Bookcover, Paints, Pencil case

Photos I took today of my new paints and other things

 Front (above) and back (below) of the cover for my Strathmore watercolor journal

 Paints I bought from the Kemshall's a few years ago. Very highly pigmented. Came with a wonderful round brush

 New Sennelier watercolors I just got on a DEEP sale with a cute pop out drawer to keep the paints in. Probably will just load the paints into my white box (photo at a later date)

 Cretacolor watercolor pencils which I can now "bring along" in my old pencil case. Also just above the pencil case is my new Duke calligraphy pen to sketch with (dead cheap)

Sewing Workshops

I sent this flyer to four quilt shops offering an exclusive within 30 miles. Nada! Not a peep.

Portrait quilts

Portrait Quilts are fun and easy to do. The class is 4-6 hours long and each quilt will be completed in class. Each photo much be sent to me prior to the class so patterns can be made. These patterns will become the property of the student.

Supplies:

·         Four values of one color fabric that read as a solid

·         Each fabric should be ¼ yard or a fat quarter

·         Fusible web ½ yard

·         Thread to match 4 fabrics

·         9X12 batting or felt

·         Backing fabric to make quilt sandwich

      Quilted Bags

Quilted Bags are simple to make and great gifts to give or use yourself. Everyone has odd quilted pieces, quilts that “never worked” of perhaps you can make a new quilted square or triangle to turn into a unique bag. You can make as many bags as you have materials. Class is 3 hours.

Supplies:

·         An old quilt to cut up and repurpose

·         A new square of quilted material

·         Thread

·         Zippers 6”-12” (will determine size of bag)

·         Fabric scraps

·         Backing fabric

     Best Ever Book Cover

This is the best ever book cover. It fits perfectly – no bagging and covers the inside of the book cover to the spine. It is easily removed to wash or replace the book with another. Ideas: Sketchbook, Journal, Bible, Planner.

Class is 3 hours

Supplies:

·         Book to cover (see ideas)

·         ½ yard batting or felt

·         Thread

·         Fabric scraps that coordinate

·         Rotary cutter/scissors

·         Plain fabric for inside book (solid color)

    Improvisational Quilting

Make a fabulous quilt without measuring a thing. All you need is an idea, some fabric, and a rotary  cutter. I will teach you the technique and you can make a small piece in class. Then at home you can make wonderfully original art quilts.

Class is 4-6 hours

Supplies

·         Fabric- Solids work best

·         Thread to match each fabric

·         Rotary cutter a must

·         Batting or felt

·         Backing fabric to make quilt sandwich

New Pencil Case

I decided I wanted to switch from this real gorgeous pencil case I made years ago

 To this pyramidal shaped one that is  easy to see into and grab things.

 Very easy to see everything

2 watercolors and 8 scarves

This is the famous watercolor #1 - the first watercolor I ever made. Painted it 2010

 This is a pile of wrinkled silk scarves I made on Saturday with Meagan, my young friend from town. She made her own pile and has a hot lead on a sales outlet in Manhattan. Go Meagan!!

 These are the scarves each with a flat and draped photo. Below is Crepe de Chine

 Habotai. All the scarves are 14 X 72

 Habotai

 Below and below are Crepe de Chine both acid dyed (love acid dye)

 Below is Habotai

 Habotai

 Yummy Crepe de Chine

Watercolor #4

The unchanging Ginkgo

Fabric Post Cards

I was recently gifted with a beautiful quilt post card from Ineke. She has made a number of these beautiful cards and sent them to her followers. Thank you Ineke. Mine is a iconic tulip so apropos from a artist from the Netherlands. It is hand painted and free motion quilted.

Over the past year or so I have received other cards from quilters. Going back in time, I receieved this one from Nienke. It accompanied a book she sent and is an actual card with a mini-quilt on the front. It reminds me of a short party dress. A piece of painted and heat shrunk Tyvek sits atop a small piece of free motion quilted fabic all of which is attached to a paper card.
 

The next is from Suus who lives up to her name (Sweet). It is multi-layered with fabric, organza which was free motion stitched then burned with a heat gun and painted Tyvek was added. It is complementary colors with a zig-zag stitch edge in metallic thread.

Last but not least is a really cute card from Dotti. It has a fabric background with masses of salvaged threads, a button, lace, a photo on paper of Annie Oakley and at the bottom a small swatch which reads, "The only direction I'm aware of is West!" Dotti, by the way, lives out West!!

Thank you one and all for these lovely cards. They are all out on display in my studio.

Stampmaking and More Workshop

We couldn't of had a nicer day for our workshop. It was about 85, sunny with very low humidity and a gentle breeze.Here are some pictures of our workshop.

 This is a piece of fabric we used on the padded printing surface from the silk screening class. The top top is a piece of cardboard with a hot glue design. You can see the design printed on the far right. Below that is a leaf design cut from Styrofoam meat try and glued onto a piece of foam core board. To the right of that are two images done on foam core board with the paper layer removed from one side.
On the next row down is a bird design done using corrugated cardboard. Below that and to the right are 3 more images done using torn corrugated cardboard. The small grid design to the right of the bird is another Styrofoam meat tray design. The last two images on the lower right are a leaf design done on foam core board. She also stamped the corrugated bird on top of that and then a ghost print.

 Here are some stamps starting on the left with a roller stamp in progress with lines and dots, the foam core leaves, three eraser stamps of a circle, rectangle and birds then the large leaf stamp from a meat tray glued onto foam core board.

 Two stamps made and printed and a roller stamp in process

                                                                         The picture

The stamp

The picture

The stamp

The finished image

One happy camper