tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87910780682655643342024-03-13T23:22:13.556-04:00Family. Photos. Fabric.A place to keep up with what's going on in my day-to-day family and creative life.Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-24837764597909465782013-09-23T16:25:00.003-04:002013-09-23T16:25:35.781-04:00giving up and moving onI give up! On trying to add new blogwear that is. It's too cumbersome on this platform. So my blog has moved to:<br />
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<a href="http://www.familyphotosfabric.tumblr.com/">www.familyphotosfabric.tumblr.com</a><br />
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See you there!Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-9096148265680082312013-09-15T22:35:00.002-04:002013-09-16T09:37:56.912-04:00Pardon the Dust<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
hello.</div>
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i did not actually fall off the face of the planet, though i could certainly see how you'd think that.</div>
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pardon me while i clean out the dust bunnies...</div>
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<a href="http://magazine.foxnews.com/sites/magazine.foxnews.com/files/styles/1600_image/public/DustbunnyEditorial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://magazine.foxnews.com/sites/magazine.foxnews.com/files/styles/1600_image/public/DustbunnyEditorial2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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whew, lots of dust gathered here.</div>
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looks like i've been gone for about 18 months or so.</div>
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thinking i'll skip a major catch up, clean up the blog a bit, and try to post something new.</div>
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Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-79067648229419198282012-02-07T09:27:00.000-05:002012-02-07T09:27:05.094-05:00Sunflower Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I spent the week after Christmas cleaning out my office/studio and closet. The "closet" is a huge, 10x10 foot space with built-in shelves along one wall. I use the shelves to store my fabric stash. Two of the walls are only half-height, as the roof slants in and, short as I am, even I can't stand up at the wall edge. The rest of the space is storage for various art supplies, gift wrap supplies, and anything else that needs a home. It is also Christmas central. And by the time Christmas was over, I literally couldn't even walk into it. Now it is beautifully organized, and I've set up my desk in the center for all of my painting/sketching endeavors. </div>
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In the cleaning and sorting that went on, I found several UFOs - "unfinished objects" in quilt-speak - in various stages of completion. One of them was a 6-block, fusible applique sunflower top, about 15x20 inches. Last week I got it batted and ready for quilting. I did FMQ around the sunflowers, and once again used the faux piping binding technique I wrote about last time.</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLdzST7NVX3rbweC8UNAVBqxtl3MMLMic6s7Uq56FDt2kkW06-mB6OCwUClCTsHtR9-eOQxMPbkT6hCoV6I5y-f_gYpiHWuR5QPBPIxu2NHAjMZi81wRyzbAhb4rDs4bO5KKx_9gYFdw/s1600/sunflower+quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLdzST7NVX3rbweC8UNAVBqxtl3MMLMic6s7Uq56FDt2kkW06-mB6OCwUClCTsHtR9-eOQxMPbkT6hCoV6I5y-f_gYpiHWuR5QPBPIxu2NHAjMZi81wRyzbAhb4rDs4bO5KKx_9gYFdw/s640/sunflower+quilt.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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As I was quilting it, I was trying to decide what to do with it, when I remembered that a cousin had mentioned his wife's love of sunflowers and had asked me if someday I'd make a sunflower quilt for her. Voila! Perfect solution. Last weekend was gray and dreary, and working on this quilt was a bright and cheerful escape from the gloom. I hope she will find it as bright and happy as I did!Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-76549915429909664932012-01-22T12:49:00.003-05:002012-01-22T17:43:07.757-05:00In Praise of Aurifil's Wool ThreadAmong the plethora of giveaways by various blogs and manufacturer's during the weeks prior to Christmas, <a href="http://www.aurifil.com/Aurifil/Home.html">Aurifil</a> ran the "safecracker" contest. The winner who guessed a 6-digit number correctly would win 200 spools of 12-weight <a href="http://www.aurifil.com/Aurifil/12wt_Wool.html">Lana</a> wool thread. The contest was held over the course of a few weeks, during which periodic clues were given out.<br />
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A few days before Christmas, I got an email from Alex Veronelli, the Product Manager for Aurifil, letting me know that I had won the contest.<br />
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I absolutely could not believe it, but he assured me it wasn't a joke, and a very large box of thread showed up at my house the week after Christmas.<br />
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I now live in thread heaven! Every color under the sun was in that box. And it was the large spools of thread, too. From their website, I learned that this wool thread can be used for hand embroidery and applique, but also in both long-arm and domestic sewing machines for machine applique and quilting.<br />
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I finally had a chance to give it a try this week. First, I pulled out a wool applique pattern I'd bought a few years ago - A Time to Plant by Threads That Bind (Shawn Williams). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQevSzeVGPggU9uqiMg962WiCTiQqoX0WcGKnPqCkT0Wcp3vTbCvxWDHMWYF_xcohECfGZ4Cujxp59dWQTIxHBupsEsA65-DEQ6xrZ8iMyeUY2GFGSKShj7GE15PnMWK5LDrMC2lCwZI/s1600/time+to+plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQevSzeVGPggU9uqiMg962WiCTiQqoX0WcGKnPqCkT0Wcp3vTbCvxWDHMWYF_xcohECfGZ4Cujxp59dWQTIxHBupsEsA65-DEQ6xrZ8iMyeUY2GFGSKShj7GE15PnMWK5LDrMC2lCwZI/s640/time+to+plant.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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I had traced the pattern pieces onto freezer paper, but hadn't cut anything out yet. Why? Because I really didn't want to use the same color brown floss for all the pieces, I wanted to color match each one. And I didn't have that much floss on hand. And I find that regular thread is a little too thin for wool applique work.<br />
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But now I had the luxury of having available every possible color I needed, and I got the colors selected and the pieces cut out quickly. I used the Lana thread to hand-applique the stripe onto the pig, the door onto the bee skep, the inside shadows on the watering can, the holes on the birdhouses, the white stripe onto the flag, and the pots into a stack. The Lana thread just melted into the wool, and blended perfectly into the background. LOVE! Here are a few detail shots:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI714kkA2O8W4D4vFKwOyM5NgT3nt28P5abw_GS0GOg8Jc4IbEg8HeW07M5CgK1SzB8PAjRsx08i_KgRnIBBnnm-Yp9vzTFncOkvDWgkMmLjrb2J1FtHdVp6LFp5zm8C_uM9ubuHnBdeE/s1600/time+to+plant+birdhouse+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI714kkA2O8W4D4vFKwOyM5NgT3nt28P5abw_GS0GOg8Jc4IbEg8HeW07M5CgK1SzB8PAjRsx08i_KgRnIBBnnm-Yp9vzTFncOkvDWgkMmLjrb2J1FtHdVp6LFp5zm8C_uM9ubuHnBdeE/s400/time+to+plant+birdhouse+detail.jpg" width="371" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWgLDiG8YPerspJ0F8HThbxZ9g6FmpJJb2JHEbtQbTCvT18v_-w6792g2J34Wz-KRRYYVv5rd6chWsOM-g8OhxH48_7iNNFuTAF0iuxuisfDC3m2Qk241y0Rjm2UJLllSFZoTmLybnkk/s1600/time+to+plant+pig+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWgLDiG8YPerspJ0F8HThbxZ9g6FmpJJb2JHEbtQbTCvT18v_-w6792g2J34Wz-KRRYYVv5rd6chWsOM-g8OhxH48_7iNNFuTAF0iuxuisfDC3m2Qk241y0Rjm2UJLllSFZoTmLybnkk/s400/time+to+plant+pig+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've got a ways to go, but a few nights' of TV watching should have this finished up in no time.<br />
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Then I decided to give the thread a try in my machine. I have to admit, that I was a little concerned about how thick it was, but it threaded easily. Using a sketch, I put together a highly-textured block of burlap with squares and rectangles of silk, scrim and organza. I zigzagged the edges down with the Lana thread, and it sewed beautifully, and due to it's heavy weight, sat on the surface and became a lovely design element. <br />
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At Christmas, my brother gave me some silk hankies by the Tentakulum group, and I wanted to play with them. (Examples can be found at the <a href="http://www.meinketoy.com/item_604/YLI-Tentakulum-Silk-Hankies.htm">YLI</a> website.) I needle felted them down onto a disk of wool, and got these lovely, dimensional flowers. To create the centers, I added some wool locks from <a href="http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/Exotics-Locks-Other-Fibers_c_29.html">Living Felt</a> (my favorite online wool distributor), and added a few beads to give just a bit more sparkle. Aren't they gorgeous?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuhXx9nka5dWOuJilFmdt8qcyvHw4S_HOjCgxyBfQBLtYD1s4D3HulrzXRKVcNkHzGGEi7-8NU_bbkZetaiiKS1cRx-VElCnk9NXA-HQy-2wczNgQ668mwxuptUCw81nJ7sY9Qg5TOB0/s1600/trellis+flower+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuhXx9nka5dWOuJilFmdt8qcyvHw4S_HOjCgxyBfQBLtYD1s4D3HulrzXRKVcNkHzGGEi7-8NU_bbkZetaiiKS1cRx-VElCnk9NXA-HQy-2wczNgQ668mwxuptUCw81nJ7sY9Qg5TOB0/s640/trellis+flower+detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After blanket stiching down some wool stems and leaves (again using the Lana thread), I removed the flowers (they were not attached yet) to prep the top for quilting. I wanted to balance the quilting across the whole piece, so I added two "ghost" flowers to the left side of the panel, simply using green, turquoise, and purple thread to outline flowers comparable in size and scale to those with the silk and wool. The heavy wool thread sits beautifully on the top of the batik background fabric, providing a nice design element without detracting from those gorgeous silk flowers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6a_TFIxGCWOye8EJV5JYZnNjeoJ3212HTP57tulSv1Dxn2C_PtOzm7gP5xxUUP3VURx2ZQXACtVFJhgk5Ek3-N3B5L80AUelrjLy4MNWtA2wRdourPBl7ZjuUS7DRjrV51fq1E9rLiI/s1600/trellis+ghost+flower+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6a_TFIxGCWOye8EJV5JYZnNjeoJ3212HTP57tulSv1Dxn2C_PtOzm7gP5xxUUP3VURx2ZQXACtVFJhgk5Ek3-N3B5L80AUelrjLy4MNWtA2wRdourPBl7ZjuUS7DRjrV51fq1E9rLiI/s640/trellis+ghost+flower+detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I used an elongated stipple for the background, and everything popped nicely. Here is the finished piece, which is 16x20. I used the faux piping binding technique that was so beautifully described by Trisha at <a href="http://tlcstitches.blogspot.com/2010/07/faux-piped-binding-tutorial.html">TLC Stitches</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZXjo7kRQcNi6jiHx87DMKjGH9MvD71TDbICLl-NekvhDpyqIWKT2Prakk9PQc6tQmnhtsV4GOp1t7PcgePm7Jd2fYMHgUkVGmY6eSUFTJPK7oW5SiW5YtmOCip_4y4RG0ZPv7b_niJk/s1600/trellis+roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZXjo7kRQcNi6jiHx87DMKjGH9MvD71TDbICLl-NekvhDpyqIWKT2Prakk9PQc6tQmnhtsV4GOp1t7PcgePm7Jd2fYMHgUkVGmY6eSUFTJPK7oW5SiW5YtmOCip_4y4RG0ZPv7b_niJk/s640/trellis+roses.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, thanks to Aurifil for such a generous giveaway. To pay it forward, I will be doing a few giveaways here on the blog, and giving some to the members of my bees. Stay tuned!<br />
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<br />Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-20747810266161816432012-01-19T09:47:00.003-05:002012-01-19T09:48:11.050-05:00Happy National Popcorn Day!They pretty much have a day for everything now, don't they? But this one - for me, at least - was fun. I read a blurb about it a few months ago in Paper Crafts magazine, and put it on my to do list. Because all of my guys LOVE popcorn. <br />
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Matthew has a particular thing for it. I did this page several years ago, but he hasn't changed since. If given the opportunity, he can down a large bucket at the movie theater with no problem.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KS-57Gb2HJbkvcCGmKrhZaGSBn0jw96Nwtwaiuyl2NMeocTFkRG293OBoLvixnYmHkZfq_hIgssUXq_gGYTF9GBn2TeF2yvAv2VTZDkXI7mXvTqwrxB1MjgfiRtInF2kkZ0Y1wkI6Wg/s1600/matthew+popcorn+500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KS-57Gb2HJbkvcCGmKrhZaGSBn0jw96Nwtwaiuyl2NMeocTFkRG293OBoLvixnYmHkZfq_hIgssUXq_gGYTF9GBn2TeF2yvAv2VTZDkXI7mXvTqwrxB1MjgfiRtInF2kkZ0Y1wkI6Wg/s640/matthew+popcorn+500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To "celebrate" this important national holiday, I made envelopes containing a bag of microwave popcorn to give to my 3 guys, the boys' teachers, and my in-laws. The popcorn box was made using a Silhouette 3-D popcorn box template. I modified it to only present one face of the box. October Afternoon's Egg Basket paper from the Cherry Hill line made for perfect popcorn, don't you think? (Unfortunately, though I scaled the font to be large enough to read on the background piece of paper, ever since Epson "upgraded" their printer interface, my wide-format printer, which is supposed to give edge-to-edge printing, won't do so. It will no longer print pages larger than 8.5x11, which was the whole point of my getting that printer. And so the font printed much smaller than I'd like it to be.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI-Cy9gtZpP6kXcHCbZVSE-hGhERZ0XyPqcZWMWza1lUrtrNiMo6oi6rZ7-mOPXmTcCYCw8dYidf_5T4Q4XGhIUMs9dW1Sj3BAsPdPU6Ezxu628spmdKLJt3AI4_VebeA_9O3m2esY8g/s1600/national+popcorn+day+packet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI-Cy9gtZpP6kXcHCbZVSE-hGhERZ0XyPqcZWMWza1lUrtrNiMo6oi6rZ7-mOPXmTcCYCw8dYidf_5T4Q4XGhIUMs9dW1Sj3BAsPdPU6Ezxu628spmdKLJt3AI4_VebeA_9O3m2esY8g/s640/national+popcorn+day+packet.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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Make sure you have a bit of popcorn today!</div>
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<br /></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-12493279256022206172012-01-14T08:29:00.002-05:002012-01-14T08:30:19.247-05:00Change, Art Journals, and Doodling<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I was a girl, I loved drawing and sketching. As I began having more homework and and a part-time job in high school, I gave up those activities. This year, I'm trying to relearn these skills. I am also going to keep art journals, for practicing those skills, as well as mixed media art. To get started on drawing/sketching again, I'm taking a variety of online classes: two workshops (one on sketching, one on watercoloring) by <a href="http://alisaburke.blogspot.com/">Alisa Burke</a>, and two of the free <a href="http://www.strathmoreartist.com/online-classroom.html">Strathmore online classes</a>: doodling with Traci Bautista, and, later in the year, watercolor sketching with Carol Johnson. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To approach the journaling, I joined the <a href="http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/Art-Journal-Caravan-Expedition-2012.html">Art Journal Caravan</a> (AJC) with Tangie Baxter at <a href="http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/home.php">scrapbookgraphics</a>. This workshop provides a variety of weekly journaling prompts, guidance, and technique instruction, as well as a forum for group participation. While scrapbookgraphics is a digital scrapbooking site, the AJC is open to digital, traditional, and hybrid participants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of Tangie's first challenges was to choose a word of the year. "<span style="background-color: white;">This a word that you will focus on for the WHOLE YEAR. Instead of setting so many overwhelming "New Year's Resolutions" for yourself, the idea is to find a word that inspires all your goals in one small word. A word that should be displayed prominently at your work space, in your journal, in your mental images.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>" I've been doing that instead of resolutions for several years now, but Tangie added a new spin - create a personal symbol for your word of the year, and incorporate it into your journal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For a variety of reasons, my word this year is CHANGE. While a butterfly first came to mind, after<span style="background-color: white;"> thinking about it, I realized that the butterfly represented the final stage of a process of change, and was not really what I wanted as my symbol. But it still spoke to me as being appropriate for my word. As I googled butterfly images, a few chrysalis images popped up and i had an "aha" moment.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> A </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">chrysalis is a self-created safe haven for growth and change, for internally-directed adaptation.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After googling a variety of chrysalises, I sketched and then watercolored this image. A fantasy chrysalis in my favorite color, purple, with some bright yellow and greens for high contrast. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The creation of it lived up to my word of the year - twice I thought I
knew what I wanted, and executed the idea, and didn't like it. Instead of
letting myself get upset, I changed my approach again until it all gelled and
resulted in this piece of mixed media art - which I love.
It will reside to the left of my monitor where I can see it while I am
working and creating.</span></div>
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<span class="body"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-image: initial; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">Supplies: Watercolor: Caran d'ache
Neocolor II; </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Pastels: PanPastels/Sofft Tools; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Oil Pastels: Crayola Water
Soluble; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Ink: Dr. Ph. Martin's India Ink,
Tattered Angels </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Glimmer Mist; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Pens: Pigma Micron, atyou Spica; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Paper: Pink Paislee, Strathmore </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">400 Series watercolor 140 pound; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Charm, Rub-ons: Pink Paislee; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Adhesive: 3M, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">foam mounting tape; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Other: sewing machine, thread,
bubble wrap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wrote quotes having to do with change around the sides: </span></div>
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<li><span class="body" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-image: initial; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">Nothing changes if nothing
changes. </span></span><span class="body" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/stevejobs416913.html">Anon</a>. </span></span></li>
<li><span class="body" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-image: initial; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">Change does not roll in on the
wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. </span></span><span class="body" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth121065.html"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Martin
Luther King, Jr.</span></a></span></li>
<li><span class="body" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-image: initial; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">If you don't like something,
change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. </span></span><span class="body" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mayaangelo101310.html"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Maya
Angelou</span></a></span></li>
<li><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-image: initial; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">The
need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind. </span><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mayaangelo148636.html" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Maya
Angelou</span></a></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Traci's doodling class began the day after New Year's. While I was watching the video for the first lesson, Matthew joined me partway through and was fascinated. He decided he wanted to take the class with me. As we were working on the first layer, Jeremy poked his head in and decided he wanted in on the fun. So we're all doing it together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first lesson is about layers of color building up to the final project: first, spray acrylic or watercolor paint over stencils, then adding layers of marks with different media (paint, oil pastels, sharpies, markers, and white out). It is not planned art, just free form marks and doodling. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The boys are still working on their projects, and I'll post them when they're done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here are my first 2 attempts. I like parts of both of them. I used Glimmer Mist as the base layer on both pieces. There is also Lumiere paint on one of the top layers on the first piece, and as you can see it reflects a lot of light. These are meant to be used for other projects, and not used as art per se. I'm leaning toward notepad covers and bookmark backs, but have not made up my mind yet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXM6TfHkGb6Jizw5lNQb5wXd33LyVDBt7HUVczZnz384M7rMUmClyS9CGEbGfGu4ayyZK8abEA9FG02jwELKNMUneaVON6Ae9D1ypIp-Y5OJMxDG88shgG0k6QYZXuiMdm-DisLyATyck/s1600/doodling_t+bautista_week+1_project+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXM6TfHkGb6Jizw5lNQb5wXd33LyVDBt7HUVczZnz384M7rMUmClyS9CGEbGfGu4ayyZK8abEA9FG02jwELKNMUneaVON6Ae9D1ypIp-Y5OJMxDG88shgG0k6QYZXuiMdm-DisLyATyck/s640/doodling_t+bautista_week+1_project+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1xdA6uuMfnwD43FpRjR6D49FZgj9mN6wQdhQEoHbdYPtPVKReLPdnE6vSpkuUUeQaM6TawbK-PX5fanO6C_lxoHQwr2JoD9v2k3a4A73ZBWbsh_kvuLRQ6KgsGM4J-Bo1c0jr6-pohU/s1600/doodling_t+bautista_week+1_project+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1xdA6uuMfnwD43FpRjR6D49FZgj9mN6wQdhQEoHbdYPtPVKReLPdnE6vSpkuUUeQaM6TawbK-PX5fanO6C_lxoHQwr2JoD9v2k3a4A73ZBWbsh_kvuLRQ6KgsGM4J-Bo1c0jr6-pohU/s640/doodling_t+bautista_week+1_project+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-34809939423598053682011-12-02T18:58:00.001-05:002011-12-02T19:00:18.327-05:00Birdhouse Christmas Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here is a quilt I made as a Christmas gift for a dear friend at ScrapStreet.com Magazine, Ms. Linda. I really enjoyed putting this together, and will someday have to make one for myself because it looks even better in person than it does in a photograph. Fused applique, machine quilting. Love how bright the cardinals are!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CoV4WN98ep5NCI4vBaya-2qmGcJ0eTXcxR2zTkFUKjt-kjjhegPF9K_p7lT7VbRCARL7p64XzLyKyw-2Nsh0882TdQY6yQRaicxT5ZJSeVIoFXPoIKyFpYrFUcn9D8Szr0NgkgZA5XM/s1600/DSC06895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CoV4WN98ep5NCI4vBaya-2qmGcJ0eTXcxR2zTkFUKjt-kjjhegPF9K_p7lT7VbRCARL7p64XzLyKyw-2Nsh0882TdQY6yQRaicxT5ZJSeVIoFXPoIKyFpYrFUcn9D8Szr0NgkgZA5XM/s640/DSC06895.JPG" width="491" /></a></div>
<br />Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-14588635259564385392011-11-29T11:28:00.001-05:002011-11-29T17:40:22.622-05:00Amaryllis Quilt and Christmas Gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I decorated for the holiday over the Thanksgiving weekend. One of my favorite parts of decorating is pulling out my holiday quilts. I'll try to feature a few of them here over the next few weeks. </div>
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I made this amaryllis quilt several years ago, from a <a href="http://distinctivepieces.susanrdulaney.com/about.htm">Susan Du Laney</a> pattern. The flowers, leaves, and bulb are stuffed, giving wonderful relief from the background. (No, I *still* haven't embroidered the roots. I also plan to add a little shading with chalks or Copic markers to the bottom of the bulb and the stem/leaf areas. Someday.) It is hung at the top of the stairs, and quite lovely to look at every time I walk upstairs during the holiday season.</div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgCgoYsdADgGe3inr9J9i620q9eTWyLqh4tbx1urBdrotg6GM0wVktxIlrFznGipFmhLnvRzAJE_TyXe9BBaC09gCY_YDnlW4UJB62m0FnrKvAwPmQDg7cQv7vKji0df3CWi13WuWlQE/s640/amaryllis.jpg" width="369" /></div>
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One of my bees, Cyberbee, will have our annual holiday party on the 10th of December. We only meet 4-6 times a year, several of which are all-day meetings. It's all about catching up, sharing both food and sewing projects, show and tell (and what a great show and tell this one is with all the holiday quilts and gifts being shown off!), and a gift exchange for those who signed up. The gift can be anything, store bought or hand made. This year, I'll be giving some fabric, chocolate, and two handmade items: a needle book and a notebook cover. </div>
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This is the needlebook. One nice thing about quilting and scrapping is the number of tools that can be used for both types of project. I used my die cutting machine and some QuikKutz and Tim Holtz dies to cut out the pieces for this needlebook. The flowers are attached with french knots, and the leaves (which I hand cut) with a simple vein down the center. All of the felt is from <a href="http://www.papertreyink.com/">Papertrey Ink</a> - they make a gorgeous range of colors and it cuts like butter. I used a white lining and a piece of the melon berry felt for the inner leaves of the needlebook. The recipient's name is embroidered in the upper right quadrant, but I blurred it out in case she reads my blog.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mKzbwBsX9NscGFNgry8iUIQbtYL48wys7P5BSL0a3xWKFGTN32nTCwyw8d4__VCMD7T_ieCzzJ9mwM9SkoEHChyphenhyphenaZkYCQFotz-LGF_opWirIydn-eVKDoHhfZhmAfZZMrLDf-g1Q3vI/s1600/floral+needle+book+name+removed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mKzbwBsX9NscGFNgry8iUIQbtYL48wys7P5BSL0a3xWKFGTN32nTCwyw8d4__VCMD7T_ieCzzJ9mwM9SkoEHChyphenhyphenaZkYCQFotz-LGF_opWirIydn-eVKDoHhfZhmAfZZMrLDf-g1Q3vI/s640/floral+needle+book+name+removed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The lining: <img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6thRza-XVI12tCOtKelHQUJLBxPt_Nra4BUwXcEcfwqUE37NObHpRws3uV0mrz6Eh_2HxwgTkFRYHKouEhqMHaBdtqr7BHQjsFyAKQsfuBD_zXcRdBCvj1nPOhIBrYgolxFdu08OV9k/s320/floral+needle+book+inside.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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The quilter who gets the needle book will also be getting this notebook and notebook cover:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYh2CGTqeKXCeb61fd0_lUwhV0Dyqg8PSGpajAIGsdUc-Id7vi8xMNGaJ8_4nFfenP0C74acZdAR72XfRBX8AFMzMrcRTVrFCbX6NBWCpEUFT-9JiDfDa5x1E8q7RnXm5bobBSk6dAY14/s1600/journal+cover+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYh2CGTqeKXCeb61fd0_lUwhV0Dyqg8PSGpajAIGsdUc-Id7vi8xMNGaJ8_4nFfenP0C74acZdAR72XfRBX8AFMzMrcRTVrFCbX6NBWCpEUFT-9JiDfDa5x1E8q7RnXm5bobBSk6dAY14/s640/journal+cover+2.jpg" width="466" /></a></div>
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I dyed dryer sheets with Dyna Flow to try to get green and teal colors that would coordinate with the background fabric. While the green turned out great, the teal was not as bright as I had wished. I pulled out the die cut machine again and cut a variety of circles and rings, then arranged them on top of 2 layers of un-dyed dryer sheets (to brighten the colors and reduce the transparency) below the colored circles. I fused on a very thin layer of angelina fibers to give it some shimmer. I layered the background fabric and a stabilizer, then free motion stitched the circles onto them and trimmed away the excess, undyed dryer sheets. Some beads and couching with a variegated yarn in green and teals finished it up.<br />
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I made one more notebook cover; this one will probably be for one of the boys' teachers, and I'll be making another one for my other son's teachers. I went simple with this just fused a beautiful peony blossom onto a green pinked square, and added them to a dark brown speckled fabric. A bit of stippling brightened up the brown fabric.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrE6rtnf-x27QquSDSkVhQUsNciNXCIKvJzcO_TQkGqaHmGZA8IlhwZlpSHJwtFeWjn9g1q6ZW-ebHU05SqlB3t1MIjEtRr9c5YiSEKVHFyTdevNRAe1ZhED18d9jVkNuZf3sJCP1h2nQ/s1600/journal+cover+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrE6rtnf-x27QquSDSkVhQUsNciNXCIKvJzcO_TQkGqaHmGZA8IlhwZlpSHJwtFeWjn9g1q6ZW-ebHU05SqlB3t1MIjEtRr9c5YiSEKVHFyTdevNRAe1ZhED18d9jVkNuZf3sJCP1h2nQ/s640/journal+cover+1.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
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<br />Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-24569714074566156202011-11-13T17:28:00.001-05:002011-11-13T18:03:51.610-05:00Seahorse Quilts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I finished Jeremy's seahorse quilt before the end of August, but just haven't managed to get pictures taken and posted. I made time to do so today. When I wrote about it last, he'd had me paint onto the partially-quilted surface - a new adventure for me. I then quilted in the water, using multiple shades of blue threads in the painted areas, and a slightly blued white thread in the unpainted parts of the background. In keeping with his preference for all things shiny, all of the threads were shimmery and glittery. I also added some hotfix crystals for "bubbles". I satin stitched the edges and couched a single frame of a multihued fiber (perfect for this little quilt, with blues, teals and browns) around the outer edge. </div>
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I brought it to Jeremy, showed it to him, and asked him if he liked it. Those of you who read <a href="http://familyphotosfabric.blogspot.com/2011/07/jeremys-seahorse.html">this post</a> are probably shaking your heads right now, thinking "she'll never learn." Sure enough, Jeremy did not agree with me that the piece was complete. He looked at it for a few minutes, told me how much he loved the paint and the crystals, and then informed me that it needed another row of the fibers along the outer edge, just a little bit apart from the first one.</div>
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"No, it's fine as it is", I insisted. It looked complete to me. But he turned on those baby blues of his and I added another row of the fiber. And I have to admit, that while it was just fine with one fiber border, the second border really added definition and set off the piece better. And here it is:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBYh6OmflCBm7z4I7OAlplNEMRQ7Gi5bZ-bRSlirU6RfdYwo0tsHaMcYVunKjRNYor8pB5M9eLWVWGRSOho2J6vcDClikss8VlbjPV19Q2yOfZcNaBCXpyW9vTVzLhmIdNF1RWiKskEE/s1600/jeremy+seahorse+complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBYh6OmflCBm7z4I7OAlplNEMRQ7Gi5bZ-bRSlirU6RfdYwo0tsHaMcYVunKjRNYor8pB5M9eLWVWGRSOho2J6vcDClikss8VlbjPV19Q2yOfZcNaBCXpyW9vTVzLhmIdNF1RWiKskEE/s640/jeremy+seahorse+complete.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And a detail shot of the seahorse on the bottom:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmF7MTGDnJggLl2V1ir_hIFdL1y8Dl1nJ7xhF2ptB5EqTuPH1q1LCC0tPsNqBaHeaUQTPadyvG8ja_6XCaFLpk6Dfdh3en3bMOr2-7IcPymHkpaCuQleeHh_Ikz-3mSE4KvVdkJIXIb3o/s1600/jeremy+seahorse+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmF7MTGDnJggLl2V1ir_hIFdL1y8Dl1nJ7xhF2ptB5EqTuPH1q1LCC0tPsNqBaHeaUQTPadyvG8ja_6XCaFLpk6Dfdh3en3bMOr2-7IcPymHkpaCuQleeHh_Ikz-3mSE4KvVdkJIXIb3o/s400/jeremy+seahorse+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was a great piece for me to practice with new techniques before going onto the bigger piece. I also learned that Jeremy has a good, intuitive eye for balance and design, and is NOT afraid to share his opinion when asked for it.<br />
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So I moved onto the original piece I had intended to make before this little side trip. It is a beach-themed, mixed media piece called "Live in the Current".<br />
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The 3 main panels were cut from felted wool, in shades of blue, green, and purple, that was needle felted directly to batting. After the felting was done, I hand-stitched a variety of fibers on the top, and did some embroidery as well. I fused the needle felted sheet to timtex to give it some stiffness, added backing, and did light machine quilting to give additional texture. I then cut it into three panels, and did a double-layer of satin stitch in a variegated thread to finish them off.<br />
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The "library cards" are digital images by Katie Pertiet (<a href="http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/7992">Library Card Collection: Seaside</a>) that were printed onto background fabric that I made in <a href="http://familyphotosfabric.blogspot.com/2011/07/surface-design-madness.html">Susan Brubaker Knapp's class </a>in June. The background fabric was painted with very dilute Lumiere paint, and it glitters slightly. I batted and back them, then stitched outline stitched the critters and the lines of the index cards with Monopoly thread. I inked the edges for a little more definition, and attached them to the felted cards with small clips.<br />
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The background has the same seahorse and seaweed used in Jeremy's quilt on the right, as well as a shell on the top-left corner. These were stenciled with Shiva paint sticks. I used two of the images from Katie Pertiet's <a href="http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/12240">Beachy Clusters</a> to create the layers and cut stencils. I used a Silhouette America cut file to create a stencil for the seaweed.</div>
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To create the title, I used letter stamps (by Autumn Leaves), then filled in the letters using Copic markers. I added a little bit of sparkle to those letters by selectively outlining with a Spica glitter pen. After quilting it, I decided to add a little blue and purple color to the background with Faber Castel Gelatos, and using water and a stencil brush to dilute the color across the background in washes. I decided not to bind it, and instead, faced and turned the edges, so the design goes right to the edge. <br />
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<br />Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-25760229187075414132011-10-23T13:53:00.000-04:002011-11-29T11:56:59.328-05:00Witches hats and acorn treats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Do you pin? I'm talking about Pinterest, a digital pinboard site that allows the collection of themed pictures of your choosing. It's a total time sink, and I can spend hours there looking through the art, crafts, foods, decorating, and other images that are pinned to peoples' boards. My boards are <a href="http://pinterest.com/quilter422/">here</a>, if you're interested in taking a look or, even better, following my boards.</div>
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I've had fun the last few days making Halloween treats and some fall snacks, all thanks to Pinterest.</div>
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First up: witches' hats. The directions are found <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/witches-hats/c04c58a6-9fb7-46ef-a45f-9bfabbf96b0d?wt.mc_id=taf_recipe_bc">here</a>. If you go to the recipe, you'll see that the professional's look much better than mine. I used cookie icing, instead of a thin frosting, to make the bows, and they got all melty. That didn't stop the kids from eating them, though! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet witch hats.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Next up: chocolate and peanut butter acorns. I loved this idea, and they are cute and easy to make. Matthew helped me make them, and it was a nice way to spend time together. Recipe is <a href="http://sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/chocolate-peanutbutter-acorns.html">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy!</td></tr>
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And finally, a pin that showed gorgeous single-serve apple pies in a basket, with a link to Williams-Sonoma and their apple pocket pie mold. Here are mine. Jeremy absolutely loves any kind of pie, and had a ball helping me make a few of these today. They'll fit right into a sandwich bag and he can pack them in his lunch.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm... just needs a spoonful of ice cream.</td></tr>
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I'm also going to make the oreo cookie mummy pops again (see last year's <a href="http://familyphotosfabric.blogspot.com/2010/10/got-mummies.html">post</a>), over the next evening or two. I have the correct eyes this time, so hopefully they'll look even better this year.</div>
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<br />Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-73849113883507825732011-07-17T18:12:00.002-04:002011-11-29T11:57:17.413-05:00Jeremy's Seahorse QuiltI'm working on a mixed media piece. (Some of the background fabric was shown in yesterday's post.) It will be a tryptich-style for the main elements, in a sea theme, but on a stenciled, painted, and quilted background, which looks like sand.<br />
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Using my Silhouette and a seaweed cut file from the Silhouette studio, I created a vinyl mask for the seaweed, then adhered it to the fabric and applied Lumiere paint. However, it was too wet, and bled a lot around the stencil edges. My son Jeremy wanted it, though, so I decided to use it as practice piece for the background to the mixed-media piece, and to give it to him when it's done.<br />
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With the Silhouette and a seahorse cutfile, I used Shiva paintsticks to add two seahorses. Being a semi-solid, I didn't have trouble with the Shiva paint bleeding under the vinyl mask. After the paints had cured and been ironed, I was able to quilt the images today. Using Madeira Glamour threads to add more sparkle (because Jeremy loves all things shiny), I added detail to the seahorses and outlined the seaweed.<br />
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When I showed it to Jeremy and asked if he wanted wavy lines for the water, he told me I needed to paint a few areas with blue - not too much - and use that for the water. While he didn't realize it, it was a great, out-of-the-box challenge for me. I pulled out my Twinkling H2O watercolors to add the color and yet more shine. (These paints have mica flakes in them for added shimmer.) While it's not perfect, I like the way it came out and it was a great practice piece.<br />
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Now it's drying, and I hope to finish quilting in the water tomorrow, and get it bound (or perhaps edge finished with some fibers) and hanging in his room. And then to complete the mixed media piece...Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-33310036901021717232011-07-16T17:07:00.002-04:002011-11-29T11:57:29.085-05:00Surface Design MadnessTime got away from me and I'm finally posting about the surface design class I took with Susan Brubaker Knapp at the NC Quilt Symposium.<br />
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We started off playing with Tyvek - that plastic stuff they wrap houses in before putting on siding. It got painted with Lumiere paints, then you place it between parchment paper and heat it with an iron and it gets all bubbly and the colors intensify. Depending on which side (painted or not) is up, you get bubbles or craters. The fish below is 3 pieces; the fins were odd shapes that shrunk like that on their own. I did a little "surgery" on the fish body (the tail fins) to get the shape I wanted. These are 3 separate pieces, but can now be glued or sewn onto whatever base I want to use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjrYXTeh6TkbsLUfO2VWTWv0vJb49iEboM-ealxt-XUoWO2_6eVBrQeQQMRp81MNdIYkAgXdMhfe6SZGMSaCwIkJTq_FSJTVSB365QiTzg9Re3KCDXvkWVk6isFFhGs_1ebs01S_rub4/s1600/IMG_7388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjrYXTeh6TkbsLUfO2VWTWv0vJb49iEboM-ealxt-XUoWO2_6eVBrQeQQMRp81MNdIYkAgXdMhfe6SZGMSaCwIkJTq_FSJTVSB365QiTzg9Re3KCDXvkWVk6isFFhGs_1ebs01S_rub4/s640/IMG_7388.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
The beads to the left of the fish are tyvek beads, made by painting, wrapping around skewers, then heating. They were then wrapped with wire and beads. The bit up at the top is angelina, heated on an inked rubber stamp. <br />
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We did a lot with the Lumiere paints. In the next image, fusible web was painted with Lumiere and when it was mostly dry, ironed onto fabric. I had one large piece of fusible web, painted with blue and blue-green, and cut it in half. You can see how the background color makes it look bluer (on the white fabric ) and more silver (on the black fabric). The bits that peeled away were still wet when ironed, which could be used as a deliberate technique for making something look distressed. But I'll have to be careful to place parchment paper over them if I have to iron them, unless I want to glue my iron to the ironing board!<br />
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This is lumiere painted onto steam a seam fusible web that had been pre-wet. The pre-wetting helped the paint colors run together. It was ironed on wet. The left side of the image below is the painted fusible web - bright and shiny. However, I ended up liking the back side even more - some of the paint came through to the back, giving a subtle shine in organic shapes. I think it would be great for backgrounds.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfjGUeJsll1q510ISxrFIwQN0ybzYO9fKN0wz0kkJOOX8pKYGoc2F84Tb0jj9uQyQmEUKpLYUiBqHfJM74m7JDpYYCJXmbJNyycE1FbboPtcmMmu9jiPFHtREts80JX6Y1KQ_BVL7kv0/s1600/steam+a+seam+front+and+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfjGUeJsll1q510ISxrFIwQN0ybzYO9fKN0wz0kkJOOX8pKYGoc2F84Tb0jj9uQyQmEUKpLYUiBqHfJM74m7JDpYYCJXmbJNyycE1FbboPtcmMmu9jiPFHtREts80JX6Y1KQ_BVL7kv0/s640/steam+a+seam+front+and+back.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We also played with diluted Lumiere. I took a bit of my plain white fabric and dipped into diluted purple paint. The shine remained, but I over-diluted it and it was a barely there lilac color after wringing out the fabric. So I added a few globs of teal and purple and smooshed the fabric all around and ended up with this. I'm currently using it as background fabric for some digitally-printed images.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc6tumaLuUyIV6FzaqZ5UoVAsr1pDKWl_0CCnsnxh3vXR6CmcfBEunAtF-90XmvKNjlhbVwTxa73FXMp1PBmoRT11ElNmQvMw_7ieA1fYEl0YRHWIUx7FlDvVKcg9KgZnixM_Ek9juaw/s1600/IMG_7395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc6tumaLuUyIV6FzaqZ5UoVAsr1pDKWl_0CCnsnxh3vXR6CmcfBEunAtF-90XmvKNjlhbVwTxa73FXMp1PBmoRT11ElNmQvMw_7ieA1fYEl0YRHWIUx7FlDvVKcg9KgZnixM_Ek9juaw/s640/IMG_7395.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We played with Shiva sticks too, using them on top of templates. I was boring and just did one color per plate. Some of the more adventurous gals mixed a bunch of images and created their own multi-patterned fabrics.</div>
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And here is, hands-down, my favorite piece of the day. We used Caran d'ache Neocolor crayons directly on the fabric to color an image, then used water and paintbrushes to paint them out. I am not practiced at drawing, but I do know (thanks to the inspiration wednesday videos that <a href="http://donnadowney.typepad.com/">Donna Downey</a> posts on her blog) how to draw a poppy. So I did that with purple crayons, and gave them a gold/orange background. I'll be quilting this piece and hanging it in my office/sewing room because it's just so bright and cheerful. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVTdY8opoS8SERXAHpmA_AQ0wfKXbjGnonOS-znWLEsxmu-iHMCbPzM3lIPBd6VnKCZVZmkkcv-nOEHhXtqWFVyUgi-XljiCQ3yiNiRk8Q8ndnnhID-iuDYdl1X4N9mtY6JwZ78TfHmI/s1600/IMG_7394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVTdY8opoS8SERXAHpmA_AQ0wfKXbjGnonOS-znWLEsxmu-iHMCbPzM3lIPBd6VnKCZVZmkkcv-nOEHhXtqWFVyUgi-XljiCQ3yiNiRk8Q8ndnnhID-iuDYdl1X4N9mtY6JwZ78TfHmI/s640/IMG_7394.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Susan is a fabulous teacher - she did a great job of explaining her techniques, the various modifications that could be made, and then stepping back and letting us "play". I'd happily take another class with her! Here is a link to her blog, <a href="http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/">Blue Moon River</a>.Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-31047066938062203462011-06-27T14:19:00.002-04:002011-11-29T11:57:43.381-05:00The Big Purse AlternativeI'm in two local quilting bees, one of which is Cyberbee. We meet quarterly or so, and "talk" via email otherwise. At our meeting a few months ago, Barbara showed us some darling purses made from placemats. (Yes, you read that correctly.) (ETA: Barbara has been in touch and told me that she got the pattern from Threads magazine, if you're looking to try it out for yourself.) These little, 2-pocket bags, in which you could put your license, credit card, check book, and cell phone, are a perfect alternative to lugging a big purse. Great for quick errands, or kids' sports games/practices.<br />
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I ran out and picked up a few placemats, along with some pretty trims for shoulder straps and big, chunky buttons. When selecting placemats, I found that really heavy/thick ones don't work very well (hard to fold, hard to sew through). Placemats with pretty borders along one of the short sides worked best, as those borders become the flap and add a nice decorative touch. <br />
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Here are the 4 I made over the weekend (straps were tucked inside for the picture):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8BDQxmeQCFx08lyfYsmOKVT0TSZy9hUHbgvB4T9CdIAOCr76C4ulKGGe4Ut3jcqsZd3OC5D-13Q8rCW_o_NWceT1fxZNfUIfdG35g2EOq8bZBq6uDkUx79fQiSEwYgFnHYk-EL1E06o/s1600/group+of+bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8BDQxmeQCFx08lyfYsmOKVT0TSZy9hUHbgvB4T9CdIAOCr76C4ulKGGe4Ut3jcqsZd3OC5D-13Q8rCW_o_NWceT1fxZNfUIfdG35g2EOq8bZBq6uDkUx79fQiSEwYgFnHYk-EL1E06o/s400/group+of+bags.jpg" width="370" /></a></div>
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I made a minor change from Barbara's models - I sewed down a triangle of fabric on the outside of the front pocket so that it could be accessed more easily. Here's a picture of an open purse, showing the pocket and the strap:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5VieW2vwClhws7mgIwjAp6uaMUnHq3AroCMlY-gz5wQthC6ZR1qRjxNEkzdy2jbZ82VWvsFJqJNItGguC6XH_JZJLvc8kM-YjMvtjmyBHwMPOjUyi9cPxmp-yTBzHVf3j5a6vFQHVB0/s1600/bag+open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5VieW2vwClhws7mgIwjAp6uaMUnHq3AroCMlY-gz5wQthC6ZR1qRjxNEkzdy2jbZ82VWvsFJqJNItGguC6XH_JZJLvc8kM-YjMvtjmyBHwMPOjUyi9cPxmp-yTBzHVf3j5a6vFQHVB0/s400/bag+open.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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Lessons learned (the hard way, of course :) )<br />
Figure out placement and sew the buttons on FIRST.<br />
Add the button loop and the shoulder straps BEFORE you sew the sides together.<br />
Keep the seam ripper handy. (Not a lesson from this project, but one I learned a long time ago and of which I was rather strongly reminded over the weekend.)<br />
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These will be given to Mom, Margaret, Kitty, and Cat. Surprise!Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-71023956605989264222011-06-17T11:36:00.003-04:002011-11-29T11:57:59.728-05:00Quilted and Needle Felted iPad BagFor our 10th anniversary, Ryan spoiled me with an iPad2, with a slick little magnetic cover. I love it, and it's been great for all the waiting-around time I have with the kids (carpool, games, practices, etc.).<br />
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At the NCQSI a few weeks ago, I got some fun fibers from the YLI booth - organic cotton, hand dyed lacings (think shoe lace like), which, if you pulled up one thread, ruched beautifully.<br />
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I pulled out my needle felter, some blue scrim, various wool pre-felts and wool rovings, and some silk carrier rods and had fun making this fabric. After the wools and silks were attached, I machine quilted it using variegated thread in a plaid pattern. I then ruched up some of the lacing and added it to the top of the piece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LvEIXvUP-eKfTWEOOkqdAPDjvm5824XAj8DSUFbSGN4tENczTKtGPAf0iStDEAPv-TvBkBmba0ERRtoumzuJQrTBG8W5tZOEEB1D0cakBBPmY8KEhSqHQ-LQ68OOZzDXgUHCCMgZkec/s1600/ipad+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LvEIXvUP-eKfTWEOOkqdAPDjvm5824XAj8DSUFbSGN4tENczTKtGPAf0iStDEAPv-TvBkBmba0ERRtoumzuJQrTBG8W5tZOEEB1D0cakBBPmY8KEhSqHQ-LQ68OOZzDXgUHCCMgZkec/s640/ipad+bag.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today I made it into a padded bag to hold my iPad. While I had picked out a glorious sunflower fabric to be the back side, Jeremy wanted something a little less "girly looking" for when he gets a chance to use the iPad. So I switched to this mosaic-style fabric instead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2oh1HWKNQS9mrjnWJQe3dXZJ3gZX29TY4NdJcEOMtxA2pEwe3fC-jbHTb7L1Bpqmlh06bjUsDBlL8S_kCg3C-GYN_UVnzD_4g74jTUYu3OdWD_ZP9eCpFko2VSPDmoOOZ9pp8FADpTA/s1600/ipad+bag+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2oh1HWKNQS9mrjnWJQe3dXZJ3gZX29TY4NdJcEOMtxA2pEwe3fC-jbHTb7L1Bpqmlh06bjUsDBlL8S_kCg3C-GYN_UVnzD_4g74jTUYu3OdWD_ZP9eCpFko2VSPDmoOOZ9pp8FADpTA/s640/ipad+bag+back.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I decided to use piping around the top edge, to give a more finished look, and a flap to make sure that the iPad doesn't fall out. I had recently picked up some of Nancy Zieman's Wrap 'n Fuse Piping and decided to give it a try.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-15n678hVtdeKKg61_vp61nmJsL2SB9du7NhVn_r2E7_LspIYvuJ8H9gVWfrwp3-LwjCLHkcI_yiDpgoIezFcK5HGr5y0JR-wNCXkfYlR1JfyTgy9k14J5KgOdO7uKNxZVzcsItKn5b8/s1600/fusible+piping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-15n678hVtdeKKg61_vp61nmJsL2SB9du7NhVn_r2E7_LspIYvuJ8H9gVWfrwp3-LwjCLHkcI_yiDpgoIezFcK5HGr5y0JR-wNCXkfYlR1JfyTgy9k14J5KgOdO7uKNxZVzcsItKn5b8/s400/fusible+piping.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I had two pieces of piping in about 2 minutes (cutting out the fabric strips and ironing it around the piping). I made a 3" wide flap, added the buttonhole, both miraculously BEFORE sewing the bag together. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkkgb2O7nKRgJ8QlXmNMCdtVNcTnQPDS1I6u5ueAQCMvJWFzFiO3vLOQhJatfN7NElmpsMssmT8B8K9CV9bAW8OyoC-xBKmCVoBo-8SvEw02BvNB0u8u6sQ19TKQrt7T11Nzdr_F7jhY/s1600/detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkkgb2O7nKRgJ8QlXmNMCdtVNcTnQPDS1I6u5ueAQCMvJWFzFiO3vLOQhJatfN7NElmpsMssmT8B8K9CV9bAW8OyoC-xBKmCVoBo-8SvEw02BvNB0u8u6sQ19TKQrt7T11Nzdr_F7jhY/s640/detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeYWpYzQHvXL__6twwd4DuC8zJx1oatYBMEHKx-eXrnp8Fagolu66EijSDnl4Q-a7ij3uMwTmHCVp1eQlOoSgUn4H7KfLN__eA5wAeoA0xDfkOwMgTbyDdvVH4qhGsp_nH2AvfXHfJjo/s1600/ipad+bag+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeYWpYzQHvXL__6twwd4DuC8zJx1oatYBMEHKx-eXrnp8Fagolu66EijSDnl4Q-a7ij3uMwTmHCVp1eQlOoSgUn4H7KfLN__eA5wAeoA0xDfkOwMgTbyDdvVH4qhGsp_nH2AvfXHfJjo/s640/ipad+bag+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-33424711504413501962011-06-15T13:45:00.000-04:002011-11-29T11:58:27.902-05:00End of the Summer Baseball SeasonMatthew was on the Defenders team this year, and they did great, ending the season with a 9-1 record. He missed 3 of the games due to a broken arm and the stomach bug, but really enjoyed being on the team. Here are a few pix from last night's game, one of him batting (just look at the determination on his face), and one of him in the "ready" position at shortstop (taken from behind first base, with a runner on the base).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWeSOa-nsdbF24eV_WItYh35yaIqrr82nByRpk8c4Gme-iEklH0z5lD9B3HYg3ZSYX5dIsPZpFoeP4aLJc1bVat4ybGmvgGemA6wDZjibTnt3EYkjuCwkIpGcSnTjdblJpS-lG64pZf4/s1600/matthew+at+bat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWeSOa-nsdbF24eV_WItYh35yaIqrr82nByRpk8c4Gme-iEklH0z5lD9B3HYg3ZSYX5dIsPZpFoeP4aLJc1bVat4ybGmvgGemA6wDZjibTnt3EYkjuCwkIpGcSnTjdblJpS-lG64pZf4/s640/matthew+at+bat.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-3JXdo3imnZAoVIhzrVH4_8MJiLr1WgZqWvYR8vUihuPhIL8WB2fDyfQyAdBHwy6eU10A2ZyYE8T-9QAJ0_nAhsx1x6L7KCbirja5u-iKgiTFyL8jARRl9av3eFisy1dUww7CwH4m48/s1600/matthew+short.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-3JXdo3imnZAoVIhzrVH4_8MJiLr1WgZqWvYR8vUihuPhIL8WB2fDyfQyAdBHwy6eU10A2ZyYE8T-9QAJ0_nAhsx1x6L7KCbirja5u-iKgiTFyL8jARRl9av3eFisy1dUww7CwH4m48/s640/matthew+short.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jeremy could care less about baseball, and either plays in the adjoining field or - when Ryan gives him his iPhone - spends the time playing video games, as he did last night.<br />
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In the fall, Matthew will begin machine pitch. Should be interesting.Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-49127754068469395662011-06-06T08:55:00.025-04:002011-11-29T11:58:40.559-05:00NC Quilt SymposiumI spent Saturday and Sunday at the NCQSI, the annual state-wide quilt show, which was held at Peace College in Raleigh this year. I had Saturday morning free to view the show, and it was a nice one this year. <br />
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This was Best of Show, <i>Swamp Hibiscus</i> by Judith Heyward. It was beautufully designed and the machine quilting was marvelous.</div>
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This appliqued bird quilt was a real showpiece. It was entirely hand-quilted. The corners between the blocks had birds quilted into them, and it appeared that no two were the same. I think that the applique patterns were used as the source for the quilting patterns for the birds.<br />
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This spectacular quilt, Daffodil O'Keefe by Katherine McNeese, had me making second and third walks through the section it was hanging in so I could see it again. So realistic you could reach out and pick it!<br />
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Maggie Trees a Coon, by my friend <a href="http://allthingsquilty.blogspot.com/">Jeanne</a><br />
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A marvelous miniature Baltimore album, and a detail of it. Just look at the hand quilting!<br />
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This beauty was made from an antique table cloth of the creator's husband's grandmother. It was gorgeously quilted.<br />
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The vendor mall enjoyed my visit, too. I got some wonderful wool roving from <a href="http://www.annieskeepsakes.com/">Annie's Keepsakes</a>; to-die-for hand-died silk handkerchiefs, organic cotton ricrac (which will ruche automatically if you pull one thread from an unraveled end), and gimp from <a href="http://www.ylicorp.com/YLIProducts.html">YLI</a>; and a felting book from <a href="http://www.schoolhousequilts.com/">Schoolhouse</a>. After that, I sat on this marvelous rocking-chair porch in the quad and relaxed for a bit before meeting friends for lunch and my afternoon class. More about that tomorrow!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHUycXou0beM0Hlt0p4eUWa-WIVeHtmI6bzx4IVgyqwmuu9PdKwQ8GM6GzW0D4_owzfFxATkAan0YfGYPB66Nr1KUkbkAa6XOXBUEbHUKyIMeVZcyDBH69vzIZmxyCO7rj64BYNOdcI8/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHUycXou0beM0Hlt0p4eUWa-WIVeHtmI6bzx4IVgyqwmuu9PdKwQ8GM6GzW0D4_owzfFxATkAan0YfGYPB66Nr1KUkbkAa6XOXBUEbHUKyIMeVZcyDBH69vzIZmxyCO7rj64BYNOdcI8/s320/IMG_0133.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-25627105334429990952011-06-02T11:42:00.000-04:002011-11-29T11:59:05.245-05:00Washington DC tripWe spent Memorial Day weekend in Washington, DC. We took the subway (Jeremy's favorite) and walked around the National Zoo on Saturday. On Sunday, Matthew and Ryan headed to the Nationals-Padres game, including batting practice prior to the game. Here's Matthew after having his hat signed by Rick Ankiel. They had seats on the 3rd base line, right near third base, and enjoyed the game.<br />
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Jeremy wanted no part of the baseball game. He instead wanted to go to the Museum of Natural History and look at the gems in particular, and some of the other exhibits that interested him. Here he is in front of a huge slab of crystals found in Arkansas.<br />
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On the way home we stopped into Ikea so I could get a few storage items for my office/craft room. It was very hot here on Monday, and we were all glad for a swim in the afternoon.<br />
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It's hard to believe, but tomorrow's the last day of school for the boys. I've made these crayon monograms for their teachers to thank them for their hard work and creativity. (These have been a hot item on all the crafting blogs recently.) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2hQojzvmJuLuQypXOBdKkMxdebm7FMDQ8zvlq_gdU4M2V0Kng-ctVyO2M8S8O1hzvihN06oFrBuh2eWhlq4H2qluB23Y3fv8abEw2ZTkGovZ2tfQzRvjncKrLn2aUZy3SOnCtg7dV7E/s1600/EOY+teacher+gifts+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2hQojzvmJuLuQypXOBdKkMxdebm7FMDQ8zvlq_gdU4M2V0Kng-ctVyO2M8S8O1hzvihN06oFrBuh2eWhlq4H2qluB23Y3fv8abEw2ZTkGovZ2tfQzRvjncKrLn2aUZy3SOnCtg7dV7E/s640/EOY+teacher+gifts+2011.jpg" width="331" /></a></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-20542696169143039282011-05-06T12:01:00.000-04:002011-11-29T11:59:18.136-05:00Crocus QuiltAfter a year of nearly any sewing, my mojo has come back. I decided that instead of working on new items, to pull out UFOs and old patterns (bought ages ago) and get them finished up.<br />
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So in late February, desperate for spring, I pulled out Eileen Sullivan's Crocus pattern. It's a paper-pieced project. I'm pleased with the way it came out. I even got it up on the wall in late March and it really brightens my day to see it as I walk up the stairs.<br />
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And then falling out of them.<br />
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And ending up with a broken arm and a fluorescent yellow cast. He can't play baseball or football until it's off. But he is allowed to continue in tae kwon do.<br />
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And hey, at least he can still play video games. :)<br />
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This last picture has nothing to do with broken bones, but it is the entrance to our back yard. We had a good spring with no late frosts, and so the the wisteria is in full bloom, lushly draped over the arbor. I really need to trim it back so you can walk through without having to duck, but I won't touch it until it's done flowering. Down on the right is a lovely spread of coreopsis. Ignore the fact that I badly need to prune back all of the abelia. <br />
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Our pool is open and the boys have been swimming 20-30 minutes or so on warm days. (The water's only about 68 degrees, so they're only in for a short while.)<br />
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We all went strawberry picking on Friday morning - got some gorgeous sweet berries. Most have been frozen and put away, but we've been snacking on some, and I made a strawberry pie for our dinner tonight. We've learned to have the kids wear red shirts when picking to minimize staining. Jeremy was so proud of himself "because I finally broke my bad habit of eating ALL of the berries and I'm putting some in the bucket."<br />
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Of course, last night we dyed eggs. All the standard colors, plus the traditional "ugly" eggs made when you mix a bunch of dye together for a lovely shade of yuck.<br />
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I tried to add rub-ons to the eggs. It turned out that only one brand (Maya Road) of the half-dozen brands I tried would adhere. But the ones that worked sure came out cute! <br />
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I hope you all have a happy Easter.Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-76197091567757343862011-04-19T11:40:00.000-04:002011-11-29T12:00:09.332-05:00Raspberry Lime (a baby quilt) One of my neighbors recently had a baby girl, and I've (finally) finished a little quilt for her. The pattern is "Giselle" and was published in <i>Quilters Newsletter Best Weekend Quilts</i>, a magazine that was published in the late fall of 2010. I only made 9 of the blocks (instead of the 30 in the pattern).<br />
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I fell in love with a bubbly dot print in lime, pink, and raspberry, and paired it with some coordinating fabrics. I haven't been fabric shopping in ages, and discovered the patterned Kona cloth, so picked up a bit of that in pale pink as one of the coordinating fabrics. The rest was from my stash.<br />
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I used a green dot minkee on the back. I just cannot make a baby quilt without using minkee on it. It is a "summer weight" quilt, with no batting. But the minkee gives it a lovely weight and drape, and the quilting lines just sink into it and give the back a lovely, almost sculptural, quality.<br />
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This is it on my porch, under the mound of pansies.<br />
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And 4 of the blocks so the fabrics can be seen:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi78CElj9BJ2OCAzkLGFki8v1ghZYNJHdIR6ugnS3c_rcGM0WKInIcebLQE3cO8VwQCrP4VLgrx3LE58HoDburxQW9qnaoSo8SuVqvNdi1s4-QWJUP82DhvoGutpQD812PGjkBNLrgSU/s1600/baby+quilt+detail+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi78CElj9BJ2OCAzkLGFki8v1ghZYNJHdIR6ugnS3c_rcGM0WKInIcebLQE3cO8VwQCrP4VLgrx3LE58HoDburxQW9qnaoSo8SuVqvNdi1s4-QWJUP82DhvoGutpQD812PGjkBNLrgSU/s1600/baby+quilt+detail+for+blog.jpg" /></a></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-82411884840934025592011-03-23T09:42:00.000-04:002011-11-29T12:00:42.677-05:00Back in the Saddle<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Last year I struggled with creativity. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">The one thing I did rather well last year was read - I probably read at least 300 books, and countless magazines. But </span><span style="font-size: small;">I had no mojo for any type of craft or hobby at all. I barely took any pictures. I really struggled when I had to complete something. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> It was frustrating and depressing, and created a negative feedback loop. </span><span style="font-size: small;">When I look over what I did manage to get done last year, I can almost feel the complete and total lack of inspiration, imagination, and creativity in the work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But the New Year brought back the creativity to my life! I've been non-stop making things since the holidays ended. Lots of sewing, quilting, needle felting, and scrapping. And I'm trying to take more pictures again. This past Sunday, I spent the day scrapping with paper and for the first time in over a year just enjoyed the creative process, playing with color and design, and truly finding joy in what I'm doing again. I was so happy and relaxed at the end of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is a layout of Matthew, trying to learn to dive. He had the first parts of the dive pose down, but when it came right down to it he'd end up jumping into the water instead, arms and legs flying everywhere. I had created the framed bits and extraction sometime last year, but stopped at that point. They were technical steps, and I could manage that. But I was stumped at how to actually complete the layout. So I left it in my in-progress file. I came back to it yesterday and it all just flowed. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4wGXiGXWoraBHopcEoJ_etEGO8J5r-8X4b7SPmuagucNtI2kPY36TeqIj1GJRNvM2U6C0eOYL6wL0LNekCaIVhowplj7juvCkOHD4bvT7uuq6PP8WL8GlUKWl5Sq4P029DJ1FdkiUFc/s1600/summertime+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4wGXiGXWoraBHopcEoJ_etEGO8J5r-8X4b7SPmuagucNtI2kPY36TeqIj1GJRNvM2U6C0eOYL6wL0LNekCaIVhowplj7juvCkOHD4bvT7uuq6PP8WL8GlUKWl5Sq4P029DJ1FdkiUFc/s640/summertime+boy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Summertime Boy. Supply list: Paper: Summer by Tracey Ann, Cabana Boy by Dani Mogstad; Labels (borders recolored): Pick-nics Alphabetized Summer Labels by Jen Wilson; Title: Pick-nics Sticker Wordy Titles by Jen Wilson; Overlay (modified to keep distressed edge only): Everyday Challenge 7/26/09 by Katie Pertiet; Brushes: Scriptease Summer 1 by Anna Aspnes; Staples: Something Springy by Anna Aspnes; Font: CK Ali's Writing.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Jeremy's been creating lately, too. His class took a virtual drawing lesson from Mo Willems, who creates the <i>Pigeon</i> books. He learned how to draw Pigeon and Cat. Here is his drawing of Pigeon eating a hot dog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> And now I'm finally updating my blog again, and will try to post at least weekly. </span></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-61567374502152878622010-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:002011-11-29T12:00:54.142-05:00May your Thanksgiving be filled with all the blessings that family, friends, and feast can bring.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxtdvuNtUatryW27Rip6dvEkTqpVlog8kD9wfD6OjI1FMHb_wF1dMfI4UfJLX3pjyFe956RCSo2dgxcgnIQLn9JnYnHWwOwvLxaGr4Wy__pTru9V7tYl499198cNgzBJGG1hHUXZR9Dw/s1600/thankful+feast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxtdvuNtUatryW27Rip6dvEkTqpVlog8kD9wfD6OjI1FMHb_wF1dMfI4UfJLX3pjyFe956RCSo2dgxcgnIQLn9JnYnHWwOwvLxaGr4Wy__pTru9V7tYl499198cNgzBJGG1hHUXZR9Dw/s640/thankful+feast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-56903308446587620712010-11-01T22:28:00.000-04:002011-11-29T12:01:06.309-05:00Halloween Fantasy LandThe boys love rich fantasy worlds. Jeremy tends to prefer tales of magic, while Matthew prefers game-oriented shows, and their preferences are reflected in their choices of Halloween costumes: Harry Potter for Jeremy and Dan (of the Bakugan series) for Matthew.<br />
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We had a great evening walking through the neighborhood with friends and neighbors. It was a beautiful evening, no full moon this year but plenty of bats swooping around to give that nice, spooky feeling.<br />
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A few pix of the boys:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8YYnwyYbXMQKVDk_yYDsjd_stP3G9eGbAUWin2eqZ5P9_8CDoJCrMMX9LMAtAKPCcNpQLD91tbzQbcoPW82TkwcX5tlupSkh-FqK4xuClulrLEGhwwClvSWBfJEjpoc4mmyZFiRf_Lk/s1600/harry+and+dan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8YYnwyYbXMQKVDk_yYDsjd_stP3G9eGbAUWin2eqZ5P9_8CDoJCrMMX9LMAtAKPCcNpQLD91tbzQbcoPW82TkwcX5tlupSkh-FqK4xuClulrLEGhwwClvSWBfJEjpoc4mmyZFiRf_Lk/s640/harry+and+dan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8791078068265564334.post-57406931538107901762010-10-30T18:42:00.000-04:002011-11-29T12:01:23.074-05:00Got Mummies?I do! I found a little tutorial for making these adorable mummy pops (candy covered oreos) at <a href="http://www.howdoesshe.com/halloween-cookie-suckers">How Does She</a> and decided to give them a whirl. I did order the eyes that were used in the tut, but they didn't arrive in time, so I substituted some small candies instead. I found it takes 2 14-oz bags of candy melts to make 25 mummipops.<br />
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And they came out just adorable! Here is a closeup:<br />
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And here's one of them in the spider clothesline basket I made last Halloween:<br />
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For Halloween this year, Matthew went as Dan (from Bakugan) and Jeremy as Harry Potter. Matthew's in that "don't take my picture stage" and it's driving me nuts to try to get a decent picture of him. But I keep telling myself that it will be good blackmail material in a few years... <br />
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We went to trunk-or-treat at the school last night, and the kids had a ball. This is a picture of one of the witches hosting a trunk - hands down, my favorite adult costume of the night!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWx8K-a68wGOJ0xYgUB52D5ZTMgPRcYf_TX54L5hPXIEDq9hbSE0Jv826BLsG5W1K8Kp3eXPmHgrNypDYOUB43-a_c1_nS_DSQX3O12BPT1Pm6Fkhx_tw4mRiRzlTQv-GNNUUasDLX24/s1600/witchy+mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWx8K-a68wGOJ0xYgUB52D5ZTMgPRcYf_TX54L5hPXIEDq9hbSE0Jv826BLsG5W1K8Kp3eXPmHgrNypDYOUB43-a_c1_nS_DSQX3O12BPT1Pm6Fkhx_tw4mRiRzlTQv-GNNUUasDLX24/s640/witchy+mom.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>Quilter422http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753247352738595628noreply@blogger.com3