a parcel delivered....

and inside a stack of brochures for CreativFestival Oct 21-23,2011. Quickly flipping through it to page 43, there I am!!!! I'll be teaching along with other members of York Heritage Quilt Guild.Found in the Garden

preparing for Nancy Crow

I decided at the last minute to take the last spot in Nancy Crow's strips & stripes class at QBL this July. I am still using the information I learned at my last visit to her farm.

There is much preparation for one of Nancy's class. I reassessed my solid collection from previous and was happy to add to it by supporting my local quilt shop -The Ultimate Sewing Centre in Oshawa. I love this collection of bright warm fabrics. The orange and purple together are wonderful.

The Greenbelt quilt is wonderful. It is currently on display at Queen's Park. It will also be show at the upcoming G20 & G8 meetings.

The video of the quilt construction can be seen here.

More photos here.

This is the entry in the book for my block. I hope you can read it

if not the entire book with all the blocks and their stories is available for download here (3.65KB)

It is wonderful to read the stories behind the quilt blocks.

It has been wonderful to play a small part in the great project.

bad bad blogger

for having neglected my blog. taking without obligation too far. but I'm back.
still creating- actually had a few large projects last year so I will try to keep up & catch up at the same time.
During that time I have realized the value of story. like the song says 'everyone's got a story'. and that is becoming more important to my work.
this is a 12" square I made for the Greenbelt Quilt of Possibilites to be unveiled at the Greenbelt 5th anniversary Celebration at the Royal Ontario Museum Wed Mar 3.

It was from a small family B&W photo of my Dad with his truck on the Holland Marsh. The cab of the trunk is from the photo enlarged & printed on fabric. I coloured it with inks. This truck was red but I remember our next truck which was larger and was green. the green monster is what my Dad called it.

I'm really please how it turned out and am looking forward to seeing it in the finished quilt.

good to be back

Trendtex challenge for CQA

Have you ever finished a piece so fast you don't get a chance to live with it. This was the case with this Trendtex challenge piece for CQA
The challenge is to use the 5 FQ of fabric and the theme 'Roots'. Mine is number 80 in this list of over 100 pieces. It is amazing to see what people will do with the same ingredients. Common themes included root vegetables, family heritage and those nasty roots on our heads. I'm off to do some dying - hair not fabric!

spring has finally

arrived here. The birds are tweeting are u?
flashes of red as the cardinals fly by, that blur was a hummingbird at the apple blossoms and the robins are busy listening to the earth.
But when is a robin not a robin?
It could be this robin, a wonderful blog. There is such a sense of peace & joy of life in Robin's words.
or it could be these robins spotted in a park in Edinburgh, Scotland -

a much tinier bird than the North American robin with a lovely roundness that makes them a favourite motif at Christmas in the UK.

finally

finished a quilt I started for Spot AKA Sputnik, babydoll & my yungin'- who turned 22 recently.
started oh about 10 years ago.
had some help - I sent it out to be quilted - I love it. Tracey from the Ultimate has a Gammill Long arm. I even got to drive it - that is quite the quilting machine!!
I love the quilting she did. It looks like doodling on the back. It is also lovely to sleep under (Shhh, don't tell Spot - but it is on our bed for now!)

Project Improv

I've made 6 blocks each 12.5" square for Project Improv. They are on the way to Kansas to be included with other blocks. check 'em out here.

we have a show

'We' are Fibre Arts Toronto - sounds special & we are FAT for short!
Four people with a common interest in all things textile. Our show is at the North York Central Library of the world's largest library system -Toronto Public Library - up the stairs to the meeting rooms.
you can see some pictures here

things I learned hanging our very first show.
Hanging stuff with fishing line is crazy - don't try it.
bring a level - everyones' idea of straight is different.
that blue sticky stuff teachers have works wonders.
things will take about three times longer than expected!
people will touch your work - doesn't matter how many 'DO NOT TOUCH' signs you put up!
people will think you are wonderfully creative and talented and brilliant!! and isn't that the point!!

messenger bag

I made this cute bag from a felted sweater & navy wool felt. The pattern is from Betz's Warm & Fuzzies. The felt is fused to the sweater bits on the strap & flap. This gives the strap real body & should stand up to real use & abuse!
she also has a new book coming out any day now called Sew Green
I love all things green!!

mountains of snow

that's what's outside our home. Mountains of snow. piles of it. what's the best thing to do?
Make something bright & cheery & floral.......
like this.
A tote with lots of outside pockets. Pattern from Quilting Arts - Stitch magazine.I made one before Christmas for our guild secret Santa exchange but didn't get a picture of it. This one is made with a heavy treated cotton one of my fibre art friends was passing on! Lucky me!

cyber Fyber

see my fiber postcard on display at the Cyber Fyber . It is the middle one in the row to the left in this photo.

a cute little purse

following Melanie Testa's instructions in the Dec/Jan 09 Quilting Arts Magazine I made this cute little purse- using a different version of this wallhanging.
There is a cute video of Melanie making her purse here.

and the mitts to match

is this upcycling?

let it snow, let it snow,let it snow

It is going to be a white Christmas here in Southern Ontario!
My DD will be toasty warm in her new hat we made together yesterday.
Second hand wool sweater fulled in the washing machine. I used the pattern from the book Warm Fuzzies by Betz White. a great pattern, clear concise instructions. We picked rick rack for the ties - perfect for Spot!!

one block wonder

first there was stack n whack, then the four corner posy, now one-block wonder seems to be the latest thing to do in quilting.
all of these are basically the same - taking advantage of how fabric is printed - stacking identical repeats of motifs in varying numbers 4-8. cutting them into pieces then arranging them.
I had fun with some ladies ohhing & aweing over their blocks in a class recently
mine is this yellow one

CreativFestival

Imagine a whole convention centre full of paper & fabric & beads & ink & buttons &sewing machines & yarn & thread. oh my.
Add in free demos, classes, door prizes and you have the CreativFestival.
in the big smoke, TO or Torona. (actually TORONTO)
I'm headed there towmorrow to hang 29 gorgeous pices of art made by Canadian members of SAQA.
all 16" square, all based on the theme Synthesis, all different, all brilliant.
I will be teaching a class Sunday morning called Art Quilts 101. We could spend hours trying to define art but we're gonna have fun instead.
see ya there

Thr3fold

Thr3fold is the name of a unique book published by the very talented team of Linda Kemshall, Laura Kemshall and Catherine Nicholls.
Each journal is full of wonderful projects and insight into how these artists work together and individually. There is also a CD with video clips, more projects and photos to use. I used Laura's machine embroidery to make this piece. Laura has been kind enough to include it in the Reader's Gallery of Thr3fold.

wreaths

I had a great time helping these ladies in class to make a wallhanging wreath. Floral fabric cut into squares - that's what quilter's do don'tyaknow, cut up fabric to sew it back together!!
the squares are arranged on fusible grid - endlessly sometimes! - into a wreath. I love how they are each so unique just like the creators.

I predicted it first........

I've been saying it for about a year........macrame is making a comeback.
If you were crafting in the 70's you did macrame.
Evidence here