I had both of my Grandson's for the weekend. After they left today I went back to the studio to keep working on my pine needles. I fused the larger part of the each branch, quilt it, outline it and then stitch in the smaller branches in a variegated thread. When I have all the branches in I begin adding the needles with thread. It is a tedious process but the results are worth it. I keep my sketch of the short needle pine close by so I remember the layout of its branches. It is below zero today and colder weather is coming tomorrow. Good weather to stay put in the studio that is for sure!

Quilt Sunday the workroom Toronto, ON February 23, 2014

Quilt national est une compétition qui a lieu tous les deux ans, elle sert à promouvoir les quilts contemporains. Depuis son origine cette association a pour but de montrer que ces oeuvres textiles sont de l'art à part entière. Elle offre l'opportunité...

Emily Bode is turning rare and forgotten textiles into workwear you’ll want to start collecting.

I finished all of the little mini quilts yesterday. I put a layer of heavy interfacing in them behind the batting. It gives them more body to hang nicely on the wall. It is lighter weight than Timtex or Peltex and stiffer than fleece. Then I place all of those layers on top of the backing, stitch around it with a straight stitch, trim, machine quilt and finish the edge with a satin stitch. I am keeping this one for myself since I gifted the original one that I made last year. I chose the blues and a couple turquoises to go in the colorwash kits. The coleus is changing colors from being in the hot sun. Today I will bring all of the pots into the garage and keep them there for a few days. We're in for a hot spell again.

A week ago I ordered a new machine, Juki TL-98Q, since my other workhorse of a machine, Brother 1500, refused to stitch properly ... even af...

Quilts came to Japan at the end of 1970 as a new hobby from America. Since then, the Japanese quilters have developed their own style usin...

Akiko Ike of Niigata, Japan, is a gentle, unassuming lady with immense talent in the Japanese art of Sashiko embroidery. Her technique is not strictly Sashiko, it encompasses and incorpor…

Explore venetia 27's 1798 photos on Flickr!

When I was in St. Louis a few weeks back, my husband and I had brunch with a friend at the most delightful restaurant called Tree House. It's a vegetarian restaurant and the food is amazing. If you are ever in St. Louis, by all means, make your way over for a meal. You won't be disappointed. Our waitress that morning was so delightful, and as it turns out, quite creative. She loves taking old pieces and giving them new life. She was wearing a vintage silk top that had a hole in it when she found it. Rather than pass the piece by, she purchased the top and then did the sweetest little applique over the hole and added an embroidered spider web over the applique. I wish I had taken a picture. With that in mind, I decided to check out mending on Pinterest and I found a few inspirational pictures that I thought you might also enjoy. If you're in the mood, just search visible mending. You'll find lots of interesting ideas. So here's a few that I found, I love how a hole was turned into a window in the 2 pieces below. Another window idea, but with lace. The next 2 pieces are from an amazing artist, Lou Tonkin. She does needle felting over holes. Beautiful work. If you think you might like to give needle felting a try and do a little mending, or just add a sweet touch to a garment, check out THIS POST. Even just a simple little touch can save a garment and add interest. I may be showing my age, but I am not a fan of the ripped up jean look. The Japanese have such a beautiful art form called Boro where garments are pieced and saved, but no holes are left open. I thought this was rather fun, adding the British flag in a subtle manner. Rather than discard a garment because the sleeves are worn, a touch of embroidery will make a worn garment so special. I loved how this artist took a striped denim and matched the mend with plain denim and white thread. A beautiful touch of Boro on this pair of jeans. You can find more of this artist's work at Woman With Wings. Amy Meissner is another textile artist that you might want to check out. Very interesting work. And finally, for a little peek into my hippy personality ;), a pair of jeans that I actually wear. It all began with a hole that I decided to cover with a patch.....and then I went crazy! So now you see, patching no longer needs to be what your mother did to save the life of a pair of pants by ironing a patch over the knees. Happy Monday! Rhonda

This winter I'm in a bit of a sewing slump. I've decided instead of buying more fabric--I want to use what I have on hand, but use it differently. I don't have lots of solids, but I do have lots of fabric. Research: I've been gathering photo ideas to build Modern Scrappy Quilts this year. I'm looking for random--unexpected color combinations and simple construction. Here are some quilt photos from Pinterest that caught my eye. This first one I like. Its simple, simple construction. Take an oversized square, slice it, add some skinny strips, slice it again, and more skinny strips, and then square it up with a 10.5" sq. or 12.5" sq. acrylic template. No rules, just slicing and sewing. No sashing. 📷 The quilt below is so do-able as far as construction. Random. Improv. Beyond the white-black-gray bits for contrast, I see ORANGE dotted with this and that accent colors. Going shopping out of my own stash is fun. Using up lots of sub assemblies already sewn and ready to modify and use in another quilt. I am aware "stash diving" makes a huge mess in the studio. 📷 📷 Calling all Squares . . . calling all squares . . . come in squares. Above is the perfect solution for using up a half yard of this and that. Anything goes . . . but I'm drawn to the use of green, red, and papersack colors in this one. Works for me. 📷 Certainly I've collected lots of silly themes and strange patterns fabrics like this quilt shown above. What is most interesting? Look at the use of red and white fabrics paired with those weird fabrics. Liberally repeating red and white fabrics pull it all together, making sense of all the other weird fabrics that were added. It could just as well be blue and white fabrics paired with the weird fabrics. What I like most about this scrappy quilt is its simple construction, no sashing, alternating four patch. This light airy quilt is so pretty. I think I'll try this quilt concept right away!

Please read: since I first wrote this entry, the Beacon company, makers of Liquifuse, have renamed and repackaged the product. It is now called "Liquid Thread". It is still the same product and can be used in exactly the same way. I have developed my own method of fusing fabric that fuses the edges only. I thought I'd show you how I do it. I have tried Wonder Under and other similar fusibles, but I just don't care for the stiffness, especially since I am often fusing three layers or more. I experimented with glues that could be used just on the edges, which I liked better, but those edges were very stiff. I finally found a liquid fusing product called Liquifuse. Initially I found it very difficult to use, and nearly gave up on it, because it was thick, would clog the opening on the bottle and it was hard to control. Having little to lose, I experimented, discovered that the product is water soluble and when thinned with water it is much more workable. Here are some of the things I will be using: pastel pencils in the oatmeal tin—these are not regular colored pencils, they are thicker and softer line drawing of my design. diluted Liquifuse in a small bottle with a fine tip. (That's the Liquifuse as you buy it, in the bottle with the red label) The proportion is probably about 1 part water to 2 parts Liquifuse. It's not a careful measurement. I add enough water that it flows nicely, but isn't water-y. Sorry I can't be more specific than that. light box. You can tape your design to a sunny window if you don't have a lightbox. Put the drawing on the light box and lay your fabric, face down on top, so you can see the design. Remember that the finished design will be the reverse of what you are seeing. For the black part of my crow I am using a black fabric with a dark gray design on it. I will use a white quilt marking pencil to trace the lines of the black parts of the crow on the back of the fabric. If I were using a lighter colored fabric, I would trace it with a black permanent marker. Run a line of the Liquifuse just inside the traced line. For the inside lines on the wing, I will put the liquifuse on both sides of the line, as I will be cutting away a narrow section of line in those areas. When you have traced all of the design with Liquifuse, lay the fabric on an ironing surface, with the Liqui-fuse face up. Lay a teflon ironing sheet over the top and press with a hot iron until the fabric fuses to the sheet and the Liquifuse is no longer wet. The Liquifuse can be allowed to dry before you do this step, but it isn't necessary. Allow the fabric and ironing sheet to cool slightly, then carefully peel the ironing sheet off the fabric. You will see that you have a line of shiny fusing material outlining your design on the fabric. Carefully cut along the marked line. The melted Liquifuse seals the threads and you will have a clean, non-ravelling edge. At this point you have a design element that can be fused to a background if you wish. I like to fuse each element to a piece of black or dark fabric that I will cut to create a dark outline. After I have fused the black and gold parts of the crow to the black scrap, I like to add detail, shading and dimension with pastel pencils. I have used fabric paint for this step as well, but I like using the pastel pencils because I don't have to wait for paint to dry to see what the actual color will look like. To get my black outline, I flip the crow over on the light box and simply apply the Liquifuse on the back, following the outline of the fused pieces. Again, I iron the teflon sheet to the back of the piece, cool it and peel off the sheet. Then I cut the bird out, leaving a narrow edge of the black fabric all the way around. The black also shows through where I have trimmed out the wing lines. Now I am ready to fuse the bird to a background. For most pieces I use a narrow zigzag stitch around all the fused edges. Occasionally I use a straight stitch just inside the fused edge instead. The piece seems to tell me what kind of stitching will work best. If I am planning to quilt very heavily, sometimes I don't use any kind of stitching on the fused edges. The pastel pencil needs to be set or it will smear and eventually rub off. I have used two methods for this. You can use very thinned down acrylic medium to paint over the colored areas. This secures the pastel and leaves the fabric relatively soft. I find that it sometimes dulls the pastel and can discolor black and dark fabrics, so I have started using spray fixative. It makes the fabric slightly stiff, but it softens up as you handle it and is still easily sewn through. (not nearly as stiff as a piece fused with Wonder Under) It seems to keep the colors nice and clear and does fix them. Use this outdoors. It really smells and I'm sure is not nice to breathe. The smell dissipates as it dries. I buy the Liquifuse and plastic, pointed tip bottles at Michael's crafts. I have also found Liquifuse at some fabric stores—usually not quilt shops. I buy the pastel pencils and fixative at an art supply store. © Terry Grant, 2006

I made this improv quilt in 2012. Here’s how I made it: How to make the blocks improv / free form quilt block number 1 improv / free form quilt block number 2 improv / free form quilt block n…

Create a stunning quilt today using this extensive collection of free quilting patterns and tutorials sourced from across the web.

I've been getting the embroidery itch lately - a deep desire to pick up some cloth and stitch! It's been quite awhile since I've done any, knitting taking a forefront in my fibers work lately. So while looking at contemporary embroidery artists, I came across UK artist Dorothy Tucker. Her works are inspired/informed by the Bangladesh and Bengali embroidery form of Kantha. Pieces of old fabric (like sari silks) are pieced together with stitching to form cushions and quilts. Dorothy uses found fabrics and a running stitch to both draw them together and draw pictures. In her artist statement, she also talks about using digital prints of landscapes, adding layers of fabric and areas of stitching, in creating her works. It was this that got my imagination going! I'm just beginning work on a piece using these techniques - it should be ready to show you in a week or two! And I may have finally found something to do with the old botanical print files I've been collecting! In the meantime, be sure to check out Dorothy's work at the Textile Study Group here. And she does give workshops in Kantha - the classes for 2017 appear to be finished, but keep an eye on her page here for next year. Happy Creating! Deborah

The Chattanooga Modern Quilt Guild is a group dedicated to learning and utilizing modern quilting techniques to design unique, contemporary quilts.

Explore DanaK~WaterPenny's 2298 photos on Flickr!

I must admit there are times when making a quilt seems endless--and more than a bit scary. After all, I have spent so many days with it and while I may have a vision of the look I want in the end, I can never be sure it is going to work the way I want it to. Instead all I can do is keep sewing. Keep hoping. Look at my design board frequently. And test different fabric colors until it seems right. It seems so simple at first. The little pieces fall into place. Of course there is the question as to how quickly I want the color transition to go. Was I a bit impatient? process--ann brauer 2018 But I know I need to anchor the bottom of this quilt with a ridge line. Maybe it is the soil. Maybe the deep dark mountains. You decide. But doesn't it look different with the colors there. process--ann brauer 2018 And now I can echo the dark of the mountains with the dark in the sky. Again I test colors. process--ann brauer 2018 And start to add even more fabrics. I love the hint of rose. The warmth of the rusts. Gradually it is taking shape. process--ann brauer 2018 Still there is a long way to go. I have the wonderful light on the top. The feeling of the endless sky looking up. Now to work on the bottom. More piecing and fretting. Is a quilter ever done? process--ann brauer 2018 How do you work? How much to you start with a vision? Do you ever feel that the quilt will not get done?

In a world of hustle and bustle, silence seems like a reduction in man- made noise: no car engines or buses or motorbikes, no horns or music blaring, no screaming children or adults, no loud talking on cell phones. When these are all reduced we say that it is quiet when actually there are probably still a lot of sounds around: insects buzzing, birds singing, wind blowing, rain splattering, waves crashing. We often find these sounds soothing and relaxing. Whether in the midst of man-made or natural sounds, the sounds most difficult to block out are those within our own minds. For many of us there is a running commentary continuously playing in our head and this is the most difficult place to find silence. And yet there is no true silence without the ability to interrupt the monologue in our mind. In this quilt I have attempted to convey the idea of inner silence. The bohdi leaf represents the spirit which is floating noiselessly on the surface of a pond, perhaps a meditation image to focus on when seeking inner silence.

Yuri Miyazaki is a Japanese embroidery artist who stitches wildlife and landscapes on transparent fabrics like organza. Read more on The Fiber Studio.

this was amazing in real life. Just a simple patchwork quilt, made with 5 inch squares (I think). I have some of this fabric and now I've seen her work up close I'm inspired!!!!

Partner, when you said you like handquilting I hope you reallllly meant it. Oh, and I hope you don't mind that I've never done it before either.

Tokyo Quilt Show 2009 - January 24th at Tokyo Dome City. Photos by Tempusmaster - Robots Dreams (www.robots-dreams.com)

This was out first visit to the Festival of Quilts and much like the Knitting and Stitching Show, it is vast. As well as the hundreds of independent stalls selling their wares (everything a quilter…

9-patch scrap quilt, nine patch quilt, quilt top

Here's the method I've devised to make the Take it Further Fiber Book and the two volumes of Take a Stitch Tuesday stitch sampler. The Take it Further Fiber Book is my first fiber book ever and this is how I went about making the book. Using running stitch I mark the 'pages' on the cloth. Each page has two halves or portions , one on the left and one on the right. The size of the portion where the embroidery stitch is done is 3.2" x 5.75" with a 1/2" space between the two portions (the running stitch done with black thread) . Each page has a line of blanket stitch done around it. The blanket stitch is the means to joining the pages. Once a sizeable number of 'pages' have been completed they are cut and seperated leaving a small seam allowance of about a quarter inch or so on all four sides beyond the blanket stitch. For The Take it Further Fiber Book I ironed fusing onto the back of each page so they are quite stiff. I've decided to leave out the fusing in the Take a Stitch Tuesday books because the pages are about an inch or so smaller and since two layers of fabric make-up a page, the pages are fairly stiff. The blanket stitch along the 1/2" portion between the left and right halves/portions of the page are not joined so that the page can fold. Corners of pages must be matched and pinned and then the pages need to be joined, sewing and connecting blanket stitches on both pages.The left hand portion of the first page is left and you begin by joining the right hand portion of page 1 with the left hand portion of page 2. Once that's done you join the right hand portion of page 2 with the left hand portion of page 3 and so on. In doing this you create little pockets. If you find your page is too floppy then you could slip pieces of card paper into the pockets if you want a stiffer page. In the Take it Further Fiber Book I used black thread to join the pages and every five or six stitches I introduced a clear seed/sugar bead. In the Take a Stitch Tuesday books I'm joining the pages with a clear plastic thread which is as fine as a single strand of hair. Not sure what the name is but it can be used on a sewing machine. For the cover itself I used a single piece of felt which simply wraps around the book. I edged the cover with blanket stitch and embroidered the front cover and the spine portion of the book. The left hand portion of the first page is stitched onto the inside of the front cover (visible in picture above) and the right hand portion of the last page is stitched onto the inside of the back cover. The 'pages' are joined to the cover only on the inside of the front cover and the inside of the back cover. They aren't stitched or connected to the cover on the spine section of the cover. I hope I've been able to describe the method I employ to create my fiber books clearly for you to give it a try. If there's something confusing or unclear leave a comment and I'll try and sort things out for you. I've stitched the pages of the first volume of Take a Stitch Tuesday together and I begin the embroidery for the cover this weekend, so next week Volume one will be ready to view. Have a great weekend. On a separate note - I've become an affilate of Amazon and Flipkart. You will see the banners on the side bar. Should you wish to shop online I would appreciate it if you could click on the Amazon or Flipkart banners/buttons and make your purchases.Amazon and Flipkart will pay me a small percentage of the value of your transaction without increasing the cost for you by even a cent. Thank you and happy shopping.

Erin Endicott is a textile artist from New Jersey. Her pieces of work, Healing Sutras, are meditations on physical and psychological wounds, created using antique fabrics, walnut ink and embroidery. It's powerful stuff, simple yet extremely effective.

FEEL FREE - just sharing what moves through me

Sashiko Embroidery Inspiration A big trend in Embroidery land: Sashiko Stitching! Coming from Japan, this ancient embroidery method was used for mending clothes. Now we see it used to create stunning garments, table covers, and bags. In this blog we've collected a few of our favourite Sashiko embroidery inspiration projects. Scroll down to see beautiful

Learn how to make a quilt using cheesecloth fabric. Heather Thomas shows you how and gives you tips for finding, preparing and working with this fabric.

I'm still thinking about how patterns emerge. And how our brains look for unifying elements to make sense of chaos. Quilts use repeat modules to create a whole from fragments. So, if I brought disparate elements together could I create a whole? Here's a few base thoughts: Regularity unifies. Grid

The simple strength and beauty of the running stitch for kantha work

Scrappy String quilt by Emily of Quilty Love. See how Emily sewed together this fun and easy string quilt using her scrap stash.

In the fall of 2009, I journeyed to the farm country of Baltimore, Ohio to begin my first weeks of study with Nancy Crow. Anyone who has studied with Nancy knows that one of the perks of the busine…

Yes... More bojagi sewing for me! Practice & more practice, I am loving it... I am experimenting different colour combination...