Please make sure you visit my new blog at www.Linda-Matthews.com for lots more tutorials, articles and interesting information.




Dream a Little Dream

18 Jul | Posted in Online Classes | By LindaM

So you think your dreams are unattainable; your goals unachievable?

Visit Simpleology – the simple science of getting what you want – for their free online course that will have you on your way to reaching your dreams and goals in no time at all.

However you will find no “quick fix solution” here. Simpleology requires commitment and action from you, but in return provides you with the tools to set and define your goals, manage your time and ultimately achieve your goals. Are you ready to begin the journey?

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Returning

17 Jul | Posted in Inspiration, Something to Think About | By LindaM

Returning
Photo courtesy lrargerich

There is nothing like returning
to a place that remains unchanged
to find the ways
in which you yourself have altered.

Nelson Mandela

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Unruly Rules

16 Jul | Posted in Articles, Creativity | By LindaM
Rules
Photo courtesy nickwheeleroz

Rules were meant to be broken, right? Right! So why is it that the rule “we should always finish what we start” maybe gets bent a little at times, but never gets really and truly broken.

Maybe this article, Seven Ways and Reasons to Start Things You Won’t Finish, will finally give you a reason to break that unwieldy rule.

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Making Fabric Using Water Soluble Stabilizer

15 Jul | Posted in Tutorials, Water Soluble Stabilizer | By LindaM

Making Fabric Using Water Soluble Stabilizer

I love to use water soluble stabilizer for making embellishments, and fabric pieces, and other unusual textural elements for my quilts.

Making fabric pieces is very easy; all you need to get started is some thick water soluble stabilizer, and some yarn or decorative threads.

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Raindrops

15 Jul | Posted in Photographs | By LindaM

Be inspired by these beautiful photos. Look closely … what catches your eye? The colors? The shapes? A pattern, or perhaps a simple line? Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of places.

Raindrops

Raindrops

Raindrops

Photos courtesy www.visipix.com

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Be Different, Do Different

14 Jul | Posted in Articles, Creativity | By LindaM

By Andrea Beaulieu

Different
Photo courtesy nickwheeleroz

Definition of Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Do you want to create something and you just haven’t been able to do it? Here’s the thing: If we want to experience something differently, or create something new, we need to get out of our regular routine. We need to expose our minds to different ways of looking at things. We need to mix things up. This is especially true if we want to stir up our creativity and hear our authentic voice. We need to be different, and to do different.

Here are some ideas:

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ALS Raffle Quilt

13 Jul | Posted in Guest Bloggers, Inspiration | By LindaM

An inspirational article by my guest blogger – Dawn Goldsmith

If you enjoyed Dawn’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!

ALS

I’m a quilt and fabric arts lover, a writer about the topic, and dabble a bit. For several years I’ve enjoyed sharing this interest through my blog: Subversive Stitchers: Women Armed with Needles. And this past year several guest bloggers have joined me in sharing their experiences, tips, trials, and loves, too. I was pleased to support and give a little shout out for Virginia Spiegel and her efforts to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Her success inspired me.

When it came time to find a way to raise funds for the ALS Association, my thoughts immediately turned to quilts. There is nothing more comforting than a quilt and it just seemed the most appropriate medium for a fund raiser. Particularly a fund raiser for a novice at such things as I am.

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Using the Decorative Stitches on your Sewing Machine

12 Jul | Posted in Decorative Stitches, Surface Design | By LindaM

Do you ever use the decorative stitches on your machine? I know a lot of sewing machine owners – especially quilters – don’t use them. Your decorative stitches, with a little imagination and the right threads, offers great potential for interesting and innovative embellishment.

I love to use the decorative stitches on my sewing machine; they’re a wonderful source of decorative embellishment for all sorts of applications and you’ll see a lot of my quilts and samples have some sort of decorative stitching on them.

You can use decorative stitches in many ways:

… instead of straight stitch for stitch-in-the-ditch.

Use decorative stitches for stitch-in-the-ditch

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Dyeing Your Own Fabric

12 Jul | Posted in Inspiration, Interesting Websites | By LindaM

Dye

Photo courtesy ingermaaike2

Dyeing your own fabric is fun, creative and provides you with endless opportunities for creating unique art. Plus it’s not as difficult as you might think.

Visit the “All About Hand Dyeing” website by Paula Burch for helpful information about all types of fabric dyeing.

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From Technique to Intuition

11 Jul | Posted in Articles, Intuition | By LindaM

Zone
Photo courtesy Phillie Casablanca

How do you get to those inspired moments? How can you spend more time in, rather than out of, your zone of creative mastery?

This article from Creativity Portal explores just how to achieve this.

Continue reading »

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