Quilt, Gift

This is about 30" square and the strips are from leftovers. I've been organizing scraps by cutting them into strips and joining them. I decided I needed to see if I could make a quilt with them before I put more effort into the project. I use the cut strips as the starting piece when I strip piece a top and in between sewing sections of it, so I'm not using creative time on this.

My Journal Quilt number was drawn to receive the prize this month at www.3creativestudios.com , and I received this beautiful packet of hand dyes from Vicki called Rosebud and also a package of Misty Fuse. I love getting things! Thank you Vicki.

Felting

A while back I made this purse from a piece I had felted on the embellisher. It's machine quilted with metallic thread.

The closure before was a pin from my collection. When Sue http://suebleiweiss.com/blog/ sent me buttons she had made in a pottery class this summer, I knew this was a much better closure. Here is a detail.

Sunprints, gift

We had some sun, so I decided to do sunprints using Setacolor paints.

Leaves seem to often be my theme, as I love leaves and trees.Having 9 chickens gives me a good supply of feathers. I had to put rocks on them to keep them from blowing away.

Look what Marie of http://zquilts.blogspot.com/ sent me! I love bugs, and this ATC is perfect. Thanks Marie.

Gift, beads

Our friend has been gone for a while and did a lot of beading during that time. She gave each of us in the quilt group a necklace she had made. This is mine. Isn't it beautiful?

I had to make a trip to Seattle on business today. It's strange but the car automatically takes the exit at Lacey and goes to Shipwreck Beads. Here's a selection of the ones I bought. I have to decide before going what type I'm going to focus on or all is lost. It is the size of a warehouse for those who haven't heard of it. This time I bought lots of Toho beads, seed beads in other sizes, and the four strings of decorative beads.

Gift, Shopping

Look at the beautiful roving a friend gave me. I'll use it as one of my backgrounds for the Bead Journal Project.We went to a bead store, and here are the additions to my stash. I have lots of seed beads, so I try to find other sizes and shapes.Next to Craft Warehouse where they were having their pearls on sale-great colors and styles. We ended up with lunch and then went in our opposite directions to get home before too much traffic. Nice day.

Gift, Knitting

One of the ladies at quilt group had been to a bead show and bought us each a necklace. It matched my outfit perfectly, so I put it on immediately. Mine is actually violet, but the computer refused to show the real color no matter how I tried to manipulate it.I've just finished knitting a chemo cap. I knit at night when my mind is tired and doesn't create. The caps I do between other projects. The fur kind my son's Mother-in-law liked, because they give fullness and the illusion of bangs. Hopefully, now of you need one, but if you do, let me know.

Painted Papers, gift

On Wednesday a friend and I painted paste papers. You use thickened paint and texture it in a variety of ways. For the first one, I put a stencil on it and lifted some of the paint with a paper towel. Then I put more paint on it through the stencil using another color. 

The second one just had leaves stencilled on it in a second color.Bubble wrap pressed into the wet paint made the circles.After putting the stencil on this one, I lifted some of the paint with a paper towel then scraped the background with a comb.

I like the pattern made by scraping a comb through the paint.

See what she gave me- a piece of fused glass that she made. It has a channel in the top for a cord. I want to design a necklace using it. The colors are much more vibrant in person. Altogether a pleasant day.

Gift, Stitchery

My friend Marjorie http://www.thedragonflystudio.com/ really liked the red Crazy Quilt purse, so she dyed these fabrics for me in exchange for it. I think it's so much fun to exchange art and am always open to swaps.

In March at the Columbia Fiberarts Guild 4 members will be doing demonstrations for the program. Here's a sample of what I'm doing.

Calendar Girls, Gift

This is the calendar page Neki picked for our December inspiration. It looks like outer space to me.I used the Embellisher to felt down some wool roving, then machine embroidered a spiral in metallic thread. The clear beads are added by hand.

Yesterday was such a pleasant day. The sun was shining, I shopped at Michael's and then met a friend at Fabric Depot-Portland's store that is an acre of fabrics. Of course, I bought a couple of books-my obsession. We had a nice lunch, and she gave me a gift "just because...". It's rovings and silk tops in our favorite colors. I think I will use them for a background for a Bead Journal Project next year.

Gift

Lise http://funkybeading.blogspot.com and I exchanged one of our Bead Journal Project pieces. This is the one she sent me. It's all about the icy winter in Medicine Hat. I related to it, because we were snowed in which isn't supposed to happen in our temporate zone of the Pacific NW! I just love it-so much wonderful beading. Now to find the perfect spot to hang it.

Experiments, gift

I was watching a Quilting Arts DVD that had Catherine Nichols showing her grafiti lettering and decided to see what I could do with my initials. Here are the results. I never have doodled much and am trying to get in the habit. This month for Unlimited Textiles, Seasons was the theme. Look at the wonderful quiltie I received from Guzzisue http://travelfibreandthread.blogspot.com I'm so pleased with it.

Class Tester, gift

Here's the next book in the Creative Book Making class being offered in the fall by SueB at www.twocreativestudios.com It's called a Stab Stitch Binding and is easy to do. Doesn't it look like an impressive way to bind a book? The center is rubber stamped and embossed. I really like to make these books and using good instructions makes it easy.

Look what came in the mail. I ordered Stitching the Textured Surface from England www.d4daisy.com . It's the new book by Carol McFee www.textiletales.blogspot.com and Lynda Monk www.purplemissus.com , and this postcard was in it. The card has such rich texture-very yummy. The book is filled with inspiring photos and directions for the textures.

Gift

Look at what a friend gave me. I've never seen a sewing basket like this one. She thinks her mother did the painting on it. I put my Kaleidoscopes in it. They are all children's ones and great fun to play with. I collect the old round, unlined wicker ones, but this one is so special and will remind me of her. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a blog.

Gift, Shopping

Isn't this a beautiful bowl? My friend, Catherine, made it for me for my birthday.

We met and went shopping and to lunch and had a great day. A nice way to celebrate.

Why do people say they "did" lunch? I ate mine.

Here are the ribbon yarns I bought.

Gift

My grandson will be 2 in May, so I made him a doggy quilt to drag around and wrap up in.

Stitch Explorer, gifts

This month for Stitch Explorer sponsored by Sharonb http://www.pintangle.com we are exploring Spiral Trellis Stitch. It is a cool stitch-a needlelace one done with just the first row going through the background fabric. I found I could make a leaf shape by starting at the point and laying down stitches to form it. The lightest mound was done with stitches of different lengths which made a lacy edge but ended up with the stitches all the same, small size. The square I left open to see how that looked. The green curvy piece was just built up by skipping the last stitch of each row for a tapered edge and working back and forth rather than around as in the other examples. I like it best.

Pam sent me this wonderful quiltie for the Unlimited Textiles exchange this month of an Abstract Quiltie. It was wrapped in the lavendar paper.

Gift

This is the hanging that I gave my husband for his birthday just before Christmas. I had done one of our granddaughter at about the same age, but it has lots of lace on it-not the thing for a boy! He's in his Halloween costume.

Gift, Bead Journal Project, snow

See what Ati from Unlimited Textiles sent me. It's done with felting and hand stitching and is wonderful. Very appropriate for our weather this year too. Normally, the Pacific NW USA has very little snow, but this past week the weather has been much more like Montana where I went to high school and college.
This is the view out my patio door! The stairs to the deck are slick, so I'm walking the dog on leash which is just a good excuse to play in the snow. Deer tracks and rabbits tracks are everywhere. Our chickens won't come out of the coop and need to have new water every several hours when the other bowl freezes.

Here is December's Bead Journal Project quilt done with sequins attached by the back stitched beads.

Gift

This is another small wall hanging that's a Christmas gift. I'm using up all the strips I'd cut years ago. They are quick to make-a plus.

Art and Soul, Gift

Art and Soul was as great this year as it was last year. I had 4 good classes with excellent teachers. If you ever get the chance to attend, be sure to go. My first class was with Doris Arndt and was called Ebb and Flow. We used things to texture book covers, then used them as printing plates to stamp papers we had painted for the inside. What a good way to tie the whole thing together. We also learned the pocket.
Art and Soul was wonderful, but the week was a challenge. The dog had surgery. DH who was supposed to take care of him came down with the stomach flu and was up every night. My friend who was going lost her husband. Just when I was at a low ebb look what came from Sueb www.twocreativestudios.com What a good friend. I love the postal look to it and will enjoy using it.