Getting Better All the Time

I think I'm getting better... in fact I completed the practice quilt and pulled it off today so I could inspect the backside... this is where I saw all the bobbin problems... and could tell a huge difference where I finally got the tension set correctly... but here's the last couple rows...

Coffee, Tea.. or.... ?

Last month I made a "Coffee Break" art quilt, and since then I have been aching to make a Tea Time one as well. Last nite I finally started it and I was so excited about it, I finished it today! Here they both are...





(I'm not sure why this turned sideways after uploading, it's not like this on my computer...)

One Art Fair... Coming Up!

Next weekend is the Art Fair. I'm hurrying to get enough done to not have an empty table. Sheesh... so I'm working on it... here are a couple pieces that will be there.

The first one is a flower garden (Zippity Doo Dah) with flowers made of buttons and zippers, and a sun of spiraled yarn. Below is a typical log cabin design, but assembled in an Atypical fashion - it's a no-sew piece.

Ahh September!

Well it's the 10th of Sept so I figured I need to get in gear with this blog. The political scene is pretty dismal, like kids on a playground hitting each other. It's almost too much to watch at this point. Thank goodness it's coming to a close soon. On to more important things, like quilting and art! I'm working on an art quilt for a daughter of a friend of mine. She'll be turning 5 in a few days, and I sure hope to that this ready for her wall. The request was something to fill a 12" x 12" space and she's all into Princess stuff these days, so I thought a pink and purple castle would be appropriate. I have a page where Im posting pics as I progress, but I've been sick for a few days (4 to be exact) so I'm a little behind. Here's a peek if you want to see it. I'll post the final version here once it's done.
--WELL HERE IT IS!! Sept 13th and it's done. -Delivered even!



I have another idea in the works.. and in that I have started using some of the fabric from the dye project below! some blues and greens have already made their way into it...keep tuned to see what turns out!

Dyed Fabric - Ready to Quilt

The other day I attended a fabric dyeing workshop which introduced me to a fairly involved, and somewhat tedious method of dyeing fabric. There were many color schemes to choose from and I chose the 'Tutti Fruiti' which was pretty much like a rainbow color scheme. I think the final result was a bit more pastel than the photo but pretty all the same. Now I just have to figure out what to make from these colors. Any ideas?

More Art Quilts

Onward and upward I move into the Art Quilt realm, I have a real feel for these 'trees' so I'm doing another one which is almost done. It's even named already, it's called "13 Leaves Til Winter" All I have to do is put the border on then I can assemble it with a back for hanging. I'm already in mode for my next set, I showed this to a friend of mine yesterday and she gabve me a great idea... so I'm moving on with it... but I won't tell you till Im done... hehehe anyway, here's a pic of my trees without the border... but by tomorrow (I hope) it'll be properly 'dressed'.

Ruth's Weed Garden

Yes,... Yes... I know, it's been a few days. Sew sue me. LOL - Get it? I've actually been busy gardening, or cleaning up the surrounding grounds so I CAN garden... and I've had a few dear friends helping, for whom I am very grateful, and we're making progress! We burned a few piles of branches, leaves, and other cuttings, and removed a LOT of weeds, oh, and did I mention weeding?

Yah, lots of that... so much so, that I was inspired to create a new piece called Ruth's Weed Garden. Here it is...I contemplated naming it Weeds of the World, all sewn with the same thread... but that seemed too long and needed explaining, so Ruth's Weed Garden won out. So there you have it, today's post is my weed garden, I'd much rather keep it online and in quilt pieces, than in my front yard.

Practicing on the Mega

Well I managed to finally reload my bobbin and it created 'caterpillars' underneath when I sewed... So I got out the book, looked to see if I did something wrong, but No... it's looking good. Then I figured only thing left is the tension. I fiddled around with that, and presto! I got it to work. So I got some more practicing in and I must say my loops are looking smoother, and I managed some other daring feats as well. Step by step... closer we get...

By the way I have a treat for you, I found this online at the Quilters Warehouse, I tried to post it here so you don't have to click to see it, altho, it doesn't seem to keep the animation here on my blog, so if you have a second... click the link.


Short Arm Quilter

Oh My Stars!

Oh My Stars!! Today was a great day! It was so exciting! I attended a fabric dyeing workshop where I learned to use a sun-reactive paint to hand dye fabrics. It was so much fun I could have done it all day, but I think they wanted to go home. So here are some of the resulting fabrics, and I am 'dyeing' to make something with them! But for now....