New dyed colors

I dyed these yesterday:

Each piece is 1 yard.

I LOVE the folds, crinkles and shading!

Now I need to buy more muslin!

Lets catch up!

Been a busy week. Remember this fabric? While I was surrounded by the inspiring atmosphere of New York (and my fantastically talented co-workers!) I recieved the inspiration that has become this:

Front

Back

Detail

This was so much fun! I free-motion quilted in an organic circle pattern.

I daydreamed about working on it every day at work.

I could not wait to get home to work on it.

I have some more of my dyed fabric on my design wall. I am waiting for the inspiration to strike!

And I have 5 more yards in dying as I type this!

What inspires you?

The week in the Big Apple

A great trip to NYC. Stayed with friend and co-worker Geraldine in her fab Carrol Gardens Brownstone! There were 4 of us there, counting our hostess, so it was like a fabulous slumber party. Our purpose was work, but fun was had. The interesting thing? We walked so much, we were in bed by 9:30 each night!

Some interesting quilt-related pix:

Cool tie-dyed pillowcase at ABC Carpet & Planet (their new eco-name)

 

 

Neat quilting patterns seen at ABC and West Elm

Eye Candy from Chelsea gallery. This artist splashed paint (looks like latex to me) on a surface, lets it dry then cuts, peels and applies to canvas. Creates a neat pieced effect.

The only problem is the rotten cold I came home with. But I sure do love New York and its cool energy!

Quiet Sunday

Spent all day yesterday in Danbury at the "Stokes Stomp". A great festival that features tons of great music, dancers, art and food vendors, held in Moratock Park right beside the Dan River.

For more on the "Stomp" visit the "Stokes Folks" blog. A great way to spend a gorgeous September Saturday!

Today, I dyed more fabric:

 

Love these cool colors! I concentrated on greens and blues, since I have plenty of reds and oranges. Check out this awesome "crackled" grey!

I wet the cloth and sprinkled salt on it before adding to my dye bath. Love it!

And finished 2 pillow shams to add to my etsy shop:

 

Now, I must pack. I am off tomorrow morning, spending the week in New York. No blogging until Friday!

Ciao!

Wilkes County Barn Quilt Trail

I commute through the rural foothills between the Blue Ridge and Brushy mountains. I spotted these beauties long ago and am sharing them now:

They are part of the Wilkes County Barn Quilt Trail, a joint project between the Wilkes County Quilters Guild and the Cultural Arts Council of Wilkes. They make a lovely addition to the scenic area.

These works were painted by several local artists including high school students. There are a total of 15 throughout the county. I am on the hunt for the rest of them!

Was today auspicious for you?

Today's date, 09/09/09, was supposed to be special. Why? I'm not sure. But it is neat to have all the number line up like that!

I had a good day at work and learned that a dear friend, and phenomenal artist, has her website up. Eleanor creates magic with beads! Visit her here. El is a great textile designer, and she makes bead creations that sing! I know you will get inspired by her creations. She is a very special person to me and inspires me by her dedication to her art.


From yesterday's post on scraps, here is what is up on my design wall now:

These came to me in 2.5" strips. So I sewed them all together and then cut them in varying widths. It is not completely stitched together yet. I am digging through more scraps to create a border. I think it is lively and fun!

Beautiful mail treat

Look what arrived in my mailbox today:







Isn't it awesome?

It came from my blog-friend Anya. She has a tutorial on how to do this here. This is so fun and colorful and I am hanging it up in my office for inspiration! I love it. Thank you, Anya!


I am playing with scraps (sent by Jenny R.) and wanted to expound a little on the subject of the value of scraps. Indulge me please!

I love scraps. It is like a treasure-hunt when I receive a bundle. I enjoy plowing through to see the different colors and patterns I do not buy. Of course, if money were no object, I would try to buy them all, but, you know what I mean! So many beautiful fabrics, so little time and not enough storage!

Back on topic: I love scraps because I look a them (even my own!) as "free". I have explained it this way to my hubby: I buy a specific amount of fabrics for a particular project (and it is always better to have too much than not enough). I make my project and have scraps left over. Therefore, I "paid" for the fabrics for the project, but the left-overs I didn't pay for. FREE. And free gives me the courage I need to experiment. We need to experiment as part of the creative process, but, what if I lose my job and have to go without fabric? Anyway, the scraps liberate me from feeling what I am working on has to be perfect. I also love getting scraps (from my Mom and friends) because these are new fabrics to me and I get that delicious rush of creativity when I fondle new fabrics!

What have I made from scraps? Several quilts (I love the scrappy look!), handbags, little zipper bags, pillows. I have used scraps to create "quilt sandwiches" for practicing my free-motion quilting. And it takes a lot of practice for me! And I really like the fact that they are useful, and not going into a landfill. Do any of you have "scrap" projects?

this bag is for me

I made this Buttercup Bag for me!



Took about 2 hours total. That includes cutting out fabric and interfacing. Ironing interfacing (I use Decor Bond on the outer bag, fusible fleece on the lining and straps), and assembly.



It has 2 inner pockets, 1 for my phone and 1 for my camera. Fast, fun and easy. And not to mention unique. As mentioned before, this pattern is by Rae Hoekstra of Made By Rae. You can purchase it there. If you like the bag, but don't want to make one, email me, I accept custom orders. I am also listing these bags in my etsy shop.

Enjoy the day!

Another post

Trying to catch up on crafting desires:

Finished a Buttercup Bag for my mother-in-law. Her birthday is this month and she picked out the fabric.



Dyed some fabric. My new obsession!

I love the texture.

I love my colors!

What to make........

what a week!

Is it just me, or did the activity level in the world suddenly jump into hyper-drive?

Must be the "back-to-school" timing. Classes started here in NC week before last, so I now have school traffic to contend with in the morning. My son is having the textbooks he ordered shipped here, so I have had to deliver them to him. I have 3 big dogs to care for and since I am currently a single-pet owner (during the week), my time is not my own! I did complete this quilt:


And I love it!

Some details of the quilting:





Completed and listed this Buttercup Bag from pattern designed by Rae Hoekstra of Made By Rae.

If you want a cute fun bag to make, visit Rae's blog and buy this pattern! It is fun and easy to make and easy to make your own!

Then, last night, Hubby, Man-cub and I met at my parents and made our pilgrimage to Basketball Mecca (UNC-CH's Smith Center) to the Alumni Pros game. This is like the NBA All-Star game. Cetainly basketball's royalty was in the house. Coaches Emeritii Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge joined Coach Roy Williams and all surrounded the Greatest Basketball Player in History, Michael Jordan. It was an evening full of Tar Heelia and we all enjoyed it!


So now, I am going to take a breath and get a glass of ice water. Then I am going to put some fabric in to dye! The hubby and I are going to work in the yard. Then I am going to finish the Buttercup Bag I am making for my mother-in-law. And I am glad it is a long weekend!