Quilting Arts Magazine - Feature

I've officially accomplished one of my bucket list items - be published in a magazine I adore! One of my quilts is featured in this current issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

And what sophisticated piece of art made this happen? My quilt about never having toilet paper in the bathroom...

Yes, it's true - you can make an art quilt about anything and everything! Who would have thought that this pet peeve would make it to print..

The Not So Spooky Doll Quilt

A couple weeks ago, cutie pie Isabelle was putting her dolly to sleep using one of our kitchen towels. I know! How could she not have a slew of handmade doll quilts? Well to cut me some slack, it's really been only in the last month that she has really shown much interest in her dolls and imaginary play.

The same week, the amazing Rhonna Farrer had a Design Team call. She makes the most amazing digital artwork. Most people I know use her designs for their digital scrapbooks or print them out for cards and other paper projects. I really wanted to find some ways to incorporate her work into some fun sewing projects.

It is really easy! There are a number of ways you can print on fabric, but I wanted some immediate gratification so I went one of the easier ways. I uploaded her images into Photoshop and rearranged them to maximize the number of images on a letter sized paper. Then I printed it on ink-jet printable fabric - you can find these at most craft stores, they are sold near the fabric section.

After the images were printed and heat set (follow the directions on the package for your particular brand), I cut them out and arranged them on a piece of muslin fabric. Once I was happy with the layout, I rubbed a small bit of glue stick behind each circle and adhered it to the quilt. The rest was pretty traditional quilting. Lots of obvious black free motion stitching and bright, contrast binding. I mixed in small postage size pieces of scrap fabric.

I love it! Isabelle was whopping and hollering the whole time I made it. I was informed that it is "just a little spooky" - perfect for her. I can't wait to give to her to play with at Halloween. And I am much happier that her dolls will now have their first proper quilt!

If you love the look of this but don't have any ankle biters with dolls, it would be a perfect accent for a Halloween mantle display or hung up as a mini quilt.

If you have no desire to quilt, you can use this same technique and make into a card or scrapbook layout. Simply print the images on paper and use a black sharpie to make the thread lines.

Hope you enjoy!

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Linking up to : Tatertots & Jello, Today's Creative Blog, A to Z,

What's Your Pet Peeve?

This year my mom & I finally went to Quilt Market. It was such an amazing experience, I had no idea how many celebrities I would meet. While we were there, I fawned all over the "Quilting Arts" booth. I loooove their magazine and special editions. And I met Pokey! She was so warm and personable. I ended up filming with them a little bit about my adoration for art quilting. I think it was that exchange that finally pushed me to submit to their magazine.

This morning I submitted my quilt, "Ode to the Commode". The magazine opened a call for submissions about pet peeves. And well mine is having to go potty and only finding a cardboard roll where there should be some toilet paper..

Fingers crossed Pokey will find this as amusing as we do. Even though Thomas was the joke in this quilt, he loves it and wants to display it prominently in one of our bathrooms. Maybe it will serve as a reminder? One can only hope...

Brown Baggin' It

Many moons ago I signed up for a "brown bag" quilt challenge.

Basically we were randomly matched and sent our partner

various fabrics to make a quilt.

Typically you send fabrics you no longer like

so it's a bit more a challenge for your partner to create something beautiful.

While I don't think the fabric I was sent is unsightly,

it is not my norm.

Dark,dark,dark and traditional floral.

I was allowed to add some from my own stash

so I tossed in the light neutrals to make it not so heavy.

I also added the 3-d roses to modernize it a bit.

For this quilt I finally used my AccuQuilt Studio.

What a breeze it was to cut the chisels!!

Love having it..

This was my own pattern.

I basically just cut a ton of chisels and moved them around

on my table till I was happy with the layout.

Final Project For Project Quilting

My mini art quilt is a 18" square.

My final piece for Project Quilting was inspired by the devastation in Japan. Sadly in addition to the immediate loss of loved ones and homes, there is also the loss of historical artifacts and destruction to sacred land. My quilt is about Japan piecing their lives and history back together.

My required large print is a traditional Japanese scene of young women with umbrellas. I cut the print up and removed a few pieces. They were fused on to a striped fabric - the striped fabric included shades orange brown for land and blue for water. I also add irregular shaped pieces of additional orange brown and blue fabric to symbolize the earthquake and tsunami.

The piece was then quilted in numerous horizontal lines. These quilted lines helped create a cohesive look, bringing the pieces of the original print back together. When you stand back from the quilt, it is not immediately obvious that the fabric was cut. It is only when you get closer that you notice the cracks and separations.

It was bound in the same deep blue to symbolize the water surrounding Japan.

Quilt Exchange Flickr Group

I love Flickr Groups.

I'm pretty shocked it hasn't occured to me yet to create one.

So I did!

I know this is going to a real shocker,

but it involves some of my most favorite things.

Quilts, Challenges, New friends!

As soon as there are 6 members we will begin.

Each month a member will choose a theme.

We will have the month to create the mini quilt.

And we will exchange our petite works of art through a random draw.

Are you in?

His Veins Run Blue

Project Quilting

My piece, "His Veins Run Blue", is inspired by my husband. and of course our theme the hardware store.

It is a mini art quilt - 6.5" x 7.5"

When I visited the store for inspiration, I thought about how the only times I go to Lowe's or Home Depot is when my husband needs something. More than half the week he is a white collar electrical engineer, but if he had it his way everyday his hands would be dirty from a blue collar job.

The items I was inspired by were the blades (the silver points on the quilt), the denim (the Wrangler emblem),

and red bandannas.

I did the white frame to symbolize the white collar that boxes in my husband while

the blue collar elements are trying to sneak out.

I embellished with lots of topstitching - similar to what you would see on shirts and jeans - including using my serger.