Quilts to Color

Get out those crayons and color your next quilt blocks!  At our quilters meeting the other day, Sandy and Karen were discussing their Periwinkle Lane blocks from Black Cat Creations.  They had each bought the patterns and Sandy was putting the finishing touches on her blocks with hand embroidery.

I really liked the looks of these blocks and thought how fun--coloring and

stitching combined to make an adorable quilt top.

Sandy said she asked her granddaughters to color for her;

of course, they said "yes!" and colored away!

That's one clever way to get the task finished.

I wondered if the patterns were still available

and searched Black Cat website to

find--there it was!  Along with some other patterns to color

I thought maybe, machine stitching would work on these details;

that will be on my list of things to try.

I loved the toadstools!

But, I believe this is my favorite block of all--

I'm going to gather up my crayons and color

away!

Pricing Any Textile or Original Work?

This discussion comes up every year--how to price our textiles that we sell?  There is always some pros and cons in the round table topic.  How do you place a fair price on your original work?  Do you get what you paid for your materials?  Your time?  Textile Artist has an article on how pricing of your textile could work.

They have some bullet points to consider:

• Costs
• Market
• Perceived Value
• Don't Focus Solely on your field to price
• Be consistent with Pricing

Artsyshark also has some pointers that he finds helpful.

Be sure to read the comments at the end of the article and Good Luck with your pricing!

Pom-Poms Are Back---

Did you see this article in Wall Street Journal?  Headline read "Cheered by the Fashion Squad.  Pom Poms come bouncing back!"  I didn't think they ever left--but, this article was quite interesting in the fact that celebrities are using pom poms to decorate their fashion pieces to make a bold statement.

Who wouldn't want to be encased in pom poms from head to foot!?

Wednesday Yarn Along

Today we are working on the Fingerless Gloves mystery,  Shadowplay.

Each week a new clue is revealed and you knit like crazy to keep up with the group.

Here is first clue--corrugated rib!  Oh my gosh, that is some knitting,

but I think it will be an interesting mitt

We are knitting flat and this is the left wrist.

Clue 2--I'm at the thumb--oh, dear--I'm stumped.. It will take some quiet time

to figure out how to continue the cable on the other side of the thumb---but,

I'll get there!  I was afraid I would run out of the yellow so found this

fuschia yarn that works.

It just takes some quiet time and having my brain on the right frequency

and I can conquer anything!

Yes, I did it!  We are finished with clue 2.

Should I begin on right wrist with ribbing?

Hmmmm............

Is It Inlay or Tapestry?

We recently had a great meeting program led by Gerry, who has been weaving these small tapestries (she calls them).  She was giving us pointers on how to do our own.  She says she is using inlay techniques for her woven pieces but there are some tapestry involved--so, is it inlay or tapestry?

Gerry uses this book, written by Doramay Keasley, for her weaving information.  Doramey calls her technique "inlay"--as there is a ground background.

Gerry has a wealth of knowledge stored in her notebooks--samples of her work.

Here is her drawing of different weave techniques

Here are her woven samples--great way to structure your weaving knowledge

Here is her cartoon

and the weaving--inlay definitely, as there is a background weft

close-up

I love Gerry's work as she uses many of the Texas landscapes and historic sites as her subjects.

I have one of her Texas inlays

you can see the critters that she has woven into the feature

Now, this is a tapestry!

Interlocked and all--so, if you are interested in these techniques, no one better than Gerry to give you the low down.

Textured Laguna Wrap--No Not Food!

Certainly not food to eat--but food for thought!  I saw this FREE pattern (until April 14) and thought "what a great wrap for summer time events"  so off I went to my yarn closet to find the perfect stash yarn--I'm thinking maybe some handspun cotton will do the trick nicely!

Want the pattern?

check out Expression Fiber Arts

MORE ABOUT THIS WRAP: 
•Gorgeous, bohemian-inspired texture! It resembles a winding river.

•Intermediate level. Easily-memorizable rows will have you knitting away happily.You’ll need to know how to knit, purl, k2tog, p2tog.

•Size is easily adjustable. Cast on fewer stitches for a scarf or more stitches for a blanket.

•No worries about running out of yarn. Just stop when you run out!

•Solid or tonal yarns are gorgeous but feel free to use variegated on this pattern too.

You’ll receive a digital file only (instantly downloadable as a PDF) and won’t be shipped anything. Please allow a few minutes for the download link to be emailed to you. If the email doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, just log into your account on our site and you’ll see your Completed Orders. From there, you’ll find the download link.

Caryl Bryer Fallert Tutorial

This tutorial from Caryl Bryer Fallert is worth watching, even if you don't want to make

quilts as fanciful or colorful as hers.

There is much useful information for anyone interested in quilting.

Plus, there is the added bonus of seeing her studio!

Check out Fossil Fantasy #1 tutorial