What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Just yesterday I discovered a few videos in my Jane Dunnewold class that I had never watched, so of course I ignored a few chores to watch them. I learned about making prints with a ballpoint pen, rubbing a laser photocopy with CitraSolv to make a fabric transfer, and treating heavy paper with hair conditioner to impart a soft crinkled texture.

I had little luck with the ballpoint pen technique to emboss paper, though I hope to try it again now that my gel plate is cleaner. Mark Yeates has videos that show how he uses it. His results are ...

So FINALLY we get to the Sheep in Sweaters Tote!  When I started the previous post, I discovered I’d never blogged about the turquoise tote, which is the forerunner and partner of this one!  I will say now that I have finished this post (Part 2), it is LONG–but I wanted to be sure you got ALL the good info. If you’re here for just the totebag part, skim the embroidery bits! Thanks for reading!

Those of you who get my newsletter (sign up in right sidebar on this blog or the bottom of all the other ...

Confession:  I love boxes, bags, baskets….   the more, the merrier.  I still wonder what happened to that plaid and a little bit of leather bag I had when I was six!  And I love having my bags work for me, offering the perfect combination of color, print and cloth, and function.

Over the years I have learned that I HATE rummaging around in the pitch dark bottom of a deep bag.  I think of those as North-South bags, taller than they are wide.  I vastly prefer East-West–where I can actually FIND stuff inside.  It also means black and other ...

Since some of you seemed interested in this method of fabric (and paper) printing I’ll take a deeper dive. I had never heard of it before the Backgrounds and Textures class, but the technique has been around for at least a decade on YouTube, and who knows how much further back in pre-online video days.

I found that several factors can affect the thickness of the branches and ...

First, hi everyone and welcome to new readers!  I’ve actually been piecing…set-in circles no less!   Above is the 74″ square top.  Each block will finish at 12 1/2 inches.  I used Latifah Safari’s 12″ Clammy to cut the circles, half circles and the corner quarter squares.  Her instructions have you cut the outside from a single piece of cloth, but in addition to wanting to mix up the colors I felt that used too much yardage.  I do have a nice stack of the background fabric “pumpkin seeds” from the leftovers to use in something, though ...

This past week I decided I had had it with the arrangement of my studio, so I changed it. Since I last did this I am doing more mixed media work, and am using my table more than my sewing machine.

So far the new arrangement is working much better, partly because I am now using the space between the design ...

It’s time for some summer fun–in this case a lightweight summer jacket that has languished since last summer!  The pattern is the Moss Jacket from Helen’s Closet Patterns and the fabric is this one from Blackbird Fabrics in Canada.  I’ve ordered from Blackbird before and luckily had no issues with US customs.
I love a super light jacket–I don’t care for the feel of 99% of sunscreens, but I burn very quickly.  This type of garment is my solution.  When making a garment, the first thing I do is figure out my fabric layout ...

When I was clearing out files on an old computer I came across a folder of photos from an art quilt group presentation on different ways to finish and display quilts. My friend C applied her creativity and her extensive collection of sewing and craft notions to several small quilts she made. I was delighted to come across the photos as my latest silk quilt will need a nonstandard edge finish, and I am looking for ideas.

Here are just some of the many possibilities presented.

While we art quilters, or at least this one, would like to think all our work springs fresh from our creative minds, sometimes already made sources give us a head start. Like cheater cloth, fabric that mimics the look of patchwork but only needs quilting, I have used a tea towel and motifs from a bedsheet to do the heavy lifting for two of my current projects.

Because I follow Clare Youngs, a talented collagist and print maker, on Instagram, I learned she had designed a tea towel for Werkshoppe, a company that prints original artwork on products like puzzles ...

It’s been a long time since I reviewed a fiber art book here, partly because I haven’t found ones I thought were interesting enough and partly because there seem to be fewer craft books published these days. Thanks to my library I came upon Lesley Riley’s latest book, “Photo Memory Quilts,” which I really could have used a year ago when I was making my unknown family quilts.

The book combines discussion of why you would want to make a memory quilt, ways to get ideas for one, and nuts and bolts of constructing one. It has ...

When I am given interesting materials I like to play and see what I can do with them. Recently in my volunteer work I came across the first of five volumes of a Braille book. No one knew what happened to the other four, so I got to take that volume home.

The Braille printed pages look like code, with raised dots on both sides of each page. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, “Braille symbols are formed within units of space known as braille cells. A full braille cell consists of six ...

Thanks to SAQA’s Material Matters seminar for its members, I’ve had a good time viewing videos and websites that feature innovative materials. I love the idea of wearable art, and the shows are certainly more entertaining than the usual art quilt show.

Somehow the women’s costumes seem to focus on hard to walk in and bondage type outfits, but there’s tons of inventive use of materials in this World of Wearable Art Show highlights video. Of course the outfits are probably best suited to Cirque du Soleil performers.

High couture by Iris van Herpen is modeled ...

This past Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I participated in a Zoom workshop on Textural Style with Natalya Khorover. We had a two hour Zoom session each day and then homework to do for the next day’s class. The class focused on using scraps of any type to create small machine and hand sewn collages. Natalya stresses materials reuse, especially plastics, in her work and teaching, though this workshop used fabrics more than plastics.

By Friday afternoon my studio looked like a fabric scrap cannon had been fired off, I had started four pieces, and my brain was exhausted. So ...

I don’t know if that’s the proper term for fabrics that aren’t made from naturally derived materials such as cotton and linen. I don’t like the term man made, with its inherent bias, but fabrics developed from polyester often are called that. Here I’m talking about tyvek, evolon, lutrador, and the like. Why am I talking about them? A recent SAQA seminar on such fabrics reminded me of my own efforts to use such stuff.

Part of the seminar was a video conversation with Shannon Conley, an artist who cheerfully tackles all sorts of three ...

Today we move on to another fun technique:  a lined patch pocket.  I kinda made this up along the way (my first photos are not included because I figured out a better way…this is the revised and improved method!). The flannel is SO soft and comfy–in part because the weave is dense but not terribly tight. That means I might be able to wear holes in the bottom of the pockets, so I decided to give them some strength and structure by adding a lining.  The hand-dyed blue was in my stash and worked well enough  I also ...

Hong Kong seams are a thing of beauty–a little extra work but a secret delight!  So even though I didn’t use them in this plaid top, I’m including them with all the seam lessons in this series of technique posts.  I did use them on both my Simplicity S8883  top, full blogpost here, and the Brumby Skirt.   I also used this finish on a jacket I made for my daughter-in-law some years ago that I swear I wish she could wear inside out LOL!

That lime green on the shoulder and princess seams is a Hong Kong ...

Lapped and flat-felled seams are two sides of the same coin.  Both are found in ready to wear–the lapped seams I see most often in men’s dress shirts.  Flat-felled seams are found on jeans…they’re that heavy, bulky seam!  The double stitching makes it strong, so it is good for seams that endure strain–like tight jeans!  They can also be used decoratively with contrasting and/or heavy topstitching thread. Let’s start with the ….

Please note:  I am affiliated with Janome as a Janome Artisan and am compensated.  However, my reviews are honest and I would ...

Please note:  I am affiliated with Janome as a Janome Artisan and am compensated.  However, my reviews are honest and I would say what I say whether affiliated or not.  I’ve also chosen to be affiliated with Janome since 2003 (!!!) because their machines are so good and they are so responsive to the interests and needs of their customers.

To make a French seam you sew the seam twice.  My example is on a 5/8″ seam which is standard in the US.  Please adjust accordingly for your pattern and practice.

First, sew the seam with the fabric WRONG ...

Nothing beats a beautifully finished garment, one that is so pretty on the inside that you enjoy it every time you put it on.  Though you might be tempted to wear it inside out it’s so pretty, it remains a secret just for you!  Top technique for a beautiful inside is using a seam finish to hide the raw edges.  Not only does it look nice, it also protects the edges of the fabric, prevents fraying, can improve the way the seam functions, and contributes to a garment that will last longer.  After all, you’ve spent money and ...

While visiting a favorite local shop in nearby Rockland, Maine, Clementine, I happened to fondle this amazing thick, soft flannel and thought it would made a perfect winter top.  The plaid adds a bit of complexity and opportunity to teach a few more advanced skills along with a fairly simple pattern for this series.

Please note:  I am affiliated with Janome as a Janome Artisan and am compensated.  However, my reviews are honest and I would say what I say whether affiliated or not.  I’ve also chosen to be affiliated with Janome since 2003 (!!!) because their machines are so ...