Lesson idea from Art. Paper. Scissors. Glue! 3rd graders started a conversation about what textile arts are by reading the book "Tar Beach" by author and artist Faith Ringgold. We talked about how the book and its illustrations were actually inspired by a story quilt that Ringgold created (the original work is pictured in the back of the book I had). The story in the book brought up the themes of both inequality (which works well since February is Black History Month) and imagination. The book's main character 3rd grader Cassie Louise Lightfoot discovers she has the ability to fly and in doing so, finds a sense of power and ownership over whatever she flies. She flies over the George Washington Bridge (a structure her father helped to build), an ice cream factory, and the Union Building (a building which housed an organization her father was not allowed to join because of his skin color). After reading and discussing the themes in the book, I asked my 3rd graders "Where would you go if you could fly (real or imaginary) and why?" This question was the inspiration for our very own patches on our 3rd grade story quilt. Students created their own "story patches" by creating a border using squares of 1.5"x1.5" decorative paper along the edge of a 12" x 12" piece of white drawing paper. Students then attached a strip of grey paper to the bottom of their picture squares and wrote about where they would go and why. Then in the remaining space, they used colored pencils to illustrate their ideas. I got a huge range of responses from Candyland (naturally to eat a ton of candy), to Columbia (to visit friends and family), to the Twin Towers in New York City (which prompted an entirely difference conversation). Students really enjoyed working on this project (which took between 4-5 class periods -- including one day for sketching ideas). I really love the finished product - and even more so when they are all hung together to make a giant story quilt! :)
I fully intended to complete and display this little table-topper and during my first-week-of-July ‘red, white & blue’ extravaganza. But reality hit and it didn’t happen. However, after having this project on my list for 2 years now, I figured I’d just go with the momentum, whether it was past the holiday or not.This was...Read More
Cleaning was inevitable. It had to happen.... I rarely custom quilt for customers anymore but I have a few ladies who have been with me from my beginning who I will always quilt for. This particular lady loves the asian panels and I have really enjoyed quilting these tops. There are a wealth of quilting designs to be found in the fabric and I have always felt comfortable playing with the lush traditional Japanese motifs. I auditioned threads to get the process started. I will probably choose the lightest thread you see. And despite my dislike of changing threads I will likely switch on the ivory, to... ivory. My default thread color choice is almost always the lightest color present in the quilt top. My machine and I love Superior Threads. So Fine 50 wt. thread is what I use for the majority of my long-arm quilting. Studio clean, quilt loaded, now what? You guessed it....Plexiglas. The Plexiglas had a boxy maze drawn on it already, instead of erasing it I laid it down and used it as a starting point. I liked the way it looked over the circle, so I left it and started adding straight line work mixed with a tracing of the Japanese water and flower motifs. Moving the Plexiglas from the quilt top to a white table, gives a different perspective, enabling you to see the quilting design independent of the quilt top. It's a great opportunity to start evaluating how the quilting works or doesn't work compositionally on its own. I like where it's going but the circles need more definition, at this point I decide to get rid of the boxy maze outside of the circle and define the circles with a quarter inch (ish) echo. hmm... it's ok but something isn't quite right. I feel like the density of the quilting in the circles is too heavy. Densely quilted areas are going to recede while the areas that are less densely quilted are going to pop. In this case I would prefer that the background recede not the circles... back to the drawing board so to speak. I leave the boxy maze but change the scale, I do like a quilting design that maintains a similar density throughout. All the straight line work is still too much of the same for me, there is not a strong delineation between background and foreground. I am going to lose the boxy maze and add swirls to the background area to define and simplify the space. I like the feel of where this is going, I think it is starting to work more fluidly with the quilt top. I love working through my designs this way, I am able to see a lot of different ideas come to life without committing to anything. I will continue working out the kinks in this quilting design but I feel more confident in my direction and don't feel like I am just staring at a blank canvas any longer. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to make friends with your Plexiglas. I will leave you with a couple finished Asian panel quilt details, the first quilt is the back of an owl panel, the second and third are Kimono quilts, all pieced by Carlene Embry. Have a wonderful week.
Done!
The description card reads, "Crazy Quilt 1883-1893 Silk, cotton, wool, and linen, pieced and embroidered with silk and cotton threads Crazy quilts, which emerged after 1850, were usually composed of small, irregular-shaped fragments of silk, wool, and other fragments pieced together. The seams were then embroidered using a variety of stitches. They acquired the name “crazy quilts” because of the strong colors and busy, confusing nature of their designs, typical of Victorian taste."
My mother in law Nola was visiting this week, and brought with her this lovely crochet and fabric creation, which she has just finished… Isn’t it beautiful? And isn’t she clever! …
While shopping at the antique mall, one of the things I’ve been noticing re-surge more and more are Victorian Crazy Quilts and all of their lovely styles and forms. Since I cannot begin to to…
Explore Alicia Paulson's 508 photos on Flickr!
Okay everyone! This long time anticipated crochet quilt tutorial is finally available! (happy jig!) My friend Tiffany of Fanny Lu Designs took the time to put together the most thorough and detailed t
… you finish a quilt and you can’t quite believe it’s actually done! That very thing happened to me today. I put the final stitch in a quilt that has been on the go for at least a…
“Flowers Of The Cosmos” by Fumiko Nakayama Let me just say right up front that this quilt show exceeded expectations in every way. Something I really love about Japan is …
Registration is now open I've always thought about how life can be likened to a road, it has straight stretches, but more often than not it also has many winding corners and mountain ranges. As we travel along our road, we also make many stops. Maybe it's to raise children, maybe it's marriage, separation or death. But, no matter what the road is like, we are often blessed to find some fabulous friends along the way, and some wonderful places. I wanted to make a wall hanging that reflected that in a quirky kind of way. This quilt reflects for me the road taken to my house and I would love for you to join me in this journey. The road to my house Make a delightful quilted wall hanging with me. This quilt will be unique and personal to you as it narrates the story of the road to your house. Celebrate your very own journey. Together we will use our sewing machines for some free motion stitching and a little hand stitching to add depth. Add a smattering of teabags, some vintage linen, an assortment of special treasures from your sewing room to embellish and you will have a wall hanging that's very individual and incredible. I will be there every step of the journey to advise you and guide you. Make your wall hanging the same size as mine or make it smaller. As we work together you can follow my directions and explore ideas generated in the workshop or you can be adventurous and put your own spin on your project, whichever road you take, remember, it’ll lead to your house. Play with fabric, step away from the burden of producing 'perfect' all the time. The quirkiness that you lend to this wall hanging will make it unique and a stunning piece of art. This workshop includes recycled new and vintage materials and will allow you to include as much or as little detail as you want to in the embellishing. All stitches are easy and I will help you if you get stuck with easy to follow directions, photos and videos. Work on this project at your own leisure, the wee stitcheries lend themselves to being popped into your purse and taken with you. Finish the hand stitching while you wait for the children, or at home while you watch tv. The class blog will remain open for an unlimited time. COST: $US55.00 START DATE: 11th September 2011 Join me for loads of fun in my brand new class as we share our journeys with each other. Feel free to take my class button above for your blog. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, I am always only an email away. Carole :) “The road to my place is never straight, but it’s always paved with fabulous friends and wonderful places!” Carole Brungar
Share in the secrets of the world’s most innovative textile artists. Find out where to look for inspiration, how to develop ideas, techniques to bring your art to life, plus much more.
Embroidered doily about 1910 Arts and crafts embroidery could be quite modern with flowers abstracted to extremes. This vintage piece has a lovely design, probably commercially produced by an American needlework company. Women bought the linen marked with a colored design and finished it with a satin stitch (Kensington stitch) outlined in a black chain stitch. They often used a raised satin stitch of two layers. The finished piece illustrates the design confusion associated with the modern movement. The lace edge is an echo of romanticism, a mixed message of new and traditional that marks much needlework of the era. Here's a pattern for the motif. Click on the picture above and save it to a JPG or a Word file. Then print it out about 6" wide and trace it onto linen. A table runner with a hemmed edge captures the modern look better than a lacy finish. It's fascinating to see how women used these embroidered designs. In keeping with William Morris's dictate that one should have nothing but beautiful objects in the home, women made embroidered linen bags to hold their stockings, their hankies... and their laundry. They often embroidered their dresses Here's a 1904 idea from Ladies Home Journal magazine They advised the amateur artist to copy arts and crafts motifs from magazine illustrations. And they made tea cozies. The most common use for all that decoration was for pillows and what my mother might have called a dresser scarf--- The doily above another example of modern/romantic.
The stairs of the Helsinki Cathedral were filled with the Guinness world record attempt for the largest crocheted patchwork quilt of the world, making a quite large blanket.
I have been working so hard to complete projects and orders. It is time for me to pamper myself. This bag has been in the work-in-progress list since last year. I just couldn't find time to complete it. These few weeks, I tried to focus mainly on this bag ONLY. I will be going back to Malaysia for holiday, YAHOO ! We are planning a few days trip to Bali too. I just can't wait to go back........ ^^
I am still enjoying my photos from the Festival of Quilts, even though this is not exactly news anymore. They have a competition category called Quilt Creations, where you may enter every quilty th…
View the stunning embroidery work of Michele Carragher, customer designer for Game of Thrones and Elizabeth I. Read the full interview.
Say what? No, I’m not writing a rap song. I’m joining a Quilting Bee. A Quilting Bee simply put is: a gathering to make quilts. Quilters gather in groups to make the load lighter for…
When quilting meets crocheting, beautiful things happen. I am so excited to be sharing these photos with you. My very talented and dear friend, Tiffany Behmer of www.FannyLuWho.blogpsot.com, made t…
Dit is het GLOEDNIEUWE, veel gedetailleerdere, eenvoudig te volgen patroon om een Fusion Patchwork Crochet Quilt te maken, het eindresultaat is adembenemend. Het is een nieuwe kijk op Patchwork met de toegevoegde schoonheid van haken en je zult versteld staan hoe je harde werk beloond zal worden. Het patroon bevat gedetailleerde beschrijvingen en foto's uit het echte leven, evenals steekpatroongidsen om u te helpen bij het haken. 1e pdf-download met uw Fusion-patroon 2e download met een alternatief steekontwerp voor de 3e rij voor uw Fusion-vierkanten. Je kunt het volgende maken: - Super kingsize King Size Koningin maat Dubbele maat Gooi maat Enkele maat Grootte kinderbedje Babymaat Uit hetzelfde patroon. Ook informatie over wat u nodig heeft om uw Fusion Patchwork gehaakte quilt te voltooien. Dit zijn 2 pdf-digitale downloads. Ik raad aan om bij Esty te kopen, het is snel en gemakkelijk. Vriendelijke groeten Gillian Houd er rekening mee dat dit patroon het intellectuele eigendom is van de eigenaar van "Patternperfectcrofts", het is alleen voor persoonlijk gebruik en niet voor wederverkoop.
Style No. 85468072; Color Code: Taking a classic to the next level, this head-turning sweatshirt is featured in an oversized, slouchy fit and stunning quilted design with gorgeous floral printing throughout and lower side hems for added shape. Fit: Relaxed, slouchy fit Features: High neckline, button-front closure, dropped shoulders, lower side hems, exaggerated tie at neckline Why We <3 It: Just as versatile as it is vintage-inspired, this so cool sweatshirt is sure to be the head-turning piece your wardrobe has been wanting. Care/Import Machine Wash Cold Import Measurements for size small Sleeve Length: 18.5 in Bust: 34 in Length: 30 in
Crazy quilted chocolate box.
by HEIDI WEISS EMMETT I am so honored that you have stopped by! I know there are a bazillion blogs out there and you chose to come to mine today. Thank you! Let’s get going. You know I love t…
Stars 'n Stripes 'n Scraps Quilt (queen size--just finished Sun 3/13/16) Answering the question--what to do with all those lovely fa...
Well the province went blue last night with a majority PC government. I'm not so sure it was an overwhelming vote FOR the PC's as much as a big vote against Graham's Liberals. Regardless, much as I love the color blue, I'm in love with green today. Here is the top for the tablerunner I told you of; I am very pleased with how it turned out. The pattern/directions are from a magazine I picked up this summer. It's called More Fast and Fabulous Quilting Ideas , part of the Better Homes and Gardens Creative Collection. It had a few projects in it which interested me, but this table topper really caught my eye. I used 9 different green fabrics, most of them batiks or hand-dyeds. This first photo is what the pattern called for. As I was putting it together, I wondered how it would look without the center section so I basted it together just to see (below). I like them both! What do you think? Sorry these photos are both just a little crooked... And look at the color difference- one was taken indoors, one outside... The one below is truer color... I hope to get it layered and quilted tomorrow. I'm going to use a variegated green King Tut thread, by Superior threads. The backing is a beautiful leafy print, with some gold, I think it suits very well although it's more of an Olive green tone. It will be bound with one of the darker greens. I promise a (straight!) photo when it's all finished... Piece, Linda "I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree..." ~ Joyce Kilmer
I don't know if you have a "quilting bucket list", but I sure do! And a cathedral window quilt was at the top of that list! There's something so elegant and perplexing about how they're constructed and I always love a good challenge of figuring things out and stretching my skills and this quilt did just that! I first d
Shabby chic style are also known as cottage style. It became popular in the late 1990s and still has a strong fan club. Many people love this romantic and vintage style of decorating. If you decide…
