Monthly Archives: November 2007

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Machine Quilting

Some art quilts were just not meant to be! And it’s usually the ones you’ve spent hours and hours on, and used up all your most beautiful coveted fabric (sigh!!!).

Our vision can sometimes be lacking. Even though we can see a design clearly in our head and transfer it successfully to paper, doesn’t necessarily mean that it will turn out the way we planned.

Picture this: a trapunto peacock, with long flowing tail feathers outlined in thread and maybe bobbin work for effect, surrounded by a beautiful free motion quilted background in delicious threads.

The concept is simple, easy to visualize and put on paper. Then hours spent:

deciding which fabrics to use - there’s only three fabrics mind you, but they must work together of course
deciding what thread to use
transferring the design from paper to fabric
sewing the trapunto design
decorative stitching
decorative quilting
deciding on borders

The peacock looks good!
Trapunto

The background free motion quilting is beautiful (even if I do say so myself).

And so is the border quilting.

The tailfeathers look good also.

Free Motion Quilting

But wait! Something doesn’t look right. How did I miss that? Oh my goodness, how the heck can I fix that! A little paint on the tailfeathers perhaps. Maybe a little more paint and some more stitching.

Machine Quilting

Oh rats, I give up !! That is one legless bird!!

If anyone has suggestions on how to give this bird it’s legs, please feel free to post a comment with a hint or two.

At the moment, he sits abandoned in a crumpled heap in the corner (he has no legs to stand on remember), and I am ready to slice out the good bits to use on another more worthy project.

I like the design so I’m going to do him again, but I have no more beautiful watercolored yellow cotton lame (boo hoo!) However I did find some white cotton lame online which I’m going to dye when my dye room is done (a couple more weeks, woo hoo!!)

Stay tuned for the follow up!

Online Demo Workshop Sign-ups

Online Quilting Classes

Just a reminder that a demo online workshop will be available for sign-up very shortly.

Why am I taking sign-ups for a demo workshop?

My aim is to provide online workshops that are fun, informative and offer the art quilter a quality experience. So I asked myself - how are students to experience this with just the standard “free-for-all” demo course. These “free-for-all” introductory workshops don’t usually impress me much, and don’t really offer a very good overview of an online class situation.

So in order for you to make an assessment of my workshops, a free demo workshop will be offered on a weekly basis, to run for a full week, with the number of students being limited. These workshops will be fully interactive and offer exactly the same experience as a “paid for” workshop, and will also include teacher participation.

Details will be posted here as they become available, so check back here for frequently updated information, subscribe to our RSS feed, or visit the website where you will also find information.

Needle felting: stretching the concept

Needle felting, or needle punching, can produce surprising results even when used with cotton fabrics.

The challenge: to create a realistic looking tree trunk.

Laying out the fabric strips

Needle Felting

Punching the fabric - oops, watch that pin!

Needle Felting
Looking a little frayed around the edges

Needle Felting
Punched and stitched

Needle Felting
Taking shape

Needle Felting
“A Spot of Earth” - the completed quilt.

Needle Felting

Machine Quilting Thread

New Article Posted:

Art quilters have never had it so good with the variety of machine quilting thread that is available to them these days.

The full article can be found at the Creative Textile & Quilting Arts website.

Fabric For Quilting

Fabric for Quilting

New Article Posted:

Selecting fabric for your quilting projects is one of the best things about being a quilter. With such a variety in colors, textures, patterns and finishes, the quilter has an enormous fabric palette to choose from.

The full article can be found at the Creative Textile & Quilting Arts website.

How to Hang a Quilt

Quilt Sleeve

New Article Posted:

A new article has been posted in our “How To” Article Section - How to Hang a Quilt.

“Hanging a quilt is most commonly done by attaching a quilt sleeve. A quilt sleeve will ensure that your quilt is well supported, particularly if the quilt is large, and will also ensure that no damage is done to the quilt by attaching clips in order to hang it.”

Read more and download instructions at the Creative Textile & Quilting Arts website.