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Felting

These are more my colors. I like using variegated thread, so there is more interest. One needlecase a week is doable.

Knitting

I made the wrap again from the free pattern at Fabric Depot. The slits hold the wrap around you, so you don't have to hang on to it. This one is a little shorter--so am I! The yarn is Red Heart. The cables don't show as well in the variegated, but I liked the yarn better.

Quilting

This idea came from a Quilting Arts TV episode in the 1300 series. It starts as a 9 patch that you slash both ways through the middle and rearrange.

At first I had it as a window pane setting then realized how much matching of seams would be involved. I think this is a better layout interest wise. I know 2 corner blocks are in the other direction but felt that contained the piece better.

It's 60 by 48 inches.

Felting

This is the next needlecase. I need 10, so on to the felting.

Bead Journal Project

Here's the next button for the Bead Journal Project. I like this one better than last month's, because I put a base of beads beneath the beaded flower.  It's 1 1/2 ".

Quilting

This is another piece of Japanese Yukata fabric that I had and hand stitched. The blank center of the flowers just screamed for beads and took quite a while to do! They do make a difference.

It is machine quilted and 20" by16".

Felt

Here's the next needlecase. My photography really needs improving, but I have no interest in it and can't seem to make myself do it. The green is darker.

Art Squared

The word for the Art Squared challenge this time was Icon which to me means a religious symbol. I searched the internet for inspiration and found a cross that was close to what I had in mind. They wanted $10 for me to download it! I picked up a piece of printer paper, folded it and cut my own cross.

It's foiled using copper colored foil and edged by machine with a metallic braid I had. Then it felt like the quilting should be in copper metallic thread. It's 17" square.

I learned a couple of things about foiling. Where the foil paper is folded in packaging, it doesn't foil well. A metallic pen can fill in empty spots.

Beading

One time I demonstrated how I put a Cabochon on fabric. I decided that the sample needed to be put into a piece, so I've been stitching and beading it. It's 6" square and now needs to become part of a wall hanging or maybe a purse. When the time is right, it will tell me.

Felting

The next felt needlecase. The backgrounds are soft, as my friend who sent them likes soft colors. It was a good exercise to work in colors that are not my normal ones.

Bead Journal Project

This month I almost forgot to post the Bead Journal Project Button. The time goes so quickly.
I decided to use a flower I had beaded as the center of the button covered in fabric. I' not sure I like it, but it's a new direction to explore rather than my usual cabochon.

Class

I took a class at www.joggles.com from Christen Brown on using felt, soutache, and beads with bunches of sequins thrown in. This is the result.  The left border was cut off by the scanner but has the same trim as the rest. It's 8" square and was fun to do.

Felt Applique

Sorry that the photo is a bit faded, but I'm much better at almost anything other than taking photos.  These needlecases are a fun project and east to pick up to work on anywhere, anytime.

Quilting

This is the latest Yukata piece. It's 14" by 14".  There's a lot of hand stitching on it and beaded centers to the flowers.

I do seem to be making a lot of these. It feels good to use these special fabrics instead of just storing them in a drawer.

Shopping

Our local bead shop owner is retiring, so I made another purchase. I can understand her being tired after 15 years, but I hate to see her go.

Wool applique

Here's the second needlecase done in wool with embroidery. I had overpainted the rickrack to make it more interesting.  The flower center just needed the button.

Quilt

This is on my design wall. The quilt group says it's done. An art quilt friend also said it was done. Maybe that's why I couldn't figure out what to do next. What do you think?

Gift

This is a gift from a friend and on it's side. The computer won't let me change it unless I cancel out of this area. She lives in California; me in Washington but we talk on the phone every week, hence the phone. It says: "A Friend is someone who knows you well and likes you anyway." Perfect!

It hangs in the widow above my machine, so I can see it daily.

Wool Applique

I love to hand stitch on wool and decided to make needlecases for gifts. A friend sent me some wool samples which became the backgrounds. The case is 5" by 6" and has flannel pages for the needles. It was fun to try different stitches.

Circles

The last of the circles seen through the cutout pages. Now I need to try something else.

Machine Knitting

Here's the second Charity afghan I knitted on my bulky machine using 2 yarns together. It finished up the cone of the lighter pink. Next I think a blue.

Mixed Media

At one time I saw a book that had the most interesting cover with bugs on it. I've taken it apart and put in my painted papers decorating them gradually to reflect the bug theme. I love bugs. They are so varied and often with the most unusual color schemes.

This page was done by using a bug stencil from Diane Erickson and put molding paste through it. When it was dry, I colored the bugs with a green Gelato-a new art tool for me to play with. They look like lipstick tubes and have yummy colors.

Quilt

Since the quilt group meets at my house today, it seemed fitting to show a quilt. This one is almost traditional but started from a block drawn as pre-work before a Nancy Crow retreat. The fabrics are my hand dyes. It 45" square and will go to the nursing home. 

Circles

More circles. I haven't done much else except harvest. It's that time of year. The quilt group comes here this week, so cleaning is a must.

I do like what happens when part of the design peeks out through the cutout circle.

Quilting

One of our Guild's past presidents said she organized her scraps by cutting them into strips to sew together for scrap quilts. I've cut mine into 2", 1 1/2" and then 1" and sorted them by color.

Quilters use a scrap of fabric to start sewing so nothing goes down the throat plate of the machine. I've been using the scraps that way starting with a 2" center and doing Log Cabin blocks. It's amazing how fast you end up with blocks. Each stack has at least a dozen blocks. The random piecing of the strips adds to the design. These just have the 1" then the 1 1/2" strips on them.

 I love using up bits and pieces to come up with something but somehow the stack of strips never goes down.

Circles

More cutouts to see what happens. The bottom design is on the page but seems to relate to the cutout version.

I didn't like what I did on this page but with the cutout the penciled circles seem to fly off the ones in the window.

Quilt Show

Quilts, Inc. brought their quilt show to Portland, OR and added stitching and knitting. We had a good time looking at the exhibits and, of course, helping the economy by checking out the vendors. I bought this stamp set from the British company www.colouricious.com  I get their email and have some of the DVD's they produce. It's fun to see how others do things. The hummingbirds are what I wanted, the rest a nice bonus. They are about 3" beak to tail.

The background is a charity quilt I'm working on.

Quilt

The next in the series of pieces done with Japanese 14" wide fabrics from my collection is this one. It's about 36" by 24". I hand stitched around the print using threads I painted. The quilting is dense echo quilting by machine. I like letting the print determine where the lines should go.

The detail shows the quilting. The glow was in the print.

Circles

I was asked if I'd be moving to fabric with the circle designs. Definitely at some point. I'm fascinated by circles and love both hand and machine stitching.

I love getting comments but my computer doesn't seem to like to reply-sorry.

Circle Designs

The circle design look so different viewed through a cutout. It's also a chance to see what the background color of the page does when it's a different color.

I need to do more.

Bead Journal Project

This month's button uses bugle beads as well as size 8 seed beads.It's 1 3/4" wide and starts in the center with a stone cabochon.

Circles

More work with the circle class from the Gail Harker http://gailcreativestudies.wordpress.com/  And more circles cut out as inspired by the video on http://www.lindakemshall.com/

It gives you more ideas for designs to see the first image in a different way.

Knitting

A friend and I were in Fabric Depot and found this wrap pattern. We decided to both knit it. The one front side has two slits in it to put the other side in and hold the wrap in place. It's a free Red Heart yarn pattern and was fun to knit.

I did learn to check things better. The pattern called for the solid yarn which has 330 meters to  ball. The variegated has 215 meters, so I ended up buying more. The cables show but not in the distance. The other thing I learned was that the model on the pattern was tall; I am short, so it comes down much lower on me. A friend suggested I belt it. I've started another but will try making it shorter. It is very comfortable on and warm.

Cards

I was up all night with a sick puppy, so while he was outside, I sat near the open door and made these 3 cards.

The stars didn't show well enough until I outlined them with a gelly pen.

This used the torn paper strip that I made at Art and Soul years ago-never throw anything out!

The Big Shot die cutting machine was used for the flower and the stars on the other card. The paper had been put through the Xyron to get adhesive on the back before cutting. I am very glue challenged. It ends up everywhere but where I want it.  I found that if the paper is lightweight, it is very hard to get the backing off and the image down nicely.

Quilt

The challenge at http://artsquaredgroup.blogspot.com/  this time was Heirloom.  What a perfect time to use some of my old laces collection that is just sitting there. I had the crazy quilt background done thinking I'd make a purse, but this seemed a better solution. The button are old Mother of Pearl buttons. The piece is 14" by 14".

I'm enjoying the challenges with all the words I'd probably never think of.

Thanks to all who comment and read my blog. I seem to have trouble when I try to reply to them. The only way I can post now is to go to the Google Chrome site.

Circles

I'm back to working on circle designs. I was inspired by a segment on Design Matters TV http://www.lindakemshall.com/

They cut through pages to reveal what was on the other pages. I decided to see what would happen with the circle cutout. I didn't try to line up things thinking that offsetting things would lead to other designs.

The cutout page needs things that work on both sides. Now I'm thinking that I need to embellish the cutout.

Beading

This was a challenge. I took multiple photos of it, but none were clear. This is a scan that turned the black and white bracelet to red!  I used the black/white function in the photo program to change it and decided I'd spent too much time trying to get a good photo.

Making it was also a challenge. The library had a DVD on jewelry that I watched showing how to use memory wire. They made it look easy but warned not to use your regular wire cutter on it as it would nick them. That should have told me that making the loops at the end would be hard.

It was also the first time I used spacers to keep the two rings of beads apart and in place. You have to be sure the beads aren't too big and that they don't end up interfering with each other. It was a learning experience but I'll try it again but not for a while.

Here's the other side with the special beads from my Daughter-in-law.

Felt

This needle felted landscape is 8 by 10" and has been sitting around for quite a while. I decided to add stitching to the sky and like it much better. Maybe now I will finish it.