Redwork Heart for Heart Exchange

Just wanted to show eveyone the heart I made for the heart exchange in my hand embroidery group. I sent it out the beginning of this month but didn't want to post it until the recipient received it. Luckily she received it shortly after BUT I got a little busy with other things, of course, and am just now getting it on the blog. I really enjoy doing redwork. It is relaxing to do and the outcome is so bright and cheery. I adapted this design from an old Leisure Arts transfer book so that it would fit the heart theme better.

A Lesson in Designer Scrapbook Style

I went to my Chicago Craft Collective Meetup tonight and got a special treat. Our very own Martha packed up super cool scrapbook kits so we could try out a little scrapbooking. She put together some amazing little pieces of paper, trims and trinkets. I couldn't use them all but that was okay because I have some left over to use at home plus it gave me options as I layered and cut and just tried to figure out what I wanted my layout to be. It is so much fun when you can sit and play around until it feels right.

Martha is a phenomenal scrapbook artist. Visit her blog Mugsy Boo to see her infamous layouts of her favorite subjects, Mugsy and Opie. I just love my kit she did. Since I'm still new to the whole scrapbook/papercraft thing it was nice to have a group of items that coordinated without having to go purchase a big box of each little item needed to get a completed look. I'm working on a couple of other pages but still haven't finished because I don't have enough little things that actually go with the look I want.

More International Quilt Festival News

Today over at Craft Critique is my new article detailing more of my experience at the 2007 International Quilt Festival/Chicago. Although I couldn't describe everything, it should give you an even better idea of what the show was like and I hope it encourages you to get to one of these events even if you don't quilt or even sew.

Craft Critique: 2007 International Quilt Festival; Chicago#links

Craft Critique: Fabric Challenge Contest Finalists!

Check it out!

Craft Critique: Fabric Challenge Contest Finalists!

International Quilt Festival/Chicago 2007

I've had another busy week. Work is crazy. We had a sales meeting with everyone coming into Chicago and we spent two evenings out at dinner and just getting to know everyone. My daughter had a doctor's appointment with an allergist today and I went to the special preview of the International Quilt Festival tonight for class registrants.

The show is great! It is the first time I've been to this one. I've never been to the original one in Houston but I have been to the Paducah Quilt Show which is amazing and is on my list to get back to. I am showing you a detail from a quilt by Kathy York titled Little Cities. It is machine and fused appliqued, machine pieced and machine quilted. The detail is the center of the quilt. I love how it has the circular quilting pattern rippling out from the center and the colors are so vibrant. You can see the quilts online beginning tomorrow on the quilt show's website, Quilts, Inc.

I am also sharing with you one of the vendors in the Make It University area sponsored by Cloth, Paper, Scissors Magazine. Ten Seconds Studio has unique tools to emboss metal and add them to your scrapbooking, cardmaking or as shown in the picture, wonderful little art quilts. You can find the supplies at alteredstyle.com. I picked up some of their rub-ons because they stick to fabric (used for art pieces not to be laundered). I will let you know when I get a chance to try them out.

At the quilt show I am taking a class on Saturday. It is called Threads of Imagination by Cara Gulati. I think I'm going to be a little tired and a little broke at the end of the weekend but hopefully I will be really inspired. I've already learned so much just from the vendors I've met tonight and I've probably only touched a small fraction of what is there. Wish me luck and if you can, stop by the show online.

My Introduction to Needle Felting

Attendance at the Ohio State University Perry County Extension's annual Sewing Smorgasbord was outstanding especially for such a small county extension office. I grew up in Perry County and spent 8 years in 4-H which was based out of this office. So, it was a lot of fun to take part it in the event and attend the 45 min - 1 hour classes. There was no pre-registration for the classes so it was first come first serve for classes that had limits otherwise it was standing room only for most of the sections. Since most of them were lecture or demo only it was not too bad.

As you may have read in my earlier post about the Smorgasbord, I was most hoping to take the felting make-it-and-take-it demo. I'm happy to say I got into the class. For a $10 kit fee we received a Needle Felting Starter Kit by Fiber Trends, wool roving and a Styrofoam egg shape to make a pincushion. Usually, you would felt an entire egg from the roving but because of time constraints our instructor had us cover the Styrofoam.

Basically, for needle felting you stab wool roving over and over with special triangular shaped needles to get the fibers to stick together. I found a great tutorial for basically how we were making the egg pincushion at Mielke's Fiber Arts (they show making a cute ladybug).

Our super instructor was K.L. Christman owner of the Olde Yarn Loft in Somerset, Ohio. Her shop is in a cabin and besides natural yarns and fibers she carries spinning wheels, weaving looms and a very unique handcrafted triangle loom that makes incredible woven shawls. She is located 15 minutes south of I-70 and only about 40 minutes total from Columbus. The shop hours are Tues-Sat 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. She is also involved with the Appalachia Fiber Guild and their 1st Appalachia Heritage Fest to be held September 29, 2007. If you live nearby or will be traveling near there check it out.

Embroidered Heart Exchange

While I was away this past weekend I received this little gem in the mail. It is from an exchange I am participating in for the hand embroidery yahoo group I belong to. This is the first exchange I've done. I'm hoping to do some more in the future. I would love to do a wallhanging pieced with mementos from my Internet stitching friends. I have to confess I am running a little behind doing mine for the exchange and you won't see it here until a few days after it has been mailed. I don't want to ruin the suprise just in case she stops by.