Testing

Do you remember those Black & White prints I over dyed with paint? It is all part of a test process. I do like to use paints quite a bit in my quilting and really want to get a good sense of how they will stand up over time and maybe a little abuse.
I plan to let it live in the light, use it as a table topper and wash it often to document how the painted fabrics hold onto their colour ....even the "off-white" background is a painted fabric, it was originally a white tone on tone.I used some of the original black and white prints when I pieced the back.
This quilt measures 30"x 30" and is known as a "Schnibbles". Mary over at Quilt Hollow sent me this pattern called State Fair .......she confesses to being a "Schnibbles Addict".
To see more Schnibbles, head on over to Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. but be careful............. you may become one too!

And the Winner is..........

KIM! I used a random number generator and your number came up. Congrats to you and thank you to everyone for their wonderful comments.

This card will be on it's way to you shortly

A Little Behind

Have you been wondering where my responses to The Creative Prompt Project have gotten to? I am just a little behind ........well, a lot actually, but I will try to get caught up. It may require being very "creative" so for word # 81 "Middle" I think this photo says it all.
Prompt words, #s 82, 83, & 84 are Curve, Compass, and Crimson. I have combined all 3 with this doodle. A Compass is a great tool to draw a perfect Curve and this one has a piece of Crimson lead!
I will be posting the winner of the postcard tomorrow morning, so if you have not yet entered, there is still time, just be sure to leave a comment in my Sept 16th post below.

Playing and Sharing........(maybe with you)

A couple of weeks ago I got to spend a few days with a fibre-artist and long time friend. Not only did we have a wonderful time catching up but we also got in a little "play time"
Sometimes this is when some terrific spontaneous designs can happen. We were testing out a number of different supplies, when I quickly drew a feather that I could paint to see if there would be much "bleeding" across the lines. Once I got it home, I realized that I really quite liked it, I added a little doodling and turned it into this postcard.I decided to make a couple more based on that same design
This one is using some tiny scraps left over from a previous painted fabric project, the little circles were coloured using Sharpie markers.This one was done using a marbled fabric, the colour placement was not planned, I drew the individual feathers onto the paper side of fusible and simply pressed it to the marbled fabric and then cut out the feathers, sharpie markers were again used for colouring the circles.
Here comes the "sharing" part of this post...........would you like to have this postcard? I am afraid the first 2 are spoken for, but this third one will go to one of my blog readers. To have a chance to find this card in your mailbox, just leave me a comment. Are you a regular visitor or have you just recently come across this blog? I know that there are lots of you who visit often but don't always leave a comment and that's okay, but if you want a chance to win this card you'll have to let me hear from you. Remember to be sure I have a way to contact you. I'll announce the winner next Thursday, Sept 23rd so you have lots of time.

This n' That

I attended a couple of Antique shows in the area this weekend and came away with this pretty little machine along with it's original box and clamp all in excellent condition.
I also scored this beautifully carved wooden box. It is from Wheeler & Wilson sewing machines.
The fall issues of The Canadian Quilter and A Needle Pulling Thread magazines, both have wonderful layouts showing the winning quilts from this year's Grand National. It is always exciting to see one's work on the pages of one of these slick publications. You can learn more about The Grand National quilt show hereAnd finally, here is a little peak at what I am doing with those black and white prints I painted a little while ago. More on this later

Pointing the way to a fun Tutorial.

I notice as I work my way through blog land that there are always some terrific tutorials out there, but who has time to actually make all these wonderful things? Well, here is one I came across that just seemed so quick and easy that I had to give it a go.
Cynthia at Idle Hands Empty Brain walks us through a super simple and fun to make thimble holder (or any little treasure really)

Go on over and check it out. I made mine to hold my thimbles, I added a small lobster claw so that I could attach it to my needle book. Made a couple extra for friends.
Mind you, I only went green as far as using the plastic lids, I must confess that I machine sewed what could be done by machine and of course did the rest by hand. You can have lots of fun adding nifty little beads and trinkets too, maybe you have a favourite earring that has lost it's twin or other broken bits of costume jewelery, just one more way to recycle and re-use

I think these could easily be made in several sizes and have quite a number of possible uses.