From Doodle to Felt

The current word for The Creative Prompt Project is....... Flower.

After I created the doodle, I decided to see how it would look simplified.

I cut the basic shapes from wool felt.
I used my needle felting tools to meld it all together for a piece that could then be easily thread painted.

I did the thread painting with a layer of stabilizer on the back prior to adding the layer of Timtex.

Stitching very close to the outer edges of the design makes the flower and leaves stand out.

A little "mini"McTavishing finishes off this quick little postcard.

A Doodle and a Story for You.

#63 of the CPP line up is Cafe.........perhaps there could be a Graphic Cafe with coffee pots that look like this.
I have a little story to tell....... so if you have the time grab a cup and come along......or come back later when you do have time to read this post.
I debated about telling this story but in the end decided it need to be shared because it is relevant to all artists at all levels and it could be happening to you!
So here goes..........
Last week, I was in a local quilt shop where I noticed a couple of samples on display for the purpose of a class. I immediately recognized the designs as belonging to an artist on the other side of the world. I questioned the shop owner (not a staff member) The owner, about the class , he told me that Ms.________ had brought these in and would be teaching this class. I asked him if he knew if she had obtained permission from the artist to use her designs/patterns.........his response to me was to shrug his shoulders and say "oh she got them off the internet somewhere"

Now you need to know that you could purchase (from the artist) an e-book for a ridiculously low price. It is filled with patterns, detailed step by step instructions for her technique, lots of photos and very specific material requirements..............tremendous value for the money. In the e-book she does clearly state that you are NOT to share this with friends, family or guild members etc...........because while you may save them a few dollars, it could potentially cost the artist many, many more in lost revenue.

So, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I needed to contact the artist and inform her of the situation. I have given her the shop's contact info and hopefully she will be able to have a good resolution to this matter.
Why do some feel that it is quite okay to profit from some one else's hard work? I guess they figure that because they are separated by an ocean and thousands of miles, who is going to know the difference.
All art forms are copyright protected which means that there can be NO publication, duplication, or file copying/storing for any use, personal, charitable or commercial in any manner without the express written permission of the artist.

Just a couple of days later, I was contacted about my designs being used without my knowledge or permission. While it was a "not for profit" situation, I did have to request that she remove the post, delete any files she had stored containing my work and remind her about copyright protection. She was apologetic and I believe has complied with my request.
If you see this sort of thing, please let the artist know so that they can take appropriate action so that his/her work and ability to market themselves is not put in jeopardy. Remember it can just as easily be happening to you!!!!

The only way to truly protect ourselves from this sort of "theft" is to not put our work out there to begin with...............and that would be a sad, sad day.

In Cyber-space, it is indeed a Small World after all!

From Logo Design to Quilt

After having my design chosen as the logo to be used for next year's CQA event, I decided to see if I could turn it into a quilt.
On a white tone on tone cotton with a vine and leaf motif, I painted in the colours I wanted.
I probably could have gotten away without piecing the circle, but I did want to be able to tuck the tree roots into the seam.
So the blue was painted, the tree trunk and roots are actually Lutradur cut with a heat tool. I painted the outer circle yellow, being careful to leave the flying geese area blank so it could be treated separately.
I hand lettered the text using a micron pen. I also used the micron pens on plain white cotton to re-create the designs on fabric for the "foliage" on the tree.

I thought I'd apply something a little unexpected to the binding so I began by printing a sheet of text on cotton which was then cut on the bias.
The broken black outline of the circle is hand stitched while the rest is free motion machine quilting.

Here is the finished piece, it is titled "Coming Attraction"

Finished!

These postcards went together quickly, I put my printer to work, (always cross my fingers as the printer grabs the fabric) tried a new stitch, & practiced a few favourites.
They are now finished and in the mail.

and the Winner is........

Well, actually, it's winners.
I decided to pick a few at random, so congratulations to Barb, Rian, Trudi, Swiss Quilter, and emailcath. I will contact you shortly to get your snail mail information. Thanks to everyone who left comments and for taking the time to check out this blog
Michele at Quilting Gallery will also receive her choice (Queen) as a thank you for the Thursday Shout-Out

Since this is really all about the doodles, I thought I'd show you my latest one for this week's prompt word Coffee.
Got a little carried away........good thing it's decaf

Guess I had better get to work on those postcards.

I've said it many times........

Quilt Bloggers are the BEST!!!

Michele Foster, aka Mishka at Quilting Gallery, contacted me to let me know she was featuring The Quilt Rat as part of her new Shout out Thursdays. Are you familiar with the site? There is so much going on there........quilters forums, swaps, shop finder, weekly contests..........the list goes on, not to mention the fact that there are links to more than 4,000 amazing quilts blogs from every corner of the world. A HUGE thank you to Michele for this honour, I am so delighted.

So to celebrate, I have decided to have a small give-away combining quilting and my doodles.
Leave me a comment telling me which is your favouite doodle (you can see them all here) and I'll send you a quilted postcard just like the one above. I was printing a label the other day and had a little space left near the bottom of the page......never do I want to waste treated fabric so I added this image along with some text. Then it was just a matter of getting in a little free motion practice. I quite like the result. I will choose the winner.........or maybe winners on Monday.
Now Michele, I think to properly thank you, you should automatically be a winner......just let me know which doodle you'd most like and I'll be sure to get it ready for you.

Here are a couple of postcards that were done for guild, more hand applique, what a difference colour and fabric selection makes in the look........and yet I like them both.

Packing a Quilt and a Doodle

My entry for this year's Grand National Quilt Show, themed, "Off the Wall" has been accepted ( I am very excited!!!) and I will need to deliver it within the next few days.
Whenever I send a quilt off to a show, there are a few things I always do. First, I never want to fold them, so I need to find a way to ship them either rolled or lying flat. In this case, the quilt can be rolled and it fits nicely into a large "draftsman's" tube.
Every quilt I send has a cotton bag made specifically for it with a label sewn onto it baring the quilt's name, along with my name & address. Any hanging rods that travel with the piece also have my name and the title of the quilt written on them and of course, I need to include any required paperwork that will accompany the piece. Finally, I placed a shipping label with my name, address and telephone number on the tube as well as the outer packaging, which was made using a large plastic garment bag so I won't have to worry about it if the weather is not all that great the day it is shipped.....I plan deliver it in person but I will need to have it shipped back and I know that the organizers of the show will return this quilt using the same packing materials it arrived in.

This week's prompt word is Branch.
On a Lilly-of the-valley, each bell hangs from it's own branch off the main stem

Bring on the Sun!!!

We have been experiencing some fantastic weather the last few days. I just had to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine and do a little sun printing.

Lightly dampened fabric was painted with diluted transparent Setacolours, then, I just tossed on several different objects to see what effects I might like. I used jewelry bits, rice, bag tags, toothpicks, ivy and fern leaves, bobbins, safety pins and even elbow macaroni that was all left in the sun.
Here are some of the results.

I took one piece of fabric..........scrunched it up, poured the leftover paints onto it and left it to dry giving me this interesting piece.

Then of course there is what always ends up being my favourite piece, the "clean up" cloth. I use a damp piece of cotton to mop up all of the excess wet and dry paint on my work surface and this is how it turned out.



I liked the safety pins so much I did another piece the next day.
I definitely have plans for this piece