next steps in this quilt are to lay out the blocks and decide on placement, add plain black sashing and embroider and bead the sashing just enough to tie the design together, and add borders and backing.  And I need a better name than Black and Brights....hmmmm....any ideas?